EMACITY
noun
Desire or fondness for buying
"No club shows more emacity than Man City."
BOLLOX ROUND-UP
Manchester City’s stunning comeback win over Burnley in the FA Cup has left the media purring once again – and there’s a new name in the frame for a January switch to the Etihad Stadium.
Let’s start with Saturday’s third-round victory. ESPN’s Jonathan Smith has praised the character City showed in coming from behind to beat Burnley 4-1 and says it’s another significant step towards a possible quadruple.
“Pep Guardiola insists talk of a quadruple is "not realistic" but Manchester City aren't going to give up on winning one of the four trophies without a fight,” he writes. “Not if the 4-1 FA Cup victory over Burnley is anything to go by.
“Trailing 1-0 at half-time to Sean Dyche's gritty and stubborn side that has conceded on average less than a goal a game in the Premier League, a showpiece FA Cup final next May seemed like the "illusion" Guardiola had described.
“But Guardiola's players simply cranked up the style and blew away the Clarets with an emphatic second-half performance. Sergio Aguero, who had ineffectively ambled through the first half, scored twice in 94 seconds; Leroy Sane added a sumptuous third and set up the fourth for Bernardo Silva, and with that Burnley's resilience was cracked.”
Goal’s Peter Staunton believes Guardiola’s transformation of City could well turn out to be his finest achievement so far.
Guardiola achieved huge success at Barcelona and Bayern Munich before taking over at the Etihad – but Staunton says the job he is doing here in England is perhaps even more significant.
“This was not a one-team league but he’s making it look like one - despite the presence of some of the world’s most talented coaches and some of the world’s richest clubs alongside him,” he writes.
“His football is so progressive and dominant and suffocating and the outcome of the season such a foregone conclusion that the most recent point of criticism has been the source of City’s money. Mourinho even had a pop at his yellow ribbon. For anything happening on the pitch, no one can lay a glove on him.
“This is a man who leaves an indelible stain wherever he goes. In 2010 Spain won the World Cup with six of Pep’s title-winning Barcelona players in their starting lineup for the final. One of his players got the winner. In 2014 Germany won the World Cup with six of Pep’s title-winning Bayern Munich players in their starting lineup for the final. One of his players got the winner.
“He is transforming the landscape wherever he lands.
“Come to England, we’ll see how good you are. They dared him and now they know.”
And, finally, the Sun’s Alan Nixon believes Leicester’s Harry Maguire has emerged as a City transfer target.
The centre-back only joined the Foxes from Hull City in the summer but Nixon believes he has played his way onto Pep's wishlist and would jump at the chance of joining City.
“Harry Maguire has played his way on to Pep Guardiola’s wanted list at Manchester City,” Nixon writes.
“Leicester’s classy centre-half could be on his way to the Etihad in this month’s window after emerging as a new option in City’s chase for another defender.
“Guardiola has been impressed by Maguire’s displays since joining from Hull for £17million in the summer and could offer around £50m for him.
“City’s chief even gave the England defender, 24, a hug in admiration after the Carabao Cup quarter-final last month, which Manchester City won 4-3 on penalties.
“Guardiola has been linked with West Brom skipper Jonny Evans, Real Sociedad’s Inigo Martinez and Lyon star Mouctar Diakhaby.
“He ideally wants a centre-half who is eligible to play in the Champions League, with City facing Basel in the last 16 next month.
“The Foxes will fight to keep him, but Maguire would jump at the chance of a move to the big time after his remarkable rise for club and country.”
That’s all for today’s media roundup but stay with us throughout the day here on mancity.com as we continue the reaction to Saturday’s FA Cup win.
Manchester City set to offer £25m for Alexis Sanchez in dramatic u-turn that'll put Inigo Martinez move on ice
Manchester City are set to perform a dramatic U-turn over Alexis Sanchez with a £25million bid that will force them to put the brakes on their efforts to land Real Sociedad defender Inigo Martinez.
City boss Pep Guardiola saw City's quest for the Quadruple gather more momentum yesterday with a 4-1 FA Cup victory over Burnley at the Etihad.
And that is set spark to an opening gambit for Arsenal for Chilean contract rebel Sanchez as City look to bolster an attack that has been weakened by a knee injury to striker Gabriel Jesus.
However, a successful move for the 29-year-old would see them ditch their plan to trigger the £28.5million buy-out clause in Martinez's contract at Sociedad due to Champions League regulations.
Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez can have Manchester City transfer in this window IF Leicester sell Riyad Mahrez to Gunners
Both Sanchez and Martinez have played in the Europa League this season.
And while clubs through to the last 16 of the Champions League are allowed to make three changes to the 25-man squads submitted to UEFA in September – they can only add one player who has appeared in the Europa League.
