Fabio Capello is not one to give too much away, his demeanour surly enough for ITV’s Clive Tyldsley to describe the Italian as “old poker face” during last night’s dead-rubber win over Belarus at Wembley. But prior to the game, the England manager had given the story-writers plenty to work with by suggesting that his squad for next summer’s World Cup had “seven or eight” spots available.

It would appear that the players had heard this too. Several of the would-be support-cast were given chances to stake their claim last night. Several managed to. Peter Crouch’s brace took his international tally to an incredible 18 in 35 appearances – comparable with the likes of Michael Owen, Fernando Torres or Miroslav Klose. Shaun Wright-Phillips worked hard in an unfamiliar left-wing role and was rewarded with a goal, whilst James Milner, Gabriel Agbonlahor & Ben Foster all showed glimpses of their talents.

The Right Sided Conundrum

Meanwhile, David Beckham’s man-of-the-match award – given to him by former Manchester United colleague Steve Bruce – may have been contested by many, his impact and quality surely could not be. The LA Galaxy media circus/midfielder is certainly the odd one out when it comes to Capello’s right sided options, in that he lacks pace and direct running ability, but he is also unique in the sense that his final ball is reliable and consistent. A January move to Milan will all but guarantee his spot in the squad.

With Theo Walcott’s stock still high despite recent injuries, it means that one of either Wright-Phillips or Aaron Lennon is likely to miss out. Both are very much form players, capable of explosiveness one minute, anonymity the next. The one in form come the end of the season may well be the one Capello picks. James Milner is another option, and his versatility – he appeared last night as a left-back – may well work in his favour. A lack of genuine class and goal threat however, may count against him.

The rest – David Bentley, Ashley Young – have some serious work to do before they are even considered.

Goalkeeper

Capello’s Bete Noire, it has to be said. Gone are the days when David Seaman, Gordon Banks or Peter Shilton could simply be thrown the gloves and relied upon to do England proud. England’s current crop of keepers each have merits, but equally worrying weaknesses.

David James and Robert Green would appear to be the two certainties currently. Green’s dismissal in Dnipro last weekend count more against Rio Ferdinand than the West Ham stopper, whilst James – even at 39 – remains the country’s most reliable, experienced keeper.

The third spot is most definitely available. Foster has had a rough start to the season with Manchester United, but is well thought of in the England setup, and his performance last night will have given him confidence that he can avoid the fate of the likes of Scott Carson and Paul Robinson, both of whom saw their form plummet when in possession of the #1 jersey for their country.

Foster still faces competition: Robinson is back into a semblance of form with Blackburn, and is popular with many of the squad, whilst the likes of Joe Hart at Birmingham, and Wigan’s Chris Kirkland both have their supporters, and should be worked hard enough to play themselves into form come next summer.

Strikers

At the other end of the field, there are similar issues. Capello seems settled on a Wayne Rooney/Emile Heskey partnership as his first choice, but beyond those there is a raft of hopefuls looking for a place on the plane.

Crouch may well have barged his way to the front of the queue last night with his poacher’s double, but Capello may well reserve judgement on the Tottenham man’s reliability against elite opposition. His Spurs colleague, Jermain Defoe, is a much safer bet, especially if he retains the good form with which he has begun this season.

Agbonlahor appears very much a deputy for the deputies. His raw pace and energy was welcome last night, and he showed admirable awareness to lay on the opener for Crouch, but in international terms, the Villa man sits behind Defoe in terms of consistency, reliability and goalscoring.

His replacement last night was West Ham’s Carlton Cole, a player who has improved significantly over the past two years, but also one who has the potential to play his way out of form in the blink of an eye. For all his improvement at Upton Park, Cole has just 20 league goals in 82 appearances for the Hammers.

Michael Owen, on form, outshines them all. Injuries, however, and a lack of playing time at Manchester United, have forced England’s fourth-highest goalscorer way down the pecking order. He was at Wembley last night to watch the young pretenders have their chance, no doubt hoping for one of his own before the final squad is named.

The Squad

So here goes. Attempting to name the squad a full seven months before Capello has to may well be a dangerous game, but the Italian’s comments have inspired me. See if you agree.

Goalkeepers: David James, Robert Green, Ben Foster

Defenders: Glen Johnson, Wes Brown, Wayne Bridge, Ashley Cole, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Matthew Upson

Midfielders: Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Gareth Barry, Owen Hargreaves, Joe Cole, David Beckham, Aaron Lennon, Theo Walcott

Forwards: Wayne Rooney, Peter Crouch, Emile Heskey, Jermain Defoe

Fernando Torres & Robbie Keane could have been the deadliest double act since Starsky & Hutch, had Rafa Benitez not thought otherwise. As it happens they had to settle last week for separate feats, separate plaudits, and separate points hauls.

Torres could realistically have expected to be the week’s king in the Fantasy League with a splendid hat-trick against Phil Brown’s tame Tigers, but his eschewed strike-partner grabbed the honour, four goals against Burnley meant plenty of spilt claret for Owen Coyle, as the Fantasy Premier League season took another set of twists and turns.

The Men In Form

Indeed, Torres was not even the second highest points scorer. Darren Bent’s hot-streak at Sunderland continued as he inspired the Black Cats to a 5-2 win over Wolves. Bent won, and converted, the opening goal from the penalty spot before picking up three second half assists to record a massive 18 points haul. His strike partner Kenwyne Jones was equally deadly, two goals for the Trinidad & Tobago hitman keeps him very much on the coat-tails of his team-mate.

Liverpool’s win over Hull may have been a cakewalk, it may have sounded the death knell for Phil Brown, and it may also have given Tigers debutant Liam Cooper nightmares. But it also threw up a few points in midfield for the Reds. Ryan Babel only played 29 minutes at Anfield but notched two goals, and twelve points. Albert Riera played the full 90 and managed ten. It would have been slightly different of course had the Spaniard’s late effort not looped up off Babel and put the embarrassing gloss on the victory.

Wigan may not have been in the best of form as they welcomed Chelsea to the DW Stadium, but in Titus Bramble they have one of the most improved players in the league. His errors may never totally go away, but in terms of performances, he is building a solid reputation. His opening goal, and subsequent domination of Chelsea’s much-vaunted attack, got him 10 points, and make him a useful bet for bargain-basement.

The Men to Avoid

I was tempted to say this at the start of the season, but was worried for my own reputation. Michael Owen may have scored twice off the bench in his opening six appearances for Manchester United, but his old injury concerns were never far away. A groin strain sustained in midweek will now keep him out for three weeks, and it is fair to say that Owen takes a little longer than most to get back to full form. Especially if he is trying to achieve that as a substitute.

