B/R Gossip Roundup: Breaking Down This Week's Biggest Rumours
The summer transfer window is firmly in the past, but the rumour mill never stops working.
This week in the B/R Gossip Roundup, we have plenty on offer, from Wayne Rooney to Julian Draxler to Sami Khedira. In addition, the Premier League is reportedly reconsidering an old proposal to play matches far from home.
All that and more inside.
Manchester Clubs Stand Little Chance of Landing Jordi Alba from Barcelona
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There will have been a few disbelieving looks across world football as the newspapers were perused on Monday.
According to John Toner of the Daily Star, both Manchester City and Manchester United are looking to bring Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba to the Premier League.
Now that would be some transfer coup for either side, not least because the chances of the Camp Nou club allowing the 25-year-old to leave are, at best, minimal.
For a start, Barcelona are unable to sign anyone for the next two transfer windows, as decreed by FIFA (via BBC Sport), which would mean replacing the former Valencia defender might prove somewhat difficult.
The only other options for Barcelona would be the promotion of either Adriano or Alex Grimaldo from their B team, although Jeremy Mathieu could deputise.
But why would the Liga giants want to release a player who has performed so well for the club since joining in 2012? Alba has played in five of Barca's seven league games this season and the club have yet to concede a goal.
Also, why would United want another left-sided defender after spending a small fortune on Luke Shaw, who is now beginning to show some form after a difficult start to life at Old Trafford?
Believability Meter: Low
There just doesn't seem to be any reason for this transfer to happen. There would be no reason for Barcelona to allow Alba to leave, and his head coach Luis Enrique clearly sees him as an integral part of his team for the future.
Manchester City Interest in Marco Reus Is Intriguing Move for Champions League
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Seemingly, there isn't a week goes by without some kind of transfer link involving Marco Reus.
Name a leading Premier League club and they will almost certainly have been named as admirers of the Germany international at some point.
It is unsurprising, given Reus is one of the most-valuable commodities in world football and his situation at Borussia Dortmund appears to be unclear.
All of which makes him prime fodder for the gossip columns, and Simon Mullock of the Sunday Mirror this week reported that Manchester City are lining up a move.
According to Mullock, a "stand-off" between Reus and Dortmund over a new contract has piqued the interest of the Etihad Stadium club.
One of the best talents in the Bundesliga, the 25-year-old has yet to hit his peak.
But importantly, where City are concerned, Reus has significant Champions League experience.
With the team picking up just one point from their opening two group matches, it is clear that City manager Manuel Pellegrini needs such a talent to bring the European success the club's owners crave.
City also possess the spending power to ensure they will be among the front-runners for Reus should he leave the Westfalenstadion.
Though Reus would not be able to help City's efforts in the competition this season, his presence in the squad for another assault on the tournament next year would represent a substantial coup.
Believability Meter: Medium
With City already trailing runaway Premier League leaders Chelsea, it is understandable that the reigning champions are looking to bolster their squad.
And if one club has the spending power to draft in major talent such as Reus, it is the Citizens.
This one will be worth keeping an eye on.
Sami Khedira Sale Makes Sense for Real Madrid and Arsenal
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Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira has long been a rumoured target for Arsenal, and rumours surrounding the potential switch gathered further momentum this week.
Anthony Chapman of the Daily Express reported that the Germany international will turn down former manager Jose Mourinho to join the Gunners.
Khedira has featured just twice for Los Blancos so far this season—both appearances coming from the bench.
Chapman claims that the 27-year-old could link up with Arsene Wenger in January after the summer arrival of Toni Kroos at the Bernabeu sidelined the midfielder.
Kroos has been paired with Luka Modric in central midfield by Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, and the partnership is beginning to bear fruit after a difficult honeymoon period.
All of which leaves a question mark over Khedira.
The midfielder would represent a quality signing for any club, with a wealth of experience in his, ahem, arsenal.
Khedira would plug the gap in the Gunners' midfield, which has looked bare on occasions this season, with just Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini available to slot into the defensive-midfield role.
And if Chapman's assertion that a £10 million transfer fee would tempt Real, the move would make both business and footballing sense for the north London club.
With his place in the Bernabeu first team open to debate, a January move to Arsenal makes sense for all concerned.
Believability Meter: High
This is another rumour that has been doing rounds for some time, but it will gather pace before the transfer window reopens in January.
The only question for Arsene Wenger and the Gunners is over Khedira's fitness after a year in which the midfielder missed several months after tearing a cruciate ligament.
Is Wayne Rooney Bound for Monaco?
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The saga surrounding Wayne Rooney's future at Manchester United looks set for another airing after one report this week.
Oliver Brown of the Daily Telegraph claimed that Monaco are strongly interested in bringing the England international to the French Riviera.
The article quotes Monaco vice-president Vadim Vasilyev as saying:
"One year ago, we were discussing one of the top players of the Premier League, a top English player.
But it was on the table. This opportunity finally did not happen, but I think one day that it will come, that it will happen.
"
According to Brown, the player in question is the Old Trafford striker, who was "on the cusp" of joining the Ligue 1 side a year ago.
Since then, Rooney has signed a lucrative long-term deal at Old Trafford under David Moyes and been handed the United captaincy by Louis van Gaal.
One of the few clubs who could afford to match Rooney's wages at United would be Monaco, who are bankrolled by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev.
The former Everton striker has delivered some solid displays under Van Gaal so far this season—his current three-match suspension notwithstanding—to reward the Dutchman's faith.
It was some statement by the United boss to hand the armband to Rooney ahead of Robin van Persie, a player Van Gaal enjoyed a strong relationship with while in charge of the Netherlands.
