When Antti Niemi turned Portsmouth down this week Harry Redknapp launched a bid to sign Robert Green. Yet before Niemi joined Fulham from Southampton the press had insisted that Alan Curbishley was interested in signing the Finn. Meanwhile, George Burley has gone out and signed an 18-year-old Pole - Bartosz Bialkowski from Gornik Zabrze.
Up the M27 at Pompey, Sander Westerveld has been in the side since New Years Eve deputising for the injured Jamie Ashdown but clearly doesn’t fit in with Redknapp’s long-term plans and it’s been suggested Green will demand less wages than his other targets Carlo Cudicini and Mark Schwarzer.
However, The Times today reckon Charlton could tempt Norwich to sell Green with a dreamt up deal that included Francis Jeffers or Kevin Lisbie as well as Dean Kiely.
Jeffers has recently returned from a three-month loan spell at Glasgow Rangers, Lisbie was on loan at Carrow Road earlier in the season. The former Republic of Ireland international Kiely, who missed the start of the season with a dislocated finger hasn’t been seeing eye-to-eye this season with the Charlton manager after losing his place for the first time in four seasons.
But The Independent has more wisely linked Charlton and Dean Ashton (instead of Green) and of course Lisbie is mentioned as a bargaining tool again because of his obvious connections plus £5 million cash.
Fulham have apparently asked if Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink is available - the Dutch striker who has fallen out of favour at Middlesbrough was also linked with a move to the Addicks in the tabloids yesterday.