Top transfer-linked players with a potential move to the EPL:

Hello again everyone and welcome to my latest blog post, where I have analysis and a quick player profile of the top transfer-linked players in Europe who are linked to making moves to the EPL in the summer transfer window - transfer rumours and updates that have been spread across the world:

Rodrigo:
Club - Benfica
Linked with - Liverpool and Manchester United
Rumoured transfer fee: £25million pounds

It's not as if Liverpool and Manchester United are in desperate need of any new strikers, but Rodrigo seems as if he would benefit both clubs significantly if he were to make a move. He has scored 13 goals in 29 appearances for Benfica this season, and he split open Tottenham's defence in their Europa League knock-out round tie in mid-March.  

In-form: Rodrigo is attracting interest from many clubs,
including Liverpool and United

Club and country: Rodrigo has scored 15 goals in 16 games for Spain's highly-rated U-21 side

Antoine Griezmann:
Club - Real Sociedad
Linked with - Manchester United and Arsenal 

Rumoured transfer fee: £20million pounds

Griezmann has scored 19 goals this season for Sociedad in Liga BBVA from left wing, and has impressed scouts who have gone to watch him play in recent months. 

Among those who went to watch him included Manchester United manager David Moyes, who was reportedly impressed with what he saw and could be tempted to make a summer bid in an attempt to sign a winger who could replace Young and Nani on the flanks. 

Griezmann has been key for Sociedad this season, helping them to challenge for a CL spot. 

Wenger is reportedly also interested in Griezmann, who has developed significantly as a player in the last two years. 

Fabio Quagliarella:
Club - Juventus
Linked with - Southampton
Rumoured transfer fee: Anything up to £5million pounds

There is rumoured interest from a few clubs in the EPL for the services of 31-year-old striker Fabio Quagliarella from Juventus, including Southampton who could take advantage of the fact that he has not been playing as much first-team football for Juve since they signed on-loan striker Dani Osvaldo in January (from Southampton ironically!)

Not wanted: Quagliarella has been virtually frozen out of the Juve team this season

Quagliarella is desperate to play first-team football, would he be open to a move to England?

Mario Mandzukic:
Club - Bayern Munich
Linked with - Arsenal 
Rumoured transfer fee: £20-25million pounds

Bayern have already sealed the free transfer signing of Robert Lewandowski from rival club Borussia Dortmund, and he is set to join the club in July after his current contract expires. 

This will leave Mandzukic in a situation where he will have to think long and hard about his future at Bayern, because the chances are he will be benched for the majority of important matches and he would not be happy with that. 

Cue the interest from a host of EPL sides, including London club Arsenal who missed out on Higuain and Suarez in the summer transfer window but need a proven, clinical goal-scorer as soon as possible to help Giroud (IF he stays) up-top to provide more goals. 

England calling? Mandzukic may be open to a move abroad if Lewandowski is his replacement

Proven: Mandzukic has scored 20 goals this season, in the Bundesliga and Champions League

Handful: Mandzukic played against Arsenal in the CL, will he join The Gunners? 

FACT: Mandzukic has scored 17 goals in the Bundesliga this season, which means he is joint top goal-scorer along with Robert Lewandowski of Dortmund..

Ability in the air: Mandzukic has a real presence in the air, and is a useful asset for set-pieces

On the move? Mandzukic may be on his way, pending Lewandowski's arrival in the summer

Edinson Cavani:
Club - PSG
Linked with - Chelsea, Manchester United + Manchester City
Rumoured transfer fee: In excess of £50million

Cavani has struggled to settle in France after his big-money move to PSG in the summer transfer window last year, and even though he has not been favoured to start the major games for Paris Saint Germain, a host of clubs are interested in seeing how his situation develops. 

There have been rumours spread around in the past couple of months which suggest that Ibrahimovic and Cavani are not comfortable being in the same team together as both of them have to work harder than the other just to start for PSG, and clubs such as Manchester City admitted their interest in the Uruguayan striker before he joined Ligue Un at the start of the season. 

Despite failing to start every game, his stats have been impressive and if PSG are willing to sell him, the club will be reluctant to let him go for anything less than what they bought him for in the summer, around £50million pounds. 

Cavani has been under pressure to partner up Ibrahimovic in attack for PSG, but does not get played as much as he would like

Didier Drogba:
Club - Galatasaray 
Linked with - Chelsea
Rumoured transfer fee: Free

Drogba's contract deal with Turkish side Galatasaray expires in the summer and Mourinho has already publicly stated that he would be "open" to a possible Drogba return to Stamford Bridge, which could happen. 

