A Tale of Two Halves

It was definitely a tale of two halves at The Hawthorns tonight as Everton scored 3 unanswered goals to come back from two goals and secure the three points.

Berahino netted at the tail end of a grim first half before doubling their lead through a header from Craig Dawson. A Romelu Lukaku brace and Arouna Kone sent the Toffees away happy.

James Morrison had the first opportunity of the match with a sweetly struck shot that stung the hands of Tim Howard in the Everton goal. It was a tentative start to the match as both sides were happy to exchange possession. There weren't many goal scoring opportunities in the opening and both sides seemed more worried about not letting the other concede.

Everton did look good on the counter and created a lovely move just before the half hour mark. A Ross Barkley dummy made the momentum before finding Deulofeu. The low delivery was textbook, but Barkley couldn't nudge it towards the goal.

The crowd were finally given something to shout about on the cusp of half time. Want-away striker, Saido Berahino broke the deadlock with a shot that squeezed passed Tim Howard in nets after a stray pass from Gareth Barry. A special mention must go to James Morrison for the assist, whose pass was on a six pence. Roberto Martinez will be very disappointed to concede in that manner. The supporters can be forgiven if they fell asleep watching this match, as the quality was equal to a Sunday League game.

The goal sparked Everton into life, as they had managed a few half chances, one of which was a dangerous ball zipped across the six yard box. I speak for a lot of people when I say that I've never wanted a half time whistle to come as quick. Deulofeu and Barkley looked the only players in the first half that were capable of creating something, so both need to be utilised more after the interval.

We had more clear cut opportunities in  the opening 5 minutes than in the whole of the first half. James Morrison's deflected shot fell very kindly to James McClean but he ballooned the shot over the bar. Craig Dawson doubled the Baggies' lead from a header of a Chris Brunt corner, but the marking was absoutely horrendous. Martinez will be keen to thresh out any set piece calamities in preparation for the Merseyside derby on Sunday. Just 27 seconds later, Romelu Lukaku headed Everton back into the game and gave the travelling support some hope.

Berahino had the chance to bury Everton, but superb defending from Brendan Galloway denied the England U21 international. Not long after the chance, the game was levelled. Arouna Kone was played onside by Chris Brunt and he had all the time in the world to slot the ball past Boaz Myhill in goal. Kone's equaliser injected all sorts of confidence into Everton and they looked the more likely to go and find the winner.

A winner was what they got. That man Deulofeu, provided the spark and his ball was latched onto by Lukaku and at the second attempt bundled the ball into he net. It was coming, and it was the former Baggie who came back to haunt his old team. Rickie Lambert was introduced and West Brom resorted to the more familiar tactics of Tony Pulis by lumping the ball up to the big man.

Everton were victorious, but Martinez will still have concerns in the manner the goals were conceding. Going forward, Everton were very good when they got the ball to Deulofeu. The former Barca man assisted twice and delivered a performance that helped change the game on it's head. For Tony Pulis, it will be worrying how his side crumbled despite a two goal lead. Pulis won't be happy, particulary with Everton's first goal and will make his feelings clear to his players.

At half time I didn't think I would be reflecting on a goal fest, but football can be surprising at the best of times. For Everton they face Liverpool on Sunday and West Brom will be looking to make amends against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

Pushing for Europe

Many people are in appreciation of some of the transfers made by the ‘not-so-big teams’ and rightly so. In particular, West Ham, Leicester City and Swansea City have caught my eye and both have made decent starts to the new campaign.

Andre Ayew and Dimitri Payet will be instrumental for both teams and pivotal if either reach the knockout rounds. Both left French side Marseille, after a topsy turvy season in the South of France. Starting superbly, Marseille were clear at the top of Ligue 1, and much of it was attributed to the Argentine tactician, Marcelo Bielsa. As for Leicester, Claudio Ranieri is achieving the best out of Riyad Mahrez. The Algerian international has made a blistering start to the season scoring 5 goals in his opening 7 games, culminating in a nomination for August's Player of the Month.

After 6 games, all three sides sit in the top half with West Ham in 3rd, Leicester in 4th and Swansea further back in 7th.

