Despite being in the last year of his contract and being the only Everton player not to sign a long-term deal in recent weeks, Steven Pienaar will apparently remain at Goodison Park for at least one more season. The club can continue contract talks with Pienaar until January, at which time he will be free to negotiate deals with any club and leave Everton on a free transfer in July.

Everton boss David Moyes appears to be taking a huge gamble by not selling Pienaar. The South African midfielder has attracted interest from multiple clubs this summer, and now would be the cash-strapped club’s last chance to make any money from his sale.

However, Moyes has plenty of reasons to let that transfer cash sit on the table — the biggest being Pienaar’s own words. When Bayern Munich came calling last February, Pienaar told the press he wasn’t really so keen on moving.

“I feel this is my home. The supporters have always been good to me and I always give 100%. I definitely aim to play here for a lot longer – why not? Talk of moving is only rumours and I am definitely enjoying my football here.”

Granted, Pienaar might have changed his mind about the Toffees since then, but with so many of the winger’s teammates — most notably Mikel Arteta and Jack Rodwell — committing to Everton for the long term and trying to convince him to do the same, it’s possible that Moyes is banking on Pienaar remaining loyal to the club and signing a long term deal.

Moyes, however, also has a very pragmatic reason for keeping Pienaar on the books for one more season — he can’t sign his natural replacement until January.

The Toffees and their supporters might have held out hope that Landon Donovan, who had an eye-opening loan stint with Everton last winter, might return to Goodison Park in the summer. A wildly successful World Cup run, however, raised his asking price to more than £10 million, which Everton wasn’t ready to pay.

Even if Everton could have paid that fee, however, Major League Soccer wasn’t ready to let its marquee star go just yet — not before the Los Angeles Galaxy had one more playoff run with its roster intact. The prospect of a star-studded L.A v. New York championship game, which would feature Donovan and league-leading scorer Edson Buddle on one side and Thierry Henry, Juan Pablo Angel and Rafa Marquez on the other, is simply too tantalizing to the marketing staff at MLS for them to allow Donovan to leave before season’s end.

As a result, selling Pienaar now would leave Everton with only Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and Leon Osman available as pure wing players for up to four months. If you squint just enough, you could see Arteta or Victor Anichebe playing on the wing, but Arteta is far more effective in a central role, while Anichebe is more striker than winger. That lack of depth is something a club with European aspirations — not to mention that has experience with injury-thinned squads — can’t afford to risk.

This brings up another important reason for Everton to keep Pienaar around — his versatility. Pienaar can play virtually any role in midfield. Last season at home against Manchester City, with Arteta and Tim Cahill unavailable, Moyes plugged Pienaar in central midfield with Marouane Fellaini, and he not only proved extremely effective in possession, but he scored the goal that put Everton ahead. Should injuries impact Everton’s midfield again this autumn, the club would be much better off with Pienaar than without him.

Perhaps the ideal situation for Everton is for them to sell some other squad players before the transfer window closes (both Yakubu and Joseph Yobo are tipped to be sold), use that money to bring Donovan back to Goodison Park, then hope that loyalty wins out and Pienaar will stay. It’s a calculated gamble on Moyes’ part, but it could pay off huge dividends for the club in the long run. Plus, in the short term, it keeps Pienaar away from a club like Tottenham Hotspur, who might be competing with Everton for that all-important 4th-place spot this season. That battle might be worth more to the club and its supporters than any transfer fee.

After every World Cup, clubs from around the world are always trying to capture the latest talent who have shined on the world’s stage. And a player that a lot of clubs, including Manchester City, are keeping a close eye on is Landon Donovan who showed a lot of skill and composure under pressure to lead his US team to a successful World Cup campaign.

When players talk in the press about transfer speculation, there are definitely coded words they use to send messages to other clubs and agents. In a recent interview that appeared in the British media today, Donovan dropped some major hints regarding his intentions to play abroad again. Everton is reportedly interested in signing him on a permanent deal, but it sounds like Donovan is telling the other interested clubs to “come and get me” in hopes of starting up a bidding war to land Donovan a lucrative contract. Here are his quotes today along with my interpretation of what I believe he means:

“Right now I want to be in America, I absolutely love being here and I love getting back to my team-mates.” Translation: Landon Donovan is under contract to LA Galaxy and Major League Soccer, but that’s only “right now.” If the right offer came along, he and his agent would seriously consider it.

