Anthony Martial, The £36 million Signing To Fire United Back To The Top !!!

Anthony Martial began his career at CO Les Ulis in 2001, but at the age of 14 Olympique Lyonnais saw the potential Martial had and went on and snapped him up. During Martial's second season with Lyon, he was prolific to say the least, scoring an astonishing 32 goals in only 21 games, as a result of this fantastic form for Lyon, Martial was called up to the French U17's  squad for the upcoming tournament, the 2012 European Under 17 Championships in Slovenia, where Martial would go on to score just the once in the European Championships. 

Martial got his professional debut for Lyon in the Europa League in December 2012 against Israeli side Ironi Kiryat Shmona, where Lyon went on to win 2-0. In Ligue 1, Martial made his debut a couple of months later in February against Ajaccio, when Martial came on as a 79th minute substitute. In total Martial managed 4 games for Lyon in his debut season. 

With competition so fierce for places at Lyon, They accepted a €5 million plus bonuses bid from AS Monaco at the beginning of the 2013-14 season. Martial's first season in the South of France was not fantastic, As he only managed to play 15 games and find the back of the net on only 2 occasions. However the 2014-15 season, Martial would announce himself as AS Monaco's main man up front, playing in 35 matches in Ligue 1 and scoring 9 times. In total Martial played 46 matchs, scoring 12 times, 7 of these appearance came in the came in the UEFA Champions League, where some Arsenal fans will remember Martial as Monaco knocked Arsenal out in the Last 16 stage. 

So now you know who Anthony Martial is,however now your asking, what type of striker is he ? 

Well Martial is know for his tremendous pace, smart movement in the box, superb close control of the ball and is excellent in one on one situations. These points are the positives from Martial game, however there are some drawbacks to Martial's game and these are his consistency in front of goal, his ability to impose himself physically and a lack of determination. Many of the staff in and around Monaco have high hopes for the young Frenchman, comparing him to the Legendary Thierry Henry. A £36 million move to Manchester United is a bit steep in all honesty, as for that price you could get Edison Cavani and maybe add £10-£15 million extra, prize away the deadly Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich. 

It looks all but signed to be fair this deal for the young Frenchman, if I was Martial, the first thing I'd do at Manchester United is to buddy up with Antonio Valencia and get in the gym to prepare for how physical the Premier League is. I think Martial has the potential to be a great striker, however playing for a club like Manchester United, you need to be at the top of your game at all times and be determined to be the best. Now the ball is in Anthony Martial's court, he has the platform to be one of the best number 9's in the world, the question is will he take this opportunity... Only time will tell. 

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My UEFA Champions League Prediction

I'm So after the eagerly awaited Champions League draw, there were many mouth watering ties to look forward too, PSG v Real Madrid, Man Utd v Wolfsburg, Atletico v Benfica, Juve v Man City and last but not least  Arsenal v Bayern. This has also brought up some fantastic ties, where various mangers and players will be returning to former clubs, like ‘the special one’ returning back to FC Porto where it all began, Di Maria’s return to the Santiago Bernabeu and the great Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s long awaited return to Malmo, which cause their website to crash yesterday due to so many fans checking the draw, and finally the return of Memphis to PSV.

The Champions League always throws a good surprise or a group of death (That the Italians always end up in). Lone behold Juventus get drawn in a really tricky group along with Manchester City, Sevilla and Borussia Monchengladbach.  After Juventus reached last year’s final, where my friend Samuel Menzenga predicted it in a blog. I’m now going to predict who I think is going to be in the final, and who I think will be selected in the UEFA Team of the Year.

 A lot of people will be saying Barca, Madrid, or Bayern for the title, I do believe that one of these prestigious clubs will be in the final, however id be more inclined to go for Bayern Munich, but who else you ask will be joining them in the final for this year’s Champions League ? That’s where my surprise package comes in and I’m going for Manchester City.

Over the years they’ve always been nearly men, however they’ve had real tough draws against the likes of Barcelona and Bayern, and if you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat them. Some of you will be reading this and thinking why Manchester City, well they have a more complete squad now, Pellegrini has strengthened Manchester City’s squad superbly this window and addressed key issue’s in Defence, Midfield and Attack. The signing of the robust Nicolas Otamendi is a good one, a strong hard tackling Argentine who not afraid to get stuck, moreover the foundation of going on into the latter stages of the Champions League  is by having a strong defence and with Vincent Kompany by his side Manchester City will be getting that. In Midfield the signing of Raheem Sterling, where some say they’ve completely overpaid for Sterling and to be fair they probably have, however Sterling can change a game with his electric pace down the wings. Finally, although not confirmed yet, but with the impending arrival of the Belgium wizard Kevin De Bruyne playing behind Sergio Aguero, would add so much more quality in that final third, taking some of the pressure of the likes of the pint sized Spaniard David Silva and the ever so reliable, back to his best Yaya Toure. So that’s my surprise package, the final will be Man City v Bayern.

