Birmingham City Transfer News and Rumours, Wednesday 2 March
Birmingham City defender Roger Johnson is ready for the challenge of European football next season and is willing to ignore the attentions of some of the Premier League big guns, according to Metro.
Johnson is rumoured to be a target for both Liverpool and Spurs but team-mate Ben Foster says he expects the 27-year-old to remain at St Andrews next season as they prepare to face the Europa League next season following their 2-1 win over Arsenal in the Carling Cup Final on Sunday.
“With the amount of money some teams have, everybody has their price,” said Foster. “But we need him playing for us, doing the job he does for us.”
However, one man who looks set to leave St Andrews is Lee Bowyer. The 34-year-old midfielder is out of contract at the end of the season and says he has already been told that there will be no new deal.
“My deal is done in the summer here at Birmingham so I will be looking elsewhere,” he said.
“I think at the moment the club have said no and a new contract is not going to happen.
“I wanted to stay anyway even before we won the cup. They might want to keep me on – you never know. It is not up to me, it is up to the club. All I can do is try to put in performances.”
However, the veteran still thinks he can do a job and is looking to stay in the game.
“I’m 34 and I can still do it, so we will have to see what happens. I feel good,” he said.
A combative midfielder, Bowyer has played 68 games for the Blues since signing on a two-year deal from West Ham in 2009. He has played 568 games in a 17-year career, scoring 95 goals.
Arsenal and Ipswich have been drawn together in the semi-final of the Carling Cup.
The first leg will take place at Portman Road during the week commencing 10 January 2011 with the second leg two weeks later at the Emirates Stadium.
In the other semi-final West Ham face Birmingham with the first leg at Upton Park and the return leg two weeks later during the week commencing 24 January 2011 at St Andrews.
Arsenal are now hot favourites to capture their first trophy since 2005. The Gunners have won the competition on two previous occasions: in 1987 and the last time in 1993. Ipswich have never been in the final of the competition.
West Ham have twice been losing finalists in the competition: in 1966 when they lost a two-legged final to West Brom 5-3 on aggregate, and in 1981 when Liverpool beat them 2-1 in a replay at Villa Park.
Birmingham have reached the final on one occasion, defeating local rivals Aston Villa 3-1 on aggregate in 1963.
Draw
Ipswich Town v Arsenal
West Ham United v Birmingham City.
First legs to take place week commencing 10 January 2011.
Second legs to take place week commencing 24 January 2011.
Birmingham City are said to be keen on 23-year-old Swedish striker Daniel Larsson.
The Malmo frontman has been attracting attention from Italian clubs Cesena, Bologna and Udinese after hitting 19 goals in 51 games for the Swedish top-flight side.
Larsson made his international debut for Sweden against Oman at the beginning of the year.
Birmingham City News: McLeish Quit Rumours Refuted
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McLeish, Pannu Play Down Quit Rumours
Birmingham City vice-chairman Peter Pannu has rejected suggestions that talks between team manager Alex McLeish and the club’s board have stalled.
Reports earlier today suggested McLeish was annoyed about a remark made by vice-chairman Pannu in which Pannu suggested that his wage demands would put him in the same bracket as Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho and that was a demand the club wasn’t prepared to meet.
“I have been in talks with his representative and he was asking for a very large amount of money which I was not prepared to meet,” Pannu is reported to have said yesterday and while he agreed the manager deserved a bonus for his performance last year, he felt McLeish was still not the finished article:
“He has not been tried and tested yet. The club was relegated, then promoted and last year we stayed up, so he has done well, but to suggest that he is in the top class like a Mourinho, well, he is no Mourinho yet. The ball is in his court.”
Today, though, Pannu adopted a more conciliatory tone and rejected the notion that McLeish was close to quitting the club.
“This is all nonsense,” he said. “We are just perhaps inches away from Alex signing a contract, possibly by next week. Our relationship is phenomenal, we are very strong and close, and I want to dispel this notion that there is anything wrong.”
McLeish is on a rolling contract that pays him £750,000 and is looking to up that to £1 million a year, a salary level not unusual for a Premier League manager, but somewhat less than the £5 million Mourinho is said to be earning at the Bernabeu. However, the Birmingham boss is refusing to be drawn into a public argument:
“I don’t want to talk about my contract publicly,” he said. “
I don’t think it’s the right place to discuss demands and all that. I’m not going to comment on it.
