Another week, another column and finally one of these transfer sagas has been resolved but that may not be the end of the drama at The Emirates. Will time also be called on Arsene Wenger before the season ends? Certainly Victor Chandler are taking a risk with their view that the Frenchman’s tenure is secure. Wenger is 7/2 (4.5) to be gone by the final day of the season with them.
Cesc Fabregas has joined Barcelona but really after this summer-long saga it is the sub-plots rather than the central drama of the Fabregas affair that retains interest. No question about it, the Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is under pressure to splash out some serious cash in the next two weeks. Not least because the rumblings around The Emirates in preseason, and especially the exits of Fabregas and likely Nasri, feel like the groundswell of a massive vote of no confidence in the manager, whose reputation has been palpably sullied in the last 18 months or so.
Wenger has always clung to the moral high ground, whether in his media comments, or in his refusal to sully either his playing philosophy or transfer dealings with the kind of pragmatic solutions that come second nature to rivals such as Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson. However, pre-phone hacking revelations about Wenger’s extra-marital affair with ‘rapper’ Sonia Tatar have sullied his formerly spotless image, the football isn’t great according to season ticket holders and there’s also the thorny question of six seasons without a trophy. No wonder Wenger’s self regarding stars want out? Indeed Arsenal are 11/4 across the board to win one or more trophies this season and 1/4 to be potless again, neither price is big enough in either direction to get excited about but Arsenal probably want go seven years trophy-less with Wenger still at the helm.
2 Crucial Weeks For Gooners
Certainly it is a massive fortnight for The Gunners and a pallid display against Udinese on Tuesday does not augur well. Things change fast in football and the trickles of discontent will be a raging sea if Arsenal don’t hit the ground running. If you believe that Arsenal are heading nowhere fast, then this really looks like a knocking bet with the only potential stumbling block being Wenger’s resignation/sacking in the summer rather than prior to the last day of the season.
In transfer terms, it remains to be seen whether the parsimonious Frenchman will delve deep into the market or not, but his future as Gunners boss could well depend on it. Wenger is keen on a centre-half and either Gary Cahill or Scott Dann would certainly fill that void and they’ve both been scouted extensively by the Gunners.
However, there is the major issue of price-tag to consider and Bolton’s £17million valuation of Cahill seems a little over the top, considering he has entered the final year of his contract. Wanderers boss Owen Coyle has sent out some pretty clear messages he is ready to cash in on the England international, stating on numerous occasions he could play for any side in the world, but that ‘come and get him’ rhetoric hardly seems to have worked with a player deemed mid-ranking for all but the last couple of seasons.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are also in the hunt for a centre-half and they could use David N’Gog’s impending switch to the Reebok as a bargaining tool for a move for Cahill – but N’Gog’s switch isn’t dependant on the defender moving in the other direction which is probably bad news for Liverpool as they seek to apply some leverage.
Expect QPR to be strengthening
It is pretty clear that QPR need some new faces after last week’s horror show at home to Bolton. I am glad we had Mal Boyle’s fascinating stats on poor performing new boys to fall back on as I’d otherwise have been keen to tip up the west London side against notable poor travellers Bolton. Fortunately for Rangers they’ve been taken over by motorsport tycoon Tony Fernandes. The business man is an ambitious fellow – here is my favourite bit from his takeover statement:
“I could easily say we’re going to win the Champions League and the Premier League, but that’s really not my style. I don’t want to make big promises I can’t guarantee.”
Needless to say he’s ready to fund a few moves and boss Neil Warnock wants five new faces. West Ham’s Scott Parker is definitely a target but I reckon the midfielder may hold out for a little while longer to see if something else comes up such as a move to Spurs, if and when Modric goes. But as it stands, a move to Loftus Road is not off the table. A striker is another priority but no new names have cropped up on my radar as yet – I’ll keep you updated when I do get a sniff as Warnock will set his sights a little higher now he’s going to have some extra funding.
The Queens Park Rangers boss could also make a move for Jimmy Bullard, who will soon be without a club as Hull City are planning to terminate his contract. The highly-rated, yet injury-prone, playmaker could contest the Tigers decision but he should be a cheaper option now his mega-contract at the KC Stadium isn’t holding him back and a move back to Shepherds Bush could well appeal. Other sides who have been credited with Bullard are Bolton (unlikely, they’re well staffed in the middle of the park and need players in other areas), Wigan (equally unlikely), Norwich (who could be tempted), while Blackburn and West Ham have also been linked – his agent claims two top flight sides have already enquired.
Parker’s decision on whether or not to move to the west London outfit would ultimately hinge on his own prospects for a better move and whether or not QPR can land any of their other alleged targets. If Warnock does pick up one or two high-profile players the midfielder’s mind could be swayed. Shaun Wright-Phillips and Peter Crouch have both been linked with QPR and if a player of that ilk makes the move then Parker could follow.
Barton, Gervinho and Nasri
Manchester City are still sweet on Arsenal’s Samir Nasri and the Frenchman could be having a medical at Eastlands as I write (Thursday night), based on the fact City boss Roberto Mancini has been seen at a private hospital. Wenger is sticking to his line of wanting to keep hold of the dynamic Frenchman but like so many of Wenger’s recent statements it is a claim that carries little weight. I’ve also suggested Joey Barton is a Gunners target in the past and Wenger has spoken of the midfielder favourably but no move will surely happen now following the shenanigans and handbags between the volatile midfielder and Gervinho last weekend. It seems pretty certain now that Barton will remain on Tyneside for the final year of his deal, but not beyond.
