Premier League club Blackburn Rovers have confirmed the dual signing of Ruben Rochina and Mauro Formica.

Both players move to Ewood Park on permanent deals with Rochina joining from Spanish giants Barcelona and Formica making the switch from Argentinean side Newell’s Old Boys.

Rochina, a 19-year-old striker and Spain under-19 international, has progressed through Barca’s youth system, leaving Rovers manager Steve Kean excited about the acquisition.

“He is a genuine addition to our squad, a young player with great ability who can play in a number of attacking positions,” Kean said.

“Ruben joins our elite development group alongside the likes of Phil Jones and Junior Hoilett and will compete for a place in the team from the word go.”

“The fact we are able to sign young players from the likes of Barcelona is further evidence of the owners’ intention to push the club forward.”

“They told me they were keen to add to our youth development group and this is a significant and exciting signing for us.”

Rochina has netted twice in 13 appearances for Barcelona’s reserves this season, who play in Spain’s second tier.

Formica, 22, is a highly-rated Argentina under-17 international who will add strength and depth to the Rovers midfield.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

“Mauro is a fantastic talent, an attacking player who has been in great demand,” Kean said of the attacking midfielder.

“He has great technical ability and is a typical Argentinian with a bit of fight and a bit of devilment in him.”

Premier League side Fulham have signed striker Eidur Gudjohnsen on loan from Stoke City until the end of the season.

Gudjohnsen, 32, underwent a medical on Monday so the deal could be completed before the transfer deadline.

The Iceland international has struggled for first-team football at Stoke, making just five substitute appearances this season.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis wished Gudjohnsen all the best with his loan move and admitted his time at Stoke did not go to plan.

“It has been an incredibly frustrating time for Eidur [Gudjohnsen],” Pulis told the club’s official website.

“But he has been an outstanding professional and a great influence around the place in his time here. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the games that he needed to build up his match fitness, but this loan move presents him with a chance to do that.”

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Gudjohnsen will bolster Fulham manager Mark Hughes’ attacking options with striker Bobby Zamora still injured after breaking his leg in September.

It also paved the way for the departure of striker Eddie Johnson, who has left Craven Cottage to join Championship club Preston North End on loan until the end of the season.

The English media would have you believe that Denmark and England’s friendly meeting on Wednesday night was meant to be the Jack Wilshere cotillion. The night that the Arsenal midfielder announced himself to European high society as a potential international starter and a key cog in England’s short, medium and long-term future.

This may well remain the case, however the diminutive midfielder was overshadowed by an even younger prospect on Wednesday night, one that may well interest a few Premier League managers come the summer. Christian Eriksen, the Ajax playmaker was the star in a losing performance for the Danes, and is, remarkably only a month younger than England’s great white hope.

The baby faced Eriksen had a far greater impact on the fixture than his much hyped opponent, providing the cross for Daniel Agger’s opener, and striking the post with a drive from outside the box. Wilshere, whilst appearing comfortable on the ball, was a little ineffectual, and was removed at half-time, presumably as a result of a pact with Arsene Wenger. Eriksen was allowed the full 90 minutes to showcase his talent and remained a constant threat to Fabio Capello’s men.

Despite the acclaim, Eriksen at 18 is very much in the early stages of his development at Ajax. Despite being considered good enough to make the Danish World Cup squad, he is embarking on only his first full season in the Dutch league and a bidding war between the big guns in the Premier League may be considered unrealistic for a player as unproven as Eriksen.

However, there is precedent. At 18 John Obi Mikel was subject to a 15 million pound settlement fee between current club Chelsea and Manchester United back in 2006. Far more recently of course, Andy Carroll’s scarcely believable 35 million pound transfer to Liverpool came off the back of less than one full season spell at Newcastle.

There remains a fine line between pouncing on a young talent before the acquisition of such becomes a major transfer and one that will be scrutinised as a major signing. Eriksen himself has voiced an interest in playing for Barcelona, but has left the door open to Premier League suitors.

Indeed, in the wake of the Denmark game, several of England’s big sides are already said to be eyeing up the youngster, with the Daily Mail suggesting that Liverpool are considering tabling a bid of over 11 million pounds in the summer.

Making snap judgements on the basis of a friendly is the sort of frustrating overreaction that fans feel the media are often guilty of.

If clubs made signings purely on the basis of a performance in a meaningless friendly David Nugent and Lee Bowyer would probably have been snapped up by one of the top four after impressing on their England debuts. It certainly pays to take such displays with a pinch of salt.

Yet, with English talent costing more and more the temptation to take a risk on a young foreign star at a slightly lower premium remains. If Eriksen is able to maintain his level of performance across the final months of the season, bids from English suitors would seem a formality.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

If you want to read of more material like this, feel free to join me on Twitter where I am trying to convince Richard Keys to become the spokesman for a double glazing company.

