Is Modric worth £35m & More?

Written by a DBS Football guess writer - A Chelsea Fan

Luka Modric's much publicized desparation to leave White Hart Lane for West London has been of vested interest to all Chelsea supporters, but is he really worth the £35m or more that Harry Redknapp is demanding "ease the pain" of Modric leaving?

A first important factor which determines this astronomical sum of money is the long term contract in which modric signed last year (2010) with the Spurs that is supposed to keep him at the club until 2016. This inevitably has risen his price considerably and is something Modric has done previously at Dinamo Zagreb. At he Croation side, he signed a 10 year contract before boarding a plane and flying across Europe to sign for Tottenham two years later. Modric's loyalty is therefore bought into question.

His impact on the pitch may statistically be questioned when considering that in 110 appearances for Tottenham in all competitions, he has only been credited for 16 assists and 12 goals and therefore surely not justifying such a vast amount of money.

In comparison, another midfielder wanting away from North London is Arsenal's Samir Nasri. In his 109 appearances for Arsenal he has 13 assists and 27 goals, meaning that perhaps Nasri would be a more shrewd move for Andre Villas Boas than Luka Modric.

However, it is important to note that with Modric's slick varied range of passing, amazingly quick feet and creative ability helped Tottenham Hotspur to a credible 5th place in the Premier League and advanced stages of the Champions League and those factors cannot be put into statistics. It is these qualities that Chelsea need to acquire if they are to one again be Premier League champions.

Written by a DBS Football guess writer - A Chelsea Fan

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Premiership New Boys Transfer Movement

Written by a DBS Football guess writer - Follow Him on Twitter @RealJoeFranklin

When a club is promoted from the Championship to the Premiership, it is never an easy feat to settle in to the league that is often hailed as 'the best in the world'. Norwich, Queens Park Rangers and Swansea all have points to prove as they enter what now seems to be the top tier of English and Welsh football.

Norwich have forced their way forward with back to back promotions, QPR earned promotion after several seasons of Championship football, and Swansea had also seemed settled in the Championship since their promotion from League 1 in 2005.

Transfers are seen as the most important factor when a club wants to move up the ranks, so how have the Premier League's newest arrivals acted in this summer's market?

Norwich have been busiest in terms of bringing in new players, but only three of the seven have come from Premier League clubs, and two of those (De Laet-Manchester United, Naughton-Tottenham) are loanees. The other is the signing of James Vaughan from Everton for £2.5million. The remaining transfers are Pilkington (Huddersfield, £2milllion), Morrison (Millwall, £2.8million), Elliot Bennet (Brighton, undisclosed), and Johnson (Leeds, free). Manager Paul Lambert has also let go of Daley, Gill, Habergham, and Askou, receiving no transfer fee for any of them. 

Lambert has explained that he intended to bring in players who are hungry for success, and wanting to fight for a place in the team, regardless of which team and league they come from. This is understandable, but there is no use in a team of players who are barely established at Championship level when coming up against sides like Manchester City who have completely transformed in the last couple of years. For example, when captain Grant Holt plays his first match in the Premiership against Wigan on 13th August, he will have played in four divisions in as many seasons. It shall be interesting to see how Norwich fare for the entire season. 

QPR have not been as active, as they seem to have had complete focus on keeping star asset Adel Taarabt, which cannot have been easy with PSG lining up a big money move for the Moroccan. However, signings such as Danny Gabbidon, Jay Bothroyd and Kieron Dyer are sure to provide QPR with more balance and quality throughout the team. Pascal Chimbonda has also been released, and he is a player who has previous experience in the Premiership, but could barely force his way into the team last term. QPR have also not received any transfer fees for the players who have left, showing how room needs to be made at clubs that are intent in the transfer market.

Swansea have also only signed 3 players thus far; Danny Graham (Watford £3.5m), Steven Caulker (Tottenham, loan) and Jose Moreira (Benfica, undisclosed). These are no doubt quality signings, and I cannot wait to see how Swansea's passing method of play works out in the Premiership. One of the key players of last season, keeper Dorus de Vries, has been offloaded to Wolves for free, and he had proved to be an incredibly valuable part of the team, keeping a great number of clean sheets. Also, Darren Pratley (free) has moved on to sign for Bolton, proving there is already Premier League quality in the squad.

Teams in recent years have been promoted from the Championship, and cemented their place in the top tier, if only for a couple of seasons. Teams such as Wigan, who are contenders for the drop again this year, have now been in the Premiership since 2005. Other clubs such as Sunderland, and particularly Stoke, have also excelled in the Premier League. 