Time was, David James was the staple diet of all good Fantasy League sides. Not any more. Pompey may have been unlucky to lose a seventh straight league game at home to Everton, but James was to blame. His cowardly attempt to thwart Louis Saha with a turned-back failed, his clean sheet went up in smoke, and Jamo is the lowest scoring regular goalkeeper in the game. Pompey may improve, but James should be ignored.

Bargain Hunt

Vito Mannone (Arsenal) – Don’t believe the hype, they say. But looking beyond hype, Mannone has had a great start to his Gunners career. A man of the match performance at Fulham last week gave him 8 points, and with neither Manuel Almunia nor Lukasz Fabianski fit, Mannone may have a chance to nail down a regular place in Arsène Wenger’s side. At £4.5m, the young Italian could be the bargain of the month.

John O’Shea (Manchester United) – It is not often that a big four player costs less than £6m, but John O’Shea is seen as a utility man, and so his value is representative. A goal at Stoke last week earned him a place in the Dream Team, and O’Shea has played 90 minutes in six of United’s seven league games this season. £5.4m well spent if you ask me.

Hugo Rodallega (Wigan) – Colombians in the Premier League are a rare occurrence. Tino Asprilla, Juan Pablo Angel, and now Hugo Rodallega. None set the world alight despite obvious talent, but Rodallega is promising to become the focal point of an attractive Wigan side. His goal last week may have been a penalty, but it is doubtful that John Terry and co will have a tougher time all season. Three goals and counting now for the big man, and £6.4m is not a bank-breaking fee.

Fixtures

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

One fixture stands out of course, Chelsea v Liverpool could be a season-definer for both sides. Elsewhere Arsenal should give Blackburn a roughing up at the Emirates, whilst Sunderland’s porous defence travels to Old Trafford. Manchester City’s trip to Villa on Monday night looks a decent game on paper, whilst there is a chance for Pompey to get their season up and running at Wolves.

My Team

I wondered whether the lack of a Torres might have hindered me last week – how wrong I was. Darren Bent, Robin Van Persie & Didier Drogba kept my strikeforce firing, Steven Gerrard’s fluke goal meant my captain contributed 14 points, whilst my other two midfielders – Cesc Fàbregas & Charles N’Zogbia – picked up assists. At the back Michael Turner netted for Sunderland and Emiliano Insúa grabbed an assist to complement debutant Sylvain Distin’s clean sheet.

One small mistake, Tom Huddlestone remained rooted to my subs bench and promptly picked an assist, some bonus points, and 8 in total. Can’t win them all though.

For this week, there is just one change. Micah Richards’ omission for Man City on Monday may well have been down to fitness, but his form is not great. Out he goes, in comes Arsenal’s Alex Song. The thinking? Well Song is a defender on the game, but a midfielder in reality. Arsenal are at home to Blackburn, and Denílson is injured. He will play, he will score points. Simple.

The Football Media league

Tough at the top isn’t it? Jon Egger Hallsson retains top spot despite a problematic week. His lead is down to six points now after a rasper of a week from Paul Worthington and his Chilli Peppers. 98 points for them, thanks largely to captain Torres, and a ludicrously solid all round performance. He swipes second place as a result.

Elsewhere, there were some average weeks at the top of the table, allowing Torres to fire plenty of sides up the ladder. Liosa Casserley and her lads were the standout performers, 102 points in the week launched her into thirteenth spot, alongside you know who!

You can join the Football Media league here.

Michael Owen has been a polemic figure throughout his career. At 29 years of age many critics claim that he is already past his prime; that his workrate has slowed, his injuries have multiplied and his goal scoring has come to a shuddering halt. Others believe that his best is yet to come; that he has plenty of energy left, that his injuries mostly come down to bad luck and that he is still, statistically speaking, one of the most lethal English strikers around. Owens’ recent transfer to Manchester United brought out all of these differing opinions. However, few people paid attention to the shrewdness and practicality that went into his contract. Though many United fans lamented the signing of Michael Owen, I have reason to believe that his was one of the most intelligent, devious, and lucrative transfers of the past decade.

1. Where Michael Fits In

It may be surprising to hear, but Manchester United definitely needed someone like Michael Owen in order to strengthen their squad this season. With the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo United lost one of their most creative attackers; a player who could score wonder goals when things were going right and nick winners at the depth when they weren’t. Many United fans would be quick to point out that the likes of Wayne Rooney could step up and fill this role, but statistically speaking that does not seem to be the case.

Let’s look at Rooney’s statistics specifically. During the 07/08 season he made 27 appearances in the Premier League. In his two appearances as a substitute, Rooney scored no goals. However, in the remaining 25 starts, he put away 12 for United. Of these 12, none were game winners or savers. Nine came in no contest games (in which United sealed victory by 3 goals or more.)

Now let’s see what Owen did for Newcastle during that same season. He made 29 appearances in the Premier League for the club. In his five appearances as a substitute, he scored one goal-a game winner. In his remaining 24 starts Owen scored ten goals. Of these ten, five were game winners or savers and six came in must-win situations.

Putting two and two together we can come to the following conclusions: one, that Wayne Rooney tends to score when the going is good; two, that Michael Owen tends to create winners out of nothing; and three, that together these goalscoring foils could collaborate to fill the gap left by Ronaldo.

2. The Question of Injury

Most of Michael Owens’ critics have a problem with his physical fitness, claiming that he breaks down too easily and is sidelined by injury far too often. There is plenty of truth to this claim; we need only to look upon his career statistics to see that he is quite injury-prone. However, most of Owens’ injuries have occurred after he made several consecutive starts. It is easy to see that he isn’t up to par with other Premier League strikers on a game-by-game basis, and his critics are right to doubt him in that particular area.

Manchester United have made it clear that they don’t plan on using Owen in such a way. Based on his contract and the first few games of the season it seems Ferguson will be playing him mostly as a sub, in the same vein as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. This is an excellent move. Owen clearly can’t hold up properly if he starts every game, but playing in twenty minute spurts or so will keep him healthy and motivated. Looking again at his statistics, he scores nearly ¾ of his goals in the second half anyways, and his tendency to pick up late winners and equalizers means he is extremely well-suited to the role of “super sub.”

3. The Contract

Most of the genius of this particular deal comes from the contract. Manchester United clearly did their research before handing their offer to Owen, as it is perfectly tailored to maximize his potential while minimizing United’s cost of playing him. Obviously, Owen was picked up as a free agent, so United avoided paying any fees to Newcastle United in exchange for his services. This obviously made the signing of Michael Owen ludicrously cheap, but United refused to stop there. They drafted an intelligent contract built around the concept of keeping Owen healthy, motivated, and hungry for goals.

