Tottenham are weighing up a January move for Academica Coimbra star Eder the Mirror understands after watching twice in the past fortnight.
The 23-year-old, who’s full name is Éderzito António Macedo Lopes, has been targeted by manager Harry Redknapp to provide some additional competition to his front line.
Despite signing Emmanuel Adebayor on deadline day and having Jermaine Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko to choose from the Spurs boss still wants to bolster his attacking options and Eder has emerged as a target.
Scouts from North London have been watching his progress over the last few weeks and have been impressed by his displays for Academica who play in the Portugal’s top flight.
A cut price move to White Hart Lane now seems to be on the cards with Academica keen to sell him before his contract expires next year meaning he can leave for nothing.
The Guinea-born player has also attracted interest from Italian side Parma and German outfit Hannover although a move to the Premier League could prove to hard to resist.
It’s though Eder would command a fee of around £2 million should Spurs decided to make a move in January despite the striker being a free agent when his current deal comes to an end in the summer.
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Sir Alex Ferguson takes his table-topping Manchester United side to Anfield on Saturday lunchtime to face off against Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool.The Scotsmen have built up a long and heated rivalry over the years and that will be evident on the field as both sides look to continue their impressive form.
Before the international break Dalglish’s men had grinded out a 2-0 win down the road at Mersey rivals Everton but the visit of United will pose a much greater threat. Andy Carroll was on the mark in that game and with confidence now flowing through the 22-year-old’s ample frame he’ll be tasked with unsettling the Red Devil’s young defence. Dalglish is unbeaten in his last five league games against United – a run stretching back to 1986. He could have Steven Gerrard back in the starting eleven for the first time this season. He’s scored four goals in this fixture and will be eager to make it five if he’s thrown back into the mix. The game also marks the first anniversary of John W. Henry’s takeover at Anfield and there is no doubt his arrival coincided with the clubs incredible turnaround. This time last year the beleaguered Roy Hodgson was in charge and floundering at every turn. Now they have a club legend in the dugout and a squad packed to the rafters with multi-million pound talent.
Their record against United is strong and they haven’t tasted defeat in this fixture at Anfield since 2007. Ferguson’s side have lost on their last three visits and they’ll need to perform a lot better than they did against Norwich two weeks ago. Despite being punished with a three-match ban for his red card in Montenegro last week Wayne Rooney will lead the Red Devil’s attack looking to score at Anfield for the for the first time since 2005 when he hit the winner in a 1-0 victory. The England striker already has nine goals to his name this season and reaching double figures will be a high priority. United have smashed 34 goals in and are unbeaten in 11 league and cup games. They are sitting pretty at the Premier League and that could be put down to their unwavering resilience. Statistically they at their most potent in front of goal during the last five minutes of the game so Liverpool fans should be wary of checking their watches too early.
Key Players
Jose Enrique – The Spanish fullback has had a great start to life at Anfield and will be crucial to Liverpool’s chances on Saturday. With Nani and Ashley Young having a penchant to swap wings throughout a game Enrique will need to have his defensive hat on to snuff out two of United’s main attacking threats.
Wayne Rooney – Despite his sending off for England last week Rooney is still an integral part of Ferguson’s side with nine goals to his name already this season. The striker is in red-hot form his boss will be looking at him to provide the inspiration and goals to give secure victory over his old foes.
Verdict: 1-1
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Jose Enrique is Liverpool’s top ranked player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index in 21st place followed by Luis Suarez in 21st place Liverpool defeated one of their great rivals in their last Barclays Premier League game. Liverpool covered 107.6km in the game against Everton compared to the Toffees 106.4km. Wayne Rooney remains the Premier League’s top goal scorer with 9 goals this season. Rooney has had an incredible 32 attempts at goal this season, one every 18 minutes, getting 59% on target Rooney has gone on the record recently as saying that United are now defending from the front like Barcelona, and the stats show he is right. Rooney, Nani, and Young have won 6, 9 and 5 tackles respectively this season. This is especially impressive when you compare it to cross-city rivals Aguero and Dzeko who have each won just one tackle.
