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PMF News Headlines
News & Rumours
Looking for the latest gossip? Then look no further. The
press are always looking for a story, and most of them can be found here.
Player unrest, transfer gossip, stories. Most of what you read in here has
been heard on the grapevine. It's up to you to decide whether or not you are
going to believe everything you read.
To view the rumours from previous months:
August/October '02 ,
November '02
Check the rumours archive from
last season -
click here
Thursday 5th December
Ani Palat confirmed as Portugal manager
Ani Palat has been confirmed as Portugal's new manager after months of
speculation linked both the popular Manchester United manager and World Cup
winner Luis Filipe Scolari to the vacant post. Palat, who has vowed to
"instill a bit of confidence" into the 'Golden Generation' of Portugese
football, has already lined up a friendly with African giants Cameroon next
week in a game that many fans will be hoping to see the new and improved
Portugal.
Vlatask blasts Pamungkas rumours
Charlton boss Vlaschev Vlatask has blasted the Press for recent rumours
that their Indonesian striker Bambang Pamungkas is 'homesick' and 'wants to
return to Indonesia'. The Addicks manager claimed the reports were
"purely fictional" after Pamungkas was linked with a loan move back to
former club Persija. In other Charlton striking news, Vlatask is
apparently interested in partnering Pamungkas with Indonesia's most famous
player Kurniawan, currently at Division 4 club Wolves. It is believed
that the former PSM striker, whose full name is Achmed Kurniawan, would cost
around £1.25m after being relegated to the bench by new boss Dafydd
Williams.
Competition gets permission for go-ahead
The English game received a big boost today after the PFM Board allowed
their clubs to enter the Coca-Cola Cup. The billion-dollar
multinational company have already gained permission from the ruling bodies
of Spain, Germany, Italy and France, among others, about using their clubs
for the tournament, which would see fringe club players getting a chance to
shine on an international stage. It is believed that tournament
organisers will be considering all applications from English clubs, as they
also seek a suitable location to host the tournament.
Wolves snap up three more free agents
Wolves manager Dafydd Williams has picked up three more players on free
transfers today as he looks to rebuild his squad on a small budget.
The Welshman managed to sign a player for his vacant rightback position,
snapping up former Dutch international Ferdinand Vierklau after he was
released from Ajax in October. The other moves saw Slovenia's World
Cup striker Milan Osterc join the club after leaving modest Israeli club
Hapoel Tel Aviv in the summer, while Latvian left winger Andrejs Rubins
arrives after a disastrous spell at Crystal Palace where he was described as
a "truly awful signing" by chairman Simon Jordan, and all could be tested
out in an upcoming Under-23 tournament. These three join a number of
other players who joined the club this week in similar deals.
Arsenal thump Coventry in friendly
Arsenal's critics were silenced again yesterday as the improving Gunners
cut an experienced Coventry City defence to ribbons to record a convincing
4-2 friendly win at Highfield Road. Despite the Sky Blues taking the
lead at the start of the second half, the experimental Arsenal side blew
them away, with goals to Malcolm Christie, Kevin Nolan, Graham Barrett and
new boy Landon Donovan sealing the win. Coventry boss James Brady must
be a little concerned about the ease of the victory, while his counterpart
Johan Gudjonsson looked delighted after the final whistle.
Chelsea finalise Gilberto Silva signing
After two awkward days in transfer limbo, Brazilian World Cup winner
Gilberto Silva has linked up with his new Chelsea team mates in London.
Apparently Chelsea and his former club Atletico Mineiro had agreed terms on
Tuesday, but problems with paperwork from the Brazilian side had delayed the
transfer, leaving Gilberto Silva in limbo. Everything was confirmed
today though, and Gilberto got through his first training session unscathed.
Watford snap up Basler from struggling
Kaiserslautern
Former German heavyweights Kaiserslautern have been forced to offload
forceful midfield Mario Basler to English club Watford for £2.1m. This
represents a transfer victory for Hornets boss Christian Hjulsgaard, whose
search for an experienced head in midfield appeared fruitless until he moved
for Basler. He joins from the troubled Kaiserslautern, who are
struggling both on and off the playing field.
Today's Transfer Rumours
German legend
Karl-Heinz Riedle has been linked with a temporary move to Watford,
according to reports from a German newspaper. The striker was at
Vicarage Road doing a report for a German television football show when he
was apparently talked to by club chairman Trevor Dolphin about a possible
move to help with the development of the club's youth team.
Giovane Elber
has admitted that he would be interested in a move to PFM is Bayern Munchen
were to sign a replacement for him in the near future. The Brazilian
star hinted that a move to Arsenal or to Merseyside would interest him after
Bayern club officials confirmed that they would be looking at strikers in
the near future.
Another Bayern
player, Owen Hargreaves, was today linked with a move to Manchester United.
It was reported that manager Ani Palat had enquired about the young
midfielder, the only foreign-based player called up to the England squad for
the European Championship Qualifiers, but was told that the young star is
not available.
