Lets Talk Football

Wes Brown's going to have a medical at Sunderland. According to the BBC website, Sunderland have had a £12m bid for Brown, O'Shea and Gibson accepted. The O'Shea part of teh deal has stalled as his wife's had a baby and interest from Newcastle has put the Gibson deal in doubt.

Charlie Adam went for a medical at Liverpool on Wednesday. No mention of a price yet, but I'm guessing around £8m.

Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy, has apparently told Luka Modric that he won't sell him for any price. Sounds like the Berba deal all over again. If he does maneuver a deal, it's going to cost an absolute fortune.

Stefan Savic has completed his move from Partizan Belgrade to Manchester City, for £7m.

City want £50m for Tevez. I really hope they make them pay that, because I can't see anyone doing it.

The Mirror say Arsenal will offer £27m for Karim Benzema, in an attempt to keep Nasri happy at Arsenal.

Inter have signed Ricardo Alvarez and Metro says that this signing makes United signing of Sneijder more likely. Yesterday's Mirror carried a story reporting that Inter have said they need to sell before they buy. Put those two together and you get... 5. As they conviently forget that other teams might want the player.

Talksport report that United are looking at Toulouse striker, Moussa Sissoko.

The Mail has Spurs hoping to get in ahead of Arsenal for Mata.

Hi H & T. I've been out of the loop for a while, son got married here and in China, so been busy!
Hope you're both well. xx
Any Everton gossip?

Hey Christine! Good to have you back. Hope everything went well and, congratulations!

I haven't got any Everton gossip, not for anyone coming in anyway, and only talk of Leighton Baines going to Arsenal. But they're very quiet rumours and, according to the papers, Moyles is asking £15m. Actually, considering his last season and the (obligatory British player price bump) I think it's a good price for him. Though, after seeing him puting in good crosses into the box, I wonder why Arsenal would go for him. It's not like there's going to be anyone there to do anything with it, is there?

If we didn't have Evra and with only Fabio to play there, I'd be happy if United bought him for that price. Not only a very good left back, but also someone who can take a good free kick and penalty. It's gotta be better than Nani missing from 12 yards or blasting another freekick into the wall.

On the transfer front. Sunderland have signed Brown and O'Shea. Both signings are for an "undisclosed fee", but the Brown transfer is thought to be £1m. David Vaughn is expected to sign soon.

Liverpool have had a £15m bid for Stewart Downing rejected by Villa. But Charlie Adam has moved to Liverpool for a reported £7m.

John Arne Riise is going to have a medical at Fulham.

This morning The Mirror have more talk of Mata to Arsenal. They say for £15m, which is unlikely as Valencia have said he can leave for £20m. That's so they can service their debt this summer. This enables them to do it with one player sale, meaning they won't have to sell anyone they don't want to.

The Metro are banging the Cesc drum, with talk of Barca trying to sweeten the deal with Maxwell or Eric Abidal. It could be true or, as Clichy left on Monday, it could be 2+2 reporting.

caughtoffside has United offering a couple of players + £10m-£12m for Modric. I don't even know why I bothered writing this one. They also have Sam Allardyce wanting Joe Cole and Paul Konchesky. I'm guessing one of their reporters is a WH fan.

This one was doing the rounds yesterday, but The Mirror says QPR are looking to sign Carlton Cole for £6m. They also have Villa in for Scott Parker (remember him?) as Spurs need to sell before they buy. While the Metro have Villa spending £5m on Alan Hutton. Is that the £5m Spurs need for Parker? It was rumoured before than, although West Ham were talking £10, Spurs only were looking to pay around £5m.

Talksport say Liverpool won't offer more than £15m for Downing (not what the BBC are saying, they have Liverpool coming back in with an £18m bid) and, instead, will make a bid for £12m rated Lyon winger, Michel Bastos.

Thanks Hon, we had an amazing time in China, def need to go again. The newlyweds are very happy and we love our new daughter in law to bits !

