As it came, so it went. The opening week of action in the 09/10 Barclays Premier League is already down the road, the seemingly endless wait for a glimpse of England’s top stars made this season as eagerly anticipated as….well….last season’s, and 1.77m people so far have seen fit to take the life-changing plunge into the Premier League’s fantasy football game.

I say life-changing, because it is true. Honest. My own week has been spent cringing at Kevin Foley’s medial knee ligament injury, fretting over whether Frank Lampard or Wayne Rooney deserved the captain’s armband, and worshipping at the feet of Cesc Fàbregas. And my next week will be something similar I’m sure.

The men in form

It is arguably the hardest day of the season to predict a team for, the opening day. Most sides are loaded with new signings, new managers and new ideas, which makes second guessing a starting line-up difficult. As I found to my cost when Carlos Tévez was left out of Manchester City’s team to face Blackburn at Ewood Park- although a heel injury was more the reason in that case.

There are some who can be relied upon though, Fàbregas seemed to slip under the radar of the lads I know, but his propensity for performances such as the one he submitted at Everton last week made him a shoe-in for my team. Two goals, two assists, three bonus points and even a clean sheet (removed as he was in the 74th minute) earned the Spanish genius a whopping 22 points. Enough to ensure that, even without a midweek fixture, he remains top of the scoring charts.

Well, level with Glen Johnson that is. Liverpool’s £18m full back was one of the few players to emerge with any credit- or points- from the Reds’ insipid 2-1 defeat to Spurs on Sunday, and he picked up a superb 18 points last night as his side bounced back in style with a 4-0 win over Tony Pulis’ Stoke City. A goal, an assist, a clean sheet and man of the match. His Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard, also chipped in, eleven points for Stevie G puts him second behind Cesc in the midfield charts, with 18.

Another England star on form is undoubtedly Jermain Defoe. Bursting into life after a quiet start in that Liverpool win, the Spurs striker rifled home a brilliant hat-trick to help put Hull City to the sword in a 5-1 win at the KC Stadium. 19 points from 2 games is good going, and his two goals for England make Defoe the in-form striker of the game.

As for the men at the back, well Burnley’s win over Manchester United grabbed enormous headlines today, and there was no doubt who the hero of that particular hour was- Clarets keeper Brian Jensen. A penalty save from Michael Carrick, an against-all-odds clean sheet and a man-of-the-match display gave the Big Dane 14 points, and makes him the league’s top scoring keeper/defender, level on points with Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross, whose opening day goal and clean sheet allows him to stay at the top despite last night’s mauling at Anfield.

The ones to avoid

Defensive midfielders. Stop it. Please. I’m not saying they are bad players, I’m really not. But for Fantasy purposes, just steer clear. Javier Mascherano, Nigel de Jong, Scott Parker & Jon Obi Mikel just aren’t cut out for points scoring. They usually retail around the £5m mark, for which price you can obtain a much more threatening player- think Stephen Hunt, Kieron Dyer, Luis Jimenez.

This may sound a bit strange, but Manchester United midfielders. You simply can’t rely on them to start, or to score points. Two games in, and their top scoring midfielder has four points. One could argue that Carrick, last night’s spot kick aberration aside, is a constant, but still the likes of Valencia, Park, Giggs, Anderson & Scholes are set for a rotational season, and therefore represent a risk at best.

Hull defenders. Right, I have Michael Turner and he is a good player, but seven goals shipped in two games make Hull stoppers the men to avoid here. Turner may well move on before the end of the transfer window, and if he does he may represent a sneaky bargain at £4.5m, but until he does he and his Tigers colleagues should be ignored.

The bargains

Hard to choose, hard to find, but the most rewarding of all I feel. Here are one or two bargains you might like to have a look at:

Stephen Hunt (Hull) £5m- Like him or not, Hunt is an all action wide midfielder with an eye for goal. He is also hugely dependable in terms of injuries and consistency. He will play, he will assist, he will score. Two in two already, at £5m the wild haired one represents a fine acquisition, both by Phil Brown and you.

Andrew Keogh (Wolves) £4.5m- Andrew Keogh is talented, make no mistake. When all eyes were on Billy Sharp’s goals at Scunthorpe a couple of years back, the connoisseurs were more impressed by Keogh’s all round class. The players’ respective career trajectories would tend to agree. With Sylvan Ebanks-Blake & Kevin Doyle short of fitness, Keogh has a chance to nail down a starting spot, and his winner at Wigan in midweek may well be the first step.

Anton Ferdinand (Sunderland) £4.5m- You ready for this? Steve Bruce. Is. A. Good. Manager. He organises teams well, he has faith in players, and his sides generally do pretty well. Sunderland should be no different. Ferdinand hasn’t had a great time on the North East, but with Bruce’s backing and Sunderland’s improving side, he should pick up plenty of points this term.

Alex Song (Arsenal) £5.5m- Bucking the trend of defensive midfielders, but that is because Alex Song is listed as a defender on the game. Therefore, he picks up clean sheets that his contemporary midfielders do not, and Arsenal’s fluid passing means he is likely to chip in the odd assist and even goal too. An improving player, and a good signing.

Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal) £6.5m- Another Arsenal player granted, but Bendtner is enjoying an extended first team run in the absence of Nasri, Rosický, Walcott et al. Might not be the deadliest finisher, but creates chances, and can score goals. A new role on the right of Arsenal’s attack may be the making of him.

Upcoming Fixtures

• Arsenal v Portsmouth
• Birmingham v Stoke City
• Hull City v Bolton
• Man City v Wolves
• Sunderland v Blackburn
• Wigan v Man Utd
• West Ham v Tottenham
• Burnley v Everton
• Fulham v Chelsea
• Liverpool v Aston Villa

Home games for Arsenal, Manchester City & Liverpool may prove points havens, Manchester United face another tough Lancashire away-day, whilst Chelsea have a local derby of their own against impressive Fulham. Sunderland at home to Blackburn may well be a good home banker, especially with Darren Bent in such fine form, whilst Burnley will be on a high after their win over United, and a game against an Everton side in disarray may just be the perfect one for Owen Coyle and his men.

My team’s performance

Last week’s column saw me put my (admittedly risky) team on the line, as well as my reputation. After all, the guy giving out the tips and advice needs to know what he’s talking about, right? Well even if I say so myself, I think its been a pretty good week for me and my Baroque Social side. 122 points leaves me pretty well placed in all competitions.

Fàbregas helped of course, 22 points on his own (if only I’d had him as captain). Two goals for Drogba, one for Rooney, one for Shawcross, one for Lampard mean my team is in decent form in front of goal. Assists thrown in for N’Zogbia & Drogba, and some neat clean sheets for both my keepers, Richard Dunne, Insúa & Shawcross mean I have been in solid points scoring form.

A poorish second week where Rooney as captain let me down, and Lampard as non-captain did not; notwithstanding, I am pleased with my start. I sit eighth in the Football Media league, well placed indeed. Credit must go to the leader, Matt Cornford and his provocatively named side “Man City = Small Club”, who lead the way with 135 points, from Thomas Cook and his “Flatulence” and this week’s star performer Rob Blanchette and his “Queens Park Badgers”, who scored an incredible 92 points (Defoe, Johnson, Gerrard, Kuyt, Lampard basically) to rocket into third place. But Baroque Social are lurking, and you would be wise to be wary!

This week’s transfer by myself is a risky one, Wayne Rooney out, Robin Van Persie in. The thinking is simple, Arsenal are at home to Portsmouth, and playing some lovely stuff. Van Persie should help himself. In theory at least. It also leaves me with a million in the bank to play with, which could be dangerous.

Prizes

So far 488 players have joined the Football Media fantasy football league where we’re giving away prizes every month.

1st Prize

The winner will receive:

• An authentic signed football shirt of their choice from Icons.
• The latest football boot of their choice from SoccerPro.
• A Soccerlens Evolution T-Shirt.

Monthly Prize

At the start of every month Football Media (in association with Subside Sports) will give away a free shirt (up to £39.99 + delivery in value) to one lucky player in the FM fantasy football league. This player will be picked at random and there are 9 shirts to give away in total (Sep 09 to May 10).

Yes They Can Can…If the Gaffer Reads the Writing on the Wall!!!

Well, having had his head handed to him twice last season, Sir Alex Ferguson still seems bound and determined to ignore the handwriting on the wall. The sheer depth of talent in his his squad, however, will always allow the Gaffer to peek into the abyss, throw out some appropriate barbs meant to psych out the immediate opposition and still find a way to pull a nineteenth trophy.

Nevertheless, slightly weakened, at least psychologically, by the departure of Ronaldo and Tevez and the shrill clang and rattle of coin resounding from the deep deep oil money-filled pockets of Manchester City, the grand old geezer of British football and his squad really do have their work cut out for them this season.

