Robinho To Move On Loan?

Sky Sports is reporting that Robinho is looking to move back to former club Santos on loan until the end of the season so as to ensure that he is playing regular football prior to the World Cup.  As a player known in England not to perform well on away fixtures this is a move to very much home surroundings.

Robinho's City career now seems as good as over and should a bid be received it may well be accepted for a summer move.  Robinho moved to City for £32.5m in 2008, just three seasons after moving to Spain from Santos. 

Manager Roberto Mancini clearly feels that Craig Bellamy fits the bill and is ahead of Robinho in the pecking order, with sufficient cover both up front and coming in from the left with the other squad members. 

And yet another Brazilian Superstar follows his wallet whilst his talent dims.   At 26 though, there perhaps is still time for Robinho to recapture some form with a move to a sunnier climate, should of course he be prepared to agree to a sensible wage.

Oh, you're angry?

Apparently Man City are angry at the reaction to their recent managerial swap

I don't think they have the right to be angry - they're the ones who sacked the manager with the fewest losses in the league, the manager who took them to their first semi-final in three decades, AND the manager who was pretty much bang on with the targets set (70 point season - top 6)

You expect kudos for this petty decision to sack a decent manager for not instantly leading the league and replacing him with a big name who has virtually no experience of the league? As far as I can tell, the media are spot on - hopefully they'll be proved right when Mancini produces their first home defeat of the season and fails to lead the team to every trophy available - at the very least we will ask 'what was the point, you childish tossers?'

Old Trafford Time

We all know the accusations of playing until United score at Old Trafford, but when they play to 97 minutes you've got to admit it looks like a fair comment...

Owen scored at 95 mins 28 secs

I think Sparky is right to feel a bit miffed when the fourth official indicated four mins, even if they did count goal celebrations..

And do you think Fergie would've felt it was the best derby ever if he hadn't got the win?

Will He Stay Or Will He Go?

The transfer story of the week rumbles on as David Moyes has come out and publicly reiterated that he has "no intention" of selling Joleon Lescott. This of course follows on from Lescott's transfer request this week after some persistent flirting from Mark Hughes.

Everton have now rejected a number of bids, the most recent is thought to be around £18m, but it will be interesting to see if and how the player reacts, both in the press and on the field.

Moyes has told the official Everton website:

"I have always said that we are not selling any players and that hasn't changed,

“We will continue to work with him as we appreciate his many qualities as a player.

“I have said all along that I have no intention of selling my best players.

“Joleon is simply not for sale.”

I have to say, in my opinion when a player makes a fairly bold move of requesting a transfer, it is not always the best option to keep the player on as performances do tend to suffer. Moyes is a stubborn man though so will stick to his guns. £18m is a good price, but who exactly could Everton find to replace like-for-like this close to the season's kick-off?

My prediction? Lescott stays, but there will be friction between the two as a result.

Adebayor - £25m Fee Agreed!

The Mail says that Arsenal have accepted a £25m fee for Emmanuel Adebayor from Man City as Mark Hughes continues his summer spending spree.

It looks like Carlos Tevez will sign for City today for a similar fee.

It's going to be a crowded bench at Man City next Season, here are their recognised forwards:

Valeri Bojinov
Robinho
Roque Santa Cruz
Felipe Caicedo
Ched Evans
Benjani
Craig Bellamy
Shaun Wright-Phillips

Carlos Tevez
Emmanuel Adebayor

And Man City have also been linked with Samuel Eto'o!

This is surely the craziest transfer window of all time.

Kaka Moves To Real Madrid

Kaka has broken the world transfer record and moved to Real Madrid for €68million (£59million). He has stated that AC Milan said that he would be helping the club in the recession by accepting the offer.

Kaka has also said that he spoke to a number of players, including David Beckham before agreeing to the deal, and that as a 27 year old he wants to maintain his chances of playing at the highest level for as long as possible.

Chelsea and Man City do not seem to have registered on Kaka's radar, even despite the +£100million offered for him back in January from City.

Is Kaka the missing link between the current Madrid team and Champions League success?

Will the signing of Kaka nullify interest in Christiano Ronaldo?

Has Kaka made the right decision by snubbing the Premier League?

Let me know what you think!

