Report: Tottenham set to raid Manchester United, line up Fellaini, Hernandez deals

By Joe Prince-WrightAug 20, 2014, 7:30 AM EDT

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly lining up a $46 million bid to bring both Javier Hernandez and Marouane Fellaini to White Hart Lane.

The Red Devils duo have apparently been told they can leave Old Trafford by new manager Louis van Gaal and both are available for immediate transfer. Hernandez started in United’s opening day defeat to Swansea City but was substituted, while Fellaini came on as a late sub after playing a peripheral role during preseason.

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According to multiple reports in the UK, Spurs’ new boss Mauricio Pochettino is keen to hand both Hernandez and Fellaini a fresh start in North London after the duo endured horror campaigns last season.

Mexican striker Hernandez, known commonly as ‘Chicharito’, started just six PL games last term and Pochettino has been a long-term admirer of his predatory instincts. As for Fellaini, the Belgian international has struggled to shake off the $50 million price tag around his neck after United’s former boss David Moyes brought him in from Everton last summer.

Chicharito, 26, has scored 59 goals in 152 appearances for United but his role as a supersub has since his stature diminish over the last 12 months. Spurs are certainly looking short of goals with misfiring Spaniard Roberto Soldado and veteran Emmanuel Adbayor their only out-and-out strikers, while Argentina attacker Erik Lamela continues his slow start to life at the Lane.

Fellaini is the more intriguing part of the deal here. With a loan move to Serie A side Napoli supposedly lined up for the lanky Belgian international midfielder, United are keen to instead recoup some of the cash they splashed for him last summer. If this deal goes through, in theory they will get almost all of the money back they paid for Fellaini, plus throw in Chicharito as a bonus for Spurs. With the potential for Fellaini to play alongside fellow Belgians Nacer Chadli and Jan Vertonghen at Tottenham, could the bushy haired midfielder return to past glories with a fresh start? Fellaini’s struggles, which included zero goals from central midfield, coupled with United’s awful seventh-placed finish last term and the demise of Moyes as manager, became a symbol of the dark days at Old Trafford. If he moves on, not many tears would be shed by fans of the Red Devils.

Both Fellaini and Hernandez would strengthen Tottenham’s squad and with van Gaal keen to move them on to bring in some new signings of his own, this seems like the ideal situation for both clubs and both players.

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Panama boss blunt and honest before nation’s World Cup debut

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Associated PressJun 17, 2018, 9:40 PM EDT

Maradona: Argentina drawing Iceland is “a disgrace”

AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan

By Andy EdwardsJun 17, 2018, 9:12 PM EDT

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It’s been a pretty trying and criticism-filled 36 hours for Lionel Messi and Argentina, and that was already true before the World Cup hero that is Diego Maradona weighed in.

[ MORE: Where to watch Monday’s games, feat. England and Belgium ]

No longer are La Albiceleste simply known as the side that drew tiny Iceland — the smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup — but now their efforts on Saturday have been dubbed “a disgrace” by Maradona.

It’s not so much the players whom Maradona, manager of the national team for the 2010 World Cup (quarterfinals appearance, beaten 4-0 by Germany), has gone after, but current boss Jorge Sampaoli for his lack of a proper gameplan befitting the opponent. As for Messi, who failed to convert a critical penalty kick, Maradona has absolved the Barcelona superstar of much of the blame — quotes from the BBC:

“It’s a disgrace. Not having prepared for the match knowing that Iceland are all [6-foot-3] tall.”

…

“I get the feeling there’s an anger at the heart of the team.”

…

“I don’t blame the players. I could blame the lack of work rate. But I can’t blame the players, much less Messi, who gave it all he had,” said Maradona.

“I missed five penalties on the spin and I was still Diego Armando Maradona. I don’t think that they dropped two points because Messi missed a penalty.”

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England squad reconnects with fans with image makeover

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Associated PressJun 17, 2018, 7:50 PM EDT

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VOLGOGRAD, England (AP) — Whatever happens to England at the World Cup, at least the reception facing the squad should be less brutal than it was in 2014 after its exit following the group stage.’

[ MORE: Latest 2018 World Cup news ]

For once, the players can’t be accused of hiding away, retreating behind their headphones. The hallmark of England’s preparations for Russia has been shedding the past reticence to engage with the public, a calculated move by the team leadership to reconnect with a public disaffected by years of failure at tournaments and uninspiring performances.

“They appear more relaxed. They appear more normal,” supporter Gavin Hughes said, overlooking the Volgograd Arena where England opens its World Cup campaign against Tunisia on Monday. “They appear human. They are just lads playing football at the end of the day. That’s been the problem in the past. There’s more of a togetherness.”

A defining clip of the 2010 World Cup was Wayne Rooney bellowing down the barrel of a camera after a 0-0 draw with Algeria: “Nice to see your home fans booing you, that’s what loyal support is.”

That disconnect with the public has been bridged by the 23-man squad facing the media in a 45-minute, Super Bowl-style session before leaving for Russia. The English Football Association’s approach is in a marked contrast to club duty where they are largely closeted away, save for appearances with paying broadcasters or often in controlled appearances.

[ MORE: Where to watch Monday’s games, feat. England and Belgium ]

“We’ve done a lot for the fans on social media so they can see what we are up to, which has not always been the case,” captain Harry Kane said Sunday. “It’s important while we have free time is to try to let the fans know what we are up to.”

The public is seeing a new side of the players. Not only are they more relatable but painted in a more sympathetic light, beyond the caricatures of millionaire mercenaries just chasing more money.

“That connection with the supporters is really important,” coach Gareth Southgate said. “There have been perceptions about our players for a long time … so it’s been really good for our public to see how much it means to the players to play, to see a different side of their personality.”

In a move unthinkable in years gone by, when a since-departed FA official blocked Rooney talking about his Christianity, defender Danny Rose recently opened up on his problems dealing with depression. Publicly praised by Prince William for raising awareness of health issues, Rose realizes how players can use their new platform to show their human side and inspire others.

“A lot of people messaged me to say thank you, that they know someone who is going through this or has been through that and that I’ve helped them and given them the confidence to express themselves,” Rose said. “We have a lot of down time and I’m going to think of something to help others when I get back. I’ve got time to think while I’m here and when I get back from the World Cup about how I can go forward and help people.”

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It’s not just about the players feeding a voracious traveling media pack with material. Kieran Trippier, who is also Rose’s club teammate at Tottenham, told the left back he appeared no longer burdened by a private plight in England’s last World Cup warm-up game.

“I was playing with a bit of freedom,” Rose said of the victory against Costa Rica. “I think he’s got a point.”

Southgate is credited with encouraging the warmer environment, far removed from the controlling regimes under Fabio Capello and Gary Neville, who was Roy Hodgson’s assistant for the dismal 2014 World Cup and 2016 European Championship last-16 humbling to Iceland. A bemusing, running theme in the British papers at Euro 2016 in France was the players’ refusal to divulge any details of a darts tournament. The squad has been overhauled by Southgate and it has even been playing darts with the media at the World Cup base near St. Petersburg.

Southgate has been playing his part, going to fan forums in the buildup to the tournament to recognize the commitment and cost involved watching England abroad.

“Sometimes those really good people who follow us are overlooked at the expense of some who have caused problems in the past,” Southgate said.

Ultimately, results dictate the public mood and England hasn’t won a knockout game at any tournament since 2006.

“It’s about how we perform,” Southgate said, “but there’s a bigger picture.”

WATCH: World Cup, Day 5 — England, Belgium enter the fray

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By Andy EdwardsJun 17, 2018, 6:59 PM EDT