Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie has stated that he does not want to negotiate a new contract at the Emirates for the time being, leaving Arsene Wenger fearing he may lose another key player.
The Netherlands international’s current deal in North London takes him up to June 2013, but the French coach is keen to extend the attacker’s contract after seeing Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas depart in the summer.
Despite this, Van Persie has stated that he is happy with his current deal, and will not entertain extension talks at this time.
“I still have almost two years, so for the moment that’s fine. I’m happy with my contract. I can’t look into the future. I can’t see us talking now because we are so busy – we have games every three or four days,” he told The Daily Mail.
“Maybe we will leave it until the end of the season. The main thing for me is the team and that we play well,” he concluded.
Arsenal entertain Olympiakos in the Champions League on Wednesday, and will look to build on their weekend victory over Bolton.
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Nottingham Forest beat Watford 1-0 on Saturday to climb to second in the Championship, while Norwich lost 2-1 away to Burnley.
Marcus Tudgay scored the winner for Forest in the first minute at the City Ground.
The win pushes Billy Davies’ side into the automatic promotion places.
Forest are seven points behind top side Queens Park Rangers, but have played two games fewer than the league leaders.
Norwich slipped to third following their defeat at Burnley.
Former Tottenham man Dean Marney put hosts Burnley 1-0 up in the first half at Turf Moor, before Grant Holt equalised in the 65th minute.
Jay Rodriguez grabbed all three points for Burnley, who are now 10th, five points outside the playoff places.
Davide Somma’s 56th-minute strike helped Leeds United secure a 1-0 win at home to Coventry City.
The victory sees Leeds climb to fifth, one point ahead of Cardiff in sixth and one point behind fourth-placed Swansea, who meet in a Welsh derby on Sunday.
At the opposite end of the table, Crystal Palace remain outside the relegation zone following their 1-0 win over Middlesbrough.
James Vaughan, on loan from Everton, scored the winning goal in the 36th minute.
Preston stay bottom following their 4-0 thrashing at home to Bristol City, while Scunthorpe are second-last after a suffering a 5-1 hammering at the hands of Hull City.
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Sheffield United complete the trio inside the drop zone, they lost 3-0 away to improving Ipswich.
Leicester City are just three points away from the playoff places after dispatching Barnsley 4-1.
Millwall are level with Leicester on 45 points after they beat Doncaster 1-0.
Struggling Derby County dropped vital points when they surrendered a one-goal lead in the 90th minute of their match at Portsmouth’s Fratton Park.
Newcastle target Aly Cissokho is closing in on a move to Italy, according to talksport.
The Lyon left back has caught the interest of Inter Milan and Napoli and the 24-year old’s agent Fabrizio Ferrari believes that a move to Serie A is likely.
“Lyon are still awaiting a suitable offer, but we are confident that the boy can get to Italy, but currently there is no relevant news”.
Cissokho, who is expected to leave Lyon this summer after 4 seasons with the French club came close to joing AC Milan in 2009, until concern from the Rossoneri medical staff that the Frenchman could have back problems. Milan recognised issues with the defenders teeth, a sign linked to problems with the spine, so the deal was subsequently called off.
Newcastle will be bitterly disappointed to hear the news of Cissokho favouring Italy. Alan Pardew is desparate to strengthen his back four after his sides unexpectedly impressive campaign, leading to Europa League qualification. With current left back Davide Santon preferring to play on the right, a natural left back is considered a necessity at St. James’ Park. Cissokho would have seemed the ideal candidate. With age on his side and an international cap to his name, the Frenchman was sure to impress in the Premier League. However, it now looks like Serie A will be his destination.
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Tottenham have finally got busy in the transfer market with two loan signings in the last 48 hours confirmed. Apparently Parker and Cole are soon to follow if rumours are to be believed, as the club finally loses patience over Lassana Diarra.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Spurs blogs that includes Van der Vaart’s set pieces are terrible; Levy in need of another pair of hands, while Harry Redknapp considers swap deal.
We also look at the best Spurs articles around the web this week.
