This is already setting itself up to be one of those tedious transfer sagas that span the entirety of the summer window. This time, however, Arsenal won’t mind the seemingly endless wait if the end result is Cesc Fabregas back at the club.

Arsenal tried to justify the sale of Robin van Persie to Manchester United as “football reasons.” They still haven’t really cleared that one up. They’re fortunate, and quite clever, that they managed to land on a conclusion that leaves so many people bewildered that they could quietly slip out the door while their “football reasons” stewed among supporters.

I can’t really fathom the idea that too many good players can be detrimental. To add to that, it’s even more baffling why clubs wouldn’t acquire players with a specific skill set in order to properly execute a style of play.

Let’s be honest, Arsenal haven’t played that brand of football for a long time. It’s the style that Arsene Wenger introduced to Highbury and carried over to the Emirates that brought about so much admiration from supporters and neutrals. Yet it’s been back to basics for Arsenal this past season, relying on their defence to get them over the line and more or less abandoning the brand of football that was associated with Fabregas.

Can there really be a danger in bringing Fabregas back to Arsenal? Well, yes. The hope from supporters, naturally, would be that the player would just continue where he left off from the last time. The facts are that this current Arsenal squad – and let’s not forget those marquee signings the supporters have been promised – is vastly different from the one Fabregas left in 2011. The weight of importance has been shifted elsewhere in the team and compatriot Santi Cazorla takes up much of the creative responsibility on the pitch. Furthermore, following that round of contract renewals midway through this past season, it’s a club that have found their new flag bearer for the long-term future.

So why even bother to bring in Fabregas when the club look well-stocked for midfielders in that mould? Well again, you don’t pass up an opportunity to sign a player like Fabregas when he becomes available. It’s not too far off to say that the former Arsenal captain is a once-in-a-lifetime player. In fact that’s quite accurate.

Throwing Fabregas into the mix at the Emirates offers that depth of quality that the club have been lacking since the days at Highbury. For the first time, a matured Fabregas would have the supporting (or surrounding) cast that he’s been deserving of at Arsenal. It doesn’t matter what’s gone on at Barcelona: at Arsenal he could and should once again become the focal point of the team, with or without the armband.

But why is there so much questioning of this potential signing? If we’re going down this route with Fabregas and asking whether it could be detrimental to the other players in the team, isn’t that question equally valid for any other potential signing the club make? Oddly, it seems to take on that frustrating stance Wenger used to hold, the “I’d end up killing Denilson if I bought in another player,” approach. You don’t need that it sports. It’s completely counterproductive and makes no sense.

What should be explored here is the impact Fabregas would have on Wilshere. We’ve seen small glimpses at how well Wilshere, Cazorla and Mikel Arteta combine in the Arsenal midfield. It’s slight hints of the football that should be on display at the Emirates, not just because of the ticket prices but because it’s become an overwhelming trait of the football club. Barcelona buy players that fit into their ethos and complement their traditions, so why shouldn’t Arsenal do the same?

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There’s a sense of continuity, irony and ignorance at those who seek to question the possibility of Fabregas back at Arsenal. It’s the same questioning that warred against his move to Barcelona in 2011, fuelled mostly by bitterness. The fact that much of what was expected eventually came to pass isn’t enough to merit a pat on the back; even with those questions as to where Fabregas would fit in at Barcelona, surely no one believed that what they were saying would actually play out.

But just like Barcelona, and just like Arsenal in 2003, there’s a reason why the north London club are looking at the same player 10 years on. It doesn’t need immediate vindication, it just needs a small group to believe that it’s right for the football club; the rest will follow.

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It has been a quiet summer on the transfer front for new man David Moyes at Manchester United. He has often been seen flirting with the possibility of a big name capture for the Premier League club, but as yet nothing appears to have materialised. By contrast, reports have been rife linking star forward Wayne Rooney with a potential move away from Old Trafford.

Is Moyes’ reluctance to sell borne out of a fear of an inevitable PR storm?

The Scot is definitely learning things the hard way on the transfer front. Used to a shoe-string budget under Bill Kenright at Everton, the abundance of riches at United must now have come as something as a shock.