West Ham have played some nice football this season, similar to what they experienced in the opening stages last season. In the last campaign, Diafra Sakho was key and his 12 goals made him the Hammers' top goal scorer last season. While they started the season well, two wins in the last sixteen games presumably sealed Sam Allardyce's fate and paved the way for Slaven Bilic. This season, West Ham have started with confidence, and the introduction of Dimitri Payet has proved a master stroke by the former Croatian international.

Like many other clubs, West Ham are threat from full back. Aaron Cresswell, signed from Ipswich in summer 2014, was voted the club's Player of the Year last season and made an average of six defensive actions a game, according to Squawka. West Ham managed to fend off interest from both Chelsea and Manchester City during the transfer window. He is equally adept in the defensive and offensive apartment, creating 30 chances last season and 7 this season - two have led to goals.

They lead the way in the goal scoring tally with 13 and conceding 7 goals - the second most inside the top ten. Offensively they have been superb this season and they look as if they could cause problems for any defence in Europe at times. Bilic has a bit of work to conduct on the defence if they are going to challenge for the European places, but with him getting to know his new squad, I suspect this will improve in the coming weeks. West Ham look good this season and I thoroughly enjoy watching them.

Similar to the Hammers, Garry Monk's Swans have been earning praise for their style of praise this year. The loss of Wilfried Bony to Manchester City was expected to cause problems last season, but his replacement in Bafetimbi Gomis is just as good. The French international has netted on four occasions this year and is going through a streak of good form. He displays similar physical strengths to Bony, hence why he is taking to Swansea like a duck to water. Currently one goal off Callum Wilson and Riyad Mahrez in the scoring charts, Gomis is becoming one of the favourites for the golden boot when the season concludes.

Gomis has made a great start to the season, but he has formed a formidable partnership with former Marseille man Andre Ayew. Recently named Player of the Month for August, he was the star of the side for Marseille last season, creating 22 chances and scoring 10 in the league. With Swansea, he is quickly becoming a fan favourite at the Liberty Stadium and provides one of the main creative sparks in the side. While Monk has commented that the Welsh side will not rely on the Ghanian, a fit Ayew will greatly ameliorate their chances of European football.

Former Liverpool star Jonjo Shelvey is also a key player for the Welsh side. He has a terrific range of passes and is the heart beat of the midfield for the past season. Lying a bit deeper, he is able to break up the play and offer defensive reinforcement, and has adopted this role since the arrival of Ayew. Swansea may not have scored many goals, but their creative players Ayew, Jefferson Montero and Shelvey have the guile to produce more chances for Gomis to feed off. I do think they will able to qualify for Europe, whether through the league position or else a cup victory.

Last for now is Leicester City. The pundits among us may have been able to predict West Ham and Swansea's terrific start. but there won't be many to have predicted the start of Ranieri's men. I remember back to when Ranieri was appointed, there was much criticism about this and why Nigel Pearson was sacked. Pearson steered the Foxes away from relegation with a magnificent run of form that culminated in them finishing 14th, not bad considering they were rooted to the bottom from game-week 13 right through to week 31.

Undoubtedly, Riyad Mahrez has been their star performer this season and leads the way in terms of goals with five and has been grabbing the headlines. He seems to be the player that is able to create something out of nothing this season and if he continues this form, then Leicester will be a real force. They have had their fair share of luck, including a 3 goal comeback to seal the victory against Aston Villa as well as scoring two goals to snatch a draw of Stoke City. While people may say that they have been lucky up to this stage so far, I am a firm believer that you are the architects of your own luck.

Will Leicester be able to keep this run of form up? We all long for a fairy tale story but I'm not convinced. Squad depth around Christmas time will be a major factor as to whether they can retain the momentum. At the same time, not many people thought that Southampton would be able to continue their form for so long last season, so there is every possibility that the Foxes can follow in the Saints' footsteps. Leicester City should be aiming for a high mid table finish either 6th, 7th or 8th however should not be too disheartened if they finish 10th or 11th. It would be steady progress to build on for next season.

West Ham and Swansea really should be pushing for a Europa League spot as both have the squads capable of challenging. In the domestic cups they also have a great opportunity with the ties generally being one match. The ground work has been laid for these sides, now it is time for the respective managers to act upon it.

Dominant Performance as Chelsea Brush Maccabi to the Side

Goals from Willian, Oscar, Diego Costa and Fabregas help sweep Maccabi Tel Aviv to the side as Chelsea start their European campaign with three points.

