Penalty Ignorance, But United Remain Top

As Manchester United travelled to Stoke for their sixth game of the Premier League season, spirits were high. On the back of a 3 - 1 victory over Chelsea and a 3 - 0 thrashing of rivals Leeds in mid-week, United would have felt confident of taking home three valuable, table-topping points against a tough Stoke City team, even without the vital Wayne Rooney in the side due to a hamstring strain.

However, a Crouch header and two ignored blatant penalty claims meant that Sir Alex Ferguson had to settle for just the one point at the Britannia, leaving Manchester United's impressive 100% record this season to drift sorrowfully into the distance. We mourn its passing.

It was an inevitability, and was always a possibility at Stoke considering their record against the big sides at home. A fierce home crowd and extraordinary physicality of the players who get incredibly tight to the opposition, efficiently snuffing out any danger, helped Stoke to restrict United from playing free-flowing football on the floor and creating chances.

Nani's opening goal came from some very patient play on the right hand side for United, passing it well under little pressure when suddenly a burst of pace and quick thinking from Darren Fletcher and the Portuguese winger created some space to smash the ball home. It was the 24 year old's third League goal of a very promising season for him, bringing his goal tally up to 5 in all competitions.

If a penalty had been given as it surely should have been in the third minute when Hernandez was brought down by Woodgate from behind in a one-on-one with Begovic, United would have probably been two goals ahead when Nani struck in the 27th minute. The referee, Peter Walton was not feeling in a generous mood however, and didn't feel that a foul which caused the Mexican striker to limp off with an injury inside the box was a penalty.

Immediately after the United goal, Stoke's Andy Wilkinson did all Manchester United fans and David de Gea defenders a favour by forcing a stunning save from the young Spanish goalkeeper. We had been led to believe that Sir Alex Ferguson had attempted to beef up his goalkeeper throughout the week to prepare him for the physical game, but despite de Gea still resembling a skinny 12 year-old with a suspect beard, he showed every bit of quality with a great reaction save, preventing the shot from tearing the top corner of the net.

Another save was squeezed out of de Gea before half time, as he dived across his goal to push away a Jonathon Walters shot which looked destined for the far corner. But 7 minutes into the second half, United's goalkeeper had been beaten, and his clean sheet disappeared. Etherington's curling cross found Crouch, who had, in turn, lost Phil Jones to head the ball powerfully beyond de Gea, much to the delight of the Stoke fans.

Another Crouch chance straight after the goal was blazed hilariously over, before the official's added to the comedy by denying United another penalty when an Evra shot hit Ryan Shawcross' raised arm in the box.

All in all, while United may feel aggrieved about the penalty decisions which did not go their way, the Stoke chances which were missed could have so easily struck the back of the net. There were a few bum-clenching moments for United fans, so a point will not be badly received at Old Trafford, despite the rare occasion in which Manchester United have been restricted to only the one goal this season.

It wasn't a game in which many players stood out as performing brilliantly, but Sir Alex put this down to the unsettling news of injuries creeping into his players minds and the teams performances. He said:

"In terms of the attacking part we showed some good play and maybe should have scored more. We've always done well here, but all the changes we had to make today [with injuries to Evans, Hernandez and Rooney] maybe just unsettled us a bit for parts of the game."

It is one draw among five other incredibly impressive wins. It's nothing to worry about.

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Arsenal Collapse - United Punish

When Arsene Wenger sat in the Arsenal bus on the way to Old Trafford today, he couldn't have expected much from the group of players he had sitting behind him. There they were, headphones on, training kits ready, the Arsenal badge placed firmly on their chest. Little did they know the footballing misery that was to befall them in the Theatre of Dreams.

"I believe we'll be up for it and have the quality," said the Frenchman as he stood before Geoff Shreeves. Remarkably oblivious, or simply blinded by optimism? In truth, no one will have expected such a rout from Manchester United which Arsenal became victims of - eight goals to two? Stunning.

