So who is Henrikh Mkhitaryan ?

Liverpool have already been extremely busy this summer, with four players already joining. There are a host of names that have been linked with the merseyside outfit but one that is popping up everywhere is Henrikh Mkhitaryan of Shakhtar Donetsk. So who is he? Well due to him having one of the hardest names to both announce and pronounce, I will refer to him as Henry for the rest of the blog.  Henry is a 24 year old attacking midfield player from Armenia who is capable of playing anywhere in midfield most notably just behind the striker. He possesses great pace and has more than just an eye for goal, having been the top scorer in the Ukrainian league last season with an impressive 25 goals. The Armenian has gone somewhat unnoticed having previously been overshadowed by fellow teammates like Willian (now of Anzhi) and Fernandinho (now of Manchester City) but boasting a record that is better then the other two players and a price tag of around half as much, Henry looks great value (Reportedly around £25 million). There is no doubt that Henry would excite the Anfield crowd but one has to wonder if the deal is dependant on whether Luis Suarez does in fact leave Liverpool. Either way this potential signing that is extremely close according to certain sources, in my eyes would be a massive success as from what i've watched he seems to have it all. Although the deal is not yet done it does seem likely, and heres a video for all football fans just to see what Henrikh Mkhitaryan could potentially bring to the Premier League, enjoy!

Anybody for a new number 9?

With the amount of transfer activity that has already happened one would think that the transfer window was well open, but in actual fact this is not the case until tomorrow morning. July the 1st marks the official opening of the transfer window that has already thrown some big surprises and big money signings, most commonly on centre forwards. There is no doubt in my opinion that the biggest surprise of the window so far is the move Colombian goal machine Falcao made from Athletico Madrid to newly promoted big spending Ligue 1 outfit AS Monaco. It was expected by many that Falcao would actually make a switch to Chelsea but despite the hitman denying claims, it is hard to see past Falcao choosing AS Monaco over Chelsea purely down to the money he was offered which is sad to see. There is no doubting Falcao's talent, he managed 41 goals in 51 games for Porto before getting an equally impressive 52 in 67 at Athletico Madrid, and with this record in mind I cannot help to think that his talent is being hugely wasted in Ligue 1. If Falcao has been the biggest shock of the window so far, in my opinion there is no doubt that Neymar to Barcelona has been the biggest signing. Neymar who has just taken to the pitch in the final of the Confederations Cup has lit up the tournament so far and has hit back at criticism that had been unfairly dealt following the confirmation of his switch to the Nou Camp. In many people opinions Neymar has the potential and skill to rival that of new team mate Lionel Messi and to be honest it is hard to argue, the player who has allot of flair and who can often be over the top, but no doubt he has exceptional ability. In my opinion it may take a while for Messi and Neymar to adapt to each other with both looking to have the limelight, but to be honest the thought of the two superstars in the same 11 is truly frighting for any opposition. Although deals for both Neymar and Falcao are complete, there are many more that appear to be in the pipeline, no more so than Edison Cavani. The Uruguayan has been linked with a host of European big names including, Chelsea, Manchester City and most notably Real Madrid. Man City seem to have pulled out of the race after being put off by the 54 million price tag which to be honest I think is extremely over the top. The striker although having great talent and a decent goal scoring record does not deserve to be in the same price bracket as that of Falcao and Neymar, and frankly I think that if any club coughs up the asking price they would be stupid to do so. Another potential striker on the move is Borussia Dortmund forward, Robert Lewandowski. The Polish goal machine was supposedly set for a summer switch to Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich, but Dortmund have ruled out the possibility of selling another key player to their rivals. Following this Lewandowski like Cavani, has been linked with numerous clubs like Manchester Utd, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Chelsea. I feel that Lewandowski offers great value in the modern market, and whoever does capture him will have picked up a great bargain in the modern market. I could go on and on but im not here to write a book, I haven't even touched on the likes of Carlos Tevez, Christian Benteke, Gonzalo Higuain, Leandro Damiao and the highly controversial figure that is Luis Suarez. With all these potential deals in the pipeline and some already complete, this summer proves to be one of the biggest ever windows with new strikers potentialy being unveiled accross Europe's biggest clubs and I simply cannot wait!
 

Brazil with it all to do!

