While Real Madrid have been busy signing Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and co, the Big Four have so far captured Thomas Vermaelen, Ross Turnbull, Daniel Sturridge, Glen Johnson, Antonio Valencia and, probably, Michael Owen.
With all the big names heading over to Spain, the Premier League’s elite have been forced to adopt a different strategy this summer, as shown by the unusually high number of English players being bought.
The arrival of the galacticos has left plenty of talented players at Real Madrid looking for new clubs, some potentially capable of doing a job for one of the Premier League’s title challengers.
The Spoiler wants you to pick which one of the men reportedly made available by Florentino Perez last month would be your first choice. To avoid sitting on the fence, we’d probably go for Wesley Sneijder:
A further helping of transfer gossip, rumours and damned lies
Andriy Shevchenko to Dynamo Kiev
Shevchenko could be set for a return to Dynamo Kiev, the club where he established himself as one of the best strikers in Europe. President Ihor Surkis claims that the 32-year-old was very interested in the Ukrainian club’s proposal, which would would see him offered a coaching role when he retires.
The Spoiler truth-o-meter: It looks like even Carlo Ancelotti doesn’t want Shevchenko to extend his stay in England and with AC Milan looking elsewhere, a return home seems plausible.
Jose Bosingwa to Bayern Munich
Another player still linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge is Bosingwa, with Bayern Munich confirming that they have no intention of
Chelsea’s recent freebies haven’t had much success at the Bridge
Chelsea’s decision to bring in Ross Turnbull on a free transfer makes sense: they get to fill the squad place vacated last January by Carlo Cudicini on the cheap and if a year or two down the line they want to upgrade, he’s young enough for them to make a profit on him.
But is the former Middlesbrough keeper going to stay the duration of his four-year contract and prove a shrewd acquisition or will he be swiftly written of as a failure? Chelsea’s recent record at signing out-of-contract players suggest that the latter is more likely.
The last four players that the Blues have picked up for nothing - Steve Sidwell, Tal Ben Haim, Claudio Pizarro and Mineiro - started a combined 21 league
What if Michael Owen followed up his glossy brochure with an appearance on Dragon’s Den…
[talkSPORT Magazine]
Chelsea have rejected a £30 million bid from Manchester City for John Terry
[The Guardian]
The Italian press expect Manchester United to bid for Zlatan Ibrahimovic
[Football Italia]
A contentious list of the top ten Bosman buys of all time - was Hull’s Geovanni really a more inspired signing than Champions League winner Henrik Larsson?
[Daily Mail]
Man United fans aren’t too excited about the prospect of signing Michael Owen
[Republik of Mancunia]
Arsene Wenger thinks Emmanuel Adebayor will stay this summer
[Sky Sports]
The latest transfer gossip, rumours and damned lies
Luis Fabiano to Manchester United
While Michael Owen stories have dominated today’s back pages, The Daily Mirror claim that Manchester United are offering Sevilla £16 million to try to beat AC Milan to the signing of Brazil striker Fabiano.
The Spoiler truth-o-meter: Fans probably wouldn’t be too happy to see Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez replaced solely by Antonio Valencia and Owen so it is plausible, especially considering the latter’s injury record, that Sir Alex Ferguson will want another attacking option.
Yuri Zhirkov to Chelsea
Chelsea completed their first summer signing last night, bringing in Middlesbrough’s reserve keeper Ross Turnbull - who conceded seven goals
Having just been released by Hertha BSC, Sofian Chahed finds himself searching for a new club. Any prospective employers should bare in mind the fact that the midfielder comes complete with a fantastically attractive WAG, actress Rossanna Alva.
She’s the brunette in the picture above, posing with Andriy Voronin’s wife Yulia (who seems to have made some improvements to her wardrobe).
Will the Red Devils regret taking on the First Class striker?
After beating off the advances of Stoke and Hull using a stick with a piece of dog poo on the end, Michael Owen yesterday found himself on the brink of a move to Manchester Utd.
Sir Alex Ferguson is said to have studied the Wasserman glossy brochure in great detail, and depending on which paper you read, will offer the Championship striker between £20,000 and £50,000-a-week, with added bonuses for not being injured.
According to Sky Sports, Owen has just passed a medical at the club. So it looks like this thing is really going to happen.
But is the man who is not deemed worthy of a place in the England squad worthy of the Premier League champions? On the one hand, he is a relatively low financial risk and is a proven finisher, particularly when paired with Wayne Rooney. However, his constant injuries and wonky form could easily put him on the Forlan/Saha/Smith flop list. Also, few Utd fans will roll out the welcome mat for a player who once said this:
“In an ideal world, and in the long term, I want to help Liverpool become the most successful club in the world again.”
Let us know whether you think Owen will prove to be a Cantona-style bargain or another of Fergie’s regrettable acquisitions below…
Sergio Aguero could be on his way to the Premiership
According to reports in Spanish newspaper AS, have a back up plan if they don’t manage to secure the services of fit & healthy charismatic striker Michael Owen. Apparently, they will offer Atletico Madrid €46m for Sergio Aguero, the man who is currently diddling Diego Maradona’s daughter (and possibly some unscrupulous models).
The Spoiler truth-o-meter: The Atletico hitman is under contract in Spain until June 2012, and has a €60m buy-out clause in his contract. Last time we checked, the number 46 was less than the number 60, so we don’t think this one has legs.
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