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
The latest transfer gossip, rumours and damned lies
Stewart Downing to Aston Villa The Spoiler assumed that replacing Martin Laursen and Gareth Barry would be Aston Villa’s priority right now but apparently not. The Daily Mail claim that Martin O’Neill is looking to thwart Spurs (and they sure will be heartbroken!) by signing Downing on a loan deal with an option to make the move permanent.
The Spoiler truth-o-meter: This has to be nonsense. Villa have a lot of work to do this summer and bringing in someone who plays in the same position as their star player Ashley Young is surely not top of the agenda.
Joleon Lescott staying with Everton
The Daily Star report that Manchester City have been priced out of a move for
A further helping of transfer gossip, rumours and damned lies
Samuel Eto’o is going to snub Manchester City
Today’s papers are filled with talk of Eto’o moving to Eastlands for a pay packet ranging between £180,000-a-week and £250,000 depending on which tabloid, if any, you choose to believe. However, the striker’s agent has said: ”If there is not a 180-degree turnaround then he will stay with Barcelona.”
The Spoiler truth-o-meter: It looks like the 28-year-old isn’t interested in missing out on Champions League football in favour of more money, which is impressive considering he was linked with a move to Uzbekistan last summer.
Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid
The Liverpool midfielder is keeping his cards close to his chest regarding his future. The Spaniard told Don Balon magazine that he is happy to stay at
The reaction of the American media to their national side ending Spain’s 35-game unbeaten streak may have been unbearable but it would have been just as bad - if not worse - over here if England had done it. The USA have made this pretty meaningless tournament worth watching and they will fancy their chances of winning it after seeing Brazil stumble past South Africa last night in the other semi-final. The bookies don’t though and some of the trends identified by our friends at chickendinner make it easy to see why:
1. Brazil have won 14 of their 15 matches against USA (one after extra-time). The USA’s one win over the holders came in the 1998 Gold Cup Final, with former Everton winger Predrag “Preki” Radosavljevic scoring the winner.
2. USA haven’t scored against Brazil in three previous Confederations Cup meetings, with Dunga’s side beating them 1-0 in 1999 and 2003 and winning 3-0 against them last Thursday.
Will Tevez shock the world again or is Kia just being clever?
Nothing is ever simple where Kia Joorabchian is concerned so it wasn’t a huge surprise when he declared yesterday that there is a mystery club battling it out with Manchester City and Chelsea for Carlos Tevez.
The Telegraph claim that Barcelona are the team in question but Joorabchian stated last week that Tevez would “definitely” join a Premier League club.
The Argentine’s agent said he wouldn’t swap Man United for Liverpool, which would leave just Arsenal and potentially Aston Villa, Spurs, Everton and West Ham as even mildly viable options. It’s very unlikely that any of those clubs could afford to break their transfer record to buy him let alone pay his wages.
So do we therefore assume that the mystery team are based abroad after all, or has Joorabchian just invented this third party (ha!) in an attempt to pressure Chelsea and City into offering better terms. The Spoiler is leaning towards the latter but let us know what you think with a vote and comment below:
The Athlete, The Ambassador, The Icon, The Job Hunter
Since Michael Owen’s representatives actively attempted to lower his potential future earnings with their 32-page glossy joke, only one club have been brave enough to publicly declare an interest in the Championship striker. Phil Brown today spoke to the Hull Daily Mail:
“We will be speaking to Michael’s representatives within the week.
“I would think he would have a number of offers and we’ll have to be competitive.
“But I wouldn’t sit down with him if I thought I was wasting my time. Anything is possible in football.”
Despite Brown’s interest, Owen isn’t expected to turn out at the KC Stadium: Sky Bet price Phil Brown’s side at 8/1 to capture the 29-year-old, suggesting that he is waiting for a better offer.
Aston Villa are 6/4 favourites to sign him, with Everton 9/4 and Liverpool 5/1. It’s also 5/1 that he stays with Alan Shearer, the manager Owen is so confident will be a success that he is doing everything in his power to escape from.
The former England man’s brochure he wants to make the press “eat their words” next season (something that he didn’t seem too bothered about doing towards the end of the last campaign), but at which club should he dish up the humble pie?
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