[Football] Winter Transfers 2011

By Kralik
in The Sporting Arena

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Grand Master

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Liverpool are ready to enter the race for Blackpool star Charlie Adam, skysports.com understands.

Blackpool are facing a fight to keep hold of the midfield playmaker having already rejected bids from Aston Villa and Birmingham.

Adam has been a revelation for Blackpool this season with a number of eye-catching performances in their first season in the top flight.

Liverpool are now believed to be weighing up a move for the former Rangers man as new Reds boss Kenny Dalglish looks to add some creativity to the side.

Dalglish has admitted he is keen to bring in a few new faces during this month's transfer window and he is thought to be a big admirer of his fellow Scot.

Liverpool will have a good opportunity to see Adam up close and personal when they take on Blackpool on Wednesday at Bloomfield Road in their rearranged clash following the initial postponement on Boxing Day.

Adam has 18 months to run on his contract at Blackpool and Ian Holloway would be loath to lose their star performer.

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Skysports.com understands that Manchester United and Liverpool will bid for Southampton starlet Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the next 48 hours.

The 17-year-old Portsmouth-born midfielder is regarded as one of the country's brightest talents having won rave reviews from his 14 starts for the League One outfit.

Oxlade-Chamberlain opened the scoring in Tuesday night's 6-0 thumping of Oldham and he picked the perfect game to shine with United boss Sir Alex Ferguson and Liverpool director of football strategy Damien Comolli watching in the stands.

Ferguson was believed to be at Boundary Park to assess the progress of on-loan keeper Ben Amos, although he was also able to kill two birds with one stone by seeing Oxlade-Chamberlain at first hand.

The two Premier League giants are not the only top-flight clubs keen on securing the starlet's signature, which is expected to cost in the ?10million region.

Liverpool see the teenager, dubbed the new 'Theo Walcott', as the perfect support striker for Fernando Torres and they are already building for the future having snapped up exciting talent Raheem Sterling from QPR last year.

Grand Master

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Manuel Almunia and Andrey Arshavin 'set for Arsenal transfer exits'

Almunia, 33, has always been top of the likely departures from the Emirates Stadium this month after falling behind both Lukasz Fabianski and Wojciech Szczesny in the pecking order.

He is being linked with a move to Turkish giants Galatasaray, having seen interest from Atletico Madrid cool after he was initially linked with a move back to his homeland of Spain.

However, speculation surrounding the future of the out-of-form Arshavin could cause unrest among some sections of the club's fanbase, where there remains support for the creative but mercurial and inconsistent Russian.

His recent form has caused some concern for Gunners supporters, who are split over his value to the team.

And his agent, Dennis Lachter, has revealed a move to Italian giants Juventus could be on the cards before the end of the month.

'There?s a possibility of Andrei?s move to Juventus,' Lachter said.

'But two things can prevent this deal - first, Arsenal can win the Premier League this year, which is a dream of any footballer.

'And second is the financial power of Juve, as Arsenal are demanding no less than ?20million to release Arshavin.'

Even if Wenger loses both players, though, he is still not expected to use the money to add to his squad in Almunia and Arshavin's respective positions.

The Frenchman has said he is only looking at centre-backs, where the squad are stretched particularly thin at the moment because of injury problems for Thomas Vermaelen and Sebastien Squillaci.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/football/852528-manuel-almunia-and-andrey-arshavin-set-for-arsenal-transfer-exits#ixzz1AwMiewRu

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Sunderland have accepted a shocking ?18 million bid from Aston Villa for striker Darren Bent, according to reports.

The England international has travelled to Birmingham with a view to completing a medical and agreeing personal terms over a move that would smash Villa's transfer record, according to The Times.

A one-line statement on the Sunderland website reads: "The club can confirm that it received a written transfer (request) from Darren Bent following yesterday's Wear-Tyne derby match."

In a major show of faith in beleaguered Villa boss Gerard Houllier, club owner Randy Lerner is backing the move which is worth almost double the ?9.65m paid out for Ashley Young in the January transfer window three years ago.

Bent is Sunderland's top scorer this season with 11 goals in all competitions. Villa, struggling for goals, are currently out of the relegation zone on goal difference alone.

After struggling for games at Tottenham, Bent's ?10m switch to Sunderland 18 months ago resurrected his career. In 58 Premier League appearances for the Wearsiders, he has scored 32 goals.

A popular figure in the North East, he now looks set to be joining recent signing Jean Makoun in the Midlands, after the Cameroon midfielder sealed his move to Villa Park from Lyon last week.

The news will be a major blow for Sunderland boss Steve Bruce, who has led the Black Cats to 6th in the table. It is understand that Bruce will be allowed to re-invest the money raised from the sale of Bent in his squad.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/17012011/58/premier-league-sunderland-accept-villa-bid-bent.html

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anthdci

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I am absolutely GUTTED about this. I have no idea who we can replace him with. Campbell is injured, as is Wellbeck who is only on loan, our midfield cant score for **** so it leaves only Gyan to score all of our goals for the rest of the season :unsure:

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Birmingham have backed out of a deal to sign striker Robbie Keane from Tottenham because "financially he wasn't the best option available".

The decision on Keane, 30, was taken after a meeting between acting Blues chairman Peter Pannu, boss Alex McLeish and chief scout Paul Montgomery.

"This is unfortunate because Keane is a class act," said Pannu.

"But supporters can rest assured we are considering other options and will pursue them where financially viable."

BBC Sport

Grand Master

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Skysports.com understands Liverpool have made an approach to sign Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing.

The England international has impressed for Villa this season and has been an ever-present for the club in the Premier League.

He is Villa's top scorer with five goals in the league and is understood to have been the subject of an enquiry from Sunderland last week.