Levy in need of another pair of transfer hands
Missing out on Modric may not Mata
If nice guys do it – what hope is there for the likes of Tottenham?
Van der Vaart and his terrible set pieces
Can Tottenham benefit from such a late sale?
Will double signing bring Champions League football back to White Hart Lane?
Spurs’ greatest ever player Dave Mackay was a giant at just 5’7″
Liverpool and Tottenham given £9m greenlight as contract talks stall
Pulis close to reaching £8m agreement with Spurs
Harry Redknapp considers swap move
* Best of WEB *
We know our place – Spurs Musings From JimmyG2
Tottenham transfers…make ’em stop, please make ’em all stop – Dear Mr Levy
The Pav Parallax Is Killing Football – Tottenham On My Mind
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It’s All Levy’s Fault – But It’s Alright Rodney – Arry As A Cunnin’ Plan –Harry Hotspur
Pessimism Abounds – All Action No Plot
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Click on image below to take a closer look at Cristina
Yesterday, Liverpool agreed a fee of close to £23m for Ajax striker Luis Suarez and are continuing to hassle Blackpool for Charlie Adam’s services.
Whilst Holloway remains determined that he wants to leave the club over a £25,000 fine issued by the FA for its 10-man team change following their 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa back in November, Charlie Adam’s quest to join Liverpool continues.
As pointed out by numerous Premier League managers such as Harry Redknapp and Alex Ferguson, the Premier League’s winter transfer market is without a doubt the trickiest business in football as prices for players plummet to ridiculous prices, and are finely complemented by the various club’s form, and this year it’s Liverpool’s.
Following a disappointing start to the 2010-11 campaign with Roy Hodgson, John Henry and his new boys decided that the former Fulham was not suited for the job and gave his position to Kop legend Kenny Dalgleish, who alongside Director of Football Damien Comolli, is looking to add to the squad.
However what Liverpool have decided to do is finally splash the cash and invest in players who can immediately help recover the club’s woes and propel them back amongst Europe’s elite.
Luis Suarez imminent arrival on Merseyside may jolt the Uruguayan and together with Liverpool’s incomprehensible tongue, may confuse the 24-year-old to where the goal exactly is. His hopes of playing with some of the world’s best players could be dampened with Fernando Torres’s recent politely declined request to leave the club.
Has Torres’s recent request put a halt on Suarez’s arrival? Maybe.
Has Torres’s recent request put a halt to Liverpool’s ambitions this season and ability to bring Europe’s top names to the club? Indeed.
Why exactly Liverpool decided to reveal Chelsea’s bid for the Spaniard is beyond any Reds fan at the moment, as the media have manipulated every single one of the major transfers so far in the window, with words being stretch to such extremes to suit ‘dramatic’ situations that they no longer are relevant to the topic.
Torres needs to partner up with Suarez for the rest of the season, not Didier Drogba.
If he must go, he must go in the summer, when he has longer than 2 days to make up his mind and have to move all the way to London with his new born son, and countless Premier League trophies *cough*.
It’s not his desire to leave the club that comes as a shock, but the manner in which he has decided to do it. World-class players have the right to play for the best teams in the world and win trophies, but unfortunately for Liverpool – they are not in that bracket just yet.
Torres has stuck by the club since his success with Spain in the summer, which has shown that El Nino loves playing for the club and hear his name sung by the Kop and wants Liverpool to succeed. However with the infamous six-month Hodgson era, Torres has underperformed and become one of many wantaways on Merseyside.
One must remain respectful for his services to Liverpool’s history, becoming the fastest player to reach 50 goals in a season and entering double-digit scoring tally every season since joining back in 2007. Torres was not a part of their 2005 Champions League triumph, their 2006 FA Cup win or CL Final in Athens a year later in 2007.
It is understandable that Torres wishes to leave Liverpool, he has established the building blocks of his career at Anfield and has always been a fans favourite. The timing however could be better, with a couple of days left in the window – it is unlikely that he will be able to bridge a move to Chelsea.
He could very well endure a difficult future four months at the club, unless King Kenny can persuade the 26-year-old to stay, and string together a series of wins and Champions League worthy performances.