“You need a new leader!” the handwriting says.

And we do. Rio’s magazine is very nice (the bird on the front cover is nicer). I am impressed. He has also become, in partnership with Chelsea’s Ashley Cole–yes, the Cashley Grrrl and her bad left-footed self–a film producer. This is all splendid and wonderful. I’m sure Rio’s thinking ahead to retirement.

Still, the absolute howler Rio committed for England on Wednesday while making a simple back pass may be the sign of a return to old habits and vices, or even a flashback. Neither Rio nor Ryan Giggs owns either the moxy or personality to be the truly great captain United need. Sir Alex needs to step in now and force the responsibility on Wayne Rooney, Patrice Evra , Nemanja Vidic, or… someone new!!! Picking Wazza may sound daft, but I think it would help force him to grow up.

I was kind of disappointed to see a strong character like Lorik Cana sign for Sunderland on the cheap. Cana, a decent post-to-post midfielder and an inspiring gung-ho captain for Olympique Marseille, would have made a wonderful skipper and definitely would have made a more natural successor to Roy Keane than the Gaffer’s pet, Darren Fletcher.

Now don’t get me wrong, Fletcher is definitely what Ferguson calls a ‘trier.’ To be sure, Fergie was referring to Carlos ‘el traidor’ Tevez at the time, but , I say, if the shoe fits… Darren has been learning on the job for six seasons now and his diligence is to be applauded. As a sort of super substitute, I think Fletcher is fine and capable of being even more adaptable than Johnny O’Shea.

For some reason, however, Fletcher’s diligence and hard graft is mistaken for quality. I have never been enamored of the Scotsman, but have seen a steady incremental improvement. There are those who believe he was the missing link in the ECC final against Barcelona. This is absurd! Whether we’re up against Xabi Alonso, Stevie G and Javier Mascherano or the even better midfield of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi, the fact is that we just don’t have the horses in central midfield to take it to the next level.! In a nutshell: Anderson is still being forced to play out of position and Fletcher simply isn’t good enough. This is United’s single biggest problem.

“You need a truly great hard midfielder if you want to win everything,” the handwriting says.

Now that Xabi Alonso’s gone, I’m not really worried about Liverpool. His replacement, Alberto Aquilani, is a fine footballer; but , but beyond his constant ankle problems, it will take him a season for him to get acclimated to the speed of the EPL. Buying Glen Johnson will improve their right side a lot, but, ultimately, Liverpool are completely dependent upon Fernando Torres and Stevie Gerrard remaining fit.

I hear Rafa Benítez is a deeply religious man who prays every morning with his daughters. If Torres manages to stay fit throughout the season, I, too, may become a believer in miracles. I won’t make too much of ‘Pool’s 2-1 mugging by Spurs this weekend, except to make note of the fact that they only lost two Premiership games in all of last season.

As I write, I hear on Spanish language radio that Arsenal are trying to squeeze 45 million quid out of Barcelona before agreeing to fllog Cesc Fabregas next year. Even with Fabregas, even if there were to be a miraculous shopping binge before the window closes, I can’t see the Arse staying in the top four. Having massacred Everton 6-1 at Goodison in their first game, Gooner fans are already talking the talk. Yesterday I got eight e-mails from different Arse men. Promises and predictions! The usual! I say sssssh! Same old Arsenal: No testosterone!

Are Chelsea good? Sure Chelsea are good, but they’re getting really old. If Chelsea stay fit, particularly my darling Michael Essien, they have to stand a good chance. Anyone watching the Community Shield match clearly saw that this cynical group of mercenaries are going to grind out victories any which way they need to. Carvalho, Terry and Ballack are gristled, mean, dirty and past their pomp, but they will well and truly mount up for this their last serious season as a group and go for it. Clearly, this season Chelsea will be very physical, like Big Sam’s version of Bolton Wanderers, only with a touch of class.

Aston Villa and Everton will hang in there on the periphery, but just don’t have good enough squads. Both teams got badly beaten in their first match, and, although there shouldn’t be too much made of it, Joleon Lescott moping for a move to Manchester City for a whole season will poison the Toffees dressing room in much the same way Gareth Barry’s whinging to be a Scouser hurt Villa last season.

This leaves Manchester City. Despite their still being a little aenemic-looking at the back, I have to believe their depth of talent will tell on the opposition after January, especially if Robinho is happy. It is imperative that the old big four need to put them to the sword early in the season before they’ve gelled as a unit , or else they really may sneak into the top three.

This brings me back to United. As I said earlier, United’s only two major defeats of last season were very public, totally humiliating and telegraphed our weaknesses to all and sundry. We have three potentially brilliant attacking midfielders in the wingers Valencia, Nani and Tosic. Old man Giggsy should be able to make his mark as a substitute, although the energy machine, Park ji-Sung. may have already overstayed his welcome and is probably due for a move to a club where scoring isn’t important. by next season.

What I expect to happen in game after game is the Chelsea model from the Community Shield match. Everybody will try to beat United up in central midfield, and, even though the red devils will never be turned into the kind of passive, testosterone-free team Arsene Wenger has fashioned in his own image at Arsenal, I expect the squad will be battered and become tired early enough in the season to have to trot out Darron Gibson and Tom Cleverly regularly in the Spring. In United’s first game, a 1-0 win over Birmingham City, neither Ginger Scholes nor Darren Fletcher kept possession for long. This is worrisome.

“Berbatov is a load of rubbish!” the handwriting on the wall says.

In my heart of hearts, if United can just hold on until January, I think everybody around him will ultimately convince the Gaffer to swallow his pride and go out and spend big money on a midfield general. Ideally, I’d like Ferguson to splash big on Daniele De Rossi or Hernanes; but, more realistically, I’m sure he’d rather gamble on the youth of Javíer Martínez, Blaise Matuidi, Steven Dufour, Anthony Annan, Axel Witsel or Scott Brown. Out of the six, although he may not be as good a technician as the others, Dufour looks to have the best leadership skills.

We may mourn the exit of Ronnie and Carlitos, but I truly believe that Wazza, Macheda, Welbeck and little Mickey Owen can get the job done if Berbatov keeps out of everybody’s way. Dmitar Berbatov, like the League of Nations, America in South Vietnam, the Concorde, Massimo Taibi, Eric Djemba Djemba, Juan Sebastian Veron and Kleberson, exists to illustrate the folly of owning absolute power.

Sir Alex Ferguson, easily the most successful manager in British football history, and a fine motivator of young men, has been calling the shots at Old Trafford since the last old school club chairman, Martin Edwards, stepped down in 2002. To be fair to Ferguson, he has truly been a mostly benevolent dictator since Edwards walked away from the club. Despite his habit of teasing Jose Mourinho, Carlos Queiroz and the press about his ‘imminent retirement,’ most of us true believers think he will never quit, and end up being carried off the field of play on a stretcher, exactly like his mentor, Jock Stein.

Even if Taibi, Djembax2, Kleberson and the fitfully brilliant £28M Seba Veron could be written off as honest mistakes on the Gaffer’s part, the whole circus involving Berbatov has stunned many fans. Slow, lazy, selfish and beguiled by his hubris-driven ego to a point of ridiculousness, the shrugging Bulgarian is truly the Gaffer’s weakness.

The almost perfect diamond formation of the 2007-2008 season may have been the hardest working football team ever. They smothered a brilliant Barcelona team at the Nou Camp in 2008. The full-frontal battering ram effect of Tevez and Rooney up front allowed Cristiano the freedom to score 42 goals. Clearly, we can see now, this team was brilliant, but often rejected pretty football for the sake of practicality. The cliché is: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Unfortunately, Ferguson wanted a new kind of aesthetic perfection last season. Dimitar Berbatov, a big man who can dribble, flick and dish, can be a dazzling technician who, at his best, reminds you of Eric Cantona on Paxyl. Perfect for the slow, deliberate system at Tottenham Hotspur, like some big-ticket chatchke at Fortnum & Mason’s, Berbatov was truly the object of the Gaffer’s lust and desire.

Without ever fitting into the system, Berbatov was trotted out week after week. Well, £32M is a lot of money to spend and the Gaffer wanted to get his money’s-worth. Fortunately, United are such a good team that they kept winning anyway. The disenchantment of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez was clear for everybody to see, yet Fergie’s righteous band of committed professionals still managed to hold onto the premiership crown by the skin of its collective teeth and can do it again.

As far as strikers go, I hope Ferguson stands easy until January. I really believe we have ample strikers. Come Christmas, if the Gaffer finally loses his faith in Berbatov, perhaps we can dump him on Athletic Madrid or Valencia in part-exchange for Sergio ‘el Kun’ Aguero or David Silva.

“We need a good goalkeeper NOW!” the handwriting on the wall says.

