Tag Archives: Beckham

Syed hoping to tempt Beckham

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Ahsan Ali Syed has admitted that his main target for Blackburn would be David Beckham if he is successful in his takeover of the Lancashire club (Blackburn 66/1 – Top-4 Finish).

The Indian businessman is in talks with Rovers over a possible £300million deal and this could see him pledge an initial £100million for new players.

This means that the former Manchester United star, who has not played in the Premier League since leaving Old Trafford seven years ago, is a realistic target for the Ewood Park side.

Discussions between Syed’s investment firm Western Gulf Advisory and Blackburn were described as “cordial and productive” earlier in the week. If an agreement can be reached, Beckham’s signing could pave the way for more big names at the club but manager Sam Allardyce has stressed the importance of getting value for money.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, the 36-year-old Syed justified his love of Beckham and hinted why he is interested in swooping for the LA Galaxy star.

He said: “I was 26 when I started following the Premier League. I used to like Blackburn back then and also used to follow Manchester United’s fortunes because of David Beckham.

“If my finances allow and his intentions are positive then I would love to take Beckham.”

Meanwhile, although Allardyce insists that the takeover could bring “great success” to the club, he admits he would have to persuade any new owner that he would not be willing to pay over-the-odds for players. He also stated that he would like to build the club slowly with any money that is available to him and that big-money spending would have to be justifiable to the fans.

Allardyce expressed his belief that the money being talked about is small compared to the mega-money that is available to some other Premier League sides, singling out what Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool have spent in recent times.

He also stated that any comparisons between Syed and Jack Walker – the steel magnate whose investment aided Rovers’ successful Premier League title bid 15 years ago – are moot because back then, Walker was the biggest spender in the Premier League.

Accepting that Walker practically bought a whole team with then-manager Kenny Dalglish, Allardyce stressed that any foreign investment would need to be spent wisely.

He said: “It is fantastic money for a club like ours, but it is still, in terms of the top boys, not (enough to make) as big an impression as they have made over the last few years.

“The numbers that are being talked about at Blackburn, while fantastic to get us close, are not (equivalent to) the sort of money that Jack Walker first put in, which was more than everyone else at the time.”

Blackburn are currently 2000/1 to win the Premier League but these odds could shorten significantly should any takeover be completed.

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Capello ends Beckham dream

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David Beckham’s dreams of appearing at another major tournament finals appear to be over after England coach Fabio Capello made it clear that he will not pick the former captain again (England 9/1 – Euro 2012 outright).

Having initially been ditched by Steve McClaren following the 2006 World Cup, the former Manchester United star bounced back to reclaim his place in the squad and looked set to play in his fourth consecutive World Cup finals this summer.

However, the LA Galaxy star missed the chance to make history when he suffered an Achilles injury prior to the South Africa tournament.

Despite the severity of the injury, the 35-year-old has always maintained that he would return for both club and country and would never retire from international football.

He had hoped to play some part in England’s Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, with three matches scheduled to take place before the end of the year, but Capello let slip in an interview prior to Wednesday’s 2-1 friendly victory over Hungary that Beckham would no longer be part of the national set-up but may play in a farewell match before Christmas (England 2/7 – to win Group G).

“I hope when David is okay he can play here the last game at Wembley in a friendly to say goodbye and thank you very much to the crowd,” he said. “I won’t be picking him for any more competitive matches.

“David is a fantastic player, he was really important, but we have to see the new players for the future because the age is important for a lot of people, not only for David.”

Beckham won 115 caps for his country and played at the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups, as well as at Euro 2000 and 2004 and he skippered the national side on 58 occasions.

He polarized opinion within the media, with many pundits praising his commitment and ability to score from dead-ball situations and fire accurate 50-yard passes, while others felt he was one-dimensional and lacked the necessary pace to create a real impact out wide.

But his enthusiasm for the England team could never be called into question and Capello even allowed him to sit in the dug-out during the World Cup to offer support to his former team-mates.

The player’s agent responded to the news by stating that Beckham would still be available for England and has not officially retired from international football but it does appear that November’s friendly at Wembley will be the last time he is seen in an England shirt.

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