All posts by h79snht.top

It was fantastic to see Ipswich record a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest at Portman Road on Tuesday. The victory was made even sweeter as local boy Luke Hyam not only put in another encouraging display, but also scored his first goal for his hometown club.

The supporters have been crying out for Hyam to get more game time for nearly a year now as the young midfielder had previously struggled to break into the first team under Paul Jewell.

The former Wigan man did not seem to rate Hyam too highly as he only ever used the youngster when he had no other options.

Many fans will remember that back in January the team were playing particularly poorly (worse than usual, which is hard to imagine!) and were finding results hard to come by, just like they are now. As a result of these poor performances Jewell threw Hyam into the first team alongside Andy Drury in the centre of midfield to try something new, and it worked beautifully. The team were really stuck in a rut at the time but those two midfielders pulled them out of it and got them safely back into a mid-table position that we are all too familiar with.

Hyam’s form seemed to go unnoticed by his manager though and once the Tractor Boys were safe the 21-year-old did not feature as much under Jewell. It was a bit of a bizarre decision from the former Ipswich boss but he obviously did not think the youngster was ready to play every week in the first team.

Ever since that point the fans have been calling for Hyam to be reintroduced to the starting line-up and on Tuesday they got what they wanted. Admittedly the defensive midfielder only got his chance because Nigel Reo-Coker was ruled out through injury but it was pleasing to see nevertheless.

Hyam put in another solid shift much like he has done when he has come on from the bench in recent games. He has been a bright spark in what must be considered dark times for the club and once again it looks like he is starting to pull us away from the relegation zone.

It has to be said that the result on Tuesday was not completely down to Hyam though; it was just pleasing to see him perform well in a struggling team.

You have to also give credit to the Forest defence for their part in Ipswich’s win. After all, their defending was comical and they essentially gifted the home side an comfortable win. Of course it was an improvement from Ipswich but I was surprised to see a defensive performance from Forest that actually made our back line look solid for once.

That said, Guirane N’Daw was another player who played particularly well and his link up play with Hyam was crucial in the win. The two of them could well pull Ipswich into a mid-table position much like the combination of Hyam and Drury did around the same time last season.

Are the two players too defensive to play together though? Personally I don’t think they are and they are both versatile enough to adapt their playing style in order to make the system work.

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The bigger question is; how highly does Mick McCarthy rate Hyam?

It seems like he has preferred using Reo-Coker over the youngster for his first few games in charge but that could now change. I would like to see Hyam starting more games and I firmly believe that he could potentially play a huge role in Ipswich’s survival campaign.

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Blackpool winger Tom Ince looks set to clinch a return move to Liverpool as soon as the January transfer window opens again, serving as the perfect example for all young footballers at big clubs across the country resting on their laurels rather than going out and taking risks for the benefit of their long-term future.

Before we label the 20-year-old as some sort of trailblazer, he could just as easily be cast in a negative light for overconfidence for the way that he originally left Anfield back in 2011. After being thrown on as a late substitute in the club’s humiliating League Cup loss at home to Northampton by Roy Hodgson, when Kenny Dalglish replaced him at the helm and noticed his potential, he was offered a new four-year deal which was subsequently turned down by the player, who was seeking assurances over a regular first-team role – quite the bold move by a raw, untested then 18-year-old.

This led to a compensation agreement being agreed with Blackpool for the sum of £250,000 or risk losing him for nothing at the end of the season in a switch which saw Ince back his ability above the prestige of playing only occasionally in games of little importance for a top flight club. It’s been labelled ‘amazing’ that Liverpool ‘allowed’ Ince to leave for a nominal fee just 18 months ago, when really, the situation was entirely of the player’s making, he wanted it this way, not the club.

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The England under-21 international refuses to fade into the shadow of his famous father and former national team skipper Paul, though, refusing to be anything like a bit-part player when he does eventually return to Merseyside: “It’s always hard to step out of the shadow but you can only do that by playing football. I think by me keeping my head down, playing football and scoring goals, I’ve quietly been under the radar.

