Gossip: Sturridge, Crouch and Tottenham’s failures
STUDGE WANTS SEVILLA
‘Daniel Sturridge has told Liverpool he wants a move to Sevilla,’ according to the Daily Mirror. We can barely blame him; we saw a travel programme about Seville and have been looking for cheap flights ever since. They claim that ‘the 28 year old has held talks with Liverpool’s top brass and made clear that he prefers Sevilla’s approach’ despite initial suggestions that he could be bound for Milan.
There is clearly a reluctance from Liverpool to allow Sturridge out on loan, but it seems they may be willing to agree a loan spell with the guarantee of £25m in the summer. Sevilla’s top scorer in La Liga this season is Wissam Ben Yedder with five; they desperately need a striker.
CROUCH TO CHELSEA COULD STILL HAPPEN
We still cannot quite believe that we are writing this, but although new Stoke manager Paul Lambert has said that Peter Crouch is not for sale in the face of interest from Chelsea, The Independent claim that ‘a deal for the striker could yet materialise’ as the Potters are willing to sell if the Blues make a decent offer for a player about to turn 37.
In a shock development, ‘the veteran former England international is understood to be keen for the deal to happen’. Never mind the fact that he was a boyhood Chelsea fan, he is a near-37-year-old playing for Stoke; of course he is sodding keen for the deal to happen.
SPURS TO BE THWARTED IN JANUARY
Mauricio Pochettino has a problem with substitutions – he has 99 problems and most of them are with substitutions – which may or may not be caused by a lack of strength in depth. To that end, he wants ‘to sign another attacking player on loan’, according to The Times. But apparently none of his three young targets – Malcom, Ryan Sessegnon and Richarlison – will be allowed to join this month.
The report claims that ‘Malcom’s future is clouded by interest from Arsenal’, though that is likely to come to nothing if the Gunners manage to sign both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. A deal for Sessegnon is possible, but Fulham will insist on keeping him until the end of the season as they are chasing promotion. Watford will not allow Richarlison to leave while they are threatening to fall into a relegation battle.
AND THE REST
Stoke have made a £3.25m bid for New York City winger Jack Harrison…Man City academy chief Brian Marwood has made a personal check on £20m-rated Lille and France Under-19 midfielder Boubakary Soumare…Newcastle and Stoke are among the clubs interested in former Chelsea winger Andre Schurrle on loan…Swansea want to bring their former attacker Andre Ayew back from West Ham…Aleksandar Mitrovic is being linked with a move to West Brom.