Liverpool and Everton have spent the season chasing dreams of finishing fourth in the Premier League and making it into the Champions League. Although both Merseyside clubs are still in the mix, it would be safe to say that they’ve become outside contenders compared to Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea.
Reaching Europe’s most prestigious club competition will no doubt be the target next season for both clubs, not only for the pride, but also the financial rewards that accompany the tournament, which both the Reds and the Toffees desperately need as David Moyes and Brendan Rodgers struggle to keep a firm grasp of the purse strings while improving their squads.
Both Liverpool and Everton are expected to bring in new recruits in the summer to fulfill their ambitions, but which players are on the clubs’ radars?
Here’s a list, compiled of realistic transfer targets from across Europe, that could soon be gracing a pitch on either side of Stanley Park.
Click on Scott Sinclair to see the ten potential new recruits that could propel Everton or Liverpool to the promised land of the Champions League
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Manchester City appear on course to appoint Manuel Pellegrini following Malaga’s admission the manager is free to leave.
Reports in Spain over the weekend linked the Chilean manager with a move to Manchester City, and Roberto Mancini was then axed as City boss on Monday following Saturday’s FA Cup final defeat to Wigan.
Malaga have now confirmed that Pellegrini is free to leave the La Liga side in the summer and the local press have claimed that a 4million euro buy-out clause has been waived by the Spanish outfit.
Pellegrini has impressed since taking charge of Malaga in 2010 despite their financial concerns.
Pellegrini guided the club to the quarter-finals of the Champions League this season, where they were beaten in controversial circumstances by finalists Borussia Dortmund.
It would now seem a case of when and not if Pellegrini will take charge at the Etihad Stadium, despite reports linking Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho with a move for City in recent days.
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Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong will be out of action for two months after receiving surgery for a knee injury.
Frimpong picked up his injury during a loan spell with Fulham, being forced off during the 3-0 victory over Swansea City on the final day of the season.
The Ghanaian has struggled with a number of injuries in his career and he made only five appearances for Wolves in 2012 before he suffered a previous knee injury which also required surgery.
The 21-year-old was scheduled to represent his country during the summer as they aim to secure qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Frimpong tweeted: “I had surgery yesterday night and am expected to be out for 8 weeks. It saddens me that I couldn’t go play for Ghana in the World Cup qualifiers next month but i wish the coach and the players good luck for the matches.
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“I Hope we get maximum points from the games. I wanna thank everyone at Fulham for their support but it is a great feeling to be back at Arsenal.”
PUMA® introduces the new evoSPEED 1.2 FG, the latest performance boot that helps players maximise their speed on the pitch. For the first time ever, the boot features the PUMA brand name on the inner side of the boot instead of the formstripe – the brand’s iconic trademark. This weekend, the new black and fluorescent yellow boot makes its on pitch debut with Sergio Agüero, Radamel Falcao, Olivier Giroud and many more PUMA players.The new evoSPEED 1.2 FG is designed to enable players reach top speed quickly without sacrificing stability or comfort. This is made possible through the use of light materials in combination with an internal midfoot support cage (EverFit cage) that maintains a good fit during all points of sprinting. The outsole is reconfigured with smaller conical studs that give the player a better grip on the ground and enhances manoeuvrability on the pitch. For optimal comfort, a minimised tongue and heel have been added, reducing pressure on the Achilles tendon whilst the sock liner distributes the foot’s pressure evenly.Inspired by the shape of muscles, tendons and the smooth curves of a race car, the new boot features subtle black glossy graphics that round off the look of the more visible yellow prints. Finishing touches are the transparent dotted print on the vamp for better grip in wet conditions, and small details in fluorescent blue that complement the striking look.Sergio Agüero commented after testing the finished boot, “I am always excited to wear a new boot. After the v1.11 and the first evoSPEED, this is the third SPEED boot that I have worn and it is definitely the best. PUMA’s boots are constantly improving and the innovations they create help me to perform better when I play. I appreciate the fact that they incorporate my feedback when they develop new boots and I am delighted with this latest result.â€The new PUMA evoSPEED 1.2 FG football boots will be on pitch from today and available in-store globally from the 1st of June 2013.For more information, please visit www.puma.com/football
As the nation continues to be gripped by relentless speculation linking Gareth Bale to Madrid, the future of a certain Liverpool favourite has remained largely in the background. With continued reports suggesting that Luis Suarez wants to leave Liverpool, is the £40m fee being mooted short of his value?