The 26-year-old is now being targeted by Liverpool as new manager Kenny Dalglish seeks to inject some fresh blood into his squad.

Downing cost Villa ?12million from Middlesbrough 18 months ago and he has made 64 appearances after injury delayed the start of his career in the Midlands.

Villa boss Gerard Houllier revealed last month that he was confident that he would be able to retain the services of Downing during the January transfer window.

However, Villa's pursuit of Sunderland striker Darren Bent could prompt the club to consider letting Downing move on.

An offer of ?18million is reported to have been made for Bent and cashing in on Downing would provide some of the funds to bring in his fellow England international.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6668007,00.html

Grand Master

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Tottenham have joined Chelsea in having a bid accepted by Everton for midfielder Steven Pienaar.

The South African's future at Goodison Park has looked uncertain for some time, with his current contract set to expire at the end of the season.

David Moyes revealed after Sunday's 2-2 draw with Merseyside rivals Liverpool that the Toffees had agreed a fee with Chelsea, believed to be in the region of ?3million.

Moyes also revealed that a lower offer from Tottenham had been rejected and Spurs manager Harry Redknapp responded by saying his side would probably not return with an improved bid.

However, it appears they have now matched Chelsea's valuation and will be hopeful of winning the chase for his signature as Pienaar has yet to agree personal terms with the Blues.

Pienaar arrived at Everton in 2007 on an initial loan deal from Borussia Dortmund before making the move permanent the following year.

He has established himself as a key figure in Moyes' side but negotiations over a new deal proved unsuccessful and he now looks set to embark on a new adventure in London.

Grand Master

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Rafael van der Vaart feels Mark van Bommel would be a useful addition to the Tottenham squad.

Spurs have enjoyed considerable success with Dutch acquisitions this season, with Van der Vaart having been a revelation since joining the club last summer.

His arrival has brought added creativity to the ranks, while the Holland international also has a keen eye for goal.

Having benefited considerably from snapping up the Dutchman, Harry Redknapp may be prepared to tread a similar path in the January transfer window.

Dutch midfielder Van Bommel is a player attracting plenty of interest, with his contract running down at Bayern Munich.

A switch elsewhere has been touted, with a number of clubs said to be waiting in the wings.

Tottenham have been mentioned as one possible destination for Van Bommel and he would be welcomed with open arms by his fellow countryman Van der Vaart.

"He is a super player with lots of experience, who would help any team," he said.

"Tottenham want to take the next step to get to the same level as our local rivals Arsenal.

"I think that is possible. Therefore we can use good players."

While keen to sell Spurs to potential new arrivals, Van der Vaart has again reiterated his long-term commitment to the club, following a difficult spell in Spain.

"After my time at Real Madrid, which was not a very happy one, I have rediscovered my love for the game at Tottenham," he told Sport Bild magazine.

"My heart is now at Tottenham. It is not a huge club but rather a real traditional club, like I have already learned to love at Hamburg or Ajax.

"I feel settled in London and would like to play here for many years."

Grand Master

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Sunderland star Darren Bent on verge of shock ?24million switch to Aston Villa: Bruce anger as star demands transfer

Darren Bent was at a Midlands hotel on Monday night awaiting the green light to complete a sensational ?24million transfer to Aston Villa.

Sunderland fans were left stunned at the thought of losing their star striker just hours after seeing their team grab a last-gasp draw in the North East derby.

Bent had submitted a transfer request barely two hours after celebrating Asamoah Gyan's injury-time equaliser against Newcastle.

Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner has agreed to smash the club's record transfer fee - ?12m for James Milner - and back manager Gerard Houllier.

He has followed the ?7m capture of Lyon midfielder Jean Makoun by raiding Sunderland for their prize asset.

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce and chairman Niall Quinn were last night set to rubber-stamp a deal that will start from a basic ?19m with add-ons to take it up to ?24m.

The 26-year-old Bent, last season's North East player of the year, also put in a transfer request in August when he became aware of big-money approaches from Turkish clubs Fenerbahce and Galatasaray.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1347922/Darren-Bent-verge-24m-switch-Aston-Villa.html#ixzz1BLW0dAv4

Grand Master

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Liverpool forward Ryan Babel appears to be on the verge of joining Hoffenheim after emerging as one of the Bundesliga club's 'first-class' transfer targets.

Skysports.com understands the Dutchman has yet to agree personal terms at Rhein-Neckar-Arena, but is having a medical ahead of a proposed ?7million move.

Quotes attributed to Babel earlier on Tuesday implied that the 24-year-old was desperate for a move back to Ajax after failing to prove a success in almost three years with Liverpool.

But Hoffenheim want the Holland international as a replacement for Stoke target Demba Ba, who has essentially gone on strike as he attempts to secure a move to the Premier League, and cover for Chinedu Obasi's injury.

Hoffenheim's billionaire backer Dietmar Hopp told BILD: "Thanks to the acts of Demba Ba, and the injury to Chinedu Obasi, we were left in an emergency situation.

"Babel was one of the first-class candidates that team manager Ernst Tanner was most convinced by."

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Kostaz

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really?

Yup, I believe we filled our quota of average back-up midfielders with Benayoun. Our squad is still extremely thin and we're in dire need of creative players but that's no reason to buy every average PL player.
I think he's a bargain plus if he turned down Chelsea it doesn't show much for attracting top class players :rofl:

For all we know he might have gone for the wages or the hope of establishing himself as a starter. Hell we let Joey Cole walk away due to his wage demands and no-one can say Liverpool were a more attractive destination back in the summer.

Word has it that we never actually placed a bid on him, it apparently was nothing more than an Everton negotiation tactic. Although the bid from a "major European side" wouldn't make sense if that was the case :devil:

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