The Brazilian national championship is teeming with talent. Be it burgeoning youngsters with world class potential such as Neymar and Lucas Moura or former icons of the European game in the likes of Deco and Juninho Pernambucano. While it is these players who grab much of the attention, there are a countless number of players who may have slipped through the net in the early stages of their career but still possess the ability to compete in the European game. There are of course also other young players who are yet to have their name spread across the continent attached to mass hyperbole. Nevertheless, the improving quality and rapid development of the league is unquestionable, and while a move across the Atlantic may have lost some of its appeal in recent years the prestige of playing in Europe remains the greatest draw.
From an immensely competitive league where a huge number of clubs can challenge for the title there are of course many names that the everyday fan will be unlikely to have heard of. So here, we take a look of some of the talents currently on show in Brazil who possess the ability, but not the media spotlight, to be able to compete in the Premier League.
Click on Arouca to unveil the top 10
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Arsene Wenger has finally conceded defeat in his hope to keep Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas at the Emirates. Fabregas will finally complete his long awaited switch back to the Nou Camp, while Nasri will sign a reported £165k a week contract to join up with Roberto Mancini at Eastlands. Apparently Stan Kroenke gave the Nasri move the green light as he felt the club would be foolish to turn down that sort of money, given the Frenchman only has a year left on his contract.
In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include John Terry calling on people to give Villas-Boas time; Werner suggests Liverpool will continue to keep investing, while Viera believes that Manchester City can win the title.
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Arsenal admit defeat in battle to keep Fábregas and Nasri – Guardian
Sneijder not joining us, say Man Utd – Guardian
Werner says Liverpool will keep investing – Guardian
Eriksson keen on Keane – Daily Telegraph
Villas-Boas IS Chelsea’s new Special One – Terry – Mirror
FIFA rock Caribbean football with new charges for 16 CONCACAF officials – Daily Mail
Aston Villa join the race to sign French striker Trezeguet on a free transfer – Daily Mail
Man City can win title – Vieira – BBC
Why Mario Balotelli hates life in Manchester – Sun
England job? Liverpool revolt was a lesson, admits Baggies boss Hodgson – Daily Mail
Robin will join the Arsenal exodus – Sun
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Odemwingie wants Baggies to double pay offer – Mirror
Arsenal snap up £12m Jadson as ‘new Fabregas’ – Independent
Pardew tries to get ‘chilled’ Barton onside – Independent
Sir Alex Ferguson has been in this position before: How do you replace one of the best goalkeepers in the world? If we’re honest, the last time the Manchester United manager embarked on such a search, we ended up with the likes of Massimo Taibi in the Premier League. But as current keeper Edwin van der Sar is preparing to hang up his gloves, a whole host of world-class keepers are now being linked with a move to Old Trafford. But is it all unnecessary? Have they already got their next number one in place?
Tomasz Kuszczak certainly thinks so. The Polish shot-stopper has waiting patiently for his chance and is now making all the noises possible to ensure he does not go unnoticed. But is he really worthy of a stab at being Edwin van der Sar’s successor? He doesn’t fill fans with the greatest of confidence whenever he deputises, but in the little run of games he has had since van der Sar’s illness, he has performed without fault and does deserve to be considered at least.
The problem Kuszczak faces though is that he doesn’t seem typical of the type of goalkeeper Ferguson is used to having. Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar both have an aura of calmness about them which in turn offers great amounts of reassurance to their defence. Both also could distribute a ball better than some Premier League outfield players. The success of Manchester United over the past decade has been based on a strong back-line who has the ability to turn defence into attack in seconds. Kuszczak doesn’t have any of these attributes.
The Pole is a fantastic shot-stopper, as proved against Liverpool in the FA cup where he acrobatically kept out Fabio Aurelio’s free kick. But at Old Trafford, that alone just isn’t enough. Just ask Ben Foster. You have to have a certain temperament to be a success in the sticks at United. Many top quality keepers have failed to hold down the number one jersey because of the pressure that comes along with it and you have to question whether Kuszczak has the capabilities to handle the job.
If you believe what you read in the tabloids, Ferguson is still very much in the hunt for a new number one, despite recently signing the Dane, Anders Lindergaard. This obviously doesn’t bode well for Poland’s number one who has said he is prepared to look elsewhere for first team football should he get over-looked.
His threat to leave however should be a concern to Alex Ferguson. Even if he doesn’t consider him good enough to become United’s first choice goalkeeper, he is an excellent deputy to have, which all top clubs need. Many of Europe’s top clubs will already be alerted to the fact that he may soon be looking for a move out of Old Trafford.
