Wesley Sneijder admits to United talks, however unofficial. Marouanne Chamakh reckons Fabregas and Nasri are heading out the Emirates. Harry Redknapp turns to Real Madrid as he eyes up an old acquaintance. Wolves to assess Kevin Doyle’s fitness. Stoke sign yet another centre-half and Roy Hodgson’s thrilled to bits with Shane Long. Here’s this morning’s Scribbles, folks:
Wesley Sneijder admitted yesterday that he’s been in contact with Man United over a potential move to Old Trafford this summer. The Dutchman has been strongly linked with a move to the champions but with Inter looking for a deal rumoured to be in the region of £35m, there’s been little progress up to now. When asked if fancied a move to Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, Sneijder replied:
“Yes but Manchester United haven’t made an official approach yet. There have been unofficial talks, there have been contacts but then there are always contacts. I have contacts with everybody.”
Spurs are rumoured to be eyeing up a move for Real Madrid’s Lassana Diarra. The former Arsenal player is unwanted at the Bernabeu and has already been signed by Harry Redknapp before- the Tottenham gaffer brought Diarra to Portsmouth during his tenure at Fratton Park. With Steven Pienaar ruled out for six weeks with a groin injury this week, Redknapp is on the lookout for midfield reinforcements.
Wolves are to reassess the fitness of Kevin Doyle after the striker was sent home from the Republic of Ireland squad. The forward played just less than an hour in Wolves’ recent win over Real Zaragoza but his international manager Giovanni Trapatonni has stated the player is “not 100% fitâ€. With the season about to kick off, the last thing Mick McCarthy needs is his star forward back on the sidelines once again.
Arsene Wenger has named both Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri in Arsenal’s Champions League squad for the play-off with Udinese. If either player takes part, they would be unable to participate in the competition for any other club in 2011/12. Gunners forward Marouanne Chamakh has had his say on the matter, and it seems even the feeling within the dressing room is one of resignation over the pair’s departure:
I think Cesc and Nasri will probably leave the club. I do not believe that the money available for these two players is really the crux of the problem. I just think the manager wants to find reliable replacements.
Stoke grabbed their second free transfer centre-half of the summer by acquiring Matthew Upson from West Ham yesterday. He joins Jonathan Woodgate at the Britannia, after the ex-Spurs’ player failed to have his contract renewed at White Hart Lane, and gives Tony Pulis an abundance of cover in the heart of defence. With the Potters playing in Europe this season, Pulis was keen to draft in extra defensive cover, he told the club’s official website:
We now have strength in depth in our defence with both Matthew and Jonathan on board and we’ve managed to achieve that without significant outlay on transfer fees, which is quite remarkable in today’s market of vastly-inflated prices.Their experience of performing at the highest level will be a valuable asset to us.
Robbie Keane is on the verge of a move away from Tottenham. The Irishman was farmed out on loan to West Ham in the second half of last season and is clearly not part of Harry Redknapp’s plans for the future. Keane said yesterday:
It’s probably likely that I will be going but I can’t really answer where to at the moment. There’s obviously a lot of speculation but there’s still a couple of weeks to go and we’ll see what happens. I haven’t turned down anything. I think there’s a few people talking to the clubs but that’s all I can really say at the moment.
Roy Hodgson was clearly delighted after snapping up Shane Long from Reading. The West Brom boss finally ended his summer pursuit of the forward by signing the Irishman on a three-year deal and in doing so, now feels his Baggies squad is close to completion. Hodgson said yesterday:
Shane is one of the most talented young strikers outside of the Premier League. He is a goalscorer and a hard-working player who has a very good attitude to the game. Many other clubs have shown an interest in Shane and it is great that we have managed to acquire his services.
