Newcastle fans have been discussing their club’s interest in towering French defender Christopher Jullien, but it seems fans would rather make a shock swoop for Sunderland man Papy Djilobodji.
Sunderland are set to offload a whole host of first team players this summer, and Newcastle fans are eyeing up a deal to buff up their defensive ranks.
Of course, the most impressive part of the Magpies’ late surge up the table last season was the beastly partnership of Florian Lejeune and Jamaal Lascelles, but Rafael Benitez hasn’t exactly got tons of depth outside of those two.
The Magpies have been linked with a move for Jullien, who currently plays for Ligue 1 side Toulouse.
The giant centre back was mightily impressive last season, but his stats don’t come anywhere close to Djilobodji, who spent the season away from Wearside on loan with Dijon.
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The 29 year-old Sunderland flop averaged 6.7 clearances per game, the third most of any player in Ligue 1. For reference, Jullien averaged 5.9, while Lascelles boasts an incredible seven clearances per game.
The 13-cap Senegal man is also in the top ten in Ligue 1 for both interceptions (2.4 per game) and blocks (0.8 per game). Once again, both of these numbers are superior to Jullien.
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Fans like what they see of the 13-cap Senegal man, and the fact that he is desperate to leave the Stadium of Light could make him available at a bargain price, perfect for a signing that would be to add depth rather than improve the starting eleven.
Almost two thirds of fans voted to sign Djilobodji over Jullien, and you can find the full poll results down below…
Everton are still eyeing attacking reinforcements before the deadline and it looks as though a Premier League player could come in tonight, according to a new update.
Are Everton making more signings?
It's fair to say that the Blues have made a grim start to the season, with three defeats in a row coming in their opening trio of Premier League matches. Home 1-0 losses to Fulham and Wolves were sandwiched by a woeful 4-0 defeat away to Aston Villa, with another relegation battle potentially looking on the cards if things to don't improve significantly.
Wednesday's 2-1 win away to Doncaster Rovers in the EFL Cup second round certainly wasn't the most sparkling performance and result, but it should have acted as a boost to Sean Dyche and his players, especially for new signing Beto, who scored on his debut for Everton.
While the Portuguese giant has come in as an exciting attacking signing at Goodison Park, along with Arnaut Danjuma, one more attacking player could be perfect before the summer transfer window reaches its conclusion on Friday night, in order to bolster squad depth.
A fresh update has now emerged, in that respect, with Everton looking to bring in a Premier League player who has become something of a forgotten man of late.
West Ham United forward Maxwel Cornet.
Are Everton signing Maxwel Cornet?
Speaking to Give Me Sport, talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook claimed that the Blues could look to seal the signing of West Ham winger Maxwel Cornet before deadline day ends:
"Che Adams, I think has turned them down, hence the fact that Beto came in. Obviously, Maxwel Cornet played really well under Sean Dyche at Burnley so that one makes a lot of sense.
"But I think there’s a sort of domino effect on that one in that, once Fulham sell Joao Palhinha, that will give them funds to bring in Alex Iwobi from Everton, which will then free up a spot for Maxwel Cornet and so it goes on. But, I could see that happening."
Cornet's spell at West Ham has admittedly been a disappointing one, with no goals coming his way in 22 appearances for the Hammers to date. He may have registered five assists, but there is still no denying that his time at the London Stadium has been underwhelming.
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That being said, the Frenchman is still an attacking player with bags of talent, being hailed as "dangerous" by former Arsenal striker Ian Wright, and the fact that Dyche worked with him at Burnley suggests that he knows the player inside out and has confidence that he can be a success at Goodison moving forward.
At 26, Cornet is still young enough to enjoy a positive next chapter in his career, overcoming his slump at West Ham to become a popular figure on Merseyside, being capable of beating a man with pace and quick feet out wide, and providing end product.
While that hasn't been the case with the Hammers, 51 goals in 252 matches for Lyon was a good return, and six in 30 caps for the Ivory Coast at international level is also a steady tally. Lots may need to happen for the move to go through, but it could be a savvy piece of business.
Stricken England captain Rio Ferdinand has spoken of the devastation at the knee injury which has ruled him out of the World Cup finals in South Africa.
The 31-year-old defender damaged his knee ligaments after an accidental collision with Emile Heskey and, after undergoing scans, the prognosis suggests he will be out of action for around six weeks.
