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Are United losing their identity?

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Louis van Gaal has been in charge for over a year and United’s net spend is around £170m. That is a huge investment.

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London - How much money is it going to take for Manchester United to become Barclays Premier League champions again?

For all the drama of the transfer window, that is what it comes down to.

Louis van Gaal has been in charge for over a year and United’s net spend is around £170million. That is a huge investment but the next step has to be pushing for the title.

Van Gaal took United from seventh back into the Champions League and there are some very good players in his squad. If they don’t finish in the top three they are underachieving, so the pressure is firmly on Van Gaal.

But it still felt like United were rolling the dice on deadline day. It is hard to imagine that kind of soap opera happening under Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill. It was embarrassing.

The signing of Anthony Martial is a huge gamble. He has been compared to Thierry Henry and if he is half as good then he will be a decent player. Van Gaal likes a pacey ball-carrier - he had Arjen Robben at Bayern Munich and tried and failed to make Angel di Maria that man at United - and Martial fits the bill.

He might even be the answer to their striker dilemma but it is still a big risk to take on an uncapped youngster.

Van Gaal also thought nothing of selling Di Maria and losing £16m just a year after signing him and the way Di Maria and Radamel Falcao both flopped discredits the Dutchman.

The biggest issue for Van Gaal, though, is his man management. The David de Gea saga was farcical but if no offers had been made by Real Madrid until deadline day then he should have been playing.

Banishing him to the reserves will have done nothing to encourage him to stay.

The international break now means things can start to settle down but De Gea, who stayed professional throughout the saga, must surely play on his return.

You also wonder whether Van Gaal’s treatment of De Gea and fellow Spanish keeper Victor Valdes had any influence on why one-time target Pedro ended up at Chelsea.We do not see what happens in the dressing room but it is a concern when former players queue up to criticise Van Gaal’s ruthless treatment.

Once a relationship is broken, there seems to be no going back.

Players will have much more respect for a manager who is consistent and takes time to explain decisions.

I was shocked when Van Gaal publicly criticised Luke Shaw for being unfit last year, he obviously has issues with Marcus Rojo and what must Adnan Januzaj be thinking?

At the start of the season it looked like he was going to get a chance. A few weeks later he is packed off on loan.

What will hurt the fans is the loss of academy graduates who have United blood in their veins.

There are only eight left from United’s 2013 title-winning squad and with the likes of Danny Welbeck, Darren Fletcher, Tom Cleverley and Jonny Evans gone, there is a feeling that United are losing part of their identity.

Big names come and go but Van Gaal is in danger of ripping out the core of the club.

The same goes with their playing style. Everything looks controlled and safe but they do not attack like the old United.

It is ironic that United are trying to keep up with their neighbours. City have two quality players in every position and a distinct style but it feels like Van Gaal is still experimenting.

He has used 44 players at United, 14 more than City, and in 42 Premier League games has named an unchanged team only three times. But there have been positive changes.

The midfield is vastly improved with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin adding great depth.

United have also been solid since ditching a back three for a back four, keeping three clean sheets in four games.

Chris Smalling is improving and Daley Blind a calming influence.United’s first match after the international break is Liverpool at Old Trafford so it will be fascinating to see which team Van Gaal picks.

United are still two or three key players short but after what went on in the transfer window the spotlight is now firmly on Van Gaal.

Daily Mail

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Van Gaal the tough task master

Louis Van Gaal is not the arm-around-the-shoulder kind of guy and, at 64, the man they call the Iron Tulip is not for bending.

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By all accounts, Louis van Gaal toasted the close of the transfer window with a large glass of red wine at his holiday home in the Algarve. ‘My paradise in Portugal,’ as he likes to call it.

The Dutchman and his employers at Manchester United clearly feel it has been a good summer for the club.

Six new signings will be the exception rather than the norm from now on, and the world-record deal for teenager Anthony Martial pushed United’s spending well north of the £100million mark for the second year in a row.

Then there was the news that David de Gea will be staying at Old Trafford, albeit reluctantly, for the next nine months.

All in all, Van Gaal had every reason to be pleased with himself as he enjoyed his view over the Atlantic.

There was little chance, we are told, of him leaving the comfort of his villa and catching a short flight to Spain for a private chat with De Gea, who was mourning the collapse of his move to Real Madrid.

That is not Van Gaal’s style. He is not the arm-around-the-shoulder kind of guy and, at 64, the man they call the Iron Tulip is not for bending. ‘Louis does what Louis does,’ said one well-placed source.

It was one of the reasons United turned to the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach last year; a big name with an experience of big clubs who would have little regard for reputations or egos.

But his hardline — some call it authoritarian — stance has brought its own problems during his first year at Old Trafford.

Falling out at a football club is commonplace, especially for Van Gaal, and particularly with players on the periphery. Worryingly for United, many of them have occurred with new signings he has brought in himself.

