thursday's gossip includes west ham

[cockney hammer]

the mail


Pulis confident over Collins deal



STOKE manager Tony Pulis remains confident that the transfer of West Ham defender James Collins is still alive and kicking.

Talks broke down between Collins and Stoke’s hierarchy earlier this week after hitting a snag over personal terms.

But Pulis insists: “I think both sides are only a little bit apart on that one. I just hope we can all get around the table again.

“I certainly don’t think it’s dead and he’s a player I would like, along with others before the end of the transfer deadline.”

Pulis said new faces were needed to progress, not least away from home after kicking off this season’s travels with last night’s 4-0 loss at Liverpool.

“We’ve got to get results away from home this season,” he acknowledged.

“That’s why I want to bring players in. We still have the same group as last year and we need to lift it a bit.”

l'equipe

While he seemed resigned to stay in Bordeaux, despite his desires elsewhere, Marouane Chamakh has perhaps never been so close to a departure from the club girondin. L'Equipe revealed Thursday that the latest offer from West Ham for the Moroccan international striker has moved closer Wednesday evening demands made by the leadership of club champion de France.

The Hammers have offered a total of 7 million euros, with different bonuses that guarantee the champion of France at least 1 million extra a year. In addition, Bordeaux was reportedly proposed to reach 20% on capital gains by West Ham at the resale of the player. Jean-Louis Triaud, the president of Bordeaux, had fixed the compensation to transfer 8 million, plus 25% incentive on capital gains.

The views are sufficiently close to the English club is very optimistic about the upcoming arrival of the player 25 years. Gianfranco Zola, the Hammers manager, hopes Chamakh will soon visit the facilities of the club and he wants to make him the tip of his attack. Zola will offer Chamakh a five year contract. Nikola Zigic, the attacking Serbian at Valencia (28 years) would still be in pole to be his successor at Bordeaux.


the mirror
Aston Villa set to offer £12million for West Ham star



Aston Villa have told West Ham they want Matthew Upson if the cash-strapped Hammers decide to sell.

West Ham boss, Gianfranco Zola, is desperate to keep hold of the England international stopper.

But money worries at Upton Park may see Upson, 30, sold to balance the books.

Villa boss, Martin O'Neill, who is desperate to strengthen his defence is willing to table a £12 million offer for the former Birmingham City player.Everton have told Manchester City that Joleon Lescott will cost £30million, while Aston Villa are set to bid £12million for Matthew Upson.

THE SUN

Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow has dismissed rumours that Rafael Benitez is set to quit Anfield.

Nicklas Bendtner has agreed a new £2.5million-a-year contract at Arsenal.

The Premier League have confirmed the transfer window has been extended from August 31 to September 1.

Sheffield United want to extend the loan spell of goalkeeper Mark Bunn from Blackburn.

Bolton are preparing a £2.5million bid for Leeds striker Jermaine Beckford.

West Ham have until Monday to come up with £7.5million for Bordeaux star Marouane Chamakh - or the deal is off.

Stoke are set to make a move for Marseille midfielder Elliott Grandin.

Portsmouth are poised for a new £60million takeover after Sulaiman Al Fahim failed to come up with the money to buy the club.

Portsmouth hope to sign midfielder Modeste M'Bami on a two-year contract.

DAILY MIRROR

Barcelona president Joan Laporta and prospective president Sandro Rosell have put Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas at the centre of their power struggle.

Deco has pledged his future to Chelsea and insisted Carlo Ancelotti will reinvigorate his career.

Aston Villa have told West Ham they want Matthew Upson and they could make a £12million bid.

Damien Duff insists it was a "no-brainer" to quit Newcastle for Fulham.

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez hopes to make Ferrie Bodde his third signing from old club Swansea.

Blackburn are lining up a bid for Borussia Moenchengladbach defender Steve Gohouri - as fears grow of a bid for Chris Samba.

Chelsea youngster Jack Cork will sign a new three-year deal - and then immediately be loaned out to Portsmouth or Bolton.

Newcastle could make a bid for Sheffield United defender Matthew Kilgallon if they have to sell Steven Taylor.

DAILY STAR

Everton boss David Moyes has launched a blistering attack on Joleon Lescott and called for the Premier League to bring some honour back to transfer business.

Portsmouth are offering to swap striker David Nugent for Bolton pair Gavin McCann and Danny Shittu because they can't afford the Trotters' asking price.