Tottenham missed out on Andy Carroll this January, and the effects of not having an extra striker are yet to be seen. But Spurs have been linked today with a £15m deal for Connor Wickham, 17, of Ipswich Town. He is physical, young and English, much like the former Newcastle striker. He might seem to be a perfect plan B to the recruitment of Andy Carroll, but is he the real deal?

There is no way that Wickham will be as good next season as Carroll has been this. I saw Wickham play a lot at the start of the year, at home and away at Sheffield United, Millwall and Portsmouth. There was a lot of hype at Portman Road over him, mainly due to his performances at the back end of last year and in International youth games. He also scored a great goal which Kevin Beattie described as the best he had ever seen at Portman Road. This definitely put him on the map…

[youtube eEYtDDhXINw]

However, in the early part of this season Ipswich were not playing well, and nor was Wickham. He was more noticeable for his white boots than his performances in the games I watched. He was always good in the warm-up – he impressed me with his first touch, and finishing, but he did not demonstrate this talent during the match itself.

This was partly down to Roy Keane trying to ‘protect’ him (using him as a sub), and partly down to the way Town were playing. But the good thing about this dip in form is that it reminded people that he is still just a kid and not to get carried away with how good he is at the moment, he is certainly not ready to be exposed to the Premier League.

[ad_pod id=’fox-mpu’ align=’right’]

Let’s face it, £15m is an awful lot of money for a 17 year old. Connor Wickham may be bigger than most full-grown men, but he has only just begun his career in football. Andy Carroll, on the other hand, proved he was good enough for a top side. He was overpriced at £35m, but he will no doubt eventually prove his worth, he could have ten good seasons at Liverpool.

However, under Paul Jewell Wickham has played every game, and he is really starting to come good. Last week he scored his first hat-trick, against Doncaster. He played a good game at the Emirates recently too. I think he has all the potential and attributes needed to be a top striker, he is skilful with his feet, powerful and good in the air.

As we have seen, his form has increased with his pitch-time, the last thing he needs is to be signed by a Premier League club and to be put on the bench. If Tottenham do sign him in the summer, I would like them send him back to Ipswich on loan for another season where he can continue to progress and work at his game on the pitch.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

With this in mind, he may well be the next big thing after Andy Carroll but he is not the next best thing. He will not offer the immediate impact that Carroll would have done. Spurs still need a top-class striker and while Connor Wickham might prove to be one in the long run, he is not ready to play every week in the Premiership just yet.

If Tottenham are going to spend money, I would rather see them spend £30m on one serious striker than £15m on the next big thing. Wickham needs time to develop. Tottenham need an striker now. For what he will cost, I don’t think Spurs can afford to spend their money on a development project.

[bet_365 type=’odds’ size=’300′ af_code=’365_050711′]

Liverpool’s Pepe Reina has been linked with a move to Old Trafford- along with nearly every other goalkeeper on Europe- for the past few months.

With transfers between United and Liverpool about as common as a City trophy win, the smart money is on Reina plying his trade at Anfield next season.

At least if he comes to Old Trafford he won’t have to put up with Giggs scoring past him

However recent comments the Spanish stopper has made to the press indicate that like Fernando Torres, Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano, Reina may not be all that enamoured of Liverpool Football club.

According to a report in the Guardian Reina said: “Liverpool is still Liverpool and always will be bigger than any player. The club belongs to its fans and the fans’ loyalty is to the club – not a player or a passport. Kenny Dalglish was absolutely right: anyone that doesn’t want to be at Liverpool can leave. Players will come and go.”

“I am not, announcing my departure – far from it. I’ve said lots of times I’m very happy in England and comfortable at Liverpool.

“But I’m not prepared to swear eternal love to anyone. That’s impossible. Any player who says that is lying. I can’t say much because I have a contract with Liverpool. But eternal love doesn’t exist. No one is master of his own destiny. When a player is at club he has to give everything – that is all you can ask of him.”

Reina’s refusal to ‘swear eternal love to anyone’ has already been seen as a delcaration that he is willing to move away from Anfield.

With Sir Alex Ferguson desperate to find a replacement for the retiring Edwin Van Der Sar before the beginning of next season, could Reina be the ideal replacement.

With plenty of Premier League not to mention Champions League experience, Reina could arguably be the perfect man to take over the number one shirt.

Would you welcome the Liverpool man at Old Trafford?

Read more of Justin’s articles at the excellent Red Flag Flying High

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[divider]

[ad_pod id=’fox-mpu’ align=’right’]

Swansea’s challenge for an automatic promotion spot took a blow after a 2-1 loss to lowly Preston North End in the Championship.Trailing Norwich by just one point heading into the match, Swansea knew a victory away at bottom-side Preston could move them back into the top two.

