The biggest news being that Souness has said Dunn is available for around 6 mil. Attitude and injury problems are the word and David Thompson has proved able to take his spot. Dunn has been playing the Bowyer-esque role of CM playing on the RW. Don't think CR will be interested at that price but I could see a bunch of other teams being interested: Spurs and Villa would lead the bidding I bet. Dacourt to Roma and Bowyer to West Ham are done deals. This leaves Leeds a bit short in midfield but neither of these 2 had been playing much anyway. Mart Poom signed as backup keeper for Sunderland, he would have made a nice veteran backup to Carlo next season if Ed leaves as expected. Southampton want Derby's Danny Higginbotham for less than 2 mil, Derby ain't budging. Boro want Derby's Chris Riggott and Malcolm Christie on loan until season's end to shore up their defense and strike force. I doubt Derby will let 3 of their best players go when they could still conceivably make the D1 playoffs, but they are under a lot fo financial pressure.
Poom cost Mackems 2.5 mil I retract my previous comment. There is no way I would pay 2.5 mil for a backup keeper after the Bosnich fiasco. Can't believe a club that is soon going down would spend so much.
Keep the Keepers We need a new keeper don't we...ED is the GK coach now is that right? Promote Rhys Evans to the bench next season. I have always felt that it must suck being the reserve keeper. Putting your kit on for every game and never getting near a football.
I don't think Ed is the coach I think CR brought one of his coaches with him, Pellizzaro maybe? Ed is gone after this season I think unless he accepts a deal to stay for < 15k per week, even then I would doubt we would retain him. Evans and Pidgeley are supposedly good but have no experience whatsoever outside of our reserves (I don't count Leyton Orient as experience). I guess it will all depend on how ready CR and Pellizzaro think Evans and/or Pidgeley are.
Jimmy out the door? Same old speculation but this time the Evening Standard uses quotes from CR during an interview last night, It was in Spanish so it could be mistranslated but you never know. I'd be disappointed if we didn't get at least 8 mil for him. Here's the story: Claudio Ranieri says a massive bid for Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink from Barcelona would leave the club with no option but to consider it. Interviewed on Catalan radio show Ara Esports last night, Ranieri said: "Whether Jimmy goes or stays depends on how much money Barcelona put on the table. "I've talked with the board about this eventuality on a technical basis but I don't talk to them about other economic matters. "Jimmy is obviously a guy who could easily fit in at any of the big teams in the world. But, at the moment, I don't get the impression that he is keen to leave Chelsea." Ranieri's words can also be seen as calling Barcelona's bluff. Their coach Louis Van Gaal has demanded that his board sanction the purchase of Hasselbaink during this transfer window. He believes that the Chelsea star would become the ideal partner for Patrick Kluivert, who was Spain's top scorer in 2002 with 21 goals, but who Van Gaal sees as lazy and in need of competition. Yet club president Joan Gaspart and managing director Javier Perez Farguell are both sceptical about valuing a 30-year-old who is demanding a minimum three-year contract at anything over £4million. Chelsea still owe Barcelona for both Boudewijn Zenden and Emmanuel Petit and that is thought to be a total of around £5m due this summer. Barcelona's interest dates back to the summer when Chelsea chairman Ken Bates was involved in an extraordinary row with his Spanish counterpart Joan Gaspart. The city's main sports newspaper, El Mundo Deportivo, under the headline "F*** You! - That's how the talks were ended", reported that Bates hung up on Gaspart to end any transfer discussion. He was furious at attempts by Barcelona and the player's agent to unsettle Hasselbaink. Although Gaspart is not quoted in the story, he is understood to have briefed the newspaper personally. Ranieri's point about the " technical" discussions he has had with his board about Hasselbaink's potential departure indicate why Carlton Cole's loan deal to Wolves was curtailed and also underlines the fact that Mikael Forssell is two weeks away from returning to duty.