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Niall Quinn’s denial is welcomed and reported at this link. Rather puts Mr Alan Nixon of the Daily Mirror on the spot. Read on …
Last week Salut! Sunderland offered an unfashionable defence of football journalists after all the speculation surrounding Jordan Henderson, at least to the extent of pointing out that despite kneejerk condemnation of the press, the reports had turned out to be true in almost every respect.
The sting in the tail was the warning to take all such speculation with a pinch of salt, unless it seems convincingly sourced or has some sort of common sense basis.
But what on earth are we to make of this morning’s devastating headline above a report at Ghanasoccernet.com: Shock as Sunderland put up Asamoah Gyan for sale … ?
What made me shudder was the thought that this is a site that has shown itself in the past to have viable contacts with Gyan or his agent. Have they really got wind, then, of yet another of our “calculated gambles” – having allowed Darren Bent to go without replacement, and having seen Sir Alex Ferguson appear to rule out any chance of getting Danny Welbeck back, now selling our remaining dedicated striker?
I breathed a sigh of relief on reading the story since Ghanasoccernet has, at this stage anyway, mostly regurgitated a report that has apparently appeared in the Daily Mirror. This states that Gyan’s name has been circulated to clubs to denote his availability.
The Ghanaian report adds a little detail, including mention of Spurs and Arsenal as potential buyers, and says “Sunderland are seeking to sell their most expensive player to enable them buy many players ahead of next season”. Confusingly, the Mirror tale goes on to claim Gyan’s name actually appeared on a list sent out not by the club as its own headline claims, but “by an agent close to the club”.
Salut! Sunderland will accord a traditionally warm welcome to Darron Gibson, David Ngog and any of the other players we have been closely linked with, should they actually join the club. But with the greatest of respect to these supposed targets, there is not an out-and-out striker among them.
There has also been talk of Steve Bruce knocking on ‘arry Redknapp’s door for Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko, but equal amounts of talk to the effect that the answer, from club and/or players, was a resounding No. Into the equation, however, must be thrown Gyan’s own comments last week, on Tottenham’s reported interest in him, which gave none of us the slightest reason to believe he felt an unbreakable bond with Sunderland AFC.
“I am not aware of any contact from Spurs, I have a contract with Sunderland. At the moment it is rumours. I was in London three weeks ago for an award in London with my good friend John Pantsil, not for a meeting with Spurs. Spurs are a fantastic club and any player would be flattered by their interest, so I am, but there is nothing I can do if Sunderland want to keep me.”
Let it be said as loudly as we can manage, and not for the first time: the policy of flogging off prime talent without adequate replacements in place or lined up – not just vaguely in our sights – belongs to the madhouse.
Bruce, Niall Quinn and Ellis Short must not assume that money available for purchases is any sure sign that we we will be able to use it to secure the players we want in the positions that glaringly need strengthening. The relatively recent past of SAFC is littered with the names of players we wanted who didn’t want to come anywhere near Wearside except, as it seemed in the case of Crouch when he was at Pompey, on a flying visit to improve his bargaining position with Spurs.
It may be, of course, that the report is utter nonsense. Much transfer speculation is just that, even if it the clubs or players’ agents are often as culpable as the media (electronic as well as print) in allowing lies and half-truths to spread. It may alternatively be the case that we are indeed selling but have exciting, top-quality announcements of our own just waiting to me made. We will see; either the Mirror’s Alan Nixon has the scoop he claims, or he is spouting nonsense.
Forgive me for feeling in need of reassurance. I have no current reason to fear for the state of my heart, but might well need the services of a friend who happens to be a cardiologist (though he’d rather be a rock drummer) if it turns out we have bags of money but no strikers.
Monsieur Salut
Sunderland News 24/7
Don’t want him at spurs. He’s no better than anyone we’ve already got. He only scored 10 goals last season. I’d expect a lot more from a guy that would cost us more than £15m, I believe that’s what Sunderland paid for him, and they’d want to try and make a profit.
