Transfer round-up: Depay, Firmino, Sterling and more

So the transfer window is open, and some big deals have already taken place. I look at some of the ones that have gone through as well as the rumoured deals, and evaluate the impact that they could have.

Where better to start than the most recent transfer? Roberto Firmino will be joining Liverpool from Bundesliga side Hoffenheim subject to a medical. The Brazilian international is an attacking midfielder and is currently on international duty with his country at the Copa America.

Firmino in action for Brazil.

I believe that he is an exceptional player who is capable of winning games by himself, a bit like Phillipe Coutinho. Those two playing in tandem will be something to behold next season. 

He was also linked with Manchester United, and he racked up 10 assists in the Bundesliga last season. He currently has 4 goals from 9 appearances for Brazil, and struck 35 times for Hoffenheim during his time there. And for a reported £29 million, he could yet still prove to be a bargain.

Sticking with Liverpool, they have also signed James Milner, Danny Ings, Adam Bogdan and Joe Gomez from Manchester City, Burnley, Bolton and Charlton respectively. Manchester City were foolish to let Milner go in my view, especially considering the home-grown quota they now have to fulfil. But City's loss is Liverpool's gain, and Milner's experience and versatility could be missed at the Etihad next season.

Danny Ings is a good striker, but he isn't going to get in to the side ahead of a fully fit Daniel Sturridge. Not a bad player to bring off the bench though. Adam Bogdan has obviously been signed as back up, and Joe Gomez to be developed, both decent signings.

Moving on to Memphis Depay, Manchester United's new signing. Also a very good signing; top scorer in the Eredivisie last season with 22 goals, which isn't bad for a winger. He also added 6 more goals in Europe last year, bringing his total to 28 in all competitions. He's a great acquisition, and someone that Louis van Gaal knows very well, which can only benefit the team. He'll be joining an already formidable attack, and, like Roberto Firmino, should take to the league like a duck to water.

New Manchester United signing Memphis Depay.

As for the champions. Chelsea, their only foray into the transfer market was to sign young Brazilian Nathan from Atletico Paranaense, clearly for the future. They have been linked with Falcao, which should go through. as well as a move for Raheem Sterling, so we'll wait and see what happens with that, as I'm sure that will rumble on for the whole summer. They have sold Gael Kakuta to Sevilla, and loaned Christian Atsu to Bournemouth for the upcoming season, and we can expect more outgoings at Stamford Bridge.

One of whom is likely to be Petr Cech. The goalkeeper is on the verge of a move to Arsenal, with the two clubs reportedly agreeing a £10.9m fee for the Czech Republic international. Cech will become Arsenal's first signing of the summer, but will he be their last?

Sterling: Manchester bound?

Manchester City are yet to sign anyone, but have put a couple of bids in for Raheem Sterling, both of which have been rejected. It is not clear if they will come in with a third bid, with Liverpool holding out for £50 million. He is definitely a player that will improve Manchester City's chances of winning the title back, but isn't what they need. They need Paul Pogba in my view. If an English club sign him, then I think they'll have the upper hand in the title race. 

As for the rest of the league, Tottenham have been relatively active so far, strengthening their defence with the signings of Kevin Wimmer and Keiran Trippier from Koln and Burnley respectively. Everton have secured Tom Cleverley on a free, Aston Villa have signed Scott Sinclair on a permanent basis, as well as Micah Richards, and Southampton have signed Cedric from Sporting and Maarten Stekelenburg on loan from Fulham.

The newcomers have been active too, with Bournemouth signing Artur Boruc, Adam Federici, Christian Atsu (on loan) and Josh King for their first season in the Premier League. Watford have brought in Sebastian Prodl and Giedrius Arlauskis, and are likely to bring in Diego Perotti for a club record fee of £7m too, whilst Norwich have signed Graham Dorrans permanently after his loan spell last year, and secured his former West Brom team mate Youssouf Mulumbu too.

West Brom themselves have signed James McClean from Wigan, West Ham have got Pedro Obiang and Darren Randolph in, Stoke have signed Phillip Wollscheid permanently and taken in Danish goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard too. Crystal Palace, Leicester, Newcastle and Sunderland are yet to bring anyone in.

And the final team, Swansea, who, for me, have made the greatest signing so far by bringing in Andre Ayew on a free from Marseille. They have also signed Franck Tabanou and Kristoffer Nordfeldt too.

Roll on August!

Premier League 2014/15 Post-Mortem

So, that's it for another season. Chelsea are the champions, whilst Queens Park Rangers, Burnley and Hull City will be playing in the Championship next season. I look back at the season as a whole, evaluating each team and selecting a team of the season.

