Liverpool flop Christian Poulsen is wanted by Spanish side Sevilla and Premier League strugglers West Ham.
The defensive midfielder was signed from Juventus this summer but has failed to live up to expectations at Anfield and manager Roy Hodgson may be tempted to cut his losses on the player if an offer of around €7 million comes in in January.
Poulsen has only appeared in eight matches in the Premier League for the Reds this season and has fallen down manager Roy Hodgson’s pecking order.
West Ham will of course be desperate to avoid relegation to the Championship this season and hope that Poulsen can be tempted to come to Upton Park, along with fellow targets Steve Sidwell and Jamie O’Hara.
However, the Hammers will face stiff competition from Spanish Primera Division side Sevilla. Sevilla are themselves struggling for form at present having lost their last five league games.
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Poulsen has played for Denmark on 81 occasions and wants to be playing first team football in order to keep himself in manager Morten Olsen’s plans.
Former Blackburn Rovers captain Andy Todd has been released from his contract at A-League side Perth Glory.Todd is just the latest name to be added to a mounting casualty list at the Glory as interim coach Ian Ferguson looks to rebuild from the ground up after the club, tipped as a title contender last August, has struggled throughout this campaign.
Wednesday night’s 2-1 loss to the Mariners has all but guaranteed the 10th-placed Glory cannot make the finals this season as they are now nine points adrift of sixth-placed Melbourne Heart with just four games remaining.
Having been a rock in central defence for the Glory as the club made their first A-League finals appearance in 2009-10, Todd was a popular winner of the club champion award for last season.
But the 36-year-old has endured a difficult time this term, having to cope with pre-season knee problems, illness and a long-term hip flexor injury.
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“I still believe I can play and I’m hopeful of doing that back home in England,” said Todd in a media release on Thursday afternoon.
Todd is the fourth Glory player to be released this season after goalkeeper Aleks Vrteski, striker Michael Baird and midfielder Andrija Jukic were allowed to seek opportunities elsewhere.
Premier League managers are judged first and foremost on results, but one of the most influential ways they can ensure that three points aren’t a rarity is to show their prowess in the transfer market. Football fans love nothing more than bringing in a great new signing who can help to transform fortunes on the pitch. For the big boys including Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham this means a star name who can contribute to their Premier League title charge. However, of equal importance is the ability for some of the sides battling to avoid relegation to bring in a player whose goals will be worth their weight in gold if it helps their side to stay up. With expert unearther of talent Arsene Wenger and experienced wheeler dealer Harry Redknapp in the Premier League, there hasn’t been a shortage of top signings in 2010, but which do you regard as the best? Here are the nominees for the FootballFanCast.com Signing of the Year for 2010…
Inter Milan signing Giampaolo Pazzini is aiming to collect trophies following his move from Sampdoria to the Serie A and European champions.
Pazzini, 26, arrived at San Siro on Friday for a reported fee of 10 million pounds, with Inter forward Jonathan Biabiany heading to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris as part of the deal.
Capped 14 times for Italy, Pazzini will compete with the likes of Samuel Eto’o and Diego Milito for a starting berth as Inter attempt to revive their title defence under new manager Leonardo.
“To make it to a club like Inter is inevitably fulfilling a career goal, but at the same time it needs to be a starting point as I haven’t won anything yet and I want to demonstrate what I can do,” Pazzini said.
“Am I excited? Of course I am. When there is a change like this one it is hard to believe it is really happening. The offer from Inter was unexpected and out of the blue, and a very important opportunity.”
By leaving Sampdoria, Pazzini incurred the displeasure of president Ricardo Garrone, who believes the player was tempted by the wealth on offer at Inter.
“I heard what the president had to say and I can’t deny I was a bit upset, but I don’t want to say anything as Sampdoria gave me so much,” he said.
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“I gave a lot to Sampdoria too and I will never forget the time I spent in Genoa or the fans, who were always so welcoming towards me.”
“Garrone said I was distracted by other things in my last few months there? If the president had come into the dressing room he would have seen the sacrifices I was making to be able to play.”
Touchy subject I imagine. Fans are for it, managers are against it. It makes teams, it also breaks them. So what should we do with the winter transfer window?
Firstly, let’s take into consideration the entertainment factor: I can happily walk downstairs during my winter holiday and turn on the TV, tap in 455 on my Sky remote and watch Georgie Thompson swish her long blonde hair around the studio and talk about which club Robbie Keane is being loaned to all day long.
Funnily enough, transfer deadline day is possibly the most exciting thing about football aside from actually playing or watching the stuff. Rio Ferdinand joked about with his Twitter buddies on #transferdeadlineday, claiming that it should be marked off as a bank holiday. Not a bad idea I suppose, because apart from the journalists reporting from the stadiums themselves (with the exception of the Emirates) every football fan is glued to their TV to see what wheelin’ and dealin’ old ‘Arry has been up to.
