Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund are preparing a shock move for Sunderland forward Ji Dong-Won, according to talkSPORT.
Jurgen Klopp is looking for January reinforcements as his side prepares to battle on all fronts during the second half of the season, and it appears the Black Cats forward is an attractive option.
Ji Dong-Won is out of contract at the Stadium of Light in the summer, and is unlikely to be offered a new deal by manager Gus Poyet.
Dortmund hope to secure the forward’s signature for a knock down price in January, as the striker enters the final six months of his Sunderland contract.
The 22-year-old has made just four appearances for the north east club this season, with his last start coming under former boss Paulo Di Canio way back in August.
The striker has been capped 22 times for South Korea, and moved to the Stadium of Light from Chunnam Dragons in 2011.
He is best remembered for scoring a last minute winner against Manchester City at the Stadium of Light on New Years Day 2012.
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Former Netherlands international Ronald de Boer has stated that the 2022 World Cup should be switched to the winter.
The tournament will be held in Qatar, which has drawn question marks due to the sweltering heat in the country at that time of the year.
However De Boer, who is an ambassador of the Asian nation’s bid, believes that switching the competition to the winter would be a success.
“I think sometimes a change is good, it would be great to have it in the winter,” The Telegraph report De Boer as saying.”Everyone will be fit, physically fit, mentally fit and I don’t see a problem with it. When the African Nations Cup takes place, if you have an African player at your club he has to go and play for his country,” he said.“They play in January and February. Not every league is in synch with the big European leagues: in Russia and Scandinavia they start earlier, and in the United States they have a different schedule.“So I don’t see difficulties. I think its great we have this opportunity and to try it and it will also be beneficial for the tournament itself to be played in the winter. I played there, and for the fans I think it will be great. It would be great if we had it in the winter.“I think all the bodies should come together to find a common solution and try also to change. It’s very easy to stick with the old thing because we’ve done it already for years.“I have said to the supreme committee, ‘I would do it in the winter’. But they can’t say that,” he concluded.
It does not take much for football fans to bask in the misery of their rivals, and on this occasion, Liverpool supporters have taken aim at Everton.
In all honesty, the majority of Toffees fans have been left delighted by the news that Sam Allardyce has left his role as manager.
However, another period of upheaval has caused Liverpool supporters to poke fun at their neighbours.
The Merseyside outfit announced the coaching shift on Wednesday morning, confirming that a new appointment will be made in the summer.
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Allardyce arrived at Goodison Park in November as successor to Ronald Koeman, who was sacked in the previous month for dropping the club towards the relegation zone.
Everton’s new man oversaw an unbeaten run of seven games in all competitions when he took charge of the Toffees, but a number of dismal results followed.
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Fans soon turned against Allardyce, and that theme continued until the end of the season, despite the club finishing eighth in the Premier League table.
Some Liverpool fans launched digs at Everton via social media, while others slammed the Toffees for dismissing the experienced coach.
According to reports in The Telegraph, Southampton are hoping to sign Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge on loan during the January transfer window, and Saints fans have been quick to have their say on the rumour.The Telegraph says that Mauricio Pellegrino wants to strengthen his struggling team in the New Year after selling Virgil van Dijk to the Reds for £75m, and he would be keen on bringing a proven goalscorer like Sturridge to St Mary’s on a temporary deal until the end of the season.The south coast outfit certainly need some help in attack after scoring just 20 goals in 20 Premier League matches so far this term, and with 75 English top flight goals during his career the 28-year-old could be the answer to their goalscoring woes.Southampton supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the story, and while one said “I’m actually desperate to sign Sturridge”, another wasn’t so keen and said he is “such a greedy player who doesn’t pass the ball when he should”.Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…
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.
Jamie Mackie has stated that the current Queens Park Rangers team can beat anyone.
The Scotland international firmly believes it is just a matter of time before QPR’s new players gel and become a force in the Premier League.
Mackie has refused to be disheartened by the R’s lacklustre start where they have picked up just two points from their opening four games, including a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Swansea.
Mackie told the club’s official website, “There is perhaps a bit more belief that we can win these match these sides.
