Everton are reportedly set to extend manager David Moyes’ contract in the new year, as the Scottish coach looks to increase his time on Merseyside further.
Moyes will have been in charge at Goodison Park for ten years come March, and despite his current deal not expiring until 2013, the Toffees’ owners are keen to have their main man at the club for the foreseeable future, The Independent reports.
The Scot is currently the highest earner at the club, taking home £65,000 per week, and a similar figure is expected to be offered to keep Moyes from moving on.
Despite Everton’s obvious and well-documented financial problems, Moyes has made no suggestion of any desire to leave Goodison, and the Scot has built a close-knit squad over the last number of years.
The news comes following Everton’s 2-1 extra time time win over West Brom on Wednesday night, in which captain Phil Neville scored a 103rd minute winner.
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Everton now take on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, as they look to build on their midweek win.
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Liverpool’s new signing Luis Suarez marked his debut with a goal as the Reds beat a well-organised Stoke side 2-0 at Anfield.
Raul Meireles opened the scoring before the Uruguayan came off the bench to seal all three points for Kenny Dalglish’s side, making it three wins from as many games for the Merseysiders.
The home crowd thought they had taken the lead within the first ten minutes after Reds defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos’s glancing header from a corner looked to be heading in, however Salif Diao was on hand to hook the ball off the line.
Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic pulled off a wonder save moments later to keep the visitors on level terms as he clawed Glen Johnson’s header to safety from Martin Kelly’s cross.
But while there was plenty of pressure applied on the Stoke goal, a combination of poor finishing and the inspired form of Begovic kept the visitors in the game as the first half came to a close.
Liverpool’s persistence paid off as soon as the second half kicked off.
Steven Gerrard’s deflected shot caused panic in the Stoke area as their backline failed to clear the ball, and midfielder Meireles made the most of the scramble by slamming the ball into the net from 12 yards for his second goal in three Premier League games.
The goal seemed to spring Stoke into life, and they almost drew level after John Carew’s shot flew inches wide of Pepe Reina’s upright.
Liverpool were looking to kill the game off, and with Andy Carroll’s thigh injury preventing him from making his debut, it was left to Suarez, Dalglish’s other new multi-million pound signing, to make his bow.
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The forward, signed last week from Ajax for 23 million pounds, was greeted by rapturous applause as he made his way onto the pitch after 63 minutes in place of Fabio Aurelio, and marked his debut with a goal.
It took only sixteen minutes for the striker to make his mark, calmly rounding Begovic and slotting home after a neat through ball by Dirk Kuyt.
Jon Walters’s snap-shot was well saved by Reina in the dying moments as Stoke looked for a consolation, but Liverpool’s resurgence continued with a well-deserved win.
For a man who once said he’d be good enough to manage Real Madrid, he didn’t half make hard work out of getting West Ham back into the Premier League. The Championship is of course, a formidable beast and all that matters now is that Sam Allardyce has got the Hammers back into the promised land of English football.
But West Ham United aren’t like your usual promoted team. Where as for most, Premier League teams survival represents the Holy Grail, for some Hammers fans, it’s a basic expectation. Allardyce felt the heat of supporters on more than one occasion last season and he doesn’t just face the task of keeping the East Londoners up- he’ll have to do it in style.
There was a wonderful paradox of emotion at Upton Park last season. For large parts of the season, West Ham always seemed destined to be promoted, but overwhelming support was not forthcoming. The supporters’ demands for a certain brand of football, a ‘West Ham’ way, were echoed out in force; demands that for the most part, fell on deaf ears.
And it’s been difficult for Allardyce. His brand of football has always carried a certain stigma of pragmatism and some fans had already made their minds up about ‘Big Sam’ before David Gold and David Sullivan had even appointed him. The chairman appointed Allardyce for his resume, not his style of football. He had the experience, the expertise and the mindset to get West Ham promoted and the ultimate vindication came as West Ham made an instant return to the top flight.
For outsiders looking in, it seemed very much as if West Ham fans wanted to have their cake and eat it. But it’s easy for sneering Premier League supporters to make massive generalizations about a league they’ve never played in. The Championship is an incredibly competitive and ultimately very physical league. Although the notion that it can’t breed decent football, is fatally flawed.