So back to footie - that does seem like a low price for Baines, it'll be interesting to see what happens there.

Well, there's a sniff of Everton news for you Christine. It appears that Hugo Rodallega is wanted by Everton and Arsenal. According to him, anyway.

Sky Italia say that Man City have agreed a £23m deal for Nasri.

Lots of stories yesterday and today about Nasri being offered £110,000 a week by Arsenal.

The Times have Man City bidding £40m for Sergio Aguero. While the Daily Mail say they'll spend £55m on Aguero and Samuel Eto'o.

Talksport have the Doni to Liverpool deal back on and report that Athletico Madrid are trying to hijack the deal.

caughtoffisde have Liverpool giving up on Downing and going for Charles N'Zogbia instead. Though FootyBunker say he's going to Villa, as is Shay Given and The Mirror say it's Sunderland for N'Zogbia.

FootyLatest say Chelsea have given up on Modric and, instead, are looking at werder Bremen's Marko Marin.

A bit of an odd on in Metro, who say Spurs will sell Niko Kranjcar (I'm with you so far) to Fiorentina (yes) to raise the £20m needed to secure Espanyol striker Pablo Osvaldo. £20m? Erm. No. £3m maybe. £5m tops. Osvaldo to Spurs is a long standing rumour.

The Mirror say Spurs are looking to sign Souleymane Coulibaly, the player who's been dubbed, 'the new Didier Drogba' (apparently).

Carlton Cole's value has reduced £1.5m in a day (which given last season actually sounds about right) as The Mirror say he's a £4.5m target for Stoke. Yesterday he was a £6m target for QPR.

Lastly, FootyLatest say reports in Italy are linking Alberto Aquilani to Sunderland.

So this is what y'all across the big pond call a friendly?

Manchester United schools Sounders FC 7-0 before record crowd

Indeed.

Whereas, in the olden days, big clubs would gear up for the new season by playing a few low intensity matches against smaller domestic sides (and small clubs likewise by raking in a decent gate revenue hosting these big sides) they now all seem to go off on foreign tours.

They'll still play the same low intensity matches but it's now all about global brand awareness/selling replica shirts.

Of course, it can all go horribly wrong, as this Man Utd shirt-wearing bloke found out when he went to see Liverpool on a tour of Malaysia.



A red shirt's a red shirt, innit?

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"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan

aww poor guy!

My city (Chicago) is up next. I thought about going, but decided as cool as it would be to see an EPL team play here, the level of competition just isn't there, as evidenced by the score of the Sounders match.

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"I know, honey. Look at the map. We go your way, that's about four inches. We go my way, it's an inch and a half. You wanna pay for the extra gas?"

What's he doing watching Liverpool anyway? I'm sure there are other Europa League teams touring Malaysia.

If he went there knowing what he was doing, though, hats off to him. Extra credit for having Rooney on the back.

I've not been updating the transfer talk as there seemed little point. It's apparent that no one really knows what's happen or when and most of the 'news' is the same every day. However, as I'm here and there's been a bit of definate news.

Everton have turned down a £10m bid from Arsenal for Phil Jagielka. It's been reported that this is £2m less than they offered 12 months ago. They also say that, as Moyes isn't looking to rid the squad of Jagielka, it's likely to take a bid of around £20m to make them think about selling.

The Daily Telegraph are saying that N'Zogbia is refusing to train after Wigan turned down Villa's £9m bid. They say that the player says he'd been told he could leave if a club offered £9m.

Lots of paper talk about Aguero going to City regardless of whether Tevez is sold or not. Also talk of Tevez still wanting out. Italy seems the best bet, as Real still want Neymar.

Chelsea have upped their bid for Romelu Lukaku to £20m, after interest from Liverpool, Arsenal, City and Spurs. I also remember rumours of Roma taking a look.

Unless there are any last minute hiccups, Bolton will sign Jeffren Suarez from Barca for £5.