Very real possibility: Drogba could be open to a move back to Chelsea in the summer

Didier played against Chelsea in both legs of their Champions League Last 16 tie in February which sparked an emotional return for him in London, and the Chelsea supporters would be open to have their legendary striker back in the Blues this summer.

Diego Costa:
Club - Atletico Madrid
Linked with - Chelsea
Rumoured transfer fee: £30million pounds

Now this is a heavily-linked story. Costa has been linked with a move to England constantly throughout this season, especially because of his good performances and goal-scoring record in Europe (both Spain and the Champions League) for Atletico have prompted one of their best seasons in over 15 years. 

Going to England? Costa has been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea

Proven goal-scorer: Costa has scored 27 goals in the Liga BBVA this season for Atletico.

Apparently, Chelsea have already agreed a fee around £30m for him, and if this is true then they will sign Costa on July 1st (when the transfer window officially opens). 

He is a quality striker who has proven himself, but the question will be whether he can settle well in England or struggle like many of Chelsea's strikers in recent years. 

Mario Balotelli:
Club - AC Milan
Linked with - Arsenal and Chelsea
Rumoured transfer fee: £20million pounds

His first spell in England was very controversial, and he struggled under pressure from the media and his team-mates. But since his move to Italy, he has looked like a changed man. 

Clinical and quality: Balotelli is a great striker, but just needs time and patience!

Proven: Balotelli (left) stole the show at Euro 2012 with Italy, helping them get to the final

Infamous: Balotelli's celebration against Gerrmany was also a highlight back in the Euros

Balo was involved in many rows and controversies while at City, including this (pictured)

Yes, Balotelli is a changed man. He has settled well back in Italy, and has been the key for a disappointing Milan side who finished  this season in the Serie A. 

Based on the fact that Milan cannot offer Balotelli and a couple of his other stronger (in terms of quality) players Champions League, Seedorf may find himself being offered sums of money to take Balo off his hands.

Among those who are rumoured to be interested in taking the Italian "hothead" back to the Premier League are London club Arsenal, who are desperate for a world-class striker to help them on their quest for their first EPL trophy since 2004. 

Balotelli has been controversial in the past on and off the field, and there will obviously be questions as to whether managers will be reluctant to sign him, but he is a quality striker who is clinical. 14 goals this season. 

Balotelli will be eager to prove himself again at the World Cup, could he be on the move?

Angel Di Maria:
Club - Real Madrid 
Linked with - Tottenham and Arsenal 
Rumoured transfer fee: £30million pounds

This rumour has started to develop in the past couple of months, with Di Maria originally being linked with a move away from Real Madrid at the start of the season when Ozil left and he was apparently said to also be "surplus to requirements" in the summer transfer window. 

However, the Argentine winger said that he was happy to fight for his place in the starting line-up for the Spanish giants and did not want to leave, which instantly quashed any links with him possibly joining an English club - which was thought to be his preferred destination if he were to leave. 

Partnership: Di Maria has done his best to help assist Ronaldo this year, after the Portuguese forward expressed his anger at the sale of Ozil at the start of the season.

Encouraging: Di Maria has had his best campaign of his career; 11 goals and 22 assists.

Impressive: Di Maria's form has caught the eye of many clubs in Europe, in-case he is transfer listed

The rumour mill has brought Di Maria's future back into question because despite having a good season, Real have been thought to think of a suitable replacement for him (you'll find out later on in this post). 

Arsenal and Tottenham are among those interested in his services, and if he leaves it is thought that Spurs will get first pick on whether they want to sign him or not, as the two clubs (Real and Spurs) have an agreement which means they give each other "first pick" on players that they have expressed interest on. Sounds complicated, but it will be resolved in the summer.  

Karim Benzema:
Club - Real Madrid 
Linked with - Arsenal
Rumoured transfer fee: £30million pounds 

This rumour has been on and off for almost 3 years now, virtually since Benzema joined Real Madrid from Lyon back in 2009. 

Arsene Wenger had expressed his interest in Benzema as a youngster, when he was playing in Ligue 1. He signed for Real Madrid and the rumours over his future were therefore finished.

But, over the past few years, Real Madrid have been reportedly disappointed with his performances in terms of goals, despite being a world-class striker. 

