Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio is closing in on the signing of Vito Mannone from Arsenal, according to Sky Sports.
The Black Cats sold their number one Simon Mignolet to Liverpool earlier this week and Mannone has been eyed as the ready-made replacement.
The 25 year old has failed to break into the first team at Arsenal since his move from Atalanta eight years ago but impressed on loan at both Hull and Barnsley in the Championship.
Di Canio wants his compatriot to be the man between the stick at the Stadium of Light in a deal that will see Sunderland save a sizeable fee in that department.
The North East club are also in talks with Argentinean right back Gino Peruzzi over a switch to England from South America.
Peruzzi was the man that kept Brazilian hot-shot Neymar quiet over two legs of the Copa Libertadores semi-finals earlier this year and was expected to make a move to big European club this summer.
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Highly rated South Korean midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng has become Swansea City’s record signing after putting pen to paper on a three-year deal from Celtic.
Ki, 23, will not be able to play for the Swans as they take on West Ham in today’s lunchtime kick off but he is clearly excited to have arrived.
“When I look at Swansea I see a club that is growing and growing, and the style here is very attractive to me,” he told the club’s official website.
“Last year I watched them a lot in the Premier League and they did things very differently to a lot of the other teams. They wanted to keep the ball and pass it around, which I love to do. When they didn’t have the ball they worked so hard to get it back quickly.”
“This is something I have dreamt about since I was a child – playing in the Premier League against the best players in the world. I can’t wait to play my first game.”
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Arsene Wenger’s fairytale ending to life as Arsenal manager has turned into a nightmare.
The Frenchman had hoped to lead the club to Europa League glory before signing off permanently, but it was not to be.
Pressure was on the Gunners’ shoulders heading into Thursday night’s semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid in Spain due to the fact that they conceded an away goal in the Emirates tie.
The match sat at 1-1, with Arsenal knowing that they needed to score at Atletico’s ground to have any hope of progressing into the final.
It was a painful encounter for Wenger’s men as they were the better side for large parts of the game, but ended up losing 1-0 on the night following Diego Costa’s goal.
Arsenal fans were crushed by the result, and many aimed criticism at Hector Bellerin for his performance during the encounter.
While the Gunners support were suffering, their arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur were not feeling the pain as strongly.
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In fact, plenty of the club’s supporters took to Twitter to mock Arsenal’s failings, because not only will Wenger’s reign end without silverware, they will also fail to qualify for a place in next season’s Champions League.
Following Luis Suarez’s departure to Barcelona last summer Daniel Sturridge was poised to be Liverpool’s main striker and potentially their new hero. But it is difficult to see how this season could have gone any worse for the 25-year-old, who has made just 12 appearances in a campaign which has been dogged by injuries.
Just a few days ago it was announced that Sturridge will be missing the start of next season as he continues to recover from hip surgery. He is unable to train fully for the next four months and will also miss England’s games – although Brendan Rodgers will be happy about that. He should be available for the Reds around October but with so much time spent getting injured, recovering and then getting injured again it seems that Sturridge’s body has really struggled this year and it is hard to see how he can get back his best next term.
There are numerous occasions where players have had persistent thigh injuries, and even once they have recovered it’s still restricted their future impact on the pitch. After all part of what makes Sturridge so lethal is his pace so if he can’t rely on that he may find it difficult to thrive in our very physically demanding league.
You only have to look at a player like Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere or Manchester United’s Radamel Falcao. Both have suffered lengthy lay-offs and where the Englishman has resembled glass at times, hurt from the slightest of knocks, Falcao no longer looks as dangerous as he once was.
Liverpool are relying on Sturridge to spearhead their charge into the top four next season so if he ends up unable to recreate last year’s 20+ goals then the task will have to fall to misfiring Mario Balotelli. It is absolutely possible that the Italian will have finally found his shooting boots by then or the club may once again try to sign a striker in the summer transfer window, but all at Liverpool will be hoping is that Sturridge eventually comes back stronger than ever.
What makes the forward’s situation appear so uncertain is not only how much of the season he’s missed, but also the fact that despite being given ample time to recover once he did return to the first team he couldn’t hack it. Most injured players may come back a bit slower but they tend to make it through the rest of the year.