As the Hammers went down in 2011, Brendan Rodgers commandeered Swansea City up into the Premier League on the same footballing philosophy that drew such plaudits last season. And for a more recent example, fans need to look no further than the team who achieved what Allardyce failed to do. Nigel Adkins’ Southampton won promotion on a backdrop of bright, attacking football played mostly on the deck. It’s far from impossible.
Although Allardyce stood strong to his principals and he was eventually redeemed by achieving promotion – albeit via the play offs. Ultimately, the attitudes of last season are now rendered academic but it feels as if something has to give next season. Eventually, either Allardyce is going to have to adopt an altered style of football or the Hammers’ support is going to have to heed to his pragmatism. It’s difficult to predict if either are likely to budge.
Because even when the prospects looked good for West Ham last season, it wasn’t enough. Towards the end of February, a resolute Crystal Palace frustrated Allardyce’s team, to earn a point in a 0-0 draw at Upton Park. But even though the Hammers were still in an automatic promotion spot, it still wasn’t enough for some- sections of the crowd booed the team off at the end of each half. This by no means represented the majority of fans, but it was a sizeable enough minority to be prominently heard. However disappointing the result may have been, the reaction was surely unmerited.
The awkward feeling seemed to linger throughout the duration of the season and although West Ham eventually got promoted, it wasn’t without due concern. Results spiraled off and there was a feeling that Allardyce’s style wasn’t particularly conducive with winning football matches. But they got there in the end and a 2-1 victory in an enthralling play-off final victory against Blackpool, sealed a return to the Premier League.
Next season, you feel, could potentially be one of the most defining of Sam Allardyce’s career. The success and legacy of his time at Bolton Wanderers feels like a lifetime ago and however bitter he may feel about how things ended at both Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers, his stock has undeniably lowered since his time at the Reebok Stadium. The parallels with his time at Newcastle in particular, feel like an unnerving ghost of Christmas past for the 57-year-old. The fans never brought into his ideology at St. James’ Park and he was never given the time he needed to build his project. The situation he faces at Upton Park isn’t a new one.
In his one season at Newcastle, a good start seemed to appease the boo boys and he will have to ensure that this time round, he maintains momentum. West Ham fans aren’t naïve to the situation and however a certain minority may feel, Premier League survival has to be the most important aim. Anything else they may achieve should be held as a bonus.
But as in all relationships in life, compromise is often key. If Allardyce is to smooth his issues over with some of the Hammers’ support, then he is going to have to alter a brand of football that doesn’t particularly set the heart on fire. When fans pay money for season tickets, they’re entitled to an opinion and however Allardyce frames it, spectators at Upton Park were treated to some pretty dire exhibitions. He keeps claiming he is capable of playing entertaining football. Next season wouldn’t be a bad place to start.
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Promoted teams have done extremely well in their first season back in the Premier League in recent years and West Ham will expect to finish clear of relegation. Although how they go about could ultimately define the fate of both club and more prominently, their manager.
How do you feel about Allardyce’s and West Ham’s chances next season? Is survival enough or must it be done with a bit of panache? Let me know how you see it on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and bat me your views.
The mere mention of the words ‘football agents’ usually makes the blood of most football fans around the country boil. The not universally liked characters are often at the centre of football news, which is especially the case around the recent transfer deadline day.
Last week it was revealed that Football League clubs spent a total of over £16 million on agents’ fees last season, an increase of £4 million on the previous year. This is an incredible stat considering the effect the economic crisis is having on the beautiful game.
With the pressure for teams across the leagues to break even or even survive, the money paid out to agents is often a large expenditure that many fans would like to see change. Whilst it is unrealistic to think that over the foreseeable future no clubs will ever pay out an agent fee again, the fees being shelled out are a major point of concern for many clubs.
But it is not only the money side of agents that is often criticised for having a detrimental effect on the game. How often do we hear ‘reports’ from agents that other teams are interested in their players or their star players are looking to leave? For a short time last season Manchester United faced the incredible prospect of losing star striker Wayne Rooney. Reports surfaced that Rooney wanted to leave Old Trafford but with the help of his agent Paul Stretford he made a shock u-turn and instead signed a lucrative new deal. Questioning the legitimacy of Stretford’s intentions (and Rooney himself, with players not completely blameless in the football agent mess) is not a hard task.
