Nigel De Jong

After 6 years spent with Manchester City, Gael Clichy’s relationship with the English Premier League club has reached it’s end and the French defender has initiated a new challenge after signing a season long deal with the Turkish outfit İstanbul Başakşehir.

Before Gael Clichy had completed his transfer to İstanbul Başakşehir, it was rumored that a possible transfer to Galatasaray was in the works but a transfer could never be completed and Nigel de Jong was believed to be one of the factors that interfered.

A few years ago, Gael Clichy and Nigel de Jong used to play alongside each other.

Reports and rumors are suggesting that Nigel de Jong told Clichy to not join Galatasaray as it’s a club that has had issues in the past with late wage payments and things of this nature.

However, the 32 year old Dutch midfielder has emerged and denied all of those reports as Nigel de Jong said that all of those rumors are false.

“Normally I don’t react to nonsense stories, but spreading lies behind my back I can’t accept. Would love to play together again with this guy at Galatasaray and told him what kind of impact the club and fans have in Turkey”

“Asking for an opinion or advice doesn’t mean I’m responsible for his decision. He’s a grown man and doesn’t need any help deciding his next step in his career. Believe whatever you want to believe but get your facts straight before mentioning my name.” Galatasaray’s Nigel de Jong wrote on his instagram account.

Nigel de Jong joined Galatasaray back on August of 2016 and ever since then, he went on to make regular appearances for the Turkish outfit and helped İstanbul Başakşehir in securing the 2nd spot of the Süper Lig.

The 32 year old Dutch midfielder Nigel de Jong is currently performing for Galatasaray after having penned a 2 year long deal with the Turkish club in a deal that was completed on August 31 of 2016.

Nigel de Jong started off his career on Galatasaray in a fairly positive manner as he was a regular first-team player but the Dutch player has been seeing more time on the sidelines as a substitute performer.

There are rumors going on claiming that the Sporting Director of Ajax, Marc Overmars is thinking about securing the services of Nigel de Jong and adding him back to Ajax which is the club that the Dutch performer used to play with during his youth.

Starting from 2002 until 2006, Nigel de Jong performed for Ajax as it was the 1st top club that he performed in. At the age of 18, the Dutch player was named as the AFC Ajax Player of the Year which is extremely impressive for someone so young and during the season of 2003-04, he helped Ajax in lifting the Eredivisie title as he made over 20 appearances and played a big role.

It was with Ajax where Nigel de Jong managed to develop himself as a player for the 1st time.

There is no doubt that Ajax has had a huge influence in the career of Nigel de Jong and taking into consideration the fact that the defensively aggressive midfielder is 32 years old, his playing career is reaching the final stages, is there a better way for him to spend the last seasons of his career than by performing with the club that helped his career kickoff?

The recent drop to the sidelines is another important reason of why Nigel de Jong could decide to make an early exit from Galatasaray and join Ajax or any other club.

Stoke City defender Bruno Martins Indi has definitely left his mark on the Premier League this campaign. He would likely be nominated by almost any City fan for addition of this term.

The centre back has been reliable in his role for the club this season and has quickly grown among supporters.

Martins Indi has striking similarities with the club’s former captain Abdoulaye Faye and has quickly shown that he could be profitable business for the club. Since his debut in September, he has been reliable and commanding in the heart of the defence in every game he has played.

His record on the international scene is a bit different. He was snubbed for more than 12 months by Netherlands manager Danny Blind after he was sent off in the coach’s first game. Netherlands lost the game 1-0 in September 2015 and that probably pissed the manager off. Indi did not play for the rest of the qualifiers and was part of those blamed for Holland missing Euro 2016.

Commenting on the situation then, the player said: “It’s very difficult for a young player to bounce back in such a situation. Of course I was not happy with it but people can give their opinions. It was a very strange moment in my career, watching Holland as a supporter when I used to be always there playing.”

Indi said he did not grant interviews for that period and that Julen Lopetegui – the then manager of Porto was a big source of strength for him. The then Porto manager has now become the head coach in Spain.

“I learned a lot about personality from him [Lopetegui]. I still talk to him a lot now,” Indi said.

