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A theme has been developing in recent transfer windows. Whilst there have still been the big money moves, the back pages of newspapers have been dominated by numerous stories of transfer sagas. Clubs across England have had to face unhappy stars looking for moves or potential deals that have dragged on and on. Whilst Cesc Fabregas continues to redefine the term with his now tedious transfer tug of war between Arsenal and Barcelona, Arsene Wenger is not the only manager having to deal with the headache these transfer sagas can cause.

Pre-season is best used as a time to plan, build and strengthen your team ahead of the new season. But all this can be thrown off course when your star player announces they desire to move on before the new campaign. If these wantaway players are not moved on quickly then their continued presence can become destructive ahead of the new season.

Some of the biggest transfers of this summer are still in the pipeline even though the start of the season is under a week away. The biggest of these as I mentioned previously is Fabregas and Barcelona. Arsenal’s Spanish captain clearly wants to make the move back to the Camp Nou but the London side’s resistance (and a inability by both clubs to agree a fee) has meant that this potential move has dragged on for years. Once again it has cast a shadow over Wenger’s pre-season plans and the inevitable move continues to be destructive around the Emirates.

Arsenal’s London rivals Tottenham face a similar dilemma with their star midfielder Luka Modric. Modric has publicly stated his desire to move to Chelsea but so far Spurs have rejected Chelsea’s approaches for the playmaker. You could say that chairman Daniel Levy is right to hold firm when it comes to his best players but with no big names arriving at White Hart Lane this summer, Tottenham’s pre-season has been dominated by talk of Modric’s desire to leave. The effect on the dressing room is questionable but it will be hard for Modric’s focus not to falter as his own transfer saga drags on with no clear conclusion in sight.

The continued presence of Carlos Tevez at Manchester City has also become a saga but in this case both club and player seem willing for a deal to be done (at the right price). For now Tevez remains with City but questions and doubts still remain for Roberto Mancini about the role he could play this season.

But what options do these managers have? The clear choice would be to get rid of their wantaway stars. If the hierarchy of the club can agree then all three could slip away to their new clubs, leaving a healthy bonus in a club’s bank balance (though possibly less than the club’s would want if they really pushed for a quick deal) and a more settled squad focused solely on looking forward to the new season.

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Arguably Liverpool avoided a potential transfer saga by selling Fernando Torres to Chelsea in January rather than holding on to their obviously unhappy star. The Reds’ cashed in on the striker at the right time before it became a saga and potentially affected their revival under Kenny Dalglish (the sale also freed up funds for the captures of direct replacements Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez).

The other option would be to keep hold of the players and resist any possibility of a move. Fabregas’ transfer to Barca has been on the cards for years yet he has continued to play for the club with reasonable success. These footballers are also professionals and whilst their heads may get turned, it is unlikely they would choose to sit on the sidelines for a whole season if a move doesn’t materialise. But this is a risky move for any club and manager as players with one eye on the exit door can easily become a destructive liability on the pitch and in the dressing room.

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Whilst the idea of selling their key players may not be a manager’s ideal plan for pre-season, managers like Harry Redknapp and Wenger may be better off letting these players leave now in their search for stability and success over the next ten months.

Should Arsenal and Spurs sell their wantaway stars before the start of the new season? If you want to read more of my bite size, 140 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5

The average shelf life of a football manager has been a matter for great debate in recent seasons and with this new Premier League season well under way, under pressure bosses could suddenly find one foot getting far too close to that over-used managerial trap door. But in a job where results are key, how long should a manager be given to turn it around?

Nearly all managers in the Premier League face uncertainty about their future if their clubs go through a bad run, the only real exception probably being Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United who is unlikely to ever be shown the door at Old Trafford thanks to his fantastic achievements at the club. As I write this no managers across the leagues have be sacked yet this season, with only Peter Jackson leaving his position at Bradford City after he handed in his resignation.

However, two managers that have been the subject of the most intense speculation in the Premier League have been Arsene Wenger and Steve Kean. Arsenal boss Wenger has been under pressure during the summer and his side’s poor start to the season, summed up by their humiliating 8-2 defeat at Manchester United, has meant the once unanimously loved Wenger suddenly faced calls to be sacked. But Arsenal’s qualification for the Champions League group stages and eventual movement in the transfer window has given the Frenchman more time to turn it around. Ultimately his future will depend on Arsenal’s upcoming Premier League games but the pressure is on Wenger as he has had a lot longer than most (six years to be exact) to turn around Arsenal’s trophy drought.