If Liverpool want last season’s Premier League title near miss to be chalked up to more than just a fluke then they will need a seriously strong campaign next year. The competition for those precious four places gets fiercer each year and teams like Southampton and Tottenham will continue to throw their hats into the ring. The Reds can’t afford to be without a prolific striker so a dip into the transfer window is their best bet as relying on Sturridge is too much of a risk. For now he needs to rest and get his body back to full strength, then we’ll have to wait to see if his injuries come back to haunt him.
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To illustrate just how tight the Premier League bottom-half is: a win for 17th placed Sunderland would move them level on points with 11th placed Stoke and still wouldn’t guarantee top-flight football next season. What Paolo Di Canio needs is a reaction from his players if they’re to kick-off amongst the elite again in August. After a two-game winning streak Di Canio was brought back down to Earth with a thump following the 6-1 mauling suffered at Aston Villa last week. To make matters worse his side dropped back to 17th over the weekend and could be in the bottom three by Wednesday should Wigan win their game in hand.
The Potters, despite their mid-table position, aren’t deluded enough to believe they’re safe just yet. Back-to-back wins lifted Tony Pulis’ men to 40-points but the usual survival threshold doesn’t offer the security as it has done in previous years. That leaves them needing to leave Wearside with maximum points if they’re going to finally confirm their Premier League place for 2013/14 and heap even further pressure on the teams below them.
Team News
Sunderland are without Stephane Sessegnon for the remainder of the season after he was sent off against Aston Villa last time out. Connor Wickham (calf) is unlikely to feature meaning Paolo Di Canio isn’t dealing with any fresh injury concerns.
Defenders Marc Wilson (hamstring) and Andy Wilkinson (back), as well as midfielder Glenn Whelan (groin), are all doubts for Stoke. Matthew Etherington could feature from the start after returning from a back complaint last week.
What the managers said…
“When I arrived, in my opinion, Danny wasn’t really fit enough in terms of playing in the Premier League. He had a long face during my first two or three training sessions and I thought ‘can he play football?’ I wondered what was going on so I spoke to him. Now he is confident. He is not down. He feels part of the cause and is always active, encouraging the other players in the training drills. He is intelligent and now he is ready, which is why I feel confident that he can score.” Paolo Di Canio is confident Danny Graham can fire Sunderland to safety (Guardian)
“There has been nothing from the club that suggests anything other than I want to continue and they are happy for me to continue. I still feel there is stuff to be done, certain aspects within the club that can be improved. I would like to be given the opportunity to do that. There are aspects we have learned from this year. There are certain things that you look back on and think you could have dealt with that better. That’s for me to discuss with the powers that be, to learn from one or two mistakes.” Tony Pulis concedes mistakes have been made at Stoke this season (Daily Mail)
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Pre-match Statistic: Sunderland have won three and kept four clean sheets in the previous four Premier League meetings with Stoke.
Footballers are often accused of being many things – egotistic, arrogant and self-centered – and for the most part, you would be right for thinking those things, but is part of the problem the way young players are hyped up from an early age? And should more be done to stop players switching clubs every other season while they are still too young to make such weighty decisions?
Manchester United have been bitten this summer by the departure of 19 year-old French international Paul Pogba, who departed to Juventus citing a lack of first-team opportunities at Old Trafford as the motivating factor behind the move. Setting aside the fact that the ranks at Juventus are swelled with Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, Kwadwo Asamoah, Mauricio Isla and Claudio Marchisio among others, which seems like a far better depth of talent than is currently occupying the squad at Manchester United, it should really come as no surprise to many in the way that he left the club, for without trying to be too patronising, it’s part and parcel of the game these days with younger players.
Upon completing his reported £20,000 per week move to the Italian champions, Ferguson slammed the player in question stating: “Pogba signed for Juventus a long time ago as far as we’re aware. It’s a bit disappointing because I don’t think he should us any respect at all. To be honest, if they carry on that way, I’m quite happy that he’s away from me anyway.”
The reaction is completely understandable, a naive young man has had his head turned by an agent, in this instance, the clearly detestable Mino Raiola, but we shouldn’t forget the circumstances in which Manchester United were allowed to sign the youngster in the first place, with any genuine outrage surely bordering on the hypocritical.
