With a third of the season already gone, it seems the perfect time to reflect on some of this year’s summer signings. Every transfer, whether it be stepping up a league, moving country or continent, or simply swapping clubs has an element of risk involved.
Some summer signings hit the ground running and enriched the Premier League, such as Eden Hazard and Santi Cazorla. Others however, like usual, have failed to prove they’re worth their transfer fee – and if they had no transfer fee, they’ve proved they aren’t worth their wages.
Some have performed below the the level their reputation might suggest, others are yet to reach the heights their fees would demand, and a few simply can’t break into the first-team at their new clubs.
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Either way, after just twelve games these lads already appear to be a bad piece of business. Here is a list of this summer’s ten most disappointing signings with a brief explanation as to why they deserve a place on our list of newly-signed poor performers.
Click on Clint Dempsey to see the full list of transfer travesties
Everton fans have been debating a swoop for Croatia’s impressive defender Domagoj Vida, after reports claimed the Toffees have bid for the Besiktas man.According to Turkish outlet Fanatik, Everton have made a €13.2m (£11.5m) bid for Vida, as the defender continues to impress at the World Cup.The Toffees will certainly need to add to their defensive ranks this summer, with Leighton Baines and Ashley Williams both nearing exits and Phil Jagielka turning 36 at the start of the season.Plenty of defenders have been linked with moves to Goodison, and Vida seems just about the perfect budget signing.[brid autoplay=”true” video=”257647″ player=”12034″ title=”Three reasons we love to hate… Brazil and Argentina”]The 29 year-old has been extremely impressive during Croatia’s great start to the World Cup, and can play anywhere across the back four.The versatile defender only just joined Besiktas in January, but the Turkish giants could be tempted to cash in if he continues his fantastic form at the World Cup.Vida has done a little bit of everything since joining Besiktas, averaging one tackle, 1.3 interceptions and 1.8 clearances per game.[ad_pod ]Fans have been discussing a move for the experienced Croatian, and they like what they’ve seen of him this summer.You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
Tottenham Hotspur will look to boost their chances of securing a third successive top-four finish in the Premier League when they face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Spurs beat arch-rivals Arsenal 1-0 in the latest episode of the north London derby at Wembley in their previous top flight encounter to move up to third, but it was only on a temporary basis as wins for Liverpool and Chelsea on the Sunday and Monday respectively dropped them back down to fifth.
However, the race to qualify for the Champions League is still wide open, and defeat for second-place Manchester United against Newcastle United at St James’ Park last time out means they are now just four points ahead of Mauricio Pochettino’s men in the standings, and they host Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday.
It will certainly be no easy task to pick up three points against the Eagles in south London though, even if they were beaten 3-1 by Everton last time out and are currently plagued by a number of injury issues, including the absence of reported Spurs target Wilfried Zaha.
Pochettino has seen his side record two 2-2 draws against Juventus in the Champions League and Rochdale in the FA Cup since he made some big decisions when he named his starting XI for the visit of the Gunners – leaving out Toby Alderweireld and Victor Wanyama – and he could make some more against Roy Hodgson’s team.
Here is how Tottenham must line up when they face Crystal Palace on Sunday, ahead of Hugo Lloris in goal…
Defence
Kieran Trippier, Davinson Sanchez, Jan Vertonghen and Ben Davies have established themselves as the club’s first-choice back four in recent weeks when Toby Alderweireld was ruled out through injury, and the quartet must continue at Selhurst Park having started the previous Premier League clash against Arsenal.
While Davies did struggle at the start of the match against Juventus, he improved as the game went on and did assist Harry Kane for the winnget against the Gunners, while Serge Aurier is unlikely to come into consideration to replace Trippier after showing that he can be a liability by giving away a clumsy penalty against the Serie A leaders, which Gonzalo Higuain fortunately failed to convert.
Toby Alderweireld missed out on a place in the squad against Arsenal and Juve but did start against Rochdale, but the Belgian still looked a little rusty and he shouldn’t be thrown in just yet against Palace, especially as he could face a difficult afternoon against Belgian compatriot Christian Benteke.
Midfield
Mousa Dembele is arguably the best in his position in the Premier League on current form, and the Belgian has to be one of the first names on the team-sheet right now, even if it means Victor Wanyama is left on the substitutes’ bench.
