B/R Gossip Roundup: Walcott, Pogba, Bale and De Bruyne Dominate the Back Pages
There are still plenty of twists and turns to be made on the pitch this season, but that does not mean speculation isn't already rife about what could happen off it in the summer.
The biggest clubs often try to line up their offseason transfer business as far in advance as possible, and there has been plenty of speculation to that effect this week. Much of that seems to be focused on the next generation of English stars, with the contract situations of Raheem Sterling and Theo Walcott causing a huge amount of discussion.
Let's take a look at the week's biggest rumours.
Roy Keane Manchester United Talk Is Well Wide of the Mark
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Paul Ince has suggested that his former Manchester United team-mate Roy Keane has the characteristics needed to succeed as manager at Old Trafford.
Speaking to the Daily Mail’s Philip Quinn, Ince said:
"To be Man United manager you need broad shoulders and take a lot of criticism. Roy has broad shoulders and he is mentally tough. Things don’t affect him.
He has a poker face, doesn’t show if things are affecting him, and there is no reason why Roy couldn’t go back to Manchester United [as manager].
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United boss Louis van Gaal is under pressure at Old Trafford, and that pressure will mount if the Dutchman fails to guide the Red Devils back into the Champions League.
But talk of bringing in a replacement is premature at this stage—as is suggesting Keane could fill the void.
Keane has had his chances as a manager, with failed spells at Sunderland and Ipswich Town under his belt.
At the time of his appointment as Sunderland boss, it was felt he could be a long-term successor to Sir Alex Ferguson.
Keane’s stock has since dropped, and before he can be considered for such a role, he will need to rebuild his reputation elsewhere.
Believability Meter: Low
Keane will have to do a lot of rebuilding work in order to be considered for the top job at Manchester United. Even then he may not get a shot, such is the competitive nature of football management.
Kevin De Bruyne Talk Is Set to Run and Run
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Headlines are, by design, there to catch the eye.
And it’s fair to say that the headline on Jack Watts’ piece about Wolfsburg midfielder Kevin De Bruyne in the Daily Star on Friday did just that.
The headline in question was: "Belgium international NOT INTERESTED in move to Man Utd, Arsenal or Chelsea."
According to Watts, De Bruyne is not interested in making a move to any one of three of the Premier League's big guns.
What is the basis for this claim? That would be comments from Wolfsburg boss Dieter Hecking, which came from Het Laatste Nieuws.
"He is aware of the interest from the top European clubs," Hecking said. "But he has given me the impression that he is not interested in the matter; he just wants to play football.”
There’s not one mention of Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United from Hecking, but Watts feels De Bruyne that much is intimated.
It is fair to assume De Bruyne would have reservations about making the move to Chelsea, given he spent time as a fringe player at Stamford Bridge before moving to Wolfsburg.
But to suggest he has no interest in moving to Arsenal or Manchester United would appear to be a touch ambitious.
Should Arsene Wenger or Louis van Gaal come calling, it would surely be hard to resist.
De Bruyne has made a huge impression for Wolfsburg this season, and if he has any ambition, he will be on the move at some stage.
So to say the player has no interest in joining either Arsenal or United just does not make sense.
Believability Meter: Low
Admiring glances have been cast the way of De Bruyne this season. and if Arsenal or United come calling, it would be a surprise if the attacking midfielder said no.
Too Early to Determine Gareth Bale's Fate
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British papers have been linking both Chelsea and Manchester United with summer moves for Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale.
According to Jeremy Cross at the Daily Star, United manager Louis van Gaal is willing to use goalkeeper David De Gea as a makeweight in any move for Bale. According to the report, De Gea has 18 months left on his contract and has not yet agreed to new terms.
The supposed transfer would cost United £60 million plus De Gea, and Bale would earn around £300,000 per week.
Meanwhile, Anthony Chapman at the Daily Express cites a Tuttomercatoweb report that claims Chelsea are willing to offer Real £150 million for Bale and centre-back Raphael Varane.
The report passes along "rumours" that Bale is not content with his situation at Real Madrid and cites unspecified "pundits in Spain" as believing he has experienced an "apparent fall-out" with Cristiano Ronaldo."
Believability Meter: Low to Medium
It's hard to know what to make of these reports—at least at this point. Bale might well be unhappy at the Bernabeu, but it's impossible to know at this time whether he will leave the Spanish capital this summer. Furthermore, it's also impossible to know where he would end up should he depart.
While considering these rumours, it's important to remember that Real Madrid paid Tottenham Hotspur an extremely large amount of money to sign Bale in 2013. According to Jeremy Wilson at the Daily Telegraph, the fee was €100 million, though FIFA reported it at €91 million.
Either way, that's an immense amount of money, and although Bale has struggled for form in recent weeks, Real might not be willing to dump such a large investment after only two seasons.
What's more, Bale might not want to leave, as Deadspin's Billy Haisley theorised last December:
"At this point, as far as Bale is concerned, he is a shoo-in starter for the biggest and best club on the face of the Earth. Name-wise, he's probably the second biggest Galactico behind Ronaldo and is four years younger.
As Ronaldo's grip on the club and its supporters slackens as his career winds down, Bale's influence will only grow, eventually placing him at the center of everything.
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For the time being, it's much too early to speculate about Bale's future.