Clinical: Benzema has scored 111 goals and made 62 assists so far during his Real career

Aerial threat: Benzema is a danger in the air from set-pieces as well as with his feet

Have a look at his stats and see for yourself: 

2010-11 season: 26 goals and 9 assists in 48 games
2011-12 season: 32 goals and 15 assists in 52 games
2012-13 season: 20 goals and 20 assists in 50 games
2013-14 season: 24 goals and 14 assists in 51 games

I would not be particularly surprised if Wenger tried to formally sign Benzema this summer, this could be the perfect time to get a world-class striker, he's French and proven at the top level in both club and international level.

Hard to beat: Benzema uses his strength and pace to beat defenders, could Arsenal sign him?

Marco Reus:
Club - Borussia Dortmund 
Linked with - Manchester United and Real Madrid
Rumoured transfer fee: Between £30-35million pounds

Now this man is the player who Real want to sign to replace the likes of Di Maria as their main attacking man behind Bale and Ronaldo. It's not surprising, he is one of the best in his position in Europe and has shone in a weakened Dortmund team without Gotze and now with Lewandowski (from July onwards)

And it's not exactly surprising either, Reus boasts having the quality to help his team out in awkward situations, and is the difference for Dortmund. The one key player that they can rely on, but the question will be whether they will keep him or not. 

Manchester United have been linked with Reus' signature, but he is thought to want to play Champions League football and Klopp will be reluctant to sell one of his best players. 

Reliable: Reus has scored 23 goals and made 18 assists this season.

Reus' close control dribbling, pace and attacking intelligence makes him one of the best in Europe

Reus has already said he would like to stay at Dortmund, but will clubs make a move for him?

Toni Kroos:
Club - Bayern Munich
Linked with: Manchester United
Transfer fee: £40million pounds

Another Manchester United target, Toni Kroos. The Bayern Munich midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to the Manchester club, after reports suggested that he wanted a move away from the German side at the end of the season.

He was not getting regular first-team football, and as a result gave Bayern an ultimatum; play me or let me leave. He was eventually given more playing time, and has repaid the faith shown in him by manager Pep Guardiola with some consistent performances in both the Champions League and Bundesliga.

Kroos was said to be unhappy and disappointed about the lack of match time he was getting

Proven German international: Kroos has been chosen for the World Cup squad.

He had a pivotal role against United this season in the Champions League. Will he join?

But the question remains. Will he stay at Bayern, or join United and help bolster their midfield? 

FA Cup Final: Arsenal vs Hull - LIVE Commentary

Hello again everyone and welcome to my latest blog post, where I have a LIVE Commentary of the FA Cup final match between Arsenal and Hull City at Wembley. 

Great atmosphere: Hull will be hoping to celebrate after the game with a cup win

Road to the final: Both sets of fans will be hoping their team can lift the FA Cup tonight

Here are the team line-ups:

Arsenal: Fabianski, Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Arteta, Ramsey, Cazorla, Ozil, Podolski and Giroud.

Subs: Szczesny, Vermaelen, Rosicky, Wilshere, Monreal, Flamini and Sanogo.

Hull: McGregor, Chester, Bruce, Davies, Elmohamady, Livermore, Huddlestone, Meyler, Rosenior, Quinn and Fryatt.

Subs: Figueroa, Koren, McShane, Boyd, Sagbo, Harper and Aluko.


0: The referee has blown his whistle to start the game.

30: What a first 30 minutes! Wow. Hull go 2 goals ahead in the first 10 minutes of play (Chester 3' and Davies 8') thanks to two different set plays which were poorly defended by the Arsenal players, before Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla made it 2-1 with a well-drived free-kick which flew into the top corner of the net. 

Early lead: Chester celebrates his opener after just 3 minutes of play at Wembley

Double trouble: Davies slots the ball past Fabianski after an initial effort hit the post

Hull manager Steve Bruce cannot believe what he is seeing, his side 2-0 in the FA Cup final

Hull have started the game well but have looked nervous on the ball after Cazorla reduced the deficit. Arsenal simply could not believe that they were 2-0 down with less than 10 minutes on the clock, thinking the worst. 

Back in it: Cazorla made it 2-1 with a great free-kick in the 17th minute.

However, the momentum has shifted for Arsenal, even though they would like to take their goal-scoring chances. 

42: Hull are certainly playing well in this first period, Arsenal are struggling to break through their defence and even though both teams look dangerous on the counter attack, The Gunners take too long to get into their attacking stride and it allows Hull time to get back and track their markers.  

45: Three minutes of stoppage time to be added on, the fourth official has signalled for.

