Luis Suarez has come out fighting as he continues to plot a route out of Anfield while David Moyes is refusing to talk about Wayne Rooney, Cesc Fabregas… or anything at all really.
Luis Suarez has been on thin ice with Liverpool supporters for some time now, but the straw that bit the camel broke the camel’s back came when he made his intentions pretty clear about his future at the club last night and pretty much undermined the loyalty shown to him by his employers over the last couple of years.
If you haven’t already read what Suarez has had to say you can do so here, but despite him upping the stakes in the Liverpool exit game, owner John Henry is adamant that he is not for sale, a stance which may force Suarez down a complicated legal route which could get messy for all involved.
If David Moyes is going to succeed in his new role as Manchester United boss he’s going to have to impose his own personality over at Old Trafford but he’s already learning from his predecessor as far as dealing with the media is concerned, having cancelled a scheduled press conference on Friday ahead of the Community Shield this weekend.
As a result, it will be a while before we hear Moyes’ thoughts on the future of Wayne Rooney, the pursuit of Fabregas and, of course, the Community Shield itself, although it’s fair to say that a clash with Wigan isn’t exactly capturing the imagination right now.
The fact that Moyes isn’t talking hasn’t stopped the papers from doing it for him and the Daily Mirror say that he will turn his attention to Marouane Fellaini in the coming days, thereby ending the club’s interest in Fabregas.
As far as Wayne Rooney is concerned, United have been fairly adamant that he is not for sale and they are particularly against the idea of selling him to a Premier League rival in Chelsea. The Daily Mail say that if Rooney isn’t allowed to move to Chelsea he will go abroad, despite an apparent lack of interest from the big boys on the continent, but any move will, of course, hinge on whether Rooney’s incredibly convenient troublesome shoulder injury heals up in time for the new campaign.
Following David Moyes’ lead in keeping schtum is Carlo Ancelotti, who according to Sky Sports, is refusing to talk about Gareth Bale amid the club’s ongoing quest to land the Tottenham superstar.
Whether that will stop nearly every player at the club from talking about Bale is uncertain but we can’t really blame Ancelotti for his stance considering that a story appeared in Marca earlier this week reporting that Bale was trying to force Spurs’ hand by, get this, turning up late for training. His next move is reportedly to stage a work to rule at the club by training and playing at the same level as the rest of his Spurs teammates.
The Suarez, Rooney and Bale storylines continue to dominate the agenda as far as transfer talk is concerned – it’s hard to remember a time when they haven’t – but there are other titbits of information to keep those obsessed with the potential comings and goings entertained.
The Sun, for example, are reporting that Barcelona are ready to resume their interest in David Luiz with a £35 million for the Brazilian international, while the Daily Express say that Spurs are lining up a move for teenage Real Betis winger Alvaro Vadillo as a replacement for Bale when he eventually leaves the club.
The Times say that Everton, West Brom and Fulham are battling it out for the signature of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Clement Chantome and finally, from an Irish point of view, James McClean could be set for a £1.5 million move to Wigan (Daily Mirror), where the sought-after James McCarthy will continue to ply his trade unless a bid comes in for his services in the next few weeks.
