Sport

31st Jan 2011

Transfer Deadline Day as it happened

All the comings and goings from one of the most exciting and mental transfer deadline days in Premier League history.

JOE

That’s all from me today as after 11 hours covering all the comings and goings of transfer deadline day, my body is craving some food and some rest. What a day it has been, certainly the most exciting transfer deadline day of recent times.

Who’d have thought that Andy Carroll would join Liverpool and who’d have thought that they’d be gullable enough to pay £35 million. Torres and Luiz to Chelsea and Adam to Liverpool look inevitable to happen overnight at this stage, bringing an end to one of the most frenetic days in the Premier League in some time. Thanks for all your contributions, bye for now.

1950:

Apologies for the delay, I got pulled into JOE’s weekly rugby podcast! Liverpool have officially agreed to let Fernando Torres join Chelsea. More on that one here.

1900:

Luiz to Chelsea is closer to £21 than £25 million, with Chelsea set to pay £17-18 million up front.

1835:

This transfer window just gets crazier and crazier. Spurs now apparently in the running to complete a last-gasp €35 million deal for Villareal and ex-Manchester United striker Giuseppe Rossi.

1821:

I’m now hearing that Chelsea have had a £25 million bid accepted for Benfica’s David Luiz. That could be £75 million in the one day for Abramovich after a few years of relatively minor spending by his standards. Torres just waiting to do a medical before making the move.

1755:

Conflicting reports on how much Charlie Adam is going to cost Liverpool. Somewhere between £8 and £14 million it looks like.

1746:

Statement on Liverpool’s website:

“Liverpool FC confirmed this afternoon that Newcastle United had accepted a Club record offer for the transfer of Andy Carroll.

The Club have been given permission by Newcastle to discuss personal terms with the player, who will now travel to Liverpool for a medical.”

Took me about 15 minutes to get that and no wonder. According to the BBC, approximately 10 million people tried to access the Liverpool website after hearing the news on Carroll and unsurprisingly, it crashed.

1738:

Meanwhile, Gerard Houllier has stated that Stephen Ireland’s proposed to move to Newcastle on loan is still on despite reports that the Irishman failed a medical At St. James’ Park.

1732:

And now Charlie Adam is apparently on his way to Liverpool to discuss a potential move. Only five and a half hours to go now and things are finally starting to happen.

1729:

Liverpool now confirm that they have agreed a fee with Newcastle for Andy Carroll and that he is on his way to Liverpool to discuss personal terms.

1718:

Reports suggest that Andy Carroll has submitted a transfer request at Newcastle which has been accepted by the club, extremely reluctantly so apparently.

1705:

An improved bid from Liverpool for Andy Carroll has been rejected by Newcastle. I’d imagine there’s only minor details to sort out, however. Definitely more to come on this one.

1655:

Sky Sports News have rubbished that particular story, however, claiming that well-placed sources at United have ruled it out.

1654:

Although there has been nothing official, the odds on Charlie Adam joining Man U have apparently plummeted to 1/4. Fergie recently said that Adam was ‘worth £10 million for his corners alone’.

1638:

Brendan Walsh on again…

Talks between Liverpool and Chelsea over Torres have fallen through as John Terry cannot agree terms with Torres’ wife.

What can I say Brendan only that your joke is pretty lame. I would have expected better…there is a tumbleweed drifting silently through JOE towers as we speak.

1636:

BREAKING NEWS: Young Manchester United star leaves the club…Cameron Stewart to Hull City. Maybe not such a big deal after all

1631:

John Bohan has been in touch to add his two cents to the Carroll debate and to amuse us with a bit of a controversial joke.

Thats crazy money! for Carroll and for Torres too as he’s a bit injury prone. Thinkin’ of strappin’ on me boots again at the age of 40 and going to Liverpool for a trial! I must be worth at least 5 mill if they pay that for Carroll. But the fact that I’m a Man U fan, I wouldn’t lower myself. Plus enjoy the following city joke –

Hi, I’m Carlos Tevez and this is my lean mean fat reducing grilling machine. I’m so proud of it, I put my face on it.

Not sure we agree with that last one John, but if you’re worth 5 million surely you could afford the libel case that comes with it!

1630:

Word reaching us that the Stephen Ireland loan deal to Newcastle is off for medical reasons.

1621:

Bookmakers reporting a flurry of of bets on Charlie Adam to Manchester United by the way. Can’t see that one being a runner.

1616:

To put the Andy Carroll fee into context, David Villa went to Barcelona for £7 million less during the summer, while Javier Hernandez went to Manchester United for £28 million less.

1605:

Ireland striker Andy Keogh is moving to Bristol City on a three month loan deal.

1551:

Andy Carroll believed to be on his way to Liverpool to discuss a move and Torres finally believed to be on his way to Chelsea to finalise a move worth £50 million. If everything goes through, that means Liverpool will have spent nearly £8 million to get Carroll and Suarez while getting rid of Torres at the same time. Any ‘Pool fans think that’s a good deal?

