Barcelona’s long-serving right-back Dani Alves is reportedly on the verge of joining Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), with L’Equipe reporter Jerome Touboul claiming the Brazilian is ‘99.9% certain’ to join the French champions in the summer. This move could well be the catalyst for Arsenal’s Bacary Sagna, who is said to be set on leaving the Emirates, to complete a spectacular move to Camp Nou.

Sagna, who has been at Arsenal since 2007, has been seen as one of the best right backs in the world for some time, but looks set to ditch the Gunners this summer, with Arsene Wenger revealing yesterday that he is preparing for his compatriot’s exit:

“That (a contract extension for Sagna) is not close to being closed.

“I will have to accept it [if he leaves]. Only he can decide that now. If he goes we will accept it and respond.”

Sagna is reportedly unhappy with his current wage in North London, is no nearer to agreeing to a new deal, and is said to be hunted by both Manchester City and Chelsea. With his current contract up in the summer, the 31-year-old seems likely to leave on a free at the end of the season.

But considering the quality currently residing at both Chelsea and City, it would be some risk to be rid of a first-team place at Arsenal for what could well be the subs bench at one of their Premier League rivals.

While Sagna is an exceptional player, City’s Pablo Zabaleta and Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic are stalwarts of their respective clubs, and one of the first names on their teamsheets. For Sagna, the guarantee of a starting berth is absent in both cases.

Barcelona would surely be the perfect choice.

If it transpires, Dani Alves’ departure will be a sore pill to take for the Barca faithful, with the 31-year-old part of the furniture in Catalonia, consolidating his first team place over the past six years, and blossoming into arguably the most attacking full-back around.

While Sagna is no blunderbuss on the right, he is eager to join the throng, and has proved his aptitude in attack with consistently good crosses and an athleticism that sees him able to bomb tirelessly up and down the flanks.

Able to slot in at center back when needed, Sagna is arguably a better defender than Alves (who currently earns twice as much as the Frenchman), and while his attacking may not be as explosive as his Brazilian counterpart, he would be a sound signing for Barcelona.

With PSG set to complete a deal for Alves in the summer, the way seems clear for Sagna to up sticks and test his abilities in La Liga. For Barca, to fill an impending void at the back with a freebie international is a no-brainer, while Sagna should jump at the chance if the Spanish giants show interest, as there is will surely be no greater adventure now for the 31-year-old than one with the Blaugrana.

So it ends. David Moyes’ 10-month reign as Manchester United manager came to an abrupt, rather unexpected conclusion this morning, with the Scot finally relieved of his duties after an exasperating 51-game stint in the toughest club job on the planet.

The Scot was deemed ‘the Chosen One’ by exiting legend Sir Alex Ferguson back in May, but following what has become United’s worst ever season in the top flight, fans are now insisting that Sir Alex got his last and most important decision at the club very wrong.

The limp 2-0 defeat away to Everton proved to be the last straw for the Glazer Family, who had until then remained behind their beleaguered boss, but the manner of the loss, following on from two positive Premier League victories over Aston Villa and Newcastle, surely proved that the club was not heading in the right direction under the 50-year-old.

But how was the defeat at Goodison Park Moyes’ worst match as United manager?

5. Manchester City 4-1 Manchester United, Premier League, 22nd September 2013

The game that started it all off. Moyes’ opening six games in charge at Old Trafford had been promising, with the Community Shield comfortably won against Wigan, and his only defeat away at Anfield. But the trip across the road to the noisy neighbors for his first Manchester Derby ended in humiliation, with his team swept aside with little fuss.

It was the first real sign of trouble. While City’s 1-6 win at Old Trafford back in 2011 was arguably a flash-in-the-pan, this 4-1 defeat was more sinister, considering United’s listless performance from start to finish.

4. Manchester United 0-1 Newcastle, Premier League, 7th December 2013

The Geordies’ first win at Old Trafford since 1972, and United’s first consecutive losses since 2002. The records were beginning to be rewritten in December, with Moyes starting to come in for real criticism.

