Karl-Heinz Rumour Mill

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Škrtel move raises Slovakian pulse

Last week Slovakia forward Filip Hološko left Vestel Manisaspor for Turkish giants Beşiktaş JK in an exchange valued at €5m, and now the nation is abuzz about a switch thought to be worth twice that – Martin Škrtel's move from Russian champions FC Zenit St. Petersburg to Liverpool FC.

Record signing
The 23-year-old passed an Anfield medical on Tuesday, and is all set to become the most expensive defensive signing in the history of the five-time European champions. Škrtel will be eligible for Liverpool's UEFA Champions League campaign despite playing for Zenit in the UEFA Cup, and the news of his impending move has delighted Slovakia coach Ján Kocian. "This is good news for the national team," Kocian said. "He has aerial ability and a no-nonsense attitude."

Prowess
Standing at 1.91m, his physical prowess is underlined by the fact that he could have been an ice hockey professional. Instead he followed in his father Roman's footsteps and opted for football, making his international debut at the age of 19 in 2004 – the same year that he left AS Trenčín for Zenit. Škrtel was soon established as a regular choice for club and country and this year, in addition to his Russian league winner's medal, he finished second in the Slovakian Player of the Year poll behind Róbert Vittek. "I won the Russian league with Zenit but this honour is my best in football," admitted Škrtel.

'Right choice'
He will not be entering uncharted territory in his new English home as he expects to take the number of Slovakians to have played in the Premier League to eight. Vladimír Kinder and Szilárd Németh both represented Middlesbrough FC, Vladimír Labant had a spell with West Ham United FC, Igor Bališ was a popular figure at West Bromwich Albion FC. West Brom also fielded Ján Kozák and Stanislav Varga, the latter also a veteran of two spells at Sunderland AFC, while Ľubomír Michalík is currently at Bolton Wanderers FC. Michalík has no doubt his fellow defender has what it takes to succeed at Liverpool. "In my opininon Martin is the right choice for the style of the English league," he said.

High demand
Škrtel is not the only young Slovakian defender to have been coveted by England's big guns. SSC Napoli's 20-year-old Marek Hamšík has been constantly linked to top Premier League clubs, most notably Chelsea FC, for fees that would eclipse even Škrtel's. Not that Napoli want to sell, with sporting director Pierpaolo Marino declaring: "No chance! Hamšík is ours."

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Paul Robinson's future at Tottenham is in doubt after being dropped against Arsenal and he is reported to have had a furious bust-up with boss Juande Ramos when he heard the news. (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham are lining up a move for Lyon's £11m-rated Brazilian Fred should Dimitar Berbatov seal his dream move to Manchester United. (The Guardian)

Palermo's Mark Bresciano has played down reports linking him with a move to Fulham. (The Independent)

Valencia have joined Juventus in the race to sign Liverpool midfielder Momo Sissoko. (Daily Mail)

Toulouse have confirmed reports they have been contacted by Tottenham about Sweden striker Johan Elmander. (The Independent)

New boss Fabio Capello will select Wayne Bridge ahead of Chelsea team-mate Ashley Cole for the England left-back slot. (The Independent)

Middlesbrough are attempting to complete the £12m transfer of Brazilian striker Alfonso Alves from Heerenveen. (The Independent)

Defender Pascal Chimbonda is desperate to leave Tottenham in fury at the club's plans to sign replacement right-backs. (The Guardian)

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is preparing a £15m swoop for Chimbonda and his Spurs team-mate Jermain Defoe. (The Star)

Geovanni is poised to quit Manchester City for Deportivo La Coruna in the transfer window. (Daily Mail)

West Brom midfielder Richard Chaplow has moved to rivals Preston in a £1.35m deal. (Daily Express)

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is ready to make a £4m offer for Everton forward James McFadden. (The Star)

Portsmouth have taken South Korea striker Cho Jae-Jin on trial with a view to signing the free agent recently rejected by Newcastle. (Daily Express)

Blackburn will listen to offers for defender Stephane Henchoz, with Fulham boss Roy Hodgson leading the race for his signature. (The Star)

Wolves want to sign Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp. (The Star)

Bolton striker Nicolas Anelka has agreed a salary package at Chelsea worth over £20m. (The Star)

Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock has blasted Rafael Benitez for refusing to allow loanee Besian Idrizaj to return to Anfield. (The Star)

Middlesbrough are in talks with Lyon's Brazilian striker Fred about a £10m move to join Gareth Southgate's struggling Boro. (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham are set to reignite their interest in Maniche. (Daily Mirror)

Bolton want to sign Iceland right-back Gretar Steinsson from AZ Alkmaar - ahead of Newcastle and Middlesbrough. (Daily Mirror)

Wigan are hoping to sign Newcastle's Steve Carr after new contract talks with the Magpies broke down. (Daily Mirror)

Paul Robinson had a furious bust-up with Tottenham boss Juande Ramos after being axed against Arsenal on Wednesday. (Various)

