On the 28th July 2011, Sergio Aguero flew into Manchester and signed a five year deal with Premier League giants Manchester City. On his debut for the club, against Swansea City, the Argentinian scored twice and created an assist.
By the end of the season, the 24-year-old had scored 30 goals for the Citizens. This tale is not a unique occurrence. Many a time in the English game has a foreign player arrived and thrilled the fans with net-busting strikes or breathtaking skill.
While rumours of some players arriving in the Premier League from around the world are met with scepticism, these 20 players are the stars who could really make an impact on our shores. Most have seen reported interest from Premier League clubs, others probably wouldn’t ply their trade in England.
However, the one thing that all of these players have in common is their potential ability to light up the Premier League with their respective talents. Twenty players, born in 14 different countries, playing in 10 different leagues across the globe. Have a look for yourself and see if you would want any of these foreign stars at your club.
Click on Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to unveil the 20
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Arsenal are keeping tabs on Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha, and will make a move for him should Theo Walcott continue to spurn a new contract according to The Daily Mail.
Walcott is currently in the last year of his contract with the north London club, and has refused to extend his current deal, despite being offered £75,000-per-week.
It is believed that the England international wants to play in attack rather than as a winger, and wants assurances from Arsene Wenger before prolonging his stay at the Emirates Stadium.
However, Zaha has impressed for the Championship club, and the Gunners sent scouts to watch the star score twice for Palace against Burnley at the weekend in a 4-3 win.
The starlet is rated at around £12 million and is being followed by a host of top teams after impressing.
Arsenal have a track record of taking young players from the lower leagues, and Wenger feels that Zaha would offer a strong alternative to Walcott.
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Alan Pardew has blasted the agents who distracted his stars during the transfer window following a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Aston Villa.
Newcastle managed to keep the key members of their squad that finished fifth last term, but not without vast speculation in the process. Cheick Tiote, Yohan Cabaye, Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba were all linked with summer moves but remained on Tyneside.
Pardew stated to The Daily Mail, “I have some sympathy with the players because if people or agents, and not necessarily their own agent, a different agent call them and offer them double money, it’s going to affect you.
“It’s not just us, its other clubs. There are some terrible people and agents in and around the game who do things like that, ring a player up and promise him the earth.”
One of Newcastle’s stars did save the day, France international Hatem ben Arfa blasting a rocket on his supposedly weaker right foot into the top corner, leaving Brad Guzan helpless, for the Toon Army’s equaliser.
Pardew added, “Hatem is a wonderfully gifted footballer. I didn’t actually realise it was his right foot until I watched the replay because I didn’t expect him to have that power.”
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Liverpool will have to see off interest from Galatasaray if they are to secure a January deal for Anzhi Makhachkala striker Lacina Traore, according to reports from The Express.
The Reds were linked with a move for the powerful Ivorian over the summer after he was transfer listed by the now cash-strapped Russian giants.
A deal failed to come to fruition but it is likely that Traore will leave Dagestan this winter.
This has alerted Gala, who are keen to offer the 6ft. 8” front-man an escape route.
Liverpool are thought to be long-term admirers of the 23-year-old, so the Turkish giants’ interest could come as a blow to Brendan Rodgers.
The Reds have enjoyed a fine opening four games of the Premier League season, and currently top the table.
However, Rodgers has hinted at investing further in his squad, with Traore having been mooted as a potential target.
As it stands they may not have the financial capability to fight with Gala, but If Luis Suarez leaves in January the funds, and need for a striker, could push them into making a serious move.
Traore only moved to Anzhi last year, but is said to be willing to leave already as a part of the club’s efforts to offload high earning players.
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Should Liverpool make a serious effort for Lacina Traore?
If ever there was a time for the Gunners to display their psychological fortitude it was against Villa on Saturday. On the back of a torrid week, in which Arsene Wenger was chewed up and spat out by the football media, his players stepped up to the plate when he needed them most. Although it wasn’t the routinely polished performance we’ve come to expect from the Gunners it did highlight their resilience and strength of character. Even when Santi Cazorla’s opening goal was cancelled out in the second half they didn’t lose faith and the Spaniard eventually conjured the all important winner to relieve the pressure on Wenger’s shoulders and send a wave of relief around the Emirates Stadium. The North London club may have endured some gruelling trials in recent months, no more than in the last seven days, but this could be considered a major turning point in their season. It’s now up to Wenger to keep rebuilding the blocks.
This week on FFC can Wenger lead the Gunners out of their current rut and which Brazilian star could be heading to North London in the summer?
