Written by Football Talk.

Chelsea’s Yuri Zhirkov has thrown his future into doubt after admitting he is finding it increasingly difficult sitting on the bench.

The Russian can play at either left-back or left midfield but currently finds himself behind first team regulars Ashley Cole and Florent Malouda. The 27-year-old moved to Stamford Bridge last summer from CSKA Moscow in an £18m deal, but a series of injuries have hampered his chances of replacing either Cole or Malouda in the Chelsea first team.

Zhirkov was linked with a transfer back to his homeland this summer with both Spartak Moscow and Zenit St. Petersburg linked with a move. However, nothing materialised and now the player is keen to take advantage of any chance that comes his way in the next few months and then re-evaluate his situation in the winter.

“I’ll certainly get a chance in the next few months and I’ll try to use it completely,” he said.

“Then, in the winter, everything will probably depend on whether I got this chance and how I used it.

“We are currently in brilliant form and getting past Malouda and Cole is problematic. Everyone understands about the competition: once you are on the bench you can be there for a long time. But I will definitely get a chance.

“The thoughts when you are watching your team play are always the same: you support, worry and your soul wants to be on the pitch to help.”

]]> http://football-talk.co.uk/7585/chelsea-18m-man/feed/ 0 http://football-talk.co.uk/7582/redknapp-hails-summer-transfer-business/ http://football-talk.co.uk/7582/redknapp-hails-summer-transfer-business/#comments Thu, 09 Sep 2010 08:06:49 +0000 Football Talk http://football-talk.co.uk/?p=7582 More >]]>

Written by Football Talk.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has taken time to hail his four summer signings. Redknapp’s latest recruit is Dutch playmaker Rafael Van der Vaart who was snapped up on deadline day, but Spurs were also able to conclude deals for ex-Arsenal captain William Gallas, Brazilian midfielder Sandro and goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa and Redknapp is in no doubt he has added some quality to his squad. Speaking to the official Tottenham website, he said:

“Rafael was a late one, on deadline day, but the chairman said we had a chance to take him and it’s a great signing for us. He’s a good footballer who will settle in here and play well with the likes of Luka Modric, Tom Huddlestone and the players we’ve got at the club.

“Sandro’s big, strong and a player with a big future. He’s in the Brazilian squad now and hopefully he’ll be a good player for us.

“I’m delighted to have William, he’s a top, top player and he’s done everything there is to be done in the game. His experience will be invaluable to us and so important now that Michael Dawson has picked up that unfortunate injury.

“For me, it was a key area and it’s a great signing for us, I’ve absolutely no doubts about that. He’s a great professional and I’ve been really impressed with him. He’ll be good for us.

“I thought Stipe was a great loan for us, we couldn’t go wrong on that one. We’re looking to loan Ben Alnwick out and we needed cover.

“Carlo Cudicini has just come back from a serious injury and Gomes is also injured at the moment. It was important to get another goalkeeper in.

“Stipe’s a top goalkeeper; you don’t get all those caps for Croatia otherwise. He’s also a great character and I’m sure he’ll do well for us.”

Are Tottenham fans happy with the clubs summer transfer business? Please leave your comments below…

Written by Sean Oakes.

Just as everyone was thinking that AW had changed his transfer policy I have news that will please some and infuriate others. The signings of Chamakh, Squillaci and Koscielny seemed to have taken Arsene Wenger into another direction. This however is not the case!

Arsene Wenger seems to have taken a u turn and gone back to what he has become famous for, signing youngsters and turning them into superstars. Maksym Koval is quite possibly the best under 17 goalkeeper in the whole of Europe. He has already played in the CL for his club Dynamo Kiev and is expected to become Ukraine number 1 within two years.

At 17 he is already 6ft 1″ and has excellant reflexes and positional sense. A move for Koval seems a certainty in the january transfer window.

With all of the hype of young Belgium players it is of no suprise that Arsenal are leading the race to sign Anderlecht superstarlet Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku is an absolute bull of a centre forward in the mould of Didier Drogba. It seemed as though Chelsea and Inter were leading the race but Arsenal have suddenly jumped to the top with a clear lead. This maybe because Wenger is also interested in signing Romelu’s 15yr old brother Joradan at the same time?

Jordan is a left back but is certain to grow into a centre half with time. Mr and Mrs Lukaku would love their sons to go to the same club and Arsene Wenger seems to have given them their wish.

Much speculation has filled the back pages over the past 3 months with players from all over the globe linked with a move to the premier league’s top sides. But now the dust has settled, are you happy with your clubs business in the transfer window or do you feel your manager should have done more?

Here is a run through of the ins and outs at Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham this summer, then please submit your vote below:

Arsenal:

Players In:

Marouane Chamakh (Bordeaux, free), Laurent Koscielny (Lorient, undisclosed), Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla, undisclosed)

Players Out:

Luke Ayling (Yeovil, free), Nacer Barazite (Vitesse, loan), Sol Campbell (Newcastle, free), Eduardo (Shakhtar Donetsk, undisclosed), Luke Freeman (Yeovil, loan), William Gallas (Tottenham, free), Fran Merida (Atletico Madrid, free), Philippe Senderos (Fulham, undisclosed), Mikael Silvestre (Werder Bremen, free), Jay Simpson (Hull, undisclosed), Armand Traore (Juventus, loan), Sanchez Watt (Leeds, loan)

Chelsea

Players In:

Nascimento Ramires (Benfica, £16.3m), Yossi Benayoun (Liverpool, £5m), Matej Delac (Inter Zapresic, £2.7m), Tomas Kalac, Sigma Olomouc, undisclosed)

Players Out:

Michael Mancienne (Wolves, loan), Joe Cole (Liverpool, free), Michael Ballack (Bayer Leverkusen, free), Juliano Belletti (Fluminese, free), Miroslav Stoch (Fenerbahce, £2.5m), Tomas Kalas (Sigma Olomouc, loan), Ryan Bertrand (Nottingham Forest, loan), Scott Sinclair (Swansea, £1m), Jack Cork (Burnley, loan), Nemanja Matic (Vitesse Arnhem, loan), Slobodan Rajkovic (Vitesse Arnhem, loan), Franco di Santo (Wigan, undisclosed)

Liverpool

Players In:

Joe Cole (Chelsea, free), Jonjo Shelvey (Charlton, £1.7m), Milan Jovanovic (Standard Liege, free), Danny Wilson (Rangers, £5m), Christian Poulsen (Juventus, £4.5m), Brad Jones (Middlesbrough, £2.3m), Raul Meireles (Porto £11.5m), Paul Konchesky (Fulham, undislosed), Emiliano Insua (Galatasaray, loan)

Players Out:

Alberto Aquilani (Juventus, loan), David Martin (MK Dons, free), Mikel San Jose (Atletico Bilbao, undisclosed),  Robbie Threlfall (Bradford, free), Yossi Benayoun (Chelsea, £6m), Albert Riera (Olympiakos, undisclosed), Krisztian Nemeth (Olympiakos, undisclosed), Diego Cavalieri (Cesena, undisclosed)

