Sport | Football
January sales throw Premiership into flux
As the new year arrives in the Premiership, soccer is in a state of flux. Who will go where is the question most people are asking?
- By Brian Glanville, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 23:33 December 29, 2008
As the new year arrives in the Premiership, soccer is in a state of flux. Who will go where is the question most people are asking?
Can West Ham hang on to Craig Bellamy, who is in such dynamic form following two fine goals agianst Portsmouth? Or will Manchester City or Tottenham lure him away.
Come to that, how many other star players might Gianfranco Zola lose when the transfer market opens on January 1st?
Mathew Upson, in dominating form at centreback, might now be making former boss Arsene Wenger wonder how wise it was to sell to Birmingham City, while keeping the disastrous Frenchman, Pascal Cygan.
As we know, Bjorgolfur Gundmundsson, owner of the Hammers, has been well and truly hammered himself in the Icelandic bank collapse.
Yet he still has the temerity, having bought West Ham for £85 million, to be demanding £150 million for the club, having initially wanted £ 250million.
The Hammers will also have a hefty sum to pay in compensation to Sheffield United, who have won their case against the Londoners, following the controversial acquisition of Carlos Teves, whose goals saved them from relegation at the expense of the Blades.
That could well be over £30 million, and in the meantime former boss Alan Curbishley is insisting on £3 million compensation for what he alleges was constructive dismissal.
And then there is the extraordinary case of Real Madrid and Jermain Pennant. Can it really be true that Real are trying to buy Pennant from Liverpool, where he hardly ever gets a kick of the ball?
Let me at once declare an interest. I am a huge admirer of the little right winger and his exceptional talent, his terrific pace and his ball control. His ability can make him unplayable.
But, and this is a very big but, indeed, Pennant is a loose cannon. He has even been to jail for a motoring offence.
At Liverpool, Rafa Benitez has never truly fancied him, even though he did put him on the field in the European Cup Final against Milan, where he was by far and away the most effective Liverpool attacker.
It was said that, bizarrely, Pennant's wage demands put Real off but he insists this wasn't so, and the deal could still be on. We shall see.
We do know, however, that Real have paid a cool £20 million to Portsmouth for the young central midfielder, Lassana Diarra.
Former employees Chelsea and Arsenal may now well regret not keeping him.
However for the Gunners there was abundant compensation at Villa Park last week when Abou Diaby - best player on the field - strode through to score the Gunners' second goal.
He was partnered in the middle by the Brazilian, Denilson, who is far better suited to that position than to the right flank, where he has recently been employed.
Meanwhile, it looks as if Spurs will make an offer for the Middlesbrough winger Steward Downing; yet they have two England international wingers in the reignited Aaron Lennon and David Bentley.
I recently saw Downing play an anonymous game at Fulham, who must now hope they can keep their dynamic central midfielder, Jimmy Bullard.
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