He said he chose to move to Stoke because the manager has managed players that he knew through his agent like Nigel de Jong that had gone on to have successful careers. Porto new boss Nuno Espirito did not give him options to remain in Portugal though. He returned to the national team after the incident late 2016 after a strong showing for Stoke.

Premier League clubs have been placed on high alert following comments from Ajax coach regarding youngster Riechedly Bazoer.

The Dutch giant has sent a lot of top stars to England, hence the piqued interests with the player set to be available next summer.

Ajax’s academy has produced several top players that have succeeded in the Premier League. Manchester United player Daley Blind, Tottenham stars Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Christian Eriksen and Everton shot stopper Maarten Stekelenburg played for the club at one point in their careers.

Other stars that rose to prominence in England from the club’s famed academy include Nigel de Jong, Edwin van der Sar, Rafeal van der Vaart et al. Bazoer has been backed to be a success if he moves to England, hence Premier League clubs are falling over themselves to get his signature.

The 20-year old Netherlands international has already earned full international caps, having progressed through the country’s age-grade teams. He featured in the Under-15, Under-16, Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 levels. Despite starting at rivals PSV Eindoven, he moved to Ajax where he made his professional debut at 16 years.

After he turned 18, he made his debut for the senior squad where he was a substitute for Lucas Andersen in a league game 2014. Ajax manager Peter Bosz said that the player might likely not remain “after the winter break” and has been dropped from the squad poised to play in the Europa League against Standard Liege.

Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea are likely targets, having been interested even before his move to Ajax. The Sky Blues and the Blues are reportedly topping the list of clubs that would get him when he exits the Dutch side.

Danny Blind’s statement has put him in the firing line of the Social media fan-base of Liverpool. Regarding Wijnaldum, Blind stated that the playmaker had complained to him of having a bit of stiffness in the hammy area much before he had to retire hurt because of that same hammy in the Les Blues match.

And it was that statement by which he gave it away. Now that is where all the fume of the Reds faithful is coming from that if Wijnaldum had spoken to the coach about his trouble already and the coach also knew that he was going to be needed by his club in a huge Premiership clash soon, was it morally correct of him to ask the player to play on even after that?

And, the coach here is nobody else but Danny Blind and Danny Blind is special in this case because someone very close to him is serving Manchester United. That’s his offspring Daley. So, did his offspring’s association with United motivate Blind to make it a point that Wijnaldum played on with that hammy so that Liverpool could lose a vital personnel in the centre of the pitch?

Certain twitter users from Merseyside have that opinion for sure. Here are a few tweets for you to have a look-
“Danny Blind kept Wijnaldum going. Well, no prizes for guessing why?”

“One of our Dutch players plays with injury on national duty, now uncertain for club duty. We all know whose dad the Dutch coach is.”

“Well, Well, Well, Wijnaldum was hurting and Danny Blind was not unknown. No substitution however, Man U connection maybe?”
It’s a serious blame on Danny Blind, but, who asked him to be that that direct with his words? He perhaps could have hidden that he had the knowledge of the developing injury of the player.

Retired referee Howard Webb has admitted yet another error in judgment whilst he was active on the pitch.

The former top referee showed Netherlands international Nigel De Jong just a yellow card for his rough tackle on Spain international Xabi Alonso at the final of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

De Jong gave Alonso a karate kick in the chest but was only shown a warning despite the protests. The retired Webb disclosed that he is “gutted beyond belief” as the challenge deserved receiving marching orders. Webb made the revelations in his book “The Man in the Middle.” The autobiography made other revelations as well, but on the subject, Webb wrote

“Xabi Alonso headed the ball forward to David Villa but, as he did so, Nigel de Jong crashed into him,” Webb wrote. At that moment I’d been positioned just behind Alonso, about 10 yards away, so I hadn’t seen the actual point of impact or exactly how De Jong had connected.”

Webb added that it was a late move, hence the caution.

“However, I knew that it was a late and forceful challenge, and that it warranted a caution. None of my team spoke up on the radio to suggest otherwise, so I showed a yellow card for what I’d seen unfold before me: an untidy, reckless challenge from the Dutch midfielder.

“As I brandished the card, however, there was a furious reaction from the Spaniards, both on and off the field,” said Webb.

Webb also claimed the saw the tackle during the halftime, and felt terrible for missing a red card offence in a World Cup final.