Chelsea dominant the whole match and they made a strong start. Willian was sent through on goal and attempted to round the keeper but was brought down. Penalty Chelsea and it was a perfect chance to settle the nerves evident from the players and supporters. An out of form Eden Hazard stepped up and sent the ball into Row Z. A penalty can be the easiest form of gaining confidence, however missing one can destroy it.

Chelsea did open their European account this year through Willian in the 15th minute. The Brazilian international whipped a dangerous ball into the box and even though no player got a touch on it, the ball found its way into the back of the net. In the opening 20 minutes the goal scorer was probably Chelsea's brightest player. He was the only player willing to take the Maccabi defence on and he was able to beat them more often than not. Unfortunately for the Blues, he was subbed off before the 25 minute mark with a hamstring injury.

Maccabi Tel Aviv didn't create many goal scoring opportunities but they had a glorious one from a set piece free kick. It was a tremendous delivery and found the head of Eran Zahavi who failed to even hit the target. The Israeli really should have done better, if he had left it, there was a Maccabi player free and arguably with a better angle to head the ball. The Israeli champions didn't get many opportunities, so aspirations of coming away from Stamford Bridge with any points briskly died when they failed to capitalise.

On the stroke of half time, substitute Diego Costa was fouled in the box and another penalty was awarded by the German official. This time Oscar stepped up and cooly slotted the penalty into the bottom left corner, showing Hazard how it should be done. Two goals up at half time and the West Londoners were coasting. For the second half Chelsea need to continue to starve the visitors of possession and keep piling on the pressure. It paid dividends when Chelsea pressed from the front as they received possession in the danger zone. More of this and as Maccabi Tel Aviv tire then more opportunities will arise.

The second half represented more of the same. Chelsea dominated and didn't really give their visitors a sniff of the ball. They eventually sealed the game up with a superb volley from just inside the box. It was a terrific piece of skill and something that he needed to do to get him off the mark for Chelsea in Europe. Chelsea were now content to keep the ball without making many more headways into scoring more goals. They were more concerned about preserving the clean sheet and who can blame them?

Despite this Chelsea were getting more opportunities through Baba Rahman and Hazard and it was only a matter of time before the fourth goal was scored, much to the testament of the Tel Aviv performance. Unpredictably, it did come and was on the counter. Chelsea broke with four against two and even though Loic Remy's shot was saved, Cesc Fabregas was on hand to finish the move. Chelsea were in cruise control for the remainder of the match, just the way Mourinho would have wanted ahead of welcoming Arsenal at the weekend. It was a case of job well done, but secretly they will be delighted with the result and performance.

It was the new boys that stole the light tonight and two of them in particular have stuck their hand up for inclusion against Arsenal. Baba Rahman was impressive down the left and looked a real threat as he got forward at every stage. The summer signing will be pleased with his debut and Jose will have no second thoughts about this signing so far. Similarly, Ruben Loftus-Cheek was instrumental for the 75 minutes that he was on the pitch. He was effective at breaking up the Maccabi as well as making surging runs forward from midfield. These runs caused problems for the defence and Mourinho must include him on Saturday afternoon, particularly with his midfielders being in such bad form.

Mourinho got the win he wanted but there will be concern shown to Willian who had to retire from the game prematurely despite being one of the best players on the pitch. Looking at the Arsenal game, Jose will have some decisions to make selection wise and will look to get one over the ol' enemy.

Dimitri Payet Master-class Defeats Shoddy Toon

Dimitri Payet’s brace sends Newcastle to the foot of the table while Slaven Bilic’s men produce a very positive display at Upton Park.

West Ham made a superb start and found themselves in the lead in less than ten minutes, capitalising on poor play from the Newcastle defenders. Mark Noble’s drag back found summer signing Dimitri Payet and the Frenchman finished to show why he is so highly rated by the Hammers. Newcastle were having all of the possession in the opening exchanges however West Ham were comfortable and had the better opportunities. Daryl Janmaat did have an excellent chance to equalise after nice build up play by the Dutchman but his shot was weak and was easily dealt with by Darren Randolph in nets.