Then again if El Nino opts to stay until the summer, he could pick up an injury that could scare potential suitors away or knock a cool £20m off his £50m price tag – where’s Paulo Ferreira when you need him (remember Rooney in 2006)?
Torres’s departure could leave Liverpool in tatters, and will be a backwards step for the club. The former Athletico Madrid striker is in a brilliant position at the moment, either he will get the big money deal away from Anfield or his CRUCIAL agent will intervene and demand a nice fat new contract worth millions of pounds.
Gerrard and Torres remain the core of Liverpool’s talent at the moment, and his departure could signal to the world that the club are not heading in the right direction and prevent big names from joining the club.
Suarez should be playing the role of a classic number ten, cutting in from the wide areas and feeding the number nine, in this case Torres. The Spaniard should most defiantly stay until the rest of the season and see what prevails, because Chelsea, for a number of reasons, will not win the Premier League nor will they reach the finals of the Champions League due to Barcelona and Milan’s recent form.
Is Chelsea the right club for Torres, with the likes of Steven Pienaar rejecting them for Tottenham and Benfica’s David Luiz’s deal collapsing – are they honestly offering that much more than King Kenny? With the Blues key players perhaps overstepping their stay at Stamford Bridge, could Barcelona be the ones to adopt Torres into their Spanish home?
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Who should play on Liverpool’s wings? Niko Kranjcar is not getting a game at Tottenham all thanks to Gareth Bale, and at a cool estimate of £6m, could he be the man for the job to replace out-of-depth Maxi? Perhaps a debate for another time but…
What do YOU think?
Follow and ask me YOUR questions on Twitter (@mwoodward90) – best questions will be mentioned in next week’s Fan’s Question of the Week.
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Holy Crap – it’s live fantasy football! Which THREE will you pick for Southampton v Manchester United today? Picklive: Watch and bet live – spices up any game!
Speaking to fans on the official Rangers website, club chairman Dave King expects the club to push on in the summer transfer window and attract players of international quality.
What’s the story?
The January transfer window was an exciting one for supporters with the likes of Jamie Murphy and Jason Cummings joining the club to great delight.
Ultimately though this season could be another one which ends without major silverware and in order to compete next season, the Light Blues will need another big transfer window this summer.
Dave King apparently agrees and thinks under the leadership of Mark Allen as Director of Football can improve even further on the strides they’ve taken in the market.
Launching the club’s season ticket renewal campaign, the Ibrox chairman said:
We can expect further progress now that Mark Allen has settled in as Director of Football. It is significant that the Club has experienced its highest level of call-ups for senior international duty for many years. This is directly attributable to the work that Mark did in the recent transfer window and provides a mood of optimism to build on for the upcoming summer window.
Giving Allen credit is significant given Rangers might be changing their manager at the end of the season, so can this continuity ensure there is good business done in the pre-season?
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What do Rangers need?
First and foremost Rangers need a big improvement in defence, given it has been their key weakness this season. In attack, the Light Blues have actually impressed and have scored more goals in the Scottish Premiership than any other side, including Celtic.
They’ve conceded more or as many goals as every other side in the top six though, leaving fans frustrated and looking for more.
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A quality centre-back is a must to complement young players like David Bates and Ross McCrorie, moving on faltering players such as Bruno Alves and Fabio Cardoso.
If they can do that and add a bit more creativity to their midfield, they could move closer towards silverware next term.
Arsenal’s rally up the table in recent months has been despite having a number of key players unavailable due to longstanding injuries.
The actual strength in depth at Arsene Wenger’s disposal becomes apparent when you add returning stars such as Mikel Arteta, Jack Wilshere, Abou Diaby and Mathieu Debuchy to the contingent that has been excelling in recent months.
A number of English stars at the Emirates Stadium find themselves on the sidelines, with difficulty in finding regular first-team football.
Theo Walcott has found his chances to play limited since he returned from injury, while Jack Wilshere will also have a job on his hands to get a regular starting XI berth due to the presence of Francis Coquelin, Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla.