“It’s nice that people notice me for me and not just as ‘son of’. It’s been down to me to make my own reputation. At the moment it’s going well but hopefully in the years to come it will still be Tom Ince. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind for me in the last 12-18 months. There have been massive changes without me really knowing it. This whole club has brought me on leaps and bounds and allowed me to excite people.”

There’s no denying his impact since dropping down to the Championship to play with the Seasiders and after 8 goals in 41 games last season, Ince has started this campaign in exceptional form to the tune of 13 in 22 games – a fantastic return for a wide-man and much better than the heavily touted and seemingly far more pricey Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace fame.

In reality, Ince has been helped by circumstance in that the Liverpool that he left and the one that he looks set to return to are two completely different clubs. Departing in the same summer that saw the club fork out over £56m on the likes of Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Jose Enrique, it’s in stark contrast to the sensible fiscal constraints of the Brendan Rodgers era, during which he has had to ship out several players on large wages such as Dirk Kuyt, Craig Bellamy and Maxi Rodriguez.

The culture of the club has changed dramatically too, with the 39-year-old former Swansea boss, partly due to the reigning in of the transfer budget, choosing to throw youngsters such as Raheem Sterling, Suso and Andre Wisdom straight into the starting eleven. Who knows, had Ince bided his time a little more, he may have been playing more regular football at the club this season anyway.

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Due to Liverpool agreeing a 35% sell-on clause as part of his compensation agreement, the club will effectively be in the bizarre situation of paying themselves, thus reducing the overall fee, thought to be around £6m, to a much more affordable and respectable total of £4m approximately, which considering his form is a fair price. The club have come in for criticism for targeting a player they let go under two years ago, yet when Barcelona do it, bringing back the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba for huge amounts, nobody even bats an eyelid. Strange, that.

You only have to look at the career trajectory of the club’s other main transfer target in January, Chelsea forward Daniel Sturridge, to realise that Ince has more than made his mark and picked the right, somewhat unusual and rarely trodden path. The 23-year-old has been shunted out on loan, he’s moved for money and been played out of position, yet he’s never fully settled anywhere yet in his career, in search of a role at a club that will believe in him and he’s never enjoyed quite the same status in any side as Ince has enjoyed at Blackpool.

Nevertheless, we should applaud Ince for backing his abilities, his talent and his skill to go and prove himself elsewhere first before coming back to the big time. Moving to Blackpool was a switch fraught with risk and yet it looks like it’s about to pay off big time for the future England star. Youngsters at Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham take note, there is more than one route to the top.

It would be disappointing and a little inaccurate to suggest Arsenal and their supporters need to accept the poor signings the club make and be happy with it. The club aren’t struggling to part with large sums of money, despite the frustrating nature of their operations in the market. But ultimately it’s the targets that have been identified and subsequently brought to the club which raise concerns.

Notably not all, however. Arsene Wenger did a fantastic job of acquiring proven players who are either in or approaching their prime this past summer. While some may argue that the jury is still out on Olivier Giroud, there is certainly plenty of positives to take from the signings of Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski.

The German international’s contribution, though, has been questioned in recent weeks, with his game dropping off in certain matches and the obvious factor of his substitutions on almost all of his starts. But I’m not really convinced there is a problem with Podolski and what he can bring to the club, and much the same can be said about Cazorla, who has drawn similar worries from sections of the support.

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It was a tremendous piece of business by Wenger to pick up an international player of Podolski’s calibre for what should be considered a very low fee. He’s in his prime, he knows how to find the net and he ticks all the boxes for what the team need either from the left flank or centrally: a hard working, technically proficient goal scorer.

