Berbatov Swap Deal?
Could United be tempted to swap winger Nani for Spurs Dimitar Berbatov?
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Who Is On Fergie’s 2008 Radar?
No new midfielders will be joining United in the immediate future, Sir Alex has declared.
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United Reveal Veloso Plans
At last, United have come clean on their interest in the Sporting Lisbon defender Miguel Veloso.
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CQ: What The Vel Is Going On?
Coach Carlos Queiroz is embroiled in an escalating war of words with Sporting Lisbon over the ‘tapping up’ of prized midfielder Miguel Veloso.
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Gossip: Fergie Tracks Agbo
Express: Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is on the trail of Aston Villa’s £15million-rated striker Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Gossip: Is It Ivanovic?
Independent: The £10m rated Serbian full-back Branislav Ivanovic has emerged as a contender for the left-back berth which Sir Alex Ferguson has indicated he might want to fill in the transfer window
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Gossip: Veloso Talk Hardens
At first, it seemed like light-as-a-feather press speculation.
Now the rumours of Sporting Lisbon’s Miguel Veloso moving to Old Trafford have hardened, with talk emerging of the midfielder joining United next January.
The Telegraph devoted a full article to the chatter yesterday and revealed that the hype was not purely the result of the fevered imagination of either a sports hack or the midfielder’s agent - Veloso wants the move too.
Coach Carlos Queiroz admitted in the Mirror that United were trailing the midfielder. At the same time he gave advance notice of United’s other targets and probably increased their sale price too, in an an interview which bordered on ‘tapping up.’
“It is impossible to ignore good players and we are following the evolution of some top players,” said Queiroz. “One is Veloso. He would be hard to ignore.
“Big clubs such as Manchester United, Barcelona and Arsenal have a scouting system that looks at players throughout the year. Players like Miguel Veloso, Joao Moutinho, Ricardo Quaresma, Bosingwa or Bruno Alves are on the list.”
Meanwhile, tempers in Lisbon are becoming increasingly frayed as the club’s star employee moves towards the exit. United have a ’special relationship’ with Sporting Lisbon, having bought their two best players in the past four years but Queiroz’s newspaper interviews are putting that relationship under strain.
The Sun newspaper today claims Sporting president Filipe Soares Franco is livid and has accused the Old Trafford coach of ‘unacceptable’ behaviour by announcing United’s interest in the Portuguese international via the media.
Franco said: “I can’t help regretting Carlos Queiroz’s declarations about Manchester United’s interest in Veloso. It is necessary everyone realises Veloso is a Sporting player.
“He has a contract and he’s going to honour it. He will not be for sale in the January transfer window. He’ll only be sold when someone pays his £20m buy-out clause.
“Carlos Queiroz is an employee of Manchester United and made an unacceptable insinuation.”
United may find the money however, if one of the current players is sold.
“We have good midfield players like Scholes, Carrick, Hargreaves and Anderson,” Queiroz told Mirror readers. “But it is true that if someone was to leave the club then Veloso would be a priority.”
So, does that mean someone might be leaving the club CQ?
Gossip: United’s Veloso Link
Guardian: Sir Alex Ferguson is strongly considering adding to the Portuguese contingent at Manchester United by making a transfer-window move for Miguel Veloso, Sporting Lisbon’s impressive young midfielder.
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Gossip: Hutton Finds Favour With Fergie
Telegraph: Four months ago Rangers manager Walter Smith persuaded Alan Hutton to sign a new, five-year contract at Ibrox. Now, as the biggest names in Europe form a queue to sing his praises, that may yet prove to be the most profitable piece of business Smith has conducted in a distinguished career.
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Does Fergie Need Another Winter Larsson?
Does Sir Alex need another Henrik Larsson to fire United to glory in 2008?
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Gossip: United Watch Hutton
Rangers defender Alan Hutton has become the latest defender to be linked with a move to United.
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Gossip: Carrick’s Spurs Return?
Telegraph: Tottenham coach Juande Ramos wants to bring Michael Carrick back to White Hart Lane in the January transfer window.
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Gossip: Berbatov Can Quit Spurs
Sun: JUANDE RAMOS last night told Dimitar Berbatov: Leave Tottenham if you want.