De Jong played in the MLS where he has served several punishments for his rough tackles. He has sent a player to the wheelchair and has been banned retrospectively for games.

Bruce Arena has confirmed that midfielder Nigel de Jong is almost set to leave the club, as LA Galaxy have given him permission to talk with Turkish outfit Galatasaray.

De Jong has been one of the most criticised players in the MLS since his move from AC Milan. The Dutch midfielder may come from a country renowned for playing beautiful and attractive football, but he has a reputation for creating very poor tackles that often result in being injuries to the opposition. After having received quite a number of red and yellow cards in his LA Galaxy career already, it is fair to say that he is not a favourite amongst MLS fans.

De Jong will forever be remembered for his tackle on Xabi Alonso in the World Cup 2010 final, but this horrific challenge does not seem to have put off Galatasaray in the pursuit of the player.De Jong may have played only 18 matches for LA Galaxy since joining the club during the off-season, but he has had a lasting impression on many of the MLS players. Bruce Arena confirmed that the midfielder is currently in talks with the Turkish outfit, but he claimed that there was no confirmation about the move yet.

“Nigel is pursuing an opportunity with our blessing. It either happens or it doesn’t. We have the greatest respect for Nigel. He’s been a terrific addition to our team. He’s a great professional and a great teammate. When healthy and given a chance to play in this league, he’s been good. His game against Vancouver was exceptional. Nigel’s a very good player. We don’t have an educated public to understand what he does, but he’s been an important member of our team. If we lose him, then we use our depth,” said Bruce Arena.

Serie A giant AC Milan are keen on strengthening their team with new Uruguayan target Rodrigo Bentancur this summer.

Reports in Italy say that former owner of the club Silvio Berlusconi gave the new ownership €10-15m to sign a talented player before the transfer window close. AC Milan want Fiorentina player Milan Badelj but the club is not willing to allow the deal. The price range for Roma player Leandro Paredes exceeds the budget of the club and Juan Cuadrado would be a dream signing if only Chelsea will allow.

Sky News report that Milan are budgeting €10-12m for the 19-year old Boca Juniors player Bentancur. When Juventus allowed Carlos Tevez return to Argentina, they included an option to get the player, but they are not interested in exercising that right now. The vice president of Boca Juniors has even admitted that the club would find it difficult to keep the player if Milan bring in over €10m. Reports regarding the issue are still developing, but La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that AC Milan have offered Bentancur a l five-year contract worth €1.5 million annually in a bid to lure him. They also report that the club have submitted a bid of €15 million for the player, but no comment has been received from Boca Juniors. The Italian club would have to hasten negotiations in the bid to complete the deal as soon as possible.

Another AC Milan target Jose Sosa as the club confirmed on their official website that they would be adding the player back to the squad. It seemed like a deal that would go through as the player left the training camp when the club refused to budge and allow the player move away from the club. After Milan got Gustavo Gomez, there were issues that they might be keeping the non EU spot for Chelsea’s Cuadrado but only time will tell.

We have been seeing a lot of LA Galaxy this season as the team has been doing well in the consecutive games and moving up the ranks in the MLS.

The recent game that was much focused upon being the game they were scheduled to play last weekend against Seattle. There have been certain changes that have been introduced into the lineup of players in the game. For instance, Nigel de Jong and Ashley Cole are players who have been key players for the team, but they were not to play the match against Seattle Sounders. Many might have wondered why the team would not be having them play in the match against Seattle Sounders.

It has been said that Nigel de Jong, along with other players in the defense have played well for the team and helped to build the defense for the team. It would definitely be a more difficult task for the team to keep off players like Clint Dempsey and Jordan Morris off their back when their defense would miss players like Nigel.

The reason that Nigel could not play the match against Seattle is that he received a red card in the last match that the team played against the Vancouver Whitecaps. The challenge he took up was reckless on his part, though he did that in the spirit of the game and to defend his team. However, key players like him need to be more pragmatic in their approach and cautious in their behavior on the field. That is because the success of the team depends on these crucial players and their absence from the team can impact their performance in future games. With experience and more games to play, it is hoped that Nigel will rise to the occasion and prove to be a more reliable team member of the club.