If you already didn’t know that it’s a good idea to watch what you say and who you say it to, it looks like soon-to-be former Tottenham striker Darren Bent has decided to give us all a nice reminder with his Twitterific transfer-related tantrum.
While an apologetic Bent (well, that answers the question about whether or not it was really him, eh?) and Steve Bruce alike are waiting on Bent to move to Sunderland, and while the rest of us what the f**k Bent was f***king thinking, the transfer merry-go-round continues to spin, spin, spin.
Today’s roundup contains a few head-scratching rumors involving Premier League moves for a couple of top European players, the latest on Arsenal’s hunt for a new striker, and much more, including more frustration on the buying front for Hull City, whose list of summer transfer signings has not grown nearly as much as Phil Brown would like.
England
United To Bid For Ribery?
According to The Sun, Manchester United are lining up a £35m bid for Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery. However, the bid won’t come for another two weeks, as Ribery is set to receive a loyalty bonus on August 14, after which he is expected to turn in a transfer request.
Analysis: There’ve been multiple comments from Bayern about how they won’t sell Ribery unless it’s for an astronomical fee, even with Ribery exhibiting some behavior that didn’t exactly rub the club the right way. With that in mind, he might have to damage some of Bayern’s trophies, curse Louis Van Gaal to his face, and maybe a lot more to force them to accept £35m. Never say never, and there’d be a lot of excited United fans if this one did happen, but I’m not reading too much into it, not least because Ribery seems to have eyes for Real Madrid and Real Madrid only.
Liverpool To Move For Villa?
With the funds that they are set to receive from the impending sale of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid, Liverpool will make a move for Valencia striker David Villa. (The Sun)
Analysis: Well, it has been said that the only club that Villa would move to the Premier League for would be Liverpool, so it’s not an impossibility. But with Valencia looking for a boatload to consider selling Villa, it might be more realistic to look at Liverpool using the Alonso reinforcements on multiple players instead of putting all of it on one.
Arsenal Ready To Start Spending?
The Independent says that Arsenal’s top midfield option is Roma’s Daniele De Rossi and that Arsenal could try to capitalize on Roma’s current financial issues to try to do a deal for the Italy international.
Analysis: Whether or not De Rossi would be a good signing for Arsenal is one thing (he would, for what it’s worth), but it’s hard to see Arsene Wenger spending as much as it’d cost to lure De Rossi (perhaps over £30m, as the report says). There’s a first time for everything though.
Bordeaux president Jean-Louis Triand has revealed that Arsene Wenger recently contacted him about striker Marouane Chamakh. (Sky Sports)
Analysis: Of the strikers that Arsenal have been mentioned with recently, Chamakh’s the least inexpensive option (Huntelaar and Vucinic would cost upwards of £15m). That being said, he might be the one that I have the most questions about. He’s been a regular for Bordeaux since he was a teenager, but he only really had his breakout campaign last season (13 goals in 25 Ligue 1 starts). The talent’s definitely there, but is he a late bloomer or a one-year wonder?
Arsenal are also closing in on an £8m deal for St. Etienne midfielder Blaise Matuidi. (The Guardian)
Analysis: If Arsenal are able to bring Patrick Vieira back to the club, he could be a good mentor for Matuidi and help him to learn, mature, and hone his skills for a season or two before he takes a prominent role in the side instead of full-on jumping into the fire immediately.
City Plan New Lescott Bid & Eye Delph
Manchester City are ready to make a final offer of £22m for Everton defender Joleon Lescott, and they’re also set to swoop for Leeds starlet Fabian Delph in a £10m deal. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: Maybe Everton are warming to the idea of selling Lescott (more on that below), and though they’d be caving for less than what they wanted for him, there’s a lot that can be with £22m.
As for Delph – £10m? Delph’s a great talent with a huge future in front of him, I’m not disputing that, but whether it was City, Chelsea, or Aston Villa, I’d be really scratching my head about forking out £10m for a League One talent. Is that paying based on potential, or just to make a bid that they know no one else will want to match?
Everton Move For Senderos?