“We showed it last season at home we really need to believe that now. [Against Chelsea] is the best we’ve been in terms of our tempo.”
Much of the sides slow start has been put down to trying to bed in new players, there were 11 summer arrivals at Loftus Road. Mackie added: “Good players can play well together, but knowing each other’s game is an important element.
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“You need to understand where people are comfortable and where they aren’t. But more than anything, new lads need time to get used to the team shape and the demands the manager puts on his players.”
West Ham fans are absolutely crucifying David Moyes, after the manager said he thought they had the best January transfer window in the Premier League.
David Moyes isn’t exactly making things easy on himself at West Ham, and the former Manchester United man has once again opened himself up to criticism.
Speaking ahead of Thursday night’s clash with his former club, the manager said: “I think West Ham arguably had the best January of any club in the Premier League because we sold three players, made a profit, bought one, brought in only Jordan Hugill.
The Hammers also added Joao Mario on loan, and brought Patrice Evra in after the window closed.
Of course, Jordan Hugill has become a bit of a running joke amongst West Ham fans, as the ex-Preston striker has barely seen the light of day since the move.
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“We sold Fonte, Sakho, Andre Ayew. You could say that was a risk, and if it hadn’t worked you could probably be critical of our January,” Moyes continued.
“It wasn’t for the want of trying. We tried to get one or two other players. We ended up with less players, and the one thing we’re short of is numbers here.
“So you could argue we had the best January because we made a good profit and still stayed up.”
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To be fair to the manager, the Hammers did shift some dead wood from the squad and have indeed avoided the drop, but it’s not exactly been much fun for fans along the way.
Fans have slowly but surely turned against the Scotsman, and they’re crucifying him for the transfer comments.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
According to Wales Online, Swansea City are keen to sign West Ham United forward Diafra Sakho during this month’s transfer window.
What’s the story?
It is not exactly breaking news that Sakho wants out of West Ham this month. The forward came close to leaving the Hammers on transfer deadline day after expressing a desire to leave, but ultimately stayed with the Premier League club.
Sakho’s agent Thierno Seydi recently revealed that his client was still keen on leaving West Ham, and would push for a move during the January transfer window.
According to Wales Online, new Swansea boss Carlos Carvalhal believes that Sakho has the capabilities of firing the Welsh outfit clear of the relegation zone in the second half of the 2017-18 campaign.
Swansea are expected to be active this month as the board prepare to back the recently appointed Carvalhal, and it appears that Sakho, who is valued at £9m by transfermarkt.co.uk, could be heading for Wales.
What has happened to Sakho at West Ham?
Sakho has made 14 Premier League appearances for West Ham this season, but he has not started a single match in the top flight during the 2017-18 campaign, and has managed just two league goals.
The Senegal international actually netted 10 Premier League goals during his first season with the Hammers, but managed just five during the 2015-16 season, and just one Premier League goal last term after struggling with injury.
The 28-year-old’s record of 18 Premier League goals in 62 appearances is far from disastrous when considering that a lot of those came off the bench, and there is no question that he has the credentials needed to find the back of the net in the top flight.
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Swansea need proven Premier League performers in a bid to move clear of the bottom three, and it does appear that West Ham are prepared to sell due to the abundance of options they have in the final third of the field.
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
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It’s often been said that the powers that be within the realms of English football aren’t particularly au fait with pulling in the same direction. Whilst the Premier League has always felt too wrapped up in it’s own hype and commercial shtick to cater to the greater needs of English football, the cataclysmic fallings of the FA at just about every level, has seen the real priorities undermined.
Indeed, as a variety of men in suits participate in one of the biggest tugs of war in UK sport, it has been the very genesis of the game in youth development, which has immeasurably suffered as a result.
But times are now, finally changing. A smattering of new, more technically proficient young talent in the likes of Danny Welbeck, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain have emerged with the long overdue construction of the National Football Centre up in Burton.