Dembele started alongside Eric Dier in the middle of the park against Arsenal and seeing as they help the team keep a clean sheet, those two have to start against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, too.
Attack
Son Heung-Min, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen had little competition for their places when Mauricio Pochettino lined up with a 4-2-3-1 system earlier in the season, but has changed in the last couple of months.
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Erik Lamela has returned from a long-term hip injury and the north London outfit signed Lucas Moura from Paris Saint-Germain during the January transfer window, and both are pushing to start having found themselves on the bench against Arsenal, but with the former impressing against Juventus and the latter against Rochdale.
Lucas showed his quality with a fine run and finish – albeit against League One opposition on Sunday – and a trip to Crystal Palace could be the ideal opportunity to start the speedy winger to punish Palace on the break.
While it would perhaps be harsh on Son, the Brazilian looks as though he is ready to make an impact in the Premier League and he deserves his chance to make an impact against the Eagles.
The summer was a case of ‘same old Arsene’ at Arsenal, as the Frenchman opted once again to miss out on two problem areas in his squad: a prolific striker and a holding midfielder.
Danny Welbeck arrived on deadline day in a £16m deal, but the England international’s record in front of goal is not great, while an enforcer was sought for some of the window, but never found. Alexis Sanchez was signed in a big money swoop, while Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers have addressed defensive issues, but Wenger’s squad is still short in key areas.
Here are FIVE players the Frenchman could turn to in January…
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CLICK ON EDINSON CAVANI TO REVEAL
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William Carvalho
Since the days of Patrick Vieira, Arsenal have not really had a driving force in midfield, giving them a reputation as ‘soft’, which has hurt them on trips away from the Emirates Stadium. Carvalho was a player mooted as an option to add some steel to the Gunners’ ranks over the summer, but talk of a swoop never truly materialised, despite suggestions of a late, late swap bid involving Joel Campbell.
Sporting Lisbon are thought to be ready to sell their Portuguese international for around £25m, which is money Arsenal could have spare in January if they make it through to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
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Sami Khedira
Another player rumoured to have been on the Gunners’ radar is Khedira. The German won the World Cup over the summer, but Real Madrid may lose him for a cut price fee in January with his contract due to expire at the end of the season.
Los Blancos may accept offers of below £10m, and Khedira is understood to have shown a willingness to join his international compatriots – Mesut Ozil, Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski – in north London. No-brainer, surely?
Sokratis Papastathopoulos
Football – Borussia Dortmund v Arsenal – UEFA Champions League Group Stage Matchday Four Group F – Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany – 6/11/13Borussia Dortmund’s Sokratis Papastathopoulos looks dejectedMandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl RecineLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
The man with the impossible name was a target for Arsenal late on in the window just gone, but a deal could not be done in time to meet the cut-off point. Sokratis has shone for the Greek national side in recent years, and his versatility – he can play on either flank at the back or as a holding midfielder as well as in his favoured centre-half role – has kept him in Dortmund’s XI for a while.
Wenger seems keen on the utility man, who could come in to replace departed captain Thomas Vermaelen, whose presence may well be missed by January.
Edinson Cavani
Football – Uruguay v Costa Rica – FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 – Group D – Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza, Brazil – 14/6/14Uruguay’s Edinson Cavani celebrates with team mates after scoring their first goal from the penalty spotMandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl RecineLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
While Welbeck is a perfectly serviceable striker, Cavani is the sort of name to get pulses racing at the Emirates Stadium. The Uruguayan ace was the man fans called for as the clock ticked towards the transfer deadline on Monday, but a fabled swoop for him never became reality.
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With Zlatan Ibrahimvic the main man at PSG, Cavani may well be agitating for a move again in January, which could allow Arsenal to pounce with an offer of close to his £50m valuation.
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Marco Reus
Reus is likely to become Europe’s most sought after forward next year, with a £20m release clause in his Dortmund contract due to kick in. Reports suggest Arsenal are already plotting to trigger this, but a move in January may make more sense for the Londoners.
Although they will likely pay more than £30m, BVB may be keen to accept a greater sum if they are unable to tie Reus down to a new deal, which might allow Arsenal to avoid a war with the likes of Man City and Man United as well as Real Madrid – whom can all offer massive wages. The German star would fit Arsenal’s system well, and could allow Podolski to be shipped out.
