Gary Cahill Completes Chelsea Switch for £7 Million

West London giants Chelsea have finally completed the signing of England centre back Gary Cahill from fellow Premier League side Bolton Wanderers after a protracted transfer negotiation with the player over personal terms. Having completed a medical examination at the weekend, Cahill now joins Chelsea's star studded squad as they look to get their title challenge back on track - and at just 26 may be viewed by the club as a long term replacement for fellow England defender John Terry at Stamford Bridge.

     The transfer fee paid for Cahill is thought to be in the region of £7 million, thereby presenting arguably good value for both Bolton and Chelsea - particularly with the player's contract rapidly expiring at the Reebok stadium and the Lancashire club therefore fearful of losing him for nothing in the summer.
     For Bolton boss Owen Coyle however, losing such a key player in their battle for Premier League survival must surely be a bitter blow, although it is thought that Cahill's transfer fee will be made available to him in order to recruit replacements for his struggling squad during the current January transfer window.

Blackburn's Samba Request Move Away from Ewood

Blackburn centre back Chris Samba has requested a move away from Ewood Park in the wake of the sacking of former manager Sam Allardyce by the club's new owners and the growing unrest within the squad. Seemingly disillusioned by the recent unfolding of events at the Lancashire club, the giant defender has stunned fans and new manager Steve Kean alike by requesting a move away from Rovers. Arguably ranking as one of the Premier League's most underrated defenders, Samba has established himself at Rovers on the back of displays of supreme strength and aerial dominance which has been a potent weapon for Rovers as part of the club's defense and attack in the previous couple of seasons.

 

But now it seems the Blackburn man is set for pastures new - with high flyers Arsenal apparently interested in signing the Blackburn powerhouse as manager Wenger seeks to add some much needed steel to their stylishly assembled squad during the forthcoming January transfer window. The 26 year old defender’s desire to leave Ewood is also very much on the radar of Fulham manager Mark Hughes who had previously signed Samba for Blackburn when he managed there in 2007. The loss of Samba would be a big blow for Blackburn and their ambitious new owners who stated they are looking to finish in the Europa League places in this year's Premier League.

Spurs Seal Deadline Day Bargain Buy To Land Kranjcar

Tottenham Hotspur sealed the deal on arguably the best value buy on transfer deadline today after securing the services of Croatian midfield maestro Niko Kranjcar from Premier League rivals Portsmouth. The 25 year old international completed a move thought to be in the region of just £2 million in the final moments of English football's famously frantic deadline day. Kranjcar will now rejoin former boss Harry redknapp at White Hart Lane who had previously brought the player to Pompey under his tenure on the South coast. Kranjcar becomes the third Croatian international at The Lane alongside defender Vedran Corluka and midfield playmaker Luka Modric - who has recently suffered a broken leg which will rule him out of Croatia's crucial qualifier against England at Wembley stadium later this week. Redknapp was quoted on BBC sport as being "really delighted" to land the player, adding that he beleived Kranjcar was a "fantastic player", and with Redknapp's lasting reputation as a great wheeler dealer in the transfer market, the Croat must surely be considered the real bargain buy of the summer in the 21st century football terms.

English Football's Foreign Legion - Who have your club signed?

With the transfer window once again seeing English clubs grabbing talent from literally throughout the world, I was intrigued as to whether I could find website's which sold replica soccer jerseys for the huge variety of national teams that have been brought into the English league in the last month or so. Like many English football fans, I have been a long time collector of rare and unusual football shirts from across the globe and I already proudly sport the likes of Nepal and Bolivia in my wardrobe! Indeed, with the recent arrival of a Mexican international at my local club, I thought it would be fun to have a look online for the latest Adidas Mexico Away Jersey - particularly as I have never seen a Mexico shirt in a UK high street store before. I was glad to find it was actually a very attractive shirt and was available at a reasonable price, so I opted to have it shipped over from the US. When it arrived I was certainly not disappointed. It is not only a very comfortable kit to play in down at the local 5-a-side pitches (being made from Adidas' climacool material and having 3 quarter length sleeves gives it sufficient warmth for a UK winter whilst maintaining very good breathability) but also more significantly - it certainly turns heads down at the local pubs in Leeds! I can imagine a lot of Arsenal fans itching to get hold of the Russian national shirts after their acquisition of a certain Mr. Arshavin, so why not check them out online!

Blues Chase Bellamy

The latest reports regarding English football's January transfer window suggest that Manchester City have made a new improved bid for West Ham United forward Craig Bellamy. The Blues have inevitably been linked to a vast array of names following their takeover by the multi million pound Arabian consortium Abu Dhabi United Group in the summer. City manager Mark Hughes has made no secret of his intentions to add to his squad during January, with England international left back Wayne Bridge already added to the roster this month, signing from Chelsea for a fee thought to be in the region of £12 million. It is understood however that West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola and the Hammers have rejected City's bid for their 29 year old star - thought to be in the region of £9 million - claiming that he has no intention of letting any of his first team squad leave Upton Park. If Bellamy were to go, he would remain cup tied in the FA cup having played in the Hammers' 3 - 0 third round victory over Barnsley. However, with such a huge transfer budget available and with rumours of financial instability rife at Upton Park, Zola may have his hands tied should City up their big again.