I must of course start by congratulating the team on a great result and performance yesterday. I must admit that I was very sceptical about our chances after the result on Thursday night and I hold my hands up to say that I was wrong to doubt Bilic about playing a weakened team against Astra to ensure the 3 points against Arsenal; it has clearly paid dividends.
Onto the transfer rumours and apparently free agent Joey Barton is having a medical at West Ham this afternoon according to Sports Mole . Barton was most recently with QPR but was released at the end of last season following their relegation to the Championship. I’m not quite sure what to make of this. He is a very inconsistent performer and I dare to mention his disciplinary record!! I will let you all talk amongst yourselves regarding this potential signing who would be sure to divide opinion.
The Daily Star claim we will make an improved £12 million offer to Manchester United for Javier Hernandez. For this fee I believe this would be still quite a bargain considering the players goal scoring record. After the performance at Arsenal you could see him doing a real job either instead of Zarate in the starting 11 or coming on as an impact sub. I hope this gets over the line as soon as possible so all the speculation about a striker can end.
Which leads nicely into the story that we have been offered Dimitar Berbatov’s services by his agent. The ex Tottenham & Manchester Utd striker is available for free after leaving Monaco and is keen on a return to the Premier League. Undoubtedly he has great ability, but his lack of enthusiasm and effort will deter many fans. We all love a player who works their socks off and you rarely see that from the Bulgarian so unless he is the only striker available and we are still looking to boost our ranks I don’t think the board would look to pursue this deal.
Any finally, after missing out on Esteban Cambiasso we are looking into signing Tom Huddlestone from Hully City. The Brentwood Gazette are suggesting that we are still looking to bolster our midfielder and the former England international may be available for a cut price fee thanks to Hull’s recent relegation. I wouldn’t mind signing Huddlestone; although he didn’t have a great season last year he has a lot of experience and would be a good option to have from the bench to help protect a lead in a tight game. I hope this develops further over the next few days into a concrete offer.