The Rumour Mill

[Duncan Disorderly]

With the rumours flying about that a middle east investor has purchased 60% in a "leading English Club", i'm thinking that that has to be us. I had a look at our Annual Report with the ownership structure in it and the 3 directors that have been looking at jumping ship recently, just happen to own approximatly 60% of Everton Football Club.

On the other hand it could all be complete bullshit as well.

 

[Godzke]

With the rumours flying about that a middle east investor has purchased 60% in a "leading English Club", i'm thinking that that has to be us. I had a look at our Annual Report with the ownership structure in it and the 3 directors that have been looking at jumping ship recently, just happen to own approximatly 60% of Everton Football Club.

On the other hand it could all be complete bullshit as well.

likeable club everton ... i do hope its them (or tottenham or a.villa). A club that can seriously push for Champions League qualification give the correct financial backing.

 

[Dagger5]

why even ****ing talk about scottish clubs?

WHO GIVES A ****!

Totally agree

 

[belfast_bomber]

Well, don't respond to the posts then.

This is a football forum, not the "apollo creed's favourite leagues" forum.

 

[Roos4eva]

^ Yep.

And not it's as if it was off topic either, it was in response to something that was posted in the day's rumours in a thread that happens to be titled "The Rumour Mill".

Just because the standard may not be as good as the EPL or La Liga doesn't mean no one follows it; I mean, Celtic have one of the biggest supporter bases in the world FFS.

And even if it was the Belgian or Icelandic League being discussed, it still belongs here as it's the "Football Board".

/rant

 

[kane249]

BREAKING GOSSIP
0945 BST: Andriy Shevchenko wants to honour his contract with Chelsea and will report for pre-season training with the Blues on 9 July. The Ukraine forward, who spent last season on loan at AC Milan, has one year left on his deal with the Stamford Bridge side.
0829 BST: AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi has said the Serie A club is open to offers for Andrea Pirlo, amid speculation the Italy midfielder could join former Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea.

TRANSFER GOSSIP
Manchester United have been urged by former Chelsea and France defender Marcel Desailly to pay whatever it takes to sign Bayern Munich playmaker Franck Ribery - even if it costs £150m.
Full story: Daily Star

Argentine striker Carlos Tevez agreed to join Manchester City from bitter rivals Manchester United two weeks ago - and he will complete a £25.5m move in the next few days.
Full story: Daily Mirror
However, Chelsea could scupper the deal if the Stamford Bridge outfit match the £130,000-a-week salary that City are offering Tevez.
Full story: Daily Mail
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will start to rebuild his strike force with a £30m move for Lyon striker Karim Benzema.
Full story: Daily Mirror
United's bid for the 21-year-old Benzema could even be as high as £35m.
Full story: Daily Mail
Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz will complete his £15m move to Manchester City in the next 48 hours - provided he passes medical tests on his knee. (The Sun)
Hull manager Phil Brown wants to hijack Quinton Fortune's move to Ipswich. The former Manchester United winger is a free agent after being released by Belgian club Tubize.
Full story: Daily Star
However, Brown could miss out on Manchester United striker Frazier Campbell, who is stalling on a £6m move, despite the fee being agreed two weeks ago.
Full story: Daily Mirror
Manchester City are ready to sell Swiss midfielder Gelson Fernandes to Lens - and are hoping to claw back £2.5m from the deal.
Full story: Daily Mirror
Former Celtic midfielder Paul Hartley is wanted by Sheffield United.
Full story: Daily Mirror
But the Blades face a fight to keep defender Matthew Kilgallon at the club, with Wigan and Middlesbrough both interested.
Full story: Daily Mirror
Burnley are ready to move for Nigeria centre-back Rabiu Afolabi, who is a free agent after leaving French side Sochaux.
Full story: Daily Mirror
Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand insists he has no intention of leaving the club, despite interest from Fulham.
Full story: Daily Mirror
Blackburn are closing in on Paris St Germain midfielder Jerome Rothen.
Full story: Daily Mirror
Fulham have been linked with former Spain and Liverpool striker Fernando Morientes, who does not currently have a club.
Full story: The Independent
Liverpool's first-team coach Mauricio Pellegrino has refused to rule out the possibility of midfielder Javier Mascherano leaving the club - with Barcelona interested in the Argentine international. (Various).
Bolton will strongly resist any offers for striker Kevin Davies, who is thought to be wanted by Blackburn. (Guardian)
Birmingham have not given up in their pursuit of defender Roger Johnson, despite Cardiff refusing to lower their £5m valuation of the player. (Guardian)
Celtic face competition from Hull, Fulham, Portsmouth and Wolves for Nancy striker Marc-Antoine Fortune. (Scottish Sun)
Herman Hreidarsson looks set to reject a possible Old Firm switch in favour of staying at Portsmouth. (Daily Express)
Bristol City could sell Michael McIndoe to Sheffield United for £750,000 and replace him with Manchester United winger Lee Martin.
Full story: Bristol Evening Post