Ninth in the table, below both Alan Pardew’s side and Southampton, and already 12 points behind leaders Arsenal having played a game more; United were on the ropes, and Moyes was rapidly losing support from all corners.

3. Manchester United 2-2 Fulham, Premier League, 9th February 2014

Although not a defeat, the manner in which Moyes’ side came out against lowly Fulham was baffling and just horrifying for the United faithful.

Darren Bent’s injury time header secured a point for the then rock-bottom Cottagers, with United putting all their eggs into a long ball game, lumping a whopping 81 crosses into the box, but with only 18 finding a red shirt.

Moyes said that the result was ‘as bad as it gets’, and a large contingent of United fans blamed the Scot for the scoreline, citing his negative, archaic tactics.

In the aftermath, Fulham defender Dan Burn likened the champions’ style of play to a conference side, while then boss Rene Meulensteen said that Moyes’ game plan was ‘straightforward‘.

2. Olympiakos 2-0 Manchester United, Champions League, 25th February 2014

A shocking result this against an average Olympiacos outfit, putting United on the brink of an ignominious Champions League second round exit.

Alejandro Dominguez and Arsenal loanee Joel Campbell scored goals in either half, with Moyes’ side only registering one shot on target all game.

It was a match that thrust Tom Cleverley’s current limitations into the light, with super-striker Robin van Persie looking utterly dejected ploughing a lone furrow up top.

1. Manchester United 0-3 Liverpool, Premier League, 8th March 2014

While United are certainly not the only top side this season to feel Liverpool’s rapier sting, this home defeat to their bitter rivals was a new low for David Moyes and the club.

There was a certain inevitability about Brendan Rodgers’ side’s win that day, something that was just never heard of during Sir Alex Ferguson’s time in the hot-seat, with United powerless to stem the endless flow of attacking vigor from the Premier League leaders.

Steven Gerrard scored two penalties, and missed a third, with Liverpool triumphantly proving the power-shift that has occurred in the north, something that United fans world-wide just couldn’t stomach.

Pundits began to claim that the club faced a ten-year rebuilding period, with the defeat to City by the same 3-0 scoreline just weeks later further consolidating the abject misery experienced by the club this season.  One mortified fan even had to be stopped by stewards as he tried to confront Moyes.

While David Moyes redeemed some of the club’s pride with a respectable Champions League quarterfinal exit to Bayern Munich, there remained fears that the defensive-orientated, blunt game plan seen over the two legs was the sum total of his ability at the helm.

With Everton sending United back down the metaphorical snake on the weekend, Moyes’ suffering was finally put to rest. Ryan Giggs now looks to restore the club’s equilibrium, or something close to it, as the now sleeping giants look desperately towards a summer of rebirth.

Let’s imagine, just for a minute, that Chelsea come away with a draw from Anfield on April 27. It’s certainly plausible considering the Blues’ league-high defensive record, and the irrepressible Jose Mourinho’s knack of getting his tactics in the big games spot on.

Surely then, if the ‘title decider’ ends in a stalemate, Liverpool will coast to a first Premier League title since 1990, with Manchester City unable to affect proceedings directly following their crippling 3-2 defeat last weekend and the 2-2 draw against Sunderland last night?

Perhaps not, both Liverpool and City still to visit ‘Castle Selhurst’ to battle Tony Pulis’ revitalized Crystal Palace outfit before the season is out.

As you can see, I’ve done my best to make the South East London side sound perhaps more ominous than their place in the table suggests, but there can be no denying the run they have put together in recent weeks, and how Pulis has transformed the Eagles since taking over in November, with the club then rock bottom of the league.

Only Chelsea, Everton, Manchester City, and Manchester United can boast a better defensive record than Palace this season, and they have won four of their last five games, conceding just three times.

Among the scalps claimed on their dramatic run, which has taken them to the brink of Premier League survival with 40 points now on the board, is Chelsea, who came a cropper to Pulis’ brand of survival football late last month, a brand that he has honed through years of training and experience.

