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After recing refusing to extend his contract past 2015 , Sunderland starlet Connor Wickham was linked to the likes of West Ham, Newcastle and Stoke City during the summer transfer window.

But young, English, likely available for a pittance in January and having laid his potential bare for all to see at the end of last year, should the Black Cats contract rebel be attracting interest from some of the Premier League’s bigger clubs too – namely, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur?

Both north London outfits possess amongst the least enviable strike-forces in the Premier League’s top half.

Tottenham’s forward line for example, of Harry Kane, Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado, have claimed just 19 Premier League goals collectively since last summer. The latter striker, although immensely talented technically,  has never looked comfortable with the pace and power of the English top flight and only two of his domestic goals for Spurs have come in open play. Having thus far only served as a substitute under Mauricio Pochettino, a drastic revival in form harking back to his Valencia days remains incredibly unlikely.

Likewise, Arsenal’s striking cast is desperately short of depth. First choice Olivier Giroud, although Arsenal’s top scorer last term, has continually struggled for goals against the Premier League’s top sides and is now ruled out with an ankle injury until 2015 at the earliest. Meanwhile, in summer signing Danny Welbeck the Gunners have added a forward who infamously struggled for potency at Manchester United, whilst 21 year-old Yaya Sanogo is yet to find the net in 16 competitive appearances since turning up in north London last summer.

Wickham may not be the ultimate solution to Arsenal and Tottenham’s striking woes – he’s claimed just six goals in 42 Premier League appearances and hasn’t found the score sheet in five outings for Sunderland this season – but he would be a step in the right direction. And unlike the vast majority of names linked with both clubs ahead of the winter window by the tabloids, he will be attainable for the right price in January.

Indeed, the Junior Lion’s goal tally is disappointingly modest considering the amount of top flight exposure he’s already received. West Brom’s Saido Berahino for example has found one more Premier League goal in nine less appearances, and 21 year-old Romelu Lukaku has already netted 17 league goals for two separate Premiership clubs.

Yet, Wickham’s form throughout the 2013/14 campaign, and particularly his role in Sunderland’s relegation-escaping run at the end of the season, was the result of either enormous potential or divine intervention from the footballing gods.

It started with a loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday; after eight goals in just eleven appearances, it became clear the former Ipswich youngster was above Championship level. Another loan move to Leeds bore no fruits – goalless in six games – but this overlapped a period, instigated in part by Brian McDermott’s infamous ‘Black Friday’ , that saw the Whites record 13 league defeats between the start of 2014 and April.

Gus Poyet publicly declared his side needed a miracle in April following a 5-1 home thrashing by Spurs and he soon found one in the form of the 6 foot 3 striker, recalled abruptly from his Elland Road stay following an injury to Steven Fletcher.

Wickham went on to bag a brace against Manchester City at the Etihad, score against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, ending Jose Mourinho’s 78-game unbeaten run at home in the Premier League, provided an assist against Manchester United at Old Trafford and perhaps most importantly of all, netted twice past Cardiff City in an integral relegation dog fight.

It takes self-confidence, determination and quality to affect both ends of the Premier League table in such a manner, and although there are obvious inconsistencies to Wickham’s game, especially in front of goal, last season demonstrated the positive extremities of his capability.

If Arsene Wenger or Mauricio Pochettino can improve the 21 year-old’s potency with a greater sense of regularity, or even help Wickham replicate his form against England’s biggest clubs from last season, he could quickly emerge as a very important player.

Tactically too, Wickham suits both north London clubs well. In terms of his link-up play, the Sunderland youngster may not quite echo the efforts of Olivier Giroud, but his 6 foot 3 frame parallels the Frenchman’s height and power, which has become equally essential to Arsenal’s forward play in the lone front-man role.

Likewise, Pochettino favoured old-fashioned, powerful centre-forwards at Southampton and has carried that philosophy to White Hart Lane, electing the lanky Adebayor over the considerably less physical Soldado and Kane.