I've said it before, and will say it again; at the moment, the two clubs are the complete antithesis of each other. In quality, in depth, in direction, in experience, in know-how, in common sense, in understanding of the game, today, they were miles apart. Yes, Arsenal had a weakened side, but conceding eight goals is incredible, and to concede eight goals when you are expected to be challenging for trophies is quite unbelievable.

Wenger cut a lonely figure on the away team bench, and as Theo Walcott and Robin Van Persie came off the join the substitutions, none of them could muster the tenacity to look each other in the eye. The Arsenal team were humiliated and embarrassed by some awful defending, amateur mistakes and a huge lack of Arsene Wenger's favourite two things; "spirit" and "belief."

Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson on the other hand, were full of confidence on the back of two successive Premier League victories, and had no room for sympathy. It was a day in which their biggest rivals in City had won at Spurs, scoring an impressive five goals, and United aren't ones for being second best, especially against the blue side of their City, so winning against Arsenal was the only option.

Indeed, after winning convincingly against Tottenham on Monday, United were favourites for this game, and from the off, there didn't seem to be any doubt that this would be a game to remember for this young United side.

There were some fantastic individual performances in the United team, but it was the way that they played together which was so impressive, especially considering the expectation on their young shoulders - and yes, there was expectation. As favourites to win the big match throughout the weeks build-up, it would have been easy for the players to become complacent, and take a win for granted in front of the home crowd.

From the defence, through to the midfield and up to the two young and exceptionally talented pair of Englishmen in attack, the team was confident, assured, lucid and ready for the challenge before them. Admittedly, it didn't turn out to be too big of a challenge but it is a sign of a strong footballing side, when the players can punish the opposition whatever level they play at just like they did against the Gunners.

The Welbeck opener spelled disaster for Arsenal, as a cheeky chip from Anderson flew over the defence, and left Johan Djourou in no man's land for Welbeck to show his strength and nod the ball passed the unfortunate Sczcesny.

The Polish goalkeeper had very little defence throughout the game, with the four at the back getting drawn to the ball instead of staying with their markers too many times. Against United, you simply cannot do that.

Rooney grabbed a hat-trick, and in doing so, his 150th, 151st and 152nd goals for Manchester United, as he comes closer to cementing his place among the United legends. Ashley Young grabbed a sublime double, Nani, who was quite frustrating throughout as he complicated simple moves with often unsuccessful shows of needless extravagance, finished with a cool chip into the net, while Park came on for the Portuguese winger to score his customary goal against the Gunners.

David de Gea's penalty save while United were one goal ahead was crucial for both his confidence in himself and the fans' confidence in him, as well as for the route to victory in the game, however, he needs to better with shots like Theo Walcott's which from a tight angle, crept beneath his legs. He is improving every game, and soon the creases will be ironed out for this young talent, much like the whole United side.

While the goals were extremely well worked, creative and scored and created by some marvellous talents, Arsenal didn't pose a great challenge, and United will have to keep improving to beat the best. It just so happens that they have the best manager in the world to guide them in that fruitful, trophy winning direction.

As for Arsenal, like I've said before, Wenger's need for spirit and belief simply is not enough to realistically compete when they have a severe lack of quality players in their squad depth. It is a ferociously rocky period, and pressure is rising dramatically, but with a few signings, players back from injuries and suspensions, a manager given full support and confidence, Arsenal could be back to winning ways soon. The pivotal word in that sentence being "could." Nothing is guaranteed.

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Manchester United Youngsters Shine Again

When Manchester United turn up the pace, when the players pull up their socks, and the manager fires out his orders to his team, it's scary. Scary for the opposition at least, because for the United fans, it's fantastic.

The first half had ended in stalemate, with neither side dominating too much of possession or chance, however the pace in the second half dramatically increased. Sir Alex Ferguson, beginning his 26th season as United manager had given his young players a mission, and they didn't disappoint.

