Football transfer news

COMMENT
By Jack Gaughan at Etihad Stadium

Some signings, for whatever reason, simply do not work out. Unfortunately for Manchester City’s Samir Nasri, it is beginning to look like that is the case for him.

At his best, a nonchalant wizard, but at his worst, a non-existent passenger who – as witnessed at the Etihad Stadium yesterday – hinders more than helps. It is a rut Nasri has found himself in for long spells since his £24m move from Arsenal in 2011, and something that hasn’t gone unnoticed, with manager Roberto Mancini stating before Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Everton that the Frenchman must improve.

“In my opinion we are talking about a top, top player here. And if he wants he can change every game,” the manager said. “But I think he can do better. He has played some good games for us but he can do better because he has everything.

“I don’t think he has struggled. When I say this, we are talking about a player like Nasri or [Yaya] Toure or [David] Silva, we always think they can change every game they play because they are capable of doing that.”

That is very diplomatic from Mancini. With a January move for Malaga’s Isco, reported yesterday morning by Goal.com, on the horizon, Nasri could find himself surplus to requirements fairly sharpish.

The facts do tend to back up that prognosis. One Premier League goal since April and just two assists in that time paint a picture of a player operating on the periphery of a team so used to passing and probing in and around the opposition box. Mancini’s way is tailor-made for attacking drifters to flourish. David Silva seems not to suffer the same problems as Nasri.

Without Silva – between October 6 and November 11 – Nasri started every match, yet failed to grasp a glaringly huge chance to become the premier playmaker during that period, flitting in and out of games.

This is a player, let’s not forget, who was nominated for the PFA Players’ Player of the year in 2011, months before he joined the club. But following a few early glimpses of magic and the odd important goal, the spark dissipated.

Against Everton, the 25-year-old made one contribution to the fixture throughout the 90 minutes: a one-two with Silva which may have resulted in something more during the latter stages. That was the only occasion Nasri sought to run beyond his strikers; too often he picked an easy square ball and wasn’t bold or brave enough to risk making a mistake.

That is the behaviour of a man completely out of nick. It may take some time for him to rediscover the sort of form that lit up the Emirates not so long ago.

Somewhat surprisingly there were very few rumblings of discontent from the supporters about his abject performance, possibly because he did such an effective job of not getting involved that he went completely unnoticed.

Whatever the reason, City fans can be pleased that there were very few groans (they were largely aimed at Edin Dzeko) and it is only by playing games with encouragement that Nasri will improve.

Whether an entertainer on £170,000 a week should need goals cajoled from him is a different matter. It is whether he is afforded any more time by his manager that is the real question.

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EXCLUSIVE
By Greg Stobart

Tottenham have made an enquiry for Ajax star Christian Eriksen but the Danish playmaker will stay at the club until the end of the season.

Spurs are long-term admirers of Eriksen and have been in contact with Ajax as manager Andre Villas-Boas looks to add more creativity to his midfield following the summer departures of Luka Modric and Rafael Van der Vaart.

Ajax expect the £15 million-rated midfielder to eventually leave the Amsterdam ArenA but, as they did with Jan Vertonghen last season, will refuse to sell their most valuable asset in the New Year.

Manchester United have also been closely monitoring Eriksen’s situation, and although the 20-year-old is interested in playing in the Premier League he favours a move to one of the two Spanish giants, Real Madrid or Barcelona.

Spurs held talks with Ajax over a move for Eriksen during the summer, also strongly linked with Manchester City and Liverpool, when they signed Jan Vertonghen from the Dutch side in a £10m deal .

In an attempt to steal a march in the race for the Ajax academy product, they have again made the first move regarding a possible January move – only to be told that the Eredivisie club have no intention of accepting a bid in the winter window.

“Spurs have been strongly sniffing around Eriksen for a while and have already made an enquiry about a January transfer,” a source told Goal.com. “It won’t happen unless the fee is ridiculously high but they still have a real chance next summer.”

Villas-Boas is eyeing a number of creative targets for the January window, with Shakhtar Donetsk attacker Willian and Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic also on the north London club’s radar.

Eriksen has long been hailed as a future star and drawn comparisons with Danish legend Michael Laudrup, who also shot to fame playing the playmaker role for Ajax.

He caught the eye in both of Ajax’s Champions League games against Manchester City this season and has been in impressive form in the league, scoring four goals and providing five assists in 13 appearances.

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Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has showed that there remains no love lost between him and Jose Mourinho with his latest comments about the Real Madrid boss’ career path.

