Fulham Eye Juventus striker Amauri
THT Verdict: Likely. Any club willing to buy Amauri will be doing a massive favour to Juventus. Last season proved that Amauri can never be successful at a big club, but can score regularly in small, provincial clubs. Fulham fits the bill perfectly in that respect. Amauri can do well in the Premiership, theoretically, because of his physical playing style.
Roberto Mancini Wants Daniele De Rossi Also?
THT Verdict: Unlikely. Luis Enrique has recently said that he hopes that the Italian star stays with Roma even after next season. Rossi’s contract expires at the end of this season, and negotiations are underway to renew the contract. With the buzz around Roma increasing by the day, it is unlikely De Rossi would leave for foreign shores.
Chelsea Look To Add Pereira To Their Ranks, While Malouda May Depart
THT Verdict: Unlikely. If Pereira is signed, it would make the Zhirkov sale very foolish to start with. Zhirkov, who was reduced to serving as a 18m back-up to Cole over his stay here, was allowed to leave for 13m, however, as he was in the last year of his contract, the deal made sense, especially with Chelsea looking to add more players. Now, if Pereira is signed to serve as Cole’s back-up, it would again mean that Chelsea have not learnt from their mistakes. However, with talks of Malouda’s sale during the rounds, it may be that Villas-Boas wants to play the Uruguayan as left winger, while playing Mata centrally or on the opposite flank. If Cole is to leave, if not now then next summer, and Pereira is in fact being considering for the role of left-back, then it would be seriously unfortunate as Chelsea have two quality, young left-backs in Bertrand and Aanholt patiently waiting for their chance.
Barton Edges Closer to QPR Move
After being reportedly chased by a number of Premier League clubs, it looks Joey Barton has finally chosen his destination. The midfielder is reportedly set to undergo a medical at newly promoted club Queens Park Rangers and is set to sign with the club over the next day or two.
THT Verdict: A really good move by QPR. Barton is surely an asset to any team who has watched his performances at Newcastle United over time. The player has peaked to his best form recently and so there couldn’t have been a better time for the Hoops to bag him. It might be too early to tell but signing a player of Barton’s caliber might have strengthened QPR’s chances of staying in top-flight football next season.
