B/R Gossip Roundup: Yaya Toure Going Nowhere, Defoe-Altidore Swap Makes Sense
The January transfer window is well under way, with clubs and players jostling for position.
Wilfried Bony was the biggest mover of the past seven days with his switch to Manchester City from Swansea City, but the Jermain Defoe-Jozy Altidore swap between Sunderland and Toronto FC moved rapidly after appearing in the newspapers earlier in the week.
Yaya Toure, Gonzalo Higuain, Jose Enrique, Samuel Eto'o and Jay Rodriguez were among the names mentioned for possible transfers this week.
Read on to find out what we think about the rumours of the past seven days.
Time for Jose Enrique to Cut Liverpool Ties Wth Crystal Palace Loan
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Sometimes, a footballer must realise the time has come to move on, and Liverpool defender Jose Enrique is surely in that bracket.
The 28-year-old joined the Reds from Newcastle United in the summer of 2011 under former manager Kenny Dalglish.
This season, Enrique has been usurped at left-back by Alberto Moreno, and with Jon Flanagan set to return from a long-term injury, his first-team opportunities will be limited even further.
Enrique has made just a handful of appearances this season but has failed to impress when given the chance.
And according to John Percy of the Daily Telegraph, new Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew is preparing to offer the Spaniard a way out of Anfield.
The Selhurst Park boss has a vacancy in his squad for a natural left-back; Joel Ward, a right-back, is currently filling the position.
Enrique has become a target for criticism this season as Liverpool struggle to build on the success of last term, and his positioning and passing have also been open to question, notably on his last start for the Reds at Queens Park Rangers in October, as Squawka noted.
His manager's seeming lack of confidence must be weighing heavily on the defender, who is still young enough to improve and see his career blossom.
The issue for Liverpool will be their forthcoming fixture schedule, which includes Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League matches, and Brendan Rodgers' squad needs for the workload.
But there is also a requirement for Enrique in south London, where Palace can offer him regular football for the remainder of the season.
Believability Meter: Medium
On the surface, this looks like a good move all-round if Rodgers is happy to let Enrique move on ahead of a busy schedule for Liverpool.
Jay Rodriguez Unlikely to Make Manchester City Move from Southampton
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Coming on the morning Manchester City signed Wilfried Bony, this particular rumour seemed particularly strange.
According to Sam Cunningham of the Daily Mail, the Premier League champions are weighing up a move for Southampton striker Jay Rodriguez.
Few football supporters would begrudge Rodriguez a change of fortune after his 2014 was wrecked by a serious injury, sustained at the Etihad Stadium in April.
That anterior cruciate ligament problem robbed the 25-year-old of a potential place in England's World Cup squad in the summer and brought an untimely halt to his progress with the Saints.
Rodriguez is yet to make his return to action under Ronald Koeman, which also makes speculation linking him with City all the more bizarre.
With the Saints still flying high in the Premier League table, there is, perhaps, a question mark over whether Rodriguez will make an immediate return to the first team.
So if nothing else, transfer links with City, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur can only help keep his name in the newspapers and act as a confidence boost for the player.
But we suspect any moves for the striker will be waiting until the summer at least, by which time we hope he has returned to full fitness.
Believability Meter: Low
Rodriguez was unfortunate to suffer such a serious injury while on the brink of playing among the world's best in Brazil.
But his focus now will be solely on making a successful top-flight return from injury, rather than considering a seat on the bench behind City's first-choice forward line.
Jermain Defoe for Jozy Altidore Switch Makes Sense for Sunderland and Toronto FC
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It is less than a year since Jermain Defoe left Tottenham Hotspur with a lap of honour after a game against Everton at White Hart Lane.
The England international was on his way to Toronto FC in Major League Soccer, following the path of a number of high-profile European players in the autumn of their careers.
However, earlier this week, John Percy of the Daily Telegraph reported that Defoe was poised to return to the Premier League with Sunderland.
Notably, though, the article also claimed United States international Jozy Altidore would move in the opposite direction.
For Defoe, the switch is a simple decision based on the 32-year-old's desire to prove himself once more, with Sunderland head coach Gus Poyet—a former Spurs team-mate—an added incentive.
The striker might not have been a first-team regular in his final months with Spurs, but his goalscoring exploits stand alongside the best forwards, and he broke the north London club's European record before his exit, per the Daily Mail.
The former West Ham United man will have a point to prove and will be desperate to prove it.
On the other side of the coin, Altidore has failed to impress in front of goal for the Black Cats since joining from AZ Alkmaar in the summer of 2013.
Just two goals last season have been followed by a similarly disappointing return midway through the current campaign, which also included a glaring miss against West Ham last month, as recounted by Colin Young of the Daily Mirror.
A return to MLS after previously playing for New York Red Bulls could be the ideal tonic for the 25-year-old to rediscover his touch.
Believability Meter: Done Deal
Both players need a boost to their belief, and a move across the Atlantic could provide just that.
The deal was completed on Friday, as reported by the official Sunderland website. Now, it is up to both players to prove their respective points.
Will Rafael Benitez Help Former Club with Gonzalo Higuain Transfer?
4 of 7Rafael Benitez remains a well-loved figure at Liverpool after helping the club win a fifth European Cup in May 2005.