His agent, Pini Zahavi, has revealed the Manchester United man's disappointment but he believes he will bounce back and lead the Three Lions in Brazil 2014.
Speaking to reporters, Zahavi said:"Rio said: 'I think somebody cursed me.' That is honestly how he feels.
"Rio is very down. He cannot understand why this has happened to him. This injury is nothing to do with the ones he had before.
"It is completely different and it is very bad luck. Rio was feeling sharp and was ready for the World Cup.
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"He has waited so long for this tournament and to try and help England win it. He had prepared himself so well. But he is a very strong man and he will be back.
"I'm sure he will be leading England in four years time at the next World Cup."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Acclaimed journalist Martin Samuel believes that if Steven Gerrard chooses to leave Liverpool this summer then it shouldn’t be held against him.
Samuel has said: “Three years. That was the time frame Martin Broughton, chairman of Liverpool, was said to have given in a candid moment as how long it would take to turn the club around. “
“In the circumstances, could anyone then blame Steven Gerrard for taking his leave of Anfield now? He has not got three years to live in hope. Neither have the club, really. Even thinking optimistically about revival, by the time this recovery is realised, Gerrard, like Bryan Robson at Manchester United, may be too old to truly play much part. It would almost be cruel to make him stay, particularly if his destination was Real Madrid, not another English club.” [From the Mail Online]
The comments have to be agreed with as Steven Gerrard is now 30-years-old and coming towards the end of his career. If he wants to go on and win more trophies he will have a better chance of doing so by moving clubs. Liverpool have limited funds for next season and will not be playing in the Champions League and Gerrard is a world class player who needs to be playing at the highest level. It would do a prestigious tournament like the Champions League a disservice not to have a player the calibre of Steven Gerrard playing in it next year.
Unfortunately due to Liverpool’s shortcomings last season it has really put them a step back as they will not be getting the finances the Champions League brings and not only are the missing out on Europe’s elite competition. But they will find it very tough to compete with other sides for fourth place next season and were Gerrard to stay he would be putting Liverpool’s chances of qualification down to ‘ifs and buts’
Samuel goes on to say: “Without Gerrard, no miracle of Istanbul and not even the FA Cup final victory over West Ham United in 2006. And if Liverpool supporters can find it in their hearts to think well of Rafael Benitez for those highlights, surely they will not begrudge Gerrard, too?”
Gerrard has clearly done a lot for Liverpool throughout his career and if anything Liverpool owe Steven Gerrard the chance to leave. He has always given them 110 per cent and has been loyal when he has previously had chances to leave. Infamously he turned down Chelsea in 2005 for what would surely have been much higher wages and would have given Gerrard the opportunity to win more things in his career. Gerrard could comfortably walk into any side in the world as is his magnitude and at times for Liverpool he has looked out of this world .
Samuel also adds: “Gerrard cannot be left marooned, the last world-class player at a club[assuming Mascherano, Torres and Reina leave] where the concept of success is seemingly downscaled each season. The promise of a coaching job in the famed Liverpool boot room is not enough. If the future is as troubled as Broughton believes, Gerrard and Liverpool are no longer in equal partnership. For a player of his ability, the England captain in World Cup year, he is settling if he remains.”
There is so much more that Gerrard can still go on to achieve and although Liverpool have done a lot for him it is surely time for him to finally move on.
Do you think Steven Gerrard deserves to leave Liverpool?
Message me on Twitter with your thoughts
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England boss Fabio Capello has demanded that his Capello Index should be removed from the internet.
The Italian is furious that his player ratings website, which scored players on their performances in this summer's World Cup, appeared online on Saturday.
Capello announced before the tournament started that he was launching the index only to have second thoughts after scorn was poured on the idea.
"The index was published without Mr Capello's knowledge and his representatives have taken immediate steps to have the material taken down," read an FA statement.
The Index uses a statistical system devised by Capello to award players a score out of 100.
Not a single England international appeared in the top 45 players at the tournament, with captain Steven Gerrard being the highest-ranked player at 65th.
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Goalkeeper Robert Green had the lowest score – 51.67 – after his gaffe led to the USA equalising in England's first group game in South Africa.
Uruguay's Diego Forlan topped the ratings while Germany's Miroslav Klose and Thomas Mueller were second and third respectively.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
AC Milan coach Massimo Allegri has no desire to bring former England international David Beckham back to the San Siro for a third time.
