EPL Gossip Thursday November 20th
Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill is ready to battle Arsenal for £8m-rated Standard Liege midfielder Steven Defour. (Daily Mirror)
Eight million pounds is reaching the limit on what Arsenal will spend on a player that isn’t a sure thing unlike the Samir Nasri signing in the summer. With Aaron Ramsey, Nasri, Fàbregas, and Jack Wilshere all able to play the attacking centre midfielder role Defour would be better off looking towards Aston Villa who could use a player with his talents.
Roque Santa Cruz is keen to leave Blackburn and accept an offer to join his former Rovers boss Mark Hughes at Manchester City in January. City could pay up to four times the £4.5m Rovers paid Bayern Munich for the Paraguay striker in the summer of 2007. (The Guardian)
Mark Hughes may not even be the Manchester City coach come January but one thing seems to be certain that Roque Santa Cruz will become this year’s version of Nicholas Anelka in the next transfer window. Just like Bolton could only hold on to Anelka for so long the same appears to be the case with Blackburn and Santa Cruz.
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is eyeing West Ham’s goalkeeper Robert Green or a potential loan deal for Manchester United’s Ben Foster as he looks for a January replacement for the error-prone Heurelho Gomes. (Daily Express)
Since Robert Green hasn’t kept a clean sheet in over 6 months he’ll fit right in at Tottenham.
Former Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd has failed in a £13m bid to buy Spanish side Real Mallorca and has been told it will cost him at least £12m more to clinch the deal. (Daily Star)
25 million pounds for a team who finished 7th in La Liga last year or 250 million pounds for a team like Newcastle as an example. I know which one I’d rather have money in.
Ashley’s hopes of selling the club have been hit by figures that show the Tynesiders are losing fans quicker than any other Premier League side. (Daily Telegraph)
Really who can blame them? Fans will accept losing if they see hope of things getting better down the road but that isn’t the case with Newcastle. It’s always one setback after another lately.
The Premier League winner’s medal that former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho threw into the stand at Stamford Bridge after his side clinched the 2006 title has been sold for £21,600 at auction. (Daily Telegraph)
I’d never sell it but then again I’m shocked it took this long to be auctioned off.