Getting players through the door is one thing. But getting along with them is another matter altogether, it seems. And once you cross him, it’s a long way back.

Van Gaal paid a British record £59.7m for Angel di Maria but the Argentinian lasted less than a year before departing for Paris Saint-Germain.

Earlier this week he admitted that ‘a couple of clashes’ had accelerated the deterioration of his relationship with the manager.

Radamel Falcao was signed on loan with wages of £280,000 a week but, by March, friends of the Colombian striker revealed how he had been reduced to tears by his treatment at the hands of Van Gaal.

Victor Valdes was brought in as a high-calibre back-up for De Gea but then banished to the reserves after Van Gaal claimed that he refused to play in an Under 21 game.

The Spanish contingent at United are said to be unhappy with the disrespect shown to a three-time Champions League winner with Barcelona. Having seen a move to Besiktas fall through before the transfer window closed, Valdes was left out of United’s Champions League squad last night and is now in limbo.

Marcos Rojo has also been frozen out just a year after his £16m transfer from Sporting Lisbon following a serious disagreement with the Dutchman.

The Argentina centre back has not played this season since he was fined £140 000 for failing to appear on United’s pre-season tour of America due to passport issues. It is understood that Rojo was offered to Monaco as part of the deal to sign Martial.

Then there were the players Van Gaal inherited from the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Robin van Persie, supposed to be a close ally, claimed that he was ‘betrayed’ by his former Holland coach.

Javier Hernandez joined Bayer Leverkusen earlier this week, saying that he wants ‘to go back to feeling important and happy’. Almost his last act as a United player was to miss a penalty against Bruges last week, prompting Van Gaal to give his assistant Ryan Giggs a withering look on the bench.

Mexican legend Hugo Sanchez defended his countryman yesterday, saying: ‘Van Gaal is a scoundrel. Hopefully those in England realise he is a bad person and treats his players poorly.’

Right back Rafael da Silva also raised concerns over his treatment after leaving for Lyon, claiming that Van Gaal simply didn’t like him.

Adnan Januzaj departed on loan for Borussia Dortmund this week, having been criticised for giving the ball away too much in United’s victory at Aston Villa last month despite scoring the winning goal.

On the same night, Van Gaal shocked his squad by addressing captain Wayne Rooney on the team coach over his abject display at Villa Park.

But not all the great managers were popular with their players, and Van Gaal knows that.

As he makes the most of his time off in Portugal, the United boss will not be afraid of a little trouble in paradise. – Daily Mail

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De Gea doesn’t need olive branch - United

Manchester United insist it is not necessary for Louis van Gaal to make a trip to Madrid to repair his relationship with David De Gea.

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Manchester United insist it is not necessary for manager Louis van Gaal to make a trip to Madrid to repair his relationship with David De Gea, after the collapse of the goalkeeper's proposed transfer shattered the 24-year-old's hopes of a move back to his home city.

As Ander Herrera insisted his compatriot was too good a professional not to reintegrate rapidly at Old Trafford, sources at the top of United rejected the suggestion that a trip was required similar to the one Sir Alex Ferguson made to Lisbon in 2008 when he persuaded Cristiano Ronaldo to delay a move to Real Madrid for one more year.

De Gea, who was last night included in United's Champions League squad, was deeply unhappy to be dropped from the side amid uncertainty about a Real Madrid move and indignant about Van Gaal's claims that he was not in a fit mental state to have played for the club in the first four games of the season. But the view within the club is the manager will find a way of mending fences with De Gea.

United feel the Dutchman's belief in players showing total commitment in training is too ingrained for a climbdown and that his sometimes confrontational style is something they bought into when hiring him.

They are adamant that they will not repeat the turmoil of buying six players in a transfer window and consider the overhaul of Ferguson's squad to be near completion. Sources at the top of the club insist that Van Gaal was more than happy with three months which delivered the retention of De Gea, along with nearly £150m of investment.

Though Chelsea appeared to have gazumped them by securing the Barcelona forward Pedro, United insist he was not high enough on their list of targets, with a specific aspect of his game - a lack of pace - contributing to Van Gaal's uncertainty, in a summer when the club were looking for that component. The club kept their options open but insist ultimately they did not sufficiently want him.

The absence of a defensive back-up option when Sergio Ramos could not be prised from Real Madrid also looked like a failing, though it is understood that Van Gaal simply did not have another defender he considered worth moving for.

Privately, Van Gaal has said since failing to sign Mats Hummels from Borussia Dortmund that alternatives must be of the highest class to fit the bill for United. The club maintain that no one other than Ramos was considered of an adequate calibre this summer.

It is understood that United did make a formal bid for Southampton's Sadio Mané, though the South Coast club's rejection of the offer bears out what the Old Trafford hierarchy consider a new phenomenon in the market: medium-bracket clubs with big TV revenues refusing to sell. “You can't just go to these clubs with a bag of cash and expect them to sell any more,” said one source.

United insist their interest in Barcelona's Neymar did not translate into an expression of interest in buying him.

