Right, that’s it from me. Please do join Paul Doyle who will bring you the Champions League draw news as it happens:
Updated
If I’m honest, it’s a bit quiet. So here’s some tennis news: British number one Andy Murray has been drawn to face Nick Kyrgios in the first round of the US Open.
Ah, this could explain the hold-up in the De Bruyne to Manchester City deal. Reports in Germany have suggested that Wolfsburg are now also challenging Juventus for Schalke’s Julian Draxler (as well, apparently, as Manchester United).
Wolfsburg are also set to offload Ivan Perisic to Inter and so require an attacking midfielder with Bild suggesting that Draxler fits the bill. Thirty million euros would secure the 21-year-old, but Juve are thought be favourites as Schalke are unwilling to sell to a rival.
Any news at Sunderland? Nope. But according to Press Association, sporting director Lee Congerton is hard at it and trying to make things happens. The most likely thing he is going to make happen is making Emanuele Giaccherini go away. The winger could be off to Bologna with, Sunderland hope, Jonathan de Guzman arriving from Napoli.
Have Limerick signed Neymar? No, they’ve signed Barry Cotter who just happens to look exactly like him:
It’s the Champions League group draw! Your host this afternoon/evening/morning (delete as per geographical location) will be Paul Doyle at the link below:
Re. Stones, Everton, Chelsea and Barnsley:
@TomBry Liking the live blog. Re the Stones sell on clause, surely if buying club don't plan to later sell, it's a good idea to include one?
— Richard Johnstone (@richardjpf) August 27, 2015
@TomBry Selling club thinks they'll get money from future transfer & might therefore accept a lower up-front fee, but it never materialises?
— Richard Johnstone (@richardjpf) August 27, 2015
Manchester City’s Portuguese attacking midfielder Rony Lopes is on his bike and pedalling it all the way to Monaco, according to various reports. Monaco will pay City €10m for the permanent transfer. Lopes spent last year on loan at Lille.
Monaco will sign Rony Lopes for €10m after agreeing a fee with Manchester City & he won't be loaned, according to RMC http://t.co/E6tDIyTR1Q
— Get French Football (@GFN_France) August 27, 2015
Joey Barton to Burnley? Sky’s ever reliable sources are saying exactly that.
Just where is Monaco’s Layzin Kurzawa going to be playing his football this season? Here’s a hint:
Le @PSG_inside est heureux d'annoncer la signature de @layvinkurzawa jusqu'en 2020. #BienvenueKurzawa pic.twitter.com/y9WKFgw6Cy
— PSG Officiel (@PSG_inside) August 27, 2015
An interesting point re. John Stones to Chelsea. If Everton planned not to sell him after buying him from Barnsley, why bother including a 15% sell-on fee within the deal? OK, not an interesting point, but a point.
Updated
Meanwhile, Barry Glendenning has been getting his claws stuck into Mario Balotelli.
Milan fans had been teased all off-season about the possibility of Zlatan Ibrahimovic returning to San Siro. Instead they are getting Balotelli again, which is a bit like telling a teenage girl you’re going to take her to meet One Direction and then introducing her to Roger East. Or, for that matter, reassuring fans that there is life after Luis Suárez, and then signing Balotelli.
Jacob Steinberg was so excited about recording the Football Weekly podcast today, he turned up in jacket and shirt. The least you can do is listen to the results:
The Lewis Grabban situation is rumbling on at Norwich. Here’s the latest from Ed Aarons:
Norwich striker Lewis Grabban is seeking advice from the Professional Footballers’ Association after being suspended on Wednesday. The striker has been told to stay away from the club’s training ground until Tuesday after leaving the team hotel before the League Cup victory at Rotherham earlier in the week despite being named on the bench.
Grabban is now understood to have filed a complaint with the PFA after the sanction was imposed before the club held an official hearing into the incident.
The Norwich manager, Alex Neil, confirmed on Thursday that the 27-year-old’s actions are now under investigation.
“Lewis at the moment is suspended until Tuesday. I think it is well-documented why. We are still investigating why he left the hotel without permission,” said Neil.
“How do I feel about that? Really good. That is a silly question. My feeling is if any player leaves without my permission they bear the consequences that are coming their way. Lewis has to accept the suspension. He has no option. Why Tuesday? Because it is deadline day and it is all finished then.
