Lille striker Gervinho is set to announce this week which club he will join in the summer. The player has admitted a liking for the Premier League with Newcastle planning a bid of around £9.5m but there is also likely to be interest from Liverpool and Arsenal. There is also likely to be interest from Spain and Germany, so there is certainly no shortage of offers for talented Ivorian.
Gervinho’s actual name is Gervais Yao Kouassi who plays as striker for Lille in French Lique 1 – although the player can also play as a winger. Gervinho started his professional career in Belgium playing for Beveren – where he scored 14 league goals in around 2 seasons. In 2007, he moved to France and played for Le Mans and impressed despite the fact that he only scored 8 goals from 59 appearances.
In May, 2008 Gervinho was linked with a move away from Le Mans with other French teams interested but Arsenal were also linked. After hearing about the interest from Arsenal Gervinho suggested it would be a dream to play for the North London club. However, despite the continued interest from Arsenal his next move occurred in France from Le Mans to Lille for a fee of 8 million Euros.
Since moving to Lille Gervinho has really started to fulfil that potential with his goal-scoring; this season hitting 15 goals. The 24 year old striker has also made a number of appearances for his country, since making his debut in 2007. Since then he has made 19 appearances and scored 5 goals. Despite interest from a number of clubs reports in France suggest that Arsenal is the team he is most likely to join. It will certainly be interesting to see how he gets on in the Premier League if those reports proved to be correct. However, the African players that have come in to the English top flight have generally done well – so there is no reason to think Gervinho will be any different.
Check out this video on Gervinho:
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Fabrice Muamba has spoken out about his last moments before collapsing on the White Hart Lane pitch. The Bolton midfielder spoke of how he felt incredibly dizzy and started to see double before keeling over on the pitch. Muamba has now been fitted with what he describes as a ‘heart seatbelt’ that will keep his heart beating even if he has another lapse.
Elsewhere in the news Harry Redknapp remains confident of a top four finish; Mancini believes he doesn’t deserve the sack, while Sir Alex Ferguson has hit out at the Olympic selection process.
Headlines
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Harry Redknapp remains confident of a top four finish despite slumping to yet another defeat in the Premier League – Guardian
Sir Alex Ferguson has bemoaned the whole Olympic selection process and believes it could potentially leave United in ‘absolute chaos’ – Guardian
Roberto Mancini believes he has done too well to get sacked and is unconcerned over his future – Guardian
Tottenham are preparing a £10m bid for Hugo Lloris to replace Brad Friedel who turns 41 next month – Mirror
Theo Walcott has been ruled out for the season with a hamstring injury but should be fit for Euro 2012 – BBC
Adam Johnson suggested that if Manchester City fails to win the title it will be a huge blow for the football club – Sun
Fabrice Muamba has spoken of his last moments before he collapsed on the White Hart Lane pitch – Daily Mail
Wayne Rooney has stuck up for Ashley Young has says his teammate is no diver – Sun
Rafa van der Vaart have revealed that he is happy to remain at Tottenham, even if they fail to make the Champions League this season – Sun
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Kenny Dalglish has no regrets coming back into the Liverpool hot seat – Daily Mail
Arsenal are set to move for Fiorentina’s Adem Ljajic in the summer transfer window – Metro
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is still hoping to add up to three new players to his squad before the start of the new season.
Spurs will play in the Champions League for the first time this season and Redknapp has yet to add to a squad which finished a best-ever fourth place in the Premier League last term.
A host of names have been linked with moves to White Hart Lane but Redknapp is yet to complete any transfer deals.
"We need two or three players who can make the difference," he confirmed.
"We've got a big squad, but I do feel we need just that little bit of quality in one or two areas if we're going to move on from where we were last year.
"Fourth place last year was marvellous, but I think this is the best chance Tottenham have had in how many years to really push on and maintain that and become a regular top four team and maybe push for a championship.
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"We're never going to get a better chance so now's the time to have a go at doing that.
