Tag Archives: transfer

Premier League transfer blitz

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Despite the fact we are not even half-way through June, several Premier League clubs have been active in the transfer market already, as preparations for the new season gather pace. We look at some of the deals done so far, assess what impact they might have, and also predict who else is likely to be moving around this summer, in what is set to be another busy close-season.

If the first few weeks of the summer are anything to go by, then Liverpool look set to be among the busiest of all the top-flight clubs in the transfer window with Jordan Henderson already signed and sealed from Sunderland and plenty more tipped to follow him.

Director of football Damien Comolli has confirmed the Reds have several more top targets with Connor Wickham, Stewart Downing, Charles N’Zogbia, Charlie Adam, Jose Enrique and Gael Clichy all said to be among them.

Henderson’s arrival sends out a warning message to the rest of the league that Liverpool (10/1 to win 2011-12 Premier League) are aiming to spend big on top, young English talent and, while his signing does represent a risk, after just one full season in the top flight, there is no doubt that the 20-year-old is a fine prospect and the sort of player the Merseysiders need to turn them from top-four contenders to real title challengers.

If Comolli and Kenny Dalglish can succeed in signing Wickham, either Downing or N’Zogbia, one from Clichy and Enrique, a centre-back and back-up keeper, then Liverpool will surely challenge the likes of Tottenham, Manchester City and Arsenal for a place in the top four in the new campaign.

Their spending is unlikely to be matched by Spurs (40/1) but Harry Redknapp is also on the lookout for new players and he has already landed Brad Friedel from Aston Villa on a free, as he looks for a reliable number one following inconsistent displays from Heurelho Gomes.

Luka Modric has been tipped to leave White Hart Lane, but Redknapp remains adamant he is not selling his top midfielder and he will hope to add more talent to his squad rather than getting rid of it.

Arsenal (7/1 Title odds) are also in dire need of strengthening if they are to sustain a title challenge next season, but of more pressing concern for Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is trying to keep Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas and Clichy, who are all thought to be mulling over offers from elsewhere following another trophy-less season.

Manchester United (13/8f to win 2011-12 Premier League) have already agreed a deal to sign Phil Jones from Blackburn, while the capture of Ashley Young from Villa appears a near certainty as well.

Sir Alex Ferguson spoke in the wake of the Champions League final defeat to Barcelona that he needs more quality to take his side to the next level and Young and Jones are certainly a step in that direction. Modric and Wesley Sneijder have also been mentioned as possible signings for the champions, while expect Fergie to unearth at least another up-and-coming prospect from somewhere over the summer.

In terms of other ‘done deals’, new-boys Swansea have landed Danny Graham for £3.5million and Newcastle have agreed to sign Yohan Cabaye, but the real movement in the transfer market is still to come.

Expect plenty of comings-and-goings at super-rich Manchester City (10/3 – Premier League Outright) and Chelsea (5/2) as they tweak their squads for the new season while the likes of Villa, Newcastle and newly-promoted QPR have money to spend as well.

So, while a few major deals have already been completed the real transfer action is still to come. One thing is for sure, there is likely to be plenty ahead of the season kicking off again in August.

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Ferguson rejects transfer talk

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has ruled out making any new signings in the January transfer window (United 9/2 to win the Premier League).

Ferguson saw his side beat Tottenham 2-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday to sit five points behind leaders Chelsea. And he insisted he is happy with the squad he has, and is not considering adding to it this season.

“We won’t be buying in January, definitely not,” said Ferguson in the Independent. “If you want someone to play in Europe, you are limited right away. There are hundreds of players cup-tied.”

The United boss added: “You have five months left of the season, I will have Antonio Valencia back hopefully towards the end of February, which is a new player coming back.

“If Michael Owen gets back, it is another new player coming back. So with the squad I’ve got, I don’t see any reason for us to buy anyone.”

Ferguson is not panicking over the size of his squad, or the fact that Wayne Rooney may not be back in action until mid-December (United 1/14 Top Four Finish).

Rooney was on hand at Old Trafford yesterday after returning from a mid-season break to Dubai with his wife Coleen.

“I think Wayne Rooney will be out for another five weeks,” Ferguson said in the Sunday Express. “He’ll have to pick up his fitness again. I would think five weeks should be about right.”

Rooney could miss a total of 15 games for club and country, after initially having targeted the Manchester derby against City next week.

United’s match at Blackpool on December 4 is now his comeback target, though the Champions’ League visit of Valencia three days later could also be in his sights (United 9/1 to win 2010-11 Champions League).

