Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Albion step up David Ngog pursuit
Tuesday 13th July 2010, 10:55AM BST.
Albion have stepped up their pursuit of Liverpool striker David Ngog – but the Baggies could be forced to wait for the Reds to sign players.
The Baggies have agreed rough terms with the player and his club on a season-long loan, after deciding they want to add two more strikers to their squad for the Premier League season.
And the Hawthorns hierarchy have now opted to press ahead with their bid to sign the 21-year-old Frenchman, after agreeing they can meet his wages and Liverpool’s required loan fee.
But Liverpool are unwilling to allow Ngog to leave until they have added back-up for star forward Fernando Torres and occasional central striker Dirk Kuyt.
The former Paris Saint Germain trainee has been on Albion’s transfer shortlist for several weeks, but head coach Roberto Di Matteo has now decided that Ngog is one of the men he wants to add to his squad.
Liverpool are willing to loan out the 6ft 2in centre forward to further his development, while the player is also aware that regular Premier League football is vital if he is to make his case for a future first-team spot at Anfield.
But new Reds boss Roy Hodgson is anxious to ensure he has enough strength in his squad before anyone leaves.
Having signed former Spain international defender Pablo to strengthen his defence for the top-flight challenge, Di Matteo is now targeting extra firepower.
Even if the move for Ngog proves successful, the Italian still wants another forward to add competition for Ishmael Miller, Roman Bednar and Simon Cox.
Chris Wood is likely to leave on loan to further his football education while Luke Moore’s future looks increasingly bleak, although Albion have yet to attract a buyer for the former Villa man.
Midfield star Graham Dorrans could also be in line for a Hawthorns pay rise – but reports of a brand new contract for the young Scot are wide of the mark.
Dorrans, who has been the subject of three failed bids from West Ham, was due a pay increase along with most of his team-mates following promotion to the Premier League in line with the Baggies’ structured wages policy.
But the club are in discussions over a small extra increase for Dorrans, to reflect his huge contribution.
Sponsored Links
UK Sport
Latest Blog — Microsoft Comes to the University of Wolverhampton
Last week Microsoft visited the University of Wolverhampton to give students the chance to develop their own phone apps that could be published on the Windows Phone Marketplace.
Technology blog
Business Awards
Read the full story here
Full coverage of awards celebrating the region's best businesses.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
LIVE traffic updates
Road, rail and airport - latest
Our new, live traffic and travel updates service - check before you set out.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new E&S app
Download the Express & Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
expressandstar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
The filter system is starting to work and we will benefit from it.
It looks like Berg won’t be joining us after the huge demands but “Ngog” looks to be a good option.
I can also see Meaty Beattie joining soon much to my bemusement.
Report abuse
looks lke gonna attract a better class of player rdm knows what he wants ,nice to see thaT dorrans is going to be showed he is respected with a pay rise,.as for wood thats a great idea loan him out and develop him hes got great potential ,as for moore i can see the bescot calling
Report abuse
Due to the new rules relating to squad size for the forth coming season the transfer market will have a lot of these type of situations within it. One or two transfers within one of the bigger clubs will create or trigger something of a merry go round amongst a number of clubs. You get the feeling the transfer market is going to be one mad rush at the end of August.
As for Ngog, he struggled last year but is still young and maybe found it hard to fill the boots of one el nino. Liverpool back room staff regard him highly though and is still very young.
I just hope RDM can get the players he wants, i must admit i thought we may have seen more rumours relating to some of our fringe players, like Moore, Barnett ect. But the truth is JP has never leaked transfer info to the media, and that goes for out goings too.
Report abuse
about time we made some waves in the transfer world, think he would be a good addition, i mean 8 goals in 37 appearances in a liverpool team, get him in! just the firepower we need to keep us up, him and moore will be deadly!
Report abuse
I read this morning elsewhere that Ngog’s agent insists he wants to stay and fight for his place at Liverpool and that Woy enquired about him when he was Fulham manager, in which case I imagine he’d want to keep him.
Report abuse
Beg,steal or borrow!