The three youngsters in the back four were immense. They may not have been troubled too much, but against Tottenham, they needed to keep the likes of Rafael Van der Vaart, Gareth Bale, Arron Lennon and Jermaine Defoe quiet, and they seemed to do it with ease. Chris Smalling played on the right, while 19 year-old Phil Jones and 23 year-old Jonny Evans filled in the middle for Ferdinand and Vidic.

Smalling has already proved himself to United, with a solid season last year after joining from Fulham, but the Old Trafford crowd had seen little from their £16.5 million signing Jones, while Evans' form has been on and off.

Powerful, steady and authoritative are words which could describe their performance, with no mishaps at the back to speak of at all. All three are also very comfortable on the ball, and can pass it around between them, creating time for a clearance, or drive the ball out themselves, with a strong surge up field. It's thrilling to think that these three are the Manchester United back line of the future.

Behind them was a 20 year-old Spaniard. David de Gea - ever heard of him? His appearances in the press being labelled unbelievably as a flop will for now have been forgotten, with a much improved performance in front of his supportive fans. A piece of trickery under pressure from an incoming Van der Vaart may have given some a mini heart-attack, but when kicked to the ground, the whistle was blown and all was safe.

He had a more troublesome second half, as the Spurs players fired more frequently at the goal, hoping for a spill or blunder. A typically heavy-duty blast from Tom Huddlestone late was dropped, but recouped quickly by de Gea, who snatched it away from Defoe just in time for a nasty kick from the England striker, but nothing too serious. It's promising.

The midfield was as it was in the Community Shield. The player in that attacking six are in the early stages of creating a very encouraging bond, in which the awareness is immense, allowing the passing to be quick and probing, to allow the team to be one step ahead of the opponent.

United's starting eleven, the team of youth, filled to the rim with fiery and enthusiastic quality, had an average age of 23, and for all the money the club have and may yet spend this summer, it was a pair of free local lads who broke the deadlock.

Tom Cleverley, who had a relatively quiet first half whipped in a marvellous, pin point cross which was met by Danny Welbeck, who glanced a precise header into the far corner, past the veteran Brad Friedel. The American goalkeeper had frustrated United before, but there was nothing he could do about this wonderfully simple but crucially effective goal which began the onslaught.

The goal came on the hour mark, and for the final thirty minutes, United completely dominated. Welbeck had scored one, and created the next, with a cute back heel in the box to set up Anderson for an easy side foot which bulged the net delightfully.

Rooney, the ever present and very much needed talent of the United attack grabbed a well deserved goal, thanks to a cross from the old man in the team, Ryan Giggs. He came on in a triple substitution, which saw the return of Javier Hernandez from concussion, and Ji Sung Park, only for a cameo - but with Giggs, every performance counts.

A trademark cross hung in the air for Rooney and his brand new hair to knock in with a perfect header, topping off the win with a mix of the accomplished old with the blossoming new.

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Arsenal's Pursuit of Samba Boosted

Arsenal have been given a boost in their pursuit of a central defender, as Chris Samba of Blackburn - a known target of Arsenal's, announced his desire to play Champions League football.

Despite being infuriated by the sacking of Sam Allardyce last season, he signed a new four and a half year contract early this year. However, Arsene Wenger's determination to sign a new defender will certainly have been helped by what Samba said after Blackburn's 1 - 0 defeat to Aston Villa in the semi-finals of the Barclays Asia Trophy:

"At the minute I am at Blackburn but we will have to see what happens. If you have a player who has no ambition to play at a higher level, then he made a mistake and chose the wrong sport. He should do something else."

"When you are a footballer – or if you play any high-profile sport – you should be ambitious. It is difficult at the moment but I am just waiting to see what happens and concentrating on my pre-season preparation."

"I don't know about Arsenal as I am not the one who is dealing with it. I'm just trying to get myself fit. Of course, I would like to play in the Champions League, which player does not dream of that? It would be a lie if I told you everything was good and that I didn't want to play in the Champions League. That would be a big lie. Every player wants to do that."

