Iker Casillas has won five Spanish titles, three Champions Leagues, two Europeans Championships and the World Cup – but can he do it with Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan in front of him? That’s the question that Jürgen Klopp will seek to answer if reports in the Spanish newspaper AS haven’t been made up to fill a space (if so, thanks AS, you’ve filled a space for the Mill, too! Our cheque’s in the post. The cheque has been made up, too).
The Spanish organ is claiming that Casillas could be on his way to Anfield after two years at Porto during which he won nothing but performed better than he did towards the end of his long spell at Real Madrid. So much so that Klopp suspects he could offer Liverpool’s defenders more solidity and confidence than Simon Mignolet does. Then again, Klopp apparently thought the same thing about Loris Karius, so his judgment is very much in the dock on that front. This could be a decisive summer for the Liverpool manager.
Arsenal and West Ham are reported to have turned down the chance to sign Casillas because they thought his wage demands were exorbitant for a 36-year-old and, besides, they have other priorities. West Ham, for example, are hoping to persuade Michy Batshuayi to join them from Chelsea and also want Chris Smalling to leave Manchester United for a chance to play regularly within view of 57,000 people at the Olympic Stadium.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are keeping their transfer cards close to their chest.
Or maybe they don’t have a clue what they’re doing. It’s hard to know with them these days. You’d like to think they’re on top of things but we have to accept that there’s a small risk that Sir Chips Keswick and Lord Harris of Peckham have lost the plot. Bayern Munich and Manchester City are both convinced that they will be able to prise Alexis Sánchez away from The Emirates this summer. That would of course be a humiliating and damaging loss for Arsenal but, as the young folks might type, Bayern 10-2 do that to Arsenal.
Speaking of Arsenal, let’s stop. It’s time to mention Sunderland and Middlesbrough, both of whom are said to be after Nigel Pearson. The availability of both jobs gives us a handy indicator by which to gauge candidates’ suitability. We might say, for instance, that anyone who would pick Sunderland over Boro at the moment is highly unlikely to be the sort of decision-maker who’s going to be guiding anyone to success any time soon.
James Rodríguez to Manchester United? Not if Chelsea have anything to do with it. The champions are said to keen on the Colombian and confident of landing him, especially if United don’t have any Champions League football to offer. So that’s yet another thing riding on tonight’s Europa League final, along with José Mourinho’s reputation.
Clarence Seedorf has won more than Champions Leagues than Mourinho and, indeed, more than Manchester United. And now the Dutchman says he wants to manage in England. Hmmmn. Would be pass the Sunderland/Middlesbrough test?
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