Match Preview: Everton v Newcastle United

By David Lee Wheatley

Monday night action involves Everton hosting Newcastle United at Goodison Park, with the Toffees full of confidence following an impressive start to their campaign.

A place in the top four beckons for Roberto Martinez and his men should they take three points this evening, but they'll face a side smarting from a disappointing home defeat against Hull City last time out in the league and the visitors will be absolutely determined to grab at least a point from their travels to wipe away that memory.

The Magpies will need to defy the odds, however, if they are to spring a surprise on Merseyside when faced with the only unbeaten team in the Premier League. Not only that, but Everton haven't lost at home since March, thus turning Goodison into an impregnable fortress despite the transition between David Moyes and Martinez in the managerial hot-seat.

Hatem Ben Arfa and Loic Remy are recalled after missing out on the midweek cup victory over Leeds United, while Yohan Cabaye only makes the bench. Papiss Cisse also has to be content with a substitute role, which will do little for his self-esteem after scoring to help put Leeds to the sword.

Meanwhile, Everton's experienced midfield battler Gareth Barry makes his 500th top-flight appearance and second-half stars from the Toffees' clash with West Ham United, Romelu Lukaku and James McCarthy, are both handed the opportunity to prove their worth from the beginning of proceedings.

Newcastle have won just once in ten away to Everton and will need to perform at their very best to improve on that record tonight. Martinez expects his charges to continue their rich vein of form and secure another fine win over the Magpies to break into the Champions League slots at this early stage of the season.

Twitter: @davewh1980

Top 10: Controversial transfers of the last 25 years

 



 

By David Lee Wheatley

 

Here's my list of the most thought-provoking and shocking transfers that have taken place within the last 25 years of European football.

 

10. Robin van Persie (Arsenal to Manchester United)

Arsene Wenger was desperate not to sell number one marksman van Persie to a Premier League rival, but the player held all the cards with his contract almost up and the value on his head diminishing by the week. Despite efforts to push him in the direction of Italy and Spain, the Dutch striker remained steadfast to eventually make his dream switch to Old Trafford a reality.

 

9. Andy Cole (Newcastle United to Manchester United)

Adored by the Geordie faithful, Cole was sold by Kevin Keegan in a move that caused uproar on Tyneside. A huddle of fans approached the beleaguered boss on the icy steps of St. James' Park to remonstrate with him over the unexpected decision, but the deal had been done and there was no going back. Cole went on to become a legend under Sir Alex Ferguson in Manchester, while Keegan didn't last much longer in the Magpies' hot-seat.

 

8. Ashley Cole (Arsenal to Chelsea)

Another case of Arsenal having their hand forced in relation to a transfer of one of their players to an arch-rival. Left-back Ashley Cole was tapped-up illegally by the Stamford Bridge outfit some time before they went through the proper channels to complete the high-profile move. The England man immediately went from hero-to-zero on leaving the Gunners.

 

7. Paul Ince (West Ham United to Manchester United)

Trail-blazer Ince made the crucial mistake of having a photograph taken of him sporting the red of Manchester United prior to any agreement having been made between the clubs. The first black player to captain the full England national side became a reviled figure at Upton Park and every visit back there was a painful experience for the dynamic midfielder.

 

6. Carlos Tevez (Manchester United to Manchester City)

A consistently controversial Carlos Tevez made a break across the north-west city of Manchester to join the Light Blues, upsetting the United supporters and manager Ferguson no end. The 'Noisy Neighbours', as they were christened by Sir Alex, took to putting up huge billboards of Tevez above the tag-line 'Welcome To Manchester' in an obvious tactic to rile up their nearest-and-dearest. Throughout a turbulent stay with City, Tevez remained a thorn in the side of United, helping City to the Premier League title in 2012.

 

5. Mo Johnston (Nantes to Glasgow Rangers) 

Having established himself as an idol at Parkhead with Celtic fans, Johnston moved on to an adventure in France with Nantes. Two years later, Graeme Souness made the brave choice to bring Johnston back to Scottish football with Rangers, while the player himself snubbed a proposed return to his former side. Though not the first Catholic player to feature for the predominantly Protestant club, he certainly was by far the most high-profile to do so. With the searing local rivalry, coupled with the religious differences between the two sides, the transfer surprised many onlookers. However, Johnston did well on the field for his new team in scoring almost a goal every two games. Despite the amount of time that has passed since, many Hoops followers will never forgive him.

 

4. Sol Campbell (Tottenham Hotspur to Arsenal)

England defender Campbell once uttered the words in an official Spurs club magazine that he'd never sign for Arsenal, but he duly did in 2001. The Tottenham supporters spent plenty of time demonstrating over the switch and carnage ensued when the Arsenal team coach arrived at White Hart Lane in anticipation of a hotly-contested north London derby. Campbell was a rock at the heart of the Gunners' defence for many years and made a brief return for a second spell late in his career.

