Gary Neville's 5 Key Players At Valencia

With the shock announcement of Gary Neville becoming the new manager of Valencia, I decided to look at five key players who could be crucial to helping secure a top four finish for the legendary English Defender's first proper managerial job.

Shkodran Mustafi: 

Mustafi has been a solid part of the defence for the Spanish side this season. In his ten league appearences so far this season, the German has picked up two goals and two man of the match performances. As well as being a formidable player in Valencia's season so far, he has also now become a regular call up for the German national side despite only being 23 years old. He currently has nine caps and a world cup winners medal to his international collection.

Mustafi's performances haven't reflected on his sides current form. Mustafi is currently ranked as the 11th best player in Liga BBVA ahead of some very big names including Diego Godin, Sergio Ramos and Andres Iniesta. The German also has the best interceptions per game average in the entire league and is also currently in the leagues team of the season.

Valencia may be ninth but if the rest of the side can follow on from Mustafi's good form, then Neville may have the influence to get back to winning ways.

Jaume Domenech:

With injuries to both vice-captain Diego Alves and Matthew Ryan, Jaume has been given a perfect opportunity to stake his claim in the Valencia first team, and indeed he has. Jaume has kept six clean sheets in his 15 appearences this season. The 25 year old had been predominately playing for Valencia's B team until this season but if he keeps playing the way he is, Alves may struggle to get his number one shirt back.

Domenech is currently 12th in the leagues player rankings putting him above Real Madrid's Keylor Navas. Jaume is also the leagues highest rated goalkeeper on average match rating, making him the current goalkeeper in this seasons current team of the campaign. He also has an impressive 4.1 average saves per game which is the third best in the league.

When Diego Alves returns from injury, the Neville brothers will have a big decision when choosing their main keeper. 

Paco Alcacer:   

The 22 year old striker currently has six  goals and two assists to his name in 12 league appearences, despite only starting seven times. The rising star has also scored twice for his country this season with them both coming in Spain's 4-0 win against Luxembourg during their EURO 2016 qualifying campaign. Alcacer is highly rated in Spain and has scored six times in his 11 caps for his national side. 

Alcacer has been Valencia's only fairly prolific striker this season and if he was to be given more starts, he could easily be their next top striker since the days of Roberto Soldado and David Villa. Alcacer also boasts an impressive goals per minute ratio in the Spanish top flight with his average goals coming every 123.8 minutes. A record which is better than both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Joao Cancelo:

Cancelo is a 21 year old right back who is looking like he could be a very hot prospect in the near future. Despite Cancelo's young age, the Portugese defender has made 74 youth caps at all levels for his country and has scored four goals in the process. The full back is best known for his tackling and his dribbling and despite not being a household name just yet, he is certainly one to watch.

The Neville's will know exactly what it's like to be a young full back emerging into the first team, and these are arguably two of the best possible coaches for the youngster to be playing under. Out of right backs who have played the majority of the league campaign, Cancelo ranks as the second best in the league putting himself above the likes of Danilo, Juanfran and Dani Alves

Daniel Parejo:

Dani Parejo is one of the better known Valencia players across the European scale. The 26 year old defensive midfielder is the current captain and is well renowned for his long shots and passing contributions. The skipper has had four goals and two assists in his 11 league appearences this season including a man of the match performance against fourth placed Celta Vigo with two goals and two assists. 

Despite never representing Spain at full international level, Parejo has scored nine times in 43 appearences within the Spanish youth set-up. Parejo's leadership qualities and all round contributions are going to be key for Gary's side this season and if he gets injured, Valencia's problems will worsen even more.

So there are my five players that have been key so far for Valencia, if Gary Neville can get a whole squad of these determined talents, they should have no troubles of returning to the Champions League.


  

Roberto Firmino: Liverpool's Marquee Signing

In a bid to change around Liverpool's fortune, Brendan Rodgers has targeted 3 big name South Americans to add to his squad hoping to get back into the top 4 next season. Overnight he has successfully got his first of his 3 targets after signing 23 year old Brazilian playmaker Roberto Firmino from Hoffenheim on a 5-year-deal. The fee is estimated to be around £21.3 million however the fee could rise to £28 million with the additional transfer fee coming via add ons. Firmino isn't exactly a household name over here just yet but I feel he can possibly become a fantastic addition to both Liverpool and the Premiership.