Chelsea - 1st - Rightful Champions

 

Chelsea looked like title winners from day one, and especially in pre-season with the signings of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas in particular. Add to that the returning Thibaut Courtois and a solid back four, as well as the man that would become Player of the Year in Eden Hazard, and you can see why they were favourites from the start. Jose Mourinho described his side in 2013/14 as "the little horse," highlighting the need to sign a striker in the summer, and they ended up with three - the aforementioned Costa, club legend Didier Drogba, and Frenchman Loic Remy. They didn't have a blip all season, and for a brief period, looked as if they could go the whole season unbeaten, with their first defeat coming at the hands of Newcastle in December. They wrapped up the League Cup, beating Tottenham in the final, gaining revenge on the 5-3 defeat they suffered at White Hart Lane at the turn of the year. Their only other league defeat was against West Brom last Monday, but that didn't matter as they had already wrapped up the title by then. 

All in all, a very successful season for Chelsea (minus the 4-2 home defeat to Bradford in the FA Cup), but what do they need to do next season and what should their targets be? I would suggest that they sign another forward to replace the outgoing Drogba, unless Mourinho feels Patrick Bamford is ready for the first team. A new goalkeeper is needed if Petr Cech is to leave too. As for their targets, obviously to retain the league, but I think the Champions League has to be the priority for the club next season after a disappointing campaign for all of the English sides.

Manchester City - 2nd - Poor signings cost the title
In my view, the outgoing champions did not strengthen well enough to retain the league title. Fernando, Bacary Sagna and Wilfried Bony in particular disappointed, whilst Eliaquim Mangala was a huge risk considering the fee of £32 million, and he made some costly mistakes this season. Frank Lampard was a good signing, obviously with his experience at the top level. I do not understand why they let Alvaro Negredo go. He was a huge threat the previous season and I am sure he would have been again this season, but they let him go to Valencia on deadline day. They still boasted the top goalscorer in Sergio Aguero, who in my opinion, is the best striker in the Premier League. They will be foolish to let both James Milner and Yaya Toure leave, especially to divisional rivals, as it would only make them weaker. They have to make a huge splash in the transfer market, somebody like Paul Pogba would help them challenge again.

As for Manuel Pellegrini, I think they need to stick with him. I believe they made a mistake in sacking Roberto Mancini when they did, but they need some stability and sacking the manager every time they don't win a trophy isn't going to get them that. They need to get to the quarter finals of the Champions League next season, and win a trophy.

Arsenal - 3rd - Well, it isn't 4th
As an Arsenal fan, I'm delighted with this season. Looking at it from a neutral's perspective though, it's probably the best that they could have expected to do. They still aren't seriously challenging for the title, and are a few signings off of doing that. Alexis Sanchez was a brilliant signing, as he took to the Premier League like a duck to water. Champions League qualification is assured for yet another season, as Arsene Wenger continues his impressive record. And with the FA Cup final still to come, it could be another triumphant end to the season.

Next season, I hope to see them challenging for the title, but if I'm being honest, I expect more of the same. Maybe one or two signings could change that though.

Manchester United - 4th - Back in the Champions League

 
The target this year for United was to get back into Europe's premier competition, which they have done. This season was a successful one for United, and with work already started on next season with the signing of Memphis Depay, expect United to challenge for the title next year. I think Louis van Gaal is a terrific manager, and he will deliver the title back to Old Trafford. It could be next year, if they get this summer right. He has said himself that it is a big summer, and I'm sure he will make the right signings.

Next season I think they need a trophy, and need to be challenging for the title. Expect them to come in the top two. It will also be interesting to see how far they get in Europe.

Spurs - 5th - More Europa League
Mauricio Pochettino is a manager that I like. I think he's done a great job this season, and 5th place is no mean feat. Harry Kane was obviously a big part of that, and he has blossomed under the Argentinian. Ryan Mason also enjoyed a breakthrough year, and we may perhaps see some more youngsters next season.

There needs to be a clear-out this summer though. Roberto Soldado, Emmanuel Adebayor and Vlad Chiriches should all go, and I would also question Federico Fazio. They have reportedly agreed a deal for Koln defender Kevin Wimmer, which is a decent signing. They have to keep Kane and Lloris, as well as Eriksen. I would also keep Lamela too.

Liverpool - 6th - Disappointing to say the least
I think everyone expected more after last season, but they perhaps overachieved. Selling Suarez was obviously a major factor, as well as Daniel Sturridge's injury. Poor signings contributed too, and the whole Sterling saga just put a large cloud on everything. The 6-1 defeat to Stoke on the final day summed up their season really. 

