UK Summer transfer window - gossip, rumours and facts

I think there was a thread related to UK football gossip, but I cannot find it.  So here is a new one.

I love a transfer window, and all the gossip, rumour and basically bullshit that goes with it.  Looking at the gossip today, these stories caught my eye:

* West Ham want Bordeaux centre-back Lamine Sane - that is a very cool name, so I want him at my club. If there isn't a Cyprus Hill chant going round on his debut, I will be sorely disappointed.

* Stoke are to sign 6ft 5in striker George Waring after he was released by Everton - I know nothing about this player, but there is one part of that sentance that makes this rumour so unsurprising.

* Chelsea apparently thought they were close to agreeing a deal to sign £50m Radamel Falcao from Atletico Madrid but it seems they may miss out to mega-rich Monaco, who are prepared to hand him a staggering £8m a year after tax - wow, that is a lot of money.  I have done some quick calculations, and per week it works out to be significantly more than what anyone I know owns.

'after tax' in Monaco?

Someone told me the other day that Monaco have money to spend, and that their money translates to much more in wages given the players don't need to pay tax. The Falcao rumour seems to back that up...

PSG must be gutted given their players have to pay 75% tax now (!)

Rooney to Monaco then?

Suarez to Juventus? Heard it here first.

 

Frankie, are West Ham going to take big Andy Carroll off our hands?

Jovetic to Arsenal seemed to be a done deal but in the last cupla days there's been plenty written about Higuain coming. Can't see us buying both. Will be interesting to see how that plays out.

The Fabregas rumours have been interesting as well. Some murmurs of a return to Arsenal but now being reported that Moyes wants him at ManU. To complicate matters it's rumoured that Arsenal have first refusal in his Barca contract. 

http://forums.yellowfever.co.nz/categories/english-and-other-british-lower-league-football-discussion/topics/uk-football-related-gossip?page=2 

Was on the first page of the English Football Discussion forum. 

meh - what is done is done.

I am afraid I have no say in those kind of decisions Tyler.

Well what would you do if you did have the say? Is he worth the quoted $15mill

Personally I think that we want to keep him, but are slightly hardballing to ensure that we get him for as little as possible. I think that Liverpool don't really want him but are pretending they do to ensure that they get as much money as possible for him.  Pretty standard stuff.

The real sticking point will be Carroll himself.  Stupidly, I think he sees himself as too good for West Ham, but he has the problem that no one else really wants him.  If you look at who is realisitically going to spend 10-15m pound for him, there is us and possibly Villa (if they get stupid money for Benteke) or possibly Stoke. Those other clubs that see themselves as established mid-table teams (and I know we have only been back for one season) either don't want a player of his style (Swansea, Liverpool, Southampton), or cannot afford him (Norwich, WBA).  Newcastle would probably be his preferred club if he had to leave Liverpool, but I cannot see them signing someone of his style after all the money they spent on other attacking players in January.

I cannot understand his reluctance to sign for us, as I think it is the most logical move.  While I don't buy into the criticism that we are just a long ball team who feed on knock-downs, that is an element to our game.  If he signed for us, I think we would build the team around him, which I think would suit his ego.  Plus, being in London makes it less likely that he will get beaten up at the Bigg Market which seemed to happen a lot when he was living in Newcastle.

Interesting story today....

Swansea are close to signing Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, 20, on loan

Why would he not stay at WBA?  I can understand the Chelsea would not really want him back (as them seem like they will sign Cavani or Falcao if Monaco don't) but it seems like a move from 1 mid table club to another mid table club.  When you are already established at one, there doesn't seem much benefit.

Ahhhh, actually just realised that Swansea will be playing in Europe next season due to winning the Rumbelows Cup.

Love this gossip from this morning:

Harry Kewell is back in England and looking for a club...

Kewell LOL

From the top of my head, Lukaku scored more goals than any Chelsea player? Not worth a shot back in their first team?. Although it does seem as if they are after Cavani or Falcao.

Read on new now that cashed up Monaco could be tempted to buy big AC. I agree with what you are saying, don't think he will ever get a shot under rodgers at Liverpool and seems to fit in well at West Ham. I wonder if players believe that they can succeed at any club. Scott Sinclair at Man City for example, would he go there truely believeing he would start most games?

I think it is slightly different with someone like Sinclair at City - more of a case of thinking that he will probably play enough games to win a premier league or FA Cup medal.  I cannot understand why players get slagged off for doing that when all we hear about when a player moves somewhere for money is that the point of playing is to win trophies and medals.

I wonder what Torres would say about the differences....I suppose when he looks back on it when he is old, his now lost legendary status at Liverpool wouldnt compare to having FA Cup, Champs League and Europa league. Owen in the same category

Jesus old 'arry really is a disgrace.....