No money to spend on players!No ambition!
Yo Yo down by Christmas!!!
Report abuse
Number 4, same sort of strike rate as super Kevin Doyle
Report abuse
7 BP.
Don’t forget they’ve added super 7 goal Fletcher to super 7 goal Doyle. And don’t forget as well that many of N’gog’s 37 appearances were from the subs bench, so 8 goals not bad in comparison to two blokes that started almost every game.
Having said that, I can’t see Liverpool letting him go anyway.
What a lot of Wulfies haven’t thought of is that they stayed up by stonewalling. If they play two strikers they have one less player in midfield. That’s a midfield that had very little creativity in it anyway. So where does the supply come from? Play Milijas perhaps? That takes two defensive midfielders away that were protecting a dodgy defence.
Yes they’ve added the lad from Hull and the Belgian left back and I’m not pre-judging them but instead of worrying about our defence and strikeforce I think they ought to be looking at their own defence and more important their midfield.
Only time will tell but I think the Wulfies smugness at doling out advice to us from an ‘established’ PL club may prove a bit premature.
Report abuse
RBH. Spot on as usual. Most of these survival “experts” were in the “Mick out” camp before Christmas.
Report abuse
What we must remember fellow baggies fans is that this season we have no long term injuries to contend with like last season. Last season we had Morrison (player of the season) and Miller out until the new year. Morrison will be huge for us this season and the fact that our oldest player is just 29 (discounting Deano who i cant see ever playing) we do need some experience putting into the squad. The one thing we do have in abundance is pace, JT, Barnes, Morrison, Dozza, Miller, ect all have good pace, and even players like Mulumbu and Jara are not slow.
Report abuse
Wolves fan here. Just an observation but Doyle got his goals playing up front on his own in a struggling team. Ngog was at a far better team coming on when Liverpool were pushing blokes on like crazy to get an equaliser/winner , on most occasions he played. I don’t think many would swap Fletcher or Doyle for Ngog. Thats an honest opinion NOT and anti Baggies one
Report abuse
10 Jarrod.
Is that really you?
If it is then has some mad professor performed an optimism transplant on you?
11 Truth.
If you’re a regular you will know that my post wasn’t aimed at the sensible Wulfies like yourself but the deluded plonkers that infest this site thinking Wolves are Barcelona because you’ve achieved a second season.
Report abuse
The Real Bully Hoo. Thats fair enough. Some people on here are hell bent on talking rubbish JUST for a reaction! Most of them I find are Wulfies posing as Baggies and vice versa !
Report abuse
Has anyone seen the ad on the left of this page for “Liverpool we buy any car” ??
I just phoned em to enquire about a car and they asked if I wanted hub caps with it and what sort of radio I would like cos “Darren” was going out to get some…..
I heard a lot about Ngog last season ( apparently it pronounced “n-goh and his nickname is “wash”).
A lot of liverpool fans felt he was a decent striker but only played when Torres was out which meant he usually came off the bench or played up on his own…..
Now i know Doyle played up on his own too, but to be fair not many teams played 8 at the back against Wolves did they ?
This kid scored 8 goals in his first season without a regular run of games and against teams that parked the bus when they played liverpool and so I really hope he comes in cos i think he will be a real asset.
Report abuse
our goals will mainly come from midfield as we will be playing a loan striker. i have no doubt if ngog did come he will be better than our current strikers. if he scores 8 for us that may well keep us up as long as were solid.
Report abuse
Happy, if he comes to the Black Country it will be pronounced “n-goo”
Report abuse
14. Good point on Ngog and agree with a good run of games which he will get could hopefully get 12+ for us. With that a creative midfield which we have could see a brighter future for us.
Bednar hmmm maybe 6-8 goals, Miller well I hope he can fill his true potential as he can be explosive.
Report abuse
I dont reckong he will agree a move to WBA…… Im not digging here but Liverpool to possible relegation……. I would wait and see first. Having said that WBA are more likely to stay up than last time in my view. A couple of strikers in and a bit of midfield cover should see you there or there abouts.
