Inter plot £40m raid on Arsenal & Liverpool

Inter Milan are thought to be willing to pay £40 million forArsenal and Liverpool target Eden Hazard

Interest in Arsenal and Liverpool target Eden Hazard is set to be stepped up – by Italian giant Inter Milan.

Talksport is reporting that the Nerazzuri are ready to gazump the Gunners and the Reds by testing Lille’s resolve with a bid of around £40million.

Arsenal were thought to have made a move for the Belgian international in the summer, but manager Arsene Wenger was put off by the asking price quoted.

Lille president Michel Seydoux recently said Hazard could leave if an offer upwards of £43million came in – a fee likely to put off famously thrifty Wenger.

Even Liverpool, who have been willing to pay inflated transfer fees in the past, seem to have been put off by the large numbers being asked.

Hazard had expressed a desire to leave the French champions in the summer, news that was expected to spark a bidding war among Europe’s top clubs.

The 20-year-old is considered one of Europe’s brightest young prospects and, should Lille fail to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages, a move could come sooner than next summer.

Inter look to have taken the initiative by indicating their willingness to come close to Lille’s valuation, though Real Madrid are likely to have some say in the matter.

Liverpool vs Manchester City

Liverpool should feel upbeat about their chance of toppling Premier League leaders Man City at Anfield this weekend, and they look decent value at 2.63 with bet365 and Betfred to do just that.

Kenny Dalglish‘s side continued their unbeaten run with a good solid performance to beat Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bride last weekend and ran out easy 3-0 winners over the Citizens when the two sides met in this fixture back in April.

It was a tactical triumph for Dalglish at The Bridge, and Craig Bellamy, Maxi Rodriguez and Luis Suarez linked together well and  always looked capable of scoring.

There must be a chance however that the gaffer will change things around a bit for this one and give Andy Carroll a start given that he netted two in the aforementioned 3-0 win over City.

He is an 8.5 shot with Boylesports and Paddy Power to open the scoring and that looks a bit of value given his proven ability to unlock the City defence.

However even better value could be the 3.5 on offer with Boylesports for him to score anytime in the 90 minutes. he is as short as 2.75 to do so with other firms and the Irish boys offer looks too big to ignore.

This does look like a game that has goals written all over it, and City are sure to be keen to bounce back from their 2-1 midweek defeat at Napoli in the Champions League where Roberto Mancini admitted they let in “two stupid goals”.

However for the first time this season they looked to run out of ideas when things didn’t go according to plan, and if Liverpool can keep it tight early doors and frustrate them a similar scenario could be on the cards.

The Reds certainly have players at their disposal who are capable of causing their back-line plenty of problems, and my idea of the outcome is a 2-1 for Kenny’s men.

That score line can be backed at a top priced 12 with Betfred and definitely looks worth a small interest.

Betfred also go a standout 1.67 about both teams scoring and that looks a solid bet for those that like to play odds-on.

Match Preview: Liverpool v. Chelsea

It’s back to Stamford Bridge for Liverpool as they seek progression to the semifinals of the League Cup for the first time since 2005. The timing of the fixture makes it challenging for both sides—for Liverpool, who’ve sent out strong squads in each of their three wins in the competition, it’s cause for serious questions about who and what we’ll see. Selection might not be as challenging for the hosts, as Andre Villas-Boashas opted to use squads with clear second-string and younger players, but regardless, it’s going to make for an interesting meeting.

It’s doubtful this one will look anything like Liverpool’s trip to West London last weekend, when they spent the first half on the front foot and pressured Chelsea relentlessly before getting the winner in the final minutes. That’s not to say Liverpool can’t come away with the win; rather, I think they have a really good chance at advancing, but I’m guessing they’ll go about it differently. Or they won’t and they’ll still win, and I’ll come off looking like a moron, as per usual.

Whoever it ends up being, they’ll face a Chelsea side with highly touted youngsters rounding out what’ll likely look like a reserve squad. Their first time out in the competition was plenty nervy, as they survived a missed penalty from Fulham early in the second half and the sending off of Alex to win in a shootout. Against Everton in the last round they managed a 2-1 victory despite another sending off—this time back-up goalkeeper Ross Turnbull—as Daniel Sturridge got the winner in the second half of extra time.

As mentioned, Chelsea have used a fairly predictable mix of backups and youngsters; Josh McEachran, Ryan Bertrand, Romelu Lukaku, and Oriol Romeu started in both wins, but it’ll be interesting to see what Villas-Boas does given Romeu’s inclusion on Saturday and the fact that Fernando Torres hasn’t made a start since the draw with Genk at the beginning of the month. I’d guess McEachran and Bertrand are locks in the midfield and left-back respectively, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Romeu and Lukaku were on the bench to start. Some combination of veterans round out the rest of their eleven, with Branislav Ivanovic, Paolo Ferreira, Nicolas Anelka, Salomon Kalou, and Florent Malouda all getting starts across the two matches, while John Terry (suspension) and Raul Meireles (cup-tied) are both ruled out.

