According to reports from the Sun newspaper, Leicester City are
prepared to sell Nigeria international Kelechi Iheanacho just six
months after he was signed from Manchester City for a fee of £25m.
He has seen limited playing time since he moved to the former Premier
League champions. His situation has been made more complicated with
new manager Claude Puel considering him as being fourth choice behind
Jamie Vardy, Okazaki and Isam Slimani.
The report claims that any deal could be difficult because of his
wages of £115,000 a week, as any potential buying club would be
reluctant to play him that. But Leicester are ready to cut their
losses for a player who had one of the best goal to games ratio in the
Premier League when he was in the books of Manchester City.
Many observers expected him to feature in the goalless draw against
Fleetwood in the FA Cup last weekend. But he only got 10 minutes.
Which showed his position in the manager's thoughts.
For a player whose talents is not in doubt especially his intelligence
in front of goal and his scoring prowess, it's clear that his move to
Leicester has not worked out well even though it is just six months
into it. An early divorce could be it as far for the 21 year old as
far this report is concerned.
Tuesday, 9 January 2018
Francis Coquelin close to Arsenal exit as Valencia circles
Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin is close to leaving the club. This
follows a report from Spain that Valencia are in advanced negotiations
to sign him before the January transfer window closes.
Premier League sides West Ham and Crystal Palace are reported to also
be interested in taking the midfielder off the books of Arsenal.
The 26 year old, who still has three and half years in his contract
was left out of the squad that lost the FA Cup third round tie to
Nottingham Forest on Sunday which further fueled speculations about a
possible transfer before reports of a departure started to emerge on
Monday.
The combative midfielder was signed by Arsene Wenger in the summer of
2008 as a 17 year old. After several loan spells away from the club.
He was recalled early from a loan spell at Charlton in December, 2013.
Following of an injury crisis in Arsenal's midfield.
He struck up an understanding with Santi Cazorla in Arsenal's
midfield. But following the Spaniard injury, and Arsene Wenger's
change of formulation, he has found playing time hard to come by, whih
just one start all season in the league.
The story continues to develop.
follows a report from Spain that Valencia are in advanced negotiations
to sign him before the January transfer window closes.
Premier League sides West Ham and Crystal Palace are reported to also
be interested in taking the midfielder off the books of Arsenal.
The 26 year old, who still has three and half years in his contract
was left out of the squad that lost the FA Cup third round tie to
Nottingham Forest on Sunday which further fueled speculations about a
possible transfer before reports of a departure started to emerge on
Monday.
The combative midfielder was signed by Arsene Wenger in the summer of
2008 as a 17 year old. After several loan spells away from the club.
He was recalled early from a loan spell at Charlton in December, 2013.
Following of an injury crisis in Arsenal's midfield.
He struck up an understanding with Santi Cazorla in Arsenal's
midfield. But following the Spaniard injury, and Arsene Wenger's
change of formulation, he has found playing time hard to come by, whih
just one start all season in the league.
The story continues to develop.
Arsenal keen to sign defender Jonny Evans
Arsenal are interested in signing West Brom defender Jonny Evans. The
former Manchester United defender was the subject of £25m bid from
Arsenal that was rejected in the summer.
The 30 year old Northern Ireland international is also attracting
interest from runway league leaders, Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's
side matched Arsenal's bid last summer, which was also turned down by
the Baggies.
The West Midland side are open to a sale as Jonny Evans has just 18
months left in his contract.
It remains to be seen whether he ends up in North London or Manchester.
former Manchester United defender was the subject of £25m bid from
Arsenal that was rejected in the summer.
The 30 year old Northern Ireland international is also attracting
interest from runway league leaders, Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's
side matched Arsenal's bid last summer, which was also turned down by
the Baggies.
The West Midland side are open to a sale as Jonny Evans has just 18
months left in his contract.
It remains to be seen whether he ends up in North London or Manchester.
Saturday, 6 January 2018
Barcelona sign Liverpool's Phillipe Coutinho for £142m
Liverpool have released a statement that they have reached an
agreement with Barcelona which would see midfielder Phillipe Coutinho
to join the La Liga side for a fee in the region of £142m.
The 25 year old is expected to sign a contract with the Catalans that
would tie him to the club until 2023.
The agreement between both clubs brings to an end a protracted
transfer saga that dominated most of last summer's transfer window
which saw three bids rejected by Liverpool. This was subsequently
followed by a statement reiterating that no bids would be considered.
Phillipe Coutinho ends his five year association with Liverpool having
joined the club from Inter Milan in 2013 for a fee of £8.5m.
