The Transfer Topic

A topic about all the transfers this winter...

Lua-Lua off to Greece on loan deal.

Former Newcastle and Portsmouth forward Lomana LuaLua has returned to Olympiakos on a six-month loan deal.

As revealed by skysports.com last month Olympiakos had lined up a move for the acrobatic striker after he left Qatar club Al-Arabi.

The 29-year-old has the option of a two-year contract should he impress during his six-month stay in Athens.

LuaLua spent the 2007-08 season with Olympiakos and he is delighted to make the return to Greece.

"I should never have left the club and I want to start where I left off," LuaLua, told the club's official website.

"I'm very happy to be back here and I will do everything I can to help the team win the title."

Sandro agrees Tottenham terms - but Internacional boss gets tough on Brazil midfielder's £6.5m transfer

Brazil midfielder Sandro is understood to have agreed terms to become a Tottenham Hotspur player.

However, his Porto Alegre-based club Internacional and Spurs have a number of obstacles to overcome before he can complete a switch to White Hart Lane.

The clubs were on the brink of agreeing a £6.5million move early last month, but the deal stalled when Spurs failed to meet the Brazilian club's deadline to finalise the deal.

The 20-year-old travelled to London before Christmas and has kept in regular contact with the Barclays Premier League high flyers.
  


Inter Milan have since been linked with Sandro, but Sportsmail understands they have not made an approach to Internacional.

One obstacle is that Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has been told he must sell before he buys. Roman Pavyluchenko would willingly return to Russia to fund the deal, but clubs have been put off by his £15m price tag.

The Brazilian club's new Uruguayan manager Jorge Fossati is also resistant to the deal, despite Internacional already lining up a replacement.

Fossati wants to delay any deal until the summer - after the club have played in the Copa Libertadores, South America's equivalent of the Champions League.

A further complication is that the combative midfielder is 30 per cent owned by third-party investors. Under English rules, they would not be able to retain their stake in Sandro. It is suggested the club may now be seeking closer to £9m.

Securing a work permit could also be difficult, but the player's lawyer Luiz Paulo Chignall is confident that a compromise can be reached.

'There have been talks and verbal agreement on his wages,' said Chignall. 'Negotiations are underway between the clubs.

As I take care of the player's salary, Tottenham came to talk to me. Our part is right, now we need the two clubs to find the missing pieces, but I don't know what they are.

'Looking from the outside, Internacional are interested in having Sandro for the Libertadores. We will have to wait for Tottenham and Internacional to agree.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1239842/Sandro-agrees-Tottenham-terms--Internacional-boss-gets-tough-Brazil-midfielders-6-5m-transfer.html

http://www.lfcreds.com/reds/index.php?topic=24191.0

http://www.lfcreds.com/reds/index.php?topic=24191.0

That's for Liverpool's transfers.

This is for the rest of the league/world.

Never heard of Sandro.

Not heard of any other transfers yet worth hearing about.

Guess it's still early days.

Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira WILL join Manchester City next week

Patrick Vieira is expected to join Manchester City on a six-month loan deal by the start of next week.

The former Arsenal captain has spoken with his former Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini, now the boss at Eastlands, and a deal is ‘99 per cent agreed’.

First, the 33-year-old has been asked to stay in Italy and provide cover for injury-hit Inter, who play Chievo tomorrow and Siena on Saturday.

After that the France midfielder is expected to fly to Manchester and put pen to paper on the short-term loan, which carries the possibility of an 18-month contract to follow if everything goes well for both parties during his loan period.

Vieira has been desperate to quit Inter since last summer, when France coach Raymond Domenech made it clear he needed to be playng regular league football to guarantee a place in this summer’s World Cup squad.

He was on the brink of joining Tottenham last August after a bold move from Harry Redknapp but then had second thoughts when his former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger also showed interest.

Vieira had led the Arsenal ‘Invincibles’, who were unbeaten champions in 2003-04.

Mancini suggested there would be a number of January arrivals yesterday when he said: ‘All the players want to join Manchester City. That is normal with a big club which is going to have a big future.

'People are not only talking about Patrick Vieira, they are also saying Ivan Cordoba and Cristian Chivu.’

However, instead of Inter’s Chivu, Mancini is expected to sign Argentinian left back Cristian Ansaldi from Russian champions Rubin Kazan, as first revealed by Sportsmail last month, for around £6million.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1240613/Arsenal-legend-Patrick-Vieira-WILL-join-Manchester-City-week.html

Is it just me or is there usually a lot more transfers than this flying around - even at this early stage.

Is it just me or is there usually a lot more transfers than this flying around - even at this early stage.

I think we'll see more deadline day transfers than most seasons, though.

When's deadline day? Last day of the month?

Or is it going to go into February?

Molinaro signs for Stuttgart.

Juventus defender Cristian Molinaro has joined Stuttgart on loan for the remainder of the season.

The 26-year-old full-back met his new team-mates for the first time on Tuesday after jetting into Stuttgart's winter training base in Alicante.

He is now set to be examined by the club's medical team before putting the finishing touches to his switch.

