The good, the bad and the ridiculous!

It’s transfer season once again. We have been a Premier League club for little more than a fortnight and we have already been linked with dozens of players, from the awful to the absurd. Here, I will try and give you the latest on all the transfer rumours. I am not an “ITK” tweeter, nor am I in the business of inventing rumours for the sake of it. I have compiled this list based on a variety of reliable sources and the latest news I have available to give an indication of what deals are non-starters, and which ones could potentially happen.

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Deals expected to be done: Jussi Jaaskelainen – Goalkeeper – Free Agent. After the departure of Rob Green, Sam Allardyce has moved fast to snap up the experienced keeper who he worked with at Bolton Wanderers. Status – Will sign this week subject to a medical
George McCartney – Left Back – Sunderland – Free Transfer. After a successful loan spell, both parties are eager to get this deal done. The defender doesn’t feature in Martin O’Neill’s plans, and will be completed in the next few weeks. Status – This deal is essentially a certainty.
Kieran Richardson – Full Back, Centre Mid (basically everywhere!) – Sunderland -£2.5m deal We have had a bid accepted for Richardson, and will sign him in the next couple of weeks subject to personal terms. Status – Deal expected to be completed
Kenwyne Jones – Striker – Sunderland – £3m deal – Jones is extremely interested in joining West Ham, and it appears as if Allardyce is going to give him his wish. Status – Expected to be completed in the near future.
Ahmed Elmohamady – Winger – Sunderland – Loan Deal – The player has been keen to state that he is in talks with West Ham. Despite everyone thinking we were in for a permanent deal, at this stage, it appears as if we are bidding to loan the player who has not featured under O’Neill at all. Status – Very likely to happen, most probably on loan.

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Deals that have a fair chance of being completed: Paul Robinson – Goalkeeper – Blackburn – £1.5-2m deal – The issue surrounding our goalkeepers is particularly unclear. Despite the fact we have almost seal the deal for Jaaskaleinen, it appears we are still in the market for another goalkeeper. If so, Paul Robinson could definitely fit the bill. Status – If BFS indeed wants another keeper, this deal could definitely happen. Watch this space.
Mohamed Diame – Midfielder – Free Agent – This is one deal that on a personal level, I am keeping an eye on as I think this would be a very shrewd acquisition for us. We are definitely in talks with him, but so are a host of other unnamed clubs, so we will have to wait on this one. Status – If we fight off the competition, there’s a chance of this coming true.

Robert Snodgrass – Winger – Leeds United – £5mill – Leeds appear to be playing hard ball with this one. They want £5million and Snodgrass is keen, but this seems to be too much for us. Status – If either side budges, this deal could all of a sudden be on.

Wilfried Zaha – Winger – Crystal Palace – Around £8mill – This deal is another example of a Npower Championship keen to hang onto their prized possession. We had originally put in a cash + Sam Baldock offer in for the highly rated youngster, but the deal has broken down. However he appears to be a player very high on Allardyce’s wishlist. Status: If we can agree a fee with Palace, this seems very likely.
Deals in early stages/ unlikely to be done / non starters: Jordan Rhodes – Striker – Huddersfield – £6mill – Despite our interest in the football league’s most prized property, a deal is a very long way from being done. We are likely to bid around £6mill, but I highly doubt this will be enough considering Huddersfield wanted more than this in January prior to promotion, they could hold out for more money from a bigger club. Status – A bid is expected, which would put the ball in Huddersfield’s court.
Grant Holt – Striker – Norwich – £6 milion – 24 hours ago, we were reported to have bid £4mill for Holt. Norwich denied this. Hours later, West Ham claimed a bid had been rejected. No one is certain what’s happening at Carrow Road, but we do know a few things. Firstly, Holt wants out after a fall out with Norwich regarding his contract. Norwich are standing firm on their valuation of £6mill, and sensibly, it appears that we have not played ball. Status – Norwich’s overvaluation of their 31 year old striker could stop this deal in its tracks
Yakubu – Striker – Blackburn – £1million – This deal is one of a minority where the problem lies in the player’s contract. We will cough up the cash for the transfer without any problems, but the Yak is tempted by huge wages in China, and will probably play out his career in Asia. Status – Money talks volumes, and appears to be drowning out common sense in this case.
Abdoulaye Ba – Defender – Porto – Unknown – This deal was looking fairly likely, but stumbled due to the fact the player would fail to gain a work permit. Status – Non starter.
Matt Jarvis – Winger – Wolves – £8million – Wolves’ valuation of the player seems way too high for what we are willing to pay. We want to pay around half of this, perhaps up to £5mill, but £8million is far too much. Status – Wolves want too much money for this to happen.

 

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Nicolas Anelka – Striker – Shanghai – Unknown – The story surrounding Anelka’s trip to China is hilarious. His strike partner last week was the clubs owner, he was made assistant manager of his club without consulation, and he is (understandably) fed up. Apparently, not fed up enough to return to England with his ridiculously high wages. Status – Unless something else hilarious happens in Asia, this is a no go.
Joe Cole – Midfielder – Liverpool – Unknown – Every West Ham fan wants this to happen, but its essentially a non-starter. The player has no real interest in a return to his former club, and with Rogers hinting that the player may have a future at the club, this isn’t going to happen. Status – Sorry to dispel all hope, but this isn’t going to happen.
Michael Owen – Striker – Manchester United – Unknown – This one has absolutely no chance. He has told us he wants to stay in the north. Status – 0% chance.
Ronaldinho – Attacking Midfielder- Unknown. Really!? Let’s get real here.

*Disclaimer* – Once again, I do not claim to have my own source for this information. The information has come from a variety of sources including newspapers, player’s quotes, as well as a select group of tweeters: Adzman89, WHUFC_news among several others.
Are we going for the right players? Who should we focus our attention on? Any questions or comments, tweet me at @tom29whu