Now onto UEFA Player of the Year, is going to be again another surprise, Thomas Muller... I’ve tried to avoid all the obvious candidates i.e. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. I really do think that Thomas Muller is seriously underrated; he’s superb, scores goals consistently for not only Bayern but for Germany also. Muller is a talisman for Bayern, the fans adore him for his never say die attitude, furthermore he leaves everything on the pitch, with his tireless displays, which he showed in last year’s semi final against eventual winner Barcelona, where Muller was nothing but positive, stating that they could ‘turn round the result and that if any Bayern player didn’t believe so, they’d be better off not even on the bench.’ So that’s my Player of the Tournament, the ever so consistent and tireless Thomas Muller.

See below for my predictions of the UEFA Team of the Year!

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Son Heung-min Spur's New Asian Star

Son Heung-min is a player who is gifted with explosive pace, a hardworking nature, great ability in both feet and what every striker needs, a keen eye for goal. 

In 2008, son dropped out of U18 FC Seoul's to move to Hamburg's youth academy at the tender age of 16. In the 2010-11 preseason, Son was very impressive scoring on 9 ocassions. Furthermore Son signed his first professional contract on his 18th birthday, after scoring against Chelsea. Son was out for two months due to a foot injury and came back in October and scored his first league goal for HSV against FC Koln, where Son would be  the youngest HSV player at 18 to score a Bundesliga goal, breaking a 39 year record held by Manfred Kaltz. 

Son signed a new deal tying him to Hamburg till 2014. It was said that Son had all the attributes to become the next Cha-Bum-Kun, a legendary striker of South Korean descent, who also played in the Bundesliga.

During the 2011-12 preseason Son was explosive, scoring 18 times in only 9 matches. Son missed the first game of the season due to a fever and unfortunately, same as last season, was injured again in August. However this time Son was out for only 4-6 weeks, fortunately Son recovered quicker than expected and returned to action three weeks later. In the 2011-12 season, Son played 30 matches and scored on 5 ocassions, including crucial goals against Hannover and Nurnberg to ensure Hamburg's Bundesliga status. 

In the 2012-13 season, due to the sales of Petric and Guerrero to Fulham and Corinthians respectively, Thorsten Fink gave Son a starting role, which would be Son's breakthrough season as he scored two in a 4-1 demolition of Borussia Dortmund, where Son was also awarded man of the match. All in all Son finished the season with12 goals, becoming only the fourth Asian footballer in Europe to achieve double figures in Europe's big 3 divisions.

In June 2013 Bayern 04 Leverkusen paid €10 million, which made Son there all time record buy. Son agreed a five year deal in the process and started well for Leverkusen scoring in his first three preseason matches. In November Son scored a hat trick against former club HSV in a 5-3 win, and in December scored a crucial goal against Borussia  Dortmund to put them just four points off the top of the Bundesliga. In March 2014 Son secured qualification in next season edition of the Champions League, scoring against Werder Bremen. 

In the 2014-15 season, Son scored 11 goals which included a hat trick against Wolfsburg in a fantastic game where 9 goals where scored and the final score ended at 5-4 to Wolfsburg. Overall it was a successful season for Son, scoring 17 goals in 42 appearances. 

With Spurs having two bids rejected for West Brom striker Saido Berahino, it looks all but certain that that Son will be adding more fire power to the Spurs front line, which in turn will take some of the pressure off Harry Kane, who still hasn't  scored this season.

Is This Super Mario's Last Chance...

After confirming a loan move back to Italian giants AC Milan, this may be super Mario’s last opportunity to make himself a world beater at the club. Throughout Mario’s career there has been many controversial moments, at first it was funny, but now it’s disappointing, with all the potential he had, for me it feels that he’s throwing his career away, however this literally is last chance saloon.

