Premier League - Transfer Talk: Slight return

Eurosport - Fri, 22 Aug 03:59:00 2008

Andi Peters's long-lost Brazilian brother Robinho may be on his way to Chelsea after all.

FOOTBALL 2008-2009 La Liga Real Madrid Robinho / Foto: EFE - 0

Sources claim that Blues chief executive Peter Kenyon arrived in Madrid "last night" to tie up the deal. With the city's airport closed after a tragic air disaster, one assumes it was by helicopter, but we'll take the Daily Mail's word for it.

Now Andriy Shevchenko's move back to Milan is back "on", and given that Florent Malouda is no more than a squad player, Chelsea could be prepared to bust the bank for the Brazilian - Real want £30m.

Much of today's transfer tittle-tattle involves English clubs using their financial muscle to prize players away from Spanish clubs. My how things have changed - even West Brom are set to get ex-Madrid player Borja Valero from Mallorca, who finished seventh last season.

Wannabe title rivals Liverpool seem to have given up on Gareth Barry and the general desire to rid themselves of Xabi Alonso.

The left side of midfield is now the pressing concern, with The Times tipping Albert Riera as a goer for Rafael Benitez.

Riera's buyout clause is a whopping £16m, and he's a risk after failing to impress at Manchester City a few years back, although Benitez is mates with Espanyol sporting director Paco Herrera and could get a good price.

Manchester City may also look to the Iberian Peninsula after failing to sign Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn Rovers, although South Americans are still the order of the day - the Guardian tips Diego Milito for a move to Eastlands.

The Argentine hit-man - who is also on Tottenham's radar - would be available at £8m after Real Zaragoza's relegation last season. The Sun reckons Aston Villa will test Rovers' resolve for Santa Cruz with a £16m bid.

Spurs should act quickly, whoever they buy. With Dimitar Berbatov looking to take his luscious locks elsewhere, they probably need two strikers before the end of August.

But, now the Russians are richer than the Spanish and the English, a move for Andrei Arshavin is dead in the water - whose price was described as "madness" by a Guardian source, most likely his agent.

"The uncertainty of the situation does not make it possible to seek out a replacement before the transfer deadline - the transfer of the player to Tottenham is closed," his club Zenit St Petersburg said.

The signing of his Russia team-mate Roman Pavlyuchenko is also up in the air, after Spartak Moscow's sporting director Valeri Karpin amusingly said "they are making moves, but rather inertly" (Daily Telegraph). The player himself expressed concern at uprooting his young family from Russia (Daily Star), and is also rumoured to be a touch lazy - perhaps he doesn't fancy the hectic London lifestyle that frightened Alexander Hleb off to Barcelona?

Sevilla's Brazilian Luis Fabiano is an option, although the Guardian cites bad blood over the Juande Ramos affair as a stumbling block.

The 2007/08 Liga top scorer has a minimum fee release clause of under £12m but Sevilla are not obliged to sell to foreign clubs, as demonstrated when they blocked Diego Capel's move to Spurs.

Why they're not looking to Benni McCarthy - who is really quite good - is beyond TT. Paul Ince doesn't fancy him - he preferred Jason Roberts at the weekend - and now Sunderland could add him to the signing of Djibril Cisse.

The Mail reckons that Roy Keane is making a "take it or leave it" £10m bid for the South African, who could be joined at the Stadium of Light by Fulham outcast David Healy.

Fulham could still take midfielder Dickson Etuhu off Sunderland though, as Bolton Wanderers are reported to have made a £3m bid for Jimmy Bullard. Blackburn are chasing Torino's Australia midfielder Vincenzo Grella, Everton are still trying to seal deals for midfielders Stephane M'Bia (Rennes) and Tiago (Juventus, loan), while Newcastle United are flirting with Real Madrid back-up forward Javier Saviola, who understandably wants to stay.

And, in a story that gives an insight into the life of a modern Premier League manager, Chilean striker Sebastian Pinto turned up at West Ham thinking he had signed a season-long loan deal from Santos, only to find that Alan Curbishley had no idea who he was (Daily Mirror).

It seems that Gianluca Nani, in charge of player procurement, convinced the player and club, and arranged for him to trial in a behind closed doors friendly in London. But Curbs refused to play him, even though he only has teenager Freddie Sears as back-up now that Dean Ashton is injured (again).

Reda Maher / Eurosport

Comment 12 - 31 of 31

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  1. ROBINHO or NO ROBINHO chelsea are winning the premiership this season the only OBVIOUS threat is MAN UTD.

