Mark Schwarzer could land a coaching role at Fulham after signing a new two –year contract with the club.
Schwarzer put an end to talk about his future by signing a new contract having been linked with a move to Arsenal since the end of last season.
The 38-year-old Australian stopper was lined up for a £4 million move to the Emirates but Mark Hughes’ appointment as manager put an end to the transfer and Hughes said yesterday that a career in coaching was a distinct possibility for Schwarzer.
“If that’s something he wants to pursue in the future, I would certainly be receptive to enabling him to possibly start his coaching career and see how it develops,” said the Fulham boss. “That would be an option for him, I’m sure.”
Hughes added that he told Schwarzer that for Fulham to be successful he needed to keep him at the club.
“That’s basically it, in black and white terms,” Hughes added.
“He’s an outstanding keeper and has been for many, many years.
“He understands the Premier League, he understands what it’s all about and we’re a better team when Mark Schwarzer’s playing.
“It was very easy from my point of view to construct an argument because it’s there for everybody to see.”
Juventus are set to bid around £6 million for Fulham defender Brede Hangeland, according to TalkSport. The radio station reports that Juve have been closely watching the Norwegian defender and are ready to put in a bid when the transfer window reopens in January.
Meanwhile Mark Hughes is said to be interested in Basel full-back Behrang Safari. Safari is also said to be a target for Bundesliga side Werder Bremen.
Safari, a Swede of Iranian descent, came through Malmo’s ranks before signing for the Swiss side in 2008. He won the league and cup double with Basel last season and has played 17 times for his country.
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Fulham hope to tie up a new deal for striker Bobby Zamora.
The 29-year-old was linked with a move away from Craven Cottage during the summer with Liverpool said to be showing a particular interest, however new assistant manager Mark Bowen insisted that talks were ongoing before Mark Hughes was appointed manager.
“What I know is that he is currently in discussions with the club over a possible new deal. It has been ongoing for a few months and obviously way before Mark and I came in, but my understanding is that we are hopeful that Bobby will agree a long-term contract with the club.”
Zamora signed for Fulham from West Ham two years ago in a £6.3 million joint deal with John Pantsil. After a difficult first season at the club in which he managed just five goals in 41 games in 2008-09 and was set for a £5 million move to Hull last summer before deciding to stay at Craven Cottage. Zamora scored 19 times last season and was rewarded for a call-up to the England squad for the pre-season friendly with Hungary where he made his international debut.
Fulham have named their 25-man Premier League squad as follows:
Mark Schwarzer,
David Stockdale,
John Pantsil,
Fredrik Stoor,
Aaron Hughes,
Rafik Halliche,
Chris Baird,
Brede Hangeland,
Carlos Salcido,
Stephen Kelly,
Zoltan Gera,
Clinton Dempsey,
Bjorn Helge Riise,
Dickson Etuhu,
Kagisho Dikgacoi,
Danny Murphy,
Jonathan Greening,
Simon Davies,
Damien Duff,
Andrew Johnson,
Diomansy Kamara,
Moussa Dembele,
Bobby Zamora,
David Elm,
Eddie Johnson.
Given To Stay At City – Schwarzer Arsenal Deal Off
Shay Given has decided to stay at Manchester City. The Republic of Ireland international goalkeeper had been linked with a move away from the City of Manchester Stadium after starting on the bench for each of City’s three league games and their Europa League play-off clashes with Timisoara.
Arsenal, Celtic and, more recently, Fulham had all been linked with taking Given on loan for the rest of the season but after talks yesterday with City football administrator Brian Marwood, Given has decided to stay at the club and fight for his place. It is believed that Given has decided that he would be giving up the chance of winning the first trophy of his career by leaving City for a smaller club, a decision that opens up the possibility of the 34-year-old being used in City’s Carling Cup campaign.
Given’s decision means the end of Mark Schwarzer’s transfer from Fulham to Arsenal.
Fulham boss Mark Hughes declared at the weekend that if Fulham could not get a replacement keeper before the transfer window shut then Schwarzer would be going nowhere. Hughes had earmarked Given as Schwarzer’s replacement.
Arsenal are expected to come back to Fulham with a £4 million bid for the 37-year-old Australian today but Fulham are expected to turn down any further bid.
