Ajax’s victory over Manchester City in the Champions League proved to everybody that the iconic Dutch side still have what it takes to compete at the very top level.
True, the Sky Blues have been out of sorts this season, but for a team put together on only a fraction of the budget used by their English opposition it was a remarkable feat.
Nowadays Ajax find it hard to keep hold of their star names, with the financial rewards in many of Europe’s top leagues tempting players to depart Amsterdam. As a result they have carved out a niche as a stepping stone club.
However, if they could have kept hold of their big-hitters they would be a truly fearsome force, able to compete with the biggest and the best teams on the planet.
This XI incorporates the best ex-Ajax players who are still playing professionally, making for a balanced and exciting team-sheet.
Click on Maarten Stekelenburg to unveil the XI
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Liverpool have ended Nuri Sahin’s loan spell with the club five months before scheduled after his poor performances.
The Reds won a fierce battle with Arsenal to sign the highly rated Real Madrid midfielder on loan in the summer, but the Turkish international has failed to live up to his reputation.
Three goals in 12 appearances is not bad for a midfielder, but his overall contribution has been limited to a bit part role and the player was promised something very different in the summer.
Sahin has now re-joined Borussia Dortmund on an 18-month loan deal, a club with whom he won the Bundesliga in 2011 as stated on Liverpool’s official site.
Contracted to Real Madrid, Sahin has never had a look in under Jose Mourinho with the likes of Luka Modric and Xabi Alonso ahead of him in the Madrid pecking order.
Liverpool are now sure to sign a midfielder this month after losing Sahin and Joe Cole in a matter of weeks and the fitness of Lucas and Steven Gerrard is always a worry.
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Emanuele Giaccherini said it best when he moved from back-to-back Serie A winners Juventus to Sunderland, that the Premier League’s allure allowed him to make the easy decision to swap Turin for the north of England. And let’s not assume that the Italian was a disposable member of Antonio Conte’s side, because he wasn’t. Where star names and match winners are a necessity for any title-winning side, those in the engine room are just as vital. Giaccherini was a jack of all trades, willing to play anywhere his manager placed him and with absolutely no fuss.
Though that doesn’t mean the Premier League holds something within its boundaries that can’t be found elsewhere on the continent. Both Chelsea are Arsenal have or are in the brink of losing out on transfer targets this summer, with Radamel Falcao joining up with the rising project at Monaco, and Gonzalo Higuain possibly walking into a very smartly built Napoli side, though I wouldn’t place 100 per cent value in what Aurelio De Laurentiis says during the summer months; the Napoli president likes all the fanfare.
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The thing about the Premier League is that it very rarely buys the biggest names in world football. For those from Europe and South America, Real Madrid and to an extent Barcelona are seen as the pinnacle of European football, though the former much more so. If you’re a youngster or even an established international in Germany, it’s more than likely you’re going to end up Bayern Munich, despite Borussia Dortmund getting one over on the Bavarians in the race for Marco Reus.
Clubs like PSG are rapidly changing the face of European football, allowing “lesser” leagues like the French Ligue 1 to quickly gain a reputation as one of the leading destinations in Europe. No longer is France surrendering the Zidanes, Makeleles and Thurams to Italy or Spain, but rather it’s using its new-found financial muscle to establish French football as a force in European competition once again.
It’s not that English football is losing its allure, but we have to question how much of other nations’ appeal we’ve been allowed to witness. Even now, Serie A is on an upward trajectory, the Bundesliga’s two Champions League finalists have proved that Germany is as exciting as anything, while even La Liga has its benefits away from the top two.
In England, we’re often led and encouraged to believe that only our league matters, as if it’s an unbelievable backhand that a player opts for somewhere else. Something about “why would he want to go there?” is one of the most likely exclamations, only to be better by, “we never really wanted him in the first place,” all the while completely inconsolable that one of the top names has chosen to go elsewhere.
It’s also about familiarity and history for players. For example, if Higuain were to choose Napoli over Arsenal, it’s not really because the Premier League club couldn’t offer him a lot (and probably everything), but that the tradition of the Naples club has been taken into account. Its history with Argentinians in the past; the fact that Edinson Cavani went close to equalling Diego Maradona, both in scoring and in landing the club a league title, as well as the unconditional love he was offered by supporters. Higuain was never really loved at Real Madrid; he was never made to feel like he was their star striker. At Napoli, he would get all of that and more.