The problem with Podolski is that many are too quick to look back at his time at Bayern Munich, assuming that his “failure” makes him unfit for a club with lofty ambitions. To reiterate, he’s a German international with a phenomenal number of caps for his age, and a player who Joachim Low has trusted in the first-team for much of the past few years. With the rising generation of superstars in Germany, it would have been easy for Low to dismiss Podolski and look to youth.

But it’s his experience and character that shines through and which makes him such a valuable asset to both Arsenal and his national team. Forget for a moment that he was the captain of Koln and look to the obvious nature of his game that suggests he is a player with a winning mentality. He was once the golden boy of German football, but things don’t always work out and culminate in the fairytale ending most would expect. A tough time at Bayern, yes, but that experience didn’t strip him of his qualities as a footballer.

The numbers during his first season in English football so far would certainly suggest Arsenal have landed a fantastic buy. 10 goals and seven assists in all competitions is a very promising return for a player operating from a wide position. Moreover, he’s shown his willingness to help out Kieran Gibbs defensively, while in tandem they are clearly Arsenal’s best attacking pair from either of the flanks.

Podolski’s problem at Arsenal has nothing to do with him being a lazy player or not quite up to standard. Again, we’ve seen Cazorla fail to have an effect on all of Arsenal’s games, yet there is no doubting that he’s one of Wenger’s best purchases in all of his time as Arsenal manager. Rather than looking to the deficiencies that may or may not exist in some players, it’s the setup of the team and club as a whole which creates this impression.

Both fans and journalists have spoken about Wenger’s lack of tactical awareness or instruction for his players over the years. The manager is far more liberal with his approach, entrusting his players to go out and express themselves and in turn pick up the victory. Naturally, as we’ve seen countless times, that isn’t always the case. However, it is normal for fans or the media to point the finger at senior players like Podolski, citing his lack of contribution when it was needed.

You can look at the opposite side of that argument and analyse the German’s performances in Arsenal’s better matches this season. He’s a consistent threat on goal, he links up well with a number of players in the attacking-third (his goal against Montpellier with the assist from Giroud should be remembered) and his time in a very good Germany squad has strengthened his mentality to win.

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It may not be obvious to some, but Podolski is a very exciting signing for Arsenal. With the frugality of the club’s approach to the transfer market, picking up players like Podolski in that price-range is exactly what Wenger should be aiming for. His past isn’t questionable, and that’s a big misconception. I’ve always held that belief that not every good player can fit into every good team, and while Podolski may have felt the pressure from his move to Bayern earlier in his career, coupled with the presence of Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni, that specific theory could certainly carry some weight.

Yes, it’s often difficult to watch Arsenal and their lacklustre performances. But that’s a problem stretching beyond just certain members of the squad. Of course, it all filters down to the players, and you’ve got to wonder how much more people like Podolski could offer if they had team-mates of better quality. But regardless, I maintain that Podolski has been an excellent signing for Arsenal. A player of the right age and one who fits into the club’s comfort levels in terms of fee spent. I have every confidence we’ll see a lot more from the German international as his career in north London continues.

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It never takes much to ignite anything in the way of hysteria when it comes to Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, but even by the standards of the England’s highest-profile footballer, the headlines that his recent omission from Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have produced seem to have set the bar to new levels.

One very brutal, yet ultimately astute tactical call from Ferguson was all it took to have Fleet Street’s finest start writing the opening passage for Rooney’s United obituary and even after the Scot sought to shoot down talk of a departure for the 27-year-old, rumours suggesting otherwise continue to pepper the back pages.

Yet while the notion of a Rooney departure still seems somewhat distant at this moment in time, for as overzealous as the bloodthirsty press may have been in forecasting his exit from Old Trafford, they may not have been completely incorrect when it came to the prediction of stormier times that are still to come.

With only two years left to run on his current deal, one of the main features to come out with Sir Alex’s recent run in with the assorted media was his insistence that Rooney would indeed be offered a new contract. There’s no reason at this current moment in time to suggest that he was being insincere in those musings.

