Abu Dhabi Doo….(Transfer Deadline Day)

Berbatov to Manchester City?? What?? Can a man not go to work for a few hours and come back to some sort of semblance of a normal footballing world. The weirdest thing is they actually have a bid accepted. 32 million. Ish. Give or take a million. What’s a million between friends? Still the smart money with less than four hours left is on Man Utd taking him. Despite Spurs insistence that Utd didn’t have permission to talk to Berbatov, the Bulgarian has apparently had a medical already and has certainly met with Alex Ferguson. Utd will more than likely have to up their offer to closer to 30 million given that City have had a huge bid accepted. I wouldn’t rule out Spurs playing hardball and keeping Berbatov if Utd refuse to budge, particularly as the relationship between the clubs has gone sour. Whether or not Berbatov will even meet with City remains to be seen. With his hear set on Old Trafford and Champions League football, the likelihood of City snapping him up must be slim…..

Chelsea and Robinho? Real Madrid insist the deal won’t be done. Media outlets believe it will, it would certainly be surprising if the Brazilian stays after being so public about his desire to leave…It would also be extremely strange to see Chelsea not buy anyone….Given that it is what they do best, we should probably expect some sort of signing before the end of the day….

Liverpool look more and more lightweight, despite the arrival of Riera from Espanyol. Man City fans remember him as being slightly average. Liverpool fans certainly won’t want to look at YouTube clips of the left winger, which make the words Gomez and Cheyrou spring to mind. Has Benitez splashed out on another expensive mistake? Steve Finnan has signed for Espanyol. In a slightly bizarre move (It’s nowhere near Aston Villa Stevie…) the Spanish and Irish players have swapped clubs, suggesting Liverpool got a little bit of cash off the deal given that both have been undisclosed….Liverpool have also offloaded Voronin to Hertha Berlin and with the news that Torres will miss their next game against Utd, the Merseysiders look slightly weak up front.

Sunderland have continued their recruitment drive by bringing in George McAcrtney from West Ham which could pave the way for Paolo Ferreira to move across London from Chelsea. Rumour has it the Portugese is on his way to Upton Park with Northern Irish international McCartney already signed on a year-long loan for Roy Keane’s men…

The thing about transfer deadline day is that once one deal goes through, a whole lot more follow…..

With Berbatov on his way out of White Hart Lane and Pavlyuchenko having already signed, Emile Heskey is reportedly on his way to Spurs. This will apparently pave the way for a Wigan bid for Man Utd striker Fraizer Richardson. Unless they go for Mido. Which could mean the Utd striker choosing Hull…..

Spurs get a shiny new Bentley…

Ramos shows off his Bentley

David Bentley (right-winger, not car, despite what that clever headline made you think) has signed for Spurs in a deal worth £17 million to the Lancashire outfit.
The former Blackburn midfielder has been on the look-out for a new club since Mark Hughes left to join Man City earlier this summer. By signing for Spurs, the England man will have disappointed the likes of Liverpool, Aston Villa and Man City, where Hughes would no doubt have been keen to reunite with the player.

The former Arsenal man has become hot property and may well have made himself England’s number one by signing for the London club. If Spurs can replace Robbie Keane and Berbatov, should he leave, they will have a squad which will look at the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal and believe they can genuinely compete against them this year.

The arrival of Bentley could also signal the departure of Aaron Lennon. Two seasons ago Lennon was one of the best players to watch in the Premiership and earned a call-up to the England squad. However a dip in form last year has led to the belief that he too will be off-loaded this summer by Spurs who are facing into the season with an almost entirely reshaped squad.

You don’t win anything with kids…

                                    

No, seriously Arsene.
Arsenal have ’swooped’ for another talented youngster, Portugal Under-21 midfielder Amaury Bischoff from Werder Bremen. The 21-year-old midfielder has signed for the London team after rejecting a new contract offer from the German side. With compensation yet to be agreed, Arsenal may have to go to a tribunal to determine how much needs to be paid.

