TheSportsCampus

Wenger refuses to hide behind excuses after shock FA Cup exit

Arsenal’s stuttering season fell to lower depths yesterday after they suffered the ignominy of being knocked out of the FA Cup by Blackburn at the Emirates. Arsene Wenger had never lost to a lower league team in the competition before and his review of the defeat was blunt as he told the press: “We were not good enough to win the game, it's as simple as that.” The defeat will most likely leave Arsenal trophy-less for the eight successive year, although they have a huge Champions League clash against Bayern coming up next week and Wenger wants his team to stand-up for themselves on Tuesday night as the Mirror quote him saying: “The season is not over, not for me anyway. We have a massive game on Tuesday and we have to show some response.”

Barcelona sniffing around Vermaelen once again

Just as Arsenal fans were coming to terms with the Blackburn defeat, the Mirror report that Barcelona will move for Thomas Vermaelen in the summer. The Belgian defender has been linked with the Catalans in the past, who view him as a direct replacement for Eric Abidal. The report reckons Barca might even throw in David Villa as makeweight to sweeten the deal as Wenger faces another summer of upheaval in North-London.

Man United and Chelsea plan Hamburg takeaway

Hamburg’s rising Asian star Son Heung-Min is the subject of a direct battle between Man United and Chelsea according to the Sunday People, with the 20 year old South Korean capturing the attention of the European giants with his dazzling array of skills. The young attacker is already an important presence both at club and International level and Hamburg value his talents at £10m, with a summer of negotiations on the cards.

LA Galaxy make Frank Lampard an offer he can’t refuse

Frank Lampard’s Chelsea career is in the balance despite the veteran reminding the club of his value with a ton of goals in recent weeks. And, the Sunday People report that LA Galaxy are helping him make a decision regarding his future by declaring that they are willing to share him with another European club, which would allow the 34 year old to keep himself fit during the MLS off-season. And, the MLS Champions are also willing to provide a free mansion, free flights and $4.5m-a-year.

Benitez unsure over Terry’s fitness

Rafa Benitez has been criticized for being clueless during his short stint at Chelsea but the Spaniard is extremely certain about one thing- that he is not sure of the fitness condition of his captain John Terry. The centre-back has been plagued by knee injuries this season and isn’t undertaking full training sessions either. The 32 year old might feature against Brentford in the FA Cup later today but Benitez isn’t fully convinces by his captain’s fitness yet as he told the Daily Mail: “He [Terry] has to train normally three, four training sessions to be ready for the games. Then, if the others are playing well, he has to compete. If he can train every day he can be ready for every game. After we will see.”

Gareth Bale transfer update- 17/2/2013

PSG are still in the process of establishing themselves as a European force and their inexorable rise to the top could be fuelled by the purchase of Gareth Bale in the summer. The French moneybags have followed Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich in tracking the Tottenham star, who is in the form of his life at the moment. The Mirror report that PSG will watch the Welshman when he turns out against Lyon in the Europa League, insisting that a lucrative deal for all parties can be reached, although not in the region of £50m being demanded by Daniel Levy.

Man City value Fellaini at £23m+ two squad dead-weights

Man City’s limp Premier League defence will force the owners to dip into the transfer market in the summer and the Sunday People have earmarked Everton’s Marouane Fellaini as a possible target. The Belgian powerhouse has been linked with Chelsea in the past but City are also reported to be interested, willing to part with £23m along with two other players. Everton’s success in the Premier League and FA Cup will dictate the future of not only Fellaini but also his boss David Moyes.

Liverpool want Ashley Williams to fill Jamie Carragher’s shoes

Jamie Carragher’s departure from Liverpool in the summer has prompted Brendan Rodgers to start looking for defensive reinforcements, especially as Sebastian Coates and Martin Skrtel are also being linked with an Anfield exit in the summer. The Daily Post report that Rodgers will head back to his old club Swansea to steal the on-fire Ashley Williams in the summer. But Swans boss Michael Laudrup has no plans of losing his number one defender as he peppered these words to the Mirror at either end of a long eulogy: “Of course I want him to stay – he’s so important to our team. We don’t want him going anywhere.”

The Reds also looking at Wigan stopper Ali Al Habsi

Liverpool have been linked with a host of keepers in recent times due to Pepe Reina’s regular blunders. Stoke’s Asmir Begovic was the front-runner all this while but the Daily Mail have now instilled Wigan’s Ali Al Habsi as Brendan Rodgers’ first-choice replacement, mainly due to Wigan’s asking fee for the 31 year old said to be well below Stoke’s £15m price tag on Begovic.