The Transfer Rumours Thread

[Simon]

Not every transfer is the same.

Rosk isn't vilifying (no pun intended) everyone who wants to leave, he said before he was used to footballers wanting to continue their career and there isn't much fondness for clubs etc these days. I think he was fine with Jimmy Milner leaving for example.

With Benteke, and I'm guessing here, the annoyance probably stems from the fact that Villa took a risk on him as he had a car-jacking charge over his head when they signed him. He's only been there for 1 year and is so fundamental to how they play. 1 year into a 4 year contract is infuriating for fans.
The one thing I would say is going for him, from my personal viewpoint, is that he actually handed in the transfer request and didn't just skirt around it by making eyes to other teams in the media.
This is the nature of football. You can't complain about players outgrowing you and wanting to leave if you're taking advantage of that same thing to sign other players. Benteke doesn't owe Villa fuck all, he pretty much single-handedly kept you up, he's given up any loyalty payments by putting in a transfer request and you'll get a fair whack for him. Yeah it would be great if players showed more loyalty but why should he feel obliged to be loyal to Villa who are nothing more than a company he works for. He's not from Birmingham, he has no natural ties to the club, he didn't even realise they weren't in London when he signed apparently. Assuming you get £20m+ for him, you'll be making a 200% profit on him within a year of signing him anyway.

[Bad Collin]

I agree. Footballers should be ambitious, they usually only get five to ten years at the top so they should look to be playing at the best club they can and earning as much as possible. I think Benteke has gone about this the right way.

[Simon]

To be fair, Bent came to us where we absolutely rejuvenated a career he had spent a couple of years sitting in Spurs reserves going nowhere. He was on a decent length contract with us, gave us one good year, talked about how much he loved playing at Sunderland and didnt want to leave, meanwhile he was in Birmingham on the sly talking to Villa.

Didnt see your lot complaining there.
Yep. You can't have it both ways. In any case, why is there this assumption that players should be loyal to clubs when invariably clubs aren't loyal to players? Eric Lichaj has just been released after being with the club since he was a teenager, moving from America in the process. Should Villa feel obliged to show loyalty to him? No, they've decided he isn't good enough, and released him. Benteke is just doing the same thing the other way around - he justifiably believes he can do better than Villa, and has gone the right way about getting a move. If he had pulled a Barry/Modric and tried to force through a move while refusing to put in a transfer request then you could rightly criticise him for wanting it both ways and being a mercenary, but he's not.

You're far from the only one though. Loads of Spurs fans are fuming about the deal taking Giovani Dos Santos to Villarreal from Mallorca. We had a 50% sell-on clause, but Villarreal were buying two players from Mallorca, so they agreed to overpay on the other player (Tomas Pina) and underpay on Giovani - his 'real' value would probably have netted us £3-4m, but by valuing him so low in the deal, Mallorca have basically cut us out of the deal...which is sly, but then we have a history of doing similar things, for example the very dodgy Zeki Fryers deal in January. You can't complain when it works against you, if you're happy to accept when it works for you.

[son_of_foley]

Yep. You can't have it both ways. In any case, why is there this assumption that players should be loyal to clubs when invariably clubs aren't loyal to players? Eric Lichaj has just been released after being with the club since he was a teenager, moving from America in the process. Should Villa feel obliged to show loyalty to him? No, they've decided he isn't good enough, and released him.
They honoured his contract though didn't they? In which case that's not the same at all and weakens your argument because they had a player they decided wasn't good enough but decided to uphold the contract between the two of them.

[son_of_foley]

This is the nature of football. You can't complain about players outgrowing you and wanting to leave if you're taking advantage of that same thing to sign other players.

The nature of football is not players leaving after 1 year at a club Simon. That is something which only has become common recently. Again Rosk hasn't rallied against all people who have left Villa.

[Simon]

He's entitled to put in a transfer request as per his contract. There's been no suggestion so far that he is going to force his way out, Villa are entitled to keep him if they want to.

[MMH]

This is the nature of football. You can't complain about players outgrowing you and wanting to leave if you're taking advantage of that same thing to sign other players. Benteke doesn't owe Villa fuck all

He owes him the remaining three years of his contract he signed to be fair.

[Simon]

He owes him the remaining three years of his contract he signed to be fair.
If they refuse to let him go then yeah. All he's done so far is hand in a transfer request, as is his right.

[son_of_foley]

To be fair, Bent came to us where we absolutely rejuvenated a career he had spent a couple of years sitting in Spurs reserves going nowhere. He was on a decent length contract with us, gave us one good year, talked about how much he loved playing at Sunderland and didnt want to leave, meanwhile he was in Birmingham on the sly talking to Villa.

Didnt see your lot complaining there.

I think the more direct point is Benteke did this at Genk last year. He went back for 1 year then refused to train I think when Villa bid.

I think he is a bit of a mercenary to be fair but I think fans get upset because he's such a big part and he's only been there a year.

I don't actually agree with it but it's not the same scenario as releasing players at the end of contracts and I don't think it's the same as every transfer ever. Although I do think his behaviour last year should have meant that this wasn't much of a surprise.

[Simon]

Didn't know he had pulled that shit at Genk. In which case he probably is an arsehole, but Villa have no right to bemoan his disloyalty if he tries to force his way out. Live by the sword, die by the sword. And in turn, when Liverpool or Spurs buy him, if he's a success we won't be able to complain if he then fucks us off to go to a top club.

[son_of_foley]

If he had pulled a Barry/Modric and tried to force through a move while refusing to put in a transfer request then you could rightly criticise him for wanting it both ways and being a mercenary, but he's not.

I thought Modric put in a transfer request to try and go to Chelsea but it was "refused"

[The Rosk]

I have responded to these points on the previous page. Citing examples and figures. The Lichaj example is laughable, for the reasons SOF stated but also because Lambert sat with him and said we would happily keep him on the contract but he would not be getting first team football. Lichaj has nothing but good things to say about Villa and now he will be playing first choice for a sleeping giant club.

SOF is also right in mentioning the length of tenure being a main issue. Otherwise at what other timescale would you be OK with him acting "as is his right"? 6 months in? 1 month in. Like I said, another year we would have been fine with him leaving. It is not as if he will be for want of suitors next year, perhaps for more money for both him and the club.

[Simon]

I thought Modric put in a transfer request to try and go to Chelsea but it was "refused"

I think he eventually did put in a transfer request but initially he tried to force through the deal without a transfer request.

[Simon]

I have responded to these points on the previous page. Citing examples and figures. The Lichaj example is laughable, for the reasons SOF stated but also because Lambert sat with him and said we would happily keep him on the contract but he would not be getting first team football. Lichaj has nothing but good things to say about Villa and now he will be playing first choice for a sleeping giant club.

SOF is also right in mentioning the length of tenure being a main issue. Otherwise at what other timescale would you be OK with him acting "as is his right"? 6 months in? 1 month in. Like I said, another year we would have been fine with him leaving. It is not as if he will be for want of suitors next year, perhaps for more money for both him and the club.
He can ask for a transfer ten minutes after signing if he wants, Villa are allowed to say no. I just don't see how you think he's done you a disservice when he's kept you up on his own and now has top clubs after him. He doesn't owe you anything.

[The Rosk]

Well therein lies a difference between you and I. I think Benteke is being foolish and will no doubt have a very bad reputation for himself now when, at the age of 22 and with a bumper upgraded contract offer on the table from us, he could really do without one going into a WC year.

Name me any other footballer who has demanded to leave from one club to another in recent years, after a single year at each club. It is quite the anomaly.

You also have failed to answer my point outside of saying "he's allowed to, he doesn't owe you anything". I have shown all of the stats for every other player we have signed whereby they gave a number of years at a young age to their clubs and gave life-changing money to their clubs for them moving. I do believe that there is still some aspect of loyalty in football rather than not at all, which is what you seem to think. It is extremely rare that you see people demanding to leave after a single year (particularly at one of the biggest clubs in the UK on one of their lower ebbs).

Carrick, Modric, Berbatov for you all stayed for years before moving on to a bigger club. The idea that Benteke is doing this after a single year, especially to a club that on the face of it cannot even offer him Champions League football, who is also possibly going to sell the player that got them to 5th place on his own is quite odd to me.

This is a side point: Another year at Villa, he would undoubtedly be our star player, almost certainly do as well as last year, he'd guarantee a spot for himself in Belgium's first XI in the World Cup and next year both he and Villa would get more money out of any deal. I would suggest that his wage demands may probably put off Spurs and possibly Arsenal, leaving only Chelsea where he may not be a guaranteed starter.

[Beefy]

Name me any other footballer who has demanded to leave from one club to another in recent years, after a single year at each club. It is quite the anomaly.