But Steve Kean, a man on the top of most people’s lists for first in line to be sacked, is under the most pressure at Blackburn Rovers. His side have slumped to three straight defeats in the league and find themselves in the relegation zone. Kean has been under constant pressure from the owners since he was appointed as the shock replacement for Sam Allardyce. But should Kean be sacked if Blackburn don’t pick up points soon? If this bad run continues I doubt whether the owners will keep faith with Kean but he, like many managers before him that have been sacked before Christmas, would deserve better.

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Like I previously mentioned football is very much a results game but how can you properly judge a manager and team’s performances without having at least a couple of months worth of proof? Very few managers deserve to be sacked until the turn of the year, a point at which most teams’ seasons could still be saved. Last year Newcastle United shocked fans across the country by sacking Chris Hughton at the start of December, a departure that seemed horribly premature. The unfortunate case of Hughton at Newcastle is also an example of how long a manager has readily depends on his own boss.

Mike Ashley at Newcastle is not a man often praised for his footballing decisions and likewise the Venky’s takeover at Blackburn was met with less than enthusiastic views when they got rid of Allardyce upon their arrival at Ewood Park. As owners of football clubs and ultimately businesses it often comes down to the temperament of the man in charge as well as the results that will determine the longevity of a manager.

But do managers need to take the ultimate blame if their team has a bad run? For a team like Blackburn a terrible start to the season can be disastrous and mean the issue of relegation is suddenly whispered around Ewood Park a lot earlier than expected. Clubs can also profit from bringing in fresh faces. Whilst the departure of Hughton and Roberto Di Matteo from West Brom looked to be unfair, their replacements in Alan Pardew and Roy Hodgson did well in taking over at the respective clubs. In contrast West Ham waited far too long to sack Avram Grant and paid the price.

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Whilst a bad run of results will rightly see their job under consideration, clubs should hold off from sacking their managers too quickly this season. Whilst a change in the helm at a club can work wonders, owners need to find the right balance between turning results around and showing enough respect to hardworking managers.

How long do you think managers deserve to turn it around? If you want to read more of my bite size, 140 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5

It’s apparently open season on Liverpool’s 35 million pound man Andy Carroll, as critics seem to be lining up to have a dig at the big number nine. Is this criticism over the top, and is it simply due to his fee?

Clearly having the label of the most expensive British footballer in history is always going to leave you open for high scrutiny and inevitable criticism. However, the scathing manner of the criticism of Carroll has been a bit far fetched, particularly at such an early stage of the season. The fee and the media hype surrounding him, isn’t Carroll’s fault, and for a young player with everything to prove, it hasn’t helped his cause.

Carroll joined Liverpool with a serious injury problem, and he has struggled to regain full fitness since the injury. It was unfortunate for him, that he couldn’t hit the ground running, and he wasn’t fully fit when he played for the reds at the end of last season. He still doesn’t quite have his full fitness and match sharpness back, but he is certainly getting there with each passing week. He has obviously lost a lot of confidence after his injury problems, and it will be important for him to start building that up again.

It seems that Andy Carroll’s past mistakes are also counting against him, as critics continue to bash his lifestyle choices and even Fabio Capello has somewhat harshly chipped in with his thoughts on Carroll’s extracurricular activities. Critics are quick to suggest that he is wasting his talent, however this seems to have little bearing on his time at Liverpool, where nothing has come out to suggest anything other than the fact that he has got his head down at the club.

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Criticism of Carroll rather than other players also seems unfair, as Liverpool have not really played to his strengths as of yet. When Carroll is on the pitch they seem to revert to a manner of play whereby they hoof the ball downfield to him, which inevitably ends in nothing. They have yet to get the service or movement around him correct, they should be playing it down the wings and providing great service to Carroll in the centre, the return of Steven Gerrard should help Carroll out in this department.

To be fair to Carroll, he was unlucky not to score against Arsenal and had a perfectly good goal disallowed at Sunderland, if those two incidents had been slightly different, everyone would be raving about him, as the biggest hope for the future of English football, so we need to put things in a little perspective.

Carroll is in good hands with Dalglish, who will endeavour to get the best out of him, and his experience and know how will definitely be a help to Carroll. Liverpool have wrapped him up in cotton wool up to now to protect him from further injurys, but now is the time for him to be given a regular first team place so that he can fully regain his sharpness and match fitness, as well as his confidence.