Sky Sports have already reported that an offer is on the table for around the £85m should Spurs wish to accept it. Contrast this to the £40,000,001 offer made for Suarez from Premier League rivals Arsenal. Is Suarez really worth less than half that of Gareth Bale?
It has subsequently emerged that the bid for Suarez was swiftly rejected after a misunderstanding over a potential release clause. An internal contract dispute between Suarez and club has ended with Liverpool standing firm over the non-existence of a release clause. The figure to capture the Uruguayan is now believed to be nearer the £55m mark, the value Liverpool has placed on the striker.
Still a £30m difference in value seems a huge gulf for two players who are arguably similar in terms of quality. I actually believe were it not for his on pitch behaviour, Luis Suarez would quite likely have claimed both the PFA and Football Writers gongs last term and as such eclipsed the achievements of Gareth Bale. Suarez is probably more integral to Liverpool’s hopes and ambitions than Gareth Bale is to Spurs’. As such the club should look to extract maximum value from any prospective sale.
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So why does the gulf in value exist?
Both players are reportedly intent on a move away if you are to believe Sky Sports understanding of the respective situations. Similarly both plays have a substantial amount of time to run on their current contracts. So would accepting a £50m bid be financially naïve from Liverpool?
Sadly I don’t think this is the case at all. The difference between Suarez and Bale is what they bring off the pitch rather than their contributions on it. Bale is a shy unassuming Welsh lad who appears to be incredibly marketable having developed something of a brand for himself already. Contrast this to a racist come cannibal who constantly brings shame upon the club that has placed so much faith in him.
When Real bid £85m for Bale they know that in footballing terms he is work a fraction of that sum. Big money deals in modern football are as much about the publicity and media attention as it is about the quality of the footballer. The same was true of the deal to take Ronaldo to the Bernabeu: an undoubted star of the game, but £80m for him? Really? The transfer was prudent from a Madrid perspective because of the furore that came with it. Shirt sales and media deals are now genuine considerations for a purchasing club.
Ramon Calderon, the ex Madrid President, spoke to TalkSport last night and was actually quite telling in this respect. Asked whether the deal to bring Neymar to the Camp Nou would have any impact on a potential deal for Bale and he definitively answered that it would. Real Madrid need to make a big name deal to assert their national authority, and purchasing Bale for an overinflated price will do exactly that. The extra baggage that comes with a deal for Suarez in the eyes of a prospective buyer makes a deal less palatable.
It would be short-sighted to believe his Premier League ban would enable clubs to knock £20m off his price tag, because it shouldn’t. However, the character of the Uruguayan and fears that reoccurrences of the past could occur make a big money bid for the striker unlikely.
For Liverpool going forward this means that they will always end up getting less than the players true footballing worth. I severely doubt Arsenal will stump up £55m for Suarez, I think an improvement on their current bid is pretty unlikely as well. Liverpool fans may see this as a positive, with FSG unlikely to entertain bids below the £40m mark, they could therefore hold onto their star man for another year yet. However, in a financial sense it is a great shame for Liverpool that purchasing clubs will always undervalue Suarez, even as a player of such exceptional talent. The question for Liverpool is whether to hold on to Suarez against his apparent will and prepare for more of his non-footballing antics, or to sell him below his actual value.
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For Liverpool this is the kind of decision that could well determine the way their near future plays out. Whilst £40m is a lot of money for any club, there will always be the nagging thought that he should be worth more.
Now the tense wait is over, England finally know who they will be playing against in the World Cup in six months time. Italy, Costa Rica and Uruguay have been given the task of breaking English hearts and stopping them from lifting that most coveted of trophies.
It’s a fairly competitive group for Roy Hodgson, who could only book his flights to Rio after his side’s final qualifier against Poland.
But while the TV pundits argue whether England will win Group D, or even qualify for the Round of 16, we take a look at the threats that could stop the Three Lions from succeeding in Brazil.
