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An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s plans that will cause concern for Dan Burn…

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has warned the Englishman that he is likely to face stiff competition for his place next season.

The journalist has claimed that the Magpies may sign as many as two central defenders in the next transfer window, leaving his spot in the team in a vulnerable position.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I don’t think what he’s done will have any impact at all on Newcastle’s plans for the summer. I still expect them to spend big, and I expect them to bring in at least one, if not two international centre-backs, even with Dan Burn there.”

Disasterclass

PIF must avoid a Darsley Park disaster this summer because instantly replacing Burn would be a huge mistake by the owners.

Firstly, he has been excellent in the Premier League this season and there is little need to find an immediate upgrade in his position.

Steven Taylor dubbed him a “perfect” signing for the club and Toon legend Alan Shearer admitted that he was shocked by his performances, saying: “I looked at him at Brighton and I saw a good Premier League player, who is reliable. I have got to be honest. I didn’t realise how good he was, in terms of what he has brought to this Newcastle team, the leadership.

“Watch the way he’s looking around and trying to organise different players, then taking up his position to do his bit defensively. He has been a leader in that back four, ever since he has put that black and white shirt on.”

He has averaged a superb SofaScore rating of 7.03 for Brighton and Newcastle combined, making 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game. The £20k-per-week machine has shown that he can consistently deliver in the top-flight and that is one reason why it would be a mistake to replace him this summer.

Another reason why it would be a mistake from PIF is that it would surely put some players off from wanting to join the club.

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Seeing that they are willing to wield their axe with Burn, in the sense of replacing him in the starting XI, after just a few months in which he has been delivering quality performances would cause targets to think twice about whether or not it is the best move for their career.

Why would a player be interested in signing for the Magpies if they know that they can put in excellent displays and help the team massively and still be potentially pushed aside within weeks or months?

Therefore, the Magpies must add one centre-back to their squad this summer to compete with the likes of Schar and Dan Burn, instead of signing a completely new defensive pairing.

AND in other news, Sold at £108k, now worth £10.8m: NUFC had howler on gem who proved Benitez “all wrong”…

There wasn’t too much wrong with what Tottenham did this season. It has only been in the past few months where they’ve begun to look unsure of Champions League qualification, and, coincidently, it came off the back of uninspired January transfer activity.

Harry Redknapp says the club need to be bold in the transfer market to ensure they grab a hold of one of the Champions League spots on a permanent basis. Sure, but so does every club. Arsenal look to be moving ambitiously, as will Liverpool and Chelsea, too.

But despite their good run of form this season and the continued praise Harry Redknapp received for his squad, there was nothing spectacular about Tottenham’s squad in the first place. This was a team very much punching above their weight based off pre-season predictions and how they moved in the market last summer.

Emmanuel Adebayor was a good signing, but his days of getting 30 goals a season are long gone. And if you look past the handful of top players at the club, there is nothing else in the squad and there was no movement from the club in January to really fuel what was a fearless juggernaut for the remainder of the season.

Champions league is by no means out of the question, but if they do achieve it, it will very much have been a case of falling over the line. A disappointing finish to how they begun.

What this season has shown, however, is that any club with the right moves and inspired signings can close the gap on the top two. Newcastle have shown it by being in contention for a Champions League spot all season, and there was early talk of Spurs being title contenders. With a marquee signing, they surely would have closed the gap even further.

What is important, though, is for a club like Tottenham not to assume that big spending is the only route to a successful season. The Newcastle model has shown what can be done with very little extravagance, and players like Jan Vertonghen will show desire and ambition on a smaller spending scale. It should be a case of looking to untouched gold mines, again as Newcastle have done, and not be forced to overspend.

There’s not a lot that needs to be done, but along with Redknapp’s comments of being bold comes the necessity to be ruthless. Chasing a target needs to be fulfilled by completing the signing, and with that comes the almost inevitable outcome of a successful season.

Spurs were extremely close this season on making a lasting impression in Europe. The draw of the Premier League would have ensured they weren’t a one-hit wonder, as the case may be for some teams on the continent, but rather they’d be in a position to build much more quickly and with a lot more confidence of their position going into next year.

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Tottenham aren’t far off from going one better next season, but, as Harry Redknapp puts it, the club must show another level of ambition and drive in the transfer market.