 

3. Eric Cantona (Leeds United to Manchester City)

Fresh from winning the First Division title at Elland Road, the French genius left for Manchester United in a bargain £1.2m move that shocked the Yorkshire side of the Pennines to its very core. Although a troublesome character at times, Cantona wowed crowds with his sublime technique and skill during a five-year stay at Old Trafford. Leeds boss Howard Wilkinson was vilified for letting him go and Alex Ferguson hailed for snapping him up in equal measure once the forward went on to forge a position as one of the Red Devils' all-time greats, before retiring prematurely aged just 31.

 

2. Roberto Baggio (Fiorentina to Juventus)

The 'Divine Ponytail' set off riots in the city of Florence when sold to Turin giants Juventus in 1990. Over 50 people were injured on the streets at the height of the trouble, as Fiorentina's finest left for pastures new following an impressive showing at the Italia '90 World Cup. Baggio went on to establish himself at the Delle Alpi as a true legend of the Italian game, while Fiorentina suffered demotion to Serie B a short while later, before scrambling back to the top.

 

1. Luis Figo (Barcelona to Real Madrid)

Portuguese wizard Figo made the seldom-travelled journey from Catalonia to the Spanish capital following several sterling seasons at Camp Nou. The Galacticos operation was in full swing at that time and the attacking midfielder sat way up high on Real's hit-list. Outrage ensued in Barcelona and the Cules simply couldn't wait to vent their displeasure in the direction of one-time favourite Figo on his return. Consequently he was pelted with numerous objects whenever he dared venture anywhere near the touchline or corner flag, including a pig's head, on a night he'll never forget!

 

Twitter: @davewh1980

 

  

Bale bangs in goal on debut

By David Lee Wheatley

Welshman Gareth Bale scored on his debut in a Real Madrid shirt last night, as his new club took home a hard-earned point from Villarreal following an entertaining 2-2 draw.

The winger featured for 62 minutes at El Madrigal, scoring an equaliser to make it 1-1 after 38 minutes while undertaking a less-than-familiar role on the right. He managed to register a reasonably good performance, while endearing himself to the travelling fans with his strike to level after Cani put the hosts in front.

Dani Carvajal created the opportunity for Bale to score with a great run into the box on the right-hand side, before he crossed low towards the back post where the new boy slid in to beat his man to the ball and poke it home.

Bale almost got a second with a powerful left-footed effort from 25 yards that sailed just over the bar and he showed off his blistering pace on one particular occasion down the right in the second-half when beating two opposing players with ease before his attempted cross was unfortunately blocked.

The 24-year-old looked a little jaded when substituted just after the hour mark, but will surely feel ecstatic with a dream start to his career in Madrid. Only four minutes after he'd left the field of play, Real grabbed the lead through a deflected goal from Cristiano Ronaldo, which seemingly set them on their way to victory. However, the lead didn't last long as Villarreal levelled through Giovani on 70 minutes to shock the visiting side.

Most observers viewed Bale's first appearance as a success, but the team as a whole will be disappointed not to have secured the win against their newly-promoted opponents.

Once the Wales international gathers full fitness, he will be capable of making a huge impression at Real in the coming months and years. For Bale, yesterday simply couldn't have gone much better.

Twitter: @davewh1980

Lambert and Welbeck link-up lights up Wembley

By David Lee Wheatley

England ran away with a 4-0 World Cup qualification victory over Moldova last night, but lost two-goal Danny Welbeck to a harsh yellow card which rules the Manchester United forward out of Tuesday's crunch clash in the Ukraine.

Captain Gerrard set England on their way at Wembley with a fine drive into the bottom left-hand corner of the net after 12 minutes and the lead was doubled from close range midway through the opening period by Southampton striker Rickie Lambert on his first international start.

Danny Welbeck strayed marginally offside moments before half-time and went through with the shot at goal after the whistle had gone. Welbeck claimed he didn't hear the official, but was booked nonetheless. It was a strange decision by the referee in the circumstances, as it seemed a pointless exercise to waste time with England cruising and obviously far superior to their opponents. The booking puts the live-wire United man out of Tuesday's trip to Kiev and creates a real selection headache for manager Roy Hodgson, especially if natural replacement Daniel Sturridge fails to return to fitness in time.

The disappointment didn't dampen Welbeck's enthusiasm for the task in hand, as a probing pass from Lambert found his strike partner to run on to and finish easily right on the stroke of half-time.

