Ins and Outs

It's been altogether rather slow building up to the opening of the transfer window in January. Maybe it's because we haven't really known who was going to be in charge, and we don't know what players Zajec favours, but there's certainly not the air of rampant expectation that used to be in place when Harry was at the helm coming up to the transfer window.

Having said that, signing the likes of Mornar and Curtis last year, perhaps the optimism was falsely placed.

So far there still aren't too many rumours about who will be coming into the club - a couple of unpronouncable Croatian internationals apart, although that's more down to the media being very unoriginal. The old one about Yakubu moving to Liverpool keeps coming to the surface, £9m the rumoured figure, whilst Amdy Faye is being linked with another club - this time Aston Villa. Quite why a settled Villa team would want to pay an alleged £2.5m for an inconsistent sulk is anyone's guess, although he has been playing well in the last couple of days. Sky Sports News are especially keen on this story and are reporting he has already passed a medical at "another Premiership club".

Finally, some have started to perk up hopes over re-signing Alexei Smertin. He hasn't featured for Chelsea much lately and was on Sky Sports News today talking about his love for the Portsmouth fans; some reckon it's a "come and get me" plea and that he'd love to join our Eastern Bloc reunion. Personally I can't see it as Mourinho has played him a fair amount, despite turning to other options lately, but I can see why people would be hopeful. Especially if gaining Smertin meant losing Faye!