Reports breaking today suggest that Spurs have joined Arsenal in the race for Le Havre’s versatile, highly rated hopeful Jeremy Balmy. (The Mirror)
The 17 year-old is said to be available next summer and both Harry Redknapp and Arsene Wenger have expressed an interest.
However, the North London rivals are likely to face competition from Valencia for the teenager.
Balmy is currently seen as one of the brightest young player’s in French football, yet his contract situation means he looks likely to move.
The youngster is said to favour a move to England, with Arsenal currently touted as the favourites to secure his signature. Arsene Wenger has an exemplary record of youth development and has numerous contacts in French football to help facilitate the move.
Aside from Balmy, Wenger and Redknapp are both said to hold a shared interest in numerous other targets. Junior Hoilett of Blackburn, Eden Hazard of Lille and Jan Vertonghen are all apparently being targeted by the rival managers.
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This season’s Premier League may go a long way to shaping the decision of such targets, Champions League football is not guaranteed for either side, with qualification likely to be a crucial factor in attracting such targets.
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is allegedly targeting Manchester City’s Nigel De Jong, after the Dutchman’s recent contract talks broke down. (Metro)
The midfielder’s performances in recent seasons have brought widespread admiration, and last season in particular De Jong was seen as a key player in Roberto Mancini’s side.
However, following another summer of investment by City, De Jong has struggled for a starting berth, with Mancini often preferring a more attacking line up with Gareth Barry given the holding role.
Now, following a recent breakdown in contract talks, De Jong’s days at City may be numbered. The defensive midfielder is rumoured to want at least double his current £55,000 a week deal, yet the City board are not willing to offer such a significant wage increase and will not be offering a new deal until the summer at the earliest.
City paid £18 million to land De Jong from Hamburg two seasons ago, and Real Madrid are believed to see a fee of around £20 million as value for money.
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If De Jong is to leave City, it is likely Madrid will face competition from Europe’s other big guns for a player with significant international and European pedigree.
Calling on football fans from around the UK. We don’t often have a chance to celebrate being British in the world of football, what with the home nations struggling to make it to the big championships and crashing and burning if they do get there. It’s a continue battle, having to put up with the taunts of Germany, France and now Spain, who have all won big tournaments in recent years. When was the last time a home nation won a major tournament? Everyone will tell you, even Scottish fans begrudgingly, that it was when England won the World Cup at Wembley in 1966. You do the maths; soon it will be fifty years since silverware was lifted. However, here’s an opportunity for you to show your Best of British and win a tidy cash prize.
Betfair are running a competition, which requires your British accent to come to the fore. You don’t even have to use your own accent if you don’t want to, if you’re something of a specialist when it comes to accents then you can show off and use a completely different one. It doesn’t matter whether you use a Geordie, Scouse, Cockney or Brummie accent, as long as you sound 100 per cent British then the job’s a good ‘un. So get practising that accent to make sure that you can pull it off without any trouble at all. That’s half the job done; but what do you need this accent for I hear you ask? Now all you’ve got to do is create a great video!
Betfair are looking for you to create a video that explains what they’re all about. If you’re not familiar with the betting website, then you might want to do a bit of research while you’re perfecting that accent. The three million strong betting community want you to explain their betting system, how other than football there are sports aplenty for you to bet on and that you can even bet in-play. Cram all that info into a 60-90 second video and Bob’s your uncle. You’ll be marked on how compelling your story is, the production quality of your video, how well you capture the spirit of Betfair and how accurate your video is, so don’t go telling porkies!
