The January Transfer Window - 2016

[Lineker]

Alan Pardew has dismissed Neil Warnock’s comments after the former Crystal Palace manager said he thought Charlie Austin would be a good fit at Selhurst Park.

Pardew took exception to Warnock’s remarks on TalkSport earlier in the week and responded before Crystal Palace’s FA Cup game at Southampton on Saturday.

“Neil Warnock was the manager here and he didn’t do very well so I am not really interested in his opinion,” said Pardew. “Charlie Austin is of no interest to us.”

 

[Lineker]

Coventry City have signed Joe Cole on a free transfer from Aston Villa. The former England international has agreed a deal until the end of the season after being on loan at the Ricoh Arena since October.

[Lineker]

 

 

[Lineker]

Bournemouth are in talks with the Wolves striker Benik Afobe. It is understood the 22-year-old could seal a move to the Cherries over the weekend, with the south coast side aiming to bolster their forward line.

Norwich hold a long-term interest in Afobe and had several bids rejected in the summer but Bournemouth now appear the frontrunners for his signature, although a fee is yet to be confirmed.

Bournemouth’s manager, Eddie Howe, lost Callum Wilson for the season to a serious knee injury in September and has already signed Roma’s Juan Iturbe on loan until May.

Bournemouth are 16th in the table, four points above the Barclays Premier League relegation zone, and go to Birmingham in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.

Afobe joined Wolves for £2m from Arsenal only last January and has scored 23 goals in 48 games for the club. He has 10 in 27 outings this season for the Sky Bet Championship side.

On Thursday the Wolves manager, Kenny Jackett, denied they had received any bids for the forward but the club have hinted they could sell this month.

Last month the chief executive, Jez Moxey, refused to rule out a sale, despite the club issuing a statement in the summer insisting Afobe would not be sold this season.

The club’s owner, Steve Morgan, put the club up for sale in September and is looking for close to £40m and Jackett admitted that has had an impact on the club.

He said: “Rather than just this window it has had an effect on the whole club; there is no doubt about it. It is Steve’s decision how much money he puts in. When does he sell to who? What are the circumstances? There is only really him that can answer that.”

[Rafael]

Afobe is having a medical tomorrow ahead of this Bournemouth move. 10M is his price.

Newcastle looks to launch a 10M bid for Swansea's Jonjo Shelvey.

[Lineker]

He had the medical today.

[Lineker]

Good news, @stokeriño! Monaco have decided injured Radamel Falcao can stay at Chelsea

[stokeriño]

Yeah, I know. They're so generous.

[9 to 5]

On 07/01/2016 at 14:58, Benji said:

Leo Messi is a tax-dodging shit, but he's still arguably one of the best players in the world.

Yes, arguably. >_>

[Lineker]

Bournemouth have completed the signing of Wolves striker Benik Afobe for a club record fee of £9m.

The 22-year-old has signed a four-and-a-half year contract with the Cherries and will go straight into the squad to face West Ham on Tuesday.

Afobe underwent his medical at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday morning after the striker held talks with the Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe on Friday.

Bournemouth’s previous record outlay was the £8m they spent on the former Ipswich defender Tyrone Mings, who was cruelly ruled out for the season on his debut at home to Leicester in September.

“It happened to me last season when I signed for Wolves in January and there was just two or three days’ training sessions, and then there was a game and I was lucky enough to score on my debut,” said Afobe.

“I think it’s better sometimes. If you sign in pre-season, you still have six weeks until the league season starts but now I know that I’m ready to play on Tuesday.

“I’m looking forward to it and I’m definitely ready because I haven’t missed a game this season.

“I feel fresh, I feel strong, I feel physically fine and I’m mentally strong as well, so I’m ready to go.”

Championship side Wolves agreed a deal to sell their top scorer, who has scored 10 goals this season, to the Cherries prior to the club’s FA Cup defeat at West Ham on Saturday.

The striker signed a three-and-half-year deal at Molineux in January after a glittering loan spell with MK Dons and his form since has seen him attract Premier League interest.

Afobe becomes Bournemouth’s second signing of the transfer window after the club signed Roma forward Juan Iturbe on a loan deal until the end of the season on 1 January.

“We feel this is a very good deal for the long-term future of the club,” said Howe.

“We are trying to look to the future and have signed a player who we believe will get better with us and, hopefully, stay here for many years.

“You could go through our squad and pick 80 per cent of players who hadn’t done it until they had been with us.

“You need to give players an opportunity and a chance to prove they can or can’t do it.

“We could easily go the other route and sign players who have done it but are potentially past their best. But I don’t think that is the right way for this club to go.”

The former Arsenal striker will bolster the attacking options available to Howe who had until recently relied upon Joshua King, who is currently sidelined with a niggling hamstring injury, to fill the void left by Callum Wilson, who picked up an anterior cruciate knee injury against Stoke City.

Howe said: “I felt we needed a striker. Callum we lost and that was a huge blow to us and we have lost Josh King with hamstring problems. It has left us very light and we need firepower. We need players who can come in and do the job,” Howe said after Bournemouth’s 2-1 FA Cup win at Birmingham on Saturday.

[9 to 5]

Only posting that now because Leicester just scored, :/

[Lineker]

[Rafael]

Several newspapers in Brazil and Italy have been reporting that Liverpool and Corinthians have agreed a 15M euros fee for Alexandre Pato.

[METALMAN]

I guess just one disappointing, expensive, injury-prone Brazilian forward just wasn't enough for them.

[Hobo]

Liverpool goalkeeper Danny Ward has been recalled from his loan at Aberdeen.

Pato has been linked to a tonne of clubs lately IIRC. Just like every media outlet linking Liverpool to every player in the Bundesliga.

[DavidMarrio]

Pato would be a weird signing. Not totally against it but the money could be spent on better players/areas. 

 

[Lineker]

Bordeaux's Senegal winger Henri Saivet is in Newcastle having a medical and discussing personal terms after a fee was agreed.

[Rafael]

The club has also made a 10M bid for Swansea's Jonjo Shelvey.

[Colly]

1 hour ago, Lineker said:

Bordeaux's Senegal winger Henri Saivet is in Newcastle having a medical and discussing personal terms after a fee was agreed.

I've heard he started as a striker and can play defensive midfield, so sounds like the kind of nebulous utility player we tend to go for. Yay.

[Rafael]

23 minutes ago, Ultra Rare Colly said:

I've heard he started as a striker and can play defensive midfield, so sounds like the kind of nebulous utility player we tend to go for. Yay.

He started his career as a striker/winger, later transitioned into only being a winger, and this season played all of his games as a defensive midfielder. Not really tall and imposing as most people have been asking, but has a lot of offensive projection, neat passer and actually tackles people.