Transfers - Gossip Shop: Martins made for Everton

Eurosport - Mon, 01 Dec 19:26:00 2008

The Gossip Shop peddles a wide variety of wares on its shelves, from fancy goods imported from exotic foreign shores to home-grown produce barely within its sell-by-date.

FOOTBALL Obafemi Martins - 0

Despite the impending global financial meltdown, clearly there is still a market for most products; and to prove it, today's edition of GS has a little bit of everything, all in one nicely packaged pre-Christmas gift parcel.

Starting at the high-value end of the spectrum, Everton's unfortunate injury crisis looks set to put their pursuit of a striker into hyperdrive.

With Yakubu preparing to spend the rest of the season staring at the four walls of a treatment room and Louis Saha again proving - if further proof were actually needed - that he is more brittle than a fresh Jacob's cracker, Everton desperately need cover in the striking department.

Attacking options currently consist of Victor Anichebe and Jose Baxter, a situation that simply won't do; David Moyes knows it and he has already admitted he will have to delve into the transfer market in January to find replacements.

Having failed to lure the likes of Wagner Love and Stephen Hunt to Goodison Park over the summer, what the Toffees now desperately need is a fit and healthy goalscorer who is capable of providing something close to Yakubu's 18-ish goals a season.

So, with Michael Owen - also a failed summer target - ruled out of the running for obvious reasons, two other big names have come to the fore.

First up is Owen's Newcastle team-mate Obafemi Martins, whose hissy fit after being hauled off at the weekend cannot have gone down too well with Toon boss Joe Kinnear.

He has since issued an apology, but words like "I still do not know or understand why I was called off" and "perhaps it was wrong" hardly smack of absolute remorse.

Players have left clubs for lesser reasons and with the door to a January exit now teased open, a New Year bid from Everton could well see the Nigerian link up with his countrymen Yakubu - once fit again - and Anichebe at Goodison.

If not, Moyes will look to the Bundesliga, where the future of highly-rated-but-not-really-that-good Lukas Podolski continues to capture the imagination of the Bild-reading public.

The Germany international has largely failed to live up to expectation at Bayern Munich and has been strongly linked with a move back to former club Cologne at the end of the season.

Bayern general manager Uli Hoeness confirmed: "I can truly imagine Podolski leaving at the end of this season."

Green lights do not get much greener than that, and although Cologne have first option on the striker, a couple of extra euros thrown at them will surely help pave the way for a deal with Everton.

A third option for Moyes is Wigan's Emile Heskey, especially now Latics supremo Dave Whelan looks set to sanction a move away in January in a bid to avoid losing the best part of £4 million if the player runs down his contract and leaves for free in the summer.

Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Manchester City are also interested in the England international, although that interest could wane if he doesn't start adding to his meagre tally of just two goals so far this season.

But the most eye-catching transfer story of the day has to be the one which links West Ham to Juventus starlet Sebastian Giovinco.

The 20-year-old is one of Europe's most exciting prospects and having impressed Gianfranco Zola for Italy Under-21s, the Hammers boss is willing to lure the nippy forward away from the comforting bosom of the Old Lady of Turin.

"He's one of those players who can change a game. So I might be interested," Zola said in the Mirror.

But, proving that a rumour in the Gossip Shop has a shelf-life, just like any other product in any other shop - except, perhaps, a hardware store - Juventus have been quick to pour cold water on the idea.

Juve boss Claudio Ranieri said: "We want him to gain experience with us."

And finally, in other news, Asian player of the year Server Djeparov has said he wants to train with Chelsea - but then again, which relatively unknown Uzbek midfielder wouldn't? - and West Brom are to trial Lithuania midfielder Mindaugas Kalonas, who currently plies his trade with Bohemians in Ireland.

Mike Hytner / Eurosport

Comment 5 - 24 of 24

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  1. The story better be rumour.Martins has no business­ going to Everton.The best place for the Lad is Asenal­ if the man calling the shot there could afford to pay­ his money.

    From akomolafe a, on Mon 8 Dec 9:09AM

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    From go to www.premiership.altervista.org, on Tue 2 Dec 3:44PM

  3. Play Geremi wide right are you crazy!!! His legs were­ gone when he left Chelsea, he's made no impact when­ he has played and he should never be allowed to wear­ the shirt again. His set pieces and corners are­ appalling with 90-95% hitting the first defender. I­ agree we need a flair midfielder (Elano would be a good­ choice) then we can play N'Zogbia and Jonas wide­ with Barton in the middle, when fit. Other than that­ our priority should be cover for both fullback­ positions and another striker. I would currently play­ Viduka and Martins up front with Owen on the bench as­ his heart is obviously not in it, demonstrated by his­ completely anonymous performance against Boro. How­ Kinnear could take Martins off before Owen baffles me.

    From kgroundwater, on Tue 2 Dec 11:00AM

  4. Please sell off Owen, Keep Martins + buy one striker,­ one midfield, one C Back. We need creative midfield,­ please don't play Butt. play Jonas and Barton at­ center, Geremi at right, Duff and left.

