 Sunderland on the verge of a massive £23million transfer swoop for Spurs quartet Steed Malbranque, Teemu Tainio, Pascal Chimbonda and Younes Kaboul.
The Black Cats, who have yet to delve into the summer transfer market, have been working hard behind the scenes to bolster their squad ahead of next season and they are all set to announce the quadruple capture.
The four players are set for talks with chairman Niall Quinn with a view to joining up with Keane’s first-team squad over the weekend in Portugal.
“The players I’ve got in mind, I’m hopeful they’ll bring real quality to the team. We’re short of numbers this year, but I very much feel I want to target real quality players, players who’ve certainly played and handled the Premiership,” said Keane, whose men are football odds of 2.6 in a straight match-bet with deadly rivals Newcastle this season.
Centre-back Younes Kaboul is the most expensive of the potential new recruits with the 22-year-old, who has been linked with Portsmouth, likely to cost around £10million. The commanding defender was a bit-part player for Spurs last term after his £7million arrival from Auxerre and Keane is convinced the French-born star can become the mainstay of the Wearsiders’ defence for years to come.
Former Wigan full-back Chimbonda will offer Keane some versatility as he can play on the left or on the right and can slot into a more advanced midfield role as well. The 28-year-old has been on the lookout for a new club after Juande Ramos told him he can leave White Hart Lane.
Defensive midfielder Tainio and winger Malbranque, both 28, will offer Sunderland a wealth of experience and help lift the Wearsiders away from the sides scrapping to avoid relegation.
Keane has emphasised all summer that he needs to make a statement of intent and four quick-fire deals will surely announce the Black Cats on the scene this summer.
Sunderland are Premier League odds of 5.8 to be relegated, but the Stadium of Light faithful won’t be thinking about the drop, they will be dreaming of a top-six finish (17.0).
- Soccer News Like
- Be the first of your friends!