Guardiola has decided that his need to bring in a forward is more pressing following the news that Jesus will be sidelined for up to two months with ligament damage.
The Premier League leaders will now revisit their attempt to sign Sanchez as they strengthen their hand for an unprecedented tilt at the title, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Sunday Mirror Sport revealed in October that the Blues were ready to wait until the summer to recruit the former Barcelona star for free after Arsenal pulled out of a £60million deadline day deal in the summer because they could not bring in a replacement.
Guardiola's preference was to recruit a new centre-back to bolster a defence hit by injuries to Vincent Kompany, John Stones and Benjamin Mendy in the first months of the campaign.
A summer bid to land West Brom's Jonny Evans was ditched when City failed to offload Eliaquim Mangala.
And with the Baggies still demanding £30million for the Irishman, a move for 26-year-old Spanish international Martinez was regarded as better value.
But that plan hinged on both Jesus and injury-prone Sergio Aguero staying healthy.
And when the Brazilian limped off in tears at Crystal Palace last weekend, Guardiola's wish-list was rearranged.
City will now look to Arsenal to leave Sanchez out of Sunday's FA Cup clash at Nottingham Forest.
Manchester City and Girona consider collaborative deal for Spain under-21 goalkeeper
Manchester City could sign recent Spain under-21 international goalkeeper Pau López next summer in an effort to improve partner club Girona FC ahead of the 2018/19 season.
According to AS in Spain, the Catalan club have registered an interest in the Espanyol shot-stopper, who spent the 2016/17 season on loan at Tottenham in England, but face competition for his signature.
Real Betis are also keen to snap up the 23-year-old, but Girona have an ace up their sleeve: Manchester City. With the financial power of the English club, they could carry the weight of the operation by signing López, then immediately loaning him to Girona.
Similar deals were done with Douglas Luiz and Larry Kayode, two Manchester City-owned players who were immediately sent to Girona for the season.
The club’s sporting director Quique Cárcel was contacted by AS and is aware that signing Pau López, a very highly-rated goalkeeper who is out of contract in June, won’t be easy.
“It isn’t a decision that belongs to me. But Pau is a very good goalkeeper who is finishing his contract and has a lot of value.”
RANDOM ARCHIVE BOLLOX
RE: Figo vs Beckham
by MARKMAKAVELI » Wed Jun 21, 2006 4:16 pm
i havent seen enough of figo to comment really but whilst Beckham may be past his best he can still hit crosses like nobody else in the world and his free kicks are up there with the best of them.
He will never completely lose that gift whilst he plays, he may lose pace (that he never really had) and some power in his shots but i'd bet that if beckham still had the desire and was playin at 40 he would still be knocking freekicks in etc. Sayin that I think he'll quit after real, he doesnt seem the type to play just for the love of football whether thats media intrusion or not i dont know, just a hunch.
how old is figo now? (we'd never get him by the way lol)
Man City legend Mario Balotelli mocks brother with help from Neymar, Paul Pogba and Raheem Sterling
Manchester City legend Mario Balotelli asked some of the biggest names in football to help him out.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdiFfidAGPO/
Manchester City legend Mario Balotelli just took sibling rivalry to a whole new level.
The Italian striker called upon some of the biggest names in world football as he mocked his brother with a message on social media.
Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar, Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba and Blues leading scorer Raheem Sterling joined in the fun to mock Mario's brother, Enock.
But what did he do wrong?
As is customary in the world of online video games, you are expected to write an apology on social media if you're beaten convincingly on Fifa 18.
However after Mario thrashed his brother on Fifa, an argument ensued as the younger sibling refused to acknowledge his hefty defeat.
Mario's response was to take matters into his own hands, and he called upon some of the biggest stars in the game for support.
Neymar joined in with the joke sending a video message in which he says, "Enock, I'm not with you, I am with Mario!"
Italian World Cup winner Marco Materazzi told Enock to "Stop playing PlayStation. You are very bad."
Pogba and Sterling both got in on the act too as they added Instagram stories in which they sided with Mario.
Perhaps Enock will think twice before he challenges his older brother to a quick match next time.
HARRY MAGUIRE has played his way on to Pep Guardiola’s wanted list at Manchester City.
Leicester’s classy centre-half could be on his way to the Etihad in this month’s window after emerging as a new option in City’s chase for another defender.
Guardiola has been impressed by Maguire’s displays since joining from Hull for £17million in the summer and could offer around £50m for him.
City’s cheif even gave the England defender, 24, a hug in admiration after the Carabao Cup quarter-final last month, which Manchester City won 4-3 on penalties.