Signed as a 16 year-old from French club Le Havre, Manchester United were immediately accused of ‘tapping up’ the youngster and both clubs become embroiled in a bitter war of words. Le Havre released the following statement after it appeared the then 16 year-old had move to England: “Le Havre want to express their indignation at the actions of Manchester United officials and their pursuit of Paul Pogba.
“Paul Pogba, his parents and Le Havre were bound to a contract called a ‘non-solicitation agreement’ from autumn 2006. At the end of that contract, the three parties agreed to sign a trainee contract when the player matched certain age and scholarship criteria, taking him through to the end of the 2009/10 season. However, the player and his parents have refused to fulfil the agreement because Manchester United have offered big money to the parents to get their son to England. While a lot of voices have started to be heard coming out of the EU, governments, Fifa and Uefa against ‘minor slave trade’, Manchester United have not hesitated to uproot a 16-year-old kid.”
Strong words indeed but the crux of their argument is sound, the rush for talent and the next big thing means that many major club all across Europe can often be accused of lacking morals in their pursuit of top young talent, this in turn creates an unrivalled and unwarranted sense of entitlement in the player. They think they have made it before they have even kicked a ball, you could call them big-time Charlie’s if you will, but the fact of the matter is what talented young kid would turn a huge club like United down?
It renders the investment that clubs at all levels all across Europe make with concerns to their academies somewhat pointless if a big club can swoop in at the eleventh hour and purchase a prodigious talent in such a manner. While I wouldn’t quite go down the ‘minor slave trade’ route that Le Havre clearly went for, it’s not too far off and these players need to be protected at such an impressionable age.
Ultimately, the decision will come down to them, not their parents or guardians or whoever else may be involved, but I can’t remember when I was 16 years old being of sound enough mind to make an objective and long-term decision about my career, so footballers should be no different. Freedom of movement laws obviously dictate that these players are well within their rights to make such moves, but at the end of the day, it’s not for the good of the game or even themselves, it’s for the vested interests whispering in their ears looking to make a quick buck. Smaller clubs are getting squeezed more and more financially, so to deny them the payday they richly deserve for developing and harnessing such a player seems a tad harsh.
The only proposition that I can think of that could potentially work as a blanket rule would be to raise the age by which footballers sign their first professional contract from 16 to 18 in the hope that extra two years experience, both on and off the pitch would act as a factor in their decision-making process and counter-balance their previous lack of maturity. I’ll be the first to admit, though, that while this may potentially take a degree of power away from those hegemonic clubs to an extent, it’s still a deeply flawed idea as the knock-on effect means it just then increases player power even further and the smaller club in question could be set to miss out on a payday still, just a couple of years further down the line.
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Money is the predominant reason for such moves, with the requirement of guaranteed first-team football usually a secondary requirement. Pogba serves as a prime example of the ‘evils’ of the modern game to an extent and he’s now left two successive clubs under a cloud even though he has just seven professional appearances under his belt. Gambling on potential is fine, it’s done in all walks of life and various industries every day, but for the figures bandied about, it’s simply got into silly territory now and needs to be seriously looked at and addressed by people far smarter than myself.
Southampton’s goalless draw against Leicester City on Thursday and their 2-0 FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday were just two more signals that they remain on course for the Championship next season.
Saints went into their must-win clash against the Foxes on the back of a 3-2 loss and collapse against Antonio Conte’s men at St Mary’s, well aware that they were running out of time to save themselves.
However, it seemed as though they were so determined not to lose and to keep things tight at the back – which was no surprise given they had suffered four successive top flight defeats and conceded 12 goals in the process – they didn’t really go and try and win a game against a Leicester side that were ultimately there for the taking, with Shane Long wasting their best opportunities.
It has left the south coast outfit on the brink and while they will be just four points from safety heading into their match against local rivals Bournemouth at home on Saturday, the fact that they have one league win in their last 21 attempts and have tasted success just five times all season – against 10-man West Ham, both Crystal Palace and Everton when they were in dire straits, and twice against West Bromwich Albion who are bottom of the standings and in an even worse position.