Bad news for Claudio Ranieri: Demarai Gray is set to stay at Birmingham despite Leicester’s interest according to the Press Association.
Ranieri refused to comment on any bid but admitted he admired Gray. He said: “I don’t speak about speculation, only when a player arrives. There are some good players like him but it is not only him. We are looking around at everything.”
Birmingham have turned down several offers from Bournemouth - the final bid rising to £5m with add-ons - in January. But Gary Rowett is determined to keep the England Under-20 winger who made 43 appearances, scoring six goals, for Birmingham last season.
Is Joao Moutinho on the move? Reports in France have suggested he is hoping to leave Monaco with Zenit St Petersburg thought to be his favoured destination, where he would team up with his former Porto coach André Villas-Boas. Moutinho would be a replacement for Alex Witsel at Zenit, who is another Juventus target.
The Italian website Tuttomercato is reporting that Juventus are chasing Schalke’s Julian Draxler, a left winger, but that Manchester United are attempting to scupper the deal. Thought to be a long-term Arsenal target, Draxler is reportedly the subject of a £17m bid from the Serie A side.
On Sky Sports, Paul Merson has been quite critical of the potential De Bruyne to Manchester City transfer, saying he doesn’t know why the club need him and pointing out that he’s expensive and no better than Jesus Navas. Here’s Merson on Yaya Touré in 2010.
Paul Merson on Manchester City signing Yaya Toure in 2010. #mcfc pic.twitter.com/JOSzCnohOP
— Shane (@FNN_Official) August 27, 2015
Having been part of the side that helped take Crystal Palace up to the Premier League - and then subsequently being hoofed out on loan and dealing with various injury issues – midfielder Owen Garvan has left the club and joined League One’s Colchester instead.
Another couple of recent moves: Real Madrid whelp Lucas Silva has up sticks-ed to Marseilles for the season on loan while Shaun Maloney has left Chicago Fire after one season and returned to the UK with Hull City.
Meanwhile The Daily Mail have reported that Andy Carroll was close to a move to Sevilla. Apparently, West Ham wanted Juventus’s Simone Zaza, which would have meant the Serie A side holding onto Fernando Llorente, and Carroll going to Sevilla. As it is, Llorente has gone to Sevilla and West Ham haven’t managed to sign Zaza. Make of that what you will.
Will there be any new arrivals at Brighton during the transfer window? The answer is somewhere within this quote from Chris Hughton but I’m damned if I can find it.
HUGHTON : "Some names will be fact, there will be a lot that are speculation or one of numerous young players we have looked at.". #bhafc
— BBC Sussex Sport (@BBCSussexSport) August 27, 2015
Alex Neil is in forthright mood in Norwich. Asked about the situation with Lewis Grabban and whether he has accepted being suspended by the club, he responded with a simple: “Yes, he’s got no option but to accept it.” Grabban is thought to want a move back to Bournemouth, who have submitted three bids for the player.
Here are the words that came out of Mauricio Pochettino’s mouth when he opened it during his press conference:
It is true there are a lot of rumours around us with different players and different names. It is obvious we need one striker more, maybe one player more, and we are working hard. This you know and this is what we need to provide the squad with - the right balance to compete the whole season. This is my one desire and we are working hard for that.
On Son Heung-Min already having had a medical at the club? “Another rumour”
On Harry Kane not scoring? “I am not concerned or worried about him. He is a top scorer and maybe the next game will have the possibility to score. But this is football, and Harry knows it is okay. He is full of energy and against Leicester he played really well and worked hard for for the team. When you work hard and you do your job and you have the quality he has, he will score a lot of goals in the future.”
On Erik Lamela going back to Italy? “Is he in talks with Inter Milan? I don’t know. Erik said nothing to me. Today he was in training and happy. Lamela said nothing to me and it is only a rumour we see in the media.”
@guardian_sport @TomBry De Bruyne good player but City ought to continue with Silva in central role don't you think?
— Samuel Corney (@Corney1Sam) August 27, 2015
De Bruyne has made it clear he’s not the sort of player happy to sit on the bench – or at least José Mourinho has made it clear for him – and, frankly, if you’re spending north of £50m on a player, then you’re going to want to play him. He played out on the right for Chelsea a number of times and did well. Until Mourinho fell out with him, obviously.