“As you know I never say never to anything and right now rumors are rumors.” Translation: Come and get me. Right now, there are no firm offers on the table and it’s all transfer speculation in the newspapers, but that’s just right now.

“And if there is something serious to look at then I will, but for now I am very excited to be home.” Translation: I’m under contract to LA Galaxy and Major League Soccer, but I’m very interested in reviewing any serious offers from clubs worldwide.

What do you think? Which European club should he join where it would be a good fit for him and his club? Share your opinion in the comments section below.

He’s had a successful World Cup and proved last season he can play in the Premier League, but should Landon Donovan join big spending Manchester City this summer? Donovan is now in high demand, but is Manchester City the right fit for the US international’s second go at the Premier League?

As reported by Yahoo! Sports, the Champions League-hungry Mancunians are offering somewhere in the realm of $12 million to the LA Galaxy of MLS for the services of the former Everton on loan midfielder. We’ve been down this road before you’re thinking, after two pretty unsuccessful stints in the German Bundesliga, Donovan finally proved his worth in one of the world’s most competitive leagues when he joined Everton on loan last winter. In a handful of starts and appearances, thirteen to be exact, Donovan showed he’s got the pace and technical ability to compete in the Premier League.

So with a solid couple of months at Everton and a three goal World Cup campaign, the “should he or shouldn’t he go” question continues to be asked.

Loved by the Everton fans and respected by critics and pundits the country over, Donovan’s supporting role at Everton witnessed him gain the confidence he so needed to thrive on foreign soil, a variable he lacked when in Germany. David Moyes’ faith in Donovan’s potential was quickly witnessed as he stuck with Donovan time and again and even started him v Arsenal upon his arrival.

Realistically, if Donovan is to further his career in England, which I think and hope he does, wouldn’t Everton be a much better fit than Manchester City? If Everton were to make an offer, Donovan will deal with much less competition for playing time than if Manchester City get their way. City have proved to be the Real Madrid of the Premier League, seemingly buying up all the players and talent they can get their rich hands on in hopes they can break the top 4 and reach the UEFA Champions League.

A possibility is that Donovan could be third of fourth choice on the right side of midfield at City behind Craig Bellamy, Adam Johnson and Shaun Wright-Phillips, or could end up being incorporated into the side played out of position and falter. It’s not entirely sure if Donovan is even interested in a move back to the Premier League, he’s stated before his love of playing in MLS and seems to be comfortable playing at home in the US.

Donovan is now 28 years old and is obviously reaching the last 5 to 6 years of his career. But with his fit, athletic body type, Donovan could still play at the top level in England for another 3 to 4 years before heading back to MLS to finish things off. I personally hope Donovan makes a move back to England this summer, preferably at Everton. He’ll fit back into David Moyes’ plans immediately while a risky move to Manchester City could see another quick return back home if things don’t go smoothly, surely causing an abrupt and disappointing end to Donovan’s time abroad.

The questions surrounding Donovan’s future are sure to be answered in the next few months, beofre a decision comes, leave a comment letting others know your thoughts on a potential return to the Premier League for Donovan.

A couple months before the World Cup, ESPN released a series of 4 TV ads in their “One Game Changes Everything” campaign. If you don’t remember the ads, there was “Robben Island”, “United”, “Power of 10″ and “Passion”, and they came out in that order separated by about two weeks. The ads really added to the hype and excitement of the tournament several weeks before it began and club football had even finished.

The “Power of 10″ ad showed many of the past greats who have worn the number and have made themselves legends on the World Cup stage, like Pele and Maradona. The ad also showed some of the players who would be wearing the number 10 in this year’s World Cup in South Africa, looking to enshrine their legendary status as well.

Well here we are towards the end of June 2010, with the first round almost complete and some number 10′s already playing huge roles for their nations. I received an email today of a soon to be aired, recently remixed version of the “Power of 10″ ad showcasing the already historic moments thus far from the 2010 FIFA World Cup made by number 10′s from various nations. Included in the ad are Landon Donovan, Diego Forlan, Lucas Podolski, Wesley Sneijder, and Lionel Messi.

It’s been a fantastic World Cup so far, and the number 10′s have certainly stepped it up to lead their teams. I could watch this over and over again, as the Donovan goal against Algeria still gives me goosebumps. I can’t wait to see what he will do next as well as the other great number 10′s. “The number 10 is more than just a number.”

Which number 10 has performed best thus far in the tournament? Which number 10 will ultimately have the biggest impact on the 2010 World Cup when it’s all said and done?