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And Wickham’s home-grown status should not be overlooked as a superficiality; Wenger revealed his plans to create a healthy English contingent that will benefit from the synergy between Arsenal and the national team earlier this summer, whilst many believe Spurs need to readdress their balance of imported players, having made just one signing eligible for the Three Lions, compared to 12 foreign acquisitions and six first team Englishmen departing the club, over the last three transfer windows.

I’m not suggesting Connor Wickham is England’s next great hope and I do not dispute that currently the Sunderland starlet is below the level of striker you’d expect to see playing regularly at Arsenal or Tottenham. Based on recent form and prior history, he doesn’t significantly improve upon the forwards already available to Wenger and Pochettino.

But the 21 year-old’s potential is undeniable, whilst his transfer situation, provided it remains unchanged by January, remains equally appealing.

And following a summer window that witnessed the Premier League invest just 17% of an overall £835million into English players, it would be incredibly refreshing to see a top club take a punt on a financially justifiable home-grown talent, rather than another cheap youngster from abroad.

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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has ruled out the possibility of making wholesale changes to his squad during the January transfer window.

It has been thought that the Northern Irishman may look to bring in a number of new faces during the winter in a bid to improve the Reds’ Premier League performances.

However, Rodgers confessed that he is unlikely to make multiple transfers, despite worries surrounding the depth of his Anfield squad:

“The reality is that there was always going to be a bit of movement this season with the club trying to regain some of their money. This season was always going to be difficult.” He is quoted by SkySports.

“We’ll look to do something in the January transfer window, though. There’s not going to be wholesale changes in terms of players coming in, that’s the reality of where the club is at.

With the departure of Andy Carroll during the summer, and the recent injury suffered by Fabio Borini, Rodgers has only Luis Suarez to call upon in a central attacking role.

Due to this, he claimed that he’ll be searching for alternatives during the next transfer window:

“We’re looking to do business in the striking department in January,

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“We’re looking to grow over the next six months, we’ll get some reinforcements in January and that will support the group who have been magnificent for me so far.

“Hopefully in the summer we can build again.”

After a full week of World Cup games, it’s been a compelling first round of matches in Russia. There have been noteworthy surprises, like Mexico’s 1-0 defeat of the heavily-favoured Germany, and a few teams have already separated themselves from the pack.

With every country having played their first match, the standings are in an interesting position but are sure to change swiftly. An extra dose of excitement and anticipation surrounds a team’s inaugural match, but how much does the first game truly matter?

Football FanCast was joined by Liverpool and England legend John Barnes — who spoke to us on behalf of Just Eat for the summer of football — to discuss the first round of games… 

FootballFanCast.com: We’ve had an interesting first week of the World Cup with some great games and a few surprises. What are your early impressions thus far?

 John Barnes: “Well it’s been a fascinating World Cup. When you look at the teams — for example Germany losing, Brazil drawing, France struggling against Australia — this is what happens in the first games of the World Cup, because regardless of who the favourites are, to qualify for the World Cup you have to be a decent team.

“Of course, Russia beat Saudi Arabia 5-0, but that doesn’t normally happen in World Cup matches. In the early matches, everybody is quite confident coming into the World Cup. It’s normally after two or three matches that you’ve been beaten heavily and the consonance drops. Then you can expect to see the scores that we should see.

“The Premier League is the same. In the early days of competition, especially in the first games, you see some sorry results. But if you look at the way all of the top teams have played, I won’t say they’ve struggled. It’s just that the so-called lesser teams — in the first game and before they lose any confidence by losing matches — they play well. They’re up for it. They’re confident.

“Of course, they’re not able to do that consistently, which is why they usually don’t go to the quarter-finals or semi-finals. You always see some funny results in the early games of the World Cup.”

 FFC: Some of the heavyweights — like Germany and Brazil — have come up with shaky performances in game one. Why has that been the case?

 JB: “In the first game, when you’re playing against so-called lesser teams, they play with intensity, determination and desire. So therefore you see a lot of funny games. Like, even with Brazil. Brazil drew against Switzerland. But once you go through and get used to playing in a tournament, you’ll see they improve and get better.