But what he naturally failed to give away, was quite how financially rewarding the terms of that new contract may be and it’s within the terms of that protracted deal that trouble might still lie ahead.

Speculating over a contract that’s yet to be written may seem incredibly naïve, but if we’re going by basic market value and general footballing logic, then it’s not beyond the realms of realism to suggest that there’s every chance Wayne Rooney might have to take a pay cut to stay at Manchester Untied.

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With his current deal worth within the region of £250,000-a-week all-in when including bonuses, Rooney is already amongst the top ten most handsomely paid footballers in European football and as he approaches his 28th birthday, his next deal is likely to be his most important.

Yet despite heading into what you’d generally perceive to be the peak years of his existence as a footballer, years that usually herald the most lucratively rewarding contract, too, Rooney finds himself in a strange paradox at Old Trafford.

When he essentially had United over a barrel after he threatened to leave the club back in 2010, he agreed terms on his blockbuster five-year deal in the knowledge that he was undeniably the most important asset that Sir Alex Ferguson has at the club. Although undoubtedly damaged by a poor World Cup showing and slow start to the season, Rooney’s stock had perhaps never been higher than when he signed on the dotted line in the October of that year.

Fast-forward to the present day and the picture certainly looks a lot different for the former-Everton man at the club. – Not quite to the doom mongering extent that many have made out, but certainly to the point in which he finds himself in a considerably weakened bargaining position when it comes to drawing up his next deal.

At the time of penning his current deal in 2010, in purely monetary terms, Rooney was widely reported as the highest-earning footballer in the world in sole respect of his basic wage.

This isn’t to say that ability wise he is even in the same ballpark as either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, who both earned more when sponsorship deals were inclusive. But let’s not forget, although hindsight is a wonderful thing, Rooney went into the World Cup in South Africa touted as a someone whose ability wasn’t on a plateau too dissimilar from the gifted duo.

Yet while Rooney is being paid a salary that suggests he’s one of the most important players in European football, as the Real Madrid game recently suggested, he’s now arguably not even the most prominent player within this United side.

Make no mistake about it; although he’s not fulfilled the sort of unworldly potential that many believe he once could have, Rooney remains a superb footballer and one of the best currently plying their trade on these shores. But where as in 2010 he was an irreplaceable talisman touted as one of the top five footballers in the world, he’s now deemed worthy enough to be sacrificed for the greater tactical good.

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Now the question must surely remain – would United really reward Wayne Rooney with better terms than what he currently earns when he’s arguably regressed in importance, rather than grown in prominence?

If the answer to that is no, which remains a very distinct possibility, then the emphasis must then turn to whether Rooney would hypothetically accept that and it’s here that we’re left with no easy answers.

It’d be dangerous to make any pre-conceived assumptions over whether the player would throw his toys out the pram, but regardless of the unique circumstances that surround his current financial terms, there can’t be many players of his age and talent facing a pay cut on their next deal.

Unless Rooney fancies a foreign sojourn to Paris Saint-Germain or even consider the unthinkable with a move across Manchester, he may well have simply reached a glass ceiling in terms of his wage potential and one that he must begrudgingly accept. Quite whether he does that with grace, however, remains to be seen.

Sunderland winger Adam Johnson has set his sights on regaining his spot in the England set-up, and says he will do all he can to force his way into Roy Hodgson’s plans.

The 25-year-old completed a £12m switch from Manchester City to the Black Cats last summer, with one eye on playing regular football after missing out on a spot in the EURO 2012 squad.

However, he has failed to impress in his 27 Premier League outings, seeing the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Leon Osman moving ahead of him in the pecking order for England.

Johnson admitted that it is tough to be looking at the Three Lions’ set-up from the peripheries, and says that he wants to force his way back in:

“When you are playing for a winning team who are flying then I think it is a lot better,” he told Sky Sports.

“Obviously it is a bit difficult when you are in a bit of a battle and your personal form could be better.

“I think it has gone through a bit of a tough time as a club. All those factors have a bearing on the squad.