So the question is, can the new Premiership minnows survive, or will they make a swift return to the second division from whence they came?

Written by a DBS Football guess writer - Follow Him on Twitter @RealJoeFranklin

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The Fabregas and Nasri Situation

Written by a DBS Football guess writer - Follow Him on Twitter @Kevin_Mega

So once again the summers longest transfer saga continues with Cesc Fabregas supposedly edging closer to a move to Barcelona even though they can’t match the valuation of our skipper. Arsenal are holding out for more than £40 million, which they rightly should do considering the market prices of other players.  In a world where players like Modric are valued at over £35 million it’s fair for Arsenal to demand £40million+ for Cesc.

It’s no secret that Barcelona have massive debts which is why they can’t raise funds to buy him. They’ve recently purchased Alexis Sanchez so it would be difficult to see where else they could get money to buy Fabregas. One thing that annoys me is; why do they want Fabregas? They already have Xavi and Iniesta, so why would they need Fabregas, especially as he will be on the bench for the most of his time there.  I don’t see Guardiola dropping either Xavi or Iniesta to accommodate Fabregas. It has been suggested that Fabregas, Xavi, and Iniesta could play in a three man midfield against weaker opponents because there would be no need for a defensive minded midfielder, however this option wouldn't suit Fabregas as he would like to play in the big games like ‘el classico’ and Champions League Finals.

It’s true that Fabregas would prefer to move to Barcelona but he’s equally happy to stay at Arsenal if the move to Barcelona doesn’t fall through. I don’t think it will be in the best interest for Fabregas to move to Nou Camp as he won’t be a first team starter and it would be just like the time he spends with Spain during international periods where he’s always behind Iniesta and Xavi to occupy the two attacking midfield spots. If Cesc was to move to Barcelona the best time would be when Xavi is close to retiring which is a few years away.

With Barcelona unable to match our valuation for Cesc it would seem better for all, for Fabregas to have another season as Arsenal's captain.

Now to another transfer saga which was picking up pace during the start of the transfer window; the Nasri contract situation. Nasri doesn’t want to sign a contract extension at Arsenal with some reports suggesting it’s because he wants more money whilst others say it’s because Arsenal took too long to start negotiations with him.  I wouldn’t mind if he was sold as long as we find a suitable replacement. 

The Spanish and English media have run stories today that we are close to signing Juan Mata. I don’t trust these sources but if Juan Mata was to arrive at Arsenal I would hope he is a replacement for Nasri and not Fabregas. This is because we need Fabregas more than we need Nasri. No-one at arsenal can occupy the centre attacking midfield role as well as Fabregas can. Several players have tried playing in that role when Fabregas is injured but they weren’t able to excel. Nasri prefers to play in that role but in the few times he’s played there he hasn’t really shone and he’s more effective as a winger.

Arsene Wenger has already said that he will not sell Nasri as it would undermine the clubs claim to be an ambitious club. I somehow agree with this because for Arsenal to remain a big club we need to keep our best players. Is it however worth the risk of losing him on a free where we could get £20m for him and get a suitable replacement? My view is that Wenger wants to keep him at Arsenal for another season where he could continue his attempts to convince him to sign a contract extension. If we win a trophy I think Nasri will stay. But if once again we fail in claiming a trophy, I don’t see how we can convince him to stay.

So with the new season only a few weeks away, I think Arsenal will begin the new season with Fabregas and Nasri in the starting line up against Newcastle. And when the summer transfer window shuts on September 1^st, we will still have them in our squad to help us mount a serious challenge for the title.

Written by a DBS Football guess writer - Follow Him on Twitter @Kevin_Mega

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Mata & Jagielka to Be Arsenal Players Very Soon

Arsenal have upped their offer for Phil Jagielka to around £15 million, while the Juan Mata deal, worth around £17.5 million - which is the 23 year-old Spaniard's buy-out clause - is nearing completion.

Earlier in the week, I reported that Arsenal had considered and had prepared another bid for Phil Jagielka, Everton's 28 year-old defender, after having a £12 million bid turned down last summer, and another £10  million offer rejected this summer.

Jagielka is Arsene Wenger's known favourite target out of the three Premier League defenders who have been linked, the others including Bolton's Gary Cahill and Blackburn's Chris Samba. While the latter two players are marginally younger than Jagielka, Wenger is going for experience and leadership in the back line - something Arsenal fans have been pleading for in recent times.

While the prediction of The Star, as reported here two days ago, that Valencia's Juan Mata "will sign for Arsenal in the next 24 hours" has proved to be incorrect, it is increasingly likely that the player will transfer in the coming days.

