Watch on youtube.comRise and shine everyone, it’s Monday morning and the headlines are bursting with transfer gossip.
You can tell it’s an international break, eh? Only five days until the Champions are back in action for anyone who needs a lift.
Anyway, with most City players away on international duty, the media have predictably turned to transfer speculation, an essential part of any sports page diet.
January moves, summer moves, it’s all here, so let’s start with a small snippet in the Daily Mail suggesting City are keeping several eyes on Lionel Messi, who could reportedly be persuaded to leave Barcelona.
Reports Rob Shepherd: “Lionel Messi’s run-in with the Spanish tax man could alter the destiny of his club career.
“Instead of playing out his days with Barcelona, Messi could finally consider a move elsewhere if things get heavy.
“Inevitably Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are monitoring the Argentine's current complicated situation.”
Well, the media links are certainly inevitable if nothing else!
Elsewhere, and James Milner is racking up the column inches as journalists speculate on his next move.
Yesterday, it was Roma allegedly trying to lure the popular midfielder away from Manchester according to the Daily Star, today reports suggest City will look to include Milner in a deal for Ross Barkley with Everton, according to…the Daily Star.
Writes Paul Hetherington: “City are thinking of making a move for Barkley, 20, who is currently injured - though not at the staggering £50million fee which has been suggested.
“But any move for him is likely to be met by an Everton enquiry for City's Milner, 28.
“Goodison Park boss Roberto Martinez is an admirer of the consistent Milner and could see him as an alternative target to Manchester United's Tom Cleverley.
“Martinez wanted Cleverley, 25, in the summer transfer window but instead of moving to Merseyside, the midfielder joined Aston Villa on loan.
“So an offer of Milner plus some cash for Barkley could appeal to Everton.
“Former Leeds, Newcastle and Villa midfielder Milner is out of contract at the end of the season.
“City, therefore, could consider including him in a deal for Barkley if they fear they are going to lose their man on a free transfer in the summer anyway.”
Among all this media noise, it’s probably worth bearing in mind that Milner was hinting at a new deal with the English Champions in the Manchester Evening News less than a week ago.
Moving on, and we’re back to Barcelona.
Anyone remember the stories ten days or so ago claiming that Dani Alves could depart his current club for the Premier League, with City his preferred destination?
(If not, take my word for it).
Well, according to reports Chelsea and Manchester United were also interested, but the Brazilian defender is allegedly demanding £250,000 a week from whichever club would like to secure his services – that one also comes from the Daily Star.
Paul Hetherington writes: “Dani Alves wants £250,000-a-week to play in the Premier League next season.
“That's the mega-wage demand which has been put to England's top clubs if they want to sign Barcelona's Brazil right back.
“Manchester United have been lined with Alves, but aren't interested at that figure, even though he will be available on a free transfer when his Nou Camp contract ends.
“Alves, 31, has already announced he'll be leaving Barca at the end of the season and that he wants to end his career in England.”
Do remember, whatever the time of year, these stories are just paper talk, and no ins or outs at the club are confirmed until you read it right here on mcfc.co.uk.
As ever, of course!
Finally, while the men’s first team are spread around the globe for internationals, Manchester City Women have been making waves at home.
Nick Cushing’s side saw off title favourites Chelsea, despite being reduced to ten in the second half, and the Guardian were there to witness the fantastic performance ahead of Thursday’s Continental Cup final.
Georgina Turner scribes: “The manager will inevitably wonder how Hourihan might have dealt with Jill Scott’s low shot that gave City the lead after 24 minutes. Chelsea were opened up by a sequence of neat one-touch passes down their right-hand side before Scott collected the ball just outside the area and struck it firmly inside Farrow’s near post.
“There was probably not a lot that either goalkeeper could have done about Toni Duggan’s delightful volley 10 minutes later, however. With Alex Brooks, in goal at the other end, getting the better of one of a series of edge-of-the-box encounters with the Chelsea striker Eni Aluko, City broke forward at speed. Scott, almost at the byline, cut the ball back to Duggan who controlled it on her chest and swivelled to send it arcing over Farrow towards the top corner.”
