Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has stated that he would ‘have to be a nutcase’ to accept Newcastle’s offer for Andy Carroll.
The England international is thought to be available if the right offer comes along, but the Reds boss has stated that Carroll will not be going on loan.
The Magpies are thought to have offered around £12 million for the burly hitman, but this has frustrated Rodgers.
“There is no way they will do a number on us,” he told The Telegraph.
“Absolutely no chance – and certainly not Newcastle. Newcastle got £35million for this player last year. To even consider wanting to take him on loan is a liberty. There is nothing more on it for me.
“I need a minimum of three strikers. Once the window shuts, that it is it until January. I have got Luis Suarez, Fabio Borini and Andy Carroll. I would need to be a nutcase to even consider at this moment to let Andy Carroll go out, unless there are other solutions for that.
“At the moment there isn’t. Andy has been working well. He knows the situation, like the rest of the group do, and we will take it from there. It is all speculation. We have got a very small squad as it is. We have lost a lot of players this summer and I have not replaced them, as of yet,” he concluded.
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Reading are hopeful that they will be able to reach agreements with Alex Pearce and Jem Karacan over extending their respective contracts.
Both Pearce and Karacan are products of the Royal’s youth academy and have already established themselves as first-team regulars. Their current contracts will run out at the end of the 2012/13 season, and Reading’s director of football Nick Hammond is confident that the duo will commit themselves to new deals soon. He told the Reading Post:
“Talks with Jem are progressing well, so we’re hopeful of getting that resolved soon. We’re also speaking with Pearcey and it’s fantastic news about his Republic of Ireland call-up this week. It’s great to have these players come through our academy and then represent the first team in the Premier League. It’s important we secure their services to the club, but as always the deal has to be right for everyone. We’ve said for the last 10 years how vital it is we bring players through the academy and these guys are both prime examples of that good work. I remember bringing Pearcey to the club from Oxford as a teenager and Jem has been with us for a long period of time too.”
Reading face Tottenham at the Madejski stadium on Sunday, and manager Brian McDermott will be eager to record the Royal’s first Premier League win of the season as soon as possible.
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Andre Villas-Boas has stated that Brad Friedel remains his number one choice at Tottenham, reports Sky Sports.
The 41-year-old helped ensure Tottenham recorded their first home win of the season on Sunday, making two world class saves from Clint Hill and Junior Hoilett in the first half, which proved crucial as Tottenham went on to record a 2-1 victory.
Tottenham’s big money signing Hugo Lloris again found himself on the bench, despite keeping a clean sheet on his debut against Lazio. And it looks set to stay that way for the immediate future according to his manager.
“We have made Hugo alert that whenever Brad has a bad game we won’t (drop him). These things have to be taken very carefully,” Villas-Boas said.
“We don’t doubt Hugo’s dimension and talent but at the moment we are paying respect to a player who is performing very well.
“At the right time we will think about it or not and Hugo is an extremely good professional.
“He wants to come back into the team but he is competing for the jersey and he will get his chance very soon.”
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Arsenal Football Club are readying a January transfer bid for Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente, according to The Daily Mail.
The north London side sold Robin van Persie to Manchester United in the summer and Arsene Wenger is said to be keen to find a long-term replacement for the Dutch maestro.
A number of names including Adrian Lopez, Abel Hernandez and Stevan Jovetic have been touted as potential transfer targets for the Gunners, however the French coach is an admirer of Llorente.
The Spain international has been a major player for Bilbao in their recent successful campaigns, with the San Mames club making the final of the Europa League and Copa Del Rey last season.
Llorente is in the last year of his contract with the Basque club, and has stated that he wants to move to a side playing Champions League football.
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Although Juventus are also interested, Arsenal are ready to launch a January bid for the forward.
Stoke City have rejected loan offers for Wilson Palacios and Kenwyne Jones from Leicester City and Hull City respectively.
Potters boss, Tony Pulis has declined to let both players to go out on loan as he believes they both have the potential to become a vital part of life at the Britannia.
