Shakhtar Donetsk head coach Mircea Lucescu has admitted that Jadson is close to signing for Arsenal the Metro reports.
The Ukrainian side have confirmed that the Gunners are interested in signing the Brazilian playmaker.
It was reported last week that Arsene Wenger was closing in on the player as he prepared for Cesc Fabregas’ exit.
However the Frenchman played down that they were about to sign the 27-year-old although Lucescu’s comments beg to differ.
The 66-year-old Romanians seem to cofirm that Arsenal have already agreed a fee with the player set to travel to London to discuss the move.
“I can confirm Jadson is wanted by Arsenal,” he said.
“Now it all depends on him.”
Jadson, who is rated at £10 million by Shakhtar, also seemed to indicate via his twitter account that he was bound for the Emirates.
“My friends! If all goes well at the start of next week I will have news for you.”
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If a deal of any sort does materialise it will be a huge boost to Wenger’s depleted midfield.
With Fabregas’ move to Barcelona all but sewn up, Samir Nasri close to the exit door and new signing Gervinho is missing for the next three games leaving the Gunners stretched.
Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson has wasted no time in identifying Edwin Van der Sar’s successor by lining up a summer swoop for Schalke and Germany’s number one, Manuel Neuer.
Ferguson is thought to have made a three man short-list for the vacancy in May, with Ajax’s Maarten Stekelenburg and Athletico Madrid’s David De Gea joining Neuer in the running.
However many believe that Neuer, who has been linked with United in recent weeks, tops their goalkeeping wish-list. Neuer is approaching his 25th birthday which means that he would be one for both the present and the future should he move to Old Trafford at the end of the season.
Neuer, who has been an ever present for Schalke so far this year, made his name with some fine performances in Germany’s run to the 2010 World Cup third place play-off.
Manchester United fans will have bad memories of the amount of time, and money spent, that it took to replace Peter Schmeichel, so Ferguson will be under pressure to get it right first time.
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Once the football season finally ends after a gruelling nine months, silly season begins in earnest, or the rumour mill as it is more commonly known.
Players that have been released by their clubs for one reason or another are looking frantically for a new club to call home, whilst trying to avoid the ignominy of dropping too far down the divisions in the process.
Players from newly relegated clubs are the ones that are more likely to suffer from this affliction; suddenly their status as a Premier League player has come to an abrupt end and, instead of testing their mettle against the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, they are now facing the prospect of trips to Barnsley and Peterborough.
This is when, more often than not, they will give their agent a call and urge them to find them a new club (hopefully back in the Premier League) whilst all the while distancing themselves publicly from their part in their parent clubs relegation.
Of course, clubs who have had the satisfaction of gaining promotion to English footballs top table are the ones who are most likely to require a retooling of their squad, in order to stand any chance of avoiding an immediate return to the Football League Championship. This, in turn, leads to a frenzy of speculation as the rumour mill goes into overdrive, fuelled by a succession of desperate footballers agents looking to earn another huge payday by fixing their client up with a club who are looking for some Premier League experienced players.
Oh and lets not forget those players who are available on a free transfer, but most clubs should be aware of the old adage that you do not get something for nothing. Players who are obtainable for gratis have usually been released for one of the following four reasons: A) They are looking for more money although, unfortunately, the remuneration they seek usually matches their over inflated ego rather than their actual playing attributes. B) They have injury concerns and their parent club have released them in order to save on wages for a player who spends more time in the treatment room than on the pitch. C) They have been released because they are “getting on a bit” in football terms and, again, their wages are not worth the actual amount of time they spend on the pitch. Usually in tandem with category b. D) They are just not good enough. Any players in these four categories should be avoided if a club wants to stand a chance of prolonging their stay in the top-flight.
For Southampton Football Club, we are, of course, looking for players that can not only keep us away from the relegation zone, but also help us kick-on and gain a foothold in the league for years to come. We have so far been linked with players from most of the above categories; the most high-profile of which would be Manchester United’s ex-England international striker Michael Owen who has been released on a free transfer. As good as he was earlier in his career I do not consider him to be a worthy signing for us as he can now probably be categorised in A, B and C in the above list.
The kind of players that we should be looking at are ones that are obviously going to give us at least an outside chance of survival, and the strongest rumour of the close season so far is of our reported £6-7 million bid for Burnley striker, Jay Rodriguez. A player who we had hoped to sign during the previous January transfer window, where a Burnley side that were still hopeful of landing a playoff spot rejected our bids.
Other strong rumours include a cash plus player deal for Blackpool’s young prospect and son of England international Paul Ince, Thomas Ince – £2 million plus Saints midfielder Jason Puncheon has reportedly been offered as an exchange. Celtic striker Gary Hooper’s name is still being bandied about (he was another player who we tried to sign in January). He may now find our Premier League status too tempting to turn down this time.
