Transfer Deadline Day 2011

[StoneColdStephenIreland 74]

Sky reporting that Liverpool have bid £15 mill for Downing, but Villa's rejected it and Liverpool are set to up their offer

 

Is Liverpool's transfer policy now just to buy average English midfielders for mind-fucking fee's now?

[2bias 3]

I hear Shane Long's name being branded about alot. What do you all think? He is 24 and looks good but his chairman reckons he is worldclass and would cost 20Million lol

[sammynb 2958]

his chairman reckons he is worldclass and would cost 20Million lol

 

[Barney 0]

Hargreaves posting a series of videos on YouTube showing his fitness levels are good to try and get a new club.

[Christmas Tree 4029]

I hear Shane Long's name being branded about alot. What do you all think? He is 24 and looks good but his chairman reckons he is worldclass and would cost 20Million lol

 

According to the tweets Journal reporter Mark Douglas was making last night, he will be discussing Shane Long in the paper this morning.

[khay 8]

Sky reporting that Liverpool have bid £15 mill for Downing, but Villa's rejected it and Liverpool are set to up their offer

 

Is Liverpool's transfer policy now just to buy average English midfielders for mind-fucking fee's now?

 

 

Think its just Damien Comolli transfer policy to buy expensive English players.

[Christmas Tree 4029]

Morning Journal Stories

 

 

NILE Ranger is ready to stay and fight for his place at Newcastle United if interest in the 19-year-old isn’t converted into a firm offer before the August transfer deadline.

 

Having signed Demba Ba last month, United want at least one more striker to complete their attacking arsenal for the new season – meaning Ranger who was told to find a new club in May, is likely to be pushed way down the pecking order.

 

With the player himself wanting first-team football, that means an exit is both his and the club’s preferred strategy before the start of the new campaign.

 

But with no one yet willing to match United’s seven-figure asking price – despite interest from QPR, Blackpool and Nottingham Forest – Ranger finds himself in frustrating limbo.

 

His agent, Nick Rubery, said that although there had been plenty of enquiries about the player, Ranger may yet remain at St James’ Park.

 

And if that happens, he would knuckle down in an attempt to unseat any new arrivals.

 

 

“Perhaps it would have got to the old Nile but he’s taking it in his stride. He could still stay at Newcastle although the situation has changed there,” Rubery told The Journal.

 

“Newcastle have signed a striker and they’ll sign another one so he won’t start games next season, and he needs to play to help his development.

 

“As of yet, nothing has moved forward but if the right club comes along with an offer that Newcastle find acceptable then of course he’ll be interested because it’s first-team football.

 

“Nile feels like he’s improved, you’re hearing less and less about him for the wrong reasons. Yes, he put himself in a bad position by posting an ill-advised photo on Blackberry Messenger but he’s sorting himself out.

 

 

“He’s kept himself in good shape over the summer, and he’s eager to get started for next season.

 

“I’m sure he can be a great asset to a club in the future.

 

“We could be talking about a 15-20 goal striker next season if he gets those games.”

 

No doubt United’s supporters are eager to see more fresh faces and Newcastle are intent on refreshing their attacking options by bringing in a striker to play off either Ba or Shola Ameobi.

 

Mevlut Erdinc remains the number one option and his comments to a French newspaper about wanting to stay at Paris Saint-Germain are being taken with a pinch of salt by Newcastle. Indeed, his representatives told United earlier in the summer that he was interested in a move to the North East, so the club believe that if their £7million offer is accepted by PSG, he will begin negotiations with them.

 

They will offer him a substantial salary bump to make the move to England.

 

Reading’s highly-rated Shane Long is another viable target, although Pardew’s enthusiasm for the player is not shared by all at St James’ Park, complicating that pursuit. An offer of £5 million up front would be enough to get him, but as of the end of last week not one offer had been tabled for the Republic of Ireland international.

 

The final remnants of United’s squad will return to the club’s Benton training base today – including José Enrique, who has angered the Newcastle hierarchy by stonewalling all attempts to contact him over the summer.But as frustrated as Newcastle have become with his tactics, they will still re-iterate the £50,000-a-week offer that they hope wards off interest from Arsenal and Liverpool in the left-back.

[Christmas Tree 4029]

Mark Douglas is also reporting via twitter that Irish radio is reporting we have offered cash and Leon Best for Shane Long.

[khay 8]

I think Leon's goal scoring form last season showed he should be kept around at least like.

[Guest alex]

I think Leon's goal scoring form last season showed he should be kept around at least like.

I view it more as an opportunity to cash in.

[khay 8]

I think Leon's goal scoring form last season showed he should be kept around at least like.

I view it more as an opportunity to cash in.

 

I know he has had his doubters like.

[Guest alex]

I think Leon's goal scoring form last season showed he should be kept around at least like.

I view it more as an opportunity to cash in.

 

I know he has had his doubters like.

His scoring record was pretty good on the face of it but it was partly skewed by that West Ham hattrick but it's mainly his all-round play, even when he was (or at least should've been) full of confidence that tells me he's just not good enough at this level. I've quite liked the look of Long when I've seen him too, not just last season either. It's a tough one to call though as you might just be swapping one good Championship striker for another one.