Mario is no stranger to controversy, while playing for Inter, Mario went on Italian TV and was given an AC Milan shirt, a team he supported growing up, and Inter’s fierce cross city rivals. During his time at Inter, Mario had a run inn with the management, firstly with Jose Mourinho, who described Mario as unmanageable and secondly Roberto Mancini, while at Manchester City, who stated that ‘if Mario played with him 10 years ago, he would have punched him in the head every day.’

 Another one to make you giggle was when Balotelli’s mother asked him to go out and get some household essentials; you’d like to think Mario would come back with say an ironing board or a hoover, nevertheless Mario being Mario, he didn’t comeback with either of these household items, Mario came back with a trampoline, two quad bikes a table tennis set and finally a scalextric set, also balotelli is known for his extravagant fashion. 

 After Mario’s big money move to Manchester City, on his way to the training ground, Mario crashed his Audi R8 into a Manchester City fan who had been a season ticket holder for the last 25 years, after being breathalysed by the police, they wanted to know why he had £5000 in his back pocket, Mario answered in spectacular fashion, “Because I am rich”.

Finally there’s the firework fiasco the night before the Manchester Derby, where Balotelli score two and revealed the famous and iconic “Why always me” shirt on his under armour. Mario was unveiled as Greater Manchester’s ambassador for firework safety.  All of these are off the field incidents, never mind what happened on the pitch.

One of the first incidents on the field would be when Mario was having an argument over a penalty with Samuel Eto, only to be hauled away by captain Javier Zanetti. Being sent off against Rubin Kazan in the Champions League with Eto suspended and Diego Milito missing out due to injury, Mario was on a yellow card and at half time. Jose Mourinho spent 14 out of the 15 minutes explaining to Mario what he wanted, as he was their only Centre- Forward, saying “Mario, I cannot change you, I have no strikers on the bench, so don't touch anybody and play only with the ball. If we lose the ball no reaction. If someone provokes you, no reaction, if the referee makes a mistake, no reaction."  In the 46^th minute, Mario was given a  red card. Jose said he could write a 200 page book about Mario Balotelli and it would be pure comedy.

At Manchester City, in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, Balotelli decide to celebrate reaching the final in spectacular fashion by celebrating in front of Manchester United faithful which Rio Ferdinand and Anderson disagreed with completely, it would go on to cause a melee with both Manchester City and Manchester United players along with staff from both teams also getting involved.   

Overall Mario is a extremely funny character, nevertheless it is now do or die for the 25 year old Italian. This really is his last chance to make something of his career, it began so well with 3 Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia and a UEFA Champions League during his spell at Internazionale, and then with Manchester City a Premier League and a FA Cup. I’m a huge fan of Mario and I really don’t want him to waste his talent. There is still time to turn it around and play a huge part not only for the rejuvenation of AC Milan, but also for La Nazionale. Mario needs to set his sights on a place in Antonio Conte’s Euro 2016 squad as the main man up front. I’d love him to be there with us in France next summer, but hey ho, only time will tell.        

Watch Mario, he's got the quality to succeed at the highest level 

  

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Atletico Madrid, Can They Pull Off A Shock And Win La Liga Again???

Some say that La Liga is only ever a two horse race, however Atletico Madrid shocked everybody a couple of seasons ago, by beating both Real and Barca to the title. In addition they were also minutes away from their first Champions League trophy, only to run out of steam in the dying minutes against a well organized Real Madrid led by Carlo Ancelotti.

Last year saw Atletico finish in 3^rd place along with a disappointing performance in the Champions League as well as the Copa Del Rey, by only making it to the Quarter-finals in both competitions. As a result the Los Rojiblancos (Red and Whites) would have been slightly disappointed with the season as a whole.

Furthermore with the sales of Ardra Turan to Barcelona and a trio of Mandzukic , Miranda and Mario Suarez leaving the Atleti to try their hand in Serie A with Juventus, Inter and Fiorentina respectively. It’s very easy to understand why a few Atleti fans were a little worried, but fear not, as both Diego Simone and Enrique Cerezo had a master plan up their sleeves, with €69 million coming in from those 4 deals alone, not to mention another €25 million combined for fee’s from Raul Jimenez and Toby Alderweireld who moved to Benfica and Tottenham. All in all, Atletico had near €100 million Euros to play with and my o my, they spent it well.

First off was the signing of Jackson Martinez from FC Porto for €35 million, which is a steal. FC Porto have nowadays become a feeder club for the rest of Europe, by producing and nurturing so much talent from South America it’s unreal. In the last decade they’ve sold a player in excess of €30 million which is astonishing. 