There wasn’t many chances on offer in the first half and the home side were happy to absorb the pressure for . For West Ham, they looked dangerous countering on Newcastle’s sloppiness on the ball and almost extended their lead, when Payet’s through ball found Victor Moses but he couldn’t hit the target. The Toon lacked any real creativity in the final third and struggled to fashion any chances. In the second half they need to play the ball into Georginio Wijnaldum and have him turn and run at the Hammers’ defence. With the forwards making runs, it will pose difficult questions for Slaven Bilic’s men.

West Ham doubled their lead shortly after the interval with a swift counter led by Victor Moses off a Newcastle free kick. Moses managed to beat Haidara before releasing a rocket that thundered off the underside of the bar, but yet again West Ham’s golden boy was there to supply the finish. The defending may have been less than impressive and this leaves Newcastle with a mountain to climb. Similar to the first half, Newcastle had all of the possession but little or no penetration. The home side looked the more likely to extend their lead.

The introduction of Pedro Obiang was a more defensive option and signalled Bilic’s content at just seeing the match out. Hammers’ fans will be aware of the events at White Hart Lane last year when Harry Kane’s last gasp penalty snatched the three points away from West Ham. If Newcastle were to manage a goal then the momentum would completely swing. That goal never came. West Ham ran out deserved winners.

West Ham have reason to be optimistic this season. They have a man who could unlock a safe not knowing the combination, as well as useful operators in the middle of the park and some inspiring individuals at back. Even though they will face sterner tasks in the near future, teams will find West Ham very hard to break down and will trouble many other sides. I really look forward to watching West Ham play this season and they will be challenging for the spots in Europe.

As for Newcastle, this was a completely different performance to when they took on Arsenal at St James’ before the international break. A real worry for Steve McClaren is the failure to create and finish many chances and their hunt for a goal since the opening match continues. Daryl Janmaat had three out of the four shots, showing the dire need of another striker on Tyneside. Even having the majority possession, they were sloppy and often gifted the ball to the opposition allowing them to counter. Improvement needs to drastic and speedy if they are not going to fall into a slump and fight another relegation battle.

Guarin Strike Edges Out Rivals

The master beats the apprentice in a thrilling encounter in Milan. A sensational effort from Fredy Guarin gives Roberto Mancini the victory over his former assistant manager Sinisa Mihajlovic.

This game helped dispel all the common stereotypes with Italian football and the game started at a frantic pace with both sides looking to attack. The first sight on goal went the way of the Rossoneri with Carlos Bacca capitalising on a stray ball from Jeison Murillo. His pass to Luiz Fabiano was weighted perfectly but the shot was well saved by Samir Handanovic in the Inter net. Milan's front duo of Bacca and Fabiano were causing all sorts of problems for the Nerazzuri defence.

Once again, the movement of Luis Adriano wreaked havoc for Inter, but the Brazilian couldn't supply the finish. AC Milan looked sharp on the break, while Inter's defence looked shaky and coughed up several opportunities. In the dying embers of the opening half, Inter were gifted an excellent chance. Superb creativity from loanee Stefan Jovetic worked space and he was able to play Mauro Icardi through. Milan's full backs kept the Inter captain onside but his shot was scuffed and saved by Diego Lopez.

It was a superb half of football with both sides playing flowing, attacking football, aided by some excellent refereeing from Gianluca Rocchi - It was only a matter of time before the deadlock was broken. Similar to the first half, the second period started frenetically. Jovetic was creating chances but couldn't get a shot away, while at the back, Inter were looking frail.

Their frailties continued as the Nerazzuri nearly played themselves into a sticky situation at the back. However Kondogbia managed to play the ball wide and after two passes, Fredy Guarin pulled the trigger and his shot left Lopez with no chance in the nets. The ball could have very nearly ended up in the Inter net but once they got out of trouble, Milan were at sixes and sevens at the back and their risk was rewarded. Icardi had an excellent chance to double Inter's lead but he got too low and his header soared over the bar.

Italy's bad boy, Mario Balotelli was introduced with half an hour to go to a chorus of jeers. His distribution was impressive, and he nearly equalised with less than 15 minutes to go when his shot cannoned off the upright. Balotelli impressed me, and he looked as if he had a new lease of life since leaving Anfield. In the last ten minutes Milan piled on the pressure and Internazionale barricaded their defence. Inter managed to hold on for a one goal victory and now sit top of Serie A with maximum points.

There are positives and negatives for both sides to work on. Inter will be pleased to have the bragging rights and also maintain their great start, however defensive worries will remain in Roberto Mancini's mind. For Mihajlovic, it obviously will be a disappointment to lose the derby, however his side fashioned some excellent chances and on another day could have been a different result. Inter are looking strong and will definitely be challenging come the end of the season.

Season Prediction 2015/2016

We're exactly a month into the new season and with the transfer window closed, let me share my opinions on how the domestic season will unfold

Relegation Battle

Last season Sunderland looked a lost cause, but managed to scrape clear, picking up 12 points in their last 8 matches. Unfortunately for them, I cannot see them surviving another season. Admittedly, I do like their summer signing in Jeremain Lens who has a goal and 2 assists to his name this season.  Also up front is 32 year old Jermain Defoe who has 9 goals in over 20 appearances for the Black Cats. Defensively is the major issue. Although good positionally, John O'Shea is not the player he once was, as is Wes Brown and both will be done for pace if a player is able to get in behind.

Bournemouth were the fairytale story from the Championship last season and even though Eddie Howe spent his transfer window bringing in many new faces, I don't see this being enough to keep them in the league. Last season, Bournemouth were somewhat a surprise package having finished in mid-table of the Championship the season before. It may be a step too far for Howe's men, but they have already thrilled the Premier League with a decent performance against Liverpool and Callum Wilson's hat-trick against West Ham and will continue to do so.

Finally, Norwich will be fortunate to beat the drop. The Canaries bounced back from their relegation in 2013/2014 with a play off win to get them back into England's top league. Norwich have several key individuals, notably Nathan Redmond. The England U21 international has the potential to be a key man and if Norwich can get him firing then they would be in with a great chance of staying up.

Champions

Similar to last year, the title is there for Chelsea or City to take. Although they have made a stuttering start to the season, I do think Chelsea will triumph in this year's campaign. Up front Diego Costa and Radamel Falcao will rotate accordingly and provide an excellent attacking threat. Defensively however they have been frail this season. Neither John Terry or Gary Cahill have performed anywhere close to the last season. Simiarly Nemanja Matic was a defensive wall last year and was a vital component behind the title victory last season. Several games in, Matic has not offered any protection to the back four. Once Mourinho rectifies this, Chelsea will be able to launch their title charge.

Champions League

Manchester City have raided the market and acquired Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Niclas Otamendi, and Fabian Delph. All of a sudden they look twice was dangerous on the attack as they did last season. The only team with a 100% record, they started like a greyhound out of the blocks. If City do not topple Chelsea then they will come second, at least five points ahead of third position. Not only are they a force going forwards, but their defensive rock in Vincent Kompany has returned from a barren spell last season and is showing why he is so highly rated by football fans.

Manchester United and Louis Van Gaal have taken a lot of stick largely over the departures of their strikers and the purchase of Anthony Martial. I think United have a strong enough squad to improve on last season, even if it is only by one position. What will hinder them from launching a proper title challenge, is their weak numbers up front. If Rooney gets injured, then United will be seriously stuck.

I seriously think Arsenal were in with a chance of pushing for the title if Arsene Wenger had got his signings right. A lot of Gooners were filled with optimism when the purchase of Petr Cech was announced, thinking that if they sign another striker and holding midfielder, then they would be on set for a great season. They missed out on key players so I don't see them finishing any higher than fourth position.

Europa League

Currently sitting in 7th with two wins, a draw and a loss to their record. Last time out Liverpool were poor defensively, showing signs that their problems at the back have not been rectified. Before their 3-0 loss to West Ham, they kept three clean sheets, which suggests that West Ham may have just been an off day. With Benteke up front, most defences will have trouble dealing with him and if they can continue to keep clean sheets then 5th place looks a certainty and can look to pressurize Arsenal who look vulnerable at the minute. A win against United tomorrow would certainly help get the momentum going.

Last but not least, Spurs are hoping to compete a bit higher than the Europa League spots. Failing to get transfer target Saido Berahino on the last day of the transfer season, Tottenham will have to struggle through the first half of the season with Son Heung Min and Harry Kane as strikers with Emmanuel Adebayor unregistered and seemingly heading for the door. They have enough to get Europa League football, but need to strengthen if they are to challenge for a Champions League spot.