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Mesut Oezil says Real Madrid can challenge for all the major titles this season and is hoping that Kaka will stick around to play a role.Jose Mourinho’s men saw Barcelona win La Liga and the Champions League last term while Oezil and his colleagues settled for the Copa del Rey.

However, after playing second fiddle to their La Liga rivals, the Germany international believes it is time for change.

“Our objective is to win more titles,” Oezil was quoted as saying by El Mundo Deportivo.

“The team is much more mature now and this year we will be fighting for all the titles.”

Kaka recently claimed he was staying at the Bernabeu despite reports linking him with a move back to AC Milan, and Oezil insists the Brazilian is an integral member of the squad.

“Kaka is a very important player for us. I have a very good relationship with him.”

“He helps the team and has great potential.”

Real meet Barcelona in the two-legged Spanish Supercopa next month.

The first time I laid eyes on the story linking Liverpool with AC Milan’s Ronaldinho I’m sure I shared the same reaction as most reds fans in thinking, ‘great, more tabloid crap’. The story seems to be gaining momentum however, with more news outlets taking notice of it, and our own Brazilian rising star, Lucas Leiva chipping in his opinion of his international team mate in the hope that we sign him.

What’s more is that the more you read about this bizarre transfer rumour the more realistic it seems to become, especially when you consider that Ronaldinho is down the pecking order at AC and is available for free in the summer. The only stumbling block would seem to be his wage demands as he currently roughly earns a whopping £7.5 million a year and would need to take a huge pay cut if he were to sign for Liverpool.

Some may argue that he’s past it now but at 30 years of age I believe he still has enough time to recapture some of his old form and it would be an absolute dream to see a trio of Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Ronaldinho leading our front line. For me, the former Barcelona star is one of the players that fits the term ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’ and any opportunity to snap him up for a cut price should be seriously looked at. It may have been a good four or five years ago now but Ronaldinho at his best took technical football skill on the pitch to a whole new level with his unique playing style, and I was genuinely disappointed to see that he wasn’t able to keep it up for too long.

You may call it wishful thinking but the change of scenery and a chance to play in the new surroundings of the Premier League may just be the kick-start Ronaldinho needs for his career; along with that I can see Liverpool’s squad being lifted by the signing of such a huge footballing icon. Damien Comolli mentioned recently that strange things could happen in this transfer window, and I can see his point; besides, who would have guessed a few years ago that the likes of Robinho and Carlos Tevez would sign for Manchester City or that Joe Cole would leave the Champions to join one of their fiercest rivals for many years.

However much truth there is in this particular story remains to be seen, but going along with the scenario of it being genuine, would you be happy with the signing of the former World Player of the Year, Ronaldinho?

Written By Mark Wilson at the excellent Live4Liverpool website

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With the imminent conclusion of yet another installment of footballing drama across all four English leagues, the Oldham Athletic hierarchy are looking to next season. Whether or not manager Paul Dickov is leading the way is debatable.

The club announced yesterday that Zander Diamond, who arrived from Scottish Premier League side Aberdeen less than a year previous, had had his contract terminated by mutual consent. The cynical angle screams that it was not completely mutual, more Simon Corney, Athletic’s owner and Chairman, calling a meeting and politely asking (telling) Diamond to sign on the dotted line.

However, one question arises from this sudden announcement: was Dickov in the room at the time? On the club’s official website appeared the article breaking the news about Diamond’s exit. Within the body of the text was the following sentence, a sentence that asks a further question: “It is no secret that had Diamond made another start it would have earned a new contract 2012/13”.

Now there is common agreement amongst the Athletic fans that Diamond, having arrived from a fair-sized Scottish club and with a favourable reputation (perhaps heightened because of his eccentric naming), was on a sizeable wage. It is probably true that he was one of the highest earners at the club, along with Shefki Kuqi and Dean Furman. However, was Dickov having his hand forced by Corney?

Throughout a season of defensive blunders, Dickov’s faith in two young centre-backs, James Tarkowski and Jean-Yves M’voto, both very promising but error-prone, remained unwavering. Reece Brown’s deployment in the heart of defence worked well, but cheap goals were still conceded.

Diamond never held down a first-choice spot but a wealth of experience and steadiness would have been a source of comfort – if he had been allowed to play. In fairness, he was injured for a while, but not long enough to keep out of the side in an appalling run of form.