Firmino has had a very impressive season scoring 15 times in 45 appearances and providing 10 assists for Brazil and Hoffenheim. Roberto Firmino finished as the Bundesliga's third best player this season and finishing only behind Kevin De Bruyne and Arjen Robben (according to whoscored.com).

He is naturally an attacking midfielder who tends to play just off the striker and could form a formidable partnership with the likes of Daniel Sturridge this season.

My only concern about Firmino joining is what will happen to Phillipe Coutinho as his performances have been one of the only positives Liverpool can take from this season. Rodgers has often used one attacking midfielder and two wingers and the signing of Firmino would surely force Coutinho out wide or out of the team all together. 

Firmino is the fifth player so far to move to Anfield alongside James Milner, Adam Bogdan, Danny Ings and Jospeh Gomez but I feel this is by far the most significant of their new signings. Either way if Firmino is regularly playing and used well, then Liverpool may well return to their former glory.

Bobby Wood: Klinsman's latest hidden gem?

Since Jurgen Klinsman's reign in charge of the USA national side, he has been tactically scouting players from Germany or playing in Germany who are eligible for the United States. He included 5 of these players in his 2014 World Cup squad with big names such as Jermaine Jones and Julian Green included. He has encouraged the USA to play more aggressive and attacking football which helped them have an impressive World Cup campaign. The success is continuing with the USA side after picking up two impressive victories away in Europe beating the Netherlands and World Cup Winners Germany 3-4 and 1-2 respectively.

In these 2 friendly matches, a hidden talent has proven to come off the bench and score in both fixtures. This is 22 year old Bobby Wood who plays his club football for Erzgebirge Aue in the German second division. Despite the low level domestic football and his lack of previous fame, his recent impressive form for the national side may revitalise his career.

This is big risk for the USA but if players like him can continue to play impressively for the national side, the American's national football talent will soar to development which will help further the domestic league in terms of popularity and standard of football. Particularly with the likes of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Kaka recently arriving at the MLS.

The question is, could Bobby Wood a poorly-known second tier striker use his International opportunity to become a global household name like Landon Donovan once was?

Pedro Obiang: Who is he?

West Ham have made their first signing of the summer by bringing in 23 year old Spaniard Pedro Obiang from Sampdoria. West Ham fans will be excited of the new arrival, but many football fans will be thinking, who is he?

Obiang has joined on an undisclosed fee from Sampdoria after spending his first 5 years as a professional with the Italian giants. In that time Obiang has made over 130 appearances scoring 4 times with 3 of them coming in this season. Obiang has had an impressive season in Sampdoria playing 33 times and finishing as their 4th best player of the season (according to whoscored.com). 

Obiang has been often used as a central midfielder by Sampdoria this season although he has also proved himself at on either side of the midfield, or sitting just in front of the back 4. Obiang is probably best known for his defensive contributions and was last season ranked 5th for average tackles per player in Serie A.

Obiang has featured 8 times for Spain at youth level representing the Under 17's, Under 19's and Under 21's. Obiang could be a key man in midfield for "The Hammers" this season potentially forming  a midfield partnership with Cheikou Kouyate and could be filling the role left behind by Alex Song after his loan spell expired.

Ex-England International given permission to go for Stevenage Job

Ex-England international and Manchester United legend Teddy Sheringham has today been given permission by West Ham to speak to Stevenage about potentially replacing Graham Westley as their new manager. If Sheringham was to take charge of "The Boro" this would be his first full managers job since retiring from playing back in 2008.

The 49-year old is currently West Ham's forward coach and has been since May 2014. He has been highly credited as one of the key reasons to West Ham's new attractive attacking football this season. He has also been labelled as the key reason for Diafra Sakho winning the Premiership's player of the month in October 2014.

I personally feel sorry for Graham Westley as he has guided Stevenage to the League 2 play-offs, however Stevenage went out after losing 4-2 to Southend on aggregate. However, given that Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink turned Burton Albion from a relegation threatened side to League 2 winners in just 6 months, then Teddy Sheringham maybe Stevenage needs to get promoted at the end of next season.

