Football Dispatch

Weekend Football
15 June 2007
Lord Stevens, the former Metro Police Commissioner, has completed his inquest into alleged bungs within Premier League transfers. His investigation focused on seventeen particular transactions and indicted five clubs. Each of Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, and Portsmouth were finger-pointed in Stevens' report -- Bolton and Newcastle combining for the majority of the offenses. Former Trotters manager Sam Allardyce and ex-Toon boss Graeme Souness were singled-out for transfers involving the likes of Jean-Alain Boumsong, Emre, Tal Ben Haim, and Amady Faye. The deals which brought Didier Drogbe, Peter Cech, and Michael Essien to Stamford Bridge are also surrounded by skepticism. Much of Stevens' inquest involved the roles of agents in big-money transfers and the back-payments to managers who financially accomodate the players. Allardyce was thought to have been involved in such deals as recently as last season. When the allegations against him came to light, he was turned-down as a candidate for the vacant England job. Stevens' findings will now be turned-over the the FA.

Darren Bent has thumbed his nose at Alan Curbishley. The Charlton Athletic striker rejected a lucrative move to West Ham, yesterday, and is likely to remain at the Valley as Addicks begin their Championship campaign next term. Hammers had offered 16M-pounds and midfielder Hayden Mullins as compensation for the twice-capped England man -- well above Charlton's 14M-pound asking-price. Curbishley was even prepared to double Bent's salary to an estimated 70,000-pounds per-week. After meeting with West Ham owner Eggart Magnuson in London, yesterday, however, the 23-year-old declined the offer. Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are believed to be interested in Bent. But with identical bids of 10M-pounds, one or both will have to jack their offers in order to land the player.

After being turned-down by Gerrard Houlier, Claudio Ranieri, and Juande Ramos, Manchester City has turned their attention to luring Didier Deschamps to Eastlands. Chief Executive Alistair Mackintosh was in Paris this week to discuss terms with the 38-year-old former France skipper. As a player, the Bayonne-born defensive midfielder spent much of his career between Marseille and Juventus and had a brief, one-year stint at Chelsea. Last season, Deschamps succeeded Fabio Capello at Juventus and managed the Bianconeri back to the Serie-A in the wake of the match-fixing scandal. He resigned his post in Turin at the conclusion of the season.

Manchester United are tipped to capture Eidur Gudjohnsen from Barcelona. The 29-year-old Iceland international failed to impress at the Nou Camp last season; and the club would prefer to recoup some of the 8.2M-pounds it spent to bring him from Chelsea in 2006. Sir Alex Ferguson's bargaining chip is not his substantial transfer-kitty, however, but defender Gerard Pique. The Spaniard spent all of last season on loan at Real Zaragoza after United lured him away from Barcelona's youth academy. Now it seems as though the brass at the Nou Camp would prefer to see Pique return to the fold -- and are prepared to part with Gudjohnsen in order to make it happen.

Arsenal are closing-in on Ajax striker Ryan Babel. The 21-year-old Dutchman has been a revelation in Amsterdam since making his debut in 2004 and has scored 4-times for Holland in fourteen international appearances. National-team manager Marco Van Basten has gone so far as to claim that Babel is the next Thierry Henry -- a statement Arsene Wenger is doubtful to take lightly. Wenger will also be tempted by the relatively low asking-price of 6M-pounds -- an affordable price, even for Arsenal.

AC Milan remain hopeful that they can bring Andriy Shevchenko back to the San Siro ahead of next season. Club president Silvio Berlusconi is particularly optimistic, remarking, "I consider Sheva as my son." The former Italian prime minister also claimed that sporting director Adriano Galliani believed the likelihood of Shevchenko's return to the Rossoneri to be upwards of 80%. Also of note, Berlusconi happens to be the godfather of Shevchenko's son.