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Carroll won’t get forever to prove himself, but we have to at least give him a fair chance, and the constant criticism of him is over the top and unjustified. The expectation due to the fee that he should have hit the ground running is harsh, and he should be judged by what he does on the pitch after a full season not four games.  Everything is now in place for him, he’s at a great club with a good manager, so now it is up to him, but he needs to be given a fair chance and that is not something he has been given so far.

Do you think criticism of Andy Carroll has been over the top? Let me know your thoughts by commenting below or following me on Twitter @LaurenRutter

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Manchester United assistant manager Mike Phelan has admitted that the club are keeping tabs on highly rated Sporting Lisbon striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel.

The 22-year-old moved to the Estadio Jose Alvalade from Utrecht in the last transfer window, but already is being linked with a move to a bigger club, with the Premier League champions one of his potential suitors.

The Dutch striker has made an electric start to his time with the Portuguese club, scoring six goals in his first six games, which has come to the attention of a number of leading European teams.

Despite remaining coy about a move for the forward, Phelan has admitted United are keeping tabs on the Netherlands international.

“We have obviously known Van Wolfswinkel for a long time. He is a young striker, very talented, who has been growing in the last few seasons,” Phelan stated to Portuguese newspaper Record.

“A club like Manchester United carefully follow many players all over the world.”

Sir Alex Ferguson has signed players from the Portuguese Primeria Liga before, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani and Anderson ending up at Old Trafford after impressing in the country.

By Gareth McKnight

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Win VIP tickets to the titanic clash at Anfield

While the next football World Cup in Brazil may still be three years away, right now in New Zealand the Rugby World Cup is taking place. While some of the excitement may have gone out of the tournament now that England have been knocked out by France, there’s still plenty to talk and get enthused about.

One country in the world where the popularity of rugby is growing is Italy. Renowned as a country that loves football, rugby is becoming a bigger sport in Italy all the time and they are not only gradually starting to become more of a force in the Six Nations, but also on the world stage, too.

One Italian footballer who loves his rugby is Gianluca Vialli. The Italian made his name on these shores with Chelsea, and our very own Will Carling got to interview Luca on all things rugby and a bit of other stuff as well.

See who he thinks of when he thinks of rugby, aside from his wife’s brother, how far he thought Italy would make it in the tournament (I’m afraid he was a bit too optimistic on that one) and who he would like to play him in a film of his life; I’ll give you a clue, it’s a bald actor.

Here’s Italian football star Gianluca Vialli giving his Rugby World Cup 2011 prediction in This Is The Game Interviews, presented by Heineken…

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Ahead of the Arsenal v Chelsea in the Premier League at The Emirates Stadium, we spoke to former Arsenal defender and ex-Leeds boss David O’Leary…

Despite having a proven and consistent record of success in management Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been criticised in some quarters. What are your thoughts?

Arsene Wenger is a fantastic manager. When I left Arsenal we were a big club but Arsene Wenger has moved them onto another level. They’ve even built a bigger stadium because they outgrew the old stadium. He has been amazing in that way. Everybody knows they play great football but they haven’t won anything in recent years which people keep referring to; they will know they need to put that right. They have started to leak more goals but I am sure they will be working to rectify that as well.

Why do you think Arsenal has conceded an uncharacteristically high number of goals this season?

First of all I’m an Arsenal fan so I have to put my loyalty to one side. They can play great football, but consistently they have conceded too many goals and shown frailties in defence. When they are one up, they might be dominating the game but you often feel the other team has got a great chance of equalising. . Bringing Mertesacker in will give them a bit more height which will help when they concede free-kicks and corners. I think other teams know when they play Arsenal that they are vulnerable in that position, and that gives them great heart.

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You were a world class defender; who do you view as Arsenal’s ideal central defensive partnership if everybody is fit; who impresses you?

The main two are Vermaelen and Mertesacker. The others are lads that can fill in, really. Koscielny does ok but I don’t feel that he’s going to get into the best teams that Arsenal are playing against at the moment.

Mertesacker is a good reader of the game, but pace wise I sometimes fear for him a little bit. Once Vermaelen comes back from injury they’ll form a stronger partnership together. They look like probably the strongest pair they have had at Arsenal for a few years.

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Upfront you can see Arsenal’s reliance on Van Persie. He is an amazing player, and if they were to lose him it would be a big blow. You see what he does when he’s on the field, and what he does when he comes off the bench. I hope we’re proved wrong, but his injury record of staying fit over the whole season unfortunately hasn’t been great.

