We are reported to be in for Brentford’s Toumani Diagouraga please log in to view this image He was voted Brentford's Player of the Year and has a contract until summer of 2017. The 27-year-old defensive midfielder, who joined the Bees from Peterborough in 2010 having started his career at Watford, is valued at less than £0.5m. Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...tml?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
Latest rumour is that we are interested in Jamie Murphey a striker at Sheff United, I don't know much about him but we have more pressing needs than up front, I would take a quality striker if we were going to spend money like Emenike who has been linked, but McCormack, Smith, Woodrow, Dembele and Taggert would be ok if we spent money on a good team behind them, will a league one striker improve on what we have? ( although as I type that I suddenly think of Austin, Ings, Lambert, Hayles).
SkySports are saying that Shefield Utd have accepted an offer from us. Like you Cookie, I just don't understand this. His stats are not very good (16 goals in 90 games) and surely, as you say, not one of our priority positions - even if we lose Smith and Taggart, as rumoured.
Unlike Fulham, the other clubs have declared their lists of players being given the boot. Hopefully we won’t resort to picking up other’s cast offs but just in case you can spot any worthwhile candidates, here’s a link to: Championship - Released players https://footballfragmento.wordpress.com/2015/05/07/championship-released-players-summer-2015/ The one that kind of stuck out for me was Al Habsi of Wigan.
I've followed this guy quite a bit - He was an emerging star at Motherwell and tipped to go on to great things. I watched with interest when he played against us in the worst game of football I've watched for many years in the FA Cup. We lost 1-nil in the 120th minute. He's got pace and can run at a defender but from what I hear he plays hot and cold - fantastic one game, invisible the next. I think he's got potential, actually I've just thought I think we might have put a bid in for him when he was at Motherwell. Not sure though why we are interested in him now, potential yes for the future but we have all those young options in that area already.
Not so sure that he has all that much potential. He'll be 26 at the beginning of the season and his goal scoring record isn't great. Nothing about this signing excites me really. I think we have better youngsters already.
Like you say his goal scoring record is not all that though it does say he plays on the wing as well, We should be looking at James McClean instead if we want to buy a league 1 winger! In terms of the released players funnily enough the only ones I would consider are the ones we have rumoured to have been linked with Mills, Guthrie, Anderson and Pringle
The only other name to jump out at me was Chris Eagles, released by Charlton. He seems to have lost his way a bit having been released by both Charlton and Blackpool in the last 6 months, but he's only 29. If he can recapture the form of his Premier League days with Bolton, he could be an awesome addition to our side. Not that I'm advocating any of these, but sad to see Aaron Hughes, Neil Etheridge, Matthew Briggs and Zat Knight all on the loose.
Yes please to Cairny of Blackburn, hope this link is true it's the first rumour yo make me sit up a bit, one if the best midfielders in the championship!
Agree Cookie and the rumours are that we’re close to a deal. Here’s the usual 'potted bio’ - please log in to view this image "24-year-old Cairney joined Rovers in 2014 after a successful loan spell from Hull City, and has since gone on to make 68 league appearances for the Lancashire club, establishing himself as one of the Championship’s best attacking midfielders. The former Leeds United trainee has caught the eye of Fulham manager Kit Symons, who sees Cairney as a player that will add some much needed quality to his squad, as he looks to improve on a disappointing season. Blackburn are likely to be resistant to any bids for the six-time Scotland U21 international, but they may be forced into accepting an offer in order to comply with the league’s Financial Fair Play regulations.” Source: http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/fulham-set-to-secure-deal-for-ex-leeds-united-midfielder/
Cottager where did you read we are close to a deal???? Hope that is true I have only read we are believed to be eyeing him up
Took that inference of more than simple interest from another blog by the Football League World, a post on a Blackburn blog and erm… The Daily Star. Accept it’s still tittle-tattle Cookie. Just seemed that those stories were a bit firmer about our commitment.