However, another England international who is at risk of becoming a forgotten man is Calum Chambers.
The Southampton youth product left his boyhood club in the summer in a lucrative deal that brought him to north London, with every expectation that the defender would thrive under Arsene Wenger’s stewardship.
His early season form suggested that Chambers would play a considerable role in the Gunners’ first-team going forward, with the young star looking at home in the Arsenal team.
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Such is Chambers’ versatility, Wenger utilised the starlet at right-back, centre-half and in midfield when the need arose, with the former Saint showing the attributes to become a mainstay in the Arsenal team.
However, two things have happened since the turn of the year that threaten to turn Chambers into a squad player who will fill-in when others are unavailable, rather than be a contender for a starting berth.
Although able to play in a number of positions, right-back is Chambers’ natural role and it appears that he has two players in front of him in Wenger’s preferences.
The emergence of Hector Bellerin has been a real plus point for the Emirates Stadium side but will inhibit Chambers’ chances of playing – especially when Debuchy returns fully to the fold to add competition for places.
Chambers is also an option at centre-half, but the January signing of Gabriel Paulista adds another established player in this position. The Brazil international will contest a place in the starting XI with Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny, with Chambers’ chances of playing at the heart of the Gunners’ backline slim as a result.
The fact that Chambers has only started three games in the Premier League in 2015 shows that he will more than likely have to contend with prolonged periods on the bench going forward.
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With the youngster leaving Southampton after only one season of first-team action, there is a real case to suggest that Chambers would have been better served staying on the south coast.
An improved opportunity to play regularly at his former club would have aided his development more than sitting on the sidelines in London, with Chambers’ role at Arsenal ahead of next season suddenly becoming unclear.
After picking up four victories in their last six matches in all competitions its fair to say Wigan’s springtime escape act is well and truly underway. Its unlikely they’ll have to repeat the run of seven wins in their final nine fixtures that secured their Premier League status last season and if they maintain current form will avoid the final day scramble for safety. With a game in hand and three points separating them from 17th placed Aston Villa the ball is firmly in the Latics court. They now enter a pivotal phase with a basement battle with QPR and the FA Cup semi final with Millwall coming after the visit of Norwich. Thankfully for Roberto Martinez his side have started to make home form count at the right time and demonstrated their fighting spirit with a late win against Newcastle at the DW Stadium last time out.
Chris Hughton’s side, although not in the same predicament as Saturday’s hosts, need points to guarantee they’ll be a top-flight club for the third successive season. The Canaries currently sit 12th and seven points clear of the drop zone having drawn their last two games. Although there is no immediate danger of them being dragged into a scrap for survival Hughton won’t leave anything to chance. One thing he must solve is his side’s inability to score goals with the net bulging a paltry three times in their last six matches.
Team News
Roberto Martinez is hoping controversial winger Callum McManaman can recover from an ankle injury in time to feature for Wigan. The 21-year-old has courted controversy in the last fortnight following his horror tackle on Newcastle defender Massadio Haidara and Martinez may opt to remove him from the spotlight.
Norwich boss Chris Hughton will hand a rare start to goalkeeper Lee Camp with Mark Bunn suspended and John Ruddy still sidelined. Alexander Tettey (knee) is fit to return as is Russell Martin (hamstring). Anthony Pilkington is won’t be back until next week.
What the managers said…
“He’s a joy of a human being and I know he will come back a stronger person after this. He’s already represented England at Under-20s level, and was involved in the squad for the youth World Cup in Colombia in 2011. Callum has that raw talent to help England a few years down the line. I’m not saying now, but in three or four years he will be someone, who can bring something completely different to the England squad.” Roberto Martinez has revealed he believes Callum McManaman will play for England one day (The Mirror)
“The ironic thing is that they’ve found themselves in this position before, but I think arguably they’ve played better this season than other seasons, so it’s probably a little bit of a surprise to see where they are. They are a very good footballing side. Their form has been up and down, as indicated by their league position. It’s a position that they’ve managed to get out of in the past, though. It’s got to be about us, and we’ve got to make sure we go to Wigan with the same approach as we did going to Sunderland in our last game. We need to give ourselves every chance of winning the football match.” Chris Hughton expects Wigan to pose a stiff test on Saturday (canaries.co.uk)
Pre-Match Statistic: Norwich, along with Watford and Swansea, are the only teams Wigan have never beaten in the Premier League despite three attempts.
