Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Defenders and forwards on the radar

Following Jamie Carraghers dislocated shoulder a few defenders are being linked with Liverpool for the January transfer window.
Liverpool are being backed to make a move for Bolton defender Gary Cahill in January, according to The Guardian.

The 24-year-old England international - who has been consistently linked with a move away from the Reebok in recent weeks - with a view to making a bid in the New Year.

Arsenal had originally been expected to do battle with Manchester United for the services of Cahill, who is thought to have caught the eye of both Gunners boss Arsene Wenger and United supremo Sir Alex Ferguson with a string of imperious displays for the Trotters.


But Liverpool are now apparently the frontrunners for his signature as Roy Hodgson looks to bolster his defence following the long-term layoff of Anfield hero Jamie Carragher.

According to the Mail on Sunday, Arsenal will launch a £10 million bid for the Liverpool and Manchester United target, but Bolton manager Owen Coyle has slapped a £25 million price-tag on his prized asset.

An earlier linked defender is Lille's Adil Rami.

He is seen as the ideal candidate to replace the aforementioned club legend, according to Goal.com.

Valued at £12 million, the report claims Hodgson is ready to match the Ligue 1 side’s valuation of  a player the Liverpool manager has been tracking even prior to Carragher’s injury.

Rami impressed during France’s recent friendly against England at Wembley and has in the past attracted interest from Manchester United and Arsenal.

The 24-year-old of Moroccan descent has thrived in the new France setup engineered by the impressive Laurent Blanc, and having made his debut in August of this year, the former Frejus youngster is something of a mainstay in the former Manchester United defender’s squads this season.

A forward that has been heavily linked with Liverpool the last few weeks is out of favour Sampdoria striker Antonio Cassano.

Now Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti has ruled his side out of the race to sign Sampdoria outcast Antonio Cassano calling it ‘fantasy football’, GiveMeFootball reports.

Cassano has recently had a falling out with Sampdoria and, despite apologising to their president several times, looks set to be released.

The Genovese side are currently trying to annul Cassano’s contract, after the striker refused to attend an awards ceremony with his team mates and then verbally abused president Riccardo Garrone, and are set to find out the outcome on December 3.

That means the 28-year-old could be available on a free transfer, with Liverpool, Inter Milan, Manchester City and Fiorentina all mooted as potential suitors.

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is currently compiling a shortlist of January transfer targets and, if Cassano’s contract is terminated, he would be a fantastic coup for the Anfield club.

Another striker that has come back on the transfer radar is the towering Norwegian John Carew.

The Norway international has had a poor relationship with Villa Park boss Gerard Houllier since his days at Lyon, and a recent spat between the two in back and forth media interviews has not aided their relationship.

Carew’s future at Villa Park now looks bleak, and with his contract expiring at the end of the season, the player will be free to talk to clubs from January.

According to Caughtoffside The 6’5″ Norwegian’s agent Per Arne Flod said:

- Every day I receive calls from clubs all over Europe interested in Carew but there are no concrete offers on the table.

In January there is not likely to be a shortage of offers, and Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson is believed to want Carew as a plan B for the club should Fernando Torres be injured, and as an impact player from the bench.

Yesterday Liverpool again was linked with West Ham forward Carlton Cole. But now it seems the Hammers har re-thinking theire options.

Cole impressed as the Hammers won for the second game in succession - a 4-0 demolition of Manchester United in the Carling Cup - and netted twice.

And now the club's bosses are thinking twice about whether to cash in on the England international, who was expected to bring in up to £8million in revenue for the cash-strapped east Londoners, Metro reports.

Their quest to get off the bottom of the table - and then to avoid relegation by the end of the season - is likely to hinge on their firepower.

Cole has been a target for former Fulham manager Roy Hodgson for a few years, and he is now keen to take him to new club Liverpool as an able deputy for star man Fernando Torres.

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