Guardiola has been linked with West Brom skipper Jonny Evans, Real Sociedad’s Inigo Martinez and Lyon star Mouctar Diakhaby.
He ideally wants a centre-half who is eligible to play in the Champions League, with City facing Basel in the last 16 next month.
The defender has been impressive for Leicester after joining them from Hull last summer
Reuter
The defender has been impressive for Leicester after joining them from Hull last summer
The Foxes will fight to keep him, but Maguire would jump at the chance of a move to the big time after his remarkable rise for club and country.
City are currently pricing up their targets. They bid £24m for Evans, 30, in the summer but will have to go higher.
David Silva to return to Spain
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that David Silva will return to Spain this evening to help tend to his premature son.
Silva revealed earlier this week that his recent absence from the Man City first team was down to concerns over his newborn child's health after he arrived prematurely and is now fighting for his life.
The Spaniard flew back to England to start Tuesday's match against Watford and this afternoon's FA Cup third round victory over Burnley, but he will now return to his home country once again.
Guardiola has stressed that Silva has been granted permission to miss as many games as he needs while dealing with the situation, and he is now a major doubt for Tuesday night's EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Bristol City.
Silva has scored five goals and laid on eight more in his 19 Premier League appearances so far this season.
GOLDEN BOLLOX 7-1-2010
UWAFFER BOLLOX
Manchester City and Chelsea face being excluded from the Champions League unless they can work the huge losses both have announced over the past seven days down to break-even levels within four seasons. Uefa is working up formal regulations that will entrench Michel Platini's plan to ensure that clubs operate without making significant long-term losses. "If a club gets a lot of money or subsidies from a big backer and is still in deficit in two years then it is a problem and we don't want that," Platini said in August.
Two days after those comments, the European Club Association (ECA) approved Platini's proposals and Uefa privately confirmed yesterday that it is adding the "financial fair play" rules to its statutes in time for the 2013-14 season. The delay in the implementation was yesterday described as an effort to provide clubs a "soft landing", but Uefa firmly envisages that clubs who fail to meet the regulations will be prevented from taking part in its competitions.
Since the biggest clubs generate interest and revenue for the Champions League, the suspension of those such as Chelsea and City would be a test of resolve. But Uefa has been emboldened by the broad ECA support, and insiders at Uefa are bullish.
"There needs to be a business model for breaking even within three and a half years," a source said. "The deadline is what it is and we will stick to it; we have tremendous support from the clubs."
Between them City and Chelsea have declared losses in the year to June 2009 of more than £130m. Chelsea's chief executive, Ron Gourlay, has abandoned a specific target date for break-even, reassessing it as an aspiration.
City playing catch-up
Profits, and so a sustainable place in the Champions League, seem a long way off for Manchester City, even though – as revealed in this column last July – Sheikh Mansour's £305m of loans have been converted into equity.
Turning Chelsea into regular title challengers has cost Roman Abramovich £500m in cumulative losses. City have not shrunk from that target, spending £117.5m on transfer fees last summer and an estimated £30m a year in wages for Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez, Kolo Touré, Roque Santa Cruz and Joleon Lescott. But, crucially, Sheikh Mansour's club start from a weaker base.
When Abramovich bought Chelsea they were already in the Champions League and had a turnover of £153.6m, £66m – or 73% – more than City have. And City's prospects for raising extra revenues from ticket sales do not look great. Their attendances have risen more than 3,000 from their season average to 46,000, but, right up until its postponement, there were about 400 seats available on general sale for the Carling Cup semi-final against Manchester United: City's first last-four place since the 1981 FA Cup.
Legend in his own head Bollox
CHELSEA are bracing themselves for another big financial hit next week when a compensation fee for their signing of Daniel Sturridge from Manchester City will finally be settled.
London club Chelsea could end up forking out £8million for 20-year-old striker Sturridge, who was Carlo Ancelotti’s first signing after taking over as manager last summer.
Although the player was out of contract, having rejected an offer of a new deal worth £45,000 a week, City are entitled to claim “development costs” for a player who came through their academy.
And given Sturridge’s potential, City’s valuation is understood to be around £8m – four times more than the figure Chelsea are prepared to offer.
Six months after the transfer went through, the two clubs have still failed to reach an amicable agreement and will now put their cases to a FA-Premier League tribunal next Thursday.
But the delay in sorting out the wrangle appears to have worked in City’s favour. Sturridge, who became Britain’s best-paid teenage footballer when he signed a four-year deal worth £75,000 a week at Chelsea when he was still 19, has recently broken into Ancelotti’s first team.