Steven Gerrard will be sorely missed, not just by Liverpool fans, but by all fans, and Liverpool need to fill that void somehow. Next season they need to improve, simple as. Keep Brendan Rodgers, and move forward.

Southampton - 7th - *clapping hands emoji*

Most people expected Southampton to struggle after the mass exodus in the summer, but they surprised everybody with their 7th placed finish, even their own fans. Ronald Koeman recruited well, bringing in his own players, and could still get in the Europa League if Arsenal win the FA Cup.

They have to keep Schneiderlin and Mane for next season. Toby Alderweireld could yet end up staying on the south coast, but that is unlikely. They also need to maintain their league position for next season, which is easier said than done. Top 10 next season for Southampton will be a good season.

Swansea - 8th - Garry Monk works miracles
Each year people expect Swansea have reached their peak. Brendan Rodgers earned plaudits for keeping them up in convincing style, playing attractive football, which caught the attention of Liverpool. Then came Michael Laudrup, who took them even higher and won the League Cup. Now Garry Monk's taken them to their best ever finish, and that's despite losing top scorer Wilfried Bony in January.

Next season could throw up anything with Swansea. Hopefully they maintain a top 10 finish. They also did the double over both Manchester United and Arsenal home and away, which goes to show the job Garry Monk has done. Their main priority has to be to keep him in charge.

Stoke - 9th - another record
Mark Hughes achieved Stoke's highest ever points tally this season, and the 6-1 win over Liverpool on the final day caps a terrific season. Mame Biram Diouf was in my opinion one of the most underrated signings of the summer, and they have a good core at the Britannia now.

Another top 10 next season for Stoke, maybe a cup run too would be welcomed by the fans.

Crystal Palace - 10th - Alan Pardew also works miracles

 
Pardew took over in January with Palace in the relegation zone, and his first game in charge was away to Dover in the FA Cup. A convincing 4-0 win set the tone for the rest of the season, which saw Palace play with a confidence and an attack that every defence feared, especially Yannick Bolasie.

They need to achieve a stable position next season, to make sure they become an established Premier League club.

Everton - 11th - "Blame the Europa League"
They did well last year, but failed to live up to those heights. It was a poor season for both top flight Merseyside clubs, but Everton did manage to pull away from relegation danger that they somehow managed to find themselves in earlier in the season.

Next season they need to be in the top half again. My guess would be that they need to aim for 7th.

West Ham - 12th - What could have been
The season started well for the Hammers, with them challenging for Europe. Andy Carroll even said at one point that they could win the title. Fast forward to the end of the season and they have managed to get into Europe, albeit via the Fair Play League, and they are left looking for a manager after Sam Allardyce's departure.

Next season sees their last at the Boleyn Ground, before their move to the Olympic Stadium. They need to get in a manager who settles in quick, and gets the players playing. With Europe too, they could struggle.

West Brom - 13th - All about Tony Pulis' cap

Tony Pulis came in to replace Alan Irvine, who was not suited to Premier League management. They gave him the task of keeping the Baggies in the Premier League, which he did, easily in the end. No surprise there, considering he has never been relegated in his managerial career.

Expect them to push up the table next season. Also expect some good signings.

Leicester - 14th - Yes, they finished 14th
They looked dead and buried, but proved everyone tipping them for relegation wrong with an incredible run towards the end of the season that secured their Premier League status. Despite that, their highlight of the season was probably the 5-3 win over Manchester United at the King Power Stadium. 

Next season, they have to keep Esteban Cambiasso first and foremost. Also, they need to stay up again.

Newcastle - 15th - Yes, they finished 15th

They made it hard for themselves, didn't they? They needed a win on the final day to stay up, and they duly obliged. Jonas Gutierrez scored the goal that secured their safety in what has to be the most heartwarming story of the season following his recovery from cancer. They actually finished above deadly rivals Sunderland, now who could have seen that coming?

Obviously they need to sort out their managerial position, and have a huge summer ahead of them. Top half next year? Maybe, maybe not.

Sunderland - 16th - Devil's Advocaat
I just wanted to make that pun to be honest. Gus Poyet was relieved of his duties, and Dick Advocaat was bought in to steer the Black Cats to safety, which he did. Two great escapes in two seasons. Nothing to really cheer about this season, remember they lost 8-0 to Southampton.

Advocaat has to decide whether he wants to stay on, and I suspect that they will be battling relegation again next season.

