English tabloids have kicked in to overdrive throughout the last week in an attempt to identify Kenny Dalglish’s January transfer targets. Wilfried Zaha, Jermaine Defoe, Demba Ba, Luc Castaignos, Jawad Boukabous and Scott Sinclair are all among the most talked about reported targets for the Liverpool manager.
Kenny Dalglish has made an approach to sign Crystal Palace’s teen sensation Wilfried Zaha, according to the Daily Mail. The Reds boss reportedly made a personal call to Dougie Freedman to enquire about the 19-year-old’s character rather than his footballing credentials. Palace were expecting to receive official contact from the Merseysider’s within the next few days but the Eagles boss has since been given assurances by co-owner Steve Parish that Zaha will not be leaving Selhurst Park, especially now his side are just one game away from a League Cup Final at Wembley.
Manchester sides, City and United, have also expressed their interest in the England Under-19 winger who only recently signed a 5-and-a-half-year contract with the Eagles, but Freedman has reiterated his teenage star is going nowhere.
“I’ve had chit-chats with Kenny Dalglish and Alex Ferguson, but he [Zaha] is not going anywhere,” Freedman told the Daily Mirror.
Liverpool’s failings to put the ball in the back of the net have proved to be their major downfall so far this season. The Reds have only managed to score on 24 occasions in 21 Premier League games. According to OPTA stats Liverpool are second in the table behind Chelsea for the amount of chances created but lie at the foot of the table for conversion rate so it’s no wonder Dalglish continues to be linked with dozens of strikers from around the globe. The Reds need to bring in a striker who can supplement the attack immediately to reignite their challenge of a top four finish.
Tottenham striker Jermaine Defoe is the latest striker to be heavily linked with a move to Anfield and the Daily Mirror suggest the Reds are preparing a £10m bid in the January window. Defoe is said to be unsettled at White Hart Lane with the lack of starting opportunities after falling down the pecking order behind the on-loan Emmanuel Adebayor.
Harry Redknapp was spotted at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday to watch Loic Remy score both goals in Marseille’s 2-0 win over Lille which has put Defoe’s future in further doubt. The Spurs boss has tracked the Frenchman for some time and the addition of a new face at the Lane could push Defoe further down the pecking order.
The 29-year-old has openly admitted he has an eye on the 2012 Euro Championships this summer and wants to cement his place in Fabio Capello’s England squad. Kenny Dalglish is clearly lacking a proven out-and-out goalscorer and could offer Defoe the game time he so badly wants. Despite the lack of starts Defoe has bagged 7 goals in 15 league games for Spurs.
Redknapp is an admirer of the little striker who he has signed on no fewer than three occasions throughout his career and will be reluctant to let him leave with Spurs challenging for the league title. The only way Redknapp would even consider sanctioning the sale of Defoe is if he manages to get another striker in himself.
The Metro says Dalglish is targeting more strikers – Newcastle goal-machine Demba Ba, Inter Milan forward Luc Castaignos, and Nantes teenage striker Jawad Boukabous.
Scoring 15 goals in the first half of a Premier League season inevitably increases the list of a striker’s admirers which Newcastle’s Demba Ba is finding out. The buy of the summer has repaid the faith shown in him by Toon boss Alan Pardew by firing his side into the top six.
Liverpool are among a host of sides that have been alerted by rumours that the 26-year-old striker has a £10m buy-out clause in his contract. Ba is currently away on international duty with Senegal at the African Cup of Nations so any potential deal involving the Newcastle hotshot will have to wait until the end of the season. However, Pardew has moved quickly to quash any talk of Ba leaving by saying he has no interest in selling his top-goalscorer.
Luc Castaignos is another forward who has been heavily linked with a move to Anfield. The Dutchman only joined Inter Milan from Feyenoord in the summer but has found first-team opportunities hard to come by making just 4 appearances for the Nerazzurri. The athletic 19-year-old has bags of potential which is why he is a sought after target around Europe. Inter do not want to sell Castaignos but the player’s management company Sportconsult Nederland claim he’s a wanted man.
“We can confirm that there is interest from Italy, England and Germany,” a spokesman announced.