Why Manchester City must build on their early season away form
10 points from their first four away games is an improved return this season for Manchester City (Picture: Reuters)
Although they sit in second place in the Premier League at yet another pause in the season, the consensus is that Manchester City have yet to find top gear; that something hasn’t quite clicked for the reigning champions.
And despite a dominant performance at Villa Park against Aston Villa last weekend it wasn’t until little over 10 minutes remaining that their superiority was rewarded with two late goals that earned them the points.
But in doing so the 2-0 victory not only maintained their unbeaten run away from home, but meant that City has taken 10 points from a possible 12 away from The Etihad, dropping points only away to Arsenal. Contrast this to last season and it was not until their ninth game away from home that they reached double figures in terms of points.
This time last year saw a succession of points squandered on their travels: unnecessary defeats at Aston Villa and Cardiff and a tedious goalless draw at Stoke preceded the last minute reversal at Chelsea, continuing a theme that has plagued City ever since they emerged as genuine title challengers.
The last four seasons has seen City notch two Premier League wins, a second and a third-placed finished. No mean feat of course and it is an achievement predicated largely by a dominant home record at The Etihad. No side over the past four seasons has a points return as strong as City’s, dropping eight points combined across their two title winning seasons.
Yet away from home it has been a different story. In none of the past four seasons has City had the best record away from, twice have the fifth-best record and twice the second best record. It has long been an issue at the club, both for Manuel Pellegrini and Roberto Mancini, where points dropped away from home increased the pressure to relentlessly accrue wins at home.
By and large this has been managed but as seen in 2014-15 City have stuttered at home, both winning, drawing and losing this season with the shock defeat at home to Stoke being particularly noteworthy. Whilst not terminal in terms of their title hopes a defeat like the one suffered against Stoke does reduce the margin for error; a loss of three points there means they may have to win points back against the likes of a Chelsea or an Arsenal.
This is where the away form comes in. If City have struggled in the past, drawing too many games for their liking, this season they have been strong and if Pellegrini has in particular targeted this area as one to improve upon they could see a marked improvement over the course of the campaign.
Even at this early stage of the season Chelsea look to be a dominant side. A five point gap is not insurmountable but does mean City can ill afford to drop too many points lest the gap becomes unmanageable.
To this end, an improved away return will help City keep pace at the top. Early days but the signs are positive.
Manchester City fans haven't forgotten Roberto Mancini, they've just moved on
Roberto Mancini may have an outspoken and abrasive personality, but that should never undermine what he did for the club.
In the prematch build-up to the FA Cup Final in 2013, the Manchester City fans inside Wembley Stadium were very vocally backing their manager.
In fact, the chants weren't so much pro-Roberto Mancini, but rather anti-anyone else -- in particular, Manuel Pellegrini. Almost 18 months later, there's not really a supporter of the club who would rather have the Italian over the Chilean.
Pellegrini himself even commented on the situation in good humour back in February ahead of the Capital One Cup Final: "I hope at least the songs will be different this year," he said, when asked about the incident ahead of his first Wembley visit with the Blues.
The thing is, the off the pitch baggage that followed Mancini's City clearly wasn't helpful and it's little surprise there were few in the dressing room unhappy to see the Italian leave the manager's office. It was plainly obvious to the club that he had to go; selling it to the fans was always going to be a difficult task and the defeat to Wigan in May 2013 provided a small opportunity for the nails to go into the coffin. The truth is, though, his job was probably on the line whether his side won or lost that match.
Pellegrini arrived and united a dressing room that was clearly an unhappy place.
On Sunday, it was reported that Mancini had said in an interview that everything the Chilean had achieved with the Blues was built on his foundations. "This current team are playing nine of my players all of the time," he said. "I think we started to build this team five years ago."
It looks on the face of it like the previous incumbent of the Etihad dugout is trying to claim credit where it isn't deserved. It's easy to read into it that the Italian is looking to undermine Pellegrini's achievements at City and inflate his own importance, but to some extent Mancini has a point.
It's natural for the fans to back their current boss, especially if he's successful -- that's exactly why those in the Wembley stands in 2013 were so in favour of the manager keeping his job. Mancini was successful (but for that final season), so of course he was popular.
