Manchester City will likely be stuck with Eliaquim Mangala as Valencia no longer want to keep the defender on a permanent basis, according to a report.
Valencia had the option to keep Mangala on a long-term deal if all parties – both teams and the player himself – were happy, but reports claim that the Frenchman will instead be sent back to the Etihad Stadium next summer when his loan terms expire.
A Man City source is quoted by the publication as saying: “Pep [Guardiola] decided he did not want him early on and he was sent out for the season. It’s hard to imagine he has a future at the club, even if Valencia don’t want him, he will still probably leave.”
The 25-year-old has so far failed to fully convince in his 11 league outings for the club.
Mangala joined the Premier League side in 2014 for a reported £31.8 million transfer fee.
The English Premier League has seen African greats play in it and scoring.Lets take a look at the top 10 African scorers in the most loved league:
10. Benni McCarthy-37 goals (South Africa)
Born Benedict Saul McCarthy, the South African legend enters the top 10 with an incredible 37 goals.An achievement for an African player.
His vast stay in England was with Blackburn Rovers where he bagged in a 37 goals from 2006-2010.
A well travelled player, he moved to West Ham United in the 2010-2011 season where he appeared 11 times with no goals.He was a 2004 Champions League winner with FC Porto and is South Africa’s all time top scorer with 32 goals.
9. Demba Ba – 43 goals (Senegal)
In 2011, West Ham United signed Demba Ba from TSG Hoffeinheim.The French-born Senegalese Ba, in his first EPL season in 2011 bagged in 7 goals in 12 appearances for the Hammers.
He moved to fellow premier league opponents Newcastle United in 2011 where he scored 29 goals in 54 appearances for the Magpies.
On 4th January,2013 Ba joined Chelsea for an undisclosed fee and signed a 3 and a half year contract,becoming the first ever Senegalese to play for the Blues.
He scored just 7 goals in his 33 premier league appearances for the club.Not getting enough playing time he moved to Besiktas in Turkey for the 2014/2015 season.He currently plays for Chinese outfit Shanghai Shenhua.
New Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is regarded by many of the fans and pundits as one of the best managers in football history, but not all of his former players have enjoyed his managerial tactics, Here are 9 world class footballers who think Pep Guardiola is a very bad manager, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Samuel Eto’o, Cesc Fabregas and the others on this list:
9. Pep Guardiola ‘lacks experience’ – Franck Ribery
The French forward Franck Ribery hit out at Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola for his failure to win the Champions League during his time at Bayern Munich.
“Pep didn’t have a long career as manager,” he told Bild. “He is a young coach. He lacks experience. Sometimes he talks too much. Football is very simple.”
8. Cesc Fabregas was not aware of Pep’s system
“With Guardiola I ended up not understanding the system,” he admitted after the promotion of Tito Vilanova in the summer of 2012.
“I came from another type of football and to take in everything that he wanted so quickly was difficult because the others already understood it.”
Paul Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola has reportedly arrived in England in order to move closer to reaching and completing an agreement over his transfer to Manchester United.
The 23-year-old has been linked with a return to Old Trafford for long time, and it appears as though there is a possibility he could be edging closer to completing a move.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport via Daily Express, United are preparing to launch a ‘decisive assault’ for the Frenchman, with Raiola flying out to Manchester in order to finalise a deal reportedly worth a staggering €125m.
Dutch international Arjen Robben has been probably one of the most underrated footballers in the World for close to a decade now. His trickery, hard work, dedication and blistering pace is what makes him one of the most dangerous players in the World.
He has won everything available in the game apart from the World Cup which has evaded the Netherlands twice in the last two World Cups. They came second in South Africa 2010 and third in Brazil 2014. He has been nominated several times for FIFA Ballon d’Or but has not quite got there. He is an amazing player to watch and we might realize that when his career comes to an end in few years time.
Del Piero as he is known to many was in his days a master of his art. Juventus was the stage and football was the dance. He danced through Serie A, Champions League and even World Cup in 2006. He is up there with the likes of Maldini, Canavaro, Baggio among others. What is quite surprising is that he never even came close to winning the Ballon d’Or which is a pity. He should have won it and we all know that.
“Here he is, he is different from Zidane, he likes to play, he feels it in his soul; between he and the French (Zinedine Zidane), I stay with him.” Diego Maradonna
We all know what the Liverpool legend has achieved in his illustrious career at Anfield. Most notable being the 2005 Champions League trophy that went down in history as one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the game. He is not only a Reds Legend but also the Premier League and football in general. He played with his heart and was never shy to show his love for the club. When you look at the available records it is shocking that he did not get the chance to lift the award. The closest he came was in 2005 when he came third. Ronaldinho won it that year.
“He has become the most influential player in England, bar none. Not that Vieira lacks anything, but Gerrard does more.” – Sir Alex Ferguson
“For the job he performs, he is one of the greatest.” – Ronaldinho
Like Ryan Giggs, It is difficult to understand how Real Madrid legend Raul Gonzalez did not lay his hands on the FIFA Ballon d’Or. Up until now he still remains Los Blancos highest goal scorer with 323 goals. He scored 40 goals for Spain national team. He won the Champions League three times among other accolades. He surely wasn’t the most talented but his achievements deserved a major recognition.
“I want to wish the captain good luck because he has been a tower of strength for many people and for the team, and he’s been a person that a lot of people should look up to because he is very dedicated to what he does and what he believes in. Thank you to him and the rest of the team, and good luck throughout the rest of their careers” David Beckham
Raul medals at Real Madrid
Intercontinental Cup: 1998, 2002
UEFA Champions League: 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2001–02
UEFA Super Cup: 2002
La Liga: 1994–95, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08
In 1963, Lev Yashin became the first and the only goalkeeper to win the coveted Ballon d’Or award. No other shot stopper has won it to date. It’s a shame because former Manchester United keeper Peter Schmeichel deserved it too.
Fans around the World, will agree with me that he was without a doubt one of the most amazing shot stoppers in the modern game. He won a whooping 5 Premier League titles and that famous Champions League trophy in 1999. He was so impressive in goal that opponent players feared him. His trade mark reflex saves will forever remain in the memories of many people.
“I don’t believe a better goalkeeper played the game. He is a giant figure in the history of Manchester United” Sir Alex Ferguson.