The 27-year old’s exit is no major concern to the fans. His reputation never transformed into an indispensable character, and the money now available to Dickov can be used to tempt the likes of Kieran Lee, Robbie Simpson and James Wesolowski to renew their expiring contracts. If the club was able to secure the signatures of those three – who are the indispensable characters – it would be a trick worthy of David Copperfield’s routine. Should even two renew their contracts then it would be a job well done.

Not a single supporter would begrudge Lee a move. The Manchester United-trained right back is a class above the rest at Boundary Park. He possesses a composed and intelligent mind, certainly enhanced during his time with the world’s best coaches at Carrington, but also technical ability. Those three assets combined do not belong in the bottom-eight of League One.

With the cases of Simpson and Wesolowski, their traits of loyalty and appreciation will be severely tested. Both midfielders are good enough for any side in League One, but both were thrown onto the scrapheap by their respective clubs. At Huddersfield, Simpson was not given a chance by Lee Clark, who made it clear he was free to hunt a new club. Dickov gave him his chance, and has played about as many games this season as he had combined since his move to the Galpharm in 2009.

James Wesolowski, too, has found a manager that rates him and wants him playing in his side. He has suffered with a reoccurring shoulder injury all season, and so should repay the faith. Will they? Time will tell.

Local lad Chris Taylor has announced that he wants to test himself at a higher level. Like Lee, few berate him for such ambition. Afterall, he has made around 300 appearances for the club he supports and has in the past rebuffed rumours linking him with Blackpool and Leeds United. That level of loyalty is a rare trait in the modern game, and so the time has come for Taylor to forge a career in the Championship.

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A potential summer of frustration awaits Paul Dickov. The fans have demanded a vast improvement to the current playing squad, but first he needs to keep together the one he holds now.

You can follow me on Twitter @CraigOAFC

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp could make a fresh move for Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente, according to Mirror Football.

Spurs were originally linked with the Spanish international in January but a bid failed to materialise. Now Harry Redknapp could make the 26-year old his main transfer target.

At 6ft 5in, Redknapp believes the target man would be excellently suited to the Premier League as he searches for a prolific striker. However, Llorente would cost upwards of £20 million and Spurs would have to sell players to fund any move.

Redknapp is rumoured to be keen to offload any of his current striker force. Robbie Keane spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham and would cost around £6 million. England duo Peter Crouch and Jermaine Defoe, signed by Redknapp from former club Portsmouth, would command more money whilst Roman Pavlyuchenko would also be allowed to leave for the right price.

Wilson Palacios, Jermaine Jenas and David Bentley could also be on their way out of the club and would provide much-needed transfer funds.

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Llorente has scored 7 times in 13 appearances for Spain and was part of last year’s winning World Cup squad. He made his debut for the Bilbao senior side in 2004 and has since gone on to make 240 appearances, scoring 83 goals on the way.

Said

Since being appointed as the English national coach at the F.A Fabio Capello has insisted that players will be selected purely on form as opposed to reputation. With players such as John Terry stating that “If they (the players) continue their form at club level the manager will pick them so that is pressure on the more experienced players.” With various sports writers and commentators sharing the sentiment that England manager Fabio Capello has shown he has little regard for reputation, opting to select players on current form rather than past glories. It would appear fairly straightforward policy from the manager that players who play well for their club get picked ahead of those who are perhaps not playing so well but have done in the past and have big reputations.

Certainly Capello himself has stated that to be selected players must be playing regular club football “If he doesn’t play it’s impossible to pick him.” Talking her about Michael Owen but it is a sentiment that applied to all. That he cannot and therefore will not pick players that are simply not playing for their clubs. A distinct break from the former regime of Steve McClaren, where distinct culture of favourites seemed to have emerged, with certain big name players always involved regardless of club form.

Alan Shearer echoed these sentiments stating “Fabio Capello said some months ago that, to make it into his World Cup squad, players would have to be in form and playing regularly for their clubs.” Despite the possible connotations it could have had on the established English set up players responded positively to the emphasis on form with Terry saying that “It gives everyone confidence in the Premier League that, if they are playing well enough, they will get selected by the manager whether it a qualifier or a friendly.” Everyone was in agreement that Capello would be relying solely on players club forms to decide his England squads.