For Liverpool:

Who starts for Liverpool?

Reina
Kelly Carragher Coates Aurelio
Lucas Spearing
Kuyt Maxi
Carroll Bellamy

—Steven Gerrard remains injured, and Jack Robinson, who would have at least made the squad tomorrow, is out as well. As Kenny Dalglish mentioned earlier in the day, though, it’s likely there’s a whole host of fitness concerns given the fact that barely 36 hours have passed since the draw with City at Anfield.

—The back line seems to be the only area where there’s a fairly predictable set, with Martin Kelly and Jamie Carragher certain to make their returns, and Sebastian Coates likely to get another start. Coates has played in two of the three matches so far, sparkling last time out against Stoke aside from the lapse in judgment that led to their opener. That leaves left back as the only question mark, and with Robinson injured and Jose Enrique yet to make an appearance in the competition, a possibly fit Fabio Aurelio is the best guess. Outside shot that he pushes forward to the midfield alongside Spearing, in which case I’d bank on Danny Wilson’s involvement.

—Spearing’s a near-lock to start, and his partner will either have to be Lucas or Charlie Adam. If it’s one of these two I’d guess Lucas, but it’d be nice to get him some rest on the front end of a four week stretch that sees Liverpool play six matches. Further forward I’m sure Maxi returns, and Dalglish will have Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing, or Dirk Kuyt to choose from. Given Kuyt’s inability to get tired, ever, I’d pick him, even though the other two might be just as likely.

—Andy Carroll’s got to start up front, and if Craig Bellamy’s ready to go, he’ll provide support either alongside or just off the number nine. A start for Luis Suarez would be suprising but not necessarily a complete shock—he’s started every League cup match so far and scored three in the competition, although for the amount of running he does, on the back of a busy summer, 48 hours just seems too short a recovery time.

What’s the most important factor for the Reds?

Dalglish has made no secret about how much importance he’s placed on this competition, and so far he’s been rewarded with three mostly solid displays. Tomorrow’s easily the biggest test, and regardless of who he ends up picking, and despite the fact that I don’t think they’ll approach it the same way they did last Sunday, they’ll need to continue to play confident, aggressive football. I think top to bottom, any eleven Dalglish picks can give Chelsea a run for their money. For all the inconsistencies that we’ve seen this season, the one thing we haven’t questioned is the commitment of whatever squad is selected, and that’ll need to continue tomorrow.

Right now there’s no listing for UK viewers, and Fox Soccer Plus is the only viewing option stateside, but I’m sure Australian supporters are basking in the sun, drinks in hand, waiting for their HD glory to appear. The rest of us will have to rely on streams, which will be linked in the matchday thread a few hours before kickoff. As usual, team sheets will follow shortly after as the opening whistle approaches.

So while it might be challenging for the squad, and yet another cock-up by the English footballing bureaucracy, this many matches in such a short period of time is something to be relished, particularly with the club seemingly on the up. See you all back here in a bit.

Arsenal €50m Playmaker Target Eden Hazard Set to Leave Lille

Lille president Michel Seydoux has placed a €50 million price tag on Eden Hazard, with the club admitting that no player is irreplaceable as the playmaker considers his future.

Hazard has been the subject of a great deal of transfer interest over the past year, and while Lille have fought hard to hold on to their star, Seydoux is now open to the idea of a deal if the price is right.

Chelsea have recently shown interest in Hazard, along with Real Madrid, but Arsenalhave been connected to the 20 year old for the long term, though a price as high as €50 million doesn’t even come close to the record that Wenger has spent on a player in his 15 years at the club.

“There is a real chance that he will stay at Lille if we have a good season and he still sees challenges here,” Seydoux told RTL.

“If we don’t do well, it’s probable that he will leave the club after this season as there’s plenty of interest.

“Will €50 million be enough? Nobody is irreplaceable and there are solutions for that kind of money.”

Arsenal will no doubt be unable to afford such a top price, but if the club are willing to bargain, Wenger could be set to make the biggest marquee signing for years with the Gunners.

But Lille may not be so willing to let Hazard head to the northLondon side, with the club still reeling from losing out on Park Chu Young at the last minute to Arsenal in the summer.

Park had already agreed to a deal in France, according to Seydoux, before he made the move to London, and the president described Wenger’s conduct in the matter as not very ‘elegant’.