OTHER GOSSIP
Liverpool co-owner George Gillett has pulled off a deal in the United States, selling his stake in NHL side Montreal Canadiens for a £178m profit, that should help him to ease the Reds' financial worries.
Full story: The Guardian
Claims have emerged in the Middle East that an Arab sheik has bought a 60% stake in a top English club. Portsmouth and Newcastle are among the leading clubs for sale.
Full story: The Sun
Broadcasters Setanta are clinging on to a slim hope that they can raise the £3m owed to the Scottish Premier League and keep themselves in business. (Daily Record)
However, the SPL are ready to pull the plug on Setanta and secure a new television deal with either Sky or ESPN. (Daily Mail)
AND FINALLY
Reading fan Charles McLeod could be the world's most devoted supporter after racking up an incredible 120,000 miles last season to watch his side 17 times - travelling from his hometown of Toronto, Canada. (Daily Mirror)
David Beckham is hoping to stretch his playing career until he is 40 by incorporating an hour-long Pilates routine into his daily training. The exercises were part of the England midfielder's regime while on loan at AC Milan from Los Angeles Galaxy. He has signed up for classes in the United States when he returns in July with his wife Victoria. (The Sun)

 

[AG]

AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi has said the Serie A club is open to offers for Andrea Pirlo, amid speculation the Italy midfielder could join former Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea.

I don't like it when new managers bring too many players from their old club. Wouldn't you want a new experience to work with new players?

 

[Bulldog1954]

Santa Cruz is having a medical with City according to the BBC

 

[belfast_bomber]

Santa Cruz is coming to City.

(You better watch out...)

 

[AG]

Santa Cruz is coming to City.

(You better watch out...)

HAHAHA. You're proving to be a funny man BB.

 

[Dagger5]

Santa Cruz has officially joined Man City however the fee is undisclosed. I would think its about 15m pounds.

 

[Minkus_Swan]

likeable club everton ... i do hope its them (or tottenham or a.villa). A club that can seriously push for Champions League qualification give the correct financial backing.

You just ruined your post there

 

[chickawah]

HAHAHA. You're proving to be a funny man BB.

Hasn't he already proved it?

 

[RoosterLad]

Santa Cruz for 17mill! Tidy profit for Blackburn but that fee is a bit over the top considering he struggled last season. Still... City have the cash to splash I guess.

 

[AG]

Hasn't he already proved it?

Consistency. He has brought consistency into his game.

 

[apollo_creed]

Well, don't respond to the posts then.

This is a football forum, not the "apollo creed's favourite leagues" forum.

you're turning into the epicentre of unncessary appeasement lately.

don't known whether to respond or sit on your lap seeking moral wisdom.

I was joking but that aside, I wasn't.

 

[cats2rise]

Two days in a row without Tottenham being mentioned!!