Talking of Gervinho, it seems likely as I suggested in an earlier column that he is going to fit in well at exasperating Arsenal. He comes from Lille with the baggage that he is likely to frustrate as often as delight, and so far at least, it looks like he will continue in that vein. At the moment though its more consternation than inspiration with Gervinho as the Frenchman looks to find his feet.
Last week I also poured cold water over links with Wigan and West Brom’s Peter Odemwingie, I doubted the Latics would make a move (they did) but, as anticipated, the Baggies told them to do one and Odemwingie has now signed a new deal. The Nigerian hitman could be the subject of speculation again in January if he can get amongst the goals though as he has caught the eye of some of the Premier League’s big boys but an exit before the summer deadline is highly unlikely. The one surprise to me is that anyone has ended up squabbling over the Nigerian. He was highly scouted before arriving in the Premiership and the Bolton scout Les Padfield was amongst a number of talent spotters who found much to dislike in the then £2.5m man from Lokomotiv Moscow. It’s all about opinions I suppose.
The Stoke City Defender Collection
Stoke City have been busy increasing their defensive options this summer with boss Tony Pulis picking up free agents Matthew Upson and Jonathan Woodgate during the current transfer window. This has led to talk talisman Ryan Shawcross could be heading for pastures new, with Liverpool keen, but Pulis has rejected any speculation he is moving on and I’m going to take that at face value – if he could get away with it Pulis would probably play at least seven centre-halves.
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has confirmed he is after a keeper, following Fraser Forster’s loan exit to Celtic, and widespread reports state Charlton’s Rob Elliot is his chosen target. Elliot has a year left on his deal and the Addicks will probably accept Newcastle’s offer due to the shot-stopper’s contract situation.
Up in Glasgow, Celtic are being linked with a mystery Eastern European striker (he aint that good and I am not allowed to tell you who it is yet). Rangers have signed the veteran American Carlos Bocanegra, seemingly in a fit of desperation, and after last night’s last minute defeat at Maribor, the knives are clearly out for Super Ally McCoist. It is a shame Skybet’s 11/10 (2.1) about McCoist exiting Ibrox before the season’s end wasn’t slightly bigger. The rookie boss looks on a hiding to nothing to be honest at a club where cash and goodwill are in notable short supply.
West Brom boss Roy Hodgson has been linked with Manchester City’s Nedum Onouha, who is also a target for Bolton and Sunderland. Having spent time at the Stadium of Light last season the Black Cats are probably the frontrunners here but Steve Bruce now seems ready to wait and see if he can get the versatile defender at a cut-price rate later in the window after doing the majority of his shopping early on. The Wanderers are waiting to see if anyone ultimately comes in and matches their valuation of Cahill before they seek defensive additions so the Baggies could well steal a march if they make a move early.
Everton in Skint Shock!
It has been remarkably quiet at Everton this summer, while there has been a hustle and bustle of transfer activity at Anfield but over the road at Goodison there hasn’t even been a sniff of a new faces. Chairman Bill Kenwright has been open enough to explain they simply don’t have any cash as the banks (or the source of all evil as I like to call them) won’t give them any more money. This means a few fringe men could well be sold this summer, with Joseph Yobo on the verge of a move to Fenerbahce and Jermaine Beckford heading to either West Ham or Leicester. However, these two won’t command massive fees and, as we intimated way back in one of my first columns, boss David Moyes will decide to cash in on either Leighton Baines or Jack Rodwell if he decides he needs to strengthen elsewhere. Even if they don’t bring anyone in I can’t see Everton going down, they’re too good for that, but any hope of a top six spot looks out of the question and I’d avoid them in terms of betting in that market – even at a best priced 14/5 with Skybet.
Wolves kicked off in style with an away win at Blackburn, who I’ll come back to later, and boss Mick McCarthy has told Nenad Milijas he needs to fight for his place amid reported interest in Middlesbrough’s Marvin Emnes. Boro boss Tony Mowbray is keen to keep hold of the winger and has already rejected Swansea’s attempts to secure Emnes but Wolves have a bigger budget than the Welsh outfit and a move could well happen before the window slams shut.
Back to Blackburn now and it doesn’t look too hot at Ewood Park for boss Steve Kean. Incidentally I reckon the Rovers could well be heading for the drop this season and you can back them to be relegated at 2/1 with William Hill, Unibet, Stan James, Coral and a few other bookmakers if you agree. Yet again the ambitious, yet relatively clueless, Lancashire outfit have been chasing some names out of their range. Unsurprisingly they have missed out on Raul, a man who never looked like leaving Schalke on account of his ongoing love-in with The Bundesliga. Someone in East Lancashire should really get focussing on more obtainable targets. Quick.
However, it would seem as if Sporting Lisbon misfit Simon Vukcevic is on the verge of a move to Ewood Park and he’s had a medical at Blackburn. Misfit seems like a kindly description for a player ‘in the classic Balkan mode’: that is, he is a character of boundless self confidence underpinning gross underachievement. Bolton have been linked again but I’m pretty sure that is just a re-hashed rumour from some time ago (previous boss Gary Megson was a fan) and now the Wanderers have secured Tuncay and look certain to land N’Gog they won’t move for another frontman, leaving the way clear for the Rovers. Will he make a massive difference and can he hack it in the Premier League? I’m not sure to be honest, in the past he has shown real talent but his biography reads like a saga of unfulfilled potential. It all depends on whether or not Steve Kean can get the best out of the temperamental Montenegrin – and let’s face it, the Scot has got enough on his plate as it is.
I have been doing a full list of transfers completed club by club previously but I’ll leave that now until I do my final update following the close of the window. It seems a bit pointless now with the deals coming thick and fast and after a couple of days it will be out of date but stay tuned folks for the September 1st edition, when I’ll go through a comprehensive run down of the deadline day deals.