It’s incredible how one goal can make such a difference. With the game between Algeria and the United States still at nil-nil in the 90th minute Wednesday, the USA men’s national team was on the precipice of getting knocked out of the tournament. But the last-gasp winner by Landon Donovan changed everything in so many ways.

Donovan’s goal was so decisive that it meant that:

1. The United States finished first in the group,
2. England finished second,
3. As a result, the United States finished above England so the bragging rights for Group C go to the USA, not England,
4. Over the course of the three games, the United States scored four goals compared to England’s two,

And fifth, and most importantly of all, with the United States finishing in first place, they go into the easier route to the final than England. And this is a massive difference. When the United States plays Ghana on Saturday, a win will help them play either Uruguay or South Korea in the quarter-final. And if they can beat either team, they’ll be in the semi-final and may play – depending on how the teams do – Brazil or Spain, both of whom are definitely beatable based on how the US did against last summer in the Confederations Cup.

On England’s side in the bracket, they’ll need to overcome Germany. Next up, if they beat Mexico, would be Argentina. If they managed to beat Argentina, which would be a massive task, England would play possibly either Italy or Holland, two teams that are always very difficult to beat.

When the game was nil-nil against Algeria and hit the 90th minute mark, it was a strange situation. England was still leading 1-0 and were in the driving seat. However, an equalizer by Slovenia would have sent the United States and Slovenia through, so I’m sure many US fans were hoping for England to slip. At the same time, England fans seeing that the USA scoreline against Algeria was still 0-0 were licking their chops at the prospect of the United States getting knocked out of the tournament.

As it happened, Donovan’s goal changed everything. For me, it put the United States back on the soccer map. Not only because they finished the group above England but because they did it in such style and against such adversity. In two of the three games, the United States had to come back from being a goal down to tie the game. In both of England’s games where they scored, they scored first. So we haven’t seen evidence of how England does when they go a goal down. Plus, the United States were robbed of two genuine goals that should have been allowed. Even against such adversity, the United States raised their game and ended winning the group which is testament to the character of this team and country.

But most important of all, the United States gained the respect of the world. In their first game, the US got lucky against England. But in their second and third games, they raised their game and played in two of the most exciting games of this World Cup. The first one against Slovenia because of the comeback and the controversial ending when the goal was disallowed. And the second, the game against Algeria which was a tense one to watch, but featured an unbelievable ending that sent US soccer players (and fans) into raptures.

So, Landon Donovan’s goal against Algeria wasn’t just a win against the North African team. It was, in a weird way, a win against England. A win that garnered more respect for the US team. A win that catapulted the United States over England and into a path that could advance the United States further into this tournament than England. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There’s still a long way to go yet.

Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, John Terry, Ashley Cole. An illustrious lot, these world footballing stars would make the starting XI of just about every squad on the planet and are known from the Midwest to the Midlands.

Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Tim Howard. While making strides in European leagues, this bunch do not exactly strike fear in their opponents.

But when these players clash on Saturday in Rustenberg, South Africa, you can throw their disparate reputations out the window. This is 90 minutes of football, and to the victor go the spoils.

This is where on the pitch the match will be won or lost:

Michael Bradley vs. Frank Lampard:

Coming off of another monster season where he scored 27 goals in all competitions, Chelsea’s heartbeat Lampard can dictate matches with expert passing and positioning, or by thundering a lightning bolt goal from 30 yards out. Because the U.S. does not employ a holding midfielder in their 4-4-2 formation, Lampard will be difficult to contain.

Unless American coach Bob Bradley alters his regular formation, his son Michael will have to be extremely disciplined and restrained in linking up with the U.S. attack, and will have to help his midfield partner (most likely Ricardo Clark, Edu, or Jose Torres) in denying Lampard the space between midfield and defense that the English star is a master at exploiting. Bradley is America’s best central midfielder, displaying good composure on the pitch and a fine footballing IQ. Rarely caught out of position, he will have to play his finest match to give the U.S. a chance.

Bradley and his partner will have to keep tight on Lampard, denying him the space he needs to operate. If given space anywhere on the pitch, Lampard has the ability to pick out a defense-splitting pass or simply reversing the field with accurate long-range passing. When the Chelsea talisman gets the ball, an American must press him and knock him off his rhythm, and never allow him to create his own long-range blast which can turn a game on its head in a heartbeat.

