Transfer rumors: Spurs’ other Mous(s)a Dembele; Costa out at Chelsea?

By  Andy Edwards  

Just two days remain before the January 2016 transfer window closes (Watch Transfer Deadline Day show live, Monday, 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN and online via Live Extra), which means all 20 Premier League clubs will be on high alert and hopeful of completing that one last final bit of business over the next 48 hours.
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These are the hottest rumors doing the rounds as Monday’s deadline approaches…
Tottenham Hotspur need a new striker to provide cover for Harry Kane, should the unthinkable happen. According to reports all over, the top-four- and title-chasing club is close to completing the signing of 19-year-old Fulham striker Moussa (two s’s) Dembele (no relation to Spurs midfielder Mousa). The young Frenchman’s contract expires in the summer and Fulham run the risk of recouping a much smaller fee at tribunal, when we leaves as a free agent.
Not quite satisfied with their business done this month, Leicester City are hot in pursuit of AC Milan youngster M’Baye Niang. However, the Guardian is reporting the Foxes have been told the 21-year-old French forward is not for sale after rejecting a big of $17 million.

According to the Daily Mail, Swansea City have made a $10 million bid for Crystal Palace striker Dwight Gayle in an attempt to solve their goalscoring problems, which currently see the Swans the second-lowest scoring side (22 goals in 23 games) in the PL this season.
In the way-out-of-left-field news of the day, the Sun is reporting Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has proposed a swap deal that would see Diego Costa head back to the Spanish capital, while Jackson Martinez takes his place in west London. Unsettled as the Brazilian-turned-Spaniard may be at Chelsea, the Blues will surely be the first to say “thanks, but no thanks.”

Jose Mourinho’s plans for Manchester United revealed

Jose Mourinho, it is both claimed and denied, sent Manchester United a six-page letter, describing how he would manage United. The letters apparently claimed an appraisal of every member of the current squad, and how he would manage them. He also told United that he would curb his previous methods, in order to embrace the famous principles they celebrate at Old Trafford. Attacking football instead of his usual disciplined and conservative approach, and a willingness to use young players where previously he would go out of way to use senior members of a team. We can now exclusively reveal his plans for three key members of the United squad. He was at pains to point out that Jorge Mendes had absolutely no bearing on his plans to sell David de Gea.
David de Gea
“David de Gea is clearly an excellent goalkeeper. For the past three years, De Gea has been at the heart of making sure that Manchester United do not drop any further down the pecking order of English and European football. He has made some incredible saves, such as one from a Chelsea player a few years ago that I can’t remember right now.
“However, the importance of a manager is to know when to move on players. Selling them at their peak is much more important and useful than managing them through their decline. De Gea is surely suffering from the stress of being away from his girlfriend in Madrid, that must be adding unsustainable pressure to his life. Add to that the demands of playing behind a sub-standard defence since David Moyes took over, and I think it’s clear that he is ready to start his way down.
“If you’re not convinced, then consider that he is 25. Clearly he is now rapidly moving away from his optimum age - it is a universally acknowledged truth that ‘keeper are at their best in their early twenties - and he should be removed. Real Madrid would provide the obvious home for him and maximise his value. I admit there is a mild conflict of interest, in that I share an agent with him in Jorge Mendes, but as you can tell from the rest of my evaluations, I am above any muddled thinking.”
Juan Mata
“This man might well be the manifestation of Satan on this Earth.
“I have read his blog. It is clear to me that he is operating under the impression that he can fool us all as to his real motives. The smiling face that he pulls during interviews, on his Twitter photos, or just when he’s walking around in his day-to-day life? It’s all an act. I believe that were you to strip him of his shoes and socks, you would discover that he is the behoofed one, beelzebub.
“It’s obvious, you just know where to look. His beard is try-hard. It’s the beard of a man who discusses craft beer, who has an opinion on what coats he should wear throughout the week, and spends more money than sense on socks. It is a man who fits in perfectly with a certain type of troubled Mancunian, who discuss their passion for vinyl openly.
“It’s the same on the pitch. He is a disappointing facsimile of all the things that might once have been enjoyable in the past, but now signify nothing but easily assumed shortcuts beloved of hipsters. Vinyl, socks and craft beer? On the pitch, he’s a number 10, the most fraudulent of all positions, discussed in reverential tones by smartarses too myopic to see he gets shoved off the ball, goes missing, and barely scores enough goals. That he is currently used as an inverted winger shows that he just cannot leave modish nonsense alone. And he is definitely Satan.”
Wayne Rooney
“Rooney is the greatest English player of his generation. When I tried to buy him for Chelsea three years ago, it was because I knew that he would give everything for me. He reminds me of John Terry and Frank Lampard, in that they are utterly committed to one club and inspire those around them, and the fans are in love with them. His goal record for England and Manchester United indicate that he is a legend.
“But it’s not just Terry and Lampard he reminds me of, but some of the greatest strikers that the world has produced. He has the explosive power, the ability to conjure magnificent goals out of nowhere, and the incredible pace, strength and anticipation of Radamel Falcao, perhaps the best striker I ever had during my time at Chelsea.
“Similarly, he is also fantastic in the air, a team player, and learning how to dominate world football as he enters his early thirties. He has used all his experience and intelligence to adroitly adapt. In that respect, he reminds me of the very greatest striker I never got the opportunity to work with at the very top. He is the one who got away - Hugo Almeida. I was so close to signing him when he was at Real Madrid. I would, of course, also recommend that United sign Falcao and Almeida as soon as practically possible.
“Yours sincerely,
“Jorge Men Jose Mourinho”   
CAPPED FROM YAHOO SPORTS

IMPACT Drogba CONFIRMS HIS 2016 MLS RETURN.

