Transfer Roundup: Real Madrid, Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Tottenham, Aston Villa
The football headlines may be swamped today with the confirmed countries that have qualified for Euro 2008 and England’s shocking failure but there’s still news revolving around football clubs and their players in the transfer market.
Real Madrid attacking midfielder Guti has told Spanish radio that he is keen to extend his current deal at the Bernabeu, which expires in 2010. The 31 year-old has played for Real Madrid all his life and would like to retire from the game in his country but if a renewal doesn’t happen and he’s forced to leave then he’s stated that he would like to play in England for a Premiership club. “I like the cities of Liverpool and Manchester, but I would go to any team in London,” he said in the interview. Suppose he’ll go to Tottenham then?
Blackburn Rovers chairman John Williams has denied recent rumours that Dutch defender Andre Ooijer will be leaving Blackburn on a free transfer next summer when his contract expires. It’s been said that Feyenoord are planning on signing him but Williams has said that it’s ‘not true’ and that Blackburn see the 33 year-old as a key member of Mark Hughes’ side. He continued to say that a new deal is to be discussed in April.
Reports have suggested that Sven Goran Eriksson is due a £4m pay rise at Manchester City and will also be lining up several bids in January to bolster his newly formed squad even further. As well as other players Manchester United have been linked with throughout this week today has seen them rumoured to be keen on Real Madrid’s Julio “the Beast” Baptista, current Arsenal youngster Denilson, Russian midfielder Marat Izmailov and Fiorentina striker Giampaolo Pazzini.
Baptista has previously been linked with a move back to north-London, this time to Tottenham. However the £8m rated forward is drawing the interest from Manchester City as well. Manchester City are also interested in capturing Sporting Lisbon’s Izmailov, priced at £4m, but could well face competition from Italian league leaders Inter Milan who are also in the frame.
Middlesbrough, as I’ve mentioned earlier this week, are determined to bring in a new striker in the New Year. Reports today are claiming that James Beattie from Sheffield United is one player who Gareth Southgate will be bidding for. Sheffield United boss Bryan Robson will be keen to hang onto his 11-goal hit man though.
Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill is apparently getting ready to line up bids in the transfer window for Liverpool duo Peter Crouch and John Arne Riise, Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe and FC Porto defender Jose Boswinga. Right-back Boswinga was a target in the summer but a deal was never settled. The Aston Villa manager, who is being touted as a possible replacement for Steve Mclaren as England coach, is a firm admirer of Defoe who has struggled to break into the starting line-up at Tottenham.
Manchester City make me laugh, no offense meant but last year no-one in their right mind would want to play for them and now they’ve got a Thai criminal for an owner and a money-driven manager who only seems to want players other teams are after! I’m not saying that looking at players that other clubs want is a bad thing because they’re obviously worth having for that fact alone, however, i am not biased to any one particular club but every time i read a player is on Sven’s radad i read an earlier report that Tottenham were in for him first! Maybe it’s just co-incidence but it seems to have happened with every player Sven’s signed for the club! Vedran Corluka was supposedly on his way to N17 as was Martin Petrov and the brilliant Elano and now i read they are after Julio Baptista as well?! Surely this is not just co-incidence as it seems to me that Manchester City have no scouting network in place and are instead waiting until Tottenham make a move for a player then pounce with millions of stollen That Baht! What’s the deal Sven? Are you a real “Super Manager” or do you really want to be the Tottenham Hotspur manager that badly? It probably seems to all of you that I am a Spurs supporter but i can assure you, i couldn’t really care less about them!