“I don’t look at the first game. Someone playing really well in the first game or playing really badly in the first game doesn’t change my opinion. Because then you’d say Russia will win the World Cup because they won 5-0 against Saudi Arabia. So I don’t necessarily look at these early games positively or negatively.

“If that was the case, you’d say Germany might as well go home already. Germany will still be there in my opinion. It doesn’t matter to me after the first game how things are.”

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FFC: Do you think too many people place too much weight on the first game?

JB: “Well, the first game is very important. Germany will really have to play well now to qualify after they lost the first game. So it is important in that respect. But it isn’t that important for you to all of a sudden be written off, to then say you’re not a good team and have no chance because you played badly the first game.

“Or, if you play well and win the first game — Costa Rica, for example, played really well and won, or if Saudi Arabia beat Russia — that doesn’t mean you’re going to win the World Cup. It means that they had one good game, which maybe puts them in a good place to go through.”

Just Eat ​is​ offering hungry football fans who order on the Just Eat app between the 14th June and 15th July the chance to get their hands on limited edition 2018 Football Plates. There are four plates to collect and hundreds will be given away to celebrate the summer of football.

According to Mediaset Premium, cited by Bleacher Report, Lazio’s director, Igli Tare has confirmed that Stefan De Vrij will leave the club in the summer transfer window. Manchester United are one of the teams interested in the Dutch defender.

What’s the story?

Lazio’s director has confirmed that the club have withdrawn their contract offer for De Vrij whose contract expires with the Serie A club at the end of the season. It is believed that Manchester United and Liverpool are interested in the 26-year-old.

The Italian club refused offers for the defender last summer, yet they’ll be powerless to resist the Dutchman from departing the club, and he’s currently free to sign pre-contract agreements with foreign teams.

What will he bring?

Despite being a defender, he’s proven to be a useful goal threat during his time with Lazio. In 252 appearances for the Italian club, De Vrij has scored 14 goals – four of which have been scored this season.

He’s a commanding presence at the back, thanks to his towering height. Additionally, he’s graced with good technical ability. Without question, he’s highly regarded for his unwavering defensive contribution.

Does Mourinho need him?

While considering the number of defenders that Jose Mourinho has at his disposal, one would argue that the Red Devils do not need further defensive reinforcement. Another defensive arrival could hinder the youth’s chances of establishing themselves as first-team players such as Axel Tuanzebe.

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Nonetheless, De Vrij is a superior option to both Phil Jones, Daley Blind and Chris Smalling. Additionally, Marcos Rojo’s immediate future at United is in the balance. Thus, the arrival of De Vrij could serve to enhance the quality of Mourinho’s defence.

One can envisage the Dutchman forming a formidable partnership with Eric Bailly at the heart of United’s defence. He would be a good signing for the Red Devils.

Arsene Wenger hasn’t just bought a world-class forward in Alexis Sanchez, as well as addressing a number of gaps in his squad through the signings of Mathieu Debuchy, Calum Chambers and David Ospina.

There isn’t any doubt about the club’s willingness to spend. Last summer, the spending, as big and influential as it may have been, came extremely late in the day. The following window in January, where Arsenal were crying out for a striker, or just some form of inspiration, a loan deal for Spartak Moscow’s Kim Kallstrom was completed, in spite of the reported cash reserves at the Emirates.

Going into this summer’s window, Wenger made it quite clear that a holding midfielder was needed. Mikel Arteta has performed courageously in that role since arriving from Everton in 2011, and Mathieu Flamini performed well in bursts last season, despite the negative reaction that surrounded his signing.

But unlike transfer windows of the past, there is little pressure on Wenger to get that area of the team sorted out, largely because everyone expects him to do so eventually.

That expectation wasn’t present in the past. It was a glimmer of hope struggling to the surface in a sea of resignation that the manager will stick rather than twist.