Nicky Bailey (Demanded to leave Barnet for his dream move to Southend then demanded to leave Southend for his dream move to Charlton) so I know how you feel.

[Peter Griffin]

and now he will be playing first choice for a sleeping giant club.



Playing for a pack of cunts more like, sleeping giants for fuck sake.

[The Rosk]

Simon also likens the football club to working for a company as if to underline his point, when in fact this does the exact opposite. You show me any person who goes from one company to the next after a mere year at each company and I’ll show you someone who gets devalued over time in that industry and doesn’t actually grow as much as people who spend more time at each company. People do value loyalty in any form of career. My old director (for example) came to us after spending 18 months at his previous place, 12 months at the place before that and 18 months at the place before that, growing in job titles each time, and he came with all the promises you can imagine, but ended up moving on 18 months later from us for a slightly bigger job. A year on, he’s left the place he went to because he’s a smaller fish in a massive pond, he has been worked out of his skin and now half the industry won’t touch him with a bargepole because he has clearly showed no backbone nor any kind of ethics or company spirit in spite of his actual real talent.

[Simon]

So if Benteke leaves your mob for us or Liverpool and scores 30 next year, you don't think the top clubs would be looking at him because he has a history of not hanging around? The top clubs aren't in the same boat as teams like Villa or Tottenham, they know that there's nowhere to go but down once you're there, so it isn't a concern to them.

[TraXX]

Olsson and Carlo Nash confirmed. Fer having medical. Amazing.

[Simon]

I swear Carlo Nash has been a 35-year old reserve goalkeeper his entire career.

[The Rosk]

So what's the point in going to that club for a year when, in all reality, he will only be playing the same fixtures that he would be at Villa? I don't need it explaining to me that Spurs are higher up the League than Villa but its not like you are guaranteeing him trophies or real European football.

Lambert is another example. No Norwich fan hates him for leaving because he gave a lot to them for a few years. If he left after a year it would be a different story.

[Simon]

So what's the point in going to that club for a year when, in all reality, he will only be playing the same fixtures that he would be at Villa? I don't need it explaining to me that Spurs are higher up the League than Villa but its not like you are guaranteeing him trophies or real European football.

This is a reasonable point, I suppose in his mind playing at a more noticeable club like Spurs or Liverpool puts him more in the spotlight for the top clubs, or maybe he sees the step up to a Champions League-chasing side as an end in itself? He's probably not in a position to move to a Champions League side at the moment (still think Chelsea will want someone more proven at the highest level) and might think that a move to someone like us or Liverpool is as good as it gets at the moment - there's no guarantee he will have as good a season at Villa next year and he might think that after such a great season it's his best chance to move to a bigger club.

[TraXX]

Lambert left us in the same manner in which he left Colchester. And Wycome. And it'll be the same for you too. A 'bigger' club will come in, he'll have his head turned and then he'll leave. He's as much a mercenary as any player you can name. :happysad:

[Alf]

I hope we sign benteke. Rosk would be so angry, and I'll just give him my biggest shit eating grin and say nothing. He'd probably twist my head off.

[The Rosk]

Lambert left us in the same manner in which he left Colchester. And Wycome. And it'll be the same for you too. A 'bigger' club will come in, he'll have his head turned and then he'll leave. He's as much a mercenary as any player you can name. :happysad:

Agreed but he gave you more than a fucking year and got you to the Premiership. Roundly applauded when he came to Carrow Road IIRC?

[Chris Scott]

I'm really sick of Suarez now, I'd wish he'd just hurry up and go now.

[Ringo]

Everton have signed Deulofeu on loan? Christ, that's a bit good.

[The Rosk]

Why?

[Simon]

Bayern are signing Thiago.

[Mik]

Sign another couple of players I've never really heard of in the last 24 hours. Got another one coming too.

[Simon]

Why?
Bit of a Champo legend and frequently referred to as 'the new Messi' for the past five years ago. He was getting hyped up when he was about 14.

Mik, if it's true that you have signed Giaccherini, that is a great buy for your lot - seen him a few times for Juve and Italy over the past couple of years and he looks real class. Tiny little man.

[Mik]

Here's the list of players that we've apparently bought this summer. To be honest, I've not followed much football outside of England in the past couple of years, so would be interested to know whether anyone has seen or heard of any of these RECENTLY:

Emanuele Giaccherini
Gino Peruzzi
Elhadji Ba
Jozy Altidore
David Moberg Karlsson
Valentin Roberge
Modibo Diakite
Cabral

Cos all I know about any of them is what I've read since we were linked to them.

[Simon]

Giaccherini and Altidore are the only ones I've seen, Giaccherini as I've said is class, Altidore was a few years ago now, he was semi-decent for Hull...mad to think he is only 23, he's been around for years. He was starting to seem like a bit of a journeyman but his goalscoring record with AZ was very good I think.

Haven't heard of most of the others but a couple of respected journos on Twitter have talked up Peruzzi as being a potential star.

[Peter Griffin]

Burton Albion signing Delap and Rangers signing Mosni...wayhay.

[RuneEdge]

Bayern are signing Thiago.

With Guardiola there, itll probably happen too. :(
Doesnt make sense fron Thiago's POV. Bayern already have Muller, Kroos, and the newly signed Gotze. Atleast at Barca you occasionally have Iniesta on the wing and Fabregas playing as the false 9.

Kinda gutted for us. All we have is Kagawa in that position.

[Peter Griffin]

Nick Powell can play all over the shop mate :yes:

[Gary J]

Jozy Altidore was class for us wasn't very prolific though but that could have been down to the fact the rest of the team were shit. Would happily have had him back.

[Chris Scott]

Twitter Gary?

[Mik]

Apparently we're on the verge of signing Tom Huddlestone.

Now him I know.

[Andy]

With Guardiola there, itll probably happen too. :(
Doesnt make sense fron Thiago's POV. Bayern already have Muller, Kroos, and the newly signed Gotze. Atleast at Barca you occasionally have Iniesta on the wing and Fabregas playing as the false 9.

Kinda gutted for us. All we have is Kagawa in that position.

Muller usually plays right wing and Gotze can play wide too. Anyway Kagawa is class.

[Simon]

Apparently we're on the verge of signing Tom Huddlestone.

Now him I know.

Also heard this, but if previous attempts to fuck him off are anything to go by he will fail the medical.

[Mik]

Apparently Di Canio is one of those guys that doesnt care about previous medical experience because he believes his regime will sort it out. Time will tell I suppose.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Thiago plays deeper than Kagawa, he's an actual central midfielder. It still makes little sense for him to go to a club where he has as much competition for a place in an established midfield as he does at Barca. At United he basically has no one in front of him for a central midfield spot. It's up for grabs and Cleverley and Anderson have not convinced anyone they are first choice options.

[RuneEdge]

Muller usually plays right wing and Gotze can play wide too. Anyway Kagawa is class.
Muller wont play right wing after the end of season Robben just had. Robben was fairly quiet at the start of the season (mainly through injury), and there was also talk of him leaving. That all changed after his contribution in the Champion's League. Plus there's also Shaqiri who's looks decent on the right wing.
Gotze was a "pre-Guardiola" signing so maybe Thiago would get picked ahead of him, I dunno. I personally cant help but think Pep wants him for the sake of it, since he's available. Having previously worked with him makes it convenient.

As ECG said, sure Thiago plays deeper than Kagawa, but he'll still play the same position at United. We've always played a two man midfield since Carlos Queiroz left years ago. One holding player and one sort of box to box player to bridge the gap in the field. If we sign a midfielder who doesnt fit that mould, we almost force them into it. Anderson used to be a free roaming playmaker at Porto, occasionally playing behind the striker, but we turned him into the box to box player you see today. If Kagawa was fit for the whole season, he'd have been shoehorned into the same role too, since we've stuck with 4-4-2 and left him no room to work the magic he did at Dortmund.
Notice how the few times Kagawa played well and scored goals, it was when we took one of the strikers off. Sadly, Kagawa will be more effective as a plan B for us, than playing him in our current set up, IMO.

But by signing Thiago we get a more natural replacement for Anderson. Rooney and RVP are creative enough. We just need someone like Thiago thats gonna pick up the ball in our half and bring it to our attacking players. A Carrick/Thiago midfield just works much better than any other midfield combination we can put together.

[Andy]

Guardiola probably wants him because he's one of the most exciting talents in the world. If he's thinking long term maybe he's the eventual replacement for Schweinsteiger who turns 30 before the start of next season.

And maybe Moyes will change that system? I know they won the league at a canter but the system Fergie played looked outdated so often, especially in Europe. Plus Moyes likes playing a midfielder behind a centre forward so maybe Kagawa will get a chance to sign, especially with Rooney injured/possibly leaving.