He has been stung by a series of transfer snubs and poorly handled approaches that have undermined his managerial credibility already. Yes it is incredibly early to start criticising his regime, but the reality is time doesn’t stop for Moyes here and this summer has already been fraught with disappointment.

His suggestions that he would let Baines and Fellaini go if he was still Everton manager shows that the Scot has a lot to learn:

“I definitely do but I also know that if I’d been Everton manager and Sir Alex had come asking for Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini, I’d have found it very difficult to keep them because I always felt the right thing to do was what was right for the players.”

This was coupled with a derisory offer that was quickly laughed off by the ‘toffees’, a bid that was unlikely to secure one of their stars and clearly not two of them.

United fans have been showered by sponsorship announcements this summer, but left totally bereft of news regarding player acquisitions.

So was Moyes’ insistence on holding onto Wayne Rooney simply a means to retaining some of his credibility this summer?

The loss of Wayne Rooney to a Premier League rival would have been a fans worst nightmare. Whatever you think about Rooney, his goal scoring record at United speaks for itself and a few more years at the club and he is fast on the way to achieving something close to legendary status.

Mourinho has already blamed Moyes for the spiralling transfer debacle saying:

“We are trying to get a player that the manager told ‘you will be a second option’. We are not going for (Robin) van Persie.”

Clearly the blame for the loss of Rooney would fall most heavily on Moyes, something that he just cannot afford to bear at this current moment.

Gary Neville shared a similar view reflecting on Monday Night’s performance, having the following to say to Sky:

“Clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United have got to be strong. If they don’t stand strong then we’re done, finished and we might as well all pack in. I don’t think they’re going to sell Wayne Rooney in this next week because it will make them look weak – and they’re not weak.”

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In what has been a summer of intense transfer frustration for United, surely losing Rooney to a divisional rival would have not only made Moyes look weak but the club as a whole as well. This is something that an institution like Manchester United just will not let happen.

It may not seem desperate yet, but the coming weak could prove to be crucial for the success of Moyes’  tenure at United. The club have the same squad that won them the title last year, but for someone carving out a new era at the club this simply isn’t enough.

The need for a marquee signing is more a political statement now than it is a footballing one for Moyes. Whilst retaining Wayne Rooney saved his dignity in the short-term, the capture of a world-class name is paramount for Moyes’ reputation going forward.

Mesut Ozil was already a name touted, but today he has reasserted his desire to stay at Madrid. Who is next on the agenda for Moyes and United now? Whoever it is, Moyes definitely needs to firmly stamp his mark on playing personnel before the window shuts or the pressure on him will only ramp up.

Who should United make their marquee summer signing this week?

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake has joined Ipswich Town until the end of the season and we are all wondering what kind of impact he will make.

The former Plymouth striker has not come to Suffolk to warm the bench and he will be one of the higher paid players at the club. Once he is fully fit he should be able to hold down a starting position in the side with ease as he is a consistent goalscorer at Championship level. However, the question many are asking is; how will he fit into the side?

From what I have seen and heard of Ebanks-Blake I believe he needs the right type of striker alongside him to get the most out of him. I have my doubts as to whether a front two of Ebanks-Blake and David McGoldrick would work well, it seems far more likely that the new man would benefit from playing alongside Daryl Murphy.

If that is the case, then Mick McCarthy will have some very difficult decisions to make regarding his starting line-up. The Ipswich boss will need to decide whether he is better off dropping McGoldrick to the bench or playing two strikers that might not work well together. Another alternative will be to play all three strikers in a 4-3-3 or possibly rotate the strikers regularly depending on the opposition.

However, Ebanks-Blake won’t be fully fit until the end of January and the obvious decision will be to only use him as a substitute early on anyway.

It would be unfair to expect a lot from the clubs new man in January and February as he been out of action for so long. I am expecting the former Wolves striker to not be at his best until later on in the season.

Obviously it is difficult to know what to expect as a lot will depend on how the player has been looking after himself whilst injured. When a long-term injury hits, some players go off the rails and never get back to their best whilst others bounce back straight away.