He wouldn't be eligible to feature in Barcelona's Champions League
campaign. But he should add considerable creativity and fire power to
the forward line of the La Liga league leaders that already boast
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
agreement with Barcelona which would see midfielder Phillipe Coutinho
to join the La Liga side for a fee in the region of £142m.
The 25 year old is expected to sign a contract with the Catalans that
would tie him to the club until 2023.
The agreement between both clubs brings to an end a protracted
transfer saga that dominated most of last summer's transfer window
which saw three bids rejected by Liverpool. This was subsequently
followed by a statement reiterating that no bids would be considered.
Phillipe Coutinho ends his five year association with Liverpool having
joined the club from Inter Milan in 2013 for a fee of £8.5m.
He wouldn't be eligible to feature in Barcelona's Champions League
campaign. But he should add considerable creativity and fire power to
the forward line of the La Liga league leaders that already boast
Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
Friday, 5 January 2018
Chelsea sign Everton's Ross Barkley for £15m
Barkley for a fee of £15m. The 24 year old joins the Londoners just
few months after he rejected a move to Stamford Bridge on transfer
deadline day in August for a fee of £30m
He becomes Antonio Conte's first January signing as the club goes
about repairing the damage done to the squad in the summer transfer
window.
His signing ends a 13 year association with Everton. A club he joined
at the age of 11. He was in the last six months of his contract before
his arrival at Chelsea.
Speaking of his signing, Conte said
"He's very young and has a lot of space for improvement,"
"He's a good prospect but at the same time, it will be very important
to understand, if the player signs, we must have patience to help him
recover."
It doesn't come as a surprise that Antonio Conte mentioned his
recovery. He hasn't played all season, because of a hamstring injury
that required surgery. Its unclear when he would be fit to make his
debut.
Still just 24 years, Ross Barkley has his peak years ahead of him.
However, with the nature of managerial changes at Chelsea, it remains
to be seen whether Antonio Conte stays long enough to improve the grey
areas of his game.
His signing also raises question as to the exact transfer policy of
Chelsea vis-a-vis the players they sent out on loan and those they
bring in as signings. It begs the question whether Rueben Loftus-Cheek
would ever have a future at the Bridge with Ross Barkley's arrival
seeing that they are almost similar players.
Wednesday, 3 January 2018
Arsenal v Chelsea teams: Ozil returns, Starts for Holding, Fabregas & Bakayoko
Brom on Sunday, which resulted in lost ground in the chase for a top
four finish. They face a Chelsea side who remain unbeaten since a
league defeat to West Ham.
Full Teams:
Arsenal:
Petr Cech, Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding, Calum Chambers, Mustafi.
Maitland-Niles, Jack Wilshere, Granit Xhaka, Mesut Ozil, Alexis
Sanchez, Alexandre Lacazette
Subs: Ospina, Mertesacker, Coquelin, Elneny, Iwobi, Walcott, Welbeck
Chelsea:
Courtois, Cahill, Christensen, Azpilicueta, Moses, Kante, Bakayoko,
Alonso, Fabregas, Hazard, Morata
Subs: Caballero, Zapacosta, Rudiger, Drinkwater, Willian, Pedro, Batshuyai
Tuesday, 2 January 2018
Strong possibility that Arsenal could finish outside the top four
Arsenal ended an inconsistent 2017 with a constroversial 1-1 at West
Brom in the last Premier League match of year just gone by.
That draw meant that Arsene Wenger's side have failed to win
back-to-back away Premier League match this season. They only have
just three away win all season. Which came against Crystal Palace,
Burnley and Everton.
Arsenal's away form this season mirrors the theme of the 2017 calender
year which was mired by bouts of inconsistencies. The club suffered
the most defeat in a calender year under Wenger's reign for the first
time.
Without the eight wins from 10 home games this season, which have help
birth a return of 38 points, the situation could be a lot worse than
it is now.
That 38 points is only good enough for fifth position at the moment,
with Liverpool in 4th place on 44 points having played a game more.
The other contender for the top four, Tottenham, are on 37 points,
having played a game or two less depending on the teams.
Now when the form of the other contenders are compared to Arsenal,
there is real likelihood that Arsenal could be in danger of finishing
outside the top four for a second season running.
Arsenal have just two wins from their last seven Premier League
matches. And from a possible 21 points, they have garnered a poor
return of 10 points, dropping aways 11 points in that time. And to
make matters worse for Wenger, those matches came against teams they
were expected to beat. The likes of West Ham, Southampton and West
Brom. Which all ended in draws.
