Latest Transfer Update at 17-01-2012

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Latest Transfer Update at 17-01-2012

Michel Vorm: In great form for Swansea

MAN UTD AND CHELSEA 'EYE VORM'

Swansea director John van Zweden says four Premier League clubs, including Manchester United and Chelsea, have made enquiries about goalkeeper Michel Vorm.
A string of impressive performances from the Dutchman have seen him linked to other clubs, and now van Zweden - a director and co-owner - has confirmed that United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle have all made approaches.
"Clubs have enquired about Vorm," he told VI Radio.
"Manchester United have asked, in addition Chelsea and for that matter Newcastle United. Tottenham Hotspur have cautiously announced they are interested.
"It would be a nightmare for us if he left."
Swansea signed Vorm for just over £1million last summer from FC Utrecht and the Dutch club admit they would be happy to see him move on as they have a sell-on clause.
"I'm not mentioning sums, but it is more than training costs," Utrecht technical director Foeke Booy confirmed.

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Henrique: Looks set for QPR move

HENRIQUE REVEALS QPR DESIRE

Brazilian striker Henrique has confirmed he is ready to join Queens Park Rangers.
The 20-year-old Sao Paulo striker is one of the most coveted young forwards in South America and had long been expected to join one of Europe's elite.
But QPR look have secured a huge transfer coup after agreeing an initial 18-month loan deal, with a view to finalising a £5.5million capture in 2013.
QPR would need to get a work permit for Henrique and, although he is yet to win a senior cap, he is an ever present for Brazil's Under-20 side and was leading scorer at the World Youth Cup last year.
"I know a lot of clubs are interested in me. But when I spoke to Mark Hughes and QPR, they made me feel very excited about their plans," Henrique is quoted by The Sun.
"I want to go to a club with ambition and to play in London would be a fantastic opportunity.
"The manager is known everywhere. He played for great clubs like Manchester United and Barcelona.
"As a striker, I know I can learn so much from him. I've always wanted to play in Europe and, for me, England has the most exciting league in the world."

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Junior Hoilett: Looks set to stay untl summer

HOILETT SET TO STAY UNTIL SUMMER

Junior Hoilett's agent and father has hinted the Blackburn starlet will stay with the club for the remainder of the Premier League season.
The 21-year-old Canadian forward's contract expires in the summer, although the Ewood Park club would be entitled to a development compensation fee should he leave because he is under the age of 24.
Talks over a contract extension have ground to a halt and manager Steve Kean has conceded Blackburn will consider offers for the highly-rated talent.
David Hoilett Sr does not expect any further talks in the foreseeable future and admits things are "up in the air" regarding a move to a Premier League rival.
Rovers defender Christopher Samba submitted a transfer request on Monday and Hoilett's father and agent believes his situation will be their priority as the club are guaranteed a fee if and when Hoilett leaves.
"Considering his contract, there have not been any talks recently and to be honest I don't really see any at the moment. I don't think there will any more talks at the moment," Hoilett Sr told The IBTimes UK.
"Concerning a move to other clubs, it is a bit up in the air at the minute. I can see with the club knowing that they will get some sort of compensation; it may not be within their best interests to off-load him considering what is going on with (Christopher) Samba at the moment.
"I can't really see them letting both of them go at the same time and with Junior's contract ending at the end of the year, the value they could get for Junior would be less than what they would get for Samba."
Although Samba is actively seeking a move elsewhere, Hoilett's camp insists they have never handed in a transfer request.
"I have not had any response from Blackburn regarding that (potential offers)," he continued.
"I am not sure of the situation with other clubs. I have an idea which clubs (might be interested), but at the minute that is confidential.
"There was a rumour we handed in an official transfer request, but that is a rumour, we never did."

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Alex McLeish: Not looking to sell

McLEISH WANTS TO KEEP VILLA STARS

Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish admits it is "very unlikely" he will let any of his players leave during the current transfer window.
Villa striker and record signing Darren Bent has been constantly linked with a move to Liverpool, while central defender James Collins has been the subject of speculation involving QPR and Sunderland.
But McLeish is not actively striving to make changes under the sell-to-buy policy he has to adopt and has faith in his current set of players.
McLeish said: "Am I wanting to do (transfer) business? I am not pushing. I am not in any hurry to lose any of my players.
"Only if it was an attractive proposition would we do anything so it's very unlikely we would let any of our players go.
"I am happy with my squad. Like every other manager in the world, we're all greedy for players. If we had our way, we'd probably have 100 players at our disposal.
"But I certainly think it's a strong squad, a lot of young players who have learnt a lot over the past few months, and that augurs well as we go into the second half of the season."
McLeish is mindful of club owner Randy Lerner's desire to manage and reduce the current wage bill.
He said: "We are still steering a ship in terms of managing the wages. Randy is adamant about that and I agreed to work for the club on that basis.
"We are steering towards a wage stability and we're still heading in that direction. I have agreed to the parameters and the way that the club wants to be run. We will keep doing that."

