Usually, your standard footballer is good at playing in only one place. It’s where they played as a kid, either through choice or because no other poor whelp wanted to be a right-back. If you’re lucky, you might find one adaptable enough to do a serviceable job in two positions. Every now and then though, you’ll come across one who’s not just good, but damn excellent basically anywhere on the pitch.
Which is why it’s no real surprise that Pep Guardiola is supposedly prepping a honking great bid for David Alaba, Bayern Munich’s Austrian renaissance man. Alaba is a left-back. When he’s not playing in central midfield. Or at No10, as he does for his country. And of course he’s handy on the wing too. And can fill in at centre-half if required. Anyway, a bid of around £40m could arrive for this master of all trades, as reports emerge that talks between Manchester City and the player’s people have already begun. We do seem to recall that sort of “pre-agreeing a transfer fee interaction” having a name in years past, but nobody seems fussed about that sort of thing now. While Pep is hanging round his old haunts, apparently he might try to take Kingsley Coman back to Mcr with him too, although that might be a complicated web given the French flyer is technically owned by Juventus.
Yesterday’s Mill brought you news that Arsenal might be the club to bundle Mauro Icardi into the back of a van after he’s chased out of Milan, but today’s grapevine carries word that they could have some serious competition. PSG are inevitably the team who want the Argentinian, with Napoli keen too, although obviously the Gooners hold the trump card as they could offer Olivier Giroud in return. What? Icardi leaving Inter, to wherever he might want to go, could cause a minor chain reaction, as the Nerazzuri would require a replacement, and have their beady ones on Chelsea’s Michy Batshuayi, despite them only signing the lanky Belgian in the summer.
Speaking of players possibly leaving Chelsea, word around the campfire is that Milan are scoping out Cesc Fàbregas quite intently, but his wife Daniella Semaan got a big bucket of water and threw it over those particular flames.
Is it that easy to make up stories these days ?? 😒 https://t.co/ynPT0OPoTj
— Daniella Semaan (@firstLadyD4) October 17, 2016
Yes. Yes it is.
Some rumours you suspect are more an admin error than anything, someone accidentally pressing “GO” on an old whisper so that it actually looks fresh, and that’s how we’re treating word that Manchester United are keen on Seamus Coleman. A rumour that pops up every couple of years, regardless of who’s in charge at Old Trafford and what their needs might actually be. While United are concentrating on bringing a player in, Barcelona might nip in to spirit another out the back door, with youngster Angel Gomes supposedly a target for the Catalans.
Sticking with United for a second, you’ll have noticed that summer signing Crtl+V’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan hasn’t exactly been overburdened with playing time since his move, and Borussia Dortmund’s sporting director has been sounding off on that one. “When you are playing in surroundings where things are working for you, like in Dortmund, then it is quite strange to give that away again once things have finally started to work out for you after a long time settling in,” Hans-Joachim Watzke told Kicker, also getting the customary kick in at Mino Raiola and ruling out the chance of Mkhitaryan returning to Dortmund.
What else have we got? Well, apparently Saido Berahino is carrying a little extra timber, to the tune of eight pounds, which is not ideal and why you haven’t heard much from him in recent weeks. Inevitably though, that won’t stop Stoke making a bid for him. Southampton are in for the Rennes midfielder Paul-Georges Ntep, who’s available on a free transfer next summer. Manchester United goalkeeper Sam Johnstone has a) signed a new contract and is b) set to temporarily do one to Aston Villa. And Arsenal have taken former Chelsea centre-half Zech Medley, which absolutely sounds like a made-up name, on trial.