The 35-year-old LA Galaxy midfielder has enjoyed two spells with the Rossoneri in the last two seasons but injured his Achilles tendon in March and was forced to miss this summer's World Cup finals.
Asked if Beckham would be returning to AC Milan this season, Allegri said:"I do not think so.
"He is now recovering from a very bad injury and at that age I think it is very difficult to come back."
Beckham has said he hopes to return to fitness in September – two months ahead of schedule.
Earlier in the week he was linked with a switch to West Ham United but those rumours were swiftly denied.
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News that Wes Brown has decided to retire from international duty has been met with a mixture of disdain and incredulity from many both inside and outside Old Trafford.
The ‘hardest man in all the town’ has called an end to his international career after 23 caps, which considering he made his England debut 11 years ago is hardly a great amount.
Brown stated: “After a lot of thought and with a very heavy heart, I have decided the time is right for me to retire from international football.
“At the age of 30, I feel it is right for me to stand aside and let younger players come through, which allows me to concentrate on my club career.
“I regard it as an honour and a privilege to have represented my country at every level from under-15s upwards. I have always been very proud to play for England and wish them well in future tournaments.”
Brown’s decision comes just as Paul Robinson made his to also retire from England, although he stated it is more to do with being way down the pecking order than any wish to concentrate on his job at Blackburn.
While Robinson’s decision was a little surprising, after all as Robert Green showed, even a mediocre season can get you a place between the sticks for England when Capello’s in charge, Brown’s was actually pretty pragmatic.
Brown has never been a real first choice for England either at right back or centre back, due to either his injuries or having Gary Neville in his way. Since Neville more or less dropped out of the international scene Glen Johnson has emerged as the preferred choice at right back for Capello.
The world cup may well have been the final straw for Brown when it comes to England. After seemingly working his way back into the international fold under Capello, Brown was omitted even from the provisional 30 man squad for South Africa. Although he had recently returned from injury, the fact that the England manager chose to coax Jamie Carragher out of retirement and take a player who’d played a lot less football and has severe knee problems in Ledley King may well have irked the quiet defender.
Gary Neville wasted no time in questioning Capello’s decision to leave Brown out-although call me cynical I feel he may well have been having a dig due to his own omission but as with most things concerning ‘r Gary, who knows.
What amazed me about his world cup omission was that last season Brown played all his football for United at centre back and did a fine job as with Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic missing large chunks of the campaign he was called into action a total of 26 times. Admittedly that hardly constitutes the term ‘mainstay’ but considering United’s defence was the best in the country and Brown put in some marvellous performances- Stamford Bridge for example- then for me he was a far better option than either Matthew Upson, Michael Dawson, Ledley King or Jamie Carragher. Like King and Carragher he has international experience but is capable of playing more than one game a week and didn’t need convincing to play, like Carragher he can play at right back or centre back but is far better in either position, and unlike Upson and Dawson he is truly world class. I know many Tottenham, West Ham and Liverpool fans may disagree but other than King, I think Brown is the more naturally gifted defender.
Regardless of whether he made it into the World Cup squad, another major factor which seems to have swayed his thinking towards retirement is Brown’s falling down the United pecking order.
When everyone is fully fit, Brown can no longer be guaranteed the right back spot that he made his own during the successful 2007-08 campaign. What is even more worrying for the ginger-ish- haired one is that even when the likes of Ferdinand and Neville are injured, Jonny Evans and John O’Shea, not to mention even Rafael Da Silva, seem to find themselves starting games with Brown often on the bench.
Sir Alex Ferguson loves to rotate his squad but certain players are pretty much guaranteed to start every game, or at least the big ones, if they are fit. Patrice Evra seldom gets rested and when he does it’s usually for an ‘easy’ Champion’s League tie or the Carling Cup. Fergie has pointed to France’s version of Leon Trotsky’s huge appearance record over the past few seasons as a reason for giving him an extra week off recently. Vidic is another defender who is only really rested when he’s either just returning from injury or it’s not a truly testing game. Ditto Rio- although if he’s fit he’ll play due to the rarity of the occasion. Brown is nowhere near this level of importance to Fergie, yet in 2007-08 he appeared more than any other United player- including Cristiano Ronaldo.