The Spain national team coach, Vicente del Bosque, has urged De Gea to “be professional” and “prove what a good goalkeeper he is” after the collapse of his Bernabeu move. “The important thing is that David reacts,” Del Bosque said. “He has to know what has happened, look to the future and be a good professional.”

Ramos added: “Nobody has died for this. He must maintain his level. He is one of the best keepers.”

Speaking at the presentation of HCL as United's official digital transformation partner, Herrera said of De Gea's return to Old Trafford: “Of course, David is my friend and I want the best for him. He has had a very, very good four years for United and he will do it again.

“He is a very good professional, you can see that every day, he never missed one training session, he never missed one game. So I think he is going to do [it] again. For me, he is the best goalkeeper in the world.” – The Independent

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Fresh twist to ‘Chiefs and City’ row

The Kaizer Chiefs coming to Cape Town situation has the potential of developing into a major problem for the City of Cape Town.

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The Kaizer Chiefs coming to Cape Town situation has the potential of quickly developing into a major problem for the City of Cape Town.

On Tuesday, the popular Soweto club announced it will play three of its home games at the Cape Town Stadium – Wits on December 19, Platinum Stars on January 24 and SuperSport United on February 20. The change in venue was also reflected on the official fixtures programme on the Premier Soccer League’s website.

Yesterday, it came to light that Chiefs have appeared to jump the gun as far as approval is concerned. Councillor Garreth Bloor, Mayoral Committee Member for Tourism, Events and Economic Development, said in a statement: “Kaizer Chiefs has identified the Cape Town Stadium as a venue for three of their home games. A proposal has been received which is being tabled at the Special Events Committee (it met yesterday). Recommendations will be made to the Executive Mayor for onward submission to the next full sitting of Council in October 2015. At a political level, the proposal has not been approved yet.”

That may be so – but Chiefs’ early announcement already has Cape Town football up in arms. A meeting has now been scheduled with the City, scheduled to take place tomorrow. A number of disgruntled Cape clubs will be present, including Safa-CT president Norman Arendse, who represents the Cape’s amateur football teams, Ajax, Santos and Milano United. Santos chairman Goolam Allie is also still contacting the chairmen of other clubs to join the meeting.

One thing is evident: If Chiefs get approval, Cape football clubs are not just going to accept the decision meekly.

“While Chiefs are within their rights if they want to play in the Cape, this is about the integrity of football, and the PSL,” Ajax chief executive Ari Efstathiou said. “How do we, as a Cape club, build a brand in the city? Imagine if every club in the PSL simply jumped from stadium to stadium? The league would be in chaos...”

Arendse is just as unhappy with the City courting Chiefs to play in the Cape.

“What makes this whole situation worse is that Chiefs have gone and made an announcement when no official approval has been given,” he said.

“It’s an outrage… and this has got nothing to do with people’s favourite teams. Yes, as a Chiefs fan, I would love to see them playing as often as possible. But the point is that the City has not consulted with the people who are most affected by the decision to bring Chiefs to play at the Cape Town Stadium.

“The question is: Has the City not learnt from the Cape Town Cup fiasco. Because now we again have a situation where a decision is taken which affects all footballers in the Cape, but they have not been consulted on the matter. According to the constitution, they are entitled to a hearing.

“Also, why is the City paying another club to come and use Cape Town Stadium? According to PSL rules, if a club plays its home games away from its base, then it is responsible for footing the bill for their travel and accommodation. In this case, it will probably also have to pay for the travel and accommodation of the opponents as well, because they are taking them further away. Do you think Chiefs will be paying for this?

“Add to that the fact that Chiefs turned down R2million to play in the Cape Town Cup, but they are quite happy to come down to the Cape now for their home games. They must feel that it’s worth their while… The whole situation is outrageous.”

Arendse adds that the City needed to be more inclusive when dealing with football.

“The problem is that never has the City thought about getting football into a room to discuss the Cape Town Stadium or any other issues,” he said. “I’m sure that if we all get together, and there is commitment from all clubs in the city, solutions can be found. How do you build a culture of football when, every week, clubs are playing all over the place? For example, Milano play in Grassy Park and then Blue Downs, Santos at Athlone, Vasco (da Gama) in Parow and so on… Why can’t we regularly get teams together, under one roof, and build from there.”

For Allie, there was an even deeper, more historical context.

“This is about under-development,” the Santos chairman said. “They say, those who don’t remember the past are doomed to repeat it… And that’s what this situation stinks of. The City wants to spend money on an outside club, but can’t provide proper facilities for the teams who play here.

“And so, like in the past, we are perpetuating under-development. Cape clubs can’t progress because the City is empowering rich clubs from outside.

“I believe that it’s important that we rally behind Ajax… If Chiefs get approval, then it’s an indictment on all footballers in the Cape.” - Cape Times

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Bafana must step up to the plate

Shakes Mashaba believes Bafana will get their maiden maximum points of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier this weekend.

