Chelsea and United chasing £25m enforcer : Cheick Tiote

Chelsea are lining up a £25million bid for Newcastle United’s Cheick Tiote, but could face competition from Manchester United.

Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas is desperate to add some young blood to his squad in January and sees Tiote as an ideal addition, according to the Mirror.

However, Chelsea may have to fight it out with Manchester United for the Ivory Coast international, as Sir Alex Ferguson is looking to add to his underperforming midfield. Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew seems to have resigned himself to Tiote leaving for Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge and has lined up replacements.

Villas-Boas is looking to bolster his midfield after becoming unconvinced that Frank Lampard and John Obi Mikel can perform their duties sufficiently.

Meanwhile, Ferguson wants to help shore up a midfield that has proved poor defensively so far this season, culminating in their shock elimination from the Champions League at the group stages.

Tiote is currently injured and has not featured for the Toon since October 22 after injuring his knee. There is fluid forming on the joint, which is causing pain and discomfort when twisting and turning. The 25-year-old even went so far as to visit a witch doctor in his native Ivory Coast in an attempt help the healing process.

The injury was not expected to keep Tiote out for long originally and doctors are baffled as to why it has taken so long.

" Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew seems to have resigned himself to Tiote leaving for Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge "

Who can solve United’s midfield conundrum?

Manchester United’s recent troubles on the pitch have been well documented, and their unceremonious exit from the Champions League on Wednesday has given rise to speculation they may delve into the transfer market in order to boost their chances of retaining their league crown this season.

Sir Alex Ferguson has often spoken of his reluctance to dip into the transfer market, especially in January because of the lack of value, however with Manchester City leading the title race the Scot may be forced into action, and the key area of concern remains the midfield.

With Anderson and Tom Cleverly on the sidelines for some time, who can Ferguson turn to in order to solve his midfield mystery?

Eden Hazard

The Lille attacking midfielder has earned himself a reputation as one of the finest talents in Europe, and papers all over the land were filled with speculation Manchester United were ready to swoop not so long ago.

The 20-year-old plays in an attacking midfield role but drifts out to the wings, meaning he wouldn’t exactly fit the billing of the Paul Scholes replacement that most agree United need, but as an attacking force there are few better at his age.

Be warned though, he will cost a pretty penny and is a target of numerous other clubs, so won’t be easy to land.

Chances of signing for United: Slim, especially in January

Javi Garcia
Benfica youngster Javi Garcia name has been appearing in more and more gossip and transfer rumour columns as the world goes by, and it is thanks to an increased interest from United in taking him to Old Trafford in January.

Ferguson got a close up glimpse of the young Spaniard when he played in the Champions League against the Red Devils for Benfica, with the Scot reportedly impressed with what he saw.

His versatility is a bonus and wouldn’t cost as much as United’s other targets, but as something of an unknown it would be a risk for Fergsuon to pin his hopes of sprucing up his midfield this season on a unproven player at the very highest level.

Chances of joining United: If it was a toss-up between Garcia & Gaitan (next), then this is the cheaper option

Wesley Sneijder

The longest running transfer saga on the go at the moment, the desire from both sides to make the move happen is clear, with only the small matter of convincing Inter Milan to let their star player go standing in the way.

The Dutchman demonstrated his worth at the World Cup last year, confirming his status as behind only Xavi and Andreas Iniesta as the world’s finest genuine midfielder.

Inter’s woeful start to the season may help facilitate a move and as January nears the rumour mill has certainly cranked back into life on this one, but it remains unlikely still.

Chances of signing for United: Looking more and more likely if United are willing to pay the price

Daniele De Rossi

Manchester City may lead to the race for the signature of Daniele De Rossi, but that hasn’t stopped the media from repeatedly linking the rumour man with a link to the red half of the city.

The 28-year-old has forged a fearsome reputation at Roma at the heart of the Italian giants’ midfield quartet, and would be a nice fit for United’s needs.

A stumbling block in the move could be his reluctance to leave Italy despite an admittance that he likes English football, but the fact that he is coming to the end of his current deal and is yet to sign a new one could mean a move in January is still on the table.

Chances of joining United: United trail behind City in this race as well

Nicolas Gaitan

While Javi Garcia may be one name linked with United, it is his team-mate Nicolas Gaitan who is generating the most amount of gossip over a potential switch to Old Trafford at the moment.

With a reported £39 million release clause in his contract he won’t come cheap but the 23-year-old’s potential appears limitless and he looks to have all the qualities to succeed with the reigning champions.

