Premier League Transfer Guide

[Christmas Tree 4858]

ARSENAL

 

ARSENE WENGER is happy with his squad. But with Thomas Vermaelen missing, he could do with a decent centre-half.

 

FUNDS: Money is no issue - just persuading the boss to spend it.

 

TARGETS: Bolton's Gary Cahill would fit the bill but they won't be selling. Could make a move for Blackburn's Chris Samba.

 

LEAVING: Manuel Almunia will be allowed to return to Spain.

 

ASTON VILLA

 

GERARD HOULLIER wants to shake things up after a disappointing start.

 

FUNDS: Club owner Randy Lerner wants to cut the wage bill, so all signings must be cost-effective.

 

TARGETS: Spurs' Niko Kranjcar is up for grabs and Houllier could go to former club Lyons for Jean Makoun.

 

LEAVING: Steve Sidwell, Stephen Ireland, Curtis Davies and Richard Dunne.

BIRMINGHAM

 

A LACK of goals is threatening to drag Blues into a relegation battle and boss Alex McLeish is looking for a reliable scorer.

 

FUNDS: Carson Yeung won't splash the cash so McLeish will need loans.

 

TARGETS: Robbie Keane and David Bentley are both loan targets but Cardiff's Jay Bothroyd would cost £6m.

 

LEAVING: Would sell Nikola Zigic tomorrow if they could.

 

BLACKBURN

 

STEVE KEAN has until the end of the season to prove he deserves the job.

 

FUNDS: The new owners insist there is "a lot more" than the £5m originally stated for signings.

 

TARGETS: Need a striker, with Wigan's Hugo Rodallega a target. Would love Robbie Keane on loan.

 

LEAVING: Skipper Chris Samba wants to quit and Pascal Chimbonda would be allowed to go.

 

BLACKPOOL

 

IAN HOLLOWAY signed 11 players in the summer. Don't expect many more.

 

FUNDS: There is little to spend and Holloway must rummage around the bargain basement.

 

TARGETS: Assuming Luke Varney stays, Holloway would also be interested in Everton striker James Vaughan.

 

LEAVING: Jason Euell and Chris Basham could be allowed to leave if they wanted.

 

BOLTON

 

OWEN COYLE needs to bolster his squad to keep their push for Europe going.

 

FUNDS: Coyle will be given a limited budget.

 

TARGETS: Utrecht's Danish ace Michael Silberbauer is up for grabs at around £4m.

 

LEAVING: Israeli Tamir Cohen does not seem to figure prominently in Coyle's plans at the Reebok.

 

CHELSEA

 

CARLO ANCELOTTI does not trust the kids on the bench and wants to sign a quality striker and a top-class defender.

 

FUNDS: Roman Abramovich has said he is ready to abandon the austerity drive but outbidding Man City will not be easy.

 

TARGETS: Ajax right-back Gregory van der Wiel, Anderlecht striker Romelu Lukaku and Wolfsburg defender Simon Kjaer.

 

LEAVING: No one will go unless replacements are signed first.

 

EVERTON

 

DAVID MOYES must sign a goalscorer if his team are to salvage anything from this season.

 

FUNDS: Just £1.5m spent last summer and needs to sell before he can buy.

 

TARGETS: Trying to sign Man City star Roque Santa Cruz on loan while Newcastle's Steven Taylor is an option.

 

LEAVING: Steven Pienaar if he does not pen new deal.

 

FULHAM

 

LOSING Bobby Zamora has been a blow to Fulham and Mark Hughes must add attacking power.

 

FUNDS: Know they must splash out to protect their Premier League status.

 

TARGETS: Hughes has worked with David Bentley and Stephen Ireland before and believes he can revive their careers.

 

LEAVING: Ex-boss Roy Hodgson wants Clint Dempsey at Liverpool.

 

LIVERPOOL

 

ROY HODGSON can now splash some cash but persuading top stars to move to Anfield might be a problem.

 

FUNDS: Hodgson's signings have not impressed and he must spend more wisely.

 

TARGETS: Chris Samba is seen as a replacement for Jamie Carragher, Hamburg winger Eljero Elia or Fulham ace Clint Dempsey are targets.

