Right, let’s see what’s been happening today, then.
- Chelsea are prepared to meet the £26.8m buyout clause in Juan Cuadrado’s contract, but only if they can find a buyer for Andre Schürlle first.
- Mario Balotelli’s agent has said the striker will be staying at Liverpool
- Mino Raiola also suggested that Paul Pogba could leave Juventus in the next 18 months
- Roberto Mancini wants to take Yaya Touré to Inter
- Crystal Palace have signed Jordon Mutch from QPR and free agent Shola Ameobi
- Brendan Rodgers is confident that Raheem Sterling will sign a new contract at Liverpool
- Ravel Morrison has signed a pre-contract agreement to join Lazio on a four-year deal in the summer
- Scott Sinclair’s move from Manchester City to Aston Villa has been revived
And that’s your lot. Just two more working days of this, and we’ll be here for, erm, both of them. Come back, back, back for 9am tomorrow - it’s going to be a large one. Honest.
Nigel Pearson has been talking, and he’s been talking specifically about Leicester. As you might imagine, him being the Leicester manager and stuff.
We have tried to do the business that we wanted to do and got two done very quickly, if we can strengthen we will but I don’t know. I’ve got no idea if it’ll go right to wire - I won’t be sitting in my office until late. In an ideal world I don’t see why deals are done so late, if you get involved with that you do but I certainly won’t be getting involved myself.
All I think about is what we’re trying to do, I’m not interested in other people. We have tried to do the business we wanted to. It’s nice to have options, we’ve managed to keep a relatively fit squad and hopefully that will continue.
I have always said I back my players, if you speak to the players they would be keen for us to strengthen but it is only if you can strengthen. I don’t see the point in just collecting players, it’s nice to have options of course.
Speaking of Roma and Gazzetta, Ukrainian winger Yevhen Konoplyanka, one of the brave few who frequently appear in the gossip columns but who never actually go anywhere, has been speaking about his future. He said in the paper:
I know there was talk that there would be a medical [with Roma] soon, but that’s not true. I promised the president that I’d stay at Dnipro until the end of my contract. As I understand it, the two clubs have reached an agreement, but not with me.
That’s why the deal hasn’t been completed. I like Roma though, they’re a big European club. I’m convinced that in the next few days my future will be decided.
It’ll be either him, Shakhtar Donetsk’s Luiz Adriano or Chelsea’s Mo Salah for them, it seems. Furthermore, Gazzetta idly speculates that Roma might fancy either Roberto Soldado or Emmanuel Adebayor. Make what you will of that.
Urby Emanuelson signed a one-year contract with Roma in the summer, but it seems they are bundling him out the door in a hessian sack. Or, sending him to Atalanta, with Gazzetta dello Sport reporting that a deal to take him there is done, done, done.
It’s Football Weekly Extraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, with Barry Glendenning, Iain Macintosh and Simon Burnton. “Long,” was what Simon, sitting next to me, said when asked what this episode was like. “We talked about stamping a bit and we tried calling Sid Lowe a lot, so they’ll hear lots of his answerphone message. Actually, it’s more of an automated one.”
And if that doesn’t make you want to listen, I don’t know what will.
Updated
Bit more on Kevin Strootman now, and SportMediaSet report that the big Dutchman will be out for four weeks after that knee surgery. Meanwhile, the man himself has moved to calm down anyone tempted to get hysterical about this latest twang. On Twitter he said:
There’s a lot of speculation in the media about me and I would like to explain to all the fans what the real problem is. In the match against Fiorentina I got a knock on my left knee. It’s bruised and therefore I should rest my knee for a couple of weeks.
This gives me the opportunity to remove some scar tissue which has bothered me a bit after the last surgery and this will help me further in getting back to my old level. It’s nothing serious and I will be back on the pitch as soon as possible.
Cuadrado deal latest
Right, significant update on the Juan Cuadrado deal now, from Dominic Fifield:
Chelsea are prepared to meet the £26.8m release clause in Juan Cuadrado’s contract with Fiorentina but will only progress with a deal for the Colombian once they have received an acceptable offer for André Schürrle.
The Bundesliga clubs Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund have expressed an interest in the Germany international, but neither has indicated they would be willing to match Chelsea’s valuation for the World Cup winner. The London club are seeking at least £25m for a forward who joined for £18m from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2013 and has started only five Premier League games to date this term, with negotiations on-going between all parties.