Manchester City are determined to sign Roma's Mancini. (The Sun)

Sam Allardyce was told he would get just £8m to spend in the transfer window - a day before he was forced out. (The Sun)

The Magpies did however, agree a £5.5m fee with Arsenal for Lassana Diarra, just hours before his exit. (Various)

Fulham want to sign Watford striker Marlon King as they fight for their Premier League survival. (The Sun)

Bolton's Stelios is at the centre of an £800,000 transfer battle between Stoke and Sheffield United. (The Sun)

Middlesbrough are keen on signing Cristiano Lucarelli from Shakhtar Donetsk. (The Times)

Former Rangers defender Jean-Alain Boumsong's move to Fulham has been put on hold for a week. (The Times)

Bolton have held talks with Celtic over the possible transfer of defender Bobo Balde. (The Times)

Charlton want to sign Burnley striker Andy Gray in a £1m deal and are also keen on Colchester skipper Karl Duguid. (The Star)

Leicester manager Ian Holloway is ready to raid former club Plymouth for defender Paul Connolly. (The Star)

Swindon have made a bid for Reading striker Simon Cox. (The Star)

Hull have rejected Celtic's £1m bid for Hull defender Michael Turner, insisting they want £2m. (The Star)

Rangers will move for veteran Hearts goalkeeper Steve Banks if Roy Carroll makes the switch to Derby County. (various)

West Brom manager Tony Mowbray is planning a double swoop on former club Hibs for David Murphy and Guillame Beuzelin. (Scottish Sun)

Defender Zander Diamond will commit his future to Aberdeen but striker Lee Miller wants a move to England. (Scottish Sun)

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Middlesbrough are in talks with Lyon's Brazilian striker Fred about a £10m move to join Gareth Southgate's struggling Boro. (Daily Mirror)

Well Middlesbrough are hardly going to hold talks with him about a move to any other side are they?

Fred's agent: "Hi Fred, we've got a representative from Middlesbrough on the phone. They were wondering whether you'd be interested in a move to Bolton."

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They seem nailed on to sign that Alfonso Alves feller for around £12m, surely they cant sign this chap as well?

Steve Gibson certainly backs his managers - Newcastle board - take note.

[mrmuzeman]

If we can get 5m for McFadden off Birmingham we should bite their hand off. Theres rumours McLeish is gona bid 5.5m

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Manchester United are preparing a £12m-offer for long-term target Klaas Jan Huntelaar. (The Sun)

Meanwhile, after recent interest from Real Madrid, Manchester United have said they will never sell prized asset Cristiano Ronaldo. (Various)

Bolton striker Nicolas Anelka is desperate to join Chelsea and has urged the Blues to up their offer to the £15m his present club want. (The Sun)

This one's go to go through surely! Away with the foreplay you lot, get a room!

However, Chelsea manager Avram Grant is growing impatient with Bolton and may explore other possibilities this January. (The Guardian)

Tottenham are keen to bring Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing and Daniel Jarque to the club. (The Times)

More over rated shit in Downing. Get your priorities right and get a holding midfielder and some centrebacks

Former Tottenham striker Freddie Kanoute has admitted he would love the chance to return to White Hart Lane and team up with former Sevilla boss Juande Ramos. (The Sun)

Meanwhile, Ramos has told his scouts to look for a new keeper with Ajax stopper Maarten Stekelenburg a possible target. (The Times)

Fulham have been told they must find £8m if they are to take striker Marlon King from Watford to Craven Cottage. (The Sun)

Dont make me laugh

Blackburn manager Mark Hughes wants to sign Wigan and Wales midfielder Jason Koumas for £3.5m. (Daily Mail)

Reading have told Sunderland to forget their interest in midfielder Stephen Hunt after the Black Cats made an improved £4.5m offer for the Irishman. (The Guardian)

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is ready to make an improved offer for Everton forward James McFadden and Hibernian defender David Murphy. (The Telegraph)

Newcastle's proposed £3m move for Porto defender Marek Cech has been put on hold after the departure of Sam Allardyce. (The Mail)

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate is close to agreeing a deal for SC Heerenveen striker Alfonso Alves. (The Times)

Arsenal midfielder Lassana Diarra says his desire to leave the club left him in the wrong frame of mind to face Spurs on Wednesday. (The Guardian)

Aston Villa have insisted that striker Marlon Harewood is not leaving the club with Watford, Stoke and Crystal Palace among the clubs interested in the former West Ham man. (Daily Express)

Manchester City midfielder Dietmar Hamann has been rewarded with a new one-year contract. (The Mail)

Gilberto Silva has vowed to stay at the club and fight for his place in the team. (Daily Mirror)

Tell us your transfer rumours

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OTHER GOSSIP

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is torn over accepting the Newcastle job after being tempted with a £20m transfer kitty. (The Mail)

Redknapp has been told that he can use owner Mike Ashley's private jet to fly him to and from his home on the South Coast. (Daily Express)

Portsmouth will be given £3m in compensation if Redknapp decides to leave Fratton Park for Newcastle. (The Sun)

The cost of sacking Allardyce and recruiting Redknapp could cost Newcastle £9m. (Daily Telegraph)

Portsmouth have vowed to hold on to manager Redknapp and have told Newcastle they face a fight to secure his services. (The Times)

If Newcastle fail to land Redknapp then Blackburn manager Mark Hughes is next on their list. (The Guardian)

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Never saw this one coming....