Valencia are ready, although reluctantly to sell their young star for a fee of £17.5 million and it is being reported that Arsenal have offered an amount that Valencia can accept. Valencia are not entirey enthusiastic about the move, but the technical secretary Bralui Vázquez has refused to rule out the possibility by saying:

"We have a back-up plan in case Juan leaves. That's not just the case for Juan, though. We have a plan like that for every player. We have to be prepared if something happens."

Mata's arrival may help Cesc Fabregas' case of moving to Barcelona this summer, but thanks to the news that Samir Nasri will be staying for at least one more season, Arsenal will have a strong side next season. Mata can play both on the left or in the middle, as is the same with Samir Nasri, so expect to see the two swapping positions from time to time if the deal were to materialise.

It is exciting timed for Arsenal, as Arsene Wenger attempts to silence his critics with some big money signings. He has already spent over £10 million on the Ivory Coast striker Gervinho, and with the news that he is closing in on the £15 million and £17.5 million signings of Jagielka and Mata respectively, things are all of a sudden looking up for Arsenal.

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Scholes Prefers Modric Over Sneijder & Nasri

An epic hunt began once a 36 year-old Paul Scholes informed Sir Alex Ferguson of his plans to retire from football. Manchester United would be the hunters, and Inter Milan, Tottenham and Arsenal were the targeted prey.

They would be the prey because one particular player in each of those sides looked extremely attractive for United, with Ferguson desiring one of the following players; Wesley Sneijder, Luka Modric or Samir Nasri. Out of all of the central midfielder's around the world, these three were seen as the realistic targets that Manchester United could possibly persuade to jump aboard.

We are now a few weeks away from the end of the transfer window, and the hunt is still unfinished. United remain hungry for a midfielder, and according to the clubs Chief Executive David Gill, whence they return from the USA, they may be ready to pounce.

But what does Paul Scholes think? The legend of the art of passing the ball around the pitch has had plenty of time to reflect, with no pre-season football to worry about or tire over. Who would he like United to sink their sure and sharp teeth into? (I'll stop the animal metaphors soon, I promise.)

The former United midfielder told the Manchester Evening News that all of the players Manchester United have been linked to look like they have the qualities to make it at Old Trafford, but that out of the three, Luka Modric is his favourite:

"The ones who have been linked all look like they are capable of playing for United." 

"The three linked the most with United are all great top players. Of the three Modric, when we've played against him, has been the one I have been most impressed with." 

"Whenever we played Tottenham, he was the one who stood out."

Modric seems dead set on a move to Chelsea, despite Tottenham's defiant stance that selling their prized possession is not an option. If they did sell however, it would be for a fee of at least £35 million.

It is understandable that Modric is Scholes's favourite - they both have rather similar styles of passing and moving, both being extremely steady and skill-full in possession with all the technique any footballer would possibly want. He is seen by many as a natural replacement for Paul Scholes, but Scholes himself doesn't even think there is actually any need to replace him. Being extremely modest, Scholes said:

"I don't think it is a big deal really replacing me because I haven't been the type of player people are talking about for the last four or five years. I haven't been scoring goals or been the main playmaker in the team for a while. I don't think I actually need replacing in that way at all."

"I wasn't pulling the strings anymore, definitely in the last two years and probably even since I was 31-32. I haven't been as prominent in the side. I wasn't scoring the goals and I wasn't making the goals."

"I think people are obsessed with having to replace me. If you look at the facts over the last couple of years, I haven't played in the big games, so I don't think there is that much that needs replacing!"

"I think when people are talking about replacing Paul Scholes they are talking about replacing the Paul Scholes of five years ago. I was more prominent then. Because I wasn't contributing as much any more was part of the reason why I retired. My contribution wasn't enough for a Man United midfielder."

I suppose Scholes knows best, but he really is underplaying his contribution here. He may not have been a prominent in the side as he was earlier in his career, but he certainly made a difference in games, and for that he will be missed greatly. For that, Manchester United do need a replacement.

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Arsenal's Pursuit of Samba Boosted

Arsenal have been given a boost in their pursuit of a central defender, as Chris Samba of Blackburn - a known target of Arsenal's, announced his desire to play Champions League football.

Despite being infuriated by the sacking of Sam Allardyce last season, he signed a new four and a half year contract early this year. However, Arsene Wenger's determination to sign a new defender will certainly have been helped by what Samba said after Blackburn's 1 - 0 defeat to Aston Villa in the semi-finals of the Barclays Asia Trophy:

"At the minute I am at Blackburn but we will have to see what happens. If you have a player who has no ambition to play at a higher level, then he made a mistake and chose the wrong sport. He should do something else."

