|
January 17, 2003
(Thursday)
Woodgate -
Newcastle hopes rise
Newcastle were last
night poised to press home their long-standing
interest in Jonathan Woodgate after Leeds dramatically missed out on
a £7.5m windfall from the sale of Robbie Fowler to Manchester City.
United are conscious of the fact that time is running out in their
quest to sign an international centre-half, with the transfer window
due to close at the end of the month.
And Magpies' officials are equally aware of the financial pressures
facing an Elland Road board heavily in debt and under orders to raise
cash and cut the club's wage bill.
Although Terry Venables has made it clear he wants to keep
Middlesbrough-born Woodgate, it is understood the Leeds boss has been
told the matter will be taken out of his hands should the club's Plc
board receive an acceptable offer.
And Newcastle are ready to deliver that offer after sounding out
their Elland Road counterparts over a proposed £9m transfer last
month.
A St James's Park source last night revealed that United would be
willing to table a bid of £10m if it meant securing Woodgate's
services for the second half of the season.
The Magpies' failure to sign Belgian international Daniel van Buyten -
at least until the summer - has intensified the need to look
elsewhere and Sir Bobby Robson's sights are set on Venables' prize
asset.
"The management were 100pc certain that the Fowler deal would go
through and as a result the club spent all of Wednesday negotiating a
£4m deal for the Brazilian midfielder Kleberson," explained a Leeds
source.
"If, as seems the case, that deal is now too far down the road then
there is a pressing need to raise the money from a sale elsewhere.
Woodgate and Seth Johnson are the only players generating any
interest and one will have to go.
"If Newcastle bid £10m for Woody then I can't see how Leeds could
turn that down. The door is open."
Woodgate would have no qualms about joining Robson's Newcastle
revolution and has told friends he would jump at the chance to move
further north.
The England international will turn 23 next Wednesday and would
represent an excellent long-term investment for a club seeking to
shore up the worst away defensive record in the Premiership.
Woodgate has missed just five of his side's 23 Premiership games this
season and played in both of England's Euro 2004 qualifiers last
autumn.
Kleberson, meanwhile, is certain his future lies with Leeds despite
the collapse of the Fowler deal.
And the World Cup winner explained last night: "I am not going to be
a bit-part player even though the club boast some excellent
midfielders.
"If I play at Leeds like I did for Brazil over the summer then I will
be excellent."
* SIR Alex Ferguson may have written Liverpool out of the title race
but his Anfield counterpart Gerard Houllier remains determined to
secure Champions League qualification.
The Manchester United manager believes the destination of the
championship will be between the current top four teams in the
Premiership, with Arsenal leading the Red Devils, Chelsea and
Newcastle.
He said: "It's probably the top three now but Newcastle could get
included. For anyone else to get involved would take a mammoth
effort."
However, Houllier remains defiant despite a run of 11 Premiership
games without a victory.
The Anfield club prepare for tomorrow's trip to in-form Southampton,
who are a point and two places above Liverpool in the table, with
Houllier claiming: "This is not going to last. All I can say is that
it is our objective to finish in the top four.
"We are fighting back, but at the moment we are struggling. If we had
just six points more, which we were entitled to after the games
against Sunderland, then that would put a different complexion on
things."
Next
article:
Robson cool on Woodgate link
Previous
article:
New injury blow for Woody
<< Back to New and Articles
|