Watch the clip below to get an idea on just what you have to do and then get making your video so that you’ll be in with a chance of winning a chunk of the $15,000 prize pool. If that wasn’t incentive enough, I don’t know what is…
Click here to enter the competition
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Sir Alex Ferguson has quashed reports that United are interested in signing Frank Lampard from Chelsea. The United boss suggested that there is no way in the world that Villas-Boas will look to sell his best players, especially given the difficulty he would have in trying to replace them. Fergie also suggested that he may not buy, given the lack of quality that is generally available in the January window.
Elsewhere in the news Aston Villa confirms their interest in Keane; Arteta did consider representing England, while Neil Warnock is irate over Joey Barton’s ban.
News
Aston Villa confirm interest in Robbie Keane
Liverpool criticised over Suarez support
Sneijder not expecting January move
Triple blow for Manchester City
Neil Warnock irate over Barton’s ban
Mikel Arteta considered his options
West Brom suffer injury blow
England announce pre-Euro 2012 friendlies
Sir Alex Ferguson given transfer greenlight
Joksimovic confirms Tottenham and Chelsea interest
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Other transfer Talk
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Redknapp lines up £12million double swoop on rivals – Mirror
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Liverpool are the latest to show interest in £10m Birmingham winger Redmond – Daily Mail
When having my daily peruse of the papers and wondering exactly what I could disagree with this week, Mark Lawrenson made my task surprisingly easy. Not in a Piers Morgan offensive kind of way, just in the way that I simply didn’t agree with what Match of the Day’s main attraction had to say.
Lawrenson stated that although Spurs are a team full of promise, essentially they are exceeding the expectations people have of them and have zero chance of winning the title.
Now had you put this article to me at the start of the season, I would probably have been inclined to agree, yet the more I watch both sides from Manchester, and especially United, the more I feel that Spurs actually have just as good a squad, and in United’s case probably a better one.
If you look at the purchases made in the summer by Levy and Redknapp, not to mention the keeping of Modric and the ever growing talent of Bale, Spurs look like a side on the up, and with Redknapp at the helm – until England come calling – the only thing that will halt their ambitions is themselves and dropping silly points, such as the couple to Swansea.
That aside, Spurs have looked solid at the back and brilliant going forward this season, and certainly have the bragging rights of being the best team in London, leaving Chelsea and Arsenal trailing in their wake.
Yet how about the title race – is it as Lawrenson would suggest, a two horse race between the two clubs from Manchester? Well Spurs currently sit three points behind a United side who felt the need to bring Paul Scholes out of retirement, with a game in hand, and six behind City, again with a game in hand.
Well this is the league that people like to say is the most unpredictable in the world, and with United looking shaky in every area of the pitch despite their FA cup win, and City going into a period of tough matches and having to deal with the suspension of Kompany, the injuries to Dzeko and Balotelli not to mention the huge losses due to the African Cup of Nations, Spurs are more than entitled to fancy their chances of at the very least closing the gap and giving both sides a very good run for their money.
Redknapp has declared the title wide open and stated it is a six horse race, yet I would narrow that down to three, with the three sides below Spurs being left to fight it out for fourth. I actually think that Spurs will manage to separate the Manchester clubs, at least for a little while this season, with United far from assured, and Redknapp’s side are in a position to take full advantage of this.
The one thing that has to be cut out if they are to be genuine title contenders is the draws that should have been victories, and baring a couple of occasions, they have done this to a much better effect this year.
With the players Redknapp has at his disposal and the momentum Spurs have going into the second half of the season, not to mention the fact they are not distracted on a Thursday night like both Manchester clubs, it is a far from impossible scenario that Redknapp’s men will push the title race all the way, and throw in a few surprises whist they are at it.
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If you’re anything like me, the whole debate over the England captaincy this week is one that has left you feeling sick and tired. The fuss made over a role, that in essence, makes very little difference to the on-field performance of the team has been very frustrating. The media frenzy created over, what is overall, a small piece of fabric is quite baffling.