The contract issue with Van Persie is potentially a difficult one. Arsenal are a great club and they’ll be able to offer him a fantastic deal. But he may be thinking to himself: “Are Arsenal going to win anything, can I go to a club that has a chance of winning the Champions League and could maybe offer me an even more amazing contract than the one I’ll be offered at Arsenal?” I hope that he stays at Arsenal for many seasons to come.

For more insight from David O’Leary and other leading managers plus exclusive Barclays Premier League highlights go to www.yahoo.co.uk/sport

Spanish outfit Espanyol could be ready to offer Sebastien Squillaci a way out of Arsenal according to reports on TalkSport. The 31-year-old defender only joined the Gunners just over a year ago but he has failed to make a positive impression on either the manager or the fans.

There were reports recently that Sam Allardyce wanted to take the Frenchman on loan to Upton Park but the Arsenal board blocked the move preferring to sell the defender. Arsenal have put a £4m price tag on the former Sevilla man. Spanish newspaper Sport reports that the Barcelona based club have made an offer for Squillaci but that it is significantly lower than the asking price. Espanyol have had well-documented financial problems recently and their inability to tie their players down to new contracts has forced them to seek replacements. However, even with the lower than expected offer, with Wenger’s patience with the centre back seemingly running thin the club could be keen to cash in on the defender while they can.

Mega rich Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala have also been linked with a move for the defender and whilst the £4m price tag would be no issue they are yet to make a move for the Arsenal man.

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QPR gained a vital point in their battle to beat the drop coming from behind to draw against Swansea who maintained their fine record Liberty Stadium.

Jamie Mackie was the R’s hero pouncing on Leon Britton’s mistake to equalise just before the hour after Danny Graham had put the home side ahead in the first half with a goal tinged with controversy. The draw now gives Neil Warnock’s side a three point advantage over Wigan who occupy the third and final relegation place and a major confidence boost as they head into the second half of the season. Going to the Liberty Stadium and gaining a point is no mean feat with Manchester United the only team to beat the Swans on home turf. Brendan Rodgers will also be delighted with a share of the spoils as it keeps his side five points above the drop zone and still with a chance of making it into the top half.

It was the visitors who began the contest with more purpose though and Swansea were once again grateful to the in-form Michael Vorm for keeping out early headers from Heidar Helguson and Mackie. The hosts struggled to get into their usual passing routine but found themselves ahead just before the quarter hour with Graham appearing to control Wayne Routledges cross with his hand before turning and lashing the ball home for his sixth goal of the campaign. The away bench erupted as Warnock frantically appealed for handball to no avail as referee Lee Probert failed to bat an eyelid towards the protests. Graham was denied a second goal soon after with Clint Hill doing brilliantly to block his effort from Scott Sinclair’s centre. The game was fast developing into an end-to-end affair with Vorm once again called into action to acrobatically tip Joey Barton’s strike away from goal after the hosts failed to deal with Adel Taarabt’s free kick. Helguson then squandered two opportunities in quick succession before Taarabt sliced a volley wide.

The second half saw a minor drop in the tempo as Swansea desperately searched for the killer goal with Routledge toe poking past the post after good work from Joe Allen to create space for the winger. It proved to be crucial as Mackie levelled on 58 minutes latching onto the ball following Britton’s attempted header back to his goalkeeper went horribly wrong allowing the QPR striker to brush off a challenge from Ashley Williams and cooly finish beyond Vorm. The Scotland striker was then denied by Vorm who once again proved to be the Swans’ last line of defence. Graham then thought he’d won a penalty following a could from Armand Traore but referee Probert failed to point to the spot as the away side went close to finding a winner late on. It was Vorm again who came out on top tipping Taarabt’s strike round the post as Warnocks side ended a run of three defeats on the spin ahead of their trip to Arsenal.

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Being stuck in the reserves whilst Michael Carrick continues to get a game in the first team is enough to test anybody’s patience and if rumours emanating from the Paul Pogba camp are to be believed, the talented 18-year-old is set to call time on his Manchester United career when his contract expires next summer.

Despite being lauded as one answer to the Red Devils’ midfield problems, Pogba has found appearances at Old Trafford hard to come by this term. A pair of substitute run-outs in the Carling Cup is all the former Le Havre trainee has been granted so far and with further chances looking sparse a number of suitors are said to be waiting in the wings.