"When you are a footballer – or if you play any high-profile sport – you should be ambitious. It is difficult at the moment but I am just waiting to see what happens and concentrating on my pre-season preparation."

"I don't know about Arsenal as I am not the one who is dealing with it. I'm just trying to get myself fit. Of course, I would like to play in the Champions League, which player does not dream of that? It would be a lie if I told you everything was good and that I didn't want to play in the Champions League. That would be a big lie. Every player wants to do that."

Blackburn's new owners have long term ambitions to steer the side to the Champions League, but this is surely too much of a wait for the 27 year-old defender. That is especially unlikely considering the strong competition from the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham for a place inside the top four as well as Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal who are usually certain of a top our finish.

Five seasons in the Premier League has given Samba ample experience in England, and is a strong and reliable defender - something Arsenal would certainly benefit from. Arsenal just need to make the move for him now, although Blackburn may be looking for a fee in excess of £10 million considering his contract and the fact that Blackburn have already let Phil Jones leave for Manchester United.

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Nasri To Stay - Mata Deal Close

There finally seems to be some good news at Arsenal, or better news than what has been wheeled out in the last few weeks. Instead of more on Cesc Fabregas' endless transfer saga to Barcelona, we turn to Nasri, who has had his own saga this year, but has now has apparently told Arsenal that he will stay for at least one more year.

While this does mean that he will be a likely departure next summer, it also means Arsenal will be able to squeeze another year out of him, and considering his good form at the start of last season, this is a good thing for Arsenal, who are doing their best to keep hold of their best players.

It is understood that Nasri has turned down Arsenal's new contract offer of £115,000 per week and will run down his contract with a year remaining, due to strong interest from both Manchester City and Manchester United. According to reports, City are willing to pay Nasri £160,000 a week, and had offered Arsenal £20 million for his services - a bid that was rejected.

Meanwhile, the Star makes a very bold and extremely confident claim that "Juan Mata will sign for Arsenal in the next 24 hours." It is a sentence which will delight many Arsenal fans, who have seen the promising young Spaniard play for the Spain Under-21's and his club Valencia after putting in some superb performances.

Arsenal have been tracking Mata all summer, mainly because many thought that he would come in as a replacement for Nasri. However, due to strong interest from several other top clubs across Europe in Mata, Arsenal have had to move fast to dissuade him from joining anyone else.

The 23 year-old midfielder has a £17.5 million buy-out clause in his Valencia contract, but it is believed that he is available for £13.2 million considering his relative inexperience, and it is a fee Arsenal have met. Arsenal's local rivals, Tottenham were said to have attempted to hijack the deal, but Arsenal remain strong favourites.

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Midfield Signing on The Cards For United

Either Sir Alex Ferguson was purposely trying to dissuade Manchester United fans from getting their hopes up for a new signing, or David Gill doesn't keep the United manager informed on transfer activity.

Just as United fans and pundits digested Ferguson's comments that the club were not looking at any new signings because their main targets were unavailable, David Gill comes up with some comments to give revived hope of a new midfield addition.

"We are looking at one more player to bring in," said Gill, as millions of United fans' ears listened with delight. Gill, the Chief Executive of the club, has always insisted that the manager has money to spend on players if he needs it, and it is this central midfield position now vacated by Paul Scholes that will require a substantial fee to fill.

Ferguson has expressed a specific interest in a few players in that position; namely, Arsenal's Samir Nasri and Inter Milans Wesley Sneijder, with the latter being the favourite among fans. Nasri will cost in excess of £20 million this summer, or absolutely nothing next summer, providing he doesn't sign a new contract with Arsenal, while Sneijder will be a £35 million purchase. It's a big fee, but Ferguson admires the Dutchman hugely, and sees him as the natural replacement for Scholes.

"Nothing is happening and nothing is imminent but we will see what happens when we get home. There will still be 31 days of the transfer window to see if anything develops.

"The important point to understand, and Alex has made clear, is that we need someone who is going to improve the quality of the squad."

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Sneijder "Not Available" - But United Will Find Someone

Manchester United have been linked to a good number of game changing central midfielder's and exciting play makers this summer, with names from Ganso to Sneijder placed alongside United's in the gossip columns.

It isn't a rare thing for players to be linked to a big club like United, but once again, Sir Alex Ferguson has calmly played down the rumours, and insisted that if his main targeted replacement for Paul Scholes is unavailable, it would be useless to bring in someone who is a second choice and not up to the standard set by Scholes.