“It is difficult watching from the outside. It hurts watching England play when you are not there.

“I have got to work hard, try and do my best and get back in the squad.”

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Johnson made his England debut in 2010, after a series of impressive displays early in his Manchester City career.

As his game time dried up with the Sky Blues, so to did his chances of making the national team, with his last appearance midway through last year.

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After their Europa League exertions on Thursday what state will Tottenham be in by the time they kick off against Fulham on Sunday? Spurs were given a pasting by Inter Milan at the San Siro but somehow managed to sustain their European existence courtesy of Emmanuel Adebayor’s extra time goal. That additional 30 minutes, plus the travel time, will have hampered Andre Villas-Boas preparations for the visit of their capital rivals and he’ll have to guard against fatigue. One plus point is the return of Gareth Bale, who missed the trip to Italy because of suspension. A refreshed and fully recharged Bale should be a useful weapon for Villas-Boas as he attempts to pick his side up after defeat at Liverpool last week ended their 12-game unbeaten run.

Fulham’s chances of taking something away from White Hart Lane will rest on former Tottenham favourite Dimitar Berbatov. The stat rolled out before every one of their recent fixtures is that they’ve never lost when Berbatov has found the net. For Martin Jol, also returning to his former club, the Bulgarian is the focal point of his team and if they can get him into the game enough he will cause damage. That being said the Cottagers have struggled on the road their travels, racking up two wins from 14, and are winless at Spurs in the last decade. With that in mind it’s doubtful Jol would turn his nose up at taking a point back home to West London.

Team News

Aaron Lennon (hamstring) should feature for Tottenham, who have a fresh Gareth Bale back after he was suspended for the Europa League clash with Inter Milan on Thursday.

Steve Sidwell has shaken off a knock and could feature for Fulham but Mahamadou Diarra (knee) looks set to miss the remainder of the season.

What the managers said…

“I’m not sure it sets a pattern for the future. We speak about the game between Manchester United and Real Madrid and had United won they would have been in a good position to go on and win the trophy. Barcelona have won it three times since 2006 but we’ve still had Chelsea and United winning it in recent years. These questions come about because we demand more teams to be involved in the later stages but there isn’t a pattern. It changes every single year. We would have wanted to see more because it doesn’t look very good for the English teams but it can change. I don’t imagine Premier League teams will stop being able to compete in the Champions League. We had last year’s winners in Chelsea and not so long ago [in 2008] Manchester United, too.” Andre Villas-Boas believes leading Tottenham into the Champions League will illustrate the Premier League’s strength (London Evening Standard)

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“I hope Bale will stay at Spurs because it’s a very good club for him. Spurs have been getting better and better so why shouldn’t he stay there? They have a big support, they’re a big club with a big fan base and he could be a legend there. Being linked with going abroad is always nice but it could be a risk. When I look at other players from England or from Holland – big players – who have done that it doesn’t always come off. Whatever he decides to do he will have a big future because he is the best player in the Premier League at the moment.” Martin Jol admits he hopes Gareth Bale stays at Spurs (West London Sport)

Pre-Match Statistic: Fulham haven’t won a White Hart Lane since a Barry Hayles brace secured a 3-0 victory in 2003.x

Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Fulham

Live Football Blogs on FootballFanCast.com »

Team News

Matthew Lowton (thigh) will undergo a late fitness test as he aims to be an ever-present for Aston Villa this season. Karim El Ahmadi (thigh) and Ciaran Clark (foot) remain out.

Eden Hazard (calf) and Victor Moses (leg) but are doubts for Chelsea, but John Obi Mikel (hip) is available. Frank Lampard will start as he continues to chase the clubs all-time leading goal tally.

Paul Lambert pre-game…”We’re in terrific form and in a good position – on Saturday we were three points off ninth! All credit to the team for the results they have produced in the last few months. The results have been outstanding. Everyone wrote them off and had a go at them. But the football we’re playing is really good.”