As Stoke manager for the best part of seven years, Pulis gained as many detractors as he did fans during his time in the West Midlands. Constructing a team of tough tackling, hard hitting ‘players’, with 6′ 7″ Peter Crouch up top, Stoke became synonymous with the physical nature of the English league.

But Pulis kept the club up and floating around mid-table throughout his tenure, having guided the club into the top flight back in 2008.

Now at Palace, Pulis has instilled that physicality into the very essence of his new team, but this time with different attacking emphasis.

As we saw against Chelsea, Palace relied on pace on the counter against a high-pushing Blues backline. Having managed to grab a goal thanks to the forehead of the then unfortunate John Terry, Palace defended in numbers, but broke with devastating speed.

Striker Cameron Jerome ran as if attached to a rocket at times, shooting past the aging Terry with Buzz Lightyear-esque confidence. Along with Jason Puncheon and Yannick Bolasie, Jerome tore at the struggling Blues defense, and even stuck the base of the post, with Chelsea bereft of ideas up top against the inspired Palace defensive line.

They were at it again last night against Everton, with Goodison Park shaken by the lightning-fast Palace attackers. Their 3-2 win over the Champions League hopefuls was a real surprise result, considering the Toffees’ powerful run of seven straight wins leading up to the encounter, but the Eagles are flying high, and can evidently cause real problems to the very best sides in England.

While Mourinho’s Chelsea have struggled at times against ‘lesser’ opposition this season, Palace’s performance against the title hopefuls should not be understated, and their defensive record not discarded in the buildup to the visits of Liverpool and Manchester City this coming month.

Pulis himself is not too fussed at which side emerges at Premier League winners however, and while the win over Everton pushed his side up to the magic 40 point mark for the season, the Palace boss is very much focused on ensuring they keep their good form up,

“It’s as exciting a season in the Premier League as there has been for years,” Pulis told Sky Sports said earlier this week, “That goes for a lot of the clubs trying to get over the line to stay in the league for next season, and for those clubs trying to win the league.

“We play Man City and Liverpool at home but our focus is not worrying about whether we stop them from doing anything, our focus is making sure we cross the line.”

While the battle of Anfield remains the single most important remaining fixture of the Premier League season, Tony Pulis and his Crystal Palace side could well have a huge impact on the destination of the Premier League Title. Can he do Chelsea a favor, having almost put the Blues out of the race last month?

With Chelsea limping into the last four of the Europa league, becoming the only English side left in European competition this season, Chelsea fans will have their eyes trained on the future. Due to the fixture list, the Blues could amusingly be the holders of both the Champions League and the Europa League at the same time, albeit for ten days, if they reach and triumph in Europe’s second tier cup final on the May 15. While this will be a cute novelty for many Chelsea fans, most will be looking past that to the more pivotal future aspects of their club’s year; what will happen in the summer?

With a gradual acceptance of their, albeit, ‘interim’ predicament, the Blues faithful are focusing on the positives, and the warm hope of better times ahead. It is all that many can do to just avoid dwelling on the club’s unsightly present, or ‘Benitez’ to give it a name. With the word ‘Jose’ whispered in the winds like a code-word for political revolution, the war-torn London club are hoping for a real upturn in fortunes come the new season.

That most coveted of presences, Mourinho, has been his usual ambivalent self when it comes to discussing his future. Upon guiding his Real Madrid side into the last four of the Champions League, he simply said to craning journalists,

“When the season ends, I will sit down with who I have to.”

While his choice of words are testament to his still active respect for his current job, it remains to be seen who Mourinho actually ‘wants’ to sit down with come the close season.

The likes of PSG, Manchester Utd and Manchester City have been touted as other possible destinations for the eccentric Portuguese; but with Roman Abramovich’s apparent number one choice, Pep Guardiola to take the reins at Bayern Munich next season, and the plethora of talk about the ‘Special One’ returning to the Bridge, there are plenty of indicators that suggest Chelsea fans should start rolling out the red carpet, again.