While some United fans frantically tell of the terrible doom the club will find themselves in if United don't spend a load of cash on a big player like Sneijder to work the midfield, pulling their hair out and bashing their fists against the nearest hard platform, the United manager does what he has always done. He has been shrewd, steady and very patient in the market - not rushing for big money deals without any value.

He is simply being realistic. His main target has clearly been Wesley Sneijder. He has admitted the interest himself, along with well placed sources insisting that despite the United managers recent denial, negotiations have taken place. For all we know, they still may be, and Ferguson is only trying to keep the attention away from it.

But if he really does mean it when he says: "At this moment, I can't see another addition. The type of player we might have been looking for is not available," then United will have to accept it and fill in the space left by Scholes until the "type of player" that United are looking for becomes available.

We can't kid ourselves into thinking that Ferguson is oblivious to the fact that a hole has been left by his long serving midfielder. He knows very well, and he also knows the importance of a player of his calibre - he wouldn't be United manager of over 25 years otherwise.

The United boss will find a replacement. It may not be this summer, but next summer is when there is likely to be an injection of new blood into the centre of the United midfield. Next summer will be when Yann M'Vila becomes available to bigger clubs as he looks to fulfil his ambitions, and it is also the time when Samir Nasri will most likely become available on a free. United have been interested in both this summer, but their "availability" is not guaranteed right now.

The favourite among Manchester United fans to replace Scholes is Sneijder - naturally. He is a big player, world renowned, has won as many trophies as possible, and impressed for his country in a World Cup, helping them to the final. He is the obviously already talented player who could be an Old Trafford fan favourite even before he joins.

However, if Sir Alex is unable to persuade Inter to let Sneijder go, he won't waste much time on it - he will move on, and he will ineviatbly find a player, either from the market or from the youth at the club, who is capable of filling Scholes's shoes:

"Scholes was such a great, consistent player for us. I don't think we will find another Paul Scholes. But hopefully we can replace him. Maybe we will find a different type of player. Manchester United do that." 

"Time and time again we have faced this problem. But eventually something turns up, either through our youth system or we will identify someone."

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Evra Persuading Nasri To Join United

Even though he may have left United after the World Cup amid interest from Real Madrid and Inter Milan, Patrice Evra says he is delighted to still be a Manchester United player after winning 12 trophies in just five years. He also seems to be doing his bit to make the club even better by bringing in Arsenal's unsettled midfielder Samir Nasri.

Evra has been spending the summer continuing to persuade his French compatriot and friend to leave Arsenal and join Manchester United by tempting him with a guarantee of trophies and the possibility of becoming one of the "biggest players in the world". Evra said:

"I've talked a lot with him in the holidays and told him how great it is to play for Manchester United and how important it would be for him to become one of the biggest players in the world." 

"I remember I made that little joke saying that he's a prince now but if he wants to be the king then he has to join Man United. But that's the reality - and I've told him that. I said, 'If you want to win trophies, you have to come here'." 

"In five years I've won 12 trophies and I don't know if I'd have won more than that with another club. So I just told him the truth. I don't know how negotiations are at the moment but he has a lot of clubs interested in him and he has to think." 

"I just told him how good it would be for him coming here. He will have a nice welcome and I can help as well because I'm French. We've spoken a lot in the summer and also when we met up for friendly games with France at the end of the season. It was looking interesting but I don't know, we'll have to see."

Nasri has only suffered second best at Arsenal, and Arsene Wenger, although determined to "fight" for his play maker is still unsure of his future and certainly cannot guarantee that Nasri will be an Arsenal player next season.

The problem Arsenal have, is that many clubs are interested in Nasri, including United's rivals, Manchester City, who can offer an unrivalled wage package. However, the United left-back has made it clear that he would choose glory at United over the money of City any day:

"If he goes to City it's his choice. But I know, as a player, if I have Manchester United and Manchester City, I'd go straight away for United." 

"It can be for the money. But I'd prefer to go for the glory. He said it's a privilege a club like United want him but he has to think about his future and talk with his agent."

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Arsenal In New Jagielka Bid - Wenger Wants Respect

Arsenal's second bid for Phil Jagielka in as many summer transfer windows was once again rejected by Everton, but the Gunners will now apparently make a third bid, and raise the stakes in the hope of coming closer to the Merseyside clubs valuation of the England defender.

Many reports have suggested that Everton would be willing to listen to an offer if it was closer to £20 million, especially as David Moyes knows he must sell before he buys, and Arsene Wenger is now willing to up his £10 million offer for Jagielka.

Wenger has said that he will "certainly" purchase another defender in this window and is working very hard to do so, and his previous bid for the 28 year-old may have been simply a sign of his interest, as he surely could not have imagined a £10 million would be accepted.