The very solid and robust Stefan Savic, well know to Manchester City fans, after 3 very solid years in Italy with Fiorentina for €25 million for me is a little pricey, however he will sure give Jose Gimenez a run for his money competing for that second Centre Back spot as to who will partner the ever reliable Diego Godin.

 Arda Turan’s replacement in Yannick Ferreira Carrasco who was unbelievable for AS Monaco last season, Arsenal fans will know Carrasco well, when he scored the goal which all but sealed Arsenal elimination from the Champions League.

 The signing of Luciano Vietto is a very shroud bit of business, Simone  had gave Vietto his debut when he was Managing at Racing Club, in addition to having a fantastic first season with Villarreal hitting 12 goals and being their top goal scorer for Simone it was a no brainer.

Finally since the sale of Filipe Luis to Chelsea, Siqueira never really filled the boots left by Luis, so when Simone got the chance to resign Luis he didn’t think twice about it, as it only one of their weakest area last year.

If you look at the players that Simone has signed apart from Jackson Martinez and Filipe Luis, everyone else is under the age of 24, which for me is a very good bit of business done by both Atletico and Simone. Simone and Co are building something special in Madrid, everyone’s going on about Barcelona and Real Madrid, but just keep an eye on Atletico Madrid as they could be the surprise package again, with a core of Oblak in goal, the ever dependable Godin in the heart of defence, Koke and Carrasco pulling the strings in Midfield and the partnership of Martinez and the fearsome Griezmann upfront in attack, it’s safe to say the future of Atletico is looking bright. This season maybe too soon for them to topple Madrid or Barca, but in the next 2 or 3 years, if I were either Real Madrid or Barcelona I would be careful and watch over my shoulder. 

     

Nicolas Loco Otamendi ...

Nicolas Otamendi Manchester City’s new Loco (Crazy) Centre back, Otamendi born in Buenos Aires, began his career at Velez Sarsfield, Otamendi  spent 12 years in the youth academy before making his debut on the 10^th may 2008 in a 2-1 home win against Rosario Central. The following season with a new manager Ricardo Gareca, due to an injury to Waldo Ponce while playing for Chile, Otamendi was given a crack at the first team, as a result ended up playing 17 out of 19 matches in Velez’s title winning campaign.

Otamendi scored his first professional goal for Sarsfield in a 3-1 triumph of Arsenal de Sarandi, during that season Otamendi  also made his debut in the Copa Sudamericana, in recognition of his performances for Sarsfield, Otamendi was selected for South American Team of the Year.

In August 2010, Otamendi joined Portuguese giants FC Porto for a fee €8 million and signed a 5 year deal in the process, Otamendi score in his first match in a 2-0 home win against S.C. Olhanense, in Otamendi’s first season he made 32 appearances scoring on 6 occasions as FC Porto went on to win the treble for the second time in the last 15 years with the Portuguese Championship, the Taca de Portugal and the Europa League, so as far as first seasons go  it was a good one for Otamendi . Over the course of a 4 year spell in Portugal, Otamendi went on to win 3 Primeira Liga’s, 1 taca de Portugal, 1 Europa League 3 Supertaca.

After 4 trophy laden years in Portugal, in 2014 Spanish giant Valencia CF signed Otamendi for €12 million starting on July 1^st and was loaned to Brazilian Atletico Mineiro immediately, Otamendi would go on to play just one season in Spain with Valencia, scoring his first goal in October against Atletico Madrid in a 3-1 win, as well as getting the winner in a crucial 2-1  victory against Real Madrid which ended their opponents record of 22 match winning streak, furthermore it was the first time in four years since Los Che qualified for the Champions League after finishing in 4^th place in La Liga, Otamendi would be the only Valencia player named in La Liga team of the Year.

In August 2015 after much speculation, Otamendi signed for Manchester City for a fee of £28.5 million rising to £32 million, on a five year deal, which would have Manchester City fans drooling at the prospect of having Vincent Kompany and Loco Otamendi at Centre backs, however I feel really sorry for Mangala as after a shaky start, has come on leaps and bounds since joining Manchester City last year. but with the arrival of Otamendi.

Through my eyes, Otamendi is a quality signing, with Sterling already there and the expecting arrival of Kevin De Bruyne for a fee of £50 million, it’s safe to say Manchester City are back and won’t be just a threat in the Premier League but also in Europe

Watch Otamendi in action 

Godfred Donsah ... Ghana’s New Michael Essien

Godfred Donsah, Ghana’s new Michael Essien, born in Accra, same size in height and can play the same positions i.e. Centre Mid, Defensive Mid and finally Right Back. Known for his powerful displays in midfield at Italian minnows Cagliari.