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate is ready to move for ex-Celtic defender Bobo Balde to replace Robert Huth.

Luke Varney is set to rejoin Sheffield Wednesday on loan today to solve a striker crisis.

Tommy Smith's future will be decided this week after Reading tabled a £1.6m take-it-or-leave-it bid for the Watford striker.

DAILY MAIL

Everton will demand £30million from Manchester City for Joleon Lescott after David Moyes finally lost patience yesterday and ordered the defender to train by himself.

Sergio Aguero's appearance for Atletico Madrid in their Champions League play-off against Panathinaikos last night will end Chelsea's interest in the Argentina striker during this transfer window.

Fulham are confident of clinching a £4million deal for Jonathan Greening after the West Brom midfielder was withdrawn from Tuesday's match at Peterborough.

Martin O'Neill insists Luke Young is staying at Aston Villa, after his full back's details appeared on the Hull website.

Sunderland must pay Lyon £7million if they decide to make Ghana defender John Mensah's loan permanent next summer.

Leyton Orient defender Tamika Mkandawire is close to joining Swansea for £350,000.



Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is ready to make a £10m offer for Real Madrid's Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart.
The Times

Meanwhile, Liverpool will sign Greek centre-back Sotirios Kyrgiakos, 30, from AEK Athens for £1.5m.
The Times

Chelsea will end their interest in Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero after the Argentina international played in the Spanish side's Champions League play-off against Panathinaikos -meaning he would be cup-tied.
Daily Mail


Aston Villa have told West Ham they will offer £12m for centre-back Matthew Upson, 30, if the Hammers decide to sell.
Daily Mirror

Everton boss David Moyes will demand £30m from Manchester City for defender Joleon Lescott.
Daily Mail

While Everton are close to sealing a £9m deal for Russian winger Vladimir Bystrov from Spartak Moscow.
Daily Telegraph

West Ham have until Monday to come up with £7.5m for Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh or the deal for the 25-year-old Moroccan international is off. The Sun

Portsmouth's French defender Sylvain Distin looks likely to complete a move to Aston Villa.
The Times

And Portsmouth are offering to swap striker David Nugent for Bolton midfielder Gavin McCann and defender Danny Shittu because they cannot meet the Trotters' £3m asking price.
Daily Mirror

Bolton are preparing a £2.5m bid for Leeds striker Jermaine Beckford. (The Sun)

Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce is lining up a move for Borussia Moenchengladbach's Ivory Coast centre-back Steve Gohouri, 28, as he fears losing Chris Samba to Tottenham or Everton. (Daily Mail)

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is ready to play hardball with Celtic as the Glasgow club hold out for a £10m fee for midfielder Scott Brown. (Scottish Daily Mail)

However, Redknapp is ready to switch targets and is poised to make a £5m-plus offer for Celtic winger Aiden McGeady. (Scottish Sun)

Wigan are in talks to with Crystal Palace over the signing of highly-rated 18-year-old midfielder Victor Moses. (Guardian)

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez wants to sign Dutch midfielder Ferrie Bodde in a £4m deal from former club Swansea.
Daily Mirror

Marseille midfielder Elliot Grandin, 21, will start a trial with Stoke on Sunday.
The Sun

Sunderland must pay Lyon £7m to make Ghana defender John Mensah's loan deal permanent next summer. (Daily Mail)

Rangers striker Kris Boyd and released Celtic forward Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink are two of three targets for Hertha Berlin. (Scottish Sun)

Watford are keen on Falkirk midfielder Scott Arfield, with the Bairns willing to cash in on the player. (Scottish Daily Mail)

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate is ready to move for former Celtic defender Bobo Balde, 33, as he prepares to lose £4m-rated German Robert Huth to Stoke or Everton.
Daily Mirror

Newcastle are lining up a bid for Sheffield United centre-back Matthew Kilgallon in case Steven Taylor leaves in the current transfer window.
Daily Mirror

Reading have made a £1.6m bid for Watford winger Tommy Smith. (The Sun)



Arsenal's Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner, 21, is set to sign a £50,000-a-week contract extension to keep him at the club until 2014.
The Sun



Blackburn's latest recruit, Spanish defender Michel Salgado, 33, has finally got his dream move to the Premier League - five years after turning down a switch to Chelsea. (The Sun)

[cockney hammer]

Sotirios Kyrgiakos, the Greece defender, will have a medical before the weekend to complete his £1.5 million transfer to Liverpool.

Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, confirmed last night that a fee for the giant centre back had been agreed with AEK Athens. The Greek club were initially reluctant, but the player had insisted that he wanted to move to Anfield.

“This is the biggest challenge of my career. I have accepted Liverpool’s proposal,” Kyrgiakos wrote on his website. AEK finally had to admit defeat in their attempts to keep the 30-year-old. In a statement, AEK said: “We respect his decision and have repeatedly stated that we never keep any player against his will, for whatever reason. But the timing of the departure of Sotirios Kyrgiakos has come at the worst possible moment for our club.”

Kyrgiakos’s impending arrival on Merseyside has been made all the more urgent by the jaw fracture suffered by Martin Skrtel, which kept the Slovakia defender out of Liverpool’s Barclays Premier League match against Stoke City last night. Daniel Agger has already been ruled out for three weeks with a back problem.



Sylvain Distin looks likely to join Aston Villa after the way was left clear for the club to conclude a deal for the Portsmouth defender.

Liverpool and Manchester City had both been interested in signing Distin, but with Benítez set to buy Kyrgiakos and Mark Hughes edging closer to luring Joleon Lescott to the City of Manchester Stadium, Martin O’Neill, the Villa manager, has the field to himself as he bids to secure the French centre back’s transfer.

David Moyes, the Everton manager, watched Middlesbrough in action on Tuesday night as he seeks to reinvest the windfall that is set to come his way from the expected sale of Lescott.Robert Huth was one of the players being monitored by Moyes, who also took the opportunity to run the rule over Adam Johnson and Gary O’Neil.



Liverpool are ready to make an offer for Rafael van der Vaart, the Real Madrid midfield player. However, given that the Holland playmaker would cost about £10 million and Benítez has nearly exhausted his budget, there is little chance of a deal. Dead certs Michel Salgado has signed a two-year contract at Blackburn Rovers after leaving Real on a free transfer. “I want to enjoy the next two years, playing in the Premier League,” the 33-year-old defender said. “It is one of the best in the world.”


What a night. If the Premier League's opening weekend – Arsenal aside – failed to really raise the roof, then last night's fixtures certainly did the trick.

"Beauty and the Beast fell United" is the Times' headline, in reference, of course, to Burnley's stunning victory over Manchester United, which was set up by Robbie Blake's wonderful volley and Brian "The Beast" Jensen's penalty save.

"In the past, when he has travelled to Turf Moor for pleasure rather than business, Sir Alex Ferguson has often sought out his good friend, Alastair Campbell. But no matter what conflicting interpretations the Manchester United manager and the Burnley supporter might have been expected to put on an extraordinary evening, those two masters of spin will have settled on one word: fate," wrote Oliver Kay.

"There were times throughout a remarkable evening, on which top-flight football made a spectacular return to Burnley for the first time since 1976, when fate looked just about the most plausible explanation for the drama that was unfolding.

"But fate alone cannot explain the manner in which United were beaten in every department: from the pitch, where they were outfought and just occasionally outclassed, to the dugout, where the impressive Owen Coyle out-thought Ferguson, and most certainly to the stands, where 33 years of frustration gave way to an ear-splitting roar at the final whistle."

"Sick as a Claret" is the Sun's headline, with Martin Blackburn describing the defeat as "one of the most embarrassing in their history."

Neil Custis says the defeat will inevitably put the spotlight on United's summer departures.

"If the club thought there was life after Cristiano Ronaldo there is very little evidence of it at this early stage," he wrote.

"Defeat on penalties to Chelsea in the Community Shield was followed by a decidedly average 1-0 home win over Birmingham and now this. A disjointed display, poor defending, awful finishing and when the target was found The Beast was in their way.

"As for Michael Owen, this was not the sort of performance to put on in front of the England boss Fabio Capello. After only two minutes he completely missed a near-post cross from Patrice Evra. To add insult to injury he was replaced by Dimitar Berbatov after 63 minutes, which just about said it all. "

The Mail says Fernando Torres' performance in Liverpool's 4-0 win against Stoke proved that Rafa Benitez knows just how to handle the striker.

"Torres delivered to order for Rafa Benitez last night as Liverpool suggested reports of their title demise may just have been premature," wrote John Edwards.