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One answer to the continuing problem of agents and specifically the money involved is caps. The Guardian revealed late last year Fifa’s plans to implement a 3% of the total fee cap for agents, with an overall limit of £1.25 million. This move would present a shift in the pattern for clubs shelling out a lot of money to often greedy agents, with suggestions it could save clubs nearly £60 million. However, it is still unclear whether any such practices will be put into place in the near future.
But do agents just have a part to play in modern football? With the often chaotic nature of the transfer window (and deadline day especially) agents provide the source to bring in that one new player a club has been craving or they present a club’s best chance of getting rid of that overpaid player that they desperately need to shift off their books. Only eight clubs across the Football League didn’t pay agents fees during last season, a stat that shows football’s reliance on the good or bad service agents provide.
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There is a clear need for transparency when it comes to agents, their practices and the fees being played to them. A cap on agents’ fees would be an obvious solution to the growing problem that agents are having in the beautiful game and whilst it may not yet have got as far as them ruining the game, football agents are likely to continue to be a hated but unfortunately commonplace feature of modern football.
Do you think football’s hierarchy should implement agent fee caps? If you want to read more of my bite size, 140 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5
Manchester City talisman Carlos Tevez is among a host of star names who will miss Argentina’s friendly against Portugal next month.
Argentina boss Sergio Batista has named his 24-man squad for the friendly in Geneva on February 9, with Tevez and Marseille defender Gabrielle Heinze topping the list of omissions.
Malaga centre-back Martin Demichelis and Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero are also out, while injured Real Madrid attacker Gonzalo Higuain is unavailable.
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, who was crowned the World Player of the Year for the second year running earlier this month, has been named.
He joins team-mate Javier Mascherano and Inter Milan trio Javier Zanetti, Diego Milito and Esteban Cambiasso.
Batista was quick to point out that the absence of Tevez and the others bears no weight towards their selection for Argentina’s Copa America campaign.
“Neither Tevez nor any of the lads who were left off this list are out of the national team,” Batista told Argentine radio station La Red.
“I have to see players, lots, and I do that in matches. I have to see if they can wear the national team shirt but I haven’t punished anyone.”
“This doesn’t mean that the players left out now are out of the Copa America. This is a good moment to try out some youngsters.”
Batista has handed uncapped trio Enzo Perez, Juan Manuel Martinez and Marcos Rojo call-ups to the squad after strong seasons in the Primera Division.
Winger Perez was instrumental in Estudiantes’ Apertura triumph, as was former team-mate Rojo, who has since departed to Russian Premier League club Spartak Moscow.
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Martinez scored 10 times in 19 appearances for Apertura runners-up Velez Sarsfield.
Batista, having taken over from Diego Maradona, is also tasked with building a side capable of ending Argentina’s 28-year World Cup title drought in Brazil in 2014.
The selection of 37-year-old Zanetti seems contrary to Batista’s desire to blood youngsters, and while the Argentina boss did not guarantee the future of the veteran defender he said: “If he carries on (playing) the way he is, at the same level, he’ll surely be at the Copa America.”
To say that money doesn’t buy success is naïve, yet to believe that money is the sole ingredient in a recipe for success is equally so. Modern football is clearly in the grip of a financial revolution and, like it or not, it is becoming increasingly evident that club finances play a role in the success or failure of English clubs. To what extent, though, is this the case? Below is the Premier League net-spending chart for the last five years. The figure represents the total amount of money spent after player sales have been subtracted from the total.
1. Man City £382,150,000
2. Chelsea £190,700,000
3. Stoke City £60,075,000
4. Aston Villa £53,550,000
5. QPR £35,650,000
6. Man Utd £34,150,000
7. Liverpool £26,800,000
8. Fulham £23,600,000
9. West Brom £15,915,000
10. Sunderland £11,850,000
11. West Ham £8,100,000
12. Norwich £6,950,000
13. Swansea £6,570,000
14. Tottenham £5,590,000
15. Wigan -£2,750,000
16. Southampton -£3,150,000
17. Everton -£10,815,000
18. Reading -£21,250,000
19. Arsenal -£21,280,000
20. Newcastle -£43,400,000
So, what conclusions can we draw from these figures? The first point that should be highlighted is that transfers such as that of Andy Carroll or Fernando Torres, to an extent, distort the figures on show.