Its better than being linked to 6 players a day I suppose, but I hope we dont miss out on all the fun.

 

[Duncan Disorderly]

Yes, but if they maintained their initial squads, they would be in the EPL within a year or two you'd think.

EDIT: I'm talking about if they had to start in the Coke League btw, which I just realised you weren't alluding to.

There is no doubt in my mind that if Celtic were to ever get into the premiership that they would thrive and would be up there with the sky 4 in very little time. To watch them play now only costs a little over 20 quid IIRC and in the premiership you would expect ticket prices to double and demand to stay constant due to the superior product offered. Combine this with sponsorship levels inceasing significantly, the lucrative TV money that comes with being in the premiership and their already strong financial position off the field and all the ingredients are there for a club to become very successful in the premiership.

 

[TorresIsGod]

There is no doubt in my mind that if Celtic were to ever get into the premiership that they would thrive and would be up there with the sky 4 in very little time. To watch them play now only costs a little over 20 quid IIRC and in the premiership you would expect ticket prices to double and demand to stay constant due to the superior product offered. Combine this with sponsorship levels inceasing significantly, the lucrative TV money that comes with being in the premiership and their already strong financial position off the field and all the ingredients are there for a club to become very successful in the premiership.

Except they'd struggle in their first season in the premiership. They couldn't strengthen that much in one off-season, I'd have them finishing between 10-8th in their first season and missing Europe altogether, maybe in 4 seasons they'll be pushing for a Yoo-Ropa cup place, but they be playing Champions League football for a long, long while.

 

[JimmyHird]

Except they'd struggle in their first season in the premiership. They couldn't strengthen that much in one off-season, I'd have them finishing between 10-8th in their first season and missing Europe altogether, maybe in 4 seasons they'll be pushing for a Yoo-Ropa cup place, but they be playing Champions League football for a long, long while.

They would be seen as a pretty attractive take-over target though. Big, well supported club heading into the premier league. Wouldn't be surprised if they received a strong backer which could make them competitive pretty quick.

 

[cesc fabregas]

I can't find the confirmed transfers thread (don't know if there is one), but Shunsuke Nakamura's transfer to Espanyol is now confirmed.

 

[belfast_bomber]

I can't find the confirmed transfers thread (don't know if there is one), but Shunsuke Nakamura's transfer to Espanyol is now confirmed.

Where he's guaranteed to score repeatedly from set-pieces every time they play Sporting.

He exists just to annoy me.

 

[A Bit High]

BREAKING GOSSIP
1715 BST: Tottenham midfielder Didier Zokora would be interested in a move to Sunderland, according to his agent. (Press Association)

1525 BST - Former Aston Villa captain Olof Mellberg has left Juventus after just one season to join Greek side Olympiakos (Reuters).

1520 BST - Chelsea winger Florent Malouda has signed a two-year contract extension at Stamford Bridge (Sky Sports).

1515 BST - Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce has been given a summer transfer kitty of £13m following the sale of Roque Santa Cruz to Manchester City Full story: Thisislancashire.com

1500 BST - Stoke boss Tony Pulis has warned his players to expect a lot of changes in the dressing room before the start of the new season as they look to consolidate their status as a Premier League club (Press Association).

1450 BST - Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez says defender Glen Johnson is good value for money at £17m, with the club having actually paid less than that as they wrote off the money owed to them by Portsmouth from when Peter Crouch moved to Pompey last summer (Sky Sports).

1210 BST - Paris St Germain coach Antoine Kombouare claims France captain Patrick Vieira is keen to join the club from Inter Milan but his salary could be a problem (Press Association).

1115 BST - Manchester United could be priced out of a move for Gremio's 18-year-old midfielder Douglas Costa, who has been called the new Cristiano Ronaldo, with his agent saying there is a £13.5m get-out clause in his contract and he will be worth double his current price by the end of the Brazilian season (Daily Telegraph).

