Real plotting Premier League double swoop
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Real plotting Premier League raid
Premier League fans will be all too familiar with the annual treat that is watching Real Madrid swooping in to steal their sides’ best players, and it seems as though Chelsea and Liverpool will have a job on their hands to keep Eden Hazard and Philippe Coutinho respectively.
The Sunday Times reports that Madrid are keen on both Belgium talisman Hazard and Brazil playmaker Coutinho, with Bernabeu president Florentino Perez said to be eyeing the former as the “ideal fit” to become Madrid’s newest Galactico signing.
Any such move for Hazard would likely need a near world-record fee, and the paper suggests that Perez could elect to sell Cristiano Ronaldo to PSG after the French giants failed with a huge bid this summer.
The Anfield faithful lost anti-hero Luis Suarez to Barcelona in 2014, and could be about to lose another South American star to La Liga should Los Blancos decide to take Coutinho to the Bernabeu. That being said, Barca forward Neymar has already laid the groundwork for Coutinho to make a move to Camp Nou — regardless of where the 23-year-old playmaker ends up, it doesn’t look good for Liverpool fans.
City stalking Bayern ace
Manuel Pellegrini’s transfer spending splurge looked to have handed Manchester City the Premier League title just five games into the new campaign, but two defeats on the trot have seen questions marks raised over the squad’s strength in depth — honestly, the mind boggles.
The Daily Star reports that City are in for Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara, with former Barcelona chief and City’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain a “confirmed fan” of the ex-Barcelona playmaker.
Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has recently spoken of the Premier League’s ability to now cherry-pick the Bundesliga’s best talent, and the Bavarian giants would find it hard to resist a huge offer should City decide that Spain international Thiago is the man for them. Given that the 24-year-old is also one of Pep Guardiola’s favourites, could he also be a welcoming present for the Catalan coach next summer?
Balance the key to success
Back to the other side of Manchester, and Louis van Gaal has revealed the secret to the Red Devils’ success this season as they top the Premier League — selling players. That’s right — the coach who has spent an eye-watering amount the past two summers says it is the players that have left, rather than arrived, which are making the difference this term.
The Manchester Evening News reports Van Gaal as saying: “You need luck, but the balance of the team is better than last season. Because of that we need to win our games. We shall improve every week, yes.
“I don’t see it every week, but see that we are better as a team and a selection. I rotate more now because I can. Last year in my opinion I didn’t have the balance. I have let 20 or 25 players go. So it’s a new team.”
So any budding coaches out there looking for pearls of wisdom from Van Gaal… the secret is quality, not quantity. But it always helps when you have a blank chequebook to sign that quality.
Spurs look to lower leagues again
Tottenham’s season is going from strength to strength after mauling Manchester City 4-1 on Saturday afternoon, with Dele Alli impressing having quickly made the step up since completing his full switch from MK Dons this summer.
The 19-year-old midfielder’s progress will be attractive to other lower league starlets given the competition among young players at other clubs (Chelsea, we’re looking at you), and The Stoke Sentinel has picked up on a report in the Sunday People that Port Vale’s Enoch Andoh is next on the list for Mauricio Pochettino.
The 22-year-old Ghanaian winger is reportedly being scouted by White Hart Lane officials, and is valued at around £2.5 million by his current League One club.
Pulis will not be bullied
Good old Tony Pulis. West Brom’s head coach has stood up for both his club and Everton — their opponents on Monday night — after the two sides both resisted big bids for their star players this summer.
The Baggies knocked back four Tottenham bids for Saido Berahino, while Everton rejected the same number of offers from Chelsea for John Stones — and Pulis says the two non-selling clubs were in the right: “I think the stakes are so high now for every club in terms of keeping Premier League football, that unless it’s right it won’t happen. If it’s right then everybody has got a value.
“You would have thought that Tottenham would have got Saido at a certain price and you would have thought Chelsea would have got Stones at a certain price so it was nice that it didn’t happen, for everybody.”
You can’t fault his logic there — the new British TV right deal has made the Premier League a very expensive place to shop, even for the established elite.
Tap-ins
– It’s been a whirlwind week for new Wellington Phoenix recruit Troy Danaskos!
The 23-year-old defender appeared as a trialist for Western Sydney Wanderers against the Phoenix, with coach Ernie Merrick then proceeding to invite him for a trial and even go so far as to pick him up from the airport. It’s not quite Sir Alex Ferguson and Dimitar Berbatov on deadline day, but you get the picture.
PLAYER SIGNING | Welcome to Wellington Sydney Olympic Defender Troy Danaskos! http://t.co/t2V9cDQEqy #coyn pic.twitter.com/s19joTjRdM
– Wellington Phoenix (@WgtnPhoenixFC) September 27, 2015
Danaskos trained with the Phoenix on Friday, scored during a 2-2 draw with Auckland City on Saturday, and signed a one-year deal with New Zealand’s only professional club on Sunday — not bad going!
– Rennes keeper Benoit Costil has refused to buy into specualtion that he’ll replace Steve Mandanda at Marseille at the end of the season — that’s according to L’Equipe.
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