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Prediction: Wigan Athletic 2-0 Norwich City
Make your bets ahead of today’s showdown at the DW Stadium by clicking on the banner below
It’s another week of drama and soul searching at Rangers after a disastrous result against Celtic.
Losing heavily at Hampden, there were also reports of major falling outs between management and players, with the club launching internal investigations into the conduct of club captain Lee Wallace and veteran Kenny Miller.
With interim manager Graeme Murty only having the job until the end of the season, it seems certain the Ibrox side will be embarking on a new era under a permanent boss next season.
It’s clear that the club need a man of experience who can bring discipline to a dressing room in disarray.
The current joint-favourites according to Oddschecker are Alex Neil and Frank de Boer with plenty of other interesting choices further down the bookies’ pecking order.
Who is the perfect Murty replacement?
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We’ve collated the ten names at the top of the betting market and you now have the chance to vote for your choice below…
Arsenal went into last night’s game needing to score three goals, but they could only manage two. It was a gallant effort from the Gunners who fell just short, and perhaps even merited a third on the night, but they had just left themselves with too much to do.
Monaco did not register a shot on target all game, but still managed to get the result they needed, and now there will be two French teams in the last 8 of the Champions League for the first time since 2009-10 as Monaco join PSG in the quarter finals. It’s over to Manchester City to try to ensure that there is some English team in there alongside them.
City, though, have even less chance than Arsenal did last night. And if you look at what they were up against, Arsenal had no chance at all.
Since 1988, AS Monaco have participated in the Champions League 6 times including this season, and this is the 5th time they have reached the quarter finals. Monaco are a team with pedigree, even if Arsenal thought they were getting an easy draw, and it certainly proved harder for the Gunners than many people expected. And an unexpected and heavy defeat in the first leg left them with it all to do.
In fact, in the history of the knockout stages of the Champions League, no team has lost their first leg 3-1 at home and managed overturn the deficit in the away leg to qualify. Last season Arsenal did the same as this season, albeit to much bigger opposition in Bayern Munich, when they lost 3-1 at home in the first leg. They managed to shock Bayern in Munich, winning 2-0 in the second leg, but it was too little too late.
This time around Arsenal were bested on the counter attack in the first leg, and put up a brave fight in the second. But it wasn’t just history that was against Arsenal, it was also the form of their French opposition.
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The Monegasques have the best defensive record in Ligue 1. They did have a rocky start to the season after losing Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez (any club would feel the loss of those two) and the appointment of a new manager who had to get used not only to his new, downgraded squad but also a new league. Monaco’s early season form was poor, but they managed to do well in the Champions League, proving that while manager Leonardo Jardim was still getting used to France he already had a good grasp of Europe.
Since the start of the season, Monaco have used that solid defence as a basis for climbing up the league table. They now sit in 4th place and 4 points off a Champions League spot, but they have a game in hand over those above them, and they may still be dreaming even bigger than 3rd place.
So it was always going to be tough for Arsenal even before the first leg, Monaco had only conceded 3 goals in a game once all season, and that was away to Bordeaux during their early season jitters. They certainly hadn’t conceded 3 goals at home – in fact, in the league, Monaco haven’t conceded a home goal since 22nd November.
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And last night they used that to their advantage again. Arsenal found it tough to break down Monaco’s defensive wall, though they did manage to create chances. Monaco were content to have very little of the ball and counter attack only now and again. The figures from the end of the game show exactly the level of Monaco’s attacking ambition: they had 3 shots to Arsenal’s 17, and failed to get even one of them on target.
Monaco certainly rode their luck this time, but after the first leg disaster, Arsenal had left themselves with both history and the impressive Monaco defence against them. As close as they came, they never really stood a chance.