Brown knows that if he’s not careful he could find himself fourth choice right back and with the recent signing of Chris Smalling, possibly fifth choice for a centre back spot. Playing for England may not entirely prevent him from gaining his place in the starting XI but if he were to pick up an injury on international duty, would Fergie be as understanding or patient with him as Brown would hope?
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Brown has two years left on his United contract, by which time he’ll be 32 and if he wants to ensure the next two seasons at Old Trafford aren’t spent keeping the bench warm or being an important member of the reserves, retiring from international football may be a step in the right direction. United have reaped the benefits of Paul Scholes decision to retire from England as the –truly- ginger haired one is still going strong –as he showed by winning man of the match in the ‘Community’ Shield.
England and Capello may regret Brown’s decision but I have a feeling that United and the defender himself won’t, the question is will Rio be joining him?
With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery
With James Milner having finally departed to Man City for £16m plus Stephen Ireland, who went in the opposite direction, it would seem that the most obvious transfer of the summer has finally taken place, so while attempting to stay in the same vein, here are the 5 most obvious transfers yet to happen that spring to mind and their chances of going through before the end of the transfer window rated and assessed.
[divider]
1. Javier Mascherano – to Inter Milan/Barcelona – It’s been well documented that the fiery Argentine is on the lookout for a move elsewhere for family reasons, after his wife reportedly refused to settle on our fair shores, but the Liverpool board’s prerogative, as well it might be, has been not to baulk in the face of interest valuing the player at significantly less than themselves. Hodgson has repeatedly stated that unless the club’s £25m valuation is met with, then he won’t depart and for a player who’s undoubtedly the best at performing his role in the world, it seems a fair price.
With former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez now at Italian champions Inter Milan, and the Liverpool player already effusive in his praise of Benitez before conceding that he’s already started learning Italian in preparation ahead of the proposed move, the fee remains a stumbling block and Inter seem unwilling to part with their hard earned for anything more than £20m.
Barcelona have chased around all summer like a desperately scorned ex-lover, for the signature of Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, but to no avail, and with the club stating, despite their debt problems, that they have at least £40m burning a hole in their pockets, it would seem that with the departure of Yaya Toure on a ludicrously hefty deal to moneybags Man City this summer, that a move is all but assured, especially considering their strong interest in Mascherano last summer.
Reports that Mascherano had been left out of the club’s Europa League tie at home to Turkish outfit Trabzonspor, because a deal is imminent appear to be extremely wide of the mark, as the player in question picked up a calf injury in the home game against Arsenal on Sunday, but a deal, if the valuation is met, which by Barca it might well be, still looks close, despite Liverpool’s admirable stance.
Chances of move to Inter 5/10, Chances of move to Barcelona 7/10
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2. Shay Given to Arsenal/Fulham – All summer it looked as if Shay Given would remain as Man City’s number one and that despite rapid progress in returning from his shoulder operation, that Joe Hart was merely keeping the gloves warm ahead of his inevitable usurping. But an excellent performance in the opening game draw against Spurs at White Hart Lane from Hart appears to have put a spanner in the works.
‘Sources’ close to the player have released a comment in the Manchester Evening News stating that: “Shay is confused and torn over what to do. He only joined City 18 months ago and wanted to win things after 10 years at Newcastle. But he just wants to play and he doesn’t see Roberto Mancini leaving Hart out now, even if he makes a mistake. He’ll want to stand by his man. Shay is watching the situation with the goalkeepers at Arsenal at Fulham. A loan move might be something he’d consider but he’s finding it really difficult to know what to do. The last thing he wants to do is risk his place in the Ireland team.”
While this has to be taken, not with just a pinch of salt, but rather a whole dollop, both moves do make an awful lot of sense. Everyone can see that Arsenal need a strong number one, and they have done for as long as Alumnia has been between the sticks, particularly in light of his poor efforts at being beaten at his near post by a powerful David N’Gog effort to gift 10-man Liverpool the lead at the weekend.
But Wenger seems a stubborn old goat and his one word protestation in the post-match interview after the Liverpool draw of ‘no’ when asked the question of whether he’s likely so sign a new goalkeeper before the end of the transfer window, looks likely to have put paid to any hope that the Arsenal faithful may have harboured. Like I said, it makes sense, we can all see that, but Wenger seems to have either a blind spot everyone else can see, some sort of bizarre unwavering faith in Alumnia or he has some rather uncompromising photos of Arsene, for there really can be no other reason for his continued loyalty to a clearly inept keeper’. But Wenger seems like a man of his word, and I can’t see it happening to Arsenal.
