FIRST OFF, THERE’S news of an official signing.
Hopefully, I’ll never have to type the words ‘Alexis Sanchez’ again in this column, as the Chilean has been released from his purgatory and finally been allowed to sign for Barcelona for £23m – good value when you consider that it’s £12m less than Andy Carroll cost Liverpool.
The deal also makes you wonder if the club will still be interested in a certain Arsenal player, given their ever-growing list of top-class midfield players.
Then again, Guardiola praised Sanchez for his “intense defensive skills,” so perhaps he’ll decide to play him at left-back in true Barcelona fashion.
Chelsea are one team in much more in need of a creative midfielder, yet Tottenham are refusing to cooperate with their attempts to sign Luka Modric.
They will make one more attempt to sign Modric with a £35m bid, with the Croat perhaps regretting that five-year contract he signed last summer, as the club seem determined to ‘hold him prisoner’ as Xavi might say.
The London club are also tracking Barcelona’s 19-year-old whizz-kid midfielder Oriol Romeu, who will undoubtedly sign for them, only to realise years later that he made a huge mistake and proceed to engage in protracted attempts to re-sign for the Spanish side.
Another player looking to escape from the horrors of oppression is Carlos Tevez, who has apparently been spotted shooting the breeze with Inter’s technical director Marco Branca.
Everton want £18m from Arsenal for Phil Jagielka, as the club have failed in their attempts to sign Gary Cahill, Phil Jones and just about every other half-decent English centre-back out there.
They are also still pursuing Valencia’s Juan Mata for £23m – a price that, like seemingly everything else these days, is bound to make Arsene Wenger baulk.
Finally, Emmanuel Adebayor has been given a much-needed slice of humble pie. The star has been forced to train with City’s youth team, prompting the usual spate of hilarious tabloid puns.