As impressive as Newcastle’s position on this table is, without the sale of Andy Carroll they would have been 17th – still an impressive display of astute dealings in the transfer market yet perhaps not quite as impressive as might be expected from looking at the stats alone.
The other issue, which these stats don’t explain, is how much the clubs have actually spent. For example, upon seeing that Tottenham have a net spend of £5.59m over the last five years you might presume that they had been relatively inactive during the transfer windows. In actual fact they have spent over £153m, the fifth highest amount in the league behind Man City, Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool.
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That doesn’t make there net spend any less impressive, but it should be remembered that other clubs, no matter how many players they sold or how careful they were in the transfer window, would never be able to spend that amount of money.
The final financial aspect that isn’t detailed within these figures is the wage bill, which, it has been argued, has more of an impact on a team’s league standing than the amount of money they spend on transfers. Indeed, were there to be table displaying wage bills it would more closely resemble that of Premier League teams’ actual league positions.
To deny that the spending of Manchester City and Chelsea over this period has brought them success would be foolish. A net spend of £382m has evidently contributed to their rise from mid table side to league Champions. Likewise Abramovich’s huge investments have undeniably helped Chelsea rise to the level they now enjoy.
Nevertheless, the spending demonstrated by teams like Stoke, Aston Villa and Liverpool clearly show that money is not the only cause for success. If you compare the fortunes of Liverpool and Newcastle then it becomes clear just how important a quality scouting network can be.
Looking at these figures reveals just how much credit particular managers deserve for the relative success that their teams have enjoyed. For Alex Ferguson to have won three out of the last five Premier league titles whilst having a net spend of less than £35m over the same period is truly remarkable.
The same can be said for David Moyes, Roberto Martinez and Arsene Wenger for the accomplishments of their respective teams whilst simultaneously making a transfer profit every single season. These teams have consistently outperformed their rivals despite having had to regularly sell their best players and replace them with lesser footballers.
Lastly, the profits made by Premier League new boys Southampton and Reading, as well as the relatively modest outlays by both Swansea and Norwich, send a clear message to those teams Championship teams looking to establish themselves in England’s top flight. In a time where sustainability is a key issue in football, these teams are testament to the fact that, with careful management, certain objectives can be achieved on a small budget.
Victory in the recent Copa America tournament saw Uruguay return to the stage as a footballing superpower. Their spirited brand of football, characterized by high energy and fearlessness saw them take on the nations of arguably the strongest footballing region in the world and win.
Spirit is riding high in Montevideo, after their impressive fourth place showing at last summers World Cup, the little giants of the footballing world, were even more impressive in the Copa America, thus propelling themselves to fifth in the world rankings and making them the dark horses for the 2014 World Cup in Rio.
Since the good times prior to the 1950‘s, Uruguay have been condemned to mediocrity. It has been a bitter blow to take with their proud sporting history, but hardly surprising for a nation of little over 3.5 million people. You simply cannot expect a nation that small to keep producing quality year after year.
The resurgence in the past few years has to be credited to head coach Oscar Tabarez, the veteran who has brought the good times back to Uruguay. The transition began in the 2007 Copa America where they narrowly missed out on the final through a penalty shoot-out. Tabarez pondered how in such a small nation, it was possible for them to keep hold of their talents and their identity on the world stage. His tactic was to change their game plan to match the weaknesses and strengths of their opponents and this adaptability has certainly paid off.
He installed a high team spirit, which is unrivalled by teams littered with star names and individuals. Tabarez used every player in his squad during the Copa America, making every player feel important and part of the cause, and his side responded to this brilliantly. Uruguay play and win as a team. This team spirit is only set to increase as the side will spend a month together at next years Olympics and in the Confederations Cup in 2013.
They are strong throughout the side, with young keeper Fernando Muslera commanding at the back, and players like Diego Lugano and Alvaro Pereira providing experience and quality. Players like Diego Forlan and Lugano aren’t getting any younger though, but that shouldn’t worry Uruguay, as they seem to have a wealth of riches at the present time.