Owens’ contract is almost completely incentive-based. He will be paid based on minutes played and goals scored. Considering United’s attachment to the idea of playing him as a substitute, he will not play nearly as many minutes as the likes of Rooney and Berbatov and will therefore cost United much less. However, knowing that his paycheck is dependent upon his goalscoring performance will encourage Owen to make the most of every opportunity on the pitch. If he doesn’t score, he won’t be paid. If he does get injured, United will lose nothing, as he isn’t earning much of a weekly salary. In short, this deal was far from a gamble. It was a well thought out plan to gain the services of an experienced striker without having to pay the price tag that would normally accompany him. Plus, Owen is English, so he will help United to comply with the Premier League’s new home-grown player regulations. United cannot lose from this deal. And Owen will only lose if he doesn’t perform-good performances, meanwhile, will win him extra payments and a chance to get into Fabio Capello’s good books before the 2010 World Cup.

This is hardly an adoring ode to Michael’s controversial late winner against Manchester City. It is a testament to Manchester United’s rare moment of financial savvy. In a league where clubs are getting into huge amounts of trouble offering lucrative contracts to foreign teenagers, United managed to secure the signature of an experienced and well-respected player with little to no risk of failure. Even if Owen were to leave the club before the season ended, United still wouldn’t have lost. Their alacrity and astuteness in relation to Michael Owen is what surely makes this one of the greatest-and most devious-signings of this new century.

The season so far has had its ups and downs for the Reds. A shock defeat to Burnley certainly wasn’t in the script, as the world looks on intently to see how the reigning Premiership Champions set about life after Ronaldo and ‘that’ final in Rome, to defending their domestic crown to make it four League titles in a row and surpass the record of their long time Merseyside rivals Liverpool.

The summer saw a great deal of upheaval at United with the long and protracted saga of Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Real Madrid finally concluded, thoughts turned to the future of one Carlos Tevez who had established himself as a real fans favourite at Old Trafford during his two year stay. Life at United is never far from the back pages, but never before have the Reds had to share so many column inches with the blue team of Manchester, and in the end so it proved a controversial move to Man City was to unfold for Tevez leaving United seemingly short in the striking department.

Ferguson then proceeded to bring in Michael Owen and Valencia assuring the slightly disgruntled United faithful that youth players like Macheda and Welbeck would be given more playing time and responsibility to produce a goal return for the senior side in the coming season. Now five games in, we are in a position to take stock of the state of play at Old Trafford and assess what can and should be expected for the remainder of the campaign.

Firstly, I can see no argument to suggest that a team can improve by selling its best player. Ronaldo was just that for United and although we have seen Rooney respond fantastically to the increased responsibility of leading the team, there should be no confusing the fact that the sum of all the parts is less with Ronaldo out of the side.

However United are a different proposition now, and a team still trying to feel it’s way into a new system. For the first time in many seasons there could be a genuine debate as to what United’s best 11 is. Aside from Rooney, Vidic, Evra and Ferdinand, Alex Ferguson can and has picked a variety of different player combinations based on a number of factors, namely: form, fitness and which players have the best characteristics for beating the opposition in question. This rotation approach has the benefit of making life harder for opposing teams to predict how best to set up against United, however it should also be considered that this has not helped the continuity of the transition to the new way of playing either.

The Premier League race this year is proving to be one of the closest run in a very long time. Man City in particular are off to a flyer, and even after their loss to United at the weekend Tottenham are still considered by many as genuine contenders to crash the Top Four party.

The upcoming Manchester derby provides a mouth watering prospect of duels and battles both on and off the field with United looking to inflict City’s first defeat of the season and the Blues desperate to get one over their long time dominant local adversary. With a resurgent Arsenal and Chelsea looking as strong as ever, it may prove to be Liverpool that come the end of the season suffer the embarrassment of Champions league exile, only time will tell.

The Reds certainly still have the tools to compete for trophies on all fronts, and the squad will be looking to prove that despite the loss of the current Ballon d’or holder they were by no means a one man team. With Owen Hargreaves set to make a long awaited return from injury to bolster the midfield, along with Anderson finally breaking his scoring duck things are looking up for United.

Dimitar Berbatov continues to flatter to deceive, showing moments of brilliance and then disappearing for large parts of games. Owen is also seemingly still trying to find his feet in a team that is expected to win every match, although he has stayed clear of injury thus far which will have surprised some.

It would be foolish to suggest that United won’t be at the sharp end of things when that time of the season rolls around for the medals to be handed out. Like the rest of the contenders though, United know they are going to have to fight and earn every point in this campaign even more so than the last.

With a big part of the artillery gone from the successful team of last season, question marks still hang over United’s ability to deliver consistently when it matters. With wins over Arsenal and a high flying Tottenham since the Burnley defeat, any self doubt that may have crept into the minds of the United players will be slowly seeping away.

Perhaps the question is more will the pretenders to the thrown have enough to take the title away from United this term, because they will certainly not be surrendering it lightly.

Four weeks ago, I was playing Football Manager. I was managing Manchester United and was faced with the dilemma of how to replace Tevez and Ronaldo. With 80 million quid in the bank, money wasn’t an issue; however the question of bringing in the “right” player involves more than just money.

Browsing through my shortlist, the expected names appeared: Benzema, Ribery and Ibrahimovic. All of a sudden a crazy thought popped into my head. Why not look at Micheal Owen? Unquestionably talented, excellent goal scoring record, English and above all free! I entertained the thought for a mere split second before quickly laughing it off, after all we all know Michael Owen is finished.

Cue 1 July and the Daily Mail breaks a story that Michael Owen is in discussions with Fergie! Would he gamble where I had dared not? A few days later we would learn that the answer was yes!

Now that Michael Owen is officially a Manchester United player, we find ourselves moving on from the question of ‘Could it happen?’ to ‘Will it work?’

The answer to the question really has two components. First, will he stay fit? Let’s assume that Michael’s injury troubles are past him and move onto the second question. Does Michael fit our system?

The press has focused on the rekindling of the Rooney – Owen partnership that had started so brightly for England. Indeed at Euro 2004 it looked at one stage to be capable of propelling England to glory until an untimely broken foot cut short Wayne’s tournament. I think it’s fair to say that despite a reasonable return, the partnership never really lived up to it’s initial promise. Could that promise finally be fulfilled at Old Trafford?

Personally I have my doubts. My main concern is that Wayne and Michael are quite similar players now. Gone are the days where Michael’s pace saw him consistently on the shoulder of the last defender. His best performances in a Newcastle shirt was when Keegan utilised him just behind the front two strikers. Therein lies the problem, that is Wayne’s preferred position, one which he has been quite vocal about wanting to focus on after a season of playing wide left.

As a result I really don’t think you’ll see Wayne and Michael together all that often this season. Which brings us to Dimitar Berbatov.

It’s no secret that Dimi failed to impress last season. Despite flashes of brilliance and an uncanny ability to retain possession in the face of immense pressure, he constantly seemed to be out of position. What good is holding the ball up and threading a brilliant pass to a winger, when there is nobody in the box to finish off the chance?

