Thursday's Denying B*ll*x
Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 8:45 am
City reject Real's claims over failed bid for Gago
Club deny Madrid chief Valdano's suggestion they were 'unprepared' for deal
Manchester City have rejected Real Madrid's claims that they scuppered the last-minute £16.3m transfer of Fernando Gago on Monday afternoon and are confident that everything they did was above board.
The Madrid sporting director, Jorge Valdano, said that City were unable to move quickly when the two clubs finally agreed a price for Gago with 40 minutes left before the transfer window shut at 5pm on Monday. He said: "They had nothing prepared, not even one document signed. They had not reached an agreement with the player and they would have had to have done everything in 40 minutes."
The reason that City had not negotiated terms with Gago was because the club's chief executive, Garry Cook, had respected the Fifa rules on transfers that a player should not be approached by the buying club until they have agreed a transfer fee. It is a rule that is widely ignored in many transfers.
Roberto Mancini had identified Gago, 23, as a player he wanted to sign before January but City regarded Madrid's valuation of £22.7m as too high. After they failed to obtain a work permit for the Parma midfielder McDonald Mariga, City decided to go back to Madrid to see if they would lower their price. Unexpectedly, they were able to agree on a deal of £16.3m.
Because City had not agreed terms with the Argentine's agent they offered to take the player on loan in order to push the deal through quickly. They also agreed to sign an undertaking to pay the full amount for Gago in the summer. This is common practice in last-minute January deals when a permanent signing cannot be arranged in time. It was the case when Jermain Defoe joined Portsmouth from Tottenham in 2008.
However, Madrid rejected that option and have subsequently attacked City for failing to do the deal quickly enough. However, in this instance, Cook appears to be blameless in his dealings.
Yesterday, Gago's agent weighed in with criticism of City. Marcello Lombilla said: "City used us. They approached Madrid knowing there wasn't enough time to put something together."
Manchester City have hired eight bodyguards to protect on loan forward Robinho during his spell at Santos in Brazil, according to Spanish publication AS.
The 26 year-old is at Santos for the remainder of the season following a much publicized loan deal from Eastlands. He is expected to make his Santos debut on Sunday in the derby against Sao Paulo.
Robinho is no stranger to stringent security. His mother was kidnapped in 2004 and Manchester City hired four bodyguards for the Brazilian during his time at Eastlands.
However, the club now feels that his safety is in greater danger in Brazil, especially given Robinho 's reputation for partying, which will likely be satisfied during his loan spell. As a result, Manchester City have decided to foot the bill to double the player's security entourage
Patrick Vieira has revealed he is ready to return to the top flight of English football after a four-season absence.
The former Arsenal midfielder hopes to make his long-awaited debut for Manchester City on Saturday against Hull.
Vieira, 33, has recovered from an ankle injury that has delayed his progress since arriving from Inter Milan.
In World Cup year the France international is now looking to kick on at Eastlands.
"It has been a frustrating spell with the injury. Thank God it is over and I am ready to start, " he told the club's website, mcfc.co.uk.
"I suffered it in the last game for Inter and did not realise it was that bad. City have been right behind me and I have to thank them for that.
"I am looking forward to playing in the Premier League again and getting a run of games. When I was in Italy I followed the matches. They have been exciting and I really believe it is one of the best in the world."
City are pushing for a top four place after losing to Manchester United in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup.
Roberto Mancini's side also have an FA Cup tie against Stoke to look forward to a week on Saturday.
Vieira added: "I have found a team that matches my expectations. I think the future for this club is fantastic. There are a lot of winners and great players in the dressing room.
"Hopefully we can achieve what we want and finish in the top four. We are getting closer to Manchester United. The gap is definitely narrowing."
Defender Pablo Zabaleta is set to wear a mask against Hull on to protect a broken nose.
Zabaleta suffered the injury in the victory over Portsmouth at the weekend after an accidental blow from Kevin-Prince Boateng.
But he is keen to maintain his record of playing every game under new manager Mancini. Vincent Kompany, however, has been ruled with a groin strain.
Meanwhile City have been criticised by Real Madrid's sporting director Jorge Valdano after being linked with midfielder Fernando Gago in the transfer window.
City apparently moved in for Gago after their attempt to bring McDonald Mariga from Parma broke down and he joined Inter Milan instead.
Speaking to El Pais, Valdano said: "They had nothing prepared, not even one document signed.
"They had not reached an agreement with the player and they would have needed to do everything in 40 minutes."
Gago's agent Marcello Lombilla told radio station Onda Cero. "City used us. This has never happened to me before.
"I don't want to talk about the figures that City were offering because they approached Madrid without even knowing there wasn't physically enough time to put something together."