Wolfsburg officials travelled to London last week to open discussions on a potential deal with the player’s agent arriving in the capital over the weekend. The player’s representative and his father, Joachim, have attempted to persuade Chelsea to lower their asking price – or at least rejig the payment schedule – in a bid to smooth a move back to Germany before the deadline. Schürrle, who is apparently nursing a slight back injury, has not been involved in the team’s domestic cup games with Bradford City and Liverpool and will be absent again against Manchester City, but remains optimistic a deal can be struck to depart before Monday.
DONE DEAL! Possibly
Gazzetta report that Standard Liège’s Paul-José M’Poku will become Cagliari’s Paul-José M’Poku very shortly.
Remember that Mino Raiola interview from earlier in Gazzetta? Well, here’s some more from it - some very interesting stuff about Paul Pogba, specifically:
I want the club that buys him to believe in him and be willing to pay for him. If Paul leaves Juventus, it is for the absolute top. If it does not happen this year, it will be next year.
Paul is at the same level economically as the other big stars and has a similar reputation, so he could stay for another year. But Paul is the only major star who is available at the end of the season.
If you cannot take Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or Zlatan Ibrahimovic, you can only go for Paul. If someone wants him, the market situation could see him go for more than €100 million.
Word from Brendan Rodgers now on what business Liverpool will be doing before Monday - or what they won’t be doing, more accurately.
Every manager will always want more - but you can’t just go and pluck the players out of the air.
Every manager would know what you would want. I would want to be able to do one or two things - but players aren’t always available, and players that can come in and improve you.
I’ve always said that the likelihood is that we wouldn’t do anything in this window, and that will probably prove to be the case.
Not sure if we’ve had these words from Vincenzo Montella on the apparently Chelsea-bound Juan Cuadrado before, but here they are again anyway:
He has the characteristics suited to English football because he’s fantastic in positive transitions and with Mourinho it could be perfect. I think Chelsea have probably been in talks with his agent, but I don’t know. His €35m release clause has to be paid if he is to leave.
Here’s Shola Ameobi on what it’s like to be working with Alan Pardew again, something most of us can and indeed do only dream of.
I’m very excited to be here, I wanted to get back in the Premier League and having worked with the manager before it’s been great to come back and hopefully help us avoid the relegation battle.
I had a couple of other clubs interested but I think my relationship with Alan [Pardew] and how much I enjoyed working with him was one of the big factor in my decision.
He instils confidence in players and he always seems to get the best out of them, certainly he did that at Newcastle and hopefully he can do that for me and the rest of the lads here.
Hot hot hot off the...lots
Guinea win.
— Jonathan Wilson (@jonawils) January 29, 2015
What a tense encounter that was, but clearly Guinea had just enough quality to see it through and edge out Mali.
If you place any stock in these things, Blackburn striker Rudy Gestede has been cut to 4/1 to join QPR with some bookies. The striker had of course dangled himself in the hope that Crystal Palace would nab him, but they’ve signed Shola Ameobi instead, which must sting a little. He’s been left on the bench for the last couple of games in anticipation of a move.
In some ways relevant to transfer yuks, word reaches the world that Kevin Strootman has something called ‘cyclops syndrome’, which appears to be related to his knee rather than eye. He’ll require surgery to remove tissue that has been hindering recover from the ACL banjaxing he suffered last year, but it doesn’t sound like this latest problem is as bad as before.
Confirmed
Premier League confirm that BBC have renewed MoTD deal until 2019 - £204m over three years.
— Owen Gibson (@owen_g) January 29, 2015
“Not sure if this has been mentioned but Cork to Swansea is also a ferry route,” notes Brian Furlong. “I don’t think this is relevant though.”
I smell another riff in the near future. Don’t disappoint me, people...
New contracts ahoy - Stoke have agreed fresh deals with a couple of players, but we’re not going to tell you which ones.
Just kidding! It’s Peter Crouch and Glenn Whelan, who have both penned two-year extensions.
Believe it or not, we’re doing a liveblog of the Africa Cup of Nations drawing of lots, to decide who from Guinea or Mail is going through to the second phase. What a time to be alive. Join David Hills here.
