Times Online - Newspaper Edition
Smith and Viduka the prey as rivals wait to strike at Leeds
By George Caulkin and Matt Dickinson
AS LEEDS UNITED stagger from humiliation on the football pitch towards financial oblivion off it, they are finding precious little sympathy among their Barclaycard Premiership colleagues. Leeds are seeking a saviour but instead the vultures are circling, with Newcastle United and Middlesbrough last night emerging as contenders to sign Alan Smith and Mark Viduka.
Leeds, who are £82 million in debt and facing the prospect of relegation, have a “standstill agreement” with their creditors that obliges them to raise between £5 million and £8 million by Monday. It is the approach of this deadline that has alerted rival clubs, who sense that relative bargains may be found should Leeds take the drastic step of entering administration.
There is still some hope in the Leeds boardroom that a stay of execution can be agreed — an outline deal for new investment or wage deferrals for players and staff may be enough — but they have already received predatory contact from the North East clubs.
Newcastle have restricted their official dealings to inquiries regarding Michael Bridges, but the wheels have been set in motion for an approach regarding Smith. Middlesbrough have been more active, registering their interest in Viduka, who is in Australia on compassionate leave because of his father’s illness.
Steve McClaren will turn his attention fully towards Viduka should Emile Heskey, the Liverpool and England striker, refuse to countenance a transfer to the Riverside Stadium, as seems likely. The Middlesbrough manager, who worked with Heskey during his spell as an England coach, is desperate for a centre forward to re-energise his team, whose solidity in defence has not been matched by attacking flair. Agreeing a deal with Liverpool, with whom initial discussions have taken place, is not regarded as problematic, but the response from the player and his representatives has been lukewarm.
Whether Viduka would be any more receptive is another matter. The striker has been linked with a number of high-profile clubs from Manchester United down and a weekly wage of £65,000, on top of a transfer fee of about £7 million, is almost certainly beyond McClaren’s means. It is for similar reasons that Middlesbrough’s pursuit of Nicky Butt, who earns £40,000 at Old Trafford, remains notional.
Newcastle’s tactics are intriguing. Freddy Shepherd, the chairman, let it be known yesterday that a £2 million bid for Smith had been rejected by Leeds, a suggestion that was met by a denial from Elland Road and bemusement from Sir Bobby Robson, the Newcastle manager. “All I can tell you is that I don’t know anything about that,” Robson, who has struggled since the summer to persuade Shepherd to loosen the purse strings, said.
Robson, who identified Smith and Stephen Carr, the Tottenham Hotspur and Ireland full back, as his leading transfer targets at the end of last season, has been told consistently that little money is available. Tentative interest has been shown in Patrick Kluivert, of Barcelona, and Henrik Larsson, of Celtic, the latter being out of contract at the end of the season. Both would be sold for minimal sums, and were Leeds to be confronted with administration, Smith would fall into the same bracket.
Robson has been informed, however, than any cash raised by outgoing transfers would be reinvested in his squad, a situation that could precipitate the departures of Nolberto Solano, Carl Cort and Steve Harper. If Newcastle could raise around £8 million, while significantly reducing their wage bill, they would have enough to move for both Smith and Carr. Leeds may be powerless to resist a bid of £4 million for Smith.
Uppermost in Newcastle minds is Alan Shearer’s retirement at the end of next season. At 23, Smith does not have a brilliant goalscoring record — he has scored 34 in 131 Premiership starts for Leeds — but he is a consistent and committed performer. It may be to Robson’s advantage that United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool appear set on other centre forwards.
Until Viduka returned to Australia, Leeds were prepared to allow Newcastle to sign Bridges on a month’s loan. Bridges, who has also been linked with Manchester City and Tottenham, has been afflicted by a series of injuries during his five years in Yorkshire but should there be no recurrence, Robson is confident that he will join Newcastle for nothing when his contract expires in the summer.
Smith and Viduka the prey as rivals wait to strike at Leeds
By George Caulkin and Matt Dickinson
AS LEEDS UNITED stagger from humiliation on the football pitch towards financial oblivion off it, they are finding precious little sympathy among their Barclaycard Premiership colleagues. Leeds are seeking a saviour but instead the vultures are circling, with Newcastle United and Middlesbrough last night emerging as contenders to sign Alan Smith and Mark Viduka.
Leeds, who are £82 million in debt and facing the prospect of relegation, have a “standstill agreement” with their creditors that obliges them to raise between £5 million and £8 million by Monday. It is the approach of this deadline that has alerted rival clubs, who sense that relative bargains may be found should Leeds take the drastic step of entering administration.
There is still some hope in the Leeds boardroom that a stay of execution can be agreed — an outline deal for new investment or wage deferrals for players and staff may be enough — but they have already received predatory contact from the North East clubs.
Newcastle have restricted their official dealings to inquiries regarding Michael Bridges, but the wheels have been set in motion for an approach regarding Smith. Middlesbrough have been more active, registering their interest in Viduka, who is in Australia on compassionate leave because of his father’s illness.
Steve McClaren will turn his attention fully towards Viduka should Emile Heskey, the Liverpool and England striker, refuse to countenance a transfer to the Riverside Stadium, as seems likely. The Middlesbrough manager, who worked with Heskey during his spell as an England coach, is desperate for a centre forward to re-energise his team, whose solidity in defence has not been matched by attacking flair. Agreeing a deal with Liverpool, with whom initial discussions have taken place, is not regarded as problematic, but the response from the player and his representatives has been lukewarm.
Whether Viduka would be any more receptive is another matter. The striker has been linked with a number of high-profile clubs from Manchester United down and a weekly wage of £65,000, on top of a transfer fee of about £7 million, is almost certainly beyond McClaren’s means. It is for similar reasons that Middlesbrough’s pursuit of Nicky Butt, who earns £40,000 at Old Trafford, remains notional.
Newcastle’s tactics are intriguing. Freddy Shepherd, the chairman, let it be known yesterday that a £2 million bid for Smith had been rejected by Leeds, a suggestion that was met by a denial from Elland Road and bemusement from Sir Bobby Robson, the Newcastle manager. “All I can tell you is that I don’t know anything about that,” Robson, who has struggled since the summer to persuade Shepherd to loosen the purse strings, said.
Robson, who identified Smith and Stephen Carr, the Tottenham Hotspur and Ireland full back, as his leading transfer targets at the end of last season, has been told consistently that little money is available. Tentative interest has been shown in Patrick Kluivert, of Barcelona, and Henrik Larsson, of Celtic, the latter being out of contract at the end of the season. Both would be sold for minimal sums, and were Leeds to be confronted with administration, Smith would fall into the same bracket.
Robson has been informed, however, than any cash raised by outgoing transfers would be reinvested in his squad, a situation that could precipitate the departures of Nolberto Solano, Carl Cort and Steve Harper. If Newcastle could raise around £8 million, while significantly reducing their wage bill, they would have enough to move for both Smith and Carr. Leeds may be powerless to resist a bid of £4 million for Smith.
Uppermost in Newcastle minds is Alan Shearer’s retirement at the end of next season. At 23, Smith does not have a brilliant goalscoring record — he has scored 34 in 131 Premiership starts for Leeds — but he is a consistent and committed performer. It may be to Robson’s advantage that United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool appear set on other centre forwards.
Until Viduka returned to Australia, Leeds were prepared to allow Newcastle to sign Bridges on a month’s loan. Bridges, who has also been linked with Manchester City and Tottenham, has been afflicted by a series of injuries during his five years in Yorkshire but should there be no recurrence, Robson is confident that he will join Newcastle for nothing when his contract expires in the summer.