Montreal (AFP) - Didier Drogba, the former Chelsea standout who joined the Montreal Impact last season, will return to the Canadian club for the 2016 Major League Soccer campaign, the team announced Sunday.
The 37-year-old Ivory Coast striker tweeted a photo of himself saying, "On way to Qatar to do some preparation work for pre-season @impactmontreal."
Last season, Drogba scored 11 goals in 11 MLS matches and sparked the Impact into the playoffs. FOR MORE UPDATES CLICK HERE
Fans had worried he might make a return to his former English Premier League side, possibly as an assistant coach, after he attended a Chelsea match with club officials last month.
But Drogba denied any plans to retire and the Impact made it clear Sunday he was part of their plans for the upcoming season despite the fact he will not be at Monday's opening workout at Olympic Stadium.
"Forward Didier Drogba will not be present for the opening of the camp, but he will be doing preparation work in view of the upcoming season," the Impact said in a statement.
"He will join the team for the second part of training camp, which will take place from February 15-28 in St.Petersburg, Florida."
Nine others will wait until Florida to join the 25 players who begin camp in Canada.
The Impact will open the MLS season March 6 at Vancouver.
capped from Yahoo's sports

Analysis: Why does Mikel-Hiddink work so well for Chelsea?

ANALYSIS       By Jide Alaka  

In the 18 matches that John Obi Mikel has played under Chelsea ’s interim coach Guus Hiddink over two sessions, the Blues are yet to lose, winning 15 and drawing three.

Mikel Mania in focus: Nigeria star revived under Guus Hiddink

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If you want to call the Nigerian Hiddink’s lucky charm, you can go ahead, but we still need to answer the pressing question, "what it is really about Mikel’s game that suits Hiddink’s plans to a tee?"

The midfielder was lauded to the heavens after his display against Crystal Palace last Sunday as he helped the Blues record their biggest win in 12 months.

After the win over Palace, Hiddink had the following to say about the Nigerian midfielder, “He is the ideal player in my option to bring balance to the team.”

Mikel under Mourinho

Unfortunately for many a Jose Mourinho fan, the Super Eagles talisman was not deemed worthy of a starting berth in the Special One’s tactical plan – which worked very well last season but faltered spectacularly this term.

In five games under the regime of Mourinho this season, Mikel played only 177 minutes [including coming on for Cesc Fabregas in the 92nd minute against Arsenal] and starting only twice; at home against Liverpool, and he was replaced with scores tied at 1-1 and away at Everton, where he provided the assist for Chelsea’s goal, scored by Nemanja Matic. He was again taken off with the Blues chasing the game at 2-1.

In the 17 matches that Chelsea played before sacking Mourinho, the preferred midfield duo of Matic and Fabregas showed that there was an imbalance but Mourinho persisted with the two players and got sacked – appropriately if performances since his exit indicate.

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Would things have been different for Mourinho if he'd turned to Mikel more regularly?

Mikel, now under Hiddink

Mikel has played in all three matches under Hiddink, a total of 225 minutes. Former Liverpool midfield enforcer, and now television analyst, Graeme Souness said after the Crystal Palace win, “I don't think I've ever seen John Obi Mikel play so well. He bossed that area.”

Hiddink also continued his lavish praise: “He played very well but also in the previous game.

"If the team is not willing to defend well, or hasn't got the right balance, then you'll concede a lot of goals. I think John Obi can be one of the key figures in bringing back that balance.

“On this podium very talented players can explore their qualities. He reads the game very well, he knows where the strength of the opponent is and knows how to combat that.

“He has very good sense, he doesn't do it in a brutal way, he's very elegant. Someone who can defend so smoothly is very beautiful.”

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Reading those words, it's little surprise that Mikel is being known as the African Zidane!

We are talking about Mikel here – a player that divides Chelsea fans one way or another. That eulogy reads like Shakespearean poetry, and the plaudits did not stop there, the Chelsea fans who travelled to the Palace game at Selhurst Park were singing his name to the rafters by the end of the contest – the first time he has had such adulation since he joined the club in 2006!

....we hail Our African Zidane, John Obi Mikel... RESPECT! #PMFootball pic.twitter.com/4wLOgnj0BX

— POOJA SPORTS PR.. (@PoojaMedia) January 4, 2016

What's changed? So, what has changed about Mikel’s game that he could shine so brightly against Palace?

Mikel's masterclass vs. Palace in numbers

In sport as in life, there is one sure thing that makes an athlete perform to his/her optimum and that is confidence.

Hiddink has not changed anything about Mikel’s game – he will still pass back to the goalkeeper if he sees no way forward, he will still pass over 5m, and he will not run 5km during a match, but what he could do has been improved because his confidence is back – he feels that the new manager trusts him and be assured that Mikel will only get better this season.

“Since the new manager came in we have been working really hard and as I said before, the atmosphere has changed a bit," the player began.

John Obi Mikel's stats so far this season

“The players seem more relaxed and as we are working hard in training, it is now starting to show in the matches that we play,” Mikel told Sky Sports after the Palace victory.

Mikel's renaissance is a reminder of how quickly—and dramatically—things can change in football. The Nigerian had appeared destined for the exit door at Stamford Bridge under Mourinho, with the amount of minutes spent watching football increasingly remarkably compared to the number of minutes actually playing it.

Now, however, the only things going through the roof are his value, his confidence and his playing time. Long may it last.