Beckford Wanted by Leicester
According to reports, Everton striker Jermain Beckford has caught the eye of Leicester City manager Sven Goran Eriksson and the Foxes are set to lodge an offer for the player.
THT Verdict: Unlikely. David Moyes is on a shoestring budget already and the last thing he would want is to watch a youngster depart the club. Beckford is yet to make a mark at Goodison Park and is set to feature more often this season due to the unavailability of new faces. A move to Leicester simply won’t happen.
Liverpool To Offer Cash Plus Player for Shawcross?
Reports in the media are talking of Liverpool making a player plus cash offer for Stoke City captain Ryan Shawcross. A bid of 10 million pounds plus defensive midfielder Christian Poulsen is said to be the offer on the table.
THT Verdict: Hard to say if this will go through. Liverpool are clearly trying really hard to get rid of their deadwood and Poulsen is one of those. Defensively, the club does need some strengthening. Dalglish has announced that the owners have given their full backing with regards to revamping the squad and so chances are we will a see bid lining up soon.
West Brom Up Odemwingie Price
Wigan’s recent 4 million pound was rejected by the Baggies and it is now reported that the club has increased the asking price of their player to 8 million pounds in an effort to keep hold of their striker.
THT Verdict: Hodgson is trying to build a formidable squad at the Hawthorns and it is no big surprise that the club has taken this step to keep hold of Odemwingie. The striker had a fruitful season at the club last season and Hodgson will surely want to build upon it rather than rebuild from scratch.
Arsenal Turn Towards Joe Cole?
The recent departure of Cesc Fabregas and the imminent departure of Samir Nasri has surely given the media a lot of hogwash to cook. Latest reports are suggesting that the Gunners have turned their attention towards Liverpool flop Joe Cole.
THT Verdict: Unlikely. One important reason why Joe Cole hasn’t yet made a switch is because of his wage demands. The player is on a 60,000 pound per week salary at Anfield and it is unrealistic to expect Wenger give a nod to those numbers if he was to bring the England international to the Emirates.
Redknapp In Need Of A Striker, Ade Linked Again
According to the Mirror, the higher echelon of Tottenham Hotspur has passed a verdict saying that the club’s next acquisition should be a striker. Reports are again linking the Lilywhites to Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor.
THT Verdict: The chances are looking increasingly likely. Looking at the way Dzeko and Aguero performed for the Citizens in their first game, it is quite obvious that Tevez and Balotelli would soon want to join the party. This definitely would pave the way for Adebayor’s exit and the sooner this happens, the better it is for the player. Spurs will again be gunning for Europe and Adebayor will surely help this cause.
Blues Rumoured To Be Monitoring Meireles
Chelsea are reportedly considering a move for Liverpool midfielder Raul Meireles.
THT Verdict: Unlikely. Even if Liverpool decide to offload Meireles, Chelsea may not be too interested in signing him. One must not forget that it was Villas-Boas who had allowed Meireles to leave to Liverpool after taking over at Porto. Moreover, Chelsea are looking at younger players to secure the long-term future of the club.
Chelsea Enter Nasri Chase?
Chelsea are rumoured to be rivalling Manchester City for the services of Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri.
THT Verdict: Villas-Boas was quoted saying that Nasri is one of the most exciting players in the Premiership and his contract is termination. We can expect Chelsea to table a late bid for the Frenchman, who can play wide and through the center – a player Chelsea can certainly use. However, whether anything substantial happens will depend on the player’s wage demands as Chelsea are unlikely to the match the wages being offered at City.
Bolton Prepare Fresh N’Gog Bid
According to the Times, Bolton Wanderers are preparing a fresh bid of 4 million pounds plus add-ons for want-away Liverpool striker David N’Gog after seeing an initial 3.5 million pound bid rejected.
THT Verdict: Likely. Liverpool would not want to hang around with an overload of players and at some point will have to accept the offer for N’Gog. 4 million pounds is a good price for the player and it will help the Reds free up another slot upfront and bring in a new striker to support Suarez and Carroll ahead in the park.