It’s starting to get down to crunch time for sides looking to add the necessary reinforcements to their squads with races for titles, European places, and survival in mind. Of course, every signing this month isn’t just about ‘the now,’ so make sure you watch this space daily so that you can say you heard about the next big thing here before everyone else started buying up his replica kit.
England
While it can be debated whether or not Chelsea are actually going to go back in for Robinho, they could soon be in talks with Manchester City about a forward, well, selling one, that is. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: If Drogba turns down his one and only love Marseille for a move to City, well…
Zenit St. Petersburg say that Andrei Arshavin could complete his move to Arsenal in the next couple of days. (The Guardian)
Analysis: The keyword here is ‘could.’ We could all do a lot of things, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we will.
Newcastle have raised their asking price for Shay Given to £14m. (The Sun)
Analysis: Given may be worth eight figures, but are Newcastle just trying to take advantage of the knowledge that City aren’t worried about throwing their cash around frivolously?
If they elect to pass on Given, they could try to tempt Chelsea with a bid for Carlo Cudicini (Daily Express), whose £1m move to Tottenham has apparently been blocked by Luiz Felipe Scolari (The Sun).
Analysis: Chelsea might need Cudicini a lot more than the 5.5m, what with Petr Cech always being one onrushing striker or corner kick scrum from being on the sidelines.
Wigan and Bolton are both being linked with a £5m move for Micah Richards. (The Sun)
Analysis: There was a time, not too long ago, when Richards was expected to be one of the cornerstones of Manchester City’s future. Now, he might just be another face in the crowd with all of the big(ger) names that City are trying to sign.
Arsenal have rejected a bid from Atletico Madrid for Emmanuel Eboue and are set to start on talks over a new deal for the Ivorian. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: I wonder how well this will go over with Arsenal supporters.
Cardiff have placed an £8m price tag on star Joe Ledley, which could dent West Ham’s hopes of signing the Welsh winger. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: The Hammers can’t be too shocked about this, considering Stoke failed with a £6m bid in the summer.
Blackburn could be set to make a move for Barcelona’s Eidur Gudjohnsen. (The Mirror)
Analysis: Gudjohnsen’s father has denied such reports, but if they were to be true, his Premier League experience and success could make him an excellent, inexpensive signing, whether or not Roque Santa Cruz is sold.
Fulham and West Ham have not matched Middlesbrough’s £2m bid for Crystal Palace midfielder Ben Watson (Sporting Life), contrary to reports that they had (Daily Mail).
Analysis: The opportunity to stay in London and play for a club who’s positioned a lot more favorably in the table than Boro are would probably appeal to Watson, but he’s Boro’s to lose.
Fulham have opened talks with Manchester City over young striker Felipe Caicedo. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: If Fulham had a little more prowess in front of goal, they could be challenging for a European place. Caicedo may not get to make that much of an impact at City, but he could really help Fulham solidify their place in the top half of the table.
West Ham are interested in Panathinaikos right back Bryce Moon. (The Mirror)
Analysis: At £500k, Moon could be a bargain buy. He already has a decent amount of international experience, and with a nickname like ‘Scooter,’ you know he’s got speed to burn.
Italy
Juventus are ready to make a £30m bid for Liverpool’s Dirk Kuyt. (The Sun)
Analysis: If such a bid does come in, I think it’d be worth some serious consideration. Kuyt is a key player and all, but it is three times what they paid for him, and a lot could be done with the profits from the move.
Scotland
If Celtic are unable to seal a £1.9m deal for Chivas USA star Sacha Kljestan by Friday, they’ll abandon the move altogether. (Goal.com)
Analysis: Unfortunate for MLS to lose another of its top talents to a European club, but the pros certainly outweigh the cons when it comes to these moves.
If you have a juicy rumor that we may have missed, post it in the comments along with the link to the source.
And if you want to keep up with all of the latest confirmed transfers, check out our updated January 2009 transfer lists.
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