Race for Europe

The race for the remaining Europa League positions is very interesting. Normally it would be Everton and Spurs leading the chase, but this season they will have competition from West Ham and Swansea.

Looking at West Ham, this season presents a massive risk. Having got rid of Sam Allardyce after the last campaign, Slavan Bilic was announced as his successor with the though of reinventing the Hammers' style of play. Bilic has built a talented squad with the signatures of Dimitri Payet and Alex Song along with the crop of players already at the side. I look forward to watching this side as the season progresses.

Swansea City Football club has grown at the same rate of their manager. Already touted as Roy Hodgson's successor, Garry Monk has been working wonders in the south of Wales. The purchase of Andre Ayew is paying dividends already, winning the player of the month for August, and Bafetimbi Gomis is on course to be one of the Premier League's top marksmen come May. Not only do they have talent up front, Jonjo Shelvey is superb at pulling the strings from deep and Ashley Williams is a superb captain and defender.

Everton struggled to cope with the pressures of balancing Europa League football and their domestic campaign last season. This season however will be different. Roberto Martinez has recruited Gerard Delofeu back from Barcelona after exciting the Toffees two seasons ago. We all know of Romelu Lukaku's prowess in front of the goal, if Deulofeu can get the correct service to the Belgian then Everton will certainly be competing for Europa League positions.

Those are my predictions as to how the season unfold. Although several game weeks in, a lot can happen in the remaining matches. I'll endeavour to cover every team at least once as the season progresses as well as others from the continent. Don't hesitate to talk back to be on one of the various social media outlets below or else in the comments below.

Uninspiring Belgium Defeat Cyprus in Nicosia

Belgium get the vital three points in a muggy Nicosia night, courtesy of an Eden Hazard goal. In what was a drab match, Belgium were uninspiring and have work to be done if they are to challenge next summer.

The visitors made the brighter start of the two sides, controlling the possession and creating opportunities. Kevin De Bruyne did put the ball in the Cypriots’ net but was ruled offside after receiving the ball of a ricocheted Chrisitian Benteke shot. Defensively, Belgium looked nervy, but managed to survive a few potential scares from the hosts.

In the few positive passages Belgium made tonight, a well worked move from Radja Nainggolan and Kevin De Bruyne resulted in a shot that was comfortably saved by the Cyprus keeper. The Cyprus midfield was nowhere to be seen, allowing the Roma man to make headway through the middle. The move really deserved a better finish than the one supplied by Nainggolan.

As the first half progressed, Cyprus grew into the game and were fashioning chances. Belgium were sloppy on the ball, gifting possession to the minnows, and made poor decisions in the final third. Despite all of their technical players, Wilmots’ side seemed content with swinging the ball into their target man, Christian Benteke.

Kevin De Bruyne was in the thick of the action in the first half and possibly the best chance of the half fell to the Manchester City man. Lovely one touch football between Benteke and the aforementioned allowed De Bruyne a one-on-one opportunity against the keeper, but he saved with his feet. At the interval, Belgium showed glimpses of why they’re ranked second in the world, but it was largely inconclusive as to which nation reached the World Cup Quarter Finals last year.

After a presumed rollicking from Marc Wilmots at half time, Belgium signalled their intent through a surging run from Eden Hazard, but his effort was tamely hit. As the second period grew older, it was obvious that Belgium didn’t really improve on the shortcomings in the first half. They were still lax in possession and naïve in attack.

The Cypriots grew in confidence and had a penalty appeal against Divock Origi turned down. Cyprus’ build up play was generally very good in the second half, but quite often they lacked the cutting edge or else picked the wrong option. Thibaut Courtois barely had his goal troubled by Cyprus. Against tougher opposition, the Belgians would be lucky to be only two or three goals down.

With only five minutes of normal time left, the deadlock was broken. A swift attack from the away side saw the ball end up out wide with Dries Mertens. Committing the defender he managed to work enough space in order to get a drag back. On the end of it was Eden Hazard who dispatched it and postponed Wales’ party for at least another month.

For the second time in a matter of days, Cyprus were denied a point by a late goal. In a fairly mediocre match, Cyprus can be proud of the performance they delivered and their fans sounded their appreciation at the final whistle. Widely touted as a favourite for the competition, Belgium will need to increase their intensity if they harbour any intentions of matching the title.

Transfer Round Up #7

In my final instalment for this transfer window, I look at 7 transfers instead of the usual 5.