Gerrard's long-range passing was finding the target every time with Ngland constantly forcing the issue in an attacking sense, while another clever piece of skill from Lambert presented Welbeck with his second and number four of the night for the home side on 50 minutes. Lambert dissected the Moldova defence with an accurate assist and Welbeck dinked the ball over the helpless goalkeeper to end the contest with most of the second half still to go.

Moldova were giving the likes of Wilshere and Walcott some rough treatment throughout and offered absolutely nothing going forward. Ukraine will offer much more of a threat next week and England will sorely miss Danny Welbeck on the evidence of yesterday's performance.

Roy Hodgson will be particularly pleased with Gerrard, Lambert and Welbeck, but knows he must find a solution to the suspension of the Manchester-born star. If Sturridge doesn't make it, that leaves options very thin on the ground for the England boss going into an extremely vital fixture.

Twitter: @davewh1980

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Ozil Vindicates Wenger Patience

By David Lee Wheatley

Arsenal made the major transfer breakthrough they craved yesterday when securing Real Madrid and Germany star Mesut Ozil for a club-record fee. Arsene Wenger bided his time in the run up to deadline day, but finally signed the world-class operator for a massive £42.4million.

Many fans feared there'd be no established players coming in for the Gunners after mooted deals for Luis Suarez, Wayne Rooney and Gonzalo Higuain all hit the buffers. Arriving at the last chance saloon of this summer's transfer window, the situation suddenly took on a whole new promising outlook when it emerged Wenger was close to making Ozil the biggest signing in the club's history.

Despite long delays mainly caused by Ozil's involvement in the filming of an advertisement with the Germany national team in Munich, the move eventually went through to appease the hugely anxious Arsenal fans. Agreement on the fee came during the afternoon and a successful medical followed; it still took until approximately 9pm for the long-awaited official announcement, which coincided with the utter relief of those concerned.

It has since emerged that big spenders Paris Saint-Germain tried to turn Ozil's head during the course of the day, but the German international midfielder turned down their advances even in the face of a better contract package sitting on the table from the French side.

Ozil was the leading La Liga assist-maker last season and, at the age of 24, should be coming into the prime of his career as he embarks upon the first steps of an exciting new challenge in the Premier League. Plus, his unerring ability to pop up with an important goal every four or five appearances makes him an even more dangerous opponent for rivals to cope with. A regular at international level, Ozil is a man who can change the course of a match with a single pass.

Arsene Wenger looked simply shocked on the opening day of the league season when his Arsenal side were comprehensively beaten at home by Aston Villa, but he's slowly rebuilt confidence within his squad with league victories over Fulham and arch-enemies Tottenham Hotspur, as well as the relatively straightforward passage to the Champions League group stage when sweeping Fenerbahce aside. This latest boost is the cherry on the cake for the Frenchman, while placing Arsenal as serious contenders for a top-three position in the Premier League table this season.

Meanwhile, Ozil assumes the role of main man at the Emirates and he'll thrive in an environment where a side playing an attractive brand of football look to build the team around him. It was a surprise to many that Real Madrid chose to allow Ozil to move on in order to cover some of the cost of the mega-money Gareth Bale deal, when it was assumed lesser players would be sacrificed. Real's loss is most definitely Arsenal's gain and the Gunners can now look forward to witnessing one of the world's finest footballers showing his worth on behalf of their club.

Twitter: @davewh1980

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Spurs bag bargain of the summer

By David Lee Wheatley

Tottenham Hotspur's spending spree continues unabated as they attempt to construct a side capable of challenging for a top-four spot in the Premier League without the considerable Real Madrid-bound talents of Gareth Bale.

Incoming stars Roberto Soldado, Nacer Chadli, Paulinho, Etienne Capoue and Erik Lamela have all improved the depth of quality within Andre Villas-Boas' squad, but it's the signing of Dane Christian Eriksen that potentially represents the greatest value.

The slight attacking midfielder possesses wonderful technique on the ball, a keen eye for a telling pass and also great ability at set-pieces. Now 21 years of age, Eriksen is developing into a more mature footballer both physically and experience-wise. His £11.5m switch from Ajax is a major coup for the White Hart Lane club, with a plethora of sides circling around the most outstanding player of the Dutch league in recent seasons.

Ever since Luka Modric left for Real Madrid in 2012, the north Londoners have struggled to find a suitable replacement for the Croatian playmaker. In the young Danish international, they've finally secured a footballer worthy of taking on the mantle vacated by Modric last summer. Similar in stature and style, the pair are top-level footballers and the Dane is fully capable of making Spurs' supporters forget about the memory of both Modric and Gareth Bale in the process.

Ajax and the Eredivisie will be the poorer for losing Eriksen to the English game, but Tottenham will certainly reap the rewards of having struck the bargain buy of this transfer window.

Twitter: @davewh1980

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