Ashley Williams? 24th minute goal looked like it would at least give Swansea a share of the points after Iain Hume scored from the penalty spot on three minutes for Preston.

But a second from Hume in the 83rd minute gave Preston a much-needed three points, while Swansea drop down to fourth.

It was a much different story for Norwich City, who cemented their top-two spot with a 6-0 hammering of 10-man Scunthorpe United.

Scunthorpe were already a goal down when Paul Reid saw red in the 31st minute and Norwich went for the kill after that, with both Grant Holt and Simeon Jackson scoring hat-tricks.

Cardiff City broke their four-game winless streak and moved into third with a 4-1 thrashing of Derby County.

Jay Bothroyd, Dekel Keinan, Paul Quinn and Peter Whittingham were all on the scoresheet for Cardiff, with Robbie Savage’s late penalty a mere consolation for Derby.

Leeds jumped to fourth after a 4-1 win over Nottingham Forest in a heated battle at Elland Road.

The dismissal of Forrest?s Chris Cohen in the first half saw tempers boil over, with several scuffles breaking out across the pitch.

It took Leeds until the 51 minute mark to make the most of their numerical advantage, with Jonathon Howson eventually putting them ahead.

Luciano Becchio doubled their lead soon after only for Garath McCleary to pull one back for the visitors on 65 minutes.

A late double from Max Gradel settled the matter, consigning Forest to their eighth successive game without a win.

A Shane Long double gave Reading a 2-0 win at home to Portsmouth, while Coventry City won by the same margin against Watford.

Ipswich Town won 2-1 on their trip to Burnley thanks to first-half goals from David Norris and Connor Wickham, while a late penalty from James Vaughan gave Crystal Palace a 2-1 win at home against Barnsley.

A last-gasp goal from Shane McManus salvaged a 3-3 draw for Middlesbrough against Leicester City after a Yakubu hat-trick had earlier put the visitors 3-1 up.

Britsol City beat Doncaster Rovers 1-0 courtesy of Nicky Maynard’s 76th minute goal.

Mark Hughes has quashed speculation linking him with the manager’s job at Bayern Munich, insisting he is fully committed to Fulham.Reports have suggested that Hughes, who took over at Fulham at the beginning of the season after Roy Hodgson’s departure to Liverpool, is on the shortlist to take the reins at the German club after confirmation current manager Louis van Gaal would leave at the end of the current campaign.But the Welshman denied he was considering leaving Craven Cottage.”I wasn’t aware that I was in for the (Bayern Munich) job,” Hughes said. “I’m not interested as I am quite happy here at the moment.””If an opportunity presents itself in the future then we will see, however, I am not even considering looking at the moment.””I am enjoying my time at the club and I think we are going in the right direction. I think if we can invest more in the players next season I believe we can kick on. That’s certainly my focus at the minute.”Hughes’ side face Everton this Saturday, and the Fulham boss hopes to have midfielder Dickson Etuhu available for the game at Goodison Park.Etuhu aggravated a hamstring injury against Blackburn a fortnight ago, but Hughes may be handed a major boost by the midfielder’s return to fitness.”Etuhu twinged his hamstring last week but he trained today (Thursday). We will just have to wait and see how he does tomorrow,” Hughes said.But despite the possibility of a return for Etuhu, fellow-midfielder Steve Sidwell will not be available for the trip to Merseyside because of a knee injury.The game, which is the Premier League’s late kick-off on Saturday, looks set to be a tight affair with Fulham sitting 11th in the Premier League, only two places behind Everton.However, Fulham are yet to pick up a point at Goodison Park in the Premier League and have only scored five goals in their last nine games at Everton in the league.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has revealed he tried to sign Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand prior to the season.Redknapp gave Ferdinand his English Premier League debut at West Ham in 1996 and admitted he made an approach for the former England captain before the 2010/11 campaign began.

But last season’s Premier League runners-up rejected the audacious bid, as the Spurs boss told The Observer.

“I can’t ever see us getting Rio now,” Redknapp said.

“I was interested. Last year, I tried. I tried at the start of the season.”

Redknapp believes Manchester United are a much stronger team when Ferdinand is playing and admitted he wanted to sign another leader in defence, after his bid to lure Everton’s Phil Neville to White Hart Lane in January failed.

“When he was on the team-sheet against Chelsea in the Champions League, I thought Man United had got a much, much better chance of getting a result and it proved that way,” he said.

“I’ve said many times to the chairman, it’s not always about the best players, it’s about getting characters in your football club.”

“William (Gallas) has come in and given us experience and we’ve got Michael (Dawson) at the back but in the long term I still feel that you need to find another one or two if you’re going to keep progressing, that type of real character, who has opinions and that will to win around the dressing room – a few leaders.”

“You can’t have too many at your club. That’s why I tried to take Phil Neville from Everton in January.”