Mario Gomez too, a touted option for Chelsea in the past. He has it all now: Bundesliga titles with two different clubs, domestic cups, the Champions League. He has a reputation as one of the best forwards in Europe. Why Fiorentina then? Why not Chelsea and the Premier League, where he will undoubtedly have the opportunity to enhance his trophy cabinet, possibly with another European Cup?
Well Fiorentina are a different prospect altogether. No one in Serie A played better football than them last season. The turnaround from relegation candidates to the top four in Italy within a year was astounding. The owner has cash to burn, too. It’s not as if to say Gomez has signed for a club with little hope for the future.
For those who took a quick glance at Florence and the rest of the Italian league, there is every chance Fiorentina could win the Serie A title within a few short years, even without Stevan Jovetic. Gomez would be the star propelling them to such heights. He’s won the lot so he can afford to have a year out of the Champions League. It’s a new project but one with a little more respect and dignity attached to it over the relentless spenders elsewhere in Europe.
If Arsenal and Chelsea, and the rest of the Premier League, continue to miss out on targets it’s because everywhere else has something to offer just as much as English football. The Premier League isn’t the be all and end all, as much as we’d like to think.
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The world of football transfers can be fascinating. For an extended period of the year, fans dedicate multiple hours each day trawling the internet or waiting for that yellow banner on Sky Sports News, in an attempt to discover just who their club are in negotiations to sign.
Many moves down the years have collapsed, frustrating managers, supporters and players, and while some of these issues ultimately benefit all those involved, there are a fair few cases of the ‘one that got away’. Whether it be wage demands, stubborn chairmen or a sudden sense of realisation, a number of promising moves have broken down, which would surely have changed the landscape of British football as we know it
This list looks at 15 transfers that never quite came to fruition for various reasons.
Click on Kaka below to get the ball rolling
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Martin O’Neill may allow first team members to represent Sunderland Under 21s in their derby clash at the Sports Direct Arena.
David Vaughan has already represented Kevin Ball’s side in his quest to re-find fitness following a hernia problem, while Connor Wickham and Ji Dong Won may also be made available by the Ulsterman. Both strikers have dropped down the pecking order at the Stadium of Light, with the arrivals of Steven Fletcher and Louis Saha, meaning neither have seen first team action, yet.
Vaughan is eligible for the team as one of three overage players while Wickham and Dong Won are still young enough to play. O’Neill told The Sunderland Echo, “I was pleased to see David get 45 minutes under his belt for his country – for the moment he needs as many minutes on the pitch as he can get.
“He’ll come into contention for the reserves games but were continuing to monitor him and make a decision on the day.”
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Sunderland triumphed over their bitter rivals at under 18 level this weekend and would welcome the increase in quality to their under 21 side.
James Collins is ready to make a big impact at West Ham, after joining from Aston Villa for his second spell at the club.
Collins made his debut against his former employers in the 1-0 victory at Upton Park and was delighted with his own performance, nullifying the threat of Darren Bent.
Kevin Nolan scored the decisive goal five minutes before half-time to give the Hammers a perfect start to life back in the top-flight, but confusion unfolded as the linesman raised his flag, only for referee Mike Dean to overrule the decision as the resulting flick- on came from Villa’s Ciaran Clark.
Collins told the London Evening Standard: “It did help knowing Darren so well and the way he plays. I knew that he wouldn’t take the ball much in front but that he is such a threat over the top so we tried to stop that happening and seeing he had only one shot on goal, I suppose it worked.”
The Welsh international faces stiff competition in the centre-back position, with James Tomkins eager to re-claim his place in the side after being ousted by Collins.
Collins added: “I watched Winston (Reid) and James Tomkins last season and saw how well they played in the Championship. Obviously James was disappointed not to be in the starting line-up against Villa but the three points are all-important.”
Collins re-joined the Hammers for a fee of £2.5 million last month- a shrewd piece of business by Sam Allardyce at a club whose spending is restricted by the £10 million still owed to Sheffield United over the Carlos Tevez saga.
Bu the East Londoners’ business in the transfer market appears to be far from over, as Razak Boukari is on the verge of a move to Upton Park from French side, Rennes.
The Hammers’ interest in the Togolese international means a move for Wolves’ midfielder, Matthew Jarvis appears to be unlikely.
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The Championship side are reportedly holding out for £10 million, while West Ham are only prepared to bid as high as £9 million.
Melbourne City winger Daniel Arzani was brought on the final 11 minutes of Australia’s opening 2018 World Cup fixture against France last weekend and showed a few glimpses of the quality that he has in his locker, and it was a similar situation in the 1-1 draw against Denmark on Thursday.