45+1: Potential half-chance for Arsenal, a long range ball over the top of the Hull defence by Cazorla finds Gibbs, but he is unable to have a chance on goal.

45+3: Cazorla tries to thread a through ball towards Giroud, but Davies intercepted the danger well and the referee blows his whistle. 2-1 to Hull, and it's been deserved for their early start.

It's been a great half of football, end-to-end action but you would expect Arsenal to get themselves back into the game in the second-half. I think that it's safe to say the team that starts the second-half the better could very well win the tie today.

17:57 - It will be interesting to see how Arsenal respond in the second-half, what do you think this man will be saying to them in the dressing room?

Pressure: Wenger will be expected to deliver a motivating team talk at half-time, it could be the difference between his side winning and losing

18:03 - The referee has blown his whistle to start the second half, 2-1 to Hull is the current score. 

45: No substitutions for either side at half-time, but Hull manager Steve Bruce has been seen on camera to gesticulate to sub Sone Aluko that he should watch the game and get a feel for what he will be doing on the pitch later on.

49: Half-chance for Arsenal, good run by Ozil to the byline and beats his marker before trying to slot a cross into the box for a team-mate, but there is no support in the area and Hull clear the danger. 

52: Hull have put the ball out of play to give the physio time to treat defender Alex Bruce after coming worse for wear with a sliding challenge on Giroud near the area.

53: Replays show that Giroud's fallen over the defender and caught him with his studs.

54: Bruce should be okay to carry on though, even though he looks slightly uncomfortable.

55: Arsenal need urgency if they want to equalise sooner or later, Hull are sitting back but are dangerous with the ball on the counter attack.

56: Good gesture from both sets of supporters at Wembley as they applaud to pay tribute to the 56 people who lost their lives in the Valley Parade fire last weekend in 1985.

Click here for more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradford_City_stadium_fire

60: Tom Huddlestone gets a yellow card after a late foul on Cazorla, and he is lucky not to concede a penalty after clearly pulling back Giroud inside the box, which was not seen by the referee.

62: Arsenal SUB:
Lukas Podolski OFF
Yaya Sanogo ON

Sanogo replaces Podolski, to give Giroud some support up-front. 442 formation for Arsenal, more width with 2 strikers, Sanogo would love to get his first senior goal for the side though.

65: Another penalty appeal? Jake Livermore blatantly handles the ball inside the area from a set-piece, nothing given.

67: Hull SUB:
Alex Bruce (injury) OFF
Paul McShane ON

It's a forced change for Hull, as Bruce limps off the field uncomfortably. Played well, made a few mistakes but his manager will not want to risk an injured player.

70: GOAL! Arsenal's pressure finally pays off, Koscielny does well to position himself between the goal and the ball before sliding the ball past McGregor to equalise with 20 minutes to play, despite getting clattered by the goalkeeper. 

Back to square one: Koscielny positions himself well to pounce on his chance and make it 2-2

74: Hull SUB:
Stephen Quinn OFF
Sone Aluko ON

Aluko finally gets his chance, can Hull hold on or stun Arsenal with a late goal? 

80: A simply glorious chance to put Arsenal ahead. Arsenal continue to press near the box, the ball falls to Gibbs from 6 yards out with the goal gaping, but he gets ahead of himself and slices the shot over the bar. Should have made it 3-2.

82: Yet another penalty appeal? Arsenal continue with their constant pressure inside the box, and a through ball goes towards the path of Cazorla who is barged down to the ground by Meyler in the area. 

Play waves on despite a chorus of boos and replays show there was some contact, Meyler is lucky not to have given away a penalty. Hull have been very lucky today with these decisions. 

86: Players starting to get a tad more careless with their decision-making. Yellow cards being brandished in quick succession; first Giroud after he clattered into Aluko, before Davies is late and gets a yellow for his troubles.

90: The fourth official has signalled for 5 minutes of stoppage time to be played. 5 minutes, a lot of time for drama and late goals if anything. 

90+1: A low effort from Giroud is comfortably saved by McGregor, did well to swivel past his marker but could not put enough power or accuracy behind his shot. 

90+2: Hull push men forward into the opposing area with another long-ball free-kick to be taken, but Sagna and Arteta clear their lines and Arsenal go on the counter attack. 

90+3: Ramsey threads through an attempted pass across to Cazorla, but the ball bobbles awkwardly and Cazorla is unable to control it in time to deliver a good enough cross.

90+5: The referee blows his whistle to end the 90 minutes of football. 2-2 is the final score, meaning that extra time has to be played to settle a winner, if not, then the match will go to a penalty shoot-out. 