More from Tottenham. Asked if Spurs were going to go back in for Saido Berhaino, the club’s manager Mauricio Pochettino more or less dodged the question by saying he needs to focus on what’s going on at the training ground. The Liverpool Echo reported a rumour earlier today that Spurs might take Fabio Borini from Liverpool, which would please Liverpool fans considerably more than Spurs fans I’d wager.
Here’s some more on Lewis Grabban’s contretemps with Norwich from top newshound Ed Aarons.
Lewis Grabban seeking advice from PFA after being suspended by Norwich yesterday. Told not to report to training until Tuesday #ncfc
— Ed Aarons (@ed_aarons) August 27, 2015
Mauricio Pochettino has been dropping some hints in his Spurs press conference, teasing that the club may have a new signing in place before the Everton game this Saturday. Should have more details shortly.
DEAL GONG!
Fernando Llorente has joined Sevilla after two years of being in and out of the side at Juventus. The 30-year-old, who became one of the most feared strikers in Europe during his eight years at Athletic Bilbao, has returned to his home country to sign a three-year contract with the Europa League winners containing a buy-out clause of €20m.
In other news: it’s Bolt v Gatlin II in just a minute - follow the men’s 200m world athletics championships final here with Lawrence Ostlere.
Middlesbrough’s Albert Adomah has submitted a transfer request after informing manager Aitor Karanka that he wants to leave the club.
Fernando Llorente is coughing for the Sevilla doctor as we speak/type/blog.
.@llorentefer19, un delantero a la altura de este #SevillaFC http://t.co/W7TezqC77g pic.twitter.com/9VA4oLwLqt
— Sevilla Fútbol Club (@SevillaFC) August 27, 2015
... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news
Our chief football writer, Daniel Taylor, has news on the De Bruyne deal: talks are ongoing and Manchester City have a private jet on standby, he reports.
Daniel also has news of another former Chelsea man who could be going places: in this instance it is that Fulham have made a bid for Nottingham Forest’s ex-Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne.
A quick recap on the day
Here are all today’s transfer(ish) stories so far:
- Kevin De Bruyne’s move to Manchester City not done yet, says Wolfsburg chief
- Balotelli blames Rodgers’ tactics for poor Liverpool spell as he joins Milan
- Kevin Nolan leaves West Ham United by mutual consent
- Thiago Alcântara extends contract with Bayern Munich
- Jonathan Walters admits he wants to stay but says Stoke do not value him
- Watford and Brighton have £1.5m bids for Feyenoord’s Elvis Manu accepted
- Aleksandar Tonev has joined the Serie A club Frosinone
- Norwich City defender Michael Turner has joined Sheffield Wednesday
Is Albert Adomah on his way out of Middlesbrough?
Can confirm Albert Adomah has submitted a transfer request to Middlesbrough this morning. Waiting to hear whether it's been accepted #mfc
— Ed Aarons (@ed_aarons) August 27, 2015
That Jonathan de Guzman to Sunderland rumour? It’s rumbling along ...
UPDATE: De Guzman has already said goodbye to his teammates- he's very close to joining Sunderland on loan [Sky] pic.twitter.com/BIxnurc5dn
— Marco Messina (@Marcocalcio22) August 27, 2015
DEAL GONG!
Aston Villa striker Aleksandar Tonev has joined the Serie A club Frosinone for an undisclosed fee. Here’s Reuters:
Newly promoted Italian Serie A side Frosinone Calcio have signed midfielder Aleksandar Tonev from Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee, the English Premier League club said on Thursday.
The 25-year-old Bulgarian was sent out to Celtic on loan last season and made 14 appearances for the Hoops.
Tonev never found the back of the net for the Villa and made only six Premier League starts and 11 substitute appearances for the club.
The Bulgaria international was given a seven-match ban on Dec. 16 for racially abusing Aberdeen’s Shay Logan.
Slaven Bilic has been talking through the decisions involved in gently ushering Kevin Nolan from the West Ham dressing room to the car park and, ultimately, into his car and then out of said car park for good. Essentially, Sam Allardyce’s former lieutenant wanted regular first team football and Bilic didn’t want him to have it:
“That is basically the only reason,” said Bilic. “In the end, it is good for both parties. It was not only this week. We had a few chats with Kevin, now he’s leaving and I can only say a big thanks to him for the club because he was a great captain and a great professional.”