The 19-year-old, dubbed as ‘the next Harry Kewell’, could be on the move this summer if he continues to impress, having scored two goals and provided a further three assists in 16 A-League appearances in 2017/18.
Meanwhile, Birmingham City manager Garry Monk, whose £1.35m attacker target would significantly improve his side, will be desperate to add to his attacking options before the new Championship campaign gets underway at the beginning of August, with the Blues netting just 38 goals in their 46 league games last term.
The 39-year-old will certainly be aiming for a play-off spot next term if possible, but he will know that he needs to add some quality to his team in the final third if they are to do that, and the Iranian-born Arzani may have caught his eye.
Despite only being on the pitch for 23 minutes against the Danes and having 13 touches of the ball, he produced one shot, one dribble, one cross and one key pass, as per WhoScored.com, and he certainly showed no fear as he scared the European outfit’s defence with his direct style.
Signing Arzani would be a huge coup for Birmingham considering the quality and potential he clearly has, and he would be the best addition to their squad in years.
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[brid autoplay=”true” video=”257236″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Five things we learned from England 21 Tunisia”]
Ever remember those guys in your school who’d simply support Manchester United on the basis ‘that they won the most cups?’ This new found love for the most successful team in the land had nothing to do with passion, geographical location or even that United played the best football, but pure and simply glory supporting. When asked to name the starting XI, most people could only come up with ‘Ermm Beckham? Giggs? Ermmm..does Steven Gerrard play for them? He wears red?’
However, in terms of annoyingness regarding choice of football clubs, nothing can be more frustrating than seeing a celebrity declare their love for ‘insert name of random English club here.’ Be it for a publicity stunt, or genuinely supporting their chosen side but in the most irritatingly public manner possible, choosing an English team has become a new fad among celebrities. It’s slightly less controversial than adopting African babies, but highly infuriating for the real fans who spent their time wondering why these so-called fans don’t actually put some of their millions into the club they support. Here are 15 celebrities that make the prawn sandwich brigades look like a set of die-hard hooligans.
Click on Will Ferrell below to get the ball rolling
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Leighton Baines has admitted to being surprised at the lack of interest Manchester United showed in signing him.
Early in the transfer window lots of speculation linked the 27 year old with a move to Old Trafford but Sir Alex Ferguson opted for Alexander Buttner instead.
Buttner signed from Vitesse and appears to have been signed as back up to Patrice Evra, who will remain United’s first choice at left back, despite a sloppy start to this season, and sub-par performance last year.
Baines told The Metro, “People were asking me and yet I didn’t know anything. It was getting mentioned that often that I was getting puzzled by it and yet I heard nothing.”
The England international stated he is content at Everton, but wants to play Champions League football and would be unlikely to turn down a move to United.
“I’ve never been one to rock the boat. I appreciate the position I’m in life and I love what I do. At the same time you do have to have ambition because it doesn’t last long and before you know it’s over.
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“The main thing in football at club level is the Champions League which is always going to be an aim and if you can do that it strengthens your chances at International level as well.”
Dwight Yorke has branded Manchester United’s decision to sell Danny Welbeck to Arsenal for £16m over the summer a “disgrace”.
The Red Devils sanctioned the deal just hours before the transfer deadline close during the last window after Louis van Gaal had deemed the England international to be surplus to requirements.
The Dutchman had secured moves for Radamel Falcao and Angel di Maria, leaving his attacking options plentiful, which freed the 23-year-old for the switch.
WANT MORE? >> Manchester United transfer news | Arsenal transfer news
Welbeck has since impressed for the Gunners, with his hat-trick against Galatasaray taking his tally in north London to four – more than any player in the United squad this season.
And after watching other England internationals such as Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw command fees of £25m and £27m respectively, Yorke feels that his old side’s decision was a poor one:
“£16m – that’s a disgrace,” he told the Manchester Evening News. “When Lallana and Shaw have gone for £25m and £27m, that’s pathetic.
“That’s why I cannot understand the market. He had to be a loan deal – especially with Falcao not signing permanently.
“You could let Danny Welbeck go on a year’s loan, get some money and have that option. He’s worth more than £16m in today’s market. Shaw and Lallana – they’re worth that much more than Danny Welbeck?
“I don’t think so. Not with his pace and power.”
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Welbeck netted 29 goals in 142 games for United, which is a record Van Gaal suggested was not befitting of a player in a team of such stature.
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