Jones has made just the two substitute appearances in the Premier League this season and started only five games this calendar year but Pulis has reiterated that the Trinidad and Tobago striker is going nowhere.
“I haven’t seen any other Premier League clubs selling players. There’s been lots of enquiries about lots of players, but at the moment we want to look after ourselves,” Pulis told the Stoke Sentinel.
“We had 25 in our Premier League squad and then let Jermaine Pennant go on loan to Wolves, so we don’t want to be letting others go and then picking up three or four injuries.”
Hull City boss, Steve Bruce who managed Wilson Palacios during his time at Wigan has inquired about the Honduran international mooting a potential loan move.
But Pulis has decided to keep on to the 28-year-old midfielder as his performances in training have improved.
“He’s trained really well over the last six weeks and got his levels of fitness up again,” he added.
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Last Saturday was the first time since August that Palacios made it into the 18 man squad and even came on as a late second half substitute against Manchester United.
Barcelona President Sandro Rosell has attacked Manchester City and Arsenal for trying to steal the club’s top players and best youngsters, according to Mirror Football.
The comments come a day after transfer speculation suggesting that Roberto Mancini is desperate to bring defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets to Eastlands.
The Italian believes reuniting Busquets with former team mate Yaya Toure would spark a great midfield partnership between the two that would dominate the Premier League. However, the Citizens would certainly have to pay big money for the world cup winner, and the recent comments from Rosell can be taken as a hands-off warning.
Talking at a club forum event, Rosell said: “City are now doing at first team what Arsenal have been doing at academy: call players and offer them lots of money.
“Busquets is the last try from City and in the past we have had the same situation for Messi, Valdes, Xavi and Puyol. But they have all stayed and this is the power and force of Barca.
“Some clubs have asked about Messi, but Leo personally has refused to negotiate.”
The Barca President then turned his criticisms to the Premier League and English Football.
“Barca has never received an offer from a Sheikh. La Liga needs to mirror the view of the Bundesliga and not the way the Premier League and some of their clubs function,” he added.
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Today’s transfer rumours have linked City with a player closer to home. Cash-strapped Birmingham’s Nathan Redmond has been compared to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and the Manchester club are interested in the youngster’s availability.
Yesterday we reported that Tottenham’s Gareth Bale was Real Madrid’s number one transfer target and it appears that the plot has thickened with Jose Mourinho preparing a swap deal involving the Spurs winger, according to The Mirror.
Bale is valued at around £30million according to the Spanish club and a deal involving £12million left back Fabio Coentrao is set to be discussed with Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas already keen on acquiring the Portuguese’s services.
However, the man who scouted the 23-year-old Welsh winger for Southampton when he was a youngster is not convinced that Bale won’t continue to have injury problems.
“Gareth struggled with injuries and was affected by a growth spurt. He was quite small but, like many teenagers, just shot up,” Southampton scout Rod Ruddick said.
“His back was out of alignment, which meant he would struggle to run properly and at full pelt.
“He was almost released and who knows what might have happened? You have seen players fall out of love with the game after a rejection.”
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Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew has always publicly displayed his appreciation to Mike Ashley for handing him the reins to take over at St. James’ Park in December 2010, but is it time for him to finally start questioning the club’s owner?
Before, we start to lose a sense of perspective, it is correct that Pardew is grateful for the opportunity Ashley gave him to manage a football club capable of challenging in the upper echelons of the Premier League. In a spell not long before he was offered the Newcastle job, he was written off into football’s managerial scrapheap, following an acrimonious sacking at Southampton, who at that time were a League One club, let’s not forget.
It would not have been totally unthinkable that Championship clubs would have turned their nose up at Pardew, with managers holding Premier League experience still being shunned by clubs in the lower leagues, Alan Curbishley a notable example. Nevertheless, it is now time to put this gratitude to one side and for Pardew to firmly demands his owner supports him over the club’s direction.