Manchester United Might Not Be Ready to Dump Di Maria
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Argentinian attacker Angel Di Maria is "desperate" to leave Manchester United this summer, according to reports cited by Jonathan Green of the Daily Star.
Di Maria, 27, joined United from Real Madrid last year in a deal that cost United £59.7 million, per the Guardian. However, the winger has struggled for form and is reportedly ready to leave the Premier League.
Green's report passes along quotes from Telefoot that hint at a potential move to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer. "Playing in the French league would please a lot of players," Di Maria was quoted as saying. "It could have been a good experience for me to go to Paris. I know I'm still young, perhaps I'll go to PSG one day. I don't know how it will all end."
Believability Meter: Low
Di Maria's form has been below standard lately, but United might not be willing to sell him so quickly after making such a huge investment.
If a dream offer comes along, United might sell. If not, Di Maria will stay and United will hope he settles fully in English football.
Paul Pogba's Agent Playing Hard to Get with Real Madrid
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Real Madrid have not made an approach for Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba, according to the player's agent, Mino Raiola.
"Real Madrid are a team that sees a player who has six good games at the FIFA World Cup and buys him. ... We want to go to a club that believes in Paul's potential," Raiola said, per L'Equipe (h/t Ian Holyman at ESPN FC). "I am not closing the door to Real Madrid, but I'm not opening it either."
According to a Tuttosport report passed along by Spanish outlet Diario AS (h/t Dermot Corrigan at ESPN FC), Real Madrid were willing to pay Juventus €85 million for Pogba's services.
More recently, however, Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti told AS (h/t Corrigan) that the club is "not interested in him at the moment."
Believability Meter: Medium
Who to believe?
Reports have linked Real with Pogba for what seems like forever, so it would seem to make sense that Madrid are interested in him. And that would be no surprise—Pogba is quickly becoming one of the world's finest midfielders.
Anceolotti himself said Real are not interested "at the moment," but that could be a sly way of obfuscating the club's actual level of interest. Similarly, Raiola's statement could be little more than posturing in an attempt to secure the best deal for his client.
Something tells us this saga is far from finished.
Liverpool Could Be an Enticing Option for Arsenal's Theo Walcott
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Liverpool are keeping track of Theo Walcott's situation at Arsenal as the England winger negotiates with the club over a new contract, according to Matt Law at The Daily Telegraph.
Law's report implies that Walcott could be a replacement for Raheem Sterling if the latter decides to leave Liverpool, though he writes:
"Liverpool’s interest in Walcott is not necessarily completely dependent on the future of Sterling, as doubts linger over whether Mario Balotelli will remain at Anfield past this season.
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Walcott, 26, reportedly wants an increase on his current £100,000-per-week wages. His current contract is set to expire at the end of next season.
Believability Meter: Medium to high
Walcott's last contract negotiation with Arsenal became difficult, and as Law notes, manager Arsene Wenger has said that this latest round of talks "would not be easy."
If Walcott does decide to leave Arsenal, joining Liverpool would make sense, assuming the Reds qualify for the Champions League. Brendan Rodgers' side play an attractive brand of attacking football, and Walcott's pace and finishing ability would fit in nicely.
Manchester City Interest in Guardiola Makes Complete Sense
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After a poor week for Manchester City, both in the Premier League and in Europe, speculation surrounding the future of manager Manuel Pellegrini has reached fever pitch.
Many newspapers believe the Chilean is certain to depart the club in the summer, considering City are on course for exactly the sort of season—no trophies—that cost Pellegrini's predecessor, Roberto Mancini, his job back in 2013.
The Sunday Express reports that City are making overtures towards Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola, as they start to plan for life after Pellegrini.
John Richardson reports:
"Ex-Barcelona boss Guardiola has been City’s prime managerial target ever since Etihad chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak appointed former Nou Camp decision-makers Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain in the autumn of 2012.
But Guardiola’s decision to join Bayern Munich, having had a year’s sabbatical after his successful time at Barcelona, forced City to go in a different direction when they decided to sack Roberto Mancini.
In came Pellegrini, thought of as a safe pair of hands following the stormy but winning reign of Mancini. The Chilean won the Premier League title and League Cup in his first season, but now the heat is on in a campaign unlikely to yield any silverware.
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Guardiola still has more than 12 months of his £20 million a year contract—the most lucrative in football—to run.
But City know that Guardiola’s next favoured destination is the Premier League and they will try and use all their persuasive powers, not to mention owner Sheikh Mansour’s riches, to try and cut short his Bavarian stay.
If that fails but Guardiola indicates that he would be open to offers a further year down the line then Pellegrini would probably be given a stay of execution, his contract going into the last 12 months.
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City would be foolish not to try and land the Spaniard when the likely rivals for him—Chelsea, Manchester United, even Arsenal—all have settled managers, but it seems certain they will have to wait at least another 12 months if they are to get him.
Believability Meter: Medium
It is no great leap in imagination to suspect Pep Guardiola is Manchester City's dream managerial appointment, both for his record in the game and his relationship with many of the key figures behind the scenes at City these days.
But Guardiola has a contract until 2016, and while his preference for short stints at clubs is a reasonably open secret, there is no obvious indication that he wants to leave before that.
Therefore, it becomes a different question for City: Do they give Pellegrini one more season and then chase Guardiola, or ditch Pellegrini now and find an alternative to their "dream" appointment?