Done

Yet there is no room in this current squad to face France for in-form striker, Kevin Davies despite the amount of injuries effecting English strikers at the moment. In his place we have Peter Crouch who having scored just one, extremely fortuitous, goal in the Premier League this season. This is compared to the four that the Bolton front man has struck, even though he is more highly regarded for the presence he can bring to a front line as opposed to his goal scoring record. It would appear reputations are carrying more weight than form at present. Carlton Cole also manages to make the squad despite also having a solitary Premier League goal to his name this campaign.

Also at the world cup, winger Sean Wright Phillips was taken ahead of Manchester City team mate Adam Johnson. The young former Middlesbrough winger had towards the tail end of last season been playing far more football at Manchester City than the more experienced Wright-Phillips.

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On top of this Emile Heskey made the cut for the World Cup squad, even though he had fallen down the pecking order at Aston Villa behind Agbonlahor and Carew and was not playing much football at the end of the season. Joe Cole was another on the plane to South Africa who did not fulfil this criteria outlined by Capello. Having just returned from injury he was in and out of the Chelsea team as he struggled to find his form and fitness.

61 days until England open their Euro 2012 campaign against France and there is yet no word on who will be leading the Three Lions on their excursion to Poland and the Ukraine. With no manager in the dugout following the departure of Fabio Capello and Stuart Pearce taking care of the scouting due diligence, preparations for the tournament are currently shrouded in mystery. One of the burning issues facing Pearce, should the FA hand him the reins, is to decide upon a squad that will undoubtedly see Wayne Rooney’s name scribbled under in the forwards section despite him missing the first two Group D games due to suspension.

Who will spearhead the England attack at the Euro’s is open to debate. The usual discourse over who should lead the line has began to intensify as the big kick off draws ever closer and the leading candidates step up their games in the hope of earning a seat on the plane. It’s an unenviable task that rest on Pearce’s shoulders.

Aston Villa striker Darren Bent professed his hopes of being the Three Lions’ central striker last week despite being ruled out for the rest of the season with an ankle ligament injury. The 28-year-old, who hasn’t played a Premier League game since mid-February, was Capello’s first choice for much of 2011 scoring three goals in six appearances. But his chances of being selected are looking slim and Rooney absent for the first two games there is a frightening lack of experienced strikers available to England.

The lone front man role can be an intimidating prospect for any uncapped or inexperienced forward especially with Pearce likely to set out his tactical stall in a similar to that of his Italian predecessor.

The last two decades have seen the national side adopt a conventional 4-4-2 faltering at every major international tournament they progressed to. Capello moved to break the mould introducing the 4-3-2-1 model with the emphasis on getting the ball out wide to the wingers whilst also having the option of playing through the middle to the lone striker. It was a formation that carried England through a successful qualifying campaign albeit with Rooney and Bent in tow. Both proved to be ideal for the system when pressed into action.

With the former absent from England’s opening two group games the onus will fall onto the next generation of forwards currently making their transition into the squad. However, despite the excitement over Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck, there is a cause for concern as to whether they have it in them to shoulder the attacking burden at a major international tournament.

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For a vast majority of the season both players have operated away from the central striking position for their respective clubs. At Manchester United Welbeck has often been asked to drop deeper in to hole behind Rooney and Javier Hernandez or shift into a wider role similar to the one he took up whilst on loan at Sunderland in the previous campaign. Similarly, Sturridge has made Chelsea’s right hand side his own with a series of impressive displays despite stating his desire to play through the centre – something that has been ignored by Andre Villas-Boas and Stamford Bridge predecessor Roberto Di Matteo.

The first two games are crucial for England and ultimately provide a gauge on how they’ll fare in Poland and Ukraine. Starting with Sturridge or Welbeck whilst Rooney serves his suspension would be a risk I’m sure Pearce would be unwilling to take.

But who else could he possibly turn too? Peter Crouch has scored goals for Stoke this season and his strength in the air and hold up play could be a useful tool. However there would be some apprehension towards whether he could cut it at a major tournament following his underwhelming performances at the 2006 World Cup. There’s also Grant Holt and Danny Graham who have made the step up from Championship to Premier League look easy with Norwich and Swansea respectively. Holt, in particular, has shone during his first ever top-flight campaign scoring 15 goals for the Canaries.

There have been a raft of calls petitioning for the 30-year-old to be handed a chance to prove his international credentials. Afterall he’s second only to Rooney in terms of the highest of scoring Englishman this season. Despite his exploits in front of goal there is the feeling that international football would prove too big of a step as it would for Graham and the recently capped Fraizer Campbell.

