Kenya PM Ralia Odinga's desperate phone call to Gordon Brown
Kenya PM Minister Raila Odinga had tried to secure his country's star McDonald Mariga a £7million move to Manchester City by phoning Gordon Brown.
Midfielder Mariga, 20, was refused a work permit by a panel that included David Pleat and Dave Bassett and Inter Milan stepped in with a four-year deal.
Jose Mourinho said: 'He's a purchase for today and tomorrow but he can also fill the hole left by Patrick Vieira.'
On call: The Kenya PM failed in his attempt to secure McDonald Mariga's City move
The £7million move City had been all but agreed, but the Kenya international's difficulty in securing a work permit put pay to the deal.
The 6ft 2in marauding midfielder would have provided a combative force at the heart of Roberto Mancini's midfield.
Javi Martinez
Manchester City are already making plans for their summer spending and Spanish publication AS says that they are lining up a bid for midfielder Javi Martinez .
The 21 year-old is currently playing for Athletic Bilbao , who were so impressed with him as a teenager that they paid 6 million Euros to sign him aged 17 from Osasuna. Considered an excellent versatile midfielder, he can provide a physical presence as a box to box player or can be utilized as a playmaker behind the strikers.
AS reports that Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini believes that Martinez will boost the quality of his midfield and is prepared to meet the 30 million Euros buy out clause in the midfielder's contract.
Liverpool were reported to have been interested in signing Martinez last summer as a replacement for Xabi Alonso, but the move never materialized.
Martinez is the captain of the Spain under-21 side and has become a crucial part of the Athletic Bilbao lineup in each of the last three seasons, helping them to the 2009 Spanish cup final. He has already scored 5 goals in 27 appearances this season.
Manchester City have already boosted their midfield since Mancini's arrival at Eastlands, with the signing of Patrick Vieira .
Carlos is a poster boy
CARLOS TEVEZ has that 'Welcome to Manchester' poster Alex Ferguson hates on his wall.
Manchester City made the provocative advert after snatching the Argentinian hitman from their derby rivals.
United boss Fergie claimed the antagonising sign was proof of the arrogance of the Reds 'noisy neighbours'.
But Tevez was so happy with the print he got as a present, he hung it on his wall.
He said: "It is in my home in Argentina. Somebody bought it for me. I'd never buy anything with my name or image on. It's not really my style."
As for crossing the city divide, Tevez said: "I had a passion for United when I played for them. But now my passion is for Manchester City. My goals against United were for the City fans. I don't have to prove anything."
Manchester City seek US tour to promote their brand
Manchester City have held talks about a summer tour of the United States as part of their next step towards establishing a global brand and gaining ground on Manchester United's worldwide popularity.
Despite the greater financial rewards on offer in east Asia and the club's links to Abu Dhabi, City are keen to tap into the American market and have not been discouraged by the relative failure of United and Chelsea to "break" the country on recent tours.
Talks are only at a preliminary stage but the club's chief executive, Garry Cook, is keen to explore possible ways of increasing City's American fan base in a World Cup year when the US national team have been drawn to play England in the opening group. Cook previously worked as a marketing executive at Nike headquarters in Portland, Oregon, and there have been talks about staging one of the games in the city. New York and Philadelphia are also under consideration.
City chose to tour South Africa last summer and played the United Arab Emirates national team during a training camp in Abu Dhabi, the home of their owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, in November. When Cook addressed fans during that trip to the Middle East he spoke of City being "not just a Manchester club but a worldwide club" and he wants to act on that by promoting them in areas of the world where they may not be widely known.
United had only limited success when they made a concerted effort to win over the US with summer tours in 2003 and 2004, and have since reverted to pre-season matches in east Asia to safeguard their enormous popularity in that part of the world. Chelsea have also struggled to have a sustained impact among American sports fans but it is a country that is taking an increased interest in the Premier League and City's immense wealth has given them a new profile worldwide. The club's marketing department were delighted, for instance, to find that the infamous Welcome to Manchester billboard they erected in the city centre after Carlos Tevez's signing, with the intention of antagonising United, attracted publicity as far afield as the US, Australia and China.
City have offered Martin Petrov a new contract and are encouraged by the way the negotiations have gone with the Bulgaria international. The deadline-day signing of Adam Johnson and Craig Bellamy's impressive form have increased the competition on the left side of attack but Robinho has made it clear he does not want to return to Manchester after his six-month loan spell with Santos and the manager, Roberto Mancini, is keen to keep the 31-year-old Petrov, who is out of contract at the end of the season and eligible to speak to potential buyers. MCF.NET THREAD: http://www.mancityfans.net/mcfnet/viewt ... 19&t=30117
Sullivan's Bollox
West Ham owner David Sullivan says the wealth of Chelsea and Manchester City is bad for football and a salary cap is needed to avoid financial meltdown.