Despite Teddy Sheringham still being fairly new to the coaching side of the game, his career has been filled with playing under great managers such as Sir Alex Ferguson who I'm sure he will take a lot of inspiration from the Scotsman's managerial success'. Having spent all season working closely with Sam Allardyce, then Teddy Sheringham may soon become a fantastic manager whether he gets the Stevenage job or not.

Argyle fans favourite Banton amongst those getting the chop

Plymouth Argyle have recently announced the list of players who shall be released at the end of the season.

8 players will be departing Argyle without their contracts being renewed which includes fans favourite Jason Banton and central midfielder Dominic Blizzard. Both men have regularly featured for the greens throughout this season with Banton having a lengthy loan period at Home Park prior to his permanent move.

Others amongst the list include experienced striker Marvin Morgan, future prospects Matt Lecointe, River Allen and Jamie Richards. Ollie Norburn is also departing after struggling to cement first team football with the Devon-based side this season.

Another disappointment for the Argyle fans is the news that Paul Wotton has confirmed his retirement from playing despite already being a first team coach at Plymouth. Wotton's illustrious career has seen him play 491 times for Plymouth Argyle who were his local side as a child.

This leaves Argyle with only 9 players currently signed on for next season as well as 6 players rumored to be offered new contracts which include first team regulars Lewis Alessandra and Peter Hartley.

Where next for Preston's play off hero?

It's now that annual time of the season where all football clubs are starting to release players from there clubs with Bolton Wanderers certainly following suit after today releasing 13 first team players. This includes English-born Jamaican international Jermaine Beckford who has had a fantastic loan spell at Preston North End this season with Beckford scoring 20 times in 35 appearances for "The Lilywhites" and he will be heavily missed at Deepdale.


Despite Beckford travelling around a lot in his 10-year professional career, he still has an impressive goal-scoring record having netted 158 times in 376 professional appearances at club level as well as 1 international goals in his 6 caps for the Jamaican national side. Nether the less he has proved to be prolific when playing his domestic football in league one scoring 113 goals in 199 appearances during his league one spells with Leeds United, Carlisle United, Scunthorpe United and Preston.


I feel that Beckford has the skill and ability to do well in a low level Championship side or a high level League One side and I feel given his vital contribution to Preston's Play Off campaign this season, regardless of where they are next season this could be his best possible destination. Having been there for the majority of this season then will settle in very quickly and would certainly feel at ease. However, there are also some other good clubs that I'm sure would be happy to sign a player of Beckford's calibre with Reading and Millwall being two of my other strong suggestions as to who should attempt to snap up Beckford in the summer.


Needless to say, he may coming to the later stage of his career the 31-year old still has the ability and capabilities of doing a good job wherever he goes and if used right, he may well have a fantastic 2015-2016 campaign.  


 

Fullham interested in Newcastle United Goalkeeper

Marcus Bettinelli has been a bright spark for Fullham this season and is heavily rumored to be leaving Craven Cottage at the end of the season. Kit Symons has stated that he will offer the 22-year old a new contract but with Chelsea stepping up their interest in Bettinelli, Fullham are almost having to look for an alternative option.

With Rob Elliot set to become third choice goalkeeper at Newcastle Untied, when Karl Darlow returns from his loan spell at Nottingham Forest then Elliot's lack of game time is only going to be shortened even more. Elliot will surely be set to look for a new club as he has only made 28 first team appearences in his 4-year tenure with "The Magpies".

Fullham have confirmed to be interested Elliot and I feel that if Elliot really wants first team football then this is probably his best option. He isn't getting any younger and with Elliot only playing 176 professional matches in his 11-year career then surely he would daft to turn down this opportunity.

Rob Elliot has shown signs of being a good goalkeeper and maybe a move to Fullham could get his career back on track as well as hopefully guding Fullham to a much stronger season than they've had this time around.

Conor Hourihane: Barnsley's Irish Wizard

It's fair to say Barnsley's season has not exactly been one filled with success and promise. However it's also fair to say that Conor Hourihane has certainly stood out from the rest of the crowd this season and has quickly become a fan favourite at Oakwell this season following his £220,000 move from Plymouth Argyle last summer.

Despite Hourihane being a natural central midfielder, he has certainly been one of Barnsley's best players this season if not the best being Barnsley's Top Scorer and having the clubs most assists this season in League 1. His contribution of 12 goals and 13 assists in 44 appearences (which include a goal and 3 assists in their 5-0 thrashing of Rochdale on the final day of the season) has certainly been a key reason behind them finishing 11th in the league with them only being 7 points short off the play off's although they only finished 11 points clear of relegation. 