It’s that very style of play though which makes me believe that Michael can forge a strong partnership with Dimi. Where as last season there was nobody to finish the chances Dimi’s link up play created, this season we have the quintessential goal poacher in Michael Owen salivating at exactly those kind of chances!

Of course it’s not just Owen that will capitalise from Berbatov’s hold up play. Rooney has shown for England that if he is allowed to get into dangerous positions he is more than capable of finishing chances.

If United go back to a traditional 4-4-2 system as expected then Dimi’s link up play coupled with Michael and Wayne’s predatory instincts will become crucial to United’s chances of retaining the league.

So whilst England supporters will be hoping Owen’s move will allow him to strike up a ‘World Cup winning’ partnership with Rooney, a more likely situation is Owen and Rooney rotating to take advantage of Berbatov’s link up play with the likes of Nani and Valencia.

Micheal Owen to Manchester United, as unlikely as it may have seemed two weeks ago by the end of the season we might just be asking the question, why didn’t it happen sooner? Providing of course he can stay fit!

Welcome to Old Trafford Michael.

Del Amitri and football are not something that usually mix. Certainly not with any success, anyway (see this example of World Cup pessimism for details). But whilst musing over Michael Owen’s “Eastenders-end-scene” switch to Manchester United this weekend, it was hard to ignore one of Justin Currie’s lyrics.

“It’s hard to say you love someone, and it’s hard to say you don’t”

Football fans tend to be a strange lot, immune from the usual boundaries of love and affection, but still willing to put their heart on the line time and time again. How many times has a promising start to a relationship been soured by a missed penalty, a serious injury, a murky transfer request, a painful departure? How many times have you thought your new £10m striker was “the one”, only to find he was actually El-Hadji Diouf? Or Emile Heskey?

In Owen’s case, things were a little easier. Liverpool fans had heard for years how this wonderkid was tearing up records for our youth team, and leading the charge for England schoolboys simultaneously. We had heard about his electrifying pace, his cold-eyed, surgical nature in front of goal, and the fact that he had a rock-solid personality. We had high hopes.

And then, in May 1997, we saw him. Seventeen years of age, not so much as a whisker adorning his chin, running clear of the Wimbledon defence to latch onto a pass from Stig Inge Bjørnebye, and sidefoot past Neil Sullivan with the panache and confidence that would become his trademark. It was in vain, defeat at Selhurst Park that night extinguished our bid for a title that had looked in the bag at the turn of the year (we famously ended up finishing fourth in a two horse race that season), but a star was very much born, the 1997-98 season was awaited with renewed optimism.

I remember that summer, 1997. All the talk was of one thing. Owen & Fowler. Fowler & Owen. These two strikers would go on to become the greatest partnership ever to wear the red of Liverpool, no doubt. Fowler had scored 31 goals in 1996-97, 36 the year before, 31 the season before that, and 18 in his debut campaign. He already wore the moniker of God as if it had been invented for him, fusing- as the Guardian’s Rob Smyth astutely observed recently- “the mischief of Ferris Bueller with the swagger of Liam Gallagher”. Now he had a sidekick, and not just any sidekick, one with the acceleration, awareness and self-belief to notch goals in any situation, against any defence.

And so we fell in love. We knew Owen had grown up an Evertonian, but then so had Fowler. And McManaman. And Rush. Never bothered us then, why should it concern us now? Especially when the kid was cool enough on his first senior start for the club to convert a penalty, again at Selhurst Park, again against Wimbledon, to earn us an opening day point. A week later his goal earned another draw at Blackburn, and his pace was already causing seasoned defenders to experience a set of emotions ranging from mild discomfort to all-out-distress. All of a sudden Liverpool had the hottest property in world football, and it looked like a marriage made in heaven.

Twenty three goals in his debut season was better than Fowler had managed in an admittedly weaker side four years previously, and his eighteen league strikes earned him a share of the golden boot with Dion Dublin & Chris Sutton (honest). But that spring, something changed with Owen and Liverpool fans. Something happened that really shouldn’t have made us feel the way it did. He made his England debut.

Aged 18 years and 59 days, Owen was the youngest England cap of the 20th century when he turned out against Chile at Wembley, and instantly the public clamour for his inclusion in the 1998 World Cup reached fever pitch. This kid simply had to go to France, Glenn Hoddle owed it to the nation. Not to Liverpool, but to England.

Some cynics argue that from the moment he made his England debut, Owen became England’s Michael Owen, rather than Liverpool’s. It is a tad harsh, after all it wasn’t Owen’s fault he scored the most incredible goal for his country at that World Cup, thus propelling himself to almost iconic status.

And it wasn’t as if his performances for Liverpool diminished either, the following season he managed 23 goals again, despite picking up a serious hamstring injury towards the back end of the season at Leeds. But still Liverpool fans found it hard to admit their feelings. Most still felt a sense of loyalty towards Fowler, even though God’s influence was waning as injuries took their toll on his youthfulness, whilst some simply found Owen’s apparent lack of personality a barrier. Either way, it is undeniable that he was never afforded the reverence his achievements arguably merited.

In my case, it was a little different. I can remember where I was when I fell in love with him. I was in my Grandad’s house, watching Liverpool, or more specifically, Owen, systematically dismantle Newcastle United at St James’ Park in August 1998. The game had an extra edge to it because it was the first game since the departure from Tyneside of Kenny Dalglish, to be replaced by Ruud Gullit and his brand of “sexy football”, the Gallowgate End was packed with dreadlocked wigs and optimism. And Owen humiliated them.

His first was a clinical poacher’s effort, smashing a rebound inside Shay Given’s near post after the Irishman had saved Paul Ince’s long-ranger, his second was all about pace and finishing as he raced clear onto McManaman’s pass to slide through Given’s legs, and his third was simply special, and secured my affections.

Picking up possession 45 yards from goal, Owen showed his strength to hold off the challenge of Laurent Charvet, before knocking the ball beyond the challenge of Phillipe Albert, and clipping the most exquisite of finishes beyond the flailing Given with the outside of his right foot, before celebrating with a surprisingly-amusing rub of his hands. It was class, and cheek, personified, and if you couldn’t love that then you didn’t deserve the lad.

Yet some people didn’t. They still cringed every time he appeared on television talking about wanting to do well for club and country, they still cursed when he sold his soul to advertise Lucozade et al, they still longed for Fowler to return to his old ways and give them someone edgier to worship again. But, painful as it is to say this, Fowler’s best days ended when his cruciate went at Goodison Park in 1998, and from then on it was Owen who carried the mantle for Liverpool, who Gérard Houllier built his team around, and who the fans were forced to build their dreams around.

