Live: Transfer Deadline Day, Tuesday 1 September 2015.

The summer transfer window will be coming to a close today at the earlier than usual time of 18:00. Keep tuned in here for all the latest information, negotiations and deals as they happen. Good luck to all players agents and clubs involved and of course to the fans eagerly awaiting their big name signing! 

Keep updated right up to the deadline at 6pm.

• It seems now like David De Gea will NOT be getting his dream move to Real Madrid as his paper work was reportedly 28 minutes late. This means the swap deal for Keylor Navas will also be canceled unless Real Madrid win their appeal to La Liga officials.
• West Ham have finally wrapped up a deal to sign Barcelona midfielder Alex Song on loan for a second successive season. The move was in doubt due to injury problems but West Ham have now got their man.
• Staying with West Ham and talks with Tottenham misfit Emmanuel Adebayor have resumed in the last few hours over a season long loan. Tottenham have been desperate to get rid of the striker and with the Togolese international keen on staying in London this deal could well go ahead.
• Aston Villa have finally agreed a fee with West Brom for English centre back Joleon Lescott. The fee is believed to be around £2 million.
• Crystal Palace have rejected a bid from Aston Villa for Dwight Gayle. Pardew does not want to sell to immediate rivals.
• A busy day for West Ham United who have now agreed to sign Hull City striker Nikica Jelavic; third signing in 2 hours for the hammers! 
• Brazil striker Alexandre Pato will NOT be signing for Tottenham Hotspur this window despite speculation. Tottenham are thought to have been offered the player but rejected him. The club still hope to sign Saido Berahino before the deadline.

David De Gea: Staying or going?

With the Spanish transfer deadline passing a few hours ago we are still none the wiser with regard to the future of Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea.

Talks between the two clubs finally seemed be complete and the Spanish international was set to join Real Madrid in a deal worth around £29 million plus Chilean ‘keeper Keylor Navas who would have been a direct replacement for De Gea. However now it has come to light that La Liga officials did not receive the documentation before the deadline passed at midnight (in Spain) despite United being certain that all documentation was sent in time. At the end of a long summer of speculation the Red Devils finally agreed to part with their star player on Spanish deadline day leaving little time to conclude the deal, perhaps too little. 

Both Real and United both want this deal to happen however it is now very much in doubt. The two clubs are thought to be appealing for an extension or for La Liga to accept the late documentation on the grounds that a technical malfunction occurred causing the delay; if so it is possible the transfer could still however if it is found to be the fault of either club then the transfer will not be permitted. A frustrating evening for Madrid manager Rafael Benítez and David De Gea who were certain the transfer would be completed; a medical had been completed, personal terms had been agreed and a presentation had already been prepared to welcome the Spanish goalkeeper to the Bernabéu however the situation would be less than ideal for Louis Van Gaal either. With just one year in his contract remaining the club risk losing De Gea on a free next year anyway and with the player’s heart set on moving to Madrid he will surely be unsettled and unhappy coming back to Manchester.

As ever deadline day brings with it a lot of drama and no doubt the situation surrounding De Gea will be resolved one way or another in the next few hours. I will be covering deadline day live from the morning through till the deadline at 6pm for all the last minute deals and negotiations. 

 Take a seat, it’s going to be a busy one!

Kevin De Bruyne to sign for Manchester City today.

One of the most protracted deals of the summer will finally be concluded today (Saturday 29) as Belgian International, Kevin De Bruyne, finally signs for Manchester City in a reported fee of £55 million.

 After a difficult second season for Manuel Pelegrini, Manchester City have spent heavily this window strengthening their squad with five new signings including: Aston Villa’s Fabian Delph, Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling and Argentinian defender Nicolas Otamendi of Valencia and the ex Chelsea player is set to be the next arrival. Despite starting the season strongly with an inform Sergio Agüero and a resurgent Yaya Toure, City will be keen to add more goals and attacking flair to their team and De Bruyne certainly brings that. De Bruyne managed 15 goals in all competitions last season while playing mainly in an attacking midfield position and added to that with 25 assists, it is easy to see why Pelegrini and the City board are willing to pay so much the young Belgian who will bring added quality into a City side that has relied heavily on Agüero and David Silva to score and create goals. 
Manchester City had to fight off late interest from cross city rivals Manchester United and Bayern Munich for De Bruyne, the former disappointed yet again in this transfer window will now move onto other targets with just 3 days of business remaining. United manager Louis Van Gaal is determined to land one more ‘star’ play before the Tuesday deadline and may also have to fight to keep wantaway goal keeper David De Gea, although he is reportedly considering selling De Gea if a deal can be found for Gareth Bale.