But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Donsah, he began his career with DC United Agogo back in Ghana, Donsah then went to the eternal city for a trial with AS Roma but sadly for Donsah nothing come of it, there was one club that did give him his breakthrough and that was Palermo, Donsah was immediately sent out on loan Hellas Verona, who has just finished 2^nd in Serie B and got promoted to Serie A. Sadly once again it was heartache for Donsah as he only mange to play 22 minutes for Hellas Verona.

But all was not lost as Cagliari came in and took him for the 2014-15 season, it was at Cagliari where Donsah would manage to make 22 appearances for the Rossoblu’s (Red-Blues) and get on the score sheet on 2 occasions, one against Torino (Press here tosee the thunderbolt) and another against Atalanta, even though Donsah made his breakthrough in Serie A, it still wasn’t enough to stop Cagliari getting relegated to the second tier of Italian football, by finishing in a disappointing 18^th place.

In the summer window, Donsah has been linked with a whole host of clubs with Bologna, Napoli, Juventus and even Chelsea. We all know Jose loves a Midfielder with a fantastic set of lungs, to bomb up and down the pitch to set up attacks and cover when defending is required. But a move to Chelsea is it realistic you ask? No it’s not, at the tender age of 19 I would love to see him at Chelsea in the future for sure, Donsah has all the attributes to succeed in the Premier League, which so many Africans have flourished Yaya Toure, Drogba, Essien and the list goes on, but for now Donsah needs to take a leaf out of Paul Pogba’s book, stay where you are get the playing time you deserve and the results will come your way, but for sure remember the Godfred Donsah.

Press here to see all the fuss about Godfred Donsah 

Kovacic the Croatian boy wonder.....

Real Madrid’s new boy Mateo Kovacic, born in Austria to Bosnian Croat parents, began playing in his local academy LASK Linz. Known for his great technical ability as well as his dribbling, he can play in a number of positions in midfield, where Giovanni Trapattoni compared Kovacic to be a mixture of Kaka and Clarence Seedorf because of his style of play and his technical characteristics. Furthermore, Javier Zanetti stated that with the exception of Ronaldo, when he arrived at inter when he was 21; Kovacic was the most promising youngster he’s seen in 19 years at the club.

 In 2013 when Kovacic was 13, he was spotted by scouts from across Europe’s elite including teams such as Ajax, Internazionale, Juventus and Bayern Munich; however he opted for a move to Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb to further his development. Unfortunately in 2009 Kovacic suffered a serious injury when he broke his leg but after a lengthy recovery came back in 2010.

Kovacic began training with the first team under Vahid Halilhodzic, where Kovacic made his debut in the 2010-11 season against Hrvatski Dragovoljac on the 20^th November 2010. In the process Kovacic scored Zagreb’s fourth goal in a 6-0 drumming, which made Kovacic the youngest goal scorer in the history of the League at the tender age of 16 years and 198 days. In his first senior season Kovacic contributed towards the league title win with 7 appearances and scoring the once.

The following season, Kovacic swiftly established himself as a first team regular where he mainly played on the left of a 4-2-3-1. Kovacic helped Zargeb reach the group stage of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over a decade and at the tender age of 17; Kovacic started the first game of the Champions League against Spanish giants Real Madrid. Kovacic finished his first European season scoring against Olympique Lyonnais in the final group game, which made Kovacic the second youngest scorer in the Champions League.

 During a league match against NK Lucko, Kovacic became the youngest player to wear the Zargeb armband, taking the captaincy from Leandro Cufre. Overall it was a successful season for both Kovacic and Zagreb; as Zargeb went on to win their seventh consecutive league title, as well as the Croatian cup, where in the final, Kovacic scored the first goal in a 3-1 win. In December that year, Kovacic was also awarded the Croatian Football Hope of the Year. Kovacic made 25 appearances, scoring on 5 occasions throughout the season.

At the beginning of the 2012-13 season, Kovacic suffered a metatarsal injury, which made him miss several crucial qualifying games for the Champions League. Luckily Kovacic went on to make a full recovery just in time for the first group game against FC Porto, where Kovacic went on to play in all 6 group matches and continued to impress with his fantastic performances. In October 2012, Kovacic was nominated for the Golden Boy award. In January 2013 after much speculation, Kovacic was sold to Internazionale for a fee of €11 million; all in all, Kovacic won two consecutive League and Cup doubles and made a total of 73 official appearances, which 12 of these came in the Champions League, where he scored 9 goals.