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It’s certainly a dilemma for the 69-year-old manager. How do you keep your reserve goalkeeper happy when he wants to play first team football? You have to trust him. You trust him to back up his claims he can be everything United need and more. The question is can he really do it? It doesn’t looks as though Ferguson believes he can so we may well be seeing another new shot-stopper at Old Trafford this summer, unless Kuszczak can change people’s minds. His time is ticking…
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Former Newcastle United forward Micky Quinn has claimed that Magpies captain Jamaal Lascelles should be in the England squad ahead of Manchester City’s John Stones.
Lascelles has had an impressive 2017-18 campaign at St James’ Park, but the 24-year-old was not given an opportunity to impress for the Three Lions during the recent international break.
His lack of involvement up to this point suggests that it will be difficult for the centre-back to make Gareth Southgate’s squad for the 2018 World Cup.
Quinn, however, has insisted that Lascelles is ‘easily among the best five English centre-backs’.
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The pundit even claimed that the reported Chelsea target should be in the squad ahead of City’s Stones, who had some nervy moments during the clash with Italy last week.
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Quinn wrote in the Evening Chronicle:
“It actually really frustrates me that Lascelles keeps being overlooked by Gareth Southgate for England.
“He is easily among the best five English centre-backs at the moment – in fact, I’d have him in the squad ahead of John Stones. I really would.”
Lascelles signed for Newcastle from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2014, and is closing on a century of appearances for the Magpies.
Aston Villa’s new loan star Scott Sinclair has undeniably had a troubled time over the last few years. Ever since the pacey winger chose to make the £6.2m switch from Swansea City to Manchester City in August 2012, he has dropped off the footballing radar.
After an unsuccessful loan spell at West Bromwich Albion last year, many believed we had seen the last of the former Chelsea ace in the Premier League. The ex-England U-21 international returned to the Etihad Stadium in the summer, but still struggled to break into Manuel Pellegrini’s starting XI. That led to the now former Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert taking a punt on him in the January transfer window – with Sinclair joining from City on loan for the remainder of the season.
The Villa No. 9 has arguably done more for the Midlands club over the last six weeks, than he has done anywhere else for the last two-and-a-half years. Has the 25-year-old finally found his home at Villa Park? In his five league and cup appearances for the Villans, he has netted twice and made a huge impact to the Villa side going forward.
It’s no secret that Aston Villa are massively struggling to score goals, and new boss Tim Sherwood will be hopeful that Sinclair is the man who can provide that much-needed impetuous to help the club get out of the horrible mess they are in at present.
Sinclair opened the scoring in Sherwood’s first game in charge, but for Mark Hughes’ Stoke City to spoil the party, with a last-gasp Victor Moses penalty giving Stoke a 2-1 win.
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But there were positives to take from the defeat, and Scott Sinclair’s early impact on his new club is certainly one of them. The ex-Tottenham interim boss told Villa’s official website:
“I was encouraged with some performances – Scott Sinclair, I thought, was very good, the two centre-halves were good, Kieran Richardson was very lively and Alan Hutton was a threat on the right hand side.”
Sinclair showed glimpses of his former self at Villa Park on Saturday, something we haven’t seen for a very long time. He scored a rare goal with his head, made some excellent runs, looked lively throughout and certainly troubled the Stoke defence.
The Manchester City loanee has proved he can do it before – he was instrumental in getting Swansea City promoted in 2011 – famously netting a hat-trick for the Welsh club in a 4-2 Championship play-off final victory over Reading. On his day, Sinclair can trouble any defence. He strikes you as a ‘confidence player’ and Aston Villa will be hoping Sherwood can give him this belief in order to improve their chances of beating the drop.
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Tim Sherwood’s side currently sit in 19th place in the Premier League table – after securing only five league wins in 26 games – scoring a dismal 13 times in the process. The much-travelled journeyman Sinclair seems to be enjoying his life at Villa Park so far. The Villans still have as good a chance as any of keeping their top flight status, and Scott Sinclair could yet be the catalyst that Aston Villa so desperately need.
This could be a considered a meeting of two managers destined to find themselves out of work once the season comes to a close. Roberto Mancini’s fate has been the subject of intense discussion since Manchester City’s shock defeat at Southampton two weeks ago left them cast adrift from Manchester United at the top. The Italian appears to be on borrowed time at the Etihad Stadium and knows delivering the Premier League title is the only possible solution to holding onto his job. But by the time they kick off against Chelsea on Sunday they could be 15 points behind United, who play QPR a day earlier. Should they manage to wrestle the title away from their local rivals it would count as an even greater accomplishment to the one that saw them pip their greatest foes to the post last season. A repeat of their limp display on the South Coast last time out will almost certainly hammer another nail into Mancini’s coffin.