19:00 - The referee has restarted the match, the players look frustrated and tired as both sets of teams will have hoped they could have won the game comfortable by now, especially Hull as they had a 2-0 lead only ten minutes into the match.

Arsenal will be glad that they got themselves back into the game, but they should have taken their chances and were unlucky with 4 different penalty decisions (even though Koscielny's equaliser was controversial aswell) 

Atletico vs Barca - Mini match report

Meanwhile in Spain, the league title winner has been decided on the final day of the season. Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid was the title decider, with the visitors knowing that a point would give them their first title win since the 1994-95 season.

The match has just finished 1-1, with Diego Godin scoring for Atletico after a great Sanchez opener for Barca. 

League winners: Godin equalised for Atletico with a bullet header past Pinto in the second-half

Great goal: Sanchez celebrates his power strike which flew into the net from range (below)

Bullet: Sanchez's strike in the first-half was was not enough for Barca to regain their title

Congratulations to Atletico Madrid, they have played well all season in both the Liga BBVA and Champions League. 

Champions of Spain: Atletico celebrate an unbelievable campaign with a league title

99: CHANCES! Arsenal have taken control of the game now, Hull having to defend and rightly so. Sanogo weaves past his marker and almost tests the keeper, before Giroud hits the crossbar with a well-drilled header. 

101: Hull SUB: 
Liam Rosenior (injury) OFF
George Boyd ON

Fresh legs for Bruce's team, they'll look to hold on and take their chances when they can.

102: Ramsey has had two long-range efforts in the last 5 minutes, the first one was not taken well as he struggled to make solid contact with the ball, the second one was power and direct, but was relatively straight at the goalkeeper. Better though.

103: Sanogo doing well on the flank to give Hull problems, getting in-behind the defence on the counter attack but he cannot force a target on-goal.

105: The referee blows his whistle to end the first-half of extra time after Sanogo intercepts the ball in vain with a lucky pass out by goalkeeper McGregor.

19:17 - Both sets of players stay on the pitch for their team-talks, only a few minutes of time to regain their focus for the second period of extra-time. 15 minutes before the possibility of penalties becomes real after a great cup final. 

19:18 - The referee blows his whistle, second-half of extra time has begun as Arsenal make two substitutions:

Mesut Ozil OFF
Santi Cazorla OFF
Tomas Rosicky ON
Jack Wilshere ON

106: The importance of fresh legs is highlighted in the follow Arsenal move.

Wilshere darts across the box with the ball at his feet, he plays a "give and go" with Sanogo but does not get the ball returned to him as Hull clear the danger. Arsenal look increasingly dangerous. 

109: GOAL! Arsenal ahead! A lovely move, clinically finished off by Aaron Ramsey who slots the ball past McGregor low into the bottom corner of the net. 

Winning goal: Ramsey makes it 3-2 in the 109th minute with a low drilled strike.

A great back-heel from Giroud inside the area tees him up, and the Welsh midfielder has no problem in taking his chance and giving Arsenal the lead for the first time in the match.

111: Cameras show Hull supporters looking glum in the stands, they cannot believe that their team had a 2-goal lead and let it slip.

113: Arsenal go on the counter attack again, but the ball is well cleared away by the Hull defenders.  

115: WOW! Hull almost made it 3-3 in dramatic circumstances, Mertesacker tries to clear the ball away but slips onto the turf and Aluko runs to the ball and dribbles towards the goal, Fabianski sprints towards him and he narrowly misses the target.

117: Arsenal are literally just hanging on, they do not care! 

119: An ambitious long-range effort from Aluko..... good save by Fabianski who holds onto the ball gratefully. Surely it's game over? 

120: 1 minute of stoppage time to be played.

120+1: The referee blows his whistle, as Arsenal players celebrate wildly, who can blame them! Their first trophy in 9 years, a great day and a bold comeback from 2 goals down in the first 10 minutes. 

Mixed emotions: Podolski and Wenger embrace while Steve Bruce looks shocked.

A fitting way to end the day, with Ramsey scoring the winner and getting Man Of The Match. 

The Gunners will be glad to get their first trophy win in almost a decade, but from next season they will look to bolster their squad.