But if Jose Mourinho, or indeed any top class manager (even Manuel Pellegrini) is to take the job at Chelsea, then they will be watching intently at how the club performs and acts come the business end of the season. This includes the treatment of the much maligned Benitez. Yes, he will be packing his bags at the end of the season, but will he be hailed a cab, or kicked unceremoniously out the door?

Chelsea have a reputation now for minimal patience with their managers, and for unsavory sackings, just ask Roberto Di Matteo. And while Mourinho’s relationship with the Spaniard is known to be fraught, his own treatment at the hands of Abramovich will surely mean that he will view how Benitez’ makes his exit as an example of how far the Russian owner has come concerning dismissals.

While most Chelsea fans just want to see the back of Rafa, as supporting him has been as appealing as rubbing salt into an open wound, they would do well to support the club as the close season approaches. Benitez is the ultimate test of faith for the club, and if his imminent departure is smooth and amicable, it will surely be assuring for the new, permanent man.

The players too, will be judged by the potential managerial candidates. Mourinho, for one, loves players with fight and determination. It is no coincidence that he named Didier Drogba as his all-time favorite player – Chelsea’s warrior for so many seasons, the man for the big occasion – just ask Bayern!

They will be playing for their right to be at the club, and if they end the season with a whimper, ducking out of the latter stages of their remaining competitions, then the new manager may see the need for change in personnel. But, considering the wealth of young talent to be found in the ranks, Chelsea should also be keeping one eye on the gossip column.

For example, Brazilian midfielder Oscar has the talent to mature into one of the best players of his generation. With his first season in English football almost at its end, the world has certainly taken notice of his relaxed but devastating attacking potential, his willingness to track back, and his confidence that stretches far beyond his youth. While Juan Mata and Eden Hazard are the headliners, Oscar quietly pulls his strings behind the scenes, which makes him just as much as a potent force as his superstar colleagues. Already the ‘secret weapon’ in the Brazilian national team, his talents will be fully on display come the World Cup in 2014.

Footballing ‘royalty’, Real Madrid and Barcelona, have a history of poaching the best players from all over the globe, in their quest in building the best teams around. Players in the mould of Oscar are prime targets for the Spanish duo, considering his flair, and natural exuberance on the pitch. Eden Hazard chose to join Chelsea in the summer on the merits of their newfound label of ‘European Champions’, and his is another name that would interest fellow European giants looking to reinforce, should the deposed kings continue to flounder.

The list could be extended to include David Luiz, Petr Cech, and even Juan Mata.

Chelsea need to finish the season strongly, and prove that they have not been swallowed up by all the uncertainty and disappointment that has threatened to engulf the club. Currently 19 points behind runaway leaders, Man United, the Blues need to at least finish in the top four. With the likes of Mourinho looking on, they would also do well to get their hands on the last piece silverware they are able to contest.

The club need their young talents to want to stay, and to know that Chelsea is still a wonderful place to be, considering that if they perform to their ability in this most unenviable of footballing climates, they could well be welcoming back glorious, ‘Blue’ skies.

It is a chain of events that happens all to often in soccer.

A club agrees a transfer for an attacking player, and fans flock to the Internet to check out the artistic video compilations made specifically by the countless unnamed. The clips perhaps show off some dazzling skill, or innate speed; and, more often than not, the astonishing goals the new man is capable of.

The excitement grows throughout the initial press conference, and the first training session. The day of the debut comes and goes, and little is seen from the new signing apart from the occasional flash of a first touch which has the crowd humming with anticipation.

The first season peters out, the player merely a bit part man, failing to take his chance to shine. But the seed remains, the interest with the player endures, and is passed onto the next club that decides to take a chance on him. Yet they never get out of first gear, only rarely displaying the raw ability found in such impressive videos on the web.

Years later, that same player comes up in conversation. The memory claws back the image, the man appearing from the bench, or mainly sat on it; the newspaper articles, the criticism and the eventual transfer away. The internet is again searched to find the current team with the necessary faith to take them on. And the subject is left, as will the player once more, sailing off into the sunset looking for pastures new, and a place to finally call home.