Blackburn's new owners have long term ambitions to steer the side to the Champions League, but this is surely too much of a wait for the 27 year-old defender. That is especially unlikely considering the strong competition from the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham for a place inside the top four as well as Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal who are usually certain of a top our finish.

Five seasons in the Premier League has given Samba ample experience in England, and is a strong and reliable defender - something Arsenal would certainly benefit from. Arsenal just need to make the move for him now, although Blackburn may be looking for a fee in excess of £10 million considering his contract and the fact that Blackburn have already let Phil Jones leave for Manchester United.

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Manchester United Players Wages - How Much Is Saved

Transfer fees have often grabbed the headlines in recent years, with records being broken along with peoples jaws when they hear about the massive amounts of money spent by clubs eager for top class additions. However, the players wages have also become of interest to many football fans, with some eager to compare to certain other professions seen as more productive, while others are simply interested to find out how much their favourite player is earning.

Manchester United have been busy this transfer market, with incoming and outgoing players, all of whom command a certain wage, so out of interest, I did a bit of research. I wanted to find out how much Manchester United will be saving a week from the sales of players like Wes Brown and John O'Shea to Sunderland as well as the retirement of Edwin van der Sar, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville and the release of Owen Hargreaves.

Firstly may I start my saying that these are all reported figures in the media of how much the individual players are earning/will earn per week. The outgoing players:

Edwin van der Sar; £90,000 a week

Wes Brown; £50,000 a week

John O'Shea; £50,000 a week

Owen Hargreaves; £75,000 a week

Paul Scholes; £60,000 a week

Gary Neville £60,000 a week

Possibly Darron Gibson on £40,000 a week

TOTAL: £385,000 a week (or including the departure of Gibson to Sunderland, £425,000 a week)

Now onto the arrivals at Manchester United so far, which have included Ashley Young, Phil Jones and David de Gea who cost United just under £50 million in transfer costs.

David de Gea; £70,000 a week

Phil Jones; £50,000 a week

Ashley Young; £100,000 a week

TOTAL: £220,000 a week

Now if you subtract the amount of wages paid to the new players from the amount United will probably save from the outgoing players, Manchester United will be saving £165,000 a week or £205,000 a week if Darron Gibson departs. 

This leaves quite a large amount for Manchester United to work with in their search to replace Paul Scholes. Wesley Sneijder is apparently after around £200,000 a week, which is quite excessive, even for football, while United's other main target, Arsenal's Samir Nasri is reportedly asking for just over £100,000. Through these savings mentioned, United could afford either players wages easily.

What do you think? Should Manchester United opt for the cheaper and possibly easier option in going all out to sign Samir Nasri from Arsenal, or should they attempt to strike a mega money deal with Inter to bring Wesley Sneijder to Old Trafford? According to reports, Manchester United have bid for Arsenal's Nasri, but Wenger's club are holding out for £25 million rather than the £20 million offered.

Any corrections to the wages mentioned would be welcomed - the ones here are only an estimation from varying reports.

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Chris Samba "has an ambition to play for Arsenal"

Having already lost Phil Jones to Manchester United this summer, Blackburn may well be saying a sorry goodbye to another of their central defenders, in Chris Samba. Anuradha Desai, the businesswoman who heads the Venkys company which owns Blackburn Rovers said that although the club wants Samba to stay for at least another year to prove their ambitions, she knows that Samba has the ambition of playing for Arsenal.
Desai said:

“We don’t want to let Chris go, I’m confident that we can keep him and I hope he’ll stay. I know he has an ambition to play for Arsenal but I hope we can keep him for another year at least and prove our own ambition.”

Arsenal were close to signing Samba in the January transfer window, with Samba admitting that he was very close to joining the London club, but no deal was finalized. Arsenal are looking for some experienced players to sure up the defensive problems that faced Arsenal last year so Wenger can prevent needless errors which prove costly in a long Premier League title race.

