There Is Only One Sinnacle

First off congrats to England for retaining their England title yesterday.

Manchester United’s hopes to sign Germany international goalkeeper Manuel Neuer could be scuppered after his club, Schalke, opened negotiations to buy out a €15 million (£12.8 million) release clause in his contract. Full story: Daily Telegraph

Considering the flood of top level goalies out there Manchester United really shouldn’t pay over 20 million for one. Don’t see why Manchester United just cuts Schalke a cheque now.

Manchester City are likely to lose £10m on striker Emmanuel Adebayor, who looks set to make his loan move to Real Madrid permanent in a £15m deal. Daily Star

Considering the market for a striker currently 15 million seems like good business.

Arsenal and Manchester United will have to smash the British record transfer fee for a goalkeeper if they want to sign Liverpool’s Pepe Reina. The Spain international has a release clause of £20m in his Anfield contract. Daily Mail

Smart move by Reina agent getting a release clause in his new deal.

Turkish side Galatasaray are keen on Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou and could offer £9.4m for the Ivory Coast international. Imscouting.com

Kalou is another Chelsea player who should see the written on the wall. He was having a decent season too.

Newcastle face a battle to keep hold of winger Jonas Gutierrez at the end of the season as the Argentine midfielder is a big-money target for Italian club Lazio. Talksport.com

I like Gutierrez but Lazio should save their money.

Meanwhile, the Magpies have targeted Wolves striker Kevin Doyle as a possible summer replacement for Andy Carroll, who joined Liverpool in January. Caughtoffside.com

In other words Newcastle are hoping Wolves goes down.

Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha, currently on loan at Sunderland, could make his stay at the Stadium of Light permanent if Black Cats boss Steve Bruce can meet City’s £8m asking price.
Full story: Daily Star

Steve Bruce should spend some of that Darren Bent money left over to buu Nedum Onuoha.

The sale of Joleon Lescott for a fee of about £24m to Manchester City helped Everton avoid losses of £22m in the financial year ending 31 May 2010. the Guardian

What an awful transfer fee.

Aston Villa’s Gabriel Agbonlahor admits he must overtake new signing Darren Bent to regain his place as first-choice striker. the Sun

Considering Aston Villa spent 24 million on Bent that isn’t likely to happen. His own fault for not scoring the first half of the season.

Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni believes Darron Gibson should quit Manchester United to further his career. the Guardian

Trapattoni is right but it isn’t the brightest thing to say out loud. Puts Darron Gibson in a tricky position now having to answer a bunch of questions.

I remember a couple of months ago when Portugal smoked Spain 4-0 thinking Portugal just defeated the World Champions….that makes us the World Champions. Then that theory got ruined as Argentina had already defeated Spain beforehand. So that makes Argentina world champions. It also makes Spain the Buster Douglas of Champions. Now I know Argentina lost to Japan 1-0 but they were playing with B lebel players plus I refuse to recognize Japan as world champion.

That makes tonight the night where Ronaldo will lead Portugal to greatness against Lionel Messi and Argentina. We will see how great Messi is tonight with Xavi and Iniesta feeding him steaks.

Basically what I am saying is when Portugal wins today I expect all of you to consider them the rightful World Champions

When I was researching this I wondered who is the European Champion where Spain held on to it’s title for two years until losing to Switzerland in the World Cup. Switzerland then lost to England in a friendly which makes England the European Champions. Congrats England.

Chelsea had a £36m bid for Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez rejected by the German club last month. “I only found out about the offer after the club had turned it down,” said the 25-year-old Germany international. “But it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. I am already at a top club and I am playing where I always wanted to.” (Full story: Sport Bild)

I’ll give Chelsea credit for bidding the right amount. Considering Bayern Munich spent 30 million to bring Gomez in you know it would of taken something over that for them to even consider it.

A memorabilia collector has claimed that David Trezeguet’s France shirt from the World Cup final win over Brazil in 1998, which was bought for £6,000, has been destroyed by French customs officers who wrongly thought it was fake. Le Dauphine (in French)

That’s a kick to the teeth.

Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina says he could follow Fernando Torres out of Anfield if the club do not qualify for the Champions League. the Guardian

Baldy better forget about going to Manchester United. I can’t blame him for wanting to play for a Champions League club but he’ll need to move abroad to do so.

Marseille are poised to tempt Chelsea striker Didier Drogba to move away from London with a £5m-a-year offer. Daily Express

I feel sorry for Marseille fans as the club keeps teasing a Drobga return every couple of months.

Dutch midfielder Mark van Bommel says he would be open to a move to Tottenham when his short-term deal with AC Milan ends in the summer. (the Times)

Of course he would be, if your looking for a job you are not going to burn any bridges.