According to the Express, the Everton manager would encourage the board to accept a £17 million bid for his star defender, but whether or not Arsenal would offer that much is debatable, especially considering the players age and Wenger's strict policy for younger players.

Wenger refuses as a matter of principle to discuss his targets, because he doesn't wish to sink as low as Barcelona have in attempting to purchase Cesc Fabregas through various comments and gestures.

However, he has also been angered by Manchester City's interest in Samir Nasri, with Roberto Mancini openly discussing his desire for the Frenchman to be a City player, or at the very least giving large hints to the media about it. The Arsenal manager has had enough, and demands some respect be shown to the transfer rules and that the rules be reviewed. When asked whether or not he believes City have broken any rules regarding Samir Nasri, Wenger said:

"I would like to return the question to you. What do you think? We live in a realistic world. I do not want to assess what I cannot prove." 

"I know how things happen. It doesn't necessarily go through the player or the agent but I think it is a rule that has to be reviewed. It's not really respected."

He also commented on the players he has at the club, and who he is prepared to let go. Both Nicklas Bendtner and Emmanuel Eboue have been allowed to talk to other clubs about a move, but everyone else, Wenger continues to "fight" for them to stay:

"How many will leave the club? I said from the start I will fight to keep everybody. Nicklas Bendtner might go and Emmanuel Eboue might go. They can talk to clubs, but the rest I will fight." 

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Arsenal Demand Thiago + £25m For Fabregas?

Arsene Wenger seems to have discovered impressive negotiation skills overnight if we are to believe the latest reports coming from the papers.

Barcelona "representatives" had apparently flown in to London, I imagine in dark suits, shady sunglasses and a suitcase filled with cash, to discuss with Arsenal the details of an offer believed to be £33.5 million. However, it is now being reported that Arsene Wenger is "demanding" £25 million as well as Barcelona's highly rated Spanish midfielder, Thiago Alcântara.

Manchester United had been interested in the 20 year-old Spaniard, and apparently lodged a £15 million bid last month for the youngster. That was before he signed a new deal which keeps him at Camp Nou until 2015, with a new release clause of a massive £81 million.

That factor really does seem to cut this rumour short, and add to that what the player himself said when he signed the new contract with the European Champions; "I never thought about leaving. I’ve always wanted to be here," and you find yourself wondering how on earth Wenger seems to think he can get anywhere with this. After all, isn't this similar to what happened with Fabregas? Buy a player with a deep affection or "DNA" as some have called it for Barcelona, and they will most likely seek a return in the future. (Even though Thiago was actually born in Italy.)

He had a good European Under 21 Championship, scoring in the final with a 40 yard stunner, and has a whole host of other impressive qualities suited to Arsenal's style. He has quick and tricky feet, with a clever mind and vision to match, allowing him to set up attacks from very little, and he has the mature ability to know when not to try something too ambitious - doing the simple things well, such as passing and creating.
Read Full Player Review Here.

It is no wonder clubs are interested in him, but I really cannot see Barcelona letting him go. Despite the fact that the competition in the Barcelona midfield is ferocious, and possibly impossible to penetrate for a player like Thiago Alcântara at the moment, the club won't want to let such a talented youngster leave, especially so soon after agreeing a new deal.

Unless Wenger really is playing extreme hard-ball with Barcelona, and will refuse to sell Fabregas until his demands are met, this is a rumour dead in the water, but I'd like to see what you think. Would you rather see this Fabregas saga over and done with, and rid the midfielder for £35 million, or would you drag it out for a little longer in an audacious attempt to pick up the young Thiago? Vote Below.

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Wenger: I will Certainly Buy a New Defender

Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Arsenal will be back in the market after the purchase of striker Gervinho to strengthen the defence.

While Arsenal have had a £10 million bid for Everton's Phil Jagielka turned down, they have been linked to other Premier League defenders including Blackburn's Chris Samba and Bolton's Gary Cahill. The Arsenal manager has now claimed he will work "very hard" to bring in a new defender to add to his ranks. Wenger said:

"Certainly, we will have to find one more defender. We [are] working on it."

"I can promise we work very hard on it. In fairness, everybody looks for players. Everybody looks for the same area and you see that nobody turns up with magic. It’s all about being steady, working very hard on it and being calm as well."

"I don’t want to comment individually because I do not want to destabilise clubs. I do not want to do to other clubs what some clubs do to us so I wouldn’t like to comment individually on any player."

It is a "promise" which will relieve many Arsenal fans who may have feared the manager would once again turn his back on signing a player that many fans have been calling for in the defensive positions. However, he did not specify what position he would be buying the defender for.