Newcastle are currently languishing in 12th place in the table, closer to the bottom four than they are the top four and with no magic Carroll type business on the horizon, to fund another set of Graham Carr masterminded transfer coups, the club need their owner to back the manager. Ashley has already started the job that by handing his man a generous 8 year deal, but he now needs to dig deep into his pockets to fund his boss with player arrivals in January. Despite this being true, it is Pardew’s job to convince Ashley that it is necessary to spend in the next transfer window. The club’s supporters would certaintly be hoping that their manager has already started discussing what Newcastle need to bring in with some force. The 51 year old was quick to point out that Rodgers has struggled at times at Liverpool because he was not given the tools to succeed, as the Anfield club were criticised for not bringing in another striker. However, it appears that Magpies boss has suffered from the same problem, but he appears all too willing to ignore the issue.
The issue may have been magnified, now that Newcastle have failed to win what most fans saw as two winnable fixtures against West Ham and Swansea. The reality is though the team have looked rudderless and out of ideas on several occasions this season with the Europa League clearly taking its toll. A few tweaks in January though, and there is still cause for belief on Tyneside that the long term plan will work. All the foundations for success that Newcastle received credit for building last season have not suddenly crumbled.
The problem lies in the club failing to have significant competition for places and whilst it is the manager’s job to motivate his players, he can only do so much. Even ‘Pardiola’, as he is affectionately called by some fans, is attributable to some of the blame for this season’s struggle to put in a real “performance”. One of the biggest problems has been the club has failed to cope with injuries to key players. This is the nature of football and every side has to contend with injuries, but the paper-thin squad at St. James’s Park has really hampered Pardew’s ability to be able to create a starting XI that is capable of getting anywhere near the 5th place finish of last season. The long term injuries to Ryan Taylor and just recently Yohan Cabaye, means the need to bring in players who can make an instant impact has become all the more pertinent.
Whilst Newcastle fans may have been labelled deluded in the past expecting European football every season, there is a sense of realism these days. They recognise that last season was an unexpected overachievement. However, the feel good factor was based around a hunger and desire that Pardew is currently failing to deliver. The frustration amongst the supporters is that a number of the key ingredients for success remain at the club’s spine, particularly Hatem Ben Arfa and Demba Ba. The issue is that the majority of Newcastle’s established players are showing flashes of their ability with nobody really giving them that drive to push on. Whilst ensuring Demba Ba remains in January is a priority, this next transfer window is not a window where the club need to just focus on just keeping players. If Pardew and the board are going to build upon the positivity of last season, they need to bring in experienced players, who can immediately provide a lift to a team that is currently a little flat.
There are a number of promising young talents, such as Gael Bigirimana, Shane Ferguson and Sammy Ameobi, but even the most optimistic Newcastle fan would have to admit that none of these are yet the complete package, despite showing signs of encouragement in their first team outings this season. There needs to be a decent level of competition in all areas, and it is Pardew’s responsibility to ensure this happens, and at minimum the club need a new striker to give a much needed kick up the backside to Papiss Cisse. This is if including the underwhelming at times Shola Ameobi, instead of him, hasn’t provided a timely reminder that even number 9’s don’t just walk into the team.
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Whether Pardew has the bottle to demand Ashley provides the funds to sign the players needed, will tell Newcastle fans all they need to know about their manager’s determination to succeed, or willingness to sit back and take orders.
When football clubs like Charlton Athletic have hidden gems within their ranks it is sometimes impossible to keep hold of them.
Over the years a substantial list has been created and in the near future it could be added to with youngster Joe Gomez. There is a host of Premier League clubs that have expressed their interest in the 15-year-old defender. The England Under-16 star is widely considered to be one of the hottest prospects in English football.
One of the most controversial players that got away is Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe. Defoe joined the clubs youth team at the age of 14 before moving on to West Ham two years later.
The striker made his decision to turn professional with the Hammers and subsequently the Addicks were awarded £1.4million dependent on Premier League and International appearances.
