Here’s something I don’t get, why is nobody trying to sign Eto’o? I think he’s an absolute animal and Barca don’t want him. A superb, world class striker probably available for about 15m or so. I’d love United to get him. But none seem interested. Why?
He was seriously off form last season though. Remember the games against United in the Champions League - he was awful.
I see Arsenal seriously linked with Alonso again. We would be crazy to let him go there and buy Barry…
Rafael van der Vaart has completed his move to Real madrid. Wesley Sneijder is out for 3 months with lateral knee ligament damage after being the victim of a pretty poor tackle by Abou Diaby yesterday and this might have prompted them to finalise the van der Vaart deal.
Roma are interested in Eto and all they need really to win serie A next season is a good out and out striker…they have all the rest of the parts
11 million pound sterling…an absolute bargain for a very classy footballer…considering that modric(who is also a class act) cost the bones of 20 millions and gareth barry nearly the same…
I see West Ham have decided to retire Bobby Moores no 6.
Fair enough, nice gesture, but why did it take so long? Why did they ever allow luminaries such as Carl Fletcher or Scott Parker wear it?
One way of trying to hold onto your best player is by signing his brother…
Blackburn have signed the younger brother of their Paraguay international striker Roque Santa Cruz.
Julio Santa Cruz, 18, was previously with Paraguayan club Cerro Porteno and will join Rovers on a three-year deal, subject to international clearance.
He has been on trial at Ewood Park since the end of last season and is likely to feature in the reserves.
Santa Cruz told the club’s website: “I’m happy to be here at Blackburn, it will be an amazing adventure for me.”
Bastards, thought we were gonna get RSC.
To say this would be disasterous, would be an understatement…
Man City deny Thaksin sale claims
Thaksin Shinawatra completed his takeover of City in July last year
Manchester City have denied that owner Thaksin Shinawatra is about to sell the Eastlands club.
Reports had claimed the former Thai Prime Minister would be forced to sell up as he still has to answer alleged corruption charges back home.
But a City spokesman said: “It is not true to say Thaksin Shinawatra is selling Manchester City.”
However, the spokesman added that there have been “exploratory” talks with potential investors.
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Give your reaction to City’s announcement
The club claims these negotiations with associates who have expressed a previous interest in investing in the club have been mis-interpreted.
Thaksin bought the club last summer but his plans have not been helped by his inability to release over 1bn in assets frozen while the fraud allegations remain ongoing, though he insists he remains committed to City.
“He spoke with executive chairman Garry Cook on Wednesday and those were the sentiments he echoed in very strong terms,” added the spokesman.
That’s the risk when these brash multi-millionaires invest in clubs. What happens when they want or need to move onto something else? I read recently that Chelsea have been trying to protect themselves from the possibility of Abramovic stripping all his cash out of the club by getting various legal agreements in place that only allow him to do it on a staggered basis over a number of years rather than in one fell swoop that would leave them fooked. Seems odd given he owns the club but apparently Kenyon and Buck were driving it from behind the scenes. Not sure if Manchester City would have anything like that in place but doubt it.
I highly doubt it.
I do like the ride on the rolelrcoaster that is Man City though.
QPR have been very quiet for a club that are now owned by the biggest names on Formula 1. What happened there with them?
seemingly this is costing us 6m!!!
West Ham have released Swedish midfielder Freddie Ljungberg after an agreement was reached to terminate his contract.
Ljungberg, 31, may now decide to retire from football, according to a statement on the club’s official website.
He was just a single season into a lucrative four-year deal, having joined the Hammers from Arsenal in July 2007 for a fee approaching 3m.
“This is mutually acceptable,” said West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury.
Ljungberg only managed to start 22 of West Ham’s 38 Premier League matches last season after enduring injuries that included a cracked rib.
In its statement, the club was keen to stress that the player’s fitness was not in question.
“The decision to part company has been taken jointly and has no bearing on Ljungberg’s fitness, which he proved during Euro 2008,” it read.
“We respect Freddie Ljungberg’s position and are pleased we could reach agreement and wish him all the best in the future,” added Duxbury.
Ljungberg, who captained Sweden at the European Championship in June before retiring from international football, is also considering offers to play in the United States and Asia.
“I gave my all at West Ham and enjoyed my time there but the decision is the best for the both of us,” he said.
“Now I will take my time to consider my football future.”
Why Locke? Why?
Surely they could have put him on the transfer list instead of having to pay him off.
He’s only 31 and Swedish captain - someone would have bought him.
[quote=“Bandage”]Why Locke? Why?
Surely they could have put him on the transfer list instead of having to pay him off.
He’s only 31 and Swedish captain - someone would have bought him.[/quote]
newcastle would surely have paid 5 million for his reputation alone…
[quote=“Bandage”]Why Locke? Why?