Looks like Brendan is confident Raheem Sterling is going to stick around. Also, despite it sounding a bit like an insult, I think he means ‘sponge for learning’ as a good thing.
Rodgers on Sterling contract: "It's all in hand with his reps.He''s happy and sees his long-term future here.He's a real sponge for learning
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceEcho) January 29, 2015
Add Jordon Mutch to the file of ‘footballers who look absolutely delighted to sign for the club they’re signing for’.
Jordon Mutch signs for Crystal Palace FC. https://t.co/XIoch9s9eQ
— Crystal Palace FC (@CPFC) January 29, 2015
You want details? We got details up the wazoo. Specifically, details on the two signings Crystal Palace have made today.
Undecided as to whether this is a good or a bad thing...
BBC look certain to retain MoTD highlights after ITV decide against bidding..
— Owen Gibson (@owen_g) January 29, 2015
Bit more on the Cork to Swansea whisper from earlier, via the PA:
Garry Monk hopes to sign Cork for a reduced price, although Press Association Sport understands no fee has yet been agreed between the two Barclays Premier League clubs.
I should stress that the last few entries, in particular the Roxette clip, were made by noted Swede Marcus Christenson while I had a sandwich. Trouble is, nobody will believe me, will they?
And Neymar, just to be clear, is not going anywhere. Not that we thought he was but just if you see some silly rumour that he is joining Manchester City over the next few days then think of this (from none other than Neymar Snr): “Neymar is very happy at the moment. Things are developing and he is very settled.”
And just because I can ... here is a Roxette video.
Chris Dawkes has more information on that Sheffield Wednesday takeover.
#swfc takeover has been confirmed by the club. Delphon Chansiri has already financed 2 loan deals and says club are working on more signings
— Chris Dawkes (@chrisdawkesITV) January 29, 2015
Shola Ameobi has joined Crystal Palace until the end of the season. What a busy day for Pards and co. Successful? Not for me to say.
Club changing hands! The Thai businessman Dejphon Chansiri has acquired 100% of the shareholding in Sheffield Wednesday. He’s delighted.
“I am very excited at the prospect of taking over control from Milan. I believe this club has huge potential and I can assure all our supporters that I will be working extremely hard to bring the success that I already sense from my short time in your city our supporters so desperately crave.”
One player who is not moving this transfer window is Rubin Kazan’s Carlos Eduardo. Well, according to his president that is. Or maybe the president just wants a bit more money for him. Impossible to say these days really. German side FC Cologne have been trying to sign him but they better hurry up. Clock is ticking!
So we haven’t talked about Juan Cuadrado for several hours now but fear not - he is moving closer and closer and closer to that move to Chelsea, likely to be for around £27m. How close is he to a move to Chelsea? Vicinissimo, according to the latest reports from Italy, which is pretty much as close you can get to swapping clubs without actually doing so. I reckon it will happen today or tomorrow.
Balotelli? Balotelli! Here’s some more of yer man’s agent, the ever-willing to yak Mino Raiola, on Mario’s future:
I saw him on Monday and said: ‘You’ve got a [long] contract and I’m not taking you away. Either you leave Liverpool for €60m or €70m and I win the bet or you die there’. It’s the first time that I’ve had such a conversation with a player. I saw that he was calm, changed, different with respect to at Milan. Very disappointed in himself too.
He is going through times he’s never had before. Before everybody wanted him to do well. He had space. At Liverpool, no: either you do as we say or you stay out [of the team]. Then he was out injured for eight weeks. He lost rhythm.
At one point it looked like Ivica Olic was going to swap burgs, moving from Wolfs to Ham, but his current club have blocked the deal. But it’s no bother to the man himself, who told Kicker:
It’s not a problem for me to stay at Wolfsburg. I enjoy being here, and I am looking forward to the the second half of the season.
Updated
DONE DEAL
Could be the first of a couple for Palace today, this
MUTCH JOINS #CPFC: Midfielder @jordonmutch has joined @CPFC in a permanent transfer for an undisclosed fee pic.twitter.com/FiuU1AK47o
— QPR FC (@QPRFC) January 29, 2015
A few more own-goals to enjoy now.
