There Is Only One Sinnacle

Manchester City’s Emmanuel Adebayor is determined to leave Eastlands before the end of the transfer window if an offer comes in for him. Talksport

Life as Arsenal’s first choice striker doesn’t look so bad now doesn’t it? Serves Adebayor right for being a gaint headache in his Arsenal days. Back in 2008 I could of understood Adebayor being annoyed about his salary and wanting to play for A.C Milan. A year later after Arsenal and Adebayor have agreed to a new contract to pout like a child again, well karma comes to mind.

Tottenham are in talks with AC Milan over bringing Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to White Hart Lane on a season-long loan deal. The move will include the option to buy at the end of the spell, with the sum of £12m thought to be the asking price. Daily Mirror

Newcastle and West Ham are keen on signing Tottenham striker Robbie Keane on loan before the transfer window shuts on Tuesday. Talksport

I’d be looking to sell Robbie Keane and using those funds to help buy Klass-Jan Huntelaar. The Robbie Keane to Newcastle rumours amuse me because of the special1tv interview where Rooney was asking Keane about Newcastle and he goes “I’m not that desperate.”

Liverpool and Newcastle will find out soon who has won the race to sign Marseille winger Hatem Ben Arfa. The 23-year-old has gone on strike at his French club in an effort to force through a move. German side Werder Bremen are also interested. Talksport

Maybe if Gerard Houllier was still in charge of at Liverpool Hatem Ben Arfa would join them. So much talent, so much of a headcase.

Fulham boss Mark Hughes is set to raid his former club Manchester City to sign striker Roque Santa Cruz and goalkeeper Shay Given. Daily Mail

The least Manchester City could do for Mark Hughes after tossing him aside is to throw a couple of players his way.

Ajax goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg is not interested in leaving the Dutch side for Arsenal following their Champions League qualification. Talksport

It’s good to see Ajax back in the Champions League. Just one of those clubs for me who should be in the Champions League after a couple of years away.

West Ham are poised to make a move for Hamburg’s 29-year-old right-back Guy Demel. Talksport

With Manchester United and Chelsea coming up, West Ham need help quick.

New Manchester United striker Bebe, who manager Alex Ferguson paid £7.4m for without seeing him play, was not included in the club’s recent 16-man reserve squad to face Manchester City – and was this week taken out of a training match because he was ‘off the pace’. Daily Mail

Loved how Sir Alex Ferguson defended Bebe against these “attacks” as he called them. No one figured Bebe to rush into the starting so now the press are hoping Manchester United end up looking foolish for singing such an unknown player.

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez called Birmingham boss Alex McLeish “disrespectful” over his pursuit of Latics winger Charles N’Zogbia. The Sun

Dog eat dog world and don’t think Alex McLeish is losing too much sleep over this. Besides Wigan in the end have accepted Wigan’s bid for N’Zogbia.

Oh Ricardo Quaresma why can’t you put it all together. Everytime I check a Besiktas Europa League score it seems Richardo Quaresma has scored today included. Life in Turkey is turning out nicely so far it appears.

Sorry about starting this off with Jose Mourinho but it always seems like whatever team he coaches they are the second seed in the Champions League draw. Be it having to face Real Madrid when Porto won the Champions League, or facing Barcelona twice with both Chelsea and Inter Milan. It’s never easy for the Special One when it comes to the Champions League draw.

Group A: Inter Milan, Werder Bremen, Tottenham, FC Twente

Group B: Lyon, Benfica, Schalke, Hapoel Tel Aviv

Group C: Manchester United, Valencia, Rangers, Bursaspor.

Group D: FC Barcelona, Panathinaikos, FC Copenhagen, Rubin Kazan

Group E: Bayern Munich, AS Roma, FC Basel, CFR Cluj

Group F: Chelsea, Marseille, Spartak Moscow, MSK Zilina

Group G: AC Milan, Real Madrid, Ajax, Auxerre

Group H: Arsenal, Shakhtar Donetsk, SC Braga, FK Partisan

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is hoping to secure the funds to make a move for Sampdoria’s Italy striker Giampaolo Pazzini, 26, with a fee of about £14m likely. caughtoffside.com

Guess Roy Hodgson was watching the Champions League mid week also. Pazzini second goal against Werder Bremen was top class.

Manchester City are battling with AC Milan for Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahomovic, with the Serie A side set to target City’s Brazilian forward Robinho, should Ibrahimovic choose to move to Eastlands.
Full story: imscouting.com

Zlatan Ibrahomovic would be a better fit playing in Serie A but Robinho would be a lot easier to sign. Would also be interesting to see the magic Ronaldinho, Robinho and Pato can produce.