Barcelona have ruled out signing Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas at the end of the season.
Full story: Daily Express

Oh yeah I’m sure that will be the end of it.

Bolton striker Johan Elmander is ready to quit the club if a new contract is not sorted out.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Timing isn’t great as the goals have been dying up for Elmander.

Newcastle want to sign Finland forward Shefki Kuqi to cover their shortage of numbers in the striking department. The 34-year-old is a free agent after cancelling his contract with Swansea by mutual consent. Daily Mail

Newcastle are in talks over possible moves for two unemployed strikers – former Middlesbrough and Arsenal man Jeremie Aliadiere and Brazilian Ewerthon, who was released by Sao Paulo-based club Palmeiras in January. Metro

Ewerthon it is then.

Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner says he could leave the club in the summer as he looks for more first-team opportunities. the Guardian

I really don’t know why Arsenal still keeps Bendtner around. Too much of a hassle for a player who isn’t an elite level striker.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew will attempt to prise Roman Pavlyuchenko away from Tottenham this summer after the Russian striker said he was unhappy with his bit-part role at White Hart Lane.
Full story: Caughtoffside.com

I don’t know if Newcastle could land Pavlyuchenko but it would be a good move for the club. He may not track back but Pavlyuchenko can score.

Southampton chairman Nicola Cortese has criticised Liverpool and Arsenal for the way they have tried to sign their midfield star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Daily Star

Arsenal is worse for English football than Chelsea. Chelsea over pay for players in their prime. Teams like Arsenal (and to be fair Manchester United, Chelsea tries too but they never end up signing anyone good in the end.) try to rip off smaller clubs but stealing their prized assets before they can get anything out of them.

Manchester United have been linked to Barcelona’s former Liverpool player Javier Mascherano, with Old Trafford boss Sir Alex Ferguson keen to add a defensive midfielder to his ranks.
Full story: Caughtoffside.com

Makes sense, plus Mascherano gets to live close to Carlos Tevez. Barcelona may not take a loss but they will sell.

Former Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson will be offered a quick return to football by West Brom as they draw up a shortlist to replace Roberto Di Matteo, who was relieved of his duties on Sunday.
Full story: Daily Mail

Talk about a rash decision on West Brom’s part. Di Matteo got you to the top flight, if you are going to sack him surely it should of been done before the transfer window closes. Hodgson may keep them up but it’s a total 180 when it comes to style of play.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle is in talks with Chelsea about keeping striker Daniel Sturridge on loan next season after the 21-year-old scored in each of his first two games for his new club.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Sturridge should be smart enough to see the writting on the wall. He isn’t going to play for Chelsea anytime soon.

Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko looks likely to leave White Hart Lane in the summer after telling a Russian newspaper he is unhappy with life on the bench under manager Harry Redknapp.
Full story: the Sun

May of been more helpful for Pavlyuchenko if he spoke up during the transfer window.

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere is unlikely to be punished by the Football Association for venting his anger at referee Phil Dowd on Twitter after Saturday’s 4-4 draw against Newcastle.
Full story: Daily Mail

Love how Wenger didn’t see Abou Diaby red card but was all over Joey Baton’s tackle. Same old Arsenal. Still hope they beat Barcelona however.

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez will hold talks with owner Dave Whelan about the poor state of the pitch at the DW Stadium, with the latter facing a £100,000 bill to replace the playing surface.
Full story: Daily Mail

Dave Whelan should have a talk with Roberto Martinez about the poor play on the pitch.

Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina could follow compatriot Fernando Torres out of Anfield as Manchester United prepare a bid for the 28-year-old Spaniard with Edwin van der Sar retiring at the end of the season. Metro

If Torres can force a move out of Liverpool so can Reina but after three wins in a row all seems well with Liverpool at the moment.

Chelsea are planning a summer clear-out which could include Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda, John Obi Mikel, Jose Bosingwa and Yuri Zhirkov as owner Roman Abramovich looks to bring in cash after the signings of Fernando Torres and David Luiz. The Sun

Didier Drogba 10 million
Florent Malouda 10-15 million
John Obi Mikel a bucket of chicken should do the trick
Jose Bosingwa 8-10 million
Yuri Zhirkov 10-12 million if some Russian club bites.

Manchester City and Chelsea are set for a summer bidding war over Ajax right-back Gregory van der Wiel. talkSPORT

With Luis Suarez being sold for just over 20 million you can safely say the market for van der Wiel shouldn’t top 20 million.

Turkish side Galatasaray are to test Chelsea’s resolve to retain 32-year-old striker Didier Drogba with an approach at the end of the season. FootyLatest.com

Real Madrid or France will be Drogba’s next home.

