Veteran striker Adrian Mutu will play for Serie A outfit Cesena next season, after his move from Fiorentina was confirmed on Friday.Mutu, 32, was close to leaving Fiorentina in January for the newly promoted club, but the move was blocked before its eventual completion in the off-season.
He has signed a two-year-deal at Cesena, with the option of a third available.
“ACF Fiorentina announces that they have sold Adrian Mutu to Cesena Calcio on a permanent basis,” a statement on Fiorentina’s official website read.
“The club thanks Adrian for his work over the past few seasons and wish him all the very best for the future.”
Mutu had to accept a pay cut to join Cesena but will bring a wealth of experience to the club.
He netted 54 goals in 112 matches for Fiorentina and has also played for the likes of Inter Milan and Juventus in the Serie A as well as Chelsea in the English Premier League.
He was out of favour with the Florence-based club after walking out of training when the move to Cesena did not eventuate in January.
Mutu has never been far from controversy during his career, having twice been suspended for failing a drugs test – once at Chelsea and once at Fiorentina – for which he was banned from fooball for one year and six months respectivley.
Liverpool’s steady but far from spectacular resurgence returned with a 3-0 victory following a disappointing 2-0 defeat by the Potters. Surely a sign of how far Liverpool have fallen in recent times, the upcoming trip to North London sees them as rank outsiders in the betting. With talismanic captain out for the trip, reds fans will be hoping Torres will be able to show some of his best form, like he did so devastatingly against the Champions.
At FFC we have seen a variety of blogs this week highlighting Comolli’s arrival and having to get his homework right, 7 strikers linked heavily with Liverpool move and Is Gerrard’s absence a blessing in disguise?
Plus we look at the best Liverpool blogs on the web this week.
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Hallå Underbar – Christian’s lady puts Premiership WAGS in the shade
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Time for Liverpool to cut their losses and CASH in?
Comolli must get homework right HERE before spending Liverpool’s millions
Can Liverpool FC look to succeed where so many have failed before?
7 strikers heavily linked with Liverpool move
Is Gerrard’s absence a blessing in disguise?
Liverpool’s Loan Watch
Liverpool top TEN Midfielders of all time?
Liverpool’s challenge is far from over…isn’t it?
Would Wendt signing provide a better option for Hodgson?
Where do Liverpool and Johnson go from here?
Good to see NESV getting a head start on the Academy front
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Click here to see the Best LIVERPOOL BLOGS around the Web this week
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Is it good news that Roy might not be spending in January? – Live4Liverpool
10 disastrous quotes of Roy Hodgson’s LFC reign – This is Anfield
Exclusive Robbie Fowler interview – Mirror
Nice Move NESV, Bad Move Roy – Kopblog
Top 3 Out of Favour Strikers for the Reds to look at – Live4Liverpool
Tottenham recorded a much-needed 2-0 Premier League win over Blackburn on Sunday at White Hart Lane.
The hosts were dominant throughout, with Rovers not having a single shot on or off goal in the 90 minutes, and a goal in each half from Rafael van der Vaart and Kyle Walker secured victory for the north London outfit.
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp was pleased with the victory and has challenged his side to win their remaining three fixtures in the race for fourth place.
“We’ve got to win our games – it’s going to be close, it’s going to be tight. I mean, we’ve got two really hard away games I think this week,” he told Sky Sports.
“Bolton are in good form and they’re fighting for their lives and then we go to Villa who still need a result, probably, so they’re tough games.
“Then Fulham at home, that’s a very difficult game so we’ve just got to see how we go.
“We’ve just got to keep trying to win the games and if we win all the games, no-one can finish above us, really. That’s the top and bottom of it.
“We’ve got a much better goal average than Newcastle. But we’ve got to win the games. Chelsea are looking very dangerous, they’re in fantastic form, but we’ll see how we go,” he stated.
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The National Football League (NFL) uses a draft system to recruit newly eligible college American football players. The draft is the most common method common source of player recruitment within the NFL. Players that have been out of high school for at least three years are eligible and although the rules do not explicitly state that players have to have been to college – nearly all players selected in the NFL draft played college football.
The present rules state that there are 7 rounds of the draft; with any expansion team (brand new team) getting the first pick in round 1 followed by the teams based on their end of season record starting from the bottom with the Superbowl losers getting the penultimate pick and the Superbowl winners having the last pick. The order typically stays the same for the remaining six rounds. However, if teams finished with identical records then the order is cycled for each round.
