Herrera currently plays for Mexican side Pachuca and was influential in his country’s qualification for the London 2012 Olympics.

The 21-year-old winger has only made 27 appearances for Pachuca so far in his professional career but the club’s executive director Andres Fassi confirmed that the Anfield club had been monitoring the player.

“At the moment, we know that Liverpool is interested. But that’s all it is at this point, an interest,” Fassi told ESPN.

Herrera was nominated for the Mexico League’s ‘Golden Ball’ in 2011, an award that celebrates the league’s best talent and Fassi believes that Herrera has the potential to flourish in English football.

“[Herrera] can surely be one of the Premier League’s best players in two or three seasons. He’s that good.”

As early as the 1980’s he was winning trophies. Guiding IFK Goteborg to the Swedish Cup in his first full season and completing a league, cup and UEFA Cup treble in 1982. He continued his success at Benfica, winning two titles and the Portuguese Cup in two seasons and during four years at Lazio he won Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup twice, the Cup Winners’ Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and Serie A, only Lazio’s second Scudetto.

He has managed at some of the biggest clubs and his reign as England manager was consistent and competitive, a vast improvement on the current set up. But in recent years the cool, calm and collected Swede looks to have become complacent and laissez-faire to the game.

Since June 2008 he has been with four clubs as manager or director of football and has been relatively unsuccessful. And after being sacked by moneybags Leicester City following an unimpressive start for the promotion favourites, Sven’s passion for the game must come into question.

The start of this decline in interest can be pinpointed to Spring 2008 when former City owner Thaksin Shinawatra confirmed he would be getting rid of Eriksson after just one season at the club due to some poor results. Despite protests from the fans and the prospect of a strike, the former Thai PM could not be dissuaded and following an 8-1 humiliation by Middlesbrough, the Swede departed the club, even though he had beaten Manchester United twice that season and guided City to their biggest Premier League points total at that time.

With that decision, he seemed to lose all interest in the game and from then appeared to give up on the tradition of trophy chasing in football. After that apparent lack of respect from City chiefs, Sven has seemingly been on a mission to create a footballing legacy, taking on projects rather than management jobs.

His first port of call was the Mexico national team, who he hoped to turn into a North American superpower, where he battled rumours of division within the squad and the wrath of the fans who were upset by his appointment. In seven competitive matches he won only once, with a draw against Canada being followed by losses to Jamaica, USA and Honduras on two occasions which ultimately cost him his job after less than a year.

Even more strangely, after a “takeover” of League Two Notts County in the summer of 2009 by Munto Finance, the Swede arrived through the doors of Meadow Lane as Director of Football. He, like everybody else, had been made to believe that the world’s oldest League club had received major investment that would see them rise from the football league’s bottom tier to the Premiership in five years and wanted to be at the head of that process. Although they were promoted at the end of the season, Sven had resigned in February 2010 after it emerged that the club had large debts and an unpaid tax bill because the owners were not what they had claimed.

After waiving the right to a multi-million pound pay off to secure the Magpie’s future, he was appointed manager of the Ivory Coast for the 2010 World Cup. With stars like Didier Drogba and the Toure brothers, Sven was hoping to make Pele’s comments come true and get an African team to the World Cup semi-finals for the first time. This has probably been his biggest success in recent years, having brought organisation and balance to a team full of flair and had it not been for being grouped with Brazil and Portugal his side may well have progressed.

Finally, last October he was brought to the Walkers Stadium by Thai-led consortium Asian Football Investments, with the task of saving them from relegation and turning them into title winners. He was able to complete the first part of the plan, guiding them to the brink of the play-offs before falling away at the end of the season. But having spent huge sums of money over the summer on Matt Mills and Jermaine Beckford among others, he was unable to live up to expectations and left with the club 13th in the table.

These recent jobs make Sven look like an owner of the game Football Manager, trying to take his team from underdogs to the dominant force. But so far, all his efforts have been in vain.

It is a sorry sight that somebody so successful is now looking for jobs outside the top flight to reignite his interest in the game.

Is Sven bored or do you have another opinion? Leave a comment or follow me on Twitter @jrobbins1991.

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To sum up the horrors I have seen, even David Beckham would struggle for sex appeal in these…oh who are we kidding? The guy would easily pull off Tiger stripes.

Click on Stade de Francais to see the worst 20 kits of our time

This week saw the arrival of London Fashion Week where every year, designers from around the world showcase the best of their designs for an expectant public. The same could be said for football fans who eagerly anticipate the release of their team’s new kit.

Instead of having a new design every year like their couture counterparts, clubs change their kits every other season. However, for some of these monstrosities, two years would be an absolute eternity if you had to don these shocking creations week-in-week-out. Here’s our list of the top 10 worst football kits in football history.

Click on the image below to see which kits made the TOP 10!

Any other sartorial aberrations you feel we’ve missed out?

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A work permit is the only thing stopping Barrera’s announcement from being official as he completes the move from Mexican side Pumas UNAM for £4m. However the 23-year-old has said about the move to East London:

“To perform for West Ham and then move to a bigger team in Europe are my goals. I want to show what I’m made of and then succeed in Europe.”

He added: “My agent told me they are signing players to get better. For me, it’s just cool to play football in Europe because it’s a dream I have had since before the World Cup.” (Sun)

Hammers fans have already been frustrated by the amount of players the club has been linked with and failed to sign and this comment by Barrera doesn’t help matters. In all probability if the Mexican comes to West Ham and plays really well then chances are he may join another side, but he didn’t need to say this and should have shown more respect towards the club. A lot of players have relished the chance to pull on the claret and blue shirt and Barrera should be no exception. West Ham have already had their share of prima donnas and they don’t need yet another one.

The Mexican is only the club’s second summer signing and they have found it very difficult to attract players to the club so far. The squad needs a lot of work done to it after the team very narrowly avoided relegation last season, manager Avram Grant will be keen to get new players in as soon as he can so he can start to work with a settled group of players.

Players have in the past moved to clubs in the Premiership and proclaimed to use them as a stepping stone and it can lead them trying too hard to impress others and not playing their usual game, and subsequently not playing well. Dennis Rommedahl made similar comments when he joined Charlton Athletic in 2004 and became a Premiership flop, so Pablo Barrera will be eager not to follow in the Dane’s footsteps.

Barrera has the potential to be a great player for West Ham as he looked like a very skilful and tricky winger at the World Cup for Mexico. Hammers fans like an exciting player and the Mexican is just that and he could become a real fans favourite, but he must learn to keep his mouth shut and think about the now which is West Ham rather than what could be in the future.

What do you make of Pablo Barrera’s comments?

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Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer

Here are 5 South American players who impressed immensely in this years World Cup finals, more importantly, 5 players who could potentially make the grade in the best league in the world this season:

Alexis Sanchez (Chile)

Undeniably Alexis Sanchez was Chile’s danger man and focal point in South Africa this summer and showed the whole world why he is such a promising prospect for the future of football. The 21-year-old dazzled many with his blistering pace, dribbling skills, attacking prowess and bags of trickery, and was by far Chile’s best player in South Africa this summer. Alexis Sanchez started all 4 games for his country and although he never bagged a goal in the tournament, the forward certainly helped Chile progress as far as they did in the tournament. The Chilean currently plays his club football in Italy for Serie A side Udinese, but has already attracted interest from Premier League titans Manchester United. The Udinese speed merchant can play in several positions including on the wing, upfront and as a second striker. Although the versatile forward only stands at 5’ 7’’, Sanchez is physically equipped to tackle the English game. He would be a great addition to the Premier League, but will cost any team interested a reported £20 million this summer due to his performances in the World Cup.

Antolin Alcaraz (Paraguay)

The Paraguayan international certainly put himself on the map this summer and showed many football fans what he is capable of. The 27-year-old centre-back possesses great strength, pace, positional sense, and standing at 6’ 2’’ also acquires good aerial ability. Having watched the defender this summer, he is also a very tidy and composed footballer, very good to see in a defender these days. Alcaraz did sign a pre-contract agreement deal with Wigan Athletic before the World Cup started. However, the Paraguayan may pull the plug on the deal in hope of signing for a bigger club this summer following promising performances in South Africa. Alcaraz was easily one of Paraguay’s most consistent performers and played 4 out of the 5 matches in the tournament where he bagged a goal as well. Alcaraz has the correct attributes and stature to play in the Premier League this season.

Carlos Salcido (Mexico)

Other than Portugal’s Fabio Coentrao, Carlos Salcido was arguably one of the best full-backs in the tournament this summer. The 30-year-old Mexican international was absolutely solid throughout Mexico’s time in South Africa and was one of the side’s better performers. Salcido possesses superb pace which he utilizes to bomb up and down the left flank as well as good positional sense and strength. The Mexican currently plays his club football in Holland for PSV and has been since 2006. Chelsea have been reportedly linked with the Mexican in the past and may rekindle their interest in the player after seeing him in the World Cup this summer. Salcido would fit the Premier League brilliantly as the player attains the right attributes, and could potentially leave PSV for approximately £7-10 million this summer.

Click here to see the other three players on the list

10. Vuvuzelas

It is apart of the culture in African football but they are very annoying to hear throughout 90 minutes. To be fair it has died down a bit since the departure of the host nation but still manage to make an appearance in the remaining games. It’s disappointing only for the fact we don’t hear no football chants and crowd reactions towards certain decisions.

9. The Jabulani Ball

The Jabulani ball has taken some criticism since the tournament began over 2 weeks ago and by the evidence we have seen it deserved it. Many players who have played with the ball in South Africa have struggled to adapt with the new Adidas ball, claiming that it is to round…what do you want guys, a ball shaped like a square or something? It seems a bit of an excuse to me, however, having watched all the games in South Africa so far, it’s clear to see that it is very different from previous tournament balls. Players have misjudged the flight and bounce, as well as failing to really hit it properly (exclude Carlos Tevez of course). For those reasons stated above, it does make for disappointing viewing at times.

8. Fernando Torres – Not performing like he is capable of

The Spanish striker does not look like he is in the grove this summer as he has been in previous tournaments, and so far in this World Cup, Torres has not been able to find the back of the net. The Liverpool hitman does not look the same player prior to the competition beginning, and its visible to see that he is either unfit or has other things on his mind. Many (including me) thought that Torres would be amongst the other elite strikers in the world battling for the illustrious golden boot. Unfortunately this is not the case this year. Generally, Torres has been poor in South Africa, and for those who placed a bet on the 26-year-old to be top goal scorer of the tournament, well it looks like you guys have lost your money.

7. France – So much Talent, yet no cohesion

The French have got to be the biggest joke in world football today. So much talented stars like Franck Ribery, Yoann Gourcuff, Patrice Evra and Thierry Henry yet they failed in what was one of their worst World Cup campaigns for a number of years. Raymond Domenech was useless as ever as the French manager, and trouble within the camp prior to the tournament and during it certainly didn’t help the cause either. A number of problems caused the Les Bleus to underachieve and evidently failed miserably in their attempt to qualify to the next round. It’s disappointing because we expected better performances from some of the players the football world has to offer, but instead everybody was sucked into the mayhem off the pitch. The FFF has a big crisis on their hands.

6. Didier Drogba – Not seen as much as we expected

The Chelsea hitman had a great season for the West London club and was tipped to be amongst the contenders for the golden boot. Unfortunately, during a friendly game against Japan a week before the commencement of the World Cup, the Ivory Coast striker broke his arm. Drogba struggled and many thought he was out of the tournament. However, the 32-year-old recovered in time and managed to appear in all of the Ivory Coast matches. He only scored one goal against Brazil but this was only a consolation. Africa’s star man was not 100% fit and because of this, he was unable to replicate what he did last season in this years World Cup. A big disappointment for the continent of Africa in whole.

Check out the top 5 on page 2, click here

Few minutes after he came on I realized why Mexico needed him, he seemed to energize an uninspired team, and brought them to life, their attacking play improved a lot and most of it went through Blanco. He might be the slowest forward in the World Cup but he’s by no means a liability to the team, I think if they could, Mexico would have played him every game from the start. The Man has an innate ability to pick out the right pass, unlock defenses with a chip or a through ball, he’s a player who’s capable creating a moment of brilliance. He also scored for Mexico against France from the penalty spot.

Intrigued and also impressed by his cameo performances so far, I did a bit of research on him; turns out he’s a legend for Mexican Football, considered their most talented player in the last two decades. His career was spent playing in the La Liga, MLS and the Mexican First Division. Having played for Club America for the longest period, his stats were impressive too, showing he had a knack for scoring goals. He’s been playing most of his career as a deep-lying forward or as an attacking midfielder, making full use of his creative talents.

So I realized I have a new reason to cheer for Mexico, this almost immobile and unfit player who incredibly is in my opinion key to Mexico achieving anything in the World Cup 2010, Javier Aguirre has a player who can create a chance from nothing, a brilliant impact sub, who can be brought on when things aren’t going right for Mexico.

So with a new reason to cheer Mexico on, I look forward to seeing this man who many would consider not in shape to even keep up with a Sunday league team, play at the world’s biggest stage  and impress everyone and show the world why we’ll miss Cuauhtemoc when he finally retires!

You would think with the Mexican attacking midfielder being so young he still has a chance to make an impression on Harry Redknapp and Spurs.

Dos Santos has been shipped out on loan twice since he arrived at White Hart Lane to Ipswich and Galatasaray. At Ipswich the midfielder played eight games and scored four times, with an assist to his name also.

The Lilywhites youngster had joined Turkish club Galatasaray on loan in January 2010 reuniting with his former boss at Barcelona Frank Rijkaard, who had an option to buy the player at the end of the loan spell. After 13 games Dos Santos failed to get on the score sheet, but he laid on three assists for his team-mates.

For Mexico the player seems to be showing the talent that Tottenham invested in and was one of the best players on the pitch during the World Cup opener when Mexico met hosts South Africa. But even earlier than that he caught the eye of England’s fans when the Three Lions played and beat them 3-1…the result was flattering on Fabio Capello’s men.

He was also instrumental for Mexico during their 2-0 win over the disappointing France last night (Thursday). He has certainly looked a lot better in the tournament than Spurs’ reported transfer target Steven Pienaar of Everton. Surely they could save a bit of money here and persevere with their own young attacking midfielder.

The only question marks over his attitude after he had threatened to quit his country after his brother Jonathan Dos Santos was omitted from Javier Aguirre’s plans, but his brother talked him back into going. Even though he seems to be over this issue many may still worry about the temperament of the player.

As Tottenham will be competing in the Champions League next season many believe that they will seek to strengthen their squad, but in Dos Santos they already have at least one talented young player under their nose and I believe there is a lot he can offer Redknapp’s first team.

The White Hart Lane faithful will still want more end product from Dos Santos should he have a future at the north London club as like his national side he does everything well, but can sometimes lack the punch necessary in the final third in terms of goals and assists.

At the very least his impressive World Cup displays are raising the player’s stock and transfer value, so if Spurs did decide to cash in on the player after the World Cup would probably be the best time to do it.

I’m sure many may be divided over the whole Giovani Dos Santos issue, but do the Tottenham fans think the player still has a future at White Hart Lane?

Follow me on Twitter: ajwilliams1987

Click image below to see a gallery of the Brazilian babes at the World Cup

1.Argentina have an embarassment of riches up front

Whilst Gonzalo Higuain may have grabbed the headlines (and the hastily awarded itv.com man of the match award), the impressive displays of his fellow attacking team-mates suggest that Argentina may have the best strikeforce at the World Cup. The way that Higuain managed to work in fluid synchronicity with the mesmeric Messi, industrious Tevez and tricky di Maria in a revolving quartet of creativity was a thing of pure beauty. Aside from the aforementioned foursome, Sergio Aguero managed to cap off an impressive 15-minute cameo with an assist, whilst treble-winning 30-goal hitman Diego Milito failed to even make it off the bench.

2.Players appear to be getting even stupider

A colleague of mine initially made this point on Tuesday in light of earlier World Cup events, but the petulant behaviour of Nigeria’s Sani Kaita must rank as the most idiotic act of stupidity that this tournament has seen so far. With his side 1-0 up against an anaemic Greece after 33 minutes, Kaita foolishly kicked out at Greece’s Vasilis Torisidis, in a move that ultimately cost his side three valuable points.

3.Individual mistakes can be decisive

Due to the short nature of international tournaments, the damaging effect of mistakes can be far crueller than those committed in domestic leagues. Yesterday we saw three players’ unfortunate gaffes directly lead to goals. Argentina’s ponytailed centre-back Martin Demichelis’ defensive error allowed Lee Chung-Yong to nip in and score an unlikely goal for South Korea. Nigeria’s Vincent Enyeama, whose performances up until the 71st minute of yesterday’s game had made him an early contender for player of the tournament, failed to control a tame shot and provided Vasilis Torosidis with the opportunity to net the winning goal for Greece. France centre-back Eric Abidal’s failure to stay in line with the rest of his defence allowed Mexico forward Javier Hernandez to beat the offside trap and coolly slot the ball past Hugo Lloris.

4.Sacre bleu!

France are bad. Really bad. Although yesterday’s limp display was an ever so slight improvement upon their showing against Uruguay, it is clear that there are deep problems existing within the French camp. On the brink of an ignominious first-round elimination, France deservedly lost to a well-drilled Mexico side. Raymond Domenech’s side looked disjointed and unimaginative, failing to create any clear chances and displaying a woeful lack of fluency. Although the players must share the blame, questions must be asked of the much-maligned outgoing manager, who has woefully mismanaged an undeniably talented group of footballers.

5.The boot-iful game

For some of the world’s biggest companies, the World Cup is an unbelievable platform for product placement. Whilst watching the three games yesterday, I couldn’t help but notice the ridiculous number of players wearing the same orange and silver Nike boots (apparently the boot in question is known as the “Mercurial Vapor Superfly II”). Having been alerted to their prevalence during Argentina v South Korea, I decided to tally up the number of players wearing them in the day’s subsequent games; Greece v Nigeria & France v Mexico featured no less than twenty (yes, TWENTY) players sporting said boots. According to Nike statistics, 40% of all players at this summer’s World Cup are wearing them.

Given that Carlos Tevez and Georgios Samaras were spotted wearing them, it seems as though they’re suited to both excellent and completely rubbish footballers alike.

Follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/zarifrasul

Click image below to see a gallery of the Brazilian babes at the World Cup