This is the least of our worries. EVDS will be back soon and our defence is still really solid. It’s very clear that, similar to Tim Howard before him, Ben Foster is turned into a nervous wreck by the pressure of big games. Howard has matured slowly at Everton and I expect Foster will improve somewhere else. Kucszak, although prone to mistakes in the air, looks to be a better choice as he gets far less flustered than Foster in pressure situations.

If Manuel Neuer is available, Ferguson has food for thought. Schalke will surely prefer to sell Neuer–who really does have all the tools in spades–to Manchester United rather than their permanent Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munchën. Is he worth £20M? I wish United would have bought Sergio Asenjo from Real Vellodidad before he went to Athletic Madrid for £3M a few weeks ago, because I think he has surpassed the aging Gianluigi Buffone as the second-best keeper in the world.

At 6’3”’ and around 17 Stone(238 lbs) Neuer is exactly what Ferguson has wanted for two seasons: A true successor to Schmeichel and Van Der Sar. Comparative theorems are a slippery slope, to be sure, but, if Diego Lopez is deemed to be worth £12M by his club, Villareal, then, yes, Neuer is worth £20M. Foster made four fine saves from Birmingham City this Sunday, which is cause for celebration. His footwork, however, was horrendous. Two weak passes fell short and United were extremely lucky that the hapless Brum forward line were too surprised to take advantage.

Clearly, Ferguson is committed to his two weakest starters, Darren Fletcher and Dmitar Berbatov. He is not the kind of man to cut his losses in the way Rafa Benítez did after the disastrous £20M purchase of Robbie Keane. As long as the lads win, he will keep trotting out Berbatov again and again. If the goals aren’t going in by January, however, stuck with a 29-year-old Jonah of steadily diminishing value, I would expect Ferguson to use him as swap bait for Agüero or to be sold back to Spurs for about 50% of the price he was purchased for.

“Manchester United will win again and Fergie will laugh as you swallow your humble pie!” (once again!)” says the handwriting on the wall.

As I said earlier, I can’t see anyone mounting a season-long challenge good enough to challenge United for the Premier League honours. United will not just survive without Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez, they will thrive. With Adam Ljajic arriving from Partizan Belgrade in January our attacking midfield options will improve even more. I don’t think we will make it to Madrid this year for the ECC final, but I do expect United will have found a new, inspiring holding central midfielder by this time next year.

Sir Alex Ferguson had had a quiet couple of weeks, all things considered. The furore over the futures of Cristiano Ronaldo & Carlos Tévez had long since died down, the modest signings of Antonio Valencia, Michael Owen & Gabriel Obertan had been completed with minimal fuss, and United’s tour of Asia was underway.

But today, the Manchester United manager has thrust himself firmly into the kind of cross-city-conflict that used to be reserved for the likes of Francis Lee, Mike Summerbee, Paddy Crerand & Nobby Stiles.

Speaking in typically candid, and borderline vitriolic, terms, Ferguson told the Observer that Manchester City’s joy at securing the signature of Tévez- seemingly at United’s expense- smacked of “a small club with a small club mentality”, before going on to claim that City’s other major forward signing- Emmanuel Adebayor- had been “desperate” not to join the club, suggesting that the Togolese international’s representatives had contacted both United & Chelsea in a bid to secure a deal, having already spoken to City.

The Scot had been riled by a poster erected in Manchester city centre showing a grinning Tévez above the slogan “Welcome to Manchester”, and was quick to dismiss the significance of the Argentine’s arrival at Eastlands, saying “For all the buying they have done, they still have to pick a team with balance. That won’t be easy for Mark. What’s he got, 10 strikers? So if he picks a squad to go to Chelsea he has to leave seven behind, or five at least.”

It is a point not too far from the truth. City’s attacking options, as stated elsewhere this week, are plentiful. They have already offloaded Felipe Caicedo & Ched Evans this week, but in Tévez, Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz, Robinho & Craig Bellamy, they have five £14m plus strikers to shoehorn into an acceptable side. Ferguson’s sneers may indicate a similar lack of class to the one he has often accused other sides and managers of but, like all the best insults, his retain more than a grain of truth.

Sven livens things up

To be perfectly honest, it has been a bit of slow news week with regards to the Premier League. So it was refreshing to see Sven-Göran Eriksson roll into League Two outfit Notts County and their rickety Meadow Lane ground this week, with the plan of bringing top flight football to the club.

Eriksson’s reign as Director of Football (not to be confused with team manager) began with a promising 2-1 victory over the more illustrious side of Nottingham- Forest. On target at a sun-drenched Meadow Lane, in front of a 12,000 plus crowd, was Eriksson’s first signing, the former West Brom, Coventry & Oldham striker Lee Hughes. Hughes has something of a chequered past of course, having served three years of a six year sentence for causing death by dangerous driving, but represents a smart move by the Magpies as they bid to begin a revolution under their smiling Swede.

Steven Gerrard is acquitted

The other story to dominate the news waves in England this week centred on Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, and his own battle with the law. Gerrard was arrested in December of last year after an altercation with a man, 34 year old Marcus McGhee, in a Southport bar. The incident apparently came about when McGhee refused Gerrard permission to change the venue’s music, and resulted in McGhee losing a tooth and suffering cuts and bruises to his face.

Liverpool Crown Court heard a week’s worth of evidence, played out tiresomely in the gaze of the national media, with CCTV footage of Gerrard now engrained in the public’s consciousness, and every man and his dog offering an opinion as to the innocence or otherwise of the star.

In the end, Gerrard was acquitted of all charges- though his five co-defendants (including two Accrington Stanley footballers) all admitted to affray- and was told by the judge that he could walk away “with his reputation intact”. His manager, Rafael Benítez, has said that he is glad his captain can now concentrate on football, and Gerrard responded positively on Friday by turning out for a reserve team at Tranmere Rovers, scoring Liverpool’s first in a 2-2 draw.

Terry commits future to Chelsea

John Terry finally spoke to the press today and confirmed what his manager (and most pundits) had been saying all along – that he will stay with Chelsea. The reason offered for his silence so far was also fairly predictable – that he had been waiting for discussions with the board and the owner (funny how the player has to talk to the owner before deciding his future instead of the manager) before making his thoughts known public.

Terry says that the thought of leaving Chelsea never occurred to him. If we are to take that at face value, then at the very least the offer from Manchester City would have been the stick Terry would have used to to renegotiate his wages to a parity with Lampard.

What do Chelsea fans think though – are they happy that Terry is staying or would they have rather watched him go and taken the money?

And who will City sign at center-back now?

Another week, another set of additions to the Manchester City strikeforce. This week it was Carlos Tévez & Emmanuel Adebayor who made the move to Eastlands, swapping Big Four unhappiness for Big Four hopefulness for a combined fee of around £50m.

Tévez has a knack of endearing himself to fans of just about every club he plays for (and he is onto his fifth now, at the age of 25), and he wasted no time in firing a broadside at his former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, rubbishing the Manchester United manager’s claims that he had done his utmost to keep the Argentinean at Old Trafford, and criticising his communication methods. Sensible PR move on the part of Carlitos it would seem, get the City fans onside without even having to buzz around the pitch like a hyperactive wasp. Clever boy.

Adebayor does not, it is fair to say, buzz around much. His is a more languid, pedestrian style- in truth it approached comatose status last season at times- but after a few days to mull over the contract on the (reinforced) table from City, the Togolese striker put pen to paper on a five-year contract, ending a three year stay at Arsenal that brought about 62 goals.

It makes it hard to predict City’s line up next season. Mark Hughes has already spent around £18m on Blackburn’s Roque Santa Cruz this summer, and shelled out around £14m on Craig Bellamy from West Ham in January. Throw in club record signing Robinho, last season’s star performer Stephen Ireland, and crowd favourite Shaun Wright-Phillips and you have a fair few options for Mark Hughes to consider.

And that is before we even mention Elano, Martin Petrov or Valeri Bojinov. And Ched Evans. It will be mightily interesting to see which of these players gets the nod when they run out at, ironically, Ewood Park on August 15th, with Hughes and Santa Cruz (and probably Bellamy too) set for a hostile reception no doubt.

Manchester City after Everton and Chelsea defenders

And Sparky is not finished there either, by the way. Having bumped his attacking options significantly, it seems now is the time to add a bit of steel further back. Gareth Barry, Vincent Kompany & Nigel De Jong should, theoretically, shore up the defensive side of midfield, but with Richard Dunne’s form dipping at an alarming rate, and Micah Richards’ development having slowed, Hughes is keen to add to England defenders to his ranks.

Joleon Lescott would seem the most likely, Everton have been immovable in their insistence that the former Wolves man will not be sold at any price, but when that price edges towards the £20m mark, for a player who cost a quarter of that two seasons ago, Bill Kenwright & David Moyes may just decide that it is a move worth taking. City’s decision to allow £18m striker Jô move to Goodison Park on a free loan deal may well come into play as negotiations for Lescott advance.