The cup encounter against Chelsea was a chance to put in a positive performance with the pressure off in many ways, and while the players did ok in the first half, to find themselves 1-0 down just 30 seconds into the second period summed up their whole season – especially as it could have easily been avoided from a defensive point of view.
Mark Hughes’ men now have four top flight matches to save themselves, and anything less than three wins from those will probably be not enough for a side that will likely be without Sofiane Boufal, who looks to have played his last game for the club.
Given they have only won five all season and have one Premier League win since the end of November – and with few signs of improvement from a defensive point of view especially – it is difficult to see that happening and the south coast outfit realistically need to start preparing for life in the Championship.
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It is a notoriously difficult division, and while the board and the majority of Saints supporters may be happy to keep the Welshman in charge next season should the worst happen, they should in fact consider appointing someone else instead.
While Hughes has proven he is a decent manager during his career, he has never managed in the Championship, and while Nuno Espirito Santo has done fantastically well with Wolves this term – albeit with plenty of help in terms of recruitment – it says it all that the likes of Neil Warnock, Slavisa Jokanovic and Gary Rowett are all challenging at the top end of the table.
They are managers that know the division like the back of their hands now, and they know what is required to win games on a consistent basis promotion.
The same couldn’t be said for Hughes, and given he is only on a contract until the end of the campaign, the Saints hierarchy should have been alerted to the news of Mick McCarthy quitting Ipswich Town earlier this month.
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The 59-year-old worked on a really tight budget at Portman Road for five-and-a-half years before his departure, and while he was unable to win promotion to the Premier League with Town, he did do achieve it previously with both Sunderland and Wolves.
McCarthy has proven himself as a more than solid boss at this level, and with some money behind him – with the parachute payments – he would certainly fancy his chances of taking Southampton straight back up to the top flight, and he would be a popular figure for the St Mary’s faithful because of his personality.
The club won’t have too much time to waste if they want an immediate return to the Premier League, and they should get the 59-year-old in place as soon after the current season has concluded as is possible, to ensure they are best prepared to get themselves sorted and hit the ground running.
The former Republic of Ireland boss may not be the long-term appointment that some supporters would be hoping for, but they need a manager that knows the Championship – even more so having seen Sunderland’s second successive relegation – to ensure they don’t find themselves in trouble again next term.
Following Liverpool’s crushing semi-final defeat to Aston Villa at Wembley, they will end another season without silverware. In turn, as another trophy slipped through his fingertips, Brendan Rodgers will finish his third season as the Kop manager without a trophy, the first time a manager as suffered such ignominy since the 1950’s.
With Liverpool looking certain to miss out on top four, as well as leaving their trophy cabinet no fuller than it was 12 months ago, serious questions are being asked of their manager. For all of the free flowing, cavalier football that bought them so close to their first title in 20 years, a cup win of any variety remains elusive.
Will the Rodgers’ reign be remembered as a barren one?
The Anfield fans are ones that demand success, they have a culture of winning tournaments; even in their league drought they have consistently managed to win tournaments, so for all of the good work Rodgers has done, patience may run thin from his own supporters.
Rodgers and the ‘transfer committee’ gambled big last summer, spending vast sums of money in order to replace the irreplaceable Luis Suarez. Many of their signings whilst the Northern Irishman have been in charge have proven to be failures, the amount of accountability the manager takes for these transfer blunders is unknown, but his reputation is certainly being damaged by their performances on the field.
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Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has recently come out and defended the current boss stating that one game doesn’t define your career, but as Rodgers is beginning to find out, that one result on a sun-soaked Wembley may prove to be the most pivotal one of his Liverpool reign.
The 42 year old has arguably made his job even harder than it was before; a club crippled by expectation for so long had them again risen to the sky following on from their heroic near miss last term. Many felt that this season they could and probably should go one better, however, the side that he currently possesses is around about where it should be. They are the fifth or sixth best team in the division and that’s exactly where they find themselves.
The counter-argument to sacking a manager is always the dearth of available replacements on the market; however, Jurgen Klopp’s announcement that he will be leaving Borussia Dortmund now means there is a name and a face who fans can dream of seeing in the technical area.