Given to Fulham has a nicer ring to it, but the knock on effect of Wenger not moving for any goalkeeper, means that Mark Schwarzer’s transfer request to get a move going again was all for nothing, and without any other side sniffing around him, he looks likely to stay, and the need for Shay Given at Craven Cottage comes to an end. It’s all a transfer roundabout, if Wenger makes a move, then I can see Schwarzer going to Arsenal and Given to Fulham, but without it, expect everyone to stay put, for now at least.
Chances of Given to Arsenal and Fulham 3/10
Continued on Page TWO
3. Robbie Keane to Villa/West Ham/Everton – I thought Keane looked nailed on to go to Villa until O’Neill’s departure, and with things up in the air over there at the moment with concerns to who is in charge, with Kevin McDonald the favourite, it looks harder to foresee what transfer deals Lerner will sanction, the Stephen Ireland deal aside.
Keane has had either a fantastic pre-season or looked slow and off the pace depending on which Spurs fan you talk to, but it’s safe to say that Keane has failed to settle back in at White Hart Lane since his return quite how he would have hoped. Redknapp doesn’t appear to be a massive fan, despite signing him back, and whether it is a loan move or a sale, Keane could leave if Redknapp isn’t continually frustrated in his search for a new striker.
Keane had a decent game when brought on against Young Boys Bern on Tuesday night, and his introduction alongside Tom Huddlestone would suggest he’s still got a role to play in Europe, but without guaranteed football at the Lane, Keane may want another loan move, this time in the full eye of the entire Premiership, as opposed to the nether regions of Scotland, to display his talents.
West Ham are the latest club to have reportedly shown an interest and there are murmurings of a move to Everton around, with Moyes known to be a fan, despite his Liverpool connections. West Ham would probably be able to offer him a regular role but Spurs would be reluctant to let him leave to a rival club. Whereas Moyes, known to be in the market for another front man, with attacking midfielder Marat Izmailov on the radar at £4m, would perhaps fancy a cheaper Premiership proven man in Keane, but Villa still remain the favourites.
I can see Keane moving on loan to Villa until the end of the season as Redknapp once again delays making any real decision on the player’s long-term future.
Chances of Keane to Villa 8/10, West Ham 5/10, Everton 4/10
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4. Roque Santa Cruz to Stoke/Liverpool/Fulham /West Ham or anyone else for that matter – The media has gone into a frenzy of sorts since the new Premiership rules were announced and after it become abundantly clear that there were going to have to be several big name departures down at Eastlands as Mancini desperately tries to trim his squad. Well step right up Roque Santa Cruz, a player on the fringe of the fringes at Man City, and a baffling signing in the first place from former manager Mark Hughes for a whopping £17.5m considering the other options available in his squad.
The move was always doomed to failure, as City simply have far too much money at their disposal for Santa Cruz to ever be a regular starter, he’s simply not big enough a name for them, and with the arrival of Roberto Mancini and his favourite Mario Balotelli from former club Inter, with the new striker already off the mark, there looks to be no return.
Prior to his move to City, Cruz struggled with injuries all season in 2008/9 as he failed to build on a successful debut season in England’s top flight, and he’s been blighted by them in his time at City too. The proposed exodus at City has taken place, but instead of the high profile transfer deals, sensibly by my reckoning, the majority of players have been allowed to leave on loan and that’s exactly the sort of move that’ll benefit Santa Cruz.
The teams in for his signature are supposedly Fulham, Liverpool, West Ham and Stoke. I personally can’t see the West Ham move coming off, but the links with Liverpool and Stoke have been strong all summer, and perhaps they’ve just been waiting to cash in on City’s desperation all summer with a significant lowering of the loan fee.
Stoke boss Tony Pulis has hinted at a move for a player of Cruz’s pedigree by stating that he “wants to shake things up” at the Britannia Stadium, whereas Liverpool desperately need another striker added to their squad. Fulham have come into contention solely down to Mark Hughes’ arrival as Fulham manager and I’m afraid you’re going to see a lot of this 2+2=4 sort of journalism from the tabloids over the next week or so until deadline day, but Hughes has signed the player twice before and there is a dearth of forward talent at Fulham, so it does again make sense.