But if Lescott is a reasonable target, the second centre half targeted by Hughes would appear- at first glance anyway- to be ludicrous. England captain John Terry is known, annoyingly, in the press as “Mr Chelsea” due to his unwavering affection for the club, but reports are increasingly suggesting that even he could be tempted by the package on offer up north.

The unlikely duo of Hughes and keeper Shay Given have made a two pronged appeal to Terry to seek a “fresh challenge” (easily the most annoyingly banal transfer phrase on offer these days, replacing “undisclosed fee”), and sources close to Chelsea and Terry have mischievously claimed that the 29 year old is keen to swap royal blue for sky blue, and Champions League for Europa League. Expect fresh developments on this one in the coming fortnight or so.

Can Liverpool find a replacement for Alonso?

Down the M62 at Liverpool however, things are a little less exciting. Glen Johnson may have impressed on debut against St Gallen in midweek (an colourless, scoreless draw if you were interested), but there are more pressing issues for manager Rafael Benítez to worry about, namely midfielder Xabi Alonso and his apparent desire to leave for Real Madrid.

Sources reliable (Liverpool Echo) and unreliable (most tabloids) claim the Spanish star informed the club of his wish to move back to Spain this week, and Liverpool are believed to be bracing themselves for a bid of £30m+ for the 27 year old any day soon. Should he leave, it would leave a gaping hole in Benitez’s midfield, as well as having a major impact on the club’s style of play. Roma’s Alberto Aquilani was immediately touted as Alonso’s replacement, although that claim was swiftly rubbished by pretty much all involved. Athletic Bilbao’s Javi Martínez would appear a more likely, and frugal, candidate.

And let’s not forget of course that Real Madrid are currently in the midst of an end-of-season clearout matched only by Next, with Dutch internationals up for sale left right and mainly centre. Wesley Sneijder has been mooted as a potential makeweight in a deal for Alonso, though Liverpool could well be wise to look at Ruud Van Nistelrooy as a cheap and cheerful goalscoring backup, Arjen Robben as a wide player of genuine class, or even the talented but wayward Royston Drenthe as a left sided option. Or failing that they could get the £30m in the bank and then wait outside Gareth Barry’s hotel with a bouquet of petrol station flowers…

What are Manchester United, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Everton up to?

Elsewhere in the Premier League’s top half the transfer window is rather heating up now, Sir Alex Ferguson has done his usual trick of lying, I mean, claiming, that his summer spending is done (even though United are locked in discussions with Gremio for Douglas Costa and have just signed Mame Biram Diouf from Molde), but all around the league signings are arriving at an ever-increasing rate.

Aston Villa have finally made their first acquisition of the summer, spending most of their Barry money on Middlesbrough’s Stewart Downing. Downing, an out and out winger to join out and out wingers James Milner & Ashley Young (2 into 3 never seems to work, so expect one of those to leave or be shifted awkwardly infield), cannot play until October at the earliest according to manager Martin O’Neill, courtesy of a broken foot, but at £10m represents a typical Villa signing- English, young enough to develop, a little bit over-rated.

Everton meanwhile, have paid for manager David Moyes’ reputation for spotting talent in the lower leagues. No sooner had they secured a fee for Sheffield United’s exciting young full back Kyle Naughton, than half the league were hotfooting it down to Bramall Lane armed with chocolates and Xbox games. Spurs are said to be leading the chase now, and have even promised to snap up Naughton’s fellow Kyle, Walker, as part of the same deal.

Harry Redknapp has never been shy in stockpiling players, and that seems set to continue as he is linked with a bid for Portsmouth’s Peter Crouch. Crouch has already held talks with Steve Bruce over a move to Sunderland, but Redknapp it would appear holds both trump cards with the fact that he is: a) based in London, and b) the only man to sign Crouch on more than twenty occasions. Sunderland’s purchase of Manchester United youngster Frazier Campbell hints that a deal for Crouch now looks unlikely.

Also see: The latest English Premier League Transfers.

Before I get into today’s roundup, I’d like to give a big thanks to all those, and especially to Shahryar Noon, who make my job all the easier by helping out with keeping the summer transfer lists updated and accurate. It’s not easy tracking down every transfer out there, so all of the help is much appreciated, to say the least.

Remember, anytime you see a transfer that we’ve missed or specifics about a transfer that we’ve included, use the contact form, and it’ll be added to the lists ASAP.

Speaking of the lists, this morning’s roundup gives us a few new names to add to them, and it could be only be a matter of time before a few more notable names.

England

City Sign Tevez, Adebayor Next

Manchester City have completed the signing of Carlos Tevez for £25m, and he’ll soon be followed by Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor, who’s closing in on a £25m move after undergoing a medical with City (The Mirror).

Analysis: Well that was certainly the world’s worst-kept secret, wasn’t it? Hopefully now we’ve heard the last of the comments relating to Tevez’s departure from Manchester United, but I won’t bank on that one holding true, one way or another.

Adebayor, well, he’s got the talent to excel at City if he wants to, but it’s certainly a good bit of business for Arsenal…well, that is, if they put that money to good use.

Arsenal Line Up Chamakh Bid

Arsenal could be set for a £7m bid for Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Chamakh doesn’t exactly have an eye-popping scoring record at Bordeaux, so that might concern some Arsenal fans who are looking for a prolific scorer.

Sunderland’s Crouch Bid Accepted

Portsmouth have accepted Sunderland’s £12m bid for Peter Crouch. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: A move to Fulham might be more appealing because of the offer of immediate European football, but there is the big ‘p’ word with Sunderland, not to mention superior wages. If he does ink with Sunderland, you have to wonder where this puts Sunderland’s pursuit of Darren Bent, with Tottenham seemingly intent on playing hardball.

Spain

Barcelona Move For Poulsen

Barcelona are set to make a €12m bid for Juventus midfielder Christian Poulsen. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Poulsen didn’t exactly flourish in his first season at Juventus, but he proved his worth in La Liga in two seasons at Sevilla, so his tenure at Barcelona could turn out much better.

Almeria Land Goitom

Almeria have signed striker Henok Goitom from Real Murcia for €2.2m. (Transfer Market Web)

Analysis: Goitom scored 10 goals last season while on loan at Valladolid, so this is a good move for Almeria to land another solid scoring option after losing Alvaro Negredo to Real Madrid.

Italy

AC Milan Pull Out of Fabiano Negotiations

AC Milan have pulled out of negotiations for Sevilla striker Luis Fabiano because Sevilla want more than the club are willing to offer for the Brazil star. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: The deal may well be revived, but if it’s not, this isn’t exactly the best timing in the world for Milan, with two of their top targets closing on deals elsewhere. Adebayor’s set for Manchester City and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar looks to be on the verge of a move to VfB Stuttgart, so barring a last-minute swoop for either, they’ll either have to pay more than wanted for Fabiano or turn their attentions to a new batch of targets.

France

Lyon Move For Bastos & Target Cissokho

Lille have accepted Lyon’s bid of around €18m for Brazilian star Michel Bastos. (Sky Sports)

Lyon could also soon make a bid of around €12m for FC Porto defender Aly Cissokho. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: Sell big names, reload, repeat. That’s been one of the hallmarks of their success over the last several seasons, but it looks like being knocked off of their perch has made Lyon start really making use of that cash that they’ve been stockpiling, which might make for a quick return to the top if these signings pan out.

The summer transfer market just went off with a couple of high powered Exocet missiles from central Spain, leaving some of us thinking that nothing will ever be the same again. A seemingly obscene (vulgar even!) amount of money may be about to change hands with many of Europe’s top clubs in the market for a striker (amongst others).

Nothing excites the fan more than a proven goal-scorer donning the shirt and declaring his intent to a nose full of microphones.

Let me clarify at the outset that I am talking about strikers here not creative attacking players, regardless of how prolific they might be in terms of goals. Think in terms of the old fashioned centre-forward as opposed to the inside-right or inside-left or the No.10, a term some like to use to make the distinction. Stateside they struggle a little with this concept so I’ll stay well away from talking about ‘offensive’ players as only some of those about to be mentioned are actually that!

Carlos Tevez was the subject of much divided opinion amongst Manchester United fans recently. “Sign him up!” rang out from several tiers at Old Trafford on more than one occasion towards the end of the season and Carlos milked it to the fullest! Others, however, didn’t think him worth the money. “All perspiration and no inspiration” the other camp declared, and “he just doesn’t score enough for a striker!” or “No better than Kuyt” was the worst insult I saw levelled in this debate. Ouch!

And then there were the inevitable comparisons with Berbatov. “The wrong player was let go!” some United fans cried, whilst others insist that Berba “has far more class and talent than Carlos”. Work rate and enthusiasm score heavily in Tevez’s favour whilst a languid style and sulky demeanor weigh against Berbatov.

