B/R Gossip Roundup: Angel Di Maria Misused, Theo Walcott Loan Makes No Sense
Another week, another series of transfer rumours and speculation surrounding contracts as the January transfer window creeps ever so slightly closer.
Beyond transfer talk, the likes of Angel Di Maria, Luis Suarez and Theo Walcott have all been in the news as they adapt to life at new clubs and return to action after long spells on the sidelines with differing degrees of success.
When it comes to transfer speculation, Liverpool and Tottenham are among the clubs that have seemingly started planning their spending for when the transfer window reopens.
Click on for our evaluation of all those rumours.
Dazzling Di Maria Has to Do More for Manchester United
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Angel Di Maria has been widely lauded since his arrival at Manchester United, with the praise fully justified on account of a number of sparkling displays.
But in United’s last three games, Di Maria has been a peripheral player. He has contributed in the danger area with his brilliant set-piece deliveries—he crafted United’s equaliser against Chelsea and caused panic in the loss to Manchester City—but he has done little in open play.
In fact, he was partly to blame for City’s winning goal in the Manchester derby, as he switched off and allowed Gael Clichy to run in behind and provide the cross for Sergio Aguero to score.
This was picked up by the Mail’s Ian Ladyman in his column on Monday.
"Manchester United's £60million record signing Angel Di Maria has been excellent since he arrived from Real Madrid. He is a real star.
However, Louis van Gaal will have to find a way to get him more involved in games when his side don’t dominate play.
He was quiet on Sunday—as he was against Chelsea last weekend—and didn’t give his full-back Luke Shaw too much help either. The goal came from Yaya Toure’s pass with Di Maria just watching.
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Ladyman does not provide a solution for Van Gaal, but he is correct in his assessment that the Argentina star needs to be offering more of a threat in open play.
Being parked out on the left-hand side does leave Di Maria isolated to an extent, but that can be remedied by his team-mates seeking him out at the earliest opportunity.
Di Maria must also be given licence to roam. If he is not offering much in terms of a defensive shield to his full-back—as was the case against City—then he does not need to hug the touchline.
He can move inside, switch flanks and generally take himself all over the pitch in order to find space and do damage.
Believability Meter: High
It’s been clear to see in United’s past couple of games that Di Maria has not done enough, considering the £60 million United paid to secure his services.
He has to do more, but he is such a talented player that he will soon be dominating games in the Premier League.
Luis Suarez Foolish to Moan About Ballon d'Or Shortlist Omission
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Luis Suarez caused something approaching a mild stir on Tuesday, when he revealed his surprise and disappointment at being left off FIFA's 23-man shortlist for the forthcoming Ballon d'Or award.
As quoted by The Guardian, Suarez told Spanish radio:
"Everyone brings it to attention, as Gerard Pique said, and what he told me is that they voted me as the best player in the most difficult league in the world, or one of the most difficult.
I was also the highest goalscorer of all of the European leagues. But I prefer to keep quiet before saying things because every time that I speak there could be a problem.
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FIFA and co-organisers France Football have yet to confirm why Suarez's name was missing from the list, although the Uruguayan's four-month ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini during the World Cup has become the accepted (and entirely logical) explanation.
Suarez's comments, however, contain no such logic. Yes, he was voted the Premier League's best player last season—but that was last season, not the current calendar year. The Ballon d'Or focuses exclusively on events in 2014, so while Suarez was great in the Premier League, he has also been banned for 33 per cent of period in which the award is judged. It would be hard enough to make the shortlist on merit, let alone with such a heinous disciplinary problem on his record as well.
Believability Meter: Medium
Suarez should know better about the machinations of world football and such award ceremonies. The Uruguayan would surely be better served by focusing on earning his place on next year's shortlist by playing well and avoiding any on-field issues.
He was surely never going to make the final three-man list anyway—Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and a German World Cup winner will surely get the nod—so why fret about it?
Paying off Anderson to Depart Early Might Well Make Sense for Manchester United
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On Wednesday, a number of outlets reported that Manchester United are considering paying Anderson the remaining sum on his contract in order to remove him from the playing squad.
As reported in the Daily Telegraph:
"Manchester United will consider cancelling the remaining six months on the £60,000-a-week contract of Brazilian midfielder Anderson if they are unable to find a new club for the player in January.
"With Anderson’s stock having now fallen so low within the game, however, it is understood that United are ready to explore the possibility of paying up the remainder of the player’s contract, which could cost up to £1.4 million, simply to remove him from the playing squad and enhance his prospects of finding a new club.
"Efforts to offload Anderson last season failed to succeed, with Italian outfit Fiorentina rejecting the chance to sign him permanently following a six-month loan spell at the club earlier this year.
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The move is not completely unprecedented as far as United go—they spent £5 million to remove goalkeeper Fabien Barthez from the wage bill in 2004. By that comparison, Anderson's removal represents small change.
Believability Meter: Medium
Obviously United's preference would be to get some money for the Brazilian, either by negotiating a sale in January or a short-term loan that removes at least a percentage of his wages from the overall bill. The odds would appear to be that at least one club will bite at that offer, although their contribution to Anderson's wages might be almost nominal.