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Gary Cahill: Leaves Bolton for Chelsea

COYLE BACKS CAHILL TO MAKE IMPACT

Bolton boss Owen Coyle has backed Gary Cahill to play an important role in Andre Villas-Boas' rebuilding job at Chelsea.
Cahill has become Villas-Boas' first recruit of the January transfer window, with the 26-year-old England defender's move from the Reebok Stadium to Stamford Bridge finally being confirmed on Monday.
The Portuguese has embarked upon a mission to renovate an ageing Blues side since being appointed as the London club's manager in the summer and it is something Coyle believes Cahill will prove to be a "huge part" of.
"I think there is - as with any player - room for expansion and improvement," Coyle said.
"He has now gone to an elite club who have aspirations of winning every competition they enter.
"I think that will push him on to another level, and he is competing with world-class players now for his position in the team.
"He is working with a fantastic manager, who I know well and is someone who wants to build a club at Chelsea.
"I think Gary will be a huge part of that."
Bolton - who have had a thoroughly disappointing campaign so far and are currently 19th in the Barclays Premier League - begin the post-Cahill era with Tuesday's FA Cup third round replay at home against Macclesfield.
Key to Wanderers' lowly standing in the table is their record at their own ground, which shows eight defeats from 10 matches in the league, a far cry from last term when they were only beaten four times there all season.
The Trotters are in a fight for their lives but Coyle feels his side have been gathering some momentum in recent weeks, taking encouragement from their last few performances, which have included a 1-1 home draw with Wolves, a 2-1 victory at Everton and a 3-0 defeat at Manchester United which he thought "flattered" the hosts.
There was also the 2-2 draw with the Silkmen which set up Tuesday's contest and with two more home games - the league visits of Liverpool and Arsenal - to come straight after, Coyle sees it as vital that his team do not take their foot off the pedal against the npower League Two outfit.
"Winning games breeds confidence, regardless of whether it is in the cup or league," Coyle said.
"I think our form has been decent recently, and we have to look to carry that on.
"We are getting into a run of games at home and we have to make sure that we are ready to do ourselves justice.
"We know that is the area we have to address. We have to make sure that at home, we are ready, as we were last year when the Reebok was a fortress.
"It can be again, but it only will be with all of us pulling in the right direction and making sure we perform at our highest level."

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Ronald Koeman: New deal done

NEW DEAL FOR RONALD KOEMAN

Ronald Koeman has agreed a one-year contract extension to remain as Feyenoord coach next season, the club have announced.
Koeman, who finished his playing career with the Rotterdam side, is in his first season as Feyenoord coach, and his side sit in fifth place in the Eredivisie, seven points from the summit after 17 games.
"The conclusion after these first few months is that everything clicks on all fronts between Ronald and Feyenoord," the club's technical director Martin van Geel told feyenoord.nl.
"We are doing good work and giving Feyenoord something to build on. The head coach is the key figure and continuity is important."
Van Geel revealed that the 48-year-old former Benfica, PSV Eindhoven and Valencia boss would receive a "significant upgrade" to his contract, but did not reveal any figures.
"We have definitely remained within our financial limits," he said. "We have a deal everyone can be happy with."
Koeman added: "I'm really enjoying myself at Feyenoord and am glad we have found agreement. We see a lot of opportunities to grow with this talented group."

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Carlo Ancelotti: Claims he has been offered top strikers

PSG 'OFFERED TORRES AND BERBATOV'

Paris St Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti claims he has been offered Fernando Torres, Dimitar Berbatov and Roman Pavlyuchenko during this month's transfer window.
The Parisian club's new Qatari owners have money to compete for the world's top players after spending over 85million euros last summer on a number of high-profile signings.
A whole host of names have been linked with a switch to the French capital this month as Ancelotti looks to bring in his own players.
PSG are thought to be in the market for a new striker and have been linked with a move for wantaway Manchester City forward Carlos Tevez, while a swoop for AC Milan's Alexandre Pato fell through.
Torres, who was signed by Ancelotti during his time in charge of Chelsea, has been continually linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge after failing to live up to expectations since his £50million arrival from Liverpool last January.
Manchester United striker Berbatov and Tottenham forward Pavlyuchenko have both been linked with moves away from Old Trafford and White Hart Lane respectively aftter struggling for regular first-team action this season.
And Ancelotti claims he has been inundated with offers for strikers since taking over at Parc des Princes
"There is a lot of choice for this January market," Ancelotti told Gazzetta dello Sport.
"Since I signed for PSG I have received hundreds of calls from agents proposing their client: Falcao, Tevez, Torres, Berbatov, Pavlyuchenko, Cavani, Llorente.
"All want to come here: there is money, there is Paris, there is a good coach."

