Football United step up chase for Anderton

Ian Potts,Phil Shaw
Wednesday 05 July 1995 23:02 BST
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Football

IAN POTTS and PHIL SHAW

Alex Ferguson has made a pounds 5m-plus move for Tottenham's England winger, Darren Anderton. The Manchester United manager has opened discussions with Spurs for the player, whose signing would appease the Old Trafford supporters in the wake of the departures of Paul Ince and Mark Hughes.

Anderton has emerged as one of the most skilful players in England since joining Spurs from Portsmouth and Ferguson feels he would give balance to his attack. Anderton would also be a bonus in Europe as an England international.

United have been offering in the region of pounds 5m so far without success, but Ferguson is making no secret of his desire to sign Anderton and the possibility exists of an exchange involving the unsettled Ukrainian winger, Andrei Kanchelskis.

Ferguson has come under fire for his sale of Ince, and the bizarre departure of Hughes after he had apparently signed a contract. Ferguson has mounted a campaign to deflate fans' fury but knows that only the arrival of a leading name will redress the balance.

Anderton's departure would be a bitter pill for Spurs supporters to swallow so soon after the departure of Jurgen Klinsmann, but financial forces may prevail. United have around pounds 9m to spend, and despite the need to put funds into ground development there is enough to batter Tottenham into submission for their best player.

Aston Villa took their summer spending to pounds 9.25m yesterday, paying pounds 3.25m for the Leicester playmaker, Mark Draper. Villa remain hopeful of another major signing before pre-season training begins on Monday.

The fee, which also sends Brian Little's outlay beyond the pounds 14m mark in eight months as manager, is pounds 250,000 more than the bid Villa had rejected in March. A year ago, when Little was in charge of Leicester, he bought Draper for pounds 1.25m from Notts County, who now receive a "sell-on" bonus of pounds 500,000.

Little still wants Chris Coleman, the Welsh international utility player, but is unwilling to meet Crystal Palace's pounds 3.5m valuation. His attempt to offer Dalian Atkinson in part-exchange may founder on the striker's preference for a move abroad. Leicester, meanwhile, cleared the way for an influx of newcomers by accepting Bradford City's pounds 400,000 offer for Gavin Ward, Nicky Mohan and Ian Ormondroyd.

David Ginola yesterday delayed his pounds 2.5m transfer to Newcastle from Paris St-Germain for 24 hours so he could appear in a Paris fashion show.

Coventry have agreed a pounds 500,000 fee with Benfica for Isaias, the 31-year- old Brazilian-born midfielder. Ron Atkinson, the Coventry manager, first saw Isaias against Arsenal in the European Cup in 1991, and opened negotiations after Bobby Robson, now of Porto, gave the player a glowing reference.

Leeds are to pay Sydney United pounds 550,000 - an Australian record - for the 22-year-old Zeljko Kalac, the national team's goalkeeper, whose move to Norwich fell through last season.

David Pleat, the Sheffield Wednesday manager, flies to Sweden today to try to persuade Roland Nilsson to re-join the club after his extended loan spell at Helsingborg. Wednesday have finalised plans to stage home fixtures in the Intertoto Cup at Rotherham's Millmoor ground.

Liverpool have put on hold a pounds 700,000 deal for Crewe's 19-year-old midfielder, Fran Tierney. Terms had been agreed for the Liverpool-born youngster, but yesterday Peter Robinson, the Liverpool chief executive, said: "It has been agreed that Fran will stay at Gresty Road to consolidate his development in the Crewe first team at the start of next season."

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