The Inevitable Summer Transfer Market Topic

[IAceI]

Portsmouth can't pay 250k for a loan deal? After selling all the players the have, some of which for massive fees (Crouch, Johnson, Traore), not to mention the £20m they got for Diarra. I find that hard to believe, where the hell is this money going?

But I agree, they have to make some purchases to have any kind of squad at all, let alone a non-Premier League worthy one.

On their outgoings. Which, combined with no money going in from the current owner + no money able to go in from the prospective owner just yet, is crippling them and probably means they're going to have to keep selling until the take over is complete.

Bent should be a player soon enough he has some loose ends to tie up with Spurs, so we're just waiting on them submitting the document and he may make an appearance tonight against Peterborough depending on when they get their end done.

And Liverpool have finally agreed a fee with Real Madrid according to Sky Sports. I think I speak for everyone when I say "fina-fucking-ly".

EDIT: Oh and Senderos' signing won't signal Lescott's departure quite. Senderos will probably be acting as cover for Jagielka who is injured.

Edited August 4, 2009 by IAceI

[Hobo]

Liverpool Football Club this evening confirmed they had reached agreement for the sale of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid, subject only to a medical.

The terms of the deal will remain confidential and undisclosed.

A year ago I wouldn't have cared if Xabi went but a year ago no one seemed to want him. The guy is a phenomenal midfielder I just hope we replace him with someone who can go some way to filling his boots. I would assume however, that Rafa has got someone lined up and got a shit load of money out of this deal.

[Scott McFly]

Portsmouth can't pay 250k for a loan deal? After selling all the players the have, some of which for massive fees (Crouch, Johnson, Traore), not to mention the £20m they got for Diarra. I find that hard to believe, where the hell is this money going?

But I agree, they have to make some purchases to have any kind of squad at all, let alone a non-Premier League worthy one.

On their outgoings. Which, combined with no money going in from the current owner + no money able to go in from the prospective owner just yet, is crippling them and probably means they're going to have to keep selling until the take over is complete.

Are they just putting money into a skip and shoving it into the sea? I know player wages will be some of it, but that's at least £40m there since December and they'll have had Premier League and attendance money coming in until the end of the season. Obviously I'm no football club accountant and I'm guessing they wouldn't sell unless they absolutely had to, but it still seems a bit odd to me.

As far as Lescott goes, as I think I predicted earlier, Everton won't accept until it get to around £25m, at which point the amount of money and his desire to leave will mean they'll accept.

[The Future]

Rafa's going for Poulsen apparently. Thoughts on this?

I am worried about Portsmouth, I like them but they only 19 or so players and the team is loaded with defenders...things there need to change fast or they are in deep deep trouble.

[Adam]

Yeah apparently Poulsen is being lined up, and Aquilani is apparently coming in too. Unsure what to make of that for Liverpool, depends how Rafa uses them in a midfield already containing Gerrard, Riera and Mascherano (should he stay).

Lescott looks to be leaving then, proving himself to be an absolute greedy dick. Once it gets to a stage where the player is writing a request to the chairman to leave...well, I think it shows what kind of man he is. I'm not too confident of a defence including Senderos and Hibbert as regular fixtures tbh, could be a bit of a struggle at least until Jagielka returns to fitness.

[Crybaby Bunting]

It's not that hard to imagine that they were into huge debts before they started selling these players, plus there's the whole corruption probe that might result in a negative outcome for Portsmouth, then there's the whole deal with Harry Redknapp being a 'genius' simply for being willing to spend more than anyone else (transfer fees AND wages).

So it's one of two things: either the chairman is broke and corrupt and is making money from Portsmouth, or they really are in the financial shitter.

Unfortunately this looks even worse than a possible Leeds scenario, this team might not have enough money to even compete in this league, and not through being unlucky with injuries. Surely the possible future chairman realises that unless he gets this done right now, he's going to have to spend £40m on getting a team in because he has nothing to work with.

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

Poulsen as a replacement for Alonso? That gives me a good laugh. Poulsen isn't too bad, but he's nothing special and nothing more than a bench type player for a team like Liverpool. It'll be interesting to see if Mascherano still sticks round as well.

[The Future]

Fabian Delph has completed his move to Villa as well, I have heard good stuff about him so I am looking forward to seeing him play next season.

[Adam]

I don't think Poulsen for Alonso is any different than Valencia for Ronaldo tbh, don't see why it's such a 'laugh'.

[IAceI]

Eek Poulson. Him and Masch would just leave players in broken states in the centre of the field. They'd essentially make the centre circle a dumping ground for battered bodies.