But I do agree Man United desperately need a centre mid or two.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Schweinsteiger turns 29 this summer. It's unlikely he needs to be replaced in the next 3 seasons at the very least, barring injury. This is why it doesn't make sense from Thiago's point of view. Xavi is 33 and has a chronic ankle problem. Iniesta is 29. Thiago will probably have more opportunities to replace these guys in the near future than he will with the players at Bayern. I think Toni Kroos is a better player, going by what I've seen of them both, and I don't really think Thiago's place is out wide.

If he wants the best chance of first team football, then Bayern is probably a worse choice than staying at Barca. He's 22, which is young but the sort of age where he should definitely be getting regular first team football and he can't afford many more seasons of being bit-part. He could easily go to Bayern and spend another couple of years filling in for first team players.

[RuneEdge]

What's worse is that its his desire to make the squad for next years World Cup that made him look for a move away, and we're more likely to help him with that than Barca or Bayern since he'd probably walk into our team with ease.

Having said all this, I cant help but feel that Thiago only wants a temporary move away from Barca. If he develops into a world class player, they'll call him back home. There sort of seems to be that risk with all Spanish players lately. I'm dreading the day either Barca or Madrid publicly show their interest in De Gea. :\

[Simon]

Madrid have just signed some cunt I've literally never heard of for £34m.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23288764

[Andy]

David Ornstein of the BBC, who usually seems pretty clued up on all things Arsenal, is reporting our main target is one of Higuain or Suarez, that the Suarez interest is genuine and that we would be willing to go up to £40m to get it done. Not sure how I feel about that.

Mind you, Sid Lowe thought we were closing the Higuain deal about 10 days ago. Who knows.

In other news Ivan Gazidis has fucked off to Indonesia on a jolly for the pre-season tour. Surely that cunt has better things to do, ie push these transfers through before we get blown out of the water like last year.

[Mik]

Why would you not be sure of going up to £40m for Suarez? He's about as guaranteed a goalscorer as you are going to get in world football.

[Andy]

Because he's an absolute fucking cunt basically.

[Mik]

Yeah, but he's one of those at £5m.

[Andy]

Yeah it's not the money. If we have the money there then by all means go for a world class player, it'd just be a shame to treble out record transfer fee on such a prick.

[thesamuelcooke]

Hopefully Arsene is just trying to get Madrid's attention with the Suarez business. Although if anyone can tame him, it's Wenger in my view. Would prefer Higuain though, hope we get him. Any of Rooney/Higuain/Suarez would be nice. Wenger is in the hunt for two of em at least allegedly...

[Andy]

We've been in the hunt for lots of people though. If we don't get a top striker and it turns out we were haggling over 4,000 pounds to be paid in three years I think people will be calling for Wenger and/or Gazidis to go again.

It sounds like we're just very amateurish at closing out these https://forums.rajah.com/editpost.php?p=7149751&do=editpostdeals. Mata, Subotic and Schwarzer in recent years and I'm sure there's more. Very frustrating.

[TraXX]

Fer confirmed! 4 year deal subject to international clearance. :hyper:

Unfortunately, both Toivonen and Alderwiereld have turned us down after we agreed fees with their respective clubs. Disappointing, but at least it's showing our ambition. :happysad:

[thesamuelcooke]

Watch Liverpool get Higuain in some kind of swap deal for Suarez.

[Torn]

Fer confirmed! 4 year deal subject to international clearance. :hyper:

What was the whole situation with him not going to Everton because of the failed medial about? Great signing for you guys but that all seems a bit odd to me.

[Rip]

Hull confirmed a deal for Stevie Harper, good addition to them, ton of experience, a good motivator and dressing room leader, best English keeper over the last decade who would have won a ton of England caps if he'd been at another club and not sat behind Given and Krul for 90% of his career!

[Mik]

What?!

[StevieV]

He was okay on loan to brighton a couple of years ago...

[MikeHunt]

Hull confirmed a deal for Stevie Harper, good addition to them, ton of experience, a good motivator and dressing room leader, best English keeper over the last decade who would have won a ton of England caps if he'd been at another club and not sat behind Given and Krul for 90% of his career!

now he's just going to be stuck behind mcgregor.

[MMH]

What was the whole situation with him not going to Everton because of the failed medial about? Great signing for you guys but that all seems a bit odd to me.

He has got dodgy knees. They wanted 8-10M for him straight up and we wanted to pay it in installments based on appearances.

Really though I reckon Moyes knew he was moving to United at the time and the deal was put on hold to save some money for the new manager.

[Simon]

Interesting TSF article regarding the Benteke deal/transfers in general...


Benteke bombshell is no accident

The fun and games of the transfer market are just beginning and they have not gone unnoticed by the more observant agents out there looking to maximise the opportunities that have been presented to them in recent weeks on behalf of their prized assets.

At first, you might not notice the little things that set the wheels in motion for one particular move. But if you trace certain events backwards, you will often uncover a very interesting set of circumstances. Take the transfer request made by the Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke last Monday.

Lots of people ask me how a transfer request works. Do you actually hand in a letter? Do you tell the manager or the owner?

The truth is that, once upon a time, a player would hand in a written request to his manager, asking for permission to speak to another club about a potential move. These days, that doesn’t happen. The agent is in total control and would probably have faxed the club – as is the norm these days – informing them that his player has requested a transfer.

He will have had months of negotiation with the club, particularly in Benteke’s case, because he was scoring the goals that would ultimately decide Villa’s fate and so he would have had to make plans for a relegated Benteke and a Premier League Benteke. My hunch, if I know agents, is that he was distraught when Villa secured their Premier League status because that protected the transfer fee that Villa could demand, thus ensuring no easy fire sale for his client.

The top agents are masters of making other players’ moves their own business because, as with all transfers, if one player leaves, another needs to fill the void. You don’t need all the stars to line up perfectly to do a deal in football but what really helps is a favourable set of circumstances and, where Benteke is concerned, most of those circumstances came about last week.

Kudos to his agent, for he did not stand on ceremony and made it known very publicly that his player was extremely keen to move. He did that with tremendous timing and fully in the knowledge that Wayne Rooney is far from happy at Manchester United, Arsenal had announced to the world that they were looking to pay £30 million-plus for a striker by bidding for Luis Suarez, Tottenham Hotspur target Leandro Damiao is the subject of an £18 million bid by Napoli, who are trying to replace PSG-bound Edinson Cavani, and Manchester City had just sold Carlos Tevez to Juventus and are desperately short up front.
In reality, a transfer request means very little these days in terms of putting a club under pressure. Everybody knows that Villa will sell anyway, if the price is right, because they have previous form with the likes of Gareth Barry, James Milner and Ashley Young – all of whom departed for good transfer fees.

But it just keeps Benteke’s name at the head of the queue and may encourage an opening bid or two. That’s it; that’s all it’s used for today. It’s like a game of poker.
A transfer request, however, does still mean one thing. Any player that “hands one in” immediately forfeits any money that his club owe to him in bonuses and wages. But if you don’t ask to leave a club, then you are entitled to every penny that remains outstanding to you.

When I was going through the same thing at a big club, the hostility was such that I was desperate to leave and the manager was desperate for me to leave. But there was a Mexican stand-off for six months over unpaid wages and bonuses. The manager would say to me: “If you’re so keen to leave, hand in a transfer request and we’ll let you go.”
He had to say that because he knew that the club would save £1.5 million owed to me in bonuses and wages if I handed in an official request to leave, a figure that he could use elsewhere in his budget, probably for a replacement.

In the end, after neither of us could stand the other any longer, we agreed a £1 million settlement. That money came in to my account, looked pretty for a little while, and then went off to HMRC. I can’t help but curse under my breath every time I have to swerve a pothole in the road … c’est la vie.

For Benteke’s agent at least, the money that Villa would have had to pay his client as “compensation” for being sold if he hadn’t asked for a transfer was always worth the sacrifice. The Belgian is now a proven Premier League striker and, at his next club, he will receive a huge salary, a monumental signing-on fee and – most importantly, financially speaking – he will enter the A-league for endorsement contracts off the back of playing for one of Europe’s glamour sides. And that is where the real money is.

It is big-picture thinking – some might say “greedy” – even though the pair have waived their right to any Villa pay-off by asking for the transfer. But that’s what Benteke’s agent is paid to do. Would you want an agent who misses these opportunities when they come along? Of course you wouldn’t. I want my agent to work on the ethos that he’ll get me into the biggest club that he possibly can so that I have the chance to win medals while making sure that I maximise my earning potential.

And don’t kid yourself into going down the loyalty route. We all know loyalty doesn’t exist any more because everybody wants to get to the top and win trophies and earn as much as possible. But even if you are the most ardent fan of any Premier League club and you also happened to play for the team that you support, I can guarantee you that the club would still try to screw you financially at every opportunity.

