Transfer market conspiracies - Part 1

Chelsea signed Oscar in 2012 on a 5 year deal and then got him to extend his deal in November 2014 till 2019. So when he leaves this January to China, he will have 2 years left in his contract and he will still be only 25. However, he has not been playing regularly for the last 12 months and therefore the 60m price that Shanghai SIPG are willing to pay Chelsea plus the 400K a week wages just seems too good to be true...which is what I think...it’s not TRUE.

What I really think is happening is something darker and murkier. Firstly, Chelsea probably want to spend a lot this summer to get players who are more suited to Conte's style, however just to be on the safer side of the increasingly weak/toothless FPP, they need to sell in order to buy. What I think could be happening is that Chelsea "want" to show a big inflow, the Chinese club want to show their supporters how much they are investing in players and therefore some obscene figures are being bandied about to make all parties look good. In reality, the money on THIS deal is probably much lower (though there are other fringe players who are going to get shifted) and Roman is probably just going to infuse Chelsea with more of his own money. Having AVB as the manager in China also helps since it is a well-known fact that Roman and he still get along great. 

Btw, Alexis turns 28 in December and in January 2017, he enters the final 18 months of his contract. He is in the form of his life and ideally Arsenal should be doubling his wages and tying him down to 3 more years atleast.  However, no player is larger than the club and should not be allowed to hold the club for ransom so if I were Dick Law and Alexis does not extend his contract by March, I would hawk him out to China for 80m, Alexis might get his wages and everyone is happy. If we were selling to a European club, I would insist on a cash + player deal with pretty much everyone who might be willing to buy him.

·         Real - Isco + cash

·         Bayern - Thiago or Bernat + Cash

·         Juventus - Dybala (hahahahaha) or Coman or Rugani (hahahaha)

·         PSG - Kurzawa + Cash

If he is intent on moving to an EPL rival, we should just let him rot on the sidelines and allow him to see out his contract. Seriously, the guy plays so much for Chile and insists on never taking rest that he is a disaster (like missing an entire season through injury like Welz) waiting to happen - I just hope it doesnt happen when he is at Arsenal.  

Why Arsenal will not win the league despite having one of the best squads in recent times

Despite having a great first 11 and a very decent squad, here's why Arsenal will NOT be serious contenders again this year for the league

1. Injuries - it is well known that Arsenal NEVER EVER have their best 11 available for more than 2 consecutive games. International breaks invariably brings us back crocks. I wish we could insert clauses into all our players' contracts which lets the club decide if we want to release players for International duty. 
2. The Manager - too rigid with formations, too proud to change tactics on a match-by-match basis depending on the opposition, too blind to non-performers...I could go on and on. I hope we get Simeone next year. 
3. Champions League - having never won the trophy, Wenger still foolishly clings onto the hope that he will win it once with Arsenal. Barring the horrible Ospina experiment last year, he always rests important players before or after CL games and that kills us in the league. When are we going to accept that we don't stand a chance in Europe and should instead focus on domestic trophies? Getting into the CL in the past was great for TV money, now with the new TV deal in England, finishing 1 place higher instead commands a LOT of money. Why not aim higher than 4th?
4. Disciplinary record - we get too many red cards and accumulated yellow cards which cause key players to miss important games. We need to "manage" refs better, however the new rules which prevent players from surrounding and pressurising the ref is a blessing in disguise as it evens things out. 

Assumptions for the first eleven choices are

• Everyone is fit and available to play
• Manager's current preference for player/style of play/system (with scant regard for past record) and recent selection history

EPL mid-season review

14 games is a fair time to pass judgement on a season well underway so just before we get into the Festive season fixtures, here is my team of the season so far

Courtois
Clyne - Cahill - Terry - Cresswell
Alexis - Matic - Fabregas - Downing
Aguero - Costa

Subs
Forster
Ivanovic
Alderweireld
Montero
Sigurdsson
Pelle
Bony

Manager: Ronald Koeman

Yes, it is quite heavy on Saints but I have been mightily impressed by them and they deserve all the accolades they are getting despite the recent reverses.

My tips for the season

• Chelsea to win by 6 points
• City, Utd and Arsenal to finish in the CL Places.
• Southampton and Spurs to play Thursday night football.
• Everton and Swansea to miss out on Europe.
• Aston Villa, QPR and Burnley to get relegated. Leicester squeak through on the last day.  

...and while we are at it, Real Madrid to successfully defend La Decima. Mourinho to park the bus and beat Guardiola in one of the earlier rounds. Everton to go far in the Europa league, maybe even till last 4.

You heard it here first.

EPL round-up

I do know that 4 games is too early to pass judgment on how the season will play out but here are my first thoughts.

Arsenal – lacked creativity in the first 2 games and look bereft of ideas but the performances against Liverpool and Southampton were heartening.  Santi is a real gem, Podolski looks like he has settled well and if we can keep Diaby fit for 40 games, we should be good to be in the top 4 and probably have a good Carling cup run. Not too convinced about the Bould revolution and everytime Per is on the ball, I start praying to the gods. Also need to give Arshavin a run-in during the CL and CARLING cU

Man Utd – have definitely strengthened over the summer and Kagawa looks good L Still waiting for RvP to get injured – maybe it will happen during the next International break. Defensively they look suspect but they  should have enough to score 1 more than the opposition. Definitely top 2 and will surely win a trophy.

Man City – not sure why they sold De Jong but then Javi Garcia is an able replacement.  Yaya Toure will be off to AfCON in January and they will suffer. Also not convinced about the central defence is Kompany gets injured.  Group of Death in Europe will take its toll.

Chelsea – have finally got some fresh legs and youth in the squad. Surprised to see Bertrand starting so often and again puzzled by Sturridge’s lack of playing time. Hazard seems to have fitted in well in Chelsea and if Torres starts firing, Chelsea could even win the league. Wait. I forget their defence. Worse than even Arsenal’s, I’m afraid.

Spuds – AVB is a good coach but he doesn’t seem to have learnt the lessons from his Chelsea stint. Too many changes, striking options up-front seems very bare. Adebayor isn’t gonna set the world alight and Defoe needs a lot of chances to find the back of the net. Won’t finish in top 4.

Surprise package: Everton for their wonderful start. Selling Cahill was a big shock but big Jelavic and Mirallas seem more than competent. With Fellaini and Pienaar, they could actually finish 5^th which would be creditable.