Arsenal lift their first trophy for 9 years, the FA Cup after a dramatic 3-2 win over Hull

Here is who they should prioritise for potential signings -

• A back-up goalkeeper if Fabianski leaves
• A world-class striker to help up-top with Giroud, there is too much reliance on him
• A good holding midfielder, preferably under-25 as a clear replacement for Flamini

England's World Cup 2014 Official Squad - Reactions and Review:

Hodgson's 23-man squad (+ the standby list) that he has picked to represent England at the WC

Hello again everyone and welcome to my latest blog post, where I have reaction and a detailed review of England's World Cup 2014 official 23-man squad, which was announced by manager Roy Hodgson at 2pm on Monday afternoon.

The Premier League season came to an end yesterday, but that is certainly not the end of the football season! The World Cup begins in just over a month's time, and many of the international teams qualified for the tournament have started announcing their national squads ahead of the friendlies in a few weeks.

Monday was the long-awaited deadline for England to announce their squad, with many injuries ruling out players such as Kyle Walker (Tottenham), Theo Walcott (Arsenal) and Jay Rodriguez (Southampton), it would be interesting to see what team would be unveiled by Hodgson.

And then, there was some interesting developments on Sunday night, which featured an omission from the squad. Here it is:

• Ashley Cole officially retired from international duty for England after being omitted from the national squad to play in the World Cup, with Hodgson saying that it would be best for the "youth to play" instead;

Proof: Cole confirmed on Sunday night that he has retired from England duty on Twitter

• Meanwhile, Manchester United confirmed that they had submitted a £27million pound bid for Southampton young left-back Luke Shaw, who at the age of 18 has been selected to play for England in Brazil next month.

So here is the official squad plus the standby list for England, to go to the World Cup:

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Man City), Ben Foster (West Brom) and Fraser Forster (Celtic). 

Expectation: Hart will be expected to perfom well, as he did during Euro 2012 (pictured)

No real problem with the goalkeeper selection, Hart is by far the best choice goalkeeper and there are two suitable replacements in Foster and Forster if need be. I would have probably expected Ruddy but the chances of him playing are slim so.

Jack Butland (currently contracted to Stoke) is a goalkeeper for the future, although he is currently playing for the under-21's. 

Defenders: Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Luke Shaw (Southampton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Chris Smalling and Phil Jones (both play for Man Utd), Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines (both representing Everton).

First choice regular? Baines will be expected to start for England in Brazil this summer

Young potential: Shaw has potential to be a regular in the coming years

The only real main concern for most England fans is that Ashley Cole is not going to Brazil, based on the recent performances of Shaw and the lack of encouraging displays from Cole himself. Mourinho is partly to blame for that, Cole has been a great servant for club and country and it's gone all of a sudden. 

Shaw probably will not start ahead of Baines, but it will provide some good experience of a major international tournament for the 18-year-old.

I would have thought that Caulker would be included in the squad, but maybe his team's overall performance (Cardiff getting relegated this season) is perhaps the reason why Hodgson has not included him. 

Midfielders: Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling (all 3 from Liverpool), James Milner (Man City), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Adam Lallana (Southampton), Ross Barkley (Everton), Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (both from Arsenal)

Quality: Lallana is a quality player who has impressed this season but, will he shine in Brazil?

Barkley has also proved himself this season for Everton, he could star for England aswell

No real issues to report in terms of midfield depth or strength. Probably the best looking part of the field from an English perspective, the balance between current-generation and next-generation is both exciting and intriguing to see how everyone plays.

Wilshere has been struggling with a few injuries as of late but when fit plays an integral part in the midfield. Barkley and Lallana should not be under any pressure to "carry" the midfield as it were, but do not be surprised if they perform well. 

Henderson is rewarded as a result of his improved performances for Liverpool this season with a justified place on the plane; but the question for him is whether he will be able to impress Hodgson enough to start matches, or just be an impact sub in the hub of midfield.

Improved: Henderson is now living up to the pricetag that Liverpool paid for him, will he impress in Brazil?

Sterling and Oxlade-Chamberlain provide the pace for the side, both have been influential for their respective clubs this season and they will be hoping that they can replicate that for their country also.

Milner is more of an impact substitution but if he starts he would be better placed away from the wing (ineffective) and Gerrard and Lampard are in amongst the more experienced members of the squad. 

Strikers: Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Rickie Lambert (Southampton), Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck (both from Man Utd)

Disappointed to see that Defoe is only on the standby list, if Tottenham had played him more often then I'm confident he would have been preferred over Lambert or Welbeck because he is certainly more clinical than both, has pace, an eye for goal and has experience. Hopefully he gets his chance.

Experience: Defoe (pictured here, 2010 World Cup) should have been chosen ahead of Welbeck