Just hours to go now (and by the time you see this, maybe moments) until the January window slams shut. As always, there remain a host of possible moves. Keane back to Spurs? Arshavin to Arsenal? Veloso to SF Bolton?? Anyone and Everyone to Citeh? We'll keep count, with your aid and peerless commentary, right here.
Summary of the [more-or-less] confirmed Prem deals after the jump.
IN:
Everton-- Jo (Man City)
Fulham-- Olivier Dacourt (Inter loan), Gray (Coventry loan extended)
Newcastle-- Ryan Taylor (Wigan)
Portsmouth-- Angelos Basinas (AEK loan)
Stoke-- Henri Camara (Wigan loan)
Tottenham-- Robbie Keane (Liverpool)
West Brom-- Youssouf Mulumbu (PSG loan), JC Menseguez (San Lorenzo loan)
Wigan-- Charles N'Zogbia (Newcastle)
Chelsea-- Ricardo Quaresma (Inter loan)
Monday, February 2, 2009
Transfer Deadline Day Open Thread -- Updated!
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142 comments:
I'm so ill I think I should be quarantined. Awesome, because now I get to follow this transfer deadline.
It also gives me time to repent for last week's excessive enthusiasm on the Arshavin deal.
I understand that Citeh has put in bids for Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, John Terry, Carles Puyol, Phillip Lahm, Steven Gerrard, Xavi, Franck Ribery, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and my dog.
Yeah, looks like the Arshavin deal is dead (so says the Guardian). This might all turn out rather Seinfeldian.
So looks like Keane deal won't happen til last second, if at all (though he's having a physical juuust in case.) Then there's the Saviola and Quaresma loan moves. Telegraph says if Keane goes, Liverpool could grab both. If he doesn't, Spurs are interested. Tasty stuff indeed!
I'll be glad if the Arshavin deal doesn't happen - we don't need him and I didn't want him.
We need a central defender and a defensive midfielder. Eduardo, Walcott, Rosicky and Fabregas will all be back at some point this season.
Norwich nabbed Killen, Gow and Davies from Stoke. Many rumors about Iverson, Purse and Gerrards cousin from Walsall.
I forgot to mention that the team in yellow-- the one Bigus supports-- they're doing stuff too. Pulling drunks out of bars in Norway, I'm told...
what timing!
TLL, what do you make of these moves? I mean, I rate Quaresma, but I'd much rather see us in for a central defender and a left fullback.
apparently the Arse-to-Arse deal is back on, so says BBC. Also:
- Jo to Everton
- rumour of Gio from Spurs to Pompey on loan
Sky says dos Santos is staying at Spurs; Pompey say he's not match fit.
everyone needs to check out arsebloggers Twitter feed hes had some pretty funny commentary/photos.
Busy day in Norwich...
Adrian Leijer from Fulham
Cody McDonald from Dartford
Alan Gow from Rangers
Killen from Celtic and Carney from Sheffield United also in.
Lupoli out to Sheff United.
BBC says 'Pool have confirmed Keane heading back to Purs
phil- the quaresma thing i think is just in case they lose lennon. or not, god knows we luuuurrrve those wingers. id prefer big fellas to defend crosses, of course. as for left back, depth'd be good, but i have no problem with bae. think he gets a bad rap. chimbo can play there if necessary...
p.s. Liverpool official site confirms that Keane sale is on. Thoughts? Feelings?
twice today.
Honestly, I'm torn on Keano. He was my favorite Spurs player, and I was gutted when he left. Plus, he's a solid link-up man, and may be just what Pavs needs, both from a service and a motivation standpoint. OTOH, he admittedly has lost a step and is not a natural finisher. But all-in-all, I'm glad to have him back. He's the kind of player you need in a relegation scrap.
Would really like to see us poach Upson from West Ham
Currently addicted to BBC lie transfer thingy, refreshing every minute.
Arshavin seems back on.
Keane is done, but for the announcing
Santa Cruz is moving, just don't know where.
I'm trying to wrap my head around Spurs selling everyone off last season and now getting them back? I know they had a buy-back clause in the contracts with Keane and DeFoe, but what the hell?
Ha. That should have been "live". You can interpret that as how much someone should believe these pages, I guess.