Down at The Emirates most Arsenal fans have seemingly lost patience with Adebayor, as it appears has Arsene. “Lazy and a bad attitude” sums up the case for the prosecution as does “No loyalty and disruptive in the dressing room.” or “With Van Persie and Arshavin in the ranks who needs him anyway…..?”

I’ve always wondered about that “disruptive in the dressing room” thing! Are we talking about the puerile pulling of teammate’s hair and flicking elastic bands at the unsuspecting or is it the more sinister practice of declaring that one has the biggest willy and constantly calling for a tape measure if challenged? Please share your thoughts if you have an insight!

Meanwhile, over at Anfield Liverpool fans will tell you that “Torres is the best pound for pound striker in the world at present” (someday they’ll go metric in the UK) and many neutrals/rivals (including yours truly) would agree with that assessment. The issue there is the need for a support/ back-up striker.

The transfer market rumour machine is out of the blocks and we hear that Benzema, Eto’o, Ibrahimovic, David Villa and Aguero could all be bought at the right price (monopoly money in all cases!). Santa Cruz has already signed for City and Tevez is likely to follow suit very soon. Real Madrid have made Huntelaar and Van Nistelrooy ‘available’ while the intentions of Ancelotti regarding Anelka and Drogba are not yet clear. Pato has aroused Chelsea’a interest and Forlan could yet come under the spotlight.

One hack even suggested, on what must have been a very slow day at the office, that Torres could be off to United! About as likely as Cashley re-signing for Arsenal or Berbatov and Adebayor turning into a couple of grinning sprinters you would have thought! And if some of you think that Baghdad looks ugly right now, put that deal through and you’ll see an instant shift of focus from President Obama regarding the world’s trouble spots!

So how do we actually rate players or, in this case, strikers? There is a certain amount of subjectivity involved but is some of it misguided? Unlike players in any other position there is a clear measurement for strikers………….…the cold currency of goals.

Goals may not be the be all and end all but they’re a damn big piece of the be all and end all if you’re a striker!

Did some fans give too much weighting to Tevez for his ‘likeability’ and work-rate? I’m with the fans who say “show me the money,” or “where’s the beef”……………. the ‘money’ and ‘beef’ in question being found, in this instance, in the ‘goals-scored’ column. Somewhere out there is a rate of goal-scoring that is such as to provoke debate and disagreement amongst fans when judging strikers and somewhere beyond that is a point where debate is benign. But where is that watershed between war and peace?

Make no mistake, 30 goals a season is a cure-all for any player/fan relationship problem you care to mention. Not wishing to demean any section of society but a one-legged cross-dressing hunchback with the moral fibre of a serial killer and a Bartonesque set of party tricks will be the first name on the team sheet every week if he’s netting at the rate of 30 goals a season, even if the begrudgers out there would constantly sneer that he’s totally one-footed (and before you write in, I accept completely that, in terms of political correctness, I haven’t a leg to stand-on on that one).

And yes, that was a rather long-winded and exaggerated way of saying that maybe Berbatov and Adebayor are being harshly judged! It depends on their goal-scoring records and where you draw the imaginary line.

We’re talking about subtle differences here, the subtle differences between the world’s best strikers…..so it’s high time I quit rambling and ‘showed you the money’, so to speak.

I’ve taken 30 current generation strikers and analysed their goals per game stats for your consumption.

But before I reveal my hand I need to be clear that I am talking about strikers. The fact that Ronaldo, Messi and Kaka would rank ‘right up there’ in this analysis is irrelevant. They’re not strikers and their goal contribution, along with everything else that they bring to the party, underlines the reason why, between them, they have won the last three ‘World Player of the Year Awards’ (OK, I spotted the mistake there but in a few months it WILL be correct and I’ll be seen as a visonary!) Ronaldo and Kaka (or in REALity you know who) have started this transfer feeding frenzy in the first place. I’ve left out Henry, Arshavin and Robinho for the same reason.

And yes, it may not be a complete list, although I’ve tried bloody hard to make it one, so if I’ve left out one of your favourites live with it. It’s representative enough to make the point (although right now I’m seriously questioning whether there actually is one!)

Note: Includes full career club and international appearances and goals.

So take a minute or two to absorb that and spot where some of your favourites rank. These are the hard facts, the one true measurement we have that can’t be disputed. So what exactly does it clarify? That may come down to individual interpretation but here are some of my observations:

• Close the book on the Berbatov v Tevez debate. 7 extra goals in a 50 game season (probably equating to several vital points and/or a cup victory or 2) says it’s Berba every time. Tevez just betters 1 goal in 3 games and ranks a lowly 26th in the pecking order.
• And what about Adebayor? He’ll bag you 21 goals while Van Persie only grabs 16, worse than 1 in 3. That surprised me I have to say! And although I excluded Arshavin I can tell you that his ratio is 1 in 4, so if you’re an Arsenal fan don’t bank on many repeats of the Anfield ‘one man show’ in the future.
• If Tevez does join Man City he’ll team-up with the truly non-prolific Santa Cruz. Here’s a striker who’ll average 15 goals a season for you! And although Robinho isn’t on the list I’ve run his numbers and can tell you that at 1 goal every 2.93 games he’d come-in just behind Tevez at 28th. So Mark Hughes has bought himself 3 front men who have never worried a 20 goal a season average.
• Many people’s No.1 pick, Torres, comes in at a surprisingly low 22nd, 5 goals a season shy of his compatriot Villa and 3 short of Berbatov! So what does this tell us?
• Huntelaar at No.1! Now Ruud was not a surprise at No.2 but I was amazed at Huntelaar. A 33 goal average puts him streets ahead of some of the other top strikers. Yes, he has played most of his career in Holland but if he was wearing clogs that makes his record even more impressive, and people have said that he didn’t do it at Madrid but he’s hardly had the chance to take his coat off yet. 8 goals in 20 appearances for Real, in a very disruptive season, was not exactly shabby! Suffice to say that if I get the call from Sir Alex in the next couple of weeks and the question posed is: “Klaas-Jan Huntelaar?” my response will be a hearty “Yes, please!” … which would not have been the case last week.
• And what is Robbie Keane doing on the list you ask? Well I thought I’d include him to add a bit of spice. And no! … that’s not an implied reference to Paella, the national dish of Spain. And in mentioning the national dish of Spain if you think I’m going anywhere near any references to restaurants and Waiters you’ll be disappointed! Interesting though that Robbie can drop an average of 19 goals in a 50 game season and considering he only left 7 on the table by Christmas last year that says he still had 12 in his locker. Now if he’d stayed and produced even 4 or 5 of those 12 in that wobbly January/February period could the title now be…………………? No! Let’s not go there!

But of course you’re right!…. and I should know better! Haven’t I written about it before Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics. The above analysis is flawed!

Let’s get back to clichés! Some like to throw scorn on a good cliché but a cliché becomes what it is largely because it’s a truism. I know I’m Irish but that’s not why I’m defending the cliché ridden David O’Leary, and if I might borrow from the great man: “as I say, at the end of the day a striker is only as good as his last season.“

Never a truer word spoken! But let’s just broaden that a little and look at the stats over the last three seasons. If you’re going to splash the cash on a striker you’ll be looking in this direction rather than the above table, so take another 5 to absorb this.

Note: Only includes club appearances/goals, as trying to get an annual breakdown for international games/goals….well…almost cost me a breakdown.

So that’s the list for buying purposes and what’s changed?

• Huntelaar holds his place at No.1! Definitely worth a punt in my view!
• And Ruud also holds onto No.2! if he can stay fit he’s gotta be worth a chance for the likes of Spurs…and was Sir Alex rash in selling him when he did?
• David Villa also holds his 4th place. No wonder everyone is interested and Eto’o also surprised me. Worth the money if Barca want to sell?
• The big negative movers from the ‘total career’ table are Fabiano, Berbatov, Crespo, Owen and Shevchenko. No surprises there except for Berbatov. Berbatov’s first season at United hurt his stats but he’s still comfortably ahead of Tevez.
• The big upward movers are Forlan, Ibra, Totti, Torres, Benzema and Van Persie.
• But Torres is still only in 9th! Considering he’s my first choice this doesn’t quite gel!
• And even though Van Persie jumps 10 places he just scrapes over the 20 goals a season mark and still trails Adebayor.
• At 28th and 29th Santa Cruz and Tevez don’t impress any more than they did on the first list.
• And what of Rooney? Being played out of position or flattering to deceive?

I could go on but by now you’re already asleep or have jumped to the response column and are about to fillet me with your razor sharp tongues.

Food for thought though?

How do you rate your strikers?

There is something about Carlos Tevez that resonates with the British footballing public.