Everton striker Kevin Mirallas has revealed he wants to score at least 10 goals in his first season in English football.
The Belgian striker arrived at Goodison Park in a £5 million switch from Olympiakos in the summer and has become an instant hit, scoring three goals in 11 appearances in all competitions so far.
But only one of those has come in the Premier League, with the other two coming against Leyton Orient in the Capital One Cup, and he is eager to add to his single top-flight goal sooner rather than later.
He told the Liverpool Echo: “I think at the moment I have more assists than I have goals.
“I have provided one or two decent passes for my colleagues to score, but at the same time I am hoping to continue to improve in front of goal and i think 10 goals is a reasonable target for my first season.
“If I manage 10 goals that would be decent.”
The striker went on to admit his natural instinct to assist goals is helped by the fact he is playing with quality players at Everton.
“It is a part of the game I am not bad at and my delivery is quite good,” he continued.
“Sometimes it is easier to supply the pass for a goal than to add that finishing touch, especially when you have lads in the middle with the quality of Nikica Jelavic and Marouane [Fellaini].
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“It encourages you to put crosses in when you players like that in the middle.”
Rangers confirmed on Thursday that they had completed the signing of Jon Flanagan on a free transfer, arriving at Ibrox after leaving Liverpool earlier this month.
The full-back joins on a two-year deal and is Steven Gerrard’s seventh signing of the summer. The club are wasting no time in strengthening their squad massively ahead of the new season and crucial European qualifiers next month.
The 25-year-old made 51 appearances for the Reds before departing, with spells on loan at Burnley and Bolton in recent seasons. His only appearance under Jurgen Klopp last term was a League Cup showing in September.
He arguably has the kind of quality that Rangers are looking for to add competition and depth to their defence, but not every supporter is happy with the decision to sign him.
Controversy has surrounded the player in recent months after he pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend and was sentenced to 40 hours of unpaid community service, as reported by the BBC.
Fans have taken to Twitter to discuss his arrival in Glasgow.
Some are in favour of the move, believing he deserves a chance to show he can learn from his mistakes…
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Others though would prefer him not to be associated with Rangers…
For Arsenal to take all three points from Saturday’s North London Derby, they’ll have to do something they’ve managed just three times in the Premier League this season – win an away game.
It’s incredible to think the Premier League’s sixth-placed side with ambitions of returning to Europe’s pinnacle tournament have claimed less points on the road than Leicester, Burnley and Watford this season, and just one more than 16th-placed Newcastle United, but at this stage in the campaign it can’t be a mere coincidence or statistical anomaly.
Rather, Arsenal’s modest away form has been perhaps the only real constant of their turbulent season – one that Arsene Wenger has shown no real willingness to address and only given token explanations for in the media.
After losing three of their first four away games of the campaign, Wenger told reporters that his side simply didn’t score enough goals on the road; but after a scoreless draw with West Ham, he blamed a hectic fixture list instead. Back in September, meanwhile, when quizzed on Arsenal’s equally disturbing away record against the Big Six across several seasons, he said he couldn’t ‘accept or understand’ why playing away from home should make any difference to his players.
“The pitch is 105 metres long and 68 metres wide, everywhere, and never in my life I could accept or understand that it’s different away from home. It’s just a question of how much you want it, it’s about football, it’s a good opportunity to show that and that we have that quality.”
That’s a mind-boggling declaration for a modern manager to make, and one that simply doesn’t stack up against the statistics. Even Manchester United, the most dominant club in Premier League history, have averaged ten less away than home points per season over the last 25 years, while that gap expands to eleven for Arsenal. In fact, from the six clubs to feature in all 26 Premier League seasons to date, none have won more points on the road than at home.
Not that anyone would be surprised by that – after all, home advantage is a common, constantly justified adage in practically every sport, whether it’s Rafa Nadal on clay courts or Team GB excelling at the London Olympics.
But Wenger’s bizarre take on the fallacy of home advantage also explains why Arsenal haven’t made any obvious changes to their game-plan for away games this season in the face of damning returns on the road. From 13 away games in the Premier League, the Gunners have won just 23%, kept only three clean sheets, conceded 21 times, scored just 16, fallen behind eight times and thrown away eleven points from winning positions.
