The Hitmen And Shisha Pipes Thursday Transfer Gossip
It seems hard to believe now but its only four years since Stephen Ireland was named as Manchester City's player of the season after an outstanding year which saw the Cobh man score 13 goals in all competitions from midfield. Ireland was 22 and genuinely looked like a potential star of the Premier League for years to come. Today, the Daily Mirror are reporting he is set to follow his international teammate Shay Given to Doncaster. According to the newspaper 'Rovers boss Paul Dickov is poised to benefit from a big cash injection which will enable him to land the two Premier League stars from Aston Villa.' The 'cash injection' must be pretty significant to enable a newly promoted Championship club to sign two players who reportedly earned around £125,000-a-week between them.
Given has agreed to join Paul Dickov's side on a season-long loan and presumably Ireland will do the same. Even though he is still only 26, it's hard to imagine him ever recapturing the form that immensely frustrated Ireland fans who wondered would he ever wear the green shirt again. Where once there was frustration, now there is just apathy and funny memories of pink-wheeled Range Rovers and shisha pipes.
'Valencia eye Man United hitman Hernandez on loan to replace Soldado' was a headline we were surprised to read in this morning's Daily Mail. Chicharito has always came across as a pleasant, innocent young man so who would have thought he was living this secret double life as a brutal professional killer. Valencia have also 'targeted Hernandez in the hope he will relish the move as a chance for more regular game time' as well as hoping the Mexican has grown tired of the rain obscuring his vision through his scope, as he gets ready to pull the trigger on his sniper.
If Wayne Rooney's transfer saga mercifully ends with the United striker joining Chelsea, it would leave David Moyes relying on Robin Van Persie and statistically, one of the worst finishers in the Premier League last season in Danny Welbeck as his established first-team strikers. So the chances of him parting with the always prolific Hernandez for no transfer fee are about as likely as Chicharito dying his hair grey and reenacting Tom Cruise's role in Collateral on the streets of Manchester.