The youngster recently broke into the Argentine national squad and is more inclined to play on the left of midfield than a genuine passing central midfielder, but there is certainly some weight in the rumours linked him with a move to United.

Chances of joining United: Unlikely the Red Devils will meet the release clause - but a talent on the radar

Picture : UNITED beats Wolves

Phil Jones action


Rooney, Welbeck, Nani and Jones celebration goal


Ferdinand : Good job Nani ... More


Rooney Shoot


Nani Goal


Our Defender Evans

Rooney 2 Nani 2 - Wolverhampton 1

ANALYSIS
By Rob Stewart at Old Trafford

Red Devils' boss Sir Alex Ferguson creating siege mentality at Theatre of Dreams as he tries to silence his critics following Champions League disappointment without key personnel

Manchester United badly needed a nice little homecoming party following their harrowing Champions League exit, and thanks to Wayne Rooney and Nani they enjoyed one to raise spirits on their return to Old Trafford.

Together Rooney and Nani put smiles back on faces in Salford as they helped themselves to two goals apiece in a one-sided encounter against a Wolves side who rarely looked capable of being party poopers. The fact that Rooney and Co. were back among the goals and re-producing their early season form helped United provide the perfect response to the Champions League defeat in Basel. Their endeavours raised the gloom that enveloped Old Trafford before this encounter and ensured the Red Devils ended what manager Sir Alex Ferguson had in his programme notes called a “black week” for the club on a high.

The road to redemption might be a long one but Sir Alex set the tone by insisting that while “we may gnash our teeth there is no point wailing about it”. He even launched a thinly veiled attack at former United skipper Roy Keane, who had voiced criticism of the d isplay in Switzerland in his role as a television pundit, with Sir Alex bemoaning “stick even from people we thought were perhaps on our side”.

If Sir Alex - who appeared impossibly upbeat as he greeted fans on his way to the dugout - was attempting to create a siege mentality then it worked because United played as if they owed their fans one against a struggling Wolves side who were there for the taking from the off with just Matt Jarvis and Steven Fletcher able to take the fight to their hosts.

It was, though, crowd-pleasers Rooney and Nani who made sure that this was the morale-booster that everyone associated with the club needed following their first failure to make it out of the Champions League group stage since 2005.

On a gloomy day, it even stopped raining following the final whistle to ensure that the mood improved in more ways than one.

That they bounced back from such disappointment was down to Sir Alex’s decision to attack Wolves relentlessly down the flanks where Nani and Antonio Valencia tormented their markers and ensured that the visitors were unable to frustrate their hosts.

That is what Mick McCarthy’s side did last season when it required a last-minute goal from Ji-sung Park to secure United all three points, and the pessimists feared a repeat performance.

However, those fans who insisted they trusted Sir Alex to weather the storm and come back even stronger in the long term had their faith vindicated.

That there was no need for late drama on this occasion is due mainly to Rooney, who was this contest’s outstanding performer; his goals that spelled the end of his barren spell meant that he has still never gone ten games without scoring for United.

The emphatic victory also marked a return to the club’s free-scoring ways that had seen Arsenal thrashed 8-2 here and then Bolton swept aside 5-0 at the Reebok. Before this game United had not managed more than a solitary goal in eight of nine Premier League outings.

Rooney’s exploits showed why England head coach Fabio Capello was so keen to have his Euro 2012 suspension reduced and gave United fans reason to think they might hold on to their Premier League crown despite the threat posed by Manchester City.

Rooney remains their key asset and they will need him more than ever now thanks to injuries in other key departments.

It is difficult to see United coping without injured skipper Nemanja Vidic for the rest of the season, and while Michael Carrick and Phil Jones were head and shoulders above their Wolves counterparts, they might struggle when facing leading Premier League midfielders.

That is why Sir Alex will need Tom Cleverley and Anderson back in the thick of it sooner rather than later.

It also explains why there seems to be an obsession with Inter midfielder Wesley Sneijder following their ill-fated pursuit of the Dutch ace last summer as the club moved to fill the void left by Paul Scholes’ retirement.

United have eminently winnable games coming against Queens Park Rangers, Fulham, Wigan, Blackburn and faltering Newcastle before aiming to avenge their 6-1 pasting by City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, January 8.

Given Sir Alex’s habit of proving his critics wrong, it would be foolish to write off United’s title chances just yet.

Identity

Lama tak bersua ... kini kutemui engkau kembali lewat tulisan


Kangen my Identity