A bid for Taye Taiwo?

Reports in the Daily Mirror this morning suggest that we're interested in Olympique Marseille's Nigerian left back Taye Taiwo.

Good news. We certainly need a new left back. Because Ball is such a 'no-frills' player, it is assumed that he is competent, which I fear he is not. Garrido is a good footballer, but not near the required standard of a Premier League full-back yet.

Having started his career at Lobi Stars in Nigeria, the nineteen year old Taiwo moved to l'OM in January 2005, to replace Bixente Lizarazu, returning to Bayern Munich for his second spell. He played only four league matches that season, and went off to the FIFA World Youth Championship in Holland that summer. He was one of the stars of the tournament; scoring the winner in the 1-0 defeat of Ukraine in the last 16, a penalty in the quarter-final penalty win over the Dutch, and the first in the 3-0 semi final victory over Morocco. Nigeria lost the final 2-1 to Argentina (captained by another City target, Pablo Zabaleta). Taiwo was named the third best player of the tournament, behind Leo Messi and Jon Obi Mikel.

The 2005/06 season was more settled, as Taiwo made 30 league starts, whilst also spending time in Egypt for the African Cup of Nations, where Nigeria finished third. Although Marseilles finished sixth in Ligue 1, they reached the final of the Coupe de France, where Taiwo played in the 2-1 defeat by Paris St. Germain.

In 2006/07 Taiwo had no international tournament to distract him, and he played every single league match from which he was not suspended (37 out of 38), as Marseilles finished second in the league. There was more cup final heartbreak though, as l'OM lost their second cup final in succession: 5-4 on penalties to FC Sochaux after a 2-2 draw.

Last season was disappointing for Taiwo at both club and international level. Marseilles (for whom Taiwo played 28 league matches) slipped to third in the league, and were knocked out of the cup by the semi-professional USJA Carquefou, from the fifth tier of French football. Whilst Nigeria won only one match out of four at the African Nations Cup, and went home at the last 16 stage. On a personal level, he was selected in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season.

The best news is that Taiwo could be interested in a move to the Premier League. When questioned last week with regard to a rumoured move to Sunderland, he said: "The Premier [League] is the best league in the world. It could anyone's head. You never know."


Here are some clips of him kicking the ball hard.