But United are still a team in transition, and Van Gaal is yet to discover his strongest XI. Will Rooney be part of the first team in the long term? It is not a question anyone, including the manager, can answer at the moment.
At Monaco, there also has to be a question mark, given the club loaned Radamel Falcao to United and sold James Rodriguez to Real Madrid in the summer.
The team are currently lingering in the lower half of the French top flight after finishing second to Paris Saint-Germain last season.
Would Rooney be able to lift Monaco if he was to move in January? He might be a great player, but—as last season under Moyes proved—he cannot do it alone.
Believability Meter: Medium
The quotes from Vasilyev appear fairly strong, and Monaco would have the financial ability to sign Rooney, but the project involving players such as Falcao and James appeared to be on the wane in the summer.
Rooney once questioned United's ambition, as Paul Wilson of The Guardian reported in 2010, so what would he make of two of Monaco's high-profile players leaving this summer?
This one is bound to run for a while, but ultimately, it is likely to be Van Gaal who makes the decision.
Julian Draxler Would Be Great for Arsenal, but He's Not the Priority
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The fanfare that welcomed the arrival of Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck to Arsenal has been silenced in recent weeks, with the reality that the Gunners are a long way off the quality of Chelsea and Manchester City in the title race sinking in.
This time last season, Arsenal were flying high at the top of the Premier League. Twelve months on, the Gunners are nine points adrift of leaders Chelsea.
The focus in the media is that Arsenal need to raid the transfer market in January if they are to mount any sort of challenge.
Anthony Chapman of the Express believes that Julian Draxler will be brought in as the answer to Arsenal’s problems.
In his piece, Chapman wrote:
"Arsenal will match Julian Draxler's £37million Schalke release clause after growing frustrated with club-record signing Mesut Ozil.
The Gunners were tipped to land the 20-year-old during the summer transfer window, but boss Arsene Wenger instead opted to purchase Barcelona's Alexis Sanchez for £30million.
Arsenal have made a less-than-impressive start to the Premier League campaign, winning just twice in their opening seven fixtures, and Wenger is finally ready to move for Draxler in order to revive his injury-hit squad.
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There is no doubt that Draxler is a high-class talent. Anyone who witnessed his impressive display for Schalke against Chelsea in this season’s Champions League will testify to that. As such, he would be a welcome addition to the Arsenal squad.
But he is not the solution to Arsenal’s problems. The Gunners are absolutely crying out for a central defender and a holding midfielder.
If Arsene Wenger is bold and adds a central defender and holding midfielder early in the January window, a move for Draxler would be seen as the final piece of the jigsaw.
But Wenger is not known for extravagant splurges in the transfer market, so surely he would not spend big on Draxler while leaving his defensive problems unsolved.
Believability Meter: Low to Medium
Draxler would be a brilliant signing for Arsenal in the way that he would be a brilliant signing for the majority of Europe’s elite clubs, but he is not the January priority some have made him out to be.
Manchester United Taking £50k Tyler Blackett Gamble
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Tyler Blackett has made quite an impression during the first couple of months of the Premier League season for Manchester United—not all of it positive.
He looked solid in a 20-minute cameo in United’s most recent game, a 2-1 win over Everton, but he has looked out of his depth in other appearances.
The defender’s display in the 5-3 loss to Leicester was hapless in the extreme. He was regularly found wanting in both possession and positional play, which culminated in his late dismissal.
Having allowed Jamie Vardy to win possession near the halfway line, Blackett gave chase all the way into his own box before making a terrible decision to attempt to win the ball when he had no chance. He conceded a penalty and was shown a red card.
The positives to take are that Blackett is only 20 and should learn from his mistakes. He also has the backing of his manager, Louis van Gaal. Early on in his tenure, Van Gaal highlighted Blackett as a youngster with the ability to step forward.
It seems Van Gaal is impressed by Blackett’s desire to learn and improve, as noted by former Manchester United defender Gary Neville.
Writing in his column in The Daily Telegraph in August, Neville said: "To understand Van Gaal you have to know that he sees his first job as instilling his ideas in his players. In a corridor at Carrington at 3 p.m., I came across Tyler Blackett sitting on his own, with a computer on his lap, studying clips of his performance in the 2-1 home defeat to Swansea City."
Potential and desire to learn are excellent attributes, but are they worthy of a £48,000-a-week pay rise, which is reported to be on the cards, per Jack de Menezes of the Independent?
Believability Meter: Medium
United are clearly looking to the future. Blackett is in the final year of his contract, so tying him down is sensible—allowing him to leave on a free transfer would make no sense.
If he fulfils his potential, it will prove to be money well spent for United. Time will tell if that is the case.
Premier League Clubs Interested in Playing Matches Abroad?
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The Premier League is again investigating the possibility of playing matches overseas, according to an Associated Press report cited by The Daily Telegraph.
According to the report, AP sources say that member clubs have asked the Premier League to perform a "feasibility study into global expansion options." Regular-season matches abroad are "unlikely" for now, but pre-season friendlies are reportedly an option.
The Premier League previously explored the idea of playing a 39th game abroad, as noted by BBC Sport in 2008.
Believability Meter: Medium to high
It's anyone's guess as to whether this scheme will actually pan out. But based on all the media attention this story has received, the Premier League and its clubs do seem interested in at least exploring the idea of playing matches abroad.
According to The Telegraph's report, the idea resurfaced after Manchester United played Real Madrid in front of more than 109,000 fans in Michigan this past August (picture above).
The more Premier League clubs and owners see scenes like that, the more they will be open to playing matches abroad. It makes sense financially.