“Probably the most known OG in Denmark ever,” writes Niels Bundgaard. “It’s a match between Lyngby and…. Hmmm can’t really remember but I’m certain it’s a first division game and it’s from the eighties.” Ooof.
A couple along similar lines, from our pal social media...
@NickMiller79 Surely this one has to be up there for best/funniest own goals https://t.co/OhVSnIJZBj
— Jozef Brodala (@JozefBrodala) January 29, 2015
@NickMiller79 https://t.co/MzyFoi815I
— Daniel Griffiths (@DanielGriffith6) January 29, 2015
And a classic, nominated by Nick Walker: “For pure schadenfreude, look no further than Jamie Pollock’s peach in Manchester City’s final home game of the 1997/98 season against QPR; a 2-2 draw which helped City on their way into English football’s third tier for the first time in the club’s history. Having been at the game, later that evening I suffered the added ignominy of a United-supporting friend who naively assumed it must have been a goal for City telling me “Shame about the result but what a great goal”. It was also probably the single most skilful thing Pollock ever did on a football pitch in his career.”
According to the BBC, Swansea are chatting with Southampton over a permanent move for Jack Cork, whose contract expires in the summer.
Some stars burn bright then quickly flicker out, others burn a little longer, but some just don’t light up at all. You can add the splendidly-named Arvid Schenk to the latter list, as the Dundee goalkeeper has left the club after just one game - in which he conceded six goals.
Some lunchtime reading for you from the Guardian Sport Network, about the lost generation of Real Madrid ‘Pavones’, by Blair Newman.
They are an oft-told chapter of the club’s success story and Pérez seemed to continuously read that chapter to himself as he brought in Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, David Beckham and so on. They would become known as “Los Galácticos”, but Perez’s concept was originally called “Zidanes y Pavones”, with the underlying principle being to intertwine world class signings like Zidane, with home-grown talent like Francisco Pavón.
The “Zidanes” were otherworldly. Alien beings brought in to entertain, excite and enrich. People from all corners of the globe knew them and may even have bought the shirt to prove it. They were memorable and left an indelible mark on Real Madrid history. The “Pavones”, however, were flawed, entirely human and ultimately forgotten. They were the twisted sideshow in a flawed experiment.
Looks like the Mattia Destro to Meeeeeeeeeelan deal is all confirmed, and wrapped up with a nice wee bow.
— MattiaDestroOfficial (@MDestroOfficial) January 29, 2015
There’s been talk that Juventus are keen on Fluminense midfielder Gerson, perhaps in the hope that he’s as good as his namesake in the 1970 Brazil World Cup team. With talk of an offer of around €11million for their man, which hasn’t been especially well-received by Fernando Simon, sports director of the Brazilian club. As quoted by Gazzetta dello Sport, he said:
You must be joking. The figures circulating in Italy are simply ridiculous. Eleven million for a player of the caliber of Gerson is a trifle. We would never accept such an offer.
Sam Allardyce has confirmed that young Hamilton left-back Stephen Hendrie has been poked, prodded and asked to cough ahead of a move to the Boleyn. “It’s with view to a move in the summer yes,” Allardyce said. “He’s one for the future, not for now.”
The West Ham website bods posed a few other transfer questions to Sam too:
What is the situation with Darren Fletcher?
SA: “It is still a possibility. It’s not dead yet, so it still could happen.”
Is it frustrating that you haven’t managed to get it over the line?
SA: “You have to patient sometimes. We’re not desperate, as we’ve got several good options in midfield but we want to add to that if we can.”
Is there any truth in the rumour that your interested in Bafetimbi Gomis?
SA: “No.”
Another name mentioned was Danny Ings, any movement there?
SA: “No, with us having Andy Carroll, Diafra Sakho, Carlton Cole and Enner Valencia we have more than enough front men to cope with the demand for the rest of the season. In the summer we’ll reassess our aims and the squad but for now we’re fine with the four options we’ve got.”
There’s been some reports that Chelsea have sounded out West Ham over Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia…
SA: “By email, text or phone? How have they sounded us out? The only way it has been sounded out is through the media, certainly not through club to club.”
Blimey. That’s...that’s a fair old drop-off, no?
Meanwhile Belgian newspaper La Dernière Heure claiming Juventus will go for Axel Witsel should Pogba leave in the summer.