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Redknapp also said he has next season on his mind and would be after additions to his squad in the transfer window at the end of the season to ensure Tottenham do not stagnate.

“You’ve got to add to the squad. The chairman knows … if we can’t move on, then you have to accept trying to get into the Europa League every year and trying to finish sixth or seventh,” he said.

“But if you want to try to make the Champions League, you have to keep improving.”

Serie A front runners AC Milan are lining up a double swoop this summer for Porto’s Brazilian duo, Fernando and Hulk. 

The reports in Italian paper Corriere dello Sport suggest AC Milan chief Ariedo Braida has outlined the Porto pair as his main transfer targets for the summer.Milan’s aging squad is in need of an injection of fresh talent if they want to make an assault on The Champions League next season. Luring Fernando and Hulk away from the Estadio do Dragao over the summer would certainly augment the Rossonari’s credentials

Fernando would be seen as a long term replacement for Andrea Pirlo, while Hulk’s physical presence and fierce shooting ability would add power to Milan’s attack.

Porto’s resistance will be tested if the Milanese giants come in with hefty concrete offers for their two star performers. The temptation of playing in front of 80,000 supporters in the San Siro in a top league may prove sufficient to unsettle the players.

It was only last week AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi reportedly wanted to sign Cristiano Ronaldo. The link to Hulk and Fernando seems a much more realistic prospect.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[bet_365 type='odds' size='300' af_code='365_050711']

Manchester United are odds on favourites to win their 19th league title this May, an achievement that would see the Red Devils create history. They are currently tied with arch rivals Liverpool on 18 league titles each, but would like nothing more than to overtake the Merseysiders. It would take an uncharacteristic collapse from United for them to relinquish their potential crown, but with games against Arsenal and Chelsea still to come they won’t be counting their chickens just yet. In my book United deserve the title this year, as even though they haven’t been at their scintillating best, they have still led the way for the majority of the season.  So what has been they recipe to United’s season so far?

The most important quality that Sir Alex Ferguson instils within his team is the winning mentality and never say die attitude. United went from the start of the season all the way through to the 5th of February without losing a Premiership fixture. This led to suggestions they would replicate Arsenal’s unbeaten run from the 2003-04 season. It wasn’t to be though and a 2-1 defeat on a Saturday evening in Wolverhampton ended the dream. Nevertheless, their resilience has been evident on numerous occasions this season and some of their fighting spirit has been the stuff of Champions. The two games in particular that encapsulate this are the 3-2 wins away at Blackpool and West Ham. Both times United went into the dressing room at half time 2-0 down but miraculously turned the result around into victories.

Another key factor is having a squad that is littered with experienced players who have done it all before. When you have Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand to name but a few, the wealth of experience these players bring, give United an unparalleled advantage. Additionally, the strength in depth Man United possess has enabled them to go long periods of time without key players such as  Ferdinand, Vidic and Valencia, but the cracks haven’t appeared. In contrast, Arsenal seem to be almost entirely dependent on Nasri, Van Persie and Fabregas, whereas a Man United team with out Rooney, Vidic or Nani is still capable of outclassing 85% of the teams in the league.

When a team boasts the Premiership’s top goal scorer and he is the clubs current third choice striker it carries a certain gravitas. Dimitar Berbatov has hit 21 league goals and still he finds himself restricted to the bench. Wayne Rooney is starting to show his best form as we head towards the climax of the season, but it’s fair to say he has performed well below the bar he set himself last year. Rooney’s form hasn’t effected United though, as Hernandez, Berbatov and Nani have all at some stage this season produced when United have needed it.

[ad_pod id=’unruly’ align=’right’]

Edwin Van der Sar is the backbone of Manchester United and it’s beyond me how the Dutchman wasn’t among the nominees for the PFA Player of the Year Award. His displays this season have been exemplary and his 15 clean sheets have contributed enormously to United’s pursuit of the title. The Defence has been chopped and changed a lot this season as Rio Ferdinand has missed a lot of football. However, the emergence of Chris Smalling alongside Nemanja Vidic has meant United haven’t missed the England International. The arrival of Chicharito for the bargain price of £7 million has proved to be significant in United’s title push, as his predatory instinct in the box has given United a number of wins when draws looked on the cards. To be likened to Manchester United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in his first season shows the impact Little Pea has had on United’s season.

This Manchester United team is not the best side Fergie has put together in his time at Old Trafford, and their quality of football has come into question from some quarters. The lack of a goal scoring central midfielder has been an issue that Sir Alex will no doubt address during the summer. Whether or not you agree with the critics who have criticised this current team there is no denying what they have done so far. As well as homing in on their record 19th title, the team have literally booked themselves a place in the Champions League final. So while they may not have played the most eye catching expansive brand of football, at the end of the day it’s a results business and United continue to do what’s required of them, win football matches and trophies.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.