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Johannesburg - Although he has scant knowledge of Mauritania, Shakes Mashaba believes Bafana Bafana will get their maiden maximum points of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier this weekend.

Bafana fly out to the North- West African country today for their second match in Group L of the qualification rounds for the biennial, continental showpiece scheduled for Gabon in a little under two years’ time.

Having been held goalless by Gambia in their opening qualification match, the South Africans are under pressure to get off the mark at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday.

Mashaba is fully aware of the importance of success this weekend and speaks confidently about his team’s chances of inflicting on Mauritania their second loss of the campaign.

“This is a must-win match for us,” Mashaba said. “You hear people saying this puts pressure on the team, what pressure?

“You have pressure in your house when you’re eating dinner. You ask yourself, ‘if I don’t finish, the madam will ask where did I eat?’ So you work hard to finish the plate. There’s always pressure in football.”

The pressure to beat a Mauritania team that lost their first match 1-0 in Cameroon will be amplified by the fact they are somewhat of an unknown entity for Bafana.

“We’ve done our homework. We’ve searched, but what we have is their previous records, how they played.

“What has made us aware that they are not a team to take lightly is the result they came with from Cameroon, they went there and lost just 1-0.”

That the Indomitable Lions only got their goal late in the match tells Mashaba that Mauritania are a decent side that could be even more difficult to beat in their own backyard – results prior to that one notwithstanding.

“If you go far back you will find that there are games they’ve lost 7-0 and 3-0. But we don’t want to take that into our minds because it’s sort of going to make us to be complacent.

“We know they are not going to be an easy side to play. We’ve got to take them and give them the respect that they deserve.”

The respect for the opposition aside, Mashaba is still confident of returning home with the three points. And his confidence is not without basis, the Bafana coach believing that his side are more comfortable on the road than they are at home.

This much they showed when they qualified for this year’s tournament after going unbeaten in their away matches – including a draw that could easily have been a win in Nigeria.

“I’ve indicated sometime before that we prefer playing away now,” Mashaba said. “There are no pressures playing away. You know you have to go fight against the odds where the crowd are for the home team. You are all by yourself there, with your kit managers and everybody.”

As it is, he believes that the previous notion that homeground provides advantage no longer exists. “Modern trends of football show that teams are doing well away from home. If you look at most of the teams, their best results are best when they are away,” Mashaba said.

But the national coach will have to lead Bafana to victory over the “closed book” that is Mauritania to confirm what he is saying is the truth.

Meanwhile, Thulani Serero arrived in camp yesterday and was assessed by the Bafana medical team and declared fit to play.

This after the player’s club, Ajax Amsterdam, had written a letter to SAFA saying Serero was injured; they had even sent through a scan.

But the attacking midfielder trained with the national squad yesterday and will travel to Mauritania.

However, Kaizer Chiefs left back Tsepo Masilela has not reported for camp and is apparently in the US. - Cape Times

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Real’s Modric in graft probe

Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has been questioned in Zagreb by anti-graft police.

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Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has been questioned in Zagreb by anti-graft police in connection with a probe into Dinamo Zagreb officials suspected of bribery and tax evasion, local papers reported Thursday.

Modric, whose testimony is considered key for the case, was questioned on the financial details of his 2009 transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, the Jutarnji list daily reported.

The anti-graft prosecutors suspect that Dinamo Zagreb chief Zdravko Mamic illegally earned more than 52 million kunas ($6.9 million euros, $7.7 million), through the transfer. Modric was questioned on Sunday, the paper reported.

Another Croatian international, Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren, was also to be questioned within the probe, it said.

Zdravko Mamic, his younger brother Zoran, the Croatian champions' coach, along with a top football federation official and a tax inspector are suspected by the national anti-corruption USKOK bureau of giving and receiving bribes, tax evasion and other offences.

The suspected criminal offences had been taking place since 2008.

The alleged offences cost Dinamo Zagreb and the state almost 15.5 million euros and two million euros respectively. The four suspects were all detained in July, and later released on bail.

Zdravko Mamic, considered the most influential man in Croatian football, has rejected the allegations against him.

The 56-year-old Dinamo executive president said they were politically motivated and accused Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic of being behind them.

Mamic is a controversial figure well known for his outspoken behaviour and threatening of journalists.

Last year he was convicted of slander and ordered to pay 17 000 euros to a lawyer representing Brazil-born Croatian striker Eduardo da Silva.

In 2014, he was acquitted of inciting hatred with a slur against an ethnic Serb minister. – AFP

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History beckons for Rooney

Wayne Rooney can break Bobby Charlton's 45-year-old record and become the first player to score 50 goals for England.

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London - Wayne Rooney can break Bobby Charlton's 45-year-old record and become the first player to score 50 goals for England when Roy Hodgson's men take on San Marino and Switzerland in their two upcoming Euro 2016 qualifiers in the next week.