He scored his first two senior goals for the club in the 5-0 FA Cup thrashing of Watford, and Ancelotti believes he is good enough to help ease the loss of Didier Drogba, who could be away for up to a month on international duty with the Ivory Coast at the African Nations Cup.
City will point to Sturridge’s breakthrough at Chelsea as well as his potential to complete the full set of England honours – he has represented his country at every level up to Under-21 and is tipped to play for the senior team in the next couple of seasons. They regard Sturridge in the same bracket as Theo Walcott, who joined Arsenal from Southampton four years ago for a down payment of £5m rising to £12.5m.
And they will also point to the £6m fee Manchester United collected for striker Fraizer Campbell – a player of similar age and potential to Sturridge – when he moved to Sunderland in the summer.
Chelsea could be ordered to pay £5m immediately with another £3m based on appearances, honours won and senior international caps. Ironically, City had to pay compensation themselves after they “poached” him from Coventry’s academy when Birmingham-born Sturridge was only 13, although the figures were considerably lower than what they are now expecting.
An initial payment to Coventry of £30,000 was followed by a further payments up to £200,000 as Sturridge came through the ranks at City.
In 2007-08 he became the first player to score in the FA Youth Cup, Premier League and FA Cup in the same season. In fact, he helped City beat Chelsea to win the Youth Cup that season, scoring in the 1-1 first leg draw at Stamford Bridge.
Along with several other top clubs, Chelsea director of football Frank Arnesen had been monitoring Sturridge for years. Arnesen landed the player last summer after then City manager Mark Hughes had made repeated attempts to persuade him to sign a new contract throughout last season.
Sturridge’s father Michael played for Birmingham and his uncles, Dean and Simon, were also both professionals – Dean with Derby and Wolves and Simon for Birmingham.
He ended up making 12 first-team starts for City, plus 20 as a substitute, scoring six goals.Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is well used to compensation pay-outs. He has given around £40m to the four managers he has sacked – Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari. And he had to pay Leeds £5m in 2006 after Chelsea were accused of poaching two youngsters from them. While many Premier League clubs are counting the pennies, the Blues will be forced to splash the cash... ‘City are claiming development costs’
24-year-old Brazil international midfielder issues come-and-get-me plea to Manchester City
Shakhtar Donetsk and Brazil international Fred has responded positively to reports that he is one of the names being considered by Pep Guardiola to reinforce the Manchester City midfielder next season.
The 24-year-old midfielder, who has been capped six times by the Seleção, was interviewed during a charity game in Brazil with Globo Esporte publishing some quite interesting comments.
“I’m eagerly waiting for Guardiola’s phone call to arrive,” the Ukraine-based player said. “I think I would grow a lot with him. I can still grow [as a player].
“England is the best league in the world, I’ve always had the dream of playing there. It could suit me well. It would be important to play in England with one of the great coaches. It’s a dream I have.”
Fred featured twice against City for Shakhtar in this year’s Champions League group stage and appeared to catch the eye of Pep, leading to the Premier League leaders considering him to replace Yaya Touré and, ultimately, Fernandinho.
Fernandinho, now 32, was signed from Shakhtar, a club with a traditional of locating and developing excellent Brazilian players.
WAG OF THE DAY
OTHER BOLLOX
Liverpool are set to sign Riyad Mahrez with the 26-year-old Leicester City and Algeria forward expected to have a medical on Sunday. (Bein Sports)
The Reds are prepared to move quickly to fill the void left by Philippe Coutinho's departure, with Monaco's 22-year-old winger Thomas Lemar top of their wanted list. (Liverpool Echo)
Manchester United are set to step up their attempt to bring Gareth Bale, 28, from Real Madrid to Old Trafford before the end of the transfer window. (Sunday Express)
Arsenal are close to agreeing a £25m deal for West Brom and Northern Ireland centre-back Jonny Evans, 30. (Sun on Sunday)
Manager Mauricio Pellegrino says Southampton hope to re-sign Arsenal and England winger Theo Walcott, 28. (ESPN)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger could cut short his latest contract and move into the boardroom in the summer - and the 68-year-old Frenchman wants Gunners coach Mikel Arteta as his replacement. (Sunday Mirror)
Derby manager Gary Rowett, 43, and Republic of Ireland boss Martin O'Neill, 65, head Stoke's list to replace Mark Hughes. (Stoke Sentinel)
Bayern Munich boss Jupp Heynckes has ruled out selling 30-year-old midfielder Arturo Vidal to Chelsea in the January transfer window. (Mail on Sunday)
Jese Rodriguez, 24, is close to signing for his hometown club of Las Palmas. The Spanish forward is currently on loan at Stoke from Paris St-Germain. (AS - in Spanish)
Juventus chief executive Giuseppe Marotta says the Italian champions have no intention of parting company with 24-year-old Argentine forward Paulo Dybala. (Football Italia)
Manchester United will not face any competition from Chelsea for 26-year-old Alex Sandro should they make a move for the Juventus defender. (Calciomercato.com, via Manchester Evening News)