There’s some Andy Carroll news too: “Carroll was back in training with us this week and felt good. Today he will do the whole session and he is improving. He is injury-free and it is just a matter of fitness now to get him back. Before he joined us, he had a minor setback, but this week he is partly training with us and then if everything goes well over the international break, he should participate in the game against Newcastle.”
He kept quiet about Alex Song, however, but did add that Enner Valencia has apologised after appearing to criticise the club’s medical staff over his treatment during a radio interview.
DEAL GONG
Norwich City defender Michael Turner has joined Championship side Sheffield Wednesday on a season-long loan. Turner spent the end of last season on loan at Fulham and Sheffield Wednesday have welcome him thusly: “Turner is a vastly experienced operator and approaching his 400th league appearance through his career so far.”
Reading are hoping to lure the promising Chelsea midfielder Nathaniel Chalbah back to the Madjeski for another loan spell, according to the Reading Chronicle. Chalobah, who has had more loans than Greece in the past few seasons (Watford, Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough, Burnley and Reading) has already worked with the Reading manager Steve Clarke when Clarke was at Chelsea.
Reading are also trying to tempt Chelsea’s Brazilian winger/forward/No10 Lucas Piazon down the M4 on loan. Piazon, incidentally, has spoken out in the past about his frustration at going out on loan so much, saying he would rather be playing for Chelsea: “Of course I wanted to be in London, playing at Chelsea but I see it as a natural process that [I have] to go through. All my friends are going the same thing. I understand and try to take each loan as well as possible. I’ve played three different leagues, try to learn from each ... and [to] evolve [so that] in the future be part of the Chelsea team.”
Anyway, here’s what the Reading manager Clarke has to say about all these possible arrivals: “I’m not going to talk about players, I never talk about players. It’s just speculation. I’m not going to talk about every player that gets mentioned in the press.”
Ah.
Here’s the full story on Elvis Manu who could be heading to Watford or Brighton for £1.5m.
Hot breaking news, straight from Ed Aarons: Watford and Brighton are slugging it out for the signature of Elvis Manu, the Feyenoord flyer (although he has actually spent the last couple of seasons out on loan at the likes of Excelsior and Cambuur, before settling in to the Feyenoord squad last year, but the Cambuur flyer doesn’t have the same ring to it).
Updated
It’s nearly lunchtime, so tuck this behind your ear to enjoy alongside your sandwiches – it’s Jonathan Wilson on Louis van Gaal and why passing the ball sideways constantly is not helping their chances of scoring (except against Brugge, obviously. But ignore that because this was written before that match)
We’re heading into Premier League presser territory - at 12.30pm BST Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino will be dancing for your pleasure. After that, it’ over to Bournemouth at 1.30pm, then swiftly to Norwich and then onto Leicester at 2pm. Quique Flores is currently talking nine to the dozen at Watford, where he’s trying to work out how best to cut his squad of foreign players so that he will fulfil the rule that only allows him 17 overseas players in his squad.
Arsenal are not about to sign anybody. But that’s also a situation that could change. It’s probably simpler if you read what Arsène Wenger has said, to be honest:
At the moment, I cannot say I am very confident because we are not close to signing anybody.
“I don’t know because I am always confident that a last-minute situation or solution is available, because the transfer market is especially moving in the last four or five days.
“At the moment, I cannot promise you that. We work very hard … you know I have a team around me who work day and night to find good solutions.
“But at the moment, we are not close to signing anyone. I am 24 hours available per day, so I am involved in the decision of course.”
So, he’s not said anything at all there, has he?
Here’s top reporter P Association on the latest De Bruyne developments:
Mario Balotelli has claimed he did not fit into Brendan Rodgers’ formation at Liverpool:
“I must accept my faults but the formation chosen by Rodgers was not suited to my characteristics,” he told Gazetta dello Sport.
“At the beginning I missed several easy chances, then I had fewer chances to score, a bit of bad luck, injuries. A mess of things.”
“I never complained, I accepted the decisions of the manager and I always behaved like a professional.
“The professional Mario didn’t just land here in Milan, even at Liverpool my behaviour and lifestyle were normal.
“Over the last year there was never a problem with my private life. I may have put pictures from restaurants on Instagram but that does not mean I did not train, even though I was not playing.”
