It’s been a huge week at Old Trafford, which has left many fans distraught. After Sir Alex Ferguson announced he would retire at the end of the season, United supporters were already in a fragile mood. But the news that Wayne Rooney has asked to leave the club has hurt fans once more. These stories do sound familiar though. In 2002, Ferguson was set to retire, only to change his mind late on, whilst Rooney requested to leave the club in 2010 before eventually signing a 5-year contract.
But it seems this time it’s for real. Sir Alex really is going to leave, whilst Rooney looks intent on departing Manchester. After being forced to play out of position for the end of season run-in, it appears the English striker has become fed up at Old Trafford, and wants a fresh challenge. With Robin van Persie becoming the club’s main striker this season, Wayne hasn’t been able to handle not being number 1.
With the news that Sir Alex is to retire from management at the end of the season, it seems Rooney doesn’t even want to wait to speak to the new manager about his future. Unless he shocks the footballing world, it appears Everton manager David Moyes will become the new man to manage the Premier League champions. But Rooney looks intent on leaving even if his former boss comes to the club, without hearing Moyes’ plans for the striker, or for the team.
So what about the rest of the Old Trafford squad? With the only player to play under Moyes desperate to leave, it doesn’t paint a good picture about the Everton manager. And with players in the dressing room such as Anderson and Nani who are also reportedly unhappy with their involvement at the club, they too may be thinking of leaving after Rooney’s clear intentions. So before Moyes arrives at the club, he could well find a queue outside his door of players asking to leave the club.
Ideally, Moyes would come into the club with Rooney spending the last few weeks of the season speaking gold about the Scotsman, and talking about how much he is looking forward to being reunited with his first manager at senior level. But instead, it looks like these next two weeks will all about Rooney possibly playing his last games for the club, and causing doubt amongst other players about whether they too should leave with Sir Alex.
Although Rooney reportedly talked about wanting to leave before Sir Alex announced his retirement, the fact he’s formally asked to leave after the legendary manager told the world about his intentions, shows a lack of faith in any new manager, especially his former one. The timing of Rooney’s decision shows an absence of belief in Moyes, who has been the odds-on favourite for the job ever since Ferguson decided to retire. Rooney’s desire to leave will damage Moyes’ reputation in the United dressing room, and could well lead to a few more players publicly requesting transfers.
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Tottenham Hotspur defender Danny Rose will wait until the end of the season to find out if he has a future at White Hart Lane.
The young left back has impressed on loan at Sunderland this season and the Black Cats are keen to sign the England under-21 international on a full time basis.
The 22 year old was loaned out due to lack of first team opportunities in North London but his stella individual displays at the Stadium of Light may have changed that.
Current Spurs left back Benoit Assou-Ekotto has been injured for a large part of this season leaving them with a lack of cover in that position.
Sunderland boss Paolo Di Canio has praised the youngster but admitted he has no idea if he will join the North East club or not.
“He’s our player at the moment. Sunday will be his last game and then we will see,” Di Canio told the Shields Gazette.
“I don’t want to talk about the future because we have to focus on the next game.
“In my opinion, he can improve a lot defensively. He’s an attacking-minded left-back, but he has to improve a lot defensively.
“He’s got a great future in front of him. He’s a powerful guy. The strength and elasticity he’s got mean he can run forward with the ball and beat people easily.
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“It’s obvious he can play at the top level, but everybody has to improve.”
Arsene Wenger has always prioritised the Premier League. Through talking up the team’s ability to finish first (even if he didn’t really believe it himself) to ensuring that come the second half of the season when Arsenal were usually well and truly out of the title race, the objective was on finishing in the top four.
Yet it is extremely backwards to place so much importance in the Champions League. The club need UEFA’s top competition for the revenue it brings in; anything in the way of a deep run in the competition is simply a bonus. But since the move to the Emirates, Wenger has always been handicapped in his ability to field a strong team in Europe and continue to force the club over the line for a top four finish.
It’s baffling when you think about it. The club have been in a seemingly endless cycle of never really pushing on in their hunt for silverware, all the while talking up one of the factors that have handicapped them along the way.