Arsenal may need a left sided defender as back up to Gibbs, now that Gael Clichy has left, or perhaps Wenger will simply go for a strong, solid, experienced central defender to partner the returning Thomas Vermaelen, who himself is looking forward to a new start to the season. The Belgian defender said:

"Everybody starts from zero and everybody has to start again. You get a new chance and that's always a good feeling when people give you another chance to win something.

"The past is behind us and it's good to look into the future. That's what we do now - we start all over again with a new chance and we will go for it this year." 

If Arsenal are to win a trophy like Vermaelen and all of the fans want, Wenger's mysterious defensive target will certainly play a big role in delivering it. A lot relies on this signing, and Wenger better hope he gets it right.

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Manchester United Target Paulo Henrique Ganso

Manchester United and AC Milan target, Paulo Henrique Ganso of Brazilian side Santos is a typical "Brazilian play-maker". We are constantly informed of the latest prodigy, often from South America, who will develop into the next global footballing superstar. Players have been and gone, labelled as the next best thing, and under the heavy weight of expectation, withered and faded into a footballing abyss.

Perhaps Ganso could be the player to break that mould, and make something of himself in English football, or at least in Europe. He certainly has the ability to be the player to replace Paul Scholes at Manchester United, and at the age of 21 has plenty of time to develop, however, with this quality, must be caution, especially when it comes to Manchester United and Brazilians.

The first Brazilian to join United was Kleberson. Remember him? He was labelled as "ideal" for the Premier League - a real talent, with the ability to play all over the midfield. Sir Alex Ferguson said he was "delighted" to have signed him after an impressive World Cup in 2002, for £6 million. 30 games, 2 goals and a torrid time in England later, Kleberson was sold for £2.5 million.

Manchester United will be hoping that if Ganso signs, which isn't entirely likely considering his dream is to join AC Milan, he will not suffer the same fate as Kleberson did, and to be honest, I shouldn't think he would, because this young man has the talent and the confidence to fulfil his potential.

He is good in possession, can find the killer pass, and has the ability to make that pass to create goals for the men around him. A good play-maker reads the game, finds the positions to make space for himself and his team-mates and finds them with varying and unpredictable passes, making it harder for the opposition to read the play. They also have the creative spark and the awareness to make runs to score a decent amount of goals for themselves.

Ganso, in the main has that, and that is probably why he has been heralded as the "next Kaka". That would of course suit AC Milan perfectly, who sold the "real" Kaka in 2009 to Real Madrid, but it would also suit Manchester United, who actually enquired about Kaka's services when he was a Milan player, with rumours of a £50 million bid being prepared at one point.

Ganso also comes with his weaknesses or ugly side believe it or not. He has had two major injury problems so far in his short career, which left him out of action for six months each. As a Brazilian, along with the cheeky skills of flicking balls over the opponents clueless head and countless mesmerising step-overs, he also has the knack of doing something that I would find hard to watch.

Regular readers will know that I, like most others, hate with a passion when a player falls over clutching their face, and writhes around on the floor in apparent agony when in fact they were simply brushed in a clearly fair challenge. Coupled with the super energetic finger that wags furious when a decision goes against him, and it is straight away a trait I would rebuke in the Premier League.

However, if his star quality outshines the latter mentioned possible problems, I would be pleased to see him grace Europe with his vision, passing and control. I would of course be delighted to see him bloom into the "new Kaka"  in European football so that one day we may find another similarly outstanding player and be able to label him the "new Ganso". United and AC Milan will have to pay at least £25 million for their man however, who has a contract until 2015 as well as a £44 million release clause.

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Ferguson "Sure" Midfielder will Sign Deal at United

Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that Manchester United have offered their South Korean midfield star, Park Ji-Sung, a new two year contract at United.

The former PSV Eindhoven midfielder joined United in 2005 for a fee of £4 million and next season will be entering his seventh season with the Old Trafford club. He has become a hugely popular player among the Manchester United fans thanks to his unbelievably tireless performances, and his excellent versatility thanks to being able to operate all over the midfield; in the centre and on either wing.

The 30 year-old retired from South Korean international duty last year to help to prolong his club career at Manchester United, and after recently stating that he can't possibly find a reason why he would want to leave the club, a new contract seems the obvious result. His current deal expired in 2012, so the new two year deal would keep him at the club until 2014, with his tireless work ethic no doubt contributing to further success.
Ferguson said:

"We have offered him a new contract and I am sure he will sign it. His career at United has been nothing but excellent. He is a tremendous professional. I am sure he will accept the new offer and tie himself down at the club for the next two years."