— Mina Rzouki (@Minarzouki) January 29, 2015
DONE DEAL!
Two in a row! We’re cooking on gas, lads and lasses, although this one is a little more low-key. Iain Hume has re-signed for Tranmere on a six-month deal. He’d been playing for Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League before that.
DONE DEAL!
Such is the modern world, Ravel Morrison seems to have confirmed his move to Lazio on Instagram.
Word is he’s agreed a pre-contract to sign for four years in the summer. Will this be the making of him? Well, hopefully, but anyone who bets money on it is one of life’s great optimists.
Some more of your favourite own-goals, now.
Adam Hirst nominates this disaster, from Sheffield United’s Brian Gayle. “There is no OG more heartbreaking than this one,” Adam says. “Not only does it have no touch from the scoring team inside the half, with a whole three touches from the defending team... but it also won a league title.”
As eagle-eyed viewers will have spotted, it notable for the last Leeds player to touch being a sub named Eric Cantona. Also, I recall Danny Baker on the original Own Goals & Gaffes (a genuine classic - no jokes) positing that after the goal, Gayle “told his goalkeeper ‘Mo’, to ‘flipping call his aunt.’ Or something.”
Meanwhile, sexy pirate James Horncastle nominates this one, and you have to say that’s magnificent.
Equally sexy but perhaps not so piratey David Hartrick (proprietor of the very fine Ockley Books, incidentally), suggests this effort. “The way he holds his hand up afterwards, a study in heartbreak,” says Dave.
However, you lot will have to go some to top this magnificent effort, as suggested by Łukasz Zajczyk. I’m not even sure this qualifies as an own-goal, as the ball was going in anyway, but it definitely qualifies as very, very funny.
According to the Blackpool Gazzette, Lee Clark is looking at young West Ham defender Dan Potts, a fairly low-level rumour we’ll grant you, but it’s notable because Potts would be the 50th - five-zero - player signed by Blackpool this season. Me-o-oh-my-o.
Mario Balotelli’s agent Mino Raiola has given an interview to Gazzetta dello Sport, and as you might expect it’s pretty...well, frank. There’s some interesting stuff about Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but he also spoke about Balotelli and how, despite not scoring any goals, he’s actually quite happy at Liverpool.
He said, with translation via ESPNFC:
Of all the champions I have dealt with, I’ve never managed one who has suffered more injustices than Mario. People just don’t know him. The truth is Mario is an insecure lad and, due to this insecurity, he tends to do some ridiculous things.
I’ve always been one who wanted to make my players happy. With everybody else, I’ve always done things my way, but not with him. ‘I need my mum and my friends in Italy,’ he said. And being a father myself and wanting him to be happy, I took him back to Italy from City. I should have told him: ‘You are not going back to Italy. City are a big club and they will always support you. This is the football that matters and you want out of it.’
I saw him on Monday and told him: ‘You’ve got a four-year contract here and I’m not taking you anywhere else. Either you leave Liverpool for 60-70 million euros, and I win my bet, or you will die there.’
It’s the first time I’ve spoken in such a way to a player. I saw him relaxed, changed and different to how he was at Milan. He was used to everybody liking him and finding room wherever he was, but it’s not like that at Liverpool. Either you do as they say, or you’re out.
This period with Liverpool is the biggest lesson he has had. He’s applying himself a lot now and his private life has calmed down too. It’s not worth asking if Liverpool are the right club for him any more -- they are the only club for him.
DONE DEAL! Charlton have confirmed the signing of Christophe Lepoint from K.A.A. Gent. He’s a midfielder, and he’s bald. That’s all I’ve got.
Some nominations for your club’s version of Strootman - the player you’re always on the bring of signing, but never actually do:
“As a Spurs fan, up until the last couple of windows it was the Brazilian striker Leandro Damaio. Even now, just seeing his name in print brings me out in a cold sweat,” writes Dan Carney.
“As an Everton fan I remeber each transfer window for the entire time David Moyes was at Everton we where linked with either João Moutinho or Éver Banega,” says Chris Bowering. “Not to mention the rumours about Juan Román Riquelme who we eventually...ahem... ‘signed’. Do ya reckon we could lure him out of retirement?”
And then from Twitter.com...