Cruz looks certain to depart, like he was always destined to, injuries have of course played their part, but they were dogging him before his move to City and quite frankly, he was never going to settle in at City and become a key player. He’ll move on loan before the end of the deadline as needs must, but the team that he’ll find himself at remains hazy at best, although I’d put Stoke as the favourites fractionally ahead of their rivals just down to manager Tony Pulis’ insistence that transfer deals need to be done and done quickly. City look to be operating on a first come first served basis and Stoke seem to want him the most, so for Stoke fans he could well be this summer’s Tuncay.
Chances of Roque Santa Cruz moving to Stoke 8/10, Liverpool 6/10, Fulham 7/10 and West Ham 4/10
Continued on Page THREE
5. Liverpool Football Club to Kenny Huang and the Chinese consortium, Syrian’s and Yahya Kirdi, or anyone else that’ll take them – Okay, so technically this could be considered cheating because it’s a club, and it can hardly be considered a straightforward transfer like the others listed above, but it’s been an ongoing issue for a couple of years now, and it finally looks as if something might actually happen for once, so it deserves it’s place and that’s final.
Liverpool fans could be forgiven for hardly believing their luck the last few weeks, after the surprise arrival of Joe Cole, promising sounds from new manager Roy Hodgson, the futures of messrs Gerrard and Torres sorted out for the time being, and finally some movement on the sale of the club.
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Christian Purslow the managing director of the club has since stated that any potential takeover won’t be rushed, which does seem to contradict Kenny Huang’s consortium’s wishes to get in charge before the end of the transfer window, but it seems a wise route to take.
Rumours that Huang is ready to walk away after the deal has somewhat stalled could be nothing more than a rushing tactic to get things moving again, and he remains the frontrunner. Whoever buys the club, because of the due diligence needed for a takeover of this magnitude, it seems unlikely that Hodgson will be handed any sort of transfer war chest that the newspapers like to prattle on about day after day until at least January.
The significant RBS interest payments that will shortly need to be paid by the club do mean that Hicks and Gillett will be keen to sell before August 31st, as it makes the club a more sellable asset and attractive proposition to clients, but Liverpool fans will have to ask themselves, if Huang is getting this impatient about buying the club and delivering transfer money to manager Hodgson, while enthusiastically pleasing as it may be, if he follows his promise to walk away if a deal is not reached before the end of the transfer deadline, is Huang the real deal or simply another false prophet with grandiose dreams?
There are numerous other interested parties and a sale looks likely to happen this time around, but I remain unconvinced that it’ll take place before the 31st and a timetable of around another two months would look a lot more reasonable. I think the club will be sold to Huang, but not for a while yet.
Chances of Liverpool FC sale before the end of the transfer window – 4/10
So what does everyone else think – will Keane hang around White Hart Lane? Are there any more obvious ones that you think that I’ve missed? You know the drill, post them below.
Written By James McManus
Click on image below to see the gallery of Mario Balotelli’s stunning girlfriend
Carlos Salcido showed enough on his debut to confirm he will be a big hit with Fulham, according to manager Mark Hughes.
The Mexico full-back made his debut during Saturday's 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers and made an immediate impression after providing the cross for Clint Dempsey's second-half equaliser.
The 30-year-old defender arrived at Craven Cottage in a £1.6million deal from PSV Eindhoven towards the end of the summer transfer window.
"I was really pleased with Carlos' debut against Blackburn," Hughes told the club's official website.
"He hasn't had a lot of time with the team in training but obviously he very quickly understood what the game was about after a nervous couple of minutes.
"He looked like he was really enjoying himself at the end of the match and produced a great ball for the equaliser.
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If there is one thing that is sure to divide football fans across the nation, it is whether they think Pro Evolution or FIFA is better. For many years the two franchises have been battling head to head for our loyalties. But which one is best?
For me, there is no question.
It has to be Pro Evolution.
Growing up in the Playstation years, Pro Evo or International Superstar Soccer as it was known then was the only choice. Konami consistently delivered the ultimate football game year after year with its ISS franchise. Its realism at the time was unparalleled by FIFA’s rather lousy efforts.
ISS prided itself on a faithful reproduction of the beautiful game; something that it did with huge success throughout the nineties with a number of seminal titles.