Another issue worth addressing is that of the other strikers at the club and the wage structure. It is safe to assume that someone will have to leave the club in order to finance this deal and even if they did not need to, the club would struggle to give all their strikers enough playing time to keep them happy.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Jack Marriott went back out on loan in January and one of the clubs back-up strikers will probably leave permanently. Frank Nouble has been progressing well and has actually forced his way back into the starting line-up of late, so I can’t see him leaving.

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The likely option will be to sell Paul Taylor as the former Peterborough man will be on first team wages and has hardly featured at all when he has been available.

Despite any negatives, the great aspect of this deal is that Ebanks-Blake has only been signed until the end of the season. To me it seems like this puts the Tractor Boys in a good position to get the best out of the situation come the end of the season.

If Ebanks-Blake flops completely or gets another long-term injury then we only have to pay him until the end of the season. On the other hand if he hits some good form then the club are in a solid position to retain him for the following season. Everyone involved in this deal deserves a lot of credit because what ever happens it is a win win situation for the club.

Tottenham were the standout spenders in the summer transfer window. Buoyed by the riches of the Gareth Bale deal, they smashed their own transfer record three times over in a summer of unprecedented expenditure by the North London club.

The Premier League outfit have been decent if not always mesmerising this term and while AVB will be pleased with the business he has been able to do so far, he will also be aware of the need to keep the momentum going.

Tottenham are a team in transition and if you cant accept that then you are only likely to be disappointed in the near future. The likes of Soldado, Lamela and Paulinho are all world-class faces who will all key to the AVB ‘project’, but whose importance shouldn’t be judged on a handful of games. Spurs are a club who should be looking towards success in the next 2-4 years rather than pinning all their hopes on glory next May.

The combination of AVB, Levy and Baldini has enabled Spurs to establish what I consider to be one of, if not the deepest squad in the Premier League. The so-called second-string side would hold their own against almost any team and are consistently proving in the Europa League and League Cup that they have the ability to keep the club fighting on all fronts.

For Spurs though this isn’t just a question of bedding in and giving themselves a bit of time to settle, I still think the club are one or two players short.

The main area of concern are the wing-backs, where the club possess two exceptionally gifted young talents but lack any real experience. Kyle Walker and Danny Rose could well become two of the best wide men in the country, but for a club like Spurs you just cannot afford to weigh all this expectation upon them. Potential injury and loss of form should press AVB towards reinforcing this area come January. It wasn’t particularly surprising that the club were linked repeatedly to both Federico Balzaretti and Fabio Coentrao last summer, and it is my expectation that they will again go into the market for a left back primarily.

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The name on most people’s lips is Leighton Baines, who continues to impress at both domestic and international level. Disciplined in his defensive positioning, Baines also has a wand of a left foot which when you consider the firepower that Spurs possess in attack, wouldn’t really go amiss. But this isn’t just a question of bringing in someone to replace Rose, it is also someone for the youngster to understudy and I cannot see anyone better suited to this role than Baines.

A big question though is how can Spurs finance these kind of deal, considering Baines alone will set the club back upwards of £15m?

The thing a lot of people forget is that Spurs effectively broke even in terms of transfer spending over the summer, the sale of Bale as well as Parker, Dempsey and Huddlestone left the club on sound financial footing. A clearance of a lot of unnecessary deadweight from the wage bill has actually seen the club increase it’s spending capacity rather than reduce it ahead of the January window. Add to this the rumoured investments of reclusive owner Joe Lewis, and you can start to imagine Spurs spending just as significantly come the turn of the year.

So what else do Spurs really need?

A series of injuries have ravaged the career of defensive stalwart Younes Kaboul whose offer of a new contract appears largely up for debate. Dawson whilst a club legend is still defensively suspect, and these two reasons alone point to the need for a ready-made defensive investment come the spring.

The striker issue has been a seemingly endless debate with most happy to accept Soldado as first choice, but many still concerned with Adebayor and Defoe as replacements. I personally think Adebayor if fit and firing is as potentially destructive as any frontman in the League, but still AVB will no doubt look to reinforce. Overtures have already been made to Loic Remy and I fully expect Spurs to look to re-enter the striker market in one way or another.