Manchester United

Players in:

Chris Smalling (Fulham, £10m), Javier Hernandez (Guadalajara, £10m), Marnick Vermijl (Standard Liege, undisclosed), Bebe (Vitoria Guimaraes, £7.4m)

Players Out:

Ben Foster (Birmingham, £6m), Zoran Tosic (CSKA Moscow, £8m), Tom Heaton (Cardiff, free), Danny Drinkwater (Cardiff, loan), Danny Welbeck (Sunderland, loan), Craig Cathcart (Blackpool, undisclosed), Mame Biram Diouf (Blackburn, loan), Rodrigo Possebon (Sao Paulo, undisclosed), Tom Cleverley (Wigan, loan)

Tottenham hotspur

Players In:

William Gallas (Arsenal, free), Sandro (Internacional, £6m), Stipe Pletikosa (Spartak Moscow, loan), Rafael van der Vaart (Real Madrid £8m)

Players out:

Jimmy Walker (released), David Button (Plymouth, loan), Adel Taarabt (QPR, £1m), John Bostock (Hull, loan)

Written by Fab4.

Well, that’s that then. Who’s surprised? Another transfer window slams shut and yet again millions of Gooners around the world are left deflated and wanting more.

It all started on the 27th March 2010, Birmingham away at St Andrews when Almunia threw away 2 vital points and with it Arsenal’s title hopes, when he palmed a routine save into his own net. I said at that point this summer was the most important in Arsene Wengers reign. The simple fact is you can’t win things without a top goalkeeper and a new No.1 had to be top priority in the summer transfer window.

Fabianski was given a few end of season games to prove he was the man to save Arsene some cash and was ready to be Arsenal’s main man between the sticks. He blew it and errors against Wigan and Blackburn showed everyone, including the boss, that he wasn’t up to the task. So a new goalkeeper was on the cards this summer.

The early signs were promising and it seemed that interest in Fulhams Mark Schwarzer meant the penny had finally dropped and Le Boss had realised what everyone else had known for 2 years.

Suddenly Cesc-gate took over and Arsene had to shift his priority to convincing his captain to stay put. Then we lost four centre backs meaning we had to go and find replacements, on top of this there was a World Cup where Arsene took a month off to work as a commentator for Castrol. But surely he would still have time to tie up a relatively simple purchase of a 37-year-old from just down the road in Fulham?

As the speculation grew Arsenal were linked with pretty much every goalkeeper on the planet but the Schwarzer rumours wouldn’t go away and chairman Peter Hill-Wood confirmed we had submitted a bid for the Aussie. YES! Finally we had confirmation we were after a goalkeeper. Schwarzer came out and expressed his desire to leave Fulham and join Arsenal to have one last crack at the big time. It was only a matter of time now before we had our man.

Suddenly things went quiet and transfer deadline day arrived. I, like many Arsenal fans, was 100% confident Wenger would sign a goalkeeper and 99% sure it would be Schwarzer. Shay Given was meant to be heading to the Cottage to replace the Arsenal-bound Schwarzer but mid-way through the day City confirmed Given was staying and in the end this proved to be a devastating blow to Arsenal’s pursuit of Schwarzer.

Big Ben sounded and time was up. Mark Hughes came out and showed his delight that Schwarzer had stayed and then shocked everyone by claiming Arsenal hadn’t even been in touch on deadline day regarding their goalkeeper. So in the end, Arsene didn’t even pick up the phone and try to sign Schwarzer. He was probably sitting in his office starring at the accounts and smiling at another successful transfer window of spending as little as possible.

We are now left with a goalkeeper in Almunia who knows his manager has lost faith in him. How can we expect him to perform under these circumstances? Our No.2 Fabianski is not ready to be first choice, he may be talented but he has shown time and time again he’s not up to it, so where do we go from here?

It’s nothing short of a disgrace, that a club like Arsenal couldn’t sign a player in 3 months. Arsene Wenger has known for over 3 months now, if not longer, that he had to sign a goalkeeper yet here we are with the window closed and no new No.1.

How many Gooners are happy with Arsenal’s transfer business this summer? The biggest positive was obviously Cesc staying, but what’s the point in that when we don’t have a goalkeeper who can lead us to a title or trophy? I would rather have sold Fabregas and used the £50m to buy a world class GK (Lloris and Buffon were available), a replacement CM (Ozil, Van Der Vaart or Arteta maybe) and a proper CB (Mertesacker, Subotic, or Zapata would have been good). Right now, who else would have sacrificed Fabregas if it meant we got Lloris, Ozil and Mertesacker in return. We could have done that and still had money to spare!

Instead we have Fabregas, but he’s playing alongside a goalkeeper who can’t get near his national team squad and is proven to be a liability. A new centre back in Squillaci who can’t get in his national team ahead of Gallas, a player we just let go to our rivals for nothing, and another centre back who has only played one year at the top level of French football! It’s almost laughable.

I’m not making snap judgements on Koscielny and Squillaci, I’m just giving the facts. To be honest, i hope Squillaci is ready to dive straight in because Kos doesn’t look like he’s ready just yet. But it’s all going to be irrelevant anyway, because Wenger has failed to address the major issue and come what may it will have once again cost us.

I will still support Arsenal, i will still be unbearable to live with after we get beaten by Chelsea and Man Utd at the Emirates again this year, and i will still be gutted when we end the season trophy-less. But for me, Arsene Wenger has let the club down, many of the players down, and most importantly the fans down. I fully respect everything he has done for the club in his 14 years and i’m sure Arsenal wouldn’t be half the side without him, but i have supported Arsenal far longer than Arsene Wengers reign, and i can see as well as anybody he has his faults. Failing to sign a goalkeeper this summer is one of his worst decisions ever.

How can we blame players for wanting to leave? Our club has no ambition anymore and the fact that we were pissing about for a deal to sign a 37-year-old for around £2-£4m shows it. If Arsene wanted him so badly why not just put in the £4m bid 2 weeks ago, so Fulham had time to find a replacement, and we wouldn’t be in this mess. It’s pathetic.

I honestly fell for all Arsene’s rubbish this time. We all know the story, at the end of the season he says he knows where we need strengthening, he’s identified his targets and wants to get the transfers done quickly. Then f-all comes of it. But this time i thought he was finally ready to spend the money we keep hearing about and on the players we needed in order to make us a real threat again. More fool me, it won’t happen again.

Simple facts: Arsene wanted to buy a keeper – we had the money – keepers were available to buy – he had 3 months to do it – he failed to deliver

Another transfer window full of broken promises.

Rant over.

Written by Football Talk.

The 3rd round of the 2010 Carling Cup was drawn this lunch-time and there is no doubt about the tie of the round; Tottenham face Arsenal at White Hart lane.

Other ties include Chelsea facing Newcastle united at Stamford Bridge, Scunthorpe face Manchester United and Liverpool play northampton at Anfield. But all eyes will be in North London when the great rivals go head-to-head.