After buying the club, Sullivan and partner David Gold - both West Ham fans - revealed the club's debts were £100m.
"They're bad for football. Maybe the ultimate solution is a wage cap," ex-Birmingham owner Sullivan told the BBC.
"I've always been against it but I'm starting to swing towards it. It's the only way to keep clubs solvent."
When former Birmingham owners Gold and Sullivan bought West Ham, Sullivan admitted they had only invested in the club because they were fans.
"It makes no commercial sense to buy this club," he said.
"If there was any other club in this situation, then we would not be buying it. We bought this as supporters, not from a business point of view."
Before the recent sale, the club had been run by Straumur-Burdaras Investment Bank, which owned 70% of the club's holding company, Icelandic company CB Holding, who had encountered financial problems in the credit crunch.
And Sullivan said the overall financial climate in football was not being helped by the riches of Roman Abramovich at Chelsea and Sheikh Mansour at Manchester City.
"There was a reality coming into the world until (Abramovich bought) Chelsea," he told the BBC's HARDtalk programme.
"After Chelsea there was some levelling off, then then Icelanders came to West Ham and it was madness what they were paying people relative to what they were - then Manchester City have done the same thing."
In the transfer window, Sullivan said he was prepared to offer an unnamed player £100,000 per week, but ultimately the club ended up signing Benni McCarthy from Blackburn, and taking Mido and Brazilian striker Ilan on loan.
Egyptian striker Mido is on £1,000 a week at West Ham, a figure Sullivan called "one of the most amazing deals of all time."
He admitted they would have liked to sign Tottenham's Robbie Keane, who ended up joining Celtic on loan, but the deal would have been more than the club could afford.
And without referring to the Republic of Ireland striker, he said players and their agents seeking to make as much money as they could also needed a reality check.
"The players are driven by their agents. Some are very nice people, some are greedy," he said.
"They have very short careers, they want to maximise their income.
"There is no loyalty to the local club, or the club they play for, most of them will move for more money and if you have a foreign player they will just go back home."
TRANSFER BOLLOX
Arsenal are set to beat Spurs in the race to sign centre-half Stefan Savic from BSK Borca after the 19-year-old Serb completed a 10-day with the club. Daily Mirror
Liverpool are on the verge of a deal to sign Milan Jovanovic on a free transfer in the summer after further talks with the Standard Liege and Serbia striker. Daily Mail
Barcelona vice-president Alfons Godall has stepped up the pressure on Arsenal by insisting that midfielder Cesc Fabregas will end up at the Nou Camp "sooner or later". The Sun
Cash-strapped Portsmouth have replaced Tottenham-bound Younes Kaboul with former Spurs defender Ricardo Rocha. Daily Mail
Pompey are also closing in on deal for Serbia defender Dusko Tosic. Daily Mail
Manchester United are still interested in Racing Santander forward Sergio Canales, 18, who has yet to sign for Real Madrid. Daily Mail
WAG OF THE DAY - Hilary Duff
http://www.thespoiler.co.uk/index.php/2 ... ilary-duff
OTHER BOLLOX
England manager Fabio Capello is expected to retain Chelsea defender John Terry when the pair meet on Friday, unless there are more allegations about his private life. Daily Mirror
Manchester United defender Gary Neville has been frozen out at Old Trafford following his touchline gesture to Manchester City's Carlos Tevez during last month's Carling Cup semi-final first leg. The Sun
Midfielder Matthew Etherington insists he is winning his fight to overcome a gambling addiction and has been given a pay rise by Stoke to help him pay off debts that spiralled to £800,000. Daily Mail
Tottenham defender Jonathan Woodgate is concerned that he may have to quit football as he battles to overcome the long-term groin injury that has restricted him to only three Premier League games this season. Daily Mirror
Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr have less than six months to secure the £100m investment demanded by their creditors or they run the risk of being forced to put the club up for sale.The Times
Fulham striker Andy Johnson could miss the rest of the season if specialists decide the striker needs surgery on his knee. Daily Mail
Burnley boss Brian Laws says he felt like X-Factor judge Simon Cowell as he auditioned new players to come to the club during the January transfer window.Daily Mirror
More Bridge's Ex Bollox
Gudjohnsen, Mutu and another (not named) Chelsea player have also had ride... Bollox sources understands