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Not disparaging against any of the players mentioned above but the lack of striking talent at Pearce’s disposal is quite alarming. Aside from Bent and Rooney I’m struggling to conjure a player that could possibly fill the boots of either player at Euro 2012. Andy Carroll has gone off the boil at Liverpool whilst Bobby Zamora is floundering at QPR.  Jermain Defoe remains an option despite a frustrating year at Tottenham that has seen him rack up a handful of starts but still weigh in with 16 goals. Whilst he doesn’t fit the bill of a lone striker his experience and fresh legs from the bench should ensure him a place in the squad.

But where does the lack of frontmen leave England’s prospects in the summer? Without a striker of recognised quality, guiding the Three Lions out of the groups may be a mission too big for Pearce to handle. Welbeck and Sturridge exude promise but their knowledge is lacking when it comes to the international arena. From management to striker, who will spearhead England this summer is anyone’s guess.

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Likely FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce said he is saddened by the controversy surrounding the organisation.The 67-year-old Northern Irishman will become FIFA vice-president if Wednesday’s presidential election goes ahead, but his appointment will be overshadowed by Sunday’s suspension of Mohamed Bin Hammam and Jack Warner.

FIFA vice-president Warner and AFC presider Bin Hammam – the latter of who was originally to contest the election against current president Sepp Blatter until his withdrawal shortly before his suspension – are alleged to have paid cash to Caribbean Football Union officials in return for them voting for Bin Hammam in the ballot.

Boyce said he hopes the congress is not soured because of the controversy, or the ongoing speculation that the 2018 and 2022 World Cups were awarded to Russia and Qatar in untoward fashion.

“I think the developments of the last few days, as I’ve said, I think they are very sad for football,” Boyce said.

“It’s a great honour I’ve said for me to become the FIFA vice-president, hopefully from tomorrow, and I can assure people that I will work for the good of football.”

“Football is a game that brings everyone together and people must be whiter than white.”

“And obviously, every decent person, is alarmed by these developments. They’ve yet to be proven and if they are proven, then that action will be taken against the individuals concerned.”

Boyce, life president of the Irish Football Association, said he was dismayed that the English and Scottish football associations had urged FIFA to delay the election. The English FA had already announced its intention to abstain from voting in the election.

“My reaction was like everything else at the moment – you never know what is going to happen within the next five or 10 minutes,” Boyce said.

“And things keep changing from time-to-time, so I’ve just got to speak with the associations to find out what is happening.”

“But as I’ve said before, I only take up my position as vice-president of FIFA after the election tomorrow takes place.”

Meanwhile, former FIFA president Joao Havelange – in the position from 1974 to 1998 – believes people are focusing too much on the negatives surrounding the body rather than the good work it does.

“You are talking about suffering, but I am going to talk about happiness,” Havelange said.

“FIFA has 208 countries affiliated and they look after all of them.”

“The competitions are taking place as usual. There has been a development in world football in every way; technically, financially and in disciplinary matters. Everyone looks for mistakes because they all want to sit in that chair.”

It was advantage Manchester this weekend as both United and City clawed back the gap on Chelsea at the top of the Premier League. Both Ancelotti and Wenger were left fuming at their side’s failure to pick up any sort of result, especially the latter who bemoaned Arsenal’s home form and believes it may cost them their chances for the title if it doesn’t improve soon.

Down at the bottom West Ham missed a golden opportunity at St Andrews after surrendering a 2-0 lead. Avram Grant was less than pleased with the match referee and the Hammers boss joins a long list of managers who have looked to direct the finger of blame at the man in the middle, oppose to reflecting on his own side’s failings.

In the news this morning there has been plenty to report as Torres claims his best is yet to come; Mancini set to fight Balotelli’s red card, while Liverpool’s new owner likens the murky world of agents in English football like the wild west –plus much more…

Juventus look to snap up Diego Forlan – IM Scouting

Carroll poised to receive England call-up – Guardian

City to fight Mario red card stamp – Sun

Chelsea chasing Rovers starlet – Mirror

West Ham outrage as rivals Spurs plan to demolish Olympic Stadium – Daily Mail

Grant on borrowed time at West Ham – Guardian

Wenger concerned by home form – Daily Telegraph

Hargreaves may have had anxiety attack – Guardian

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Henry: Premier League ‘like the wild west’ – Daily Telegraph

My best is yet to come, warns goal-hero Torres – Mirror

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