"So I still feel with two or three players it would make the difference and give us the squad we need. And if we get them in I think the sky's the limit for us."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
As with any local derby, whenever the two Manchester clubs met there was always that extra bit of tension in the air. Nowadays though, thanks to City’s new found riches, the game isn’t just about local pride. Honours are up for grabs.
The first match between United and the new look City caused a huge stir. Everybody in football was talking about it. For the first time ever, the blue half of Manchester arrived expectant. It was almost supposed to represent a little bit of revenge over Ferguson’s men for all the years they had to sit and watch United lift trophy after trophy.
In Ferguson’s mind, the noisy neighbours had to be silenced and a message needed to go out that there was still only one team in Manchester. It all made for a very entertaining match up and the seven-goal thriller did not disappoint.
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Tottenham will complete the £12 million signing of Hugo Lloris, but only once Luka Modric is sold according to The Sun.
The north London club are adopting an aggressive transfer strategy this summer, with Jan Vertonghen and Gylfi Sigurdsson already having completed moves to White Hart Lane.
However, Andre Villas-Boas is eager to sign a new goalkeeper to replace ageing Brad Friedel between the sticks, with the Lyon man the Portuguese manager’s preference.
After negotiations between Spurs and the Ligue 1 club, a fee of around £12 million is thought to have been agreed, but Tottenham need to wait until they are given a cash injection from Modric’s sale.
The Croatia international is in the process of moving to Real Madrid, with negotiations ongoing.
Lloris’ father has also confessed that the goalkeeper’s move may hinge on the future of Modric and the money received from his sale.
“I’m sure that Hugo’s move will be accelerated if Modric joins Real,” Luc Lloris is believed to have said.
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Fulham boss Mark Hughes has defended Danny Murphy, after the midfielder came under attack for comments criticising fellow Premier League teams for an over-physical approach.
Murphy named Stoke City, Wolves and Blackburn Rovers as sides he felt stepped over the mark and has since been attacked by the managers of each of those three clubs, as well as a number of other leading figures.
However, Hughes believes that Murphy was merely speaking his mind and making a pertinent point.
He commented:"You must recognise that Danny is at the coalface. In his view in certain games against certain opposition, opponents have over-stepped the mark.
"You have to accept that because even as a manager you don't know the intent of somebody.
"As a player I knew when someone was over-stepping the line or just making a fair and competitive tackle.
"There's a lot been said about Danny being disrespectful to the managers, but having had conversations with him he has huge respect for the managers of the teams he mentioned.
"Maybe the fact we had recent history against the teams he mentioned was fresh in his mind and he was giving examples.
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"We're disappointed by the reaction to it. You must respect he has an opinion. He was being honest.
"He's an honest guy and has forthright views. He's quite prepared to have his say. He's probably been surprised by the reaction."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
QPR are still searching for their first home win of the season after being held by Blackburn who slipped to the foot of the Premier League table despite gaining a well earned point.
Rangers boss Neil Warnock will be delighted with his sides response after their hiding at London neighbours Fulham a fortnight ago but will be tearing his hair out after they squandered yet another chance to win on home turf. His opposite number Steve Kean will be delighted by Rovers’ resilience as they ended a sequence of back-to-back defeats. They were lucky though not to make it three on the bounce as the R’s dominated the game and should have had a late penalty only for referee Mark Clattenburg to wave away the host’s appeals. Both goals came within the first half hour with Heidar Helguson scoring his 100th goal in English football and his first in the top flight this season. But they couldn’t hold that lead for very long as Christopher Samba rose highest in the penalty area to head home past Paddy Kenny.
It was a welcome change for Kean as his side battled admirably to keep the R’s at bay whilst protests over his tenure at Ewood Park subsided for a week although more are planned for next week. As for the Hoops it’s yet winless game at home although the point did take them into the top half. Both sides endeavoured to attack with some shoddy defending aiding their causes. The visitors were almost gifted the lead when Anton Ferdinand clipping his own crossbar after a calamitous attempt at clearing the ball. Rovers were also guilty of making mistakes and they should have done better in clearing Helguson’s header from a corner as the home side took the lead after 16 minutes. The Icelandic international reacted quickest though punishing the away side as he floated the ball into the far corner out of Paul Robinson’s grasp.