@Andrew-
Desperation does strange things to teams.
Andrew, I think it's 'Arry undoing all the damage the Comolli and Wandy did. It looks bad, and, morale-wise, probably is bad, but a club in our position can't afford to keep up appearances.
God if 'Pool agreed to sell him for less than the £20M they are morons. Anyone got a number on the fee yet?
Last I heard, PR, it was 15-18 mil.
From the BBC live coverage comments:
"Latest news on Keane and Liverpool is that an agreement has been made with Valencia over David Villa. This is why Liverpool are letting Keane leave. Villa and Torres up front, now that would scare me."
The figure reported seems to be £15 (oh look a competent strike partner just in time for Arsenal to come to WHL... ). Anyway, without Keane Spurs are going to flirt with the relegation battle. With him, they'll pick up 10 points from their next 5 and they'll be fine. Someone at Anfield should realize that's worth at least the £20 they sold him for.
I understand why Spurs are bringing the players back - can't get relegated.
So is the Arshavin deal back on? I'm reading reports that the physical is all that's left to do.
Villa to 'Pool? Jesus. If that's true, I like Liverpool to win the Prem. That's the top rated duo in my book.
@ Andrew, BBC was saying the only thing holding up the Arshavin deal is that Zenit want half the fee in full, up front.
I don't buy the Villa to 'Pool thing. Valencia have placed quite a price tag on him in the past.
'Arry speaks to Sky:
"I am absolutely thrilled and delighted that Robbie Keane is back at Tottenham once again. He is a terrific player. He can make all the difference."
Yeah but Valencia are going broke. They had to sell half the interest in their stadium (I think I read that someplace recently). They need money.
They're not winning the league with Villa and they seem a safe bet for the CL without him. So it's not unreasonable they'd sell him for ~£20M.
20M for Villa is a steal IMO, especially when he would be paired with Torres.
After this Arshavin debacle, who wants to deal with Russians anymore?
I wish Robbie all the best, I don't blame him for what happened.
Villa for 20 mil, especially seeing as he'll be partnered with Torres, would be quite a heist for LFC.
I'm no expert on transfers, but I read Zenit's demand as they want half of Arshavin's signing bonus, as well.
@ Andrew
We're apparently on the same wavelength today.
The way Arshavin and Zenit have toyed with your lot is a near carbon copy of how they toyed with us in August. I'm not sure if it's Russian teams in general, or just Arshavin and his people, or just Zenit.
Deadline extended for deals in principle that can't be completed because of weather:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/7865432.stm
Can a club demand a portion of a player's bonus? And, if so, what stooge would sign a contract like that?
Russians in the NHL used to have stuff like that too. Don't know if they still do.
PR--
What's the dish on this Mike Grella kid Leeds signed? Good prospect for USMNT?
You know what would be awesome? A huge last minute move by Villa (as in Aston, not David).
Fuck it, they're within a shot of the title what if MO'N when to Lerner and said, "Open up the checkbook, let's go for it."
@Phil: stop reading my thoughts!
Why do Zenit want half his signing fee? They're acting like the African wife in Eddie Murphy's "Raw." Half, Andrei, HALF!
Jay DeMerit may be on the move to Charlton.
I'm waiting for something entirely silly from Citeh, right as the window closes.
@PR: Yeah, a move by Villa/MON to strenghten the squad with a big name signing would be phenomenal. They're within striking distance, might as well go for it.
He's got a good goal scoring record. It was at Duke then some Long Island team (right?), but goal scorers are goal scorers, so he was worth a look.
I know he played in a squad match and they gave him a run out. Know nothing about how he did.
I'm kind of surprised they made the offer if only because they had a handful of players already fighting for time as a striker. But good for the kid. The US lacks goal scorers. See how he develops.
Thanks, PR. By all accounts, he was impressive during his trial period at Leeds.
Sky repoting that Spartak London have jumped in on Quaresma as the window closes.
Arshavin apparently blames both Zenit and Arsenal for the yo-yoing on his status.
This weekend I finally understood why Wenger wants Arshavin; Gunners created very few opportunities - Denilson, et al just don't have the creativity needed in midfield to assist in producing goals. Arshavin fills that void. And with Fabregas, Rosicky, Eduardo, and Walcott all returning over the next few months, we will be very potent going forward.