With the close of the transfer window looming, newspapers are filling their back pages with transfer stories to get the fans excited. Managers are expected to be making some last ditch moves to strengthen their squads in the coming days so here is a round up of the latest transfer gossip doing the rounds.

Gunner’s defender deal delayed

Sebastien Squillaci has apparently flown back to Spain after undergoing his medical at the Emirates….don’t worry Gunners fans, he’s only gone back to tie up a few loose ends before completing his move to Arsenal. Squillaci will not be signed in time to make the trip to Ewood Park to face Blackburn on Saturday, with an official announcement not expected until Sunday at the earliest. The fee is in the region of £6m and some reports claim he will wear the number 18 shirt.

Spurs to miss out on Parker

Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has said that although he remains interested in signing Scott Parker, a deal seems unlikely as the Hammers are refusing to do business according to the Guardian.

Spurs had a bid in the region of £8m rejected by West Ham earlier this month and when asked if he was still tracking the 29-year-old, Redknapp said:

“I am saying nothing. I don’t think anything is going to happen with Scott Parker. They don’t want to sell him so …”

Lassana Diarra is also a player on Redknapp’s radar but his wages may prove to be a sticking point.

United weighing up Defour move

Manchester United are considering making a late move for long-term target Steven Defour, according to Sky Sports News. Sir Alex Ferguson has tracked the Standard Liege midfielder for well over a year and even send him a letter of support when Defour suffered a serious foot injury.

Defour has been linked with several clubs across Europe but United are confident they can lure him to Old Trafford and sources at Sky Sports claim they are considering a late bid in order to secure his signature.

Liverpool make Konchesky move

Liverpool have contacted Fulham about the availability of left-back Paul Konchesky, manager Roy Hodgson has confirmed. Speaking ahead of Thursday’s Europa League tie against Trabzonspor, Hodgson said:

“We had discussions with Fulham about whether they were prepared to sell any of their players,” said Hodgson.

“I’d be lying if I said Paul was not a name we considered,”

“Whether or not there is a chance of business is very much up in the air,” added Hodgson.

Chelsea set to miss out on Argentine

Chelsea have made a £10m offer for Bayern Munich defender Martin Demichelis but are set to lose out on his signature as the player wants to join Sevilla, according to the Daily Mail.

The Argentine is currently at loggerheads with Bayern over a contract extension and apparently club sources claim Chelsea have made their move. As well as Sevilla, Juventus are also keen on the 29-year-old.

**remember these are only rumours and should be taken with a pinch of salt. these stories are taken from several newspapers and were not created by this website – Football-Talk.co.uk**

Written by Football Talk.

AC Milan have offered Tottenham the chance to sign Klass-Jan Huntelaar on a season long loan with the option to make the move permanent, according to talkSPORT.

Dutch striker Huntelaar has failed to secure a first-team place at the San Siro following his move from Real Madrid and has continually been linked with a move to the premier league. Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has made no secret he is looking to strengthen his squad and with Champions League qualification in the bag, chairmen Daniel Levy may now be persuaded to loosen the purse strings.

Although initially a loan move, the 27-year-old will be on big wages and Redknapp will want to off-load one of his current crop of strikers before any deal is completed.

Written by Thomas Curtis

Roy Hodgson has clearly informed Barcelona that they are going to have to make a substantial offer if they are to land Liverpool’s want-away midfielder Javier Mascherano, but are the club asking for too much? It is becoming evident that Barcelona are the only team left in the running for the industrious Argentine, after Inter admitted they would be unwilling to pay Liverpool’s asking price. Some reports have suggested that Barcelona have offered only £12 Million for the Argentine, for whom Liverpool shelled out £18 million just over three years ago. Other reports have claimed that Arsenal’s former playmaker Aleksander Hleb could be offered in part exchange.

With the recent publication of the Catalan clubs finances revealing the staggering £370 million debt owed by Barcelona, it is no surprise that they are unwilling to stump up the alleged £25-30 million requested by Liverpool for Mascherano’s services. Some would suggest that with that magnitude of debt they should not be allowed to bid for any players, especially after already giving Valencia £34million for David Villa this summer.

In reality, if Barcelona refused to splash the cash on their other primary summer transfer target, Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas, they are not going to be bullied into over-spending on a player who is already desperate to leave his current club. Javier Mascherano is a good player, and his presence will be missed for Liverpool should he leave in this window, but he does not offer Barcelona’s players or fans the popularity of Fabregas, or have the same commercial and football appeal attached to the Arsenal captain.  For these reasons, it is unrealistic to expect Barcelona to substantially increase their debt to secure Mascherano’s signature. Liverpool’s alleged asking price for Mascherano is not unrepresentative of his qualities, and in most circumstances would be a perfectly reasonable price for the Argentine.  However, because of Mascherano’s apparent desperation to quit Anfield, Barcelona have eyed a quick bargain and cannot be blamed for trying their luck.

Even though Reds boss Hodgson admitted after the loss to Manchester City that Mascherano was unhappy at Liverpool and wanted to leave, he is clearly going to stand his ground, and Mascherano won’t be leaving on the cheap. It is unlikely that Mascherano will stage a protest against Liverpool’s treatment of him or refuse to play for them, but his heart and desire to perform for Liverpool, if he is selected, will not be as strong as it has been in the past. The last thing Liverpool fans will want to see is lacklustre and heartless performances from important players. That is not a dig at Mascherano’s professionalism, but if he is truly unhappy at the club and Hodgson ends up repeatedly telling the media that the player is ‘not in the right frame of mind’ (as he did prior to the clash with Manchester City), Mascherano’s displays on the pitch will suffer. Therefore it is in the best interests of Liverpool and Mascherano to get this resolved as quickly as possible, and that may well mean making a compromise on the value of the player.

It is easy to understand Hodgson’s position in this situation, and it is not unreasonable of him to expect Barcelona to pay a decent price for the Argentine, but £25-30 million is an unlikely fee given the circumstances. Liverpool do not have the luxury of being able to freely spend millions on new recruits without selling first, and are obviously keen to get the true value for the player. However, Liverpool could do a lot worse than considering a swap deal involving Aleksander Hleb, who already has Premier League experience with Arsenal.

Even short-term, a swap loan deal could turn out to be a good piece of business for Liverpool. Having completed the acquisition of Juventus midfielder Christian Poulson, the possible arrival of Hleb would compensate for the departures of Mascherano and £20 million Italian flop Alberto Aquilani, who is reported to be joining Juventus with a view to a permanent return to Italy.

How much do you think Barcelona should pay for Javier Mascherano? Would Aleksander Hleb be a good signing for Liverpool?

Written by Football Talk.

Javier Mascherano is edging closer to his Anfield exit after being left out of the Liverpool squad to face Manchester City tonight. Sky Sports News are reporting that Barcelona have made a £12m bid for the midfielder while the Guardian claims that a £12.2m offer also includes former Arsenal player Alexander Hleb and defender Martin Caceres.