Warnocks men increased their pressure and should have doubled their lead with Joey Barton and Shaun Wright-Phillips both denied before Samba equalised with 24 minutes on the clock. The Congolese defender outstripped Fitz Hall in the air to power the ball past Kenny give Rovers a huge confidence boost. It also seemed to spark them into life with Junior Hoilett going close to giving them the lead only too his curling effort cleared off the line by Ferdinand.
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The second half saw a dip in tempo with Adel Taarabt, dropped to bench after he stormed out of Craven Cottage two weeks ago, outpaced Michel Salgado only to miscue his shot with Samba breathing down his neck. The Moroccan then tangled with Salgado in the penalty area only for Clattengburg to wave away any appeals. Rovers had the final chance of the game only for Kenny to save smartly from Martin Olsson’s rasping 30-yard drive as both sides settled for a point.
Andre Villas-Boas’ troubled start to life at Tottenham continues as he is forced to recall axed captain, Michael Dawson to the side. The Sun reports.
Dawson almost completed a move across London to QPR in the summer, but the deal broke down as Younes Kaboul was ruled out for four months after undergoing knee surgery.
He has since been left out of all of the first three games, but looks set to be called in to bolster the Spurs defence.
Villas-Boas said: “We have chatted. Younes’ operation means he’s out and it is up to Michael to compete. I’m sure he will come good.”
Villas-Boas is attempting a mass overhaul at Spurs, but the North Londoners have made an unconvincing start to the season- collecting two points from the first three games and twice squandering leads at home to West Brom and Norwich.
He has also reportedly upset new £8million goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris after claiming the French international will have to battle it out with Brad Friedel for the number one jersey.
According to his national team manager, Didier Deschamps, the comments have not gone down well with the player, who feels he needs to be the undisputed number one at Tottenham to continue playing regularly for France.
But there could be some good news for the Portuguese, after the club appealed to the FA to overturn Tom Huddlestone’s red card in the match against Norwich.
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Manchester United dispatched with Wigan at home at the weekend with a resounding 4-0 victory, but the biggest talking point to come out of the match was the debut performance of Dutch left-back Alexander Buttner, as he went on to score one and set up another before earning himself the man-of-the-match award. Simply put, will Patrice Evra be able to keep his place in the side after the emergence of a genuine and serious rival for his position?
The club were linked all summer with Everton full-back Leighton Baines but were reportedly put off by the England international’s price-tag, which was north of the £10m that they were willing to pay. When you consider that the club moved for Robin van Persie shortly afterwards for £24m, it left them with little in the bank to bring in another defender, and they surprisingly swooped for one-time Southampton transfer target Alexander Buttner, signing him from Vitesse Arnhem for a fee of £4m.
The club’s head scout in Holland, Ed van Stijn revealed shortly after the move was completed, though: “Every season (United) ask all European scouts for a list of players. They ask you to create a top five of the best players in the league for every position. I had Buttner at number three or four on my list.”
It’s fair to say that this created some undue pressure on the 23-year-old’s first appearance at the club, but he was exceptional against Wigan, even if he was at fault for seven turnovers of possession, which were conceded because of a poor first touch – a record which is currently the most by any player in a single game this season.
Ferguson first aired in public last week that he was considering resting Evra for the game against Wigan, but his words were laced with caution about what may soon become a more permanent switch: “We have to protect the future, that is sensible. Evra is 31 and Alex comes to challenge that position. But nobody has played more games than Evra over the last five years. He has played with injuries – he has guts. He has been up and down that touchline for five years. It’s 240 games he has played. Patrice has been an absolute soldier.”
Of course, it didn’t help the Frenchman’s case that he delivered another shoddy performance for France in their World Cup qualifier against Belarus and the left-back hasn’t been at his best for nearly 18 months now and the slump has alarmingly become the norm. The main cause for concern has been Evra’s positioning and judgement, which have completely left him; aspects which are supposed to improve with age and experience.