“We’ve signed three players and that’s all I want to talk about.”
McLeish did make comments to a fan’s forum this week in which he suggested that a deal was imminent and that he was not thinking of leaving:
“We’re really close. I have got a project here. We’ve done a lot on the infrastructure. We’ve invested in some new players. I’ve not thought about abandoning ship, and it’s not a ship that’s sinking, it’s a boat that’s turning in a very positive direction.”
With regards to his contract McLeish added: “I’m sure we will have good news on that front very, very soon – within the next week.”
Birmingham City have named their 25-man Premier League squad as follows:
Maik Taylor,
Stephen Carr,
David Murphy,
Lee Bowyer,
Roger Johnson,
Liam Ridgewell,
Sebastian Larsson,
Craig Gardner,
Kevin Phillips,
Cameron Jerome,
Garry O’Connor,
Barry Ferguson,
Colin Doyle,
Matt Derbyshire,
Scott Dann,
James McFadden,
Michel,
Keith Fahy,
Nikola Zigic,
Stuart Parnaby,
Alexander Hleb,
Jean Beausejour,
Ben Foster,
Martin Jiranek,
James O’Shea.
Birmingham fans were perhaps the happiest on deadline day as the club signed three players.
Former Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb has arrived in a season-long loan deal from Barcelona, while central defender Martin Jiranek has signed a one-year deal from Russian side Spartak Moscow. City have paid the Russian side around £450,000 for the Czech international.
Birmingham have also signed the Chilean midfielder Jean Beausejour for an undisclosed fee from Mexican side Club America. Beausejour impressed during his country’s run to the last 16 of the World Cup and is seen as a coup for the Midlands club.
Meanwhile, details emerged yesterday about Charles N’Zogbia’s failed transfer from Wigan. The Frenchman agreed a £40,000-a-week deal with Birmingham and the two clubs had shaken hands on a £9 million fee. However, N’Zogbia arrived at Birmingham for his medical and suddenly demanded an extra £10,000 a week. At that point Birmingham boss Alex McLeish told the player to leave and N’Zogbia will spend the rest of 2010.
Bent To Wolves On Loan
Wolves have signed Birmingham striker Marcus Bent on loan until 4 January.
The 32-year-old had loan spells last season at both QPR and Middlesbrough and has been added to bolster the Wolves strike force despite not featuring in the Birmingham first team for over a year.
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Birmingham Looking To Clinch At Least Two More Signings
Birmingham hope to wrap up the signing of at least two players on deadline day. Left-back Armand Traore is set to sign from Arsenal on a season-long loan while Czech centre-back Martin Jiranek will sign from Russian side Spartak Moscow.
The 31-year-old Jiranek, whose contract with Spartak expires in December, is expected to cost around £400,000.
Birmingham In Hleb Link
Birmingham are also being linked with a last-minute bid for former Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb.
The Belarus international is surplus to requirements at Barcelona and was recently being touted as a makeweight in the Javier Mascherano deal; however, Birmingham are said to be in talks over a £4 million move to St Andrews.
Fulham were also being linked with Hleb earlier this month and he recently turned down a move to Portugese side Benfica in the hope of landing a deal with a Premier League club.
Birmingham have been offered Czech international defender Martin Jiranek. The Spartak Moscow captain is set to leave the Russian club after turning down an extension to his contract which expires in December.
Jiranek, 31, has spent six years at Spartak after moving from Italian side Reggina in a 7 million euro deal in 2004.
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Wigan’s Charles N’Zogbia has turned down a move to Birmingham City after failing to agree personal terms.
The two clubs had agreed a £9 million fee but the Frenchman demanded a £50,000-a-week wage and refused to move when Birmingham offered a slightly lower amount. Birmingham are also likely to pull out of the deal after they heard that N’Zogbia had written abusively about the transfer on the internet.
“We did everything that was asked of us and then the goalposts were moved at the last minute,” Birmingham manager Alex McLeish said yesterday.