We are being reported as making a bid for Wolves’ centre back Richard Stearman. please log in to view this image "The size of the reported bid for Stearman, who is entering the second half of a two-year contract, has not been revealed. Wolves would be reluctant to lose the former Leicester City man to a rival like Fulham as they plan another bid for promotion next season. And the player is likely to resist an offer having recently expressed a desire to serve a decade at Wolves and move up the list of the club’s record appearance makers. His Wolves career hung in the balance when he was farmed out on loan to Ipswich Town in January 2013 under the disastrous reign of Dean Saunders. But Kenny Jackett restored Stearman to the team when he moved to Molineux in May 2013 after Saunders was sacked for overseeing Wolves’ relegation to League One. And Stearman has arguably been Jackett’s most consistent performer for the past two seasons. The 27-year-old made 44 appearances as Wolves romped to the League One title 12 months ago setting a club record for consecutive league wins along the way. And his standout displays in the centre of defence last term earned him Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year at the club’s end-of-season awards ceremony.” Source: http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/wolves-defender-subject-interest-championship-9368609
Only a rumour and unconfirmed but Matt Lowton gas been named as one of four players Villa will be listening to offers four this summer. Full backs are a priority for us and Lowton would be a great capture at right back. Swap Amorebieta for Husband spend some cash on Lowton and full back is sorted!
Having made a troll of all the usual places, as well as going for Richard Stearman, perceived opinion is that the following are the players currently at the top of our shortlist. And from what’s being reported we appear to be prepared to pay over the odds to get our man, despite what Mike Rigg said on that video James Husband (English) we obviously know the 21yr old left back who has 3yrs still to go on his contract with Middlesbrough and is valued at £0.4m please log in to view this image Lewis Dunk (English) we have apparently made a revised bid of £2.4m for the 21yr old centre back who signed a new 4yr contract last summer with Brighton but has been out of favour with new manager Chris Hughton [his ‘market value’ is a slim £0.9m] please log in to view this image MichaelTurner (English) another we know - the 31yr old centre back who has 1yr left on his contract with Norwich and is valued at £2.2m [probably back-up option if we don’t get Stearman and/or Dunk] please log in to view this image Tom Cairney (Scottish) we have apparently raised our bid to £3.6m for the 24yr old central midfielder who has 2yrs left on his contract with Blackburn [that’s £1m over his market value] please log in to view this image Toumani Diagouraga (French) 26yr old defensive midfielder who has 2yrs left on his contract at Brentford and valued at £0.5m [probably back-up option if we don’t get Cairney] please log in to view this image Robbie Brady (Irish) 23yr old left winger who has 1yr left on his contract with Hull and is valued at £1.8m please log in to view this image
Apparently our £1.5m bid for Richard Stearman has been rejected - "Fulham launched a £1.5million bid for Stearman as Kit Symons looks to bolster his defensive options for next season. However, it is understood that Wolves have dismissed the offer out of hand and hope to keep Stearman at Molineux.” Source: http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2015/06/04/wolves-reject-fulhams-stearman-bid/?utm_medium=share+button&utm_campaign=social+media&utm_content=/en-gb/2015/06/04/wolves-reject-fulhams-stearman-bid/&utm_source=Twitter Will we up the anti, do you think?
Apparently Fulham have held talks with Millwall Keeper David Forde who is out of contract, funnily enough speaking to a Millwall fan a few weeks ago I actually said the only player I would consider from Millwalls squad would be Forde, he still gets in the Ireland squad and I thought he was man of the match when Millwall beat us 1-0 at the Cottage was impressed! Although Kiraly us surely going if we are talking to other keepers
Forde would certainly push Marcus for the top spot, and that‘s something we definitely need. Have to admit though, if we’re going for ‘oldies’ I’d rather have Shay Given. The South London Press are also saying that we're interested in Rotherham’s Ben Pringle please log in to view this image The 5’ 8” Geordie is a 27yr old attacking left midfielder and out of contract this summer. If I recall correctly he had a very decent game against us at the Cottage.
I would be happy with Pringle Cottager!!! In terms of Given I can imagine his wages would be a fair bit higher than Fordes so I think all depends on if they are going straight in as a starter or someone to Push Betts hard.
Ben Pringle would be a player on my wish list, he had two good games against us and was one of the opposition players who I'd say impressed as being a class above most Championship players and is on a free are not renewing. Having spoken to Rotherham fans up there, they said the drawback was he was inconsistent and you might get 10-15 good performances out of him, and he did go MIA against stronger teams.