It’s not been a problem exclusive to the Premier League either – Arsenal’s most humiliating performance of the season was a 4-2 defeat to Championship side Nottingham Forest at the City Ground – and even their away victories in the top flight have come with caveats.
The 5-2 win over Everton was tellingly followed by Ronald Koeman’s dismissal, the 1-0 victory at Turf Moor owed to a last-second Alexis Sanchez penalty of huge controversy and a win at Selhurst Park was almost thrown away when Crystal Palace staged a late onslaught. In a nutshell, their only comfortable away win of the season came against a side that had previously picked up just eight points from their first eight games and immediately sacked their manager afterwards.
When contrasted with claiming the second-most home points and second-most home goals of any Premier League side this season though, Wenger’s dismissal of the differences between home and away suddenly have real relevance. After all, during this season more than any other, we’ve seen the rest of the league grind out results against the Big Six by any pragmatic means possible, regardless of the venue.
Although playing defensively at home would traditionally irk supporters, it has become something for them to champion in an increasingly polarised Premier League. And while Arsenal averaging 61% possession at the Emirates Stadium would inevitably feel like something of a besiegement for visiting opposition, the Gunners averaging almost exactly the same away – 58.4% – without actually breaking through the defence feels more like an active defiance for fans to rally behind.
Clearances and blocks are celebrated with similar jubilance as goals, and players inevitably feel more confident of picking off Arsenal on the counter-attack when backed by their own partisan crowd. Once upon a time, perhaps Arsenal could play in exactly the same manner home and away, but as the dynamics of the Premier League have steadily changed in recent seasons, the counter-attack becoming an increasingly potent weapon, retaining possession only plays to the hosts’ advantage.
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But that doesn’t tell the full story, and the fact is Arsenal’s players have picked up some disturbing habits – the most detrimental being conceding early goals. Arsenal have conceded six first half goals in away games this season, while only scoring four, and conceded the first goal on five of eleven occasions – the remaining two being scoreless draws.
While that only further plays into the hands of sides counter-attacking at home as Arsenal look to level the scores, it also suggests a lack of focus amongst the players; it’s not as if the opposition are pushing them to the final few minutes and scoring when they’re physically and psychologically exhausted – they’re getting the better of Arsenal in the early stages. In some senses, the right motivation – especially for games like the 3-1 defeat to Swansea – harks back to Wenger, however it’s also a question of effort and professionalism.
Whether the manager or the players are to blame though, it’s Wenger who has ultimately failed to address a problem that traces back further than this season – at the end of last term, Arsenal lost four of their final eight away games in the Premier League. More pertinently, it’s Wenger who must find a solution if Arsenal are to beat Tottenham this weekend and gain some much-needed ground in the race for a top four finish.
In what many expected to be a classic World Cup match between Italy and Uruguay, it turned out to be a rather drab affair as the South Americans – although needing a win – sat back and put most of their team behind a possession based Italian outfit.
Although the Azzurri were still unimpressive on the ball, the game completely turned on its head when Claudio Marchisio was sent off for a rather harsh red card, before the incident hogging the headlines occurred.
Luis Suarez, already twice banned previously for the same episode, decided to bite Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder.
Uruguay did grab the winning goal via a Diego Godin header shortly afterwards, but the game will be remembered for Suarez’s crazy appetite.
And the world has reacted to this insane event.
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As Manchester City and PSG have shown in recent years that a big money takeover can prove to be an enormous windfall in terms of financial and on the field success, however some takeovers can prove to be a nightmare.
We take a look at five of the worst buyouts in football.
Malaga
Whilst PSG and Manchester City have been living the high life, Spanish side Malaga are left to rue what might have been.
The Andalucian side were bought for around 35 million euros in 2010 by Sheik Abdullah Al-Thani, who invested millions in building a side that would qualify for European football.
However two years later after Champions League football was achieved, the Qatari removed his investment in the Spanish side, forcing them to sell some of their star players and leaving some players with unpaid wages.
Reports that the Sheik is looking to sell the club after growing frustrated with the lack of progress with his other business ventures in the area, have turned Malaga’s dream owner into the sugar daddy from hell.
