Latest Transfer Update at 15-01-2012

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Latest Transfer Update at 15-01-2012

Gary Cahill: Was at Stamford Bridge on Saturday

GARY CAHILL ARRIVAL PLEASES AVB

Andre Villas-Boas has declared his satisfaction at securing Gary Cahill's services as Chelsea prepare to announce the signing of the defender from Bolton.
Cahill attended Saturday's game against Sunderland at Stamford Bridge, which the Blues won 1-0 thanks to Frank Lampard's goal, and is expected to be confirmed as a Chelsea player in the next 24 hours.
He travelled to London on Friday to undergo a medical after lengthy talks finally yielded a resolution, and Villas-Boas is looking forward to working with the England international.
The Portuguese manager believes Cahill possesses all the attributes needed to be a success with the Blues.
"He adds to a very solid back four that we have," Villas-Boas told Sky Sports.
"Gary is a player of tremendous technical qualities for a central defender, which is what we like, because of our possession when we build up from the back.
"He has good stamina and a good sense of anticipation, which were the characteristics we were looking for and we managed to get an England international."

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Chris Samba: Missed win against Fulham

KEAN QUASHES SAMBA REPORTS

Blackburn boss Steve Kean refuted claims Chris Samba refused to play in the 3-1 win against Fulham because he wants a move away from the club.
The Congo-born defender was the subject of a bid from QPR earlier in the week which was rejected by Rovers, but the Hoops are expected to return with an improved offer in the coming days.
Samba was conspicuous by his absence in a win that lifted Rovers out of the relegation zone.
However, Kean rubbished claims the giant defender was unwilling to feature and insists he expects to see his defender at work on Monday.
"That's not true," he told Sky Sports when asked if Samba refused to play because he wants to move away from Ewood Park.
"Chris trained very well all week. He trained exceptionally well on Thursday when we had a small practice match and he was fine in that.
"He texted the doctor on Friday morning to say that he was feeling unwell, and we will be making sure that he gets to hospital so that we can look after him.
"We hope the virus that he has clears up very quick and he's back in on Monday, ready to prepare for Everton."

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Owen Coyle: Closing in on defender

BOLTON CLOSE TO REAM DEAL

Bolton are set to apply for a work permit for their key transfer target Tim Ream.
Gary Cahill's protracted move to Chelsea looks set to go through in the near future, and while sad to see him go, manager Owen Coyle already has a replacement in mind in the New York Red Bulls defender.
"Do you ever want to lose a player of Gary Cahill's quality? No," said Coyle.
"But circumstances have brought it about and we wish him well. He is an outstanding player and an outstanding young man.
"Hopefully I can bring someone in, which we are very close to doing. We had Tim Ream in for a week and we would like him. We are close but we need to get an application in for a work permit so we don't want to get ahead of ourselves.
"We want to be respectful to the MLS but we are trying to bring it to fruition."

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Wenger: Doesn't like the winter window

WENGER - WINDOW IS UNSETTLING

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is not a fan of the January transfer window - and would rather be able to do business throughout the whole season or not at all.
The Gunners head to Swansea on Sunday looking to get their drive towards the Barclays Premier League top four back on course following defeat at Fulham.
Wenger may have already made one major move with bringing former captain Thierry Henry in on a short-term loan deal from New York Red Bulls - the veteran Frenchman had an instant impact when scoring in the 1-0 FA Cup third-round win over Leeds - but the Arsenal manager is not expecting much more activity, in or out.
While Wenger will continue to look to acquire additional cover at full-back given the number of defenders still recovering from injury, the Arsenal manager believes in general the whole transfer system can be unsettling rather than have the opposite effect for which it was introduced.
"I would leave it completely open all year, or you close it for a whole year. Now, it is in between," said Wenger.
"Everybody becomes nervous in November until January. Then players maybe think, 'If I don't play then I will leave in January'. They are already less committed to the cause, it gives them an opening.
"We have gone from a period where we knew if we didn't play we had to be committed to the club, had no other option but to fight for the place.
"Now there is not a position where the players have a quick and easy way out if it is difficult."
Wenger maintains it is not easy to hand pick the perfect addition who will hit the ground running.
"In the Premier League the level is so high now and it takes him three or four months to adjust," said the Arsenal manager.
"You find a young player who doesn't play somewhere and needs to get used to the Premier League, or players who do not play, but by the time they get fit, you will have your injured players back."
Arsenal have hauled themselves up the Premier League table following a dismal start, but nevertheless there remains a significant gap on the leaders.
Wenger said: "I don't deny that it is very difficult for us to win the league, but it is not impossible because it looks like there are no teams that will keep the consistency they showed in the first half of the season.
"That is what we need, but if they make 45 points again then for us it is impossible."
Instead, the Gunners' north London rivals Tottenham have led the challenge to Manchester's duo.
Arsenal have enjoying bragging rights over their neighbours for all of Wenger's tenure, but the Arsenal manager insists he is not "obsessed" by goings-on at White Hart Lane.
"Let's be realistic," he said. "We still have three challenges left in front of us and there are only two teams who have that in England.
"It's the Champions League, FA Cup and the championship - only us and Chelsea can still do that."
Swansea have so far performed admirably on their first campaign in the Premier League after winning promotion via the play-offs.
Wenger has been impressed with Brendan Rodgers' side, who have lost just once at Liberty Stadium.
"They are brave, but not too adventurous, they go through their wingers and they keep possession, but they do not throw all their bodies forward. You should give credit to the manager for doing that," Wenger said.
"I don't think they will change their style no matter what happens [over the second half of the season]."