Samba is seen by many at Arsenal as the strong, powerful, no nonsense defender who is needed alongside Thomas Vermaelen, who could not only start games, but finish them without a problem, or without mistakes, whilst adding depth to the squad.

Arsenal's £10 million bid was not enough to persuade Blackburn part with their captain January, but it is thought that £12 million would be the price in which Blackburn would be willing to let Samba go. With Arsene Wenger finally beginning to spend some money starting with the capture of Lille's Gervinho, Arsenal should have no problem in reaching that asking price and adding a vital player to an improving and more experienced squad come next season.

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It's Chris Samba or Gary Cahill for Arsenal - Or Is It?

It is the general consensus at Arsenal that the team needs a strong, forceful centre back to add to the spine of the team and help them to some much needed trophies. It is also the general feeling among the gossip columns that Arsene Wenger will choose between either Blackburn's Chris Samba, or Bolton's Gary Cahill to fill that gap in his squad. But which one will it be? In truth, both seem increasingly unlikely for various reasons, so lets evaluate why.

Lets start with Chris Samba. At 27 years-old and a good 5 years with Blackburn, Samba has plenty of experience that the Arsenal team is often said to be lacking in. He stands at a towering 6 foot 4 inches, and is a force to be reckoned with defending set pieces, with his large frame able to reach above the attacking opponents to clear the danger. He would slot nicely into the defence alongside the combative Thomas Vermaelen, who was missed terribly last season for Arsenal.

Samba revealed last season that he was close to joining Arsenal in the January transfer market, which shows that Arsenal are clearly interested in the player, which is good news, as it shows Wenger's intent to add experience and power to his defence. However, Arsenal's £10 million bid was not enough to persuade Blackburn part with their captain, but it is thought that £12 million would be the price in which Blackburn would be willing to let Samba go.

Unfortunately for Arsenal, recent transfer events have transpired against them. In fact, it may be arch rivals Manchester United's fault that Arsenal miss out on Samba - not because United are themselves interested in Samba, but because Sir Alex Ferguson has recently stolen Samba's young defensive partner Phil Jones away from Ewood Park. Would Blackburn be willing to let both halves of their defensive backbone leave the club in one transfer window?

That doesn't seem likely unless Arsenal tie up a deal for Samba quickly, as that way, Blackburn will have both the time in the market and the money from the sales of the pair to find some replacements and back-up. Last season Samba and Jones were vital players in the sides survival, and so losing them both would not help the club one bit - the club surely understand this, and however swiftly a deal for Samba could be done would still be very reluctant in letting him go.

Next, and to Gary Cahill. He, like Samba is a strong, fearless defender, and having played in the Premier League since 2004, has the experience needed at Arsenal. At 25 years-old, he has more of a long term future than Samba, and has more time for improvement, though some may argue potential is not what Arsenal need at the moment.

The gossip columns have been all over this story, with Cahill said to be wanted by Manchester City as well as Arsenal, and will cost at least £17 million to match the players release clause in his Bolton contract.

Should I stop there? Wenger probably would want to after hearing £17 million. That amount would be the immediate detractor for Arsenal, whilst being absolutely no obstacle for City. The Daily Mail have come up with a clever little solution of sorts for Wenger, as they claim that Arsenal may offer their young 19 year-old Spanish centre back Ignasi Miquel on loan to Bolton as well as cash to persuade them to part with Cahill.

Of course, a player plus cash deal seems attractive for Bolton, but with Miquel's inexperience in the Premier League, it seems a big risk for them and a young experiment for Arsenal to see how their youth player does at the Reebok. Bolton are no stranger to Arsenal's loans, with a very useful one in Jack Wilshere occurring just two season ago in which the 19 year-old came of age and subsequently broke into the Arsenal first team, but this one may be less attractive.