TRANSFER BOLLOX
Barcelona are piling the pressure on Arsenal, with the Spanish giants planning a £40m summer swoop for midfielder Cesc Fabregas. The Sun
Barcelona are also interested in another Gunners player, midfielder Emmanuel Eboue. The Sun
Crisis club Portsmouth face the loss of striker Aruna Dindane in the next week - if French side Lens do not receive the £3.5m owed for his transfer. Daily Mirror
Stoke keeper Thomas Sorensen will consider his future at the club if he is dropped in favour of new arrival Asmir Begovic on Saturday. The Sun
Fulham are to battle it out with Arsenal for QPR's 15-year-old striker Raheem Sterling. Mirror
Birmingham midfielder Gary McSheffrey will make his loan move to Leeds permanent if the Elland Road outfit are promoted to the Championship this season. Daily Mirror
Manchester United's England Under-20 midfielder Matty James is set to join Preston on loan. Daily Mirror
Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery has set a March deadline for deciding his future at the club. Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid have all shown an interest in the winger. (The Times)
Preston defender Sean St Ledger has blasted club chairman Derek Shaw for denying him a dream move to Celtic. Daily Record
Liverpool are hoping to bring 14-year-old Danish forward Alexander Jacobsen, who is at FC Copenhagen, into their academy. (Daily Star)
WAG OF THE DAY - Francesca Lodo
http://www.thespoiler.co.uk/index.php/2 ... cesca-lodo
OTHER BOLLOX
England manager Fabio Capello will give Chelsea defender John Terry the chance to quit as England captain following newspaper revelations about his private life. The Sun
Capello's hopes of having Owen Hargreaves fit for the World Cup finals have suffered another blow after Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson removed the midfielder from his Champions League squad. The Times
Hong Kong businessman Balram Chainrai, who has so far lent Portsmouth £20m, is exercising his right to seize control after the cash-strapped club failed to honour their repayments to him. The Sun
Chainrai has taken over the 90% shareholding held by Ali Al Faraj to become Portsmouth's fourth owner in a year. The Guardian
Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs believes team-mate Wayne Rooney is about to join Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Real Madrid duo Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo in being seen as the best players in the world. Daily Star
Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham, who is on loan at AC Milan, has signed up for an Italian cookery course. "It's something I've always wanted to do," said the former England captain. (Daily Star)
Club deny Madrid chief Valdano's suggestion they were 'unprepared' for deal
Manchester City have rejected Real Madrid's claims that they scuppered the last-minute £16.3m transfer of Fernando Gago on Monday afternoon and are confident that everything they did was above board.
The Madrid sporting director, Jorge Valdano, said that City were unable to move quickly when the two clubs finally agreed a price for Gago with 40 minutes left before the transfer window shut at 5pm on Monday. He said: "They had nothing prepared, not even one document signed. They had not reached an agreement with the player and they would have had to have done everything in 40 minutes."
The reason that City had not negotiated terms with Gago was because the club's chief executive, Garry Cook, had respected the Fifa rules on transfers that a player should not be approached by the buying club until they have agreed a transfer fee. It is a rule that is widely ignored in many transfers.
Roberto Mancini had identified Gago, 23, as a player he wanted to sign before January but City regarded Madrid's valuation of £22.7m as too high. After they failed to obtain a work permit for the Parma midfielder McDonald Mariga, City decided to go back to Madrid to see if they would lower their price. Unexpectedly, they were able to agree on a deal of £16.3m.
Because City had not agreed terms with the Argentine's agent they offered to take the player on loan in order to push the deal through quickly. They also agreed to sign an undertaking to pay the full amount for Gago in the summer. This is common practice in last-minute January deals when a permanent signing cannot be arranged in time. It was the case when Jermain Defoe joined Portsmouth from Tottenham in 2008.
However, Madrid rejected that option and have subsequently attacked City for failing to do the deal quickly enough. However, in this instance, Cook appears to be blameless in his dealings.
Yesterday, Gago's agent weighed in with criticism of City. Marcello Lombilla said: "City used us. They approached Madrid knowing there wasn't enough time to put something together."
Manchester City have hired eight bodyguards to protect on loan forward Robinho during his spell at Santos in Brazil, according to Spanish publication AS.
The 26 year-old is at Santos for the remainder of the season following a much publicized loan deal from Eastlands. He is expected to make his Santos debut on Sunday in the derby against Sao Paulo.
Robinho is no stranger to stringent security. His mother was kidnapped in 2004 and Manchester City hired four bodyguards for the Brazilian during his time at Eastlands.