    From look-woman, on Fri 22 Aug 11:56AM

  2. David Brown we just do it for fun.and i am with you rohit

    From manojthiyagarajan@..., on Fri 22 Aug 8:33AM

  3. David Brown we just do it for fun.and i am with you

    From manojthiyagarajan@..., on Fri 22 Aug 8:33AM

  4. oh west ham ashton injured again you must buy some players or your going to be in big trouble

    From mickyboy, on Fri 22 Aug 8:01AM

  5. yes harry4man, let's ingnore the ignorant mongs but listen to you casually dismiss two of the footballing world's greatest managers. I bet u can't even manage your own life let alone a football club or the thankless task of coaching England.

    From Poochie, on Thu 21 Aug 11:12PM

  6. firstly why is it the large majority of people who comment on here are ignorant nobs. Only intelligent or at the very least sensible comments should be considered so all you 7 year olds dont put your opinions to the public in the future. liverpool will finish a disapointing 3rd after a lot of money spent we should have just brought: dossena, barry, bentley and ngog, not sell alonso and let the youths boil through gently then we would be @#$% laughing this season but benitez is just as incompotent as capello and all the people who comment on here.

    From harry4man, on Thu 21 Aug 9:07PM

  7. johnallan do you go to the primary school in washington ? are you 8 years old ? one of my sons mates said exactly the same thing and funnily enough i always thought he was a bit backward as well . ask any liverpool fan they will tell you cisse most overrated overpriced players they ever had and as for jones looking like drogba doesnt mean he is him you muppet survival at best

    From allan.davis39, on Thu 21 Aug 8:27PM

  8. johnallan do you go to the primary school in washington ? are you 8 years old ? one of my sons mates said exactly the same thing and funnily enough i always thought he was a bit backward as well . ask any liverpool fan they will tell you cisse most overrated overpriced players they ever had and as for jones looking like drogba doesnt mean he is him you muppet survival at best

    From allan.davis39, on Thu 21 Aug 8:27PM

  9. johnallan965, as much as i like Sunderland, there's no way in hell you'll get Top 4, in this life-time. I'm a Spurs fan and we've got a team, that you wish you had. Seeing as Keano is buying up our reserves.

    I think you should concentrate on finishing above those pikeys Newcastle first. We're not even close to the top 4, so stop talking out of you're @#$%.

    From Karl G, on Thu 21 Aug 7:59PM

  10. spurs should do all that thay can to keep there top players

    From p.hayward340@..., on Thu 21 Aug 7:37PM

  11. SAFC

    From johnallan965, on Thu 21 Aug 7:04PM

  12. sunderland are a team to be feard now and we shall get in the top 4 easily hand behind our backs with the strike force of cisse and jones i think it's not the best but it's good if it was tevez and drogba it would be the best but anyhow ' were a changed team and we should get there u should all agree i think u will apart from the dirty chavy newcastle fans who i hate so come on keano keep it up! SAFC

    From johnallan965, on Thu 21 Aug 7:02PM

  13. ARSENAL TO WIN PREMIERSHIP AND CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

    From stoneleehehehe, on Thu 21 Aug 6:51PM

  14. Finally what we need at the Stadium of Light, and not at extortionate prices. Keep going Keano.

    From adamjbell2007, on Thu 21 Aug 4:41PM

  15. TT didnt u say benitez was goonna put a bid on david silva wat happened there? his better then riera and well... worth the bit more i suppose but a lot better put a high bid to vlencia with there finacial problem i dont belieeve they let there ego to keep there star player over the fact they reli need money

    From ray, on Thu 21 Aug 4:32PM

  16. its pretty clear that what Reda Maher knows about football you could fit onto the back of a stamp..takes every chance to take a pop at newcastle.."while Newcastle United are flirting with Real Madrid back-up forward Javier Saviola, who understandably wants to stay".going by the guys name you just know he got bullied at school.and tries to act smart on here.give it up reda and go back to emptying the bins

    From derek l, on Thu 21 Aug 3:52PM

  17. if shelsea have funds for kaka then they are intellegent enough 2 sign this player
    because he can perform anywhere if he is been rated fifa world player of the year then even he must be in pressure to perform any time he comes on the field
    and we know such players can handle pressures
    i know its not about to make the team glamorous but an intellegent move of this player is needed still.

    From ryan b, on Thu 21 Aug 3:47PM

  18. i think it is just a load of crud all this bickering of whos going where and whos better than who so maybe you should all talk about the good things in football and not the bad things k danny bentley

    From Danny B, on Thu 21 Aug 3:42PM

  19. PS WE ARE NOT EFFIN WANNABEES! THATS THE STINKING MANKS.

    From First L, on Thu 21 Aug 2:40PM

  20. ROBINHO WILL NEVER COME TO CHELSEA AND SHEVCHENKO SHOULD GO BACK TO AC MILAN BECAUSE HE PLAYS MUCH BETTER THERE THAN AITH THE CHAVS! CHELSEA HAVE NO RIGHT TO WIN THE PREMIERSHIP THIS WILL BE LIVERPOOLS SEASON!

    From First L, on Thu 21 Aug 2:39PM
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