Friday, December 17, 2010

French winger in January?

Roy Hodgson today said he hopes for January transfers.

- I can only hope we get some of the injured players back and I can also hope if there is any possibility of transfers in the January window that will help us and make us a better team that I’ll be given the opportunity to take those players, he said Talksport reports.

A 24 years old Frenchman could become Hodgsons first signing in January....
One of the names mentioned most often this fall on the Liverpool transfer rumour mill is that of  Wigan winger Charles N'Zogbia.

According to the Daily Express, Liverpool have held talks over the potential signing of Charles N'Zogbia. The club is ready to table an offer of around £7 million after scouts were dispatched to watch the Wigan winger at close quarters.

It's not the first time Liverpool representatives have been to watch the 24-year-old Frenchman, with three Anfield scouts - including chief talent-spotter Eduardo Macia - allegedly deployed to monitor N'Zogbia during Wigan's Carling Cup victory against Swansea in October.

And, according to Click Lancashire, Roy Hodgson was at the DW Stadium earlier this month and was wowed by N'Zogbia's man-of-the-match performance in the 2-2 draw with Stoke.

N'Zogbia is understood to have been identified as a high-priority target by Liverpool in their pursuit of attacking reinforcements when the transfer window opens next month.

Belgium starlet Eden Hazard has talked up the prospect of a move to Liverpool or Arsenal in the summer after apparently rejecting a move to Chelsea.


Lille winger Hazard, 19, is rated among the most promising talents in Europe and has for some time been talking up the prospect of a move to Real Madrid or Arsenal.

Zinedine Zidane has recommended the player to Madrid, but Hazard has now said he believes his first-team opportunities would be restricted at the Bernabeu and that he would prefer to continue his development at a club like Arsenal.

- I could have gone [to Chelsea] last June, but I was not ready to make that big leap, he said Soccernet reports.

- Recently, the press have been writing about interest from Liverpool, and it is nice to hear your name being mentioned everywhere, especially with the best teams in the world.

- If I do leave at the end of the season, I don't want to go somewhere I will be on the bench, and it will be difficult to break through in a team like Real, where Ronaldo and Kaka will be my competitors. But there are teams like Arsenal, where youngsters can grow more easily into the first team and make their mark.

- I will not leave for another French club because, with 100 matches under my belt for Lille, I don't think I have to prove my qualities for a team in the same league.

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson saw Hazard in action during a recent scouting trip in France.

Sport.co.uk can exclusively reveal that there will not be any transfer for Belgian international Steven Defour.

The Belgian international and Standard Liege midfielder is being followed closely by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, while Liverpool are also monitoring the player's progress.

Speaking exclusively to Sport.co.uk, the player’s chief representative Paul Stefani said the 22-year-old would remain at current club Standard Liege for the remainder of the season to recover from injury.

- He’s injured at the moment. He’s out for three months, he said.

Defour has been relentlessly linked with Manchester United, with Sir Alex Ferguson a known admirer.

Asked if there was any chance that a move could be agreed, Stefani promptly rebuffed the rumours.

- No, no it’s impossible. A January move is impossible.

The player’s representative had previously told Sport.co.uk that as many as seven clubs were interested in Defour.

- Yes, it is true he is being watched. He is being monitored by seven clubs at the moment from England, France, Spain and Italy.

Stefani was then asked if a January move was in the pipe line. He replied:

- We don’t know. It depends on the club and whether or not there is a big move in the January window that could see other people move.

- I have received positive phone calls from clubs in the UK, who have said they can do things, so we will wait and see.

However, another injury set-back means a January move is out of the question.

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