For a while, it looked like our dreams- and Houllier’s- would be realised. Owen’s 24 goals in 2000/2001 helped Liverpool to an unprecedented League Cup, FA Cup & UEFA Cup treble, with his most memorable contribution coming in single-handedly overturning a goal deficit to Arsenal in the first ever Cardiff FA Cup final (the day even the non-believers were forced to believe).

The same year he picked up his most-famous hat-trick, in Munich against Germany, and in December, he became the first Englishman in twenty years to pick up the prestigious Ballon d’Or award as European Footballer of the Year. Meanwhile he was very much the premier striker at Liverpool now, with Fowler jettisoned to Leeds after an era-ending row with Phil Thompson. How could anyone doubt him? Especially as the next two seasons brought about the best goals return of his career (29 in all competitions), second place in the Premier League, and another League Cup triumph.

Yet in the meantime, there was an underlying problem with Owen at Liverpool. His contract, signed as a 20 year old with the world at his feet, was edging ominously close to its expiry date, and Owen was visibly disheartened at the diminishing quality of Liverpool’s squad under Houllier, and the increased burden he (along with the likes of Steven Gerrard & Jamie Carragher) was being forced to shoulder as a result.

Houllier’s departure in 2004 saw the arrival of Rafa Benítez and, with funds and squad depth in short supply, one of the Spaniard’s first acts was to take the tricky decision to sell Owen to Real Madrid for a cut-price £8m+ Real squad player Antonio Núñez. Liverpool fans were outraged and heartbroken in equal measures. Both at the board for allowing our best forward to leave for such a fee, but equally at Owen for seemingly walking out on the only club who would ever love him.

His year’s (under-rated) soiree in Spain completed, and with Liverpool bagging an improbable and unforgettable Champions League triumph, the time came for Owen to return to the Premier League. Would Liverpool be willing to forgive and forget? Would Owen? The answer seemed to be yes to both, but on 30 August 2005 came the news that all but ended a love affair that had seemed destined to last forever- Owen had joined Newcastle.

Liverpool it seemed could not match Real’s asking price, and England’s number one striker would be heading for the North East instead. His return to Anfield on Boxing Day 2005 saw what is commonly described as “a mixed reception”, the truth was there were more boos than cheers, and the only reason they seemed a bit muted were because we felt sorry for him having to play for such a poor side.

And to be fair, the sympathy was retained pretty much throughout his stay on Tyneside. Injury after injury, manager after manager, messiah after messiah, we all felt for Owen as his career faltered beneath the circus of St James’. He still showed glimpses of his old self, a brief reminder for England in the autumn of 2007, an apparent rebirth as an attacking midfielder under Kevin Keegan, but the general consensus was that Liverpool had seen the best days of Michael Owen, and for that it was perhaps time to let bygones be bygones, and appreciate the memories he gave us.

But then, this. Owen had been linked with some pretty surprising moves this summer in the wake of Newcastle’s relegation, Stoke, Hull, even Everton seemed well placed to snap him up. His advisors even commissioned a brochure advertising his services to potential suitors, with some pretty cringeworthy adjectives banded about (Owen apparently is not only “good-looking” and “cool” but also “sincere”).

It is doubtful that Sir Alex Ferguson would place too much stock in such a gimmick, but if, by chance, he did peruse the paraphernalia during his summer, then it is likely that one statistic will have jumped off the page at him. Owen last season managed just ten goals for Newcastle, but his chance conversion rate was statistically the best in the league. In a struggling side under immense pressure, that is no mean feat. At a better side that can be priceless. So United took the plunge. His wages are likely to be hefty (though no heftier than some), as is his signing on fee, but in truth the move represents little gambling from either side. Owen knows he will get chances, United know he will get goals.

But from a Liverpool fan’s perspective, it is a move that finally severs any ties Owen may still have with the club. It’s hard to say you love someone, but I loved Michael Owen. And it’s hard to say you don’t, well I don’t. Sorry Michael.

What may have otherwise been a quiet day in transfer news and rumors was made just a little bit livelier by the news that Michael Owen was on his way to Manchester United.

Along with looking over the official word in today’s roundup and seeing him among the new additions to our summer transfer lists, you can catch Ahmed’s reaction on the Owen signing, and the SL forum has a spirited Owen-centric discussion going.

That was the biggest news of the day by far, but they’re not the only club around that’s searching for a new striker, and with that in mind, this morning’s roundup is striker heavy.

England

Owen Signs For Manchester United

Michael Owen has signed for Manchester United on a two-year deal. The former Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Newcastle striker went to United’s training ground for his medical on Friday, and the deal was sealed shortly after Owen passed his medical. (ManUtd.com)

Analysis: Bargain or bust? We’ll find out.

Sunderland Join Race For Chamakh

Sunderland have become the latest Premier League club to be linked with Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: I imagine if Arsenal come in for him, that he’d jump at a move to the Emirates. But that all depends on Emmanuel Adebayor and whether he moves to AC Milan, and that may not be as likely as it looked recently. Sunderland would no doubt have to sell Chamakh on their ambition though, and that could well be a stumbling block.

Blackburn Trial For Vieri

Veteran Italian striker Christian Vieri is set to join up with Blackburn for a ten-day trial. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: His best days are well behind him, but it can’t hurt to see if he still has something left in the tank.

Stoke To Make Benjani Bid

Stoke are set to make a £5m bid for Manchester City striker Benjani. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Things haven’t exactly panned out for Benjani since he moved to City last year, and with their desire to load up on strikers this summer, his future is pretty bleak there. But he has proven that he can score goals in the Premier League, and Stoke do need to add to their front line. However, it might be better to try to land him on loan initially if they can to avoid making such a sizable investment up front.

Birmingham After Aliadiere

Birmingham City are interested in signing Middlesbrough striker Jeremie Aliadiere. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Aliadiere won’t exactly light it up, but he would add Premier League experience to the squad, and that’s never a bad thing when you’re a newly-promoted side.

Italy

AC Milan Bid For Fabiano

According to the agent of Sevilla striker Luis Fabiano, AC Milan have made an official bid for his client, and he has set a timeline of two to three weeks for a deal to be struck by the two sides. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: Manchester United have been linked with a move for Fabiano, but if they’re not looking to seriously pursue an expensive forward, that would give AC Milan a pretty clear run at landing him. He helped his value with a fantastic Confederations Cup performance, but it shouldn’t be an issue for Milan to find an extra few million from somewhere.

Udinese Sign Corradi And Orellana

Udinese have added a couple of new strikers, landing former Manchester City man Bernardo Corradi on a free from Reggina (Goal.com) and signing Fabian Orellana from Chilean side Audax Italiano (Tribal Football).

