UK Paper Round: Arsenal on red alert over Cabaye Arsenal are monitoring an unhappy Yohan Cabaye at Paris Saint Germain; Cristiano Ronaldos suggested move to Manchester United will never happen; and Patrick Vieira and Luis Suarez nearly signed for Tottenham - the main stories making headlines in this mornings newspapers. Arsenal alerted over unhappy Cabaye: Paris Saint Germain midfielder Yohan Cabaye has revealed he is unhappy at the Ligue 1 club, putting Arsenal on red alert, according to the Daily Mail. The former Newcastle star is becoming disillusioned with his bit-part role in Laurent Blancs side, having had to settle for a spot on the bench several times already this season. He played for just 15 minutes in PSGs draw with Monaco at the weekend and Arsenal, who were thought to be interested in signing him from Newcastle over a year ago, are monitoring the situation. Paper Rounds view: The quotes come from respected French paper LEquipe and while Cabaye gives all the usual I accept the managers decision, I have to give my best and I just want to play platitudes, the most telling statement is this one: With the French team, if one day the national team coach decides to play me less because I dont play often enough for my club, then I would need to take stock with my representatives. That would certainly indicate that Cabaye is not willing to sit on the bench for much longer, so no wonder Arsenals alert system has reached red. And how the Gunners could do with a midfielder at the moment. Ronaldo to United not happening: Agent Jorge Mendes has said it will be impossible to get Cristiano Ronaldo to leave Real Madrid, even for the players beloved Manchester United. The Daily Mail reports that the Portuguese forwards agent said in an interview for Spanish TV that his client will retire at Real, even though United is a club dear to his heart. It had been previously reported that United would need to pay £140m to take Ronaldo back to Old Trafford, although the paper claims that figure would have proved prohibitive for the Premier League club. Paper Rounds view: An agent, a super-agent no less, claiming his best client will never move again, thereby depriving said Mr. 10 per cent of a potentially blockbuster windfall? Has the world gone mad? Or has this particular agent discovered that he does indeed possess some moral fibre and that the world does not revolve around money after all? Maybe. But then again, perhaps its all part of the masterplan and nothing more than a cheap (or should that be expensive?) bid to ramp up Ronaldos price even higher? Sceptical much? Vieira and Suarez were nearly Tottenham players: In the latest extract from his new book serialised by the Daily Mail, Harry Redknapp has revealed he came close to signing Patrick Vieira and Luis Suarez for Tottenham. Redknapp had the chance to sign Suarez when he was in the managerial hotseat at White Hart Lane but he overlooked the Uruguayan because Spurs scouts said he played wide off a striker at Ajax, when the north London club needed a proper front man. Equally, Vieira almost arrived at Tottenham from Inter Milan - Redknapp even met him at his house - but circumstances changed and he stayed in Milan before eventually moving to Manchester City. Paper Rounds view: How different things could be at Tottenham had Suarez signed for them. We saw how he developed at Liverpool and what he did for them (the goals, not the biting or racism) and its entirely conceivable that had he gone to White Hart Lane instead of Anfield, Tottenham would now be a Champions League club. As for Vieira, he was already was past his best when Redknapp was interested, but it does reveal a great deal about the midfielders mentality that he would not have shied away from a move to Arsenals fiercest rivals. Tough guy, no doubt. No United deal for Strootman: Roma have insisted that midfielder Kevin Strootman is not for sale at any price, according to the Daily Mirror. Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal was thought to be keen on his fellow Dutchman, with a January move lined up for the Holland international. But Roma owner James Pallotta has told United that a move is just not happening. Paper Rounds view: Pallotta seems pretty adamant that Strootman is staying put, saying that the clubs aim is to put out a great team, not make money. And when you consider the Italian-American hedge fund managers own personal worth - estimated above the billion dollar mark - its easy to see why making £30 or so on a player isnt high on his list of priorities. United may well be disappointed by this one. United creche scrapped: Louis van Gaals blitz on Manchester United players perks has accounted for the clubs creche, reports The Sun. The new manager has been keen to focus on results and do away with any distractions which may impact on that, so the playroom where United stars would leave their kids while enjoying a meal or a drink in the players lounge next door has been axed. It is now a medical bay. Likewise, the legendary lounge, where food and drink were free, has also gone and is now a warm-up gym. Sir Alex Ferguson had both built both facilities 21 years ago. Paper Rounds view: All well and good, if a little draconian. But hang on a minute, the final lines of the report inform us that the creche has actually just been moved to another part of the ground, while the players lounge is now in the Europa Suite. So, re-located, not so much axed. But that wouldnt be a story, would it?
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 05:02:49 +0000
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