Bayern Munich’s Argentine utility player Martin Demichelis has turned down a £10m move to Chelsea, saying he wants to join Spanish side Sevilla. Daily Mail

Martin Demichelis is one of the most over rated defenders anyway.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle wants to bring Manchester United’s England Under-21 midfielder Tom Cleverley to the Reebok. Daily Mail

Cleverley would be a good replacement for Jack Wilshere. Wisely Arsenal wants to keep a hold of Wilshere this season.

Newcastle are eyeing a double loan swoop for Manchester City defender Dedryck Boyata and striker Roque Santa Cruz. Daily Mail

Take a guess where Santa Cruz will end up in. One minute it’s France, then Lazio and now Newcastle.

However, England manager Fabio Capello says he will not try to tempt the likes of midfielder Scholes, Manchester United defender Wes Brown, Blackburn goalkeeper Paul Robinson and Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher out of international retirement. the Independent

All of those players are old, plus in the case of Brown and Robinson they have already called time on their England career.

Liverpool’s 3-0 drubbing by Manchester City on Monday has prompted manager Roy Hodgson to make a shock move for West Ham striker Carlton Cole, with the Reds prepared to offer £6m up front for the 26-year-old. Daily Mirror

No idea why the Daily Mirror wasted newspapar space on this rumour. Not a chance West Ham sells Carlton Cole for 6 million up front.

Hodgson is desperate to sort out the future of Javier Mascherano, who wants to move for family reasons, and has told Barcelona they will need to pay £18m in cash by the end of the weekend to secure the Argentine midfielder. Daily Mail

A new coach needs every player to be on board. Javier Mascherano was never going to be on board with Liverpool going forward.

Barcelona may offer midfielder Alexander Hleb and defender Martin Caceres in part exchange as they look at ways to tempt Liverpool to sell Mascherano. the Guardian

Like both players but neither is British so it’s unlikely both will make their way to Liverpool. Maybe one as a makeweight but not both.

If Liverpool do finally offload Mascherano, they may attempt to secure Marseille’s £7m-rated midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa. Daily Star

Liverpool should do backflips if they can get Hatem Ben Arfa for 7 million. Unlikely, even with Hatem Ben Arfa walking out on Marseille that the French side will sell him at that price.

Everton have been put off Tottenham striker Peter Crouch after being quoted what they consider to be an exorbitant fee of £10m. Talksport

Not in the English trasnfer market it isn’t. This is the same club who sold Andrew Johnson to Fulham a couple of years ago for double figures.

England manager Fabio Capello has come under fire from Real Madrid’s new manager. Jose Mourinho said: “He has a one-track relationship with players. You cannot go around just shouting at players. They need to feel special. Capello will not work for England. He does not know the players. They are frightened of him and they can’t play for him.” Daily Mirror

The special one isn’t one to hold back.

Always love transfers that come out of the blue as Lyon have spent big to sign Yoann Gourcuff who most people would consider the best player in France currently.

Lyon must be thinking if you can’t beat them, sign them as Gourcuff was the main reason Bordeaux snapped Lyon seven year reign on top of Lique 1 back in 2009. The 22 million euro fee Bordeaux recieved is impressive but it comes at a cost selling Gourcuff to a league rival. Lyon has signed Gourcuff, Marseille signed Loic Remy and Bordeaux now look to be a distant 3rd in the French top division.

Wonder what Lyon will now do with Miralem Pjanić as Gourcuff may push him out of the starting 11? If I was another European club I’d be making calls right now asking for the price tag on Pjanic.

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho rules out moves for Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and Manchester City’s Emmanuel Adebayor. Asked about Drogba, he said: “Again, no chance.” Sky Sports News

These Drogba to Real Madrid rumours where always silly. Selling Carvalho is one thing but Chelsea isn’t going to sell a player they can’t easily replace in Drogba. As for Adebayor it’s just the press trying to create a plan B.

Nice striker Loic Remy, who was heavily linked with West Ham, Stoke and Tottenham, has been cleared to join Marseille after undergoing extensive tests on a heart condition which was discovered during his medical (Associated Press, 1215 BST).

This last week must of been stressful for Remy. It’s one thing waiting for a move, it’s another having to worry about your life nevermind career.