Manchester United are set to offer left-back Patrice Evra a new contract which could ensure the Frenchman stays at Old Trafford for the rest of his career. The 29-year-old has 18 months remaining on his current deal and has been a target for Real Madrid and Inter Milan. The Sun

If the money was right I’d sell. I do enjoy it when he bad mouths Arsenal and gets into fights at stamford bridge.

Manchester United lead the chase for Udinese’s Chilean winger Alexis Sanchez after his agent confirmed he would move on in June. talkSPORT

Alexis Sanchez will leave for a lot of money this summer. Could easily see him get Luis Suarez type money.

Newcastle have been linked with clubless ex-Arsenal and Middlesbrough striker Jeremie Aliadiere after selling Andy Carroll, loaning out Xisco and losing Shola Ameobi to injury. Daily Mirror

Poor Newcastle, Aliadiere is awful.

Real Madrid defender Pepe is stalling on a new deal in Spain as he is aware Chelsea are interested in him. talkSPORT

I wouldn’t mind seeing this happen only if it means a Pepe-Luiz partnership with John Terry on the bench.

Zoltan Gera is ready to leave Fulham on a free transfer in the summer, with Newcastle, Stoke and Birmingham all interested in the 31-year-old Hungarian midfielder. Daily Mail

With only 6 months left til he is a free agent I wouldn’t do anything either if I was Gera.

Arsenal are keeping tabs on Omar Salgado, a 17-year-old Mexican striker at Major League Soccer side Vancouver Whitecaps. Daily Mirror

I’m sure Arsenal will be hoping Salgado is more like Javier Hernández and less like Carlos Vela.

The Gunners are also interested in Paris Saint Germain defender Mamadou Sakho who is in talks over a new contract in the French capital. Inside Futbol

Signing Sakho could of meant an EPL title but Wenger again chooses to have faith in his players.

Chelsea may add 23-year-old Napoli striker Edinson Cavani to their squad in the summer as manager Carlo Ancelotti seeks to bring in younger players to an ageing squad. Caught Offside

Cavani is built for the English game but it won’t come cheap.

Liverpool tried and failed to get a gentleman’s agreement included in the contract of Torres stating that the Spaniard would not play against them on Sunday when the Reds visit Stamford Bridge. the Guardian

Liverpool have denied seeking any such arrangement and instead are concentrating on getting striker Luis Suarez’s paperwork in order in time for the Uruguayan to play against Stoke on Wednesday evening. (the Independent)

He said, she said but if I was spending 50 million on a player I’d love to be told I couldn’t play him. I doubt Andy Carrol is going to be up in the pressbox when Liverpool face Newcastle.

Arsenal playmaker Samir Nasri, who has 18 months to run on his current contract, will accept a five-year extension, guaranteeing him a weekly wage of £75,000. the Sun

Nasri is in a good spot with his break out year it wouldn’t make sense for him to leave.

The Premier League says there is no likelihood of the transfer window being scrapped, despite criticism by the League Managers’ Association. Daily Telegraph

The League Managers’ Association are a bunch of whiners. EU labour laws wouldn’t allow for the January transfer window to be scrapped anyway.

Former Liverpool midfielder Ryan Babel, who was punished for unflattering comments on Twitter about referee Howard Webb, used the social networking site to say thank you to Liverpool fans after his move to Hoffenheim. Daily Mail

He should of said I’m sorry for not being able to get the most out of his talents.

Sorry about the Sun link but I love reading this story about the bloody fool who changed his name to Fernando Torres this past Christmas.

I love this quote

“I did think about changing my name to Steven Gerrard, but I wanted something a little more flamboyant.”

Link

The big winner in this Fernando Torres is Luis Suarez who will almost be coming in under the radar with the talk of the town being about Torres leaving and Carroll coming in.

The big loser here is Andy Carroll who will have the weight of the world on his shoulders now. For every goal Torres scores Carroll will need to pretty much match plus I have my doubt if he can handle the pressure of that transfer fee. Let’s not forget Carroll pretty much has one year of top flight football under his belt as he came on during the last half of Newcastle regulation campaign and the first year of this year. Only in English football is a player with 1 England game under his belt in a Friendly no less is worth 10 million more than a top five player in the past World Cup.

The one thing I will say about Carroll is that I believe his side of the transfer drama a lot more than Newcastle’s side of the story. I mean come on here you have Mike Ashley who has been crying poor about losing 100 on Newcastle and then he gets an offer of 35 million for one player? Seriously do you expect me to believe he isn’t going to take it? Of course he is going to take that cash.