The role of club captain and national captain differ wildly, with a skipper at his domestic side involved heavily in the day-to-day goings on around the set-up. However, such is the infrequency of international matches, that the captain of the country has a very peripheral role.
All of the ramifications of John Terry’s two time axing from the role was one that confused many observers from outside of our isles. Not because of his actions, on both counts, which were not befitting of a man with such responsibility, but instead due to the hype surrounding who should take over reigns. Fabio Capello, representing this feeling, was one of those who could not entirely relate to the sheer perceived magnitude of the decision. The selection of captain in many other national set-ups’ goes to the most experienced player, invariably he with the most caps. The belief is that a player who has vast experience on the international stage, is enough to lead the team in the best possible manner.
At international level, there should not be such a hullabaloo over who is deemed to be the on-field leader, with players included in the international squad, on the most part, being experienced performers at the very top of their game. Of course some players are naturally inspirational, but their having, or not having of the armband should not affect their abilities. Quite often in the England squad, there are four or five club captains and a missing band around their arm will not reduce the qualities, which have allowed them that role with their individual sides.
Another problem is that in the end players are not overly fussed by the job. This is not saying that the captain’s role is completely insignificant, but with the number of candidates suitable for the role, it can be hard to argue against another player, which could lead to rifts within the team.
There are times when a captain should be named, such as major tournaments, to establish a feeling of stability to the side, in the face of a series of immediate challenges. Other than this, the sheer period of time between other international games can see major changes to the make-up of the team. It’s not uncommon to see players pull out of contention with injuries, genuine or in some cases not so genuine, altering the team almost beyond recognition from the last fixture. In these cases the most experienced man should take charge, as it is he who has the know how.
The role of club and national captain are almost incomparable, with the importance and responsibilities varying between each. As for the England team, it should be time that the captaincy took a back seat.
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Harry Redknapp has stated that he is focussed on the remainder of the season with Tottenham, despite being a leading contender to replace Fabio Capello as England manager.
The Italian coach stepped down from his role as national boss due to a disagreement with the FA over John Terry losing the country’s captaincy, and the Spurs tactician is the bookmakers favourite to lead The Three Lions to Euro 2012.
Despite this, Redknapp has prioritised his role at White Hart Lane over any media speculation regarding his future.
“I don’t know anything about the England job. I’ve not even thought about it,” he told Sky Sports.
“I’ve got a job to do; I’ve got a big game on Saturday with Tottenham. Tottenham is my focus.
“They’ve been fantastic to me, the Tottenham people. The fans last week at the Wigan game, it was incredible the reception they gave me.
“It wouldn’t be right to them to focus on anything else but Tottenham. My only interest is Tottenham Hotspur.
“They (the Football Association ) will make whatever decision they want to make and hopefully it will be the right decision for the country,” he stated adamantly.
Finally, The Daily Mail indicate that Tottenham will demand a £10 million fee should Redknapp leave White Hart Lane.
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Spurs take on Newcastle at White Hart Lane on Saturday, as they look to hold on to their third placed standing in the Premier League table.
Another weekend, another flurry of debatable decisions for us to digest, epitomised by Clint Hill’s clear yet not given goal in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Bolton. We’ve all been on the receiving end of a controversial decision or two, it’s the nature of the beast but some instances are so blindingly obvious that it’s difficult not to launch into an uncontrollable rage where you try and expel as many expletives as possible in the shortest space of time.
All too often referees seem bereft of any common sense whatsoever, they seem incapable of waving play on, keeping their cards in their pocket or in these examples below, correctly observe the events that unfold before them. It’s impossible to truly know what the impact of these judgments might have had on the outcome of the game, whether they would have inspired a comeback or merely existed as a consolation goal but as we can all appreciate, it’s the ‘what ifs’ in football that hurt the most.
Click on Clive Allen to see the 11 goals that were ridiculously ruled out
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Got a favourite? Let me know on Twitter @theunusedsub
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