Barnsley will certainly do a lot to keep hold of their star man this season with many Championship clubs such as Sheffield Wednesday and newly promoted side Bristol City also rumored with the 24-year old Irishman. Hourihane has proved to be a successful signing for The Reds this season after making 141 appearances at his former club Plymouth Argyle scoring 16 times and becoming club captain before turning 22-years old. Hourihane started off coming through the ranks at Sunderland as a youth player but however never quite made the first team with similar struggles happening at Ipswich Town shortly after.

I feel that if Hourihane can carry on in the 2015-2016 season in a similar fashion to how he finished this season, then whatever club he is playing for will certainly feel the success of his work. If Hourihane does this then maybe he could earn a place in the Republic of Ireland national set-up. Having played for his country 22 times at youth level, Hourihane is still yet to make his full international debut however I feel that he is close to earning a call-up very soon. 

Thomas Ince: Could his impact lead Derby County to the Premiership?

Since Tom Ince joined Derby County on loan at the start of February, Ince has been one of the hottest prospects in the Championship scoring 11 times and also providing 1 assist in his 17 appearences for "The Rams". Ince has certainly been playing his best football since he left Blackpool but why has he struggled at Hull City, as well as disappointing loan spells with Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.

Ince has struggled to play regular first-team football since joining Hull City in the summer. When he has played he has featured in a variety of positions which has given him no stability and may have unsettled his future. Despite Ince being one of our countries brightest young talents, Ince has only seemed to perform whilst as either a winger or a right-sided attacking midfielder. I think personally he will only gel and perform given regular action in either of these positions.

Ince has only featured 13 times for his parent club this season with 8 of these coming on as a substitute. Because of his lack of time he has only scored once for Hull and has certainly seemed to struggle when playing out of position whether is was Hull, Palace or Forest.

I feel that if Derby get promoted, then Ince may join them on a permanent deal or if Hull get relegated then Ince's Championship experience could help them make a quick return to the Premiership. I feel that Ince should probably leave Hull and I feel he could make a serious impact next season at either a big-name Championship side or a newly promoted side such as Bournemouth. Ince needs to play regularly in a position he knows well otherwise his career may waster away.

PFA Team of the Year 2014/2015: The Best Of The Rest

Today the 2014/2015 PFA Team of the Year has been announced and it is certainly an incredible side full of world-class talent who have all had a sensational season. However, as always there is some debate regarding players who could've and perhaps should have been there. I have therefore decided to make a team full of players who in my mind could've have easily been in the Team of the Year.

Goalkeeper

Fraser Forster- Alongside Simon Mignolet, Fraser Forster currently has 13 clean sheets this season conceding only 21 goals in 30 appearances and being a key part of why Southampton have the joint best defensive record in the league. Despite Forster being sidelined for the rest of the season he has seriously impressed this season and he will soon give Roy Hodgson a selection dilemma for England's future first team goalkeeper.

Defenders

Nathaniel Clyne- I feel that Southampton's entire defensive line have all been key performers in the league and Clyne has been an instrumental part of this. Clyne has featured in 31 of the Saints 34 league fixtures this season averaging 3.5 tackles per game and he has also popped up with 2 goals for Southampton. Clyne has also managed to break into the England set-up making his first appearance against Italy in an international friendly last month.

Jose Fonte- The Southampton skipper has been at the heart of the sensational back 4. Fonte has played all but one of the Saints league games this season. Fonte has averaged 5.6 clearances which has made him the second highest in the side, only 0.1 behind defending compatriot Toby Alderweireld. Fonte has also averaged 3.1 clearances a match making him the joint 7th best in the league alongside Hull's Curtis Davies and Arsenal's Nacho Monreal.

Aaron Cresswell- The West Ham left-back flourished in his first season in the top flight after joining The Hammers from Ipswich for an undisclosed fee last summer. Alongside Swansea skipper Ashley Williams, Cresswell has played every minute this season with these two being the only outfield players to do so. Cresswell has contributed 4 assists and 2 goals this season which has heavily linked him to both a big money move with Chelsea and Manchester City as well as being rumored with a future England call up.