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe expects 29-year-old striker Lewis Grabban to depart during the transfer window. (Bournemouth Echo)
Bolton want £4m for 18-year-old keeper Jake Turner despite him not starting a first-team game. (Sun on Sunday)
Plymouth Argyle midfielder Toumani Diagouraga, 30, is set to sign for League One rivals Fleetwood Town. (Plymouth Herald)
Leeds United head coach Thomas Christiansen says the Whites have enough firepower in attack and he is "satisfied" with what he has during this transfer window. (Yorkshire Evening Post)
Fleetwood Town goalkeeper Chris Neal earned himself a year's supply of pizza after keeping a clean sheet against Leicester in the FA Cup. (BBC Sport)
Eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt, 31, says he has held talks with former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson about the prospect of playing for the Old Trafford club. (Sunday Express)
Former Germany, Arsenal and Bayern Munich star Lukas Podolski has unveiled his new project - a kebab restaurant in his home city of Cologne. (Mail on Sunday)
Newcastle are keen to offer 30-year-old Manchester City and England goalkeeper Joe Hart, who is on a season-long loan deal at West Ham, first-team football at St James' Park. (Daily Mirror)
City rivals Inter Milan and AC Milan are both interested in Tottenham and Belgium midfielder Mousa Dembele, 30. (Sky Sports)
Hectic Premier League schedule is killing a few managers as well as players
Never mind what TS Eliot had to say about April, there can be little doubt that December is “the cruellest month” for Premier League footballers. This was especially true of the one just seen, which managed to cram seven full rounds of fixtures into its page on the calendar. If the New Year’s Day activity is included, which it probably should be as it marks the end of frantic festive programming before the much needed intermission for the FA Cup, the true figure is eight games played within just over four weeks.
That is a lot and it is no wonder managers from Pep Guardiola to Alan Pardew have been complaining about unnecessary and sometimes unfair strain on sinews and squads.
Most of the rest of football thinks it is a good idea to take a short break at this time of year, or at least thin out the fixtures a little to allow players to regain breath for the second half of the campaign. England has never been in favour of such slacking. For a variety of reasons to do with tradition, commercialism and misplaced machismo, it prefers to slog it out through the wind and the rain, perhaps believing that building an element of the Grand National into an otherwise slick and streamlined product somehow keeps it real and linked to a more rugged past.
Most years the Premier League just about gets away with it, although there has long been a suspicion its players pay the price in summer tournaments. Occasionally the calendar invites abuse and is duly abused. Eight games represents over a fifth of the league season.
A marathon that begins in August and ends 10 months later in May has just managed to bulge in the middle to the extent that 21% of the action has taken place while the nation was being distracted by holidays and hangovers.
While in normal seasons this could be regarded as fun, with the Christmas shake-up sorting out some of the early runners from the potential stayers, this time it seems a bit pointless if the only challenge to Manchester City is going to come from avoidable muscle strains or desperate attempts to stop their leading performers. “The schedule is killing the players,” Guardiola said, diplomatically as well as reasonably. “These are the artists we come to watch and they need time to recover.”
The schedule seems to be killing a few managers, too, or perhaps more accurately pointing up failings that already existed. West Bromwich Albion have not won a league match since August and, with only 16 goals to their name, they can only expect to be where they are in the table. Yet it was still impossible not to feel sympathy for Pardew when Andy Carroll rifled that last-minute winner for West Ham.
Pardew is up against it and he knows it. There has been no detectable improvement in fortune since he succeeded Tony Pulis, though he rightly complained about being asked to play for a second time in 48 hours against relegation rivals who had had a week’s rest. Hectic bordering on stupid fixture programming can be accepted with a shrug, even by foreign coaches and players who are not used to it, if it is the same for everyone. If it is not, and it has not always been in the past month, there are questions to answer.
Guardiola and City were the clear winners of the eight-game glut, with seven wins, 20 goals and a 15-point lead at the top of the table, even if their winning run ended at 18 at Crystal Palace. Roy Hodgson did his recovering reputation no harm with 13 points from the same period to propel Palace out of the relegation places, while Liverpool scored more goals than anyone and were the only team other than City to go through unbeaten.
José Mourinho, as is his wont, gained more attention for press-conference posturing than results gained on the pitch, though behind all the bluster Manchester United were impressive in places, notably when winning in some style at Arsenal and Everton. They could not beat City, though, and neither could Tottenham. Chelsea’s next attempt comes early in March.
