Wenger coy on Arsenal's Mata interest

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has expressed admiration for Juan Mata, but he was reluctant to reveal the extent of the club's interest in the Chelsea midfielder.

Mata's father and agent, also called Juan, was reportedly in attendance at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, when Arsenal beat Fenerbahce 2-0 to complete a 5-0 aggregate win in their Champions League play-off tie.

Mata was an unused substitute in Chelsea's 0-0 draw at Manchester United on Monday, sparking media speculation about his status at Stamford Bridge, and Wenger admitted he was a fan of the Spain international.

"I've heard like you, because I watched the game last night (Monday), that Juan Mata could be on the market," Wenger told journalists.

"I don't know. There is always a reluctance in England to sell to each other. Yes, I like him."

However, when asked if Mata's father had attended the game against Fenerbahce as a guest of the club, Wenger replied in enigmatic fashion, saying: "No. I don't know. Maybe."

He was even less willing to discuss a possible bid for United striker Wayne Rooney, with whom Arsenal were linked earlier in the transfer window.

"We cannot speak about players who are under contract with other clubs," Wenger said.

"Because when a player is under contract in another club, he has to respect the contract. So if you want to buy the player, you have to speak to the club first."

Many of Arsenal's fans are desperate for Wenger to invest in new players, after mooted moves for Rooney, Liverpool striker Luis Suarez and new Napoli signing Gonzalo Higuain failed to materialise.

Arsenal's apparent need for new blood was exacerbated on Tuesday when Lukas Podolski had to go off against Fenerbahce with a hamstring injury, while Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere also sustained knocks.

"We have to see how bad the injuries are," said Wenger, whose side tackle derby rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

"I cannot tell you more than that we are on the market. Everybody knows, the whole world knows that now."

Before leaving the pitch with a groin problem in injury time, Ramsey produced another impressive performance against Fenerbahce, scoring both goals.

He had previously been named man of the match in both the first leg and last weekend's 3-1 win at Fulham, and Wenger is thrilled by the progress of a player whose five years in north London have been blighted by injuries and inconsistent form.

"He gets to the end of things now," Wenger said of the Welsh midfielder.

"I liked especially his second goal. It's a good finish. A year ago he wouldn't have taken that chance the way he took it tonight.

"He's improving from week to week. That's very positive because a year ago, many people were questioning Aaron Ramsey."

The success against Fenerbahce took Arsenal into the group stage of the Champions League for the 16th season in succession – a feat matched by only United and Real Madrid.

Although the club's trophy drought is set to stretch to nine years this season, Wenger feels it is an achievement worthy of acclaim.

"I believe that at the top level, the most difficult is to be consistent," he said.

"Of course it's an achievement, because if you look at the clubs in Europe, only three clubs have done it in the whole of Europe.

"I hear a lot that it's not enough and I agree with that, but still it shows we've been remarkably consistent. But our ambition is much higher than that

Definition of football.

A window of opportunity

While there are a growing number within the game opposed to the transfer window remaining open once the season has commenced, I back the current system.

What most aren’t aware of is that much of the work pertaining to transfers is often done prior to the window opening – in the form of scouting and players agreeing to pre-contracts.

For example, a player whose contract ends in June is allowed to enter into discussions with another club from January. This proved to be the case when Thuso Phala swapped Platinum Stars for SuperSport United.

The smartest teams are those that lay the groundwork for new signings prior to the window. Generally, proactive teams won’t run the risk of paying over the odds for a player’s services.

The transfer process works as follows: If a manager is keen on a player he will usually approach the agent, the go-to man.

Once the player has expressed an interest in the move, the presidents of the opposing clubs will then negotiate a fee.

The next step is for the player to agree to personal terms, which consist of signing-on fees, wages and his specified role within the side.

Once these terms have been agreed to in principal, a player will undergo a medical, which in a South African context has improved markedly.

In the past, some local clubs would sign players without the advice of medical experts. Today, however, with football now representing big business, the PSL is stringent regarding such issues. From a legal perspective, medicals act as cover for clubs and the league as a whole.

While I rate the PSL as one of the top ten leagues in world football, I believe our scouting networks require the most improvement.

