Everton midfielder Ross Barkley should no longer be considered a young prospect but regarded as a player who can marshal and inspire his team, manager Roberto Martinez said.
The 22-year-old converted two late penalties in his 100th Premier League game for the Toffees as Everton eased to a 3-0 win over Newcastle on Wednesday.
“(100 Premier League appearances) is a remarkable landmark for someone of his age,” Martinez told the club’s website.
“Today, he showed that he is not a young man anymore, he is still young in terms of age but in footballing terms he is someone ready to lead a team.”
Chinese clubs splash the cash
Chinese clubs spent more per player than any other country in the January transfer window, according to data from FIFA’s Transfer Matching System (TMS).
A flurry of high-profile transfers to China’s Super League has also pushed the country up to third in the table of total spending behind traditional powerhouses England and Spain.
China will overtake Spain and move into second place after 30 more transfers are processed by the TMS, including Jackson Martinez’s €42 million switch to Guangzhou Evergrande.
The transfer window in China does not close until Feb. 26.
Ayew desperate to make amends
Aston Villa winger Jordan Ayew has apologised for his early dismissal in the 2-0 Premier League defeat by West Ham United and is looking to make amends for the error as soon as possible.
Ayew clashed with West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell 17 minutes into Tuesday’s encounter at Upton Park and the Ghanaian international was shown a straight red card after he appeared to elbow the full-back in the face.
“I take full responsibility for my actions and I don’t wish to dwell on my mistake,” Ayew said.
“Rather, I want to look forward to playing again to prove myself to be true to claret and blue as I have done from the moment I joined the club.”
West Ham’s Carroll fit for Southampton
West Ham United striker Andy Carroll is fit to face Southampton in the Premier League tomorrow after recovering from the hamstring injury he suffered against Bournemouth last month, but new signing Sam Byram has been ruled out for a week.
Injuries have restricted Carroll to 13 Premier League appearances this season, but the striker has recovered from his latest knock ahead of schedule.
Defender Byram, who joined West Ham from Leeds on January 20 and made his debut in the 2-2 draw with Manchester City, had picked up a “small injury” in training, the club said on its website.
Watford draw leaves Courtois frustrated
Thibaut Courtois expressed frustration at more dropped points as Chelsea’s bid for European football faded further in Wednesday night’s goalless draw at Watford.
The Blues are 13th in the Premier League, 16 points behind fourth-placed Arsenal and 11 adrift of Sunday’s opponents Manchester United, currently fifth.
“Being unbeaten is always important but obviously we would have preferred to win than draw,” Courtois said on chelseafc.com.
“We could have won.
“It’s a pity we didn’t but now we have an important game against Manchester United.
“We want to win every game and move up the table, it’s another big one.”
Capello reminisces on goal vs England
Former England manager Fabio Capello has described scoring against the Three Lions – and getting one over the English tabloid press – as the best moment of his Italy career.
Capello, who was in charge of the England team from 2009 to 2012, grabbed the only goal in a November 1973 friendly as the Azzurri secured a first ever away win over England, dampening the national mood on the day Princess Anne had married Army lieutenant Mark Phillips.
The 69-year-old was asked by AS what the highlight of his national team days was, and he said: “The goal I scored against England at Wembley in November 1973, the first time Italy beat England at home.”
Celtic need to keep their cool – Deila
Ronny Deila called for calm heads after Celtic’s lead over Aberdeen at the top of the Premiership was cut to three points with a 2-1 defeat at Pittodrie on Wednesday.
Celtic have a massive goal difference advantage over the Dons but the pressure increases on Deila, who saw hopes of a domestic treble ended with a League Cup semi-final defeat to Ross County at Hampden Park on Sunday.
Asked if it was a time for calm, including among the Celtic directors, the Norwegian boss said: “Of course, that’s what you need to do.
“If you lose your head you lose everything. It is very important to be calm.”