Cesar Azpilicueta- Azpilicueta is the only regular starter from the Chelsea defence who does not feature in the PFA Team of the Year however he easily could have. Azpilicueta is the 8th highest ranked in the league in average tackles per game. Azpilicueta has helped Chelsea charge for the title this season having played 26 of Chelsea's 33 league games this season. His passing, tackling, and holding of the ball have certainly made him a first team regular. Despite the big money move for Filipe Luis, Azpilicueta hasn't allowed him a look-in to the first team with his solidarity at left back.

Midfielders

David Silva- Despite Manchester City's poor end to the season, David Silva's fantastic season has been seriously overshadowed. David Silva has played 28 times for Manchester City scoring 11 times and providing 4 assists for City. This leaves Silva as the 10th top goalscorer in the league despite not being a prolific goalscorer. Alongisde Eden Hazard, David Silva leads the league's ranking of key passes per match averaging 2.8 key passes a game.

Mile Jedinak- Crystal Palace have not had a particularly stand out season but their captain Jedinak has had a fantastic season. Jedinak has the 6th highest average match rating in the league. In his 22 league appearences Jedinak has contributed with 5 goals and 3 assists as well as being 5th in the league for average aerial duals won per match averaging an impressive 4.6 average aerial duels won a game. He is also 2nd in the league rankings for average interceptions with 3.6 a game only 0.2 behind Arsenal wonder-kid Francis Coquelin. 

Cesc Fabregas- Fabregas' move to Stamford Bridge has been a very popular one for all Chelsea fans. Fabregas has an impressive 16 assists this season in the league being 6 assists clearer than any other player. Cesc also has the 3rd best average match rating in the league as well as popping up with 3 goals for the soon-to-be 4 time Premiership champions. He also leads the leagues charts for key passes in the league alongside David Silva.

Gylfi Sigurdsson- Tottenham fans will have been gutted when they sold Gylfi Sigurdsson back to Swansea at the start of this season. Sigurdsson is tied second in the assists rankings with 10 assists as well as 6 goals for the welsh side. He Icelandic wizard also averages an impressive 2.3 key passes per game putting him on par with Alexis Sanchez. His attacking influence has helped them have another strong season in the Premiership and he was certainly missed during his spell in London.

Strikers

Sergio Aguero- Despite City's lacklustre second half of the season, Sergio Aguero still leads the Golden Boot charts scoring 21 times and providing 6 assists in 29 games questioning why he did not make the Team of the Year. He also leads the leagues list of shots per goal averaging 4.4 shots a game. The Argentinian has had some trouble with injury and if City were still in the title race, who knows Aguero may even be a contender for PFA player of the year.

Charlie Austin- QPR may be destined to return to the Championship but that has not affected his ability to score goals in his debut season in the top flight. Austin has scored 17 times and has also created 4 goals in his 31 appearences for QPR. Austin has averaged 3.9 shots per game making him second in the league's list and with clubs such as Liverpool interested in the English forward, will his future in London hang in the balance?

Jürgen Klopp: Where Next?

On the 15th of April, Jürgen Klopp revealed that he will be leaving Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season. Klopp is currently in his 7th and final season in charge with this season being certainly one of his more interesting. Is Klopp taking a break from management or does he fancy a new challenge either in or away from Germany.

Klopp at Borussia Dortmund

During Klopp's tenure at Dortmund he has guided the BVB to 2 Bundesliga titles, 1 DFB-Pokal title, 2 DFL- Supercups as well as a UEFA Champions League Final which they lost to German rivals Bayern Munich. Due to his fantastic efforts, Klopp won 2 consecutive German Manager of the Year in 2011 and 2012. Jürgen Klopp took charge of Borussia Dortmund at the start of the 2008-2009 season after the side had finished 13th in the previous season. Klopp had previously been managing 1. FSV Mainz 05 for 7 years where he had previously spent 12 years as a player. There are a number of reasons why Klopp may have chose to end his time at Dortmund however he has been heavily linked with a move to England.