Fulham Set To Sign Gudjohnsen
Fulham are set to sign Monaco striker Eidur Gudjohnsen on a season-long loan.
The Icelandic international has turned down a move to Stoke as he wants to remain in London, where he spent part of last season on loan at Tottenham.
Fulham will make a £2 million contribution to Monaco towards the 31-year-old’s wages.
Mark Schwarzer’s move to Arsenal depends on Shay Given’s loan move to Fulham.
The Cottagers will not allow Schwarzer to leave without their chosen replacement in situ and there are reports this morning that Manchester City are ready to let Given team up with former boss Mark Hughes at Craven Cottage.
Given has been on the bench for all City’s games this season. Boss Roberto Mancini wants to have two top-class players for each position at the club and insisted that Given remain at Eastlands, but the Mail On Sunday reports that Given may now be allowed to leave.
Mark Hughes admitted yesterday that Schwarzer wants to go to Arsenal and that he was looking at Given for a replacement. Speaking after his side’s 2-2 draw at Blackpool, Hughes said “Mark Schwarzer has made it clear that he would like to go to Arsenal so we are trying to look at other options.
“I’m always interested in quality players and Shay Given is a quality player – make of that what you will – but I have said that if we can’t get anyone else in, Schwarzer will have to stay.”
Fulham Keen On Reading’s Federici
Fulham are reportedly interested in Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici. The 24-year-old is in the final year of his contract with the Championship side and has yet to agree a new deal.
Liverpool were said to be eyeing up a bid for Federici before they signed Brad Jones from Middlesbrough but now Fulham are set to make a £2 million bid for the Australian.
Fulham Linked With Wilson
Fulham are the latest club to be linked with a move for Portsmouth defender Marc Wilson.
West Brom, West Ham and Stoke have all previously been linked with Wilson but Albion have had a £2.5 million bid turned down for the Irishman while Stoke offered £3 million plus Dave Kitson.
However, Pompey administrator Andrew Andronikou says the club want more than either of those two clubs has offered. Fulham boss Mark Hughes is said to be ready to bid £5 million for the 23-year-old who has another three years left on his current contract at Fratton Park.
Fulham Consider Johnson Loan Deal
Fulham could be about to let USA international striker Eddie Johnson go out on loan to QPR.
Fulham signed Johnson from the Kansas City Wizards in January 2008 but he has spent most of his time out on loan, first at Cardiff and then at Greek side Aris Salonica. But now QPR boss Neil Warnock wants to take him on loan at Loftus Road.
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Liverpool have offered two teenagers in their attempt to sign Fulham left-back Paul Konchesky.
Lauri Dalla Valle and Alex Kacaniklic have both had medicals at Craven Cottage and are discussing personal terms in a deal which Roy Hodgson is hoping will smooth the way for Paul Konchesky’s move to Anfield.
Dalla Valle, 18, is a Finland under-19 striker while the 19-year-old Swede Kacaniklic is a midfielder.
Fulham Sign Carlos Salcido
Fulham have beaten Liverpool to the signature of PSV Eindhoven left-back Carlos Salcido.
The Mexican has signed a three-year deal at Craven Cottage for a fee in the region of £1.6 million.
Salcido said: “It has always been an ambition to play in England in the Premier League and it’s great that I have been able to make the move to Fulham today. The season has already started, so I know that I need to work hard with the manager and the team to make sure that I settle quickly, and that I can help the team to do well.”
City and Fulham Linked With Begovic
Manchester City have – almost inevitably – been linked with Stoke keeper Asmet Begovic.
The Bosnian has been the subject of an unwanted bid from Chelsea with the champions offering £4.5 million. Now City are being linked with a bid as boss Roberto Mancini ponders whether to let Shay Given go out on loan.
Fulham are also said to be interested as they face up to the possibility of losing Mark Schwarzer to Arsenal.
Fulham hope to sign Roque Santa Cruz and Shay Given in a loan deal from Manchester City.
The Paraguayan striker is currently considering a move to Lazio while Given is seen as a replacement for Mark Schwarzer who would move to Arsenal should Given head for Craven Cottage.