Wenger’s famous youth policy continues, with his main summer signing Nasri from Marseilles still a teenager and now Bischoff brought i, it seems, to replace Mattieu Flamini who left to join AC Milan in the summer. No doubt we’ll come to regret this when the Portugese is named young player of the year, but isn’t it time Arsene started looking for a few more experienced players? If the wisest man in your squad is young Fabregas then something is wrong. Obviously we don’t have to defend that statement seeing as Gallas made an absolute mockery of the captain’s armband in the premiership last year. Plus everyone’s favourite grandad at the club, Jens Lehman, has sought pastures new. (Give it up Jens, what are you 50?)

Could be another tough season for Arsenal. With Adebayor making noises about leaving, Fabregas having reached the final of Euro 2008 and barely got a moment’s rest before lamping back for training and one or two of their best players, Flamini and Hleb, having left, times are still looking tough…..

Ben Haim to City

Rooney and Ben Haim will renew acquaintances in the Manchester derby

Well it’s official, Man City have an abundance of cash and are happy to fork out over the odds on, pretty much anyone. You have to feel sorry for the fans who will certainly be feeling blue today (or not as the case may be, man that was a confusing play on words) after dreams of Ronaldinho went with his transfer to AC Milan, only to see the most -unlike-Ronaldinho-type player in the Premiership sign for them.

No doubt, Ben Haim is a handy player. There is also no doubt he was being linked with a £2 million switch back to Bolton a few months ago. Unless he’s putting in three times as much effort these days, it’s hard to jutify that kind of fee. Chelsea have done well from signing a player for free, realising he’s no good enough and making back a bit of wasted money on Shevchenko.

 It’s also strange that Hughes would choose to sign a player in a position where he’s possibly got his best two players in Dunne and Richards. Maybe Richards will be going back to right-back or maybe he’ll be going altogether. A club like Arsenal could do with him at the moment and he would certainly suit their style of play.

So Chelsea have recouped most of Deco now. Sobering thought isn’t it? I always wonder why it is that managers come in with an ‘everyone starts with a blank slate’ attitude, only to farm out the player that got left behind last season. Do the coaches tell the incoming manager, hey, listen, that Ben Haim is a pile of shi**…..?

So Man City have a strong central defence now, time to get moving on the forwards Hughesy. With the likes of Dunne and Johnson set to plede their future to the clubs, Man City fans only need a type of Ronaldinho to get their dreams going for the season ahead….

Robbie Keane to Liverpool

Keane arrives at Anfield

Irish International Robbie Keane has become the second most expensive signing for Liverpool in the club’s history.
Hmmmm. 28 years old. £20 million? He’s a good signing definitely, but whether a £20 mil investment is a good one remains to be seen. There’s no doubt splashing out on the right striker is important. Especially for Liverpool who now have a third option for goals apart from Torres and Gerrard. The fact that Keane can score will also free up room for the likes of Babel and Benayoun to get more goals. It’s easier to mark two players than it is three.

And Robbie Keane is tough to mark. He drags defenders out wide, leaving Torres and Gerrard nearer the box. He can score from long-range meaning defenders have to go to him, they can’t leave him any space. It’s certainly a clever signing, and Keane has had very few problems with injuries until this point.

However Benitez has brought in strikers who hven’t worked in recent years. With a £20 mil fee, Benitez can’t afford to flog him off after a year as he did with Bellamy and as he may yet do with Voronin. Keane’s signing is vital, but Liverpool are still a striker short, unless Ngog can step up immediately, a prospect Benitez doesn’t seem to convince on: “Normally he will be available for the first team next season. He is a player who wants to improve quickly, so he will learn and then settle down”

Transfer Deadline Day

The latest moves:

Greg Halford has gone on loan to Charlton for the rest of the season from Sunderland. Arguably one of the poorer decisions Roy Keane has made in his career is signing the defender last summer for £3 million from Reading where he had barely played. He has barely played since his move and a drop down into the Championship is his best chance of regular first-team football.

Andy Reid could be Roy Keane’s latest mistake in the transfer market. Although he fits the Irish / Ex Man Utd model that Keane seems to covet, he is also twice the man anyone else in the Premiership is. Despite his dodgy fitness, Reid may well be a decent signing but £4 million? Anyone? Charlton must be licking their lips after the sale of Darren Bent for £18 mil in the summer, Reid for another £4 mil will do nicely.