Rafael Benitez pre-game…”What I can say is that Lampard will play against Aston Villa. If he can score against Aston Villa, it will be easier for me in the last two games. I will do what I have to do to win games. If, at the same time, I can help Frank, I will do it.”

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Match Statistic: Fernando Torres’ last Premier League goal for Chelsea was the opener in the 8-0 thrashing of Villa in December.

Prediction: Aston Villa 1-2 Chelsea

I’m sure it hasn’t gone unnoticed this season that there has been a wealth of Belgian players, and in fine form too.  More than any other season, we have seen such a huge impact from the bullish, goal scoring bunch.

Out of all the goals that have been scored this season, 66 goals have come from Belgian players, with 43 assists coming from their boots too.  Only English players have topped this figure due to the large amount that play in the Premier League.

Christian Benteke is leading the way with a superb first season at Aston Villa with 19 goals.  Eden Hazard has 14 assists and 9 league goals to accompany yet another fine first season.  Elsewhere new debutant this season Jan Vertonghen has had a resounding first term for Tottenham Hotspur.  He has been somewhat of a rock at the heart of the Spurs defence, leading them to a top five finish.  For the same club, Moussa Dembele has shown signs of becoming a world class midfielder, his raw strength and battling presence have presented many opponents with a difficult problem.  Spurs have only lost three league games when Dembele has played this season.

On Merseyside, Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini has had another solid term.  With his height, strong build and intricate ball skills, he has been a catalyst in the centre of the Toffees midfield.  When Manchester United came across Everton in a defeat earlier in the season even Sir Alex Ferguson made a comment about the Belgian:  “Fellaini is a handful. He is a big, tall, gangly lad and they just lumped the ball forward to him.

“That’s all they did. They worked from that base all the time and they got a goal from him, so it’s justified.” (BBC).

Both of these central midfielders have been at times something Manchester United have been missing – someone to take the game by the scruff of the neck and be that engine in the middle of the park.  And with the arrival of David Moyes and Fellaini saying he wants out, it’s something that could very well happen.  For the same team Kevin Mirallas has had a scintillating end to the season and again, this is his first season in English football.

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Further inland there is of course the man mountain that is Vincent Kompany, Manchester City captain and last Season’s Premier League Player of the Year.  Since arriving in 2008 Kompany has become a key figure in the Manchester City first team and was key to their Premier League success last season.  Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku has experienced life on loan at West Brom this season, netting 14 goals and grabbing seven assists.  From that list there have been four Belgian players who are new to English football but have taken it by storm.  Overall you can make a starting 11 from Belgian players in the Premier League:

First Team: Simon Mignolet (Sunderland), Dedryck Boyata (Man City), Jan Vertonghen (Spurs), Vincent Kompany (Man City), Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal), Marouane Fellaini (Everton), Moussa Dembele (Spurs), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Kevin Mirallas (Everton), Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea), Christian Benteke (Aston Villa) Subs: Roland Lamah (Swansea), Kevin De Bruyne (Chelsea), Steve De Ridder (Southampton).

A starting 11 which I’d wager would compete for a Champions League spot in the Premier League.  The youngest of this team being 20 and the oldest being 27, leading to an average age of just 24.  This is a team with youth and talent that could grow into a formidable force.  A force we are now seeing on the bigger stage with the Belgian national team.

In 2007 Belgium were 71st in the FIFA world rankings, now they lie in 15th.  With an impressive squad, full of youth and skill Belgium are currently top of their World Cup qualifying group.  Unbeaten in 6 games Belgium are flying high, with only two games left they have guaranteed a top two spot.  A stark contrast to two years previous when they failed to qualify for Euro 2012.  So what’s changed?