After signing, Kovacic made his debut 3 days later as a half time substitute against Siena, and on the 14^th February made his full European debut for inter, providing the winning assist for Rodrigo Palacio (Nicknamed La Trenza which means the braid). As Inter proceeded to the next round, manger Andrea Stramaccioni hailed his performance and stated that Kovacic was a star of the future. In the end, Kovacic started nearly all of the clubs Serie A fixtures, making 18 appearances in all competitions; however Inter finished in a disappointed 9^th place.

The 2013-14 under new manager Walter Mazzarri, Kovacic struggled unlike under Stramaccioni. Kovacic managed 32 appearances, however only started 14 of these and only played the full 90 on 8 occasions. Throughout the season Kovacic made 35 appearances but failed to get on the score sheet.

The final season before Kovacic’s big money move to Real Madrid started very well and in spectacular fashion, scoring a hat trick against Stjarnan and scoring and assisting 2 in a 7-0 drumming over Sassuolo.

In the 2014-15 season Kovacic was more of a regular playing in 44 matches and scoring 8 which was enough for Real Madrid to agree £25 million fee for the young Croat.

 

click here to see Kovacic at his best 

Chelsea Youth Part 3... Jay Dasilva

My third and finally part about the rich vein of talent that Chelsea have in their ranks, Jay Dasilva, he is left sided player who started off at left back however got pushed further forward, to play as a winger, for the reason that there was much more he could give to the team in an attacking sense and adapted to his new position further forward superbly.

Dasilva was snapped up with his twin brothers Cole and Rio in a well published deal, Dasilva made his debut when he was still at school and became a key part of the youth set up, furthermore Dasilva captained the U16’s to Premier League International Tournament success in 2013. Towards the end of the 2013-14 season that’s when Dasilva was pushed further forward and not really looked back since, with a number of notable performances scoring against Fulham in the final of the first leg which would be Dasilva’s first goal of the season. In the 2014-15 season Dasilva went on to make 40 appearances across all 3 U21 competitions with 19 appearances and 1 goal in the U18’s, 9 appearances in the UEFA Youth League and finally another 12 in the U21’s. Dasilva the same as Abraham and Solanke have won back to back FA Youth Cups and the UEFA Youth League, where in the UEFA Youth League final a certain Mr Ian Wright hailed Jay Dasilva’s performance and I quote  “Jay da silva left back better player than any current prem left back.' Which to receive that praise from someone like Ian Wright, Dasilva must have been ecstatic and to be mentioned not one of the best left backs in the Premier League but the best, Ian Wright is really stating something, in which we have players like César Azpilicueta, Lieghton Baines and Ryan Bertrand, but still finds Dasilva better which is astonishing.

After a successful season in the U21 with winning both the FA Youth Cup and the UEFA Yotuh League, Dasilva was given a first team call up to the tour of Thialand and Austraila.

Me personally I think Jay Dasilva is the heir to Ashley Cole furthermore a real up and coming prospect, for England at left back.

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Chelsea Youth Part 2... Dominic Solanke

Just as Tammy Abraham, Dominic Solanke has been with Chelsea since day 1, he plays as a striker and let me tell you, in his last couples of seasons at youth level, not only for Chelsea but for England Solanke has been astonishing.

Solanke’s first season with the U18’s wasn’t great,  Solanke made 10 appearances and scored 2 goals however the following season in 2013-14 Solanke really stood out, at the beginning of the season where in 13 appearances he scored 13 goals whilst setting up another 8, these included back to back hat-tricks against Dartford and Reading respectively, by the close of the season Solanke netting 20 goals in 28 appearances, which 2 came in the FA Youth Cup final against Fulham, in a very close fought battle which ended up with Chelsea being victorious 7-6 on aggregate.

Solanke with the FA Youth Cup

Furthermore, in the 2014-15 season we really saw how good Dominic Solanke actually was, his form didn’t go unnoticed by a certain Jose Mourinho, thus leading Jose to give Solanke his full Chelsea debut against Maribor in the Champions league after replacing Oscar Emboaba.  And the fine form of Solanke continued scoring an overall total of 41 goals in 39 appearances! Which 14 of those came in 12 appearances for the U18’s, where Solanke scored 10 times so Chelsea could retain the FA Youth Cup , 12 goals came from 9 appearances in the UEFA Youth League, where Solanke was top goal scorer ahead of Aaron Leya Iseka of Anderlecht  and finally another 15 goals as of 18 appearances for the U21’s. With all this taken into account he was awarded the Chelsea Academy Player of the Year award.