Charlton's record of 49 goals from his 106 internationals has stood since May 1970 but Rooney, who has 48 in 105 matches, has the perfect opportunity to beat it when England play tiny San Marino in Serravalle in Group E on Saturday.

If he should fail, the England skipper, who has scored in England's last five qualifiers and has grabbed nine goals in his last 12 England games, will get a second chance when England play Switzerland at Wembley next Tuesday.

Victory against San Marino, who have only avoided defeat in one competitive international in the last 10 years, will virtually ensure England's qualification for next year's finals in France, and they will make absolutely certain of their place by beating Switzerland as well.

England top the group with a perfect haul of 18 points from their six matches, with Switzerland trailing them on 12 and Slovenia third with nine.

Even if England win on Saturday there remains the minute mathematical chance they could finish on 21 points with Switzerland and Slovenia, but in real terms, they are virtually home and dry.

And despite a host of injuries, coach Roy Hodgson will certainly hope to see England stretch their unbeaten run in World Cup and European qualifiers to 26 when they take on San Marino.

Midfielder Jonjo Shelvey, one of the men included in the squad, partly as a result of the injuries to other players but more significantly because of his good early season form for Swansea City, says he will do all he can to help Rooney get the record on Saturday.

Last week, Shelvey, whose only cap came against San Marino in 2012, was in the Swansea side that beat Rooney's Manchester United 2-1 in the Premier League, but on Wednesday their club allegiances were put to one side.

“For me he is the best English player in England,” Shelvey told a news conference at England's training base at St George's Park in the Midlands.

“He is a tremendous player, and it speaks volumes of what he is about to do. If I play, I will try and set him up to get the two goals for the record and hopefully he can do it.”

England have won all five competitive matches they have played against San Marino with a goal tally of 31-1 and even without the injured Ryan Bertrand, Jordan Henderson, Jack Wilshere, Phil Jones and Danny Welbeck, they are virtually certain to win again.

San Marino coach Pierangelo Manzaroli achieved something of a minor miracle in November when his team drew 0-0 with Estonia, the first time they managed to avoid a competitive defeat in a decade.

He has little chance of repeating that relative success against England who won 8-0 at Serravalle on their last visit there for a World Cup qualifier in March 2013, when Rooney scored once.

He also scored against them in England's 5-0 win at Wembley last October. – Reuters

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Wenger defends transfer policy

Arsene Wenger defended his transfer policy — despite Arsenal’s failure to buy a senior outfield player during the summer window.

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Arsene Wenger defended his transfer policy last night — despite Arsenal’s failure to buy a senior outfield player during the summer window.

Goalkeeper Petr Cech was his only capture in the window, signing in an £11million deal from Chelsea.

In fact Wenger’s Arsenal were the only club in Europe’s top five leagues (Premier, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1) not to buy an outfield player.

Even Spanish champions Barcelona, who are currently under a transfer ban, managed to sign two big-name players.

Turkish midfielder Arda Turan arrived from Atletico Madrid for £25m and defender Aleix Vidal came from Sevilla for £12.5m even though Barca cannot play them until 2016.

The Gunners’ lack of activity in the summer window has prompted the Arsenal Supporters Trust to call for an enquiry into the club’s transfer policy.

But a defiant Wenger said: ‘Am I happy with the investment I make? Yes, every time.

‘I bought Alexis Sanchez, I bought Mesut Ozil, I bought Cech, I bought Gabriel last year.

‘The problem at the moment is finding the players who guarantee you are a better team after, and that example last night shows you very well.’

Wenger was referring to the £36m Manchester United spent to sign France youngster Anthony Martial on Tuesday night.

Martial, 19, became the most expensive teenager in history when he signed for Louis van Gaal’s side from Monaco.

The deal could rise to £58m, and Wenger said: ‘Martial scored 11 goals in the French championship — that sums it up well.

‘Martial is a huge talent — he is 19 years old — but the investment is absolutely huge as well.’

Martial has made just 29 senior starts in spells at Lyon and Monaco. He only earned his first call-up to the French national team last month.

Wenger added: ‘It just shows that there are not many players in the world who can strengthen these teams.’ – Daily Mail

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Berahino urged not to go on strike

Professional Footballers' Association Chief Executive Gordon Taylor has advised West Bromwich Albion's Saido Berahino not to go on strike.

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Professional Footballers' Association Chief Executive Gordon Taylor has advised West Bromwich Albion's Saido Berahino not to go on strike after missing out on a move to Tottenham Hotspur during the transfer window.

The PFA has offered to mediate between West Brom and Berahino after the 22-year-old suggested on Twitter that he would not play for the Baggies again under chairman Jeremy Peace, who reportedly rejected four bids from Spurs for the player, including two on deadline day.

“Players know if they come to the end of a contract they have that right to move but if it's during a contract there are other factors involved and it can't be taken for granted,” said Taylor, who is keen to see the matter resolved without Berahino following through on his strike threat.