England’s first game is against Italy, familiar rivals in international competitions. The Azzurri drew blood as recently as two years ago, when they knocked England out of Euro 2012 on penalties.
So who should Hodgson be wary of in Manaus? Here are three players that could cause issues for England.
Mario Balotelli
No stranger to English defenders, Super Mario will be looking to remind the nation of what they are missing now he’s left the Premier League. While his two-and-a-half-year spell at Manchester City may have been full of controversy and drama, it also came with goals. Despite having only just reached his twenties, Balotelli scored 20 Premier League goals in just 54 appearances, proving why he cost City €20million (although he will probably believe he was worth much more than that.)
His spell in England was cut short though, after having one too many arguments with manager Roberto Mancini or his fellow players. It wasn’t just training incidents that got him in trouble either. He was sent off three times in his short Premier League spell, as well as once for City in the Europa League. The Italian also received a four-match ban after stamping on Scott Parker in a match against Tottenham Hotspur in January 2012. AC Milan manager Max Allegri has struggled to fix his discipline issues, with the striker picking up his first red card in the black and red stripes back in September.
But despite occasionally losing his head, the striker can demoralise opposition defenders with his brilliance. Fierce strikes against Germany in Euro 2012 and Brazil in a friendly in March are reminders of the power the 23-year-old can generate. His strength on the ball, and incredible ability to find the back of the net, make Balotelli Italy’s top striker, and biggest threat in the upcoming World Cup.
Andrea Pirlo
Unless you’ve only started watching football in the last year, or you decided that you weren’t going to watch Euro 2012, there aren’t many people who don’t know about the threat Andrea Pirlo brings to any team he graces.
The 34-year-old has made 107 appearances for the national team, and has won nearly every tournament possible. Just a European Championship winners medal has evaded the magician, who has lifted the Serie A trophy four times and the Champions League twice.
There isn’t a pass that Pirlo can’t play. Whether it is a 50-yard cross-field switch, or a delicate through-ball on the edge of the area, the veteran midfielder can make it, blindfolded. The key playmaker for both the national team and Juventus, Pirlo’s ability to not only find every teammate with a pass, but to also cover every blade of grass, makes the 34-year-old a crucial player to keep an eye on. And if Italy get a set piece, then prepare yourselves for something special. A stunning free-kick taker, Pirlo can score from 20 yards or 35 yards. And every England fan knows about his penalty taking ability!
Hodgson thought he had Pirlo worked out back in Euro 2012. The midfielder was supposed to be man marked as tightly as possible, and yet it was England’s players who didn’t get any time on the ball. Scott Parker and Steven Gerrard were reduced to shadows chasing Pirlo around the pitch, as the Italian made 131 passes on the night, 87 more than England’s highest passer Ashley Cole. The 34-year-old was creating chances while stopping England attacks, before scoring the match-changing penalty. The Three Lions were 2-1 up in the shootout when Pirlo stepped up to start the third round of kick takers. His delicate, delightful, ridiculously cool chip sent Hart the wrong way, and changed the shootout. Ashley Young then responded by hitting the bar, before Ashley Cole had his shot saved, leading to Diamanti to fire Italy into the semi-finals of the tournament.
Stephan El Shaarawy
Just 21-years-old, El Shaarawy is starting to make a name for himself in Europe. The Milan forward scored 16 goals last season, as he lit up Serie A with his pace and flair. And while the rising star is currently injured with a foot injury, El Shaarawy will be desperate to shine when fit ahead of the summer tournament.
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Whoever Hodgson picks as his starting full-backs for the first match in Manaus, they could be set for a long evening should El Shaarawy feature. Full of step-overs and tricks, the starlet has terrified Serie A defenders over the last two seasons, skipping past players for fun. With five months of league football still remaining, the youngster has plenty of time to develop a key partnership with Balotelli, that could benefit the national team greatly should the two link up strongly.
El Shaarawy will have an eye on Milan’s Champions League draw too. After qualifying for the last 16 of the tournament, the 21-year-old will be hoping to be fit to showcase his talents against Europe’s best in the competition. In Brazil, with Pirlo’s ability to slide a ball behind the defence, the Milan winger could blitz through on goal, and deny England from the perfect start to their World Cup.
