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Sky Sports sources understand that Birmingham have withdrawn their improved offer for Wigan winger Charles N’Zogbia.
The talented Frenchman emerged as a leading summer transfer target for Blues boss Alex McLeish, but the two clubs remain some distance apart in terms of a valuation.
An initial offer of £8million was turned down by Roberto Martinez’s side last month, with the Latics reported to be seeking in the region of £15m for the former Newcastle man.
Birmingham had announced that they would be withdrawing from negotiations at the end of May as they were not prepared to increase their bid.
However, they did then return to the negotiating table with an enhanced offer, but a lack of movement from the DW Stadium side has made them walk away once again.
It now remains to be seen if McLeish will continue his pursuit of N’Zogbia or elect to look elsewhere for summer recruits with Wigan determined to keep hold of their star players.
Taking from another Forum…
I can’t see that happening though. Wigan do have a good chance of going down, Martinez has failed to build a team worthy of competing in the Premiership next season so far. Wigan were very very lucky that last season the league was so poor at the bottom, because the season previous if they had performed like that they’d have took our place and went down. It is harsh to judge Wigan before the transfers are in full swing, but they are a selling club and always will be. They have flogged anyone that the bigger clubs have came in for, such as Cattermole to the Mackems and Palasios to Spurs. I can’t see Martinez attracting the type of player that they need to build on last seasons survival. On top of that I am pretty sure that Dave Whelan said that there would not be any incoming transfers without transfer fees going into the club first. And with Charles N’Zogbia, Wigan’s best player by a country mile if you ask me, being linked with other clubs, it wouldn’t surprise me if they flogged him.
As for us, well we’re fucked really. People will say we have Premiership quality players as it is, and I agree, we do. Nolan, Barton and co may have had good seasons in the Premiership, but that was years ago and it wasn’t at Newcastle. Barton has been terrible, he has been in all sorts of shit off the pitch and on it he has had a handful of good performances. Kevin Nolan was woeful in his last full season at Bolton and in the 5 month he had for us in the Premiership he was absolutely fucking terrible. Hopefully it was a confidence thing and he can make the step up very well, but I don’t think that will happen. Our strikeforce is absolutely dire as well. Shola, Carroll, Lovenkrands and Best as our first choice strikers? We’re fucked. Carroll and Lovenkrands might get 10 between them, but Ameobi is a lazy bastard, and he is absolutely garbage. Leon Best, I like his attitude but he isn’t good enough, that isn’t open for discussion. We need to sign 2 strikers if we want to stay up next season. However with Ashley’s cost cutting and general cuntness we won’t be doing that, so we’re fucked, basically.
Our central midfield, as I mentioned with Barton and Nolan, is far too slow and nowhere near creative enough. Guthrie done a decent job for us to be fair to him, in his first season here, but I don’t trust Guthrie to do a good enough job next season. We need to sign someone with a bit flair and we need an injection of pace in the centre of midfield or we’ll get ripped apart and look even more toothless than our last stint in the Premiership. I do have faith in our wingers though. Gutierrez and Routledge both impressed me in the season just gone, and whilst people will say Routledge has been proven to be shit in the Premiership, that isn’t the case for me. He simply hasn’t had a chance, I would give players more than the amount of games he has had to try and prove they’re worthy of playing at the top level. If we can sign some back-up for the wing then I will be a happy man. Onto the defence, the defence is our strongest area. Steven Taylor and Jose Enrique have both proven that they are good enough for the Premiership and I actually think Mike Williamson and Coloccini will do well next season if they are played together. Tamas Kadar, Danny Simpson and Ryan Taylor would be quality back-up for what we’re trying to achieve if we can sign a right back, or if Hughton sees sense and plays Stevie Taylor at right back where he is at his best IMO.
A bit long whinded, but to summarise, we need a right back, a back up winger, a central midfielder and 2 strikers and we will be fine next season. If we could spend some money on those areas, even just 12 million or so then we will be on a better financial footing than if we go down, which is what will happen if we don’t sign players for those positions. Hughton has even said he doesn’t want to sign Kris Boyd, which is scary because he is available for fuck all and we aren’t going to sign anyone better!