Remember, I’ll be covering deadline day and all the deals and negotiations live on Tuesday until (and beyond) the 6pm deadline so feel free to pop back! 

A presto.

As reported previously, Tottenham Hotspur have now officially signed Korean forward Heung-Min Son for around £18 million from Bayer Leverkusen pending international clearance. He is not thought to be available for selection tomorrow against Everton as the club awaits his work permit.  

 

Heung-Min Son to sign for Tottenham Hotspur

In a somewhat unexpected turn of events Tottenham are now in talks with Bayer Leverkusen over the prospective transfer of Korean forward Heung-Min Son for a fee in the region of £20 million. Spurs were widely expected to complete the signing of West Bromwich Albion’s Saido Berahino however, following another bid being rejected, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy appears to be considering other targets.

It was reported earlier on in the window that Tottenham had sent a transfer committee out to Germany to scout potential targets such as  Sven Bender and Timo Werner however nothing ever materialized until now. Leverkusen’s sporting director, and former manager, Rudi Voller has confirmed that the Korean international was in in talk with Tottenham and even suggested a medical was underway already: “I saw many medicals in this business where there was no deal afterwards.” Despite Voller’s coyness, it does seem that a deal is very much on the cards now following the players omission from the Champions League match against Lazio.

Having scored 17 goals in all competitions last season from a wide position it is easy to see why Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino would be interested in Son however in this day and age it may not be as simple as it seems. One interpretation of the bid is that Tottenham are attempting to force the hand of West Brom over the sale of Saido Berahino. Keeping an unhappy youngster would be less than ideal for Tony Pulis and now that Tottenham seem to be pursuing other targets the England international could push harder for a move before the window shuts.
The potential sale of Erik Lamela to Inter Milan could be another motive behind the interest in the Son; after a disappointing 2 years in the capital Tottenham are considering cutting their losses on the Argentine winger and Heung-Min Son would be considered a sufficient replacement.

With only 5 days of the transfer window remaining many of the Premier League clubs will be hoping to wrap up deals so it’s likely to be a busy few days. I’ll be covering deadline day and all the deals live here from Tuesday morning right up to the 6pm deadline.

Hasta luego.

Deadline Day looms…

So as Sky Sports are reminding us every 15 minutes the transfer window will be coming to a close within a week now yet there seem to be a plethora of deals to be done before the 6pm deadline next Tuesday here’s a look at just a few…

Stones to Chelsea?

After John Terry’s terrible start to the season José Mourinho’s Chelsea have made it very obvious that they’re in the market for a new centre back, John Stones of Everton, and Terry’s dismissal against West Brom will have only furthered the London club’s interest in the young Englishman. There was speculation last week that Stones had submitted a transfer request however this was dismissed by Everton boss Roberto Martínez. Now however, the news has broken that a transfer request has indeed been made leaving Everton in a predicament and putting Chelsea in a strong position to land the defender in this final days of the transfer window. A deal being done would certainly depend on Chelsea upping their bid to around £40 million and Everton’s ability to bring in an adequate replacement to an already thin defence.

Will Tottenham Strengthen?

Following Harry Kane’s goalless start to the season Tottenham have been making great strides in the last weeks to bring in support for the striker who scored over 30 goals last season. With the signing of Clinton N’Jie they have added a pacey young forward to their ranks, however having scored just 7 goals last year and being unproven in England it is clear to see why Spurs are chasing another striker: Saido Berahino. The young West Brom forward had his breakthrough in the Premier League last season and has caught the attention of Mauricio Pochettino and Daniel Levy due to his pace, versatility and age; all remits for Tottenham under their new transfer policy. Tony Pulis and the West Brom board have been less than happy with the interest in their star player though with two bids and a transfer request rejected up to now. Whether Tottenham land their man or not depends on Levy’s willingness to meet West Brom’s reported £30 million price tag. Aside from Berahino, the North London outfit are also in the market for a defensive midfield player and have shown interest in Vicror Wanyama of Southampton and Sven Bender from Dortmund but with less than a week remaining they may have left it too late.