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Ever since the January window slammed shut, the tabloids have been filled with regular reports of Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney signing a new £300k-per week mega-contract, that could also pave the way for him to be anointed club captain and the end of the season when Nemanja Vidic brings his Red Devils career to a close.
Wazza Roo is yet to sign on the dotted line, but reports on a daily basis have suggested that moment is only drawing nearer. Today, Mirror Football have even felt compelled to include the word ‘imminent’ in the title of their latest article covering the lengthy contract saga.
A mega-contract indeed; the deal, worth £70million over its reported four-and-a-half-term duration, would make the England international the highest-paid player in the history of the Premier League, and the direct recipient of 3% of Manchester United’s overall revenue, according to Nick Harris of Sporting Intelligence. He’d also engulf 8.5% of the club’s payroll.
To the Premier League champions, Rooney is undoubtedly worth that much. The 28 year-old, a decade-long servant to the club, has become the physical embodiment of Manchester United’s footballing identity; robust, English, hard-working, determined, yet exceptionally gifted in creativity and guile.
Amid their current malaise under David Moyes, he has at times been their savour, finding nine goals and nine assists in 21 Premier League appearances this season, and in the absence of a head-turning, trend-setting poster boy of the David Beckham or Cristiano Ronaldo ilk, Rooney has become by far United’s most recognised player, and their most potent marketing tool.
And I guess in this capitalist-centric version of the beautiful game we now all reside in, you’re worth whatever someone is willing to pay you.
But not everybody outside of the Old Trafford camp, and even some parties within, necessarily subscribe to that point of view. For much of his career, the categorisation of Rooney’s ultimate quality has been open to debate, and upon news of his record-breaking wage hike, these doubts have once again emerged
As a natural footballer, few can argue with the England star’s abilities; as a striker, he scores goals, as a No.10, he creates chances, and in his short berth in central midfield last season, he pinged the ball around the pitch as if he’d been doing it his whole life. But fix Rooney to any particular position, and there’s at least one element to his game that’s always come up slightly short – a piece of the jigsaw missing to make him the perfect forward, the perfect playmaker, or the perfect centre-mid.
Yes, to many, the Premier League’s fifth all-time top scorer still has a lot to prove, and there are few who would actively campaign for Rooney to be described as undisputedly world-class, despite his world-class pay increase.
But there is an opportunity glimmering on the horizon that would allow the United forward to put the age-old criticisms to rest once and for all, and prove he deserves not only every penny of his £70million deal, but also poster-boy status of the new era at Old Trafford – the 2014 World Cup.
The competition is the greatest footballing spectacle in the world, at one end a celebration of the great diversity and global reach of the beautiful game, and at the other, the most ultimate of tests that separates the great from the greatest, and the elite from the legendary.
Following those who have solidified their place in the annals of football history through the World Cup, such as Pele, Johan Cruyff, Gerd Mueller or George Weah, no one will be able to question Rooney’s abilities, let alone his £300k per-week deal, if he can produce his form on the biggest stage of them all. Part of football’s magic is that everybody can have an opinion, but a series of breath-taking performances at a World Cup always brings debates of quality to a close.
Admittedly, for a tournament held partly in the Amazon rain forest; for a tournament in which Greg Dyke summed up our chances of escaping the group stages with an ill-tasting cut-throat gesture; the chances of Rooney replicating the astonishing talismanic feats of Zinedine Zidane in 1998 and 2006, or Brazil’s Ronaldo in 2002 are incredibly unlikely.
But England need a hero and the time is upon Rooney to answer that calling, not only to advance his reputation at club level but also on the international scene; the Red Devils star is undoubtedly the finest home-grown talent of his generation, but a return of 38 goals in 88 international appearances hasn’t quite brought Rooney or the Three Lions to the dizzying heights many anticipated during days as a teenage Evertonian.
He’s also been an almost permanent fixture in an England side that haven’t lived up to expectations in their last four major tournaments, and failed to qualify for Euro 2008.
