Eurosport - Sun, 01 Feb 17:43:00 2009
It seems like it takes an age for anything to get done in football these days. Roque Santa Cruz to Manchester City? Andrei Arshavin to Arsenal? Tony Adams to the dole queue?
The Sunday papers continue to trot out the regulars as the transfer window begins to creek shut but so bored are they of repeating themselves that they have decided to churn out a few summer gems which should get tongues wagging.
The first of which is the rehashing of an oldie but a goodie - Robinho to Chelsea - with a summer move for the pint sized Brazilian being planned by the Blues.
Of course Chelsea are mere paupers these days compared to Manchester City so they will have to sell Didier Drogba to finance the deal.
Robinho is said to be so unhappy at Manchester City that he is willing to take a pay cut to move to London. That pay cut could be as much as £20,000 a week which would limit him to a measly £140,000 every seven days and what with living expenses being so high in London he might have to settle for an Aussie houseshare in Fulham as opposed to a plush pad of his own up the road in Chelsea.
However, who will actually be willing to pay big bucks for Drogba remains a mystery, although apparently Chelsea have already offered him to City in part-exchange for Robinho and indeed tried to push home the move this month.
Mark Hughes though is insistent that Santa Cruz is the man he wants and his last act as City manager could be persuading the club's mega-rich owners to splash out £20 million on the Paraguayan striker.
One more move that is being put on the back burner until the summer is Manchester United's planned £15m signing of Wigan's midfielder Antonio Valencia.
The Ecuadorian winger turned down a move to Real Madrid just last week and instead will move up the road to Old Trafford.
So that will leave Manchester United with a new right winger and Real Madrid still looking for one. Hmmm - what's two plus two people? Expect another old rumour to resurface any day now.
Elsewhere, the Robbie Keane to Tottenham story continues to have legs with £15m being the fee mooted - that would represent a £5m loss on the player by Liverpool.
Bolton have also been linked with a host of midfielders before the windows closes. £15m for Sporting Lisbon's Miguel Veloso looks a bit fanciful but expect a £3m bid for Portsmouth's Sean Davis or a £2m move for Rangers' Barry Ferguson instead.
There is some good news for Everton fans as Mikel Arteta is set to snub Manchester City and Arsenal and instead sign a new four-year deal at Goodison. Bremen striker Hugo Almeida could also move to the Toffees on loan as they look to bolster their injury plagued forward line.
Aston Villa have a pretty good defence as it is but Martin O'Neill is not resting on his laurels and is planning a £7m bid for Manchester City's Micah Richards.
City could also lose Richard Dunne in a £5m deal to Sunderland but does that matter when they will be playing 0-2-8 next season anyway?
Sunderland will hope ambitious signings such as Dunne will persuade Djibril Cisse to stay at the club in a permanent £10m deal but the Frenchman is said to be unhappy that his best mates Pascal Chimbonda and El-Hadji Diouf have both been sold.
Hull City continue to make ambitious noises in the transfer market - Tottenham's Darren Bent is their latest target although his two goals at Bolton on Saturday have no doubt jacked up his price.
Stoke would like to sign Gary O'Neil from Middlesbrough for £4.5m with Boro then replacing him with Reading's James Harper.
After splashing the cash on teenager Savio Nsereko, Gianfranco Zola will look to balance the average age of his West Ham strike-force by bringing in 37-year-old Henrik Larsson.
Down at Fratton Park, Portsmouth boss Adams will make a move for Aston Villa's Marlon Harewood if the beleaguered former Arsenal man manages to hang on to his job.
Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt is going nowhere though. He will be offered a new deal to stave off interest from Juventus.
Finally, in the Championship, Wolves could pay Scottish club Hearts £2.3m for Christophe Berra, while QPR are planning a £2.5m bid to finally capture long-time target Matthew Kilgallon of Sheffield United.
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me me me I am English
Are there any English people on this website?
Signings like Dunne and Ben Tal Haim would be very nice for the Black Cats, but Sbragia was wrong to sell both Chimbonda abd Diouf!. Another problem area for the Cats is strikers: when either Jones or Cisse are crocked,there really isn't a single name on the team sheet you'd want to see replace them. We need at least one more quality goal grabber to bolster the front line.
Chealsea don't waste your money
I robinho is an ace footie player with qwolity skill and he doce very well for man city but i think his right team is ac malian and people will say chelsea will get robinho but i think he will stay at man city until the next transfrer window.do you think the same?
Chelsea should sign barry fergurson!!!
just to answer your question.. "if Drogba was better than Robinho why are Chelsea trying to get rid of Drogba and get Robinho in ? (there's your answer)"
Chelsea have Anelka and Drogba, we all know Scolari has a favorite. The longer this goes on the worse it will get for Drogba and the more his value will drop. What Chelsea are currently lacking is quality on the wings (Kalou/Cole/Malouda have all been poor this season), all their success lies on their attacking mids -- ie. Lampard [player of the season IMO]. City on the other hand have a bunch of pacey strikers, almost all who can play wide except maybe Caicedo/Jo/Benjani but they're all on their way out anyways.
Having said that Mark Hughes is not a fool, and unless Robinho's situation gets out of hand this would never happen.
Answer No21 Robinho doesn't just score goals he's a fantastically skilled player and creates things all over the pitch whereas Drogba is an out and out striker or as they used to call them in the olden days.....a goal hanger, and besides if Drogba was better than Robinho why are Chelsea trying to get rid of Drogba and get Robinho in ? (there's your answer)
why robinio plays for cyti?
is robinio play sumthing in city?
hi is a good player but now his a bad example for the football,and example for wath the money can do....he was such bether player at madrid....and now is nothing.
why robinio plays for cyti?
is robinio play sumthing in city?
hi is a good player but now his a bad example for the football,and example for wath the money can do....he was such bether player at madrid....and now is nothing.
Chelsea will pay, 10mil plus Drogba to get robinho, and city will have no problems with that
SWP moved to Chelsea from Man City , enough said, if Robinho wants to go then please go you spoilt little brat,he fit in with all the spoilt girls at Chelsea, but remember SWP
PREM FOOTBALL BORES ME WATCH LGE 2 ITS CHEAPER AND THE PLAYERS WANT TO PLAY FOR THEIR WAGES EACH WEEK???
we all no that robinho rules the world of football nd drogba is no match STAY AT CITY ROBZ
if its true then its just two big babies moving in opposite directions whos to say robinho wont be in jail lol
chelsea would bounce back and win the premier league with Didier Drogba ManUtd would eventually crunble. Abramovich continue the good Job. FORZA Scolari God be with you.
Didier Drogba is better than Robinho
This is an absolute waste of time writing an article like this. All it is is something to wind people up, and it has.
Not one decent comment or decent report on any player, all made up.
i think ROBINHO wants to move to Acmilan
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