I doubt we will see the level of summer spending replicated again from Spurs this January, but  the club do need to approach the window with exactly the same level of intent.

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This time round it will be more tweaks than a revolutionary overhaul, but that said this window could be just as influential for Spurs going forward as the last.

Do Spurs need to keep the transfer momentum going?

Let us know what you think in the comments

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As embattled Swansea prepare to take on  Cardiff in the South Wales derby, the Betfair Belief Barometer – based on Cash Out data from the season so far – shows that their fans may be losing the faith in their side to close out results.

Behavioural analysis of the Cash Out data shows that nearly 7,000 Swansea fans on Betfair (9.9%), or nearly a third of the Liberty Stadium, have ‘Cashed Out’ on their team before the end of the game.

In comparison only 4,000 Bluebird supporters on Betfair (8.9%) have Cashed Out on their team before a game has finished, despite them languishing in the relegation zone.

Cardiff fans faith in their team is likely to be accentuated further with new loan signing Wilfried Zaha likely to start this weekend’s derby. He lifted the Bluebirds off the bottom of the Premier League by inspiring a vital 2-1 win over Norwich on his debut from the bench last weekend, and with him starting fan faith will surely continue to rise.

In comparison, the Swans may be feeling a little blue for this weekend’s clash after the sacking of manager Michael Laudrup. The club have been feeling the increased pressure of late, having won just one of their last 10 Premier League games.

In a further twist, additional Betfair data – from their ‘sell your star’ research – also revealed that the average fans would sell Swansea’s Michu for is £14m, despite the fact he was touted as a £30m+ player last season before his poor form this season.

Meanwhile 63% of Cardiff fans stated they would swap midfielder Gary Medel for a change back to their traditional blue home kit.

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Betfair Spokesman Barry Orr commented today: “Swansea could really do with Delia Smith’s “twelfth man” at the moment, but Betfair data indicates fans are starting to lose the faith. Our Cash Out data is starting to give really interesting insights on the confidence of club’s fans throughout a season.”

Betfair’s Cash Out product uses an algorithm to offer those who have placed bets on a team the chance to take a reduced amount of their winnings before the game has finished – a true test of a fan putting their money where your mouth is and the belief they have in their team to see out a result.

Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood has praised his side’s character after coming back from 2-0 down to beat Southampton 3-2 at White Hart Lane, Telegraph reports.

The Saints scored two early goals courtesy of Jay Rodriguez and Adam Lallana, but Spurs bounced back with a Christian Eriksen brace before Gylfi Sigurdsson fired an injury time winner.

And Sherwood said that he delivered a measured half-time speech in hopes of inspiring his side, and the players responded in spectacular fashion.

Denmark’s Christian Eriksen, who put the game level for the Lilywhites, said: ““I think we showed we are playing for the manager.

“We got a little speech at half-time and in the second half we were new guys.

“We try to play like the manager wanted, we showed it way more in the second half than the first half.”

When prompted what Sherwood told his players, he replied: “I can’t tell you everything, but it wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t ranting and raving, it was considered. It was measured, what I had to say to them.

“A lot of people said ‘now see his players, see what they want to do now, see if they’re going to turn it in.

“They ain’t turned it in, have they? You have to admit that against Arsenal we deserved to win the game or at least get a point. Then we go away against all odds, against Benfica, and we’re gutted that we haven’t progressed to the next stage. We should have done, but we never.

“Let me tell you, it’s harder to come from 2-0 down at home, than it is to come from 2-0 down away from home. Unless you’ve played the game, you don’t understand that.

“It’s an expectancy. It takes guts, character, spirit, to be able to do that and we showed that today. Brilliant.”

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Southampton’s Mauricio Pochettino however believes his side should have been given a free-kick when Nacer Chadli tackled Dejan Lovren in the build up to Eriksen’s first goal for Tottenham.

“We went up 2-0, were controlling the first half and their first goal came from a clear foul, which should not have stood,” said Pochettino. “There were some refereeing decisions which did not go our way and we deserved more from the game.

“It’s clear we made some mistakes that are difficult to accept and we need to improve individually.”