It is somewhat difficult to know how the draft system could be incorporated into English/European football. There are a number of issues here such as the fact we are dealing with a different sport that is organized in a different way. In America high school and college sport is a big deal – because they are future NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS… stars. However, in England talented football players are snapped up by football clubs by a young age with a view that becoming professionals at that football club.
Then there is the transfer system to be considered. In America players are signed that are free agents (through the draft system) or traded (exchanged) with other players – so transfer fees aren’t involved – but high wages are. However, then again there is wage capping going on in the US – whereas there isn’t in England.
So with that all in mind any adapted draft system could only really apply to the free transfer market and with dealing with players that are still amateurs that are now free agents. Therefore, there is no real value to apply any draft system to general free transfers or potential free transfers. This can only work if it is applied to players before they are professionals.
The players that would be in question would be those that have been released from clubs before they have been offered a professional contract. But here perhaps lies the problem; players that have been released are not highly rated at least not in the opinion of a youth coach somewhere. In contrast the players in the NFL draft are highly rated and the best youngsters would be within the draft.
So in order to have an equivalent system then youth players couldn’t be signed automatically to the professional club – but instead would enter the free market system; where any club would be free to sign them. However, that system would have a major flaw in that if that were to happen – where would the incentive be to train up a young player?
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Therefore, why not take it back further and look at players that are recruited to the club in the first place. The present rules have location restrictions on signing players below a certain age; which in some way is a bit unfair and puts a lot down to luck. Why does it matter which part of the UK players are from and why do clubs need to have catchment areas?
Then there is the issue of how teams that follow lower down in the league can be given an advantage and whetever or not any adapted draft system should be introduced exclusively to the Premier League or across all the professional clubs in England. There is of course the argument that there may be more need for it down the football league – due to the fact that there is a lot less money.
However, it is common for changes to be implemented into the Premier League and then gradually spread throughout the leagues. There are currently many people who claim that England isn’t producing the talent at the moment; It’s debatable if that is true given the emergence of players like Jordan Henderson, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling.
But should a youth player sign for Chelsea just because they happen to be close when in the long-term it may not be the best club for their career. Take the example of Ryan Bertrand at Chelsea; a very talented young left back that should be challenging the likes of Ashley Cole, Leighton Baines and Kieran Gibbs for a place at left back in the England team. However, instead he has found himself on loan to Championship clubs for several seasons and unable to progress.
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Imagine for a second that there was a draft system that benefited teams lower down in the table much like the NFL draft and Wigan picked him up instead. Then at this time Bertrand could be getting regular games in the Premier League and challenging for a place in the England team.
So should we look to adjust the Premier League and introduce some sort of adapted draft system? Maybe there isn’t a lot wrong with the current system – but one of the reasons for the draft system is to try and stop contract wrangles for the best youth players. There were rumours around that Manchester United had offered Phil Jones £80,000 per week. Surely Jones doesn’t need to be earning that sort of money at 19 years old. However, it may simply not be possible to adjust the draft system for the Premier League.
Gary Neville, Micah Richards, Ashley Cole and Stephen Warnock. What have these names got in common? Is it that fact that they have all played for England in the last few years, therefore acknowledged as international-class players? Or is it that they are all established Premier League full-backs that could comfortably get into most Premier League teams?
Well, both of those statements are true…but I was leaning more towards the statement that Matt Jarvis has comfortably coped with all of them this season, and has sometimes made them look silly. 24-year-old Jarvis has been the star of, what has been so far, a disappointing start for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Many Wolves fans will agree with this and have been calling for Fabio Capello to take a chance on Jarvis for well over a year now. OK, yes it may have been a bit much to ask for Jarvis to be taken to the World Cup (although let’s face it, he probably would have done a better job than most of them did out there), but it is surely time that Capello and his cronies sat up and took notice.
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has hailed Jarvis’ recent performances and has called on Capello to take a look at his wing-wizard. Again, you might think that this is a bit biased. Well, plenty of pundits have jumped on the ‘Jarvis for England’ bandwagon, with the likes of Paul Merson, Matt Le Tissier and the ultimate critic himself, Alan Hansen, all praising his recent performances.
Jarvis, who joined Wolves from Gillingham for a bargain price of around £600,000 in 2007, has been a fan’s favourite down at Molineux for some time now. He forged a great partnership with fellow-winger Michael Kightly, a partnership which was a key part of Wolves gaining promotion in 2009.
Last season, Jarvis proved he was Premier League quality with a string of good performances; with one of the highlights being when he scored the third goal in a crucial 3-1 win against West Ham – a game many saw as the one which ensured Wolves’ survival.