They have Edinson Cavani, who was injured during this tournament, to come into the side and bolster their strong attack. Their under-17 and under-20 squads have also done well at recent tournaments, Uruguay seem to have a conveyor belt of young players moving to the senior side. Sebastian Coates looks like he could ultimately be Lugano’s successor, while playmaker Nicolas Lodeiro, and striker Abel Hernandez would fit comfortably into a Uruguay side in the future. Tabarez again has to be given credit here, as he was the one that came up with the project to identify technically gifted youngsters and develop them through the country’s youth sides. Recent results show that they are heading in the right direction, and if they continue to produce exceptional talent of the class of Luis Suarez then they will continue to punch above their weight on the world stage.
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Tabarez has instilled balance, team spirit and a hard working nature to this Uruguay side and if he can keep the main core of this golden generation together then they will certainly be a side to be feared over the next few years.
Let me know your thoughts on this golden era for Uruguay, comment below or follow me on Twitter @LaurenRutter
Alan Pardew has denied the claims of fan favourite Andy Carroll that the striker was forced out of Newcastle United.
Carroll, who joined Liverpool for a club-record 35 million pounds on Monday, had been quoted as saying he was given no choice by the St James’ Park hierarchy but to agree to the transfer.
The 22-year-old striker also claims he was coerced into handing in a formal transfer request.
But Newcastle manager Pardew insists that Liverpool’s offer was only accepted after Carroll decided he wanted to leave.
“We turned down a big offer, and they came back with a second big offer,” Pardew said.
“We were having a discussion about what we were going to do with that offer when Andy requested to see me.”
“I went to see Andy face-to-face. I asked him what he wanted, and I went to the board. We had a discussion about what the ramifications would be for the whole club.”
Carroll signed a new five-year deal with Newcastle in October 2010.
But Pardew claimed that despite the extended contract being in place, the club had little option but to accept the substantial offer from Liverpool if Carroll wanted to leave.
“We took the view, with him signing a contract in October, that this would cause us all sorts of problems,” he said.
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“We decided that we needed the conversation confirmed, and (that) he put in a transfer request, which he did.”
“He spoke to his agent, and between them they put the request in. We decided with the size of the offer, and what it meant to us, that we would accept.”
“But no club is about one player. We’re absolutely gutted that he’s gone. It’s disappointing, but we’re not in a financial position like Liverpool.”
When someone begins describing their mate to you and they utter the immortal line, ‘they’re a bit of a character,’ one usually expects the aforementioned friend to be something of a lemon, to put it kindly. And when it comes to describing Benoit Assou-Ekotto, it’s difficult not to reference his outspoken persona. But far from being an obnoxious, ill-informed footballing millionaire, the man affectionately known as ‘Disco Benny’ at White Hart Lane, is an absolute breath of fresh air.
But for all his improvement on the pitch, the Cameroon international still makes up one quarter of a Spurs back four, which consistently seems to be leaking cheap goals. Harry Redknapp always maintained a level of patience and tolerance towards Assou-Ekotto’s often erratic style of play.
With a new manager, comes new ideas and not every player in the current Spurs starting XI may feature in their plans. Could Assou-Ekotto’s unique style render him most likely to fall victim to change at White Hart Lane?
It’s quite amazing to think that the French-born full-back has now been in N17 for six years now. A Damien Comolli signing, it’s fair to say that Assou-Ekotto’s arrival from Lens in a £3.5million deal was hardly greeted with excessive amount of fanfare. The signings of Dimitar Berbatov and, as absurd as it now sounds, Didier Zokora, occupied the majority of supporters pre season talk as the Cameroonian slipped into Spurs quietly under the radar.
And as misfortune had it, he nearly fell off the radar completely during his first season. After a relatively tepid start to his White Hart Lane career, Assou-Ekotto managed to oust Lee Young-Pyo over to right-back, before a poor run of form saw him loose his left sided role to the Korean. Then in the February of 2007, a serious knee injury nearly sent not just his Spurs career, but also his entire footballing future, into oblivion. The rest of his debut season was written off, and the 07-08 campaign amounted to just one league appearance. If you told anyone at that point that he’d go on to make 163 outings in a Spurs shirt, you would have got laughed back down the High Road.
Very rarely though, has the cliché of coming back stronger than ever, been put into practice quite so emphatically as Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s return to the Tottenham first team. After weathering the chaos of Juande Ramos’ final moments in his comeback season, the ex-Lens man solidified himself under Harry Redknapp. Since his memorable strike against Liverpool on the opening day of the 09-10 season, there has been no looking back and Assou-Ekotto has made the left-back position his own, featuring prominently in the team that attained Champions League football, then playing in the tournament himself.