If it is money Bolton are looking for, then City would win a bidding war with Arsenal immediately. So, if Wenger does make one of these players his priority for the summer, then it looks more likely to be Chris Samba, due simply because he is the cheaper option and it would avoid a huge bidding war with big spender Manchester City. Contrary to some reports then, it will be either Samba or Cahill rather than Samba and Cahill who may join recent £1 million signing Carl Jenkinson at Arsenal.

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Video: Pato Rodriguez - Manchester United's Latest Signing?

(The Latest New Of a Pato Rodriguez Transfer Is Here 14/06/11)

Manchester United have already been busy in the transfer market, with Sir Alex Ferguson given substantial transfer funds to improve the title winning squad. With the Phil Jones deal almost done and David de Gea soon to follow as well as Ashley Young coming from Aston Villa, the team already has a few top names, but there are more to come, starting with a young Argentinian talent, Pato Rodriguez.

The 21 year-old is an attacking midfielder with bundles of pace and a stunning ability with the ball at his feet that could easily be compared to the worlds best. He currently plays for the Argentinian football club, Independiente, and has caught the eye of the Manchester United manager with his wonderful skills with the football.

United are currently negotiating a deal with the club and player, finalising certain aspects of it, with a deal expected to be agreed very soon, however, a work permit may be a problem United could encounter in bringing him to England. A fee of £9.7 million has been quoted, which could prove a fantastic coup for United, who have been looking for some more creativity and flare in the midfield to rival that of Barcelona's.

Below is just a taster of what Manchester United fans might expect if the player were to receive that all important work permit to allow him to grace Old Trafford next season.

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Arsenal Chase Willian But Missed Out on Friedel

After losing the transfer chase for Phil Jones to Manchester United, Arsenal and Arsene Wenger will not be wanting to lose another one. Rumour has it, they are after Shakhtar Donetsk's 22 year-old attacking midfielder, Willian, with Wenger keen to add to his squad.

Several members of his current side have decided to move on including Denilson and Bendtner, while speculation remains over the future of two slightly more important players, Nasri and Fabregas.

According to reports in The Sun, (who haven't been hugely accurate recently considering they also reported that Tottenham would be willing to let go of Luka Modric for £20 million, only for Redknapp to announce he was not for sale at any price) Shakhtar would be willing to let Willian leave for Arsenal if Wenger sends Denilson in the other direction, along with around £4 million.

Wenger likes a bargain, and this looks like a sweet one, with the Ukranian side paying £11 million for Willian just four years ago. It should be noted though, that Willian only has one year left to run on his contract, which is probably the reason for such a low evaluation on the player who has been scouted by other Premier League clubs including Chelsea and Liverpool.

The player is known for his good passing and fluent style of play - a perfect fit then for Arsenal's kind of football, while his quick dribbling two footed ability and the bonus of being able to chip in with a few goals here and there are attractive feature's. He has scored 24 goals in 162 appearances in Ukraine, and helped Shakhtar Donetsk to the Champions League quarter finals last season.

Arsenal will have to move fast if they want him though, he is in high demand, and if they do lose out, it won't be the first time in this window. It wasn't just Phil Jones who chose another club over Wenger's, but Brad Friedel too. Arsenal reportedly attempted to hijack Tottenham's bid for the American late on in negotiations, but were told it was too far down the line to stop.

The mere interest in the experienced 40 year-old shows what Wenger is looking for, and it may mark the end of Manuel Almunia's career at the Emirates. Wojciech Sczcesny seemed to have stamped his position as number one at Arsenal, but as Jens Lehmann looks set to leave Arsenal again, Wenger seems to be turning to experience as back up between the sticks.

Nevertheless, there is plenty of time left in the transfer window for Wenger to make his move. He may not be inspiring confidence in Arsenal fans who are impatient with Wenger's youth and transfer policy and are agitated about another trophy less year, but there is still lots of time for Wenger to add to his squad. He has bought a new defender; Carl Jenkinson signed for Arsenal yesterday for £1 million from Charlton, and guess what? He's a "promising" young talent.