[Barney 0]

Tranmere Rovers teenager Dale Jennings looks set to move to Bayern Munich after the German giants' offer was accepted.

 

The 18-year-old striker, who only made his debut for Rovers at the start of last season, has been granted permission to discuss personal terms with Bayern.

 

The Bundesliga club initially made a bid last month and Rovers boss Les Parry admits he could not prevent Jennings from discussing a move to the Allianz Arena.

 

"Bayern have made us a very good offer for Dale and we don't want to stand in his way of making this incredible move," said Parry.

 

"When a club with the size and history of Bayern come in for you it's the opportunity of a lifetime and I wish Dale all the best should the transfer happen.

 

"It also says a lot about the club's youth system that one of the giants of European football is interested in signing one of our players."

 

Jennings made 32 appearances for Rovers last season, scoring six goals, and is now set to sign for Jupp Heynckes' side.

 

The transfer will not be the most expensive of the summer, it will have no bearing on the destiny of the Premier League title and it will not insult the intelligence with heartfelt pleas to be closer to home or the kids. But it is still the most intriguing that English football has to offer. Take a bow Dale Jennings, the forward Liverpool rejected at 15 and who, three years and 30 appearances for Tranmere Rovers later, is on the verge of joining the four-time European champions Bayern Munich. Jennings will undergo a medical in Munich on Wednesday and minus any unforeseen hitches, sign for the giants of Germany in a deal worth an initial £600,000 to Tranmere. Once add-ons are included, involving the 18-year-old signing senior professional forms for Bayern and appearing for the first team, the deal could rise to £1.8m.

 

It is a transfer that reflects the teenager's natural talent, his willingness to listen to Tranmere's youth coaches and his impact upon making the first team last September, one month before signing his first professional contract. It also invites the question, how the hell did that happen?

 

Bayern have no dedicated scouting network in England. To be more precise, they have no dedicated scout to monitor the Premier League, never mind a teenager in his debut season in League One. Yet they expect to beat the host of Premier League and Championship clubs who parked their scouts at Prenton Park last season to the signature of a player named League One's Apprentice of the Year. The reason could lie with the former Bayern Munich, Newcastle and Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann.

 

Hamann stepped out of retirement to make 13 appearances for MK Dons last season. His final start for the club, and in English football, came in a 4-2 defeat at Tranmere in October when Jennings scored twice in a display that encouraged seasoned Rovers' observers to draw comparisons with their last great discovery, Steve Coppell.

 

Around the same time Bayern's general manager Christian Nerlinger, a close friend of Hamann, began visiting Merseyside on a fruitless mission to persuade Leighton Baines to leave Everton for the Bundesliga. During one trip Hamann told Nerlinger of the principal reason for his ordeal at Tranmere – the veteran was substituted at half-time – and German interest in Jennings was under way.

 

Bayern were almost beaten to the quick, skilful forward in January when a Premier League club, believed to be West Ham United, tried and failed with a straight £600,000 bid. Bayern's original offer to hand Jennings a trial in Bavaria at the end of last season was also rejected by Tranmere, who are £6m in debt but under no pressure to offer favours. A deal was finally agreed between the clubs on Monday.

 

Les Parry, the Tranmere manager, said: "I don't want to overstate it but this is one of the biggest transfers in a long, long time. I know money-wise there have been bigger ones but you'd really have to rack your brain to think of an 18-year-old player from England who has been taken to one of the European giants like this. It is a massive, massive move for Dale, for Tranmere Rovers and for English football if it does go through.

 

"I know it's money for the club but I don't want to be seen to be making him do something he doesn't want to do. He said he'd love to go and it is a massive club. He's a quiet lad and doesn't speak much, so the German is not going to be a problem. He can mutter in German as well as he can mutter in English."

 

Nerlinger has stated Jennings will initially join Bayern's second team, who were relegated to the fourth tier of German football last season and are investing in an immediate return to the more competitive 3rd Liga. It is a remarkable journey regardless, with the Tranmere player struggling to recapture his early season form once he recovered from a groin injury, necessitating a six-week lay-off, in March and ending the campaign with six goals.

 

After a difficult time while at Liverpool Jennings prospered in Tranmere's youth academy, which provides a contrast in resources and the number of players it can afford to place on the production line. "Dale deserves credit for turning his career around," says Shaun Garnett, the former Tranmere defender and now the club's head of youth and centre of excellence. "He has dealt with rejection, broke into the Tranmere first team at 17 and could sign for Bayern Munich at 18. That just shows what smaller clubs can do.

 

"We can't compete with the big boys and to play for Everton, Liverpool or Manchester United must be fantastic, but we can offer a route to the top and to have a player sign for Bayern Munich would be fantastic for the club and for the youth set-up. Dale is an exciting player and yYou could see he was a talented boy straight away. He wants to express himself on the pitch and part of his armoury is that you don't know what he is going to do next."