Unhappy
Chilean striker Marcelo Salas is apparently keen on joining Arsenal, with
his club Juventus said to be willing to take England striker Malcolm
Christie in part exchange. Salas has struggled to get into the
first-team at the Stadio Delle Alpi despite injuries to other first-team
strikers, and would seriously consider a move to London if approached.
Despite only
just joining the club, Leicester winger Lionel Scaloni has been linked with
a return to Spain, with impressive Real Sociedad. The talented
Argentine is apparently unhappy with the lack of ambition at Filbert Street
over the off-season, and could make a £5m move to the Spanish Liga leaders.
Wednesday 4th December
Ferdinand fined one weeks wage
A source from Vicarage Road has confirmed that not only has Les
Ferdinand missed one day's training at the club, but that management have
fined the former international one weeks wage. The figure is believed
to be in the region of £15,000, and the fine was imposed after Ferdinand
could not supply an adequate reason for missing training.
Coca-Cola to establish competition?
Several European newspapers are today reporting that international
company Coca-Cola are interested in setting up a competition for European
clubs, as PFM's Season 2 still seems a number of months away. It was
reported that they had approached the PFM Board about establishing a
competition in the same vein as the failed Reserve League, but would hand
picked by the sponsors. Rumoured to be lined up are Everton and
Liverpool from England, Glasgow Rangers from Scotland, and a number of
Italian, French, and Spanish clubs.
Glasgow giants give biggest hint towards
southern defection
Glasgow Rangers chairman David Murray has given the biggest hint yet
that his club are interested in a move to PFM in an interview with the
club's official website. Murray told www.rangers.co.uk that due to the
poor income from television and sponsors in Scotland, his club could be
forced to approach PFM. He suggested that Rangers would be prepared to
enter into Division 4 within the next three years, if an agreement could be
reached between PFM and the SFA.
Morrison to miss Azerbaijan clash
Republic of Ireland boss Pat McEvoy will have a selection headache for
this weekend's tricky home clash against Azerbaijan after Fulham striker
Clinton Morrison was forced to pull out of the game with an ankle injury.
Apparently the former Crystal Palace star badly sprained his ankle while
attempting to show off for reporters at a photo shoot at a national team
training session, although officials have denied this claim.
Charlton linked with Recoba bid
French daily paper L'Equipe has quoted an unnamed Inter Milan
official in saying that Division 2 club Charlton Athletic have made a
tentative bid of £12m for reserve striker Alvaro Recoba. The Uruguayan
international has struggled to get a regular game with the Milan giants with
the recent arrival of Hernan Crespo, and he has been linked to a London club
since the summer when he admitted he would one day like to play for a club
in the capital.
Tuesday 3rd December
Keown defends Seaman
Arsenal legend Martin Keown has defended the club's goalkeeper and new
captain David Seaman after boss Johan Gudjonsson claimed that if Seaman made
any mistakes, he would immediately be dropped. "That is just a crazy
thing to say," said Keown. "David needs support right now, he is a
talented goalkeeper and he's going through a rough time after being dropped
from the national squad. Now he has his boss claiming that if he drops
any points for the club, he'll be dropped from there too. I don't know
if this is some sort of another ploy from Johan, but he needs to learn how
to handle his players a lot better."
Strained relationships at Watford
Christian Hjulsgaard and Trevor Dolphin have created unrest at Watford
after transfer listing nine players overnight, as the club looks to battle a
potentially crippling wage bill. Top names to be on the list include
Ramon Vega, Les Ferdinand, and Elena Marcelino, while summer signing Kevin
Street has also been listed after the resignation of former boss George
Brent. Rumour has it that Ferdinand refused to turn up to training
yesterday as he shopped around for a new club, although his agent denied
these claims.
Collina confirmed as referee
UEFA announced today that the world's top referee, Pierluigi Collina of
Italy, would be in charge of the Group A clash between England and Belgium
this coming Saturday. England officials had apparently been concerned
that UEFA could try an inexperienced referee in this game, and are delighted
that Collina was chosen.
Owen ruled out of opening fixture
England boss Matt Hansen will have a selection headache to deal with
after star striker Michael Owen was ruled out of their opening fixture with
Belgium today. Apparently Owen is struggling with a knee problem, and
medical experts at Liverpool will not allow Owen to play until they assess
exactly what the problem is.
Monday 2nd December
Gallacher planning mass Tykes exodus
Barnsley boss Will Gallacher has placed ten players on the transfer list
as Barnsley desperately look for some cash to spend on new blood. Even
club favourites Kevin Miller, Chris Morgan and Matty Appleby were not spared
as Gallacher looks to stamp his authority on the club, whom many are
predicting will struggle this season with their lack of any real star
players.
Gautier chasing a midfielder
Chelsea boss Jacques Gautier is rumoured to be on the verge of signing
Brazil's midfielder Gilberto Silva from Atletico Mineiro. Officials
from the Brazilian club are suggesting that the World Cup star, 26, is ready
to agree personal terms with the Londoners if the two clubs can agree a
price, believed to be in the region of £5m.