Ferguson went on to add: “With any player who has been out a few weeks, you want them 100 per cent and not breaking down. That is what happened to Ryan Giggs – he came back and trained a full week and maybe did too much.

“He lasted only 25 minutes against West Brom and it was a loss, because we didn’t have real cover for the wide positions.”

Ferguson said that Rooney would have to battle to regain his place in the team because of the form of Javier Hernandez, who has scored seven goals in 13 games for United.

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Pulis expecting transfer frenzy

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Tony Pulis claims there could be a lot of transfer activity occurring around Stoke City (4/1 to be relegated) in the next 24 hours as he aims to improve his squad for the long Premier League season.

The manager has seen his side lose their first three games in the Premier League, the latest of them coming in a 2-0 defeat to defending champions Chelsea.

Stoke (40/1 to finish in the top six) were resolute and dogged throughout that game, but Pulis knows he needs to improve his squad if the club are to climb the Premier League table this season.

Pulis spent big money bringing Kenwyne Jones to the club before the start of the campaign and he has been linked with a host of transfer targets throughout the summer.

He is being linked with the likes of Jermaine Jenas, Hugo Rodallega and Eidur Gudjohnsen in the national press and the manager has admitted there are likely to be a few last-minute deals going through before the transfer window closes at 6pm on Tuesday.

“We’re hoping to get four or five players in by Tuesday and there will be players leaving as well,” said Pulis.

“It may go to the wire but we are prepared to wait and ensure we get the right deals.

“We want to bring in some younger players, some players who will improve the group. That is important.”

The manager will be hoping that he can have some new faces at his disposal when Stoke take on Aston Villa in their next Premier League game on September 13th.

One of the faces who could be on his way out of the Britannia Stadium is Bosnian goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.

The player was only signed from Portsmouth in January but has now caused controversy after he refused to play for Stoke in the Carling Cup (Stoke 40/1 to win Carling Cup) win over Shrewsbury.

Stoke chairman Peter Coates has admitted that Premier League champions Chelsea (6/5 to win the title this season) made a £4.5 million offer for Begovic that was rejected by the club.

He added that he is “not expecting” the west London side to come back with a bigger offer, but it could tempt Stoke to cash in on the 23-year-old if that did happen.

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Hodgson drops transfer hint

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Roy Hodgson leads Liverpool into battle at Manchester City on Monday night admitting he might well be finished in the transfer market this summer (City 11/8, draw 9/4, Reds 2/1 – 90 minutes).

The Reds have so far drafted in the likes of Joe Cole, Christian Poulsen, Brad Jones, Danny Wilson, Milan Jovanovic and Jonjo Shelvey, although keeping the likes of captain Steven Gerrard and star striker Fernando Torres has arguably been their best piece of business.

Doubt still exists over the future of Argentina captain Javier Mascherano – the Reds will keep him unless Liverpool’s valuation is met despite the signing of Poulsen as cover – but Hodgson insists is still working out exactly where money needs to be spent as a priority.

In the build-up to the trip to Eastlands for what could be a Premier League cracker, the former Fulham chief confirmed: “I’d like some money to spend if I could research where that money could be spent wisely.

“Giving me a lot now and telling me to go out and buy some players with one week of the transfer window left would not be particularly advantageous.

“I’ve only been here for five weeks or so and I’d want to make sure I had assessed absolutely everyone, including those at the academy, just in case we have an outstanding 17-year-old.

“We might have a Javier Hernandez there so I don’t want to go out and spend £50million on buying another one.”

Liverpool’s financial position and the fact co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are looking to sell up means unearthing another Kop youngster would be manna from heaven for the Merseyside outfit.

The Reds started the Premier League season with a draw at home against Arsenal so they will be looking for their first win when they make the short trip to Manchester (Liverpool 11/5 – To Keep A Clean Sheet).

Cole’s red card against the Gunners means he will sit the game out while defender Daniel Agger is a doubt because of the after-effects of concussion.

City will almost certainly hand a debut to new midfielder James Milner who has been prised away from Aston Villa.

The England international is eyeing a new role at his latest club although his versatility means the former Leeds United starlet is likely to be asked to do a variety of jobs during his City career.

“Wherever the manager wants me to play, I’ll do it to the best of my ability,” the 24-year-old told City’s website.

“But I enjoy playing in the middle – that’s probably my best position and where I’ve shown by best form over the past 18 months. I’ve been most creative and scored goals from there and I’ve enjoyed it immensely.

