John Stones - A Perfect fit for Manchester City?

"Money can't buy you Stones" were the words Evertonians chanted against Chelsea last season and while Roberto Martinez managed to fend off the interest of Jose Mourinho, a £47.5m bid from Manchester City proved too tempting for the new Everton boss, Ronald Koeman to decline.

City acquire the former Barnsley player in an attempt to provide a partner for Vincent Kompany at the sixth time of asking, taking their spending on centre backs to over £122m. City's attempt to find a cultured partner for their captain, has largely been a disaster. Nicolas Otamendi was recruited last summer, and Eliaqium Mangala the season before, but neither have been the solution to the problem.

Otamendi can be chaotic at times, often favouring to go to ground leading to opposition forwards hurdling the challenge and skipping past the Argentine defender. When on form, the former Valencia man is physical, imposing and an aggressive defender but is too inconsistent to leave a glowing impression on the Etihad. Playing alongside Kompany obviously inspires Otamendi, delivering probably his finest performances of last season against Manchester United and Norwich City in October. At 30 years of age and injury prone, Nicolas Otamendi will need to adapt to playing without the Belgian captain in the near future.

The Citizens threw £42m at Porto for their French centre half Eliaquim Mangala in August 2014 and two years later, looks likely to be leaving Manchester having been omitted from City's Champions League roster. The 25 year old, never cemented a first team space at City and the tone was set in his second game where he scored a lamentable own goal against Hull City. Often the scapegoat for City fans, Mangala appears uninspiring and to lack a lot of confidence. With Shkrodan Mustafi appearing to be on the way to Arsenal, Valencia boss, Pako Ayesteran has earmarked the French international as a possible replacement. 

Martin Demichelis was another purchase for £4.2m, but was never a long term signing. Regardless of a rocky start to his City career - conceding a penalty and getting sent off in 2-0 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League - Pellegrini persisted with his fellow Latin American and he helped City lift the title with terrific form in the closing months of 2013/2014 season. Demichelis' contract was not renewed at the end of the last season and is now at Espanyol.

Pep Guardiola shelled out £47.5m for Everton's John Stones to make the 22 year old the second most expensive defender in history. Guardiola is looking to build his side around players who are very comfortable on the ball having done so at Barcelona and Bayern Munich previously. Favouring to play the ball out of defence instead of launching it up field, John Stones fits the bill perfectly. His ball playing style will thrive under Guardiola, but how will his defending?

While Stones shows all the traits of an accomplished ball playing defender, he is still earning his trade, and regularly makes naive mistakes. In the closing stages against Stoke over the Christmas period, Stoke converted a penalty to defeat Everton 4-3 after a desperate challenge from Stones grounded Marko Arnautovic. Similarly, a week later against Spurs, the young centre half opted to perform several Cruyff-turns in his own six yard box with Son Heung-min breathing down his neck despite the animosity from the Park End faithful. To have the audacity to attempt this extravagant move a week after making a mistake shows the composed and nonchalant traits that will have attracted Guardiola to the defender. 

While Stones could be infuriating to watch at times, he did deliver some exceptional performances displaying the essence of a seasoned international defender. In the Capital One Cup first leg against Manchester City in January of this year, Stones kept the one-time Premier League Golden Boot winner and four-time player of the month, Sergio Aguero on a tight leash as Everton won the game 2-1, however succumbed to a 3-1 defeat in the second leg. Against Chelsea in September last year, amid succession of bids from the club, Stones delivered a cool performance that thwarted Diego Costa on many occasions as Everton recorded a 3-1 victory.

Comfortable on the ball, Pep Guardiola will hone is skills with the ball at his new club. His decision-making deficiencies may not improve, particularly if Guardiola's possession based game is executed appropriately but it is likely that Stones will find that he is under less pressure when in the blue of Manchester City. When City face quality opposition in the Champions League and the higher ranked sides in the Premier League, Stones' defensive capabilities will be carefully scrutinised. Stones will be an asset in the league, but is likely to encounter difficulties in the Champions League at first.