Losers over the festive period included the Watford manager, Marco Silva, who in the space of just over a month has gone from being headhunted by bigger clubs to fearing for his job. Oddly Silva’s slide began on the very night in November that Sam Allardyce took a seat in the stand to watch David Unsworth’s final Everton selection beat West Ham 4-0. Watford went down 4-2 at home to Manchester United, and in the eight games since have managed to pick up a mere four points.
Allardyce himself, initially smug at being invited to take over a going concern, is now alarming supporters with his unnecessarily barren brand of football. Arguably Allardyce’s best club opportunity has come along late in his career but it will be another short stay unless he can prove more flexible.
The last month has also included Arsène Wenger protesting far too much over some routine penalty decisions, Álvaro Morata proving a nervy finisher, Swansea losing their way to the extent of turning to their fourth manager in two years and David Moyes rehabilitating himself in a role that could easily have proved his last in top-flight football.
The new year prize for telling it like it is went to Mark “who else are you going to get?” Hughes, whose Stoke career was hanging by a thread that was cut by Coventry’s victory on Saturday. It seemed a fair question. One might get a Pardew, who already seems to be taking too long to exert an influence, or possibly a Hodgson or a Moyes, who even in unpromising circumstances can produce uplift.
No one is safe yet and no one is down either, though the pressure at the bottom comes from all three promoted clubs averaging a point a game or better to give themselves a reasonable chance of staying up. They all survived December at any rate and this season that was no mean feat.
GOLDEN BOLLOX on 7-1-2014
Aston Villa offer stunning fee for Man City outcast
31-year old Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott has attracted interest from fellow Premier League sides Aston Villa and West Ham, reports TalkSHIT. The former Everton defender has gone out of favour with City manager Manuel Pellegrini, who prefers the likes of Vincent Kompany, Matija Nastasic and Martin Demichelis at the heart of his defence.
Lescott has just 6 months remaining on his contract with the Citizens and with the cash-rich club not willing to offer the England international a new contract at the Etihad, Aston Villa are looking to step in and seal a permanent deal for the defender.
City, who are also willing to offload the defender, are being asked to pay a part of Lescott’s hefty wages until the end of the summer though, in order to ease the financial burden on the Villans.
Aston Villa believe that Lescott still has quite a bit left in him to offer, while the defender is open to a move away from the Etihad in a bid to force his way back into the England team for the 2014 World Cup.
Lescott moved to City from Everton in 2009 for a hefty price of 27 million Euros and had been one of the main defenders at the Etihad for 4 seasons before this summer
Villa are reportedly ready to offer as much as 6 million pounds to land the player, an extravagant sum considering his contract situation at the club.
New Zealand midfielder Betsy Hassett signs for FAWSL side Manchester City
Manchester City have strengthened their squad further ahead of their first season in the FA Women's Super League by announcing the capture of New Zealand international Betsy Hassett.
The central midfielder joins City on a one-year contract, having previously plied her trade in America and Germany.
The 23-year-old, who has scored six goals in over 50 competitive appearances for New Zealand, revealed she cannot wait to get her career in England started with the FAWSL debutants.
"I'm a bit nervous about the move but extremely excited," she said. "It's the perfect opportunity for me to start somewhere new and create myself into the person and player I want to become.
"I'm really impressed with the club and its program. I like the idea of being part of a side that's entering the FA WSL for the first time.
"This way, we can start from scratch with a new style and I can play to my strengths rather than trying to adapt to an already existing and established environment.
"Women's football in England is getting stronger and stronger and I think more and more women will want to come and play here.
"The FA WSL offers players the chance to grow both on and off the field and this will keep pushing the league's competition level higher and higher."
The Kiwi is the latest high-profile recruit by City and will join England quartet Jill Scott, Karen Bardsley, Toni Duggan and Steph Houghton at the Etihad next season.
Hassett began playing football as a toddler in her hometown of Auckland before captaining her college team to a third-place finish at the National Schools Tournament.
She later played for the California Bears after moving to America on a scholarship at the University of Berkeley.
The midfielder represented New Zealand at the 2011 Women's World Cup as well as the 2012 Olympics. In London she was part of a squad that became the country's first to reach the second round of a major FIFA tournament.
City manager Nick Cushing is thrilled with the latest addition to the club's already-impressive side.
"We are delighted to have Betsy for next season," he said. "Her excellent domestic and international record adds the necessary experience and mentality that we are looking for.
"We look forward to her joining the rest of the squad for pre-season."