Here’s a short list of the drifters in the world of soccer, the ones who possess the talent, but fail to live up to the hype:

3. Valeri Bojinov, Striker

The balding, bulky Bulgarian washed up on English shores with Manchester City in 2007. A Sven Goran Eriksson signing made a year before the Abu Dhabi takeover at City, there was significant talk of his goal scoring ability, and knack for lighting up matches.

European football reporter Dave Farrar even forecast that Bojinov would “light up the Premier League.”

“Bojinov’s got all the talent in the world,” Farrar told the BBC,

“He’s one of those players around whom there is always something happening. He’s a fun signing.”

There was certainly cause for excitement over the new man. After making his Serie A debut at just 15 for Lecce, Bojinov had since played for Italian giants, Fiorentina and the then-relegated Juventus. Still only 21, this was Bojinov’s real chance at hitting the big-time.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, Bojinov made as much of an impact as a child does with a plastic mallet. Scoring one competitive goal for the Sky Blues, he was loaned back to Serie A with Parma in 2009. After a short spell here, he was on the move again one year later, this time to Portuguese side, Sporting Lisbon.

In January of last year, he was ‘exiled’ by the club because of a bizarre incident at the end of their match against Moreirense F.C, in which he missed a penalty at the end of the game, after furiously pushing his teammates away to take it. He had not scored a penalty for six years before this, and his actions incurred the wrath of the Portuguese club’s hierarchy.

Since then, he has been constantly thrown out on loan, spending time at his old club Lecce, Verona, and currently Vicenza.

Still only 27, Bojinov has never lived up to his early potential. A real shame, considering his eye-catchingly young debut, and thunderously aggressive goal scoring potential he has evidently lost.

2. Francis Jeffers, Striker

Joining Arsenal in the summer of 2001, Francis ‘Fox in the Box’ Jeffers had made a number of impressive performances with Everton, which prompted Arsene Wenger to shell out £8 million for the England man.

Much has been written about Jeffers, still one of the Gunner’s most expensive signings years on, and he remains possibly the biggest disappointment of Wenger’s signings.

The odds were stacked against the Liverpudlian from the start, joining up with a team which already boasted the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Sylvain Wiltord, and Thierry Henry on their books. A series of injuries didn’t help matters, and Jeffers found himself used sparingly from the bench.

After he was thrown back to his former club, Everton, for a brief loan spell in 2003, Jeffers’ career began to slowly spiral downwards.

He has since played for a host of different clubs, at home and abroad, never again finding the early form that saw him take the record for most goals scored for the England under-21 side, and the subsequently earned England cap and solitary goal.

Jeffers, now a relatively worldly 33-year-old, can now be found back in England, playing for League Two outfit, Accrington Stanley.

1. Ricardo Quaresma, Winger

Has there ever been a player so obviously brimming with fabulous talent, who let it all go to waste, than the Portuguese flyer, Quaresma?

A total livewire, with an array of tricks so effortlessly incorporated into his game that it seems impossible that he has consistently failed wherever he has gone. Quaresma is considered one of the all-time experts of the ‘Rabona’ and the ability to curl the ball with the outside of the foot. This makes him a dream subject for online videos, as Quaresma has a penchant for scoring stunning goals, and for showing off his tricks wherever he can.

Barcelona, Inter Milan, Chelsea and Porto have all taken Quaresma on over the years, and it was only in his native Portugal that he found relative comfort.

Quaresma holds a certain degree of arrogance, which undoubtedly is a helpful asset for flair players, as it provides often limitless confidence on the pitch. But this same attitude has also greatly aided his downfall. A double-edged sword, his selfishness has seen him fall out with managers wherever he has gone, including Jose Mourinho and Frank Rijkaard.

Quaresma is not a team player, and for all his deft trickery, it is his inability to blend into a team makeup that has hindered him throughout his career. His teammates have shown their frustration at his lack of integrating them into his act; the most recent of which was during his spell with Besiktas, where a scuffle broke out between him and Nihat after some typically selfish play from the Portuguese.

After alienating himself once more from Besiktas manager, Carlos Carvalhal, he was paid the remainder of his contract, and made a free agent. Now the occasionally world-beating Quaresma, still only 29, is playing in Dubai with Al Ahli.

