Transfers
Zamora Set for Fulham Switch
Fulham are set to capture West Ham’s Bobby Zamora and John Paintsil in a combined deal. It is reported that both players are surplus to requirements at Upton Park and that a fee has been a agreed between the clubs. Surprisingly the figure being suggested is a staggering £6.5 million [source].
While Fulham appear to be paying through the nose, the deal may well be a good one for fantasy managers.
ContinuedCrouch Agrees Terms
Peter Crouch is expected to complete his move to Portsmouth in the next 48-hours having agreed personal terms with the club [source].
This will a second spell at Fratton Park for Crouch having made 39 appearances for them in 2001, scoring 19 goals in the process. A similar return will be expected from Crouch this time around and his new partnership with Jermain Defoe looks, on paper, to be one of the most effective in the Premiership. Indeed Sky Sports carried an interesting stat in this article which points out that Defoe and Crouch have played together as a pairing for England, scoring 7 goals between them over their 3 starts.
ContinuedVilla Close on Sidwell
Steve Sidwell’s move to Aston Villa has been agreed subject to a medical [source]. A fee, believed to be around £5 million has been accepted by Chelsea and the deal is expected to be finalised tomorrow.
O’Neill’s first signing of the summer is expected to pave the way for Liverpool to finalise a deal for Gareth Barry. Sidwell then, is expected to slot straight into the Villa midfield in his place and he could offer some decent potential to fantasy managers.
ContinuedArshavin Expected In England
Andrei Arshavin is expected to be heading to England for talks according to the players agent, Dennis Lachter. A number of Premiership clubs are not surprisingly sniffing around the Russian star, with Arsenal and Chelsea expected to be prominent in the chase.
While Lachter, isn’t naming clubs at this stage he has, rather cheekily ruled some Premiership teams out of the running.
“Andrei would like to play in the Premier League but he will not accept an offer from clubs like Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Aston Villa.”
ContinuedStill No Reality To Ron Deal
Real Madrid’s President, Ramon Calderon, has cast doubt on the possibility of a deal with United for Ronaldo - the biggest indication yet that the winger will remain at Old Trafford.
Whilst Calderon has fought hard to prise Ronaldo from United, it now appears that he is slowly resigning himself to defeat.
ContinuedPompey Close In On Crouch
Portsmouth have had a £10 million bid for Peter Crouch accepted according to a report in the Daily Mail. After having a previous bid turned down, Pompey have met Liverpool’s valuation of the player and appear to have seen off Tottenham in the race for striker’s signature. The deal for Crouch is expected to be completed on Monday.
ContinuedBolton Splash The Cash on Elmander
Bolton have got the ball rolling on what’s likely to be a frenzied month of transfers by handing over a reported £12 million fee for Sweden’s Johan Elmander [source].
The big striker was paraded at the Reebok on Friday having singed from Toulouse in a deal that broke the record for a transfer fee paid by the club, a record previously set by Anelka’s £8.5 million deal from Fenerbahce. Winger and Reebok misfit, Daniel Braaten, also moves to Toulouse as part of the deal.
Elmander has been a long-term target for Bolton. It is reported that Megson earmarked the striker back in January when Anelka’s transfer to Chelsea went through. Back then however, the club were unable to strike a deal with Toulouse.
ContinuedHarry Makes Little Move
Harry Redknapp snapped up Reading winger Glenn Little on a free on Friday [source]. The Reading man joins Pompey on a free after suffering a season of frustration. Little made just two appearances as sub after an Achilles injury and subsequent surgery kept him watching from the sidelines as Reading got themselves relegated.
ContinuedBentley Targets Rovers Departure
David Bentley is seemingly set to leave Blackburn Rovers after declaring that he feels he has outgrown the Ewood Park outfit. The chance to test his skills in Europe is singled out as the reasoning behind Bentley’s desire to move on but the recent departure of Mark Hughes to Man City has surely been a key factor.
‘The situation is I want to move on. I want to be playing Champions League football, or in Europe,” declared Bentley in the weekend press.
ContinuedThe Manager Merry-Go-Round
Things may well be deathly quiet on the transfer front but yesterday saw a flurry of movement in the world of football management that is set to have a marked impact on next season.
The dismissal of Sven from Eastlands has seen Mark Hughes granted permission from Blackburn to talk to Man City officials about the vacancy. In turn, Sam Allardyce is the early contender to succeed Hughes at Ewood Park. Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho threatens to influence Premiership proceedings from afar after being confirmed as Inter boss.
What’s all this mean for fantasy managers? Nothing concrete of course but this kind of shuffle would seem likely to be followed by a frenzy of transfers, with speculation already surrounding the likes of Bentley, Santa Cruz at Blackburn, Dunne and Johnson at City and of course Lampard and Drogba who are much-admired by their former boss and Inter. Add the Ronaldo situation and the likely interest stirred up by Euro 2008 scouting and we’ve got ourselves an interesting month.
Continued