Fabian Delph – Aston Villa to Manchester City - £8m

Days after committing himself to Aston Villa, Fabian Delph turns from captain to villain as he agrees a deal with Manchester City. With City in dire need of home grown players to fulfil the quota set by the FA, Delph may only end up being a bit part player but he has the potential to be the new James Milner. Last season, City were often out of form in the middle of the park, with Fernandinho, Fernando and Yaya Toure all being a bit underwhelming. With Delph, he will bring energy in the engine room for when he comes on off the bench. This transfer can go one of two ways. It could go down the gutter and he will be sold at the end of the season for a cut price or he could be one of City’s unsung heroes.

Iker Casillas – Real Madrid to FC Porto – free transfer

I was shocked when I heard that Casillas who I used to label “Mr Madrid” had left for Porto. At 34 years of age, I was expecting the former Spanish keeper to retire in the capital city but a mixture of fan pressure and that of Madrid President Florentino Perez left the goal keeper no option but to leave the club. Particularly disappointing was the reception the veteran was given throughout the season and will surely taint one of the great teams of world football. Casillas was a stalwart in nets over the past decade and will be a major coup for the Portuguese club.

Kieran Trippier – Burnley to Spurs - £3.4m

Along with Danny Ings, Kieran Trippier was one of the major positives in Burnley’s relegation season last year. The full back provided the most key passes from a defender last season behind Leighton Baines as well as featuring in all 38 games. His crossing ability is second to none, completing the most successful crosses last season than anyone in Europe’s top five leagues with 91. He is everything you want in a full back, someone who can be rock solid defensively as well as equally adept offensively. He will go down well at his new club.

Sergio Romero – Sampdoria to Manchester United – free transfer

I’m positive that Louis Van Gaal was expecting David de Gea and Victor Valdes to be leaving this summer when signing the Argentine number 1. This was greeted with criticism as he was struggling to hold down a first team spot at his former club, Sampdoria, however I don’t think this is a bad move from the side. In his opening games, yes he has made some mistakes and looked uneasy on the ball, but so did David de Gea when he arrived in Manchester. With de Gea staying at Old Trafford, it will be interesting to see if he can retain the goal keeping spot.

Ibrahim Afellay – Barcelona to Stoke City – free transfer

Mark Hughes and Stoke City have been busy in the transfer market, bringing in some players that definitely do not conform to the ‘Stoke stereotype’. Ibrahim Affelay is one of them. Like Bojan the season before this is a risky signing, particularly due to his horrendous injury record. With the amount of injuries this player receives, it will not surprise me in the slightest if Stoke have to take out Wonga loan to pay his medical fees. He does have talent and can beat a player. Mark Hughes has signalled a new era in Stoke, and I'm looking to see how it unfolds as the season progresses. Keeping him and Bojan on the pitch will be difficult, but if they can, then they will definitely improve on last year’s position. 

Xherdan Shaqiri – Inter Milan to Stoke - £12m

Around the time of this transfer I read a piece stating that Xherdan Shaqiri’s career is like the Goal movies only in reverse, and it’s totally true. Shaqiri is a big player and will please Stoke supporters and Premier League supporters alike seeing him in England. In half of a season for Internazionale last year, he created 29 chances as well as completing 16 out of 23 of his take ons. While only registering 67 league appearances over the last 4 seasons, Shaqiri is still young enough to make himself a worldwide name. During the last World Cup, only Lionel Messi made more key passes than the Swiss international. It may be a baffling transfer for the neutral to comprehend, but it’s an excellent one for everyone connected to the Britannia Stadium.

Anthony Martial – Monaco to Manchester United - £36m

Last on my list is deadline arrival to Manchester United, Anthony Martial. Now the most expensive teenager in the world, this transfer caught everyone off guard. Tipped as a future Thierry Henry by the French media and Old Trafford, he has a clause for the Ballon D'Or inserted in his contract, showing how highly he is thought of. Last season for Les Monagasques, Martial netted 9 goals and also created 12 chances. Similar to Manchester City who paid £50m for the potential of Raheem Sterling, United are doing the same with Martial. Sterling v Martial could be the battle that flourishes as both get older.

That's all for this window. As always, feel free to comment your opinions on who could be a hit with their respective clubs or who will flop.