There is a perceived feud between the pair that dates back to when Mourinho succeeded Mancini in the Inter job and took the Italian’s team to Champions League glory, something the latter has never managed to achieve.

They reacquainted themselves earlier this season as the Portuguese manager’s Real Madrid side knocked Manchester City out of the Champions League.

Mancini seems to have ignited the tensions between the pair further with comments regarding the manner in which Mourinho touts himself to the bigger clubs.

“I read one day that Mourinho is going to Paris Saint-Germain. The next day it’s Inter, then Manchester City, Manchester United and then Chelsea,” he told reporters.

“I am very happy for him. I think he is working well in what he is trying to do.”

Mancini followed this facetious quip with a more serious statement of intent as, despite a premature Champions League exit, he remains secure in his role at the club.

“But I don’t feel under any pressure at City,” he continued.

“I am disappointed we are out of the Champions League, but this is football.”

DEBATE

It is still too early in Rafa Benitez’s reign to judge whether Chelsea’s interim boss will be able to get the best out of Fernando Torres, but the initial signs indicate the former Liverpool manager faces an uphill battle.

Torres has four Premier League goals to his name this season and although his efforts have all been laced with the qualities of an instinctive, predatory forward, over the course of 14 appearances the 28-year-old still looks short of confidence.

Since replacing Roberto Di Matteo, Benitez has guided Chelsea to two consecutive goalless draws against Manchester City and Fulham, and while the European champions now appear defensively robust, it has been at a cost to the front line, with Torres in particular looking isolated.

“Fernando Torres, I think, is the big problem at Chelsea,” said Jonathan Wilson.

“The shape issues, I don’t think Di Matteo was a million miles from getting it right. He talked about balance a lot and he obviously was aware of what the issues were, it was just a question of moving towards that.

“Benitez seems to have started with the other extreme, he’s started from defensiveness, rather than an attacking system.”

Benitez has tried both Eden Hazard and Oscar as a support for Torres but neither could successfully link with the Spaniard and with the January transfer window looming, one option for Chelsea could be to offload Torres in a bid to bring in a striker better suited to the club’s array of attacking options.

“He’s not someone who you can bounce a ball off, he’s not somebody who needs to work in small spaces, he’s somebody who is great on the counterattack and needs the ball in front of him,” Wilson added.

“I don’t honestly see, with this Chelsea squad, how they can adapt their style to play like that and I really don’t think, given the quality in the rest of the squad, they should adapt their style to a player like that.

“I think he was a very, very ill-advised purchase. I think probably Chelsea have to cut their losses, they have to bring in a striker who is more suited to their way of playing.

“I think from Torres’ point of view, he needs a break, he needs a new start, because things have gone badly wrong. He seems to have slumped in this depression and probably a break is the only way to come out of that.”

HAVE YOUR SAY

Do you believe Chelsea’s best move is to sell Fernando Torres, or will the Spaniard be able to recapture his form? Let us know by leaving a comment below, and getting involved on Facebook and Twitter.

EXCLUSIVE
By Wayne Veysey | Chief Correspondent

Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Southampton prodigy Luke Shaw, Goal.com has learned.

The young left-back, who turned 17 in the summer, has been closely monitored by the European champions in recent months and he is set to be the subject of an offer ahead of the January window.

It is understood that Chelsea have identified Shaw as a potential understudy to Ryan Bertrand, with the prospect growing that Ashley Cole will leave Stamford Bridge.

Paris Saint-Germain are in the driving seat to sign the England left-back and have offered him a £150,000-a-week deal in a bid to sign him next year.

Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez has said that Cole will be allowed to leave the club on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of the season. There is a strong possibility he will sign a pre-contract with PSG and could even be off-loaded in the forthcoming window if Bertrand maintains the progress he has made over the last six months.

Shaw has been heavily scouted by a number of leading Premier League clubs, with Arsenal and Manchester City among the clubs who have made enquiries about signing him.

But the firmest interest has been shown by Chelsea, who made it clear to Southampton they would like to take the England Under-17 international to Stamford Bridge.

Shaw has been dubbed ‘the new Gareth Bale’ and is the latest star graduate of an academy which has recently produced Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, as well as the Tottenham winger.

Shaw made his Southampton senior bow in January and has made seven further appearances for the first team this season, including his full debut against Stevenage in the League Cup in August.

The teenager, who has been with Southampton since the Under-9s age group, is highly regarded for his ability to convert defence into attack. He has been described as “technically very gifted” by Sir Trevor Brooking.

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