Now, it’s only fair to look at the competition for a place on the wing for England.
Stewart Downing – Has had a decent start to the season at Aston Villa, but has struggled to hold down a place in the first team.
Ashley Young – Has looked impressive for Villa this year, but didn’t impress in his first start for England, against Montenegro earlier this year.
Aaron Lennon – Struggled with injuries this year and has not had the best start to the season at Spurs.
Shaun Wright-Phillips – Rarely gets a game for Man City these days, with most of his appearances coming from the substitute’s bench.
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Adam Johnson – A player in the similar type of mould to Jarvis, Johnson is probably one of the best English wingers out there. However, his off-the-field antics and Mancini’s tinkering has seen him dropped to the bench a lot this season.
So, I think it is fair to say that Jarvis at least deserves to be called up to the squad. With the France friendly just around the corner, it seems the perfect opportunity for Capello to try out some new blood.
After the disappointment of the World Cup, it seems only fair that new players be given a chance in the under-achieving England squad. The likes of Jarvis, Johnson and Young could well be the future for England, let’s just hope Capello realises this and stops picking the same old players.
With Gary Neville stepping into Andy Gray’s shoes at Sky, the former United defender joins the long list of players who have made the transition from the pitch to a paid-up pundit and in Neville’s case with relative ease.
To be fair to Neville, a player who irritated me greatly, he is one of the decent analysts out there who has a genuine insight into the game of football and is actually educating those listening over tactics, positioning and the general mindset of players and teams at certain points within the game. He has the ability to be amusing as well, as he highlighted with his critique of David Luiz’s performances this season, and doesn’t have to rely on cheesy puns or jokes that are served up by the regular goons on the Beeb. Neville has certainly opened my eyes and dispelled the myth that footballers actually have a brain and have something to offer as pundits.
Below is a list of ten players turned pundits who irritate me greatly
Click on Lawro below to see the Top TEN
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World number four Andy Murray has sought out Roger Federer’s former coach Sven Groeneveld for advice during the French Open.Murray, who has played without a full-time coach since firing Miles Maclagan after last year’s Wimbledon, has turned to Groeneveld in the absence of Darren Cahill, who is unavailable due to television commitments.
Cahill and Groeneveld are both part of a coaching development team available to Murray through his sponsorship deal with Adidas.
The Scot, whose form has taken a turn for the better on clay after a disappointing start to 2011, progressed to the second round at Roland Garros with a 6-4 6-1 6-3 defeat of French qualifier Eric Prodon on Tuesday.
Writing in his column for the BBC, Murray said he would continue to pick Groeneveld’s brain as he makes his way through the Grand Slam.
“(Sven’s) got a lot of experience,” he wrote. “He’s been around so many grand slams. It’s more just having that experience around.
“It’s not like I’m necessarily talking to him about tactics, but after the match I was just explaining how I was feeling, and he knows that it’s normal not to feel your best in the first match, that it’s tricky conditions, and the most important thing is to get through.”
“It’s just having someone that’s been there that, if I need the advice, he can give it to me.”
Murray also joked that he might approach Blackpool boss Ian Holloway following their relegation from the English Premier League, writing: “He’s great value and a good coach as well – maybe I should see if he wants to try tennis coaching.”
Gareth Bale is the man of the moment at present that is without question and you do sense that he is a player that will name his own price going forward. Max Clifford claims that the Welsh winger could make anything in the region of £20m in the next five years, with endorsements and image rights.
It is dramatic rise for a player who less than 12 months ago was struggling to get a game at White Hart Lane as Redknapp continued to leave him out of the cold and seemingly ignored any opportunity to get that winless monkey off his back. Bale seized his chance, when Harry had no option with Assou-Ekotto’s injury and the rest is history.
With fame comes female adulation and hopefully in Bale’s case the need to update his wardrobe, so the shiny grey suits and the waistcoats are replaced by something that represents fashion. Fortunately on the women front he appears to have got it spot on and while she doesn’t have the same wow factor as perhaps Mrs van der Vaart, Lloyd, Clancy or Keane, she is certainly has potential.
Click on image below to view gallery
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Where does Ms Bale rank among the other Tottenham WAGS? – click here to find out.
Alexis Sanchez gave the ball away a staggering 30 times as Manchester United laboured against Crystal Palace on Monday night.
The Red Devils were awful in the first half and the early part of the second as the struggling Eagles burst into a 2-0 goal lead.
At that stage, United were in serious danger of going into this weekend’s huge meeting with arch rivals Liverpool behind the Reds in the league and Sanchez was unable to do much to rectify that.