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I don’t think Wenger’s tactical ability in Europe needs to be questioned – at least to any great degree. Two semi-final appearances, one which lead to the final in 2006, isn’t really something you’d expect from a club of Arsenal’s experience in the Champions League, but the manager has never had the resources to go all out.
When the team did make the final in Paris, it came off the back of a real struggle to overtake Tottenham for fourth. The same was true in 2009 when the club were eliminated by Manchester United over two legs. Arsenal had done surprisingly well to get as far as they did that year, but had it not been for the injection of life offered by Andrey Arshavin in the January window, Arsenal would almost certainly have failed to make the following year’s competition.
Sometimes it’s worth comparing Wenger to his managerial contemporaries. Manuel Pellegrini has done a lot with the little he’s had in the past in Spain. Jurgen Klopp’s Dortmund, right across the board, were hardly a match for Bayern’s endless supply of resources but made it to the final alongside their domestic rivals. And yet Real Madrid have been failures in Europe up until Jose Mourinho arrived and put matters straight, to a degree. The Portuguese led the club to three consecutive semi-finals when the best they could muster previously was a trip to the last 16.
Arsenal’s failure to really deliver on the European stage is a result of the move to the Emirates. Bar 2006, the only season that Arsenal perhaps should have done more with what they had was 2004. Wenger had been building to a team of that ability and ferocity in domestic competition, yet when they failed to get past Chelsea at the quarterfinal stage, Wenger dismantled that squad with near-frightening pace. The importance should have been in building on that team and transferring their Premier League dominance onto the European stage. By 2006, the spirit of the Invincibles was completely absent. Many of the key figures remained, but as a collective the squad was far from an equal.
A lot of this is the reason why I’ve raised the question about the club missing out on the Champions League for a season at least. The problem is fans are too quick to concern themselves with matters on the financial front. They also want to throw in comparisons relating to Liverpool and their struggles to get back into the mix for the Champions League, all the while completely ignoring clubs like AC Milan, Juventus, Napoli, Lyon, and Bayern, among others, who have missed out on the Champions League but have quickly, in most of their cases, returned.
But then you’d have to question whether Wenger and the Arsenal backroom staff would have the same ingenuity to turn the ship around off the back of a season out of Europe. The scouting department comes into play, resulting, often, in poor acquisitions. Wenger has been rightly criticised for his lack of tactical expertise in the domestic game, let alone in Europe, so that adds to the overall problem too.
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The problem with Arsenal is that you can’t pick one fault and isolate it from the rest. It’s a domino effect that allows one poor decision to fall back on everything else. The club’s lack of incentive to change, or even their inability, has resulted in a vicious cycle and stagnation. This summer is billed as the end to all that and the beginning of something new. But for whatever failures the club have had in the Champions League, they do not solely lie with Wenger’s tactical approach.
Should Arsene Wenger be questioned for his results in Europe?
Newly promoted Crystal Palace are preparing to go head-to-head with West Brom in the battle for Genoa centre-back Andreas Granqvist, according to reports from the Daily Star.
Eagles chief Ian Holloway is still keen to strengthen his defensive option ahead of the big kick-off, and sees the Swede as the ideal man to add experience and ability to his rearguard.
Granqvist was thought to be on the verge of completing a move to Serie A giants AC Milan, but the proposed deal recently collapsed.
This has opened the door for Palace, who are willing to meet Genoa’s £3m asking price.
Although he is valued highly by the Italians, they are aware that he is keen to move on, and are not prepared to stand in his way.
West Brom are also rumoured to be interested, after Steve Clarke failed in his attempts to lure Napoli’s Federico Fernandez to The Hawthorns last week.
But, Holloway is confident that the promise of guaranteed first-team action could sway Granqvist, and convince him to select Selhurst Park.
The 28-year-old has also been linked with Liverpool over the course of the last year, after a series of impressive performances both domestically and on the international stage.
Crystal Palace fans, could Andreas Granqvist guide your side to Premier League safety?
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Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has admitted he is finding it hard to fill the void left by Jamie Carragher’s retirement, reports the Daily Mail.
The Reds have only conceded three goals at Anfield this season, but on the road it has been a different story.
Rodgers has seen his side ship six goals in their last two away outings at Everton and Hull City, with Sunday’s 3-1 defeat at the KC Stadium proving costly.
