Nani for Sneijder?

When Nani walks out onto a football pitch wearing Manchester United colours, you know that he will have an effect on the game. He will cause problems on the wings, he will come inside and unleash a thunderous shot, he will win free-kicks in dangerous areas, he will create and score goals. If it wasn't for him and his stunning form this season, United wouldn't be where they are now - 7 points clear at the top of the Premier League and on course for a Champions League semi final and FA Cup Final.

It wasn't always like that, and at one point he might have been out of the Old Trafford door with a thumping headache and Sir Alex Ferguson's angry words ringing in his ears. But he kept at it, and has turned inconsistency's into an instrumental role at United. Why on earth would United want to let him go?

Well apparently, for Wesley Sneijder. The Netherlands international and Inter Milan play maker has been on Ferguson's wanted list for a while now, with the Inter Milan president confirming solid interest in the player from United. Considering the great World Cup he had and the well known quality in midfield that he can inject, that is very much understandable. Weight is added to the argument when you consider that Paul Scholes' contract negotiations are well off resolving and retirement is just around the corner. United will be looking for a replacement, and what a fantastic one Sneijder would be.

Would Ferguson really allow Nani to leave United so he can exchange him for an older player, in a different position? One that statistically has not had anywhere near as good a season as Nani has, and one who has never played in England before? Sure, he may settle down very quickly in England, but what if he doesn't? One of United's most influential players would be enjoying life in Italy while the player exchanged for him is suffering in a new, very different environment.

Manchester United fans have been left scratching their heads as to why Nani has been left off of the Player of the Year short-list. He has, in the Premier League alone, scored 9, and directly assisted 14 while playing a prominent role in countless Manchester United attacks, often proving lethal for the opposition. Meanwhile, Sneijder has managed 3 goals and 5 assists in the Italian Serie A.

I for one, would not like to see Nani leave Old Trafford for Sneijder. I would like to see the Dutchman wearing the red of United, but not at the expense of one of United's best, who is always looking to improve. Sir Alex has spoken of Nani's early troubles before, and by the sounds of it, the great Scot would not be any hurry to see Nani go either:

“Nani wasn’t close to leaving because he’d have had to get by me! Of course we sat down and talked. You do that with all your players.

“I don’t need to trumpet his improvement, he’s been consistent all season. He’s a match winner – he creates goals and he scores goals. Every time he gets near the ball, you think something special is going to happen. That’s the sign of a great player.”

Watch: Stankovic Stunning Half Way Line Volley

Inter Milan opened the scoring in their Champions League tie against Schalke with an absolute stunner in the 23rd second. It is the 5th fastest goal scored in the Champions League, and one which will not be forgotten by anyone who sees it. 

"The interest from Manchester United in Sneijder is real." - But...

It is no secret that Manchester United need reinforcements in midfield. The frailty's have been for all to see this season, and it is credit to the winning mentality at the club that they are at the top of the Premier League table by five points without playing their best football.

 Paul Scholes is still yet to sign an extension on his contract with the club, and if he does decide to retire or move on at the end of the season, Sir Alex will urgently need to find a replacement. Likewise, Owen Hargreaves' injuries continue to pester him, and whether or not Ferguson decides to stick with him and attempt to get his moneys worth for the Canadian is yet to be seen.

Nevertheless, it is no surprise that Inter Milan have confirmed United's interest in Wesley Sneijder. Last summer, Sir Alex dismissed the fact that he had made a bid for the 26 year-old Dutchman. He said:

“I don’t know where those reports about Sneijder came from. How can anybody turn me down when I haven’t even made a bid?”

The interest however has now been confirmed by the Inter Milan President, Massimo Moratti who said this:

“The interest from Manchester United in Sneijder is real. But I didn’t look into it. My only interest is seeing Sneijder play here for many more years to come.”

Sneijder is the creative spark that the United midfield would love to have. In 21 games this season, the Dutchman has scored 3, created 5 and unleashed an ambitious 93 shots on goal. He is quick, strong and powerful with accurate shooting ability but apparently out of United's reach.

£1 Billion for Modric

Well it doesn't look like Luka Modric will be packing his bags, moving away from Tottenham and heading up North to Manchester or staying in the area and joining Chelsea. Not unless United or Chelsea, the two clubs linked with the Croatian midfielder are prepared to pay £1 billion for him.

Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager has led this Spurs side to a Champions League quarter final, beating one of the most successful European teams in AC Milan on the way. Luka Modric played a vital part in both helping Tottenham into the top four last season and their brilliant, over achieving success of reaching the latter stages of the prestigious European competition this year. The Tottenham manager emphasised the invaluable qualities that the 25 year-old holds in the side with a rather exaggerated expected transfer fee:

"I wouldn't want to sell him for £100 million, not even for a billion.

"He's the hub of the team."

He made his point. Of course, Redknapp would sell Modric for £1 billion - not that anyone - not even Manchester City would pay that ludicrous amount. But it is a clear statement that Modric is not for sale, and if an offer were to come in, it would have to be quite a substantial amount.

Modric only signed a long term contract at Spurs last year, and the players' representative, Mario Mamic reiterated Redknapps sentiments:

"These are just rumours. Luka has a contract until 2016 and Tottenham have no plans to sell him. He has an excellent relationship with coach [Harry] Redknapp and only signed a contract extension with Spurs last summer."

The rumours that Mamic spoke of refer to apparent interest from several English clubs including Manchester United and Chelsea as well as Italian side Juventus and Inter Milan. Certainly, Modric has his fans; he is a fantastic player and has been described by the former Chelsea assistant Ray Wilkins as one of the best midfielder's in the Premier League. Gerard Houllier, the current Aston Villa manager also heaped praise on Modric:

"Not only is he a very hard worker, he has a good brain and he provided some calmness and composure to the midfield. His passing was neat and his contribution was outstanding. He was not only winning the ball, he was passing well. We thought that he was very influential. He did not just work hard, he made the other people play well around him."

 He may not be worth £100 million or £1 billion, but Luka Modric is certainly a fantastic asset to Tottenham, and understandably has the best teams in the world watching him.

Confirmed £30 million Bid for Alexis Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez is proving hot property, with clubs from England, Italy and Spain all seemingly interested in acquiring his compellingly attractive services. Being compared to Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't do your on the field reputation any harm it must be said, and it is therefore perhaps no surprise that Manchester United have been very strongly linked, as the £80 million from the Ronaldo sale still lingers pleasingly in the bank awaiting usage.

Now his club Udinese have confirmed that a 35 million euro bid has been placed for their star attacker, but frustratingly, they refused to identify the club who placed the substantial bid. 35 million euros is equal to £29.7 million. And because Udinese have not named the bidders, it opens the door to speculation as to who it was.

Udinese's chairman Franco Soldati said:

"Sanchez is of interest of British and Italian teams.

"Somebody has already offered (for Alexis Sanchez) a figure close to 30-35 million euros but I cannot say by whom (we have received it)".

What a tease!
He justified the large asking price by citing recent Premier League signings including Liverpool's signing of Luiz Suarez, and Chelsea's double splurge of cash on Fernando Torres and David Luiz - a combined total of around £90 million. Doldati continued:

"A evaluation of €25 million for Sanchez? Looking at what has been paid for (Luis) Suarez, (Fernando) Torres and David Luiz in England, I think Sanchez will also apply to more than €25 million,"

"But right now we don't want to look at the market. Each assessment will be made at the end of the season."

The 23 year old Chilean international, who has scored 11 goals in 23 games this season for Udinese has done what most footballers do when they are linked to bigger, better clubs - repeat the question and avoid answering it. In other words, he doesn't want to commit himself to his current club, just in case the speculation, or in this case solid bid, turns into a possible transfer:

"My future? For now I want to play football, this is my only desire."

"At the end of the season we'll see what happens. Udinese? We are playing very well, the coach motivates us every game as if it were a final. "

Manchester United, Chelsea, City, Inter and Real Madrid have been linked. We'll see where he goes - it'll be interesting. More news here whenever it comes.