The third team I think will go down is Blackpool. It’s a shame and it is a bit harsh writing them off after the amazing achievements of the season gone, but they aren’t strong enough in any position on the field IMO. Holloway is a good manager, and he will no doubt have the players motivated and raring to go, but it won’t be enough for them to stay up. I can’t see them going down with the record points total or any of that carry on, they will get a respectable 30 points or so I reckon.
18: Wigan
19: Newcastle United
20: BlackpoolAs it stands. If we can sign those I suggested we need, then I would replace us with one of Bolton, West Brom or even Wolves. Got little to no faith that will happen though. At least when Sunderland used to come up from the Championship, with a much smaller income, they used to spend a good 8 Million or so strengthening their squad. We are in desperate need of recruitments, maybe not as much as Sunderland were when they came up, but we still need players. Ashley said he wanted us to be the new Arsenal and the new Aston Villa, well Mike, we’re still waiting you horrible cunt.
Wigan’s veteran defender Mario Melchiot has joined the exodus of ageing players from the Premier League and Serie A to join clubs in the Gulf.
The 33-year-old Dutchman has agreed to join Umm Salal in Qatar.
Last week Italy’s captain Fabio Cannavaro joined Al Ahli in Dubai and last month Lekhwiya in Qatar signed Portsmouth’s Aruna Dindane.Melchiot, who had been offered a new contract but with a pay cut at Wigan, has signed a lucrative two-year deal.
The Dutchman, who also had spells at Chelsea and Birmingham, was in the Wigan team which shipped eight goals at Chelsea last month and lost 9-1 at Tottenham in November.
James McArthur’s agent has confirmed newly-promoted Leeds have so far not bid for the Hamilton ace, who is also attracting Wigan and West Brom.
The Whites have been linked with a move for the highly-rated 22-year-old midfielder who has 12 months remaining on his Accies contract.
The talented midfielder is being tipped to leave Hamilton this summer as the club looks to avoid the possibility of losing him for nothing at the end of next season.
McArthur’s agent Willie McKay has confirmed his client is close friends with Leeds’ Robert Snodgrass, but does not think the Championship side have not been in contact with Hamilton.
Premier League duo West Brom and Wigan have also been linked with the midfielder along with Rangers and McKay knows the talent would have no qualms adapting to England’s top flight.
“I’ve not had any contact myself and I don’t think Hamilton have had either,” he told the Yorkshire Evening Post regarding talk of a bid from Leeds.
“I know Ken (Bates) because I lived in Monaco and he was obviously there, but there’s nothing really there. The only thing I’d say is that he’s a good pal of Robert Snodgrass and he’ll be at the same level as Snodgrass and is a very good player.
“He could play in the Premier League all day long. There’s plenty of interest in him, although no-one has actually made a formal bid.
“He’s a box-to-box central midfield player and can play anywhere in the midfield and he can hold his own in most sides and he can also score a goal or two.
“Rangers want him and West Brom have been up quite a lot of times and Wigan have met him and he’s got a good future.”
Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez has confirmed his interest in signing Argentine striker Mauro Boselli.
Skysports.com revealed earlier in the week that the Latics are leading the chase to snap up the Estudiantes front man over the summer.
Martinez says reports in Argentina that a deal has already been agreed are premature, but he acknowledged that he is keen on Boselli.
“At the moment, everything is still up in the air with that one,” Martinez told the Wigan Evening Post.
“It is true he is a player we have been following for a long time, but I can’t confirm anything regarding an offer.
“Over the next few weeks we hope to finalise a few things with the players we have been trying to get.
“Mauro is one of a number of names that will come out because we have been following a lot of players.”
Birmingham City and Sunderland have previously been linked with Boselli, while Boca Juniors want to keep the forward in his homeland.