Solanke thinks his winners medal tastes delicious 

Solanke hasn’t just been on form for Chelsea, but has replicated this form on the international stage as well; where for the England U17’s was clinical with 13 goals coming from 14 caps in 2013-14 in which England won the U17 European Championships, where Solanke was once again was top goal scorer with 4 moreover scored in the final to give England there second title after beating the Dutch on penalties. Furthermore moving up another age group to the U18’s in 2014, Solonke continued to impress with another 10 goals in 11 international appearances.

Solanke with U17 European Championship

Solanke seems to me a real talent at 17 and scoring for fun, but the real test is what he will do in Holland? Literally a few hours ago Chelsea confirmed that, Solanke will be going to Vitesse Arnhem on loan for the 2015-16 season in search of first team football, if it’s anything to go by with what Chelsea have done in the past, with players that have gone on loan to Vitesse Arnhem, for example look at Bernad Traore and Lucas Piazon, they have both been on loan in Holland and have thrived on that experience and I’m pretty sure that Solanke, Brown, Baker, Nathan and Pantic are all going to benefit in one way or another.

Champions League debut for the young Striker 

Watch Solanke and let me know what you think

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Chelsea Youth Part 1... Tammy Abraham

It’s safe to say everyone’s talking about, the first team with how dominant they were last season and absolutely so, however I’m going to talk about 3 youth products from Chelsea’s academy, I think will be pushing for a place or even starting in the first team in the next 3-5 years. The 3 prospect I will be talking about are Tammy Abraham, Dominic Solanke (whom has already made his debut) and the talented Jay Dasilva.

So first up Tammy Abraham, can play wide-right, wide-left or as a central striker, Tammy has been at Chelsea from pretty much day 1, Tammy made his U18 debut as an U16 in 2013, yes that’s right U16. Tammy had score more than 20 goals for the U16’sin 2013 furthermore the club then decided he could make an impact on a bigger age level, which he did and scored 2 before Christmas 2013, but a thigh injury did hinder Tammy making many more appearances, sadly he only managed 17 appearances, scoring 5 times in the 2013-14 season for the U18’s. But Tammy’s back end of the season wasn’t all bad news, as he got his first taste of silverware picking up the FA Youth Cup.

Tammy with the UEFA Youth Cup

In the 2014-15 season, a fully fit Tammy kicked on and was unstoppable, he had 19 goals before Christmas for the U18’s also he was once again was promoted, but this time to the U21’s, where he flourished and started to score at an even tougher level. In the 2014-15 season Tammy would go to make in total for Under 18, UEFA Youth League and U21’s played 44 games and finding the net on 41 occasions which he was joint top goal scorer along with Domenic Solanke, a breakdown of this for the U18’s scored 32 in 26 appearances!, in the UEFA Youth League 7 appearances contributing to 4 goals and finally for the U21’s. All in all Tammy was outstanding and so wan the so was the team that went to retain the FA Youth Cup with Tammy scoring on 9 occasions, which 3 were in the final as well as winning the UEFA Youth league.

Tammy with the FA Youth Cup

With this form alone, Chelsea offered Tammy his first professional in October 2014 which expires at the end of the 2016-17 season as well as representing England at U18 level.

Remember the name Tammy Abraham, because you heard it here first.

Watch all of Tammys Goals for the 2014-15 season here.

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Are Manchester United Back??? I Think They Are.

This summer, the club that for me that has done the most extraordinary business is Manchester United, by a country mile, I know Arsenal have signed Petr Cech which for me he is the signing of the window so far, but Manchester United have stole the show for me on a whole.

Firstly, Memphis Depay, what a piece of business fresh off the back of winning the Eredivisie title, top goal scorer as well the Johan Cruyff Trophy too, which is awarded to the most talented youngster in the division. Scored in total 28 goals in 40 appearances, with 22 in the league and 6 in Europe, he really was PSV’s talisman. What will he add? Pace, power, goals and assists, not to mention Memphis is extremely deadly when it comes to set pieces, with Van Gaal at Manchester United who Depay himself said had been a father figure to him, Van Gaal knows exactly how to get the best out of him, which will gives Right Backs and Centre Backs a nightmare. But where will he play? Will he play out wide as a Winger or down the middle as a Striker?