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Allardyce: Looking for striker

ALLARDYCE LOOKS FOR STRIKER BOOST

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce wants to sign another striker during the January transfer window because he feels his side are not clinical enough -The Upton Park supremo confirmed his intention to bolster his ranks after Saturday's 1-0 win over Portsmouth.
"Even with all the chances we created we have only won the game by a penalty so it was very important it was put away.
"I am looking for another striker because from the chances we created we have not been clinical enough and that has been a problem.
"The good thing is we have one of the best defensive records in the league and that is a positive for us and means we will always be up where we want to be."

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Gary Hooper: Won't leave Celtic on the cheap

LENNON ISSUES HOOPER WARNING

Neil Lennon insists it will take "proper money" to prise striker Gary Hooper away from Celtic.
The 23-year-old has been the subject of two rejected bids from Southampton so far and was on target in Saturday's 2-1 win over Dundee United.
Lennon appeared to have Andy Carroll's fee in mind when he joked about his valuation of Hooper as "£35million".
When asked to expand on the theme, Lennon was not for disparaging Carroll but made it clear to suitors - and no doubt the Parkhead board - that he values his top players highly.
"I don't draw comparisons, they are two totally different types of players and the market at that time was different," he said.
"Chelsea spent a lot of money on Torres and Liverpool had money to spend.
I think Andy Carroll is a very good player.
"Whether people think the fee is justified (or not) it's not the player's fault. But we look at that, we look at some of the other prices being bandied about.
"When we have players like Ki Sung-yueng, Beram Kayal, Emilio Izaguirre, Hooper and James Forrest, they are not going to go cheap, that's for sure.
"They will have to pay proper money. I don't need to speak to the board, they know my position," added Lennon.
"Everyone has their price. We are not a selling club but everyone has their price. The problem is if we get a knockout price, will we have time to replace someone like Gary Hooper? Trust me, they are hard to find.
"I have spoken to Gary, I am keeping him up to date. I think he is very happy here. I think Celtic and Gary suit each other, he is a Celtic type of player, strong, great finisher, great feet and his goal record speaks for itself."

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Fernando Torres: Backed to get it right at Chelsea
HARRY RUBBISHES TORRES SWAP TALK

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has dismissed suggestions that he would consider taking Fernando Torres in exchange for Luka Modric.
Chelsea tried unsuccessfully to land Modric last summer, but they are still linked with the Croatian star.
Redknapp, who insists he wants Modric to remain at Spurs for the long-term, has now been credited with a possible interest in Torres.
But he has bee quick to play down talk of any potential deal for the Spaniard, insisting he can see him returning to his best at Chelsea.
Torres has failed to impress since his move Stamford Bridge, but Redknapp does not envisage any sort of move.
"No I have never heard that one," he said when asked about a potential Torres-Modric swap.
"I think Torres is starting to look the player that we all know he can be, the player he was at Liverpool - he is a top player no doubt that about it.
"But there is no way he is coming to Tottenham and no swap deal in the offing for Luka Modric, I think they will get the best out of him."
Redknapp remains hopeful that a new deal will be agreed for Modric.
"I don't know where they are but hopefully the chairman will come to agreement and he signs a new contract, he has got a long contract anyway," he said.
Redknapp also confirmed that on Sunday he would be travelling to the South of France to watch Marseille v Lille, with Loic Remy the reason for his trip.
"I am off to watch Marseille, I am going to go and have a look at him [Remy], we have had reports - I watched him 18-months two years, ago I doubt anything will come of it but we are looking."