James Milner-England’s Most Under-Valued Player
The culture of English football does not see the value in Milner, that is a shame
At this present time English football can be seen to be in a pretty decent place. It appears that a new generation of young players are starting to rise and show their burgeoning quality and with qualification for the World Cup secured we can enter 2014 with something akin to optimism. However there is a case to say that we have a real gem of a player who is not being valued highly enough for his worth to England and the Premier League.
Right now we are seeing the growing talents of players like Ross Barkley, Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck as well as Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw and James Ward-Prowse at Southampton. Wayne Rooney appears a newly revitalised man and we have also seen Daniel Sturridge shine throughout 2013.
Last season Michael Carrick was lauded as the best English player in the Premier League, finally achieving recognition for this talents and contribution. Yet there is a player who has arguably been one of the most consistent Englishman for the past several years; no not Frank Lampard, Rooney or Gerrard but James Milner. Yes that is right, the ‘work horse’, ‘Mr Versatility’ James Milner.
This blog previously wrote an article discussing why Michael Carrick was England’s most under-valued player, since then he has grown in value by the media and fans (correlation between that article and resulting appreciation?), which means he cannot really be regarded as under-valued anymore. Therefore James Milner takes this award. That is not meant as patronising or condescending, quite the opposite, to put it simply Milner’s class and quality is not appreciated enough in England.
Some my scoff at this, others may laugh, yet those who have a deeper appreciation and knowledge of the game will understand why Milner is under-valued.
So much so young
Now perhaps it is because Milner started his career so young at Leeds, he was the second youngest player to play in the Premier League at 16 years old and was at one stage the youngest ever goalscorer in the Premier League also. His time at Leeds saw him play over 50 games yet because of the decline of Leeds at that time and he fact they were desperate for money meant he must leave and he was sold to Newcastle for £3.5m in 2004.
However Milner suffered at Newcastle due to a change of manager; Bobby Robson was replaced by Graeme Souness who did not value Milner as a player like Robson had and when Solano was bought from Villa Milner went the other way on a season long loan. He was reunited with David O’Leary and although he profited from the experience it was a disappointing season for the club.
Villa had changes of their own in the summer of 2006. Doug Ellis sold the club to Randy Lerner and hired Martin O’Neill to replace O’Leary. Before he left O’Leary had wanted to sign Milner on a permanent deal yet Glenn Roeder, Newcastle’s new manager stressed he wanted to keep Milner as part of his new project. O’Neill however was keen on bringing Milner to Villa and on the final day of the window in August 2006 it appeared a £4m move was all in place. However it was cancelled by Newcastle at the last-minute leaving Milner apparently distraught and in tears.
That season Milner was promised to be a starter for Newcastle and Roeder kept his word. Milner was praised for his attitude and work rate especially in training and was rewarded with a new four-year deal for his contribution. However a season later Milner would finally complete his deal to Aston Villa, this time for £12m and would join Martin O’Neill’s project.
A time of consistency and excellence
His time at Villa was where Milner really excelled and proved his quality. His time at Leeds and Newcastle had been when the clubs were in periods of difficulty and change, apparently before Villa he had played under thirteen managers and caretaker managers. For a young player it must have been difficult to find the consistency required to progress.
At Villa under O’Neill he was afforded this and thrived under it. Perhaps he was just at the right age, 22 years old to be a regular (amazing to think how long a career he had already had at such a young age) and thus the timing was perfect. It helped too that Villa were a side progressing with serious aspirations for Champions League football.
Initially Milner played on the right for Villa and did an excellent job both attacking and defending. Yet it was when he was moved centrally in his second season where he really excelled as a player. His reputation by many was that of a hard-working shuttler who possessed limited skill but plenty of ‘heart’. Those who watched him at Villa realised he was more than that, he possessed excellent technical ability, could drive with the ball, create and score goals. Centre midfield was where he was best.
And yet Villa would fail to reach the top four again and although they reached the League Cup final and FA Cup semi-final they would end the season without a trophy and that sought after Champions League.
Milner’s performances had earned him the PFA Young player of the year award and had attracted the eyes of the big sides. It was Manchester City who showed their intent to prise him way. After taking Gareth Barry the year before they now wanted Villa’s best player once again. O’Neill did not want to sell his now prized asset but a £28m plus Stephen Ireland exchange was too good for Villa’s owner. That deal effectively killed Villa’s progress and put the club in a period of decline, transition and near chaos. As for Milner, he was now playing for a side with serious ambitions and the means to achieve those aims.
Showing his class at the top
Since his move to City he has won the FA Cup and Premier League title yet in the eyes of many is still deemed a ‘squad’ player who offers the side only hard work and commitment. It appears that no matter what he does as a player there are those who fail to see his quality.