He’s bullish, full throttle and explosive. He doesn’t complain that much when he gets kicked. The clichés we associate with his name are the ones of bygone days like ‘covers every blade of grass’ and ‘leaves his skin on the pitch’.

In the age of preening pretty boys with more money than talent, the Argentine forward is unashamedly ugly and indisputably talented.

What’s more, controversy follows him from place to place like his advisor/owner Kia Joorbachian, satisfying our thirst for murky sub plots to the every day storylines of the Barclays Premier League.

Neutrals marvelled as he single-handedly kept West Ham in the top flight and we shared his confusion as to why he couldn’t displace either the languid Dimitar Berbatov or the off colour Wayne Rooney in Manchester United’s starting line up. We felt his pain as he was benched for the Champion’s League final, watching on as the immobile Anderson, who he replaced at half-time, made Andreas Iniesta and Xavi look like ten different players.

Now he is leaving United, as he announced via Joorbachian on June 20th, with Chelsea or Manchester City the most likely destinations. Cash strapped Liverpool were discounted at an early stage, apparently out of respect for their fierce rivalry with the Red Devils. This presumably means that team Tevez view City and Chelsea as no more than amicable competitors. Still, despite the fact that he thinks switching Old Trafford for the Eastlands would be no big deal, we like Tevez.

We’re heartened that he wants to stay in the cut and thrust of the Premiership instead of diving around Spain like his former colleague Ronaldo. He’s our sort of player: committed and entertaining in equal measures. ‘He perhaps didn’t feel part of the Manchester United family’ Joorbachian suggested in his interview with Sky Sports, after the news that Tevez wouldn‘t be signing a permanent contract there. And so we love him even more.

Poor Carlos, who tried harder than Dimitar did, and for less pocket money too. The league’s most expensive orphan needs a new home, and all of us wish that our club would be the one to provide it.

But in our rush to claim Tevez as a symbol of what football used to be, we forget just how much he represents what it has become. At a time when we decry third party involvement in the game, Tevez is more or less completely owned by a third party. Despite his apparent hunger to belong, he hasn’t belonged to any one club since he ‘joined’ West Ham in September 2006. Since then he has been a commodity in the very realest sense.

When Tevez plays well, he increases the brand value of Tevez. When his battling displays in the final games of the Hammers’ season earned him the attentions of some of Europe’s most prestigious clubs, he was, whether he knew it or not, literally playing for himself. And wedged in-between the glorious displays of gut busting skill there have been a few tantrums.

West Ham fans will reluctantly recall him storming off the pitch against Sheffield United, Corinthians fans his refusal to play for them and fans of Manchester United his ill timed announcement that he probably wouldn’t be playing for the club next season, made just over a week before the showdown in Rome with Barcelona.

Diego Maradona said in an interview a few years back that if he was still playing, he would join a team in the mould of Napoli rather than Barcelona. A modest, lowly club he could help drive on to better things, rather than giant, corporate entity.

Don’t expect the same sort of socialist spirit from Tevez. Joorbachian implied that money isn’t so important to his client and you tend to agree, because no-one offering less than the £25.5m fee for his rights and wages of more than £120,000 will even make it to the negotiating table. On top of that, Tevez will want some kind of assurance that he will be the sun around which the other planets rotate, rather than just another rotating planet as he was for Alex Ferguson’s side.

The instinct to romanticize Tevez while tempting, should be resisted, particularly by the fans of those clubs now vying for his signature. Whoever lands him will inherit all the baggage that comes with any modern-day footballer, and more than most do, he’ll need to be loved.

In case you may have missed anything over the weekend, we’ve got a nice fresh batch of transfer news and rumors to deliver bright and early this morning.

In the not-so-breaking news category, Manchester United aren’t going to be signing Carlos Tevez permanently, but he may well have already agreed a move to a new destination not far from his old home. However, Manchester United could already be planning for their Tevez-less future, and it might not be long before their replacement is on his way to Old Trafford.

Who else is in the news this morning? Check out the roundup to find out, and make sure to check out the latest updates to the summer transfer lists.

England

United To Bid For Benzema

Manchester United could make a £30m bid for Lyon star Karim Benzema sometime this week. (The Mirror)

Analysis: Lyon have been shrewd negotiators with some of their top stars in the past, but it seems like they’re prepared to sell him if the right offer comes in, which shouldn’t be an issue for United.

City To Sign Tevez?

After Manchester United confirmed that they won’t be signing Carlos Tevez permanently, it appears that the Argentine striker could be set to join Manchester City in the next couple of days in a deal that may have already been agreed two weeks ago. (The Mirror)

Analysis: With Roque Santa Cruz also set to sign for City, City’s depth up front will be much improved next season, but someone’s going to have to be stuck with a less expanded role. Craig Bellamy? Robinho? You can imagine someone’s going to wind up unhappy soon enough, but having depth up front is a must when you have aspirations of any kind, so it’s a risk City obviously deem worth taking.

Chelsea Join Race For Alonso

Chelsea could be set to rival Real Madrid’s interest in Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso. (The Mirror)

Analysis: Alonso hasn’t exactly confirmed one way or another that what he wants to do, but even if Rafa Benitez did consider selling him, it certainly wouldn’t be to one of Liverpool’s title rivals.

Aston Villa Chase Jurado And Wheater

Aston Villa could be set to make a £7m move for Atletico Madrid midfielder Jurado. (Tribal Football)

Villa could also soon make a bid for Middlesbrough defender David Wheater. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Jurado hasn’t made a big impression for either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid, but a big season on loan at Mallorca last season showed that the 22-year-old has a lot of potential. It certainly wouldn’t hurt Villa to add more creative options, and it also wouldn’t hurt if they could bolster their defense with Wheater. He has stated that he would like to stay at Boro, but the move to Villa and a chance to play in Europe could be pretty tempting.

Hull To Move For Owen?

Hull could be set to make an intriguing offer to Michael Owen. The offer would include a base salary of £40k per week, with Owen being paid £20k for every game he plays, and £10k for every goal he scores. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: It certainly doesn’t hurt to try if you’re Hull, but I think Everton are the team to beat. If/when Everton do land him, the deal might be something similar to the above, considering that they aren’t going to break the bank with salaries either. If he stays fit and scores goals (and we know that’s a big, big if), then it’s more money that has to be paid out, but the benefits would be well worth it.

Sunderland To Move For Campbell?

Sunderland could try to make a late move to snatch Manchester United striker Fraizer Campbell from Hull’s clutches. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Sunderland would likely offer Campbell more money than Hull would, but the familiarity of Hull could still win out.

Blackburn Offer Rothen

Blackburn have offered former PSG midfielder Jerome Rothen a three-year deal. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Another low-risk signing for Sam Allardyce. The sale of Santa Cruz will give him some money to spend, but it doesn’t hurt to add experience and quality depth for cheap.

Spain

Barca To Include Hleb In Young Bid

Barcelona could try to sweeten a move for Aston Villa star Ashley Young by including Alexander Hleb in their bid for the England winger. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Tempting offer, since Hleb is someone that Villa have been linked with. However, they have enough money to buy Hleb without having to sell another one of their best players to do so.

Italy

Lazio Move For Malaga Winger

Lazio are set to complete a £750k move for Malaga winger Eliseu Pereira. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Pereira had a terrific campaign in La Liga last season, and he also just recently earn his first cap for Portugal, so the potential is certainly there for Lazio to get back their investment times quite a lot.

France

Lyon Bid For Hoarau

Lyon have made a £8.4m bid for Paris Saint-Germain striker Gillaume Hoarau, who could be set to replace Karim Benzema if he does indeed move to Manchester United. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: PSG might not be too keen on selling to one of their rivals, but Hoarau could certainly be tempted by the opportunity, not only because his chances of winning trophies might be a little better at Lyon than at PSG, but because a move to Lyon could be a stepping stone for a move to one of Europe’s elites, as has been the case for many others at Lyon in years past.

Lens To Land Gelson?

Newly-promoted Ligue 1 side Lens are closing in on a £2.5m deal for Manchester City midfielder Gelson Fernandes. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Gelson’s future at Manchester City looked pretty bleak, so this is the right move for him, especially with Switzerland in a good position to make next year’s World Cup. One of the several languages he’s fluent in is French, so settling in won’t pose a problem.

Argentina

River Plate In Talks For Saviola

River Plate are in talks with the representatives of Real Madrid striker Javier Saviola over a return to his former club. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Saviola has recently been linked with Liverpool, and he may feel that he can still do the business for one of Europe’s top clubs. But a move back to River wouldn’t be a bad one, because he could have a big hand in leading them back to the kind of success that the club had during the time he was there.

It’s been a busy week in the transfers world, and just because it’s the weekend doesn’t mean that there’s going to be a break of any sort.

Today’s transfer news and rumors roundup includes news of a couple of confirmed signings and a few more that are set to be completed in the next few days, and of course, a transfer roundup can’t be complete without an outlandish rumor or two!