The ultimate disappointment, it remains to be seen if Quaresma will stay long in the Middle East, but one thing is for sure, Quaresma is a one man circus. But although his act is full of excitement and jaw-dropping tricks, his role is rarely that of Ringmaster, but that of the Fool.

What do you think? Mido, Freddie Adu, and Andy Van der Meyde are just a few others lying just outside my Top 3. There are surely others who fall into this category? Comment if you can think of any good ones!

It is fast becoming a familiar sight — the big man up top, barging a defender out of the way to score and haul his side level, this time against Swansea at the weekend, notching his fourth goal in five games. The Chelsea man swaggers around the pitch, knowing his importance to his team, terrorising defenders with his brute strength and unwillingness to give up lost causes. His team oblige him, hoisting ball after ball up to him, knowing his power and energy will force yet another promising attack. His name is sung to the rafters as he comes off late in the game, as he applauds the fans after another all action performance which will eventually herald another win and three precious points, their third win in their last four games.

‘Didier Drogba,’ I hear you say. Guess again, for the big Ivorian is now turning out in Turkey for Galatasaray. It is Romelu Lukaku, the forgotten man from Chelsea, who is now transforming West Brom’s season, and giving fans and players alike a real taste of things to come from a young talent whose career is finally getting started.

With 13 goals this season, the young Belgian looks to be starting to reach his undoubted potential, a potential which persuaded Chelsea to part with £18 million for his services in August 2011. Lukaku had scored 39 goals in his only two full seasons playing for the Belgian club; this is made all the more startling with the fact that he was only 17 years old at the time.

But with Drogba and Torres the main men at Chelsea, his playing time was severely limited, turning out only 8 games in Chelsea’s Champions league winning season last year. It seemed appropriate then that he should go out on loan to former Chelsea defender and coach Steve Clarke’s West Brom, in order to be nurtured, and avoid wasting such promise.

Now, with Lukaku enjoying a new lease of life at the Midlands club, Drogba departing to pastures new, and Torres looking as dangerous in front of goal as a shaved kitten, there will be few Chelsea fans that do not see the return of the Belgian as a necessity for the club. Former Newcastle man, Demba Ba has been brought in as a stopgap striker to aid the flailing Torres, but it is certainly a temporary arrangement.

But, while Lukaku’s record speaks for itself, there will be some reservations from the Chelsea hierarchy as to his ability to ingratiate himself into the fast flowing outfit that the club are attempting to create.

Strikers aside, Chelsea’s attack is chock full of fast thinking, swift footed playmakers and wingers. Linkup play is everything, as well as the switch from defensive aptitude, to devastating counterattacks. This is far removed from the days of Didier Drogba, and Chelsea’s shift away from this is clear due to the club’s stance on legend Frank Lampard, another relic from the days of their brand of dominant, powerful football that saw them achieve such success over the past 10 years.

The much maligned Spaniard thrived at Liverpool in a system honed to play to his ability to play right on the edge of the defensive line, and spin away giving him an often winnable footrace with defenders. At Chelsea, he has spectacularly failed to adapt to the new system, leaving Chelsea with this two year headache.

While Chelsea fans will be excited to see a player in the mould of Drogba return to the club, hoping that he has a similar impact on the trophy cabinet as the now legendary Ivorian, Lukaku and Drogba share the same lack of ability with close control and technical skill. But Lukaku has over a decade on Drogba, and his youth will surely provide him with extra patience from the man in charge of the Blues next season.

There can be no doubt that Romelu Lukaku deserves his chance at Chelsea, given his recent goal scoring exploits, and visible growth as a player under the watchful eye of Clarke, but it may not necessarily be a good match. While you might say that having Drogba as your footballing idol, and basing the majority of your game around the African, may look like a good choice by Lukaku; perhaps it will be a decision that will be a previously unforeseen hindrance on his quest to succeed at Chelsea, as the ‘Didier Drogba way’ of football is now just part of the history books at the club.