Numerous Opportunities In England

There are a huge number of English clubs either linked with Klopp or clubs that I feel Klopp could settle in really well. Arsenal have been linked with him however I feel that Wenger has had a fantastic season and does not need replacing or changing, however if Wenger hands in a shock resignation he could be a fantastic replacement for him. Newcastle are still yet to confirm a long term replacement for Alan Pardew and could Klopp be drafted in to turn them around. With Manchester City struggling this season, Pellegrini could be on his way out and Klopp may be bought in as his successor. With Liverpool inconsistent season, it may be time for a change of character however I can't see Klopp joining Liverpool any time soon. West Ham have also played down links of Klopp joining them however their may be a chance of European football if the German does take over.

Where should he go?

If Klopp does come to England, I would like to see him at either Newcastle, Liverpool or Manchester City as I feel these are where would slot in the best. Newcastle fans are desperate to return to their former glories and with Klopp who turned Dortmund from a side facing relegation to Bundesliga winners in 3 years. Could Klopp do the same here. 

Brendan Rodgers' most successful season at Liverpool was last year where he played a similar style of football to Dortmund accidentally although it did work. With some added world-class talent Liverpool could finally win their first Premiership title if Klopp was part of the picture.

I feel that Klopp is most likely to end up at Manchester City if he comes to this country. With Pellegrini almost certain to be exiled at the end of this season, Klopp would be an almost certain contender to come in at the Etihad. Manchester City are now expected to win titles annually and anything less is considered a failure. May Klopp be the next with them...

Memphis Depay: Holland's Hottest Prospect

Memphis Depay is one of the hottest prospects currently coming out of Dutch football. Despite only being 21 years old, Depay has featured 121 times and scoring 46 goals in the process. He has also broke through into the international scene for the Netherlands making 15 first team appearances and scoring 2 goals in the process.The winger also featured 4 times in the 2014 world cup with both of his international goals coming against Australia and Chile in the tournament.

This season Memphis Depay has made a huge impact on PSV's season scoring 26 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions. Depay is currently the top goalscorer in the Eredvise scoring 20 of his goals in 27 league appearences has been a key part in winning Phillip Cocu's side their first league title in seven years. Depay has also impressed in the Europa League scoring 6 times in 9 appearences. Could Depay join the like of Luis Suarez, Wilfried Bony, Afonso Alves and Dirk Kuyt who joined Premiership clubs shortly after winning the Eredvise golden boot.

Louis Van Gaal has bought more of a Dutch influence and style of play to Manchester United since joining after the 2014 World Cup. As well as already having Robin Van Persie in his squad Van Gaal added Daley Blind to the side who had impressed him both domestically and internationally over recent years. Blind has certainly proved to be an excellent signing but will Depay settle into the Manchester United team quickly and would he get much game time over the likes of Ashley Young and Juan Mata who are both in excellent form.

Dutch footballers tend to have a knack for settling into this countries style of play quicker and more efficiently compared to other nations in our top division. With Memphis Depay also being linked with Liverpool and Tottenham, there is a strong possibility we could see the 21-year old in the Premiership next season. But the big question is that could Depay be carrying too much pressure at a young age and could a move from away PSV further his talent, or slower his development. Depay is an exciting young talent however if misused could turn into one of those over-rated wonderkids that has been gone and forgotten in 10 years time.

Ross Barkley: "I'm A Striker"

Last night, Ross Barkley revealed in an exclusive that he feels his poor season has been due to being played out of position. 21 year old England international Barkley, has been often used as an attacking midfielder this season for Everton but he feels that he should be playing up front. Barkley also revealed that Wayne Rooney has been giving him advice as a striker once given to him by ex Manchester United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer which Barkley feels could really help further his ability.

This season, Ross Barkley has been not as effective going forward as he was in the 2013-2014 season, Barkely has only scored 2 goals this season and has only provided 2 assists with neither of his goals coming from starting at central attacking midfield. Last season Barkley scored 6 times in 34 appearances for "The Toffees" compared to this season where he has only 2 goals in 29 appearances. Barkley may still be young but is he really a striker.




After a successful loan spell in the 2013-2014 season, Everton bought Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea for a club-record fee of £28 million. As well as being a key figure in Everton's team he has also recently formed a new-found strike partnership with  Arouna Kone which could prove to recover what his been a difficult season for Everton. This begs the question, if Ross Barkley really believes he's a striker and will be clinical there, then where would he be next season.  If Everton can be successful with Lukaku and Kone up front then would Barkley even get a look in. I feel that if he were to move to a different club such as Sunderland or maybe even Swansea to fulfil his desire.

