Premier League - Gossip Shop: Veloso to United

Eurosport - Mon, 15 Sep 07:40:00 2008

Miguel Veloso ticks all the Portuguese midfielder boxes: He's young, he's skilful, he's got a trendy mullet and he's massively overpriced.

2008 Portugal Under-21 Miguel Veloso - 0

Sporting Lisbon want £16m for him, and Veloso's agent would have you believe Arsenal and Manchester United are both prepared to pay full whack. Tottenham also want in.

Rather than engage in a bidding war, Fergie, Arsene Wenger and Juande Ramos are expected to settle the matter I gentlemanly fashion - via a game of conkers (Fergie soaks his in vinegar; Arsene paints them with nail varnish; Juande Ramos treats his with chorizo oil).

Chelsea assistant coach Steve Clarke is:

- A loyal servant, who has spent 21 years at Stamford Bridge as player and coach.

- A marginal figure at Stamford Bridge, having been sidelined by Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari.

- Essentially just the bloke who puts out the cones at training anyway.

So how much compensation do Chelsea want from West Ham for him? £4.8 million.

Admittedly, that's less than the Hammers paid for Kieron Dyer, who managed all of three appearances (one in the Carling Cup) last season before falling apart like a giant Jenga - the West Ham physios are still painstakingly stacking him back up again.

And a 'close friend' of Clarke is not happy, telling the News of the World: "Steve is deeply upset by Chelsea's stance. Basically, they are treating him with utter contempt. He has been nothing but loyal to the club, even when he was marginalised under Avram Grant."

You know when you get a gas bill, tax reminder or party invitation, then lose it in a pile of paper and forget about it completely?

Well, David Moyes doesn't, but he will soon. It seems the absent-minded Everton manager has left his new contract on the kitchen table, and it is now lying dormant underneath two months' worth of Heat magazines.

Moyes was offered a five-year deal in July that would double his salary to £60,000-a-week, only he hasn't signed it yet.

Either he has got a brain like a sieve or he is planning to leave Goodison Park after their summer of miserable failures in the transfer market.

GS hears there's a job going in the north-east.

Talking of contracts, Emile Heskey's contract expires at the end of the season, so the English hero could leave Wigan on a free.

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill saw the great lump up close and personal at Leicester, and even persuaded Liverpool to shell out £11m for him.

O'Neill is prepared to splash a cut-price £3m in January to secure a tearful reunion. A Heskey-Carew strike partnership really is a terrifying prospect for everybody.

Daniel Sturridge is a promising striker at Manchester City, who has only really come to GS's attention through his deeply annoying bling-bling goal celebrations.

Gossip Shop has never met the man, but if you could represent 'obnoxious little twerp' in dance form, it would be a Sturridge celebration.

So that new £1.2m-a-year contract should really help.

Today officially marks the return of Cristiano Ronaldo transfer rumours after a two-week hiatus.

Ronaldo has said himself that he doesn't fancy a £135m move across town to Manchester City saying: "I don't see myself in the shirt of another Manchester team."

A sarky devil close to Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has taken to taunting the Toon Army.

He has suggested that if they want to 'save' Newcastle they should spend less time scrawling grammatically-dubious banners and more time emptying their wallets.

"They say there are 400,000 Newcastle fans in the area. If they all put in £1,000 they can but the club back and run themselves," said the source.

But surely it's much more fun to spend the cash on giants sheets, onto which they can paint 'COCKNEY MAFIA OUT'.

Mike Ashley is from Buckinghamshire.

And finally, Blackburn have taken former Fulham defender Philippe Christanval on trial.

Alex Chick / Eurosport

Comment 9 - 28 of 28

Sort comments by: Most recent

  1. Joann.Evans ...make up your mind love ! what is it Liverpool have never won the top division ? 'or' Utd will soon equal Liverpools 18 titles?? Mmm now come along sweetie whats it to be??
    Women eh' get yerself back in the kitchen girl and get your fellas tea on.

    From Chris W, on Mon 15 Sep 8:51AM

  2. to all those manyoofans bleating about liverpools' lack of recent success can i just say fiiiiiiive. by the way i'm a villa fan ( can i get a oooooooone from the holte end ) and despite rafas shameless pursuit of our best player i still remember liverpool winning everything & then taking the time to give the opposition credit. time to return to those days, fergie are you listening.

    From c.zdave, on Mon 15 Sep 8:46AM

  3. Mike Ashley may be from Buckinghamshire (wherever that might be)and may not have been born within the sound of Bow Bells but to the average Geordie anyone from South of Gateshead is a prospective Cockney. Anyone from that close to London is definitely a Cockney and there is no point to arguing against that theory, that's just the way it is.