Asper finally returns to Blackburn
Blackburn Rovers players are fuming over the return of dissident
goalkeeper Mattias Asper. Rumours are flying that as many as five
Rovers players are demanding answers from boss Pat McEvoy as to why the
goalkeeper was allowed to return, despite putting off the transfer for three
days while he made his decision. One newspaper in Sweden has even
suggested that McEvoy is prepared to sell Asper to IFK Göteborg for £250,000
to appease the players, although no official word has come from Ewood Park
as yet.
Marcelle to return to action for Charlton
'All's well that ends well' will be Charlton midfielder Clint Marcelle's
motto for next season after it was revealed he is likely to return to
playing for the club, after being found not guilty of murder. The
retired Trinidad & Tobago international was charged with murder following
the shooting death of a man in a London nightclub in late October, but
pleaded not guilty, and was last week acquitted of all charges.
Gudjohnsen nightmare ends
The controversy surrounding Icelandic striker Eidur Gudjohnsen's future
at Chelsea ended recently when he made a £5.5m move to cross-town rivals
Arsenal. The deal saw Gunners midfielder Grant McCann join in
exchange, and is believed to have been made quickly after Gudjohnsen again
criticised manager Jacques Gautier on his management style. Gautier
was said to be "glad to be rid of" Gudjohnsen who was reportedly causing a
large amount of unrest in the Chelsea dressing room.
Rooney called up to England squad
Everton manager Aussie Jones will have a hard time keeping wraps on the
growing profile of 17 year old Wayne Rooney after new England boss Matt
Hansen named the striker in his 40-man squad for the European Championship
Qualifiers. Jones has attempted to play down the rise of Rooney, who
last season broke all sorts of records in the club's junior ranks. If
Rooney plays for England before Season 2 of PFM, he will be the first player
in the country's history to have represented his country at senior level
before playing a senior game for a club.
Ferdinand and Vega tipped to leave Hornets
Highly-paid stars Les Ferdinand and Ramon Vega are said to be top of the
list of players to leave the club in the near future, according to Watford
chairman Trevor Dolphin. Dolphin hinted that a number of players could
be leaving the club to ease pressure on the mounting wage bill at Vicarage
Road. Already the two have been linked with moves; Ferdinand, 36 this
month, was reported yesterday to be on the verge of a free transfer to
Burnley, while former Grasshopper Club Zurich defender Vega, 30, is said to
be interested in a move back to his native Switzerland.
Former star plays down Arsenal's chances
Arsenal's retired central defender Martin Keown has played down
Arsenal's chances of an all-successful year when the official club website
exclaimed "Arsenal could just be about to have a remarkable season" after
their 4-1 victory over lowly Cardiff City. "He (new manager Johan
Gudjonsson) has a lot of work to do to keep that team together and playing
well," said Keown. "One friendly win over a team like Cardiff doesn't
mean that Division 2 is ours just yet". He also criticised Gudjonsson
for naming veteran goalkeeper David Seaman as club captain, claiming that is
was "a ploy" to keep Seaman happy after it has been widely recognised that
the Icelandic manager will drop Seaman for younger alternatives Stuart
Taylor and Richard Wright.
Tiberio in trouble at Portman Road
Rumours are pouring out of Portman Road that new club boss Antonio
Tiberio is deeply involved in a match fixing scandal. They come after
claims that Tiberio had pocketed over £300,000 from seeing his team struggle
in Reserve League Group C, where he refused to use big-name signings like
Romario, Zago and Nwankwo Kanu, and instead used the club's youngsters
against near full-strength Everton and Manchester United teams. Rumour
has it that the PFM Board will launch an enquiry sometime before Christmas
over these allegations of match fixing and betting scandals surrounding the
Italian manager.
International call-up surprises
There were two major shocks in the international call-ups last week.
First of all, from Russia, boss Vlaschev Vlatask named Brazilian-born, and
recently naturalised Russian Róbson Luís Pereira da Silva - Robson for short
- in his squad. The striker currently plays for Lorient in France, but
accepted the call from the Russian FA and had his citizenship application
sped up to just under 24 hours. Then in Denmark, new boss Christian
Hjulsgaard received a big boost when national goalkeeping hero Peter
Schmeichel accepted the call to come into the squad. While 'The Great
Dane' is not expected to play, his presence in the squad will surely lift
them as they look to emulate their feats of 1992.
van der Meyde linked with Everton
Sensational claims from Amsterdam today, as witnesses spotted new
Everton signing Jon Dahl Tomasson chatting with Ajax starlet Andy van der
Meyde - apparently about life at the Toffees. van der Meyde has been
linked with clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus in the past, but
apparently Toffees boss Aussie Jones is a big admirer of the Dutch national
team member, and has reportedly asked chairman Bill Kenwright to table a
tentative bid of £17m to bring the player from Amsterdam to Liverpool. |