Aston Villa - 17th - Keep a struggling club in the Premier League and getting to an FA Cup final is second to none, you know, no-one's ever done that previously 
Another club that changed their manager midway through the season in the hope of survival, as Paul Lambert was replaced by Tim Sherwood, who kept them up and led them to the FA Cup final against Arsenal. He got the best out of Christian Benteke, and they will have a fight on their hands to keep him.

They are a big club, and need to be in a higher position than they are, which I'm sure Tim Sherwood will address next year.

Hull - 18th - Final day blues

A year where their main problem was scoring goals, which ultimately led them to relegation and a season of regrouping in the Championship. Robert Snodgrass was injured for the entire season, and strikers like Abel Hernandez and Dame N'Doye just didn't fire as much as they would have liked to.

Will Steve Bruce stay on? He could, but it will be difficult to immediately return to the Premier League. Having said that, Norwich managed it, so there is no reason why Hull can't manage it too.

Burnley - 19th - Expected
No one really gave a hope of Burnley staying up, with their only shining light being Danny Ings, who will depart in the summer. It was nice having them in the Premier League, and they did manage to beat Manchester City at home, and gain a creditable draw at the Etihad, and at Stamford Bridge too.

They need to keep Sean Dyche for next year, but I fear they may be in the Championship for a while.

QPR - 20th - Another failure
They did bring in good players, like Leroy Fer, but obviously something isn't working at QPR. A lot of their players will go in the summer, and hopefully Chris Ramsey will bring a steadiness to Loftus Road.

Could come back straight away, but in danger of becoming a yo-yo club.

AFC Bournemouth - 1st in Championship - Premier League first timers

 

An incredible season on the south coast, which saw Bournemouth promoted to the top flight for the first time. And they fully deserve to be there, and they have a very talented young manager in Eddie Howe.

Obviously the main task will be to stay up, as it will for the other promoted clubs. But if they can do that, then they could go on to establish themselves in the Premier League.

Watford - 2nd in Championship - Despite having FOUR managers
They've had a couple of near misses in the play-offs in the last few years, but they've finally made it back into the Premier League for the first time since the 2006/07 season. They started the season with Beppe Sannino in charge, and went through both Oscar Garcia and Billy McKinlay before settling on Slavisa Jokanovic, who led them to glory.

However, it looks like he could be on the way out, with Quique Flores expected to take charge. They also need to stay up next year, and hold on to Troy Deeney.

Norwich - 3rd in Championship - Play-off winners
Norwich beat Middlesbrough 2-0 at Wembley yesterday to seal an immediate return to the Premier League under young manager Alex Neil. It marks an impressive turnaround since he joined the club from Hamilton Academical as a relative unknown, but is now a Premier League manager.

They too need to stay up next year, and I think they have a good chance of doing just that.

My team of the season:
GK: De Gea
RB: Ivanovic
CB: Terry
CB: Cahill
LB: Bertrand
RM: Hazard
CDM: Matic
CAM: Rooney
LM: Sanchez
ST: Aguero
ST: Kane

Big city lights don't bother me

Despite growing up nowhere near London, and having no affiliation with it whatsoever, I support Arsenal. I don’t have any family that support them. Why do I? Because they are the first team I watched on TV, and fell in love with them. But I grew up in Northampton. Which means, naturally, I hold a soft spot for them too. And since I’ve moved away, that spot has increased.

I’ve been to a number of Cobblers games, and if you don’t know them, they are one of those teams that will rarely do anything for a couple of years, then suddenly have a decent season, as was the case two years ago before last season’s flirtation with relegation (that rhymes). They are the Walsall of League Two, if you will. What a drab comparison that is.

Their recent moment in the spotlight was defeating Liverpool at Anfield in the League Cup on penalties in 2010. The respective managers that day: Roy Hodgson and Ian Sampson. One currently manages England, the other resigned from Corby Town. I’ll let you figure out which is which. David N’Gog played (and scored) that game, too. Remember him? It’s rare that Northampton get any glory, but when they do, they get it at Anfield. That Abdul Osman, he silenced the Kop.

Since then however, it has been League Two mediocrity. I remember back in about 2007, when they briefly climbed into League One and were playing the likes of Leeds United and Nottingham Forest. In fact, in 2007/08, they finished 9^th in League One, and Bournemouth got relegated to League Two. How times have changed.

I went to the Forest away game in 2007, when Northampton lost 1-0. It was my first away game, even though I was in the Forest end. I went to the play-off final in 2013, when the Cobblers were completely outplayed by Bradford and got destroyed, losing 3-0. That was only my second game that season.