Liverpool are understood to have rejected the bid as they are looking for £24.4m up front with no player exchanges in the deal. The Guardian are also reporting that Mascherano has refused to play tonight, basically going on strike, which should all but end his days on Merseyside.

More as this story develops….

Written by Football-Talk.

Scott Parker and Robbie Keane could be involved in a sensational swap deal during the final week of the transfer window, according to a report in the Sunday Mirror.

The report suggests Harry Redknapp will return with a second offer for Parker after having an initial inquiry turned down earlier this month. Liverpool are also said to be monitoring Parker’s situation but the player would prefer to remain in London.

Despite the West Ham owners reluctance to sell, should Redknapp throw in Keane as part of the deal, the Hammers would have to look at the offer more seriously.

West Ham are on the look-out for a striker and with Keane well down the pecking order at White Hart Lane a swap deal could suit both parties. The only major stumbling block could be the West Ham would want around £5m as well as Keane and the players wages could also hamper any potential deal.

Written by Fab4.

Arsenal are closing in on the signing of Sebastien Squillaci after Sevilla announced on their website that the defender was due to arrive in London today to undergo a medical.

The statement confirms that a deal has been struck and Squillaci will be an Arsenal player as long as he passes a medical. Media reports in Spain are suggesting the fee is in the region of £5.3m and a 3-year contract has been agreed.

Here is a translation of the statement on Sevilla’s website:

Defender Sebastien Squillaci in the night travel to London today in order to pass Monday a medical with Arsenal, the club they will be traded after the agreement reached by both clubs, which is at the expense of those physical evidence.

Squillaci argued last Wednesday, not feeling well from the standpoint of mind for not playing the first leg of the qualifying round of play offs against Sporting Braga at the tempo that Arsenal made an offer to Seville for the player. Sevilla FC Squillaci came two seasons ago, from Olympique Lyon.

I have to admit that i haven’t seen much of Squallici and the games i have seen him in, he hasn’t stood out but if Wenger is willing to give him a 3-year deal at the age of 30 then he must be decent. Either way, it looks odds-on that Arsenal will have another CB in their ranks within the coming days and Squillaci will provide welcome competition to Vermaelen, Koscielny and Djourou.

Just a GK and we’re set. Although i wouldn’t rule out a surprise midfield move by Wenger either! After the Emirates Cup Arsene claimed he was considering signing a central midfielder but the form of Frimpong had changed him mind. Now Frimpong is out for the season, perhaps Arsene will snap-up a central midfielder as well before deadline day.

Written by Sean Oakes.

Arsene Wengers search for a new centre back and goalkeeper looks certain to continue after Fulham turned down Arsenals latest move for the Australian stopper. Mark Hughes is keen to keep Schwarzer at Craven Cottage and with Manchester City announcing that they would not sell Shay Given to Arsenal.

It now seems as though the Arsenal boss will turn his attention to Ajax keeper Maarten Stekelenburg.Ajax have already said that with their financial troubles Stekelenburg along with Gregory van der Weil and Luis Suarez could well be sold.

Talks about Arsenal signing Sebastien Squillaci are a long way wide of the mark.Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted that the French international is beig watched by the Gunners but that is as far as it has gone.

A centre back is needed at the Emirates but my money would be on a move for Germany and stuttgart centre back Serdar Tasci.Tasci has already issued a come and get me plea to Arsenal and it seems as though Arsene Wenger is waiting to take the young German at a cheaper price nearer to the end of the transfer window….

Written by Fab4.

Arsenal’s search for a new GK and a new CB continues after having bids turned down for both Mark Schwarzer and Sebastien Squallaci yesterday.

Fulham seem to be playing hard-ball over Schwarzer which is understandable as they don’t want to lose one of their best players, but it baffles me how a transfer like this can drag on for so long. We are talking about £2-£4million here, it’s hardly going to break the bank for either club to meet in the middle.

The player has clearly stated he would like the opportunity to leave Fulham and join Arsenal to have a crack at Champions League football. Arsenal’s first bid was £2m which was rejected by the Cottagers, who are believed to have asked for at least £4m. Arsenal’s second offer was most likely around £2.5m – £2.75m. So lets just be sensible here and do a deal for around the £3.25m mark. I’m all for trying to get a good deal, but if it means getting Schwarzer in asap then pay the extra £500,000 and get the deal done for crying out loud!

Next is the interesting news that Sevilla have claimed Arsenal’s offer for defender Squillaci is ‘insufficient’ and that the player himself asked to be left out of their Champions League tie on Tuesday. Sevilla sporting director Ramon Rodriguez confirmed the news on Tuesday after the game:

“The player asked not to play because of the offer from such a big team but, for the moment, we believe the offer is insufficient and Squillaci is still a Sevilla player,” said Rodriguez

The La Liga outfit also posted on their website that:

“Sebastien Squillaci’s future is in the air.

“As was confirmed by sporting director Ramon Rodriguez at the airport in Porto, the club have received an offer from Arsenal.

“The player asked coaches not to play him in the match.”

I don’t know too much about Squillaci but if Arsene thinks he’s the man for the job then that’s good enough for me. Only time will tell if we can finally make a breakthrough in their search for a GK or CB but time is running out and with the way our midfielders are dropping, we may need to be adding a CM to the wish-list!

Written by John Toher

Friends of Liverpool FC
After last night’s frustrating, yet welcome win against Trabonspor of Turkey in which Liverpool won 1-0 but should have had two or three, Roy Hodgson was asked about the failure of alberto Aquilani to even make the subs bench for the second game running:

“At the moment we are considering loaning him to an Italian club.

“I didn’t want to use him tonight in case the loan goes through because for Aquilani it’s very important this year that he plays regular football, every week as the number one man on the team sheet.

“I can’t promise him that here so if a loan move to Italy could help him in that respect it might be good for all parties. It would certainly be what he needs, it would certainly protect the value of the player and when he does return to Liverpool no doubt we will see the Aquilani that we signed before he came here injured last year.”

Clubs interested in the ‘little Prince’ include Napoli mainly and although Aquilani’s agent has denied it to date, it now looks likely that the diminutive midfielder may be on his way out of Anfield.

Signed by Rafa Benitez last season to replace Xabi alonso, the Italian struggled with injuries and it comes as no surprise that the new manager is planning to get shut of him.

Written by Football talk.

Ex-Arsenal captain William Gallas is set to have a medical with Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow, according to Sky Sports News.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has already confirmed him interest in bringing Gallas to White Hart Lane this summer but it now seems the deal have moved a step closer.

Gallas is available on a free transfer after leaving Arsenal at the end of last season after failing to agree a contract extension. The Gunners were sticking to their over 30’s policy by only offering the defender a one-year deal, while Gallas is looking for at least a two-year contract.

If Sky Sports reports are accurate, it may prove to be a controversial move for the 33-year-old France international. Although he was hardly held in Arsenal legendary status, the gunners faithful may still vent their anger at a former captain joining their bitter rivals.