Harry Redknapp has threatened to quit QPR unless he's backed in the transfer market

His quote about not pulling the pants of the owner down like the last manager is looking more and more stupid all the time.  Take over a team that you claim is too good to be in its current position at the bottom of the table, sign Remy and Samba (for one hundred thousand pounds per week) in the Jan transfer window, get the club relegated, claim the squad is nowhere good enough and demand more money to spunk in the summer transfer window to try and get out of the Championship.  Harry Houdini indeedee.

 

Absolute fraud of a manager. A complete chancer.

 Is this the same Harry that groomed these players from the West Ham academy-- Rio Ferdinand,Joe Cloe, Michael Carrick and Frank Lampard?

Yeah. He also destroyed Pompey and is on course to do the same to QPR.

Chancer.

Tony Carr groomed these players in the West Ham academy.  Harry just happened to be the manager in charge who picked them - no massive brain required to do that.

Incidently, Harry was also the manager who sold Rio to Leeds for 18m, and then used to money to buy about 5 players from Liverpool (Hutchinson, March, Burrow, Camara, Song) for about 2m each.  Pretty sure 4 of them (although it might be 3) had one thing in common - an agent called Mark Redknapp.  Guess who his dad is?  For bonus points, guess how many of these players were any good for West Ham.

Ah fuck it, while we are on the subject,  can anyone tell me who the person who stabbed one of his best mates (Billy Bonds) in the back to get the West Ham job?  Bonds still hasn't spoken to him since.

So what you are really saying is that he is a typical low-life cockney git.

brown paper bags

Interesting

http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/arsenal-interested-in-west-ham-defender-winston-reid-tor-kristian-karlsen/?

Yep, that is exactly what I am saying.  #Yawn

Some fun gossip this morning.......

players apparently to be cleared-out - Arsenal =  Marouane Chamakh, Nicklas Bendtner, Park Chu-Young, Andre Santos, Denilson, Johan Djourou, Andrey Arshaving and Thomas Vermaelen, while Spurs = Emmanuel Adebayor, Clint Dempsey, Scott Parker, William Gallas, Tom Huddlestone, Heurelho Gomes, Danny Rose and David Bentley.  I think that they should all just swap clubs, and see if Spurs can make the top 4 then. 

Sadly (and I write this with tears in my eyes) the wonder that is Carlton Cole is leaving West Ham (no doubt falling over on his way out).  It was always a matter of time before he ended up in a Real Madrid or Barcelona shirt.

Yikes from the Guardian - 'Most importantly, there is a desire on the part of Moyes to keep Rooney at United. Rooney has two years remaining on his deal - the usual point for renewing terms - and, if he decides to stay, his salary of about £300,000 a week means any negotiations regarding a fresh contract could be lengthy."  £300,000 a week????????  Wow. 

Didn't Rooney hold Man U to ransom a few years ago as well? I would be surprised if they wanted to keep him that much.

How do clubs go about putting a player on the market? Do they send emails around to other clubs saying anyone keen on Adebayor? What if no-one is,  he would possibly come back to the club with a grudge or feeling insecure knowing he was unwanted.

Players tend to get over the feeling of not being wanted when the next weekly paycheck of £40,000 drops into their bank account.

Rooney's salary is a key issue in his game-playing re contract renewal. If he packs a sad and no-one can afford his personal terms (let alone whatever the transfer fee is), then he and Man U are stuck with each other. If contract not renewed before it comes to an end (May 2014? or 15?) then he leaves on a free and he can justifiably say to the buying club that he has saved them the transfer fee, so how about tipping that into his weekly salary. Who can afford his salary at present? PSG, Real, Monaco, Man City, Chelsea. Would he take a pay cut to play elsewhere, or indeed renew contract at Man U on lower wages? His next contract is an important one.

I know footballer's wages are out of control, and personally I don't give a fuck what players earn.  Sure, i would like them to be lower, with ticket prices also being lower, but living in the real world I understand that ain't going to happen, so there is no point in worrying about it.

What staggers me is that Rooney is on 300k per week - surely that puts him at the top of the highest earners list in the premier league?  I just don't think that as a player he should be anywhere near that amount.  To me he is the type of player that is either a 8/10 or a 3/10, and there just isn't enough 8/10 performances to justify those wages.

 Don't disagree with that, but players make hay etc. I'm not 100% sure of timings but when he signed his last contract Man U was still reeling from losing Ronaldo and then Tevez. Chicarito prob not there yet and Welbeck still out on loan at Sunderland maybe. Berbatov, Owen and Macheda were around and RVP was not even a dream in SAF's mind at the time I suspect. The club needed to secure the player at the time of contract. Supply and demand, strong bargaining position and there you go. Bad taste in mouth the way it happened? Definitely.

Liverpool in for Kolo Toure? I'm sure we couldn't match his Man City salary

Wonder who the other interested club is?Liverpool are looking for a centre half.

Have a Danish friend who would cream himself if he saw Agger and Reid play side by side.

 

BBC says contract runs out in June....am I right in saying generally speaking BBC don't run rumours like the papers? Might be some truth in it.

BBC certainly more believable.