Reports in every publication we can find have Nani pricing himself out of a move to Zenit St. Petersburg. They all seem to be using the Daily Mail as evidence, straight from the ‘source’ then:
Nani’s ‘unreal’ wage demands wrecked any chance of the Manchester United winger moving to big-spenders Zenit St Petersburg this summer. The Russian club’s director-general Maxim Mitrofanov claimed on Thursday that the deal had hit a brick wall.
The Portuguese has seen his #FPL price fall from £9 to £8.7m and he is selected in only 3.4% of sides. We think he could still prove valuable in fantasy EPL leagues, though he is currently behind Kagawa, Young and Valencia for minutes. Nani has 107′ over gameweek 1 and 3, and did not feature in the gameweek 2 win over Fulham. When considering that Kagawa (£8.6) and Young (£8.3m) are still priced less than Nani, there is no justifiable reason to hold the Portuguese winger at this time.
There was one international fixtures of note on Thursday as Japan had a friendly in advance of their World Cup qualifier vs. Iraq. ManUtd.com dispels the rumours of his 45′ appearance:
The midfielder appeared in the first half of Japan’s 1-0 win over United Arab Emirates in Niigata on Thursday, a warm-up for Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier against Iraq. Some online reports suggested he’d been hauled off by coach Alberto Zaccheroni after a poor performance and others mischievously claimed he had broken his leg. The likely truth is that he was wisely being rested for the more important game ahead.
Southampton’s Maya Yoshida also started the match for Japan. Elsewhere, WBA’s Jonas Olsson played in Sweeden’s friendly with China.
Difficult news for QPR, as they have allowed Samba Diatke to extend his personal leave to combat depression back in his native France:
Diakite, 23, was granted a 10-day absence on 25 August but, with his club’s blessing, has yet to return. The Mali international excelled while on loan last season from Nancy, and signed a four-year contract in June.
To their credit, the club are staying in contact with their player and assisting him, reports the BBC, in his recovery:
QPR’s club doctor is making regular visits to Diakite while he recovers, and it is not known whether he will be available for the game against Chelsea a week on Saturday.
However, the Telegraph is reporting that it is not depression at all:
Queens Park Rangers midfielder Samba Diakite has returned to France for personal reasons and is not suffering from depression, according to the club. Diakite played in the opening two matches of QPR’s season, but missed Saturday’s 3-1 defeat by Manchester City.
They don’t offer much else by way of a denial, with the usual quotes about returning for ‘personal reasons’ included in the story. Sky Sports with the news that Hammer’s midfielder Jack Collison may soon be ready to return to the pitch:
The 23-year-old has struggled throughout his career with injuries and he has not played this season due to a knee issue which has dogged him for a couple of years. Collison
managed to play a major part in the Championship promotion campaign last term and the Wales international is anxious to taste Premier League football again.
David Bentley is still a professional footballer and has moved to FC Restov on loan, THFC Official:
David Bentley has joined Russian Premier League side FC Rostov on loan until January. The midfielder has previously had loan spells with both Birmingham City and West Ham United.
If you’ve time or inclination, there is an AVFC podcast in which Paul Lambert discusses the need to give Benteke time to grow, the impact of new signings and Benteke himself discusses a partnership with Darren Bent:
Manager Paul Lambert also joins us and stresses the need to give Christian time to settle into his surroundings and into the squad. He also discusses the signings of Ashley Westwood and Joe Bennett who he thinks will make an immediate impact.
All of those AVFC signings are covered in our Transfer Recaps: Part 1 and Part 2.
The Daily Mail is carrying a story about Liverpool forward Suso, suggesting that Brendan Rodgers is prepared to hand the 18-year-old his Liverpool debut in the coming weeks. There is nothing concrete, but a lot of quotes from Rodgers:
“Boys like Suso will get their opportunity. The percentage Under 21s playing in the Premier League is statistically very, very small. We are going to be stretched the limit and [we’ll be telling them] “if you’ve got little niggles and injuries you’ve got to man up. We’ve got to be together and be strong. This [situation] will allow guys to stand up to the plate. You get an opportunity but you have got to take it.”
Suso is not, as yet, available in the Fantasy Premier League, but fantasy EPL managers will likely have the opportunity to invest in the youngster at some point this term.
Plenty of International action today, we’ll have recaps of important performances and any, though hopefully no, injury updates as well. Follow us @FantasyGaffer for news as it happens, opta stats, #FPL updates and occasional images of Fellaini as a Simpson’s character.