Latest Transfer Stories 18-09-10.

[<<ELVIS>>]

Hughes eyes Schwarzer stay

Fulham boss aiming to tie down keeper

Mark Hughes hopes the offer of a new deal will persuade Mark Schwarzer to stay at Fulham when the transfer window reopens.
The 37-year-old attracted interest from Arsenal during the summer but Fulham fought hard to secure the services of a goalkeeper rated one of the finest in the Premier League.
They were not tempted to accept a £4million offer from the Gunners, even though Schwarzer is in the final year of his contract at Craven Cottage and could leave for free at the end of the season.
Manager Hughes is braced for another battle in the New Year but regards Schwarzer as such a key component of the team that he would like the Australian to extend his contract.
"If we could tie Mark down to a longer contract that would be the ideal for me," he explained.
"It might not be an option open to us as he is well within his rights to look at his options in January.
Important

"I want him to stay and would be more comfortable and think that I have a chance of winning if Mark was playing.
"We hope that he will stay until the end of the season.
"We weren't receptive to any bids for Mark in January as we were not prepared to take money for him - he's too important for us.
"In January that will still be the situation as we'd rather he's still here helping us win Premier League games.
"His immediate future is here. We're pleased with that and will look to January when we have to.
"We are hopeful that we can show him what we want to do and where we want to go.
"I have made it known to him that I want him to be part of that."
No concern

Schwarzer was well received by Fulham fans before last Saturday's 2-1 victory over Wolves, despite the fact he was very keen to join Arsenal.
And Hughes was never concerned that Schwarzer would become troublesome after his dream move to Emirates Stadium failed to materialise.
"Mark has made a real mark here and the reception showed the respect for him," said Hughes.
"He's made a real impact at the club and been a part of the whole success here, so that respect was due and was given, which was really good for him.
"Mark's a good professional. I knew there wouldn't be any difference in his daily work or the way he approaches games, so it wasn't a worry for me.
"In football you get disappointments more than good times, so that's the norm.
"He's got over the initial disappointment so he's getting on with it now."

[<<ELVIS>>]

Hendrie makes Bantams move

Former Villa ace arrives on short-term deal

Bradford have signed former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie on a short-term contract.
As revealed by skysports.com, Bradford had lined up a surprise move for Hendrie on a free transfer.
Hendrie is hoping to prolong his career in the Football League at Valley Parade after being released by Derby in the summer.
The 33-year-old, who won one full England cap under Glenn Hoddle, is teaming back up with Bantams manager Peter Taylor, who was his coach during his days with England Under-21s.
Hendrie, who made over 300 first-team appearances for Villa after making his debut against QPR in 1995, joined Sheffield United on a free transfer in July 2007 following two separate loan spells at Stoke.
He has also had loan spells at Leicester, Blackpool and Brighton.

[<<ELVIS>>]

UAE clubs deny Ron interest

Reports linking Samba star with switch are played down

Reports linking Ronaldinho with a move to the UAE are wide of the mark, claim the clubs involved.
It had been suggested by a close friend of the Brazilian superstar that he could soon be on his way out of AC Milan.
The summer arrivals of Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Giuseppe Meazza were said to have left him considering his options.
It was later claimed that Al Ain, Al Ahli and Al Wahda were pursuing the player, with Ronaldinho open to talks.
The 30-year-old playmaker is in the final year of his contract in Milan and negotiations regarding an extension have stalled.
He would be free to discuss a potential free agent switch with interested parties from January, paving the way for an imminent exit.
However, the three clubs reported to be chasing the former Barcelona man have all moved to distance themselves from such speculation.
Rules

Al Ahli chief executive Ahmad Hammad, whose side already boast World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro within their ranks, told Gulf News: "I don't know why Al Ahli's name has been dragged into this.
"UAE rules dictate that we can only have three foreign players and our allocation is full.
"This is illogical, we have Cannavaro, Pinga and (Aristide) Bance. To say we are looking to change this, it really is very early and we've not even closed the summer transfer window yet."
Al Ain are one of the sides yet to fill their foreign player allowance, but they too have denied any involvement.
Team manager Majid Al Owais said: "This is not right, we've just finished the deal with Elias Ribiero De Oliviera, we've also just bought Ebrahima Keita and Jose Sand is our top scorer.
"It's not true, we don't know what's going to happen with these new signings, it's too soon. But from what I hear the coach is very happy to continue with these three."
Meanwhile, the team manager of Al Wahda, Khalid Awad, added: "This is not true at all, we have enough foreign players and we're not looking to bring in any more this season."