At City he will likely play a rotational role at first with Mangala and Otamendi, however he will quickly cement the spot beside Vincent Kompany when the Belgian returns from injury. He will definitely justify the price-tag, probably not with an immediate impact but as he progresses under the guidance of the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss. 

Pogba to United and Lukaku to Chelsea - has the world gone mad?

Paul Pogba has been linked with a return to Manchester United for the past three transfer windows, however it is only now that the rumours have gathered serious traction and a transfer bid of €100m looks imminent. Likewise Chelsea have been reported to have submitted a bid of around £60m to lure Romelu Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge. Obscene amounts of money for two players who were formerly of their respective bidding clubs.

At 23 years of age the Red Devils are paying for potential, a risky strategy that more often than not fails to bring the expected return. Manchester United have invested in potential before, Anthony Martial for £36m and in Cristiano Ronaldo for £12.24m which at the time was the most expensive teenager in English football history. Martial has shown glimpses of why United paid so much money for him while we already know the journey that Ronaldo went on. For other players it hasn't worked out, Bebe was signed for £7m despite Sir Alex Ferguson admitting that he had never seen the player play.

Not only are United embarking on a very ballsy plan, but is Pogba himself even committed to a return to Old Trafford? Earlier in the summer reports surfaced that the young French midfielder preferred a move to Champions League winners Real Madrid over a return to his old stomping ground. This jeopardised any move that Jose Mourinho wanted to make for the player, even after Zinedine Zidane cooled his interest in the player due to price tag yet the Manchester club seem undeterred.

With Pogba leaving United 4 years ago for less than £1m, the hit on Chelsea's bank balance will not be as great. Lukaku joined Everton permanently in Jose Mourinho's first season back in the English capital for a fee believed to be under £30m, now with a price tag of £60m, the sum of money does not look as bad.

Despite being labelled inconsistent, the Belgian striker has an impressive scoring record at such a young age, 119 club goals at just 23 years of age. Before their 23rd birthday, Thierry Henry had 57, Alan Shearer had 65, Luis Suarez had 77 and Cristiano Ronaldo had 97. It's very easy to see why Antonio Conte would be willing to pay such a high fee. A powerful and athletic player, it was rumoured that Lukaku would replace Diego Costa until the Spanish international's refuted those claims. No matter what team Lukaku plays in, he will score goals. 

Juventus splashed out €90m on Gonzalo Higuain to make him the most expensive South American footballer of all time while the transfer fee was the highest ever paid by an Italian team and also the highest of a player transferring within any domestic league. At 28 years of age, Juventus have got a player who is in his prime and will be likely to get at least 4 years out of the Argentine. Higuain seems a less risky piece of business and than the Pogba debacle, however transfer fees do not take a crippling injury into consideration.

Last season, Higuain fired Napoli to second position in the league, scoring 38 goals in the process. His goal record is incredible, scoring 121 goals in 264 matches for Real Madrid and 91 goals in 146 appearances for Napoli, whom he joined from the former in 2013. This transfer further strengthens the stronghold that the Old Lady has over her competition and the Scudetto title looks likely to be remaining in Turin for the foreseeable future.

I'm not the first person and certainly won't be the last to question whether clubs should be allowed to spend these sums of money. It creates a clear gap between the sides that can afford to splash the cash and those that don't have as much money in the bank, however Leicester proved that money was not everything last year. For me it strains the link between the supporters and the players and as a fan, I can find it hard to relate to any of the players on show.

Despite the Premier League becoming out of touch, transfer fees shouldn't necessarily be capped. Manchester United brought in £27.8m in broadcasting revenue, £65.8m in commercial revenue and also £29.8m in match-day revenue in the third quarter and nine months ended 31 March, equating to £123.4m. With the signing of Ibrahimovic ringing in £76m in shirt sales there is no doubt that United can afford to spend their cash lavishly.