.@FinallyMario is back! / Mario è tornato! #weareacmilan pic.twitter.com/6YTW6ol0d9
— AC Milan (@acmilan) August 27, 2015
According to the lads at the Scunthorpe Telegraph, Celtic are interested in Aston Villa’s Libor Kozak. Why are the Scunthorpe Telegraph reporting this? Because Celtic were previously interested in former Scunthorpe man Gary Hooper (now at Norwich but possibly on his way to Sheffield Wednesday). So Kozak to Celtic and Hooper to Wednesday? You heard it first in the Scunny Telegraph.
De Bruyne deal not yet done
... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news
Here are the quotes from Wolfsburg’s director of sport Klaus Allofs:
There is no agreement with De Bruyne and with Manchester City. We have agreed to open negotiations, and that has happened, but Kevin is still a Wolfsburg player.
We are not in any rush to get this [transfer] through. The interests of both sides must be considered. If our expectations are not fulfilled, Kevin will be playing for Wolfsburg this season, and I wouldn’t mind that.
In the end, there can only be winners from this deal and that applies also to Wolfsburg. If that is not the case, then there will be no transfer.
No news on what Kevin had for dinner last night. We’ll get Aarons on the case.
Updated
Some other transfer news from around and about:
-
Former Peterborough United man Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has signed for Rochdale
- Barnsley goalkeeper Dibble signs for Chelmsford City on loan
- Dundee United hope to complete the signing of former Inverness CT striker Billy McKay in the next 24 hours
So the news from Wolfsburg is that the deal for Kevin De Bruyne to go to Manchester City is not being done at this point in time, but is nonetheless something the two clubs are still talking about. He’s not said that De Bruyne is not for sale, nor that he is definitely leaving. So, essentially, as you were.
Some interesting news from Ghanasoccernet, which may or may not be true but is interesting nonetheless. They are claiming that Liverpool were in for Asamoah Gyan earlier in the summer, before Gyan decided to join Shanghai instead. Hmmm. They report:
A source close to the Ghana captain however revealed to GHANAsoccernet.com that the move to Liverpool was seriously considered.
“There was a prospective move to Liverpool that came to us,” the source said.
“Gyan can play in any league now and he wanted to prove this with a return to the English league.
“But the wages offered were not good enough and talks to have an increase in wages weren’t successful.”
All of which is simply an excuse to link to this story:
A fair point from Alec Hawley:
@TomBry re Martinez and stones, argument would be Martinez was stagnating at Wigan while stones is still developing
— Alec Hawley (@alechawley1) August 27, 2015
... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news
But he admits they are still in talks with #mcfc.
— Kristof Terreur (@HLNinEngeland) August 27, 2015
In other Ed Aarons news: Ed went out for a few beers with the South Korea football team after their efforts in the London 2012 Olympics. He said they were in jolly mood - partly because they won the bronze medal, but mainly because the fact they had taken part in the Olympics meant that the South Korean government had told them they didn’t need to do military service.
Why is this relevant? Well, it’s not really. Because potential Tottenham target Son Heung-min wasn’t in the South Korea London 2012 squad so can’t wriggle out of serving his country that way.
Will that national service still be something that scuppers any imminent arrival for the striker at White Hart Lane? Or is this all an elaborate smokescreen concocted by Spurs to convince West Brom that they have other targets than Saido Berahino, so if West Brom want to cash in, they better do so now?
Guardian sport’s Ed Aarons was on the blower to Kevin De Bruyne’s agent Patrick De Koster last night. De Koster refused to confirm any agreement had been struck, although he did hint that an announcement could be imminent. “I’m having dinner with Kevin at the moment but we have no news,” he said.
Further news on what Kevin De Bruyne had for dinner last night as we get it.
Wolfsburg news: the man who unstacks the chairs and puts them in neat rows in the Wolfsburg media centre has unstacked the chairs and put them in neat rows in the Wolfsburg media centre, and the press conference is set to start there in 6min 30sec. Ostensibly, the Wolfsburg suits will be talking Schalke - but he won’t be.