Barry Moves To City

I have to say I was a little surprised to see the news that Gareth Barry has moved to Man City today for a £12m fee. Apparently Barry was able to command a £92,000 weekly wage in return for his services. The early transfer will give Martin O'Neil the full window to shop for a replacement.

I think that most people, myself included assumed that Gareth Barry was off to Liverpool this summer after last summers pleas for Champions League football and considering the overtures from Liverpool in seeking to reach a deal worth around £18m. So it is a very good piece of business from Man City and Mark Hughes and a first class signing.

In fact I am not sure what happened to Liverpool or Barry's desire to go there, but that may drastically alter Rafa Benitez's summer transfer plans.

Premier League Title Race Opens Up

It was a big weekend in the Premier League with a solid victory for Liverpool at Old Trafford stunning the Man Utd faithful and with Chelsea winning against Man City.

Man Utd retain a 4 point buffer and a game in hand. United have lost big games in Championship run-ins before and held on to win, last season they lost to Chelsea but held on to clinch the title on the final day. Their performance in the next few games will be telling, with any signs of a let up will be seized upon.

Liverpool were good value for their win. Torres made Player of the Season candidate Nemanja Vidic look slow, and Goalkeeping giant Edwin Van der Saar looked ordinary.

The Battle for fourth has gotten more interesting with Arsenal moving back up into the Champions League spots for the first time since December, and Aston Villa losing at home to Tottenham. Everton's Victory moved them to within 4 points of Champions League football as well.

Walcott Warns Rivals

Theo Walcott has sounded a warning to rivals that Arsenal are going to end the season strongly.

Walcott says that defeat for Arsenal last night against Roma would have been disastrous, but that "The dressing room after we won was like we had won the World Cup".

He added, ""We have got a lot of players coming back towards the end of the season."

"We seem to have had our bad spell. Now hopefully we can have a good spell and push for those Champions League spots."

Walcott will have has Aston Villa in mind when issuing his rallying call who are now just three points ahead of Arsenal in fourth.

Arsenal play Blackburn at home on Saturday and Villa play Tottenham at home on Sunday. The race for the Champions League may intensify as it is Second and Third placed teams Chelsea and Liverpool who have the toughest tests this weekend.

Liverpool face a lunchtime kick off at Old Trafford, and Chelsea host unpredictable Man City on Sunday.

Fabregas May Leave Arsenal If Wenger Leaves

The Daily Mirror has a story that Arsene Wenger tops the Man City wish list for new manager, ahead of Jose Mourinho, Slaven Bilic and Diego Maradona.

And in a related article they quote Cesc Fabregas as saying that he would quit Arsenal if Arsene Wenger left in the summer. Cesc Fabregas has repeatedly been linked with Real Madrid and would have no problem finding a big money move.

Arsenal are out of the title race again this year and Arsenal fans are starting to question Wengers strategies for the first time. Contract negotiations are taking place with Robin Van Persie and Theo Walcott who may also have their heads turned if Arsenal fail to qualify for the Champions League next year.

Klinsmann Linked With Man City

Sky Sports has the rumour, here, that Jurgen Klinsmann has been linked as a replacement to Mark Hughes at Man City. Luiz Felipe Scolari is another linked to the role.

Klinsmann is said in the report to be flattered by the link, but not interested.

What does Mark Hughes have to do to keep his job at Man City in the Summer and how big is the gulf between expectations and results at Man City?

Jose - I Want Premier League Return

The Sunday Express is reporting, here, that The Special One has told friends he wants to quit Italian football at the end of this season and move back to the Premier League.

The report even suggests that Jose has said he is "not a fan of Italian football."

Inter Milan look likely to secure a fourth consecutive Serie A Championship, but the Italian media have not warmed to Jose in the same way UK media outlets did.

It is thought that Newcastle and Man City might express an interest later in the Season if it is a real possibility to land Jose. Chelsea will also need a new manager in the summer. Roman Abramovich and Jose Mourinho have repaired their relationship since he left in September 2007, so it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Jose might be back in the dugout at Stamford Bridge by August.

Given Moves To Man City

Shay Given has completed his move to Man City for an undisclosed fee and has signed a four-and-a-half year deal. Initial bids of £3m and £5m were rejected, so this improved bid will be in excess of those figures.