The Paul Pogba deal has dragged on too long and most people are looking the saga to come to a swift end. Even if Pogba remains a Juve player, it is only a matter of time when the €100m mark will be broken.

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.

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.

Transfer Round Up #3

I'm back with another five transfers for you to take a look at. This one may not focus on the marquee signings, but I'd like to hear your opinions irrespective of your allegiance.

Raheem Sterling – Liverpool to Manchester City - £49m

I think everyone knew that Raheem Sterling’s departure from Liverpool was imminent, and it has finally happened. Manchester City’s need for English players did not help lower the price for the young winger. City are certainly paying for ‘potential’ and many people think that they have overspent. In a season of despair for Liverpool, Sterling was one of the stand out performers. He created the most chances for Liverpool with 75 and only Philipe Coutinho completed more take-ons (109). He was 2 goals behind their top scorer, Steven Gerrard and also two assists behind Jordan Henderson. City will be hoping for an improvement if he wants to stake a claim for a starting spot.

I have been focusing most of my attention on the marquee moves to the Premier League, so here are a few that have gone under the radar and could shine for their respective clubs.

Andre Ayew - Olympique Marseille to Swansea - free transfer

I was surprised at this capture by Garry Monk as I never thought that Marseille would let him go that easily. Having played the majority of his career in the south of France, Ayew became an ingrained name at the club. Completing 80% of his passes this season, Ayew will fit well into the mould that Monk is building in south Wales. He was at the forefront of Marseille’s early form which saw them lead the table in the early rounds, but eventually tail off. He scored 9 goals and created 18 chances this season. Garry Monk works his magic once again to seal this move, as the Ghanian international aims to boost Swansea’s quest for European football.

Dimitri Payet - Olympique Marseille to West Ham - £10.5m

Another player that was key for Marcelo Bielsa at Marseille is Dimitri Payet. There was outrage in France and the President of the French Football Association branded this as an ‘embarrassment’. There were suspicious rumours that Payet had gone behind Marseille’s back in order to force through a move to the London club anyhow, this is a terrific coup for the Hammers new boss, Slaven Bilic. Payet created the most chances (134) in Europe’s top five leagues last season. Similarly, only Kevin De Bruyne, Cesc Fabregas and Lionel Messi assisted more times than the French international. It is a very positive signing from West Ham and I cannot wait to see him play in the Premier League.

Gerard Deulofeu - FC Barcelona to Everton - £4.2m

Back for his second spell at Goodison, Deulofeu will be welcomed back with open arms after a tumultuous season for the Merseyside club last year. Gerard Deulofeu was a key component to the squad that Roberto Martinez assembled to guide Everton to their highest ever points tally the year before last. In that season, Deulofeu was successful with 44 take ons, more than any of the Toffee’s other forward options. This year however, they were unable to create chances and ultimately looked a shadow of themselves. The former Barcelona man scored 1 goal and created 14 chances in 12 league appearances on loan at Sevilla last season. Martinez has finally got his hands on the man that he wanted last year, and a man that can return Everton to the European stage.

Shinji Okazaki - Mainz to Leicester - £7.7m

Last in this issue is Shinji Okazaki. Despite failing to recruit the Japanese international in January, Leicester are finally able to land their man. Last season wasn’t the greatest for the 29 year old with 12 goals in 32 appearances. Currently he is the most prolific Japanese goal scorer in Bundesliga history and is third on the all-time goal scoring charts for the Japanese national team. Last year Mainz finished just below midtable, even though they narrowly missed out on European football the season before. Okazaki may not create fireworks that Payet, Deulofeu or Ayew will, but he will score goals and I see him doing a job similar to what Leonardo Ulloa did last season for the club.

It's very interesting to see how these players will fare in the Premier League. We know what Sterling will bring to City, and I do think he will get first team football. For the others, I'm looking forward to seeing them I'm action for their clubs. All have the potential to be wondrous signings if used correctly. I can't wait to see them in action.