Is Chelsea The Right Place For Ross Barkley?

Having missed out on the signing of 24-year-old Ross Barkley in the summer , Chelsea have clinched the signature of the English international from Everton for £15m.

While it might look like borne out of opportunity rather than need as Chelsea boast four regular central midfielders at the moment (Cesc Fabregas, Ngolo Kante, Danny Drinkwater and Tiemoue Bakayoko), it still doesn't take away the fact that the youngster might turn a bargain in years to come considering his talent and  the highly inflated transfer market at the moment .

With the ability to drive and make runs from midfield into the penalty box of the opponents, as well as his incisive forward  passes; Barkley is sometimes called the little Paul Gascoigne and Wayne Rooney when in top form.

His versatility will also be an advantage given his ability to play not just in central midfield but also on the flanks which will come in handy as Pedro and Willian have both not enjoyed the best of form this season . Also to be noted is his quick feet, strength which is a little different from what the trio of Kante, Bakayoko and Drinkwater offer (high pressing and hard running) making him the best offensive player to play halfway line supporting the attack , offering the killer pass.

Last season , the midfielder created nine big chances, registering nine assists and scoring five goals in 36 league games which isn't the best stats but at the same time not bad for a 24-year-old who has already played 150 Premier  League games scoring 21 goals in the process.

Although one part of the midfielder's game that needs help from Antonio Conte is his inability to help his team when without the ball as he is poor tackler and man marker as well as his poor defensive positioning .

Unable to play until mid-February due to a hamstring operation, Chelsea will hope the once inconsistent Barkley can become a world beater at the club considering his unique talents.

Why Mark Hughes Was Fired By Stoke City.

Peter Coates is one of the most patient owners in the EPL which is one of the reasons why Stoke has had only two managers since their promotion to the EPL in 2008. So why then was Mark Hughes sacked last week after taking the club to a record ninth place finish three successive seasons ?

Having inherited a defensively sound side from Tony Pulis in 2013, Hughes took the side to the Semi-final of the League Cup in 2016 losing on penalties as well as playing a more attractive brand of football , finishing a record ninth three times.

On the other side , Stoke lost their defensive discipline conceding 47 goals in 22 league games this season (worst goal difference in the league -24) with only two sides having survived relegation after such abysmal defending Swansea (51 goals) 2017 and Wigan (47 goals in 2010). Presently Stoke lie 18th in the league winning just five games and losing 12 times (14 points from 11 home games).

Also to noted is his failure in the transfer market with flops Giani Imbula costing a then record £18m, Kevin Wimmer £18m, Saido Berahinho £12m going blank in 23 league games despite 11 starts, Xherdan Shaqiri then record £12m blowing hot and cold. With the last straw the FA Cup third-round loss to Lesgue Two Coventry City last week.

Clearly it is obvious Coates felt Hughes was no longer the right one for the job at the moment which is understandable.

Is Mavropanos Konstantinos Arsenal's Solution To Inconsistency?

Not many soccer fans might have heard about a certain 20-year-old PAS Giannina defender Mavropanos Konstantinos but that is a thing of the past as Arsenal's capture of the youngster this winter was a trending headline on social media.

Possessing the power , agility and height (6ft 4in) to succeed in the EPL, the youngster has already played 16 games in the Greek Super League having made his debut in November 2016. Though he might be unknown outside Greece, PAS had to refuse a €1m first right of refusal on the player by Olympiakos this winter.  In future it is highly likely that the €2.2m spent on his transfer might be a bargain after he adapts to the fast pace and physicality of the EPL. Difficult to beat on one-on-one situations, good on the air, a humble character and a hard-working lad explains the  reason  new Arsenal Recruitment Head Sven Mislintat made him a priority this winter.

While all these attributes are sure to bring envy from most football clubs; the real question is whether or not Arsenal need a high calibre and highly rated central defender at this point rather than a young prospect considering their inconsistent showings this season. A look at the clubs above Arsenal in the table show most splashed big to sign quality defenders who have become a corner stone of the clubs at various points (David Luiz, Eric Bailly, Nicolas Otamendi) not mentioning Liverpool's £75m signing of Virgil Van Dijk. At present Arsenal are 6th in the league, having lost five times winning 11 after 22 games (13 points behind run away leaders Manchester City and five behind fourth placed Liverpool who occupy the final Champions League qualification berth). Failure to qualify for the Champions League will be  a massive disaster which will automatically mean the Gunners are no longer a Top Four EPL side having also failed to qualify for the competition for the first time since Arsene Wenger's reign (appointed in 1995). Rather than doing everything possible to at least make the competition next season including signing top players who will make immediate impact , Wenger is repeating the same mistakes he has made over the years since his last league trophy in 2004.