It doesn't matter the team Arsenal are up against in the league, once
the match is outside the Emirates, the team has struggled to produce
consistently on the road this season. A return of just three wins from
eleven away matches is hugely poor return for a club the status of
Arsenal.
Besides, the inconsistent away form this season, the inability of the
team to produce any semblance of a fluent display this season on the
road is another characteristic of what has been another poor domestic
campaign for the Gunners.
If the race to finish in the top four was down to the traditional four
teams of the past, there would have been few concerns that Arsenal
wouldn't finish within that bracket at the end of the season. But with
the teams that fight for a top four finish now as strong as six,
Arsenal could potentially suffer the risk of sitting out for another
year. The position is effectively down to just three positions, as
Manchester City have effectively sealed qualification for the
Champions League next season.
After Wednesday's match against Chelsea, there would be just 16
Premier League matches left this season. What this means, is that If
Arsenal's away form doesn't improve, the club should start bracing
itself for another year without Champions League football.
There is no guarantee that the home form that has accounted for eight
wins from 10 games would continue, especially with games against
Chelsea and Manchester City still to come. They still have to visit
Old Trafford and Wembley to play Manchester United and Tottenham
respectively.
With the form Liverpool are in and having strengthened with the
signing of Virgil, there have only increased the possibility of
finishing the season with a flourish.
Arsenal have already played a direct rival for the top four race in
Liverpool twice, taking just one point from a possible six. They still
have to play Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United and Manchester
City, starting with the former. Taking point off their direct rival
would boost their chances of a top four finish, but it is the
performance against the less endowed teams that would determine
Arsenal's position at the end of the season, yet the evidence of that
so far as been very poor.
Brom in the last Premier League match of year just gone by.
That draw meant that Arsene Wenger's side have failed to win
back-to-back away Premier League match this season. They only have
just three away win all season. Which came against Crystal Palace,
Burnley and Everton.
Arsenal's away form this season mirrors the theme of the 2017 calender
year which was mired by bouts of inconsistencies. The club suffered
the most defeat in a calender year under Wenger's reign for the first
time.
Without the eight wins from 10 home games this season, which have help
birth a return of 38 points, the situation could be a lot worse than
it is now.
That 38 points is only good enough for fifth position at the moment,
with Liverpool in 4th place on 44 points having played a game more.
The other contender for the top four, Tottenham, are on 37 points,
having played a game or two less depending on the teams.
Now when the form of the other contenders are compared to Arsenal,
there is real likelihood that Arsenal could be in danger of finishing
outside the top four for a second season running.
Arsenal have just two wins from their last seven Premier League
matches. And from a possible 21 points, they have garnered a poor
return of 10 points, dropping aways 11 points in that time. And to
make matters worse for Wenger, those matches came against teams they
were expected to beat. The likes of West Ham, Southampton and West
Brom. Which all ended in draws.
It doesn't matter the team Arsenal are up against in the league, once
the match is outside the Emirates, the team has struggled to produce
consistently on the road this season. A return of just three wins from
eleven away matches is hugely poor return for a club the status of
Arsenal.
Besides, the inconsistent away form this season, the inability of the
team to produce any semblance of a fluent display this season on the
road is another characteristic of what has been another poor domestic
campaign for the Gunners.
If the race to finish in the top four was down to the traditional four
teams of the past, there would have been few concerns that Arsenal
wouldn't finish within that bracket at the end of the season. But with
the teams that fight for a top four finish now as strong as six,
Arsenal could potentially suffer the risk of sitting out for another
year. The position is effectively down to just three positions, as
Manchester City have effectively sealed qualification for the
Champions League next season.
After Wednesday's match against Chelsea, there would be just 16
Premier League matches left this season. What this means, is that If
Arsenal's away form doesn't improve, the club should start bracing
itself for another year without Champions League football.
There is no guarantee that the home form that has accounted for eight
wins from 10 games would continue, especially with games against
Chelsea and Manchester City still to come. They still have to visit
Old Trafford and Wembley to play Manchester United and Tottenham
respectively.
With the form Liverpool are in and having strengthened with the
signing of Virgil, there have only increased the possibility of
finishing the season with a flourish.
Arsenal have already played a direct rival for the top four race in
Liverpool twice, taking just one point from a possible six. They still
have to play Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United and Manchester
City, starting with the former. Taking point off their direct rival
would boost their chances of a top four finish, but it is the
performance against the less endowed teams that would determine
Arsenal's position at the end of the season, yet the evidence of that
so far as been very poor.
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