Rodgers spent £25million on new defensive talent in the summer, bringing in Mamadou Sakho from Paris St Germain, and Tiago Ilori from Sporting Lisbon. Kolo Toure also signed for the Reds on a free transfer from Manchester City.
Rodgers has rotated his centre back partnerships this season, with Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger the chosen pairing for the Merseyside derby, while Toure replaced Agger for the trip to Hull on Sunday.
Mamadou Sakho may well find himself recalled to the back four for tonight’s clash with Norwich, as Rodgers seeks to find the perfect defensive formula.
“It’s probably the first job I have been in where there have been lots of areas I have been happy and settled in but this (central defence) is an important area,” Rodgers said.
“It is something I need to look at in order to get that consistency. There has been lots of change – and some of that has been down to me – knowing every game is an absolute cup final for us. If I feel I have need to change it going into a game to get a result, then I will do.
“But of course I also need to look at it from the coaching perspective as well, that a little run in the team might breed the consistency even though we have had to change a number of positions.”
Sakho has not featured for the Reds since their 2-0 defeat to Arsenal last month, but Rodgers revealed he is working hard to get back into the side.
“He came in at a time when we went to a back three and did reasonably well, so he’s working very hard to come into the starting line-up,” Rodgers added.
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‘That’s where we are at. He’s a good player, a (France) international.
“If he is working well enough in training – and the team is not doing so well – it could open up the door for him.”
Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny says that his side will not be embarrassed by Liverpool again in Sunday’s FA Cup clash.
The Gunners travelled to Anfield last weekend to take on the Reds in Premier League action and were thrashed 5-1, despite entering the game on top of the table.
To make matters worse, the home side were 4-0 up within 20 minutes and elected to substitute star trio Steven Gerrard, Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez off in the second half.
The two sides are due to meet again in the coming days in FA cup action, with Liverpool entering the tie in confident mood after a last gasp win at Fulham.
Arsenal meanwhile drew at home with Manchester United 0-0, which has led to some questioning their title credentials.
Szczesny says that the North London club are keen to set the record straight and avoid a similar scoreline to the last time they took on Brendan Rodgers’ side.
“It will be a big game for us because we conceded five against them and it was a little bit humiliating,” Szczesny told The Metro.
“We want to recover as soon as possible and it is a good chance that we play them a week afterwards.
“It was just an accident, it happened. Liverpool were terrific offensively, we were a little bit weak defensively and got punished.
“I certainly believe it is out of our system now because we turned up against United with a good defensive show.
“You can’t say you saw the real Arsenal at Anfield, you have to judge us over a longer period of time.
“People have seen the real Arsenal over the last year. We conceded five on Saturday, but our defensive record over the last year or so has been amazing.
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“You saw that against United, we didn’t concede against a top side with fantastic strikers and we hope to do that against Liverpool.”
Gus Poyet hopes Connor Wickham will be like a new signing for Sunderland, having recalled the England Under-21 striker from a loan spell at Leeds United, according to the Guardian.
Wickham has struggled at the Stadium of Light since completing a £12million move from Ipswich Town three years ago.
He has managed just one Premier League goal during his Black Cats career so far, but does not turn 21 until next Monday.
And Poyet is hoping Wickham can start to fulfill his potential as his Sunderland side look to avoid relegation over the final few weeks of the season, starting with the game against Liverpool at Anfield tonight.
“We need a big impact now,” said the Uruguayan, whose side have not won a Premier League game since the 3-0 win over Newcastle at St James’ Park on February 1.
“We need something to happen to change the mood.
“If you were in a lower division, you’d probably look to sign a player on loan to have an impact. Another club might sack their manager and bring in another one, although I obviously hope that doesn’t happen here. But it’s that type of thing we need.
“We need something to happen, and I need to find that season-changing moment. Between the Liverpool game and Monday against West Ham at home, I have to find something.
“It could be Connor Wickham because there is a big possibility he will start at Liverpool. Connor’s going to get a great chance now.
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“I would like Connor to look at this as though we have just signed him for the first time. He’s a new player, nobody knows him, and he’s a young English striker with incredible powers.
“He’s coming to help us get away from relegation. If he has that impact, that will be fantastic. It will be the ‘bang’ we need.”