Given signed for Newcastle from Blackburn in 1997 and has made 450 appearances for the club. Newcastle have continued to underachieve for a club of its size and Given failed to win the trophies that he, and so many other players have sought when moving to the Magpies. Steve Harper, long time deputy will now get his chance of a regular run in the first team between now and the end of the season.

In a statement to City's official website, Hughes is quoted as saying "I have said for a long time that we need the experience of a keeper like Shay. I am delighted that we have been able to acquire such an accomplished keeper, and one is so highly regarded by everyone in the Premier League."

"We are getting a very good keeper, and the experience he has will help the two outstanding young keepers that we have here in Joe and Kasper. I am looking for them all to grow as a group, and it's important that we have that influence of a senior keeper."

"I have had a good talk with him about where we expect to be in the future. From a football point of view, and a club point of view, it's an easy thing to sell because we know we are going in the right direction. Players want to be part of that."

City Have Latest Bid For Santa Cruz Rejected

Man City have had an improved bid for Roque Santa Cruz rejected by Blackburn. This is despite Santa Cruz again openly stating his desire to move away from Blackburn.

City boss Mark Hughes has also confirmed that the club have made an offer for Shay Given, and are waiting to hear back from Newcastle.

Drogba to Man City

More gloomy news for Chelsea fans, as one of their favourites, Didier Drogba is being linked with a move to Man City. There is further speculation that Chelsea would be prepared to let Drogba go, but as part of a deal that would see Robinho move the other way.

Both forwards are out of favour with their respective managers, so it is not beyond the realms of possibilities.

Man City Update....

The deal for Bellamy is done. He has signed a four and a half year deal which would see him through until he is 34. Mark Hughes is delighted to have signed Bellamy, and West Ham fans are seemingly united in their delight at seeing him leave.

Talks in Milan have ended. Silvio Berlusconi has been on the TV to say that no deal is done, and approx 1,000 fans are gathered outside AC Milan's HQ protesting the clubs decision to accept the bid. City are saying that they do not think the deal can be done at this time.

With all of this going on, Sam Allardyce has slapped a £40m price tag on Roque Santa Cruz, by equating his place in the team and the value of staying in the Premier League. City will likely turn their attentions to Santa Cruz now that Kaka will not be joining them.

Bellamy To Have Medical At Man City

Sky Sports is reporting that a deal has been agreed between Man City and West Ham for Craig Bellamy. The fee is undisclosed, though Bryan Swanson of Sky Sports believes the fee to be up to £14m. That is about £94m less than their projected bid for Kaka.

Gianfranco Zola will now make a striker top priority and will have at least some of the Bellamy funds to spend.

Bellamy Transfer Request Rejected

Sky Sports is reporting that Craig Bellamy has requested to be placed on the Transfer List, this request has however been rejected by the Hammers. This follows of from Bellamys recent rejection of a contract extention.

Hammers fans tend to have a hostile reaction to want away players, so the reception Bellamy will receive in front of the home fans on Sunday when West Ham host Fulham.

It is likely that Bellamy will get his way in the end, having actually made a formal request. Zola has been looking to trim the squad of some of the big earners and also to bring in some talent of his own, though it is doubtful he will have wanted Bellamy to leave.

Tottenham and Man City are the interested Parties, with Tottenham being the more likely, with Man Citys current focus in Milan. However, if Tottenham fail to strike and the Kaka deal does not come off, City can out price Tottenham from negotiations. If The West Ham board do accept that it will be better to cash in on Bellamy they will want a replacement in place.

What Man City Are Getting For Their £110m

When you have as much money as Sheik Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan it is completely pointless debating whether their extravagances are warranted or not. So here is a glimpse of what they are going to get with the Sheik's money.



Note: I wonder if Man City have though this through. If City pay £110m for Kaka, they may inadvertently be helping United hold onto Ronaldo in the summer. After all if Kaka is £110m, surely Ronaldo is worth at least £150m ??

Man City for Kaka?

AC Milan are denying that Kaka is to leave after Man City officials spoke with the club. After capturing Robinho in the summer, the sky is the limit for City.

But, will they really be able to tempt the best players in the world mid-season?