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

I don't think Poulsen for Alonso is any different than Valencia for Ronaldo tbh, don't see why it's such a 'laugh'.

Valencia is a completely different player to Ronaldo and I wouldn't even say he's Ronaldo's replacement either and if you want to claim he is, then that's fine by me, because I never said he'd fill Ronaldo's boots or anything.

Also, as I mentioned before, Poulsen really isn't all that great for a top class team like Liverpool. I'm not sure how much truth there is in him going to Liverpool, but I'd be surprised if he lasted long or was anything more than a player coming off the bench or filling in. Alonso leaving gives Liverpool a huge gap in their midfield and Poulsen isn't the guy to be replacing him, so I just find it funny that they aren't more focused on somebody different. If Masch was to leave as well, that'd leave a HUGE hole in the middle for them.

[Mike Widdows]

I don't think Poulsen for Alonso is any different than Valencia for Ronaldo tbh, don't see why it's such a 'laugh'.

Valencia is a completely different player to Ronaldo and I wouldn't even say he's Ronaldo's replacement either and if you want to claim he is, then that's fine by me, because I never said he'd fill Ronaldo's boots or anything.

Also, as I mentioned before, Poulsen really isn't all that great for a top class team like Liverpool. I'm not sure how much truth there is in him going to Liverpool, but I'd be surprised if he lasted long or was anything more than a player coming off the bench or filling in. Alonso leaving gives Liverpool a huge gap in their midfield and Poulsen isn't the guy to be replacing him, so I just find it funny that they aren't more focused on somebody different. If Masch was to leave as well, that'd leave a HUGE hole in the middle for them.

Look on the brightside lads, you're not signing Senderos...

Edited August 4, 2009 by Mike Widdows

[Adam]

Senderos scored a fabulous effort at Belle Vue the other year, a good low cross in and he even fell over the ball before tucking it away.

The only downside was that it was on his own goal line, the cross had come from Michael McIndoe, and the goal put us 2-1 up

[Thomas]

Senderos will come in and do well. Lescott is staying.

[Adam]

He is?

Lescott wants exit from Everton

Everton defender Joleon Lescott has told the club he wants to leave but is yet to hand in an official transfer request, BBC Radio 5 live understands.

Lescott is wanted by big-spending Manchester City, who have twice failed in their bid to sign the 26-year-old.

City have offered £15m and £18m for the England player but Everton are desperate to keep him.

Everton's stance may be weakening after it was revealed they are in talks with Arsenal centre-back Philippe Senderos.

A fee of about £6m is thought to have been discussed for the Switzerland international but an Everton club source has claimed the centre-back is not being signed as a direct replacement for Lescott.

Everton manager David Moyes has always said that no player would leave the club without his approval.

City have already signed Gareth Barry, Roque Santa Cruz, Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure in a summer spree that has resulted in them spending about £80m.

They also recently failed with a bid to sign Chelsea centre-back John Terry.

Lescott joined Everton for £5m from Wolves in 2006 and has been capped seven times by England.

I hope he does stay but it's not looking very good, really. The guy is joining the long list of money-grabbing footballers if this does happen, as there is no other valid reason to think Man City is a good career move away from Everton, not in my opinion anyway.

[Mike Widdows]

Well I read somewhere Lescott asked for a transfer and Moyes told him he's not going anywhere...I'd rather just let him go, but i'd sign Michael Turner from Hull as oppose to that big idiot Senderos. The poor mans Titus Bramble

[Crybaby Bunting]

Portsmouth have admitted that further players could be sold should Sulaiman Al Fahim's takeover fall through.

Credit: Sky Sports News

Who exactly could be sold? They'd recoup less than £7m combined for James, Utaka, Belhadj and Nugent, and probably the same amount for Kranjar and Kanu combined.

Are they really thinking of playing a match with < 10 players

[Dynamite]

Distin will probably be off but that would only be around £4million. Even still, Pompey are gonna be in serious trouble this year. Even if they do get their oil money, they will have less than half a month to strengthen which is not nearly enough time to almost double their first team choices.

[Dan]

I don't see the problem with Senderos, he'll do a good job for Everton and if you sign him for under £10m and sell Lescott for the reported £25m, that's £15m into the kitty.

[alldaws1]

Who exactly could be sold? They'd recoup less than £7m combined for James, Utaka, Belhadj and Nugent, and probably the same amount for Kranjar and Kanu combined.

I think they'd get more than that. They'd probably get at least £7m for James alone with him being England's first choice goalkeeper.