Friday Morning Frenzy: Rumor Roundup

Through this transfer window lies your hopes and dreams...

So here we are, the final weekend of the transfer period. Let’s have a quick breakdown of the rumors swirling around some US Men.

Michael Bradley

Teams potentially interested: Middlesbrough, Hamburg, Monaco, Everton

My Thoughts: My formal bet is that Bradley Jr. goes to Middlesbrough.  Some other folks think that Germany and France are the most likely, but I have a feeling that Mikey and his agent will be pushing hard for Southgate to come in with a good offer (Bradley prefers England).  Plus, Boro has to be encouraged by the potential reunion between Michael and Afonso Alves. They had strong chemistry at Heerenveen and Gareth will hope they can reignite that flame at Teesside.

UPDATE: Greg Seltzer over at NSC muses:

Synchronized word out of England and the Netherlands says Middlesbrough either now have or are about to table an offer for Bradley, which will seemingly land in the €3.5-4.5 million neighborhood.

Looks like the wheels are in motion…

Oguchi Onyewu

Teams potentially interested: Specifics unknown, but we do know the leagues: Ligue 1, Premiership, La Liga.

UPDATE: soccer365 is saying that Aston Villa is the Prem Team who has their eye on Onyewu…

My Thoughts: I think we’ll have some more facts on this bit of gossip later today, but Gooch has definitely earned the buzz that’s stirring across Europe.  I can’t see Onyewu wanting to head back to Ligue 1, plus you have to imagine he wants a chance to redeem himself in England and if the Aston Villa rumor is true, that club could be a great fit.  Manager Martin O’Neill has assembled an ambitious side this season, and Villa’s defense has been a bit shaky thus far (Onyewu would certainly be an improvement over Zat Knight in my opinion).  This Villa rumor also comes on the heels of the news that Villa has just locked up the signature of James Milner in a 4 year contract for 10 million pounds.  So if the Onyewu rumor is also true, it looks like they aren’t afraid to splash some cash right now.   All of that said, Gooch has also been consistently linked to La Liga in the past, and I think he would be a strong asset to a number of Spanish teams.  While the Villa rumor is an exciting notion, a few more facts need to pop up before I take it TOO seriously.  In this order, I think he’ll end up in (1) La Liga (2) England (3) France.  But this all depends on who’s interested.

Jozy Altidore

Teams potentially interested: Rumors that Real Valladolid are looking to acquire the ManBeast in a temporary loan move.

My Thoughts: I think the rumor might be bogus, but it doesn’t really matter. I don’t mind talking about bogus rumors, because hey, it’s fun. Bottom line: Jozy just needs minutes, so bring it on.  Let’s see if the kid can play with the big boys.

UPDATE: Word straight from Jozy’s mouth dispells this rumor.  He will be staying with Villareal until at least January.

–psc