Summer Sale: Smith Sold to Newcastle for £6 Million

We must be really confident of getting Tevez by this weekend. Just a day after letting Rossi leave, we've lost Smith as well. While I'm not overly heartbroken over this latest departure, it still leaves our front line really thin. As of right now, we have Rooney as the only recognised and healthy forward. Ole is out till a much later date and Saha's perpetually unreliable.

The word out there is that Tevez has finally been released, but until he holds up a United jersey flanked by Fergie wrapping his arms around him in a press conference, I'm not jumping the gun. Even if Tevez signs before the weekend, we're still only two strong in the striker's department. I'm frankly not sure he'd be ready for the Charity Shield against Chelsea.

That means we'd possibly be fielding Ronaldo or Giggs along side Rooney. And touch wood nothing happens to of them in the next few friendlies. I'm really not comfortable with the current situation.

Here's a side note that I found rather amusing:
Villareal bought Rossi to replace Forlan,
Atletico Madrid bought Forlan to replace Torres,
Liverpool bought Torres to replace Bellamy,
West Ham bought Bellamy to replace Tevez,
No prizes for guessing who started the musical chairs.

Summer Sale : Rossi Sold To Villarreal

All I have to say is.....what the fuck!

The fee is not disclosed at this point in time. It had better be larger than what Parma offered.

With Ole injured and Saha unfit (what's new?), it could possibly be Rooney and Smith upfront against Reading on the opening day. And that's not even a given, since there is a chance that Smith could very well be gone by then.

Anderson might get a larger role if things go his way. I seriously hope Anderson is worth the price we paid for him. From what little I've seen of Anderson, and what I already know of Rossi, I have a sinking feeling that Rossi's the better player now and in the future.

Official Reports:
MANUTD.com
MEN

Latest Update:
United has Rossi option - I'm feeling slightly better after reading this. Hate to see Rossi go without ever given a real chance. Maybe it is all about the money afterall....

United Slams Door On Rivals + Rio Rant

Liverpool Heinze Bid Rejected
Glad to know that United have outright rejected a Liverpool bid for Heinze. Good to know both Ferguson and Gillman are on the same page on this issue. However there is a cautionary note here, it probably also means that in the not too distant future, our rival clubs would not be selling their players over either. Not that it's a huge issue right now since there isn't anyone out there that I think fits into the squad.

More Summer Sales?
Ferguson has hinted that Rossi and Smith could very well be the next to go. This is especially so if the Tevez deal goes thru. While the fans would love to have them both in the squad, it is increasingly likely that neither would be able to play regular football in the next season.

I personally would hate to see Rossi go. After his loan spell to Parma, I've been watching a few Parma games and I loved what I saw. I'd go as far as saying that he single-handedly transformed the team and pulled them out of relegation. He gave the team a zest that was missing, not to mention scoring a boatful of goals in the process. I really hope there is someway to keep him with the team.

New Man Rio
Nice little fluff piece by the seagulls. Would be really sweet if he's a new man, but the scars of yesterday still run deep with this blogger. Unfortunately the article conveniently leaves out a number of crucial details on why he was booed so blantantly by United supporters.

He was booed by his own supporters in Tokyo, rowed with Ruud van Nistelrooy on the field and was accused of dragging his heels over a new contract. One of England's most gifted players was in danger of being labelled 'a big time Charlie'.

Let's not forget he stupidly missed a dope test, resulting in a 9 month ban. And perhaps most insidious of them all, he's 'chance' meeting with judas, Peter Kenyon, in 2005.

Sure he sometimes comes across as the dumbest person in the world, both on and off the pitch. But when it comes to money matters, he's definitely not daft. This was a guy who dragged his feet with contract issues, after the club and fans stood by him during the 9 month drug ban. He showed his 'gratitude' by negotiating his way to being the highest paid player in the club. I'm sure he has a huge family to look after.

Don't for a moment even think that his meeting with self-confessed United fan and now CEO of Chelsea, Peter Kenyon, was a mere conincidence. Ask Cashley Cole what came out of his 'chance' meeting.

Rio is a mercenary and has always been. This is evident from his move from his beloved West Ham to Leeds at a British record for a defender and subsequently to us, for yet another record fee. While he took no cut in the transfer fee, his wage skyrocketed with each move. His words and professions of love for the club have always meant little to me. It's always the $$$ symbols that attracted him.

That's why Rio will never be a United legend....for me.

Reserves : On Loan Today, Stars Tomorrow?

After the rather doom and gloom piece the last entry, I found this gem of an article in MEN (Manchester Evening News). It gives a rather nice round up of the players who are on loan. It's probably a puff piece, but still a good read for those of us who are unable to follow the progress of our future stars.

Worthy mention of Johnny Evans, Giuseppi Rossi, Ben Foster and Lee Martin, who I think are all in contention of breaking the first team based on what limited footage I've caught on them the last couple of years.