Meanwhile, Lille currently still have Joe Cole on loan from Liverpool, and Seydouz has hinted that he may decide to keep the 30-year-old on a permanent basis if a deal with the Reds can be agreed to.

“It is not a certainty that he will leave us again at the end his contract. If he has a certain good feeling with Lille and we can make him an interesting offer… This is something that we will look into,” he said.

Chelsea’s defeat by Liverpool piles pressure on André Villas-Boas

• Manager insists he has Roman Abramovich’s backing
• ‘We have set out to build something new at this club’

André Villas-Boas said he still has the backing of Chelsea’s owner, Roman Abramovich, after his side’s defeat by Liverpool. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Reuters

André Villas-Boas has claimed he retains the support of the Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, after a third defeat in four Premier League matches cast his side further adrift in the title race.

The loss to Liverpool, confirmed by the former Chelsea player Glen Johnson’s late goal, condemned the London side to successive home league defeats for the first time in the Abramovich era to leave them 12 points off Manchester City at the summit. The team still appear riddled by defensive frailties and are now one of four clubs on 22 points, suggesting even their long-term place in the top four should be considered in doubt.

This club’s willingness to sack managers, particularly when future Champions League participation appears to be in doubt, was established with the dismissal of Luiz Felipe Scolari in February 2009 after seven months in the role. When asked if he was concerned about Abramovich’s lack of patience, Villas-Boas replied: “It’s not a question of the owner having patience. We have set out to build something new at this club, and the club is committed to taking on what we’re building into the future.

“The owner didn’t pay €15m [in compensation] to get me out of Porto only to pay me another fortune just to let me go again. Our commitment is towards the club and what we are doing in the future. We have enough talent to compete in all competitions, and that’s the perspective we take at the moment.”

Villas-Boas has lost twice as many points – 14 – from his first 12 league games in charge as Scolari did in 2008-09, though even with the club’s desire to reinvigorate the squad, the Portuguese is adamant this should not be considered a season of transition. “Given the dimension of our club, you cannot forget that your fans expect you to win titles. We have to respond to the confidence of the fans.

“There’s no running away from responsibilities. There’s no calling this a transitional period. We’re not asking for time to work. Our responsibility is to win trophies. We’re in four still, and we still have the possibility to win them. This has not been the brightest of starts for Chelsea in the Premier League in the last 10 years. It doesn’t look good being 12 points behind the leaders, and such strong leaders, too. But the belief is there. The December fixtures give us hope if we’re able to make the most of them.”

Liverpool have now won three successive games against this opposition for the first time since the early 1970s, with the visitors’ midfielder Charlie Adam dedicating the victory to the memory of Luca Jones, the five-year-old son of Liverpool’s reserve goalkeeper, Brad Jones, who died this week of leukaemia.

Kenny Dalglish has not lost in 12 matches as Liverpool’s manager against Chelsea, having prevailed here 1-0 last season, though he suggested this was a better display. “We scored twice as many goals, for a start,” he said. “We looked a better team, especially in the first half. Last year it was pretty defensive. This year, we stood up and stood against them.”

The visitors were able to capitalise on increasingly familiar, shaky Chelsea defending, with Petr Cech and Mikel John Obi at fault for the opener, and Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda bypassed by Johnson for the winner. Villas-Boas insisted he can restore solidity to the team with these personnel, despite opting against selecting Alex, who has appeared only three times this season in the league but featured in both of this side’s clean sheets, at Stoke and Blackburn.

There was criticism of David Luiz from the television pundit Gary Neville, with the former Manchester United player suggesting the Brazilian appeared to be “being controlled by a 10-year-old in the crowd with a PlayStation”. “Gary was a fantastic defender but I have nothing to say about his opinion,” Villas-Boas said. “It’s a stupid approach to an opinion, but if that’s the way he wants to take the game, that’s ridiculous.

“The amount of goals we are conceding is something that worries me, of course. But we trust our defensive organisation. It’s immense talent that we have at our disposal and we believe we’ll get it right. We need to organise ourselves a little bit better. At the moment we are, as players and staff, on a bad run and the perception is we need to win every game if we are to maintain a title challenge. The situation in the league may not be good for us. But it’s not impossible to turn it around. ”

Chelsea v Liverpool: five things we learned

André Villas-Boas is under increasing pressure while big-money signings are still struggling to settle at both clubs

Luis Suárez, the best of the big-money signings on show at Stamford Bridge, was in impressive form for Liverpool. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA

1 André Villas-Boas is already a manager under pressure

It was arguable that, given the summer transfer outlay, Kenny Dalglish should have come into this fixture as the manager under greater scrutiny. But in ensuring he has now gone 12 matches unbeaten against Chelsea while in charge of Liverpool he left the focus fixed on André Villas-Boas. The 34-year-old has never experienced toils quite this troubling in his fledgling managerial career. Chelsea had never lost successive home league games under Roman Abramovich’s ownership, though three defeats in four league matches is squeezing confidence at the club. Of course, Villas-Boas is charged with more than short-term success. He has to rejuvenate the team while the squad continues to evolve – transfer policy is aimed at more youthful recruits these days – which can only be a long-term project. He needs time to impose his ideas and make his influence properly felt. But Chelsea are understandably terrified of ever failing to qualify for the Champions League. Those fears did for Luiz Felipe Scolari in the winter of 2009, though the Brazilian dropped only seven points in his first 12 games in charge. The Portuguese has shed twice as many in the same time.

2 The days of Chelsea’s stingy defence are long gone

To suggest Chelsea are not as watertight as they once were is hardly revelatory. The runaround Arsenal administered here this month in plundering five proved as much, as does the sorry tally of two clean sheets in the Premier League to date all term. Yet this team are contriving to concede increasingly ridiculous goals. Petr Cech’s implausible throw to Mikel John Obi just after the half‑hour provided Liverpool with their opener, Charlie Adam’s snapped tackle and Craig Bellamy’s awareness duly cutting a swath through panicked defenders. The ease with which Glen Johnson glided past Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda for the winner was ridiculous. Chelsea may be experimenting with a more attacking approach but they have conceded 17 times in 12 games this season, two more than they did in the entirety of José Mourinho’s first season at the club. And Alex, a tower of strength in the blanks achieved at Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers in two of his three appearances this season, was not even in the 18-man matchday squad here.

3 Liverpool are still a work in progress

This was a result for Dalglish to savour, a victory to make the rest of the division sit up and take real notice. Yet, as his team contemplate a nine-match unbeaten run that has put them level on points with fourth place, there will be frustration at the wastefulness that has ensured Manchester City remain so distant at the top. Had Liverpool prevailed in matches they would have expected to win – most notably at home to Swansea City, Norwich City and Sunderland, but also even against Manchester United and Stoke City in games they dominated – they would be title contenders. Their unbeaten sequence suggests consistency, though that is deceptive. They are a team capable of startling results but they remain a work in progress. Even so, under Dalglish, the future feels decidedly bright again.

4 Big money arrivals are still to settle at both clubs

The dust has settled on the frenzied transfer dealings involving these clubs on the final day of the mid-winter window in January but Liverpool and Chelsea are still waiting to see any real return on their money. Andy Carroll and Fernando Torres began this match as £85m worth of substitutes, the pair granted a combined eight minutes to impress. Throw in Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing, who began on the visitors’ bench, and Raul Meireles among the home replacements at the start, and there are plenty of new arrivals waiting to settle. Yet it is the forwards’ toils that hog the limelight. Torres and Carroll have now contributed seven goals in 41 Premier League games between them since leaving their previous clubs. Villas-Boas had been quick to praise the Spaniard in the build-up to this contest with former employers, only to leave him out. That said much. As did the decision to introduce Daniel Sturridge at the break rather than the £50m record signing.

5 Yet there was one solid signing on deadline day

The best piece of business achieved on the eve of the closure of the January transfer window still feels as if it was Luis Suárez’s £22m signing from Ajax. The Uruguayan has concerns off the pitch, with a Football Association charge for racially abusing Patrice Evra hanging over him, but his form is impressive. He was at his best slipping Craig Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt, such willing runners, through Chelsea’s obligatory high line in the opening period with clever reverse passes aplenty. His involvement in the rat-a-tat of passes that pre-empted Maxi Rodríguez’s goal was almost inevitable. The striker was not involved in Johnson’s winner here, but that was bizarre: he feels integral to every attack this Liverpool team muster at present.

Barcelona Negotiations for Arsenal and Liverpool Target Eric Abidal Proving Stressful

The contract situation of Barcelona defender Eric Abidal is causing some stress within the corridors of power at the Camp Nou.

Abidal has been linked with both Arsenal and Liverpool in recent days, but the Frenchman’s first choice is still to remain at Barcelona if he can agree a new contract.

That has proven to be far from easy however and the situation is growing more pressing.

“I think that the negotiations for his new contract are stressing me more than the player”, commented Barcelona’s sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta.

“So, we’ll see how the situation proceeds”, added the former goalkeeping great.

The 32-year-old is a popular figure at the Camp Nou and coach Josep Guardiola is hoping a new deal can be signed between player and club.

Abidal signed for Barcelona in 2007 from Lyon.