And as the Premier League announce the formation of a new Under-21 league for 17 Premier League and six Championship clubs for this coming season, it finally feels as if the penny has dropped for English football’s governing bodies. It feels strange and almost begrudging to bestow credit upon the Premier League bureaucrats. But this decision has the real capacity to make an impact upon the game at both club and national level.
The Premier League under-21 competition will consist of 23 teams. As already mentioned, 17 of these teams are Premier League affiliates and six are from the Championship, all of whom are deemed to have Category One status academies.
The first elements of the competition will seek to place the teams into a more evenly competitive set-up. All 23 teams have currently been split into two groups of eight and one group of seven. As of January, the teams will be placed into three new groups, based on their performance in the past four months in order to generate more even and fair competition. From this point, teams will play out of their groups into a knockout round and then to a final in something that represents a ‘Champions League-lite’ format.
Some could question the logic in the creation of yet another tier of youth football in the Premier League. There is already a Premier Academy League, set to evolve into the Elite Player Performance Plan and clubs arrange a number of fixtures for their youth teams in house. Add to that the culture of loaning players out to get real game time in the lower leagues and you could wonder if clubs really need the hassle of another league system.
But it is important to reaffirm the aims of the Under-21 league before people begin to probe it. The focus of this league is to try and smooth one of the hardest journeys of a young footballer’s career, from academy to first team. It is there to showcase and finish off the development process, not to instigate it. But that doesn’t mean it is any less important.
The bread and butter of skills that are cultivated in the academy and the millions of pounds spent doing so, are rendered redundant if there is no path to the first team. This league will hopefully change that.
Because you can have the best coaches in the world, as we are trying to develop up at St. Georges Park, but it won’t make an inch of difference if the players simply aren’t playing. Young players need a route in and the caliber of training can be as high as it wants but it will never replicate the real thing- they must have game time.
And the under-21 league, on paper, offers the perfect compromise. It is designed to fit in and around the first team fixture list- so in theory, if a young player was to catch the eye of the gaffer when playing for the under-21’s, he could make the team for the Saturday, as their fixtures are scheduled to be played mid-week. The principal is of course set to be a lot longer-term than that, but the idea is there.
But it could act as the perfect buffer to aid the transition from academy to first team level. The addition of three, overage players (and one overage goalkeeper) echoes elements of the Olympic football set up and the tiny smattering of experience is also a nice touch to give these players a helping hand, but not enough to turn it into an overblown reserve league. The competition will be forged with the hunger of these players- the prize of a place in the first-team can be a real reality.
Speaking as the U21 league was launched, Premier League director of youth Ged Roddy said:
“As a first team manager there is a great benefit in knowing that you can have your U21 player on the bench for the first team, but if he doesn’t play then there’s still the option for him to have high quality competitive football that weekend.”
Roddy’s words emphasize the longevity in this project. The league is there to aid the development of these players. It is there to offer real playing time to these players and a fluid route to the first team. But the fact that the Premier League has devised this ensures there will always be an element of cynicism behind its motives.
There has already been talk of a television rights deal being put in place for the next season. Initially, the clubs will have the rights to show the games, but there is a school of thought that the Premier League could be set to generate a profit out of this. The exposure that it could bring to the U21 league could be a double-edged sword; players will be able to perform on a whole new level and make a real name for themselves. Those involved would have to make sure, however, that any financial gain doesn’t loose sight of why the league was devised in the first place.
But the fact is that there is no posturing, no debate and no more consultation. This is real and it is starting within a matter of weeks. The fact that younger payers have been given the platform to ease their route into the first team at their respective clubs is something that we must applaud. It will ultimately be down to managers to take the punt on a player. But hopefully the next generation now have an opportunity to not just knock on the door, but knock it down completely.
National Group 1: Arsenal, Blackburn, Bolton, Everton, Norwich, Reading, West Brom, West Ham.
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National Group 2: Aston Villa, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Southampton, Stoke, Sunderland, Tottenham, Watford.
National Group 3: Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Middlesbrough, Wolves.
How do you feel about the new U21 Premier League? Optimistic that this can really aid the development of English football or is it just showcasing a depth of talent to a wider audience? Tell me what you think on Twitter, follow @samuel_antrobus and bat me your views.