Good lord I smell bad right now, but I'm not showering until this stuff is all finished
Breaking news: The Football Association has confirmed that no disciplinary action will be taken against Chelsea defender Jose Bosingwa for his challenge on Liverpool's Yossi Benayoun on Sunday
MOST CORRUPT SPORTS LEAGUE EVER
Really, compared to Italy and probably half of the countries in Africa, the FA are amateurs.
I'm laid up on my couch, sick as shit, hacking cough, head completely stuffed up. But I'm following the transfers and rewatching the first season of The Wire.
Good day.
Agree. He should >5 games.
And Lampard should have his ban rescinded.
Then again if I had any power, all traffic lights would blink at 11 pm and Sofia Copalla wouldn't have an Oscar.
I got The Wire boxset from Amazon for eighty bucks a few weeks back, best purchase since car insurance.
And ATMs should give out money in increments of 5.
I mean, I would have loved to have seen a big money move from MON, but I get the feeling he's happy with a first XI of Brad; Young, Knight, Davies, Cuellar; Young, Petrov, Barry, Milner; Heskey and Agbonlahor with Sidwell, NRC, Carew, and Gardner filling in as necessary, and Bouma coming back soon. Would really have liked to see Micah in, but it would likely have crowded out Luke Young, who's quietly been O'Neill's best signing this year. Looks like Sturridge may come in on a free over the summer.
Overall, though, O'Neill doesn't rotate the squad enough to justify bringing in a big name, and the team he has is gelled quite nicely. Heskey turned out to be the big name, and will change the dimension of the team- that was passing football we saw in the first half against Wigan, and it'll likely be refined even more when Chelski come to Villa Park in a couple of weeks.
1721: Arsenal fans, don't look: One of our news agencies is claiming that Zenit and the Gunners have failed to reach a deal on the transfer of Andrei Arshavin. It is only one source, though, so we will try and get more on that as and when we have it.
This Arshavin deal is making my head hurt even more than it already does.
Have Zenit hurt all Russian teams' chances of successfully carrying out transfers with their antics with Spurs and the Arse?
@ Andrew: maybe so. Pavs' signing was relatively painless, barring some work permit issues, but this business with Arshavin, now with two EPL teams, may have some lasting effects.
I can't believe Bosingwa is getting away with it. Appalling really.
"1728: Nervous, nervous moments for Arsenal fans, these. The Associated Press are saying Zenit spokesman Alexei Petrov believes the deal for Andrei Arshavin has broken down. We are awaiting confirmation, though. "
This sounds vaguely familiar.
BBC says Keane to Spurs is official. No word yet on the fee.
"Referee Mike Riley has informed the FA that, while he did not see the incident himself, it was seen by his assistant Mo Matadar. No action was taken against Bosingwa by the officials.
"Under the FIFA Laws of the Game, the FA is prohibited from taking disciplinary action when incidents are seen at the time by the match officials."
Wenger needs to stop being an economics professor and just sign Arshavin. And I don't understand why Zenit want half the transfer fee up front; they're one of the richest clubs in Europe - that Gazprom money - so this seems to me like they're just giving Arsenal the big "fuck you" just on principle.
Wigan making a strong push for a UEFA Cup position with the N'Zogbia signing.
Sky Sports confirming my suspicion that the hold up is a payment from Arshavin himself.
Gotta love soccernets decision to stop blogging at the end of the original deadline. Retards.
"The Russia international has reportedly penned a three-and-a-half-year deal at Emirates Stadium, although the final sticking points remains over Arshavin and Zenit agreeing a final payment."
This isn't how business is done, right?
1747: Arsenal fans - don't look again. Reuters are now saying that Andrei Arshavin's transfer has been called off. Back to Russia, then, for the man who so enchanted us during Euro 2008.
If he fails to sign with l'Arse, he's done in the EPL for good. No team is going to want to put up with this shite.
So essentially, Liverpool paid five million for a win against West Brom and two Champions League group wins. Whatever.
Though assuming they didn't get a deal done for anyone else, they are really really shallow at striker now.
Great now Liverpool have no number seven, so my LFC themed pin number is now meaningless.