When the Spaniard left Anfield in the summer of 2010, there was a feeling on Merseyside that it was the end of an era.
Benitez still maintains a strong affection for the Reds, but will it be enough to see him allow striker Gonzalo Higuain leave Napoli for Liverpool?
According to Jack De Menezes of The Independent, current Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is considering a £30 million move for the Argentina international.
The report also indicates that the Reds would need to offload summer signing Mario Balotelli to finance the move.
But with Napoli chasing silverware in domestic and European competition, does it make sense for Benitez to sell?
According to Bleacher Report Serie A expert Matteo Bonetti, the Naples club have attacking options to replace Higuain, although he warns it would take "plenty of money" to prise him from the club.
At 27, though, Higuain has the experience of top-level football Liverpool need in front of goal to counter the summer sale of Luis Suarez, which has not been adequately addressed so far.
The arrival of Manolo Gabbiadini at Napoli could help ease Higuain's sale if Benitez decides it is the right move.
That is the question, though. Napoli are chasing another Champions League placing this season, either by winning the Europa League or through a successful Serie A campaign.
A January sale might seem unlikely, but much will depend on what Benitez wants if the Reds are determined to push through a deal this month.
Believability Meter: Medium
Liverpool's interest in a proven goalscorer with a strong ability to hold up the ball is understandable, but it seems unlikely that Napoli will want to lose the forward midway through the season.
Sampdoria Move Makes Sense for Samuel Eto'o
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The agent of Everton's Samuel Eto'o has said that the veteran forward will turn down a move to Santos in favour of joining Sampdoria, per a report in Il Secolo XIX cited by ESPN FC.
Agent Claudio Vigorelli is quoted as saying:
"He's chosen Genoa, and he's really motivated. In the last few hours, an offer arrived from Santos which was greater from a financial viewpoint, but he isn't interested in it.
His family lives in Milan and he dreams of playing in such a passionate place like Genoa to finish his career. He's going to live in Genoa and is not going to commute between Milan and Genoa, like I've heard there being talk of him doing. He's a great professional and has done well wherever he has been.
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Eto'o, 33, joined Everton in August 2014 after his contract with Chelsea expired.
Believability Meter: High
As Vigorelli noted, Eto'o's family lives in Italy, which means Eto'o would be able to spend more time with his loved ones.
In addition, Eto'o previously enjoyed a successful spell in Italy, winning Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Champions League with Inter Milan in 2010.
This move appears to make plenty of sense for Eto'o.
Rushing Krystian Bielik into First-Team Squad Seems Dubious Arsenal Move
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Arsenal have dipped into the transfer market to sign 17-year-old midfielder Krystian Bielik, with Arsene Wenger suggesting the former Legia Warsaw player will go straight into Arsenal's first-team squad.
Per the Mirror, Wenger said:
"He's a defensive midfielder, 6ft 2ins, he has a good energy level and technical level. Also, it's a gamble. But on what we saw it's worth taking.
It's less than £2 million. It's an awful lot of money for a player if he doesn't succeed. If he does succeed then it's cheap. Yes (he will go into first team squad).
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If Bielik is going straight into the first-team squad, it is certainly an interesting move. Seventeen year olds who are capable of playing at the highest level are few and far between and generally tend to be more attack-minded (where their mistakes of youth are not so costly).
Bielik would be an extreme rarity if he was able to contribute for a club as big as Arsenal before his 18th birthday.
Believability Meter: Low
Bielik might be going into the first-team squad initially, but perhaps that is simply to help him acclimatise to English football and the demands Arsenal place on their players—which may be significantly different to what he is used to in Poland.
Spending the rest of the season around the first-team squad, perhaps making the odd substitute appearance in cup competitions, may be great for his development, with Wenger perhaps looking to loan him out at the start of next season once the adjustment process to life in England has been completed.
Hard to See Where Yaya Toure Could Go in Summer
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Yaya Toure might not be available to Manchester City at the moment, but he grabbed the headlines again after refusing to commit his long-term future to the club.
When asked where he would be next season, Toure told CNN:
"That's a big question and that's an easy question as well, and you have an easy answer... we'll see.
I don't know [if I'll stay]. I'm at City. City is a great club where I've achieved lots of things.
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This is not the first time Toure has caused a stir regarding his future; as recently as the summer, he and his agent were famously kicking up a noise about a supposed birthday snub. Occasionally, the Ivory Coast international seems determined to make his employers uncomfortable, with his latest comments being the most recent example.
He seems determined to make a point—but what point exactly?
Believability Meter: Low
Toure, along with his agent, seems to thrive on unrest, intrigue and drama to further his own agenda—an agenda that is often tough to discern for outsiders. Nevertheless, Toure still has plenty of time on his contract, and it is hard to work out where he would go.
Real Madrid would not seem to need him, while a Barcelona return cannot happen until 2016 at the earliest. Paris Saint-Germain would seem the most plausible suitors, but even they are suffering with Financial Fair Play issues that could make a transfer hard to engineer.
The Carlos Tevez escape route—Italy—would not necessarily appeal to Toure. All in all, for all Toure's comments, it is hard to see where the market for him is. City probably know this, which is why they are probably not too concerned at this point.