Arsenal v Barcelona, Man United v Mareille, Spurs v AC - CL Draw

Champions League last 16 draw

Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk

AC Milan v Tottenham

Valencia v Schalke

Inter Milan v Bayern Munich

Lyon v Real Madrid

Arsenal v Barcelona

Marseille v Manchester United

Copenhagen v Chelsea

First legs to be played on 15/16 and 22/23 February

Second legs to be played on 8/9 and 15/16 March

Gareth Bale is Priceless for Tottenham

After annihilating the European Champions' right back, Maicon, described as one of the best defenders in the world, Gareth Bale has been the topic of many a conversation today.

The Tottenham winger was in astonishing form, and showed his extraordinary fitness levels, when, in the 89th minute, after running and running for the whole game, bolted forward, past the Inter defence to assist his teammate with a tap in, and Tottenham's third to seal the game. And, after gathering admirers from all over the world, in giants of football clubs, and experienced football experts, Bale was more or less labelled as a priceless player by the man who helped turn him into the star that he is today, the Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp.

When asked about the possibility of a top club bidding in the region of £25 - £30 million for the Welsh winger, Redknapp assured the Tottenham fans by saying:

"They wouldn't buy him for that, that's for sure,

"If he had a value, if we wanted to sell him, his value would be way in excess of that sort of figure.

"He really is an amazing young player. We wouldn't even entertain a bid. The chairman has said he's not for sale and that's good enough."

Instead, Redknapp wants to build a club, who he knows is improving day by day, with committed owners, quality players and quality facilities.

"We don't want to sell him and we're looking to build a team at Tottenham. We're a club that's going places - we've got a new training ground coming, change of stadium, the whole thing is going forward.

Gareth Bale, a man who went through a period early in his Tottenham career, in which whenever he was in the team, the team lost, has turned into a player that Tottenham cannot do without. He is worth, to Harry Redknapp and Tottenham over £50 million, and has almost single handed, demolished the European Champions' defence.

Bale summed the game up nicely, as he has seen his career and reputation change rapidly over the last few years:

"It was great, it was special beating the European champions. It will be a night that will never be forgotten."

Tottenham Hotspur 3 - 1 Inter Milan GOALS

Tottenham destroyed Inter Milan on Tuesday night at White Hart Lane, with Gareth Bale ripping the Inter Milan defence to shreads. It was a fantastic performance, in which van der Vaart scored, while Gareth Bale sweeped down the left wing - past Maicon, and set up both Crouch and Pavleyuchenko for simple tap-ins.

Tottenham have announced themselves to Europe, and the world. The Champions League newcomers have beaten the European Champion convincingly, and shown their quality, strength in depth, and a player who will be drawing lots of attention over the coming years, Gareth Bale.

Bojan Krkic Wanted by Chelsea, Inter and West Ham

If Bojan Krkic decides to move on from Barcelona at some point in the future, he won't have any shortage of options as to where to move. Chelsea, Inter Milan, and West Ham have reportedly shown an interest in the 20 year old striker, and with his obvious talents, many other clubs will also take a keen interest in the transfer proceedings.

The question may be asked as to why a player would want to leave such a great club in Barcelona - a club that is currently challenging very realistically to win every competition that they are in, as well as having the best players in the world playing for them including Lionel Messi.
The answer to that question may be the fact of the amount of quality. Bojan is apparently becoming frustrated by the lack of first team opportunities and feels he has been on the bench far too much. With players like David Villa and Lionel Messi ahead of him in the pecking order, it is understandably hard to break into the first team.

Chelsea are said to want to add to their ageing team with some quality and potential. Bojan ticks all of the boxes, with Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba coming towards the end of their careers.

Inter Milan and Rafael Benitez are looking to add to their squad, as rumours persist that Wesley Sneijder may move to Manchester United in the summer. Adding that spark to the team would help a very physical side that Inter Milan have, especially if Sneijder jumps ship.

West Ham are a much less likely possibility for Bojan, however, if Bojan wants first team football, the Hammers seems a good choice. West Ham acknowledge that the competition is high, which is why they would offer a loan deal to begin with, with a view to making the deal permanent.

Whoever Bojan does decide to move to, if indeed he does decide to move, the team will have to offer Barcelona a sum of at least £15 million as he has a contract with the Catalan team until the end of the 2012/13 season. A small, player, but a big fee for big potential.

Lionel Messi to Inter?

The Inter Milan owner, Massimo Moratti has claimed that he may hold talks with Barcelona over the availability of arguably the best player in the world, in their star player, Lionel Messi.