Nostradamus never did try his hand at writing football gossip columns so take what you will from various sources suggesting Arsenal, Juventus, AC and Inter Milan are all keen to add the French under-19 international to their squads.

Given the nominal fee Pogba’s signature would cost and relatively cheap wages he could command, his acquisition would be a low-risk bit of business for anybody so it’s no wonder the midfielder is being courted across the continent.

The conundrum player and club must get right though, is would Pogba be better off remaining at Manchester United?

Even given his limited exposure to first-team football there would be few at Old Trafford prepared to let him go. Pogba was instrumental in helping United’s youth team win the FA youth cup last season and he has long established himself as a key member of the second string.

During the summer Sir Alex Ferguson overtly mentioned Pogba as one of the latest batch of academy graduates he was seeking to integrate into the side, and although that promotion has hardly been forthcoming, all involved recognise Pogba’s natural talent and athleticism mark him out as a potential incumbent into the United side.

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Whilst United are not generally in the habit of stockpiling resource for the sake of it, they have been scorched on a number of occasions in the past when letting players go prematurely.

Giuseppe Rossi and Gerard Pique would both arguably get in the team now but both would cost tenfold the fees they were released for. A Hat-trick with Pogba would not go down well.

Of course, the party line from Carrington would be that a player who does not turn nineteen until next March should bide his time and serve his apprenticeship with an institute who have a long and proven track record of developing from within – and they’d be right.

Pogba’s head may have already been turned by the lure of match minutes and money but if he had the inclination to ask Phil Jones, Chris Smalling Tom Cleverley, Danny Welbeck, Javier Hernandez or Wayne Rooney what to do, he’d still be a red this time next year.

Tales of how Sir Alex Ferguson develops young players is well trodden and one which doesn’t need retelling in the aftermath of his silver jubilee celebrations, but there is a reason the Scot has continually evolved side after side, and that is because he frequently gets the blend right within his squad of youth and experience.

The expectations placed upon the next big things can be overwhelming and often misguided – especially at clubs of the size and stature of United – yet Ferguson has the experience and understanding of how, when and where to involve players for future gains.

Simply playing as much football as you can, as soon as you can is a methodology which has more failure’s than successes and Pogba would be unwise to think that this approach would automatically suit him in the long run.

The number of starlet’s who break into established teams at such tender ages are increasingly rare and more players are now going through and induction progress of lesser cup ties and league games mixed in with loan spells in order to evolve to the the nuances of senior football regardless of any inherent technical skills.

At United, Pogba is cherished within such an environment and personnel around him to inch out his maturity for maximum benefit over a slightly more prolonged period of time.

However, the differences in mentality of player and manager only serves as a metaphor between generation and tradition with Pogba wanting cash and a quick fix whilst Ferguson is religiously well versed in the virtues of patience.

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Pogba can sign a pre-contract agreement from January onwards so time is not on United’s side to convince their starlet to stay, but no convincing should need to be done – with only a handful of exceptions they say the only way is down after leaving Manchester United.

Follow John Baines on twitter @bainesyDiego10

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Barcelona attacker Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or on Monday night for the third consecutive time.

It was revealed at the ceremony in Zurich that the Argentina international received 48% of the votes, compared to Cristiano Ronaldo’s 22% and Xavi’s 10%.

The victory for the South American means he has won the world player of the year award three times in a row, and equals Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten, who also received the accolade on three separate occasions.

Xavi heaped praise on his Barcelona team-mate, stating that he was a worthy winner of the award.

“He’s still young, only 24, and I think he’s going to break all the records that exist in this sport,” the Spain midfielder told reporters.

“He’s going to be one of the best footballers in the history of the sport.”

Meanwhile Pep Guardiola made it a double success for the Catalan side by picking up the Manager of the Year award, beating Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson to the prize.

Ferguson did however pick up the Fifa President’s Award for services in the game, and was praised by Sepp Blatter at the event.

Manchester United duo Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidic were included in a world XI however, which was selected as follows:

Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Dani Alves (Barcelona), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Xavi (Barcelona), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Wayne Rooney (Man Utd).

Other winners in Switzerland were Japan’s women’s captain Homare Sawa who won the women’s player award; Japan manager Norio Sasaki was given the coach of the year for women’s football accolade; the Japanese FA were awarded the FIFA fair play award and Brazil striker Neymar won the FIFA Puskas award for the best goal of 2011.

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By Gareth McKnight

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