Should he move to Chelsea or Liverpool or stay at Portsmouth?
Peter Storrie has confirmed that Portsmouth have accepted an offer from Chelsea for Glen Johnson, meaning that the England international has a big decision to make. Should he:
a) Go back to Chelsea
Johnson would get to play Champions League football again and settling in wouldn’t be a problem because he already knows the club and many of the players. However, he has said that he fell out of love with football during his first spell at Stamford Bridge and there is a danger that could happen again.
b) Move to Liverpool
Liverpool were the first team to stump up the cash for Johnson and at Anfield he would have the chance to both play in Europe and make Chelsea regret selling him. Rafael Benitez isn’t very patient with new signings though - see Robbie Keane - and full-back is the least secure position at the club, as Steve Finnan harshly discovered last summer.
c) Stay at Portsmouth
He has rediscovered his love of football at Fratton Park and is guaranteed first-team football there, which is a necessity ahead of the World Cup. With a new owner and manager set to arrive, there is potential for the club to grow, although if it all falls through they could face another relegation battle
Let us know what you think he should do with a vote and comment below:
The most regrettable transfers in Premier League history
It’s the January window, which means plenty of players are going to trade hands. Some clubs will end up paying far too much money for their new blood (Manchester City have already got the ball rolling on that one), while others will land a player who proves to be a bargain and a regrettable loss for their former employer. A classic example of the latter is Denis Law: Manchester United decided to let their second highest goal scorer of all time leave on a free to rivals City. Law only spent one year at City in his second spell before retiring, but his last goal came in the last game of the 1973-74 season against United. The red side of Manchester needed a win to stay up, but a Law back heel in a 1-0 win confirmed their place in the Second Division for the next season.
With this case study in mind, here’s the Premier League ‘Shouldn’t have let him go XI’…
Brad Friedel (Liverpool to Blackburn, 2000, free)
Friedel only managed 30 starts for Liverpool in three years before he was allowed to move on a free to Blackburn, after failing to displace Sander Westerveld. Since leaving Merseyside, Friedel has been one of the most consistent keepers in the league, while Liverpool have been through Westerveld, Dudek, Chris Kirkland, Pegguy Arphexad and Scott Carson, before settling with current shot stopper Pepe Reina.
Steve Finnan (Fulham to Liverpool, 2003, £3.5m)
Finnan was a key figure in the Cottagers side that won the Second Division and First Division and was a member of the PFA Team of the Year in his first season in the Premiership with them. He managed over 200 appearances for Fulham before moving to Liverpool and winning the League Cup, FA Cup and Champions League in his 5 years on Merseyside.
Jonathan Woodgate (Leeds to Newcastle, 2003, £9m)
In January 2001, Leeds were top of the Premiership. Two years later, they found themselves fighting a relegation battle. Then came the sales of Lee Bowyer, Robbie Fowler and their best defender, Woodgate - unsurprisingly their poor form continued. The following season Woodgate’s value to the team was all too evident when Roque Junior was brought in to fill the gap. Junior looked like he had money on a Leeds relegation as the club conceded 25 goals in the 7 games he played in.
Matthew Upson (Arsenal to Birmingham, 2003, £1m)
Upson only managed 20 league starts in nearly six years at Arsenal before he was sold for half the price they had previously paid for him. He excelled at Birmingam before a £6 million switch to West Ham, where his performances have been rewarded by a call up to the England team. Recent reports have suggested that following the uncertainty of the future of ex-captain William Gallas, Professor Wenger is keen to spend over £10m on bringing him back to Arsenal. If he does rejoin the club, maybe he’d have more luck starting if he changed his name to Mathieu Upsoné.
David Unsworth (Sheffield United to Wigan, 2007, free)
Mr Unsworth wasn’t the biggest success at Wigan - he only managed 10 games for the club. He did, however, manage to score the winning goal with a penalty in Wigan’s last game of the season to keep them in the Premier League. And the side who went down at Wigan’s expense? Sheffield United.
