Benzema denies Arsenal Move
French striker Karim Benzema has dismissed reports he is poised to leave Real Madrid for Arsenal.
THT Verdict: Impossible. Benzema to Arsenal is impossible. Period. Arsenal cant afford his wages and cant offer him the stardom the striker enjoys at Madrid and Benzema looks like he has finally become the striker Real envisioned.
English Clubs Chase Pedro Leon
Everton, Aston Villa and Fulham have all contacted Real Madrid about taking former Spanish Under-21 midfielder Pedro Leon on loan.
THT Verdict: Unlikely. Pedro Leon reportedly has been offered back to Getafe on loan with a 8 million euros buy clause at the end of the season. But, the deal has not yet been confirmed and the English clubs can try to land him ASAP. A very good crosser with a good set piece delivery, Leon could flourish well in the PL if used properly.
Tottenham To Bid for Llorente?
Tottenham are expected to hold talks with transfer target Fernando Llorente when the giant striker visits White Hart Lane with Athletic Bilbao for Saturday’s pre-season friendly.
THT Verdict: Highly Unlikely. Fernando Llorente is the star striker of Athletic Bilbao and spurs have nothing to entice him to their club. They are not in the Champions League and cannot offer outrageous salaries. Llorente can vie for the Europa League with a decent pay without leaving his comfort zone.
Boton Eye Double Swoop
Bolton are in negotiations with Manchester City over winger Shaun Wright-Phillips. The Trotters are also seeking a striker and could turn to Cameron Jerome of Birmingham as Liverpool will not alter their £4.5m valuation of David Ngog.
THT Vedict: SWP move is highly likely. Shaun Wright-Phillips will be a step backward for Owen Coyle, whose aim of building a dynasty at Bolton did not quite have signing rejects as part of the plan. But Coyle has the ability to get the best out of underperforming players. Cameron Jerome is definitely another possibility and we reckon it may happen if Ngog deal doesn’t go through. Either way, Jerome may just be a better signing (or at least, on par with Ngog) for Bolton since he brings more muscle up front.
Stoke Enter Parker Chase
Stoke have joined Spurs and Chelsea in the race to sign West Ham midfielder Scott Parker, who is valued at £8m.
THT Vedict: Scott Parker wouldn’t be too disappointed with Stoke City. At Chelsea, he is not going to get opportunities and at Spurs, the case could be similar. At Stoke, he is assured Premier League football and would be assured games, as well. In its bid for Parker, Stoke could be listing similar reasons to lure Parker to the Britannia.
Blackburn Set Samba Price
Blackburn Rovers have put a £12m price tag on Chris Samba in a bid to keep him at Ewood Park.
THT Vedict: A fair price (if not slightly low) in today’s inflated transfer market, especially for a 27 year-old in, perhaps, the best form of his life. It will be the Venky’s best achievement if they can keep their star player at the club. Slapping this price tag doesn’t really help their cause.
Premier League Clubs Join Barton Chase
Two Premier League sides are reported to have contacted Newcastle about Joey Barton, and the midfielder is set to determine whether or not he can leave the club immediately on a free transfer.
THT Vedict: This is going to be an off-field battle, perhaps involving court visits. Barton’s comments have damaged Newcastle’s season even before it began (predictably) collapsing. We think Joey Barton is not going to be a Newcastle player come the start of the season. However, he is not going to be joining a club soon, either, due to legal issues.
Real Madrid Agree Canales Sale
Real Madrid CF and Valencia CF have reached an agreement for the transfer of Sergio Canales. Valencia CF have a purchase option by which Real Madrid CF would retain their right to repurchase the player.
THT Verdict: We, at THT had predicted a week ago that this would be happening. Its win-win deal for all the parties involved.
Tottenham In Talks With Real Midfielder
According to the mirror, Spurs are looking to bring in Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diara.
THT Verdict: Likely. Lass DIarra is sure to leave Santiago Bernabeu and Spurs will have the upper hand in this deal as Madrid have to offload Diarra. The bids seems to have dried up for the French man and they need to sell him quick for a good price rather than sell late for cheap( remember Van der Vaart!). And, Madrid will not push hard for the Bale thing as they have quite a good number on wingers at their disposal.
Bolton Look To Negotiate Over SWP
Owen Coyle has been informed that Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips will not be loaned out which has led to him to negotiate with the Manchester outfit for a low price for the player.
THT Verdict: Likely. City would not want to drag this transfer unnecessarily and might eventually agree on a fee that will see the player depart the club. There are several new faces in the team that the management needs to cater to and they will be eager to let go of the deadwood and free some cash to balance the account books.
Arsenal Starlet Loaned Back to Rangers
Arsenal youngster Bartley heads back to Rangers on season-long loan deal.
THT Verdict: The search for a massive defender could well end for Arsenal with Kyle maturing fast. But, before he is placed into the first team, he needs some experience elsewhere. A Championship team or a low-lying Premiership team would have been ideal for Kyle, whose own-goal gave the Emirates Cup to NYRB. As of now, Rangers looks like a decent option if he is allowed to play day in and day out.