The United midfield is a fragile thing at the moment considering the departure of Paul Scholes, and while Sir Alex looks for a suitable replacement, he also has to contend with the current crops problems. Darren Fletcher has been suffering a virus for a while and as a result missed a large chunk of Manchester United's latter part of the season.

However, the United manager expects him to have recovered well enough to be back with the squad in time for July 31st, when United return to England from their pre-season tour of America.

"Sometimes viruses do take time. Darren has been into Carrington over the last few days. He is doing a weight programme at the moment and hopefully by the time we get back, he will be joining us."

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David Beckham & Ashley Young In Agreement

Manchester United's legendary former right midfielder David Beckham and the clubs new £16 million signing Ashley Young are in agreement; the team at Old Trafford are the best team in Manchester, with the greatest history.

David Beckham, currently at LA Galaxy, spoke about his old clubs rivals and how they have been growing over the past few years into a team who will begin to challenge United. Of course, he acknowledged the progress they have made, and said that although they may be a threat next season and in years to come, they will never "be" Manchester United.

The 26 year-old had many happy years at United, winning six Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy and two FA Cups in 399 appearances. He never wanted to leave the club that had supported him through the good times and bad times in his career, and who brought him so much success, and he clearly still hold the club dear to his heart. He said of City:

"They're bringing good players in, they've got strong people with a lot of money behind them, so they're going to improve." 

"But they'll never be Manchester United. They might be a threat this season but United have got the history, the silverware over the last 20 years. There's only one team in Manchester but City I'm sure will be a team to look at going forward."

Likewise, United's new signing Ashley Young is equally enthusiastic about the club, and claims it was a "no-brainer" when he heard of their interest in him. He was not in a position to turn down one of the biggest clubs in the world, and the former Aston Villa winger is now looking forward to adding to United's marvellous history:

"There was never any doubt once I knew United were interested. When one of the biggest clubs in the world comes after you, whether to sign for them or not is a no-brainer. I was delighted to hear about their interest. I just wanted to get my signature on the paper."

"I have confidence in my own ability. I always said I wanted to play at the highest level. Manchester United is that. This move gives me the opportunity to play in the Champions League and go for a 20th title. That just says it all."

"The history of the club is fantastic and I am delighted to be part of it."

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Wenger Needs A Big Signing

As Arsenal struggle to keep hold of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, the club also faces losing out on potential transfer targets, with the latest £10 million bid for Everton's Phil Jagielka being turned down and the young Costa Rican striker, Joel Campbell putting a move to Arsenal on hold.

Gael Clichy has already left the Arsenal door, and slammed it in Wenger's face on the way out by claiming he left so he would have more chance of winning a trophy with Manchester City. It may be considered as a low blow. It may also be considered as the truth; Arsenal's title winning chances have been fading for a while.

In the past six years, the club has no silverware to it's name and has instead come only excruciatingly close. That isn't what players want. Nowadays, football players, especially in their mid twenties, or approaching that age who are ambitious and know that time may not be all on their side, need immediate success. They need to be winning games and winning trophies, as a footballing career, on average, is not very long.

The likes of Manchester United and Manchester City are spending big this summer, and they are able to attract the best players through a few reasons in which Arsenal simply cannot or will not compete in.

First of all, a bigger wage is always more attractive to a footballer. As Arsenal offer Nasri a £115,000 per week deal which would make him their highest earner, Manchester City have offered the same player £45,000 more, and he still wouldn't be close to City's highest weekly wage packet.

However, money is only one small feature of the attraction at clubs like United, City and Chelsea who are willing to pay large sums that Arsenal are not. The main attraction is surely the potential to win trophies and the top class players already at the club who can help achieve that. Arsenal currently face letting their best players go - what message does that send to players subject of interest from Arsenal?

Arsene Wenger must change that view. He must move in the transfer window to bring in a player who can not only help to win trophies at Arsenal, and make the team all around more clinical, but who also has the star attraction for other footballer.

Manchester United have Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Ferdinand, Vidic - all players who are known throughout the world, who many younger players look up to and aspire to be like on the pitch. Even City have their fair share through Yaya Toure and David Silva, and apart from the anomaly Carlos Tevez, who wants to move to a new club every two seasons, the players want to stay as they have a good chance of success.

I believe one big signing for Arsenal could do wonders for the morale of both the team and the fans. It would take pressure off of Wenger, and allow him to continue his job without calls for him to spend a lot of money. If Wenger can get the trouble positions sorted, a big signing of a big player, world renowned would certainly refresh Arsenal's world wide popularity, and perhaps they can look forward to bringing more of the same in, rather than see them leave looking for success.

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