Midweek Rumor Mill, Or: Don’t Start Packing Just Yet, Hernan

By: Martha | April 11th, 2007

Lazy Viduka •Remember yesterday’s report that Hernan Crespo was going to be allowed to stay at Inter with all his friends next season? Well, if you believe Jose Mourinho, that was just a big lie. Doh! At some point during his post-match remarks yesterday, The Special One was asked about how Chelsea will cope “early next season” ~~in the fall~~, when attackers Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou are away on international duty. In response, Mourinho dropped the bombshell on poor Crespo, who was probably just at that moment sipping a glass of celebratory, I’m-staying-with-Inter champagne: “That is why Hernan will have to return to London. There is no way we can play with just two men upfront in that delicate phase of the season.” Oh dear. Of course, if the rumors of Mourinho leaving are true, what he wants may not matter — chin up, Hernan, all may not be lost.

•In Spain, meanwhile, our bi-weekly rumor about the availability of Gianluca Zambrotta has rolled in; once again — according to the Spanish press, anyway — he’s unsettled at Barca and would be interested in returning to his old, Italian stomping grounds. Word on the street is that it’s Milan (who made something of an effort to sign him last sumer) and Juve who are tracking the situation most closely, but no actual offers are even rumored to have been made, which means any possible deal really is a long way off.

•On the Serie B front, Genoa have reportedly tabled an impressive offer for striker Mark Viduka (How can he only be 6′1″ and 31 years old? The Viduka in my head is 70 years old, and about 6′10″.), currently plying his trade in England with Middlesbrough. The Aussie is out of contract at the end of the season and report indicate he wants a long-term deal from Borough, as well as assurances they’ll spend over the summer, and may instead be tempted by the three-year, £8 million offered allegedly made by the Italian club.

•In addition to earlier reports that both Juve and Milan have already made offers for Chelsea’s Frank Lampard, it’s now being suggested that Inter, too, are desperate for a little piece of Lamps and have also talked money with … someone. According to the latest, however, the Italian clubs may be SOL: A Spanish paper reported yesterday that Lampard’s first choice is Barcelona, and that a deal is already in the works to the tune of about €30 million to Chelsea, plus €6 million in annual pages. Damn.

•And, finally, more non-news on David Trezeguet: He was substituted in Juve’s crucial win over Napoli yesterday, and in response refused to talk about his future at the club. Take that, Didier. Others, however, are always talking, and the latest is that his services are desired by Liverpool, a club I don’t think we’ve heard associated with his name so far. (If I’m not mistaken, the total number of clubs allegedly interested is around 153, if you could those two teams on Mars that made offers last week.)