Peter Ridsdale – Leeds United
Peter Ridsdale’s tenure as Leeds United chairman was one of the biggest rollercoaster rides in English football over the last decade and a half. Success followed in the early days of his ownership as Leeds reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup and the Champions League, but financial mismanagement saw the club slide down the Premier League table.
Ridsdale quit as chairman in 2003, leaving the club with debts of over £100m. Leeds were then relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2003-04 season. The turmoil that Ridsdale left behind saw the Yorkshiremen relegated from the Championship in 2007, and began the 2007-08 in League One with a 30-point penalty due to insolvency.
The Venkys – Blackburn Rovers
The Venkys ownership of Blackburn so far has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster. A seemingly lack of knowledge about the English game, or football in general, has seen the chickenmen ridiculed by the press and fans alike.
Having replaced Sam Allardyce with Steve Kean in December 2010, Rovers went on narrowly avoid relegation at the end of the 2010-11 season. Despite Kean originally being hired on a temporary basis, the Venkys eventually gave the Scot the manager’s job full time.
With the club looking like certain favourites for relegation under the stewardship of Kean in January 2012, the Venkys failed to inject more transfer funds into the club, or sack the hapless Kean in order to help save the club from the drop.
To rub salt in the wounds the club made a pre tax loss of £18.6m during the Venkys first year at the helm.
The Glazers – Manchester United
When it comes to the question of sugar daddies any Manchester United fan will happily tell you that the Glazer family has pumped more debt into the club than they have invested.
After an unprecedented £800m buyout of United in 2005, the Glazers have left the club paying around £70m a year in interest – the equivalent of one Cristiano Ronaldo every season.
The Florida based owners have been a figurehead of contempt at Old Trafford, and whilst much of the management of the club has remained constant, the animosity towards the American owners has not lifted in the last seven years.
In many ways United are lucky that their extensive commercial arm has helped to finance the club in recent years, although there have been rumours that Alex Ferguson has had to curb his spending to help the club clear its debts.
Portsmouth
With the sheer number of disastrous takeovers at Portsmouth in the last six years, it would be unfair to pin the club’s current financial problems on just one man.
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Perhaps the biggest villain of the piece must be the Franco-Israeli businessman Alexandre Gaydamak, who started the rot after taking soul ownership of the club in 2006. Gaydamak had allegedly stripped the club of £32m before selling it to Sulaiman Al-Fahim for £60m in 2009.
Al-Fahim’s tenure at the club lasted less than three months, before he sold the club to Ali al-Faraj in October 2009. The sale provoked much controversy with one report claiming that Al-Fahim had sold the club for ‘zero pounds’.
Al-Faraj’s reign was met with similar financial mismanagement. The club was transferred into the hands of Balram Chainrai in February 2010, after Al-Faraj defaulted on a £17m loan. Chainrai’s first major action was to take the club into administration, becoming the first Premier League club to earn the dishonour.
Relegation swiftly followed and the club was sold yet again in July 2011 to the Convers Sports Initiatives (CSI) consortium headed by Russian businessman Vladimir Antonov. “In CSI, I believe we have found owners who will take the long-term view,” said chief executive David Lampitt at the time.
By November Antonov had resigned as chairman of Portsmouth after being arrested for asset stripping. His Convers Sports Initiatives was placed into administration and subsequently so were Portsmouth.
In many ways perhaps Pompey are best off in the hands of the administrators.
Newcastle United have been put on high alert after transfer target Adama Traore has been up for sale by Middlesbrough, according to TeamTalk.
What’s the story?
Traore joined Middlesbrough from Aston Villa in 2016 and the lightning winger has since shone for Boro, scoring five and assisting ten in the Championship this season.
The 22-year-old Spaniard’s form has brought him to the attention of top clubs, including Chelsea, Monaco and Newcastle.
The previous asking price set by Middlesbrough of £30million might have put off Newcastle, but now it appears their north-east rivals are prepared to lower the fee in order to fund their purchase of Albert Adomah and Matt Phillips according to TeamTalk.
Is he worth it?
TeamTalk do not propose an alternative figure to the £30million already suggested, but if Newcastle could agree a fee south of £20million then that would represent real value.
At only 22, Traore has already shown great promise and his incredible pace will frighten Premier League defenders.
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He still has work to do on his end product but is surely ready for a move to the top-flight, and Newcastle will do very well to see off interest from the heavyweights.
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