If you are owed £1 million, then you aren’t going to tell the club to keep it because you’re a loyal fan and don’t want to be greedy. Conversely, the club isn’t going to force you to take one penny more than they have to pay you because you have been such a loyal servant to them. They will chew you up and spit you out. That’s why you need a top agent; they remove the emotion of the situation on your behalf.

I don’t know where Benteke will end up but I do know that his agent has his eye on the ball and that if he is a shrewd and sharp as he has been in the last fortnight, then expect his player to be pulling on the shirt of a very big team next season. And so it goes, this thing of ours.

http://www.thesecretfootballer.com/articles/12955/benteke-bombshell-is-no-accident/

[Andy]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BPKaxp7CEAEShDF.jpg:large

"The delay in signing Higuain has come as Wenger explores the possibility of pulling off a coup by landing Suarez"

Jesus christ, we're not getting either of them are we.

[thesamuelcooke]

No we aren't. Sanogo to fire us to glory...

I would've preferred Higuain, as if it matters now.

[Gary J]

He'll probably just re-sign Carlos Vela.

[Simon]

Villa's signed for Atletico for €5.1m apparently. Absolute bargain.


I thought he was to be a Spurs player by the weekend :dunce:

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR6oaRaSsD4VvZs59bogG03cqB2lTjaG HVl6kFHukIXH5Vf1DGmhw

[Simon]

A few more bits of Spurs info...


Negredo is now a possibility


I haven't been told anything about Benny going and the suggestion is either Naughton or Rose will be departing.


Well just heard that it looks like we may have done a certain mr Benteke :0)
Pretty sure we have and sounds v optimistic.
Not putting my nads on the line 100% as still a few things to complete things change blah blah. but a deal in principle has been done 'apparently'.


re: Chadli

It will happen, if we want it to, that hasn't been decided just yet though

[StevieV]

So United have officially bid for Fabregas. If he is open for a move back this way surely Arsenal will be bidding too or has that ship sailed?

[wardy]

Nah he probably wants to win something.

[Simon]

F365 are slaughtering United for that bid, and I really don't understand why...they think the bid is laughably low (it's not - they'll certainly have to up it, but it's hardly derisory), the think that Thiago leaving makes it impossible (they don't even play the same position really), and they reckon Fabregas wouldn't be interested...now I'm not saying it wouldn't be a step down, but United are hardly minnows and I would suggest being the star man in United's midfield is a step up from being a bench-warmer for Barca. He's barely ever played in his 'natural' position for Barca has he? Whenever I've seen him he's played as one of the front three.

Fabregas is quite an interesting one when you think about it - he essentially 'went on loan' to Arsenal for the early part of his career the same way Pique and others did, but while his time at Arsenal obviously brought him on massively as a player, it also coached all the Barca out of him, at least as far as playing in midfield is concerned. Since he's gone back to Barca he's never looked a natural fit either as a more patient, contained part of the midfield or as a clinical, incisive part of the attack.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

The way the bid story has come out in every news source and the way it's so public seems like it's just a ploy to make everybody ignore the fact United just got blown out of the water for Thiago. Barca barely even have a squad if they let Fabregas go too. Fabregas makes himself look stupid after angling for a move to his home town club if he comes back to England after a couple of years. It doesn't make any sense for them to sell. Seems like United making a bid to keep the fans excited and optimistic, before eventually ending up with Darren Fletcher starting training again.

I don't think Thiago would have left either if it looked likely Fabregas was leaving.

[Simon]

A few more interesting deals from around Europe in case anyone is interested...

Mehdi Benatia (Udinese -> Roma) £11.8m
Mario Gomez (Bayern -> Fiorentina) £13m
Sime Vrsaljko (Zagreb -> Genoa) £3.5m
Angelo Ogbonna (Torino -> Juventus) £11.4m
Jose Callejon (Real Madrid -> Napoli) £8.3m
Lisandro Lopez (Arsenal de Sarandi -> Benfica) £3.5m
Manolo Gabbiani (Juventus -> Sampdoria) £4.8m
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Shakhtar -> Dortmund) £24.2m
Eric Abidal (Barcelona -> Monaco) Free

Surprised no one bigger went for Gomez at that price, he looks awful technically at times but he's one of the most reliable goalscorers in Europe. I'd have had him at Spurs. Never seen him play but Lisandro Lopez is massively hyped as the big defensive hope for Argentina's future, surprised he's cost so little...might open the door for Garay to get a move to a top club too.

[Chris Scott]

Nah he probably wants to win something.

Obviously that's not the reason why Suarez could be tempted to join Arsenal.

[Andy]

I'd be very surprised if Fabregas goes for the reasons ECG says.

If he does however, we will go all out to sign him. If Barca say he's for sale he's available to us for £29m or something.

[Simon]

Would be interesting to see what choice he made out of United and Arsenal if he did decide to leave. The very definition of heart versus head.

[Simon]

AVB and his team don't seem as worried about getting players in as the fans are :cry:

http://media.kentonline.co.uk/filerepository/2013/7/15/2697025_5897_0.jpg

[The Rosk]

Benteke apparently doesn't want to go back to Villa and has requested the transfer go ahead before Thursday.

OK Christian, you fucking classless cunt, how about you tell whoever is wanting you to stump up the fucking money that we demand for taking you out of our club after one year into a four-year contract.

Get him out now. I'd take £23 million right now just to get rid of that cancer.

[Peter Griffin]

Funny how love has turned to hate in a matter of a week or so. Cancer ffs.

[Mik]

Rosk is a pretty fickle guy.

[MMH]

I dont blame The Rosk for being angry. What a twat. Benteke not Rosk.

[Beefy]

Both, tbh.

[Peter Griffin]

I dont blame him for being pissed, but I think cancer is pushing it a bit.

[MikeHunt]

How? It's the exact kind of behaviour that can lead to several players becoming unsettled and the club looks shit. Cancer is a perfect word.

[Bennedy]

I dont blame him for being pissed, but I think cancer is pushing it a bit.

Maybe AIDS would be more appropriate?

[El Capitano Gatisto]

It will go on until the end of August too. Interested clubs will now wait for Benteke to behave like such a monumental prick that it puts pressure on Villa to get rid of him quickly and not go into the season with a player on strike. I trust Villa to hold on to get the price they want for him through it all.

[Simon]

If we're most likely to sign him then him kicking up a stink won't make the deal happen quicker, it will just mean Levy is frantically crossing out zeros on whatever official bid we were about to make.

[Simon]

This from a Villa fan on a Spurs site...



B will definitely be at Spurs before the end of the week. Sticking point has been extra's!...we have a price and one way or another want to make sure we get it...Straight up cash or big lump sum+huge sell on % and add ons...in the region of 18mil +25% + Add ons...it's the big % that is causing the problem, because it may cost Spurs quite a lot more than the straight up fee...Just to add Benteke has told Villa It is Spurs he wants to go to and his agent has made this abundantly clear.

[The Rosk]

Rosk is a pretty fickle guy.

Only when it's apt to be so. This couldn't be more apt.

The carjacking should have opened my eyes to what a classless scumbag this cunt is. I hope we sell him for loads of money and then his legs both get mangled under my car.

[son_of_foley]

What sort of car do you have Rosk?

[The Rosk]

A Ford Revolver.

[Simon]

The Rosk please tell us how you would feel (in detail) if the following things happen next season:

A) Benteke signs for Spurs, has a bastard of a season and then scores some sort of cheat goal to relegate Villa on the last day of the season.

B) Benteke signs for Spurs, immediately gets arrested for a rape that happened during his time at Villa and goes to jail for 10 years, with Spurs still obliged to pay all owed instalments.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Wayne Rooney is a bit of a gaylord. His management team have obviously leaked this story about him being unhappy about his place in the squad. Anyone who saw the state he was in for United's first game last season vs. Everton would probably agree that Wayne Rooney is in no place to be demanding any assurances over a place in the team. He was an absolute disgrace, he'd spent that summer playing in a tournament and still turned up for the start of the Premier League season visibly over-weight and out of shape. It was a couple of months into the season at least before he looked like he had slimmed down properly to a shape resembling a top level professional footballer. His form has been patchy at best for going on two years.

United would probably be well rid of him at this stage if they can get a nice fee and get his astronomic wages off the book. They've played it perfectly by thoroughly discrediting him, especially with the contrast in form and professionalism with Van Persie, and Kagawa is ready to step in to that no. 10 position as a younger, fitter, quicker and more inventive option. Rooney looks like the sort of player whose best days are well behind him and whose great performances will be more and more infrequent. The sort of guy, on a much lower level, like Ronaldinho who fritters out instead of pushing on when he should be at his peak.