"That was a long day and a long journey. Now I'm glad I'm here," Molinaro told the club's official website.

"I look forward to the Bundesliga.

"Stuttgart are better than their current position in the table (15th)."

Molinaro has been on the books at Juventus since 2005 and has been a regular member of the first-team fold in Turin since 2007.

In the summer of 2008 he signed a contract extension which was intended to keep him with the Serie A giants until 2013.

However, having slipped down the pecking order at Stadio Olimpico, he has opted to take on a new challenge in Germany - with Stuttgart able to sign him on a permanent deal at the end of the season should they be suitably impressed.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12875_5832813,00.html

Pandev's Inter Dream.

Goran Pandev admits he has realised a dream after his move to Inter Milan was confirmed.

The Macedonia international striker's agent revealed earlier on Monday that his client had signed for the Serie A champions after winning a legal battle with former club Lazio.

Lazio were ordered to release Pandev from his contract just before Christmas and he has now officially joined Inter on a four-and-a-half-year deal.

Pandev, 26, spent time with the Nerazzurri earlier in his career without making a senior appearance and is now looking forward to making an impact.

"I am really very happy," he told the club's official website.

"My dream was always to remain at Inter, but things have gone well nevertheless.

"I grew, I became a man, a real player and today I am happy to be here."

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12875_5831564,00.html

Blades swoop for Cresswell

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12875_5833029,00.html

Sheffield United have completed the permanent signing of Richard Cresswell from Stoke City for an undisclosed fee.

The striker joined the Blades on loan at the end of September and has proved his commitment to the cause by recently playing through the pain barrier after picking up a rib injury.

The signing will boost United manager Kevin Blackwell who has fellow frontmen Darius Henderson, Ched Evans and Henri Camera either injured or suspended.

The former Preston and Leeds man has managed three goals in nine games during his brief stint at Bramall Lane including the equaliser in the 1-1 draw with QPR in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.

"You know what you get with Richard - it is 100 per cent every time he turns out and his experience of this division makes him an important presence for us," Blackwell told the club's official website.

Diamanti rubbishes talk of move.

West Ham forward Alessandro Diamanti has dismissed reports linking him with a move to AC Milan.

The 26-year-old has been a bright spark whenever he has played for the Hammers this season, and rumours have circulated that the Rossoneri are interested in his signature.

Diamanti has scored five goals in nine Premier League starts this term but has been unable to prevent West Ham sliding to the bottom end of the table.

The former Livorno striker insists the transfer rumours are pure speculation, and that he is fully focused on avoiding relegation with the Hammers.

"I know nothing of these items about Milan and honestly I'm not interested in them," he told milannews.it.

"Right now I think only about the salvation of West Ham, I don't care about anything else.

"What will I do in case of a calling from Milan in January? I don't know and I don't care, I think only of saving West Ham."

West Ham have a crunch game against relegation rivals Wolves at the weekend, having lost on their last two outings.

Adu to Portugal on loan.

Freddy Adu has signed a long-term loan deal with Greek club Aris Salonika.

The 20-year-old midfielder was at one time heralded as a potential world superstar after making his MLS debut aged just 14.

He then made his debut for USA at 16 and was tipped to join one of Europe's elite clubs.

He has a trial with Manchester United in 2006, but they did not sign him and he went on to join Benfica in 2007.

Things, though, have not gone according to plan for Adu and he has played less than a dozen games for Benfica, and subsequent loan deals to Monaco and Belenenses have followed.

He has been freed from his latest loan with Belenenses and was also considering an offer from Hull City. However, he has snubbed the chance to move to England and has decided to switch to Greece.

Adu confirmed the deal on his Twitter site, saying: "Alright guys done deal. Signed an 18-month loan deal with Aris FC. A lot of thought and research went into this."

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12875_5836892,00.html

Sandro is a great prospect, he was recently called by Dunga to the national team.

Vieira to have City medical

Patrick Vieira is to have a medical on Thursday afternoon before joining Manchester City on an 18-month contract.

The Frenchman is to leave Inter Milan in the pursuit of more regular first-team football as he bids to secure a place in France's World Cup squad.

Roberto Mancini is a big fan of the player having worked with him during his time at the Inter helm and sees his experience as potentially being key to helping City qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

Vieira, who at 33 is still captain of his national side, is eager to be reunited with Mancini having set his heart on appearing in South Africa over the summer.

"I set myself an objective, I want to go to the World Cup," he told Eurosport.

"The important thing for me is to go to Manchester City and to show the coach (Roberto Mancini) I'm the same player as when he was in charge of Inter."

Inter captain Javier Zanetti has paid tribute to his departed team-mate, conceding the Frenchman will be missed.

"We'll miss Vieira so much, both as a player and as a man. I wish him a great career. I'm proud to say I played with him, we regret that he goes away."

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_5839725,00.html

Sevilla land Samp ace

Sevilla have sealed a deal for Sampdoria's Marius Stankevicius.

The Lithuania international will spend the rest of the season on loan at the Sanchez Pizjuan.