His frank yet truthful demeanor has really won over the Spurs faithful, too. In a footballing landscape domineered by sleazy agents and grotesque amounts of money, Assou-Ekotto has been honest and forthcoming about his perception of football as a career. But his penchant for using the Underground, driving a Smart Car and his column in the Evening Standard has ensured he retains a special place in supporters hearts. He has made a genuine effort to immerse himself in the community and his presence in North London after the devastation of the riots, was an outstanding touch. In the nicest possible way, Assou-Ekotto is the antithesis of the modern day footballer.
But his unique style is as clear to see on the football pitch as off it. To say he is calm in possession is an understatement; where as most full-backs choose to shunt the ball out of play under pressure, Spurs’ left-back prefers to feint his way out of trouble or perform a drag back on the byline. He has publically stated his belief in keeping possession and he has combined his silky play on the ball with a maturing sense of positional awareness off of it.
Assou-Ekotto’s style is something of a double-edged sword, however. Over the course of last season, he was generally one of Tottenham’s most consistent performers, but he always felt likely to make a real clanger from time to time. His performance in the 5-2 defeat at the Emirates in February, was one of several nightmare showings from Spurs players, but it was more what was going on inside the Cameroonian’s head, than what was going on with his feet. A lack of awareness and a tendency to switch off were one thing, but it was just his general level of concentration that seemed to be his biggest issue. It isn’t just one game that we’re picking on here; it was a motif of an issue that has plagued him throughout his Spurs career.
Defensively, he is nowhere near as bad as what some of the more ill informed in the media like to make out. Those that watch him week in, week out are well aware of how much he brings to the team, and Alan Hansen’s continuous panning of Assou-Ekotto on an eight minute highlights package, is grossly unfair. But those that watch him each week aren’t blind to his faults. And as much as he has improved, it feels hard to envisage that the concentration issues are any more likely to dissipate next season.
As a new manager looks set to enter the helm at White Hart Lane, the footballing philosophies that he values the highest could determine Assou-Ekotto’s future. This isn’t a piece looking to slam a real fan favourite in North London- in fact, the author would sorely miss the je ne sais quois that Benoit Assou-Ekotto brings to this Spurs team. But it is more an acknowledgement of the patience that Harry Redknapp bestowed upon the left back. More than anything else, who was likely to displace him?
Yet if the new man is looking to shore up the Tottenham defence, than pragmatism could well eradicate flamboyance at White Hart Lane. If such an approach prevails, than Assou-Ekotto could be spending his summer looking over his shoulder at an inferior footballer, but a superior defender.
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Does Assou-Ekotto light up a match-day for you at White Hart Lane? Can he kick out his bad habits? Or will his defensive inadequacies potentially cost him under a new regime? Tell me how you feel and get involved in the Spurs talk on Twitter, follow @samuel_antrobus
Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh has claimed that Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri are certainly leaving the Emirates this summer the Telegraph reports.
The Gunners’ Moroccan striker insisted that the midfield pair would be gone once boss Arsene Wenger has bought replacements for them.
His claims come after Fabregas and Nasri were included in the squad for the Champions League tie with Udinese suggesting Wenger is looking to retain both players.
“I think both are close to leaving.” Chamakh said.
“The manager is looking for replacements, has not found them, and before letting [Fabregas and Nasri] go, he wants to have someone to fill each of their positions.”
He went on to say: “Nasri has just one year left on his contract. If they do not sell him, he will leave for free in the summer”
“Is the club disposed to reject £18 million to keep a player that good for just one year? It is strange that a club like Arsenal has not made him sign a contract earlier.”
Despite Chamakh’s insistence that both are leaving North London it seems that Wenger is prepared to keep both players after picking them to play against the Serie A side.
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His claims may hold strength considering the Arsenal boss has tried to sign Valencia’s Juan Mata and also brought Gervinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to the Emirates.
Barcelona remain keen to bring Fabregas to the Nou Camp this summer and end the long running transfer saga whilst Manchester City are said to be weighing up a fresh £22 million bid for Nasri.