Landon Donovan vs. Glen Johnson (or Ashley Cole):

This matchup is dependent on where Bob Bradley elects to start Donovan. The better matchup for the U.S. is for their star player to line up against Liverpool’s Glen Johnson, for the simple fact that Ashley Cole is better than Johnson. For all his attacking flair, Johnson is vulnerable in his defensive positioning, and the U.S. must exploit this when given the chance.

In his time at Everton, Donovan showed that he can be a serious threat when operating as a true, old-fashioned English winger: running at fullbacks and to the byline, keeping defenders on their heels. This is beneficial for two reason. One, Donovan can outmaneuver Johnson and get past him creating dangerous situations for the English defense. And two, keeping Johnson back in defense negates his ability to contribute to the attack, where he is most effective.

If Bradley elects to start Donovan on the right against Ashley Cole, the task is a much taller order. Cole is arguably the best left-back in the world who has made Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo look devastatingly ordinary. With an indefatigable style, Cole can stifle any winger defensively, and after the opposition avoids his flank, he can act as an auxiliary left-winger for the English attack, whipping in fine crosses for teammates to latch onto.

Oguchi Onyewu vs. Wayne Rooney:

The tallest task for the American team is stopping Wayne Rooney, and much of that will fall on the broad shoulders of Milan’s Onyewu. “Gooch” lacked playing time at Milan due in large part to injury, so having to face the English Player of the Year in his first match is not exactly ideal. Although Rooney has looked subdued since his April ankle injury at Bayern Munich, do not doubt that Wazza will bring his A game to South Africa.

And unfortunately for the U.S., that A game translates into a very tough England team. Stopping Rooney is out of the question, containing him is not, however. It will have to be a team effort, and not solely on Onyewu and central defensive partner Jay Demerit. Capable of dropping deep to dictate play, spreading the ball around with near Xavi-like precision on his day, playing off the shoulder of defenders and turning them with world-class acceleration, or simply bulldozing his way into the box to score, Rooney is a true all-around attacker. The man is simply on another footballing level than anyone in the American side.

So how do Onyewu and co contain him?

Perhaps the best remedy, as Jay Demerit has publicly suggested, is to wind Rooney up, to get in his head to the point that he pulls one of his vintage meltdowns. That means coming in hard on the tackle, give him zero space, and get physical at every opportunity. Because if Rooney is allowed to meander about the pitch and control the match with nary a frustrating challenge, he could single-handedly win the game.

While there are many more intriguing matchups across the pitch, these three should be the most pivotal. The team that wins these encounters will win the match.

What other matchups do you consider key to the outcome of this much-anticipated match?  Leave your thoughts below.

Ever since the World Cup draw was made back in December, all eyes in the United States have been on the first game in Group C. The match against England is widely anticipated in America, but here it’s just another group game. There’s not the same level of excitement, sure England fans are looking forward to it, but because it’s the first game, not because we’re playing the United States.

Everything in England is geared to the tournament finally getting underway. There is no real sense of trepidation or concern for the game against the USA. Don’t mistake that lack of fear as arrogance, it’s simply that there is no real rivalry for England fans to gauge their feelings towards the USA on a football basis. We don’t view the first opponents in that way, we don’t have any footballing history against America.

The view over here is that we’ve been drawn in the easier side of the draw and our group could have been a lot worse. Looking back, it’s probably viewed as the easiest group we’ve had since 1986. Yet that should serve as a stark remainder of what can happen if you take your eye off the ball. A group containing Portugal, Morocco and Poland was viewed as a matter of course for qualification and it simply seemed a case of who would finish second behind England. How wrong those feelings were.

England were drab and lifeless in the first game against Portugal and deservedly lost one nil. England have played Portugal several times since then and are still awaiting another opportunity to end a run that now stretches to 44 years since the last competitive victory against our oldest allies. The next match saw England once again fail to produce and were in danger of imploding, Bryan Robson injured and out of the tournament, Ray Wilkins sent off and 0-0 draw against Morocco left qualification in the balance.

Everything was on the last game, against Poland but the team had been altered due to the loss of Wilkins and Robson and the failings of Mark Hateley up front. The rest as they say is history, with Gary Lineker’s hat trick catapulted England through. It’s certainly not a situation that anyone in the UK sees repeating itself this time in South Africa. Confidence is high amongst the fans, but the ridiculous tub thumbing bravado of the Eriksson years has settled away to something more reflective, more assured, more believable.