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Tim Payne: Linking up with Blackburn

TIM PAYNE SEALS BLACKBURN MOVE

Blackburn have finalised the capture of New Zealand starlet Tim Payne.
The 18-year-old impressed during a trial stint last year and a deal to take him from Waitakere United was agreed.
He has now flown into the UK to begin his career with Rovers on an initial two-and-half-year deal, and he is in line to feature for the club's reserve side next week.
Rovers defender and countryman Ryan Nelsen played a part in getting Payne to Ewood Park but insisted that the teenager very much earned the move.
"He has done really well and it has all been on Tim's back," said Nelsen.
"Sure, I have got him the opportunity there but they are not giving him a contract because of me.
"He had to play well, plain and simple, and they have watched him a lot."

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Steven Pienaar: Linked with Everton return

HEITINGA NOT EXPECTING PIENAAR MOVE

Defender John Heitinga believes Everton would be priced out of any attempts to bring Steven Pienaar back to the club.
The South Africa international was sold to Tottenham for £3million a year ago but injuries have restricted his progress and the 29-year-old has made only 16 appearances for the club.
Pienaar has been linked with a return to Goodison Park but his former Toffees and Ajax team-mate believes that is unlikely, with manager David Moyes working to a restricted transfer budget.
"I'd take him back but I don't think it's realistic," the Holland international told the Liverpool Echo.
"They would ask for more money to sell him than they paid us for him and we don't have much more.
"It's up to the manager and the board whether a few players come or not but Pienaar is unrealistic."
Heitinga did not criticise Pienaar for his decision to leave - he also had the chance to go to Chelsea - but he expected the midfielder to have had more game time.
"I played with him at Ajax and he's got a lot of quality," he added.
"It surprises me that he's not playing more regularly for them.
"He was injured but he did very well for Everton in the past.
"Everton is a nice club to play for and Steven made the decision to go to another club and it's his right to make that decision.
"You'd need to ask Steven if he regrets it (leaving). The important thing for me is that you're happy and you play.
"I heard in the newspaper he was going to leave and go to another team so you never know what's going to happen."

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Chris Samba: Handed in transfer request on Monday

BLACKBURN: CHRIS SAMBA 'NOT FOR SALE'

Blackburn face a battle to hang on to wantaway captain Chris Samba, but they have refused to give in to his transfer request.
The Congolese defender made his stance very clear when he told the club on Monday he wanted to leave in the current window.
However, Rovers insist the 27-year-old is not for sale, pointing out less than 12 months ago he signed a new long-term deal.
"Blackburn Rovers reiterate that team captain Chris Samba is not for sale," said a club statement.
"The player signed a new contract with the club less than a year ago which runs to June 2015."
Blackburn have already turned down two bids, reported to be from QPR as new manager Mark Hughes looks to reunite himself with the player he originally signed for Rovers, and the very public way Samba handed in his request makes keeping the player seem highly unlikely.
But while the club are determined not to make it easy for the centre-back, two former players believe they will have no option but to sell.
"I think it would be best for all concerned now if he did leave," the club's record goalscorer Simon Garner, who was at Ewood Park between 1978 and 1992, told the Lancashire Telegraph.
"If they say he can't leave then he's not going to be happy and that can cause unrest in the dressing room.
"The only way it can be resolved is by him leaving."
While Garner is resigned to seeing Samba depart, he believes the club are right to stand their ground in order to raise the best price.
He is keen, however, for any proceeds of the sale to be immediately reinvested in the team.
"He's been a good servant for the club and I would expect him to go to a top-six team," he said.
"They've just got to get the best money they can for him,"
"The most important thing is that Steve Kean gets the money to spend to improve the squad.
"The thing you'd worry about is if the money was just used to service the debt."
Samba withdrew from the squad for Saturday's win at home to Fulham citing illness, but after the match manager Steve Kean said he hoped the player would be available for next weekend's trip to Everton.
That seems unlikely and with the club having just hauled themselves out of the relegation zone the Rovers boss has enough issues to deal with without having to tackle the prospect of dressing room unrest.
Former striker Kevin Gallacher, who was at the club from the mid to late 1990s, believes while Samba's departure is a loss it is one the team can overcome.
"Steve Kean will try to talk to him but I think his heart is set on leaving. It's gone too far down that road now," he said.
"He will be a big loss but I think on Saturday they showed they can win games without him.
"You've got to give credit to how Gael Givet and Grant Hanley played, and there's Scott Dann and Ryan Nelsen to come back from injury."