If no offer is forthcoming, however, then paying Anderson off makes a certain amount of sense and would be an option the club will consider. The player himself might be open to it (and perhaps agree to a reduction on the pay-off he receives) in order to kick-start his once-promising career elsewhere.
Theo Walcott Loan Talk Just Makes No Sense
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The transfer rumour mill is a bewitching and beguiling being, with much of the fun coming from plucking out the reality from the fantasy.
The fantasy transfer links are often fun to read, but you sometimes see something so outlandish you just ask yourself “why?”
“Why?” was the exact word that sprang to mind when poring over Anthony Chapman’s piece about Theo Walcott in the Express on Friday.
Chapman’s headline screamed “Italian side prepare SHOCK bid for Arsenal and England star Theo Walcott”
The Express scribe cites reports in Italy as the source of his piece, but he goes on to suggest that:
"The former Southampton star has only just returned from a long-term injury sustained last January, and Arsene Wenger could be tempted to let the versatile forward build his fitness and condition back up in time for the 2015/16 campaign.
Arsenal have a number of options in midfield and attack, including the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil, and Walcott could be keen on testing himself abroad as he looks to nail down a regular place in Roy Hodgson's Three Lions squad.
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It is as if Chapman feels that this deal could actually happen. We, however, do not.
As Chapman correctly states, Walcott has only recently returned from injury. Prior to his serious knee problem, Walcott was in supreme form and a key cog in the Arsenal machine.
As such, it just does not make sense that Gunners boss Arsene Wenger would let Walcott leave on loan.
The transfer window does not open until January, so no deal could happen until then. By that time, Walcott will in all probability be near peak fitness and pressing for a regular start.
Believability Meter: Low
Walcott has been sorely missed by the Gunners, and provided the knee injury he suffered has not shorn the forward of his blistering brilliance, there is no chance of him being moved on.
New Goalkeeper Would Improve Liverpool, but It Is Not the Club's Main Issue
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After losing to Chelsea on Saturday, reports emerged that Liverpool had turned their attentions to Stoke City's Asmir Begovic as they look for a new goalkeeper.
Finding a new No. 1 has long been a priority for Brendan Rodgers it seems, with a move for Victor Valdes strongly mooted over recent months. A deal for the ex-Barcelona goalkeeper seems to have stalled, however, leading Liverpool to look elsewhere.
According to a report in the Daily Mirror:
"The Merseyside club went after the Stoke stopper in the summer of 2013 but were frightened off by a £15 million asking price.
Instead they went for £9 million Simon Mignolet.
Liverpool conceded 50 Premier League goals in Mignolet’s first season—a record for a team finishing runners-up.
Begovic, 27, now has only 20 months left on his Stoke contract and might be prised away for around £10 million.
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Begovic has long been regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers in the Premier League, a consistent player with few obvious weaknesses in his game. That is in contrast to current Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who has received criticism in recent weeks for some of his decision-making and susceptibility to high balls into the box.
Believability Meter: Medium
A deal for Begovic seems to tick a lot of boxes: His contract situation keeps his price down slightly, while he would not be cup tied for European competition (whichever one Liverpool might end up in). Stoke also have a surplus of goalkeepers, with Thomas Sorensen and Jack Butland (currently on loan) also on the books. They could sell Begovic and spend the cash on another part of the squad.
Of course, losing the Bosnian would likely have a negative effect on Stoke's own defence, something that will greatly concern manager Mark Hughes if the club are involved in a relegation battle come January. If that is the case, Liverpool will perhaps have to wait until the summer to get Begovic—or look elsewhere.
Why Wouldn't Southampton Consider Selling Jay Rodriguez to Tottenham?
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After selling a number of their most promising players in the summer, it looks like Southampton could continue that practice in January, with a number of clubs reportedly interested in forward Jay Rodriguez.
In an exclusive story, the Daily Star claims:
"Jay Rodriguez will join Tottenham in the transfer window after chairman Daniel Levy sanctioned Mauricio Pochettino's intended £20 million bid for the Southampton striker.
Spurs boss Pochettino was desperate to land the former Burnley attacker, 25, in the summer but he picked up a knee injury which kept him out of England's World Cup campaign. But his fitness progress is such that the White Hart Lane chief will make his move to bolster his attacking options in January.
St Mary's boss Ronald Koeman is ready to do business thanks to the stunning success of recruiting Italian striker Graziano Pelle from Feyenoord.
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Rodriguez has yet to play this season after suffering a cruciate ligament tear toward the end of last season. Spurs (and Liverpool) would presumably want to see Rodriguez return to competitive action at 100 per cent fitness before sanctioning any deal, but that is expected to happen before January arrives.
Southampton, on the other hand, sit second in the league despite being unable to call upon the England international this season—as a result, they may well consider him to be slightly surplus to requirements.
Believability Meter: Medium
Southampton have coped more than adequately without Rodriguez, and his return might only upset the balance of a strike force that has been very effective so far this season. The personnel have changed so much since Rodriguez last played, who is to say he will play well alongside Dusan Tadic and Graziano Pelle?
The quoted £20 million would be a solid fee for the Saints, and given their recent track record, they would back themselves to find a suitable replacement for a fraction of that on the open market. It would be silly not to consider a deal if Tottenham come calling.