It will also be interesting to see how the tottenham fans welcome Gallas should he make the move. Will they be happy to sign what may be seen as an Arsenal ‘reject’ or will they see this as getting one over their foes?

Written by Fab4.

Arsenal are believed to be in talks with Sevilla over the transfer of defender Sebastien Squillaci, according to French source Canal+. Young Guns also picked up on the story and suggest that should the transfer go through, Havard Nordveit will be made available for loan.

Squillaci was left out of the Sevilla squad for last night’s Champions League tie with Sporting Braga, adding fuel to the fire that Arsenal are set to sign the Frenchman.

Don’t know about you, but i can believe this one. We all know Arsene Wenger loves nothing more than to sign a French player! The report doesn’t state how much the proposed deal is worth, but it’s safe to say Arsene wont be breaking the bank.

I’m not sure whether Young Guns are correct in saying Nordveit will be loaned out if the deal goes through, but i would be disappointed to see it happen. He has looked decent in pre-season and can offer us cover at centre-back, right-back and defensive midfield. I hope Arsene keeps hold of him and gives him a run out in the cups as well.

Written by John Toher

Roy Hodgson may be about to sign Ola Toivenen. The Swedish International who plays his club football with PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch League is linked with a €5 million move to Anfield with Roy having watched him in the midweek International match between Scotland and Sweden, but may have to fight it out with Tottenham as boss Harry Redknapp is also said to be keeping an eye on him.

The 24 year old striker has made an impressive start to the new season with 5 goals in just 2 appearances and could be the ideal signing that Liverpool need upfront to bolster our attcking opiotons this season.

Other news is that Daniel Agger is out of the reckoning for our Europa League home game against Trabonspor at Anfield due to concussion following his bang to the head against Aresenal and want-away midfield mopper-up Mascherano still wants to go but nobody has put a firm bid in for him yet.

Masch has a calf-injury so he won’t play tonight against the Turks (racist remark?),
But Hodgson still has a strong squad to choose from with maybe new signing Christen Poulson possibly making his debut in midfield for the Reds.

So do you think this man will solve our short-comings upfront, leave a comment below.

Written by Football Talk.

Chelsea have hit back at claims they have made an illegal approach for striker Neymar, but have admitted he is one of several young Brazilians the club are keeping tabs on.

Santos are threatening to report Chelsea to FIFA for ‘harassing’ Neymar after they had a £17m bid for the 18-year-old rejected last month. However, the Daily Mail claim the premier league champions will return with an improved £25m bid this week.

However, Santos will refuse to sell unless they receive almost £30m – the amount stated in the players release clause – and are also reluctant to deal with Chelsea due to the way they have behaved during their pursuit of Neymar.

But Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck has denied any wrong doing and revealed the player is simply one of many the club are tracking.

‘There was no tapping up from Chelsea and I want to be clear on that,’ Buck told talkSPORT. ‘We are looking at several young Brazilian players and he is one of the players we have been looking at.

‘Whether he becomes a Chelsea player at some point, who knows?

‘We are still looking at some things, whether they happen or not I don’t know. Carlo is happy and confident with the squad we have. If there is another player or two, great – if not, we’re fine with what we have.’

Written by Football Talk.

Chelsea have been told by Benfica that they will have to pay an amazing £33m for defender David Luiz, according to the Daily Mail.

The premier league champions are on the look-out for a centre-half after selling Ricardo Carvalho to Real Madrid for £6.7m and the highly-rated Luiz is believed to be high on Carlo Ancelotti’s wish-list.

Manchester City have also been linked with a move for the Brazilian and Benfica president Luis Filipe Vieira has stated that it would take a bid of £33m to force them into a sale.

He said: ‘We would only begin talks over an offer of about €40million.

‘It would be impossible to consider any offer less than that because it would be bad business for us. I want David Luiz to stay at the club for this season.’

]]> http://football-talk.co.uk/7181/transfer-talk-chelsea-priced-move-defender/feed/ 0 http://football-talk.co.uk/7173/bye-bye-almuniahello-schwarzer/ http://football-talk.co.uk/7173/bye-bye-almuniahello-schwarzer/#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 07:50:08 +0000 Football Talk http://football-talk.co.uk/?p=7173 More >]]>

Written by Fab4.

Manuel Almunia has claimed he would seek talks with Arsene Wenger about his future should Arsenal bring in a new No.1 this summer. Really Manu…..is that a promise?!

Everyone knows Arsenal need a reliable goalkeeper and despite what some Gooners think, Arsene Wenger knows this fact more than anyone. The problem is Arsene can’t break the habit of a life-time and push the boat out to sign someone, he always wants to get the very best deal possible and will wait until deadline day to make his move.

Now while you may say “what’s wrong with that?”, but it becomes a problem when we’re stuck with a player who is low on confidence as he knows his days at the club are numbered and we have to play important premier league games with an unreliable stopper.

Either Schwarzer or Given would be a huge improvement on our current crop, but given the fact Arsene has already stated his reluctance to deal with Man City (and the fact Schwarzer would be cheaper!), i think the most realistic choice will be the 37-year-old Aussie. Either way, i think you’ll see Almunia move on deadline day, most likely back to Spain with Arsenal snapping up Schwarzer for around £3m. Fabianski will then be back-up once more. (lets hope Schwarzer can stay fit!!!)

My only question is….WHY WAIT?!?!? We could easily get around £2-3m for Almunia so it’s not like we would be out of pocket, so just get the deal’s done this week Arsene.

Now i have no inside knowledge here, it’s just my opinion that Arsene will sell Almunia and sign Schwarzer. I have nothing against Manu, I’m sure he’s a great bloke and he is a decent keeper. The problem is he can’t handle the big games and is simply not up to being No.1 at a club like Arsenal.

Anyway, if you haven’t seen it already, here is what Almunia had to say:

“To be honest, it is so difficult to concentrate because Arsenal is a big club and speculation is always in the news and everywhere,” he said.

“The only thing I can do is keep working because I have a contract here and I have to do what the manager wants from me.

“I have not spoken to him. If somebody comes in, I will have to talk about my future at Arsenal. That is it.”

“I cannot talk now, because the talking would be for nothing,” he continued.

“I have to work and if one day I am not good for Arsenal, I will talk. That is no problem. I am very happy here.

“The only news I have is from third parties — people at the training ground. When I go out and when I come back from training, I switch off.

“I try to live in a bubble and give all my attention to my wife. Every morning when I go out training, it is the time to think about football. But the rest of the day is the time to switch off.

“It is not easy, though. Every time you go out, people are around you who are football fans. But you have to be polite to everybody and smile.”

]]> http://football-talk.co.uk/7173/bye-bye-almuniahello-schwarzer/feed/ 15 http://football-talk.co.uk/7168/redknapp-confirms-goalkeeper-move/ http://football-talk.co.uk/7168/redknapp-confirms-goalkeeper-move/#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 07:37:44 +0000 Football Talk http://football-talk.co.uk/?p=7168 More >]]>

Written by Football Talk.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has confirmed goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa is training with the club and will join on loan if he impresses this week.