Analysis: After selling Fabio Quagliarella to Napoli, Udinese needed to add some more firepower, and along with getting a promising young talent in Orellana, they get a proven, experienced striker in the 32-year-old Corradi, who netted 10 times last season for Reggina.

Germany

Bayern Still Interested In Bosingwa

Bayern Munich’s interest in Chelsea right back Jose Bosingwa has not waned, despite having not yet reached Chelsea’s valuation of the Portugal international. Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has said that he’s remained in contact with Chelsea and that the possibility of signing Bosingwa still remains open. (ESPN Soccernet)

Analysis: They might have to wait a while to land him, if they’re able to at all. Chelsea won’t let him go unless they get a new right back, and with Glen Johnson off the list, the top target looks to be Inter Milan’s Maicon. But, Maicon could either go to Real Madrid or stay at Inter, and if either one of those things happen, then Bayern might well come up empty-handed.

Portugal

Braga Get Possebon On Loan

Manchester United midfielder Rodrigo Possebon will spend next season on loan at Portuguese side Sporting Braga. (ManUtd.com)

Analysis: Possebon’s prospects at Manchester United are still bright, but this is an excellent move for him. He will be able to earn some experience for a quality side in a quality league, and he’ll also get some European experience as well, with Braga once again playing in the Europa League.

It’s official – Manchester United have signed the 29 year old, former Liverpool and Real Madrid striker and free agent Michael Owen on a two year contract.

The whole world is talking about it, and barring a dramatic setback on the doctor’s table (he’s too short on all accounts, gaffer), Michael Owen should sign for Manchester United on a free transfer in the next few days.

The purported move brings with it ridicule, surprise, anger and more ridicule disguised as laughter – surely United are not left to scrape the bottom of the barrel with an over-the-hill striker no one wants?

But who decides that Michael Owen is ‘finished’? The folks at Newcastle (who despite their best efforts couldn’t put together a midfield good enough to supply him with anything at all)? The folks at Liverpool (who sorely missed Owen until they signed Torres)? The folks at Real Madrid (where he had a better goals to minutes ratio than any other Madrid player)? The fans? The press? The same people who heaped unrealistic expectations on him to ’save’ Newcastle, then rounded on him when he couldn’t?

On the other hand, this could be the bargain of the season if Owen goes on to score 15 goals and like Larsson, Solskjaer and Blanc before him, provides the team with the experience off the pitch that they need? For all of Manchester United’s awesome play over the last three years, you can’t help but notice that their most prolific striker has just left the building and Owen, for better or for worse, is still a better ‘finisher’ than Rooney and gives a different option to the team than Berbatov.

Reports suggest that Owen will be on a limited, basic salary plus a heavy bonuses for playing games and scoring goals. And as some people have already pointed out, his injury record at Newcastle has been more a case of mismanagement than the player being ‘injury-prone’ – and at United he will get the time and attention he needs to get back to full fitness. At least we know he’s mentally stronger than one Louis Saha.

The outstanding fan favourite for this summer was Karim Benzema, but that boy has had his mind set to go to Real Madrid since last summer. Huntelaar is another fan favourite, and there have been reports that United have made an offer for the player, but so far there has been little to suggest that United would move for him – indeed they had the time and reason to move for him last summer but didn’t do so.

So if Benzema isn’t available and Huntelaar isn’t in the picture, who else would you pick? Aguero? Unproven and outrageously expensive, and lacks the height and clinical finishing that United are looking for. In fact apart from Torres and Benzema you’d be hard-pressed to find a quality striker sharing the same attributes – pace, height, good finishing and excellent temperament on the pitch.

Ferguson has made a habit of avoiding buying ‘trophy’ players for the sake of it (that’s Madrid’s job – remember van der Vaart?) – he sticks to the plan and before the summer started he would have highlighted the players United needed and also the backup plan in case United didn’t get their men.

Like it or not, Michael Owen is part of the backup plan. It doesn’t work in the man’s favour that he’s been trashed by the press for the last year or so, but he’s younger than Larsson and Solskjaer were when they played at United as ’support’ strikers and he’s bound to do as good a job, if not better (remember, those two were lauded for their influence on the younger players).

Here’s what it comes down to – there’s an expectation in the media that United will make a big signing to compensate for the departure of Ronaldo and Tevez. However, this team isn’t built on knee-jerk signings but bringing in players that genuinely improve the team and are able to grow as players during their time at United. We’re not always going to get our way with transfers (taxes, weather and Real Madrid will see to that) but we can still bring in quality players that can help us win more titles.

This summer seems to have shades of 06/07 – when United lost Ruud van Nistelrooy to Real Madrid and only signed Michael Carrick to shore up a weakened midfield. Carrick has since then grown into the sort of player Ferguson can build his whole midfield around. Owen isn’t a glamour signing, and he’s not going to be a starter either, but he does improve the squad, and however insane that sounds, a fit Owen is a better bet for scoring a goal than a fit Carlos Tevez.

Having said that, I hope Ferguson signs someone else as well.

Bonus #1: The Michael Owen brochure.
Bonus#2: Sir Alex: If I don’t end Michael Owen’s career for good, who will?

Talk about being handed a career lifeline. Instead of getting one last go in the Premier League with Everton, Aston Villa, or Hull City, former Liverpool star Michael Owen is reportedly getting the golden opportunity of golden opportunities to get his last hurrah at the top.

If you’re one of the people who hit up your favorite sportsbook and bet on Owen to land at Manchester United before the odds were slashed yesterday, then you’re looking like a genius right now, though you might need to hold off on your celebrations until everything’s official and we can add him to our summer transfer lists.

Of course, there’s a lot more news to talk about besides Owen’s potential return to the northwest, and we’ve got the Owen news and much more in this morning’s roundup.

England

Owen To Ink Manchester United Deal

After Manchester United ‘missed out’ on Lyon’s Karim Benzema, there were, as expected, many stories on Thursday devoted to United’s striker search.

Well, it looks like United are going to land a high-profile forward.

Villa? (Tribal Football)

Aguero? (The Mirror)

Huntelaar? (Tribal Football)

Fabiano? (Tribal Football)

Maybe, maybe, maybe, and maybe, but if one of them does come to Old Trafford, they’ll be coming in the door after none other than Michael Owen – if the former Liverpool star passes his medical, that is.

Analysis: Some are going to say that United are being desperate after losing Ronaldo and Tevez and missing out on Benzema, but this is a move that makes perfect sense. To say the least, you can do a lot worse than Owen, even if he is injury-prone and nearing 30. If Owen can stay and take advantage of a golden opportunity, it’ll pay dividends for both parties. Owen can earn an extended contract past the initial one-year deal, and United could come out saving a lot of money.