Arguably the most enchanting story of the 2014 World Cup so far has been the journey of the U.S. Men’s National Team as they defied the odds, escaped their ‘group of death’, and were narrowly edged out in 120 brutal minutes against a fancied Belgium side.

Amongst a team of national heroes, Everton’s Tim Howard is the biggest. The ex-Man United stopper put in a World Cup record performance, making 16 saves as the U.S.A. fell down 2-1 to goals from Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku in a gallant effort.

The groundswell of support for the #USMNT across the pond has been overwhelming, and the response to the Everton man has been one of hero worship.

Immediately after the encounter, Twitter ejaculated with countless #ThingsTimeHowardCouldSave tweets, as the world praised the newest all-American hero.

Take a look at just a few of the feats that the world believes Howard could achieve:

[ffccomp link=”https://www.footballfancast.com/football-blogs/win-a-pair-of-puma-tricks” oneliner=”For your chance to WIN a pair of Puma Tricks, simply comment below with who you think will win the Golden Boot in Brazil this summer…” step=”PREDICT THE GOLDEN BOOT WINNER BELOW” terms=”http://win-a-pair-of-puma-tricks.pen.io/” topics=”world cup, football, football boots, puma, tricks, soccer”]

From David Beckham to Jamie Redknapp to Alex Song, many footballers are known as much for their style off the pitch, as their prowess on the pitch.

But what about the fans? Is it possible to look chic in the stands, when the temperatures hit sub-zero? Following London Fashion Week, League Cup sponsor and credit card company Capital One commissioned research to find out who are football’s most fashionable fans.

The survey revealed Manchester United fans are flying highest in the fashion stakes this season, with Merseyside rivals Liverpool in second place. Fans decided that Jose Mourinho would be equally at home walking the catwalk as prowling the dugout after voting the Chelsea boss as football’s most fashionable manager. They also named Liverpool new-boy Mario Balotelli as the Premier League’s most fashionable footballer.

Bum-bags topped the poll as the biggest football fashion faux pas on match day. The research also found that 57 per cent of the fans surveyed wore their club shirts when they went to watch football matches, showing a high level of unity and support for the clubs.

Capital One understands it can be hard to make a fashion statement at a match, so has teamed up with a panel of fashion gurus to come to the rescue of fans who are prone to scoring a fashion own goal or two. Two deserving fans will win a professional fashion make-over with 10 runners up each receiving £250-worth of Arcadia Group (Topshop, Topman, Burtons, BHS, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Outfit and Wallis) vouchers.

The expert panel, which includes style editor Charlie Parrish, football influencer and director at online youth broadcaster SBTV Liam Tootill, and renowned stylist Gary Moore, have joined forces to help make two lucky fans the talk of the terrace.

Liam said: “Having been to Old Trafford a few times on my travels, there’s no doubt that United fans are a fashionable bunch. However, be it socks and sandals, bum-bags or a high-vis jacket, football fans are guilty of the occasional fashion hiccup. It’s great to team up with Capital One to help fans tackle their wardrobe woes.”

To enter, fans simply need to tweet their football fashion faux pas photos to @CapitalOne_Cup using #FootballFashion #promo between Tuesday, September 23, 2014 – Friday, September 26, 2014. Terms and conditions apply.

Jason Carr, sponsorship manager at Capital One, said: “As an avid football follower myself I completely understand how fans get so caught up with displaying their love for their team through what they wear, that often all sense of fashion flies out of the window. So, hot on the heels of London Fashion Week, we are aiming to give those most in need of style guidance a helping hand in outwardly supporting their club but looking good at the same time.”

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For more information about the competition and T&Cs please got to www.capitalonecup.co.uk

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This Saturday Queen’s Park Rangers travel to Southampton in the Premier League.

When the final whistle blows on that game QPR could be languished at the bottom of the table and, in some people’s view, a good bet to go down. What a difference almost 40 years make. This week in 1975, QPR were riding high in the old First Division.

By the end of the 75/76 season the Hoops would claim second spot (just two points off being crowned champions) behind Liverpool and above Manchester United. How Rangers manager Harry Redknapp must wish he could turn back the clock.