Malaga are reported to've made a £15m for QPR's Adel Taarabt. Really? £15m? What did he cost QPR last season? £1m? I've only included it as PSG are said to be ready to pay £13m and, like PSG, Malaga have been bought by very rich men and have money to spend poorly.

I'm guessing Valencia are getting worried, as they're making noises about Mata staying, them wanting him to stay, but 'admitting' that should a player want to move for more money or a bigger club, they can't stop him. That should be read as, "we were expecting to meet our loan repayments with the sale of Mata for £20m. Everyone was/is interested but no one's made the bid. For God's sake, someone buy him so we can pay our debts!"

Liverpool's Milan Jovanovic should be moving to Anderlecht soon, so long as they can negotiate his supposed £60,000 a week wages.

At first I would have said it was a guy who didn't understand the language or football but got swept along in Premier League hype, buying the first red shirt he could find then following the crowd to the stadium.

Then again, he might just be a bit dim...

So, what's everyone's view on the 2011-2012 champions in the various competitions?

England

Obviously, I am hoping (probably in vain) that Arsenal will FINALLY win the league this season, but so far the transfers are poor. Gervinho is good, but not nearly enough to turn the team into a contender for the title. When is ******* Samba coming? Where is a decent goal keeper? I think the biggest thread comes from Manchester City and Chelsea. Man City have almost ridiculous quality in the front line. Dzeko, Tevez, Aguero, Balotelli. Even if Tevez leaves, there's still enough top drawer material left. Their defence is solid as long as Kompany is playing, who I think is the very best defender in the Premier League right now. Chelsea is a very solid team in every department and that new coach sure seems to be something special. I think Chelsea will edge out Manchester City to win the title.

Germany

I think Bayern Munich will win the Bundlesliga easily this year, provided that Robben and Ribéry can play injury free for most of the season. Those two are extremely important to their success. Threats are Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen.

Italy

This is AC Milan's title to lose. Ibrahimovich was the missing link before last season and with him, they are an impressive squad. Thiago Silva us a powerhouse in the back. Their midfield is very trustworthy with Seedorf who continues to defy his age, Van Bommel, Gatusso and Boateng. Their attack is imo the best in all of Italy with Pato, Zlatan, Cassano, Robinho and Inzaghi. Biggest competition will come from Inter and Udinese, although Alexis Sanchez is a huge loss.

Spain

Barcelona vs. Ronaldo I suppose. If Real plays without Ronaldo, they are 40 % worse than they are with him in the team. I'm interested if Mourinho can make his team play on a high level without Cristiano. If he can, it'll be neck and neck with Barcelona. If not, Barcelona will take it.

So do you see United finishing 4th, Brod? I think it's United and City with a strong challenge from Chelsea. That's how I see it atm, though there's still a month of possible signings to come (which I hate, as I think all the teams should be set before the kick-off of the first game of the season.)

I've not followed the Bundesliga for a good few years now, so I've no idea. Bayern's worth a punt most seasons but if they're depending on the fitness of Ribery and, especially Robben, then it could be Dortmund again (though shorn of Sahin.)

I agree it's Milan's to lose in Italy. Inter seems to be the only credible contender, but that depends on how well Gasperini works with the squad, if Sneijder is sold and, if he is, how the money's spent will also affect their chances.

I'm very interested in Spain this year or, more appropriately, Mourinho's 'rebranding' of Real Madrid into an actual football club. His signings have been interesting and typically Mourinho. Hamit Altıntop, José Callejón, Fábio Coentrão, Nuri Şahin and Raphaël Varane. They might be well known if you play Football Manager, but to most fans it's a case of "who?" Despite all that, I still think it's Barcelona. I know it's a stick to beat La Liga with, but it's true, there's very little chance of the 'lesser teams' giving Real or Barca a game, let alone providing a real challenge. This means wins are, largely, guarenteed, with the occassional draw and on even rarer occassions, a loss.

For example, there was only 4 points between Barca and Real at the end of last season, but third place Valencia were 21 points behind 2nd place and Villareal (4th) was a further 9 points behind. In the Premier League, United finished 9 points ahead of 2nd and 3rd place, but Arsenal were only 12 points behind United.

