Transfer Deadline Day: All the moves as they happen

Premier League / Mike Norman / 31 August 2011 / 1 Comments

"Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp says that Luka Modric is a million per cent certain to remain a Spurs player, though Peter Crouch can leave with Sunderland and Stoke leading the chase to land the £10m-rated striker."

Tied to a chair and armed with just a TV and a laptop, Mike Norman (and later Jaymes Monte) is here to bring you all the deals as they happen on Transfer Deadline Day.

12:41

Joe Cole has signed for French side Lille on a season-long loan, scuppering Aston Villa's last ditch attempts to take him to Villa Park.

QPR have agreed a fee with Sunderland to take defender Anton Ferdinand to Loftus Road.

12:33 Done Deal

It's official, Gary Neville is staying at Sky Sports, and he is not moving to some Lithuanian non-league football channel as the whole country had hoped.

Stoke have agreed a fee with Birmingham to bring striker Cameron Jerome to the Britannia Stadium, whilst it is also being reported that Stoke is the preferred club of Peter Crouch. Still no more on that 'exciting' news coming out of Old Trafford however (re: 11:35). Maybe it was Darren Fletcher opening his wallet!

12:15

We are still waiting for official confirmation but it definitely looks like both Arsenal and Liverpool have grabbed themselves a centre back each - Per Mertesacker moving to the Gunners and Sebastian Coates moving to Anfield.

Liverpool can be backed at [1.63] and Arsenal at [2.58] in the Top 4 Finish market.

Meanwhile, ala Owen Hargreaves, I've just released a video of myself proving my fitness in the hope I might get a move to a new club soon - take a look.

11:55

I agree with The Other Stevie G's comment below, especially as it looks like Liverpool have agreed to let David N'Gog go to Bolton. That just leaves Suarez, Carroll and Kuyt at the club who can play in attack. Peter Crouch is available you know. Would you have him back? Big man, giant man in attack could be the new big man, small man combo!

11:45

Here's a tip for all you Football Manager fans. Don't go out and buy FM2012 later this year, just load up your FM2011 Editor and replicate all the real life transfers that way. I'm still using FM1979, though I refuse to retire Trevor Brooking. What a wonderful player he was/is... he's 78 now but he still gets 40 goals a season playing in front of Paul Gascoigne and Lionel Messi!

11:35 - Major news

We don't know what it is, but there are reports that there's some exciting news coming out of Old Trafford for Manchester United fans. For the moment though, we'll just have to sit tight and wait for it. Wesley Sneijder anyone? Bit of an anti-climax that wasn't it?

Aston Villa are in talks with Liverpool's Joe Cole. I'm a big fan of Cole, and at his age he definitely needs to be playing regular football. Will be a good deal all round that one.

11:23

The most surprising signing today could be that of Owen Hargreaves by Man City. The England international has been plagued with injuries since he joined Man Utd four years ago, so much so that Sir Alex Ferguson released him at the end of his contract a few months back.

But in an amazing twist Hargreaves, barring any last minute hitches (like a broken leg, cruciate ligament damages etc) is expected to complete a move to City in the next few hours and join a squad that already has excellent players that can play in his position.

What do you think City fans? Will Hargreaves complete your jigsaw?

As well as all the arrivals at Eastlands (can I still call it that?) in the summer there are a handful of players expected to leave the club today. Shaun Wright-Phillips should complete a permanent transfer to QPR, whilst Craig Bellamy is also in talks with the London club. And Stewart Downing has tweeted that James Milner has left the England camp, though my guess is the City midfielder has gone for an early bath, and not to another club.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp says that Luka Modric is a million per cent certain to remain a Spurs player, though Peter Crouch can leave with Sunderland and Stoke leading the chase to land the £10m-rated striker.

11:10

Right, let's start with some odds in the Premier League.

Manchester United are the favourites to retain the title at [2.42], just ahead of neighbours City at [3.15] - both have made magnificent starts to the new season. Chelsea are a rather tasty looking [5.9], how busy will new boss Andre Villas-Boas be today?

In the relegation market QPR can be backed at [2.76] but I have a feeling Neil Warnock and his staff will be bringing in some big names throughout the day and that price may well drift.

11:00

Morning everyone. It's one of the most exciting days in the football calendar today with clubs up and down the country desperately trying to fine-tune their squads before the transfer window slams shut. There will be many twists and turns as the day progresses, and there could even be some huge deals.

