Anzhi Makhachkala - Proof That Spending Billions May Not Protect A Club

It is an argument that has been rumbling on for a number of years now, ever since Roman Abramovich took charge of Chelsea. He introduced a system of spending a huge sum of money on players to completely change the team which in turn will make them a success. As we all know, Chelsea did succeed. The old system of developing the core of the team while spending money wisely in order to improve your options changed after this event -now teams who want to challenge for the biggest trophies must spend big in order to get there. Arsenal are an example of how spending little, yet wanting to challenge for the biggest trophies, has it's obvious flaws.

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Is Mats Hummels The Perfect Replacement For Carles Puyol?

Barcelona are in desperate need of a new central defender for the new season as they only have 2 established centre backs. There is no denying that Pique and Puyol are both talented players but while Carles Puyol struggles to stay fit they rely heavily on Javier Mascherano to fill the void. 

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Which European league is the best? - the big matches

Whilst the English Premier League is the self-proclaimed greatest league in the world, and attracts the most viewers from a worldwide audience, is it actually the best league regarding quality of players, teams and football played, or is it just that the increased media coverage makes people believe that it is the finest on offer? I decided to take a closer look at how it compares with other European leagues by comparing the biggest matches on show.

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The future's bright for French football

A casual observer of the modern game will tell you that the future of football lies in Spain, who have had success throughout all international age groups but also European dominance with their club sides. A more interested observer will tell you that Germany has the potential to be the future Kings of Europe and the world. You only have to look as far as the all German Champions League final. However, a dedicated follower of football will tell you that France are developing into a country that will compete with Germany and Spain for many years to come. A patriotic Englishman will argue that England are in with a shout, but they will even be shot down by the casual observer.

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Are PSG & Monaco’s millions good for French football?

There are clear advantages; France have only ever had one Champions League winner and only one finalist in the last twenty years – something that will surely change in the coming years. In recent times Ligue 1 has seen its best players constantly poached by the top European leagues, however suddenly the best and most highly sought after players are now coming to France with Radamal Falcao and Edinson Cavani being prime examples of this.

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An early Champions League prediction

With it still being the off-season and pre-season in full flow we edge closer to the beginning of the season like a snail carrying shopping on its back.

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Summer signings - Who has paid too much? (Video)

In the second part of my look at summer transfers so far, I turn my attention to clubs that have paid too much to sign a player and what they should have done with the money instead.

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Roma’s new number 6 - A look at Kevin Strootman (Video)

They may have lost one of their rising stars to Ligue 1 champions PSG, and their keeper to west London club Fulham, but the forthcoming season is looking up for AS Roma after the acquisition of Dutch midfield enforcer Kevin Strootman. The 23-year-old, already hailed as the reincarnation of the retiring Mark van Bommel, is a solid addition to the capital side which already boasts the talents of the loyal Daniele De Rossi and growing fan favourite Michael Bradley. And with ageless genius Francesco Totti taking care of the creative side of things, aided by the mercurial Erik Lamela (and when he’s bothered, troubled yet gifted striker Pablo Osvaldo), this could just be the Giallorossi’s year. 

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Can PSG conquer Europe?

With the arrival of £27m defender Marquinhos from Italian side AS Roma, Paris St Germain have now spent close to £100m during the past month on bolstering their already formidable squad in preparation for the defence of the Ligue 1 title they claimed last year and a renewed assault on the Champions League. Can they now claim to be realistic contenders amongst Europe's elite?

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PSG vs Monaco – The battle of the wallets

Monaco’s free spending return to Ligue 1 has the potential to set up quite the rivalry between fellow money bags Paris Saint Germain.

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How high will transfer fees go? (Video)

With rumours that PSG are about to smash the French transfer record by spending £60m on Edinson Cavani, just how high are transfers likely to go during the next five years? Newly promoted Monaco have already lavished close to £50m on Falcao, whilst Real Madrid hold the overall record, set back in 2009 when they purchased Cristiano Ronaldo. Is there any sense to spending so much on one player or is it just too big a risk?

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Barcelona legend returns to homeland (Video)

After his miraculous recovery from a liver transplant in April 2012, and his return to playing first team football with Barcelona a year later, it was a huge surprise when the Spanish club announced that they weren't going to offer an extension to his contract at the end of this season.

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Should Newcastle be worried about losing midfielder? Paris Saint-Germain lurk (Video)

Laurent Blanc has declared his admiration of Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye publicly, to the ire of Alan Pardew, his manager. Squawking like a hen over chicks that a circling hawk has its eye on, Pardew termed the newly-signed PSG gaffer’s remarks ‘disrespectful’.

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A closer look at why Laurent Blanc isn’t suited to Paris Saint-Germain

This column has already mentioned that Laurent Blanc probably wasn’t suited for the French national team head coach position (a very popular choice at the time) and that he should seek work straight after Euro 2012. The problem being, he didn’t find any. Until now.

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Chelsea favourite on the move?

For a key cog in the creative hub of Chelsea's front-line, one could be forgiven for scoffing at the notion that Juan Mata may well be on his way out of the London club. 

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