Birmingham after Best, Gosling and Ben Arfa keen and Owen elicits responses

Posted on June 3rd, 2011 | 17 Comments |

Birmingham are after Newcastle's Leon Best.
Birmingham target, allegedly
Birmingham allegedly want Newcastle’s Leon Best. Dan Gosling and Hatem Ben Arfa gets in some early pre-season training. And Michael Owen seems to have upset a few people.

With all the speculation about who we might be buying, I’d quite forgotten that other teams might want some of our players other than Jose Enrique.

If you believe the Mail (no tittering), freshly relegated Birmingham are after Leon Best to replace Cameron Jerome who Alex McLeish seems resigned to losing. I actually thought Leon Best did a decent job for us last season, getting 6 goals in 12 games, and of all our current strikers he’s the one I’d most like to keep, but I guess it depends on who we bring in over the summer to enhance our goal-scoring capabilities.

How much do you think Best is worth anyway?

Both Dan Gosling and Hatem Ben Arfa have made an early return for pre-season training to ensure that they’re fully fit for next season.

Assistant Manager John Carver said:

“Both Dan and Hatem will be back and up to scratch for the new season.

“Dan is going to the US first to have a family holiday, then he’ll do some warm weather training before joining us for the games in the States.

“It’s the same for Hatem. Last season we knew there was no point in risking anybody once we were safe.

“Dan and Hatem looked really good in training.”

Midget striker Michael Owen caused quite a stir with his ‘poor team’ jibe at Newcastle, enlisting comments from more than just the fans. Derek Llambias had this to say:

“I’m very disappointed. Under Kevin Keegan’s management he was offered a one-year extension at £140K a week which he did not take. He was already on £133K. His time here cost £40-odd million, about £1.3M per goal.”

And ex-Chairman Freddie Shepherd said:

“We might have been a poor team but we made him a rich man. He spent more time ferrying between Cheshire and Tyneside in his £3.5M helicopter.”

Still, we can take solace in the fact that he’ll probably get his head chewed off by Sir Alex for his Twitty comments. Ferguson is no fan of players commenting on things like Twitter and Faceberk by all accounts.

Right, well I’ll go and challenge my linguistic skills on the foreign press and see if there any juicy rumours.

I do know that both Gameiro and Gervinho plan to announce their transfer ambitions over the next few weeks. Gervinho said:

“During the week I’ll announce my decision so that everyone knows.

“I love the Premier League, but I have interest from Spain and Germany as well, so let’s wait and see.”

And Gameiro said:

“I will decide on my future in one or two weeks.

“I already have an idea. I very much like Spain, but other clubs are following me.

“It is up to me to make a good choice, I will not go to a team where I’ll be on the bench all year. I want to play and it will be up to me to seize my chance.”

Alas I have my doubts that we’ll get either player.

NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10). Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.

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Posted on by Hugh de Payen in category: Dan Gosling and Derek Llambias and Freddy Shepherd and Hatem Ben Arfa and Hugh de Payen and Injuries and fitness and Interviews and John Carver and Leon Best and Michael Owen and NUFC gossip and speculation , with tags: , ,
Comment on this post

17 Responses

  1. The most interesting point ,WHY did the club offer the parasite a contract extension of £ 140k a week?

  2. owen is nothng more than a washed out footy player with a damaged ego and chip on his shoulder. All he has ever cared about is scoring for england, thats it.
    Word is the jose deal was rejected and he is offski to liverpool and is a done deal. Our board have asked to keep it qt until we manage to buy in a player so that they dont look like tos55ers.
    All in all…. despite all the big noises etc, we have yet to sign anyone other than that 18 year old kid and tie up fergie on five year deal.
    Leon Best to the blue noses… well i think all our front line is pi55 poor but he was prob the best, along with the ranger potential. ah well, whatever.

  3. As for Best,Ill offer thyem best and williamson for scott dann. or around 3 million in cool cash.

    Hope gosling & HBA return as good as they can get.

    Michael owen – Man what a joke, i remember i think it was 31st aug 2005 when he was unveiled with shephered and Souness there. i could see it was a Match MADE in HELL.

    From First day everyone knew he had a Buy out clause of 12.5 million going down every year.