Barkley currently has 11 caps for England with all of them coming under Roy Hodgson. If Barkley, wants to become a striker he is seriously jeopardising his England future. When Barkley has featured for England, he has often played as a number 10 or as part of midfield. If he were to pursue his ambition of being a striker, Barkley will certainly find himself a lot further down the pecking order as there are a lot of promising strikers coming through the ranks who are yet to cement their place in the England squad including Harry Kane, Charlie Austin and Saido Berahino.

In conclusion, I feel that Ross Barkley will have to undergo serious position training as well as a potential club move in the summer, realistically Barkley could become one of the worlds best attacking midfielders and is probably better in a "Number 10" role.

Mohamed Salah: Proving The English Game Isn't For Everyone

Introduction:

Mohamed Salah has been heavily criticised as a footballer since joining Chelsea for a fee of around £11 million in January 2014. Despite the price tag, and the huge accolades that he came to the country with, Salah had only made 19 appearances in the first 12 months of his Chelsea career with 9 of those being used as a substitute. Salah has averaged a goal to game ratio at Chelsea of 1 goal every 9.5 matches. Compared to his current revitalisation at Fiorentina and his illustrious international goal scoring record considering he is  22 years old. It's only now that Salah's potential is shining through only 7 games into a new club in a new country with a complete variation of style in both play and culture. His pace and trickery are certainly his key attributes, however he is now shining promise of an eye for goal with 6 goals in his first 7 appearances for the Florence-based side.

Fiorentina Career:

Salah joined Fiorentina on loan from Chelsea until the end of this season as part of the deal to bring Juan Cuadrado to Stamford Bridge on the 2nd of February. Since then Salah has played 7 matches for the Florence side with 3 of them featuring as a substitute. In that time Salah has scored 6 goals including a double in a 2-1 win away at Juventus in the Coppa Italia to end Juventus' 42 match home unbeaten streak and gives Fiorentina strong chance of making the final. Salah has certainly impressed with Jose Mourinho being heavily criticised about letting the Egyptian go out on loan.

Egypt & Basel Career:

Salah was first recognised in this country after impressive performances against both Chelsea and Liverpool which gave Salah a good reputation despite only being 20 at the time. Like his Fiorentina record Salah is already the 9th top goalscorer in their countries history. He has managed to score 20 goals in 35 caps despite only being 22 years old and not a natural striker.  He played for Basel prior to his move to Chelsea after coming through their youth set-up . He played professionally at Basel from July 2012 until January 2014 scoring 13 times in 87 matches.

Other Players To Struggle In England:

Salah is certainly not the first player to struggle in England after coming from abroad. Roberto Soldado came to Tottenham from Valencia for £26 Million in August 2013. In his 19 months at Spurs he as only managed 16 goals in 70 matches despite previously having a record at Valencia of 76 goals in 128 appearances. Andrei Shevchenko is one of Ukraine's greatest ever players. He joined Chelsea in May 2006 after a 7 year stint with AC Milan. He left Milan for £30 Million and an incredible reputation but like Salah and Soldado, he struggled in the English game. Prior to his English experience he had scored 157 times in 269 matches for Milan. However, for Chelsea Shevchenko struggled a lot more scoring only 22 times in 77 appearances. These are just the two of the biggest names who didn't quite live up to expectations from a very long list, There are many potential factors that differ English football from any other countries format: No winter break, weather inconsistencies, more matches, higher expectations, different language as well as many others. I feel that fans are let down and disappointed when a highly rated player fails to deliver after a big money move but the fact is that so many top class footballers are afraid of coming to this country in case they ruin their career.

Mourinho & The Future:

When Salah returns from Florence, Jose Mourinho will certainly have a lot to think about. As well as having the equivalent of another squad out on loan there are some serious potential on Chelsea books which will seriously give Mourinho food for thought. As well as having to decide whether Salah is able to provide anything to Chelsea he will seriously have to see how the contribution of Juan Cuadrado takes affect. He has already made 5 appearances for Chelsea without scoring and has not shown much difference in style to Salah and with a £26 million expectation to live up to is Cuadrado in serious jeopardy of falling under this curse? Mohamed Salah is proving the potential of being th greatest player in Egyptian History as well as a world-class talent, but is Chelsea really the right way to make Salah fulfil his real potential