Official January 2011 Football Transfers

[Elano]

The omens were bad for Emmanuel Adebayor on his first day at Real Madrid  – he had to train with the reserves.

While the first team stretched their legs having played 24-hours earlier, the Manchester City loanee was put through his paces with the kids and the stiffs - different club, same shift.

He didn't have a number either. Today he will take the available No.6 or swap with the club's current No.10 Lassana Diarra - those Madrid supporters who think it's bordering on blasphemy to let the midfield scrapper wear the number traditionally worn by football's finest will gladly support him in that cause.

Adebayor was handed a matchbox-size silver replica of the Santiago Bernabeu by Jorge Valdano as he signed on the dotted line. He then went out to the life-size Santiago Bernabeu where he promptly made a mess of the obligatory keepy-uppies that new signings have to perform in front of the Madrid press.

The Togo striker also arrived to the news that the man he has been drafted into replace has suddenly moved up a gear and looks ready to fight for his place.  

Karim Benzema scored an excellent winner in Madrid's midweek cup win and delievered the kind of performance Jose Mourinho has been demanding for weeks.

But the Frenchman's revival has come too late. He may start at the weekend as the new man recovers from his presentation, but this is Adebayor's time and if he saves Real Madrid from another Barcelona clean sweep this season then he might just save his own career in the process.

Real Madrid will probably win nothing this year without beating Barcelona in the process and Adebayor is integral to Mourinho achieving that goal.

Pep Guardiola has won all four of his games as a coach against Madrid but the Mourinho team he faces in April will very different to the one his side dispatched 5-0 at the Camp Nou in November and Adebayor's aggressive presence in attack will be one of the big changes.

Mourinho played Barca the Madrid way last November because he was still feeling the institutional pressure to do so – the purists expected it.

But that plan failed so he now has every Madrid fans' permission to do it his way. In the clasicos that remain expect a smothering three-man defensive midfield and Adebayor and Cristiano Ronaldo leading a hard working, physically intimidating attack.

Hard work might be something Adebayor has not done too much of recently but Mourinho will see it as a personal challenge to, at the very least, get the same from his new player as Arsene Wenger once did at Arsenal.

 Madrid are expected to spend big on a striker in the summer with Fernando Llorente, Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero the current order of preference. There may also be a bid for Belgian prodigy Romelu Lukata.

The budget will not stretch to someone who shows more fight off the pitch than on it. But if Adebayor finds his form and helps Mourinho deliver trophies then the script will need to be changed.

The Portuguese coach is not a man to forget a favour, and with cups on the table he will have earned the right to decide who comes and goes next summer.

The best of Adebayor's first day at work came when he told his new supporters: 'Barcelona are beatable.' If he can prove it, they might even let him stay.

 
 

[K.Dub]

he had to train with the reserves.

[Elano]

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Ajax Confirm €26.5m Deal Agreed With Liverpool For Striker Luis Suarez

Ajax have confirmed that they have reached an agreement with Liverpool over the transfer of striker Luis Suarez for a fee of €26.5 milllion (£23 million).

The Reds have acted swiftly after the manager of the Eredivisie outfit, Frank de Boer, suggested that he wanted any potential deal for the 24-year-old to be concluded on Saturday.

The Uruguayan striker heads to Anfield as uncertainty surrounds the future of Fernando Torres, with Goal.com UK exclusively revealing that the former Atletico Madrid star wants to leave the club by the start of next season with Chelsea heavily linked.

Suarez himself declared on Friday that he was desperate for the Reds to reach an agreement with Ajax to allow him to grasp a "beautiful chance" to join a "big club in Europe".

The ex-Groningen man has won 38 caps for his country and was one of the stand-out performers at the 2010 World Cup as Uruguay finished in fourth place in South Africa.

[Elano]

 Liverpool have had a bid accepted for Newcastle striker Andy Carroll which would set a new British transfer record, the Magpies confirmed on their website on Monday.

Carroll handed in a transfer request in a successful attempt to persuade Newcastle to accept Liverpool's third bid after two previous offers of around 30 million pounds were rejected by the Magpies.

Newcastle released a statement claiming the deal would be worth a British record fee, beating the previous record of 32 million pounds (51.3 million dollars) set when Manchester City signed Robinho from Real Madrid.

"A British transfer record fee has been agreed between Newcastle and Liverpool for Magpies striker Andy Carroll," the statement read.

"The 22-year-old England international has handed in a transfer request, which has reluctantly been accepted by the club, and Carroll is currently in talks with the Reds over a move to Anfield."

Liverpool also confirmed a transfer was in the pipeline in a statement which read: "Liverpool FC confirmed this afternoon that Newcastle United had accepted a club record offer for the transfer of Andy Carroll.

"The club have been given permission by Newcastle to discuss personal terms with the player, who will now travel to Liverpool for a medical."

If Liverpool are able to complete their move for Carroll that would likely open the way for Chelsea to land Reds striker Fernando Torres in a transfer which would shatter Carroll's British record deal.

[Elano]

 The Spanish striker has been linked with a move to Chelsea after handing in a transfer request last Friday but the two clubs had failed to agree terms for the deal to go ahead.

Chelsea originally turned the player’s head with a £35m offer but the Reds are now believed to have agreed on a fee closer to £50m.

Torres is now awaiting a medical with Chelsea ahead of a move being completed.

The 26-year-old is set to be part of a double swoop which could also see Benfica defender David Luiz arrive at the club.

[Elano]

Liverpool Football Club tonight confirmed they have agreed a fee with Chelsea for the sale of Fernando Torres.

[es-jay]

LIVERPOOL ANNOUNCE THEY HAVE AGREED A FEE FOR NEWCASTLE STRIKER ANDY CARROLL


MIKE ASHLEY
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[Furor Teutonicus]

 

Idiotic is an understatement. The English PL clubs are completely Any player who has 2 feet raises a fee of atleast 10m.


And Torres to Chelski. lol. Torres isn't a bad player, but 60m? lmao, dude is a wreck anyways. How can a club spent so much money on a player that is injured half the time


It's about time the bubble PL busts.

[IRAN iz Gangsta!]

we need one thread for all the transfers

[Elano]

we need one thread for all the transfers

no.
this is one of the biggest transfers

[Elano]

torres is not injured half the time 

[Digital Pimpin']

So from a initially mooted deal of £40m + Anelka, Liverpool effectively get £15m + Andy Carroll??

[Elano]

So from a initially mooted deal of £40m + Anelka, Liverpool effectively get £15m + Andy Carroll??

and suarez, an amazing player

[Digital Pimpin']

So from a initially mooted deal of £40m + Anelka, Liverpool effectively get £15m + Andy Carroll??

and suarez, an amazing player

That guy is fuckin great, he'll bring some more entertainment to the league for sure.

[Mac 10 †]

we need one thread for all the transfers

done