  5. I think we could get £3m for him, But i am not sure birmingham, even with their rich owner pill pay that. if you know what i mean.

    Plus on a side note i hd to have a chuckle abt keane and Bentley both on loans got their teams relegated. how poor were they.

  6. mick G… i recall why, we were surrounded by loads of negative press as usual over transfer dealings etc and they wanted to re-sign owen to calm the fans and placate kk. kinda glad we didnt.
    Also, and i hate to say this… godo to see Dekka come out and lay bare owens wage structure and spell out that he cost over 40 million , hardly played and averaged over a million quid a goal hahahah. Even untied forces with fat freddy i see to nail owen. Not bad for once Dekka.

  8. I thought we had this Gameiro fella all signed up? Wasn’t that stated on here earlier in the week?

    I know it’s early doors in the transfer window, but I can just see how this will end. We will be told that we now have Gosling and HBA to pick for the team and “it’s like having two new bodies through the door”

    We need to step up a gear this season. The clubs below us were very, very poor this season. Next season might not be so easy.

  9. 1) I’d keep Best & Lover, sell strola & Xisco & loan out Ranger & Airey.

    2) Good to hear both players are raring to go & look like they’ll both be playing in the States in pre-season..

    3) Owen, what can you say, from what I read of his comments, he said ‘he’d rather play some games at a great club, than every game at a poor club’ which people seem to think he was refering to the Toon… well considering he only made 71 appearences in 5 yrs at the Toon, I don’t class that as playing every game, do you… so the only team he did play most for was Cessepool where he made 297 appearences, so it much be them he’s having a dig at, not us… ;) ;)

  11. I think there’s a little dig at Keegan in Llambias’ statement as well….

  13. New to this blog and thought would arrive with some transfer news;

    Apparently we are in for Brede Hangeland £7.5mil, and N’Zogbia for £10mil with him saying on twitter that he enjoyed his time at toon and that we are a big club!

    Personally think that love him or hate him he would give us great width and hangeland would be a strong addition to the defence.

    would like to see a right back come in to give simpson competition.

    Noises are coming out of chelsea that sturridge will leave and as is the way with the toon at the mo we never find out about transfers until they completely done and wouldnt suprise me if sturridge lined up for us next year!

  14. 13…..al the info out of chelksi is the oppoasite mate. they are all saying he is staying and has huge potential and will be the dogs nuts. forget sturridge. They know his value and will not sell.
    Zogs would be great so god knows why we dont just give 10 million and be done with it, so much waffle from our club and red tape.
    as for cabaye…well, he hasnt signed has he and its all gone very qt on that one aswell.
    like i say.. basically , we have done nothing yet.
    If gosling nad arfa are fit then the club would be well correct to say they are like new signings, i would agree with that one.
    We need a top left back to take joses slot and two real strikers.

  15. Actually the best news IMO is that we are preparing to sign Izaguirre and are willing to get into a bidding war to do it.
    Would be the ideal replacement for Enrique, apparently while watching Forster our scouts have been raving about the guy.
    Appears there`s going to be some major changes in the side, with both major comings and goings.
    So ! has Ashley had a change of plan ?
    Are we to become the side we were under SBR, challenging in the top six ?
    Or is it a cull of highly compensated players, being replaced by younger mainly lower paid French players looking to strut their stuff, pick up a pay check , then move to a bigger club (a`la Enrique)?
    Last season was nothing to write home about and it seems we are looking at players with pace and technical skills, or if you prefer a bit of flair .
    That`s fine by me we have been stuck with a bunch of plodders and it will be a treat to watch a side that can entertain with some attractive football.
    At present Barcelona are the benchmark and only one EPL side plays that style of football, though they have`nt been so successful and that`s Arsenal.
    However i doubt if we have the coaches and certainly don`t have a manager who can emulate the football played by either side.
    In which case that has to be remedied first, a team has to play the type of football they train for, both tactically and technically.
    And I really cant see Pardew as that person.

  16. Liam southern toon says:
    June 3, 2011 at 11:31 am

    “New to this blog and thought would arrive with some transfer news;”

    Welcome Liam.

  17. N’Zogbia please no.Cant beleive any1 would want this guy back,let him stay with the huge team he signed for.