Boss Mark Hughes is hoping to persuade Santa Cruz to join up with him for a third time. He brought the player to England while manager at Blackburn and took Santa Cruz with him to City last summer in a deal worth £18 million.
Liverpool are close to doing a deal with Fulham for left-back Paul Konchesky.
The Reds have a problem in that area with Daniel Agger currently filling in and although there have been reports linking Konchesky with an improved deal at Craven Cottage talks between the two clubs are advanced and Roy Hodgson is confident of getting a deal put in place.
Fulham In Salcido Talks
Fulham are in talks to sign PSV Eindhoven left-back Carlos Salcido. The 30-year-old Mexican had been a target for Liverpool but with the Reds about to sign Fulham left-back Paul Konchesky, Mark Hughes has moved quickly to sign a replacement.
Salcido has also been linked with both Birmingham and Wigan but looks set to sign for Fulham in a £2.5 million deal.
He joined PSV after a series of impressive performances for Mexico during the 2006 World Cup Finals and has made 150 appearances for the Dutch side.
Fulham have signed Benfica defender Rafik Halliche for an undisclosed fee. The Algerian, who played all three games for his country in the World Cup Finals, has signed a three-year deal at Craven Cottage.
The 23-year-old central defender signed for Benfica from Algerian side Hussein Dey in 2008, however he spent his two years with the club on loan at Nacional.
Speaking at the club’s training ground this morning Halliche told the Fulham website: “I’m so happy that my transfer to Fulham has been finalised.
“For me, the Premier League is the best league in the world and to be able to play alongside some wonderful players and to be given an opportunity to compete against some fantastic teams for a team like Fulham is something that I’ve always dreamed of doing.”
Fulham have joined the race for Stoke keeper Asmir Begovic. The 23-year-old has been the subject of a £4.5 million bid from Chelsea but Stoke boss Tony Pulis insists that he doesn’t need to sell the keeper, who joined in a £3.5 million deal from Portsmouth in Janury.
Fulham boss Mark Hughes is already looking at the possibility of replacing Mark Schwarzer, who seems determined to join Arsenal.
The Gunners went back to Fulham this week to offer £3 million for the 37-year-old Australian but Fulham are still holding out for £4 million, just as they were in May when they made their first bid.
Fulham are also keen on Manchester City keeper Shay Given, who is being linked with Celtic and Arsenal.
City are expected to sanction a loan deal before the transfer window closes, though their preference is for a move to a side north of the border rather than to one of their Premier League rivals.
Fulham Offer New Deal To Konchesky
Fulham have offered a new deal to Paul Konchesky. The left-back has been linked with a move to join up with his new boss Roy Hodgson at Liverpool.
Arsenal have had a £2.5 million bid for keeper Mark Schwarzer turned down by Fulham.
The Gunners had a £2 million bid rejected at the end of May. Arsene Wenger is also said to be keen on Ajax keeper Maarten Stekelenburg.
Blackburn Set to Offer Greening Loan Deal
Blackburn are set to offer Fulham’s Jonathan Greening a one-year loan deal.
Rovers boss Sam Allardyce is a long-time admirer of the 31-year-old and tried to sign him while he was manager of Bolton. Greening has been told by Mark Hughes that he does not figure in his plans.
Shay Given is said to be looking at a loan move to either Arsenal or Fulham after Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini gave Joe Hart the starting role in City’s Europa League play-off tie with FC Timosoara in Romania.
Fulham are said to have been in touch with City about a loan deal while Given is keeping a close eye on events at Arsenal with Arsene Wenger said to be in the market for a goalkeeper.
Yesterday, on arrival in Romania, Mancini said “Joe Hart will play. I had a very diffi cult choice to make before our opening game at Spurs on Saturday. That is because I have two world-class keepers. It is difficult for one of them to sit on the bench. I respect Shay a lot. He is a good man and I want him to stay, but I also understand any decision he might make.”
Fulham have signed striker Moussa Dembele from Dutch side AZ Alkmaar. The Belgian has signed a three-year deal at Craven Cottage for a fee believed to be around £5 million.
Commenting on the signing Fulham boss Mark Hughes said:
“Moussa is strong and quick and will add another dimension to our attacking options, which is important for us. I look forward to working with him.”