@NickMiller79 Watford's Strootman was Keith Andrews. Then we did sign him and it was a disaster. A lesson for all.
— Jamie Fewery (@jamiefewery) January 29, 2015
@NickMiller79 Wesley Sneijder is still signing for Man Utd imminently right?
— Michael Clays (@mclays_) January 29, 2015
Interesting...very interesting
Roberto Mancini has his sights set high, and buried fairly deep in this interview with Italian paper Il Giornale he lets us know that he’s keen on bringing Yaya Touré to Inter. With translation thanks to Football411.com:
He’s one of the best players in the world, he can still have his say. He played for many teams, in many leagues like Belgium, Spain, Russia, England. He only misses Italy, this may be a good chance for him.
We’re working on it. You know, there are some players who may change team and Yaya is one of them. Next year we may try: we just need three champions to close the gap with Juventus.
Should you care about this sort of thing, new Arsenal defender Gabriel will wear No.5. But you really shouldn’t.
This could be pretty big - according to the Evening Standard, Jose Mourinho’s main target in the summer will be Real Madrid centre-back Raphaël Varane, the young Frenchman of whom Jose was quite the fan when he was managing in Spain.
Indeed, this is what Mourinho said when entertaining loon Pepe expressed his dissatisfaction at being ousted from the team by Varane a couple of years back:
Pepe’s comments? It is very easy to analyse what he says. Pepe has a problem and his name is Raphael Varane. A 31-year-old has lost his place to a 19-year-old. It’s the law of life. But who had the courage to field Varane? I did.
And here’s what Sid Low wrote about Varane in March 2013.
Back to transfers, which is sort of what this is meant to be about, and according to L’Equipe Arsenal will make a £15million bid for Morgan Schneiderlin in the summer. One imagines it should take much more than that to get him, but perhaps this is your standard Wenger initial, low-ball bid.
A couple of early ogger shouts, firstly from Charlie @Ordnances...
...and this blooter, via your friend and mine @FootballCliches
Meanwhile, some people have been locked in a room with a load of Lego again, and told not to come out until they’ve recreated Le Tiss’s top three goals in brick-by-brick form.
Away from own-goal/transfer news, our own Barry Glendenning has been talking to everyone’s favourite languid genius who stayed at his home club even though he could probably have gained more riches and rewards elsewhere, your man Matt Le Tissier.
And another....
@NickMiller79 was thinking of asking what people's favourite own goal is, maybe you could ask your readers the same
— charlie (@Ordnances) January 29, 2015
For various reasons, this is probably mine...
A suggestion for a riff to help us get through the day...
@NickMiller79 @guardian_sport who's your club's Strootman/Hummels? A player you're always on the brink of signing but never actually signs.
— kidiabasponytail (@KidiabaPonyTail) January 29, 2015
Here’s something about a new signing for Arsenal. Well, he’s like a new signing. If he’s ever fit. Which he isn’t. And will never be.
Amy Lawrence ponders whether Arsène Wenger should offer Abou Diaby a new contract.
The last couple of years for Diaby have been a virtual write-off. This season he has played only 67 minutes of a Capital One Cup tie. Last season he managed one 16-minute substitute appearance during the entire campaign. That is it. When he is not abroad in his persistent search for fitness he watches games at the Emirates, pops into the dressing room to see his team-mates but seldom gets close to the pitch.
Last week Wenger altered the generally positive tune he maintains when discussing Diaby. The Arsenal manager said he had “a decision to make” about the player’s future – a decision complicated by the fact he is not strong enough to take any part in practice on the training pitch. A couple of months previously Wenger had been much more encouraging, stating Diaby would be given a new contract if he was fully fit.
Lots of eyebrows went up in the room. Really? Of course the caveat – if he is fully fit – is a pretty unlikely one but it still appeared a remarkable show of faith in a player whose problems seem to be unending. He has managed a mere 22 appearances over the past four seasons.
Updated
News of a new contract now, and according to ESPNFC, Harry Kane has his pen hovering over a box-fresh deal at Tottenham, making the dreams and desires of all those fans who love him so very deeply come true.
Ah, interesting...
SA: "Fletcher is still a possibility. The move isn't dead yet but we'll see."