In 2000 after a dismal display at the Euro Championships which they co-hosted with Holland, the Belgian FA decided that their youth system needed a serious change.  They were very right to think that the modern game had evolved and that it had become much faster.  So they implemented development into those specific areas.  This however wasn’t enough, the FA sought out the help of the biggest clubs at the time such as Anderlecht, Genk and Standard Liege to implement a new philosophy.  They decided to use the 4-3-3 formation as a template for footballing strategy.  It allowed players to grow up within all the same framework and make them understand not only their position but their team mates too.  It eliminated the confusion of position responsibility as it mean’t wide players wouldn’t be sucked in to help their full-backs.

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We see this on many occasions in a 4-2-2 formation when the wide player is left to cover and doesn’t do so, by taking the cover option away it leads to less confusion.  This also led to the central striker, who was raised from an early age, to hold up the play more and get his forward counterparts involved.  This all led to an improved team cohesion and Belgian players found their foothold in a team playing 4-3-3 formation.  It wasn’t what was best for the player, it was what was best for the team.  Since this, we have seen Belgian players enter the Premier League such as Lukaku who can still get seven assists as a forward or the likes of Hazard with 14 while also bagging nine goals.

As well as many players breaking through into the Premier League, there has been a change in the Belgian Pro League.  Reshaping it at the beginning of the 2009/10 season, teams were reduced from 18 to 16 and the league ended in playoffs.  This meant higher competitiveness between a smaller amount of clubs and gave other clubs a chance to win and therefore invest.  In the 2010/11 season Champions League spots were increased, not only the winner of the league but the runner up would enter the 3rd Qualifying round.  This meant whoever won the Belgian Cup, would qualify for playoffs for the Europa League.  This gave a greater opportunity for Belgian clubs to play globally and a chance for their players to show off.

What we are expecting to see is a young Belgium side come through and do very well for the foreseeable future.  Don’t be alarmed if Belgium make it past the quarter-finals at next years World Cup.  I strongly expect a Euro Semi-Final in 2016 also.  So scouts watch out, the Belgians are about.

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Arsenal fans are still living off the high of their first marquee signing in the best part of a decade – new Emirates star Mesut Ozil joins the Gunners for £42million from Real Madrid in one of the transfer coups of the summer.

But the Arsenal roster is still a few components short of being a top quality side, and if Arsene Wenger is serious in his Premier League title ambitions, he’ll have to source further recruits in the January transfer window.

Luckily, he’s still got around £30million of his £70million summer kitty to spend on new players, and with that in mind, we take a look at FIVE of Arsenal’s summer targets that slipped the Gunners by, but could now opt for a winter switch to the Emirates instead.

Click on Iker Casillas to reveal the FIVE summer targets who could join Arsenal in January

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has insisted he will not be forced to sell Arsenal target Luis Suarez in January, reports the Daily Star.

The Uruguayan indicated he was ready to quit Anfield in the summer, and was the subject of two official bids from Arsenal, one of which consisted of £40million and £1.

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard said in the week he does not expect to see a January move for Suarez, but admitted the controversial forward could depart in the summer should the Reds fail to qualify for the Champions League.

However manager Brendan Rodgers insists he has seen nothing but commitment from the striker, who has bagged six Premier League goals in just five games since his return from suspension.

“I haven’t been given anything to the contrary,” Rodgers said.

“Looking and speaking to him, Luis is as happy as he has ever been.

“He recognises we have a real genuine chance this year of breaking in there (the top four) this year.

“Last year was about transition and the second season was about improvement and he has seen that.

“He had a difficult summer but he has come back and he is more mature and his performance level has been really high.

“He sees a genuine chance for us to make that (top four). He is happy here.”

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger last week refused to rule out making a January offer for Suarez, however Rodgers has insisted the club are under no obligation to sell.

“From a club perspective, we made a stance last summer, not only for Luis but for every player,” he added.

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“If we think it is time to sell a player, we will. If not we won’t.”

Suarez told a Uruguayan radio station earlier in the week he was happy to stay in England, and had heard nothing of interest from Real Madrid.

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