Everton have made an approach for Arsenal center back Philippe Senderos. (The Mirror)
Analysis: So, does that mean that they’re ready to cave in to Manchester City’s persistence and sell Lescott?
Villa Step Up Jenas Chase
Aston Villa are preparing to table an official bid for Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas. (The Mirror)
Analysis: Jenas isn’t one of the few untouchables in Harry Redknapp’s squad, and if he does move anywhere, it’ll be to Villa. He likely won’t come too cheap, but he could prove to be worth it.
Blackburn In For Kalinic?
With Portsmouth’s deal for Hadjuk Split striker Nikola Kalinic having collapsed, Blackburn are looking to nab the highly-rated 21-year-old in a deal worth more than £6m. Talks have already begun with Hadjuk Split, and Blackburn are hopeful of persuading Kalinic to ink a four-year deal. (The Mirror)
Analysis: One club’s loss is another one’s gain. Blackburn’s striker pursuits thus far this summer haven’t really impressed me, but this is one they best get tied up as quickly as possible.
Viduka And Piquionne For Portsmouth?
Portsmouth are looking to sign Lyon striker Frederic Piquionne on loan, with former Newcastle striker Mark Viduka set to pen a one-year deal with Pompey. (The Mirror)
Analysis: Piquionne didn’t make much of an impact at Lyon after making the move from Monaco last summer, and I don’t see him being a regular starter at Pompey, but he could well be of some use. There’s no telling what Viduka will bring, but I think there are still a few goals left in him yet, and a one-year deal is a pretty low-risk move. But even with the addition of Piquionne and Viduka, Portsmouth’s front line isn’t going to really frighten many Premier League defenses straight away. They’d certainly do well to be able to iron out things with Hadjuk Split and land Kalinic.
Stoke Close On Ashton
Stoke City will land West Ham striker Dean Ashton as soon as the Hammers can find a replacement for the 25-year-old. (The Mirror)
Analysis: If, and it’s a big, big if, Ashton can stay away from the injuries that have plagued him over the last few years, this could be a massive bargain for Stoke.
Hull’s Beye Offer Rejected
Newcastle have rejected Hull’s £2m bid for defender Habib Beye. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: Another £2m, and there could finally be some positive news on the transfer front for Hull after a summer full of disappointment. Is there a chance he could play up front too?
Italy
Roma Target Negredo
AS Roma are looking to sign Real Madrid striker Alvaro Negredo on loan. (Transfer Market Web)
Analysis: Real Madrid could well prefer to do a permanent deal for him, but unless he happens to wind up in Liverpool (either as part of the Alonso deal or in a separate cash deal), a loan might be their best option to ship him out. That’s also the case for Roma, who would likely be priced out of unless they elect to sell Alberto Aquilani and/or Mirko Vucinic (or perhaps even De Rossi…).
Germany
Wolfsburg Sign Martins
Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins has signed for VfL Wolfsburg in a £9m deal. (Sky Sports)
Analysis: Through all of the negatives currently surrounding the club right now, one can look at the fact that Newcastle have shed a lot of high wages as one positive thing that has gone on this summer.
MLS
Germany Move For Cooper
FC Dallas striker Kenny Cooper is on his way to second division side 1860 Munich after a fee was agreed for the 24-year-old. (Goal.com)
Analysis: FC Dallas held on to him about as long as they could, but it was about time for Cooper to try his hand in Europe again. 1860 Munich do have Benjamin Lauth and a promising young forward in Manuel Schaffler, but Cooper does have the chance to stake his claim for a regular place in the side and help them potentially challenge for a return to the Bundesliga.
Daily Links
Sir Bobby Robson: 1933-2009
The legendary Sir Bobby Robson lost his battle with cancer on Friday, and the football world – and the world in general – lost a great man.
Should Footballers Be On Twitter?
I say yes, if the result is Twitter fights like this one. Excuse me while I go LMAO for a moment.
Win A Cell Phone (And Maybe A Trip To The World Cup)
Thanks to The Run Of Play, you can win a really, really, really awesome (and really expensive for everyone else) phone that could be your ticket to South Africa. But only if you’re from the UK.
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