A further helping of transfer gossip, rumours and damned lies
Ricardo Carvalho and Deco to Inter Milan
The biggest transfer news of a very slow day comes from Italy’s Sky Sport 24, who claim that Chelsea do not want Nicolas Burdisso or Maicon in exchange for Jose Mourinho’s good friends Deco and Ricardo Carvalho and are instead holding out for around £12 million for the pair.
The Spoiler truth-o-meter: Maicon’s agent Antonio Caliendo says that he expects his client to stay put this summer so it would make sense for Chelsea to take as much money as they can and shop elsewhere.
Felipe Melo is staying with Fiorentina
Just a day after being urged by international teammate Gilberto Silva to sign
Robinho to Barcelona
The Brazilian forward has responded to speculation that the treble winners could be interested in signing him by telling Spanish newspaper Sport: “Barcelona are a great team and everybody would love to play for them.”
The Spoiler truth-o-meter: Financially, there is no pressure on Manchester City to sell so Robinho is only likely to leave if Mark Hughes feels he can get someone better in.
Heurelho Gomes to PSV
In 90% of Spurs’ games last season, Gomes was one of Spurs’ best players and a vital part of the best home defence in the Premier League. However, The Mirror only remember the mistakes and expect him to be offloaded to fund a
The latest transfer gossip, rumours and damned lies
Heurelho Gomes to Chelsea
“Chelsea Cech out Spurs keeper Gomes as blunder boy Petr heads for Stamford Bridge exit,” claims a headline on the Daily Mail website.
The Spoiler Truth-o-meter: A very unlikely transfer with a fickle headline. The English press have lauded Petr Cech as the best goalkeeper in the world for years but one high-profile mistake has turned him into a “blunder boy”. Meanwhile Heurelho Gomes, who the media not long ago treated as a laughing stock is now considered good enough for Chelsea.
Carlos Tevez to someone wealthy
Tevez’s two-year loan ends this summer and despite previously expressing a desire to stay at Old Trafford, the Argentine is reportedly annoyed at never starting important games. Chelsea, Manchester City, Inter Milan, Juventus and
Yesterday Scottish Premier League leaders Celtic visited Hibernian, and were duly handed a 2-0 schooling. John Rankin’s goal came courtesy of a hideous error from Hoops keeper Artur Boruc, who appeared to momentarily lose all sense of hand-eye coordination.
On matchday, Premier League football fans need three things to sustain their interest in the beautiful game: an overpriced ticket for a flimsy plastic seat, a weak pint (to be consumed away from the playing surface, Mr Ashley) and a good scapegoat on which to blame the entire team’s shortcomings.
Here’s the top ten players and managers who have been made to bear the brunt of their club’s collective sins in 2008/09 thus far…
Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal) The Spoiler’s Arsenal correspondent claims that Bendtner has overtaken Emmanuel Eboue in the Emirates scapegoat stakes, being vilified to such an extent on Saturday that Emmanuel Adebayor received a hero’s reception when he was brought off the bench to offer some firepower.
Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham)
Heurelho Gomes has put in a sturdy challenge in recent weeks but he still has a fair way to go before toppling Jenas, who has been the main subject of clenched fists and growling at White Hart Lane for a few years now.
Florent Malouda (Chelsea)
Apparently being the midfielder who has provided the most assists in the Premier League this season isn’t enough to save you from abuse when you occasionally misplace a pass or have the audacity to have a shot saved.
Luis Boa Morte (West Ham)
Holds the dubious honour of being one of the only players in the world
Tottenham’s keeper goes from bad to really, really bad
Gomes, in happier times, when he could catch two balls at once. Now he can’t even catch one
Another game, another howler by Spurs’ calamitous Brazilian. This time, at Fulham, Gomes fumbled the ball into his own net, a rookie error that arguably robbed Tottenham of at least a point.
What’s happened to Gomes? At PSV he looked like one of the best keepers in the world, stopping shots for fun. But the Premier League has exposed him as a clumsy, reckless, butter-fingered charlatan, with a nasty habit of injuring his own defenders. He is still capable of pulling off the odd stunning save, but if he can’t get the basics right, Harry Redknapp must put him on eBay.
Spurs fans never thought they’d miss Paul Robinson this much. Heurelho, congrats: you are officially shit, aaaaaaaah.
Avid fans of goalkeeping errors will no doubt be aware of the howler AS Nancy’s Gennaro Bracigliano committed last night in a UEFA Cup tie against polish side Lech Poznań. The Frenchman strongly refutes the goal, but the fact that he let it touch the crossbar while walking it back into the net with him really let his case down.
Tottenham getting comfortable at the bottom of the table
When they sent Paul Robinson packing, Spurs might have imagined their days of calamitous goalkeeping were over. Not so. Gomes should have saved Ashley Young’s long range effort, and the sides should have drawn like the chickendinner predicted.
If they wish to break into the top seventeen this season, Tottenham should hope for better fortunes when Wigan visit at the weekend.