The silliest rumours so far this close season include absolute gems, such as Nigel Adkins being fired and replaced by Roberto Di Matteo should the Champions League winning boss not be given the job permanently by Chelsea this summer. Although this was trumped just days ago by a post on the Saintsweb forum that stated that Rickie Lambert was on his way to Norwich City, who had apparently offered him £70k a week in wages, which is laughable for a club the size of Norwich.
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Other rumours include re-signing striker Kenwyne Jones from Stoke City; personally this is one player who I would not want to see anywhere near our club again. Especially after he essentially went on strike and refused to play for us a few seasons back, when he thought that being at a Championship club was a bit beneath him and he wanted to join a Premier League club. Funny that, despite the odd glimpses of proficiency, he has not exactly set the Premier League alight with his goal scoring talents, and now Stoke are looking to get his overinflated wages off their bill.
Whatever happens in the transfer market over the next two or three months, there will be plenty of rumours that are going to be wider of the mark than a shot by Emile Heskey. Oh and I’m glad that he hasn’t been linked to us so far, and lets hope it stays that way.
The Seattle Sounders came from behind to beat the Colorado Rapids 4-3 in the MLS on Saturday.Seattle started the day second on the Western Conference table but Colorado, who were fourth in the Eastern Conference, were always going to put up a fight.
And it was the Rapids who scored in the first minute when Wells Thompson put the visitors in front.
Alvaro Fernandez produced a quick response just six minutes later but Jeff Larentowicz’s 43rd minute strike gave Colorado a lift heading into full-time.
But Seattle came out firing in the second half and scored the fourth goal of an exciting contest two minutes after the break thanks to Roger Levesque.
As the game headed into the final 10 minutes, the scores were locked at 2-2 and a thrilling finale was in store.
And the fans at the CenturyLink Field would not have been disappointed as goals from Colombian Fredy Montero and Argentina’s Mauro Rosales within 60 seconds put Seattle 4-2 in front with six minutes left.
Irish striker Caleb Folan pulled a goal back in stoppage time but Seattle held on for victory.
In other matches, French defender Aurelien Collin scored a 90th minute equaliser for Sporting Kansas City in their 1-1 draw against a 10-man Houston Dynamo, who had Colin Clark sent off after 51 minutes.
The Chicago Fire also ended their match with 10 men as they lost 1-0 to the Portland Timbers, with Jack Jewsbury scoring the winner from the penalty spot after 25 minutes.
Columbus Crew and the San Jose Earthquakes played out a goalless draw, as did FC Dallas and DC United.
Premier League club Birmingham City have confirmed they have given up the chase for Tottenham striker Robbie Keane.Keane was linked with a four-million-pound move to St Andrew’s last week that could have risen to six million pounds, with reports suggesting the deal was only a matter of time from being sealed.
But Birmingham have since cooled their interest and confirmed on Monday that they are no longer interested in the forward.
“I met with Alex and Paul today to discuss some new targets – names that we will not be mentioning at this moment in time – as we have decided that the signing of Keane would not be in the best financial interests of the club,” Birmingham City’s acting chairman Peter Pannu said in a statement.
“Everyone knows he is a tremendous player but having considered the overall package (one which certainly wasn’t unfair on the part of his representatives to ask for given his talent and experience), Keane’s age and the length of contract we felt that financially he wasn’t the best option available.”
“This is unfortunate because Keane is a class act but supporters can rest assured we are considering other options and will pursue them where financially viable.”
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Keane has started only two Premier League matches for Tottenham this season and is still expected to move on in the January transfer window, with West Ham the most likely destination.
Aston Villa have confirmed that they have parted company with Alex McLeish after a poor season.
The Scottish coach took over at the Midlands club last summer, but his appointment was treated with reluctance from the Villa fans due to his links with local rivals Birmingham City.
McLeish failed to win over the club’s fans, and only seven Premier League victories this term saw Villa in a relegation scrap come the end of the season.
In the end up the Villa Park outfit avoided the dropzone by two points, but McLeish has paid the price for a slow campaign.
“We need to be clear and candid with ourselves and with supporters about what we have lacked in recent years,” chairman Randy Lerner told the club’s official website.
“Compelling play and results that instil a sense of confidence that Villa is on the right track have been plainly absent.
“The most immediate action that we can take is to look carefully at our options in terms of bringing in a new manager who sees the club’s potential and embraces our collective expectations,” he stated.
Chief executive Paul Faulkner is eyeing a quick appointment of a replacement to give the new man a chance to prepare for next term.
“We’d like to thank Alex for his hard work and efforts throughout this tough season.