However, the club now feels that his safety is in greater danger in Brazil, especially given Robinho 's reputation for partying, which will likely be satisfied during his loan spell. As a result, Manchester City have decided to foot the bill to double the player's security entourage
Patrick Vieira has revealed he is ready to return to the top flight of English football after a four-season absence.
The former Arsenal midfielder hopes to make his long-awaited debut for Manchester City on Saturday against Hull.
Vieira, 33, has recovered from an ankle injury that has delayed his progress since arriving from Inter Milan.
In World Cup year the France international is now looking to kick on at Eastlands.
"It has been a frustrating spell with the injury. Thank God it is over and I am ready to start, " he told the club's website, mcfc.co.uk.
"I suffered it in the last game for Inter and did not realise it was that bad. City have been right behind me and I have to thank them for that.
"I am looking forward to playing in the Premier League again and getting a run of games. When I was in Italy I followed the matches. They have been exciting and I really believe it is one of the best in the world."
City are pushing for a top four place after losing to Manchester United in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup.
Roberto Mancini's side also have an FA Cup tie against Stoke to look forward to a week on Saturday.
Vieira added: "I have found a team that matches my expectations. I think the future for this club is fantastic. There are a lot of winners and great players in the dressing room.
"Hopefully we can achieve what we want and finish in the top four. We are getting closer to Manchester United. The gap is definitely narrowing."
Defender Pablo Zabaleta is set to wear a mask against Hull on to protect a broken nose.
Zabaleta suffered the injury in the victory over Portsmouth at the weekend after an accidental blow from Kevin-Prince Boateng.
But he is keen to maintain his record of playing every game under new manager Mancini. Vincent Kompany, however, has been ruled with a groin strain.
Meanwhile City have been criticised by Real Madrid's sporting director Jorge Valdano after being linked with midfielder Fernando Gago in the transfer window.
City apparently moved in for Gago after their attempt to bring McDonald Mariga from Parma broke down and he joined Inter Milan instead.
Speaking to El Pais, Valdano said: "They had nothing prepared, not even one document signed.
"They had not reached an agreement with the player and they would have needed to do everything in 40 minutes."
Gago's agent Marcello Lombilla told radio station Onda Cero. "City used us. This has never happened to me before.
"I don't want to talk about the figures that City were offering because they approached Madrid without even knowing there wasn't physically enough time to put something together."
TRANSFER BOLLOX
Barcelona are piling the pressure on Arsenal, with the Spanish giants planning a £40m summer swoop for midfielder Cesc Fabregas. The Sun
Barcelona are also interested in another Gunners player, midfielder Emmanuel Eboue. The Sun
Crisis club Portsmouth face the loss of striker Aruna Dindane in the next week - if French side Lens do not receive the £3.5m owed for his transfer. Daily Mirror
Stoke keeper Thomas Sorensen will consider his future at the club if he is dropped in favour of new arrival Asmir Begovic on Saturday. The Sun
Fulham are to battle it out with Arsenal for QPR's 15-year-old striker Raheem Sterling. Mirror
Birmingham midfielder Gary McSheffrey will make his loan move to Leeds permanent if the Elland Road outfit are promoted to the Championship this season. Daily Mirror
Manchester United's England Under-20 midfielder Matty James is set to join Preston on loan. Daily Mirror
Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery has set a March deadline for deciding his future at the club. Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid have all shown an interest in the winger. (The Times)
Preston defender Sean St Ledger has blasted club chairman Derek Shaw for denying him a dream move to Celtic. Daily Record
Liverpool are hoping to bring 14-year-old Danish forward Alexander Jacobsen, who is at FC Copenhagen, into their academy. (Daily Star)
WAG OF THE DAY - Francesca Lodo
http://www.thespoiler.co.uk/index.php/2 ... cesca-lodo
OTHER BOLLOX
England manager Fabio Capello will give Chelsea defender John Terry the chance to quit as England captain following newspaper revelations about his private life. The Sun
Capello's hopes of having Owen Hargreaves fit for the World Cup finals have suffered another blow after Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson removed the midfielder from his Champions League squad. The Times
Hong Kong businessman Balram Chainrai, who has so far lent Portsmouth £20m, is exercising his right to seize control after the cash-strapped club failed to honour their repayments to him. The Sun
Chainrai has taken over the 90% shareholding held by Ali Al Faraj to become Portsmouth's fourth owner in a year. The Guardian
Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs believes team-mate Wayne Rooney is about to join Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Real Madrid duo Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo in being seen as the best players in the world. Daily Star
Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham, who is on loan at AC Milan, has signed up for an Italian cookery course. "It's something I've always wanted to do," said the former England captain. (Daily Star)