Much like his Italian counterpart Rafael Benitez is another manager expected to meet a grisly end at the campaigns conclusion. Chelsea’s interim boss was an unpopular appoint amongst the clubs support but in a strange twist could end up delivering two trophies to Stamford Bridge. Despite turning in below-par performances against Brentford in the FA Cup and Sparta in the Europa League the club are still in with a genuine chance of winning both competitions. Whether that will be enough to save Benitez from Roman Abramovich’s axe remains to be seen. Stealing second spot from City would go some way to convincing the Russian billionaire to refrain from giving him the boot and victory at the Etihad Stadium would reduce the gap to a solitary point.
Team News
Vincent Kompany could sit out a fifth successive game if he doesn’t shake off a calf injury, while Gareth Barry is struggling with an ankle knock.
Rafael Benitez may recall Demba Ba, Ashley Cole, Eden Hazard, Branislav Ivanovic, David Luiz and Frank Lampard after they sat out the Europa League win on Thursday.
What the managers said…
“It’s difficult to win all 12 games in a row in the Premier League but we will try. Our target is to win the Premier League, not to finish second. We want to try to win trophies. Sometimes it’s not possible, but it’s important our team is always there on the top and fights for the title. Sometimes we can do a mistake or sometimes the other team could be better than us. This is possible.” Roberto Mancini insists Manchester City aren’t playing for second place (Manchester Evening News)
“We have to go there with confidence and if we are close we can fight for being in the top two. And if not we have to fight for being in the top four. The priority is to win; if we win this game we will be closer but if we cannot we have to keep fighting. What I can see now is a team with confidence, we are confident we can beat City or anyone if we do things in the right way. The race for the top four will go on until the end of the season. Our last game is against Everton so I’m sure that, until the end of the season, we will be winning games or losing games or whatever but it will be very tight, very close. I think that one game can make a big difference so until the end it will be difficult for everyone.” Rafael Benitez believes Chelsea can finish in the top two if they beat Manchester City (BBC Sport)
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Pre-Match Statistic: Five of the last eight competitive meetings between the two sides have been won by Manchester City
Prediction: Manchester City 1-2 Chelsea
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Fulham starlet Ryan Sessegnon has gone from strength to strength since making his breakthrough at the Cottagers last season.
Rather than make the jump to a Premier League club last summer, the 17-year-old chose to sign his first professional contract at the London outfit.
A handful of top-flight clubs have been linked to the youngster’s signature, including Tottenham Hotspur.
Last month, The Sun reported that the North London outfit, as well as Manchester United and Manchester City, are interested in recruiting the left-sided player.
In an article later published by The Sun, it was claimed that Fulham value Sessegnon at around £25m, which in this market is fairly modest, despite the fact that he is only a teenager.
Tottenham fans have made it clear that they are keen for the club to make a move for the in-demand youngster.
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Now, they seem even more interested for a deal to go through following reports that Sessegnon’s price tag could be around £25m.
Despite already blowing a cool £37million on Palermo’s Javier Pastore, a crazy £5 million on the somewhat unreliable David Luiz, and a whopping £55million on Uruguay’s Edison Cavani in recent seasons, Laurent Blanc’s Parisian giants look set to continue their spending spree this summer, but this time with the Premier League in their sights.
‘Qatar Sports Investments’, fronted by the ever public Nasser Ghanim Al-Khelaifi, have shown clear intent when it comes to sourcing Europe’s very best talent, and as their dream of reaching Champions League glory with PSG is far from over, their willingness to get out the cheque-book looks set to continue.
Since the Ligue 1 side are yet to truly test the resolve of English clubs and their desire to keep a hold of their best talent, perhaps this summer will mark the perfect time for PSG to stake their claim. As high profile transfer deals rarely are a straight forward affair however, just which players could be on the move to Paris this summer, and who, if anyone, would suit Laurent Blanc’s star-studded side best?
The first name to raise an apparent interest from PSG comes in the form of Argentina and Manchester United forward, Angel Di Maria. The newly acquired World Cup finalist signed for Louis van Gaal’s expensive side for a mind-blowing £59million in the summer, and despite the inevitable excitement and sensation that came along with his arrival, the former Real Madrid man has simply failed to live up to his lofty price tag. Yes – injuries have played an unwanted role in Di Maria’s spell with United, but as four goals from 20 appearances is hardly the most impressive stat, the Old Trafford faithful will be left somewhat deflated by the Argentinian should he decide to leave in the summer.
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Whether or not PSG actually need the rapid winger is another matter altogether however. Blanc already boasts the likes of Ezequiel Lavezzi and Lucas Moura in his wide positions, so unless one of these South American talents will be forcibly moved on in order to free up space for Angel Di Maria, this move looks somewhat unlikely to take place.