Spurs have been tracking the Croatian for some time and came close to signing him last summer but injury problems prevented the deal being completed. However, Redknapp is still keen to bring in competition for Gomes and Cudicini and Pletikosa will secure a loan move to White Hart Lane as long as he proves he’s over his knee problems during a week-long trial.

Rendknapp told Sky Sports News:

“He’s with us for a week or so, just to see how he is,” Redknapp said.

“If he’s fine and he’s okay, he’ll join us.

“He’ll give us good competition and good cover in that position.”

Written by Football Talk.

Tottenham have had an ambitious attempt to take Joleon Lescott on loan from Manchester City rejected, according to talksport.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is looking to add to his defensive options due to the long-term fitness worries over captain Ledley King and Johnathan Woodgate is unlikely to make the final 25-man squad due to injury concerns.

Lescott was only named on the substitutes bench for City’s opener at White Hart Lane on Saturday as Roberto Mancini opted for Kolo Toure and Vincent Kompany in the centre of defence. But talksport report that Tottenhams attempt to take the England hopeful on loan for the season was rebuffed as City weren’t keen on him joining a top-four rival.

Written by Football Talk.

Dimitar Berbatov starts up front with Wayne Rooney for Manchester United at Old Trafford tonight, as the Red Devils host newly promoted Newcastle United.

Van der Sar takes his place in goal protected by a back four consisting of usual first team regulars Vidic and Evra, with O’Shea preferred at right-back and Evans replacing the injured Rio Ferdinand in central defence.

A well balanced midfield of Valencia, Scholes, Fletcher and Nani will provide the firepower for Rooney and Berbatov.

Manchester United Team

Edwin van der Sar; John O’Shea, Nemanja Vidic, Jonny Evans, Patrice Evra; Antonio Valencia, Paul Scholes, Darren Fletcher, Nani; Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov

Subs: Tomas Kuszczak, Chris Smalling, Rafael, Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick, Federico Macheda, Javier Hernandez

Written by Football Talk.

Mesut ozil has disappointed a host of premier league clubs after expressing his desire to join Real Madrid. Ozil was one of the stars of this summers World Cup and was nominated for the Golden Ball after putting in some fine performances for Germany.

Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal have all been linked with the 21-year-old in recent weeks after it emerged Ozil only had one year left on his contract and had no intention of signing an extension.

A move to Old Trafford seemed on the cards after Sir Alex Ferguson was spotted at Craven Cottage two weeks ago watching Ozil play for Werder Bremen against Fulham and it was believed he had held talks with Bremen officials.

Real Madrid were the first club to table a bid but their £8m offer was rejected, but after learning of the Spanish giants interest Ozil has his heart set on a move to the Bernabeau.

“When you have such an opportunity like this, then you want to take it,” he said after his side’s 4-0 win over Ahlen in the DFB-Pokal on Saturday.

“It is any footballer’s dream to play for the biggest teams in Europe.”

The attacking midfielder learned of Real’s offer while watching TV and has expressed his disappointment that his club failed to inform him of the bid.

“I was very sad about that,” he said.

“I have said that to (director of sport) Mr (Klaus) Allofs.”

]]> http://football-talk.co.uk/7133/premiership-clubs-left-disappointed-ozil-seeks-madrid-move/feed/ 4 http://football-talk.co.uk/7077/schwarzer-arsenal-transfer-happen/ http://football-talk.co.uk/7077/schwarzer-arsenal-transfer-happen/#comments Fri, 13 Aug 2010 07:43:36 +0000 Fab4 http://football-talk.co.uk/?p=7077 More >]]>

Written by Fab4.

Arsenal target Mark Schwarzer has spoken of his desire to leave Fulham and move to the Emirates this summer. The Gunners have been linked with Schwarzer heavily during this transfer window and had a £2m bid turned down several weeks ago.

Arsene Wenger was put off by Fulham’s £4m asking price but the 37-year-old goalkeeper has his heart set on the move and is due to hold talks with Mark Hughes when he returns from international duty with Australia. Schwarzer has even rescheduled his flight back to the UK from Slovenia to meet with Hughes and will make it clear he wants to move to Arsenal.

“I need it to happen,” Schwarzer told the Australian Daily Telegraph. “I’ve had a couple of chats with Mark. It’s delicately poised. Who wouldn’t be keen to go to Arsenal?

“At this stage in my career it’s an amazing opportunity to play at that level and one I really want to take. Only time will tell whether that happens or not.”

Despite his eagerness to join the Gunners, Schwarzer has denied he will refuse to play this weekend for Fulham against Bolton, but revealed he may miss the game through injury.

“I have never sat out a game [to prove a point] and never would,” Schwarzer said. “But it needs to be resolved sooner rather than later. I’m not sure whether I’ll play [for Fulham] on the weekend. I’ve got a few little injury problems but we’ll have to wait and see how I pull up when I return to London.”

So the ‘Schwarzer to Arsenal’ transfer gathers pace and it seems highly likely this one will go through shortly. So far, Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-wood has confirmed a £2m bid was rejected so we know our interest is concrete, now the player himself has expressed his desire to join, plus the fact we are hardly talking about a huge transfer fee here….it’s £2-£4m, so a compromise at around £3m seems a sensible solution.

]]> http://football-talk.co.uk/7077/schwarzer-arsenal-transfer-happen/feed/ 3 http://football-talk.co.uk/7071/fergies-summer-shopping-list-revealed/ http://football-talk.co.uk/7071/fergies-summer-shopping-list-revealed/#comments Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:33:37 +0000 ThomAlexander http://football-talk.co.uk/?p=7071 More >]]>

Written by Thom Alexander.

After yesterday’s somewhat uncomfortable revelation that the official Man United site had designated a squad page for Mesut Ozil, there were further insights into Sir Alex Ferguson’s transfer shopping list today. Despite claiming that the page was a “technical error”, it appears that these “errors” have been repeated rather frequently.

Fans are able to see the potential targets by altering the last two digits of the above Ozil url to any number between 67-86. The link seems to suggest that the Manchester United manager was after the great and the good of European football this summer, with names such as Di Maria, Balotelli, Aguero, Khedira, Sneijder, Kjaer, Chiellini, Cole, Ballack and Raul included on the official site site.

Whether this suggests that this summer’s recruitment drive is not yet over, or that Ferguson was unsuccessful in his moves this summer ,remains unclear, but the quality of the targets remains undoubted if a little surprising.

What do you think of these potential targets? Is this slip up damaging to the club? Is Fergie’s shopping over? Let us know!

Written by Fab4.

Arsenal could be set to end their long-running search for a goalkeeper after Mark Schwarzer handed in a transfer request, according to the Sun.

The report claims Schwarzer has handed the request to new Fulham boss Mark Hughes in order to force a move to the Gunners, who had a £2m bid turned down for the Australian stopper before the World Cup.

However, Hughes isn’t prepared to let his No.1 go without a fight and will either turn down the request or demand £4m for Schwarzer’ services.