All eyes will be on the likes of moneybags Manchester City, Premier League new boys QPR, transfer deadline-crazy Harry Redknapp at Tottenham, and the desperately in need of improving Arsenal.

The betting.betfair team will be here all day to let you know who moves where and who stays put, but it's not all just about the football clubs. You the fans are just as important so please let us know who you would like your club to sign by leaving a comment below. Which players are on your wish list and who are you hoping will be staying put?

It's going to be a very exciting day, and that's about the only thing I can guarantee you at this stage.

Harry 'don't call me a wheeler dealer' Redknapp looks set for a massive day of wheeling and dealing with several players linked to moves in and out of White Hart Lane...

Manchester City are going against the grain and getting someone on the cheap, while Arsenal are going mad and spending some money...

After the Manchester Massacre at the weekend, Wayne Rooney and Edin Dzeko have become joint favourites to finish top Premier League goalscorer...

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Klitschko v Haye: Is it really going to happen this time?

Boxing Betting / Ralph Ellis / 10 May 2011 / Leave a Comment

The two big men

"As we learned when Haye won his title by out manoeuvring the lumbering figure of Nikolai Valuev, behind all the lurid bragging there is a genuine fighter."

They've had a press conference and gone eyeball-to-eyeball but doubt remains as to whether they'll really get down to business, say Ralph Ellis

The contracts are signed, the two fighters have just done their first eyeball to eyeball press conference to promote the contest. The arena is booked for July 2, less than eight weeks away.

And yet still there are more people prepared to bet on David Haye not fighting Wladimir Klitschko than there are on Manchester United not getting the single point they need to be Premier League champions. If anything it underlines the suspicion people have about boxing politics it is that you can still back Wladimir Klitschko to be David Haye's next opponent at anywhere between [1.04] and [1.2].

You can't blame them. Haye has spent nearly three years trying to goad the Ukrainian brothers into the ring, and I for one won't be certain he's got Wladimir to turn up until the first bell goes. There have been so many twists and turns to the saga, so many training injuries that put off other fights or hastened them, so many insults and lurid stunts. It seems every time it's been on, it's immediately been off.

But at last it seems our brash British hero has got his way. He will put his own WBA version of the title at stake in Hamburg on July 2 in search of Wladimir's three belts - the IBF, IBO and WBO versions. It's a reward for all those insults. And guess what? They aren't stopping now.

Haye tried to come up with a line that would make him more appealing to a British public who instinctively don't like his brash boasting. He talked about honouring the memory of the great Sir Henry Cooper, the man who did most to make heavyweight boxing in Britain a mainstream sport.

But it couldn't last. There was a six-minute stare down, ended only when Haye's trainer Adam Booth put a sheaf of paper between them. Then came the accusation that the younger of the Klitschko brothers is no more than a fraud. The 13 fighters put away by Wladimir since his last defeat - to Lamon Brewster in April 2004 - have been, according to Haye, "fat little American puddings who come over here to get a cheque and get beat." For somebody whose last "fight" was the ridiculous strictly come dancing match with Audley Harrison it leaves him open to three words: pot, kettle, black.

But don't be confused. As we learned when Haye won his title by out manoeuvring the lumbering figure of Nikolai Valuev, behind all the lurid bragging there is a genuine fighter. And when the talking stops he has proper talent, meaning Betfair's early markets making him the outsider for the Klitschko contest at [2.6] presents a great opportunity. And Wladimir won't go down easily, so the [12.5] for Haye to win by a decision is even more tempting.

Whichever way you side, there's no doubt the fight will be one of the great betting events - and come to that great sporting events - of the year. Providing, of course, it actually happens!

Five things you might not know about Lamon Brewster
1. Born in an Indianapolis ghetto in June 1973, he was the oldest of four boys. His dad was a boxing fan who owned a pair of gloves he once fought with - but forbade the young Lamon ever to touch them
2. Aged seven he started going to the local gym with an 86-year-old white trainer called Bill Brown who had once sparred with Jack Dempsey
3. His trainer Bill Slayton died through cancer three months before his win over Klitschko. He said he won the fight because he ignored the advice the new guy was giving him
4. He retired in January after an eye injury caused him to lose to Robert Helenius. He claimed the Finnish fighter tampered with his gloves
5. He's now supporting a campaign to prevent cruelty to animals

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