EPL Gossip Monday April 19th
Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has held a secret meeting with Barcelona president Joan Laporta in Morocco where he is on holiday recovering from a leg fracture. The Spanish champions have denied that they have an informal agreement with Arsenal not attempt to attempt to buy the 22-year-old this summer.
Full story: imscouting.com
Not so much of a secret is it?
Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov is a summer target for AC Milan. goal.com
Somewhere I can just picture a Manchester United fan saying Berbatov for Pato? Berbatov wouldn’t do too badly however in the slower pace of Serie A.
West Ham striker Carlton Cole has been linked with a move to German giants Bayern Munich. Lille winger Eden Hazard and Anderlecht forward Romelu Lakaku have also been earmarked by Bayern scouts.
Full story: imscouting.com
No offense to Carlton Cole by if I’m Bayern Munich I’m selling Luca Toni (won’t get much I know) and Franck Ribery then spend it on the likes of Hazard, Lakaku (who says he will stay at Anderlecht til he is 18 but we will see) and still have money left over.
Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic could be on his way to Juventus in a swap deal which would see goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon arriving at Old Trafford. Footylatest
Juventus are a mess, it doesn’t shock me to read about Buffon exit rumours even if this downfall has little to do with the player himself.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is set to make a £9m bid for Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart after losing patience with current first-choice stopper Manuel Almunia. caughtoffside.com
You know Arsenal fans are begging for this to be true. Makes so much sense I’m shocked I didn’t think of this before. Almunia has been given enough rope to hang himself on. He is a number one on a decent team, you don’t want him to be a number one on an elite team.
The Gunners may also move for Bolton defender Gary Cahill to replace William Gallas, who is out of contract at the end of the season. Footylatest
Another smart move but unlikely to happen. Wenger will find a player with Cahill skill set but since this player won’t be English he’ll cost a lot less.
Tottenham could tempt Everton playmaker Steven Pienaar away from Goodison Park with a £14m summer bid. caughtoffside.com
Never pictured the day where I would see Pienaar linked with a £14 million dollar move.
Chelsea will make a decision on the future of on-loan defender Michael Mancienne this week but Wolves manager Mick McCarthy has warned that the England Under-21 star, who has been the star performer for the Molineux club this season, is not good enough to play for the London side yet. Daily Mail
Why in the world do they have to make a decision this week? Doesn’t make any sense, keep him for the summer then decide right before next season opens.
Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will leave Inter Milan to replace Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson at the Old Trafford helm at the end of next season. Daily Star
Ferguson may not win a title and the media are already making plans to push him out the door? Mourinho may be the only manage who can fill the huge shoes Ferguson left behind but boy it’s a tough job to do. You want to be the manager who replaces the managers who replaced Ferguson (hope I didn’t confuse you.) Whoever replaces Ferguson will have the fans going show me what you can do. The second points stopped behind dropped the exit rumours will start. Fans will most likely be welcoming of the following manager in charge, one who isn’t taking over from a legend.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is relieved that the club rejected advances from both Manchester City and Inter Milan for Welsh international defender Gareth Bale last summer. Daily Mail
Bale did make Paulo Ferreira look like a school boy this weekend.
Manager Roberto Mancini insists Manchester City will clinch fourth spot and a Champions League place – despite their last-gasp defeat by Manchester United and Tottenham’s win over Chelsea. Daily Mirror
Somebody should call Sven Goran Eriksson who went 2-0 against United in his only season at Manchester City.
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez claims it was unrealistic to expect the Reds to win the Premier League title this season, despite last season’s second-place finish. Daily Mirror
I know why they do it but hate it when managers have to make excuses to deflect the blame.
Former Leeds and Manchester City defender Danny Mills completed the Brighton Marathon in a wheelchair, making his way round the course in in two hours, 43 minutes to raise money and awareness for the spina bifida charity ASBAH. Daily Mail
Nice little story to end this massive EPL Gossip post off.