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January 25, 2003
(Saturday)
Dyer taunts Leeds
over pal Woody
KIERON DYER has
angered Leeds United and upped the stakes in
Newcastle's pursuit of Jonathan Woodgate by telling his friend: "Come
and join a Champions League club."
Dyer fired the latest salvo in Sir Bobby Robson's £10million chase
for Woodgate by saying he can achieve his dreams only on Tyneside.
Dyer's intervention will infuriate Leeds and their manager Terry
Venables, who is desperate to hold on to his star defender as the
club try to clear debts of £77m.
"Hopefully we can get Jonathan Woodgate," said the Newcastle
midfielder.
"He's a great friend of mind. I've been on the phone to him all the
time, telling him to come.
"How strange that is. Two years ago there was a lot about Leeds being
after me.
"Then I had Woody and Rio Ferdinand on the phone to me, saying: 'What
a club! You should come and join Leeds'.
"Now it's me on the phone telling him to come and join a Champions
League club. It's good how the roles have been reversed.
"Of course, I'm glad I didn't go Leeds. Now Woody would take us up
another level. He's a massive player. He's an England international
and a lot of times he seems to get the star man rating in the papers.
"It just goes to show what a quality player he is. He'd be a welcome
addition to our squad at Newcastle.
"We need quality and the players we're interested in are in their
early twenties. That is the formula of Sir Bobby and the chairman at
this football club.
"They buy the best young players who are nowhere near their peak yet.
That will keep it good for the future here."
Woodgate is top of Robson's wish list after chairman Freddie Shepherd
flew back from Brazil yesterday when talks to sign World Cup winner
Kleberson collapsed. Newcastle were making a cheeky bid of only
£1.3million.
Kleberson's club Atletico Paranaense accused United of trying to buy
the midfielder on the cheap, with an insultingly low offer.
Their president Mario Celso Petraglia said: "Newcastle came here with
a couple of million US dollars and thought they could get any player.
"They thought Brazilian football is in bankruptcy and for sale.
"Some Newcastle representatives made such a short offer that the
meeting didn't last long. They quickly returned to England."
But Shepherd hit back, saying: "Foreign clubs must come into the real
world. The Premier League is no longer a soft touch for them."
That could leave Leeds, who value Kleberson at £3.5million,
favourites to sign the 23-year-old. That would give Venables some
cheer.
Next article:
Tel: Ridsdale tells me he won't sell Woody... and I have
to believe him
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article:
Venebles reveals frustration
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