A look at Arsenal's defence causes big panic to fans with three of the six senior central defenders already in their 30's as well as looking Jaded and in need of grooming successors (Per Mertesacker -33 years, Laurent Koscielny -32 and Nacho Monreal -31), while the Calum Chambers (22) has failed to step up; making Rob Holding (22) and Shkodran Mustafi (25) although inconsistent the other options .

Already out of the FA Cup, Wenger seems to be out of depth with modern coaching making the signing of the Greek youngster more shocking . With doubts on his technical qualities (ball passing and control), Mavropanos still has ample time to grow into one of the best in his position considering the now realiable Koscielny was far from finished when he arrived as a youngster in 2010 from Lorient.

The purpose of this article isn't to criticise the signing of the Greek defender rather to point out the need of addressing the present rather than planning for the future without a present.

Have Everton Found Romelu Lukaku's Successor In Cenk Tosun?

Have Everton Now Found Romelu Lukaku's Successor In Cenk Tosun?

Everton appear to have learnt their lessons after burning their hands while trying to game the system by signing no immediate replacement for star striker Romelu Lukaku who left Goodison Park for Old Trafford in the summer . Having scored 68  goals in 141  league games for Everton after making a £28m move from Chelsea in 2014.

With the team highly reliant on Lukaku for goals as evidenced from his 25 league goals last season and 18 last two seasons , it was clear Everton needed to spend big to adequately replace the Belgian . Rather than splashing big to replace Lukaku, Everton felt Dom Calvert Lewis was good enough for the spot as well as  signing  Wayne Rooney on the free and Henry Onyekwuru who could not secure a work permit to play in the Premier League and is presently shinning on loan in Anderlecht. The end result was the sacking of Ronald Koeman after his team slip to 18th in the league last year with the team struggling for goals upfront although they have moved to ninth under Sam Allardyce yet goals still remain difficult to come by.

This is the reason the €22m signing of 26-year-old Turkish international Tosun this winter from Besiktas on a four and half years deal  wasn't a shock especially when the striker's talents are noted. With a knack for scoring stunning goals as well as scoring in big games , the Turk might be considered a bargain if he truly settles in England as many of his country men have struggled to adapt to life in England in recent past.   Having scored four goals in the Champions League,  13 goals in all competitions this season as well as 24 last season in Besiktas it is clear why he is highly thought of at Everton.

Born in Wetzlar, the striker joined his first club Eintracht Frankfurt having made his debut in 2010 before moving to Gaziantepspor in Turkey the following season scoring 10 goals as he tried to adapt to life in Turkey having lived all his life in Germany even representing the German U21 side before switching allegiance to Turkey.

With the ability to play with both feet after his father Senol banned him from using his favourite right foot while growing up, the Turk is also near perfect with aerial duels (heading ) which he compliments with his finishing and dead ball shooting. One weakness of him though is the lack of physicality on his part , something he will have to work on as the Premier League is a very physical and fast paced league .

Everton will only hope the addition of the Turk will be something they will look back and be proud of just like that of Lukaku.

Does The Sale Of Philipe Coutinho Make Liverpool A Selling Club?

18 League titles, Seven FA Cups, Five UEFA Champions League Titles to mention but a few makes Liverpool one of the most successful European clubs although they haven't been so successful in half a century. With the announcement that the Reds have traded star man Philip Coutinho for a club record €160m to Barcelona; while this might appear a perfect deal from a business perspective as the Brazilian becomes the second most expensive player in football history, yet this is a step backwards from a sporting perspective and this is why .

Luis Suarez, Javier Mascharano, Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso have been the best players for Liverpool in the past seven years yet all of these players were sold in their peak due to the Reds inability to keep their stars with two of these players moving to Barcelona. To make matters worse the Reds would have also traded Steven Gerard in 2005 if he decided to move to Chelsea as the focus then was selling the best players rather than losing them for free.

You can argue that Liverpool might have acquired the likes of Naby Keita (Leipzig) and Virgil Van Dijk through the same way but none of these players can be compared to Coutinho. €160m might look fantastic and so was £50m and £70m made from the sales of Suarez and Torres who Liverpool could not replace for years despite spending a fortune before the signing of Moh Salah this season.

With Adam Lallana back from injury and the attacking vibe of Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, Coutinho might not be immediately missed by the Reds but finding a permanent replacement for him might take longer than expected as the likes of Oxlade Chamberlain and Marko Grujic will find his shoe too to wear.

