Guardiola demands suitors sign Suarez
The winter window draws closer with each passing day, and the transfer rumour mill is starting to pick up steam. As always, Transfer Talk has the latest and greatest. See all the summer deals here.
Top Story: Pep’s ultimatum
The great managerial merry-go-round continues in earnest this weekend, with Louis van Gaal on the brink of the sack at Manchester United following an abysmal 2-1 home defeat to Norwich City. Multiple British newspapers focus on the Dutch coach’s precarious position at Old Trafford, with the Mail’s back page cheekily headlined: “Time to call Jose?”
The Independent reports that Jose Mourinho has rejected a move to Roma as he waits for a potential Old Trafford offer — news that is bound to be discussed among the United hierarchy.
Pep Guardiola is a clear target for United, Manchester City and Chelsea at the end of the season, although the Star reports that his suitors will have to spend big with the Catalan coach “demanding” that his next club sign Barcelona’s £100 million-rated forward Luis Suarez. That could put City in pole position for Guardiola given their resources, but both the Glazers and Roman Abramovich won’t be afraid of spending if it helps to land the Bayern Munich boss next year.
Meanwhile, poor, old Van Gaal is still in desperate need of goals, but the Mirror reports that England manager Roy Hodgson has warned Leicester City star Jamie Vardy that a potential £30 million move to Old Trafford is not in his best interests ahead of Euro 2016.
MAIL SPORT: Time to call José? #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/8Z5oIDxMsr
– Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) December 19, 2015
Blues after Benteke and Benzema
Chelsea overcame Mourinho’s departure with a morale-boosting 3-1 victory against Sunderland on Saturday, though Diego Costa struggled once more as the Stamford Bridge crowd jeered the Spanish striker along with Cesc Fabregas as the apparent instigators behind the Portuguese coach’s departure.
Interim manager Guus Hiddink could definitely do with some added firepower in January, and the Mirror reports that the Premier League champions are preparing to move for either Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema or Liverpool striker Christian Benteke in the winter window to boost their options.
Benzema is reportedly unsettled in Madrid, though Chelsea look set to face competition from Manchester City given Sergio Aguero’s injury troubles and doubts over Wilfried Bony’s ability at the top level. Belgian striker Benteke is struggling under Liverpool’s new coach Jurgen Klopp and is not really suited to the German coach’s “heavy metal” pressing style of football.
The 25-year-old was reportedly on Mourinho’s wish list before he was dismissed on Thursday, though Chelsea are set to maintain their interest in the Anfield misfit.
Wenger regrets Sterling failure
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez, Yaya Toure. At this stage in the game, it might be easier to name the star players that Arsene Wenger hasn’t admitted to missing out on for Arsenal, but the French coach has now added Raheem Sterling to that illustrious list.
The Gunners were after the England forward while he was at QPR and again at Liverpool this summer, but the 21-year-old opted for a £49m switch to Manchester City — and Wenger knows he lost out big time as Arsenal prepare to welcome City to North London on Monday night.
“We had many players on the flanks, but Sterling was at QPR — that’s where we should take the players,” he told reporters. “We watched him but you miss obvious players. The history of every club is full of top players that you missed. At the time Liverpool were quicker.”
The good news for Arsenal fans is the Mirror reporting that the Gunners are ready to swoop for Chelsea target Marcelo Brozovic after Mourinho’s departure “scuppered” the deal, but they could face competition from Barcelona for the 23-year-old Croatian midfielder.
Zlatan convincing over new deal
If Zlatan Ibrahimovic wants a new Paris Saint-Germain contract, the 34-year-old mercurial Sweden captain is going the right way about it. Club president Nasser Al Khelaifi had revealed before the game that talks over a contract renewal would begin in February, and Zlatan’s stunning volley against Caen on Saturday ensured Laurent Blanc’s Ligue 1 champions went 20 points clear at the top of the table.
Al Khelaifi told France’s Le Figaro: “We’ll discuss his future in February, about what he wants to do. He knows that I will always support him” — not a hard thing to do when he’s scoring stunning goals. There will be no shortage of suitors should the forward decide to move on in the summer, with astronomical offers a near-guarantee considering no transfer fee will be necessary.
Spurs seek Saints swap
Tottenham have wanted Victor Wanyama for a fair old time now, while Southampton have had their eye on Andros Townsend since the summer. All signs point to a swap deal of some convoluted manner, and the Star reports that Spurs are considering just that in the January transfer window.
According to the paper, Mauricio Pochettino and Daniel Levy think they can tempt Southampton manager Ronald Koeman into a “remarkable” swap deal that would see the two players switch clubs, especially considering the Saints are in desperate need of some pace given their alarming slide toward the relegation zone.
Whether Spurs can actually manage to land midfielder Wanyama is still up for debate since Southampton view him as a crucial player, but if the Kenyan pushes for a move as hard as he did in the summer, it may well be best for the Saints to part with the 24-year-old and look to Townsend for some inspiration in the second half of the season.
Tap-ins
– Despite Watford signing 16 players this summer, Quique Sanchez Flores is after more to ensure the Hornets maintain their fine form. The Spaniard told reporters: “There are two or three positions we need cover for. Injuries will come and after January it will be impossible to get cover.”
One of those players almost certain to join Watford is Roma’s Juan Manuel Iturbe. The forward posted a goodbye message to Giallorossi fans on Instagram on Saturday.
– Sunderland’s problems run so deep that they couldn’t even beat Chelsea on Saturday. Joking aside, the Mirror reports that Sam Allardyce has been given “free reign” to overhaul the squad, and Liverpool target Joel Matip — who has six months left on his Schalke contract — is on his radar. Tough decision, Joel.
– Aston Villa fought back for a creditable draw at Newcastle United on Saturday, but single points are no longer really good enough for Remi Garde’s side. With relegation a distinct possibility, the Mirror reports that Villa will back the coach to lead a “French revolution” at Villa Park by targeting Monaco captain Jeremy Toulalan for around £5m. The Telegraph adds that Villa will also look to Everton midfielder Steven Naismith for around £6.5m to bolster their ranks.
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