“It's always better for players to be playing.

“Things can be said in the heat of the moment and contracts work both ways but players need to play and keep fit,” he added.

“Hopefully he has an international future as well, so just for the sake of the lad as well as the club we're hopeful it can be resolved.”

Berahino, who had a transfer request turned down last month, has been given time off until Monday to consider his position and is expected to hold talks with head coach Tony Pulis when he returns.

He was dropped for the Baggies' last three games by manager Tony Pulis.

“Young men are young men and sometimes things are said which are regretted,” the PFA chief added. “We're in a world of social media and a lot of our young players are expected to have old heads on young shoulders and sometimes can let off steam.

“People get disappointed and sometimes things are done that, on reflection, wouldn't be out in the public domain and we're hoping that situation will be understood.

“We have approached the club, we have dealt with them on similar issues in the past, and offered to help resolve the matter, both for the club's sake and the player's sake.

“We're available to help resolve matters if needed but I'm hoping we won't be.” – Reuters

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Time to forget about Masilela

It would appear that Tsepo Masilela just does not want to play for Bafana Bafana anymore, says Matshelane Mamabolo.

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Johannesburg - It would appear that Tsepo Masilela just does not want to play for Bafana Bafana anymore.

Why else would the Kaizer Chiefs left-back continue not to honour call-ups to the national team?

Arguably one of the best left-backs in the country and probably the most experienced of the lot, Masilela is the kind of player Shakes Mashaba needs if South Africa are to get back to being among the continent’s best.

A seasoned international, who has Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup caps to his name, as well as having spent numerous seasons in Europe where he turned out in the competitive Spanish La Liga, the Amakhosi defender is streets ahead of the likes of Patrick Phungwayo and Thabo Matlaba in the experience stakes.

And it was for this reason as well as his sterling performances for Chiefs last season that many lamented his absence from the squad.

Back in January, Mashaba called him up – albeit it as a replacement after Phungwayo had broken down.

Masilela did not honour that call-up, which would have seen him go to yet another continental showpiece, as his club declared him unfit.

Fast forward to August and Mashaba surprised most when he included him in his squad for the Afcon qualifier at Mauritania this weekend.

The day before the squad announcement, Masilela had spoken to journalists about his surprise at his being continuously overlooked by the national team coach for selection and declared he has not retired from the international game.

But alas, the defender has failed to go to camp this week – with his team informing the national side that he has a knee injury.

Really? When did he sustain it?

For just on Saturday Masilela was at his rampant best as he helped Chiefs to a 1-0 win over Bloemfontein Celtic in the second leg of an MTN8 semi-final tie.

Bafana were expecting him to come to camp so they could test him themselves to see if he truly was injured. But indications were that they would wait in vain, with murmurings abounding that the player was actually not in the country but had travelled to America to see his partner and child.

Whether that was true or not is not the issue here.

The truth of the matter is that it is clear that Masilela is not keen to play for Bafana anymore and the sooner Mashaba acknowledges this and stops calling him up the better.

As good a player as he might be, he is no Leo Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo that he can hold the national team to ransom. And he shouldn’t be allowed to.

The Star

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De Gea told to be a ‘good professional’

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has urged David De Gea to put his failed transfer to Real Madrid behind him.

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Madrid - Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has urged goalkeeper David De Gea to put his failed transfer to Real Madrid from Manchester United behind him and focus on being a “good professional”.

De Gea's move to Real was wrecked in bizarre circumstances on Monday when the paperwork was not delivered until after the midnight deadline.

Real and United blamed each other for the bureaucratic snafu, which means De Gea will remain in Manchester, while Real's Costa Rica keeper Keylor Navas, who was meant to join United as part of the deal, stays in Madrid.

De Gea, whose United contract expires at the end of the season, could find himself in limbo, at least until the end of the year when the market opens again.

While the transfer saga rumbled on, United coach Louis van Gaal left the 24-year-old former Atletico Madrid keeper out of the squad, with Argentina's Sergio Romero playing instead.

“I don't want to say anything drastic about what we will do,” Del Bosque, who has hinted De Gea will not be selected if he is not playing regularly, told Spanish radio.

“We have to wait and see what happens and the important thing is that David... looks to the future and is a good professional,” he added.

“We have to hope that David can play for (United) and is active so we can count on him in future (Spain) squads and he can show what a good keeper he is.

“It's a difficult situation for him but he has to be happy to be in the national team and at (United) and in the future he will be able to decide where he would like to go.”

De Gea has yet to comment publicly on the failed deal and did not speak to reporters when he arrived at Spain's training camp outside Madrid on Tuesday.

With captain Iker Casillas also in the squad, De Gea is likely to be on the bench for Spain's Euro 2016 qualifiers at home to Group C leaders Slovakia on Saturday and away to Macedonia three days later.

Reuters

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Premier League spending set to increase

English Premier League clubs spent 585 million pounds during the transfer window that closed Monday.