Maybe Rafa intends to play Babel up there more often?
Maybe the Villa rumors are true, Georger, and they'll give him the 7 shirt.
That would make sense. So no, it won't happen. Your new second striker, DIRK KUYT!
Btw, a week and a half ago I got drunk and bid on a Kuyt Holland jersey, and yeah I definitely won it. 25 dollars well spent ... well that is debatable.
For the last month, I have watched Arsenal lack anyone on the wings who would even attempt to beat someone on the dribble. I am not an Arshavin fan, per se, but he seems to address a need. His agent is an ass, but he's not alone. Arshavin himself seems like a mercenary.
So that fact that it all appears to have broken down at the final whistle is frustrating. I think I am more upset at Wenger's stubbornness than actually believing that Arshavin would have salvaged our chances in the CL.
The last month of Arsenal football has been reminiscent of the 8 weeks following the Eduardo injury last year... the season is slipping away and the team seems unable to change course.
"the protracted transfer of Andrei Arshavin from Zenit to Arsenal appears close to completion"
Soccernet, unity through faith, faith through unity!
Hockalees: the difference being we were atop the table when that slide started. We've been out of any title race since maybe November.
Don't think Arshavin would have solved all the problems (but yes, we need some creativity from someone besides Nasri) but frustrated that all of the eggs were in this basket.
Well, I hope for LFC's sake, he plays Babel up there.
Arsenal still can play a huge role in the title race, two of their last three games are against United and Chelsea. They can at least play spoiler.
I'm sure Arshavin will end up with United or Real in the summer, fuck that guy.
I will never understand Rafa's affinity to Kuyt. Yes, the Dutchman works hard, but I don't rate him above Babel.
Will N'Gog start to make more appearances?
Honestly they don't need to play two strikers. They had so much success with the single striker formation last season. The problem has been lack of service from midfield and the fullbacks.
BBC says something is coming on the Arshvin deal very soon.
Also this interesting tidbit:
1755: Haha. (See 1320) So far, we haven't even got an undisclosed for Robbie Keane's switch from Liverpool to Spurs. We understand £15m and that sounds about right - nice little loan move for Tottenham that turned out to be.
1807: "If we get an undisclosed from Spurs for Keane, it means it was less than £10m. As a Ltd company, anything over £10m has to be declared on the the stock market."
Arthur, north London, via text on 81111
If Rafa sold Keane back for less than 10 mil and fails to bring anyone esle in, there's going to be a fan revolt in Merseyside...or at least over at Georger's place.
That is not even remotely true and when I saw it I was pissed off that the BBC didn't fact check, because Babel and Torres' fees were not officially released and they were both over 10 million
Nice catch, Georger. I did not know that.
1820: As plenty of you have pointed out, Liverpool do indeed host Robbie Keane's Tottenham at Anfield on Sunday 24 May, the last day of the Premier League season. For the neutral, that could be a very lively afternoon.
Great.
I would hope there was a noncompetition provision in the agreement. Even if it's illegal.
The club pocketing 10-15 million on a transfer fee when they have some glaring needs ... that is gonna go over real well
That's a good point Georger; I can understand them selling Keane back--he was obviously a bad fit. But to not turn that money around and fill a hole, assuming that they haven't, seems a bit odd to me. I can't imagine the supporters will be too happy about it, either.
Villa's wikipedia page already says he plays for Liverpool
/science
It's already been fixed, Georger.
Ricardo Quaresma to Chelsea is an interesting move.
And I find it pathetic that Arsenal couldn't seal the Arshavin deal after all this time. No matter his worth as a footballer, the team deserves to finish fifth for thinking that the normal rules of football don't apply to them.
I just checked my Championship Manager and saw that I signed Arshavin for 12.75m last August.
Soooo, why hasn't the deal been completed yet?
£12M?
Maybe Hicks and Gillette have money to burn still.
1846: Andrei Arshavin latest: "Both clubs definitely want to complete the transfer, therefore the negotiations are still going," Zenit general director Maxim Mitrofanov has told local Russian television. Oh I love a deadline day saga, don't you?
The fee for Keane is reported as 12 mil, but "rising with add-ons."
