Who Needs What: a Summer Guide to the English Premiership
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The Next 48hOURS ≈ Weekend Sport Who Needs What: A Summer Guide to the English Premiership ootball is well and truly into bruiser of a centre-half (we’d like to see transfer speculation mode now, Chris Samba in there), and someone who and the folks at Football365. can tackle in midfi eld. A reliable striker to com are no different. So here’s take the heat off Robin van Persie, and fi ll Fa breakdown of the requirements of the in when he inevitably snaps something, two English Premier League teams per- would be good too. haps most in need of refreshments, and Of course, all of this assumes that their what they can reasonably expect. current squad stays. One wouldn’t imag- ine that they would like to sell Cesc Fabre- ARSENAL gas and Samir Nasri in the same summer, but if neither want to stay and acceptable What they need bids are made for both, then it’s possible. Right, where’s last year’s version of this In which case, a creative force is required. feature? Because, according to most Yoann Gourcuff is a possibility, while they Sport people who aren’t Arsene Wenger, Arse- have been linked with Eden Hazard, who Alexis Sanchez, perhaps the hottest transfer property in Europe right now, is on nal basically need exactly the same play- could replace Nasri. Chelsea’s radar ers as they did 12 months ago. So that’s a new keeper (at the very least as back- What they will probably get the bruising defender will arrive, and if and leaves Stamford Bridge. up to Wojciech Szczesny), a dirty great From Wenger’s words we can assume Samba is available for around £8million, There’s been talk of Wesley Sneijder as he might regard that as enough of a bar- well as Neymar, Alexis Sanchez and Luka gain. At least one promising youngster Modric - all young-ish, all exciting, all will arrive, probably Alex Oxlade-Cham- vibrant potential signings. But they also Weekend sport on TV - Highlights berlain (there’s a will from both sides), need a couple of bread-and-butter play- and probably some kid you’ve never ers - at right-back and in central midfi eld heard of from France. where Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel Friday –17 Jun Day 2 – 11:30 – SS2 were surprisingly (and less surprisingly) Rugby CHELSEA ineffective last season. Blues v Highlanders – 9:00 – SS1 Golf US Open Day 3-19:30 What they need What they will probably get Cricket Pretty much a sexing-up of the whole Sneijder and Sanchez will probably re- England v Sri Lanka – 3rd Test Horseracing squad - new blood to boost a stale and ceive more attractive offers elsewhere - Day 1 – 11:30 – SS2 Royal Ascot – 15:20 – SS5 ageing side. Specifi cally, they need a Chelsea are no longer in a category of right-back worthy of a title push, new their own when it comes to wages and Saturday – 18 Jun Sunday –19 Jun energy and bite in central midfi eld, a they cannot compete when it comes to The absence of Rugby Golf goalscoring midfi elder to replace Frank history. But it looks very likely that at Tiger Woods at Bulls v Sharks – 16:30 – SS1 US Open Day 4 – 19:00 – SS1 Lampard in the long term, genuine width least one of Neymar or Lukaku will arrive this weekend’s Cheetahs v Stormers– 19:00 – SS1 and possibly another striker if they can this summer, while three or four other US Open has left Cricket get someone like Romelu Lukaku before signings will boost the squad. But will his value goes stratospheric, though that Abramovich force the new Chelsea boss the door open Cricket England v Sri Lanka – 3rd Test won’t be the priority unless Didier Drog- to fi t a box-offi ce signing like Kaka into for Rory McIlroy England v Sri Lanka – 3rd Test Day 3 – 11:30 – SS2 ba follows through on all those rumours his line-up? My Mountain, My Vote! Vote for Table Mountain to be one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. sms Table to 34874 or go to www.votefortablemountain.com Votes cost R2 per SMS 12 The Next 48hOURS www.48hours.co.za 17 June - 23 June 2011.