The image to the right is one of many and its simply not what people would have been expecting to see when the Confederations Cup started on the 14th of June. Throughout the tournament which remains ongoing despite rumours it may be cancelled, protests both peaceful and violent have been ever present in many cities. When people think of Brazil, people think about football but the people of Brazil are simply not happy with the amount of money that is being spent on the World Cup. A large number feel that there are much more pressing concerns like poverty and education that simply need to take priority over the exhibition peice that is the World Cup. This is not the only concern of the protestors, as fears of corruption in the government grow as well as a steep increase in the cost of transport. Brazil's Prime Minister, Dilma Rousseff appeared to bow to the pressure of protestors and declared that transport costs will be lowered but only if the violent protests stop, this is seen as a desperate move by many but in all honesty there does not seem to be any other way to stop the current protests that are causing turmoil across the nation. Well thats enough about politics for now, but even football wise, how ready are Brazil? It's there for everyone to see that the stadiums are not on schedule, Englands game a few weeks ago was almost called off due to safety concerns. As the Confederations Cup goes on, not all the stadiums are complete with work still going on and although the stadia will be ready in time for the World Cup, the current situation is far from ideal. Even on the pitch it has not looked so promising for Brazil, with the team failing to win on numerous occasions, so much so that Brazil currently lie 22nd in the Fifa World Ranking (Very Debatable!), with teams such as Bosnia and Herzegovina ranked 15th..... Despite this very unrealistic ranking, Brazil still remain a force and the stage at the Confederations Cup was set for the new superstar, the new Barcelona signing that is Neymar da Silva Santos Junior (Neymar), and the 21 year old has not failed to deliver so far. Neymar has proved the shining light for Brazilians as he has almost led them single handedly to the top of group A, with a goal of great magnitude in each game, none more so impressive then the free kick he managed to bend in to the top corner in the 4-2 win over Italy last night. So with the stage set for what could possibly be one of the greatest World Cup's, can Brazil recover from these uprisings and deliver to an expecting football world? And personally I feel that despite the recent uprisings and tardiness in stadium development, the home of samba style football will deliver and who knows they might even just go and win it!

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Is Higuaín the answer?

As the possible transfer of Gonzalo Higuain to Arsenal looks ever more likely the question must be asked, is he the answer to Arsenal's needs? This deal is not one that anyone would associate with Arsenal with the fee in excess of £20m and if reports are to be believed, wages in the regions of £110,000 per week. Despite this it is clearly apparent that Arsenal are finally going to spend big and I feel that if they spend right it will be there best chance of winning the title for many years but will Arsenal really spend well or simply enough? All the other clubs in the top 4 face uncertainty, all entering the new campaign with new managers in place and this is something Arsenal will seek to take advantage of. In the past five or so years Arsenal have seen themselves fall away from the 'bigger' clubs both on the pitch and in the transfer market, with the constant unwillingness to pay big figure fees and wages. There is no doubt that Higuain has proven himself at the highest level with 107 goals in 187 games for current club Real Madrid, and in the current market many would argue that the reported £22m fee represents good value. There are not many opportunities like this that Arsenal will get, the chance to sign one of Europe's top marksman for a reasonable price and if this deal is to be completed along with two or three other top quality players, Arsenal may be able to mount some sort of challenge. The signing of Higuain alone will not be enough, it will simply be a step in the right direction. If Arsenal are really going to mount any sort of challenge for the title then they must also invest elsewhere, with a goalkeeper, centre back and commanding central midfielder alongside a striker all being essential.

Rodgers making his mark

Brendan Rodgers has made it no secret that Liverpool will look to move early in this summer's transfer window and if reports are to be believed Luis Alberto and Simon Mignolet are expected to become the third and fourth signing respectively. Liverpool have already confirmed that Kolo Toure will join on the 1st of July after his current deal with Manchester City expires and also expect to imminently announce the signing of Spanish forward Iago Aspaz from La Liga side Celta Vigo despite some last minute hitches. The supposedly imminent arrival of Mignolet may come as a surprise to many fans as current Liverpool stopper Pepe Reina has expressed his happiness to remain at the club in the last couple of days and despite not having his best season, Reina remains a favourite amongst Liverpool fans. It is almost impossible to think that one of these two keepers could potentially be warming the bench and this has to suggest that Reina who has been linked with Barcelona, may be on his way back to his native Spain. It is expected that Mignolet will partake in a medial at Melwood early next week after a fee of around £10 million was agreed earlier this evening. Before this deal is completed, Luis Alberto looks to be the next through the door at Melwood. Luis Alberto has been tracked by Liverpool for some time and the Spaniard has some pedigree after coming up through the ranks at his home town club Sevilla and then going on to spend last season on loan at Barcelona B, where he managed to notch up 11 goals. Luis Alberto is a Spanish U21 international forward who has the ability
to play out wide or just behind the striker and will no doubt fit the mould that Rodgers is looking for. Following these two imminent arrivals, Liverpool will then look to make further moves with possible deals in the pipeline for Tiago Llori, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Christian Atsu just to name a few. Despite bringing in the experienced Kolo Toure there is no doubt that Liverpool require another centre back but with the potential deal for Kyriakos Papadopoulos looking to have hit the rocks, Rodgers will have to look elsewhere. This summer is with no doubt Liverpool's biggest transfer window for years, and come August 17th when they host Stoke City it may be an extremely different looking 11.