Clubs in Europe, for example, boast a wealth of scouts situated around the world. They identify players and afford the manager the opportunity to select from a shortlist of targets.

This is one department in which I feel the PSL is lagging behind rival leagues around the world. As such, my recommendation would be to incorporate former players and professionals with an eye for talent into the system.

While we do possess scouting networks, I would like to see them operating on an even greater scale. Essentially, it’s about developing our infrastructure and identifying talented players at various age-group levels capable of making the step up to the professional ranks.

Why losing Rooney could be suicide

There are players and there are players. As we sat down and watched the first shocker of the 2013/2014 English Premier League, between league holders Manchester United and league title contenders Chelsea, one wondered, what would Manchester United be without the unsettled Wayne Rooney?

In a game in which Chelsea copied Barcelona in playing without a point striker, one could be tempted to think that this was a boring Champions League first-leg game. However, Wayne Rooney's engagement and work rate, though not extraordinary as we were used to some years ago, was the focal point of interest and all Man United danger originated from his actions.

Unfortunately (though putting up a worthy and classy performance), one could see in Rooney's body language some unease.

Of course it has been a "busy" summer for him but it is clear. Chelsea want and need him and the player seems to be in a hurry to leave but Man United are adamant and in a fight to keep him at Old Trafford.

Why is keeping Rooney at Man United so important or special?

Home grown 'club man'

Though formed at Everton, Rooney, in world football, is synonymous with Man United. Losing this talented and versatile national team player will dent, in so many ways, the stature and spirit of Manchester United. This was a major reason why Sir Alex Ferguson refused him his exit wishes while he was in charge just two years ago.

Man United is a traditional team and traditional teams need traditional stars for identification purposes.

Rare breed

Modern day football requires that rare player who is not a point striker (like Drogba, Van Persie and Torres) but who can operate just behind the point striker and intelligently link the midfield and the attack in a way that unsettles the opposition's defence.

This player is allowed a 'roaming' freedom but must be intelligent enough to measure and balance his efforts defensively and offensively and always stay "playable" (Fabregas, Messi and Rooney are experts at this art). Watch how "playable" Rooney was yesterday at most times.

Psychological loss of power and potency

Manchester United have, in recent years, been considered the richest club in the world, with the best manager in the world (Sir Ferguson) and the first choice club of all English players. No player is supposed to be able to refuse a Manchester United offer. That was till this summer.

Now the legendary manager, Ferguson, is gone. Rooney wants to leave and Man United have had difficulties signing some players they needed. Is this the end of Man United as England's absolute first club? Losing Rooney to their main rival, Chelsea, would seal this notion in people’s minds and psychologically hurt Man United going forwards.

Chelsea and Mourinho are well aware of this. The board of Manchester United now realise this. Rooney's advisers know this and some fans knew this all along.

Cesc Fabregas' lack of availability

With Cesc Fabregas, courted by David Moyes for the central role, deciding to stay put at Barcelona, the loss of Rooney to Chelsea or any other team now would spell doom for United.

Shinji Kagawa could be a good substitute but the poor fellow has been given so little encouragement to shoulder this huge responsibility, I fear he would struggle.

Cost of a replacement

United have refused an offer of over £26 million for Rooney from Chelsea. Should they sell him even at £30 million, a worthy replacement would cost much more and there is no guarantee of what to expect. At least with Rooney, Man. United know what they have.

In summary, I am in agreement that it is not wise to keep an unhappy player in a club when he is bent on leaving. In this case, though, pouring some water on the fire and persuasion could help Man United keep their valuable player.

There is one year to go to the World Cup and for David Moyes to have gone public to state that England's best striker at the moment could not be guaranteed a starting spot in his line up was as smart as jumping off a building without a parachute.

Dialogue is key here and, should Man United want to be competitive on all fronts, they are going to need to do a lot of that. Otherwise they could just live to regret it.

United and Chelsea in goalless draw

Manchester United and Chelsea drew 0-0 in the Premier League on Monday as the action in the season's first big match failed to match the intrigue of the Wayne Rooney transfer saga that swirled throughout.

David Moyes began his first home match in charge of the champions by naming Chelsea target Rooney in his starting line-up, giving a clear message that his club's message of 'he is not for sale' still stood after two failed bids for the striker.