The usual four year worrying about key players has also subsided, concerns remain against several members of the squad, through form, injury and personal worries that dogged certain members this year. Yet for all that, most England fans are already plotting England’s opponents in the Second Round. Will it be our old nemesis, Germany, or the hard working Australians or as some experts predict, the dark horses of Ghana. Any of those permutations is already being discussed and dissected.

That’s not to say they’re right in thinking that, but that’s football fans the world over, daring to dream. The players will be under no doubts or allow dreams to cloud the thinking. Capello will have them facing each game and each opponent one at a time. There will be no excuses for getting ahead of themselves. As a USA fan, you may be thinking this is all rather conceited and arrogant. I assure you, it isn’t. No-one is expecting another 1950 and we all know enough about the US team, the key players and the tactics, that surprises like that warm Brazilian day on June 29th won’t happen again.

The defeat is now classed as so long ago by the media, that it doesn’t allow the option to stir up the primal need for revenge that say matches against Argentina, France, Germany, Scotland and Portugal brings. Even allowing for the 2-0 defeat in Boston back in 1993 fails to raise the hackles of English fans. That period of failure is written off as the “Graham Taylor era” and no-one likes opening that particular box back up.  Wedged between the semi finals of 1990 and 1996, it’s glossed over at any given opportunity. It’s not that England fans don’t care or feel the result is a forgone conclusion, they just expect the team to win.

Some parts of the media will try and stir it up, get some anti-American feeling going, but in general, it’s not there to stir and I feel it’s vice versa. I couldn’t have met a friendlier bunch of people when I was in the States, I really like the place and the people. It suited me. Honestly, I could think of nothing better than living in either Florida or California, I’d love to live the States. I’d bite your arm off to live there, I really would. Especially now that football is growing as a sport.

What has surprised me are some attempts at belittling England, such as the laughable comments that England had an easy group to get through. Despite the excuses being made for Croatia having two players missing, which I think certainly overplays the amount of ability and influence Eduardo has on the national side, beating them 4-1 away and 5-1 at home is not something to write off so easily. Croatia were on a 14 year unbeaten home run. 14 years, now come on surely that deserves a little credit? No, well disputing that as two excellent results is pointless.

Just because we’re not banging on about the game doesn’t mean we think less of the USA as a footballing nation, or that we don’t rate the team, the talent and tenacity are clearly there. It doesn’t mean we don’t view the USA as a threat, we do. It’s just that as with Algeria and Slovakia, the team are expected to win. Nothing more, nothing less. Me, I’m expecting it to be the toughest game of the group stage and I do honestly hope the USA get through to the second round too. It’ll be tough, but it’s certainly an easier group than you got saddled with last time.

No-one is taken the USA lightly, don’t judge us on our media and some of the chatter that descends through the Internet, like a room full of monkeys tweeting. Talk to us, ask us what we think, don’t make outlandish sweeping statements about how crap England are just to get a reaction, that’s just juvenile. We see enough football to know when someone’s talented.

We were all impressed at Landon Donovan finally having a productive spell in European football, we know what Clint Dempsey offers the team. We know Freddy Adu has dropped off the edge of the world by getting too big for his boots. We’ve seen some of the best players the USA has produced week in, week out in all our leagues. Don’t mistake our silence or reticence for arrogance.It just means we quite like you and surely that’s a good thing isn’t it??

Leave me your comments below, or you can find me on twitter.com/paulbestall where I can talk football all day.

We have a FLO TV Personal Television to give away to a lucky winner, courtesy of FLO TV and EPL Talk.

The FLO TV Personal Television is a personal hand-held TV that features tons of programming including ESPN’s mobile coverage of the 2010 World Cup, which includes a 24-hour-a-day channel dedicated to the tournament from June 11 to July 11.

This could be a great option for soccer fans who want to experience World Cup games on a device that features a high-quality picture. Some companies may block users from accessing bandwidth hog websites such as ESPN 3 or Univision, so FLO TV could be a good alternative. Plus, it’s small enough to fit in the palm of your hand so whether you’re in the office or on the road, you can take the World Cup with you.

The FLO TV service combines content, an intuitive user interface and a multicast network to deliver a true quality TV viewing experience for consumers. FLO TV offers full–length simulcast and time–shifted programming from entertainment brands, including ABC, ABC Entertainment, ABC Family, ABC News, ABC Sports, ESPN, ESPNEWS and ESPN 2.