1050 BST - Hull have confirmed they will speak to Michael Owen's representatives within the week about the possibility of signing him from Newcastle (Hull Daily Mail).

1030 BST - Manchester United's Darron Gibson says he is keen to sign a new contract despite a lack of first-team opportunities lessening his chances of playing in next year's World Cup, should the Republic of Ireland qualify Full story: ITV.com

1020 BST - Portsmouth's Sean Davis is expected to join Bolton when his contract at Fratton Park expires next month, saying he has "given up worrying what Portsmouth say or do" about his future (Manchester Evening News).

0945 BST - AC Milan midfielder Andrea Pirlo says he wants to follow coach Carlo Ancelotti from the San Siro to Chelsea, and Milan chairman Silvio Berlusconi has hinted they could let him go (Daily Mirror).

0925 BST - Real Madrid's former Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze says he would be open to the idea of playing in England again if Madrid let him go (Sky Sports).

TRANSFER GOSSIP
Manchester United are talking to Brazilian club Gremio about a deal for their 18-year-old midfielder Douglas Costa - dubbed the new Cristiano Ronaldo.
Full story: The Times

Newcastle defender Steven Taylor has hinted he could leave if Alan Shearer does not get the manager's job at St James' Park.
Full story: Daily Telegraph

Atletico Madrid, Sunderland and Sevilla are all chasing Tottenham midfielder Didier Zokora.
Full story: The Sun


West Ham, Aston Villa, Everton and Fulham are all in the running to sign former Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen after Barcelona confirmed he can leave for the right price (Daily Mirror).

Wolves are ready to break their club's transfer record with a £6.5m move for Reading forward Kevin Doyle
Full story: Daily Mail

Highly rated Sheffield United youngster Kyle Naughton could be sold to bring in money for several new signings, with Aston Villa and Everton keen on the £5m-rated defender.
Full story: Daily Mail

Argentine striker Carlos Tevez's next transfer after he leaves Manchester United will be heavily scrutinised by the Premier League to ensure there is no third-party ownership involved.
Full story: The Guardian

Chelsea are having talks with CSKA Moscow about £15m-rated left-back Yuri Zhirkov.
Full story: The Times
They are also interested in Inter Milan right-back Maicon after missing out on Glen Johnson, who joined Liverpool. Full story: The Sun

Hull, Wolves and Portsmouth are all challenging Celtic for the signature of Nancy striker Marc-Antoine Fortune, who played under new Celtic boss Tony Mowbray on loan at West Brom last season. (Daily Record)

OTHER GOSSIP
Liverpool may need to treble Javier Mascherano's wages to keep the midfielder at the club after signing defender Glen Johnson from Portsmouth. Mascherano is believed to be unhappy because he is paid less than most of his team-mates.
Full story: Daily Mirror

England Under-21 coach Stuart Pearce says he is "inept" compared to England senior boss Fabio Capello and may need more club management experience before furthering his international coaching career.
Full story: The Times

Titus Bramble is poised to be named Wigan's new captain, taking over from Mario Melchiot (The Sun).

Matthew Le Tissier's consortium bidding to buy Southampton have been told they cannot appeal against the club's 10-point penalty for going into administration (The Sun).
Motherwell are widening their managerial search to include former Sunderland boss Malcolm Crosby and ex-Stockport gaffer Jim Gannon. (Daily Star)

However, former Northern Ireland and Fulham boss Lawrie Sanchez is leading the race to take over at Fir Park. (Scottish Sun)

AND FINALLY
Newcastle have unveiled a new yellow striped two-tone away kit for next season.
Full story: The Sun

 

[Duncan Disorderly]

Except they'd struggle in their first season in the premiership. They couldn't strengthen that much in one off-season, I'd have them finishing between 10-8th in their first season and missing Europe altogether, maybe in 4 seasons they'll be pushing for a Yoo-Ropa cup place, but they be playing Champions League football for a long, long while.