As for Wolves, we look stronger on paper than last year but have to wait and see. Im not over confident and relegation is a real threat still.
Report abuse
As an Aston Villa fan I`d say there`s not
much difference between Albion`s attacking
threat and Wolves,although I`d take more baggies players than dingles.
WOLVES:
Doyle-Yes
Fletcher-No
Hunt-No
Jarvis-No
Ebanks-Blake-No
Kightly-No
Guedioura-No
Milijas-No.
ALBION:
Brunt-No
Dorrans-Yes
Bednar-Yes
Miller-No
Cox-No
Barnes-Yes
Morrison-Yes
Thomas-No.
Report abuse
When Roy Hodgson wants Graham Dorrans next
season to replace Stephen Gerrard then
Jeremy Peace should tell him to bog off.
Out of all the teams in the Premiership I
dont think Liverpool have ever done Albion any
favours.
Report abuse
Woy Hodgson is a good manager but I’ll bet that he’ll wish he’d stayed at Fulham before this season is out. It’s one thing lifting a small, family club into areas they only dream about and quite another to follow the success Liverpool will expect, demand in fact. There’s little or no money as I understand it, although the current squad is powerful by Baggies’ and Wulfies’ standards. If he’s getting the wind up already, N’Gog won’t go anywhere. Let’s hope he feels benevolent.
Report abuse
he would b a good loan signing and the spanish centre half could b but i reckon u will have 2 still spend at least 10 million. as for comments about doyle. he is a proven international goalscorer and worth double what we paid for him
Report abuse
16) ‘e ay comin’ to the Black Country, we got Fletcher, Doyle and Blakey and I don’t think Walsall can afford him.
No, it’s the Albion who want to sign him for the Birmingham derbies against Villa and the Blouses.
Report abuse
23 Cuddly Dudley. Unless you are approaching my age and are taking the Mick, you obviously haven’t the faintest idea about The Black Country. I was born in Great Bridge, West Bromwich and later Stone Cross into a new council house. I’d never seen an electric light in a house, an indoor toilet, hot water, (or even cold water), indoors. The foundries were everywhere, miners with blackened faces, glass blowers with a built-in cough, the sky ALWAYS grey and filled with dust and smoke. One week in August it would almost clear to show blue bits on occasion. THAT my friend, was the Black Country. Walsall always hotly denied being part of it and you couldn’t blame them! You should apologise to all good West Bromwich folk. We would never dream of insulting Dudley in that way.
Report abuse
Can I totally agree with 21) Cyril Randle. The Roy Hodgson / Liverpool thing will end in tears. They will lose key players (not necessarily Gerrard, either)before the window shuts. The debts caused by American borrowings may yet break the camel’s back.
….and worst of all for those Liverpool fans Everton will be a better team.
Bottom half. Trust me !
May not be quite as bad as Keegan / Newcastle / Ashley debacle
Report abuse
23.
What a loss you must have been to the stand-up comedy circuit.
Report abuse
19.
Really? You don’t want to have Brunt (our top goalscorer last premier league season)Thomas (probably set up or scored a goal in most games he was involved in) Cox (one of our most energetic hard-working players who is still only very young and a player you would back in most one on one situations).
As for N’gog I think he only gets so much criticisim from liverpool fans as they expect to see Torres standard from anybody that plays up front for them. However I would take him for a season because, to repeat what some people have already said, he may just need a run of games to show his true potential.
Report abuse
25, yes then mr morgan can buy the club he supports for another tenner and leave you lot and your super half empty 40,000 seater stadium in tatters,aye boing boing
Report abuse
you cant really tell from the pic how good Ngog is as everybody goes past craddock,aye boing boing
Report abuse
24,Cyril its still like that in dudley n dinglehampton,aye boing boing
Report abuse
Ooh Kroist ar aer Terry, it ay arf! How bist yower lovely daughter an missus mate ? Tew noice bits uv cuddle bay um ?
Report abuse
(23)
Thats right, WE do need him for the brum derbies,
if it was for just wolves we wouldn’t have to bother.
~~~~BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
Report abuse