Premier League referee prone to the occasional error
After Newcastle became the latest team to be denied important points as a result of a mistake by referee Rob Styles, The Spoiler decided to look at who else have fallen victim to his calamitous decision making in recent years.
In goal is Shay Given, who made what deserved to be a match-winning save from Stephen Ireland last night but wasn’t because Manchester City were afforded another opportunity to break down Newcastle’s ten men and scored.
Our left-back is Jlloyd Samuel, whose great tackle on Cristiano Ronaldo last month was punished when Styles pointed to the spot. Accompanying Habib Beye, who is a makeshift centre-back due to Styles’ habit of making costly errors against right-backs, is Stoke’s Ibrahima Sonko, who was adjudged to have fouled Obafemi Martins in Reading’s 3-2 loss at St James’ Park in December 2006, a decision his boss Steve Coppell labelled “a guess-timate”. Steve Finnan completes the defence after Rob Styles famously pointed to the spot last season when Florent Malouda ran into the Irishman with Liverpool beating Chelsea 1-0.
Barcelona fans were none too happy with being a goal down at Steve Finnan’s side Espanyol this weekend, so they had to pull something out of the bag to encourage their team. Instead of producing a rousing chant, they took the classic ‘throw flares at the home fans and get the game stopped for eight minutes approach’. It was a cunning move, as Barca won the match 2-1 courtesy of a 103rd minute (!) effort from Leo Messi.
Following a lacklustre transfer of summers, we may actually witness an exciting transfer deadline day today. Here’s how it’s shaping up so far…
Xisco to Newcastle
Deportivo are claiming that they have agreed a £5.7 million deal to sell Spanish striker Xisco to Newcastle. Aston Villa were thought to be keen on the 22-year-old, but it looks like Dennis Wise and co may beat them to the punch.
Steve Finnan to Espanyol
The Spanish club are linked with a move for unwanted right-back Finnan and are of course the team that Liverpool target Albert Riera plays for, prompting the question: are cash-strapped Liverpool trying
Sir Alex Ferguson is still refusing to rule out a move for Barcelona flop Thierry Henry, despite his comments in April that “Arsenal are the only English club” for him. Dimitar Berbatov still appears a more likely arrival, so perhaps the Thierry talk is Ferguson’s way of testing Spurs’ resistance.
Elsewhere in transferland…
Didier Drogba to stay
After spending a few weeks mulling things over while desperately waiting for phone calls from Barcelona and Milan, Drogba has kindly decided that it would be nice to continue playing for the club who pay his wages.
The Spoiler Truth-o-meter: Nobody wants him so he has no choice
Justin Hoyte to Middlesbrough
Boro sent their chief international scout to
Top priority:
Invest in the defence - You can pretty much guarantee this is at the top of Newcastle’s list every summer, but whoever they bring in seems to flop. In Michael Owen, Obafemi Martins and Mark Viduka they have a well-balanced strike trio, although they could use someone new to provide backup alongside Andy Carroll. The midfield may require one or two new faces should Emre, Barton or Milner leave.
Fitting the bill: Anton Ferdinand, Mikael Silvestre (if Barton leaves), Steve Finnan
Sunderland
Top priority:
A new transfer strategy - Sunderland’s last two Premier League seasons saw them relegated with record low points totals (now broken by Derby) and it took over £40 million of spending to finish in 15th this time round. Last season Sunderland spoke loudly about their big budget, which led to them paying over the odds for average players like Michael Chopra, Kieran Richardson and Andy Reid. A bit more tact this summer may see them continue to strength but without being taken to the cleaners, though rumours of a £5 million bid for James Beattie don’t offer much hope.
Fitting the bill: Michael Dawson, Stephen Hunt, Pedro Mendes, Carlton Cole
Middlesbrough
Top priority:
A replacement for Mark Schwarzer - Gareth Southgate’s side aren’t expected to spend as heavily as their neighbours, but they did surprise everyone by bringing in Afonso Alves in January, so they may catch others off guard again. Southgate has admitted he isn’t looking to change things too drastically due to his faith in the squad.
Fitting the bill: Carlo Cudicini, Scott Carson, Tomasz Kuszczak
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