During his early years Defoe went on loan to Bournemouth where he scored 18 goals in 29 appearances, and his West Ham manager Harry Redknapp was impressed with his season long loan at the Second Division club.
“He’s done great. I sent him out to Bournemouth to get some experience playing league football and he’s coped marvelously. To score 10 goals in 10 games is a terrific achievement. He’s a bright lad who’s full of confidence. Nothing knocks him, he’s a typical goalscorer. If he misses, he’ll be there the next time looking for a goal. He’s a kid with a big future,” said Redknapp.
Currently at Tottenham Defoe is still scoring goals on a consistent basis and his goal scoring antics means he is the eighth all time Spurs goalscorer.
Scott Parker was another player to leave the club in controversial fashion after coming up through the ranks. After playing 145 times and scoring 10 times for Charlton, Parker was a fan favourite for is combative roles in midfield. When Parker left the club for Chelsea in 2004 for a fee of £10mllion it left a bad taste with fans and manager Alan Curbishley who was disappointed in the conduct of the transfer.
“The bottom line is that Scott, from the moment he heard Chelsea were interested, hasn’t wanted to play for us and has been totally not focused on what he was doing,” Curbishley said.
“I’ve known Scott for 10 years, and he’s been phenomenal for the last three seasons. But the last three weeks have left a bad taste in the mouth.”
Parker has represented England from every level from Under-16’s to the National side where he has earned 17 caps.
Charlton’s youngest player at the age of 16 years and 59 days old, Jonjo Shelvey’s departure was an upsetting transfer but not one which any Charlton fan can have any complaints about.
Shelvey also became the clubs youngest goal scorer when he scored against Norwich in the FA Cup and his performances soon made him recognised by bigger clubs. It was Liverpool that signed the midfielder for a fee of £1.7million and is making an impact at his new club, as well as making his England debut.
Carl Jenkinson is another youngster that came through the cubs youth ranks before moving to the Premier League. The right back only featured eight times for the Addicks before moving to Arsenal for a fee believed to be worth £1million. Jenkinson started the first five games of this season due to injury to Bacary Sagna and has gone on to represent his new club in the Champions League and like Shelvey has made his International debut.
The final name to make it on to this list is Lee Bowyer. Bowyer broke into the first team at 17 years-old and became a first team regular before Leeds United signed the midfielder in 1996 for £2.8million, which was then a record fee for a transfer.
There is no denying that Charlton’s youth set up has brought through a number of top players which have turned out to be stars and represent their country at the highest level. As a Charlton fan, for most of these players I want to see go on and be a success, others I hope they enjoy less success, but the underlying question is, if we were any bigger would these players have stayed and helped the club progress even further than what we achieved in our ‘glory’ years of the Premier League instead of being in the Championship at the moment after suffering a torturous few seasons which saw the club fall to League 1.
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Stoke manager Tony Pulis has confessed that he must sell first-team players before making additions to his squad during the January transfer window.
The Potters have enjoyed a solid start to the Premier League season, securing 29 points, leaving them ninth.
Pulis admitted that his side were showing signs of tiredness during their 3-0 loss to Manchester City, an issue that he would like to address in the coming weeks:
“We have to bring money in to do it,” he told Sky Sports when asked about potential arrivals at the club.
“If we can wheel and deal and get a few out then hopefully we’ll be able to bring a couple in and give us some fresh impetus
“We are in that position where one or two may have to leave first. Last year we didn’t freshen and we fell away but we have to try and wheel and deal to generate some money.”
The Welshman also revealed himself to be envious of City’s financial muscle after the game:
“What was the difference – it was about about £220million.
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“If we haven’t got our A-game on – and I thought we were a little bit away from that – and they are at their best then it’s always going to be difficult.
“But also you have to keep shaking the cage to get people to understand it. There is a massive difference in lots of respects from this club to ours and sometimes it isn’t going to go for us.”