Was rather impressive last season, 36 years old though The guy just keeps on going...

Villa poised to sign Henrik Larsson on loan

Jan 11 2008

By Bill Howell, Birmingham Mail


SWEDISH international striker Henrik Larsson is poised to sign for Villa on loan until the end of the season. The 36-year-old Helsingborgs star was due back in Sweden yesterday for the start of their preparations for next month's UEFA Cup tie against PSV Eindhoven.

But he was seen in England earlier this week and it has now been reported he has agreed to a shock link-up with Martin O'Neill after their successful partnership at Celtic.

Larsson is best known for helping the Glasgow club win four titles in seven years.

He subsequently had a two-year spell at Barcelona, where he won two titles and the Champions League.

He joined Manchester United on a brief loan spell between January and March 2007 – and scored against Villa in a third-round FA Cup tie.

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Apparently Newcastle agreed a £5.5m deal to sign that Diarra chap from Arsenal, but pulled out when he demanded a 4 year deal, worth £18m. fucking hell, £90k a week - who the hell does he think he is?

[rcgills]

Originally Posted by all_funkt_up

Apparently Newcastle agreed a £5.5m deal to sign that Diarra chap from Arsenal, but pulled out when he demanded a 4 year deal, worth £18m. fucking hell, £90k a week - who the hell does he think he is?

Yes, but then this is Newcastle we're talking about. They don't seem to object to paying over the odds, and if you don't ask, you don't get...

[mrmuzeman]

Originally Posted by mrmuzeman

If we can get 5m for McFadden off Birmingham we should bite their hand off. Theres rumours McLeish is gona bid 5.5m

Looks like that bid has been made and accepted so he should be on his way. Good piece of business that, for Everton and McFadden himself. Will be very interesting if he can perform now he has a proper first team run upfront basically guaranteed. My feeling is hell be as inconsistent as ever though.

[crowie]

Originally Posted by all_funkt_up

Apparently Newcastle agreed a £5.5m deal to sign that Diarra chap from Arsenal, but pulled out when he demanded a 4 year deal, worth £18m. fucking hell, £90k a week - who the hell does he think he is?

At those sort of wages he should be speaking to West Ham.

Originally Posted by mrmuzeman

Looks like that bid has been made and accepted so he should be on his way. Good piece of business that, for Everton and McFadden himself. Will be very interesting if he can perform now he has a proper first team run upfront basically guaranteed. My feeling is hell be as inconsistent as ever though.

I agree Muze. Still think he will be inconsistent, will do the odd blinding thing but a lot of the time games will pass him by.

McFadden is a problem. He obviously has skill and talent but for a start I still couldn't tell you what his best position is. Its a debate we have with Scotland games as well.

He's not a left winger IMO, not enough pace. He isn't a centre forward as again he lacks the pace and the strength of someone like Rooney. He sounds like he would be ideal to play in the "hole", where he has played a couple of times for Scotland, sort of short of the main striker....but do many sides play with that sort of player nowadays?

I actually think the EPL is the wrong league for him. A lot of successful players in the EPL have strength or pace or both, he doesn't really have either.

From a Scotland point of view I would be happy with him getting a more regular as he does seem down the pecking order at Everton. However I do hope its not with what ends up being a Championship side and I also hope that he doesn't end up being a flop.

[mrmuzeman]

Hes a much better striker than he is a left winger im certain about that. Hes basically shit on left wing, has 1 good game in 6 or 7 probably wheras hes kind of in and out upfront but does have a share of good/influential performances at least. When left to wander in a kind of hole position he can do well though as you say but its not somewhere ive seen him play much at all for Everton, apart from when he takes it upon himself to just do that from left wing

[wazik]

Its a strange one with McFadden, for the amount of cash theres surely somebody around that would be more consistent, it seems like a lot of money. On his day he is brilliant. Be intresting to see him getting a regular start.

[crowie]

How to not get everyone at your new club on your side in one easy step

I give you Lassana Diarra, a good player but one who obviously believe he is much better than he actually is.

Commitment seems to be a lost word for Portsmouth's new signing Lassana Diarra. On arrival from Arsenal he said: "The people at Portsmouth know I will not spend my life at this club. If I shine, if a really big club wants me, I know that everything will go well." (Various)

[Wittmann 44]

I'll give him a year tops at Pompey. No doubt he'll come out with he was "misquoted" to explain this one.