Celtic are the third biggest club in Britain and they only have debts of around £15 million at the moment and lots of tangiable assets in their balance sheet. In the event that they were promoted to the premiership, if they didn't find a rich investor themselves, then they would have the ability to be self sufficient and obtain loans and other finance in the region of £50-100 millionfor their first few seasons with little problem at all. In other words, they are a massive club with a plethora of financial resources, who have all the ingredients that are necessery for a club to challenge for the premiership title sooner rather than later.

 

[A Bit High]

BREAKING GOSSIP
1320: The chances of Franck Ribery joining Manchester United or Chelsea appear to be slim after the Bayern Munich playmaker's agent said the Frenchman wants to play for Real Madrid.

1243 BST: Stoke manager Tony Pulis says he would love to sign Newcastle striker Michael Owen, whose contract with the Magpies expires at the end of the month.

1157 BST: Real Madrid are interested in signing Lyon striker Karim Benzema, according to Marca sports daily. Benzema, who has been heavily linked with Manchester United, could be a fresh target for Real rather than Valencia's David Villa.

0850 BST: Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has dismissed speculation linking him to a move to Manchester United. The 28-year-old told AS: "There is nothing at all from Manchester (United) or any other club."


TRANSFER GOSSIP
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is interested in signing Atletico Madrid's £45m-rated striker Sergio Aguero after giving up on Valencia forward David Villa.
Full story: Daily Star

Arsenal have offered Emmanuel Adebayor to AC Milan and Inter Milan as the Gunners are eager to offload the striker but will not sell him to Premier League rivals Chelsea.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Manchester City will make a £15m bid for Everton centre-back Joleon Lescott in the next 48 hours.
Full story: Daily Mirror

City's Brazilian forward Robinho has urged the club to buy Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o.
Full story: The Sun

Michael Essien's agent claims the midfielder could leave Chelsea this summer if the likes of "Real Madrid, Barcelona or some other club" make an offer.
Full story: The Sun

Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce has put Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch top of his wish list as a replacement for striker Roque Santa Cruz.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Aston Villa are set to bid £1m for German goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel from Energie Cottbus.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Celtic want to sign £5m-rated Fulham striker Diomansay Kamara. (Daily Mirror)

The Scottish giants are also close to signing Swindon forward Simon Cox for £2.5m. (Daily Star)

Greek club Larissa are keen on signing Celtic striker Jan Vennegor of Hesselink. (Scottish Sun)

Hearts are weighing up a move for out-of-contract Finnish striker Shefki Kuqi, who was last at Crystal Palace. (Daily Mail)

Bolton boss Gary Megson is set to pull out of a move for West Brom left-back Paul Robinson as the £1m asking price is twice the amount he wants to pay. (Various)

Reading face a double bid from Sunderland for winger Stephen Hunt and striker Kevin Doyle.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Sunderland are also closing in on Tottenham striker Darren Bent - but they will need to match the Londoners' £10m valuation. (Daily Star)

Nottingham Forest have made a final bid of £2.5m for Doncaster defender Matt Mills. (Daily Star)

Former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira is in talks over a move from Inter Milan to Paris St Germain.
Full story: The Sun


OTHER GOSSIP
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez says the £18.5m the club has paid to sign right-back Glen Johnson from Portsmouth is over the odds.
Full story: The Sun

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger refused to include striker Nicklas Bendtner as part of the deal that brought Ajax defender Thomas Vermaelen to the Emirates Stadium. (The Sun)

Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes has pleaded with manager Harry Rednapp not to sell him. (Various)

Burnley midfielder Graham Alexander is set to sign a new one-year deal with the club and at 37 he will be the oldest player in the Premier League. (Various)

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce will hold talks with defender Nyron Nosworthy, who fears he is on his way out of the club with no offer of a new deal. (Various)

Stockport County do not have a kit to play in next season after having to auction off their strip to repay debts to manufacturers Diadora. (The Sun)