Now he may not be a prolific goalscorer and this is perhaps why he is not regarded so highly (something he does need to add to his game) however his contribution should not be regarded as being merely a hard worker.
For those who watched the game versus Bayern at the Allianz Milner was the stand out player for City and after the initial Bayern onslaught perhaps the game. He assisted, won the penalty and scored the winning goal. Yes he worked hard but there was and is more to his game than that.
Of course playing for such a rich and ambitious club makes it difficult for Milner to hold down a regular first team place, yet it is evident that he is enjoying playing under Pellegrini and evident that his coach values him highly. His ability to play in a multitude of positions effectively is great for a manager and of course this has meant different roles for Milner, something which should be commended and applauded yet which gives him the label of ‘Mr Versatile’, a term which often implies ‘jack of all trades, master of none’.
Yet this is not true for Milner and Roy Hodgson should be taking note. Milner is accomplished both left and right-wing yet his best position is centre midfield. For City he is third in line behind Toure and Fernandinho in the double pivot yet for England he must surely be regarded as the main option?
Another not suited to the culture?
You see because of this ‘Golden Generation’ issue players like Milner have not been transitioned into the squad effectively enough. The Lampard/Gerrard problem has not only restricted Carrick and Scholes but Milner too. With the new generation of youngsters coming through, especially in central areas, England no longer requires Lampard, Gerrard or even Carrick. They don’t need to because James Milner is the man who can take that mantle on and be England’s leading central midfielder.
Perhaps he was kept too long in the Under 21’s, 46 appearances is a record yet he was clearly a player who needed the opportunity to move upwards. Yet the real problem for Milner is how he is perceived.
The problem for Milner and his reputation is quite simple and is a damning indictment of English culture. James Milner is England’s most dedicated and committed professional. He doesn’t drink and by all accounts rarely goes out to clubs, he is a model professional and a person who should be admired and applauded, a role model for young players.
Instead what do the English media and fans say? That Milner is ‘boring’. Incredible. Our culture fails to appreciate a player who commits everything to his profession, who strives to improve constantly. For them this simply means he is just a ‘work-horse’. Apparently it is better to be drinking, partying, smoking and sleeping around than focusing on your job. The more headlines you grab the more your stock rises apparently.
Milner is under-valued because he does not conform to the English football culture, he actually cares about looking after himself. What a boring ‘work-horse’. If only we could appreciate a player like Milner more, a respectful, hard-working player who has earned and deserved his rise to the top of English football.
This is who should be leading our national team, he not only possesses the professionalism but the skill too. If Hodgson and the FA want a player who will represent what the future ‘DNA’ of English football is as well as a player who can lead the national team in the coming years then they would be wrong to choose anyone else but James Milner.
Perhaps this blog see’s cause to fight for the underdog or perhaps it see’s players who are not valued highly enough for their quality. Players like Carrick and Milner are great professionals who play for England’s best clubs deservedly. They have won trophies and proved capable of performing at the highest level. And yet fans and the media continue to ridicule and belittle these players contributions, it is laughable yet also concerning that too many don’t see the worth of these players.
Manchester City are profiting from their belief and trust in Milner, it is a shame England and the media cannot grasp this either. Will we see another talented player’s England career wasted because of our cultural values?
OTHER GOLDEN BOLLOX
Manchester United manager David Moyes will be given free reign in the January transfer market by the club's owners in a bid to ensure they qualify for next season's Champions League. Daily Telegraph
Moyes has given the club a list of targets that include 21-year-old Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke, Borussia Dortmund duo Marco Reus, 24, and Ilkay Gundogan, 23, Porto's Eliaquim Mangala, 22, and 18-year-old Southampton left-back Luke Shaw, but they may not be available until the summer. Daily Express
Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata is set to have talks about his Stamford Bridge future later this week - and a transfer to Atletico Madrid is still on the cards for the 25-year-old. Daily Mirror
Tottenham's record £30m signing Erik Lamela, 21, only signed for the club last summer but could be on the move with his agent speaking to Serie A sides Inter Milan and Lazio about taking the winger on loan for the rest of the season. Sun
Inter Milan have ruled out the sale of midfielder Fredy Guarin, 27, despite Premier League interest from Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham. Daily Express
Stoke and West Ham are battling to secure the signature of Olympiakos defender Claude Dielna, 26. TalkSHIT
QPR boss Harry Redknapp is the leading contender with bookmakers to take over as West Ham manager if the Upton Park club part company with current boss Sam Allardyce. Daily Express
Brentford fans are being offered free chilli before their League One game against Port Vale on Saturday - as long as they buy a pint. DSSC
