A couple of noteworthy signings are coming through the newswire today, which makes me quite happy, and should make fans of certain clubs quite happy as well.
Of course, if you don’t care much for the actual signings as you do for the sizzling speculation, there’s plenty of that for you as well.
England
Aston Villa are set to win the race for Emile Heskey after agreeing a £3.5m deal for the veteran striker. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: Looks like Martin Banks’ source was right. Instead of overpaying for someone, Villa have wisely forked out a reasonable fee for a physical presence that will bag a few goals, but more importantly, take the pressure off of Gabby Agbonlahor to do most of the work up front.
Hull are splashing a little cash to help their push to stay in the Premier League this season and beyond. The Tigers have agreed a £2.5m permanent deal for Kamil Zayatte, but more significantly, have set aside £5m to sign Fulham’s Jimmy Bullard, who will earn 45k per week at his new club. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: Fulham knew they were going to lose Bullard at some point, but it’s a significant blow nonetheless, especially considering Hull and Fulham are both fighting for a place in the top half of the table. As for Hull, they’re taking a gamble on Bullard with a record fee and a sizable contract, but if he stays healthy, this is a great signing.
West Ham are set to break their transfer record by signing Brescia striker and German U-19 international Savio Nsereko for £10m. (The Mirror)
Analysis: What, no family discount? Nsereko has the potential to do big things, and he could vie for regular first-team football immediately, so on paper, it looks like the money from the sale of their previous record signing (Craig Bellamy) has been spent well.
Newcastle have signed former Rangers star Peter Lovenkrands until the end of the season. Lovenkrands impressed on a trial after having been released by Schalke 04 earlier this month. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: Lovenkrands didn’t have the success at Schalke that he did at Rangers, but he’s only a few seasons removed from scoring 18 goals for Rangers, so if he can build off of his impressive trial, he could help Newcastle earn a few vital results.
We turn to the Sun for today’s Manchester City rumors, with the Citizens poised to offer Didier Drogba £180k a week to pretend to like it there and splash out a further £19m on Sporting’s Miguel Veloso. (The Sun)
Analysis: One of these players might actually be worth the price that is being quoted in the above bit. Hint: IT’S NOT DROGBA!
Tottenham have had an £8m bid for Carlton Cole rejected by West Ham, but they hope that adding Darren Bent to the deal could persuade the Hammers to sell. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: If they didn’t want to sell an in-form Bellamy to Tottenham for the proper asking price, then why would they sell an in-form Cole and swap him for an out-of-form Bent, even if Nsereko is the biggest thing since sliced bread? Can’t fault Harry for trying though.
Blackburn are set to make a final £6m bid for Austrian striker Marc Janko, who Red Bull Salzburg want £9m for. (The Mirror)
Analysis: And Manchester City wait…
Portsmouth are to make a £2.5m bid in a last-ditch effort to prise midfielder Gary O’Neil from Middlesbrough. (The Mirror)
Analysis: Boro have been bullish about keeping O’Neil thus far, and 2.5m is half of what they paid for him in 2007, but he desperately wants to go back to Pompey, and the signing of Ben Watson could soften Boro’s stance and help this deal push through.
Italy
Dynamo Kiev are trying to put together a deal to bring Andriy Shevchenko back where it all started. (Goal.com)
Analysis: Now all they need to do is get Sergei Rebrov back (again), and it’ll be just like the late 90s all over again, when the duo were banging in goals for fun.
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, which are being updated today.
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