Perhaps the biggest news of the day, Benjani is undergoing a medical at Man City ahead of an expected £6.5 million deal. Benjani, one of the top scorers in the Premiership, has been regularly praised by manager Harry Redknapp but with 18 months left on his contract he may have given an indicatio that he wants to move on. Rumour is that Jermaine Defoe will replace him at Portsmouth…and that must mean no-one is willing to take Darren Bent off Spurs’ hands….(more later)

It’s looking like King Woody for Spurs

Jonathan Woodgate has joined Tottenham from Middlesbrough for a fee of £7 million tonight. Woodgate will form a new partnership with Ledley King at the back for Ramos’s team. Michael Dawson will fill in for whichever of the two is injured on any given day. The prospective signing of Gilberto should, by rights, mean the end of Paschal Chimbonda’s Spurs days, however Kevin Keegan has stated he is not interested in signing the French right-back who recently expressed an interest in a move up North because “it’s all about the money”. Quite.

Mohammed Sissoko should be having a glass of water with Juve’s top honchos as we speak having completed a medical at the Italian giants today. Juventus will part with between £8-9 million for the Mali International who is currently on duty at the African Nations. Liverpool fans will be praying that Juve don’t discover he hasn’t been able to see properly for the last year or so since getting a kick in the face and temporary blindness in one eye….or at least with the number of stray passes, we assume he’s still suffering from the effects.

The Zarate Kid

A big welcome to Mauro Zarate, Birmingham’s loan signing who arrived at St Andrews this week and had this to say:

I am very excited to be here. I wasn’t happy in Qatar so when this chance appeared, I was willing to take it.
The Premier League is the best league in the world and this team (Birmingham) is good and I think it can move forward.
I know Birmingham have been down towards the bottom of the table but in a way it is nice to be playing with something at stake and not being in the middle of the league where nothing matters.
That appeals to me. Every game is going to be important. It is not a case of playing for nothing. My message to the supporters is that Birmingham will stay in the Premier League – and I will do everything I can to help.
I am determined to do well for the next few months, then seek a permanent transfer and stay here for many years.

That was a breath of fresh air. Intelligent – having something to play/fight for, committed – I want to stay here for the next few years and smart – the fans will love him straight away.

In a week where Mr Diarra revealed he would someday like to leave Portsmouth when a ‘big’ club comes in for him, Anelka turned his back on adoring fans for yet another ‘big team’ and Robbie Savage admitted that his new team had no hope of staying in the Premiership, thefc100 salutes a man who comes in as though he’s straight off the school team and is desperate to play and to win….

Happy New Year!

After an extended break from writing over Christmas, hopefully the blog will be updated slightly more regularly.

We have had requests about the live games on Setanta and Sky for Jan / Feb, they will be published tonight.

In the meantime, rejoice and be merry for TRANSFER TALK can resume!!

Nicolas Anelka claims Chelsea are talking to Bolton about a reported £19 million transfer fee for the much-travelled striker. Apparently Chelsea are also looking at Berbatov and Kevin Doyle. Liverpool are being linked with Richard Dunne. Gallas says Arsenal don’t need cover for the African Nations while goings on at Old Trafford are suspiciously quiet which means Ferguson is up to something. Cantona to come out of retirement? Man City are being linked with everyone, Villa may prioritise tying down Mellberg and Laursen to new contracts. Arsenal and Liverpool need to tie down Flamini and Macherano respectively. Coppell has said ‘hands off’ to Sunderland over their approach to Stephen Hunt while Roy Keane may turn to Robbie Savage to bolster his team’s midfield presence. Derby will need to bear in mind their upcoming relegation while Spurs are apparently not interested in transfer activity this January. Looks like Ramos intends to do as well as possible this season before making the team his own in the summer.

Isn’t it wonderful?