1549:

Blackpool have completed the capture of Andy Reid. More on that one here.

1541:

Another man from Kiltimagh in touch and this time it’s Kieran Glynn, who says:

Hi Conor

Id like to start by agreeing with yourself and Brendan.

£35m OMG

and secondly, what did the magic tractor do? turned into a field

Thanks

The jokes are getting better and better that’s for sure. And who knows Kieran, even though he may be a tad overpriced, he might make a good fist of things at Liverpool.

1525:

There seems to be a bit of a problem with the tracker at the moment folks, so could you please press F5 to refresh the page and receive all the latest updates. Apologies for any incovenience caused.

1516:

Brendan Walsh from Kiltimagh in Mayo is firmly in agreement with my thoughts on Liverpool’s inflated bid for Andy Carroll.

You said it Conor. My God

1506:

To reiterate…Liverpool have just had a £35 million bid accepted for Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll. My God!

1504:

Good to see we’re reaching the furthest corners of the world with our transfer deadline day updates. Peter from Korea has been on looking for some updates and adding some much-needed humour to the mix.

Good man Conor, he says.

Trying to keep up with this transfer lark from over here..

Is Johnson gone from City??

Has Suarez definitely signed for Liverpool??

Here’s the latest joke that I have been over using…

A bra and a battery walk into a pub.

The bra walks up to the bar and orders a drink.

“I’m not serving you” the barman responds. “Why not?” asks the bra.

“Well you’re obviously off your tits and he looks like he’s about to start something”.

Thanks for that Peter, definitely the best joke we’ve heard all day! To answer your questions, Andy Johnson is out for three months injured and City are looking for a short-term replacement, hence their interest in Sebastian Larsson, probably on loan. Luis Suarez has signed for Liverpool and has been given the number seven shirt. And you may also like to know that Liverpool have just had a £35 million bid accepted for Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll.

1447:

Mavis Moriarty from Clonmel has taken issue with one of my previous posts.

“God, Liverpool are getting desperate. There’s word now that they are fishing around Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez.” Is that the same Mario Gomez that’s scored 24 times in 28 games this season, the top goalscorer in the Bundesliga Mario Gomez? Infinitely wiser move than going for Carroll…

To clarify Mavis, if that is indeed your real name, I wasn’t questioning Gomez’s ability, I merely meant that Liverpool were all of a sudden bidding for strikers in a desperate attempt to replace the departing Torres. It just all seemed a bit knee-jerk to me. Apologies if it came across otherwise.

1443:

Big news for Irish fans – Andy Reid having medical at Blackpool with a view to a £1 million move. Could be a good move for Reid, but does that mean Charlie Adam is on his way out?

1432:

Such conflicting stories coming out that it’s hard to get my head around them all. Respected Spanish journalist Guillem Balague is now saying that Torres is not in fact on his way to London, but it still in Liverpool negotiating. Can’t they just wrap this one up already?

1427:

Here’s one we didn’t think we’d hear. Manchester City want to sign Birmingham City’s Sebastian Larsson. Purely as a replacement for Adam Johnson I’d imagine, but can’t see him having much of a long-term career at Eastlands. City trying to take advantage of his contract issues no doubt.

1407:

Sky Sports News are now reporting that Torres is due to arrive at Chelsea’s training ground to complete a move from Liverpool in the next hour. Watch this space.

1356:

Liverpool’s newest recruit, Luis Suarez, is to be given the number seven shirt made so famous by Kenny Dalglish. And…eh…Harry Kewell.

1339:

Journeyman striker James Beattie having a medical at Blackpool.

1319:

Reports emanating that Newcastle are willing to accept £35 million bid for Andy Carroll. You get the feeling that Newcastle are like a dodgy used car salesman determined to wring every penny out of a gullable buyer. Don’t get me wrong, I like Carroll, but £35 million for a man with half a good season behind him seems a bit much.

1311:

News on the Villa – US midfielder Michael Bradley on his way from Borussia Monchengladbach on a loan deal, Stephen Ireland set to complete loan move to Newcastle while the club are insistent that Ashley Young is going nowhere. “I can confirm that Ashley is a highly-rated player and highly liked by everyone at Aston Villa. No way is he going to leave,” says Gerard Houllier.

1252:

Kilmarnock have rejected a bid of £425,000 for Irishman Conor Sammon from Derby. Celtic are also thought to be in the running for a man who has been on fire for Killie so far this season.

1242:

God, Liverpool are getting desperate. There’s word now that they are fishing around Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez.

1205:

Obafemi Martins thought to be close to joining Birmingham City on loan from Rubin Kazan. Never really did believe it when they were saying he was 19 – he was probably more like 27. He must be 40 odd now I’d say.