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What’s Going On With United’s Strikers?
Wayne Rooney
Wazza is in the form of his life and all Sir Alex can do is hope it lasts and pray that no hulking beasts masquerading as defenders come anywhere near the striker’s feet.
The 22 year old has come back from injury to record the best goals per game return of his career – eight in his last seven matches - allowing Sir Alex’s vision of the player emerging as the complete forward to move into clearer focus.
“I’m delighted with my game at the minute, Rooney told the Mirror newspaper last month. “I’m playing well, scoring goals and we’re winning games, so I just want it to keep that going.
“When you’re out, as I was at the start of the season [with a broken foot], you’re always looking at other players who are scoring and playing, and you just want to be out there with them.
“So it was frustrating, but I’m just delighted to be back, doing what I love most. The difference now is I’m scoring on a more consistent basis. In previous years I’d score for three or four games, then go three or four games without a goal. This year I’ve managed to do it in consecutive games, which is great. Now I feel like I’m going to score every time I play.”
Carlos Tevez
Fewer doubts surround Tevez’s future as a United star now that he has started to find the net. The Argentine has the opportunity to put Saturday’s disappointing performance at Arsenal behind him, should he be selected to face Dynamo Kiev this evening.
Meanwhile, Sir Alex grows more appreciative of the player’s skills by the day.
“What I have noticed about the boy here, since he has come to us, is that when he loses the ball he wants it back which is a great attribute to have as a striker,” he said. “Not every striker thinks that way. So he’s got a lot of great things about him and most importantly that great enthusiasm to play.”
As well as love from Sir Alex, Tevez also got props from famed countryman Lionel Messi.
“Carlos is making a big difference for Manchester United this season,” the Barcelona star said. “His partnership with Rooney is already something special and I think it will only get better.
“Although they play and move similarly to one another on the pitch, they are going to help Manchester United a lot. They will scare defenders everywhere.
“Those who play the game well understand each other immediately. Good players always manage to play well together.”
Louis Saha
No story about the French star is complete without a medical bulletin or the manager promising to “take it slowly” with his fragile striker.
Saha’s dramatic entry at Arsenal last weekend was evidence of his continued importance to United and Sir Alex claims he will nurse the player along gently in the hope of keeping him fit for longer.
Ferguson said: “We saw on Saturday how Louis can change a game. We just have to monitor how he is because we are never going to risk his availability for the rest of the season if we can avoid it.
“If it means starting with him as a substitute, that is what we will do because he is such a different player to any of the rest we have here.”
Dimitar Berbatov ( a future United striker?)
Rumours linking the Bulgarian hitman with Old Trafford continue to circulate like the Autumn leaves, even though he is suffering a nightmare in front of goal, scoring just twice in 14 appearances this season.
The speculation is mounting by the day, especially as Spurs are lining up a move for old boy Fredi Kanoute, a firm favourite of the new manager.
Juande Ramos started the romance by speaking fondly of the Seville star. He said: “Kanoute would be a great player wherever he goes.”
Kanoute’s agent Christophe Mongai returned the love letter in a perfumed envelope. “Frederic likes Tottenham very much and a return there in January is possible,” he said in reply.
No wonder Berbatov’s agent Emil Dantchev was on a plane from Sofia for talks with Spurs boss Damien Comolli earlier this week. Dantchev offered what must rank as one of football’s least convincing denials that his client wants to be at Old Trafford in time for the New Year sales.
“I don’t see why having coffee with him means there is difficulty for Berbatov at Tottenham,” Dantchev ventured. “It is a normal meeting. Dimitar is under contract with Tottenham and it is just a meeting to discuss general questions, nothing special.”
Hacks couldn’t resist asking whether the “coffee” was a prelude to a transfer request? “That question is formulated from a situation that doesn’t exist,” Dantchev replied. “If there is something concrete, of course everyone will hear the information but don’t make a question for something that doesn’t happen at the moment.”
Right! Shoot the messenger why dontcha!
Dong Fangzhou
Did someone see a ghost?
Is It Too Late For Dimitar Berbatov’s United Dream?
Is it too late for Dimitar Berbatov’s United dream?
Gossip: Another Day, Another Rumour
Is the news day really this slow?
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