Archive » 2009 » February

Everton could lead the chase for Portsmouth’s want-away playmaker Niko Kranjcar according to the Daily Mail. The Croatian hasn’t recaptured last season’s form at Fratton Park, due in large part to injury and alleged disharmony, and David Moyes is said to be keen on bringing the player up north.

The current top scorer in Europe was is not one of the biggest names in club football such as Samuel Eto’o of Barcelona, Luca Toni of Bayern or Nicolas Anelka of Chelsea. Instead the top scorer is a little known Austrian by the name of Marc Janko who has scored a staggering 31 league goals in just 21 appearances (19 starts) this season – and he could be heading to Celtic this summer. The Hoops are desperate to bring in a new forward to boost their striking options and Gordon Strachan has received glowing reports about the highly rated Red Bull Salzburg player who is also attracting the interest of several other big European teams. His ‘Roy of Rovers’ goal-scoring exploits include five hat-tricks already in the Austrian Bundesliga as well as 4 goals in a 4-3 win over bottom club Altach in October.

Aston Villa are preparing a £7 million swoop for Manchester City defender Micah Richards. Villans manager Martin O’Neill is thought to be a big fan of the versatile defender, who can play in the centre of defence or as a right-back and has even featured in midfield.

Long-term Wolves target Christophe Berra should seal a deal with the Midlands club on Monday after undergoing a medical at Molineux. The typically undisclosed fee transfer now looks all but a formality, with personal terms already agreed.

Robbie Keane has completed his return to Tottenham from Liverpool. The Republic of Ireland striker only signed for the Reds last summer in a £20 million deal. However, he has struggled to impress at Anfield and scored just seven goals in 28 appearances. Keane said: “It was a difficult decision to make to leave Tottenham in the summer. It proved not to be the right move for me. I know some Spurs fans will feel I let them down by leaving but I can assure them I shall be giving my all for this club – this club has terrific fans and I want to repay them for all their support. We’ve got to get on and fight our way up that league table.” Chairman Daniel Levy added: “We never wanted Robbie to leave in the summer. We acknowledged the six years dedicated service he gave this club and reluctantly let him go. I am delighted that he has chosen to return to us. We can all recall the passion and fight he displayed during his previous seasons with us. I know he is determined to give us his full commitment.”