[Andy]

Napoli preparing a bid for Higuain and Liverpool playing hardball over Suarez. So predictable. Why are we so bad at transfers.

[thesamuelcooke]

Sanogo will fire us to glory. Have faith.

Meh, even I can't believe that. Sort it out Wenger or pack your bags!

Even Fellaini has allegedly said he'd pick Man Utd over us if we both went in for him...

Higuain to Napoli, Suarez to Madrid, Rooney to Chelsea, Fabregas to stay or do the unthinkable, Fellaini to Man Utd, Cesar to stay at QPR or go to Italy.

[son_of_foley]

The sort of guy, on a much lower level, like Ronaldinho who fritters out instead of pushing on when he should be at his peak.

That's an absolutely brilliant shout

[Bennedy]

I would be so disappointed if we got Rooney.

[Simon]

Cavani finally went to PSG yesterday, £55m. They are gonna be a real threat next year now you would think, especially if they keep improving the defence. Also, Kevin Strootman has gone to Roma.

[Andy]

Oh god I'd be depressed if Fabregas went to Man United.

[Simon]

The Mail reckon United have turned down an offer of £10m plus Mata or Luiz for Rooney...got to be bollocks, I reckon they would rip Chelsea's hands off for either of those deals.

[thesamuelcooke]

The Daily Mail is hilarious, if I were Man Utd I'd rip their hand off.

Fellaini-Fabregas
Valencia-Kagawa-Mata
RVP

If they got a world class right winger that'd be unbearable. Even with Valencia it's pretty scary shit to think about.

[Simon]

It's mad that Chelsea are going for Rooney. So many better players for that overall cost.

[The Rosk]

Mata is more valuable than Rooney right now so that is bollockburgers.

[Gary J]

Whats this nonsense about Cazorla off to Atletico Madrid? Just saw it on twitter no truth in it surely?

[Simon]

:fingersx:

[thesamuelcooke]

If it is true Wenger has lost both the plot, and his balls.
One of, if not our best player last season, gone for a touch over what we paid for him.
Nah, unless he's buying Fabregas, Mata, Higuain and countless others to replace the hole he'd leave and improve the team, I ain't seeing it.

[Hlebsfall]

Arsenal have said its bollocks. So I'd fully expect him to be gone by 12.

[Hlebsfall]

ARSENAL TO SPEND 70M THIS SUMMER. As long as they sell 100m pounds worth of the squad

[Bennedy]

No way would we let Mata go to get Rooney.

Just hope that if we do get him, Mourinho will give him a kick up the arse and get him playing at his best. But if Fergie couldn't do it then I am not sure anybody can.

[Beefy]

Rooney's bad form last year is massively over-stated. He is a slow starter when he isn't fully fit but he got fit enough quick enough last season and his goals record wasn't bad considering the number of times he actually got to play up front.

I do think he probably won't have the greatest of times in his 30s but he has still got a couple of years in him. It's fairly obvious at this stage that United are looking to get rid it's just a question of where he'll go.

[Bennedy]

Well now PSG have Cavani, I can't see them going for Rooney as well. I don't suppose I would mind it that much as long as we don't sacrifice one of our better players in order to get him.

[MMH]

Rooney's bad form last year is massively over-stated. He is a slow starter when he isn't fully fit but he got fit enough quick enough last season and his goals record wasn't bad considering the number of times he actually got to play up front.

I do think he probably won't have the greatest of times in his 30s but he has still got a couple of years in him. It's fairly obvious at this stage that United are looking to get rid it's just a question of where he'll go.

Hes still got ability. Is he worth the headaches though?

His stupid wages are a problem too. Who is going to pay him 200k a week?

[Simon]

Rooney's bad form last year is massively over-stated. He is a slow starter when he isn't fully fit but he got fit enough quick enough last season and his goals record wasn't bad considering the number of times he actually got to play up front.

I do think he probably won't have the greatest of times in his 30s but he has still got a couple of years in him. It's fairly obvious at this stage that United are looking to get rid it's just a question of where he'll go.
Yeah I don't think he's finished by any means, but would you want him ahead of Mata, who played in that position at Chelsea? Or Oscar, Hazard or Schurrle, come to that? I think he's still capable of playing at that level, but Chelsea are stacked with players in his position who are arguably already as good as him and are still improving, while he is in a gradual decline. Mourinho is lucky he has a bank of goodwill from the Chelsea fans, could you imagine if any other new manager came in and tried to part-exchange their best player for a fading force?

I actually think Rooney is quite lucky that Mourinho seem to want him, as he's burned his bridges at United I wouldn't have expected a title-challenging team to want him. Then again I imagine if he didn't think there was interest there he wouldn't be cunting United off in the papers.

[Beefy]

Yeah I don't think he's finished by any means, but would you want him ahead of Mata, who played in that position at Chelsea? Or Oscar, Hazard or Schurrle, come to that? I think he's still capable of playing at that level, but Chelsea are stacked with players in his position who are arguably already as good as him and are still improving, while he is in a gradual decline. Mourinho is lucky he has a bank of goodwill from the Chelsea fans, could you imagine if any other new manager came in and tried to part-exchange their best player for a fading force?

I actually think Rooney is quite lucky that Mourinho seem to want him, as he's burned his bridges at United I wouldn't have expected a title-challenging team to want him. Then again I imagine if he didn't think there was interest there he wouldn't be cunting United off in the papers.

Surely at Chelsea he'd play up front, instead of where Mata plays? In the absence of a Drogba that position looks made for him. Rooney up top with Mata and Hazard playing off of him and Oscar probably a bit further back nearer central midfield.

[Simon]

Not convinced about that, he's never been particularly comfortable as the lone man up front...it was bad enough watching him sprinting to full back for England, can you imagine Mourinho tolerating that sort of tactical indiscipline? Chelsea could definitely do with another striker but that isn't Rooney's ideal position and again, for the money it will cost (£80m+ over five years including transfer and wages) they could get a genuine out-and-out striker that will thrive in that position. And that's without even taking into account Lukaku, who outscored Rooney in the league despite playing fewer games for an inferior team last year. If Chelsea want an overpriced superstar who isn't a top player any more but still scores goals, why don't they just stick with Torres?

[Beefy]

Nah, Rooney played centre-forward pretty much on his own the two seasons before RVP signed and scored loads there and that's pretty much where he plays for England for whom he still has a good goalscoring record. I wouldn't say that he does the roaming to full-back thing too much any more when he is upfront. It's when he's asked to do something other than be the focal point of the attack that he seems to lose his tactical discipline and ends up chasing after the ball.

[Andy]

Cazorla and Mata rumours sound like complete garbage to me.

[Bennedy]

Cazorla and Mata rumours sound like complete garbage to me.

Sad thing for me and you is that they will both end up back in Spain eventually. Just a matter of when.

[Andy]

Don't see why Mata would go back any time soon. Chelsea are building a pretty unbelievable team at the moment. Clear favourites for the league IMO.

As for Cazorla, yeah maybe at some point but it doesn't make sense to go now, in a world cup year when he's been in the team as long as he's been playing for arsenal.

[Andy]

Chelsea confirm they bid for Rooney but no other players were involved in the bid.

Is it just me or do people seem a lot more willing to believe all the bollocks they read in the paper about transfers this year?

[Peter Griffin]

I never trust the sport's media paper or tv until there is confirmation. Every-time I have flicked over to SSN this morning its nothing but Rooney, they are loving it.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

Rooney's bad form last year is massively over-stated. He is a slow starter when he isn't fully fit but he got fit enough quick enough last season and his goals record wasn't bad considering the number of times he actually got to play up front.

I do think he probably won't have the greatest of times in his 30s but he has still got a couple of years in him. It's fairly obvious at this stage that United are looking to get rid it's just a question of where he'll go.

It's absolutely not over-stated. And it's not just his form, physically he looks bad. Turning up over-weight for a football season is sheer disregard for his career. It would be incompetence in any other job. It's one thing to do that, it's another to do that and then start making demands to your employer about your position in the team. He ought to be the one showing he has the willingness to remain at the top. United are correct to emphasise to Rooney his place in the side right now.

He had some good games last season and still scored goals, but he has one season in his entire career where he has actually fulfilled his potential (the season after Ronaldo left). He has been badly advised by his management perhaps that he's still considered close to the level of Messi and Ronaldo, whereas it's quite clear now he is no where near and never will be. Rooney had as many extremely bad games last season as good ones, real stinkers where he couldn't trap a ball. He's always had the tendency to have an odd game like that but the rate is getting higher every year.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

But yeah it would be madness for Chelsea to offer Mata for Rooney and for United to turn it down. Maybe that has actually happened and United have now tried to wind Chelsea up by revealing it. Rooney for me is behind Mata, Van Persie, Suarez, Bale and Aguero in terms of attacking players in the Premier League right now but is paid more than all of them. He apparently wants a fatter contract and he's already earning more than these players. He's not worth that investment.