 

And no one could have predicted this.

[Monroe Transfer 0]

Tomorrow's Sunday Sun:

 

MsiDouglas Mark Douglas

Ashley's ultimatum to Pardew & we reveal the reason why Erdinç turned down #NUFC-along with updates on the striker hunt, Barnetta & Matuidi

 

Shola Ameobi talks exclusively about his sadness at Nolan leaving, his own uncertain future and... Twitter

[LoveTheBobby 1]

^ anyone read the 'why Erdinc turned down NU' bit ? Can't be chewed to look it up.

[The Mighty Hog 428]

^ anyone read the 'why Erdinc turned down NU' bit ? Can't be chewed to look it up.

 

Sunday Sun doesn't usually put it's articles up until late on a morning, so I'd give it a look around 11-ish.

[LoveTheBobby 1]

aye cheers. had a look before and wasnt much so had a laugh at the EDDIE EATS' gravy-based claptrap instead.

 

al be fucked if i'm gonna buy the thing .

[Howmanheyman 29080]

I hear Shane Long's name being branded about alot. What do you all think? He is 24 and looks good but his chairman reckons he is worldclass and would cost 20Million lol

 

According to the tweets Journal reporter Mark Douglas was making last night, he will be discussing Shane Long in the paper this morning.

 

 

Mark Douglas is also reporting via twitter that Irish radio is reporting we have offered cash and Leon Best for Shane Long.

Are you stalking this Douglas character, CT? Apart from your posts I've never heard of the bloke. Honestly.

[Tom 13924]

Apparently Erdinc gets a loyalty bonus if he stays at Paris so he's hanging on for that.

[LoveTheBobby 1]

Apparently Erdinc gets a loyalty bonus if he stays at Paris so he's hanging on for that.

 

Tom wrapping the case up there .

[Monroe Transfer 0]

Matuidi has the same agent as Erdinc which supposedly somehow complicates that deal (?). Idea is (was?) to pair him with Tiote allowing Cabaye and Ben Arfa to focus on creating for a lone front man.

 

Barnetta will only be signed if Barton leaves, which is unlikely. I'm fine with this.

 

Hierachy don't want N'Zogbia, Pardew does (sigh).

 

Oh and the club are demanding a minimum top 10 finish this coming season.

 

 

That's the interesting stuff he's reported.

[Tom 13924]

Matuidi will cost a fortune. That's why he's not coming.

[Barney 0]

Swansea City have made a bid of around £1.5m for Newcastle United midfielder Wayne Routledge.

 

"We have expressed an interest in Routledge and are in discussions with Newcastle," a Swansea spokesman told BBC Wales Sport.

 

Routledge spent the second half of last season on loan at Queens Park Rangers but has failed to agree personal terms on a permanent return to Loftus Road.

 

Swansea also face competition from Nottingham Forest for the 26-year-old.

 

And Cardiff City, who had Routledge on loan for a month on loan in the 2008-09 season, have also been linked with making a move for the former England Under-21 international.

 

Routledge was loaned to QPR in January - only a year after leaving Loftus Road to join Newcastle for an undisclosed fee.

 

He scored five goals in 20 appearances as he played a significant part in Rangers' march towards the Championship title last season.

 

After starting his career at Crystal Palace, Routledge moved to Tottenham Hotspur for £1.25m in 2005 but made only five appearances in three and a half seasons at White Hart Lane.

 

Aston Villa also paid £1.25m for his services in 2008 but he was sold to QPR a year later for £600,000 after failing to make a league start.

 

Swansea, who have had a £2m bid rejected for Fulham goalkeeper David Stockdale, have been trying to fend off Newcastle's interest in Neil Taylor since the end of last season.

 

The Magpies have made a £1m-plus bid for the 22-year-old Wales left-back but newly-promoted Swansea are determined to keep hold of their man.

[StevieRoss 0]

Matuidi has the same agent as Erdinc which supposedly somehow complicates that deal (?). Idea is (was?) to pair him with Tiote allowing Cabaye and Ben Arfa to focus on creating for a lone front man.

 

Barnetta will only be signed if Barton leaves, which is unlikely. I'm fine with this.

 

Hierachy don't want N'Zogbia, Pardew does (sigh).

 

Oh and the club are demanding a minimum top 10 finish this coming season.

 

 

That's the interesting stuff he's reported.

 

 

That's hilarious. Top 10. As we sit, we are looking at bottom six, and assuming that other teams around that bottom third strengthen their squads before the season starts its more like bottom three. Mark my words, the squad we started the season with in 08/09 was better than we have now. And as for Pardew - (Mike's Marionette, Del-boy's Bitch) - he is an emasculated cockney nobody who will give us nothing and is capable only to learn his lines and move his lips.

[JawD 48]

It's all well and good asking for top 10, but the two things that hampered us last season were a small squad and lack of quality up front. Our squad size is about the same and we have brought in Ba up front and thats it. I know we have Ben Arfa back fit and I know the club are looking for a forward, but it's a must imo. Could also do with decent back up for RB, LB and CH but thats not going to happen.