England
City To Miss Out On Dzeko?
Vfl Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko wants to move, and Manchester City (along with Juventus) have him as a top target. However, Wolfsburg, as was the case last summer, want to hold on to him, and with City not looking to stump up the £34m that Wolfsburg want for the Bosnian, they could be forced to look elsewhere. (The Mirror)
Analysis: You can’t fault the man for wanting to take a step up, and after dominating Bundesliga defenses over the last couple of seasons, he has certainly proved he’s deserving and ready. However, as was the case last summer, I’m leaning more towards Dzeko being right where he currently is when the transfer window closes as opposed to being at City or Juve.
Liverpool Backtrack On N’Gog Move
After it appeared that West Bromwich Albion were about to take Liverpool striker David N‘Gog on loan, it looks like Liverpool will be holding on to N‘Gog, at least until they can sign two new strikers. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: Whether or not Fernando Torres leaves, there’s a fresh injury situation to worry about with him, which doesn’t bode well for this season after all of his niggles last season. And with Liverpool not having made much headway in the transfer market thus far, letting N’Gog go right now would be a bit premature. Besides, given how much he contributed last season, it wouldn’t hurt to keep him around instead of loaning him out at some point this season no matter what.
Hammers Up Remy Bid
West Ham have offered £12m for highly rated Nice striker Loic Remy. West Ham are looking to pay out the club record fee over four years, while Nice are looking for a £13m fee with £8m paid up front. (The Sun)
Analysis: Remy really wants to move to West Ham, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find a compromise soon. For what it’s worth, though it wouldn’t be ideal for the Hammers given their budget, he’s certainly worth having to pay 8m up front.
Stoke Move For O’Neil
Stoke City are offering winger Liam Lawrence to Middlesbrough in exchange for midfielder Gary O’Neil. (The Mirror)
Analysis: Lawrence, who was a star of Stoke’s promotion campaign in the 2007/08 season, scoring 15 goals and assisting on 15 more, would certainly fit right in on the right flank that O’Neil currently occupies, but Boro have been pretty adamant about holding on to O’Neil over the last couple of summers, and I expect more of the same now, especially with Boro being well positioned make a return to the Premier League.
Newcastle In For Cristea
Newcastle are interested in Romanian striker Andrei Cristea. The 26-year-old scored 16 goals for Dinamo Bucharest last season, finishing atop the league‘s scoring charts. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: Here’s of a video of all of Cristea’s 2009/10 goals. He’s certainly not lacking in the power department, but more importantly, he knows how to direct those howitzers as well. Newcastle aren’t short on scoring options, but he looks to be a quality addition if they can land him.
Blackpool Eye Bradley
Blackpool are interested in a move for American midfielder Michael Bradley. The 23-year-old has been a regular at Borussia Monchengladbach for two seasons but is looking for a fresh start. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: The Premier League has been to American players in recent years, and this would be a good move for him. He’s already gotten experience playing in a relegation battle with M’Gladbach, so he’d come in knowing what to expect. Now, if his father gets the Fulham job, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him become the latest American to join up there, but we’ll see how that shakes out.
Boro Close On Thomson
Middlesbrough have agreed a £2m fee with Rangers for midfielder Kevin Thomson. (Sky Sports)
Analysis: Another day, another former SPL player signs on at Middlesbrough? Seems to be that way! It’s fair to say though that Gordon Strachan is assembling a team capable of making a serious run at promotion this season. Thomson has had two serious knee injuries in his career, but if he’s fit, he stands to e a key player for Boro as they push for promotion.
Italy
Fiorentina Sign Boruc
Fiorentina have agreed a deal to sign keeper Artur Boruc from Celtic. A fee of £1.7m has been mentioned, allowing Celtic to cash in on a player who had only one year left on his contract. (Sky Sports)
Analysis: There has been talk of Boruc’s arrival opening the way for Frey to leave the club (with Arsenal mentioned as a destination), but we’ll see how that plays out. Frey is Fiorentina’s undisputed #1, and I don’t think Boruc’s arrival changes that, so if Boruc is to have significant time between the sticks with his new club, something would have to happen that takes Frey out of the equation.
Brazil
Ronaldinho Set For Flamengo
According to Brazilian news reports, Ronaldinho has given his word that he will join Flamengo from AC Milan, and all that‘s left is for AC Milan to give the deal the green light and release the former Barcelona star from his contract. (Sky Sports)
Analysis: This isn’t a move based on him being past it and needing to rediscover his form, as he’s coming off of his best season in a few years. But as it’s been for some of his compatriots, the move back home will be a good one for him, and when he comes back to Europe (I think he’ll return at some point), he’ll come back better for the move. It’ll also be an instant boost for Flamengo, who have had a slow start to the new season and need to step it up coming out of the World Cup break.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