That season the likes of Derby County, Ipswich Town, Birmingham City and Sheffield United (relegated to Division Two for the 76/77 season) were all plying their trade in the top flight.

The ways things are in game today’s game, where only a handful of moneyed clubs can guarantee remaining at the apex of English football, it’s probable that the likes of Derby and Co. would face a battle to stay in the Premier League; always assuming they have the financial wherewithal to reach that pinnacle in the first place.

Which is exactly the point Harry was making recently when he said: “Fair play would be everyone having £30m a year to spend.”

The sentiment behind that comment was; hasn’t football got too big, financially speaking, for its boots..? Not according to all those top clubs who are doing very nicely thank you very much, from this cash cow.

And I’m sure fans of those teams with big backers, with even bigger wallets, would not wish their club’s to forsake the chance of glory by reigning in their spending. Just ask the followers of Manchester’s Reds.

In the QPR squad who were runners up in the mid-70s were the likes of goalkeeper Phil Parkes, midfielder Gerry Francis and flamboyant forward Stan Bowles.

In those days this small, unfashionable club took English football by storm and is still remembered fondly by Hoops fans of a certain age.

Would the club have been able to hang on to such mercurial talent today or would they have been sold to balance the books? How much would they fetch in todays over inflated market?

English football is a global business with lucrative markets spread across the world – one reason why the Premier League was set up in the first place.

But in all this what damage is being done to those clubs further down the football pyramid?

And before fans of those elite clubs say “we are here to stay” I would simply say; Leeds United.

In all of this we should be careful for what we wish for, or there could be tears before the final whistle.

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@RichardBowdery

Richard Bowdery writes for BobbyFC, the football website with a retro twist. www.BobbyFC.com

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Since Simon Grayson left Leeds United in February of 2012 after four years at the club. Hardly a long-serving manager but in comparison with the more recent managers at Leeds, he’s a real veteran.

The Whites have gone through four permanent managers who have all failed to to be in charge for more than 10 games – quite a tragic record.

Darko Milanic is the latest departure from Elland Road and the Slovenian was the club’s first non-English manager since Gary McAllister in 2008. Milanic was given only six games in charge of Leeds United, which is not enough time for anyone to make a substantial impact. He may have failed to win any of his six and may therefore have not been the correct choice, but it’s still farcical – but then again what would you expect from the modern day Leeds United?

The glory days have long since departed Elland Road. But despite this, the club is still considered to be ‘big’ in stature and so the Whites’ are still an attractive proposition for rich foreign businessmen looking to make an investment. They believe as much as we believe that the return to the top is surely inevitable for Leeds United – yet still the wait continues.

Leeds’ current owner Massimo Cellino has overseen three manager departures since he became owner in April – not exactly a masterclass in patience. When you consider that Cellino would have had a large part to say about choosing these managers and then he would have had a similar part to play in only allowing them a short stay with the club. An attitude much like a child in a toy shop. He picks one then discards almost immediately when it’s not as good as his imagined it would be – a ridiculous attitude for an owner of a football club.

You simply cannot expect to sign a manager, give him little-to-no resources to change anything and then on top of that produce the goods in the space of less than ten matches. If that’s his way of doing things he no longer deserves to be in charge of any football club, let alone a popular club with a fan base like Leeds.

The Yorkshire based club have an incredible fan base who would no doubt hold their own in the Premier League. Of course it’s ludicrous to say that a set of fans deserve to be in the Premier League but they certainly deserve some consistency – something which they may have thought they had with Brian McDermott before he was sent packing after just over a year in charge. McDermott was looking to build, and although Leeds have an already impressive set of foundations, it’s a slow and steady process if it’s to be done right.

Cellino has previous too – in his previous ownership of a football club with Cagliari he dismissed 36 managers in 22 years – certainly a Gung-ho approach – if you don’t succeed as well as he imagined you’ll be lucky to reach 10 games in charge. It would be nice for him to make a calculated decision and stick by his decision for a decent amount of time or he could at least sell up to someone who isn’t favourable of a kamikaze style.

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Leeds United supporters deserve better but unless he strikes lucky, they won’t get it whilst under the guidance of Massimo Cellino.

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