The season after (ie last season), I didn’t go to a single Northampton match. I don’t know why. Really, I don’t. Last season was when I went to a really random selection of matches (Wigan vs Zulte Waregem in the Europa League, Manchester City vs Watford in the FA Cup, Scunthorpe vs York on the final day of the League Two season). It was a year that Northampton struggled, just avoiding relegation out of the Football League on the final day. Phew.

This year however things have changed. I’ve moved up north to Huddersfield to attend university. And I miss Northampton. It’s home. Don’t get me wrong, Huddersfield is great, and the team is in the Championship, something the Cobblers could only dream of at the minute. But it isn’t my local team. It never will be.

Other people on my course, and they’ve come from Scunthorpe, Rotherham, Derby, Peterborough. They all support their local sides. And when we go to our lecture on Monday, it’s always “good result for Northampton at the weekend” or “bad result for Northampton at the weekend,” and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love to talk about them. I’ve even managed to go to a game this season, going to Mansfield away on John Joe O’Toole Day. I haven’t been to a home game yet, but when I’m home over Easter, it is my number one priority. And I cannot wait.

Northampton Town I’m proud to be.

Pros and cons of: Rickie Lambert for England

After England's drab 0-0 in Ukraine yesterday, question marks have been raised about Rickie Lambert's ability to lead the line for England. I weigh up the pros and cons of selection the Southampton forward.

PRO: He's in form

It always bugs me when a player is called up purely on their reputation. Take James Milner for example. Yet to start a game for Manchester City this season, but Roy Hodgson insists on selecting him for his squad, and playing him too. Andros Townsend would have been a better choice to play, being more direct and, bringing it back to the title, in form. Lambert's performed admirably during Southampton's current tenure in the Premier League and faces his biggest task this season, to be able to compete with other quality strikers for a place in the team after his side's acquisition of Roma and Italy striker Dani Osvaldo/Johnny Depp for a club record fee. His battle is made even greater considering that Mauricio Pochettino has previously worked with Osvaldo at Espanyol, and is therefore likely to favour him to Lambert, but with Lambert being in form, he can continue to lead the Southampton line. Maybe not the England line, except when it's against Moldova. At home.

CON: He's too old

Rickie Lambert is 31 years of age. I know there are older players in the England setup, ie Gerrard and Lampard, but 31 is quite old to suddenly break into the England team. Can he do a job? Yes, yes he can but he doesn't have the pace that other strikers like Danny Welbeck and Danny Sturridge have, and he's no Wayne Rooney, but then again, nobody is. Let's say that there are no injuries in the England camp. The four strikers that I would pick, permitting that they are playing regularly, would be Rooney (27), Sturridge (24), Welbeck (22) and Defoe (30). Despite Defoe being the elder statesmen of the four, Rooney is the most experienced at international level. All of their international careers started very early on in their lives, with Rooney earning his first cap at 17, and Defoe when he was 21. Some strikers in recent years have only managed one cap after being selected late on in their careers, most notably Kevin Davies and Bobby Zamora, and who could forget Jay Bothroyd. Maybe Lambert can buck the trend.

PRO: He brings more qualities to the team

He can pick out a pass like it's nobody's business. He can hold the ball up too. And most importantly, he can score. 2 in 3 for England so far only begins to tell the story of his qualities. His penalty record is phenomenal. 32 from 32 for Southampton so far, something England badly need in a tournament, is a convincing penalty taker, and that's what Lambert is. He's used to playing as the prominent striker at Southampton, so can hold the ball up and bring his team-mates into play, but doing it when the pressure's really on at international level is a different ball game. Andy Carroll can do the same thing for England and West Ham, has more experience, and is younger too. But Rickie Lambert has a cooler name. And a better range of passing, which could prove to be vital in his quest for selection.

CON: He plays for Southampton

I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with that. I rate Southampton's chances this season, they're my dark horse. However, the pattern has been down the years that England will only pick players that play for Manchester United and City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Everton and Liverpool, basically the big teams, and Everton. Just look at Adam Johnson. An England regular whilst at Manchester City, regardless of if was playing or not, before moving to Sunderland in search of first team football, and hasn't figured in the England team since his move. Peter Crouch said that he still hopes to regain his place in the England team as a Stoke City player. Good luck with that Pete mate. It'll be interesting to see what happens with Stewart Downing after his move to Upton Park, because his England career has been on the back-burners for a year or so. Lambert will have to have a similar or even better campaign than last year to try and claim a place in the World Cup squad, permitting that we qualify. I mean, he was the only outfield player in the squad to play Moldova and Ukraine that didn't play for the clubs mentioned above. Sort it out Roy. Lambert for England?