Safc deals set to go down to the wire

SUNDERLAND insist they have held no advanced discussions with Paul Scharner despite Hamburg SV claiming the former West Brom man is heading to the Stadium of Light.


Scharner continues to be linked with a loan move from German outfit HSV until the end of the season after being confined to the fringes in the Bundesliga since leaving the Hawthorns last summer.

HSV sporting director Frank Arnesen – the former director of football at Spurs – has even claimed that a temporary return to the Premier League would prove beneficial for the Austrian international, who has featured just four times for the club.

“Paul would like to play football, which is currently hard for us,” said Arnesen. “It would be nice if we could give Paul until the summer at Sunderland to get some match practice.”

But HSV appear to have jumped the gun, with Sunderland sources adamant that there have been no formal negotiations with either the German club nor Scharner, and that the Black Cats are not expecting any immediate arrivals.

Instead, Sunderland are bracing themselves for a late flourish in the transfer window after bringing Alfred N’Diaye and Kader Mangane to Wearside earlier this month.

O’Neill has been looking at the short-term loan market after bringing in Mangane until the end of the season and seeing an approach for ex-Everton midfielder Tim Cahill fall through.

And Scharner, left out of the HSV squad for yesterday’s win over Werder Bremen, fits the bill of a stop-gap solution with Premier League experience after spending six years at Wigan and then West Brom.

But while Scharner may have crossed Sunderland’s radar, O’Neill’s principal focus is on bringing a positive conclusion to the lengthy pursuit of Swansea striker Danny Graham.

The Swans visit the Stadium of Light tomorrow night and that may provide an opportunity to bring a resolution to Sunderland’s pursuit which has dragged on throughout the window.

Graham, himself, is hopeful of sealing a £5million switch to Sunderland after growing frustrated at seeing the move drag on, as Swansea wait to land a replacement before sanctioning his exit.

Stoke’s Kenywne Jones remains the Welsh side’s first-choice and there have been suggestions that there could be a swap deal between the two clubs.

But Swansea sources say that is unlikely to be a realistic scenario, particularly as the Chester-le-Street frontman is keen to return to the North East.

Sunderland’s bid to land Graham will dominate O’Neill’s agenda over the next few days though, with the Black Cats boss desperate to boost his attacking options before Thursday’s 11pm deadline.

Fraizer Campbell and Louis Saha have both departed the North East and O’Neill is concerned about an over-reliance on top scorer Steven Fletcher despite Sunderland moving away from relegation danger.

 

Just beat me to it m'on

I honestly think this is the SAFC way - we try to play our cards close to our chest so we don't get caught out and, rather than us say "Yeah we're talking to him" and Harry Redknapp coming along and steal them with a bit of dodgy underhanded brown paper envelopes

 

I know this Danny Graham is a mag & all that but it does appear that the lad wants to come here. If he hated us that much as has been said he would point blank refuse us & go to either Stoke or Norwich rather than potentially scupper any deal at all for him by sitting & waiting to try to get here. If he comes think he should be given a chance to prove himself, clean slate & all that. We all know what can happen when you get players claiming falsely to love a club (Bent/Gyan), least the lad doesn't appear to be acting upon any false pretenses.

 

Possibly... The other side to that coin is that he may be intending to use his position to do a choprat during the derby. I'm sure I could sit on the bench at nufc for 35k a week and do a choprat for SAFC...

 

True mate. Suppose we not going to know for certain unless he comes here & got to be hopeful he's professional about his job. Bit like the lad who used to play for Charlton (can't remember his name) scored past us even though he's a Sunderland supporter. Think some twat put his mams windows out, stupid since he was only doing what he was getting paid for.

 

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896...ext-48-hours?source=breakingnews&ICID=HP_BN_1





The Swansea City striker is due to undertake a medical with the Black Cats as he finalises a move to the Stadium of Light.
Graham had been holding out for a move to boyhood club Newcastle United after learning of interest from Alan Pardew last week.

But Newcastle are reluctant to pay the asking price and the 27-year-old is expected to complete a switch to his native north-east imminently after Sunderland and Swansea agreed a fee of around £5 million.

Norwich City had also tabled a bid for Graham but the player is not interested in joining Chris Hughton’s team.

Martin O’Neill has targeted the striker to take some of the goalscoring pressure off Steven Fletcher at the Stadium of Light.

Graham has been pushed down the Swans’ pecking order following the arrival of Michu last summer, who has made a huge impact at the club.

Although the former Watford forward has scored four goals in his last eight games, he is understood to have a poor relationship with Michael Laudrup and wants to leave the club.

Swansea have targeted Kenwyn Jones of Stoke City as a replacement for Graham.

 

@SaintsRumours: Southampton linked with Argentinian Forward Mauro Zarate #saintsfc http://t.co/ARQOhMpe

 

Sunderland AFC News And Banter Page:

from @paulfraserecho Paul Fraser twitter
Swansea's Danny Graham has apparently been included in Laudrup's squad. Should be interesting if he faces #SAFC tomorrow night.

 

Bit like the lad who used to play for Charlton (can't remember his name) scored past us even though he's a Sunderland supporter. Think some twat put his mams windows out, stupid since he was only doing what he was getting paid for.

Clive Mendonca or summat like that

 

Mendonca was from hylton castle i think

 

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/football-oneill-desperately-seeking-strikers-151152722.html

 

It will be more interesting to hear the crowds reaction tomorrow night with him in a Swansea shirt? will they boo him or will he get applause? Any other Mag coming to the Sol would get booed. The fans reaction might make his or MONs decision for them.