    From Phil, on Mon 15 Sep 8:04AM

  4. @#$%..chelsea are top..yeah

    From imi, on Mon 15 Sep 7:26AM

  5. The young go to Arsenal because your lot only buy as an investment to later sell at an increased price. Its been your business model since fund raising for the emirates stadium began. Im glad your happy with the youngsters but since you have been working in this way you have won nothing.

    From mangledmicky003, on Mon 15 Sep 5:20AM

  6. I'm a Liverpool fan, watched the game with a few Man U fans in OZ, I must say I was happy to get one over on them in the league after a few years, but let's not kid ourselves, Liverpool have some way to go before we win the league.
    United are really missing Ronaldo, that much is clear, I also don't believe Rooney, Tevez and Berba can play at the same time - just my opinion.
    Liverpool weren't lucky against Utd though, they deserved to win, as they have a few times at Anfield in recent years, but we should hold the celebrations, because if we lose to Hull or Stoke then what's the point of beating United?

    From ChooseLife, on Mon 15 Sep 1:57AM

  7. oh i'm sorry scousers 1999 was the year utd did the treble, erm can anyone remember Liverpool ever doing that? erm erm NOOOOOOO! CALM DOWN CALM DOWN!

    From joann.evans@..., on Sun 14 Sep 11:53PM

  8. it's so amusing listening to liverpool fans'partying like it's 1999' well it may as well be it's taken almost that long to beat utd! no wonder your so happy! all those years of cooped up longing! go on scouser's go for it!! your pleasure will be short lived. what's the betting utd still finish above Liverpool? Bet there aren't many of you scouser's willing to put £1000 on your team winning the prem for the very 1st time!History is quite simply all you have to live on at the moment, no-one under 20 can remember the last time Liverpool won the title. funny that! but then most scouser's are comedian's aren't they?
    enjoy the 1 game win, it only goes to prove how bad you have been!! and inferior to utd + chelsea for that matter. he he he we may have lost but i can guarentee we'll have the last laugh. AGAIN!! be afraid! be very afraid your 18 titles may soon be equalled!

    From joann.evans@..., on Sun 14 Sep 11:44PM

  9. i wonder what gives Liverpool's fans the idea that will lift the Premiership that is a dream too big to realise
    Richard
    UP MAN UTD

    From Richard, on Sun 14 Sep 11:41PM

  10. Oh! please please all you Liverpool, fans overrecting (as usual), have you never heard the expression - 'one swallow doesn't make a summer' neither does one win over the Champions give you the Premiership title. One thing I do admire about Liverpudlians is their eternal optimism.

    From Margaret, on Sun 14 Sep 10:42PM

  11. manchester united is the best of the best we are still in the begining of the season we just need a good midfielder like deco no one will stop us ADEL SAIID FROM LEBANON GO RED DEVILS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

    From SAM, on Sun 14 Sep 10:16PM

  12. The young and talented always come to the emirates. That's were they will be given a chance!

    From Ado, on Sun 14 Sep 9:33PM

  13. im a liverpool fan to win the title we need a good right winger because pennant isn't up to the job, and a solid right back aswell.

    From luke, on Sun 14 Sep 9:05PM

  14. Omar must be a Newcastle fan.

    His grammer is dreadful

    From JOHN C, on Sun 14 Sep 8:19PM

  15. why do deals sudddenly come about 2 weeks after deadline day. we should have nabbed veloso time ago.

    From anonymous ochoa lover, on Sun 14 Sep 7:07PM

  16. YES get Veloso and sell Ronaldo
    Ron's head got way to big for his shoulders, and he's got a @#$% hairstyle
    where as Veloso's got a wicked Joe Dirt mullet and sublime skill

    From jaco, on Sun 14 Sep 6:39PM

  17. i would like to see ranaldo talking to the priminister teasing him then what

    From Omar, on Sun 14 Sep 5:54PM

  18. I'm an Sporting Lisbon fan an associate. I know Miguel Veloso for close to 4 years and personally i believe that Veloso is the kind of player that many big european teams want. Very good positionally, strong fisically, very very good tecnically, can play with both feet, his free kicks very accurate, can play all positions in midfield and defense (his origins were central back). When in good form he is an amazing player to watch ruling the entire midfield. My bet is ManUtd, Ryan Giggs is getting very old, Paul Scholls is also not getting any younger...

    From Pedro E, on Sun 14 Sep 5:30PM

  19. Veloso will end up at Old Trafford................As for yesterday's result that display will never be seen again the EPL Trophy will still be at Old Trafford in May..........So all you Scousers enjoy the win and sitting top of the league it wont be for long so enjoy it

    From irnbru_rebel03, on Sun 14 Sep 4:52PM

  20. .if he's good in realityas he is in fm2008 then sure, I'd like him a gunner. But have to admit that Denilson is my kind a mc

    From coa2yu, on Sun 14 Sep 4:50PM
Sort comments by: Most recent

Not already a Yahoo! user ? to get a free Yahoo! Account