1149:

Kilmarnock’s Conor Sammon, meanwhile, has been linked with Derby after turning down a move to Scunthorpe earlier this month. Mention of Sammon brings about a glut of corny jokes in the office. ‘He’ll be like a fish out of water there’ and ‘He has some leap on him’ are the only ones worthy of printing. Shows you the level of creativity in the office this Monday morning.

1144:

Greg Kerr has been onto us again and he makes a very good point.

There must be better value out there if Inter can sign Pazzini for €12-15 million plus Jonathan Biabiany, but apparently Newcastle are less sane than Liverpool. Liverpool need good wingers and a few defenders more than an overpriced Englishman. If he wasn’t English he would cost half that.

Very true, but overpriced Englishman is hardly a new fad. After all, Hugh Grant was regularly paid well in excess of £10 million for a string of awful movies in the mid to late 90s.

1133:

Daniel Sturridge, who has been mentioned as a potential makeweight in any deal to bring Torres to Chelsea, is being heavily linked with a loan move to Bolton. Worked wonders for Jack Wilshere last season, could well have the same effect for Sturridge.

1120:

…and now Sky Sports News are reporting that the bid has been rejected. Click here for more.

1119:

£30 million bid for Andy Carroll by unnamed Premier League club (Liverpool) accepted by Newcastle according to Sky Sports News. The lads in the office here think that’s a panic buy if they’ve ever saw one. Thoughts?

1114:

Greg Kerr, meanwhile has informed us about another Liverpool target: Apparently Koo Ja-Cheol has signed for Wolfsburg.

Hadn’t heard much about him before today to be honest, but he’s meant to be a promising player.

1112:

Rob Mulhally has been in touch and there’s a hint of envy in his voice.

I just want to say you have a dream job. Makes me want to go back to college and do journalism.

He goes on…

Here is a joke..

“If there’s any idiots in the room will they please stand up,” said the sarcastic teacher.
After a long silence, one student rose to his feet.
“Now then, why do you consider yourself an idiot?” enquired the teacher.
“Well actually I don’t ,”said the student, “but I hate to see you standing up there all by yourself.”

We’ll give you a 7/10 for that one Rob but thanks for the comment all the same!

1111:

Contrary to my earlier post, Ben Smith from the Times has just reported that Liverpool have made a £30 million pound bid for Carroll. This window is suddenly getting interesting.

1046:

Rumours linking Andy Carroll with a move to Liverpool to replace Torres, meanwhile are thought to be way off the mark.

1026:

Rumours circulating that Liverpool have accepted a bid for Torres…more on that when we have it.

1015:

According to renowned journalist Gabriele Marcotti on Twitter, Liverpool have removed all promotional images and videos from their official website. Sound like a club resigned to their fate.

1004:

Pardon my ignorance folks, I forgot to mention that if you have any news, views, opinions or funny comments feel free to send them into shout@joe.ie and help keep me amused!

1003:

Paul Konchesky has joined Nottingham Forest on loan until the end of the season. Can’t imagine many Liverpool fans shedding a tear at that one.

1000:

Seamus in ‘Shligo’ as been in touch and he has a degree of sympathy for my plight.

“13 hours and 20 minutes!? Jesus you have a long stint there Conor. I’m settled in for the long haul, hope you are too!”

Yes Seamus, it won’t be easy, but I’m sure the lads in the office here will help out, whether it is by filling in for a while or keeping me constantly supplied with tea and biscuits.

0940:

My colleague Will Nestor has asked me to add that the transfer deadline clock that has been a part of Sky Sports News coverage for what seems like ten years finally has some resonance. Just to let you know at the time of typing there’s 13 hours and 20 minutes left to go.

0935:

Wondering who Liverpool might buy when Torres inevitably says goodbye to Anfield? We’ve had a look at some of the best candidates here.

0929:

What about the Irish lads? Well, Shay Given has been linked with a loan move to Leicester City, his fellow goalkeeper Kieren Westwood has agreed to stay at Coventry until the end of the season and Blackpool manager Ian Holloway is prepared to move for Andy Reid should Charlie Adam go to Anfield. A very like for like replacement there and Reid could well thrive under Holloway with the Tangerines.

0923:

Nothing much to report in terms of done deals, but plenty of speculation nonetheless. A lot of it surrounds Liverpool, who as well as potentially losing Fernando Torres, could land Blackpool midfielder Charlie Adam and 21-year old midfielder Koo-Ja Cheul. Also, Paul Konchesky has been linked with a move to Championship side Nottingham Forest after falling out of favour under Kenny Dalglish.

0920:

Good morning folks and welcome to JOE’s live tracker of the transfer deadline day. Liverpool fans will be biting their fingers as they wait to see if star striker Fernando Torres will leave the club, while having had a bid of over €40 million for Sergio Aguero rejected last night, we expect the Sky Sports News men to get in as much of a tizzy outside Spurs’ training ground today as they did when Rafael van der Vaart dramatically signed for the Spuds last August. We’ll have all the deals as they happen throughout the day so hold on to your hats.

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