Has Villa made any moves, excepting the Heskey signing?
Is Liverpool just sitting there, not making any moves? If so, why?
Only 3 teams listed on the EPL official transfer page as having no "IN" transfers:
Spartak London
Liverpool
Arsenal
@Andrew: The Heskey move was brilliant -- he was relatively inexpensive, fits a definite need and is a perfect fit for the team. Sure, Villa could use more depth, but they're set up well to finish third. Part of me still thinks they'll collapse down the stretch, but part of me thinks they've made it this far, they might just see this thing out.
Chelsea get a man who couldn't beat Kuyt down the flank in the Champions League.
Not quite Kevin McHale shipping Boston his entire roster for nothing, but come on.
@Spectator: yeah, the Heskey signing was shrewd on MON's part. Heskey suits the team better than Big John Carew.
I do have a feeling that Villa won't be able to maintain their form for the rest of the season, but considering how awful both Spartak London and Arse are playing, their CL spot may be confirmed sooner than I expected.
BBC says Saviola is staying put.
1915: "Still waiting for news that Liverpool have signed Javier Saviola or David Villa or Fred? Someone? Anyone!? Surely in such an important season they cannot have sold Keane and left us with Ngog's raw potential..."
HOW DARE YOU CRITIQUE THE GENIUS OF RAFA AND PARRY'S TRANSFER POLICY, THEY'RE LEARNING DAMNIT, LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE
/bigus
Andrew-
Remember that we've yet to see how the new First XI plays with Ashley Young in the side. If anything, this three-match ban may have been the perfect little holiday to refresh Webby- Villa got 4 points (and should have had six) with Craig freaking Gardner on the right wing- as good as I think little Craig can be, he's not a winger. Now with Ash back, and with Bouma coming back (which will shift Luke Young to his favored right back, meaning Milner doesn't have to play defacto Right Wing Back) I think Villa might be able to improve on current form, as they really haven't played a good match end-to-end since Boxing Day.
BBC...
1942: Andrei Arshavin's agent has told us the Russian's move to Arsenal is "more or less" complete. Apparently, I'm devastated to tell you, "tomorrow we will find out for sure if it's gone through," says Dennis Lachter, who must be well acquainted with every single football journalist in England by now. I am so, so sorry. Honestly I am.
Arshavin and his people are complete wankers. There is no way his talent can bear this out. The poor lad will be set up to fail, but he brings it on himself.
Completely unrelated question:
Assuming that ManU have a CL spot locked up, Spurs still have to win the Carling Cup to qualify for Europe, correct?
Yes. If United win, their UEFA spot goes to the highest finishing team in England that hasn't qualified for Europe. You know, Arsenal.
@ Georger: HEY-YO!
Zenit's tactics in the Aaarshaaavin mess remind me of Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell. But with way more bloodshed.
Wow, once match aided by a shitty red and you're all mouthy. Careful Mike, with Keane gone you're now one (re)tweaked tender hammy away from a 6th place fight with Everton.
Ease up Wandering Bear, take a joke.
Same to you, cap'n.
Seriously though, what is the lowest spot that doesn't qualify anymore? Weren't there like ten English teams in Europe this year?
Yeah because Citeh got the Fair Play spot... So the top 4, then Everton, Spurs, Citeh. Anyone else?
Thanks, Georger.
BBC live tracker shuts down with no Arshavin deal in place.
Weren't Pompey and Villa in some competition?
Didn't Pompey qualify for winning the FA Cup?
Yep... Knew I forgot someone. Keith, help us out on Villa.
Georger, yes they were in the UEFA cup. No idea whos still in it though
I don't know who I want to win the Carling Cup. It's meaningless, but the media will act like it's the greatest achievement since the four minute mile if United win, and if Spurs win we will have to hear about how awesome it means Spurs' season was from BerbaKeane
Oh and BY THE WAY, just because Liverpool had the month from hell doesn't mean I can't make fun of Arsenal.
Sure they're going to be the only team in the league to not bring anyone in this month.
Sure their manager and ownership are a trainwreck.
Sure they're one Torres injury away from competing for fourth with Villa. (by the way, they were in that position before Keane came and before Keane left)
But for now, I can still make fun of you. For now.
