ROB SHEPHERD: Mario Balotelli has made it clear he wants to join
Arsenal. The striker is furious he has been blamed for Italy getting
knocked out of the World Cup.
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2 videos
Mario Balotelli desperate to force through move to Arsenal from AC Milan
- Mario Balotelli wants to join Arsenal
- Southampton want Oscar Borg from West Brom
- Radamel Falcao looks set to join Real Madrid
- Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are not the future for England
- Liverpool are right to be cautious over Luis Suarez
Published:
22:24 GMT, 28 June 2014
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Updated:
12:16 GMT, 29 June 2014
Mario Balotelli has made it clear he wants to join Arsenal.
The striker is furious he has been blamed for Italy getting knocked out of the World Cup.
He
was always set to leave AC Milan this summer but he is now convinced,
not least because he feels he is a target for ‘ultras’ racists and
despite problems he encountered in the Premier League while at
Manchester City, he recognises that England is more cosmopolitan –
especially London.
VIDEO Scroll down for Mario Balotelli: I don't want to be the World Cup star
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On the move? Mario Balotelli wants to join Arsenal after a disappointing World Cup with Italy
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Home: Balotelli is back in Italy after a disastrous World Cup in Brazil with his national team
Balotelli
wants to force a deal through with Arsenal next week because he is
worried the Gunners have other striker targets in mind, such as Real
Madrid’s Alvaro Morata.
Southampton,
who sold 18-year-old Luke Shaw to Manchester United for £27million plus
add-ons, could snap up 16-year-old left back protegee Oscar Borg from
West Ham.
Borg is yet to sign as a scholar for the Hammers but would cost the Saints around £220,000 under academy compensation rules.
Real Madrid have pulled out of the race – first revealed in the Football Grapevine – to outbid Barcelona for Luis Suarez.
Instead,
Real are poised to sign Colombian Radamel Falcao – who has missed the
Word Cup through injury – from Monaco in a £60million deal.
That could see Madrid drive down Suarez’s fee significantly.
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Moving on? Luis Suarez (left) and Radamel Falcao (right) could join Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively
Uruguayan
Edinson Cavani, currently of Paris St Germain, will come back on the
radar of Manchester United if Wayne Rooney does not agree to how Louis
van Gaal wants to utilise him.
It is understood Van Gaal is set to play hard-ball with Rooney as a statement of intent of who is charge at Old Trafford.
Fernando
Torres wants to stay at Chelsea and Frank Lampard may even offer to play
for the club rather than go ‘on loan’ to QPR ahead of playing for New
York City in the MSL.
Tottenham believe they will sign Swansea left-back Ben Davies when the transfer window opens on July 1.
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In the market: Tottenham want to sign Swansea's Ben Davies (right)
iSay
This week there is really only one thing to say.
Despite some terrific games, goals and excitement, professional football no longer feels Jogo Bonito – the beautiful game.
Allegations of FIFA corruption, bungs for betting syndicates and a player assaulting a fellow professional for no reason.
There is an old newspaper saying: Dog bites man, no story. Man bites dog, big story.
But,
far from losing his livelihood or even liberty, Suarez arrived back in
Uruguay following his ban after an unprovoked assault on Italian Giorgio
Cheillini hailed as a national hero.
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Banned: Luis Suarez was handed a four-month suspension for biting Giorgio Chiellini
Indeed, he can look forward to a pay rise if a move to Barcelona goes through.
Sometimes justice and morality around modern football seems to be upside-down.
After
all his grandmother has been quoted as saying the FIFA ban was
‘barbaric’ and he has been treated like a, er, ‘dog’ as if HE has been
the victim of rough, rough justice.
Talk about barking.
Libero
Roy Hodgson clings onto Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, but how can they possibly be the future?
Both of them have been great players. And top blokes, too.
But
the fact is that, either as a partnership or in their own right, for
all their caps they have not influenced their country as they have done
their respective clubs.
Yet, misguidedly, Hodgson thinks Gerrard and Lampard can help bring the Young Lions on.
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Time to move on: Frank Lampard (left) and Steven Gerrard have yet to decide on their England futures
Yes,
having some experience in the middle of the park would help Ross
Barkley, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and, possibly, Ravel Morrison.
So
why not look to West Ham’s Mark Noble and Hull’s Tom Huddlestone? They
are both 27 and were both magnificent midfield leaders for their clubs
last season.
Back Heel
Luis Suarez has moved into No 1 position for the most outrageous incident on the pitch at a World Cup.
And
the previous worst? Well, not his ‘Hand of God’ incident at the last
finals, nor Diego Maradona’s in 1986, and not even the Antonio Rattin
turn out in 1966.
The spat between Dutchman Frank Rijkaard and German Rudi Voller at the 1990 finals was vile.
BTW
In a week when football has been in moral maze – some might argue malaise – let’s not forget the positive power of the game.
Tony
Adams, Joe Cole, Gary Mabbutt and Nigel Winterburn were among ex-stars
who, on Friday night, added their weight to support Refuge Week – a
charity connected to Olympic hero Mo Farah.
Stop Press
A
Dutch aerospace engineering company, Ruimtevaartbedrijf SXC, have said
that if Holland win the whole thing, they will fly the squad and manager
Van Gaal into space.
It brings a new dimension to the old cliche about being ‘Over The Moon.’
FOTB
It’s
understandable why Liverpool have kept their foot on the ball and not
responded to the Suarez situation until they have seen the fine print.
Last time around, the club’s knee-jerk reaction backfired.
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What next? Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool must decide what to do about Suarez
But it’s not as if Liverpool are close to taking a moral stance.
They want to maximise a commercial asset.
Condemning Suarez would only result in his transfer fee plummeting even more.
Liverpool wanted £100million but now think they can still get £80m despite all the baggage.
That’s how the business of football has become – even for a club with such strong views on morals.
Y-Factor
Why does the FA think a proper post-mortem into the debacle in Brazil is not required?
Why is Hodgson, who has presided over dire showings at two tournaments, seemingly fire proof?
The
answer is, for all the so called modernisation at the FA, the ‘blazers’
in charge want a yes man who ticks the boxes rather than a man who
would tear up some trees.
I-bet
Robin Van Persie is 20-1 to score a hat trick against Mexico with Coral.
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All smiles: Robin van Persie will be looking to add to his World Cup tally against Mexico
Ainda dependente da genialidade do craque Neymar,
seleção brasileira entra em campo neste sábado para sua primeira partida
de mata-mata; na comissão técnica, Felipão tem problemas e o maior
deles é a possível ausência do zagueiro David Luiz; “Mesmo que a gente
tenha experiência... no primeiro jogo eliminatório é normal que a gente
tenha algum incômodo, alguma ansiedade, principalmente quando se começa a
fase de mata-mata, que a gente não pode perder”, disse Felipão em Belo
Horizonte; Chile promete marcar sob pressão desde o início
acompanhe…