[divider]
Best of FFC
Time to have a serious discussion over Arsene Wenger?
Arsenal fans certainly have justification this time around
Can Arsenal ever get out of this current mindset?
The FIVE ideal replacements for Arsene Wenger
Can he really do better than signing for Tottenham or Arsenal?
Too little too late for Arsenal fans?
A genuine fear facing Arsenal FC?
Why Arsenal ace cannot continue to hide behind future prospects
A realistic transfer target for Arsenal anymore?
Arsenal In transfer Pursuit Of Chelsea starlet
Arsenal weighing up summer move for Brazilian
Arsenal keep tabs on Lyon ace ahead of a possible summer move
[divider]
Best of WEB
[divider]
Roots And Branches Sway In The Money Tree – A Cultured Left Foot
Do Arsenal really need to spend ‘£200M to stay in the top four’? – Gunnersphere
The Criminal Neglect of Tomas Rosicky – Online Gooner
Can you honestly see Wenger doing this? – Gunnersphere
Cereal offender – Arseblog
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What would your short term fixes look like? | Arsene reckons it’s belief… simple – Le Grove
As the dust settles, let’s go and chase down third spot…… – Highbury House
[divider]
Quote of the Week
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“Man City is not out of reach. It could be a tight fight until the end. I’m not sure it will only be a fight with Tottenham,” he said of a potential battle for fourth place. “I’m not sure the other places are not reachable. Chelsea are just ahead and even Manchester City is not out of reach. It could be a tight fight until the end.” Arsene Wenger is adamant a second place finish isn’t beyond Arsenal this season
Electronic Arts Inc. today unveiled innovations to the greatest sports game on the planet that will enable fans to experience the emotion of scoring great goals when playing EA SPORTS™ FIFA 14.
Innovations to the franchise’s award-winning gameplay will make FIFA 14 the complete matchday experience, introducing features that inspire fans to build play through midfield, dictate the tempo of a match and create rewarding opportunities.
Great football matches are achieved through measured build up and incredible finishing. A new feature in FIFA 14 called Pure Shot and a brand-new ball physics system will transform shooting, making every shot attempt feel real, and when players connect with the perfect strike, feel exhilarating.
“FIFA 14 will play the way great football matches are contested with build up through midfield, tension throughout the match as chances are created, and incredible finishing,” said David Rutter, Executive Producer for FIFA 14.
“Opportunities in FIFA 14 will be rewarding and great goals will look stunning.”
Finishing has been transformed with Pure Shot so players have the intelligence to adjust their stride and approach angle to find the best position for hitting the back of the net. Well-hit balls feel more exhilarating and rewarding. New shot types include pure strikes, as well as off-balance and rushed shots. Plus, Real Ball Physics now determines the trajectories of balls, enabling players to kick the ball with force from distance, drill low rising shots with accuracy, and blast dipping or turbulent shots, just like real footballers.
Click here for more FIFA 14 images
Fans will be able to create rewarding build up to opportunities and have the tools to dictate the tempo of a match through four new features. Protect The Ball will enable players to fend-off and block defenders from the ball while dribbling at any speed, or out-muscle opponents for position before receiving the pass, then turn defenders to carve out opportunities.
Teammate Intelligence has been improved on both sides of the ball. New decision-making logic delivers tighter, smarter marking and improved run tracking where defenders recognize opportunities to provide support and win back possession, while attacking players have new ways to outsmart their opponents by creating space for themselves, running along the backline and checking their pace. Major changes to ball control add new tools to win the midfield battles.
Sprint Dribble Turns enable players to turn in every direction at sprint speed while preserving momentum, delivering the control and confidence to take on defenders one-on-one. Variable Dribble Touches introduces variety on touches when sprinting. Skilled players will have better touch and more control when sprinting with the ball.
In addition to innovations to gameplay, FIFA 14 is introducing a game-changing new way to play Career Mode. The Global Scouting Network brings the world of professional scouting to life. Players now develop and refine a scouting network and search for talent year-round. Scouts can evaluate footballers all over the world to uncover the attributes and traits of every player in the game, in preparation for the transfer windows. Plus, a new hub delivers easy navigation, fewer interruptions and live scouting reports.
FIFA 14 will deliver engaging online features and live services that connect fans to the heartbeat of the sport—and to each other—through EA SPORTS Football Club, making FIFA 14 football’s social network, where fans connect, compete and share with millions of others around the world. The game will also feature:
• Changes to the wildly popular FIFA Ultimate Team
• A new online Mode that will encourage social competition
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• Multiple new features and benefits to EA SPORTS Football Club, the live service that is the heartbeat of FIFA
• Complete authenticity with more than 500 officially licensed clubs.