Belgian midfielder who is not Kevin De Bruyne news … Belgian midfielder who is not Kevin De Bruyne news … Belgian midfielder who is not Kevin De Bruyne news … Belgian midfielder who is not Kevin De Bruyne news … Belgian midfielder who is not Kevin De Bruyne news … Belgian midfielder who is not Kevin De Bruyne news …
Zenit St Petersburg’s Axel Witsel, linked to Chelsea and Manchester City, is off to Juventus according to Correiere dello Sport. Which is interesting for Chelsea - is Witsel being lined up as a Pogba replacement? Stay tuned for unconfirmed transfer rumours – live!
A bit of news from Reuters from earlier, which was spewed out by the Guardian Towers ticker, before curling itself up into a ball on the floor and being missed until now.
Midfielder Thiago Alcantara has extended his contract with German champions Bayern Munich by two years to 2019, the club said on Thursday.
The versatile 24-year-old Spain international, who joined from Barcelona in 2013, suffered a severe knee injury that saw him sidelined for much of last season before coming back in April.
“We are happy that Thiago decided to stay at Bayern for the long term,” said club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in a statement. “He is young and an important player for the future of the club.”
Here’s a somewhat more considered take on Jon Walters than I’ve managed so far.
“Perhaps the Barcelona influence is rubbing off on Jon Walters? He scored with an exquisite touch at Luton this week,” reports Jake Lynch, accurately. It was a lovely goal - lobbing the keeper from an ultra-tight angle. Give that man a new deal Sparky!
DEAL GONG!
Manchester City have signed the Spanish whelp Aleix Garcia from Villareal for about £2m.
comienza una nueva etapa en el Manchester City, gracias por todo a mi familia del Villarreal Cf, sempre ENDAVANT pic.twitter.com/MUFymg9djS
— Aleix Garcia (@97_aleix) August 27, 2015
... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news
Wolfsburg are holding a news conference in the next half hour, and are expected to confirm De Bruyne is off to Manchester for a fee rising to £58m.
In non-transfer news, but goalscoring goalkeeper news - and who doesn’t love a goalscoring goalkeeper? – here’s the Sao Paulo keeper Rogerio Ceni, 42 – FORTY TWO – scoring his 131st goal for the club in his 568th appearance (basically, he scores every fourth game or so).
Just to compare that goalscoring ratio with – oh, I dunno – a striker, say, who is angling for a new contract. Jon Walters’ scoring ratio for Stoke is one every five games.
Just in case anyone missed this: Mario Balotelli is off to Milan.
Delving back into the distant murk of my memory, I seem to remember that Dave Whelan, back when he was still the Wigan chairman, had some thoughts on the subject of big clubs poaching key staff from the club - in this case, that key employee being his manager Roberto Martínez.
“I’ve always said Roberto will go to one of the top clubs in Europe and when that time comes he will leave Wigan with my blessing.He’s just a brilliant manager and he will get one of the top jobs in Europe. I don’t want to lose Roberto but it is inevitable he will climb the ladder,” said Whelan magnanimously.
Within the year Martínez did one to Everton. Compare and contrast that little story with Martínez’s attitude to Everton’s John Stones doing one to – argument-starter ahoy! – a bigger club such as Chelsea.
“The situation with John is very clear. We care about him, we want to protect him and give him everything we can to allow him to enjoy his football during this tough period. We’ve got great ambition for John and it has clearly got to the point now where, in football as in life, money can’t buy everything. That’s going to be a very strong statement at Everton. We want to build a winning team and so we want to keep our best performers. John is a big part of our future.”
Ah.
... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news ... Kevin De Bruyne news
Sky’s man stationed outside the Wolfsburg training ground says Manchester City and Wolfsburg have agreed a fee, which is somewhere in the region of €75m with add ons of €5m (and includes something like €18m of performance-based fees). De Bruyne will be offered a €20m/year, five-year deal but he has not signed it yet as he is awaiting his overlords to dot the i-s and cross the t-s on the transfer. As such, he is still in Wolsburg twiddling his thumbs.
Stoke’s Jonathan Walters is feeling a little unloved - perhaps understandably. For so long the blunt instrument at the business end of Stoke’s Longballkrieg, he now finds himself surrounded by former Barcelona, Inter and Bayern players juggling the ball about the place, flicking one-touch passes sideways, backwards, over their heads and all around. Po’ Jon Walters. Po’ kicking the ball very hard at the goal and very little else Jon Walters. He wants an arm around his shoulder. He wants to know it’s all OK. Po’ Jon.