The fact that the club conceded five goals in their opening three league games only served to help confirm Ferguson’s suspicions that his defence was fragile, with Phil Jones and Chris Smalling both still on the treatment table. While the performance against Everton on the opening day may have been understandable to an extent, given that Michael Carrick had to start at centre-half, the manner in which they let both Fulham and Southampton back into the game has brought forward the need for a shake up.
The main issue concerning Evra is his age, he will be 32 at the end of this season and this could be his final as a guaranteed regular in the side. Buttner is still raw and will take time to adjust, but the return of Fabio, who for my money looks a more rounded player than Buttner at the moment, is also worth considering as we look further down the line.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s greatest managerial strength is his ruthlessness; he simply knows when to cut his losses on a player, despite all of their years of service. Evra is one of the senior members of the squad, is often vice-captain and his trophy haul of four Premier League titles and one Champions League triumph do earn him a degree of leniency, but even then, it can only last so long.
Had the club been able to afford Baines in the summer, there’s no doubt in my mind that we would have seen Evra become the deputy and relinquish his first-team place. Nevertheless, despite his troubles, Ferguson will remain loyal to Evra for the time being, knowing that he has an enthusiastic understudy capable of coming in and performing.
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Tne quality of the opposition will be taken into account and Ferguson will know that when it comes to the big crunch games, that he will likely plump for Evra over Buttner, but the first seeds of doubt may have been sown in his mind by how quickly the Dutchman settled into the side. It won’t be enough to shift Evra just yet, but it’s certainly a start.
Not since Gabriel Heinze was at Old Trafford has Evra faced this sort of challenge to his first-team starting berth and his chronic lack of form in recent times has prompted his manager to bring in an alternative this summer. You suspect that Ferguson will continue to act out of loyalty towards Evra for the time being, but that even this currency is in danger of becoming spent, particularly with the emergence of a new rival within the ranks.
A goalscoring midfielder is something Sir Alex Ferguson has craved for the best part of the last five-years at Old Trafford. The Red Devils boss has gone to great lengths to unearth a player with a scoring streak akin to that of Paul Scholes in his pomp even suggesting that Wayne Rooney could be played deeper in the wake of Robin Van Persie’s arrival. But on Wednesday his prayers may have been answered by a player brimming whose talents were moulded closer to home. Tom Cleverley’s first senior goal in a United shirt on Wednesday has been a long time in coming but may provide the answer to Ferguson’s quandary. Cleverley has certainly started the season brightly and poses another welcome selection headache for his manager who now has a wealth of options to choose from in midfield as he continues to plot how to regain the Premier League title from rivals City.
This week on FFC is it time for Ferguson to make a decision on Anderson’s future and which Chile international is the United boss interested in signing?
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Best of FFC
Exclusive Interview with Manchester United’s Tom Cleverley
WAG Weekly – Man United ace bags himself a beauty!
Time for Sir Alex Ferguson to make a decision
An ideal transfer target for Manchester United?
A constantly undervalued asset at Old Trafford?
The Top TEN players that have emerged from their League Cup exploits
Manchester United keen on deal for Chilean
Lots of transfer interest, but is he the real deal?
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Best of WEB
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Is Nani Playing His Way Out Of United? – Red Flag Flying High
Now or never, Ando – 7Cantonas
Young guns push for place with history no longer on side – United Rant
Phil Jones: Destined To Be Another John O’Shea? – Red Flag Flying High
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“He’s a great player so he’ll add to our squad.” – The Busby Way
Marouane Fellaini Sadly Lacks The Finesse To Join United – Transfer Tavern
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Quote of the Week
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“It has been playing on my mind a little bit. I have always scored goals when I have gone on loan, so it was bugging me that I had not been doing it for my club or my country. The gaffer gave me a bit at half-time for missing the one in the first-half, so it was nice to stroke that one in. We practice those sorts of finishes a lot so when the ball came to me I knew what I was going to do. I have got the first one out of the way now. Hopefully they will all come at once.” Tom Cleverley admits his lack of goals was starting to get on his mind