Manchester United announced their second major transfer coup in Southampton left-back Luke Shaw, although the move has been coming for a while.
Linked since the end of last season, Man United fans can now officially call Shaw one of their own after completing a massive £30million move from the Saint Mary’s.
The 18-year-old starlet joins Ander Herrera, who arrived from Athletic Bilbao only last week.
But what does Manchester United see in such a young player to justify his hefty pricetag?
Here are FIVE REASONS to be excited about new Man United signing Luke Shaw.
[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON LUKE SHAW TO SEE THE FULL LIST!
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5. Shaw is still extremely young
Imagine what you were doing when you were 18. Well Shaw became the youngest Southampton player to start in the Premier League, is now the most expensive defender in British history, and has featured for England in the World Cup.
If Shaw can continue his amazing rise to stardom at Manchester United, then the Red Devils will have a world-class left back that can occupy the position for a generation.
Some critics and former players have even praised him as to being better than Gareth Bale, and if so, would mean that £30million would be just 1/3 of his value in the future.
4. He likes to bomb forward
//www.youtube.com/embed/0RReG8O5cnI
Luke Shaw, although considered a left-back, sometimes plays more like a left winger than he does a defender. The Englishman likes to bomb forward, doing all he can to help his team-mates score a goal.
Although he only managed one assist last season, Shaw made a total of 142 – around four per game – crosses last season. If your side-backs are able to get that many crosses, it means he has the ability to beat his marker to do so.
Which leads to…
3. Shaw is an exceptional dribbler
Out of all the top left-backs in the Premier League, Luke Shaw has beaten more players in one-on-one situations than any other.
Defenders trying to keep a Man United side at bay will already be having a hard-time marking the usual threats of Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney. With Shaw also an option marauding down the left, the task of keeping the Red Devils from scoring would almost be impossible.
2. If United didn’t buy him, he’ll be joining a rival
£30million may sound like a lot for a defender, but if the Red Devils didn’t make an early move, he could very well be announced as Ashley Cole’s Chelsea replacement.
Luke Shaw is a known Chelsea fan, publically expressing his desire to one day pay for the Blues. Shaw signing for Chelsea would be nothing less of disastrous, as seen when Cole signed for Chelsea which led to consistent years of glory.
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And with Shaw could follow several other youngsters, who are already looking to emulate his fame.
1. Luke Shaw is English
When was the last time you heard that an English player is set to become one of the world’s best? With England’s recent failings in international competitions, the massive transfer for Shaw represents the Three Lions now following in the path of their national rivals in developing grassroots football.
We are seeing a rise of young English players that now look to take over the so called ‘Golden Generation’, players that show excitement and hunger we haven’t witnessed in quite a while. If Manchester United – the Premier League’s most successful club – are willing to spend £30million for an 18-year-old Englishman, it means the future is looking bright for English football.
Here is finally potential proof that possibly sometime soon, EPL clubs do not have to pay massive amounts for a foreign player, but instead scout them from within England.
Tottenham Hotspur paid Roma a hefty £25.8 Million fee for Erik Lamela last year after the promising 22 year old Argentinian winger made a lot of waves in his career with two impressive seasons in Italy.
Having spent his youth at Argentinian side River plate he went on to attract a lot of attention from the European media after scoring a bag full of goals for the youth team in 2004 as a 12 year old. He created similar waves in Europe to his compatriot Lionel Messi who went on to play for Barcelona and has become the best player in the world.
He made his senior début in June 2009 and went on to score four goals in thirty-seven appearances for the first-team before making a move to Italian side Roma, where he spent another two seasons and scored nineteen goals in sixty-two appearances. He caught the eye of many clubs and continued to show a lot of promise as a youngster not only for his club but at international level; to date his has made seven appearances for his country and has an international senior goal to his name already. He had a fantastic spell in Rome earning himself a five year contract with them and playing some top class football which saw him create and score some vital goals in very important games for the Italian side.