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There are six games to go in what will prove to be an underwhelming campaign for the Merseysiders, Rodgers will be hoping that every one of those games he sees his side perform to a high level to guarantee he will be given a summer extension. Sacking the manager at this point does seem implausible but the nature of modern day football and the demand for instant success may prove to be his downfall.
He may have one summer left to build a side capable of lifting a trophy of any sort, his Liverpool reign must be punctuated by success. He has done so much, it would be a shame to look back on his spell as a failure, but there is a monkey on his back and it is growing heavier with every passing trophy mishap.
It proved to be one of the most perfect striker performances in the Champions League, up among the Gods with Ronaldo’s excellence at Old Trafford in 2003 with Real Madrid and Lionel Messi’s five goals against Bayer Leverkusen last season. Robert Lewandowski went above and beyond, reaching the near-impossible rating of 10 in L’Equipe on Thursday morning. It wasn’t the moment the world woke up to the Borussia Dortmund striker’s talents, as one English pundit confidently exclaimed; it was, however, the building of tension and excitement for what may be the forward’s final few months at Signal Iduna Park.
Borussia Dortmund has already expressed their desire to keep Lewandowski into next season, despite the player’s contract coming to an end in 2014. They were quick once again last night to confirm their stance, probably hoping in a way that glory in Europe this season will be enough to keep the key elements of their group together.
But on some level you can see through the confident tones, acknowledging that they’re more hopeful than anything else. Bayern Munich may come calling once again, adding to the storm created by their successful approach for Mario Goetze, while rumours have already arisen that Bayern have indeed stolen a march on the rest of Europe for Lewandowski’s signature.
Yet it remains the case that the Premier League is the destination many on the continent hold as the pinnacle of the game in Europe. Manchester United have made their interested known, while the most recent incident involving Luis Suarez means Liverpool may well be in the hunt for an elite forward this summer. In fact, you could make a strong case for any of the teams currently competing for the top four in England as legitimate destinations for Lewandowski.
At this point, however, you can’t ignore the possibilities and suitability of Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea. All three London clubs are in the hunt for a striker to elevate them onto the next level, with two wanting to build themselves back up to consistent title challengers, and the other needing the break into the Champions League on a yearly basis and build from there.
Manchester United have put their interest forward in at least two of Europe’s best strikers leading into the summer, but the form of Robin van Persie and the continued muddy future of Wayne Rooney suggests that for now, Lewandowski would be used in rotation rather than as the undisputed starter.
Arsenal, however, and provided rumours of a £24 million price tag are to be believed, could be the ideal club for Lewandowski moving forward. His style of play suits Arsenal far more than, say, Mario Gomez, who remains on the borders of a match until he comes into his element inside the box. Lewandowski, meanwhile, has been talked up as one of the best complete forwards in the world, with the ability to act as creator and goal scorer. His technique, versatility and intelligence could see other forwards in the Arsenal team thrive, while his status as a prolific striker is exactly what is needed to link up with Santi Cazorla in the playmaker role.
The price tag of just above £20 million isn’t too much of an issue, either. Arsenal are continuing to push the idea that this will be the summer of change, with figures of least £70 million spoken of regularly in relation to Arsene Wenger’s summer budget. If Arsenal is serious about pushing on next season, they need to make themselves known in the race for Lewandowski. But money aside, it will be about convincing the player that the club are genuinely taking steps to become a real contender for the title as soon as next year.
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With Chelsea continuing down the road towards Radamel Falcao, it opens up an avenue for Arsenal to accelerate towards Lewandowski. It will take an enormous amount of convincing, for both the club and player, but the Polish international is the level of signing Arsenal need to be making in order to convince their fans that the club are moving on from year-on-year mediocrity.
Manchester United are on the hunt for a revamped defence during the summer transfer window in order to transform their fortunes next season but it is unlikely to include Matteo Darmian.
Despite being an international right-back, the Italian – valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt – has been unable to get close to overtaking Antonio Valencia this season and looks surplus to requirements.
As United gear up for the FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham on Saturday, it is unlikely that Darmian will be involved at all.
That means that thoughts have turned to where the Italian will go in the summer and his comments have hinted that he could well be off to Italian giants Juventus in the next transfer window.
It would appear that there isn’t a great deal of animosity towards Darmian but not a lot of United fans rate him and would happily see him leave.