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London - Foreign clubs are the main beneficiaries of the Premier League's transfer dealings and will continue to be so with forthcoming increases in broadcast revenue, financial analysts predicted as the summer window finally closed this week.

Although many fees remain unofficial, it was generally agreed that of the 10 most expensive deals involving English clubs since the end of last season, seven of the players were bought from other leagues.

Germany's Bundesliga benefited most, with VfL Wolfsburg, Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen receiving almost 100 million pounds ($153.09 million) between them for Kevin de Bruyne (sold to Manchester City), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) and Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) respectively.

Gross transfer fees to overseas clubs of 585 million pounds were 10 per cent up on the previous year, according to the annual analysis by the Deloitte business advisory firm.

“Since the introduction of the new (Premier League) broadcast deal for 2013-14, spending on overseas players has nearly doubled,” Deloitte's Alex Thorpe told Reuters in an interview.

“In 2012 it was 300 million pounds. This summer it was 585 million.

“That shows how broadcast revenues have driven the increase in clubs' spending in the international market. And it's not just the transfer fees. They can also offer financial packages that are very attractive to international players.

“Not only is the Premier League a net importer of talent, way ahead of other leagues in gross and net spending, but Germany and France have actually been net exporters.”

Given that a lucrative new domestic broadcast deal, a 70 percent increase on the existing one, comes into effect next season, with overseas rights still to be negotiated, Thorpe sees no reason why the current trends will not continue.

“Looking to the future, the biggest factor driving transfer spending has been broadcast revenue, so that has already been taken care of for the next three years,” he added.

“So spending is not only going to continue, it is going to increase. Clubs will still have the ability to spend at these kind of levels if they so choose.”

According to Deloitte's figures, Premier League clubs' record gross spend of 870 million pounds was more than double that of Italy's Serie A, the second highest.

But there was an unexpected benefit in the strength of the pound against the euro, which according to corporate broker Foenix saved them 85 million pounds in buying players from European clubs.

The next transfer window for all Europe's major leagues opens on January 1. – Reuters

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Big pressure on teen Martial

Anthony Martial is the most expensive teenager in football history, having cost Manchester United an initial fee of £36 million.

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If Anthony Martial felt unsure about the scale of the challenge awaiting him at Manchester United, it will have been made plain by a comment from his new team-mate Morgan Schneiderlin.

Addressing journalists at France's training camp, which the 19-year-old Martial had just left in order to sign for United, Schneiderlin said that Wayne Rooney had spoken to him about the club's newest recruit.

“Wayne Rooney came to speak to me and asked me who this Martial was, because the English press were starting to really talk about it,” Schneiderlin said. “'Do you know him? What's he like?' Those were his questions.”

Not only is Martial alighting at Old Trafford as the most expensive teenager in the game's history, having cost a reported initial fee of £36 million ($55.1 million, 49 million euros). He is doing so as a relative unknown.

It is believed the fee could rise to £58 million, but though the deal is said to be heavily incentivised – including a provision for Martial winning the Fifa Ballon d'Or - it inevitably prompts unhelpful comparisons.

Only Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez, Neymar, James Rodriguez and Angel di Maria have cost more than that and all were fully fledged world-beaters at the time of their respective transfers.

Thierry Henry, with whom Martial is often compared, was similarly raw when he left Monaco for Juventus in 1999, but he was two years older, had twice as many games behind him and had already won a World Cup.

Henry himself has described the deal as a “massive gamble”.

Like Henry, Martial is a striker who started his senior career as a winger and he is similarly drawn to the left flank, from where he can cut inside onto his right foot and shoot at goal.

The fact he has been handed the number nine shirt, coupled with Rooney's early-season struggles as United's lone striker, suggests he will be given a chance to play through the middle.

But United manager Louis van Gaal's emphasis on Martial being a “multi-functional forward” suggests he may be asked to serve at least part of his apprenticeship on the flanks.

In Van Gaal, Martial could hardly have asked for a coach with a better reputation for developing young talent.

The Ajax team that Van Gaal led to Champions League glory in 1995 remains a symbol of the power of youth and Patrick Kluivert was a year younger than Martial when he scored the winner against AC Milan in the final.

In that there is a caveat, however, with several youngsters having been given chances at Old Trafford in recent months -- Tyler Blackett, Jesse Lingard, Paddy McNair to a lesser extent – only to then sink from sight.

United's recent record when it comes to big-money signings does not bode particularly well, with Di Maria having left after a year and Juan Mata, Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini still finding their feet.

Martial, though, said he was unfazed by the weight of expectation, telling MUTV: “I don't feel the pressure.”

He has also spoken about how the birth of his first child in July has sharpened his focus, after he was criticised for nonchalance during his early days at Monaco.

He will not want for team-mates of a similar age in a squad that contains 19-year-old James Wilson, Luke Shaw, who is 20, and 21-year-old Memphis Depay, who has quickly been supplanted as the club's star signing.