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Jelavic: Praised by Davis

DAVIS: RANGERS MUST KEEP JELAVIC

Stand-in skipper Steven Davis believes Nikica Jelavic showed once again why Rangers must hold onto him beyond January after he grabbed a double in Saturday's 2-1 win over St Johnstone in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.
The Croatian striker has been the subject of intense speculation over his future and has been linked with a number of Barclays Premier League clubs.
Rangers manager Ally McCoist confirmed on Friday that Rangers have yet to receive any enquiries or bids this month for Jelavic before he returned to top form with a brace at McDiarmid Park.
Davis said: "The good thing about Jela is that he can score a mixture of goals and he got two poacher's goals in this game.
"There's been a lot written in terms of what he wants to do but he showed he's got a desire to still do well for Rangers so hopefully the club can keep hold of him.
"There has been a lot written in the press saying he wants to move on but he always works hard for the team and it was good to see him get his rewards again for the effort he puts in."
Rangers have had a number of injury worries to deal with in recent weeks and were tested again in the clash with Saints.
Neil Alexander made his first SPL appearance of the season after first-choice goalkeeper Allan McGregor missed out with a thigh injury, while Dorin Goian played on after taking a heavy blow to his nose, which required treatment by the club's doctor.
Davis has been impressed by the fringe players who have helped fill the void left by injuries in recent weeks.
The midfielder said: "The good thing is that the manager tried to address it in the summer in terms of getting more quality players in throughout the squad.
"We are reaping the rewards of that now. We've had a few injuries and no-one who has come in over the space of the last number of weeks has let us down.
"It's great that they're getting a bit of time and hopefully it will give them a boost as well."
The win allowed Rangers to return to the SPL summit briefly, before Celtic reclaimed top spot with victory over Dundee United later in the day.
Davis said: "We've always had the desire to try to win games and we have managed to do it over the last few seasons.
"A couple of times we came up short in the five or six weeks before Christmas and it was important to bounce back after the Celtic game and try to go on another run of results.
"We have managed to do that so far but we won't be getting carried away as there is still a lot of hard work ahead. Celtic are still going well as well."
Jelavic's opener was cancelled out by an own-goal from Carlos Bocanegra before the striker pounced again to claim the winner late on.
Saints boss Steve Lomas said: "I'm disappointed but the overall feeling is pride in my players for their performance. Sometimes in football you don't get what you deserve."

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Ryoichi Maeda: Won't get a deal with Hammers

NO HAMMERS DEAL FOR MAEDA

West Ham United have decided against signing Japan international Ryoichi Maeda after an unsuccessful trial at the club.
The Jubilo Iwata forward received an invitation in early December to train with the Championship outfit, and has spent the last three days under the watchful eye of Hammers boss Sam Allardyce and his coaching staff.
According to Iwata club president Hiroyuki Yoshino, Maeda will be returning to the J-League side as soon as possible.
"We understand they were unable to agree terms," he told Reuters.
Maeda, who scored 14 goals in 28 league appearances last season, will be disappointed that he may not get another opportunity to play abroad.
"At my age, this is likely my last chance to play overseas and I want to do everything possible to make it happen," the 30 year-old was quoted as saying earlier in the week.

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Dean Saunders: Hoping for Sharp stay

SAUNDERS HOPING FOR SHARP STAY

Doncaster striker Billy Sharp has opted against a move to Leicester, but manager Dean Saunders has admitted that he is still fighting to keep his leading scorer and El-Hadji Diouf at the club.
Relegation-threatened Rovers outplayed third-placed Cardiff at the Keepmoat Stadium today but had to make do with a goalless draw that keeps them above only Coventry in the npower Championship.
After the match Saunders was again asked about the futures of star men Sharp and Diouf, with the former the subject of a bid from Leicester and the latter yet to sign a deal to keep him in South Yorkshire.
And though Saunders revealed Sharp had snubbed a move to the King Power Stadium, he conceded a move elsewhere could still happen for both him and Diouf.
"As far as I know Billy will be staying with us until the end of the season. That's a great boost for everybody," he said.
"If he can win us six or seven games between now and the end of the season it's worth millions to the club. And if he gets six or seven winners he'll probably be worth £3.5million and have Premier League clubs looking at him.
"We've tried everything to make him stay and I'm pleased he is staying. He's indicated to me he's not going to Leicester but somebody else might come knocking.
"There's a clause in his contract and if someone hits it - if Manchester United come in for him tomorrow - I'm sure he'll change his mind.
"Diouf hasn't signed yet but I'm working on it. I've tried my best. Last year he was earning 10 times what he's earning here and that's a little bit of a problem but the main thing is he wants to be here, he wants to be part of it."