I think Barca have that 'unbeatable' aura about them that defeats teams while they're still on the coach. Real will have to obtain that if their to combat Barca in the head to heads, though that's highly unlikely to be with the aggregate of last season.

A quick word on Sergio Agüero's move. This is the moment that City have arrived. Should, as I expect, Tevez stays, that could be the best front two in the league. Not that Agüero's lazy, but with Tevez's work rate, Agüero's guile and the quality of both, they should be devestating.

I see tonight that Joey Barton has been transfer listed and will be allowed to go on a free.

A move to a top 4 club and a final final chance in terms of his personality? If nothing else, I think he'd be an excellent squad man for any of the top sides (minus Liverpool, who can field a team of central midfielders) and the likes of Man Utd and Arsenal could do with some variation in the middle of the park.

He's an ex City player and a Scouser, though, so that might rule out Old Trafford. Could Arsene tame him?

There were rumours a couple of weeks ago of a 'Barton to United' move. Jouranlistic musings or a glimpse of things to come? It does have the wiff of the Owen to United gamble about it, doesn't it? Like this, I said that wouldn't happen and yet, here we are, and he's signed an extension.

There won't be the risk of long spells on the treatment table for Barton but there might be a risk of long spells somewhere else.

So I'm really enjoying all of the Chivas fans going crazy over a friendly, where Chivas essentially beat a B-squad Barça. They are acting like it really mattered.

I know it was a friendly, but I'd still have put money on a Barca reserve team beating Chivas. So, while I agree it's meaningless and all about fitness for Barca, I can understand why their fans are happy about it.

According to F365, Abou Diaby is on £60k a week!

No wonder he could afford to buy Man City. Arf!

Listening to some journos talking yesterday on the Sunday Supplement and a couple of them were saying they could see Arsenal missing out on top 4, let alone winning. One even had them struggling to me top 6 or 7. I still think they'll finish top 4, but it's going to be close between them, Spurs and (possibly) Liverpool.

Chelsea have finally bought Lukaku for £20m (which I didn't think they'd stump up, so I was wrong again) and their new, ex-Barca buy Romeu, has already said he wants to go back sometime. So, if he proves to be any good, expect a Fabregas-esque transfer saga in a few years time.

BTW, what do you guys think of the recent Barcelona transfer/loan strategy? Who's getting the better of these deals?

Yesterday and today the papers say that Arsenal will pay £12m for Southampton 18 year old (next week) midfielder, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Yesterday's Mirror also had them still looking at/wanting Chris Samba or Gary Cahill.

The Sneijder saga continues and, depending on who you read, he's either going anywhere that'll pay him but is happy to stay at Inter, going to City, wants to go to United or both City and United have decided that his transfer (£35m-£37m) combined with a basic £200,000 a week+ bonuses is just too much. City are said to be favourites for Nasri and think they can get him for around £22m. They're said to think it's better value than the Sneijder deal.

Interestingly, it's rumoured that Rooney has a clause in his contract which assures him he'll be the highest earner at the club, so if Sneijder arrives at United it'll cost them even more than the Sneijder deal alone.

Both Vermaelen and Van Persie were injured yesterday, Wiltshire is already injured and with Gervinho getting injured in the second half of his first game for the Gunners, it's good to see that squad starting as it means to go on. Seriously, with two of their players wanting out and the rest injured or soon to be injured, I'm wondering if that journo talking about them finishing 6th could be onto something.

The Daily Mirror says that Owen Coyle, the Bolton manager, has been told he can talk to Shaun Wright-Phillips about a move to the Reebok.

Rob Beasley, who's very in at Chelsea, says he expects them to make another bid for Modric before the end of the transfer window. That, or he expects him to be a Chelsea player by the end of the transfer window. I can't remember which.

Didn't look it yesterday, did he? OK, so it's a cheap shot, but I just had to do it. BTW, how good was that second United goal?