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More than anything else however, more than goals, good football, or moments for the history books, the coming World Cup gives Rooney the chance to prove he’s a leader – not only a player capable of producing his best form on the ultimate stage and when his team need it most, but a player who can inspire that same quality in those around him. If Wazza Roo is to become the figurehead of the post-Ferguson era at Manchester United – the definitive motivation behind the club’s proposed £300k per-week contract – these are the qualities he must demonstrate.
Roy Hodgson has called on the Old Trafford star to ‘explode’ at Brazil 2014, and although that may be a rather inelegant term, it does summarise the expectancy in a nutshell. At 28 years of age, this is Rooney’s final opportunity to dictate how he is perceived by a world-wide audience, and whether the issue of his quality will be left eternally open to interpretation.
But most importantly in regards to United, it will illustrate whether they’ve spent £70million on an effective world-class entity, a talismanic leader, capable of producing at the highest possible level, or foolishly backed a player, tipped to become the flagship star of a new era at Old Trafford, who will never bear the full fruits of his endless potential.
Everton are preparing a £10.5million bid for QPR striker Loic Remy, reports the Irish Independent.
The French forward is currently on loan at Newcastle United, where he has scored 13 league goals. The striker is expected to receive multiple offers this summer, especially if QPR fail to get promotion back to the Premier League.
The Toffees want to sign Romelu Lukaku on a permanent deal from Chelsea, have been told to pay £20million for the Belgian, twice as much as they are going to bid for Remy. Chelsea are preparing a £40million move for Diego Costa, but are reluctant to lower there valuation of Lukaku, who has impressed on loan for both Everton and West Brom.
Remy is valued lower than Lukaku because the Frenchman has a release clause, which Newcastle and Tottenham have been rumoured to be interested in activating, as well as Roberto Martinez’s side. The Frenchman has also been linked with Arsenal in past transfer windows.
Martinez is eager to make multiple signings this summer, with Everton fans anticipating European football next season. Everton are currently sitting in an Europa League space, and are just 4 points behind 4th place Arsenal, with a place in next year’s Champions League not an impossibility for the Toffees. The Spaniard has been linked with moves for Gareth Barry on a permanent deal, and an attempt to bring Jack Rodwell back to Goodison Park.
For your chance to WIN two tickets to Everton vs Manchester United on Sunday April 20 AND a copy of FIFA14, simply comment below with your score prediction for the game…
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[ffccomp link=”https://www.footballfancast.com/football-blogs/win-tickets-to-everton-vs-manchester-united-a-copy-of-fifa-14″oneliner=”For your chance to WIN two tickets to Everton vs Manchester United on Sunday April 20 AND a copy of FIFA14, simply comment below with your score prediction for the game…” step=”PREDICT THE SCORE
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I’m not convinced by the romantic notion that Ryan Giggs can step in and guide Manchester United out of the nadir. I’m not convinced that a man with no prior experience of managing a major European club can be bettered by a man with no managerial experience at all.
Unfortunately we’re living in a time where Pep Guardiola is the rule rather than the exception. There will be campaigns aplenty to argue Giggs’ case. Part of the composition will be the routine 4-0 win over Norwich on the weekend, while much of the other will be that the 40-year-old and Manchester United can offer a reimagining of what happened at Barcelona.
But there is actually no sense behind Giggs taking over the managerial job, at least nothing that goes beyond the clichés and fairly pointless ties the midfielder has to the club.
In an interim capacity, with nothing to lose let alone anything to gain, it’s a safe bet. Giggs looked the part, both in suit on the touchline and in the pre-match press conference. He said all the right things where the previous manager couldn’t. He was bold in his team selection on the weekend, dropping the invention of Juan Mata for the pace of Danny Welbeck. And what’s interesting is that no one said a thing.
Instead of statements being made of Giggs, which have very little relevancy when it comes to selecting a manager other than for the appeasement of supporters, questions should be asked of his credentials.
What are his ideas for taking United forward and importantly getting them back to where they should be at the top of the Premier League tree? How does he plan to set up his team? It’s facile to say United will play attacking football under Giggs simply because he knows that football of that nature is engrained in the club. What will his methods be for rediscovering that attacking instinct?
As an example, Barcelona have a host of attacking players who are rightly considered the best in the world, yet Tata Martino has either struggled or been unable to bring about their maximum potential on the pitch this season. They’ve struggled for parts of the second half of the season, both domestically and in Europe, and players alone are no guarantee of the successful deployment of attacking football.