Pellegrini took over a fractured and divided team and got them all rowing in the same direction. To be honest, there were that many divisions, he got them all rowing the same boat first too.
Manuel Pellegrini has provided City fans attacking, free-flowing and, crucially, winning football that has created headlines solely on the pitch.
That said, he had a squad that had already had the taste of winning and wanted more. His ability to give the fans attacking, open, free-flowing and, crucially, winning football that created headlines solely on the pitch is to his credit. This is something Mancini couldn't provide.
Mancini was a press officer's nightmare. He was the story. He was the centre of attention. As you can see from Sunday's reports, he still is. His press conferences always created a story for the waiting journalists, while Pellegrini straight bats questions away. The Chilean is like the night watchman of the Premier League.
However, Mancini's outspoken and abrasive personality should never undermine what he did for the club. When the fans paid for a newspaper advert in the Gazetta Dello Sport, they were absolutely spot on to thank him. He turned the perennial underachievers and the sport's laughing stock into a team of winners.
He's the man who ended a 35-year wait for a trophy. He took a club that had not won the top division title in 44 years to the championship, ahead of Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United -- a team used to winning year-on-year -- and he did it from a position where he was trailing them by eight points with six matches left.
City fans don't like to hear it, but Ferguson was a managerial master who could inspire a team to be far better than the sum of its parts. And Mancini beat him.
The job facing Mancini when he arrived at Eastlands was far more difficult than the job facing Pellegrini. They both had to change mentalities, but one was a short-term problem. The other had been in place for three decades.
That said, it's still true that the Italian wasn't right for the club. His title defence disaster wasn't particularly down to his inadequacies in his football knowledge, but his lack of man-management skills. It can't motivate players to hear their manager publicly criticise them, after all.
It's little surprise the Italian is vocal about his achievements in Manchester. He's right to be proud of them and it's in his character to shout his opinions to whoever will listen. The problem is that both the club and the fans have moved on and his comments are going to do little more than start to stick in the throat and sully the memories.
In that respect, the club parted company with him at exactly the right time.
The City supporters haven't forgotten what Mancini achieved and Pellegrini has set-up a team based on his foundations. But just as the former took the Blues to the next level from when he arrived, the latter is aiming to take them even further now.
Manuel Pellegrini wants Pepe switch
Manchester City will consider making yet another move to try and sign Real Madrid defender Pepe despite already failing to land him on two separate occasions, Daily Star reports.
Manuel Pellegrini is said to be a huge admirer of the 31-year-old centre-back and with his contract set to expire in 2016, the La Liga giants will likely be open to letting him leave.
Despite already rejected a £25million offer earlier, City could be given a huge boost after sources claim that he could cost them only £6million to make the move.
Pepe has lost his regular role in the side with Carlo Ancelotti opting to use young French defender Raphael Varane who is highly tipped to become one of the world’s best central defender ahead o him in the pecking order.
Eliaquim Mangala recently made his switch to the Etihad, but hasn’t quite lived up to his £30million price tag while Matija Nastasic could depart for a larger role with both Roma and Juventus currently monitoring his situation.
Manchester City Will Make Sensational Bid To Sign Lionel Messi If Barcelona Star’s Tax Issues Force Him to Leave Spain
Manchester City could be ready to make a massive bid to sign Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi if the Argentine attacker decides to leave Spain due to problems surrounding his tax fraud case, the Metro reports.
A Spanish judge has ruled that Messi and his father will face trial for charges of tax evasion after being accused of defrauding the state of over £3.1 million.
Should the case become too complicated, the 27-year-old will consider leaving his beloved Barcelona.
Both Manchester City and Paris St Germain are monitoring the situation and will make a move for the four time world player of the year if there is any indication that he is serious about leaving the Nou Camp.
Messi indicated last month that he wanted to remain at the La Liga giants for the rest of his career but the tax evasion charges have forced him to re-think his situation.
While the Sky Blues and PSG will be front runners for the forward’s signature, Chelsea may also enter the race.
Jose Mourinho had tried to lure the star to Stamford Bridge during the summer and even though he wasn’t successful, he maybe back for one of the world’s best players next summer.