The confirmed signings that you’ll see in today’s roundup have been added to our summer transfer lists, and remember, if you have a transfer (or transfers) or transfer rumors that we’ve skipped over, don’t hesitate to make it known, whether in the comments or through the contact form.

England

Arsenal Complete Vermaelen Deal

Arsenal have completed the signing of Ajax defender Thomas Vermaelen for £10m. (The Mirror)

Analysis: The finalizing of the deal seems to have dragged out for a little while, but it was only a matter of when, not if. With Manchester City set to pursue Kolo Toure and William Gallas’ future also in doubt, Vermaelen could be in line to get thrown into the fire immediately.

Santa Cruz To Manchester City…Finally

Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz is finally set to sign for Manchester City, after City agreed an £18m fee for the Paraguayan. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Had Blackburn been willing to accept this fee in January, this could’ve been over a lot quicker. In my opinion, they’re still coming out pretty good in this one, but just how good they came out will depend on how well Sam Allardyce spends the money he gets from the deal and if Santa Cruz looks like more 2007/08 Santa Cruz than 2008/09 Santa Cruz when he suits up for City.

Chelsea’s Johnson Bid Accepted

Chelsea are making a run at pipping Liverpool to Portsmouth defender Glen Johnson, as Portsmouth have accepted their £17.5m bid for the England right back. (Sky Sports)

However, they may not be the only two clubs involved, as Manchester United may be making a late run at Johnson as well, according to reports. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Bayern Munich are no doubt hoping that Chelsea can pull it off, because this deal holds the key to their move for Jose Bosingwa. United’s interest, if it is concrte, is certainly intriguing. Rafael da Silva looks like their right back of the future, but he’s only going to be 19, Gary Neville is almost done, and Wes Brown’s fitness is far from a certainty. But, as much of a logjam as that could make, I’ll have to say Johnson is still likely destined for either Liverpool or Chelsea in the end.

United To Bid For Casillas?

Well, here’s your crazy rumor of the day. Manchester United are said to be ready to make an offer for Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: It’d have to be a pretty sizable bid for Real to even blink at it, and even if they did, would Casillas even consider it? Stick this one in the bin with those week-old leftovers (or are they two weeks old?).

Tevez Closer To Deciding Future?

Carlos Tevez hasn’t decided on his future yet, but he has ruled Liverpool out as a potential destination.

That would appear to be an encouraging sign for Manchester United, especially given that they have reportedly agreed to pay the required asking price. However, it seems that Tevez wants to be United’s highest-paid player if he is to remain at United, which could prove to be an issue.

As has been the case lately, much speculation is favoring a move to Manchester City. (The Independent)

Analysis: It’s fair to say that he hasn’t exactly done enough to this point to warrant being United’s highest earner, so if that’s what he wants, then City may well be free to give him all the money he wants.

Wigan Land Gomez, Fletcher Next?

Wigan have completed the signing of Jordi Gomez from Espanyol, and the club could also be set to make a £4m bid for Hibs striker Steven Fletcher (Tribal Football).

Analysis: Celtic seemed to be Fletcher’s preferred option in the past, and with former Hibs boss Tony Mowbray taking over as Celtic’s new manager, they might be even more so. But it might come down to whether Celtic are willing to pay what Hibs want for Fletcher.

Premier League Talks For Matic

The agent of highly-rated Serbian starlet Nemanja Matic has said that he is set for talks with five Premier League clubs next week in Sweden. Chelsea, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Fulham, and Birmingham have all been linked with the 20-year-old. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: There have been reports this week that Udinese could be set to land him, so if he’s going to be coming to the Premier League, that quintet might have a little work to do.

Everton Bid For Ignashevich?

CSKA Moscow have received an offer for defender and club captain Sergei Ignashevich, who has recently been linked with Everton. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: With Manchester City potentially willing to pay £16m (or more) for Joleon Lescott, Ignashevich would not only be a quality, experienced replacement, but he also wouldn’t take up very much of those funds, which would leave plenty for other quality reinforcements to the squad.

Fulham Close On Scharner And O’Hara

Fulham could be set to land Wigan defender Paul Scharner in a £6m deal (Sky Sports). He could soon be followed by Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara, who is in talks with Fulham over a three-year deal.

Analysis: Fulham had the best defense of any club not named Manchester United, Liverpool, or Chelsea, and the addition of Scharner will only strengthen their backline. O’Hara has shown a lot of promise at Tottenham, and though his opportunities might have been limited at Tottenham next season, he could really shine at Fulham. Now, if only they could do something about that front line…

Sunderland To Land Dunne…Or Not?

According to The Sun, Sunderland are in advanced talks with Manchester City over a £5m deal for defender Richard Dunne. However, the Sunderland Echo reports that City are considering scuppering the deal and keeping the Republic of Ireland international.

Analysis: Manchester City could do well to keep Dunne and not spend bid on Joleon Lescott, but Sunderland sure won’t be complaining if they opt for shelling out on Lescott. Their defense had its struggles last season, especially down the stretch, and adding Dunne would be a big, big upgrade at the back.

Burnley Must Up Scotland Offer

Burnley have made a bid reportedly in excess of £1m for Swansea striker Jason Scotland, but they’ll have to up their offer for the Trinidad and Tobago international, who has scored more than 50 goals in the last two seasons for Swansea. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: It’d be a blow for Swansea to lose someone who’s played such a big role in their success the last few seasons, but we’ll have to see if Burnley come back with a much improved bid.

Spain

Valencia Take Villa Off The Market

After it appeared that Valencia striker David Villa was destined for a big-money summer move, it now looks like the Spain star is going to remain at Valencia. Club president Manuel Llorente says that Valencia have elected not to sale Villa after holding talks with Real Madrid and fielding interest from other top European clubs, but he did leave open the possibility of selling him if a can’t-resist offer comes in, but past that. (ESPN Soccernet)

Analysis: What would quantify as amazing? It’d seem that sooner or later (and sooner rather than later, I’d think), their financial issues would necessitate a sale, but I suppose they’d rather him have him than not, because a team with Villa in it could well challenge for a Europa League title and a Champions League place, which would mean nice-sized cash boost.

Remember though, that just because he’s no longer for sale (again) doesn’t mean that the rumors are going to stop…

Barcelona In £35m Mascherano Move?

Rafa Benitez may not want to sell Javier Mascherano, but the speculation continues to fly. The latest reports have Mascherano telling Benitez that he needs to leave Liverpool because his wife doesn’t want to return to England, and Barcelona are set to make a £35m bid to try to lure him to Spain. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: That’s a pretty nice sum of money, and Rafa could do a lot with it. If Barcelona actually make an offer of that size, it could be too hard to turn down, and it’s enough money to land both David Silva and Alvaro Negredo. And on the flip side, it’d leave a monster hole in their midfield.

Real Interested In Porto Playmaker

Real Madrid are tracking Porto playmaker Lucho Gonzalez. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: Gonzalez has also been linked with Marseille, and he might be in line for a lot more regular football there than he could be at Real. But, he could cost €20m, and though that’d likely make him one of Real’s cheaper buys this summer, it’s a price that might well put Marseille out of the running.

Sevilla Step Up Interest In Kuzmanovic

Sevilla could be set to offer Fiorentina £8m for midfielder Zdravko Kuzmanovic. The 21-year-old has been at Fiorentina since 2007, and he has 19 caps for the Serbian national team. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Kuzmanovic has been a regular for Fiorentina in the last couple of seasons, and he’s got a bright future ahead of him. It’d be somewhat of a lateral move, but Fiorentina may well have no problem taking the money and cashing in on him.

Greece

Olympiakos Close On Derbyshire and Mellberg

Olympiakos are set to sign former Aston Villa defender Olof Mellberg in a €2.7m deal from Juventus, with the Swede penning a three-year deal with the Greek champions. (Sky Sports)

The club should also soon complete a permanent deal for striker Matt Derbyshire, as they’ve agreed a fee of £3.5m with Blackburn. (The Guardian)

Analysis: After exiting the Champions League in the third qualifying round and failing to make it past the UEFA Cup round of 32 last season, Olympiakos are making the right moves to increase their chances of making a run like they did in 2007/08, when they reached the Champions League knockout rounds.

In life there are only a handful of things that are certain. You will watch Big Brother. It will irritate you. MPs will lie through their back teeth (and their front ones). Summer does make girls more attractive. And makes you feel less so. People who ring in radio stations with traffic updates are idiots.

And then there is the transfer window. That beautifully annoying invention that basically restricts trade in what should, theoretically, be a free market. That rumour-filled bearpit where the slightest whisper can suddenly become the dominant story, not just in football, but in society it would seem. MPs expenses or Ronaldo to Real? You decide? New series of Big Brother or David Villa’s future? Your choice.