I guess we should expect this sort of rumour during the summer break, however the club should be quickly making a statement one way or another to confirm or deny the rumour. If it turns out to be true then I would seriously question SB as a capable manager, given that Gyan was his choice and now he wants to sell him and rebuild. Yes we should strenghen but you can’t rebuild a team every year!! My guess is that it’s a load of rubbish but we shall see shortly.
Stoney: he started slowly for sure but did better after Bent had gone, though his clinical finishes at your place and Chelsea a few days later, in one-to-ones, were something we simply haven’t been accustomed to (even Bent was, in my view, unreliable in that respect, which may explain why ‘arry thought his wife was marginally the better striker).
Dave: I can understand the club not wishing to comment on every bit of gossip but agree this is an occasion when the rumour is so alarming, in terms of what it says about us, that they sould break the rule if, as we hope, it is nonsense.
Jeff (next comment): quite right. You and, I think, Jeremy, alerted us to that quote. Whatever happened to players kissing the badge and meaning it (and not in the sense of kissing it goodbye)?
I posted a warning on Salut Sunderland 3 days ago and so it is no surprise to me.
The telling words in his statement were “There is nothing I can do if Sunderland want to sell me”
So as I say no surprise.
(via Salut! from our friend Bernard Ramsdale, a Wigan supporter)
Bruce left Wigan because he was forced to sell all his best players. Looks like it’s happening again. Perhaps Quinn WANTS Bruce to walk?
Rubbish. Why would we want this reject at Spurs. If Brucey is going to sell him it’s because he does not rate him, end of.
The selling club approach currently being adopted by our club may be financial expediency but it will not endear the management to the fans.
Historically it has been hard in recent years to attract decent players to the North East and our local rivals Newcastle resolved this in the past by paying through the nose in terms of salary to attract players to their club. They however found the idiotic levels of wages paid to what often turn out to be fairly average players create a financial hiatus that flirts with bringing many a club to its knees.
Make no bones about it if the rumour is true Bruce has nailed his head firmly to the block for next season. His track record on signings has been at best fair but it has created the impression that certain foreign and home grown players simply look on a move to Sunderland as a chance to get regular games in a very good shop window.
I am now beginning to seriously doubt if Bruce believes he is capable of managing a top five team with hopes of competing in Europe, unless he has unlimited funds with which to work.
I viewed the sale of Bent without an adequate replacement in situ as the height of madness. The sale of Gyan seems to me a philosophy based on the idea that two hundred thousand Lemmings can’t all be wrong. Surely?
Steve Bruce I think you are suffering from a Kings New Clothes syndrome and your balls are now seriously exposed.
Those ready to give them a good kicking, if his gamble fails, please form an orderly queue.
I’m afraid Alan that now that Football Clubs are seen as businesses, the idea of winning trophies and keeping fans happy is subserviant to the the idea of making money. That so many clubs seem not to achieve this must say something about my lack of understanding of “business”.
As for Crouch – no thanks!
The transfer market is full of rumours and the Daily Mirror are not the most reliable of sources but it would make no sense to sell Gyan. In the current market he was a snip at the price we paid we have lost one top striker may or may not have Welbeck again so where would it leave us? Up the creek without a paddle. Just paper talk? Lets hope so.
Maybe Villa will sign him. They haven’t made an underhand approach for anyone for at least two days…………………..
It’s getting silly, an average player, not what we are after at all and I don’t we have even made an enquiry. Keep him.
SALUT! SUNDERLAND writes:
Cliv:; I have played safe and deleted the comment to which this was intended to refer, so yours becomes unnecessary..
Not taking sides; just being cautious
Salut Sunderland.
I agree with you on Darren Bent. A couple of seasons ago he was 1 on 1 with the keeper, against the ar5ena1, he nearly hit the corner flag with his shot. Useless. That miss for England the other day as well. Shocking. Gyan is a very capable striker but I think we could get better for the probably £20m he’d cost us.
Chill out mackems. Chairman Quinny has said it’s bullsh!t.