 

LEAVING: Serb Milan Jovanovic has not settled in England.

 

MAN CITY

 

THE world's richest club are planning another spending spree.

 

FUNDS: Bottomless pit.

 

TARGETS: City will bid for Edin Dzeko from Wolfsburg and move for Barcelona defender Dani Alves.

 

LEAVING: Manu Adebayor, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Roque Santa Cruz, Joleon Lescott and Wayne Bridge can go.

 

MAN UNITED

 

UNITED have reached Christmas unbeaten in the league and top the table. As a result, Alex Ferguson is not expected to be busy in the January transfer window.

 

FUNDS: Money is always available at United but with new ownership issues Fergie won't be demanding a fortune.

 

TARGETS: £10million-rated Paris St Germain centre-back Mamadou Sakho.

 

LEAVING: Squad players such as Darron Gibson, Federico Macheda and Gabriel Obertan could be available on loan.

 

NEWCASTLE

 

ALAN PARDEW is still getting the feel of the manager's dugout at St James' Park and is reasonably satisfied with the squad he inherited from Chris Hughton.

 

FUNDS: Mike Ashley is in no mood to spend any more of his fortune, but Pardew won't raise funds by selling Andy Carroll.

 

TARGETS: Southampton starlet Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ipswich's Connor Wickham and QPR's Adel Taarabt.

 

LEAVING: Steven Taylor will stay on, but Xisco and Peter Lovenkrands are on their way.

 

STOKE CITY

 

TONY PULIS is looking to strengthen his midfield and believes a top-10 finish is achievable with a bit more attacking quality.

 

FUNDS: The club have backed Pulis in the past to sign the likes of Kenwyne Jones and Tuncay. They are ready to do the same again.

 

TARGETS: Birmingham winger Seb Larsson and Aston Villa midfielder Stephen Ireland are both options. Wayne Bridge could arrive on loan from Manchester City.

 

LEAVING: Tuncay and Michael Tonge are expected to move.

 

SUNDERLAND

 

STEVE BRUCE'S priority is to secure Nedum Onuoha, Danny Welbeck AND Ahmed Al-Muhammadi on a permanent basis.

 

FUNDS: Will pay the asking prices for Onuoha and Welbeck.

 

TARGETS: Manchester City are ready to negotiate a fee for Onuoha but are not keen to let Bruce have Adam Johnson on loan. Welbeck will almost certainly return to Old Trafford at the end of his loan.

 

LEAVING: George McCartney, Andy Reid and Anton Ferdinand.

 

TOTTENHAM

 

NO ONE has worked the January window better than Harry Redknapp in recent years and he is bound to be involved next month.

 

FUNDS: Reaching the Champions League second round has generated extra cash.

 

TARGETS: Harry would still love to lure Scott Parker from West Ham and will try to engineer a swap deal involving Robbie Keane, Jamie O'Hara and David Bentley.

 

LEAVING: Keane, O'Hara, Bentley, Niko Kranjcar and Giovani are all surplus to requirements.

 

WEST BROM

 

ROBERTO DI MATTEO overhauled his squad after winning promotion but now wants to add a couple more players.

 

FUNDS: Di Matteo could have up to £10million but will have to lose some dead wood.

 

TARGETS: Preston centre-half Sean St Ledger, Cardiff striker Jay Bothroyd and Spurs hitman Robbie Keane.

 

LEAVING: Roman Bednar, Simon Cox, Gianni Zuiverloon, Luke Moore and Abdoulaye Meite are all up for grabs.

 

WEST HAM

 

A HUGE month in store for the lowly Hammers, but will Avram Grant still be in charge when the market opens on January 1?

 

FUNDS: Owners David Gold and David Sullivan have made £10million available for new signings.

 

TARGETS: Steve Sidwell is on his way from Villa. Robbie Keane, Jamie O'Hara and Wayne Bridge are other loan targets.

 

LEAVING: Valon Behrami, Carlton Cole and Matthew Upson could all go if decent offers come in.

 

WIGAN

 

THE club are sliding towards the Championship with a whimper and need a real injection of transfer spirit to get out of the mess.