The silly season is officially here, and if you listen to what you read and hear, there are more futures up in the air this summer than at an EasyJet recruitment convention.

Starting with the managers. Guus Hiddink had barely vacated his makeshift office at Chelsea by the time Carlo Ancelotti had arrived, laden with Versace luggage. The Italian will take command at Stamford Bridge officially from July 1st, but talk, incredibly, is already beginning to edge towards potential successors to his throne should he fail to deliver the kind of success Roman Abramovich apparently demands with such passion.

Elsewhere in the Premier League, Sunderland have moved swiftly to replace Ricky Sbragia- who departed tearfully minutes after his side had avoided relegation on the final day of the season- with Wigan’s Steve Bruce. Bruce’s Newcastle connections have been played up neatly by the media, but ignoring such playground mentality will enable Black Cats fans to see they have made what looks a very shrewd appointment. The fact that Bruce’s Wigan finished five places above Sunderland last season would confirm this. Certainly his appointment makes a lot more sense than the one touted by Roberto Mancini prior to Bruce’s appointment. One wonders if the former Inter Milan chief had received some sort of prank call as he gleefully announced that he was all set to arrive at the Stadium of Light, before being forced into an embarrassed climb-down only days later.

And for every departure, there must be an arrival of course. The Bruce-shaped hole at Wigan will be filled- metaphorically speaking- by Swansea’s Roberto Martinez, subject to the agreement of a compensation package. Martinez has made steady progress at the Liberty Stadium, but as a former Wigan favourite, and with his reputation significantly enhanced by the aesthetic qualities of his Championship outfit, the time seems perfect for a step up into the top-flight.

Even outside of the Premier League, things are looking strange. Steve Coppell’s vacation of the Reading hotseat in the wake of their Play-Off semi final defeat to Premiership newboys Burnley meant that chairman John Madejski had to act quickly. An approach for Peterborough’s Darren Ferguson was rebuked, so in sauntered Watford boss Brendan Rogers. Rogers had only just taken delivery of a personalised name-plate for his office at Vicarage Road before he was digging out his suitcase and zooming from Hertfordshire to Berkshire, having spent just five months at Watford.

And the Championship’s most illustrious disastrous club, Newcastle, should not be forgotten. Alan Shearer has already made the least surprising U-Turn since Sven-Goran Eriksson tried to walk past Ulrika Jonsson’s hotel room by announcing his intention to stay on as manager at St James’ Park, but the ownership situation on Tyneside has meant that such an appointment has been forced to stay on ice. Good news for Joe Kinnear then, who was set to sign a two-year contract this summer before the arrival of a sharp dressed messiah put him firmly in the shade.

And then there is Celtic. Wee Gordon Strachan, patronising nickname notwithstanding, decided the time was right to bring an end to his four year stay in Glasgow in the wake of a disappointing end to the SPL season, and will not be particularly missed by certain sections of Parkhead. But Hoops fans who have long questioned the credentials of a flame haired former Aberdeen man would be wise to remember the old adage “Be careful what you wish for” as former Wycombe & Portsmouth failure Tony Adams throws his hat into the ring for the role of Strachan’s replacement. Unless Adams has been receiving the same kind of calls as Mr Mancini- unlikely considering the pair’s background differences- it is a worrying situation for Celtic, especially with more suitable candidates in David Moyes & Owen Coyle distancing themselves from the inevitable speculation, and Tony Mowbray keeping an equally low profile.

So what about the players? Well the football world has been riddled skulduggery in the past twenty years anyway, but this summer things look set to escalate. If it isn’t nailed down it is unsafe, so it would seem. Cristiano Ronaldo’s will-he-won’t he move to Real Madrid this year may well be the most tiresome saga since, erm, last years saga of the same name, but with Florentino Perez targeting players like Big Brother contestants target fame, it is likely to rumble on long into the summer.

Real are not looking to stop at Ronaldo either, they have already secured Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini to lead the revolution, a notoriously ego-free coach in a notoriously egotistical club is a dangerous thought. Spanish football writer Sid Lowe was asked this week to predict Real’s starting eleven for next season, and incredibly went for this- Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Bruno Alves, Gael Clichy, Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso, Lassana Diarra, Franck Ribery, Kaka, Diego Forlan/David Villa. Impressive to say the least, and such transfers would set in motion an incredible snowballing effect surely, with ripples felt as far north as….well, Manchester I suppose.

Of those signings, Alonso looks unlikely. Liverpool’s owners may well be losing more money than Steve Claridge in Cheltenham week, but with Gareth Barry having swapped sixth placed Aston Villa for tenth placed Manchester City in a bid to secure Champions League football, Alonso is expected to stay on Merseyside. One man who resisted overtures from City, Kaka, is high on Madrid’s wishlist, and sources close to the club and the player claim a world-record deal is close to completion, despite rumoured interest from Chelsea.

Should Kaka leave Milan then it will give Silvio Berlusconi & Adriano Galliani license to spend some of their lucre in a more flamboyant manner, although the likelihood is that they will offer the lot to LA Galaxy for three more weeks of David Beckham. Emmanuel Adebayor has long been on their list, although English media reports suggest that Chelsea may make a bid to gazump them in that respect, providing they can wake the Togolese striker up from his twelve month slumber in the meantime.

Chelsea are supposed to be spending big this summer. After all, they only paid £14m for a right back to replace their £13.2m one last summer, along with £9m for a luxury midfielder, following a £25m splurge in the January 08 window. Small fry. Kaka & Adebayor aside, rumours abound that David Villa, Franck Ribery and….erm…Daniel Sturridge will be arriving at Stamford Bridge, though no concrete bid has been reported as of yet.

And what of Manchester United. Ronaldo and Tevez are looking able to leave, whilst Berbatov looks barely able to run, but Ferguson is a wily old fox. Having already added two Serbian stars in Zoran Tosic & Adam Ljajic in January, the man from Govan is likely to be looking bigger this summer, with Ribery, Lyon’s Karim Benzema, and even Arjen Robben spotted apparently. Should Ronaldo leave, the funds freed up would arguably cover two of those players, though little has been said by the man himself. He has left that to rent-a-quote Ronaldo.

Liverpool meanwhile are looking a little bit less adventurous in the wake of their owners’ confirmed £42m losses last year, a £2m bid for Portsmouth’s Sylvain Distin is unlikely to get pulses racing, and there are fears that they may be priced out of a move for Tevez, Valencia duo Villa & Silva, or even another Portsmouth defender in Glen Johnson. Still, Andriy Voronin is back from a loan spell in Germany, and Jermaine Pennant will return from Portsmouth too. Like having two new signings that.

At Arsenal, Arsene Wenger is scouring Football Manager searching for young talent. The signing of Andrey Arshavin in January may have bucked the transfer trend at the Emirates, but Wenger will be more concerned about rumoured interest in Robin Van Persie & Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona at the moment, with Thierry Henry & Aliaksandr Hleb doubtless whispering sweet nothings in their ears. Barcelona are looking to add a left back to their European Cup winning squad, so don’t be surprised to see Gael Clichy appear on their radar at some point also.

And what of Manchester City of course. Barry’s arrival, said Mark Hughes, will not be the last. They have already been linked with 4562 players, including Samuel Eto’o (unlikely), Xabi Alonso (very unlikely) and Carlos Tevez (ridiculous). Armed with cash, expect City to get hold of some eye-catching signings before August is out. And then expect them to still be inconsistent and self-destuctive.

Elsewhere there have already been some big moves, Bayern Munich’s response to missing out on the Bundesliga title was a big money splurge on VfB Stuttgart’s goal-machine Mario Gomez, to add to Zenit St Petersburg skipper Anatoliy Tymoschuk, moves which could well pave the way for Ribery to depart for Real, Barca, Manchester United or Chelsea. Two of their rivals have already been weakened then, Diego swapping the green of Bremen for the stripes of Juventus, who have also recaptured (and it isn’t hard considering how slow he moves these days) Fabio Cannavaro from Real Madrid.

Serie A champions Inter have already made moves to strengthen also, swapping Ricardo Quaresma & Hernan Crespo for Genoa duo Diego Milito & Thiago Motta, with doubts lingering over the future of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, although his wage demands and apparent lack of success in Europe may see him remain at the San Siro.

So with Ronaldo going to Real, meaning Ribery goes to United, meaning Hleb goes to Bayern, and Fabregas goes to Barca, so Kalou goes to Arsenal, so Villa goes to Chelsea, so Drogba goes to Milan, so Kaka goes to Real, so Van der Vaart goes to Arsenal, so Van Persie goes to Barca, so Eto’o goes to City, and so forth until we all experience an aneurism, expect the spectacular, expect the astonishing, expect the unexpected. Expect to get slightly bored by it all and start watching the Ashes. I know I will.