Surely they could have put him on the transfer list instead of having to pay him off.
He’s only 31 and Swedish captain - someone would have bought him.[/quote]
I don’t know Bandage to be honest. Don’t know about the 6m pay off though, more like mutual consent. He might negotiate his own deal, the US and Asia were mentioned. Couple of years in him yet. You might see him in a green and white hooped jersey, you’d never know (Yeovil are in for him)
SSN is reporting Barry to Pool by end of week.
Looks like Ronaldo is staying but reading between the lines he is off next year…
Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that he will remain a Manchester United player for “at least one more year”.
The 23-year-old Portugal winger had frequently expressed his desire to leave for Spanish champions Real Madrid this summer.
But he told Portuguese paper Publico: "Manager Sir Alex Ferguson heard my arguments, I heard his and it was felt the best thing would be for me to stay.
“I can confirm that next season I will play for Manchester United.”
Ferguson, speaking after the club’s goalless friendly with Juventus on Wednesday, said he was “pleased” Ronaldo was staying.
And Ferguson gave a revealing insight into how he dealt with the Ronaldo transfer saga, which resulted in two months of frenzied speculation over whether the player would leave.
“I flew to Portugal some weeks ago and we cleared the air and he spoke to some of the players,” Ferguson told MUTV.
"The boy has been through a troubled time in terms of the approaches from Spain but once he knew my stance, he then settled down. I was responsible for all this controversy
Cristiano Ronaldo
"The fans have got to understand; it’s very difficult when a young boy is tempted by all this money.
“We can put this to bed now. It’s finished and the boy is a Manchester United player and that’s the most important thing.”
Ronaldo, under contract with United until 2012, is currently recovering from surgery on an ankle injury and is likely to be sidelined until the end of September.
But the Portuguese star used the interview to underline his desire to achieve the heights of last season in which he was the club’s top scorer with 42 goals.
“Before rumours emerge saying that I will play against my will, I want to make this clear - whoever says or writes that is lying,” Ronaldo told Publico.
“I will play for Manchester with all my heart and soul. I will fight and honour that shirt with the same commitment and dedication as always.”
Ronaldo also conceded that he played his part in fuelling the speculation and that he was guilty of fracturing United’s relationship with Real Madrid. 606: DEBATE
Ronaldo’s dream was to play for Madrid, but he loved United and was in two minds as who to play for…
Olly33
“I was responsible for all this controversy,” he added.
“I was the one who publicly expressed my desire to go to Real Madrid. I ended up being, even involuntarily, responsible for the poor relationship between the two clubs.”
Yet the Portuguese winger, reigning double footballer of the year in England after helping Manchester United to the Premier League title and a Champions League triumph last season, did not rule out an eventual move to Real at some point in his career.
“I knew Real Madrid were interested in signing me and that they had allegedly made a very high offer to Manchester United,” he stated.
“My desire was, for some time, that Manchester had accepted my transfer to Madrid. Saying otherwise would be to trick people and my own consciousness.”
Fulham sign Johnson from Everton
Johnson scored 22 goals in two seasons with Everton
England striker Andrew Johnson has completed his move from Everton to Premier League rivals Fulham for an undisclosed fee.
The 27-year-old has signed a four-year deal that is set to keep him at the club until at least the summer of 2012.
Johnson joined Everton from Crystal Palace for 8.6m in May 2006, scoring 22 goals in 74 appearances.
Fulham boss Roy Hodgson told the club website: “He has all the qualities needed to assist us next season.”
Johnson had been linked with a move to Craven Cottage for much of the summer, with the forward thought to be keen on a move back to London for family reasons.
The deal appeared to hit problems earlier this week but the clubs eventually came to an agreement on a fee, believed to be about 10.5m.
606: DEBATE
I think many good days to come with AJ!!!
JoshPerryFFF
“I have made no secret of my wish to add Andy Johnson to my squad at Fulham and I am more than delighted that we have secured his services for the long term,” added Hodgson.
"There has been a lot of speculation regarding this transfer during the last week, very little of which has had any foundation.
“I am just happy to be able to focus on the positive news that Andy Johnson is now a Fulham player, one who we have great hopes for.”
Johnson is Fulham’s 11th signing since they clinched Premier League survival on the final day of last season and he is likely to form a new strike partnership with Bobby Zamora, who arrived from West Ham in July.
The fee for the former Birmingham City striker should enable Everton manager David Moyes to make a second bid for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Moutinho.
Moyes had an initial 11.8m offer rejected by the Portuguese club, with Sporting not keen on selling the 21-year-old for less than 20m.
Everton have yet to make a signing this summer and Moyes has conceded he may need as many as five or six new players.
never really rated johnson to be honest…scored a lot of penalties the year with palace which inflated his goals tally a bit…a small bit one demensional…put it in behind the defence and let him run after it…