Lamela, best known for his sublime dribbling and passing ability, looked like he would be a great addition for any top team and eventually found his way to Tottenham, who paid quite a large but justified price tag for the whiz kid who himself said he wanted to follow in Maradona’s footsteps. After add-ons he became (at the time) the most expensive player in the club’s history, breaking records which had been set earlier in the same transfer window by Paulinho and Soldado – it was a famously expensive summer for the North London side who spent a whopping £100 Million on players and completely revamped their squad. Erik went on to make his debut for Spurs as a 75th minute substitute against Arsenal who beat his new side on the day in a one nil victory then went on to register his first start for the side in the Europa League and got his first assist, providing a goal for Jermain Defoe in a three nil victory over Tromso IL at White Hart Lane. Early signs showed a lot of promise for the youngster and it looked like he would slot in well and continue impressing with his football for his new club, but that never seemed to fall into place for him with Villas-Boas not giving him a Premier League start and saying that the player would have to compete for his place in the starting line up and wasn’t producing half of what he was capable of producing. Even under care taker boss Tim Sherwood, the player couldn’t really find a consistent starting place in the team making the odd start here and there before a back injury terminated his season early.
The player didn’t live up to his price tag in his first season with Tottenham, and it must have been a frustrating period in the youngster’s career in England, not just for him but for the fans as well who would have expected big things from someone who carried such a hefty price tag.
This season however, he is under yet another new manager with Pochettino and he looks to have fitted in perfectly to his new manager’s team and plans, with his first start of the season coming as early as the first game of the season against West Ham before appearing off the bench against AEL away, providing assists for Soldado and Harry Kane and two further assists in the following game where his side demolished Premiership new boys QPR.
He finally looks like he is justifying his big transfer fee, and I think that under his new manager he is going to keep on shining and improving game by game. The gaffer has already stated that he will be giving the player his chance to prove what quality he possesses and he wants his whole team to play exciting football, saying this in a recent interview : “For me, it is about exciting football, pressing high, playing with flair – this is our philosophy that we want to get down. We want to put all these things in place.” And it seems that Lamela is the perfect candidate to bring that sort of football to the table, as he has been known for it so far in his career wherever he has played and early signs so far this season show a lot of promising times lay ahead for him and his club.
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I think that Spurs fans will be very pleased with what they have got with Lamela and will enjoy seeing him perform on the pitch. His contribution this season will certainly be a vast improvement on last season’s and he could well help the team to find the back of the net and get the goals that count in aiming for that golden fourth place finish in May.
Who first dreamed up the notion of the release clause? Perhaps it was a ploy adopted from the business sector, perhaps it was invented by Mr. R. Clause himself.Either way, the release clause adds an interesting dynamic to the transfer market – a simple-yet-effective method of saying ‘If you want him that badly, this is how much you’ll have to pay. Don’t bother negotiating’Indeed, many release clauses are extortionate, especially in regards to younger players, but that’s precisely the point. Nether the less, the Premier League has never shied away from activating them throughout the years Âand just to prove it, here’s FIVE Arsenal are reportedly prepared to meet when the transfer market reopens in January.
[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON ARSENE WENGER TO REVEAL ALL
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AYMERIC LAPORTE – £34m
Laporte from Athletic to Arsenal
Rumours of Arsenal activating Aymeric Laporte’s seismic £34millon release clause in January have already hit the tabloids:
That’s certainly an audacious sum for a 20 year-old who has only broken his 100 league appearances milestone this season. But the Athletic Bilbao prodigy is considered to be one of the most exciting defensive prospects in European football, whilst Arsenal desperately require added bodies at the back after obliging 5 foot 10 full-back Nacho Monreal to fill in at centre-half against Hull City last weekend. Indeed, the centre-back’s performances over the last few seasons, as detailed below, have shown great promise and progression:
And he’s currently leading La Liga’s charts for interceptions:
Once again, the France U21’s release clause is certainly excessive – the Gunners paid just £1million more for Alexis Sanchez this summer. But it seems like a wise enough investment, and just in case you need further convincing, here’s a look at Laporte in action:
//www.youtube.com/embed/vXqN7EieWVs?rel=0
PACO ALCACER – £14.5m
Football – Sevilla v Valencia – UEFA Europa League Semi Final First Leg – Sanchez Pizjuan, Sevilla, Spain – 24/4/14Sevilla’s Diogo Figueiras and Paco Alcacer of Valencia in actionMandatory Credit: Action Images / Carl RecineLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
Arsenal may have snapped up former Manchester United star Danny Welbeck on deadline day, but their strikeforce is hardly exemplary when compared to the quality and depth at Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United. One solution comes in the form of Valencia trailblazer Paco Alcacer, whose £14.5million release clause is viewed as so cheap in his native Spain that one publication have dubbed him ‘the bargain of Europe.’ Indeed, in the current climate, that figure is remarkably cheap considering how potent the 21 year-old has been over the last twelve months, as shown below:
And that impressive form in front of goal has seen Alcacer muscle his way to the forefront of Vincente del Bosque’s plans for the national team – the Spaniard has claimed four caps since his debut in August, netting thrice along the way. Here’s a look at the 5 foot 11 forward in action:
//www.youtube.com/embed/RCKK3deKD2w?rel=0
Fernando Torres-esque dare I say, demonstrating no particular defining attribute but a strong, varied all-round game. Arsenal have already been linked with Alcacer in the tabloids, along with Chelsea, but rumour has it Valencia are about to increase their starlet’s release clause to a whopping £40million:
JULIAN DRAXLER – £37million
Football – Chelsea v FC Schalke 04 – UEFA Champions League Group Stage Matchday Four Group E – Stamford Bridge, London, England – 13/14 – 6/11/13Julian Draxler – FC Schalke Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Jason CairnduffEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
The last thing Arsenal need right now is yet another attacking midfielder, but Arsene Wenger remains persistent in his pursuit of Bundesliga prodigy Julian Draxler.
The Schalke starlet was reportedly subject to a Gunners bid last January, and he’s been linked with an Emirates switch once again ahead of the coming transfer window:
£37million would constitute the second-largest transfer spend in Arsenal history, but the 21 year-old already appears worth the punt – take this incredible assist to Raul for example:
A creative forward with exceptional dribbling skills, a lethal eye for goal and an unusual 6 foot 2 frame, the German international is reminiscent of a young Zinedine Zidane. Here’s a look at his top five strikes in the Bundesliga:
//www.youtube.com/embed/wnImymrd_60?rel=0
He’s started the current campaign strongly too, netting twice in six league outings – including this goal against Hertha Berlin:
But whether the fans and the board could condone Arsene Wenger investing yet another incredible sum in an attacking midfielder remains to be seen.
WILLIAM CARVALHO – £37million
Arsenal’s midfield is in intrinsic need of some added balance and physicality – even Arsene Wenger has called for a signing “like Vieira or Petit” -and it appears the man to provide it could be Sporting Lisbon star William Carvalho. According to Portuguese publication A Bola, the Gunners failed in a deadline day bid for the 22 year-old, whilst other sources claim Wenger’s long-term interest will be revived in January:
The Portugal international is an absolute beast, measuring in at 6 foot 2 and weighing about 14 stone. That gives him an incredibly imposing physique which, combined with a simple-yet-effective play-breaking style, is quickly drawing the attention of the European elite. Here’s a look at Carvalho in action:
//www.youtube.com/embed/A8jRQbn1LzE?rel=0
And his stats from the World Cup:
£37million is a huge investment, but it would at least be in a department of the Arsenal first team that desperately requires it. There are suggestions the Gunners could eventually sign Carvalho for significantly cheaper however, after rejecting a new contract at Estadio Jose Alvalade last month.
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Munir El-Haddadi – £9.4m
Football – Celtic v FC Barcelona – UEFA Youth League – Cappielow, Greenock, Scotland – 1/10/13Barcelona’s Munir El Haddadi (L) in actionMandatory Credit: Action Images / Lee SmithLivepicEDITORIAL USE ONLY.
Representing the significantly cheaper end of the release clause spectrum is Barcelona youngster Munir El-Haddadi, linked with an Arsenal move back in September:
The 19 year-old has already demonstrated great promise in finding one goal and one assist in seven appearances for Barcelona’s senior side – including this goal against Elche:
This strike for the B team wasn’t too bad either:
Indeed, the 5 foot 9 forward is already looking like the next La Masia product who could make the grade at top level; Vincente del Bosque wasted no time in rewarding El-Haddadi with his first cap for Spain back in September.
The £9.4million release clause appears well worth the punt, but Barcelona are already planning to offer their latest prodigy a new deal, being currently on a youth team contract, that will see his buy-out fee rise to around €55million.