Secondly, Matteo Darmian, I’m not going to talk too much about Darmian as I’ve already written a piece about him, but again a good deal for £13 million for one of the most consistent Right Backs in Europe.

Thirdly, Bastian Schweinsteiger, making 500 appearances for Bayern Munich over the past 13 seasons, Schweinsteiger will be a real leader on the pitch when it gets tough, bags of experience, can pass, can shoot, a born winner with 8 Bundesliga titles to his name, 7 DFB Pokal, a Champions League, a World Cup winners medal as well as 111 caps on the International front, I think it’s safe to say Van Gaal has pulled off a massive coup here signing Schweinsteiger.  But for a mere £14 million is a give-away on Bayern’s behalf.

Fourthly, Morgan Schneiderlin, Southampton’s Midfield Maestro, signed for £25 million, very much an unsung hero, Schneiderlin considering he only played 25 games last season in the Premier League, still boasted a better tackle rate and pass accuracy than anyone else in the division in his position, for me with a midfield 3 of Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger and either Herrera or Mata, will be a perfect fit furthermore a real tough trio to break down.  

Finally Sergio Romero, who Van Gaal brought to Europe when he was at AZ Alkmaar, he and Van Gaal went on to win the Eredivisie title together and Romero didn’t  concede a goal for an astonishing 950 minutes which lasted from November to February. This is a smart signing, Romero has played in a World Cup Final and a Copa America final also he’s one of two goalkeepers to have 50 caps or more for Argentina.

For me, Van Gaal is a couple of player off from winning the title, a Centre Back and a Forward/Wide player, There have been countless players linked with Manchester United over this window, but for me the 2 signings I’d go for are, Sergio Ramos and Pedro Rodriguez, both know what it takes to be winner, both have won everything at club level and they fit into Van Gaal’s philosophy. That’s why this season I can see them finishing as runners up. My team selection would be permitting that Ramos and Pedro where to sign for Manchester United. 

De Gea/Romero GK

Darmian RB Ramos CB Smalling CB Shaw LB

Schneiderlin DM Schweinsteiger DM

Pedro RW Mata CAM Depay LW

Rooney ST

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Adama Traore La Masia's Next Big Graduate...

Another one out of Barcelona La Masia, Adama Traore, who possesses great strength on and off the ball as well as blistering pace, Born in Catalonia with Malian descent, he was signed up to Barcelona Academy at the age of 8 having joined from neighbouring CE L'Hospitalet and in 2013 he made his debut on 6 October in a 1-0 defeat to SD Ponferradina.  

In Adama's first season, he played 26 games scoring 5 for Barcelona B, finishing in 4th spot in the Segunda Division and picking up the UEFA Youth League in the process, where Adama scored 2 in the quarter finals against Arsenal in a 4-2 win. Adama made his debut at the tender age of 17 in the Champions League against Ajax, in a 2-1 defeat as a 82 minute substitute for Cesc Fabragas as well as 3 days later, in La Liga replacing Neymar in a 4-0 against Granada CF, they would be Adama's only appearances in the 2013-14 season. 

In the 2014-15 it was mixed emotions for Adama, he was a key player for Barcelona B playing 37 games but only scoring 3, which was disappointing to say the least, but to make matters worse Barcelona B finished rock bottom of the Segunda division and subsequently been relegated to the third tier of Spanish football. However Adama scored his first goal with the senior squad in December, scoring against SD Huesca, in a 8-1 drumming of the the Spanish side. 

Adama as well has chosen to represent Spain on the international front, playing for the Under 16, 17 and 19's and will continue his development with the Under 21's. 

All in all, Adama made 63 appearances for Barcelona B scoring 8 and for the senior side 4 appearances scoring the once, it's been confirmed that Adama has signed for Aston Villa but with a buy back clause, in 3 years time. For me he reminds me of a mixture of Didier Drogba and Angel Di Maria, why Drogba you say ? cause of his strength,when I first saw Adama he was 17 and just had opponents bouncing off him and Di Maria not Manchester United Di Maria but the one we all saw at Real Madrid,when he picks up the ball can do so much with it with his devastating pace. Adama should be a perfect fit for the Premier League with his physical abilities and attributes. 

Watch Adama and see for yourself 

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