Walter’s current Stoke deal runs out next summer and he was the subject of a bid from Norwich last week, understood to be around £1.5m, which was rejected by Stoke. Stoke manager Mark Hughes said Norwich’s bid was “nowhere near” the club’s valuation and added: “We will probably keep him and let his contract run down.”
Now, Walters has had his say, via the Stoke Sentinel: “I want to stay. I’ve been here five years, this is my sixth season and it’s the longest I’ve been at any club. When you’ve been here so long you get to know not just the players, even though there’s been a huge turnaround, but the whole club and everyone involved. I’ve got a lot of friends here.
“There’s a contract there but [not one for me to consider]. People behind the scenes know why and I’ll leave it with my agents and lawyer. I can’t really go too much into it.
“In my eyes if they valued me it would be there and it’s not there so ... talk’s cheap when it comes to things like these and I’ll leave it for the men behind the scenes to sort out. Of course I’d be disappointed if I had to leave the club. We’ve improved every year and I can give you every stat for those years and I’m probably in the top two for everything.”
Updated
When our football documentaries team are not gadding about the office in ironic caps and inappropriate office wear, they are churning out films like this beauty on Ajax: the academy for world football. Have a watch, it’s great.
Updated
“Can you confirm whether Son’s tweet was before or after he heard of Spurs’ interest in signing him?” chuckles Kieran McHugh. It was some time before Kieran - about five years before in fact. Still, it’s a good ‘un.
In case the Liverpool Twitter feed missed this story from several days ago, here’s the news that Balotelli is off to Meeelan. Here’s Barney Ronay’s trademark sideways take on said news:
Here’s a piece by some bloke on Mario Balotelli’s hair, which has set the fashion pages alight.
And here’s the news from yesterday that Balotelli will be subject to an Italian air force-style behaviour clause in Milan which will ban extravagant haircuts and clothing and commit him to a healthy lifestyle - apparently ignoring the fact that, whenever Balotelli is allowed to indulge in extravagant haircuts, clothing and indoor fireworks, he is a good striker but when he is not, he is not.
Some breaking news from Liverpool here - broken several days ago by virtually every major, and most minor news organisations around the world, but breaking here on the Liverpool Twitter feed now, so let’s go with it - Mario Balotelli has agreed a season-long loan to Meeeeeelan.
#LFC can confirm that Mario Balotelli has agreed a season-long loan switch to @acmilan http://t.co/wc9q2DoRdF pic.twitter.com/OTkMoagc2P
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 27, 2015
Some non-transfer news, the England Under-19 manager Aidy Boothroyd – I know – has picked his first squad for the new season, which will include trips to Germand and Croatia in September.
Goalkeepers: Freddie Woodman (Crawley Town, loan from Newcastle United), Sam Howes (West Ham United)
Defenders: Jonjoe Kenny (Wigan Athletic, loan from Everton), Callum Connolly (Everton), Jake Clarke-Salter (Chelsea), Dael Fry (Middlesbrough), Kyle Walker-Peters (Tottenham Hotspur), Tafari Moore (Arsenal), Taylor Moore (RC Lens)
Midfielders: Jordan Rossiter (Liverpool), Lewis Cook (Leeds United), Josh Onomah (Tottenham Hotspur), Louis Reed (Sheffield United), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Ipswich Town, loan from Arsenal), Sheyi Ojo (Wolverhampton Wanderers, loan from Liverpool)
Forwards: Dominic Solanke (Vitesse Arnhem, loan from Chelsea), Patrick Roberts (Manchester City), Adam Armstrong (Coventry City, loan from Newcastle United), Isaiah Brown (Vitesse Arnhem, loan from Chelsea), Tammy Abraham (Chelsea)
Barry Glendenning was in the office early, trawling through the tabloids and other less reputable papers to dig out all the day’s transfer rumours.
- Is Mikel John Obi off to Besiktas to be a second-choice Lucas Leiva?
- Has Jonny Evans had a £12m price tag hung around his neck?
- Is Jonathan de Guzman heading to Sunderland?
- Is Aston Villa striker Aleksandar Tonev currently renting a car at a central Rome depot and programming the complimentary Sat Nav to take him straight down the A1 motorway to Frosinone?
All this and more in your super, soaraway Rumour Mill.