“We are mindful of the club’s need to prepare thoroughly for the new campaign and for the new manager to be able to begin working with the board so that he is quickly immersed in these preparations and also in the long-term objectives of the club.
“Our focus now will be driven by these imperatives and we will update when appropriate,” he concluded.
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Early frontrunners for the post are Wigan’s Roberto Martinez and Norwich’s Paul Lambert.
A stunning hat-trick from Gambian midfielder Sanna Nyassi led Colorado to a 4-1 win over New York Red Bulls in Wednesday’s MLS action.The 22-year-old put the Rapids ahead in just the first minute of the match at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, and when Wells Thompson netted after 25 minutes the home side were firmly in control.
Nyassi scored his second on the half-hour mark and completed his hat-trick after passing Carlos Mendes and firing a shot past Red Bulls goalkeeper Frank Rost in the 61st minute.
French star Thierry Henry scored a consolation for New York, but the damage had been done by Nyassi’s masterclass.
The Red Bulls managed to hold onto second place in the Eastern Conference standings thanks to the Los Angeles Galaxy’s 1-0 win over the third-placed Columbus Crew at The Home Depot Center.
The Galaxy had to work hard for the three points, however, with defender Sean Franklin scoring the only goal of the game after 70 minutes to move Los Angeles four points clear of the Seattle Sounders on top of the Western Conference table.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, a 73rd minute strike from Stephen McCarthy was enough to give New England a 1-0 win on the road over DC United, while Break Shea netted three minutes after half-time to hand Dallas a 1-0 win at Toronto.
And the Vancouver Whitecaps twice came from behind to secure a 2-2 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes at Buck Shaw Stadium.
Chris Wondolowski scored both goals for San Jose, but Eric Hassli responded with a brace of his own to claim a point for the visitors.
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The jittery win over Partizan midweek will have the Arsenal fans looking forward to playing away from the Emirates. United may have the best home record in the league so far this season but much like Ryan Giggs’ BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, their success has been based more on past accomplishments than on what they’ve done this season with too many teams giving them more respect than they deserve.
As long as Arsenal don’t do an Allardyce and lay down at the feet of the great Fergie, waiting for a belly rub, then there’s plenty of reason to believe they’ll come good at 3/1.
The Gunners have the best away record in the league, winning their last four on the road including that 3-0 on the blue side of Manchester. United have struggled when on the back-foot this season and the on thing you know Arsenal will do is attack. Samir Nasri has been in inspired form this season and if Andrei Arshavin can wake up from his winter slumber, then the United backline could be led a merry dance. The Frenchman is a tasty 10/1 to score first. Which is much better value than Berbatov at 5/1. His five goals against Blackburn will have used up all his goalscoring credits until sometime in the New Year.
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United do have a tradition of pulling out big performances when they really need them and for all their faults they are unbeaten in the league. Even Fergie’s luck can only last so long though and if they fail to rise to the occasion with their best performance of the season then Arsenal will be going back to London with three points and top spot in the league.
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Lille managing director Frederic Paquet has stated that four teams are in the running to land star winger Eden Hazard this summer.
The Belgium international has been a standout performer for the Ligue 1 side over the last 24 months, but has made it clear that he wants to move on to a bigger club.
With both Manchester clubs known admirers of the playmaker and Chelsea thought to have entered the race for the attacking midfielder also, it is set to be a scramble for his signature once the transfer window reopens.
“I am not sure he knows himself where he will go, so for the moment, we don’t know,” Paquet told Sky Sports.
“From my knowledge he has four teams interested in buying him.
“It is not up to us to tell to him where to go.
“We have a very strong relationship with the player, we will work together and are waiting for him to make a choice between these four teams,” he concluded.
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The Luka Modric affair took another twist yesterday with Tottenham insisting that the Croatian stays at White Hart Lane. It has also been suggested that Chelsea could face a point deduction, should the North London club put a formal complaint into the FA about the possibility that the playmaker was potentially tapped up.
In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include Redknapp calls on Tottenham to buy big to convince Modric to stay; Barcelona make contact over Fabregas, while Blackburn reveal why they let Phil Jones go.
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Harry makes Modric plea – Sky Sports
McLeish outrage is lazy tribalism – Guardian
Under-21s must provide answers – Daily Telegraph
Chelsea could face point deduction over Modric storm – Mirror
Mourinho under scrutiny as UEFA look to punish deliberate yellow cards – Daily Mail
Chelsea scouting for scouts – Daily Telegraph
Blackburn owners: We let Jones go as we feared legal battle would harm him – Daily Mail
It was my fault I never shone for England, admits retired Scholes – Daily Mail
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Barcelona ready to sacrifice star striker – Mirror