The window opens to essentially allow teams to either push them to the top (Chelsea), or ensure their safety (West Ham). Whilst the Hammers decide to splash £90,000-a-week on Wayne Bridge, Roman Abramovich has opted to break British transfer record fees and cause controversy not only on Merseyside but at St James’ Park too.
There is no doubt that it causes a sense of panic around the Premier League, with lower clubs fearing that the bigger boys are going to come and raid them of their best players and leave them with nothing but a hefty sum in their bank account, and no time to spend it.
It still eludes me how Gary Cahill has not gone to one of the top four, especially with Arsenal so desperate for a defender.
Should we see the window go? I’m not too sure.
Clubs are rattled with injuries throughout the season thanks to the massive fixture list, including 3 games a week sometimes, players will get tired and start to play with a tired mindset – which will eventually lead to a mistake. But hey, that’s their job right?
It’s true that no club will splash a casual £50m if they don’t need to.
Chelsea were not making a push for the title, and Torres remained a player that Carlo Ancelotti had been monitoring since joining the Blues. Torres was unhappy at Liverpool and felt that he needed a move elsewhere to launch his career in with the select few of all-time greats, therefore he went to London. Sounds relatively simple right?
Well what I think the world is complaining about when discussing the window, is the knock-on effect of the sales, which means that Liverpool will have to line-up a new striker for the Spaniard’s departure, and because every deal is done within less than 24 hours of the deadline, clubs are willing to pay the extra money to get a suitable replacement.
Is Andy Carroll worth £35m at 22-years-of-age, with a mere 6 months in the Premier League? No way. There is no doubt in the Geordie-man’s talent but when a club as big as Liverpool pay a British transfer fee for you, then it puts a lot of pressure on your shoulders.
If you look back to Carroll’s first interview, he looks completely bewildered to what on earth was going on. Not long ago, he signed a new 5-year-deal with the Magpies, setting himself on becoming a local legend, but found himself as lonely on Merseyside as he did when Kevin Nolan was obliged to make him his roomie.
However, when looking back on Torres’ first interview with the press, he looked completely comfortable with his £50m price-tag – didn’t even phase the 26-year-old. This may be down to experience, but Torres looked confident with his ability to the point that no-one dare question it. He is a top class player and has proven it time and time again, but Carroll on the other hand looked a tad shell-shocked, which could bit considered a bit of a hit-or-miss situation.
Less than £30m was spent last winter window, and over £200m this time. Is it a sign for more to come?
Perhaps the window is just an immature approach to the demands of British popular culture, with all the dramatic shirt-burning hate and painful tantrums for bigger, fatter wages. What do you think should happen with the January transfer window?
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Arsenal moved to within a point of league-leaders Manchester United with a 1-0 defeat of Stoke on Wednesday, but the victory came at a cost.Stoke – already regarded as villains in north London after Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey’s leg was broken in a Ryan Shawcross tackle a year ago – were booed off the field as they tested the Gunners once again, with both Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott injured among a string of strong tackles.But this time, the Gunners proved they have the appetite for a battle as they won the game through Sebastien Squillaci’s eighth-minute header to keep up the pressure on English Premier League leaders United.It was the sight of Fabregas limping off with a knee injury after only 14 minutes and Walcott being carried off on a stretcher with an ankle injury in the second half, however, that could have an even bigger impact on Arsenal’s season.With a Carling Cup Final against Birmingham coming up on Sunday and an away tie at Barcelona in the Champions League to look forward to on March 8, the last thing Arsene Wenger’s team needs now is injuries to their key players.Even so, they defeated Stoke relatively comfortably to keep up their quest for an unprecedented quadruple of Premier League, FA Cup, Carling Cup and Champions League titles.The home side could, and should, have gone ahead in the very first minute when Wilshere and Fabegas combined superbly to set up Walcott, but his shot from 10 yards cannoned back off the inside of the far post with Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic beaten.It did not seem to matter when Arsene Wenger’s side took the lead seven minutes later. Wilshere’s corner was chested down and chip-volleyed back across goal for defender Squillaci to head home from close range.But when Fabregas went off injured, Arsenal seemed to lose their momentum and desire – almost conceding an unlikely equaliser when John Carew’s long-distance volley following a break-away move was superbly saved by Gunners shot-stopper Wojciech Szczesny.Stoke – who had been surprisingly tame in the first half – came out firing in the second, taking a physical approach that had Arsenal’s players on nursing knocks on more than one occasion.To their credit, the Gunners weathered the storm and really should have extended their lead when Walcott miss-hit a wonderful chance set up by Fabregas’ replacement Andrey Arshavin with 25 minutes to go.But Stoke’s aggressive tactics eventually took another victim when Dean Whitehead’s challenge, unpunished by referee Peter Walton, left Walcott clutching his ankle in agony.The injury was so bad the winger had to be carried off on a stretcher and Arsenal’s problems are mounting ahead of Sunday’s Carling Cup Final against another infamously aggressive side in Birmingham City.But at least they were able to hold out for a crucial league victory that left the home crowd happy and kept the pressure on Manchester United.
Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova believes his team are in no danger of becoming complacent ahead of the visit of Real Zaragoza.La Liga leaders Barca secured a valuable 1-0 win away to third-placed Valencia on Wednesday and will be heavy favourites to beat Zaragoza at the Camp Nou on Saturday.Javier Aguirre’s side will be without a number of players through injury, but Vilanova insists Zaragoza – who are 15th in the table – will be no pushovers. Zaragoza defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-1 in their last outing and also secured a 0-0 draw away to Sporting Gijon on February 26.”You know my opinion,” Vilanova said.”Every game is difficult … just because the opponent is missing players doesn’t make it easy. They can play well and have four points from their last six.””We have also just played against Valencia in a game that we were very up for. Like against Espanyol, when you put in so much effort there is fatigue. We saw that when we played Bilbao.””We are happy to have beaten Valencia, but the points are worth the same as winning against Zaragoza. In any case, it is good to go to a ground like Valencia’s and take all the points.”Barca head coach Pep Guardiola was in significant discomfort during the Valencia match and was later admitted to hospital suffering from a spinal disc hernia.It is not yet known whether he will recover sufficiently to take his place on the bench for Saturday’s match. “I was able to speak with him. He is a bit better, but not fully recovered,” Vilanova said.”The other day he was in a bad way, after the travel and the tension of the game.”
Tottenham has expressed their desire to sign £15million-rated Manchester City defender Micah Richards, following a failed attempt last summer – according to a report in the Daily Mail.
Manager Harry Redknapp unsuccessfully tried to lure the Englishman to White Hart Lane last year, but is now hopeful to seal a deal with the 22-year-old after Roberto Mancini found no place for the youngster in his starting XI, beginning in just 11 of City’s 27 Premier League games this season.
It has been reported that Richards’ advisors have alerted a handful of clubs of the player’s potential availability in the summer, mostly due to Mancini’s interest in signing Barcelona’s Dani Alves and Ajax’s Gregory Van der Wiel in the summer.
Spurs may well sort out a deal for Richards, as a dressing room bust-up between current full-back Alan Hutton and manager Harry Rednknapp may see a vacancy open up for the City defender.
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Richards has represented England on 12 occasions since his debut back in 2006, scoring one goal.
Germany general manager Oliver Bierhoff thinks greater emphasis should be placed on developing youth players at national level.Bierhoff, who netted 37 goals in 70 appearances for his country during a distinguished career, also thinks football federations and leagues should work together to develop the national team.
“I think it’s important to have a philosophy and long term strategy,” Bierhoff said.
“Obviously there is short term interests – you have to win the next game, you have to stay in the league.”
“But you have to see in the long run and I think if you invest in the youth section and you give them a good education technically and physically then you have a wider choice for the coaches for the first team to put some young players in.”
The 42-year-old also believes that leagues and federations should be closely linked in the process of helping young players develop.
“A good national team is also good for the clubs and good performances for the clubs is also good for the national team,” he said.
“I think you have to oblige the clubs to invest a certain amount of money every year into this education. Then you have to have the courage to let these players play in the league.”
Shakhtar Donetsk defender Yaroslav Rakitskiy hopes his side can learn from their mistakes when they host Barcelona in the Champions League.The Ukrainian champions started boldly against Barca in their quarter-final first-leg match at the Nou Camp last Wednesday, before being overwhelmed on their way to a 5-1 thrashing.
Rakitskiy’s goal was the only bright spot on a dark night for Shakhtar, and the 21-year-old is optimistic his teammates will not make the same errors on Tuesday against the might of the Catalans.
“(Andres) Iniesta’s early goal didn’t kill our plans,” Rakitskiy said. “We started well enough but we failed to make good use of our opportunities.”
“We learned that the most important thing is to take your chances against such strong opposition.”
“Not conceding goals is also crucial. Last week we helped Barcelona score. Now we should do our best to avoid the mistakes made at the Camp Nou.”
Rakitskiy ‘s partner in the centre of defence, Dmytro Chygrynskiy, is still bothered by an ankle complaint and will be out for the second leg, but Rakitskiy insisted his team will doing their utmost to win at Donbass Arena regardless of who lines up.
“It’s not important who plays alongside me tomorrow because only top-class players get to wear the Shakhtar shirt,” he said.
“At 5-1 our chances of qualifying are quite small, but our goal is to win at home as always.”