A deal that would perhaps make more sense for the Ligue 1 giants would involve Yaya Toure, and Laurent Blanc’s reported interest in the Manchester City star. It has hardly been a vintage season for the Ivorian, but as the former Barcelona man remains a key element within Manuel Pellegrini’s expensive set-up, the Etihad faithful would nevertheless greatly miss Yaya Toure should he decide to move on. As Manchester City could well afford, a perhaps even better, replacement however, maybe this deal would ultimately suit all parties involved in the long run.
Whilst City are in the luxurious position of being able to spend their way out of trouble, the same can’t be said of Newcastle United and the distinct lack of investment that surrounds the Tyneside club. Moussa Sissoko, one of the only consistent shining lights for the Magpies this season, is yet another name to be linked with PSG in recent months, and as the proposed move would mark a clear step-up in the career of the French 25-year-old, perhaps Newcastle would be hard pushed to stop this deal eventually going through.
As Yohan Cabaye, another French talent who impressed during his time with Newcastle, has already displayed how dream moves back to Ligue 1 don’t always pay off however, perhaps Moussa Sissoko should be wary of PSG’s interest and the amount of game time he will likely receive at the club.
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Ultimately PSG’s spending power makes them a threat to any club with rising talent, both in the Premier League and elsewhere in Europe. In today’s modern game, money sadly does most of the talking, and often takes a higher priority over club loyalty and the desires of the fans. As the Ligue 1 favourites have hardly proved to be experts in the transfer market recently however, a degree of caution should be taken in regards to any future deal the Parisian giants looks set to complete.
’ hopes of hijacking Loic Remy’s transfer to Newcastle have taken a turn for the good, after Marseille confirmed they have accepted their bid for the striker.
On Sunday, reports suggested that Remy’s move to Tyneside was nearing completion, but it is now understood that Rangers and another unnamed club have seen their bids of around £8.6 million accepted.
Marseille sporting director Jose Angio confirmed QPR’s interest and said the decision now rests with the player, with the club believed to be able to offer the Frenchman far more in wages than the Magpies.
“The coach of QPR has a good reputation,” Angio told RTL radio. “Remy will talk with them as he discusses with two other clubs. For Remy there is not just Newcastle, we also have an agreement with QPR and one other club. It is up to Remy to decide. I don’t think Remy has shut the door on QPR as is being said everywhere.”
Rangers boss Harry Redknapp had attempted to sign Remy earlier in the window, and was seen in the crowd when Marseille took on Guingamp in the French Cup. However reports also claimed Remy had rejected the manager’s advances after the game, preferring a move to Tyneside.
The news follows earlier comments from Hatem Ben Arfa and Mathieu Debuchy, welcoming their potential new teammate to Newcastle.
“He’s made the right choice. When he’s confident he’s a great forward. He’ll enjoy playing in England,” Ben Arfa said.
Meanwhile full-back Debuchy confirmed that Yohan Cabaye had spoken with Remy on Sunday evening about a possible move to the north east.
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“I’m still living with Yo[han] [Cabaye] and Remy telephoned last night.
“Remy asked Cabaye for news of the club and wanted to know how things work and how things are going at Newcastle.”
According to The Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur have learned that Norwich City attacker James Maddison will cost them £25m at the end of the season.
What’s the story?
Maddison, 21, has been in outstanding form for Norwich this season – scoring 14 times and registering 10 assists in 41 appearances in all competitions.
A number of Premier League clubs – including Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Everton – have been credited with an interest, but it is understood that Tottenham are confident of enticing the attacker to the new White Hart Lane.
According to The Mirror, Tottenham have learned that they will have to pay £25m to sign the England Under-21 international.
It is a high price for a player that is unproven at the highest level of English football, but it is not a number that will put off a Spurs team who seem determined to land a player that is being tipped to become a future England international.
How good is Maddison?
Arguably the most gifted footballer in the Championship, it is not a surprise that a number of Premier League clubs are closely monitoring Maddison.
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Norwich signed the attacking midfielder from Coventry City in February 2016, and he showed his incredible potential for the Canaries in the second half of last season, which also included a loan spell at Aberdeen.
It was always going to be difficult for Norwich to keep Maddison when he hit full flow, and that has been the case throughout the 2017-18 campaign.
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Capable of operating in a number of positions in the final third of the field, the 21-year-old could well thrive alongside the likes of Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen at White Hart Lane.
Tottenham will have to fight tooth and nail to sign Maddison ahead of a number of Premier League rivals – notably Liverpool – but £25m might well turn out to be a steal for a player that has all of the tools needed to be a future star for the England national team.