FLO TV has signed Landon Donovan as a spokesperson for their World Cup offering.

Before entering, be sure to check the coverage area map to ensure you can get the best FLO TV experience.

The FLO TV Personal Television retails for $199 and features a 3.5 inch touchscreen display.

Here’s how you can enter the contest with a chance for you to win a FLO TV Personal Television:

• Visit the FLO TV website,
• Then look through the Personal TV Program Guide and browse through the channels available (other than ESPN Mobile TV),
• Send an e-mail to thegaffer[at]epltalk[dot]com with the subject line “FLO TV” and list three channels available on FLO TV (other than ESPN Mobile TV) and
• Be sure to include your name, mailing address and phone number (for Fedex/UPS shipment).

The deadline to get your entry in (one entry per person) is midnight ET on Saturday, May 29. Please don’t post the answer in the comments section below unless you want to be disqualified.

Contest is only open to US residents. Winner will be announced on EPL Talk’s Facebook page on Sunday, May 30.

Best of luck!

Sergio Aguero is one of the many high-profile transfer prospects on the market this summer

The World Cup will dominate the world’s football focus this summer but that doesn’t mean the usual wheeling and dealing of the transfer market won’t be in full force. Last summer saw the high profile departure of Christiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid and Emmanuel Adebayor trading in the red of Arsenal for the blue of Manchester City. At this point in the season transfer rumors come thick and fast with many “stories” turning out to be little more than speculation. Here’s a roundup of some of the rumors for some of the biggest stars in the world and where they may end up within the Premier League.

A quick disclaimer, some of these rumors are a little old or slightly ludicrous but the main point of this post is to generate discussion.

Franck Ribéry: The Bayern Munich midfielder has been linked with a move away from the Bundesliga for years now so these rumors are nothing new. This time Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid are interested in the Frenchman. Ribéry, who is currently dealing with a public relations crisis due to being asked to testify in relation to a Paris prostitution ring, has promised to make a decision on his future by April 24. Chelsea seems to be the least likely of the three clubs for Ribéry to end up in and can the Blues really handle another player enveloped in a sex scandal?

Gianluigi Buffon: The Juventus keeper’s possible departure has been in the news for a few weeks now but his likely destination appears to be Manchester. There was a post yesterday discussing where the best fit for Buffon would be so I won’t rehash old material but Buffon in the EPL is an interesting proposition indeed.

Cesc Fabregas: The Arsenal captain is sidelined for the rest of the season following his Champion’s League clash with Barcelona at the Emirates back in March. Rumors have been swirling ever since that game about Fabregas’ possible return to Barcelona, his boyhood club. Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood told ESPN Soccernet last week that Barcelona made assurances they would not try to sign the Spanish striker during the summer but Barcelona claims they made no such assurances. Over the past few days Real Madrid, who are always looking to compete with Barcelona over big-name talent, have rumored to be interested in Fabregas as well.

Sergio Aguero: The Athletico Madrid striker has expressed interest in a move to Chelsea during the off-season. No reports have confirmed that Chelsea has recipricated interest in Aguero but the Argentine has been a hotly sought after commodity for the past few seasons so one must think there is some interest at Stamford Bridge.

Joe Cole: The Chelsea/England midfielder has been linked with a move to Manchester City for  a four-year, £40 million contract, making him the highest payed player in the Premiership.  Manchester United has also shown interest but if City’s offer is as high as reported United will stand no shot in a bidding war.

Landon Donovan: The American forward has impressed the English public with an impressive loan stint at Everton over the winter. The Toffees attempted to extend his loan deal to the end of the season by Donovan was recalled by the L.A. Galaxy. Rumors swirled back in March about the possibility of Chelsea making a £10 million offer but that relies heavily on the future of Joe Cole.

Craig Bellamy: Never one to mince words, whether it be about John Terry or his views on his colleagues, the Manchester City forward may not be with the club next season due to reported clashes with Roberto Mancini. No word yet on his possible destination but The Independent is reporting City is having difficulty convincing Bellamy to stay.

Kevin Doyle: This is slightly less glamorous than some of the other rumors but Everton is reportedly interested in the young striker from Wolves. It will probably take a bid of £10 million or more by the Toffees to lure to Irish International.