    From MAZDA SPEED, on Tue 2 Dec 7:01AM

  5. owen yes martins no

    From ian o, on Mon 1 Dec 11:30PM

  6. Please, take Owen, at least he's an Evertonian­ !!!!!!

    From dung t, on Mon 1 Dec 11:23PM

  7. poster 12,i couldn't watch liverpool-west ham no­ matter what i clicked.

    From snyper_back, on Mon 1 Dec 8:37PM

  8. if you ask me post no. 3 and 5 you know just too much­ about the african soccer, to know that it is every 2­ years just like europe, that there is a continetal cup,­ and the last one was 2008.then yes martins and yakubu­ are our first team strikers, but there are 20 other­ nigerian strikers in europe, and if moyes ask for­ martins or yakubu not to go, the nigerian coach can­ leave one. he left mikel obi for chelsea in a world cup­ qualifer for chelsea.

    From ogundalu, on Mon 1 Dec 7:40PM

  9. martins for yakubu it is a good change

    From melek, on Mon 1 Dec 6:22PM

  10. martins 4 everton,,,a good side!!!!sick note owen too­ "im a flop get me oota here

    From butchkins, on Mon 1 Dec 5:01PM

  11. what with Martins hissy fit at being substituted and­ the latest outburst by a few top managers at referees­ decisions its not doing the RESPECT campaign a lot of­ good is it.!!

    From the guvner., on Mon 1 Dec 4:38PM

  12. Hey Michael W., Fernando Cavenaghi already wears a blue­ shirt!!! Duh!

    From Steven, on Mon 1 Dec 4:34PM

  13. Martins to Everton?
    Not a chance; take Owen, please,­ please someone . . . . . take Owen.

    From cameron w, on Mon 1 Dec 4:16PM

  14. martins is quality, and he should've been upset at­ being subbed. don't know about the fit, but owen­ wasn't doing a thing, and needed to be hauled off. ­ kinnear was pandering and it was obvious and­ could've hurt his team. viduka? meh, ok, but then­ at least pair him with martins, who was actually­ putting himself about out there... i'm just­ sayin...

    From Mike, on Mon 1 Dec 3:43PM

  15. ihih

    From Mohabravo, on Mon 1 Dec 2:43PM

  16. Sorry post number 2, I have to disagree with you there,­ Martins is quality. Sure he can be a little greedy, but­ he's a striker, that's what he's supposed­ to do. I'd like to see him stay at Newcastle with­ us. If we could find another Michael Owen who­ doesn't like the sick room so much, Owen can go­ back to Liverpool for all I care, but Martins has to­ stay. It'd be lovely to see the 3 pronged attack­ that Keegan put together at the end of last season, but­ Viduka and Owen just can't seem to stay injury­ free.

    From Phil, on Mon 1 Dec 2:26PM

  17. Martins is quality, without a doubt the best striker­ Newcastle have. No way Everton will buy him. Owen is a­ waste of money and space and the sooner Kinnear­ realises that the better. Anyone that watches Newcastle­ will see Martins out-shine Owen week in week out.­ Viduka is fat and useless so Everton are welcome to him­ or Ameobi for that matter!

    From Paul, on Mon 1 Dec 2:20PM

  18. The more i watch Newcastle, the more I become­ disallusioned with Michael Owen. He does`nt want to be­ a the club, he had a @#$% game at the weekend, yet the­ manager takes off Martins who was the best forward. The­ sooner the club is sold to a new reime the better then­ perhaps we can get some stability.

    From johnheys08, on Mon 1 Dec 2:06PM

  19. doubt it!

    From doubt.it.man, on Mon 1 Dec 1:42PM

  20. No way and no chance Martins or Heskey will be coming­ to Everton.

    I very much doubt Moyes will sign a­ player that could potentially go missing in January­ when the African Cup of Nations kicks off, not when we­ have Yakubu, Pienaar, Anichebe and Yobo who will leave­ us. It seriously impacted on the slim chance we had of­ finishing 4th last season, Moyes clearly understands­ this. No, I seriously doubt any signing will be African­ this January.

    Whilst Heskey isn't African, he­ isn't terribly gifted and is in desperate need for­ a pair of shooting boots. So quite why Moyes would even­ consider him is beyond me.

    I would quite like to see­ football manager favourite, Fernando Cavenaghi of­ Bordeaux wearing a blue shirt. Though I doubt we'd­ get him now, not unless we somehow end up in the top 4­ at Christmas and get £12 million to spend (his goals to­ games ratio is about 1:2 for his entire club career)­

    I would expect that he'll be on his way in­ January to either a club with greater European standing­ or a rich club like Man City.

    Quite why we'd get­ Podolski, when there's a raft of richer clubs out­ for him is another unknown. I would expect us to be­ trawling the lower leagues or seeking out of favour­ players in European teams. It's what Moyes appears­ to be best at, so i think the old adage of 'if it­ ain't broke don't fix it' should apply.

    From Michael W, on Mon 1 Dec 1:27PM
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