In Schneiderlin, Martial also has a fellow Francophone (Fellaini is another) to help him adapt to life with both United and France, albeit one who has only just set foot in both camps himself.

His move to Manchester having come just days after his first France call-up, it has been a whirlwind week, and there will be no time to catch his breath – his United debut will be a home game against Liverpool. – AFP

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Chiefs to use CT Stadium

Kaizer Chiefs have announced that they will play three of their home games in the Mother City.

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Kaizer Chiefs have announced that they will play three of their home games in the Mother City.

The controversial scenario, which will see a Gauteng club using the Cape Town Stadium as its home venue, was confirmed yesterday via Chiefs’ Twitter account. In addition, the venue change has already been made to the fixture programme on the Premier Soccer League’s official website.

The Soweto club will play Wits on December 19, Platinum Stars on January 24 and SuperSport United on February 20.

Initially these three games, on the fixture programme, had been scheduled for FNB Stadium, but were yesterday altered to reflect the Cape Town Stadium as the venue.

Needless to say, Ajax Cape Town, the Mother City’s PSL club, is not happy, and chief executive Ari Efstathiou last night described the situation as “a mess”.

“I haven’t heard anything official from the City as yet, but if Chiefs have made the announcement and the fixtures have been changed on the PSL’s website, we have to assume that Chiefs have got approval,” he said.

“We had a meeting with the City last week (Efstathiou and Safa-CT president Norman Arendse) to discuss the Chiefs situation. The City’s Garreth Bloor (committee member for tourism, events and economic development) promised to get back to us. I have been in contact with him this week and was always told that there was still no word on approval.

“But it seems that approval has been given, without us knowing about it. It’s a just a mess.”

Ajax have stated their unhappiness with Chiefs coming to play in the Cape as it downplays their own home game against Amakhosi. It’s the one fixture a season when they can guarantee a financial windfall for the club. Also, there’s the fact that Chiefs will demand an appearance fee for coming down to the Cape.

The wooing of Chiefs by the City has certainly been on-going for a while. Every PSL club has to submit two venues before the season kicks off – a homeground and an alternate venue. Chiefs named FNB Stadium in Joburg as their home ground and the Cape Town Stadium as their alternate.

While Ajax have stated that, if Chiefs get approval to use the Cape Town Stadium as a home venue, they will move their own home fixture against Amakhosi to Port Elizabeth.

But that is now also doubtful. Efstathiou said: “With us making the MTN8 final against Chiefs, it looks like the venue will be Port Elizabeth. It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it’s about 90 percent certain that we will play Chiefs there in the Cup final on September 19.

“The problem is our home league game against Chiefs is the following week (September 26)… We doubt very much that we will get a full house if we play Chiefs two weeks in succession in Port Elizabeth.

“But we haven’t, as yet, made a decision. The club’s management will sit down and discuss the situation today. I also want to speak to the City this morning and get the official word.”

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Arsenal’s transfer policy questioned

The Arsenal Supporters' Trust has called on the Premier League club to carry out a “full review” of recruitment policy.

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The Arsenal Supporters' Trust has called on the Premier League club to carry out a “full review” of recruitment policy following a quiet transfer window where goalkeeper Petr Cech was the only major addition to Arsene Wenger's squad.

Cech arrived from Chelsea for a reported 10 million pounds ($15 million), while 17-year-old Frenchman Jeff Reine-Adelaide joined from Ligue 2 side Lens along with a flurry of academy recruits.

But the transfer deadline passed on Tuesday without the addition of a blockbuster striker or world class defensive midfielder that supporters have long called for.

The lack of arrivals are not for a paucity of money. In July, Arsenal director Philip Harris said the Gunners had the money to sign “anyone but Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi” and had over 200 million pounds ($306.18 million) in the bank.

“Arsenal are in a strong financial position and it is of course disappointing that (the) transfer window has closed with just the signing of Petr Cech,” the AST said in a statement posted hours after the window closed.

“Arsenal have built a strong squad and just one or two more good additions would have strengthened the chances of winning a first title in 11 years.”

Under Wenger, Arsenal have endured a period of severe financial restriction brought on by their shift from their old Highbury ground to the Emirates Stadium before the start of the 2006-07 season.

However, the expensive arrivals of Mesut Ozil in 2013 and Alexis Sanchez last year led to an end of the prudent years and back-to-back FA Cup wins.

The AST, keen for the club to kick on and land a first ever Champions League title and end the wait for another Premier League crown, said a transfer review was long needed.

“No one wants Arsenal to buy players just for the sake of it, but we do want to see the money being invested to make the club stronger,” the AST added.

“This isn't an issue that affects just one transfer window and seems to indicate a wider structural issue.

“We urge the board to now open a full review into its arrangements for scouting and purchasing players.

“A review of this type is a good governance practice and can only help Arsenal to become a stronger club. The AST will be raising this with the Arsenal board.” – Reuters

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