FIFA 14 is in development at EA Canada and will be available in stores world-wide this autumn.
Swansea City forward Danny Graham has rubbished reports linking him with a January move away from the Liberty Stadium.
Graham has been overshadowed by summer arrival Michu this season and has found himself on the bench in recent weeks.
The North-East born striker was a revelation last season for the impressive Swans as he netted 14 times to become their top goalscorer under Brendan Rodgers.
Just three goals so far this term though has cast doubt over his long term stay in South Wales and clubs such as Aston Villa and Sunderland have been linked with a possible January move for the 27-year-old.
Like many players at the Liberty Stadium, Graham has adapted well to Premier League life after his £3.5million move from Watford 18 months ago but new boss Michael Laudrup doesn’t see him as a key player.
Despite dropping down the pecking order, Graham sees no reason to walk away from Swansea in the new year.
“I don’t see a reason to leave,” Graham told SkySports.
“I don’t know where these rumours come from. I can’t say enough times on Twitter about them.
“It was Wolves yesterday apparently, then there was Cardiff, Norwich, Sunderland, Reading, Aston Villa – I have been linked with everyone.
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“But the gaffer hasn’t said he doesn’t want me here so I don’t see a reason to be looking elsewhere.
“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like sitting on the bench and just picking up money, I want to be playing.
“But the gaffer hasn’t said he doesn’t want me and that is probably the only time I will go – if the gaffer says we have accepted a bid.”
On Sunday night Galatasaray confirmed that Wesley Sneijder had signed from Inter Milan. For some, he’s gone to a corner of the footballing world to die, or less dramatically, to retire. For me, it’s just a bullet dodged for most in the Premier League.
I’m not suggesting that Sneijder is a bad player or incapable of bringing a great deal to most in English football. What I am suggesting is that any acts of significant quality would likely only come next season.
The player is 28, was on big money at Inter and kept his wage demands high for anyone willing to offer him a way out of Italy. The game in Turkey is said to be less intense, but were Sneijder to have arrived in England this January, much of the next few months would have been his preseason. With the uncertainty and unpredictability of the Premier League, how many clubs can afford to take that gamble?
And there’s another major point in this Sneijder debate. Liverpool were said to be in for him, but even with his wages at Galatasaray reported to be at 4 million euros—for a player who should be in his prime—why did so many big clubs across England and the continent decide to avoid him?
Does the player represent a figure who would slot into any side in England and make a major impact off the bat? That obviously puts to one side the need for him to regain fitness. Any player of his calibre needs the rest of the team to be built around him. Considering the makeup of many top teams in the Premier League, how many would have been likely to do that? Does that equate Sneijder being a luxury purchase? Maybe not entirely, but at this stage close enough.
Another factor is the decline in production from Sneijder over the past couple of seasons. During Inter’s treble-winning season, the Dutch midfielder was one of the very best in Europe. That season he was the hub of an hugely impressive Inter Milan side and a player who likely would have won the Ballon d’Or had Lionel Messi and a couple of Spanish midfielders not been around.
The performances have waned, yes, and it could simply be a case of the player needing a move to reignite his game. But it remains a gamble, and it might not make as much sense as bringing in a younger, cheaper alternative. Galatasaray have plenty to offer besides wages—lets not forget that they are a Champions League team. The Dutchman has won league titles, the biggest competition in club football and played spectacularly in a World Cup in which he reached the final.
In Turkey, he may have been given guarantees that he will be the star of the team, he will be given the opportunity to regain his form in a high-pressure situation but not as close to the spotlight as in recent years. Despite what many may say, Sneijder has still gone to a big club in Europe with fantastic support. The player is nowhere near to the end of his career, but what would it do for his confidence if he does become a star once more? The obvious leader of a team with plenty of hope, both old and new following his arrival.
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In England, the risk would have been too great. Every move would have been overanalysed. The interested would have raised even further as to why Manchester United were linked with him so heavily in the past, and if the weight of pressure became too heavy, it very well could have spelt the end of Sneijder’s career in a major European league.
This is a player who was once great, and evidently the appeal of a star name is still there for many fans in England. But there are many players in Europe who would provide far more guarantees than Sneijder at this time.
An impetus on youth is undoubtedly England’s most visible hallmark for Brazil 2014.