I always felt Rooney had the ability to be a top player in the world and have always said before tournaments that the Rooney factor gives England a chance, if he fires, but it's clear neither are ever going to happen. Fundamentally he has an attitude problem emerging now, possibly made worse by his representatives. If Rooney can't meet his potential, find form and consistency and professionalism at Manchester United under Alex Ferguson, then it's unlikely he'll do it anywhere. Mourinho probably fancies getting a good couple of years out of an angry Rooney, but I would wonder how angry he really is and just how much it's about money. If he was that bothered then he would have pushed on when Van Persie arrived instead of regressing to an out of shape has-been.

[Simon]

Maicon's fucked off to Roma and Malouda has gone to Trabzonspor. City and Chelsea fans understood to be devastated.

[Simon]

Btw there has been some advances over the last 24hrs [on Benteke]. The deal we thought would be accepted was not what villa thought. Something about the upfront fee. Hearing there is a sell on clause but it isnt the 25% some people are saying. We dont wana offer more than 15% but as we are still negotating it prob will be 20% in the end. I was told we both want it done by end of the week! And should happen! Figure i was told we was offering was £17mill plus add ons to make up to £20mill plus 15% sell on.

Come onnnnnn

[RuneEdge]

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11667/8828148/Transfer-news-Manchester-United-chief-executive-Ed-Woodward-leaves-tour
Finally, there's some movement. :hyper:

[The Rosk]

Come onnnnnn

Out of interest, is this the same guy who said you would sign Villa by the end of the week?

[Bennedy]

Where does Simon get his sources from, his next door neighbour? He posts a lot of these and hardly any of them come to fruition.

[StevieV]

It's spurs. That's how this works.

[Andy]

Nah it could work for every team if we all posted random shit from message boards.

Can you either start sourcing stuff or go back to using your own thread for this bollocks.

[Simon]

Where does Simon get his sources from, his next door neighbour? He posts a lot of these and hardly any of them come to fruition.

Whereas of course as we all know, every team that ever tries to buy a player does end up signing them, that's why Cavani is now signed for eight different teams for next season. Every source from the site I get these from has jumped through approximately a million hoops before being accepted as someone who has access to insider info, in order to weed out the wind-up merchants and bullshitters.


Nah it could work for every team if we all posted random shit from message boards.

Can you either start sourcing stuff or go back to using your own thread for this bollocks.

Suck your mum.

[Simon]

Out of interest, is this the same guy who said you would sign Villa by the end of the week?

Na, let's see what happens by the end of the week though :eek: I wonder if I'll be quoting this post alongside one of the number of posts you made insisting he wouldn't go for sub-30m or whatever it was you said. Having said that, if he goes for under £20m up front as suggested, even I'll be surprised.

[Andy]

What hoops has this guy had to jump through then?

[Simon]

Confirmation of source to the owner of the site (don't know how they do this to be fair) and more importantly before his info gets posted to the main ITK (read-only) forum he will have spent however long posting his info to the 'unoffiicial' general discussion forum for people to pore over without it being taken as gospel. There are people anal enough to actually tally people's ITK posts against things that are proven to be true (signings, sales, confirmations of talks etc) to work out how accurate someone's info is. It's incredibly, pointlessly detailed for something that ultimately amounts to little more than finding out about a potential transfer a day or so before it's in the papers.

Three Spurs ITK posts in the past wee btw. Worth kicking up a fuss about? This argument has already gone three posts in five minutes and is less relevant to the thread.

[Andy]

So who is his source then?

[Simon]

So who is his source then?

How the fuck do I know, he has to confirm it to the owner who decides on his legitimacy, he's not going to tell everyone is he or the whole house of cards could fall apart and he will probably be found out as the person leaking info. Spurs' comms director Donna Cullen has acknowledged in public that they have had issues with people leaking information on the internet, I imagine she is talking about legitimate information as opposed to some cunt making stuff up on the fly. I think I have mentioned before, in the whole time that I've known about ITK, the only player we have signed that the internet community didn't know about prior to the media getting hold of it was Ghaly. Even the deadline day deals like VDV and Dempsey hit the forums before they hit the media. The advent of Twitter has made that timespan negligible now though - something leaks, hits Twitter and is on 'proper' news websites in seconds.

Five posts in this argument now, in 8 minutes. Versus three posts in a week.

[Andy]

I don't understand why you buy into it and post it all here that's all. So an unknown guy has confirmed it to an unknown owner of a fan website? If you believe it all fine but that's why you made your own thread.

[Simon]

There's only a couple of Spurs fans here now and with the recent info being directly relevant to fans of Arsenal and Villa I thought it was worth posting.

You've now personally made more posts moaning about it than I have posted ITK links. It really isn't important for you to start crying about, if I was spamming the place with every tiny bit of info I read then maybe. But three posts mate, how can you give a fuck, much less complain about it.

[Simon]

Just checked the Spurs rumours thread - more than half the posts in there were by non-Spurs fans, including over 500 from yourself. So clearly whether people think the info is bollocks or not, they're still interested in discussing it. You don't have to believe that some cunt up a tree has a wire tap on Steffen Freund's Blackberry to have a discussion over the possibilities brought up in an ITK post.

[The Rosk]

Na, let's see what happens by the end of the week though :eek: I wonder if I'll be quoting this post alongside one of the number of posts you made insisting he wouldn't go for sub-30m or whatever it was you said. Having said that, if he goes for under £20m up front as suggested, even I'll be surprised.

Go quote my posts on the matter, dickhead.

[Andy]

AW: "The competition in Europe is very hard at the moment. There is a lot of money and very few players. We are not close to signing anyone."

This is going to be a long six weeks.

[Chris Scott]

Hopefully he gives up on Suarez and bids 10 million for Downing.

[The Rosk]

Rumours that Villa are going to go for Gomis are rife, most likely unfounded, but welcome.

[TraXX]

Toivonen has sacked his agent because he can't find him a club. Well, he did but little old Norwich City doesn't match his 'ambitions'. Kinda glad we missed out on him; he sounds like a proper Torn.

Also, even though he has turned down a contract, Alderwiereld has not completely ruled us out. He was very impressed with the club and its facilities, but the package we offered him wasn't what he was hoping. He was very respectful about it so maybe we can bring something else to the table to twist his arm.

Recent talk around the club focuses on Fabio Quaqliarella, Maxi Lopez, an Andelecht defender that I can't remember (or spell) and the Hooper saga rolls on.

:yes:

[Andy]

Rumours that Villa are going to go for Gomis are rife, most likely unfounded, but welcome.

I've always liked him. Quick, pretty strong, good finisher.

[Simon]

Norwich, Swansea and Southampton are putting everyone to shame with their transfer business at the moment. Highly-regarded players for reasonable prices at clubs that you would have thought wouldn't be able to attract them.

[Simon]

Was Gomis the guy who had one of the single worst tournaments of all time during the 2008 Euros? I vaguely remember him having a stinker against Italy and being almost as bad in their other games.

[Andy]

I think he was famous for going because he scored two goals on his debut in the lead up and was the first to do so since Zidane. I don't remember him actually playing that much there but I could be wrong. The entire France team were abysmal in that tournament from what I remember.

[Simon]

There is a rumour (NO SOURCE) going around that we have bid for James McCarthy, possibly related to another rumour going around that Dembele needs surgery.

[Ringo]

Not sure what to think about this Rooney business tbh. I'm not overly high on our striking options right now (given that Lukaku is only 20 years old and it's only reasonable not to expect him to already be the finished product) but a combination of the potentially huge wages, his recent form and the fact that it's Wayne Rooney leave me a little skeptical. We have been building some team and I've been really pleased with our transfer policy but it wouldn't be the first time we'd signed an expensive star name striker who hasn't been at his best for a while. I'm not sure how many better options there are out there right now but I could still do without it all. Cry me a river right.

[Rip]

Rumours that Villa are going to go for Gomis are rife, most likely unfounded, but welcome.

Lyon have said both Villa and ourselves are interested, for what that's worth.

[The Rosk]

Westwood, Baker, Weimann, Guzan and now apparently Lowton all signed up to new long term contracts, great stuff. Such a fucking shame Benteke is so cancerous as I think we would have finished top half next season. Talking of whom, he had a full day of training today at Bodymoor Heath. The dream is on lads. He's gonna come out in an interview with Shoot! magazine, declaring his love for Villa and how he will play for free if he doesn't score thirty next season. I'm gonna dream about that tonight and wake up with jizz in my belly button.

[RuneEdge]

City about to wrap up Jovetic. So Aguero, Jovetic, Negredo and Dzeko. Unless Dzeko goes, thats it for strikers, surely.