If it works, Sir Alex Ferguson will look like a genius. If it doesn’t, then it’ll be an opportunity missed for Owen, but it won’t cost United financially. Besides, this doesn’t exactly rule them out of the hunt for another scoring option, because United still do have a hole to fill, and it could well put United’s focus now on Aguero, who’d fill more of a support role for Rooney/Owen/Berbatov. At any rate, this is a low-risk move for someone who, despite the unflattering injury history, is a proven commodity in the Premier League and in Europe.

Chelsea Reject Man City’s Terry Bid

Chelsea have rejected Manchester City’s £30m bid for club and England captain John Terry. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Well hey, no harm in trying, right?

Spurs Must Pay Up For Bastos

If Tottenham want to land Lille star Michel Bastos, they’re going to have to pay £12m to land the 25-year-old Brazilian midfielder. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Judging by the way he played last season, when he scored 14 league goals and assisted on 11 more, he’s well worth the £12m.

Everton Move For Dempsey?

Everton could make a move for Fulham forward Clint Dempsey. Dempsey has a year left o his current contract, and he’s turned down Fulham’s offer of a new two-year deal. (The Sun)

Analysis: Dempsey showed just what he’s capable of in scoring three goals in his last three matches at the Confederations Cup, and that performance might have pushed his value up some if Fulham do open up the possibility of selling him this summer. But with him shaping up to be a big part of Fulham’s plans once again, I think they’ll try to hold on to him and do their best to work out a new deal.

Aston Villa Linked With Berg

Aston Villa are the latest club to be linked with FC Groningen striker Marcus Berg. The 22-year-old Swede could be available for £8.5m. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Villa do need to add some scoring options, and Groningen’s asking price for Berg is well within their budget.

Birmingham Make Vieira Offer

Birmingham have made a final offer of £100k per week to Inter Milan midfielder Patrick Vieira. (The Sun)

Analysis: The money’s nice, but at this point in his career, I’m not sure Vieira would be all that interested in playing for a club in the bottom half of the Premier League.

Wigan Sign Thomas

Wigan have signed Honduran midfielder Hendry Thomas from Deportivo Olimpia on a three-year deal. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: If the successes of bringing Wilson Palacios and Maynor Figueroa to Wigan are any indication, then this one will be another job well done for Wigan.

Sunderland Eye Hunt and Suazo

Sunderland are eying moves for Reading star Stephen Hunt and Moterrey’s Chilean striker Humberto Suazo. (The Sun)

Analysis: With Tottenham reportedly looking for way too much for Darren Bent, Suazo could be a cheaper but equally as productive (or more productive) option. He’s basically scored for fun wherever he’s been the last several years, and Sunderland could certainly use someone with that kind of eye for goal. It’d also be good to add someone who could set up opportunities for him, and that’s where Hunt comes in. Might be more of a battle for Hunt, with Everton also having been linked with him, but that’s what acting quickly is for.

Spain

Ribery Pleads For Real Move

It’s not as if it was a big secret already, but Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery has a Real Madrid move in his sights. Unfortunately, Bayern don’t feel the same way about a Real move that Ribery does, and if words from general manager Uli Hoeness (Sky Sports) don’t emphasize it enough, then Karl-Heinz Rummenigge’s words (Sky Sports) should pour even more cold water on Ribery’s hopes.

Analysis: He’ll end up there eventually. Is another big, big-money signing in the cards for Real this summer? That might be asking a little much, but hopefully he has the patience to wait it out until next summer.

France

Lyon Want Van Nistelrooy

Lyon are eying Real Madrid’s Ruud van Nistelrooy as an option to replace the recently-departed Karim Benzema. (Goal.com)

Analysis: Wouldn’t be a bad move for van Nistelrooy, because I think he could tear it up in Ligue 1 if he comes back well from his injury. But as is the case with Huntelaar and Wesley Sneijder, he may want to stay and be a part of Real’s new-look team, even if they don’t exactly want/need him around.

Germany

Ba Out, Ruiz In At Hoffenheim

Hoffenheim forward Demba Ba , and the club could look to replace him with KAA Gent hit-man Bryan Ruiz. (Goal.com)

Analysis: Not easy to replace a scorer like Mario Gomez, but Ba showed he knows his way around goal by netting 14 times in his first Bundesliga campaign last season. Ruiz won’t have to worry about shouldering the scoring load all of next season, with Vedad Ibisevic set to return after his season was ended by a knee injury in January and attackers Carlos Eduardo and Sejad Salihovic capable of chipping with goals on a regular basis.

France

Rennes To Land Bangoura

Rennes are set to land Dynamo Kiev forward Ismael Bangoura. (Goal.com)

Analysis: Rennes needed to add a forward this summer after not having a lot in the way of real firepower last season, and they’re filling that need well with Bangoura. He was one of the leading scorers in the Ukrainian Premier League each of the past two seasons, but before that, he was one of the leading scorers in Ligue 1 in the 2006/07 season, when he scored 12 goals for Le Mans.

Turkey

Galatasaray Sign Keita

Galatasaray have signed Lyon flop Abdul Kader Keita for €9m. (BBC Sport)

Analysis: Big loss for Lyon in the end, but at least they were able to get a little more than half of what they wasted on him.

Greece

Panathinaikos Offer Cruz

Panathinaikos are set to make offer former Inter Milan striker Julio Cruz a contract worth €3.5m per year. (Transfer Market Web)

Analysis: Cruz spent the last nine seasons in Italy, and he could see the appeal in a new challenge at this point in his career. But in the end, I think he’ll ink with either Fiorentina or Napoli.

Sunday may have been a rest day for many, but in case you didn’t know already, there’s never a break when it comes to transfer news and rumors, especially in the summer.

While there was plenty of intriguing transfer speculation making the rounds on Sunday (and not just in England), a couple of new signings also went through, and you can find those new moves in our updated summer transfer lists. We may have another to report this evening, regarding a certain Wigan winger and a long-awaited, short-distance move to another club in the Greater Manchester area, but since I’ve said ‘almost’ on that one numerous times already, the next tidbit I post on it will be when it’s official.

There are also a few missed tidbits from Saturday and a couple from bright and early today, so there’s no shortage of news and rumors to get you going this morning.

England

Arsenal Jump In For Ribery And Benzema

Arsenal could be in the thick of the hunt for Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery, with the Gunners being linked with a £30m + Nicklas Bendtner bid for the French star. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Not really going to take a lot of stock into this one. Everything that Bayern have said about Ribery, and everything about Ribery’s potential destinations don’t really lend much positive to Arsenal being a serious contender for his services. But hey, you never know.

Arsenal are also being linked with a possible move for Lyon striker Karim Benzema, with the Gunners potentially lining up a move for the French star if Emmanuel Adebayor leaves for AC Milan (which is looking all the more likely…but more on that below). (News of the World)

Analysis: It’s hard for me to see Adebayor fetching nearly as much as he would have last summer, and unless Arsenal make another big sale or two (Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy maybe), that could limit such a big investment. Even if the money was there, you have to wonder with both Ribery and Benzema whether or not Arsene would spend that much on one player.