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Big Future for Man United's New Signing Phil Jones

Manchester United have signed Blackburn's young central defender and occasional defensive midfielder, Phil Jones on a 5 year deal thought to be worth around £16 million. There has been some speculation over his medical and whether he failed it or not, with some saying he has failed it, while other say that United simply want a second opinion - perhaps in particular on his knee which was injured in December and required surgery as well as 5 months recovery. Amid the speculation, one thing is for sure; Phil Jones is a very bright young talent and set for a very fruitful future as a Manchester United and England defender.

Jones was wanted by a number of clubs including Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham, with him even meeting with the Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to discuss a move after a bid was accepted for the 19 year-old. However, Jones chose a move to Old Trafford over Arsenal, a move which sees him join fellow Englishmen Chris Smalling and Rio Ferdinand at the heart of the Manchester United back line. He will also be welcomed by United's Nemanja Vidic, who will have plenty to teach his young competitor when the squad rejoins for the start of the season.

This £16 million signing, may seem a big investment in a young player, but Jones is a powerful young who will fight to prove his worth on footballs biggest stage. He may have a lot of eyes watching expectantly, but I am confident Jones has the quality and potential to live up to expectations, as he sets out to impress Sir Alex Ferguson and the rest of the world. Indeed, it is unlikely he will immediately be thrown into the defence, especially when United already have a central partnership which has been praised as one of the best in Ferdinand and Vidic. Like Smalling, Jones will have to bide his time, and gradually see himself integrate into the team as the older players begin to lose their legs.

Jones' breakthrough season came just two years ago at Blackburn under Sir Alex Ferguson's good friend, Sam Allardyce. "Big Sam" may have been consulted by Sir Alex over the player before the signing, but the United manager would have surely had his eye on Jones before then, after all, he doesn't want a repeat of the Bebe situation. Jones continues to impress this season too, with a very respectable 25 appearances for Blackburn in the Premier League, giving him some well needed experience for the young talent.

In those 25 appearances, Jones came up against several of the top sides in the League, and faired pretty well, with solid performances which clearly caught the attention of top clubs. Wayne Rooney said on Twitter today that Jones was "1 of the toughest defenders I played against last season", which is some praise for such a young guy, as Rooney is certainly no push over.

In Jones' début in the Premier League, he came up against Chelsea. With Chelsea comes Didier Drogba, who ended that season as the League's top goalscorer with 29 goals - three ahead of Wayne Rooney. It started badly for young Jones, who saw Drogba score early on, but as can be seen in the chalkboard above, he recovered well, with plenty of successful tackles in his position, breaking up attacks, winning the ball and starting up Blackburn's own bursts forward. Credit to the young lad who was making his début, he was able to keep out the Leagues most prolific striker for 85 minutes, and this is something Sir Alex will no doubt be desiring when he pulls on a Manchester United shirt.

Manchester United have invested heavily in young English defenders now, with Chris Smalling coming in last year for £12 million and now this £16 million signing. However, if Jones settles in as well as Smalling has in the 33 games he has played for United so far, then the Red Devils have a formidable up and coming defence to look forward to when Vidic and Ferdinand are gone.

The United manager may not have decades left in him as United manager, but he is certainly planning ahead, and building the foundations once again for a successful and fruitful future for Manchester United even when he has retired. With United's own youth looking very promising too, it is exciting times for United. Now however, they will be judged on immediate success as always, and will be pushing for that stunning record of 20 League titles next year.
While you are here, check out my other article about United's other new signing, Ashley Young. Click Here.