[El Capitano Gatisto]

That's a pretty brilliant forward line.

[Rip]

Cisse emptied his locker at our training ground in Benton yesterday, he's been told that he has until tomorrow to agree to wear the club gear (like Sissoko, Tiote and HBA who are all devout muslims) or he'll be sold asap.

[son_of_foley]

Forward line of Sammy and Shola ameobi next year?

[Rip]

Young Campbell and Gouffran mate, Shola could be off to Birmingham and Sammy might be off to the 'boro.

We're pissing about on a fee for Bent when he really wants to come but Fulham are coming in now and with the new owner they have money to spend.

[MikeHunt]

might chuck a bit of cash on newcastle to go down this year.

[The Rosk]

Cisse emptied his locker at our training ground in Benton yesterday, he's been told that he has until tomorrow to agree to wear the club gear (like Sissoko, Tiote and HBA who are all devout muslims) or he'll be sold asap.

Swap for Bent.

[Rip]

Hand on heart I'd probably be tempted if you chucked in a bit of cash, he was brilliant first season but last year he was bone idle and totally lost his eye for goal, Bent might be injury prone but he scores goals.

[Rip]

Sorry mate, we're in talks this afternoon with Gomis to push through a move, he's reported in local press as saying we're his first choice of move :hyper:

[Darkoke]

Guardian just tweeted:

"Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke signs new contractwith club until 2017 …"

:wtf:

[BBF]

Yep confirmed now. He's withdrawn the transfer request and is staying.

Makes sense really.

[Gary J]

Makes perfect sense another season at Villa before he moves to Man Utd.

Or maybe there is there is some truth in those Bale to Man Utd rumours and he thinks fuck going to Spurs I had enough of being a one man team last season.

[The Rosk]

Ruiooopslphphogaghoshohpjslkvohovoavsovoss suck offksljappapbaovao YES EARLY YES EARLY YES EARLY YESSSSS

[The Rosk]

WOOOOOOOOOO CHRISTIAN BENTEEEEEEKE

Best player ever lads.

[Ringo]

:lol:

Fantastic work from Benteke.

[Ringo]

Btw there has been some advances over the last 24hrs [on Benteke]. The deal we thought would be accepted was not what villa thought. Something about the upfront fee. Hearing there is a sell on clause but it isnt the 25% some people are saying. We dont wana offer more than 15% but as we are still negotating it prob will be 20% in the end. I was told we both want it done by end of the week! And should happen! Figure i was told we was offering was £17mill plus add ons to make up to £20mill plus 15% sell on.

still time

[The Rosk]

Benteke says he is now "happy" at Villa Park wants to repay the club's fans for the support they have shown him.

"I spoke with the manager when I returned to training and we had a good talk," Benteke said.

"I am very happy to be back here in Birmingham and at Aston Villa, and to sign a new contract.

"There have been so many rumours about me going to Tottenham. I ask, why would I go to them, when they are as good as Villa. It is a difficult situation to manage but I hope the Villa supporters understand my initial reasons."

"This is a great club and it has given me a lot. Now I have to give back to my team-mates and the fans who have always been right behind me.

[The Rosk]

You have a choice Christian.

Cancer or hero.

[The Rosk]

Makes perfect sense another season at Villa before he moves to Man Utd.

Or maybe there is there is some truth in those Bale to Man Utd rumours and he thinks fuck going to Spurs I had enough of being a one man team last season.

Have said this all along. Noone would begrudge him leaving after another year. If he left to someone like a Spurs or Everton or Liverpool he would be silly.

WOOOOOOOOOO CHRISTIAN BENTEEEEKE

[Mik]

He's trolling you Rosk. He'll be off tomorrow.

[The Rosk]

More like I'm trolling him.

WOOOOO PJ ME EYES

[MMH]

Have said this all along. Noone would begrudge him leaving after another year. If he left to someone like a Spurs or Everton or Liverpool he would be silly.

WOOOOOOOOOO CHRISTIAN BENTEEEEKE

As if we could afford him...

[RFF Champ]

Massive move from Lambert which projects a real sign of intent, consistently the most impressive manager in English football over the last few years IMO.

[Bennedy]

Nah

[The Rosk]

Massive move from Lambert which projects a real sign of intent, consistently the most impressive manager in English football over the last few years IMO.

Yep. He will leave us in a few hears but he will leave us in a much better position than when he came. And fair play if he does.

[RFF Champ]

Progressive with everything he does, not afraid to do things differently and explore untapped markets. Bit naive at times but that hasn't stopped him getting results.

[The Rosk]

So Spurs have seemingly failed to sign four done deals in Damiao, Villa, Moutinho and now Benteke bar an alarming turnaround. They better have something up their sleeve otherwise the Yids will go mental.

[Ringo]

I hear Carlton Cole is looking stay in London

[Lagom]

Bale + £3.141592653 for Suarez.

[Simon]

Benteke has defeated me :(

[McBain]

BENTEKKERS!

What a swerve from that handsome brute of a man.

[Simon]

Deal agreed for Chadli and Higuain to Napoli, great day for us.

[The Rosk]

Another winger? Really?

[Simon]

We don't have any left wingers now to be fair...Bale, Townsend, Dempsey, Sigurdsson and Holtby can all play there but I wouldn't say any of them are at their best there. Dempsey and/or Townsend could be off anyway. Don't know much about Chadli but seems to be rated highly, whether it's worth it depends on how soon we get a striker in though.

[Andy]

Higuain to Napoli, Suarez to Real, Rooney to Chelsea. It's just so predictable.

Bendtner and Sanogo ftw

[Hlebsfall]

WE TRY HARD TO MAKE SIGNINGS BUT THERE IS NO VALUE IN THE MARKET. BENDTNER AND DIABY WILL BE LIKE NEW SIGNINGS.

[son_of_foley]

With the previous Higuain reports I'm not holding my breath till he's holding a fecking shirt up

[Bennedy]

Surely you don't think you actually have a chance of getting Suarez or Rooney? Those rumours are pure rubbish.

[son_of_foley]

No I'm happy with Johnny Russell mate cheers

[Andy]

I think we could get Suarez but I don't think we will.

[son_of_foley]

To me Suarez is Wengers attempt of reversing the RVP deal. As much of a power play as a football move

[Lagom]

If Rodgers is willing to let Suarez go, he should just play hardball and insist that Wenger includes Cazorla in the deal. Or Wilshere.

[Chris Scott]

Apparently the latest is Suarez is happy to stay for another season now.

[Bennedy]

Benteke has started a trend. It will be Rooney next.

[Simon]

We've apparently now bid for Remy. So we've already gone from Villa to Benteke to Remy in a matter of weeks - if we don't sign him, I reckon we're only one more rejection away from actually proving all the gagmeisters right and signing Carlton Cole on a free.

[Andy]

Isn't Remy up on a rape charge soon? Surely Levy wouldn't take that sort of risk.

L'Equipe reporting we are signing Bernard tomorrow. He came on for Brazil a couple of times in their recent games and he's tiny, that's all I know. :dunno:

[McBain]

We don't have any left wingers now to be fair...Bale, Townsend, Dempsey, Sigurdsson and Holtby can all play there but I wouldn't say any of them are at their best there. Dempsey and/or Townsend could be off anyway. Don't know much about Chadli but seems to be rated highly, whether it's worth it depends on how soon we get a striker in though.

Where would you say Bale is at his best then?

[Simon]

We've been trying to sign Bernard for a while but I think he is going to Porto...can't imagine him being an Arsenal type signing, not that he doesn't look a mad prospect or wouldn't suit your style but you'd be looking at paying £30m+ for him.

Remy was arrested on suspicion of rape but not charged, I would imagine we wouldn't go for him if there's any chance he will go down.

[Simon]

Where would you say Bale is at his best then?

Free role off a striker or right hand side cutting in. Don't get me wrong he is an unbelievable left winger but he's even better coming in onto his left foot where he can get into more goalscoring positions. He barely played on the left for us last season, and didn't play there at all from about December onwards IIRC.

[Beefy]

I thought Remy was still likely to be facing charges and that is what was putting a lot of clubs off...?

[son_of_foley]

Assumed Remy was nailed on for Newcastle

[Rip]

He's third or fourth choice after Gomis, Gignac and Bent.

We did make contact to confirm the release clause but we seem to have backed off with the Gomis deal looking to be our first choice now, we're stuck because of bloody Cisse now though.

[son_of_foley]

Surely you were getting one before Cisse was off anyway to replace Ba and or Leon BEST!

[Simon]

Few more moves from around Europe over the past week...