Liverpool have told Barcelona that they want £24.5m in cash for Javier Mascherano after rejecting an offer of £18.8m, plus Alexander Hleb for the 26-year-old Argentine. goal.com

I like Roy Hodgson but he played this hand very wrong. It was clear after the World Cup Macherano wanted out. He isn’t Steven Gerrard, give him what he wants and cash in on a nice transfer fee. After Cesc Fabregas decided to stay at Arsenal, Liverpool could of created a bidding war between Inter and Barcelona. Instead of doing the smart thing, Hodgson tried to create the illusion that Macherano was happy at the club when it’s clear he wasn’t. Now he walks out of the club and Barcelona now holds all the cards at the moment. I also can’t blame Macherano in this mess. Yes, walking out is unprofessional but trusting Liverpool to run their affairs properly would be foolish considering the way Liverpool have been run these last couple of years. Macherano has said enough is enough cause it’s not everyday Barcelona comes calling.

Juventus have set up a £15m option to purchase former Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani, who they are set to sign from Liverpool on an initial loan. insidefutbol.com

I was wrong about Alberto Aquilani. Still didn’t think he got a fair shot in English football but can’t blame either Aquilani or Liverpool in this breakup.

Birmingham are set to make an improved £9m offer for Wigan’s Charles N’Zogbia and are also keen on £2m PSV Eindhoven left-back Carlos Salcido. Daily Mail

If Carlos Salcido played in England he’d be worth double that. Wigan would be foolish to turn down that amount of money for the talented but moody N’Zogbia.

Sunderland are interested in West Ham striker Carlton Cole after being rebuffed in their efforts to sign Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan from Rennes. Daily Mail

I don’t get why teams trip themselves over Carlton Cole. He may look the part of a big time striker but he is far from it.

Everton manager David Moyes is leading the chase for Peter Crouch – and will let Tottenham have contract rebel Steven Pienaar in exchange for the England striker. Daily Mirror

I see Tottenham moving Robbie Keane before they sell a player with a unique skill set like Crouch.

Out-of-contract Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre has turned down a move to Turkish club Kayserispor. The 33-year-old is believed to eyeing a move to the United States to join compatriot Thierry Henry at Red Bull New York. imscouting.com

Only way Mikael Silvestre makes the move if he agrees to play for 400k or less.

Brazilian forward Robinho is set to meet officials from Fenerbahce in Manchester on Tuesday in an attempt to seal a move from Manchester City before the 31 August transfer deadline. Daily Telegraph

I wonder if Robinho is jealous seeing his former teammate Neymar sign a five year contract extension with the club he’d love to play for.

Arsenal’s French manager Arsene Wenger believes England deserve to host the World Cup in 2018. “Nowhere else in the world can you travel into the centre of a town or city and find the football stadium squeezed between the streets where people live their lives,” he said. Daily Mail

Clearly Arsene Wenger has never been to Hamilton Ontario.

Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano has agreed personal terms with Barcelona for a move to the Spanish side, however the clubs are yet to settle on a fee. Barca have offered around £12m but Liverpool want closer to £21m. insidefutbol.com

If Barcelona have only offered 12 million for Mascherano these rumours won’t be ending anytime soon.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis has ruled out a move for Tottenham striker Peter Crouch, insisting the former Liverpool and Portsmouth player is out of his price range. Sky Sports News

It also doesn’t help that just about every other Tottenham striker seems to be banged up at the moment.

Liverpool are also willing to engage in further talks with Inter Milan over the sale of Dirk Kuyt to the Italian side. The Reds have already rejected an offer thought to be in the region of £7.5m plus Nigerian striker Victor Obinna. IM Scouting

Inter Milan striker Victor Obinna is due at West Ham on Monday for talks. Hammers boss Avram Grant has acted swiftly to tee up a possible move for ­the 23-year-old Nigerian international.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Victor Obinna has been a forgotten man for Inter Milan. A couple a years ago a loan move was arranged with Everton but Obinna couldn’t get a work premit.

Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Stephane Sessegnon is keen on a move to England, with Tottenham and West Ham interested in the 26-year-old. Daily Mail

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is preparing a £12.3m bid for Benin international Sessegnon.
Full story: caughtoffside.com

West Ham doesn’t have the muscle to get a player like Sessegnon who would be an ideal fit for Tottenham.

Fulham boss Mark Hughes insists goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer’s departure from Craven Cottage is not a “foregone conclusion”, in spite of continued interest from Arsenal. The Guardian

I can understand why Mark Hughes doesn’t waive the white flag but unless Arsenal pull out of a move for Schwarzer he is leaving.

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez faces crunch talks with his chairman Dave Whelan. Martinez wants to bring in two strikers but Whelan is more keen to discuss plans for the defence after the Latics conceded 10 goals in two games. Daily Mirror

It’s clear Roberto Martinez needs a lot of both.