FA Chief Greg Dyke has created an entire commission specifically to answer the tough questions surrounding home-grown English talents, even suggesting a reconfiguration of the lower leagues and the introduction of ‘B Teams’, and Roy Hodgson has reflected that concern in his squad selection for the tournament, favouring a new breed of young Englishmen over the well-established old guard.
That progressive policy was typified but by no means exclusive to the selection of Luke Shaw over Ashley Cole. Likewise, the England manager overlooked Michael Carrick and Gareth Barry in favour of Jack Wilshere and Jordan Henderson, and also refused the opportunity to offer John Terry his international swansong.
I still believe that if Hodgon’s life were at stake, Terry and Cole would have both been selected in his World Cup squad. The former was unanimously viewed as the Premier League’s most in-form English defender last season and the latter proved his utility at top level has far from expired with particularly impressive showings against Liverpool and Atletico Madrid in late April.
One could argue, and quite rightly, that an un-dynamic Italy side, limited in its natural pace and penetration going forward, would have been ideal opponents for the Chelsea veterans.
At the same time, taking just five players over the age of 30 to brazil, and only four with 50 or more caps for England, was a huge risk on Hodgson’s part. The likes of Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana, Ross Barkley, Luke Shaw and Jordan Henderson have all been in proficient domestic form this season, but boasting just 32 appearances for England between them, there was no guarantee that they’d be able to transition their performances to international level.
But the Raheem Sterling’s display against the Azzurri was evidence enough that Hodgson had made the right decision in investing his faith in the Three Lions’ youngest stars at the expense of the old guard.
Many will argue that such praise has come too soon – after all, England’s World Cup fate is now out of our hands after losing to Uruguay Thursday evening. Going out in the group stages would be a huge disappointment, one that could potentially cost Roy Hodgson his job.
But during that 90 minutes against Italy, the Liverpool forward demonstrated everything England have lacked going forward for well over a decade – pace, trickery, intent, but most importantly, confidence and ambition.
England, first and foremost, are and will forever be a direct side. That’s simply the nature of the Premier League; a combination of our country’s philosophical traditions and the division’s entrenched desire to remain the most exciting, complete top flight in world football.
But whilst that trend never translated properly into the former generation – the 40 yard-passes of Steven Gerrard, the target man styles of Andy Carroll and Emile Heskey, the set piece specialities of David Beckham – Sterling gave English directness a whole new meaning against Italy.
For the first time since Joe Cole, in the 19 year-old, England finally have a player prepared to take on opposing defenders, to dare them to commit and entice them into making a mistake. Sterling executed four successful dribbles against the Italians last Saturday, half of the rest of the England team combined and twice as much as our next-best dribbler.
It is not merely a question of the type of player, as I admit, a winger will always be expected to carry the ball more than his team-mates. Rather it is a belief that in taking on defenders one will be successful rather than detrimental to the team. And it’s not just shown in Sterling; Ross Barkley came on to complete two successful dribbles in under half an hour, and that uncharacteristic fluency and confidence in taking on opponents is replicated in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Adam Lallana too.
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In a nutshell, they the Three Lions relevance – for more than the last ten years, we’ve appeared distinctly outdated in comparison to European and South American opposition, as if they have somehow evolved further athletically, tactically and technically along the beautiful game’s philosophical spectrum. But Sterling, Barkley, Lallana and company aren’t footballing relics or throwbacks to the game’s past, as one could accuse Steven Gerrard, John Terry, Ashley Cole and Michael Carrick, or even Wayne Rooney, of being.
They are the modern footballer – lightweight, penetrating, skilful and daring – they are everything England have continually suffered without for as long as I can remember. Without our young players, England would be like a World Cup time capsule, echoing an era that the rest of the world has long-moved on from.
Hodgson was right to favour youth over established talent, and regardless of how England finish the tournament – our exit now looks incredibly likely baring a mathematical miracle – he should be rewarded rather than punished for taking a gamble that will undoubtedly have a positive effect on our national game for the many years to come.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has stated that key duo Fabricio Coloccini and Cheik Tiote have returned to fitness.
The Argentine centre-half picked up an injury on international duty, whilst the African battler has been out of action due to a calf strain picked up against Tottenham on the opening day of the season.
Pardew has revealed that the pair will be included in the match squad for the Magpies Capital One Cup match against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.
“Tiote gets a grip of a game and gives you a platform to play,” The Guardian have Pardew as saying. “
“You can start to dominate with somebody like Cheik. He puts other teams on the back foot. He’s one of our most important players. We need to get him back as quickly as we can and he’ll feature on Wednesday.
“Coloccini will get some minutes too. He gives us an assurance we’ve missed,” the coach concluded.
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