 

FUNDS: Roberto Martinez blew £6.5m on Mauro Boselli and is unlikely to get more to waste.

 

TARGETS: Martinez wants Man United's Tom Cleverley permanently and Arsenal's Jay Emmanuel-Thomas on loan. He is also after Leeds' Bradley Johnson.

 

LEAVING: Hugo Rodallega, Charles N'Zogbia or Maynor Figueroa could be sold to raise some cash.

 

WOLVES

 

MICK McCARTHY believes he can secure safety with a little investment next month.

 

FUNDS: Nothing major but money will be made available for the right men.

 

TARGETS: Villa defender Curtis Davies, on loan at Leicester, would cost £3.5million while Nice striker Mamadou Bagayoko, who has been on trial, is available for £250,000.

 

LEAVING: Steven Fletcher has failed to shine and could go to pay for other signings.

Edited December 23, 2010 by Christmas Tree

[Christmas Tree 4858]

and this from Louise Taylor

 

Alan Pardew, the Newcastle manager, has been assured he will not be forced to sell the club's prize asset Andy Carroll. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

If a football-related board game based loosely on a combination of musical chairs and Monopoly had been invented for this Christmas, its shiny box would be embossed with several familiar visages. Andy Carroll, Robbie Keane, Wayne Bridge, Jordan Henderson, Charles N'Zogbia and, who knows, possibly even Carlos Tevez are only six Premier League names who could conceivably be on the move once January's transfer window opens.

 

Traditionally, it is the time for managers to panic buy and for unwanted squad players to find themselves pocketing "golden goodbyes" before swapping football's Mayfair for its Old Kent Road equivalent. This season, though, no one is quite sure how much will actually be spent.

 

Alan Pardew shudders at the prospect of the potentially season-defining mayhem ahead. "I need to make sure no one good and within our budget bypasses us in January," Newcastle United's new manager says. "But it's a window where a lot of mistakes are always made and in which clubs pay over the odds on transfer fees for players who then command wages way beyond their abilities."

 

A lot depends on how clubs react to the impending introduction of Uefa's financial fair-play rules. Although British clubs will be allowed some leeway, slowly to be phased out, between 2012 and 2018 these regulations require all clubs permitted to participate in the Champions League or Europa Leagues to break even over a rolling three-year period. As things stand, Manchester City and Chelsea could potentially be barred from European combat while Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur would meet Uefa's requirements.

 

"The financial fair-play rules will have an impact but it could go two ways – clubs might start trimming back or, alternatively, see this as a last chance to spend big," says Alan Switzer, a director of the sports business group at Deloitte.

 

In February 2010 Deloitte reported that Premier League January window transfer spending had dropped to a seven‑year low, totalling around £32m as opposed to approximately £170m in 2009. Significantly, 70% of last January's transfer traffic involved loans.

 

The credit crunch had thoroughly dampened a previously overheated market and, 12 months on, it is hard to assess quite how far it will bounce back. "We see the total spend being somewhere between January 2010 and 2009 levels but nearer last season and definitely much lower than 2009, particularly as it now seems that Carlos Tevez will be staying with Manchester City," Switzer says. "We firmly believe the days of £170m being spent during winter transfer windows are over.

 

"We don't know what the new owners at Liverpool and Blackburn will do but, judging by their public statements, it would be surprising if they spent much. A lot of clubs clearly have players they want to move out but matching high wages can be a big problem. Things are often far from straightforward and I wouldn't be surprised if there are even more loans – which can be win-win situations for all parties – than last season."

 

Colin Gordon, a leading agent, takes a more bullish view of the market and is already bracing himself for a frantic few weeks. "January's a hazardous time to buy players but I certainly don't think it will be a quiet window; I'm expecting 50 to 60% of the Premier League clubs to spend," Gordon says. "There are managers who need to survive and clubs who need to reach the Champions League or the top six. People can't afford either to be relegated or miss out on finishing in the top four.