The series did a great job reproducing player likenesses. Despite the somewhat limited capabilities of the Playstation, players such as Carlos Valderrama, Paul Gascoigne, Gabriel Batistuta and Roberto Baggio are all instantly recognisable in their virtual form.
While they may have been recognisable, the players weren’t able to be given real names as EA Sport’s FIFA series held the official licence. To counteract this, Konami had to be clever in coming up with player names and they came up with some real crackers.
My personal favourites include Roberto Larcos (Roberto Carlos), Geags (Giggs), Sheallar (Shearer), Shereng (Sheringham) and Ronarid (Ronaldo). While these names may be silly, they have a certain nostalgic charm about them which is endearing to those that played the game.
On the other hand, FIFA had the real player names but were a franchise rather reliant on gimmicks rather than substance. For example, in FIFA International Soccer, you could run away from the referee if you got a yellow card. If you did so, the referee would chase after you and eventually give you a red card. While infinitely funny, it didn’t distract from the fact that FIFA International Soccer was not very good.
Similarly, FIFA 97 was also rubbish despite having an indoor pitch. The gameplay was Pascal Cygan slow and suffered from a glitch where you could easily block a goalkeeper’s kick and score a simple goal.
As FIFA went backwards, ISS went from strength to strength. 1999 saw the release of ISS Pro Evolution which was the first game to feature Konami’s much heralded Master League mode. In Master League, you take control of a team of generic players in the hope of building a dynasty.
You earn points by winning games and with those points, you can make transfers.
The introduction of the master league mode to the ISS/Pro Evo franchise has seen many people spend countless hours in front of the TV trying to assemble their own virtual Manchester City.
However, the next generation of consoles saw FIFA close the gap on ISS as it morphed into the more recognisable Pro Evolution format.
Recognising the threat for Pro Evolution, EA Sports put a lot more of its considerable resources into improving the FIFA franchise and it began to pay dividends. Not only were they continuing to sell more than Pro Evolution, the actual games were getting better as well.
FIFA 2001 was the first title to come out on the new PS2 platform and it was a highly polished effort by EA Sports. While the gameplay wasn’t as immersive as its Konami counterpart Pro Evolution Soccer, it did boast fantastic graphics and animation which were to be a hallmark of both titles in the PS2 era.
There weren’t much to choose between successive Playstation 2 offerings from either side as both games had their plusses and minuses.
However, this all changed when the games moved into the present generation of consoles.
Konami were simply not equipped to deal with the step-up in power from the PS2 and Xbox to the PS3 and Xbox360 and as a result, their product took a massive hit.
Pro Evolution 2008 was Konami’s first effort on this generation of console and it was disappointingly lazy. The game showed little improvement from its PS2 predecessor and was hampered by its shoddy presentation and online slowdown.
FIFA’s debut offering on the Xbox 360 and PS3 was FIFA 08 and it didn’t disappoint. The game was a typically slick offering with a deeply immersive football experience. The franchise introduced its now ubiquitous ‘Be A Pro’ mode in which you take control of a single player while attempting to complete certain tasks based on your performance.
It used to be FIFA which was trailing in Pro Evo’s wake but now it was the other way round. Konami had to up their game fast or risk losing their devoted fanbase.
And they did so with last year’s game. Konami improved the presentation of the game with a complete overhaul of the game’s menu system along with some licensed music which had been previously lacking.
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The game can no longer make the claim as being the most realistic football game on the market: that title goes to FIFA, but it is by far and away the more entertaining of the two.
And so we come to this year’s games. This month saw the release Pro Evo 2011 and FIFA 11 to the masses and the games will do little to sway people on either camp to change sides.
Pro Evo has seen the most radical change this year with the introduction of a new passing system which requires players to use a power bar to determine the strength and accuracy of their pass. The system takes a little while to get used to but in the end, it feels excellent as you are able to thread balls that you could otherwise never do.
FIFA meanwhile has added very little this year as it needs relatively little done to it. EA Sports have added the option of playing in goal in this year’s ‘Be A Pro’ mode which is no doubt a nod towards the ability to play full eleven a side games online.
I’ve nailed my colours to the mast at the beginning of the article and Pro Evo will be arriving through my letterbox in a matter of days. But overall, it really does come down to personal choice to which game you think is better.
Which game do you prefer?
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