He said:

"[Lionel] Messi? Everyone asks me to buy a strong player. He is the strongest of all. So I'm starting to ask me the question.

And I still have not answered neither 'yes' nor 'no'. On Sunday, I jokingly said that I would bring Messi to Inter.

But we could only really talk about it with Barcelona. Let's see what happens in the coming days."

If Inter were seriously going to have to have any chance of prising theArgentinian away from Camp Nou, then they would have to b prepared to pay a massive sum of money to both the club, and Messi himself. Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United for £70 million to Real Madrid - a world record fee, and it is widely regarded that Messi is as good if not better than the Portugese record breaker.

Messi seems very happy at Barcelona, and has had a lot of success at the Spanish club, so why would he want to change his magnificent routine? There are very few reasons why a player would want to leave Barcelona during such a succesful period whilst playing alongside brilliant players such as Iniesta, Xavi, Puyol - the list goes on. Maybe he just wants a change? Rafael Benitez would certainly welcome the player to Inter Milan.

Sneijder Wouldn't turn down Manchester United

Reports that Manchester United had bid close to £25 million for Wesley Sneijder in the summer, Sir Alex Ferguson dismissed as rubbish. He said that Sneijder hadn't turned United down, because they hadn't even made an approach. But no doubt, Ferguson was interested.

His nose would have been pressed up against the shop window, and as he checked his pockets for money, he would have found a few buttons, a couple of chewing gum wrappers and a note from the Glazers reminding him that Manchester United were in billions of pounds of debt. He couldn't enter that shop.

But maybe, sometime in the future, the United manager will have his pocket money increased, and maybe then he can enter the shop instead of browsing on the outside. After what Wesley Sneijder said today, it seems that if Ferguson were to pay the money, the Dutchman would jump at the chance of joining United.

"If somebody asks me if I will ever play for Manchester United, it's impossible for me to say no," Sneijder told the Daily Star Sunday.

"How can you say that if the chance came you would not play for one of the biggest clubs in the world? I don't think there is any player in the world who could publicly rule out ever playing for Manchester United, and if they did I would doubt they were telling the truth."

"The Premier League, in terms of top clubs, is the strongest in the world, and it would be nice to finish my career saying I have played at the very top in Spain, Italy, and England. There is not many who can say they have done that, and if that does happen for me I would only want it to be with Manchester United."

Man United's Antonia Valencia suffers break during draw.

Ten changes to the team that drew against Everton on the weekend, and to no prevail. A 0-0 draw came complete with a horrific injury to the flying winger Antonio Valencia - cruel blow to a bad few days for Manchester United as he looks to be out for a long time with a suspected ankle or leg break.



Valencia receives oxygen



Rangers went to Old Trafford with the main objective of defending their goal. They were tough to break down, and without the presence and vision of Paul Scholes, this was even harder for United to complete. The final ball from United was poor and they were restricted to a only couple of half chances and one or two long range efforts from Darron Gibson.

The injury to Valencia was a massive blow. There is always an impact on players when they see a teammate and friend in so much pain and with a grim few months ahead of him. Valencia was a big source of United's and Rooney's goals last season with his reliable crossing ability and good pace to get passed players. Giggs replaced the stricken Valencia, and the veteran will expect a lot more game time during the next few months and possibly longer as Valencia recovers. Nani will presumably occupy the other wing, with Park able to fill in and add more creativity, but Ferguson may be cursing that he didn't bring any more players in during the summer.

Tottenham also drew against Werder Bremen as they kicked off their Champions League campaign losing a two goal lead. An own-goal by Pasanen in the twelfth minute and then a goal from Crouch six minutes later set the game up well for Tottenham but the hosts came back to secure a draw at the end of the first half and start of the second. Considering the venue as well as the injuries to key players such as the extremely influential Luka Modric, this may be seen as a good result, however it will be dissapointing to lose a two goal lead despite the circumsatnces.

The other results are as follows

FC Twente 2-2 Internazionale



Barcelona 5-1 Panathinaikos


FC Copenhagen 1-0 Rubin Kazan

Bursaspor 0-4 Valencia



Lyon 1-0 Schalke


Benfica 2-0 Hapoel Tel Aviv