City had an £8 million bid turned by Wigan during the close-season and were criticised by Latics’ manager Roberto Martinez by returning this week and first making a lower offer than had previously been turned down.
N’Zogbia missed Wigan’s first match of the season after a fall-out with manager Roberto Martinez.
The Wigan boss will be disappointed the deal hasn’t gone through as not only is he faced the prospect of having a player at the club who isn’t happy, but he had also lined up four new players with the proceeds from the transfer.
Birmingham City Transfer News: Wigan Accept Offer for NZogbia
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Birmingham City Transfer News: Wigan Accept Nzogbia Offer
Wigan Athletic have accepted Birmingham’s latest offer for winger Charles N’Zogbia.
Birmingham boss Alex McLeish has had a number of offers rejected for the 24-year-old. Cit hope to have the deal done in time for Sunday’s game with Bolton.
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Birmingham are set to put in another bid for Wigan striker Charles N’Zogbia.
The Midlands side were criticised by Wigan boss Roberto Martinez, who turned down a bid for the Frenchman this week claiming it was lower than the £8 million bid he turned down at the end of May.
Now Birmingham are set to make an improved bid for the player, said to be £9 million, and hope to have the deal done-and-dusted for him to make his debut against Bolton on Sunday.
Birmingham have had a second offer rejected for Wigan midfielder Charles N’Zogbia.
City had an £8 million bid rejected during the close season amidst reports that Wigan were holding out for £12 million. Now, a second bid – said to be £9 million – has also been rejected by the Latics.
McLeish said yesterday that he wanted a deal wrapped up quickly and suggested that if his bid wasn’t accepted he would move on to his next target.
City are also thought to have bid £2 million for Crystal Palace defender Nathaniel Clyne.
Birmingham are back in for unsettled Wigan winger Charles N’Zogbia, despite Wigan boss Roberto Martinez insisting the Frenchman will not be leaving the club.
Martinez and N’Zogbia are said to have had a furious row last Friday which resulted in the player storming out of the club and missing last weekend’s 4-0 home defeat by Blackpool. However, despite reports that N’Zogbia and his representatives had met with owner Dave Whelan earlier this week and agreed that he would leave the club, Martinez claimed yesterday that any reports of N’Zogbia leaving were just “rumour and speculation.”
However, this rumour and speculation won’t go away and today’s Daily Mirror reports that Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is set to bid £9 million for the 24-year-old having had an £8 million bid rejected earlier this summer.
Birmingham Ready To Bid £6m For Hutton
Birmingham are ready to make a £6 million offer for Spurs defender Alan Hutton.
The Scot has fallen down the pecking order at Spurs and Harry Redknapp may be ready to listen to offers for the 25-year-old.
Birmingham are also keen on Wolfsburg’s Brazilian striker Grafite in a £5 million deal but may have a problem getting him a work permit. The 31-year-old has only four caps for his country and needs to have played in 75 per cent of recent internationals to qualify under UK employment law.
Birmingham have signed former Blackburn striker Matt Derbyshire on a season-long loan from Greek side Olympiacos. City have the option to buy Derbyshire next summer.
Former Blackburn Rovers striker Matt Derbyshire is set to return to the Premier League with a season-long loan at Birmingham City.
Derbyshire moved to Olympiacos in Greece at the beginning of 2009 after loan spells at Plymouth and Wrexham. An initial loan spell in Greece, in which he scored eight in 13 games, turned into a permanent deal in a transfer worth a reported £3 million to Rovers. However, Derbyshire’s first full season at the Greek club hasn’t gone as smoothly and he scored just six times in 19 appearances as he struggled to hold down a first-team place.
Birmingham have been given the option of taking Derbyshire on a permanent deal if the loan move is a success.
Birmingham are ready to sign Sunderland defender George McCartney in a £2 million deal.
The 29-year-old rejoined Sunderland from West Ham for £6.5 million in 2008 but has struggled to hold down a first-team place for the Black Cats and he has not been given a squad number for the new season. City turned to McCartney having been rebuffed this week in their attempts to sign Juventus full-back Fabio Grosso.
City are also interested in signing former Blackburn striker Matt Derbyshire on a season-long loan from Greek side Olympiakos. Derbyshire is to fly in for talks this weekend.