Edinson Cavani (Napoli -> PSG) £56.8m
Kevin Strootman (PSV -> Roma) £14.5m
Douglas (FC Twente -> Dinamo Moscow) Free
Lucas Digne (Lille -> PSG) £13.2m
Marquinhos (Roma -> PSG) £27.6m
Felipe Melo (Juventus -> Galatasaray) £3.3m
Lucas Biglia (Anderlecht -> Lazio) £6.2m
Raul Albiol (Real Madrid -> Napoli) £10.6m

PSG are going mental. Never seen Marquinhos or Digne play, over £40m for the pair on top of Cavani :eek:

[Rip]

Surely you were getting one before Cisse was off anyway to replace Ba and or Leon BEST!

We've offers in for Gomis and Gignac, since we've been granted permission to open talks with Gomis that looks like it's been accepted so it's down to terms, Bent seems to be down to JFK and Pards convincing Ashley to sign off on the deal.

There are photos of Cisse in Aspers doing the rounds on Twitter today and the fans are turning on him pretty quickly (partly because he was shite last year) so he looks like he's burned his bridges (Pards has made a couple of comments along the same lines while HBA and Sissoko have both taken thinly disguised pops at him in interviews)

[RFF Champ]

That Cisse picture has sparked an absurd overreaction. Its a blurry photo of a black man in a hat and scruffy clothes in a casino.

[Rip]

tbf mate it's Cisse, and if it isn't it'll only take a while before a genuine one appears since he's a regular in there.

Him/his agent has tried to force through a new contract and it's all gone tits up for him now he's painted himself into a corner where he's going to end up moving on when by all accounts he never wanted to in the first place because one of his 43 agents decided they wanted a payday, the comments form the other players that should have been in the same boat speak volumes really, and what he seems to be forgetting is the last two club sponsors were Virgin Money and Northern Rock.

If he'd managed to learn the offside rule in a season and a half I might have been more concerned, but as it is I'll take Gomis, Bent and Gignac as a new trio and wave him merrily on his way.

[The Rosk]

Bent in a trio of strikers :lol:

He couldn't fit in a double.

[Rip]

Bent is due a good season mate, he'll stay fit and get 15 this year (bloody RFF team needs it)

[RFF Champ]

tbf mate it's Cisse, and if it isn't it'll only take a while before a genuine one appears since he's a regular in there.


You don't know that, all you can see is his nose. If he was a regular then there'd be dozens of photographs emerging, not just this one poorly lit photo of a black man in a wooly hat.

[RFF Champ]

Bent in a trio of strikers :lol:

He couldn't fit in a double.

Bent's been pretty good for Villa. I think the reaction he's getting is quite unfair. Fair enough back the manager making some positive moves but it's through no fault of Bent's other than the fact that he's a one trick pony. That one trick was very valuable to Villa over two seasons.

[The Rosk]

Don't get me wrong. Bent is a very good striker. And his purchase did keep us away from danger. But the idea that he will go happily into a trio of strikers is laughable considering the situation he is in. Id imagine Fulham would be the best bet for him right now as Berbatov is the only real striker worth his salt there. Don't have much time for Ruizzzzz.

[Simon]

So now we're trying for Soldado. Then when that flops, big Carly Cole.

[Andy]

So from the brief period of optimism at the start of the summer, we now have one fit centre back, one fit left back, one striker and aren't close to signing anyone. The atmosphere is going to be toxic at the Emirates Cup.

[Simon]

Probably regretting that emoticon about us and Villa now I reckon. Paulinho and Chadli in, Valencia have confirmed we have put in a bid that would break our record for Soldado...so buzzing for the start of the season.

[The Rosk]

Why regret it when you basically said the deal was done? Also, what's Bale's agent up to? And did you see La Marca this morning?

[The Rosk]

Defoe is going to score 90 goals next season. Lone striker because Soldado will pick up an injury through a Lee Cattermole red card horrific lunge, even if you get him.

[Simon]

Bale's agent is agreeing a new deal with Spurs AFAIK, unless you know different. I haven't seen Marca's front page, what does it say? Presumably something about Bale to Madrid - Marca is Madrid's propoganda rag, nothing to worry about there. Next year for sure.

Andy was trying to rub it in that we didn't sign Villa after I said it was close, so it's reasonable to bring up that he did exactly the same with Higuain who I believe has agreed a deal with Napoli now.

[Simon]

Defoe is going to score 90 goals next season. Lone striker because Soldado will pick up an injury through a Lee Cattermole red card horrific lunge, even if you get him.

More than likely. We will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in some way I'm sure.

[The Rosk]

On a genuinely unrelated note, apparently there is no release fee clause in Benteke's new contract. Interesting.

[Simon]

You must have offered him a fuckload of money. Mad turnaround on him. What's the betting he has a shitter this season and you're stuck with Michael Ricketts v2.0 for the rest of his contract.

EDIT: Palindrome post number bitches.

[The Rosk]

Ricketts scored 12 goals one year. Benteke scored 19. I'll give you odds of 6/1 at best.

[Bad Collin]

You must have offered him a fuckload of money. Mad turnaround on him. What's the betting he has a shitter this season and you're stuck with Michael Ricketts v2.0 for the rest of his contract.

EDIT: Palindrome post number bitches.


No it's not.

[Andy]

I wasn't rubbing it in that you didn't get him I was calling you out for posting things as facts without sources.

[Simon]

This is the "transfer rumours" thread you fucking div, not the "photographs of players holding up their signed contract while wearing the shirt of their new team with their name on the back" thread.

[Simon]

Chadli wearing the Spurs training shirt but I believe we haven't officially signed him yet, is this alright with you Andy?

http://maxcdn.fanatix.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/nacer2.jpg

[Andy]

It's better than Ben off ITK forum says Benteke wants to come, should happen tomorrow. :yes:

[Simon]

So are you saying there was no truth in the rumours that Benteke wanted to leave then? No truth in the story run by every media outlet that we were among the front-runners to sign him? Presumably he never handed in the transfer request, and Paul Lambert saying he was "hugely disappointed" with the transfer request was...a joke? A misquote?

[Andy]

Simon. All I'm saying is it would be much preferable to have rumours sourced. Maybe I'm the only one but I suspect everyone would agree.

I read the stories about Benteke handing in a transfer request and Spurs being interested, only on here have I read that Villa would be signing at the weekend, Benteke had agreed a contract with Spurs etc. And yet I don't believe you posted anything ITK about this Chadli bloke before it was announced that a fee was agreed.

[The Rosk]

Andy - he did post the Chadli thing, in the same post where his informant said the Benteke fee was agreed and that Negredo was a possibility. Enough shit etc.

[Simon]

Chadli was mentioned a few times on the ITK forum but I didn't make a big issue of him, as I mentioned before I was only really putting up stuff that was directly relevant to teams who have fans that post in this thread, hence the Benteke (Aston Villa) and Villa (signing him would impact Arsenal moves for example) reports.


7th July:

Nacer Chadli must have legs! Can confirm he has been to our training ground as well as another player who would be tougher to get! #Thfc


15th July:

Daniel has had Chadli fully checked out and is another option for us.


16th July:

re: Chadli

It will happen, if we want it to, that hasn't been decided just yet though

Confirmed sources or not, there's your info on Chadli from two weeks before the deal happened (can't find anything earlier, but there must have been because the one from 7th July mentions previous discussion of him), with the media barely getting a sniff of it in the meantime.

[Bad Collin]

Good rumours about Cisshoko and Eriksson, I'll be delighted if we get both.

The Suarez thing is bubbling under. If Real intend to make a proper offer then I hope they do so with enough time to get someone else in.

[Simon]

Ryan Babel was on Twitter earlier talking about Eriksen to Liverpool like it was definitely happening.

[Mik]

Gah, Peruzzi has failed his medical. We are in dire need of a left back and right back.

[The Rosk]

Alan Hutton's available.

[Darkoke]

I read this morning he's signing for Mallorca permanently.

[1_Pablo_Angel]

Hope so. I thought that fell through after he helped them get relegated.

[Darkoke]

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/alan-hutton-to-make-mallorca-move-permanent.21681635

[Chris Scott]

Ryan Babel was on Twitter earlier talking about Eriksen to Liverpool like it was definitely happening.

Yeah I noticed that.

[turdpower]

When we get Cesc, Gareth and Cristiano we're going to be amazing next season.

[RuneEdge]

Bebe's back from his loan too, I think.

[Andy]

The Times says we've bid £40,000,001 for Suarez and that activates a clause where they have to tell him about the interest but don't have to sell him at that price. :dunno:

[turdpower]

What does that even mean?

[Andy]

Not a clue. A contract stipulation like that seems completely nonsensical.

[turdpower]

Bebe's back from his loan too, I think.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11661/8779363/

Hopefully this is true.

[connorboy]

Unless I misread the Guardians back page it means Arsenal can start talking to his representatives.