Saturday’s Games Previewed: 18/08/07

Todays Fixtures:

• Portsmouth V Bolton (12.45): Portsmouth will be looking to follow up their point earned against Man Utd on Wednesday with their first victory of the season. Sulley Muntari is suspended following his red card in midweek while Sol Cambell continues to recover from injury. For the visitors, Helguson will continue to deputise for Kevin Davies after his debut goal in midweek as Bolton look to claim their first point of the season. Prediction: Draw
• Reading Vs Everton: Reading face a third tough test in three games following a draw with Utd and a midweek defeat to Chelsea. High flying Everton arrive in confident form with two impressive wins under their belt but will face a Reading team notoriously difficult to break down at home. Everton will stick with Johnson and Anichebe up front and will hope they can deliver the goods against a stingy Reading defence. Steve Coppell will know the importance of getting the hosts first win under their belt but they might find the going tough against the likes of Arteta and Osman in Everton’s midfield who have started the season in top form. Kevin Doyle will play a big part in Leroy Lita’s continued absence and he may prove the difference as Reading bid to halt Everton’s excellent start to the season. Prediction: draw
• Birmingham Vs West Ham: Steve Bruce’s side were cruelly denied a win over Sunderland in midweek by Stern John’s injury time equaliser, however, Birmingham will still go into the game in confident form having scored four goals in their opening two games. West Ham lost their only game so far at home to Man City, and Alan Curbishley’s expensively assembled squad need to start proving their worth on the football pitch. Lucas Neill, the Hammers captain, has declared himself fit but may not be risked. Dean Ashton and Scott Parker are unlikely to start though as West Ham look to get their first points of the season. New signing Kieron Dyer goes straight into the squad and may line up alongside Lee Bowyer though Curbishley claims he has no qualms about pitting the two together after their infamous on-pitch brawl in the colours of Newcastle two years ago. Prediction: away win
• Tottenham Vs Derby: Martin Jol reportedly faces the sack if Spurs fail to beat Derby County today. While the media tend to blow these things out of proportion, there is no doubt Jol needs a sequence of good scores to put the matter to bed. Two defeats in two games have left Spurs bottom and chairman Daniel Levy may be wary of letting Spurs suffer the same start to the season as last year which ultimately cost them a Champions League place. Jol is missing Berbatov and Gareth Bale continues to recover from injury so the question remains which strikers will Jol choose? Possibly all three, though he may favour giving Defoe a runout in the hope that he can prove himself and spare Jol’s blushes. Derby are just above Spurs on one point and manager Billy Davies will be aware that now may be the best time to play Spurs as confidence is low and the nerves will be out in force at White Hart Lane. Tyrone Mears may recover from a slight knock and Derby should keep much the same side that lost 1-0 to Man City on Wednesday. Prediction: home win
• Fulham Vs Middlesbrough: With Mido set to make his debut after a £6million switch from Tottenham, Gareth Southgate can expect to field plenty of questions about Yakubu’s future as the Nigerian has been left out of the squad for the long trip down to Fulham. With David Healy in red-hot form, Fulham will be confident of victory over a Middlesbrough team yet to register a point this term so far. Southgate’s future may come into question with another defeat although Mido’s signing suggests he will be given time to turn around the Teesider’s fortunes. Fulham registered their first win of the season at home to Bolton midweek, and we can’t see Middlesbrough securing victory against a well-organised Fulham side today. Expect Mido to be in the thick of the action with a red card or a hat-trick!! Prediction: home win
• Wigan Vs Sunderland: Wigan got their first win of the season in midweek while Sunderland got out of jail against Birmingham and remain unbeaten so far this season. Carlos Edwards is ruled out for the visitors with an injury which could keep him out for a month. Both sides are expected to be fighting relegation come the end of the season so this game takes on extra significance. Wigan manager Chris Hutchings has experienced nothing like the attention Roy Keane has been given in the media so it will be an interesting clash between two relative rookies to management. Sibierski has two goals in two games for Wigan while Stern John is pushing for a start after his goalscoring cameo on Wednesday. Prediction: home win
• Newcastle Vs Aston Villa: Emre and Michael Owen both come back into contention for Newcastle as they host Aston Villa with both sides having rested midweek. Obafemi Martins and Mark Viduka are expected to continue up front for Newcastle as Sam Allardyce manages his first game in front of the volatile crowd at St James’Park. Villa will be keen to get their first points of the season as Martin O’Neill looks to new signings Marlon Harewood and Nigel Reo-Coker to kick-start the visitors campaign.  Prediction: home win

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