There will always be the rush for some the higher-payed players for the relegated sides. Players such as Jimmy Bullard, Jozy Altidore, Steven Fletcher and David James may become available during the off-season. There are also clubs in desperate need of improvement, like a goalkeeper for Arsenal, a second striker for Manchester United and every position for Liverpool. There will be plenty of twists and turns once the EPL season wraps up next month. So have fun in the comments section discussing where you think these players should go, rumors I have may have missed or who your favorite club should be pursuing.

• Beer Cup Final & Another Big 4 Beaten by a Door Knocker.
• Landon, You”ll Never Get One Easier Than That

Congratulations to Manchester United for picking up the first piece of silverware on offer this season as they came out on top of a 2-1 scoreline v Aston Villa in the Carling Cup Final on Sunday. The two teams battled bravely over the 90 minutes which resulted in an open, entertaining match full of chances for both sides and fine individual performances from a handful of English talent.

This column is in danger of becoming incredibly redundant due to the consistent form Wayne Rooney has been on in the last few months. Rooney continues to throw his name in the hat for this award every time he steps on a football pitch. His positioning, reading of the game, movement and finishing abilities have seen him improve on his form of last season and his name continually gets mentioned with the likes of Messi and Ronaldo.

The week saw Rooney score three total goals, two in United’s league win on Tuesday v West Ham and the winner on Sunday in the Cup. England and United fans who were hoping their hero would get a much needed rest had their hopes shattered when Rooney came on late in the first half for an injured Michael Owen.

In my attempts to keep this column interesting and shed light on other top performers, let’s all agree that Mr. Rooney is good, very good and push on.

Honorable Mentions -

Arsenal Football Club, The Lot of ‘Em- The terrible injury suffered by the young Welshman Aaron Ramsey has been covered on EPL Talk this weekend with a variety of fine articles. Whoever you support in this game, your heart has to go out to Ramsey and the rest of Arsenal as they were able to overcome the incident and push on to win a tough, hard-fought match away from home. The Gooners showed a lot of heart and I wish young Ramsey a speedy recovery and truly believe he’ll be back for Wales and Arsenal in the future.

Portsmouth Football Club, The Lot of ‘Em- I may have to change the title of this post to, “Premier League Clubs of the Week”. But when I’m impressed by something, I just can’t help myself. After entering into Administration on Friday, the boys from the South Coast were able to place their off-the-field troubles behind them and win only their second Premier League away match in the last 16 months against a determined Burnley.

Although they’ve had a season they’ll soon want to forget, the Pompey players continually play with purpose, desire and passion. They’ll be relegated this year and quite possibly again next year down to League 1 with the future of the club still uncertain. But Portsmouth supporters, Premier League fans and the football community in general won’t soon forget the effort they’ve seen this year on the pitch.

Premier League Footballer of the Week -

Craig Bellamy, Manchester City – The Citizens were at their high-flying, fantastic best Saturday at Stamford Bridge v Chelsea in what is sure to go down as a major statement game for City. The match will undoubtedly be remembered for the Wayne Bridge handshake snub, but Premier League fans should not soon forget Craig Bellamy’s performance on the left side of midfield that resulted in a brace for the brash Welshman.

Chelsea ended the day with 9 men, but before those 2 Chelsea men saw red, Bellamy scored the goal of the weekend. In the 51st minute, Bellamy received a tidy ball from Gareth Barry inside his own half in acres of space with only John Obi Mikel to beat. The quick winger showed his searing pace and determination by running straight at Mikel before peeling off and slotting home from a tight angle.

In the 87th, Bellamy added a second by tapping in to make the score 4-1 to secure all three valuable points for Manchester City. For Chelsea, it was a disappointing game as their back line led by John Terry continues to struggle. As consolation, Frank Lampard scored his second of the game, a penalty in the 90th minute to make the score line only slightly more respectable.

Bellamy’s pace and determination was too much for Chelsea who have now lost their last two matches. It must be added that Carlos Tevez was also superb for City. His determination, work rate and fitness levels has made him City’s player of the year thus far and the energetic Argentinian also scored two for City.

Author’s Note- Everton also lost their second match of the week on Sunday away to Tottenham in a game that saw U.S. hero Landon Donovan fail to score with what must have been the miss of the season thus far. The goal that wasn’t to be would have knotted the scoreline 2-2 for the Toffees. Donovan was a mere few feet from an open goal and just needed to side foot a Jack Rodwell cross to level the score, but instead his effort was placed harmlessly into the Spurs side netting. Here’s hoping that miss doesn’t taint an otherwise successful on loan stint at Everton. Donovan has made us proud.