City to miss out?

Manchester City have been negotiating with Wolfsburg for most of this month over the transfer of winger Kevin de Bruyne and they were closing in on a deal for the young Belgian last week in a deal worth around £50 million. However after missing out to Chelsea on former Barcelona winger Pedro, Louis Van Gaal’s Manchester United have reportedly registered interest in the player as he looks to strengthen his side who have started slowly in the league. With interest from Bayern Munich also being reported in the last few days Pelegrini will be hoping a deal will be found sooner rather than later.

Out of favour.

Emmanuel Adebayor has once again fallen out of favour at Tottenham and has been the subject of much speculation and interest this summer with a number of clubs interested in the Togolese striker. He was on the cusp of linking up with ex-Spurs boss Tim Sherwood until the deal collapsed (despite a medial being completed) due to the player reportedly wanting to remain in London. West Ham have shown an interest in signing Adebayor, as they did in January to no avail, and with Crystal Palace also linked his future certainly seems to be away from White Hart Lane.

At the businesns end of the summer as one club sells another buys and vice-versa meaning we should be in for a busy conclusion to the window. I will be doing my best to cover all deadline day transfers as they happen so sit back and relax as managers around the country scrap and panic to get their deals done as the clock ticks down…

Player Spotlight 1: Nathan Redmond

So, to add a bit more depth and interesting content to the blog I’m planning on posting profiles of some up and coming prospects in the game from around Europe. I’ll be clear that (obviously) at this stage I am not representing any of the players I profile, but if you guys fancy reading up about any young players who could have big futures (with big transfers!) then feel free to have a look!  

 With the 2015/16 season fast approaching what better way to start than with a young Englishman who is coming up to the Premier League with newly promoted Norwich City: Nathan Redmond.

Nathan Redmond, 21, first broke onto the scene at Birmingham City at 16 years of age and since then has gone on to make over 150 first team appearances for both Birmingham and Norwich and 22 caps for England U21. Typically Redmond plays as an out and out right winger, aided by his impressive pace and dribbling skills, however he can also be played on the left wing where he is fond of cutting in on his stronger right foot to get a shot away or take on the opposition defence. 
The aforementioned impressive pace of Redmond can be likened to that of Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain of Arsenal and interestingly the Norwich player created more chances last term than both Sterling and Oxlade-Chamberlain albeit in the league below.

 The main criticism of Redmond would be his finishing. With a total of 7 goals in 77 games for Norwich it is clear that finding the back of the net is something that he has to improve on if he is to reach his potential, however his ability on the ball means that he is always capable of being a threat and bringing other players into the game. 

With talented English players being few and far between and the increasing necessity for English clubs to have homegrown players on their books, a transfer could be on the cards for Nathan Redmond in the next few years especially if he impresses in the 2015/16 season. With just less than 2 years remaining on his contract, and depending on his performance in the coming season, his price tag could reach up to £10m should any club be interested in pursuing this young English talent. 

So there’s the first player profile, a little short I know but I’m just getting the hang on it all! I hope it was interesting and informative for you but bare with me as the quality will only improve over time…

In the beginning…

Good evening folks,

I’m a student of Spanish and Italian language at the University of Liverpool about to embark on the fourth and final year of my degree. I have a strong desire to ply my trade as a football agent (or intermediary as they’ve now been re-branded as) upon finishing my studies and over the next few months and years I hope to document my progress (or lack of!) and update any followers I might pick up along the way!

One final note, for anyone thinking “Oh no, not another ITK” don’t worry! That’s not really my thing, irrespective of the fact I am pretty ‘Out of the Know’ at the moment!

So stay tuned and hopefully we’ll have interesting few years ahead…