The 28-year-old has been a regular for Samp so far this season, featuring in 15 games.

But Sevilla have now landed the right-back on loan with a view to a permanent deal.

Stankevicius was brought in by Sevilla after Sergio Sanchez was ordered to stop playing because of a heart condition.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11868_5836988,00.html

Looks like a big day for Lithuanian football . Would love to see this guy get a first team place in Sevilla.

QPR Loan Folan.

Queens Park Rangers have agreed a loan deal to sign Hull forward Caleb Folan, skysports.com understands.

Folan has only recently returned from a loan spell at Middlesbrough and Hull are ready to let the Republic of Ireland international go out on loan again.

Former Wigan man Folan saw his time at Middlesbrough interrupted by injury with the powerful frontman making just one appearance for the Teesside outfit.

Folan is now back to full fitness and QPR boss Paul Hart is keen to lure him to Loftus Road as he looks to bolster his attacking options.

Folan's agent Hayden Evans has confirmed Hull are happy to loan out the 27-year-old and a deal has been agreed between both clubs.

"Hull have advised us they are happy to loan out Caleb," Evans told skysports.com

"The two clubs have agreed a loan deal and now just a few details need to be finalised.

"Caleb was unfortunate with injury at Middlesbrough, but he is now fully fit again."

Folan could be joined by Hull team-mate Daniel Cousin at Loftus Road with Hart also keen on bringing the Gabon international to the West London club on loan.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_5840548,00.html

Viera deal done.

Vieira, 33, becomes Roberto Mancini's first signing since taking the manager's job at City, having worked with him at Inter, and the Frenchman moves after passing a medical at the club on Thursday afternoon.

Mancini admitted he was delighted to secure the services of the experienced midfielder, who still harbours hope of playing in the summer's World Cup, and thinks he will be an important signing for the club.

"Patrick is a world class midfielder with a winner's mentality and will fit into this group very well," he told the club's official website.

"He knows me and my staff well, and importantly he also knows what the Premier League is all about.

"He will not need much time to settle in.

"Patrick is one of the great players of this era with almost every honour in the game against his name.

"I am sure City fans will welcome him warmly and appreciate the contribution he will make."

Vieira made 279 league appearances during a nine-year stint with Arsenal, winning the Premier League three times.

Fulham loan Roma Youngster.

Sky Sports News understands that Fulham have reached agreement with Roma over striker Stefano Okaka.

The Cottagers look to have held off interest from several Serie A clubs to agree terms for the highly-rated striker.

Okaka is set to sign a six-month loan deal with an option to make the move permanent.

The 20-year-old is a graduate of the Roma youth system - but despite making his first-team debut in 2005, he has never been able to become a first-team regular.

He spent time on loan at Modena in 2008 and Brescia last year, and now looks set to for a move to Fulham.

Okaka and his agent are set to fly into England on Tuesday to complete the move.

Flamini on loan to City? Bloody hell. I wanted him to sign as Alonso's replacement!

Flamini set for City switch

Sky Sports News understands AC Milan's Mathieu Flamini is set to move to Manchester City in a loan deal until the end of the season.

Roberto Mancini is to raid Italy for a second time since taking over at Eastlands, with an approach for Flamini at the top of his agenda.

Flamini usually operates as a defensive central midfielder, a position City have plenty of cover for having brought in Patrick Vieira from Inter Milan earlier this month.

It is, though, at right-back that Flamini has played his best football at Milan having been switched there in the second half of last season due to a spate of injuries at the San Siro.

Flamini has fallen down the pecking order at Milan this term under Leonardo and moves to England in a bid for more regular football.

He should have little trouble adapting to the Premier League having enjoyed a four-year stint at Arsenal from 2004-2008.

Flamini made over 100 appearances under Arsene Wenger and in his final season at the Emirates, prior to his move to Milan, established himself as a key player.

F***ing hell.

Their squad is actually huge now.

F***ing hell.

Their squad is actually huge now.

Like Spurs'.

Strong squad, probably lacking the superstar power of the top 4, but it has talent and depth.

Agreed.

Is pretty worrying now.

Mancini: 'I need players'
21 January 2010

 
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini hopes to bolster his midfield by signing a new holding midfielder. (GSM) - Roberto Mancini is not satisfied with his team, despite Manchester City's star struck squad.

A new defensive midifielder is a priority for the Italian manager. Patrick Vieira was already signed earlier this month but Mancini keeps on the lookout for more competitors for Dutch international Nigel de Jong.

"I need players," Mancini told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "I hope that Vieira will be fit soon and perhaps Real Madrid will give me Fernando Gago.

"Maybe Milan will give me Mathieu Flamini..."

Real's Argentina international midfielder Gago has found regular action limited with the Spanish giants and has been linked with a January switch.

Former Arsenal player Flamini has failed to become a regular starter since he joined Milan in 2008 and is keen to feature regularly in the coming months to ensure he features in France's World Cup squad.
http://www.soccerway.com/news/2010/January/21/mancini-I-need-players/

No Mancini, WE need players, your club has bought enough for now!