[<<ELVIS>>]

Platt hopes King signs

Sky Blues striker would welcome added competition

Coventry City striker Clive Platt has told skysports.com that the potential signing of Marlon King will be just what the Sky Blues need.
Platt says he has been able to see the former Wigan Athletic, Watford and Nottingham Forest man up close after featuring in a behind-closed-doors training match with him.
And the 31-year-old reckons King is looking in great shape.
Platt told skysports.com: "Marlon will be a great acquisition. It has taken a bit longer than expected, but what you get from Marlon King is a lot of goals at this level.
"I had the opportunity to play up front with him in a practice match and he looked sharp. We struck up a very good understanding, which was promising.
"Everyone knows he comes here with a lot of baggage, but he wants to put all of that behind him, and I think Coventry would be a really good club for him to reinvent himself, both on and off the pitch."
Threat

King has a goals to games ratio of almost one-in-three in his career, scoring 121 times in 383 appearances in all competitions for the nine clubs he has played for since 1998.
Platt continued: "He has two good feet, provides a good aerial threat and knows where the back of the net is.
"He will bring something different to the team and definitely another option to what we already have here, which you always need in this ultra-competitive league."
Coventry manager Aidy Boothroyd is looking to complete the signing of the centre-forward as soon as possible.

[<<ELVIS>>]

Lennon plays down Brown exit

Boss believes skipper is good enough for Serie A

Celtic manager Neil Lennon has played down speculation over the future of captain Scott Brown.
Brown's future has been subject to conjecture in recent weeks with clubs in Italy believed to be keen on securing his services.
Inter Milan and Juventus are two of the sides said to be keeping an eye on the 25-year-old midfielder, who has become a mainstay of the Hoops side as skipper.
But Lennon says any talk over his player's future is simply rumour at this stage - although he hastened to add that the Scottish international could ply his trade in Serie A.
He said: "I think he is a very good player. I think it is just speculation at the minute but it wouldn't surprise me.
"I think he could play there, yes. A lot of people don't, but I do.
"He's been a very consistent performer for me and I probably wouldn't be in this position if it wasn't for the likes of Scott Brown."
Lennon is also keen to keep hold of striker Georgios Samaras, with the 39-year-old revealing he would speak to the Greek player's agent over a new contract next month.
Reports had circulated suggesting youngster James Forrest had been offered new terms, however Lennon refuted such claims.
Asked about the possibility of the 19-year-old penning a deal, Lennon added: "No.
"He signed a contract recently, last year or the year before and he has two or three years left on his contract but if he keeps progressing the way he is doing we will have a look at it."

[<<ELVIS>>]

Trezeguet claims Reds interest

Frenchman reveals that Lazio and Roma were also interested
Trezeguet: Linked with Reds

David Trezeguet claims that he had the option to join Liverpool before deciding to sign for Hercules.
The Frenchman's agent announced at the end of August that the Premier League Reds were showing interest as Roy Hodgson looked for attacking support for Fernando Torres.
Former Juventus striker Trezeguet had been linked with a move to Anfield for several years, while Italian outfit Lazio are said to have joined the hunt this summer.
But the 32-year-old has revealed that Liverpool's transfer activity was stalled by the drawn-out sale of Javier Mascherano to Barcelona and he maintains that he was not interested in a move to England.
Trezeguet said in L'Equipe: "Lazio and Liverpool were interested. But things went on.
"The English club waited to sort out the transfer of Mascherano before starting anything else.
"Anyway, after 10 years in Turin, above all I needed to find sun and sea again. And the fact that my wife is from the region also played a part in my decision."