Although the Sun is hardly the most reliable of sources, it’s believable that Schwarzer would hand in a transfer request in order to play Champions League football for Arsenal. He is 37-years-old and could feel this is his last chance to play at the very top level.

He couldn’t be considered a long-term solution to our goalkeeping situation, but Schwarzer would be a decent stop-gap until Sczesny is ready to take over first team duties. I fully expect this transfer to go through before the window slams shut.

Written by David Moore-Crouch.

Tottenham could be lining up a shock move for ex Arsenal captain William Gallas. The 33 year old French defender is currently a free agent after he left the emirates earlier in the summer.

Spurs are currently struggling with defensive worries with Jonathan Woodgate still recovering from a groin injury and the long term fitness of Ledley King still remaining uncertain. Redknapp is said to be looking at the former Gunner as a quick fix as the clubs prepares for the start of the Premier League season.

The biggest stumbling block appears to be Gallas’ wage demands which are around £90,000 a week. This is well above the highest paid earners at Spurs, said to be around £65,000 week. The club appears unwilling to go above this. However it is believed that Gallas wants to remain in the capital where he has spend the last nine years with Chelsea and Arsenal and may take a pay cut to ensure this.

Gallas would offer the club some much needed experience as they prepare for their Champions League Play-Off with Swiss Club Young Boys. Spurs fans, however, could find it hard to welcome the Frenchman after his association with the clubs two biggest rivals.

Would you like to see William Gallas at Spurs?

Written by David Moore-Crouch

Tottenham are apparently close to signing Croatian keeper Stipe Pletikosa on a season long loan deal.  Pletikosa, currently with Spartak Moscow, has been a long term target for Redknapp has he looks for back-up for Heurelho Gomes.

According to Sky Sports, the Croatian international is currently in London discussing terms with the North London club. It is believed that a deal will be struck within the next 48 hours. If Pletikosa can agree personal terms and pass his medical, he will become Redknapps first signing of the summer.

Do you think Pletikosa can challenge Gomes for the number 1 spot?

Written by Football Talk.

Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Juventus midfielder Christian Poulsen after the player withdrew from the Danish national squad for Wednesday’s friendly against Germany to finalise the move.

The Red’s have agreed a £6m fee with Juve and the 30-year-old will now fly to Merseyside to discuss personal terms and undergo a medical, if all goes according to plan Poulsen could even be signed in time to face Arsenal on Sunday.

Denmark coach Morten Olsen confirmed Poulsen was allowed to miss this weeks international in order to complete his move to Liverpool.

Morten Olsen told the Daily Mail: ‘I was happy to release Christian because this is a very important move for him and for us.

‘We can benefit as a national team because he will be playing at a high level and he’ll be happy playing for a manager who rates him highly. That should help bring the best out of him.’

]]> http://football-talk.co.uk/7024/poulsen-skips-international-duty-complete-6m-liverpool-move/feed/ 0 http://football-talk.co.uk/7017/liverpool-enter-race-12m-striker-crouch-deal-hits-rocks/ http://football-talk.co.uk/7017/liverpool-enter-race-12m-striker-crouch-deal-hits-rocks/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 09:44:14 +0000 Football Talk http://football-talk.co.uk/?p=7017 More >]]>

Written by Football Talk.

Liverpool have turned their attention to West Ham striker Carlton Cole after being priced-out of a move for Tottenham’s Peter Crouch, according to the Daily Mail.

Roy Hodgson was keen on taking Crouch to Anfield but Spurs quoted £15m for the lanky striker leaving the Liverpool boss having to look elsewhere. It’s believed Hodgson has now contacted West Ham about Cole’s availability with the Hammers prepared to do business if a £12m bid is tabled.

However, Liverpool are relying on the money from the sale of Javier Mascherano to Inter Milan to fund new signings and that deal is being held up as Inter are waiting for Man City to complete a deal for Mario Balotelli.

Stoke City had a £9m bid for Cole rejected this summer but it’s thought Cole would not be interested in a move to the Britannia anyway, but the striker would relish a move to Anfield should the two clubs strike a deal.

Written by Football Talk.

It looks like Manchester United and Chelsea have missed out on Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil after reports in Spain claim that Barcelona have struck a deal to sign the talented 21-year-old.

Rumours were rife that United were closing in on Ozil after Sir Alex Ferguson was spotted at Craven Cottage watching him play for his club Werder Bremen against Fulham at the weekend. Chelsea’s name was quickly thrown into the ring with reports last night suggesting they were the new front-runners but now it seems both Premier League giants have been gazumped by Barca.

Spanish publication Sport claims Barcelona have sealed a deal with Bremen for the signature of Ozil after missing out on Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas. The report claims a fee has been agreed in the region of £10-£11m and all that’s left is for the deal to be formally ratified.

It is no secret that Barca wanted to sign Fabregas this summer but after Arsenal’s refusal to do business, Pep Guardiola has turned his attention to Ozil and the deal could be announced in the next 24-48 hours.

Written by Fab4.

Arsenal have been boosted in their search for a new No.1 as Manchester City’s Shay Given has revealed he will look for a move elsewhere if he doesn’t start against Tottenham this weekend, and the same goes for Joe Hart.

City are in the privileged position of having two outstanding goalkeepers to choose from, something Arsenal can only dream about, and both Given and Hart have been linked with a move to the Gunners in recent weeks as Arsene Wenger looks for a new goalkeeper.

Given was first choice at Eastlands last season but now faces stiff competition from Joe Hart who excelled while on loan at Birmingham last term. But 34-year-old Given has stated he wouldn’t be content with settling for a place on the subs bench, should Roberto Mancini opt for Hart on Saturday.

“Yeah, we’re both at a stage when we need to be playing football. If i don’t start then I’ll sit down with the club next week and see where my future is and maybe vice versa with Joe as we both feel we should be playing.

I’m 34 and I’m at a stage where i need to be playing, I’ll hopefully play on Saturday but whatever decision the manager makes I’ll respect that and maybe sit down with the club next week.

I hope it’s going to be me, but if it’s not we’ll see what happens.

A loan move could be an option for Given, should he lose his place to Hart this weekend:

He added: “Ideally I would like to stay at the club because it’s a big club and an ambitious club, with fantastic owners and I want to be part of that, that’s why I joined in the first place.

“Possibly, if I didn’t start, then there could be a loan and then I’d come back and see where that takes me.”

It’s interesting that Shay suggests he and Joe have talked about the situation and that whichever one is on the bench on Saturday will look for talks with the manager about their future. So it could be that either Hart or Given are available for transfer (or loan) this time next week. To be honest, i would take either Hart or Given so i don’t care too much who starts, but if one of them is available then Arsene should jump at the chance with both hands!

It’s about time Arsenal stopped having to worry about the troublesome goalkeeping position, which seems to have been a talking point for years now, and gets a reliable No.1 between the sticks.

Written by Viorel Mesca.

Loic Remy has urged Nice to drop his price tag to allow him to make a move to Tottenham. Spurs are reported to be interested in signing the striker, given that Nice drop their £13m asking price.