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Wenger on Transfers: "We Want to Strengthen the Team"

Arsene Wenger recently gave Arsenal a 5% chance of winning the Premier League title this season. Arsenal are 6 points behind Manchester United at the top of the League with three games to play, starting with a visit to Stoke on Sunday, but Wenger remained defiant that his side had a chance, although small of winning the title. Next year however, he will not want to be in this position. He will not want to be chasing the title with games running out, and big opportunities missed. For that reason, he is willing to make changes.

After two transfer windows in which Wenger brought few players in, whilst not spending big for some time, he has admitted his regret. He told of how he should have bought a defender to replace the injured Thomas Vermaelen, but the ambiguity of his injury prevented him from committing to a new signing. 


Now, he has informed Arsenal fans that the club will be using the transfer window in the summer to build on his young squad. He insists his side have immense "spirit", but evidently, it has not been enough to fight in four competitions successfully. Wenger said:

"We have a very young team and we want to strengthen the team."

"Number wise, how much that will be I don't know. It depends as well who goes out, we have a big squad.

"You have the same problem everywhere. If you don't have enough players, people say 'why don't you have another striker on the bench?'

"It is a price to pay, I believe it is part of being a football player."

"Also, on the other hand you cannot reproach that the players have not performed as well as you wanted if you don't give them a chance. It is difficult."

There has been no shortage of players linked to Arsenal recently, with Phil Jagielka of Everton one central defender being reportedly scouted by Arsenal, as well as a Blackburn double of Phil Jones and Steven N'Zonzi. Jones is a promising young centre back while N'Zonzi is a similar player to the former Arsenal captain, Patrick Vieira, and plays in the defensive midfield position. Jack Rodwell is another player that has been linked as has Ajax goalkeeper and Manchester United target Maarten Stekelenburg.

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Arsenal After The New Vieira & Phil Jones

Arsenal are being linked to two of Blackburn's brightest young stars in Phil Jones and Steven N'Zonzi as they prepare for next season in which Arsenal will hope to have more strength in depth. Arsenal and Blackburn's style of play may be very different, but perhaps Wenger realises a few new additions accustomed to a different style may suit his side in a long, hard season against tougher opposition.

Both Jones and N'Zonzi are the type of players Wenger usually goes for, in that they are young and not too experienced. However, both Jones and N'Zonzi have been in the Premier League for two seasons now, and have had a very successful and impressive spell in the heart of Blackburn's team.

N'Zonzi is a French international footballer and has drawn comparisons to former Arsenal captain, Patrick Vieira in his physical yet skilful playing style. Incidentally, the last time Arsenal won any silverware was when Patrick Vieira was in the side back in 2005 when Arsenal lifted the FA Cup. The French midfielder left for Juventus, and since then, Wenger has seen six years of no trophies. Perhaps Wenger has finally realised what he has been missing all of these years - a younger version of his former captain.

In a midfield full of small, skilful and creative players such as Wilshere, Fabregas, Ramsey, Nasri and Walcott, Steven N'Zonzi could add a new dimension of height and strength that Alex Song has been attempting to achieve. It would give Arsenal a new outlook on playing, and a more successful one, with that physical and commanding presence back in the midfield.

Phil Jones is a powerful central defender, and a player Arsenal would welcome to their often error prone, frail defence. It has been reported that Wenger's chief scout was sent to watch Phil Jones in action against Bolton - a game in which N'Zonzi was also involved.

However, the stumbling block will once again be the transfer fee. Wenger is not a fan of paying a lot of money for players, but considering the two players long contracts, big money will have to be spent. Jones is on a contract which expired in the summer of 2016, whilst N'Zonzi has a contract which ends a year earlier. Blackburn's manager, Steve Kean reiterated this:

"If they decide they want to move on then the clubs concerned will have to pay top dollar because they are under very, very long contracts and the fees we would be demanding would be massive."

Jones has also apparently interested Manchester United, but Sir Alex Ferguson will want to solve his goalkeeping position out before anything else. At the moment it is all speculation, but one thing is for sure; if Arsenal want these two youngsters, they will have to pay top money for them. Will Wenger be willing to is another matter.

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