Chances for both sides were few and far between on a warm evening at Old Trafford as Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho's decision to play much of the match without a recognised striker had little attacking impact and his defence held firm.

Rooney, in the unusual position of being cheered by both sets of fans, had a decent chance in the second half when his right-footed drive forced Petr Cech to dive to his right but the two title hopefuls were left to share the points.

"It was a tight game," Moyes, who received a warm reception from the Old Trafford crowd before taking his seat in the dugout opposite the stand that bears the name in big letters of his illustrious predecessor Alex Ferguson, told a news conference.

"We just didn't quite have the final cross, the final pass tonight but I thought we played very well."

The result means United have started their campaign with four points from a possible six, while Chelsea have made it seven from nine as the clubs' new managers enjoy unbeaten starts to the season.

"I think it's a fair point," Mourinho said.

"Nobody deserved to lose...nobody was better than the opponents to deserve a clear victory. For us, after two home victories to come to the champions in their first match at home, to get a point I think it's fine, it's positive.

Bayern eye Freiburg ahead of Chelsea

European champions Bayern Munich travel to Freiburg on Tuesday, determined to pick up their fourth straight Bundesliga win before heading to Prague to face Chelsea for the European Super Cup.

Bayern were dealt a blow on Sunday with the news star-signing Thiago Alcantara is expected to miss the next seven weeks after tearing ligaments in his right ankle and is due to undergo surgery on Monday.

The 22-year-old, who cost Bayern €25 million from Barcelona last month, was the only negative news from Saturday's 2-0 league win over Nuremberg when Pep Guardiola's side set a new Bundesliga record with 81 percent ball possession.

A Franck Ribery header in the 69th-minute broke the deadlock before Dutch winger Arjen Robben cut in from the right to add the second as Bayern claimed a club record 28th game without defeat.

Now Champions League winners Bayern head to Prague's Eden Arena to face Jose Mourinho's Chelsea, the Europa League holders, on Friday and Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said the Bavarians need another win at Freiburg to keep confidence high.

"We want the best possible start with 12 points from four matches, so we can go to Prague for the Super Cup with no weight on our shoulders," said Rummenigge.

Thiago's injury will force a rethink to Guiardiola's midfield line-up, with Thomas Mueller or Toni Kroos likely to partner Mario Goetze in the middle, flanked by Ribery and Robben.

Freiburg, who have qualified for this season's Europa League, picked up their only point of the season so far when they drew 3-3 at Hoffenheim on Saturday in a frantic match which saw two players sent off, while the visitors' coach Christian Streich was also banished to the stands.

Having battered the Nuremberg goal with 26 shots on target and 10 corners, Bayern travel to Freiburg eager to keep the winning habit.

"The important thing for us right now is to take the points and keep clean sheets," said defensive midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who was not the only Bayern player to admit the team are still coming to grips with Guardiola's new 4-1-4-1 system.

"We certainly could have scored a goal or two much earlier against Nuremberg.

"And sometimes we need a little more patience, especially against opponents who are defending well. We know we can play better, but it'll come."

Freiburg will do well to contain Bayern, who won 2-0 at the Solar Stadium last season, while no Freiburg fans will need reminding of the Bavarians' 7-0 romp in Munich in 2011, when Ribery scored twice.

If Streich was hoping for any insider tips from Nuremberg then he won't have been relieved by coach Michael Wiesinger's assessment: "In footballing terms, Bayern are quite simply a machine

I deserve players' title as much as Messi

Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery claims he deserves to be named European Player of the Year as much as the other two contenders for Thursday's award - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ribery made the shortlist for the Uefa honour after a 2012/2013 campaign in which the France international helped Bayern to a historic treble of League, Cup and Champions League titles.

And discussing his prospects he told Monday''s edition of Kicker magazine: "I've dreamed about this title for a long time.

"Last season I played really well and won huge titles. Why shouldn't I win it? I deserve it as much as the other two.

"Already I'm very happy to be among the finalists. But when you have a season like mine you want to be rewarded by such an honour."

Asked to compare his ability with that of Messi and Ronaldo the 30-year-old added: "Each has their own qualities. What (Messi and Ronaldo) do for sure better than me is score goals. They score more often than me, but I set up more goals