Obviously, I'd like to see Spurs win the CC, but, all told, it means little if they can't get clear of the relegation scrap.
Has a Championship team ever played in Europe before? I know it can happen, because they were going to make that exception for Cardiff being from Wales if they won, but has it happened?
Well, Fulham were GD away from going down and were a couple of points from getting the Fair Play spot over Citeh...
Villa qualified for UEFA Cup this year via the Intertoto cup. Pompey won the FA Cup, so they qualified without having to play 5 games in June against Iceland's finest. Everton qualified by finishing 5th, Citeh by winning the Fair Play, and Spurs qualified by winning the Carling. Villa would have qualified straight away if any of the top four won the FA or Carling. I think this year is the last year of the Intertoto Cup.
I'm not even going to entertain that as a possibility, Georger. The thought of relegation makes me ill.
I'm pretty sure that the loser for the Carling Cup doesn't get a UEFA cup slot; I think that's only for the FA Cup.
Hey, underestimate KF Valur at your own peril.
Do we believe it finally?
@Phil: you're not entertaining the thought of relegation? Admittedly your position should improve with the return of Keane, Defoe, and every other player Spurs have transferred out over the past two seasons. But you are only a single point above the relegation zone. I few missed tackles here, a few bad calls there, and Spurs may very well be a Colaship team next season.
(I really don't think Spurs will fall, but the thought does make me smile.)
is Keane cup-tied for UEFA? I think he's cup-tied for FA, but not for UEFA, unless Liverpool lose and drop. Is that right?
@ Andrew:
I meant the thought of being a championship team playing in Europe. But the thought of relegation is all too real to me. And it won't even take any bad calls. We're in a very precarious position.
No, no more dropping into the UEFA. In the knock-out stages of the CL it's lose and go home.
But I don't know what being on a CL squad means for the EuroNIT. I would think he's not eligible.
I think he can play actually.
Basing this on the fact that Diarra and Huntelaar played in the UEFA Cup for their respective teams and Madrid are allowed to register one of them for the Champions League knockouts.
You aren't cup tied between tournaments if you only played in the group stage for one and want to play in the knockouts of the other. Or something.
"UEFA rules for the 2008-09 season state that a club may register up to three new players for the knockout stage of the Champions League. But only one of these can be a player who has represented his former club in Europe, and provided it was in another European competition."
Looks like Keane can play, Defoe then obviously can't
Here's the pertinent section of the UEFA rules:
17.07 Excluding the three rounds of the UEFA Intertoto Cup and the UEFA Super
Cup, and subject to paragraph 17.18 below, a player may not play UEFA
club competition matches for more than one competing club in the course of
the same season. A substitute player who is not fielded is entitled to play for
another club competing in the same season’s UEFA club competitions,
provided that he is registered with the UEFA administration in accordance
with the present Regulations.
17.18 One player from the above quota of three who has played UEFA club
competition matches for another competing club in the current season may
exceptionally be registered, provided that the player has not been fielded:
− in the same competition for another club
− for another club that is currently in the same competition. Furthermore, if the player’s new club is playing in the UEFA Cup, his former
club must not have played in the UEFA Cup at any point in the current season.
I'm not sure if that makes anything clearer, but it sounds to me like he's cup-tied
No, I think Keane'd be eligible based on those criteria. This season, he's never played in the UEFA Cup for another team and has never played for a a club that's currently in the UEFA Cup; that means he could be the one played who's exempted into the squad.
"− in the same competition for another club
− for another club that is currently in the same competition."
I'm thinking that may mean hes in the clear, and not tied. but I can't really understand the legal wording. I guess we'll know soon enough though.
Okay, I see now. I think the reading comprehension part of my brain is still coated with malted hops from last night.
I enjoy the fact that when we argue about if a player is cup-tied, we all go to the UEFA rules. We're a smart bunch.
I went to the google hoping to find a simple answer because I knew I'm too dumb to understand the actual rules. But I did find the answer right away, so I is kinda smart!
Not me. I went for a straight guess.
gotta love the picture choice by soccernet
arsene has a woody from looking at that pic.
any word on the Villa to LFC rumor? no. thought not. i hate having my hopes raised and then dashed when they never should have been raised in the first place.
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