"The Liverpool manager took his £21 million signing aside, after seeing him risk disciplinary action by squaring up to Tom Huddlestone at White Hart Lane, and urged him to vent any frustration in the way he does best. He could hardly have wished for a better response."

Tottenham's rise to top spot in the Premier League – albeit after just two games – is covered in the Guardian, with Richard Rae insisting that a 5-1 win at Hull suggests Harry Redknapp's side can challenge the top four this season.

"Perhaps mischievously, Harry Redknapp had already pronounced the Premier League to be a more open competition this season. A frantic and often chaotic first half saw his Spurs side threaten to overwhelm a team generally expected to struggle, only to find themselves in danger of being dragged into the sort of scrap from which they tend to emerge having effectively conceded at least a point.

"Boxing clever, they extricated themselves with a level of skill which suggests talk of breaking into the big four may not be fanciful."

The same paper discusses Joleon Lescott's future at Everton, which remains uncertain after David Moyes dropped the defender from tonight's Europa League qualifier over his "poor attitude".

"The Everton manager appeared to call time on the 27-year-old's career at Goodison Park yesterday when he ordered the England international to train alone and dropped him from the first leg against Sigma Olomouc," writes Andy Hunter.

"Moyes insists, however, that the punishment is purely a response to Lescott's behaviour in training following Saturday's 6-1 humbling by Arsenal and that the centre-half will remain an Everton player unless City increase their £18m offer closer to the £30m he is demanding. The incentive of a World Cup place in South Africa next summer will, the Scot hopes, refocus Lescott's mind on Everton should the transfer deadline close on 1 September without a deal in place."

The Mail says Roy Keane is the first manager to overstep new rules governing pre-match comments about referees and will be forced to explain his words to the FA.

Matt Barlow writes: "Speaking before Tuesday's home defeat to Crystal Palace, Ipswich boss Keane said he hoped Keith Hill would not feel any urge to do the visitors a favour because they had been the victims of an awful decision four days earlier.

"Palace striker Freddie Sears scored a good goal against Bristol City on Saturday but the ball bounced out of the net and referee Rob Shoebridge played on.

"We might have to remind the officials before the game that it is a new game,' said a smiling Keane on Monday, as debate raged about the Sears goal."
Sergio Aguero's appearance for Atletico Madrid in their Champions League play-off against Panathinaikos will end Chelsea's interest in the Argentina striker during this transfer window. (Mail)

Nicklas Bendtner has agreed a new £2.5 million-a-year contract at Arsenal. (Sun)

Michel Salgado has completed his move to Blackburn on a two-year deal. (Star)



"That’s the best performance I’ve seen in the Premier League. We’ve probably seen a team that will finish in the top four this season, no doubt." If Phil Brown uses that line every time his Hull side lose, it could soon start to wear thin.

[Hammer&Wings]

Cheers CH

[hammerjohn]

It does look like we are going to loose Upson...
The vultures are circling.

Cheers CH..

[Matt of iron]

Well it said Villa are getting Distan who is younger and cheaper then Upson.

[Dazzaboy]

Thanks again CH!

[bobd_uk]

Well it said Villa are getting Distan who is younger and cheaper then Upson.

Distin is 2 and a half years older than Upson.

[Matt of iron]

Distin is 2 and a half years older than Upson.

Upson is 28?

Ok,I got Distan's age wrong but still.....

[bobd_uk]

Distin is 2 and a half years older than Upson.

Upson is 28?

Ok,I got Distan's age wrong but still.....

Distin - born 6 December 1976
Upson - born 18 April 1979

[Matt of iron]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvain_Distin

He is 31.

[bobd_uk]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvain_Distin" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He is 31.

It says "born 6 December 1976" because that's where I C&P'ed it from! He's 33 in December of this year.

Edit - it also says 1977 on the right, so he could be 31! Looks like we're both right!

[Matt of iron]

No he isn't.

Your lying.

[bobd_uk]

No he isn't.

Your lying.

Well, to round off this pointless bit of convo, wiki has 2 different dob's for him. Sadly, I was unable to consult his borth certificate. Either way, he's older (and shitter) than Upson.

[Matt of iron]

Cheaper though.

[Tommy B]

cheers ch

[FloridaHammer]

Thanks Mate

[Denbighammer]

Ta mate

[the oldham stripper]

thanks ch, upson for chamach, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[the oldham stripper]

thanks ch, upson for chamakh, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm