46 hours left: Moses not coming to MCFC

Neil Warnock has said that Victor Moses is going to a Premier League club that isn't us:

"I think it's done. Victor is going to the Premier League and I think £2.5million is a snip for one of the best young players we've got," confirmed Warnock.

"Manchester City should have bought him ages ago instead of messing about, but another Premier League club have made an offer.

"I've spoken to a lot of managers over the last six months and one of the managers who should have taken him in the last window has come to his senses"

It's a shame. But I'm not sure a move to City is the smartest decision for a talented 19 year old right now. And if we really wanted him we would have bid £5million a few weeks ago.

But if we want a young talented English wide player based in the Championship this window we had better hurry up about it.

M.E.N.: 'Closing in' on Johnson

The latest reports:

Manchester City are closing in on Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson to replace the departing Robinho.

MEN Sport understands the Blues have tabled a £5m bid for the 22-year-old, whose contract at the Riverside expires in the summer.

With Victor Moses to Newcastle rumours growing, I think Johnson might now be the focus.

Transfer window: 80 hours left

With the loan departures of Vladimir Weiss to Bolton Wanderers and Robinho to Santos, we could probably do with one more attacking wide player this month. We currently only have Martin Petrov, Craig Bellamy and Shaun Wright-Phillips and while they're all good players the first two suffer with long-standing knee problems while SWP is himself returning from an injury. So a fourth option would be very nice if we are to maintain our push for fourth place plus the FA Cup.

There seem to be two names in the frame: Middlesbrough's Adam Johnson, and Crystal Palace's Victor Moses. Both young, English talents currently playing the Championship, they certainly represent better value for money options than Ángel di María. I wrote about Johnson last night but the news seems to be that we have made a bid and the player is keen to speak to us. So we may well tie this one up.

Victor Moses looks more attainable than Johnson - due to Crystal Palace's going into administration - but we are up against more competition. So far Newcastle United and West Brom have both offered Palace £1.5million, while West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Fulham are also interested. I don't know how this will play out - obviously we could outbid these teams by a distance but whether we do probably hinges on Moses' perceived willingness to come to a side where he will be some way from the first team on arrival.

I think we will buy one of these two, and I think it will probably be Johnson. But I'm not sure. We can also expect to see a deal done for Marco Motta on loan between now and Monday evening.

Bid for Moses

The story moves a little bit today, with reports from Ian Herbert and Daniel Taylor that a bid is likely. This is from the Independent:

Palace manager Neil Warnock indicated yesterday that he believes Moses will be heading out of Selhurst Park unless the current financial difficulties are resolved and City’s football administrator Brian Marwood will press ahead with the club’s move for a player Palace are seeking £5m for.

Palace are understood to have received a £1.5m bid from West Bromwich Albion and there are doubts as to whether other prospective suitors will match the valuation. But City, who feel that their current academy crop does not equip them to make the leap to Champions League football, have the spending power that others seeking Moses’ signature lack.

It seems like this is going to the thrust of our new youth policy. I've written about this before but I'm not sure it's going to work. A youth policy requires a long term plan, a patience with players who may do less well in the immediate term on the basis that they will flower in the years to come. And the sacking of Mark Hughes shows that patience isn't something that we're big on at the moment. Look at Chelsea: Frank Arnesen can buy all the talented teenagers he likes but there is a pressure from the owner for immediate results, which forces managers to play the more experienced players. And it doesn't matter how promising the teenagers you buy are, if they're sitting on the bench they won't get any good.

Mail: Marwood in talks for Moses

An article in Monday's Daily Mail says that we are trying to sign Crystal Palace's highly rated young winger Victor Moses in January:

Brian Marwood, the Eastlands football administrator, held initial talks over a potential move for Moses last week but was taken aback by the club's £5million valuation.

But Marwood wants to hold a second round of talks with Palace this week and will head down to Selhurst Park on Saturday to run the rule over Moses when Palace take on Bristol City in the Championship.

Moses' agent Tony Finnigan has said that a move is likely:

'In my view Victor is worth £5m and maybe even more but I have nothing to do with what Palace will receive for Victor Moses. But from a personal point of view and as a former Palace player I hope they get the amount they desire for him.

'I hope Moses goes on to be the next household name - and he has the talent to do that - but at the moment Palace have to get a figure they are happy with.

'I sincerely hope the player I work with and represent can enable Palace to secure their financial future.'