Roy Hodgson fears Fernando Torres, ahead of tomorrow night’s trip to the Bridge. Everton’s debt may see the sale of sought-after centre-half Phil Jagielka. Blackburn, according to Steve Kean, are on the verge of a triple player swoop. Chelsea may forget about Modric and are head the queue for Juan Mata, while Spurs, Stoke and Fulham warm up for the weekend with wins in the Europa League qualifiers. Here’s todays Scribbles, folks:
Stoke continued their good European form with a 1-0 over Swiss side Thun last night. Tony Pulis continued his policy of playing Thomas Sorenson in goal for cup games, Matthew Upson made his Potters debut at the heart of defence and while Jermaine Pennant was rested, Matt Etherington unexpectedly recovered from a shoulder injury and took his place in the starting XI.
Spurs warmed up for their Monday night trip to Old Trafford by hammering Hearts at Tynecastle. With Spurs devoid of first-team midfielders, Jake Livermore and Niko Krancjar were given a chance and the latter, in particular, ran the show in the 5-0 drubbing . Rafael Van der Vaart served Fantasy mangers a reminder of his talents by grabbing the first in a performance Harry Redknapp reckoned:
I’d say that’s as good as I’ve seen us play to be honest. We passed the ball great. We played with a team with loads of ability and there was great movement everywhere.
Clint Dempsey hogged the headlines in Fulham’s clinical 3-0 demolition of Dnipro. The US international played up front alongside Bobby Zamora and grabbed a double as Martin Jol rang the changes for the Europa League qualifier. John Arne Riise, Dickson Etuhu and Philipp Senderos -all starters last weekend at home to Aston Villa- were rested for the encounter, while Pajtim Kasasmi offered glimpses of his trickery in an impressive showing on the right wing.
Roy Hodgson is running scared of Fernando Torres ahead of West Brom’s trip to Stamford Bridge tomorrow evening. El Nino, of course, played under the Baggies boss at Liverpool last season and with Torres looking the part against Stoke last weekend, Hodgson is wary of his former striker:
I am very glad for him that he appears to be showing some of his old form. Torres, in the form he is capable of showing, is capable of causing a lot of problems for my defence…he is a top-quality player – and I fear that I will see that at close hand on Saturday!
Brendan Rodgers has confirmed he is still in the market for midfield recruits before the end of August deadline. Ahead of this weekend’s Liberty Stadium showdown with Wigan, the Swansea boss admitted :
We need to make sure we have enough strength and that there is enough depth, and midfield is a key part of our game. A lot of the basis of our work on the field is based around midfield and it’s about having enough of the different types for us to control the game or win the ball, and it’s about having coverage at the back.
Blackburn are on the verge of signing three new players. Having been snubbed by Raul earlier in the week, Steve Kean will not be deterred and the Ewood Park outfit look set to add a defender, midfielder and forward to their ranks over the next few days.
Newcastle are rumoured to be after PSV left-back Erik Pieters. Alan Pardew is tracking the player following Jose Enrique’s departure and despite being linked with Wayne Bridge and Ally Cissokho, a move for the Dutchman is now said to be more likely.
Everton chairman Bill Kenwright yesterday revealed the scale of the club’s financial plight. The Toffees are struggling to keep the banks at bay, which lends weight to the belief that Phil Jagielka could be sold to alleviate part of the problem. Everton have yet to sign a player this summer but in light of this revelation, perhaps it’s little surprise.
Andre Villas-Boas is unsure whether Chelsea will make another bid for Luka Modric. With two bids for the Croatian already rejected by Tottenham, Chelsea would need to top the £30m mark to stand any chance of success.
“I don’t know if it’s viable or not and to what extent we can go regarding his price because we are speaking about a high amount and nothing else basically. End of story.I just have to study the rest of the market and hopefully find a solution for my team.”
Other reports suggest the Blues are on the verge of clinching a deal for Juan Mata. Villas-Boas is a keen admirer of the player and with Arsenal unlikely to match their spending power, Chelsea appear favourites to clinch the highly-rated Spaniard’s signature.