In terms of targets, Sami Khedira has been playing hardball over his wages, and Sporting’s William Carvalho won’t move unless the Portuguese club get their valuation of the player paid in full.

On both fronts, each club, Real Madrid and Sporting, know they’ll have to sell their player eventually. The European Cup winners are in danger of losing Khedira on a free next summer – and having just spent £63million on James Rodriguez and £24 million on Toni Kroos, that really shouldn’t be an option.

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As for Sporting, Carvalho is too good to be limited to the Portuguese Liga; he’ll follow other highly-rated talents in moving to major clubs around Europe.

It’s for that reason that Wenger has every right to wait and see how things pan out. In fact, the best thing to do is to look to Real’s signings of this summer. Prior to the World Cup, it seemed unthinkable that Bayern Munich would allow Kroos to leave, and again ahead of the tournament in Brazil, no one was really talking about James as a big mover in this window, certainly not Real’s blockbuster signing.

But situations change, and there’s still plenty of time left in the window.

And in any case, Wenger does have two options to fall back on in Arteta and Flamini. Neither are good enough anymore to carry the burden for the entire campaign, but both will see minutes throughout the upcoming season, so where is the real damage in letting them partake in the season opener against Crystal Palace? If the best deal for Arsenal happens towards the back end of the window, then so be it.

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All the indications point to Khedira being the player Arsenal bring in to fill that holding midfield role, because while there is clearly interest in Carvalho, Real are under more pressure to move their player on now. But again, that situation could change over the coming days and weeks.

Defensive midfield is the most important area Arsenal need addressing. Olivier Giroud may be the team’s obvious centre-forward choice, but there is far from a shortage of goal scorers in the squad. Going the other way, however, Arsenal have been unable to stem the tide of opposition attacks, particularly against title contenders last season.

There is no doubt that Wenger will buy what the team need, but with so much positive action taken already this summer, the Arsenal boss can afford to take his time over what appear to be a set of complicated transfer targets.

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is aiming to secure at least one more Champions League trophy before he retires.

The Old Trafford boss has only won the competition twice in his 26 years in charge, reaching a two further finals.

But the Scotsman believes that his squad have enough capability to challenge Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona in the latter stages of the competition this season.

Ferguson turns 71 at the end of this year and is aware that he won’t have too many European campaigns left, reiterating that securing the European hatrick is amongst his top priorities.

Sir Alex secured titles in both 1999 and 2008 and feels it is not out of the club’s grasp to add 2013 to the list.

Ferguson went on to tell the Manchester Evening News: “I think in terms of the history of our club, we should have one more and I want to win it again and get into the bracket of winners like Liverpool, our biggest rivals, Bayern Munich and Ajax.

“I think AC Milan and Real Madrid have got separated from the rest of the bunch but that definitely drives me on a bit.”

United’s manager also reflected on the club’s positive form in Europe, which has been in stark contrast to last season.

“We were careless and this year we made sure we were going to qualify and so far we have done well,” he added.

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In the process of securing their fourth straight victory in the Champions League this season, Manchester United ensured qualification for the last 16 knockout stages.

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Tottenham Hotspur made a transfer announcement on Thursday, and it is safe to say that the fans would have been hoping for something a tad juicier.

Via the club’s official website it was confirmed that number two goalkeeper Michel Vorm has signed a contract extension until the summer of 2019.

The Netherlands international has been at the North London outfit since his switch from Swansea City in 2014, but has largely had to settle for a spot on the bench.

Last season, the 34-year-old made just 11 appearances in all competitions, and in that time he conceded 10 goals and kept five clean sheets.

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Hugo Lloris is firmly in the number one spot, but the Frenchman did not go through the campaign without criticism.

With that in mind, perhaps it would have been a good idea for Tottenham to sign a new keeper that could give Lloris a bit of a challenge.

Nevertheless, Spurs have opted to keep hold of Vorm, which has sparked a mixed reaction from the fans.

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As reported by The Sun, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is set to sit down with attacker Anthony Martial and assure he still has a big part to play at the club.