Dirk Kuyt’s agent, Rob Jansen, claims the Liverpool striker is considering a reunion with former Reds boss Rafael Benitez at Inter Milan. Jansen claimed there is “real interest” from the European champions and added: “There is also the possibility that a player from Inter could be included in the deal.”
Full story: Voetbal International (in Dutch)

Can’t see Liverpool letting Dirk Kuyt go. He is just too important to the team and too much of a fan favorite to let go. His loss would affect the dressing room, plus Kuyt has a knack of playing well in big games.

Paul Konchesky has been offered a new contract by Fulham to keep him out of the clutches of Liverpool, who are preparing a £3m bid for the English left-back. Goal.com

Paul Konchesky should be quite happy with all this attention. Not an awful player but not one teams should be lining up for.

Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart is eyeing a move to Manchester United after becoming one of four players put up for sale. The Dutchman said: “If you are leaving Real Madrid, there is only one club that is not a step down – and that’s Manchester United.” Daily Express

Rafael van der Vaart would make a good plan B after not being able to sign Mesut Ozil.

Tottenham are set to offer £6m for Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar, who has just one year remaining on his contract, and secure the services of Read Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra on a loan deal.
Full story: Daily Mail

Why in the world does Tottenham need another wide midfielder? I like the move for Gallas if he comes in. It will be like the reserve Sol Campbell except Gallas would be 10 years old at the time he switched. Picking up Lass Diarra would also be a good piece of business for Tottenham as Harry Redknapp knows him well from the Portsmouth days.

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has confirmed he is considering the possibility of sending midfielder Alberto Aquilani out on loan in an effort to help him play first-team football. talkSPORT

When a new coach doesn’t even give a player a chance you know it’s tme for Aquilani to go back to Italy.

Blackburn are set to sign Jonathan Greening from Fulham on a season-long loan. The former Manchester United midfielder, 31, is not in new Fulham boss Mark Hughes’s plans and Rovers have been cleared to speak to him. Daily Mirror

Champions League winner Jonathan Greening who was the last sub on the bench for the epic Manchester United vs Bayern Munich final.

Fulham may agree to sell goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer to Arsenal in exchange for striker Carlos Vela and cash. goal.com

Surely either goal.com or Fulham are having a laugh with this rumour. Fulham have little pull here. Why keep a 37 year old player who you signed on a free transfer when you can turn around and sell him for a decent amount. It pointless for a new coach to keep an unhappy player when building a team.

Shay Given is set to walk out on Manchester City after finding out Joe Hart will keep his place in goal for the Europa League qualifier against FC Timisoara on Thursday night. Given is now mulling over possible on-loan moves to Arsenal or Fulham. Daily Express

Would be the answer to Fulham (or Arsenal’s) problems right there.

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has insisted that midfielder Javier Mascherano will not be offloaded for anything less than £25m to Inter Milan and has told the Argentine he should be prepared for an extended stay at Anfield. the Guardian

Nice job by Roy Hodgson making sure it doesn’t seem like he was bullied into selling Javier Mascherano .

Or the Reds may yet sell Mascherano to fund further purchases after he left the Argentina international out of the squad to face Trabzonspor in the Europa League on Thursday. The Inter Milan and Barcelona target’s absence prevents him being cup-tied for European competition. Daily Mail

It may take til the final day but Mascherano is going.

Chelsea may miss out on the signature of 18-year-old Brazilian Naymar after the striker’s club Santos offered to make him their highest paid player and refused to accept any offers less than their valuation of £29m. the Independent

Chelsea are up against Ajax in the battle for the signature of 17-year-old Anderlecht striker Romelu Lukaku.
Full story: talkSPORT

Chelsea could sign Romelu Lukaku for half of what it would take to sign Neymar. Lukaku could even turn out to be a better player too. Sign Lukaku and keep him playing for Anderlecht this season is what I would do.

Manchester United may be about to test Deportivo La Coruna’s determination to keep hold of Mexico winger Andres Guardado with a £12m bid. Caught Offside

Despite being banged up some the last couple of years I’m surprised Deportivo has been able to hang on to Andres Guardado for this long. Not sure if he is a proper fit for Manchester United however.

Liverpool are weighing up an approach for Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz and may also include his Eastlands team-mate Wayne Bridge in the deal as they look to fill a left-back vacancy. Caught Offside

A lot of teams would be smart to pick off the excess meat from the Manchester City bone.

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has hit back after Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson accused teams of spending money with “kamikaze effort”. City have spent £130m this summer but Mancini said: “It’s normal when you want to buy a good player that you have to spend money. It is not important for me [what Ferguson says]. I respect his opinion but I repeat that United, like City, have spent a lot of money in the past.” Daily Mail

Sir Alex Ferguson said the right thing but he was the wrong guy to say it. A club whose payroll is 237.1 million shouldn’t be talking about what other owners are spending.