Whatever happens in United’s final three games of the season, it would be wrong to use such a small window to measure Giggs’ credentials. If the players go out and win the final games, will it be because of their respect for him, respect that wasn’t present for David Moyes? United are a club with a huge pool of talent with which to choose when shopping in the market, and who’s to say every player will come in and immediately take to Giggs as a manager? Does he have the ability to control a dressing with potentially half a dozen egos and personalities?
We don’t know how Giggs will handle European football, which United won’t have to worry about for some time anyway. The Champions League can show the best in England to be inferior to the best from the continent, and that counts for managers as well as teams. Giggs might look the part, but will he act the part? Is he able to counter the tactics of a top European manager, or will his vast inexperience be found out?
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Giggs’ history with the club does set him up to become manager at United at some point, but not now. The club can’t afford to take another sizeable gamble on the basis of romantic ideals. They need to be pragmatic. If Louis van Gaal is to become the next manager then by all means Giggs should be part of the coaching staff. Get him to learn from a man who tutored both Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola. Like the latter, give Giggs an opportunity to coach one of the youth teams and let him work his way up. If there’s success at a lower level then the argument for him to be manager of a senior team will be more convincing that anything we’ve heard thus far.
Arsenal appear to be well down the road to signing Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona, essentially killing two birds with one stone in their need to address the centre-forward position and add depth beyond Theo Walcott for the flanks.
If there was any doubt about Alexis’ credentials, especially after a frustrating and completely forgettable 2012-13 campaign with Barcelona two years ago, the World Cup in Brazil has shown the Chilean to be exactly the kind of marquee forward Arsenal’s supporters have been crying out for.
We’ve been here before though, and many will be sceptical until pictures of Alexis with an Arsenal shirt in hand emerge. Last summer, Arsenal were said to be on the brink of signing Gonzalo Higuain, only for the Argentine to land at Napoli instead. The north London club had accused Real Madrid of moving the goal posts on the deal at the last minute.
But Alexis would more than make up for that loss. With Olivier Giroud also experiencing a good World Cup with France, Arsenal, on paper at least, would look a far more threatening outfit over the course of next season.
The Chilean would also negate the need for Angel Di Maria, who is another big-name South American who looks set to leave La Liga.
Arsenal were interested last year and could have landed the Real Madrid winger had it not been for Carlo Ancelotti’s intervention, instead securing the signing of Mesut Ozil. What is certain is that Arsenal need two forwards, one capable of playing on the wing. In the case of Alexis and Di Maria, one would cancel the other out.
Di Maria does provide different qualities to the Chilean. This past season he showed himself to be a more than capable central midfielder, playing alongside of Xabi Alonso and Luka Modric and given the freedom to roam. He was sensational against Barcelona in particular, while his best season in the white of Real was capped with victory in the Champions League.
There’s no doubt that Di Maria is a player who would improve Arsenal over the coming seasons. He and Mesut Ozil would interchange roles in the attacking three while both were playing at the Bernabeu, and there’d be an opportunity for both midfielders to strike up a similar partnership.
But Arsenal would be getting that and much more in Alexis, who, unlike Di Maria, can play at centre-forward and relieve some pressure from Giroud.
To venture down the avenue of suggesting Arsenal don’t need Di Maria would be wrong; it wasn’t too long ago that many, including myself, were talking up the value of having Cesc Fabregas return to the club. Above all, Arsenal need strength in depth.
But Real want £40 million for Di Maria, while Alexis would be a little under £30 million. With a high-class defensive midfielder needed, as well as a right-back and another forward (possibly Loic Remy), the focus must be on what the team need first and foremost. In addition, Fabregas was available for a deal that was far better value for money than Di Maria’s price tag.
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If the club can wrap up a deal for Alexis in the coming weeks, it will be a positive sign to the supporters, who need convincing after the failure to properly strength during the last two windows and the complete collapse last season.
If what is said to be on the table does come to fruition, missing out on Angel Di Maria will be dusted away with the kind of renewed confidence that can only be delivered by star forwards such as Alexis.