“I think that’s where the boss has signed me to play, but if he asks me to play anywhere else I’ll do what is best for the team.

“As long as we’re winning football matches, that’s all that counts.”

City could hand a Premier League debut to new striker Mario Balotelli (7/1 – Enhanced First Goalscorer) although Aleksandar Kolarov and Jerome Boateng remain sidelined with ankle and leg problems respectively.

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Hodgson set for transfer boost

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Kenny HuangThe possible sale of Liverpool FC has returned to dominate the back pages in the last few days amid reports that Chinese tycoon Kenny Huang is now in talks with the Royal Bank of Scotland over taking control of the Anfield side (Liverpool 7/4 to secure a top four finish).

The Times claims Huang is eager to secure a deal for the club before the transfer window closes, at 1700 BST on September 1.

American duo Tom Hicks and George Gillett are the current owners of Liverpool but the pair are desperate to sell. They put the club up for sale in April, after three years in charge at Anfield.

Reports claim that sources close to Huang have said he is eager to seal a deal as quickly as possible so boss Roy Hodgson can be given additional funds to bring in new players.

“He wants to get it done quickly so investment can come this summer,” a source close to his proposed bid is quoted as saying. “Liverpool need investment in the playing squad and infrastructure, and Huang wants to build the (new) stadium. The club has an outstanding reputation but does not have the infrastructure to keep with it and make it grow.”

Hodgson has already signed free-agent Joe Cole after the England international’s contract at Chelsea came to an end, defender Danny Wilson from Rangers, Milan Jovanovic from Standard Liege and promising youngster Jonjo Shelvey from Charlton Athletic, as well as re-signing left-back Fabio Aurelio. However, the former Fulham boss is still on the lookout for new faces.

Liverpool are also desperately trying to convince Fernando Torres to remain at Anfield, with Chelsea and Manchester City both interested in the Spanish star, and if Huang manages to strike a deal for the club, he will do everything he can to ensure the star striker sticks with Hodgson’s side.

However, Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton has revealed that several bids have been made for the club, although Huang is thought to be the front-runner in the race to sign the Premier League outfit.

“Any bids that go straight to RBS – and there have been several – come to me and are directed to Barcap,” Broughton said. “RBS are not involved. The control remains with the board.”

Liverpool face Arsenal in their opening Premier League fixture on August 15, and although Hicks and Gillett may still be the owners when the season starts, it seems certain that their tenure will not last much longer (Liverpool 5/4, draw 23/10, Arsenal 7/4).

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Holloway admits Blackpool transfer fears

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Blackpool manager Ian Holloway says he is looking to add nine players to his squad (6/4 to win their opening match against Wigan) before the start of the season, but admits it is going to prove very difficult.

Following last season’s play-off success, the Tangerines boss has spent all summer trying to add new faces to his squad.

But without a massive transfer kitty and with one eye on the future, Blackpool have found it hard to sign new players as they prepare for their first Premier League campaign.

So far, the Premier League new-boys have not be able to make any signings, with just five weeks to go until the start of the new campaign.

Holloway admits that Blackpool did not plan to go up last season and that is another reason why they have struggled to make an impact in the summer transfer window.

The former QPR boss told the Blackpool Gazette: “I have to try to get myself six to nine extra players because I’ve only got 16 at the moment and we need a squad of 25.

“We might not get to 25 and I hope we don’t have any injuries or suspensions before January because that could kill us.”

Holloway has conceded that Blackpool only have one scout, which has made it difficult for the Tangerines to check out players in Europe and further afield.

The manager has already indicated that he will look to bring in younger players and try and build for the future, with big-money signings out of the question.

Holloway added: “We’ve never watched a player who is worth a million quid. So how on earth can we now try and get a player – in fact nine of them – to keep us in the Premier League?

“That’s the reality of it. Until you get to the top flight you haven’t got the money to put these structures in place. So it’s a vicious circle.”

Blackpool kick-off the new season with a home clash against Lancashire rivals Wigan (9/1 to win 2-0 at Bloomfield Road) on Saturday August 14, before an away trip to Arsenal on August 21.

Holloway is keen to keep the team spirit at the same level as last season and that means looking to bring in a certain type of player.

The manager concluded: “What I want to do is get the characters right because I don’t want to lose what we’ve got here, I think it’s really special.

“They’ll have to come for the right reason, which isn’t their wage packet – it’ll be wanting to play in the Premiership for Blackpool.”

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