The harder he tried to make something happen, the more the forward – valued at £63m by transfermarkt.co.uk – gave the ball away.
That said, his persistence paid off in the end as it was the Chilean’s shot against the Palace crossbar that led to Romelu Lukaku’s equaliser and the Red Devils went on to win 3-2 in stoppage-time.
Speaking after the match, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher said that it was only the former Arsenal man’s reputation that would keep him in the side for Saturday’s crunch clash, so poor was he against Roy Hodgson’s men.
So we’re asking you; should Sanchez be dropped for Saturday’s match with Liverpool? Let us know by voting below…
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There seems to be a trend in modern football. The Premier League has exposed it, the World Cup gave us a few hints and pundits are banging on about it week in, week out. The art or defending is dying, with goals coming thick and fast in the top leagues across Europe, while every ‘emerging starlet’ appears to be either a ‘tricky No. 10’, a ‘goalscoring sensation’ or a ‘wing wizard’.
Gone are the days of 0-0 Champions League knockout games of the mid to early 2000s in which John Terry, Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini, among others, marshalled their backlines to provide fans with tactical thrillers, with mad scoreline increasing normal. Goals are exciting and capture the highlight reels, but the one commodity needed above all other right now is top class centre-backs, of which there are few.
Yet there is one player stands out above all others currently, with his name in the transfer gossip columns on an almost weekly basis. I am of course talking about Mats Hummels, the Dortmund and Germany enforcer. Both Manchester United and Arsenal are the English sides being most strongly linked with the star defender, as reports suggest that Arsene Wenger has made him his top target ahead of January, while Louis van Gaal is keen to revive the Red Devils’ failed move for him over the summer.
Hummels has given no indication that he wants to leave BVB – in fact, he’s stated the opposite – but things change quickly in the fickle world of football, so it would not be a major shock to see the 25-year-old’s name crossing Sky Sports’ yellow ticker in early 2015.
But which suitor should he choose? Presuming United and Arsenal are the only two ‘big players’ in for him, he will have a serious decision to make…
MANCHESTER UNITED
A prime example of United’s failings so far this season under Van Gaal is the shocking 5-3 loss at Leicester City. The result against the Foxes summer up the problems at Old Trafford – albeit they lost at the King Power Stadium – with attacking flair and defensive solidity completely imbalanced. 3-1 up with half an hour to play, the Red Devils needed to coast to three point, yet a backline with Tyler Blackett a key man was ruthlessly exposed.
We don’t need to tell the rest of the story – Jamie Vardy tore United apart with his pace and movement – to make it clear that a top class defender like, let’s say Hummels, may well have eased them over the line for a routine win.
The German would surely be the bedrock of the United team should he make the move, with Van Gaal in desperate need of a player to command his backline and impose some sort of authority. Hummels could do so, while bringing his top-notch ability on the ball to the fore to help build attacks.
The cash is there to offer Dortmund around £30m and give the player himself a massive pay hike, making such a move a ‘no brainer’ for United. Hummels himself may have some reservations due to the uncertainty of Champions League action at Old Trafford, however.
ARSENAL
Unlike United, Arsenal can virtually guarantee Hummels top-level European action for the foreseeable future, such is Arsene Wenger’s penchant for landing fourth place. This would likely appeal to the Dortmund star, as would the presence of a number of his international team-mates, including Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and Mesut Ozil – albeit the futures of the latter two are unclear.
Hummels would probably be used as a replacement for the aforementioned Mertesacker to play alongside Laurent Koscielny in the Gunners’ back four, which has the potential to be a solid partnership. The competition of a top class player fighting for his role may, however, be a drawback.
There’s little doubt that the Londoners need another capable defender after letting Thomas Vermaelen leave. Wenger’s decision to neglect obtaining – or failure to sign – a replacement has been exposed by injuries already, with young Calum Chambers forced from right-back into the heart of the defence.
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Hummels would appear to be an ideal fit given his ability with ball on the deck as well as his power and pace, yet funding may be an issue. Arsenal are understood to have £20m at their disposal for January, which is the sort of sum United would simply smash out of the park.
VERDICT
This is a tough one as both clubs are blessed with fine histories, great managers and some of the best stadia around. Arsenal can offer top level European action, while United have the financial clout to make even PSG blush. It would appear that becoming the future of the Red Devils’ backline could be tempting, and with money not just talking but screaming at the top of its lungs in the modern game, they look to be the more convincing suitors. Or he could just stay at Dortmund…