Fulham kick off their pre-season schedule with a goalless draw at Danish club HB Koge. Andre Villas-Boas admits he is determined to keep Rafael Van der Vaart at the Lane next season, Newcastle are looking to bring back Andy Carroll on loan, Dimitar Berbatov is keen to engineer an exit from United, while Paul Lambert is full of praise for his new signings following Villa’s weekend win at Burton Albion:
HB Koge 0 Fulham 0
Martin Jol named an experimental starting lineup for the first half against HB Koge, with Mark Schwarzer the only first-team regular in a 4-4-2. After a less than eventful opening 45 minutes, Jol made 11 changes to the Cottagers side, with new boys Sascha Riether and Mladen Petric both making their debuts. The likes of Moussa Dembele, John Arne Riise and Petric all impressed following their introduction and the trio came close to breaking the deadlock but the hosts stood firm in the face of the visitors’ onslaught to keep the game goalless.
Fulham Starting XI: Schwarzer; Brister, Baird, Halliche, Briggs; Davies, Etuhu, Gecov, Kacaniklic; Trotta, Dalla Valle
In Other News…
Andre Villas-Boas has revealed Rafael Van der Vaart is integral to his plans for Tottenham in the season ahead. Following the arrival of Gylfi Sigurdsson, the Dutchman has been linked with a move away from the Lane this summer, with Bundesliga outfit Hamburg allegedly interested, but his manager admitted that while Luka Modric could well be set to leave, he is keen to keep a hold of Van der Vaart. With Sigurdsson and Gareth Bale also in our Fantasy thoughts, a move away from Spurs for Van der Vaart could perhaps go some way to solving a midfield conundrum but Villas Boas’ comments certainly suggest otherwise – it appears we will have a three-way race for our affinities next term and with Spurs facing (WBA, NOR, rdg, QPR) between Gameweeks 2-5, we’re faced with a major dilemma almost from the off.
With Van der Vaart, at the moment I am absolutely counting on him. It is a totally different situation from Luka, who has been chased by different clubs in the past two seasons and is continuing to drag interest. We have to make sure the club’s interests are met, and it is up to the chairman to decide that.
Liverpool have reportedly turned down an offer from Newcastle to bring back former favourite Andy Carroll to Tyneside. The arrival of Fabio Borini has placed question marks over Carroll’s first-team future at Anfield, with reports suggesting he would reluctantly consider a loan move away from the club in order to prove himself to new boss Brendan Rodgers. The likes of Aston Villa, Fulham and West Ham have all been linked with a move but a return to the Magpies is likely to see Carroll reconsider his options.
Carroll was a huge success in his first half-season with Newcastle in the Premier League, scoring 11 times in 19 games, but as to where he would fit into Alan Pardew’s side is perhaps another matter – Newcastle prospered with Papiss Cisse as a lone forward last term as Pardew shifted to a 4-3-3 with Cisse flanked by Demba Ba and Hatem Ben Arfa. A shift back to 4-4-2 would perhaps usher Ba closer to the exit door and see Ben Arfa drop back into midfield, lessening the latter’s appeal from a Fantasy perspective. At Liverpool, a record is six goals from 42 matches is indicative of Carroll’s struggles, with the £35m man producing a mere 84 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points in the season gone by. The local press have revealed there is “much, much more” on the story to follow later today, suggesting the story is more than mere rumour.
Dimitar Berbatov has confirmed he is seeking an exit from Old Trafford this summer. The Bulgarian made just five starts for United last season and tumbled down the pecking order after returning 20 goals in the 2010/11 campaign – Sir Alex Ferguson revealed in March he couldn’t guarantee his game time and with new signing Shinji Kagawa likely to play in “the hole” in the upcoming season, Berbatov’s time at the club seems to be coming to an end.
I want to play, I want to help, but for unknown reasons it’s not going to happen. So it’s better for everyone if we say goodbye. If not, I am professional and I will keep doing everything I can to help my team and my teammates, whenever I have the opportunity to do so.
Paul Lambert took time out to praise the performances of Villa’s new signings in the aftermath of the midlanders’ 2-1 win over Burton Albion at the weekend. While Karim El Ahmadi bossed the game in the middle of the field before making way at half time and Brett Holman grabbed a late winner on his debut, the former Norwich boss also paid tribute to Matt Lowton, suggesting the former Sheffield United right-back could be a key member of the Villa side in the season ahead:
It was a great goal from Brett, it really was. I thought Matty never broke sweat. He was excellent. You wouldn’t think he’s just come out of League One. His performance was really pleasing. He will do great for us. And I thought Karim, everyone can see he’s got quality in the middle of the park.
Lambert also gave the Villa official website an update on the injuries that kept Stephen Ireland, Fabian Delph and Marc Albrighton out of Saturday’s game, revealing the latter could be a concern:
Stevie got a really bruised big toe on Thursday. That’s why he missed that. Fabian felt his knee a little bit. I don’t think it’s too much. Marc is a little bit more difficult at the minute. He could be a little while which is a bit of a blow for us but we will have to wait and see.