West Ham, Sunderland, Stoke, Arsenal and Liverpool are also reportedly interested in Remy, but the 23-year-old striker has set his sights on a move to White Hart Lane,

Remy told L’Equipe:

“A move to Spurs would be interesting,”

Stoke is not the move that I want. Nice is in real need of money and it should be adaptable with the price to help sell me.”

It is understood the only club close to offering the fee that Nice are asking for are French side Rennes, but Remy would prefer to make a move across the channel.

Written by Viorel Mesca.

According to Violanews, Fiorentina are ready to loan Spurs’ Giovani Dos Santos until the end of the season. Fiorentina are looking to strengthen the offensive department as both Mutu and Stevan Jovetic’s  are unavailable.

The Viola are reported to be interested in Tottenham’s 21-year-old, who impressed for Mexico at the World Cup and for Tottenham in the pre-season friendlies against Benfica and Fiorentina.

Dos Santos has been sent on loan for the last two seasons but after the aforementioned performances, he could convince Spurs’ boss to keep him at White Hart Lane.

Written by Viorel Mesca.

As Tottenham prepare for the start of the 2010-2011 campaign, manager Harry Redknapp takes the time to declare that he is an admirer of Craig Bellamy.

With both Robbie Keane and recently Peter Crouch linked with moves away from the White Hart Lane, Bellamy could be seen as an ideal replacement for any of them. Redknapp admits he must sell before he can start buying, refusing to respond to speculation that he also wants Manchester City’s Micah Richards.

Redknapp told Sky Sports News:

“With three players – not massive signings, not big money – just the players I really want, if I could manage to pull them off then anything could happen with Tottenham this year.

I think the potential here is fantastic. I like Bellamy but if Manchester City don’t want to sell him… He is a player I’ve been after before when he went to Man City.

They belong to Man City, it’s not really fair to talk about other people’s players. They’re at Man City at the moment and until they decide they want to sell them then there’s nothing you can do with anybody.”

Redknapp admitted he would be prepared to let Robbie Keane go in order to raise funds. He said:

“Last year suddenly Robbie wasn’t in the side and I could see he wasn’t happy.

Robbie Keane is a fantastic professional. I still think he’s a great player.

He’s been our best player in pre-season. He’s the brightest trainer, comes in every day and works his socks off, wants to play, loves to do well. He’s a player you don’t want to lose.

I really want to keep him because he’s difficult to replace but if you want to buy players you’ve got to raise some money from somewhere. If Robbie’s maybe one of a few who you can sell, then maybe that happens.”

According to goal.com, Keane confessed to reporters in Dublin, after picking the Irish player of the year award:

“I’ve had it [the speculation] for 12 years; you get bored of it after a while.

It’s one of those things, speculation; I’m used to it now. Every player, when the transfer window opens, it happens to them, 70 or 80% of footballers. It’s just one of those things, I’m a Spurs player and I’m looking forward to the new season.”

As Redknapp said, Robbie Keane was Spurs’ best player in pre-season but would his performances be enough for him to stay one more season at White Hart Lane?

Dear readers, have your say! Would you like Craig Bellamy to join the club? Would you let Keane go if you were in Redknapp’s shoes?

Written by John Toher from Friends of Liverpool FC

Liverpool are hoping to tempt Tottenham’s Peter Crouch back to Anfield with a bid of £10 million pounds.

Roy Hodgson is anxious to add more firepower to his squad before the start of the new season and hopes he can persuade Harry Rednapp to release the England striker from his team.

It is believed that that Crouchy is willing to return to his former club and has the full support of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, in fact, they are both urging the manager to make the bid.

Would you like to see Crouch back at Anfield?

Written by armourysquare.

I had felt that we are missing something for the upcoming season, that we have something unmarked or rather unchecked in our “Check List.” Then, suddenly it all “clicked” and I found the missing piece of the puzzle.

I do not know what has been wrong with Mr. Wenger this summer. We have sold 3 defenders and brought in only 1. After Saturday’s show against Legia Warsaw, I seriously think we require at least 1 more defender, and 1 more goalkeeper. But in this post, I am going to be talking about the latter.

You know, our defensive crisis, pertaining only to defenders can still be solved in the short-term. For instance, if Tommy V is injured, we can bring in players like Song to fill in and Diaby or Denilson can take up the CDM role. I am quite vocal about this approach, but it can still be done. But, what are we going to do about the entire goal-keeping issue? You know, when I look at Manchester City, I say that there is not much difference between Goalie choice #1 and Goalie choice # 2 (I mean Joe Hart and Shay Given are both in the same league of top-class goalies).

Now, when you look at Arsenal, we certainly have the same condition. After 15 rounds of intense fighting, Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski end up giving each other a double K.O. So, we can’t even decide who is worse……Its a TIE!

I didn’t realise something, almost 3 months have past since the season ended. Why have the club not bought a decent goal-keeper yet? A good goal-keeper can even pep-up the defence, thus increasing it’s confidence. We conceded 41 goals last season. Technically speaking, each game we concede at least 1.08 goals per match. Now, I am not saying all these goals are the keepers fault, but they are  to blame for many.

I mean, look at Almunia against Manchester United, both at Old Trafford and the Emirates. He screwed up by giving away the penalty against Rooney, and he put the ball into his own net after Nani ripped through majority of our defence. Look at him in the Champions League against Barcelona. In the 1st half, he was on steroids….but in the second half, he decided to be his own self-again…charging to early, getting caught in no-mans land and watching the ball chipped over his abnormally large head….and it goes on. Recently,  in a crucial tie against Birmingham, in the dying minutes instead of catching the ball or punching it upwards, he put it into his own net…and that cost us badly in the title race.

His partner in crime, Robi….I mean “Flappy” is no different. FA cup semi-final against Chelsea, on his birthday, he charged early, giving Drogba enough time to “round-him” and give Chelsea the winning goal. Last season, against Porto, he gave the ball back, so that they could start and score against us, against Wigan, his flappers could not catch the ball, and we lost our lead. Against Blackburn he got thrown around here and there…we lost! Against Legia Warshaw, we concede the 2nd goal because of him. I mean it is a series of mistakes.

How much should you spend on decent goal-keeper? Igor Akinfeev has shown an interest to come to Arsenal. He is a top-class keeper, who has champions league experience-investing in him would not be a bad option. Mark Stekelenburg, for the Netherlands is also not a bad-choice. Infact, anybody who can seriously boost up the quality of our goalies will do. What do you think, should we stick to our old goalies, the “Dynamic-duo” or should the club invest in some new keepers? Feel free to post your comments.

Please Mr.Wenger, buy a keeper who can give us confidence and satisfy us that he is good enough to be the “Last Defender.” Because, in my opinion if we don’t change our keepers soon, we are probably going to contribute most of “Football’s Funniest Moments” on Youtube , in May 2011. And that, be it funny, is going to be very ‘painful’ and very ‘disturbing,’ to watch.

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