Aleksandar Kolarov slams 'keyboard warriors'
Aleksandar Kolarov has hit out at a section of Serbia supporters who he says cannot wait to see the national side falter.
The White Eagles rescued a late point against Armenia last night in their opening Euro 2016 qualifier to get off the mark in Group I.
Following the game many of Serbia's players were criticised for their performance, although Kolarov has now slammed the "annoying" fanbase.
"I have been here for a while and I can say that we have never had the right kind of support," the Manchester City defender is quoted as saying by The Guardian.
"It seems people in Serbia can't wait for us to falter, so they can insult us. It's annoying, although I don't have a personal problem with it because I know who and what I am. Most of them are probably using their keyboards to vent their own frustrations."
Serbia return to action on Tuesday night when they face Albania
Napoli planning double swoop for Manchester City and Marseille players in January
Napoli are set to to be busy once again in the January transfer market as they look to add Manchester City midfielder James Milner and Marseille forward Andre Ayew to their ranks.
Rafa Benitez’s men started the season off poorly after being knocked out at the Champions League play-off stage to Athletic Club but have recovered in the past couple of weeks with three wins in a row in all competitions and as a result they now look set to bolster their squad once again.
According to Tuttomercatoweb.com, the Partenopei are set to move for the duo who are out of contract in June 2015 and could sign both as early as January if deals can be agreed with their respective clubs.
Milner has been in and out for the City team since joining from Aston Villa in 2010 and can play in a variety of positions across the midfield.
Andre Ayew is a winger/second striker and son of three-time winner of Africa Footballer of the Year Abedi Pele and has been capped 52 times by Ghana.
https://vine.co/v/OAEdJKi5g3z
It will be tough for Chelsea - Silva
Manchester City star David Silva has warned Chelsea they will find it tough to win the Premier League despite their five-point advantage.
Jose Mourinho's men have made a dream start to the campaign, winning six of their opening seven league games to pull clear of last season's champions City.
However, Silva feels the unpredictability of the Premier League ensures the current leaders will encounter problems at some stage.
"Chelsea have made great transfers, they have a great team, a great squad," Silva said after playing for Spain in their 4-0 win over Luxembourg in Euro 2016 qualifying on Sunday.
"But it doesn't mean things are going to be easy, especially in England."
One of Chelsea's close-season signings, Diego Costa, finally ended his goalscoring drought at international level with a goal in Spain's win.
Silva said the Brazil-born striker, who has enjoyed immediate success in the Premier League, had simply been unlucky in previous outings for Spain.
"He wanted to score but he was unlucky. He has scored today and we hope that he can keep the goals coming," Silva said.
City return to Premier League action with a clash against Tottenham on Saturday.
Man City Set For £40M Deal
It was a summer full of records. Manchester United broke the British record for the most expensive footballer when Angel Di Maria left Real Madrid for a staggering £63 million fee. Earlier in the summer, the Red Devils broke the record again when they signed Adidas as their new kit manufacturer starting from 2015/16 for a world record £75 million per season. And another record which went under the radar during the end of the last campaign was the total income for Premier League clubs through shirt sponsorship reaching a high of £191 million for the forthcoming season.
According to Deloitte’s 2014 findings of the 10 biggest clubs commercially in world football, 6 of those were sponsored specifically by airlines, with those big clubs including: Real Madrid, Arsenal, Barcelona, Manchester City, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, of which 4 are sponsored by Fly Emirates.
Meanwhile, Manchester City are getting their funding from Etihad Airways and Barcelona gain their money from Qatar Airways having had a previous relationship with the Qatar Foundation. As well as this, if reports are true, Chelsea could be set to be the 7th of the ‘big 10 clubs’ to follow suit, with Turkish Airlines being set up to takeover from Samsung when the current deal ends in May.
The exposure which is granted within football sponsorship is vast, and with a relatively untapped market of potential football fans across America, Africa and Asia, there is huge commercial avenues for companies to explore, especially for the likes of international airlines to promote their product with the potential of huge returns.