— West Ham United FC (@whufc_official) January 29, 2015
That of course is Manchester United’s Darren Fletcher, who has apparently been told he can leave Old Trafford on a free, with Wests Ham and Brom both keen on the midfielder.
Over to Spain now, where Asier Illarramendi has been the subject of interest - and indeed a whacking great cash money €25million offer - from Athletic Bilbao, but according to AS he’ll turn his nose up at such overtures and stick around at Real Madrid, at least until the end of the season.
Quick couple o’ lines from Italy, where according to most people Mattia Destro’s move from Roma to AC Meeeeeeeelan should be done and done today, while Roma are in the market for a winger, with Luiz Adrian and Yevhen Konoplyanka the men they’re after. Meanwhile, social media’s Mauro Icardi could be invited to do one from Inter, after Roberto Mancini decided he was no longer keen on the cut of the striker’s jib.
Moves afoot at Crystal Palace, who according to our man Dominic Fifield could be set for a TRIPLE SWOOP. Think of your own eagles pun while reading:
Crystal Palace’s busy squad strengthening before next week’s transfer deadline is to continue with the imminent arrivals of Jordon Mutch from Queens Park Rangers and Pape Souaré from Lille to bolster the club’s battle against relegation. Negotiations also continue with Manchester United to make Wilfried Zaha’s loan spell back at the club permanent.
Big word from the Swiss second division, where Lausanne have snapped up Florent Sinama-Pongolle, erstwhile Liverpool forward, on a six-month contract.
Some word knocking around today that Aston Villa’s move for Scott Sinclair has been revived, after the initial transfer was called off when rust was found on the winger’s joints. Possibly.
Scott Sinclair's Aston Villa medical presumably to check he hasn't gnawed off both of his own feet through sheer inactivity since 2012.
— Football Clichés (@FootballCliches) January 29, 2015
Blimey. Any prospective Sampdoria signings might want to take note...
Mihajlovic in CdSera: If I ask my players to throw themselves off the roof of a building I expect them to do it + then ask me why
— James Horncastle (@JamesHorncastle) January 29, 2015
The Rumour Mill
Yes friends, it’s time to body pop in celebration, for the Rumour Mill is here, and today it features:
- Chelsea are keen on West Ham duo Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho
- Ergo, thusly, therefore, hence, the Hammers fancy Bafétimbi Gomis
- PSG, Stoke and QPR are all keen on Emmanuel Adebayor
- Liverpool are scouting Hannover midfield duo Lars Stindl and Leonardo Bittencourt
- Liverpool are also looking to duke it out with Bournemouth for Birmingham winger Demarai Gray
- Junior Hoilett may leave QPR for Borussia Mönchengladbach, while Matt Phillips, could also be off with Hull, West Brom and Derby all keen
A reiteration of Martinez’s words from yesterday suggesting Everton won’t be delving too deeply into the transfer market this month...
Now at #EFC no plans to find a direct replacement for Eto'o. Martinez: "We have plenty of options in that role." pic.twitter.com/rsJ4lZJkoI
— juliette ferrington (@juliette_grace) January 29, 2015
If you were following the blog yesterday - and if you weren’t, take a good, long look at yourself - you’ll know that West Brom completed the signing of Callum McManaman, details of which are here.
Also included in that story is brief word that Tony Pulis is awfully keen on Wolves battering ram winger Bakary Sako, who Kenny Jackett’s men have managed to keep hold of before in the face of much interest from elsewhere down the years.
Let us begin. And let us begin with word from Germany, specifically Bild, that tells us Manchester United are awfully keen on Mats Hummels - indeed, Borussia Dortmund have been told that Louis van Gaal wants the handsome defender, but here’s the catch: he’ll cost something like €50million.
Ouch.
Morning
What sick ridiculous transfer puppets we are, and what gross little stage we dance on. What fun we have dancing and transfer rumouring. Not a care in the world. Not knowing that we are nothing. We are not what was intended.
I’m sure that’s what John Doe would think if he was around for the transfer window, rather than being a fictional character in the film Se7en. I was about to reveal a crucial plot point about that film, but held back on the basis that there might be two or three people who haven’t seen it. If you are one of those people, I recommend binning this blog for a bit and going to watch it, because it’s a) really very good and b) about 20 years old, so you should probably update your cultural references a bit.
Anyway - morning. Nice day, eh?