Hughes added that he hopes to make more signings before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
Dembele said that he was delighted to be joining the club:
“I am very happy to join Fulham and look forward to training with the team to prepare for the first home game of the season. It has always been a dream to play in the Premier League and I will make sure that I make the most of this opportunity.”
Dembele was linked with a move to Birmingham over the course of the summer, but Fulham stepped in and snatched the striker, who scored 24 goals in 118 league games during a four-year spell at AZ.
Arsenal want Mark Schwarzer to be their new goalkeeper by this weekend.
In a deal that is in some ways mirroring the summer’s Cesc Fabregas-Barcelona saga, Schwarzer has declared his intention to Fulham to leave the club and sign for the Gunners. Arsenal have had a £2 million bid turned down for the keeper and are expected to come back with a bid of £2.5 million. Fulham, despite new boss Mark Hughes declaring publicly when he joined the club that Schwarzer would not be leaving, are reported by today’s Daily Mirror to be holding out for £4 million. That’s the price Roy Hodgson put on Schwarzer’s head when Arsenal made their first approach at the end of May.
Should Schwarzer arrive at the Emirates then it is likely to be the end of Manuel Almunia’s Arsenal career. Osasuna and Atletico Madrid are both said to be interested in offering the 33-year-old the chance to move back to his homeland.
Mark Schwarzer’s absence from the Fulham squad for their game at Bolton yesterday is being seen as a sign that his days are numbered at Craven Cottage and that a move to Arsenal is finally on the cards but Fulham boss Mark Hughes insists that nothing has changed.
The Gunners had a £2 million bid for Schwarzer turned down in May and according to new boss Mark Hughes they haven’t been back in touch since then. Schwarzer and his representatives are to meet members of the Fulham management on Monday confident of securing a move across London to the Emirates.
Hughes said after yesterday’s 0-0 draw with Bolton that Schwarzer had failed a fitness test but when asked if he expected him to remain at the club he replied “That is the intention, yes. Nothing has moved on.”
He added: “I think he also understands that we have to protect our position as well, and that is what we are doing. We are not going to put Fulham’s position or reputation at risk by making promises we can’t fulfil, so at the moment it’s very much the status quo and nothing has moved on.”
Arsenal are expected to pay around £3 million if they land the 37-year-old Australian.
Another absentee from the Fulham side at Bolton on Saturday was Paul Konchesky. The full-back is said to be the subject of interest from Liverpool although, as with Schwarzer, new boss Mark Hughes has said the player won’t be leaving the club. Liverpool are expected to offer around £3 million for the 29-year-old.
Sunderland Pinpoint Zamora As Jones Replacement
Steve Bruce has identified Bobby Zamora as a replacement for Kenwyne Jones, according to the News Of The World.
Sunderland sold Jones to Stoke this week for £8 million and although Bruce has enquired about Peter Crouch, Craig Bellamy and Asamoah Gyan, nothing has come of any of those enquiries.
The paper also suggests that tempting Zamora north could be Bruce’s biggest problem.
Mark Schwarzer has handed in a transfer request to Fulham.
The Australian goalkeeper has been linked with a move to Arsenal for almost three months but has been frustrated in his attempts to secure a transfer.
A £2 million bid from the Gunners was knocked back by Fulham early in the close season and the deal was put on hold after Roy Hodgson’s departure for Liverpool at the beginning of July; however, one of the first things new boss Mark Hughes did on his appointment was to tell Schwarzer that he was going nowhere. Now Schwarzer has handed in a formal transfer request in a bid to force through the move.
Hughes said “He has indicated that he would like the opportunity to leave. Obviously we haven’t encouraged Arsenal to come back to the table because they haven’t been back since May. If they do come back and talk to me or my chief executive, then further conversations will be had but at the moment there is no point because we are not talking to anybody because they have not come back to us.”
Fulham Interested In Bellamy
Meanwhile, Fulham boss Mark Hughes has re-iterated his desire to bring Craig Bellamy to Craven Cottage.
Hughes was asked on Friday if he would be interested in signing Bellaamy and he repiled: “Yes. He was one of the top players in the Premier League and if he comes on the market, and if we’re in the position where we can conclude a deal for Craig Bellamy, then yes we would be very interested.” Sunderland, Celtic and Spurs are also said to be interested.