This is echoed further by Etihad airways not only sponsoring the current Premier League Champions, but also sponsoring Melbourne City Football Club and the MLS, leading the way for huge exposure which could maximise their brand awareness in three different continents. But how did football sponsorship blossom in such a way that the likes of Qatar Airways, a nation who is not known for having passionate football fans, sign to become Barcelona’s first corporate sponsor back in 2011.
According to Dan Jones from Deloitte, airlines and other big companies see football as the ideal way for sponsorship due to its transnational state. Jones states,
As European economies struggle with recessionary pressures, which may make securing sponsorship and investment challenging domestically, there is an appetite from both European clubs and Middle Eastern companies alike to forge new partnerships.”
This partnership is further illuminated by Manchester City who are set to enter a £40 million a year deal with Etihad Airways who will continue to sponsor the City of Manchester Stadium for the next ten years, with Manuel Pellegrini’s men expected to raise even more funds to fight against Financial Fair Play by finding a sponsor for their new state-of-the-art training centre which just opened, potentially doubling their current sponsorship figure.
It is argued that Fly Emirates, having bought Paris-Saint Germain most recently, are trying to build Dubai up as a centre for sports branding, with potential returns in the future proving to make this heavy spend a worthwhile investment, and why would it not be?
With Qatar winning the World Cup and Fly Emirates expanding their sponsorship portfolio, combining with Manchester City owner, Sheikh Mansour also creating clubs in Australia’s A-League and creating a franchise in New York for the MLS, the global exposure which can be expected makes this huge outlay of cash to not be as financially naïve which we might have thought it could be. In a realistic sense, shirt sponsors bare no relation to the fans.
Whilst the shirt might resemble an identity for many to associate with, the logo underneath rarely even appeals to the domestic audience.
Let’s take QPR for example; a club sponsored by AirAsia, a company who don’t even fly within Europe. Commercialisation in the Premier League, as well as being the most watched domestic football league in the world comes with this baggage of unfamiliarity which is set to be scrutinised even further with suggestions that Premier League games could be played abroad.
Where can we expect football sponsorship to head in the future? Well with countries such as Azerbaijan sponsoring Atletico Madrid, and the Qatar Tourist Board backing PSG in a four year deal estimated to cost around $200 million, there is no doubt that other similar countries could follow this pattern and match investments such as this.
One Direction heart-throb Louis Tomlinson dines out with ex-Man City star Paul Dickov in Alderley Edge
The football-mad pop hunk headed to dinner with manager of his beloved hometown team Doncaster Rovers
His plans to buy his beloved Doncaster Rovers fell through, but One Direction star Louis Tomlinson is keeping in touch with team matters after dining out in Alderley Edge with football manager Paul Dickov.
Louis was spied out in the Cheshire village after a meal at the Grill on the Edge with former Manchester City player Paul on Friday night.
The One Direction heart-throb was left “absolutely gutted” when his plans to take over his hometown club Doncaster Rovers in the summer fell through.
He said at the time: “My passion for Doncaster Rovers remains as strong as ever, and I hope that I can still be involved with the club moving forward.
"And to all the Doncaster Rovers fans, I will do all in my power to help the club succeed. I really do love the club.”
Talented footballer Louis, 22, also played for the Rovers last season, but global chart domination with One Direction has kept him rather busy off the football field in recent months.
He and his bandmates have just released new single Steal My Girl, while their second movie Where We Are, backstage on their world tour, hit cinema screens at the weekend.
Louis wore a casual ensemble of white t-shirt, jeans and bright blue trainers as he headed out in Alderley Edge with League One manager Paul and another club official.
Despite the proximity to his bandmate Harry Styles’ hometown of Holmes Chapel, there was sadly no sign of heart-throb Harry heading out to join Louis on his Alderley night out.
Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea, 23, is wanted by Real Madrid as the replacement for captain and Bernabeu icon Iker Casillas, 33. (Daily Mirror)
Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil, 25, wants to leave Arsenal in January - with the club willing to sell him to Bayern Munich for £30m. (DSSC)
Midfielder Juan Mata's days at Manchester United could be numbered with manager Louis van Gaal looking to use the Spaniard as part of a deal to sign Arturo Vidal, 27, from Juventus. (Daily Star)
Tottenham are watching Toulouse's prolific £5m-rated goalscorer Wissam Ben Yedder, 24, with new boss Mauricio Pochettino underwhelmed by Roberto Soldado, 29, and Emmanuel Adebayor, 30. (Daily Mirror)
Newcastle will be offered the chance to re-sign England striker Andy Carroll, 25, in January for as little as £6m after an injury-hit spell at West Ham. (Newcastle Chronicle)
Liverpool are considering a move for Benfica's 20-year-old Portuguese midfielder Fabio Sturgeon - who is eligible to play for England, where his father was born. (Daily Mirror)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants to keep striker Lukas Podolski, 29, amid reports that he is ready to leave. (Daily Express)
Newcastle winger Shane Ferguson, 23, wants a loan move after failing to get any games at St James' Park this season. (Shields Gazette)
Goalkeeper Joe Hart was voted man of the match on an online poll for the second game running - despite barely touching the ball in England's 1-0 win in Estonia. (DSSC)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has apologised for his part in last weekend's touchline confrontation with Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho - but insists he was provoked. (Guardian)
Mourinho says he has rejected two offers to take charge at Paris St-Germain - and that he was first choice for the job before Carlo Ancelotti's appointment in December 2011. (Sun)
Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois has defended the club's treatment of his head injury during their 2-0 win over Arsenal - insisting he was not knocked unconscious. (Daily Telegraph)
West Brom forward Saido Berahino, 21, says England's under-21 players are prepared for the possibility of racial intimidation when they play their European Championship qualifying play-off second leg in Croatia on Tuesday. (Independent)
Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale, 25, will battle through the pain of a back problem to help Wales in their Euro 2016 qualifier against Cyprus on Monday. (Guardian)
Liverpool will consider selling the naming rights to their main stand at Anfield in order to pay for its £75m expansion. (Liverpool Echo)
Huddersfield boss Chris Powell says he supports the idea of bringing more black coaches and managers into English football by introducing an equivalent to NFL's Rooney Rule. (TalkSHIT)
West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace wants rules in place to prevent young Premier League players from frittering away their million-pound pay packets . (DSSC)
Former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini says the Premier League champions are still relying on the players he bought before he was sacked in 2013. (Four Four Two)
Billy McKinlay has admitted to feeling disillusioned over his treatment at Watford - where he was replaced as boss by Slavisa Jokanovic after just eight days in the role. (Sky Sports understands)
Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul, 26, is battling to be fit to face Leicester next Saturday, while his club face an anxious wait on their other internationals. (Northern Echo)
AC Milan midfielder Michael Essien has responded to a hoax claiming that he had contracted the Ebola virus. He tweeted: "No truth in internet rumours that I have contracted Ebola. I'm very well... & will be training as usual tomorrow. #falsenews"
Former England captain Rio Ferdinand tweeted his thoughts on Sunday's 1-0 win in Estonia: "Away games for England were always tough....until you got the 1st goal, then the game opened up and everyone would relax more & tension lifts."
"Me showing world number 1 how to hit a double top" - Millwall captain Alan Dunne
But England's goalscorer Wayne Rooney is "average" and "past his best" according to former Nottingham Forest striker Nigel Jemson, who tweeted: "Showed in the World Cup he's not top class and his place is under threat. Good Premiership player at times but not world class #pasthisbest"
Millwall captain Alan Dunne made the most of a trip home to Dublin by getting in some darts practice with world number one Michael van Gerwen at the World Grand Prix.
Derby captain Shaun Barker said he's not about to retire despite being out for almost two and a half years with a knee injury, tweeting: "Just to clarify, I'm not 'looking to call time' on my injury. As tough as it's been at times, I've never considered giving up!"
Liverpool defender Jose Enrique kept his Twitter followers updated on his holiday in Dubai by posting a picture of his trip to an aquarium with girlfriend Amy Jaine.
One Direction star Louis Tomlinson's unsuccessful bid to buy Doncaster Rovers hasn't dampened his enthusiasm for the club - as he showed by going out to dinner with manager Paul Dickov. (Manchester Evening News)
A plea to fund a film about the life of former West Brom, Real Madrid and England winger Laurie Cunningham has soared past its £1.4m target by £250,000. (Birmingham Mail)
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