What’s the story?

Martial’s usual position on the left flank of Mourinho’s first team has been occupied by the arriving Alexis Sanchez and the Frenchman has been either forced out of the team or onto the right wing in the last four matches.

That’s seen a loss of form and question marks about his long-term future at Old Trafford.

The Sun report that the 22-year-old is keeping his options open currently, with Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal interested in his services.

However, Mourinho is looking to assure him his future still lies in Manchester, say the paper.

Still a threat?

There’s no doubting that Martial, rated as worth £58.5m by Transfermarkt, remains one of United’s most talented attackers, despite a poor couple of weeks in matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.

So far this season he’s scored 11 and assisted 9 more in 35 appearances, clearly an attacking contribution that has been important to Jose Mourinho’s first team.

His best position though is clearly on the left flank, where the majority of direct goal contributions have come from this season.

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Whether Alexis Sanchez could play behind Lukaku or whether Martial needs to learn a new right-sided role, it’s clear that Mourinho must get the best out of both players if the Red Devils are to be successful.

The Frenchman, happy and motivated, has the potential to be one of the best in the English Premier League and fans will be hoping the reported talks between manager and player are productive.

Liverpool and Southampton have a combined eight players in Roy Hodgson’s chosen 23-man squad for the World Cup in Brazil this summer.

Hodgson has opted to take Saints front man Rickie Lambert ahead of West Ham’s Andy Carroll, with the Hammers striker consigned to stand by list having spent half of the season sidelined through injury.

The other Saints stars to have secured their place on the plane to Brazil are Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana, who have both hugely impressed in the Premier League this season.

Liverpool’s title challenging side was made up of a number of England stars, with Glen Johnson, Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge all making the squad.

The squad in general wasn’t filled with many surprises, with just the exclusion of Michael Carrick perhaps the only real shock.

It is a relatively inexperienced squad with regards to major tournaments, with just six players in the 23 having previously played at a World Cup finals.

But Roy Hodgson doesn’t believe that is going to be a problem this summer: “You can only get the experience by being given the opportunity.

“Those six that have been there before, once upon a time, they didn’t have the experience either. It’s a catch 22 situation and we are aware that there are players in the squad who haven’t played their 50-odd games.

“But the balance is still quite good. For example, Glen Johnson has 50 caps Cahill, Jagielka, Baines, Hart, Gerrard, Rooney, all of these players have plenty of caps between them, so it would be wrong I think to focus totally on the fact that there are some out there who are young and less experienced.

And Hodgson admitted that it’s exciting to be able to pick young, up and coming talents such as Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson.

“They have imposed themselves upon me,” he admitted.

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“I never set out to take them but I think they have played so well and been so effective in their club teams that they have imposed themselves and their ability on my thinking.

“You can’t ignore what people and doing on a week-to-week, day-to-day basis in their club sides. You don’t pick football teams on anything other than what’s happening at any particular time.”

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forward John Guidetti has signed a new three-year deal with the club.

The Swedish attacker impressed last season whilst out on loan at Dutch club Feyenoord, netting 20 times in 23 games for the Eredivisie giants.

Despite not playing a single minute of Premier League action for Roberto Mancini’s men this term, Guidetti has been rewarded for his exploits last term with a new deal.

The Scandinavian striker has stated that he is happy to extend his stay at the Etihad Stadium, and has thanked the club for helping him mature as a player.

“I feel really happy of course, it’s a fantastic football club and to sign a new deal is really, really good,” he told the club’s official website.

“I’ve been here for a long time and Manchester City are the ones who have helped me grow and develop to the player I am today, so I am very grateful for that and I’ve seen how the club has turned into one of the biggest clubs in the world and it is great to be a part of that.”

Guidetti is still recuperating from an illness that has kept him on the sidelines, but has stated that he is almost back to full fitness.

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“It’s going well – I can run, I can shoot, I can pass, so I am definitely getting there, but we have to be a bit more patient and of course I want to get out there every day, it’s what I long for,” he concluded.