Hleb To Make Arsenal Return?

Alexander Hleb is being linked with a return to Arsenal after an unsuccessful debut season with Barcelona. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: You can never say never about something happening, but think about this: If he was tired of London, why would he go back?

City Make ‘Stratospheric’ Eto’o Offer

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed that Manchester City have made a ’stratospheric’ offer for striker Samuel Eto’o that would make Eto’o the highest-paid player in the world. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: With City signing Roque Santa Cruz and going hard after Eto’o, should Carlos Tevez be second-guessing a move there? Formidable front line they stand to have, but there won’t be enough starts and balls to go around for everyone to be happy, if you throw Craig Bellamy and Robinho into the mix.

United Move For Gordon?

Manchester United are being linked with a move for Sunderland keeper Craig Gordon. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: United have been linked with a move for a new keeper throughout the summer, and with a couple of foreign targets either unavailable or perhaps too costly, maybe Gordon could be viewed as a cheaper alternative.

Villa After Borowski

Aston Villa are after Bayern Munich midfielder Tim Borowski. (News of the World)

Analysis: The likeliest destination for Borowski seems to be former club Werder Bremen, but at 29, he might see this as his best opportunity to test himself abroad.

Blackburn To Sign N’Zonzi

Blackburn have agreed a deal to sign French midfielder Steven N’Zonzi from Amiens. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: Nice to get some more talent for the future, and he could well be one of those lower league diamonds in the rough. But with money in the coffers from the sale of Roque Santa Cruz, they need to look at making some buys that will help them move back on up the table immediately.

Sunderland To Sign Campbell And Bid For Davis

Sunderland could be set to beat Hull for Manchester United striker Fraizer Campbell. (The People)

Analysis: The chance to go back to a familiar environment at Hull may well not be able to match Sunderland’s future potential (and perhaps a little more stability), not to mention a likely superior contract offer. It’d be pretty unfortunate for Hull to miss out on him though, considering that it seemed like a formality that he’d sign for Hull.

Steve Bruce could also soon make a £5m bid for Rangers midfielder Steven Davis. (News of the World)

Analysis: It’ll likely take a nice amount more than that for Rangers to be tempted to part with Davis, considering that 5m would represent a paltry £2m profit on someone who was one of the keys of their title run last season.

Spain

Barcelona Bid For Luis Filipe

Barcelona have tabled an opening bid of £6m for Deportivo La Coruna star Luis Filipe, which is £2m short of what Depor reportedly want for the 23-year-old wing back. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Shouldn’t be a problem to stump up the other couple mil it’ll take to get Depor to sell. When they do, they’ll make a pretty decent profit on him, which will soften the blow of losing one of their top players from last season.

Villarreal Interested In Pavlyuchenko

Villarreal are interested in Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko. (The Mirror)

Analysis: If Tottenham’s asking price is nearer to the £9m that’s been mentioned in past reports than to the £14m they paid for him last summer, or if Spurs would be interested in negotiating a loan-first deal, then this is one that could go through.

Italy

Fiorentina Interested In Cruz

Fiorentina are interested in veteran Argentine striker Julio Cruz. The 34-year-old is available for free due to his contract not being renewed by Inter Milan. (Transfer Market Web)

Analysis: Cruz has had a lot of success in Serie A over the last several seasons with Bologna and Inter, and he also has a lot of experience in Europe.

Napoli In Again For Pellissier

Napoli have made a new bid of €5m plus goalkeeper Matteo Gianello and left back Luigi Vitale. (Transfer Market Web)

Analysis: Chievo have said previously that Pellissier isn’t for sale, but the new offer could prove to be tempting. In the end, it could well be better for Pellissier to stay with Chievo through at least the World Cup. If he moves to Napoli or Fiorentina, he could well be fighting for opportunities with multiple strikers, which could hamper his chances of being in Marcelo Lippi’s consideration for a place in the World Cup squad. But if he stays where he’s the star man and has another fantastic season, it could net him more opportunities with the national team (he scored on his Italy debut recently) and a chance to cement a ticket to South Africa.

Germany

Dzeko Staying At Wolfsburg

Wolfsburg have decided that striker Edin Dzeko will be staying at the club. Dzeko has been heavily linked with AC Milan this summer, but Wolfsburg are intent on keeping him for the time being. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: Dzeko staying at Wolfsburg is good news for Arsenal, since that bumps Emmanuel Adebayor up on AC Milan’s list. However, for Wolfsburg, this may not turn out too well if Dzeko’s the type to let his unhappiness about not being able to get the move he wants affect his play.

M’Gladbach Sign Arango

Borussia Monchengladbach have signed Mallorca star Juan Arango for €3.6m. (Goal.com)

Analysis: Great signing for M’Gladbach. After losing Alexander Baumjohann and Marko Marin, who combined for 10 goals and 17 assists in all competitions last season, they needed to land a new playmaker, and they got a top one in Arango.

France

PSG Close On Erding

Paris Saint-Germain are set to sign Sochaux striker Mevlut Erding for a fee reportedly in the region of €10m. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: Does this mean that they’re ready to sell Guillaume Hoarau to Lyon? If they do hold on to Hoarau, the addition of Erding will certainly make PSG a lot more frightening in front of goal than they were last season, which will do wonders for their hopes to qualify for Europe.

Lille Agree Landreau Fee

Lille have agreed a fee of €2m for PSG goalkeeper Mickael Landreau. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: No worries for PSG though, as they’ve already lined up former Lyon keeper Gregory Coupet as a replacement.

Portugal

Sporting Sign Fernandez

Sporting have signed Villarreal attacking midfielder Matias Fernandez for €4.5m. The Chile international has signed a four-year deal. (PortuGOAL.net)

Analysis: Villarreal took a sizable loss on Fernandez, and he may not have fulfilled the expectations that the club may have had for him, but this move could well be a bargain for Sporting.

Greece

Olympiakos To Make Owen Offer

Olympiakos could be set to make an offer for Michael Owen, and their wage package could be superior to those that may be offered to him by the likes of Everton, Aston Villa, and Hull. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Certainly could be a tempting offer, not only for the money but because of the chance to play in the Champions League again. But, I’m inclined to believe that he’ll end up staying in the Premier League and that Everton will be the team to beat if they make a concrete offer.

Turkey

Fenerbahce Bid For Vargas

Fenerbahce have offered Fiorentina €13m for defender Juan Manuel Vargas. (Transfer Market Web)

Analysis: If Fener meet Fiorentina’s €15m asking price, the offer might be a little hard to turn down, but tempting Vargas to take what might be considered a backwards step could be difficult.