For any club interested in signing a whole team on the cheap, there’s news from Malaysia that nearly an entire squad is available. Meanwhile, for any out of work players – Kevin Nolan? – the Malaysian side are now recruiting for replacements.
The president of the Malaysian second tier side, Negeri Sembila, has taken the drastic step of dismissing the bulk of the club’s squad after accusing some players of feigning injury in order to spend their wages. He’s now looking to re-recruit on what sounds suspiciously like the sort of deal estate agents are employed on: low basic wages, big commission/bonus.
“I believe this is a better system. If the salaries are very high, they no longer have the hunger to play,” the owner Seri Mohamad Hasan was quoted as saying by Bernama News. “In fact, sometimes they purposely get injured because they want to enjoy the salary but are not willing to produce. With this new system, those who play full time will reap the full bonuses, those not will receive proportionate bonuses while those benched will get nothing.”
Interesting news about the possibility of Bayer Leverkusen’s Heung Min Son heading to Spurs. It’s a rumour that has been doing the rounds for a number of years - at times he has been linked to Spurs, Liverpool and one or two others. I was under the impression that clubs were wary of signing him because the player known as ‘Sonaldo’ must complete 21 months of mandatory military service in South Korea by the time he is 28.
He’s 23 now, so Spurs might get a good five years out of him, but he’s unlikely to have much resale value if he’s sat on the border between South Korea and North Korea shooting at targets with an M14 rather than his Adidas X 15s.
Here’s the full news story on Kevin Nolan:
Here’s what Nolan has had to say about the matter: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time at West Ham United and will take some great memories with me. I’m now looking forward to the next challenge playing for a new club.”
West Ham United have added: “We would like to thank Kevin for his considerable effort and commitment over the past four seasons and wish him all the very best for the future, on and off the football pitch.”
Meanwhile, can’t help but feel Andy Carroll spoke a bit too soon the other day, now that his best mate has boarded the express train to Do Oneville:
It won't be too long before I'm back in my own dream team!! Counting the days!!! ⚽️⚽️
— Andy Carroll (@AndyTCarroll) August 21, 2015
Kevin Nolan has left West Ham
West Ham will be 10% nicer this season after their midfielder Kevin Nolan bade farewell to the side after four years at the club. No news yet on how Andy Carroll has taken the move.
STORY: West Ham United can confirm that Kevin Nolan has left the Club by mutual consent. http://t.co/tu2lN6AMKd #COYI pic.twitter.com/lqUJvPSoLJ
— West Ham United FC (@whufc_official) August 27, 2015
A statement from West Ham that comes straight out of the textbook for bidding farewell to midfielder reads: “We would like to thank Kevin for his efforts during his four years at the club and wish him every success in the future.”
Good morning, and welcome to another day of window watch. To bring you up to speed with the overnight headlines, here’s a quick catch-up:
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Roberto Martínez has said Everton will reject John Stones’ transfer request today and he has he told Chelsea that “money can’t buy everything” - which will be news to Roman Abramovich, a man with a €340m, 536ft yacht which features two helicopter pads, 24 guest cabins, two swimming pools, several hot tubs, a disco hall, three launch boats and a mini-submarine.
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Manchester City are confident they have finally agreed a deal to sign Kevin De Bruyne from Wolfsburg for an initial €74m (£54m), and - should he cough for doctor successfully - the former Chelsea man will be unveiled on Friday.
- Tottenham Hotspur have made a move to sign South Korea’s Son Heung-min from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal that could be worth up to £22m (€30m). His Twitter feed is quite the riotous place to visit: he’s only tweeted twice, but half of them have been doozies.
shit
— HEUNG MIN SON (@HeungMinSon) August 18, 2010
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Ronald Koeman insists Southampton will not sell Victor Wanyama or Sadio Mané.
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Leicester City hope to complete the signing of Demarai Gray from Birmingham City after agreeing to meet the release clause in the 19-year-old’s contract.
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Lewis Grabban has been suspended by Norwich City after going absent without leave for Tuesday’s League Cup victory at Rotherham.
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Sevilla have announced that Fernando Llorente will undergo a medical in the next few hours with a view to joining the Primera Division club on a permanent transfer from Juventus.
- And Víctor Valdés has agreed terms with Besiktas after Senol Gunes, the coach, gave the green light to sign the Manchester United goalkeeper who has been frozen out by Louis van Gaal.