 

"I expect to see Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham, although maybe not Manchester United, all buying new players while, given their disappointing league position, Liverpool's new owners should also invest. Because of the new financial fair-play rules clubs will also off-load quite a few unwanted squad players from their wage bills this January. Manchester City should let a few go and, to balance incoming signings, I can see Harry Redknapp moving six or seven on from Tottenham. Getting players out is often hard so I'm expecting some imaginative loans."

 

Who eventually ends up where could hinge on Mike Ashley, Newcastle United's maverick owner. "I think we can safely assume Newcastle won't spend too much during January but an awful lot depends on what happens to Andy Carroll," Gordon says. "If they decide to cash in and let him go to perhaps Chelsea or Tottenham, it would have a big knock-on effect elsewhere. If it were Tottenham I could easily envisage Robbie Keane or Peter Crouch finishing up at Newcastle."

 

While Pardew, who sought assurances his England centre-forward would not be sold before agreeing to succeed Chris Hughton, trusts such debate is academic, all players have their price. Just ask Niall Quinn. Sunderland's chairman was still playing on Wearside when Bob Murray, his predecessor, turned down a £16m offer for Quinn's strike partner Kevin Phillips. Less than two years later Sunderland ended up selling Phillips to Southampton for only £3.25m.

 

"A wrong decision," acknowledges Quinn, who dreads receiving lucrative bids for his England Under-21 midfielder Jordan Henderson next month. "A big ambition of mine is to see Jordan playing European football for Sunderland," he said. "But I'm not going to fool anyone; if a ridiculous offer came in I'd have to weigh it up."

[Monroe Transfer 0]

Not worth the paper and/or the bandwidth tbh.

[trophyshy 7084]

If a football-related board game based loosely on a combination of musical chairs and Monopoly had been invented for this Christmas, its shiny box would be embossed with several familiar visages.

 

 

What a fucking tool she is.

 

Some sort of rake.

[Phil 6]

I can't see many clubs spending this window - except maybe Tottenham and Man City. Although Tottenham will have to shift a few players first as their wage bill is massive.

 

Gates are massively down and a lot of clubs have players on loan. I know Stoke cant afford Pennants 6m asking price.

Edited December 23, 2010 by Phil

[JamesD 0]

I can't see many clubs spending this window - except maybe Tottenham and Man City. Although Tottenham will have to shift a few players first as their wage bill is massive.

 

Gates are massively down and a lot of clubs have players on loan. I know Stoke cant afford Pennants 6m asking price.

 

West Ham will spend a bit you would have thought. Been linked with every player in Europe over the last month.

 

Not worth the paper and/or the bandwidth tbh.

 

Spot on.

[Barney 0]

Christ, that first bit looks entirely made up.

 

I like the look of the Wickham kid at Ipswich though.

[Dr Gloom 22203]

i'd like to see us bid for a couple of spurs rejects. hopefully we can cling on to carroll

[Barney 0]

Kranjcar would be a nice addition. Not sure if he's finished or not though.

[Dr Gloom 22203]

speaking of spurs rejects, thsi bite from the telegraph probably explains why we never really were in for keane in the summer:

 

West Ham would also have had to pay Keane’s £65,000-a-week wages — his salary at Spurs – for an initial six-month loan deal, then commit to a £6 million fee to take up the option of signing the Republic of Ireland international on a three-year contract.

 

In addition, it is understood that Tottenham had considered asking for an increase on that fee, thought to be another £1 million, should West Ham stay up.

 

It means, in effect, they would have had to have paid £8 million for Keane in fees and bonuses plus a contract that would have amounted to £11.8 million over 3½ years.

 

That would have been an overall financial commitment of £19.8 million for a striker who is 30.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/...relegation.html

[Holden McGroin 6802]

Christ, that first bit looks entirely made up.

 

I like the look of the Wickham kid at Ipswich though.

 

Not ready for the PL yet imo. Will be good in a few years though.

[Barney 0]

Christ, that first bit looks entirely made up.

 

I like the look of the Wickham kid at Ipswich though.

 

Not ready for the PL yet imo. Will be good in a few years though.

 

I've not really seen much of him. Be nice to nab a highly rated prospect though.

[sandman02uk 0]

FM Tastic to be honest