Where else can one find an immediate replacement for a player who has scored seven goals, assisted  six, created seven big chances, hitting 17 shots on target  in 14 league games this season as well as 13 goals, assisted seven, created 17 big chances and hit 38 shots on target  in 31 league games last season.

What message is Liverpool sending to the agents of in form  players like Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane who if they continue to perform at this rate might be attracted to moving elsewhere as the Reds continue to sell. A close look at PSG showed how to deal with the advances of Barcelona as the French giants kept Marco Verratti at the club as well as signing Barcelona's Neymar. Liverpool will have to splash the cash to keep their stars like Chelsea and Manchester City have done or continue to sell their stars in their prime . Football is a capitalist business hence the highest bidder takes it all, footballers and their signings should grow with the revenue generated by the ever growing sport in the world as they live from the income made from playing the game .

Liverpool must step up and splash the cash or keep losing their stars with Mohammed Salah next on line .

Is Marcos Alonso Proving A Point At The Moment In Chelsea?

Is Marcos Alonso Proving A Point At Chelsea At The Moment?

Ngolo Kante, Eden Hazard, David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta might all have taken the spotlight for Chelsea's last season success yet, despite the inconsistent form of the London Blues this season one player who has stepped up and become a new star is Spaniard Marcus Alonso , who is presently the highest scoring defender in the top five European leagues (Spain, England, Germany, France and Italy).

Having seen Chelsea linked with Alex Sandro of Juventus all through the summer , Alonso had a point to prove this season despite scoring six goals in his debut season after his £24m transfer from Fiorentina. To understand properly his exploits this season,  it is important to note that Alonso is  Chelsea's second highest goalscorer ; tied on six goals with star player Eden Hazard ; four behind Alvaro Morata.

Though he is yet to earn a call up to the Spanish national team , the wing back has been nearly unstoppable this season making attacking runs and darting to the oppositions penalty box , finding the right spot, finishing , scoring dead ball absolute stunners and being an aerial prowess (6ft 2in). What makes it easy to overlook him though is his playing position as he is better as a wing back rather than a left back as shown by his stats. Yet this does nothing to take away his defensive abilities as he averages almost two tackles every 90 minutes which is only behind Chelsea's trio of Ngolo Kante, Andreas Christensen and David Luiz and way better than his fellow wing back Victor Moses (1.3). In total Alonso has made 38 tackles, 31 interceptions , 136 recoveries in just 22 league games this season  with only one error leading to goal while creating an assist and two big chances.

Despite not being the fastest, the left back is physically strong and rarely swings a wrong cross as he compliments Eden Hazard on the wings. With games coming thick and thin for Chelsea , Antonio Conte will hope more good things can come from Alonso as they "Pensioners" sit in third and 19 points behind runaway leaders Manchester City.

Is Virgil Van Dijk Really Worth £75m?

Having criticised the expensive signings of Paul Pogba and Neymar Junior in the past Jurgen Klopp shocked football fans with the £75m (seventh most expensive player in football, most expensive defender) ,  purchase of Dutchman Virgil Van Dijk this winter from Southampton. To illustrate better it is good to know that the transfer market is already inflated hence the huge amount paid for him is not any fault of his.

Having seen Liverpool pay such huge amount , Van Dijk silenced his critics last night with the winning goal in the Merseyside derby against Everton in the FA Cup as Liverpool progressed to the next round . What sets him apart from the rest of defenders of his generation isn't his defensive abilities but rather his composure and control on the ball which makes him an attacking outlet for a team which priorities pushing from the back . Even when closed down the Dutchman has a bursting pace and ability to hold unto the ball which is rare for a defender. On the other hand, he can also pick teammates in the other half when given the freedom . Such is his quality that he could walk into any team in the EPL as he was wanted by Manchester City and Chelsea during the summer.

At 26 years, the Dutchman still has so many years left in him to become one of the world best in his position and make the price paid for him a bargain. He is also a natural leader who organises his defence, often seen shouting instructions to his teammates when the need arises. Also £75m becomes a bargain when compared with the £49m signing of John Stones and £35m signing of Lindelof by Manchester United and City respectively.
Possessing an aerial ability, strength and playmaking skills it is easy to see why the player has been Klopp's priority since last summer.

Although one major criticism of the Dutchman is his lack of game time In recent times having played only 12 league games last season and 21 last two seasons due to a succession of injuries. Which if managed properly by Liverpool shouldn't be an issue.