Benjani move confirmed

As expected, the loan transfer of Benjani to Sunderland was confirmed today and it is all but certain that his career with us is now over with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.

It is a good move for Benjani as he remains in the Premier League and goes to a side where he will likely see plenty of playing, something he would not be afforded (despite his recent stint as a stand-in) with the return of Emmanuel Adebayor.

Steve Bruce clearly thinks he has landed himself a good player (and it must be noted that there was plenty of interest in him) anyway:

"He's a big, strong, powerful centre forward and one we've been tracking for a long time," Bruce said. "I'm delighted that we've been able to bring him to the club. He'll bring another dimension to our striking options and will be a great addition to the squad."

It is easy to dismiss Benjani's time at the club as a failure, yet he was in many ways a victim of the circumstances that have swept through the club over the past 12-18 months. When he first arrived, my view was that he was a useful, if somewhat underwhelming signing but he performed fairly credibly initially and of course etched his name into derby folklore with the his goal at Old Trafford in our 2-1 victory.

But when the significant money began to arrive he found himself frozen out of the side during the time Mark Hughes was in charge - perhaps surprisingly when you look back and consider options in attack were limited and both Ched Evans and Felipe Caicedo were regular fixtures in the starting line up.

His rather languid style may not have endeared himself to Hughes though and until his recent surprise recall he was well and truly cast into the wilderness. There can be no argument that our progress and ambition means his future lies elsewhere, but he always struck as an affable character and he certainly won't go with any ill will towards him.

Career stats:

Season	Apps	Goals
2007/08	13	3
2008/09	8(4)	3
2009/10	4(2)	1

A late, late deal for Benjani?

So suggests ESPN, based on Steve Bruce's pre-match interview when he discussed the potential move:

Steve Bruce is hopeful Benjani will be joining the club after Sunderland's last-gasp move for the Manchester City striker.

Speaking before Monday night's ESPN game with Stoke Bruce said his club had got all the paperwork off on time and were awaiting confirmation.

The 31-year-old Zimbabwean had been in talks with Blackburn but now his fate rests with the Premier League.

When asked if Benjani would be heading to the Stadium of Light Bruce said: "We hope so, we have done everything properly. It was very, very late but we hope it's been accepted by the FA.

"It was pretty hectic at five to five when everything was going in there. At this moment in time I'm not so sure but Niall Quinn the chairman is very, very confident that it has been completed."

I haven't been able to find anything else to back this report out, so if anyone has anything please feel free to leave a comment.

UPDATE: The Times man in the North-East, George Caulkin, suggests on twitter that the paperwork to sign Benjani has been filed but was held up by 'technical problems' and the hope is that some leniency will be afforded.

Bruce confirms Benjani talks

"We have entered into discussions with his representatives about the player.

We have just looked at the situation and we feel we are juggling the balls in the air a little bit and you are just hoping the squad is big enough and strong enough. With the injuries we have, we are worried we are a little bit light in that area, and we have decided that we will try to make a move."

>>Steve Bruce.

Sunderland move for Benjani

Sky Sports News understands Sunderland are in talks to sign Manchester City striker Benjani.

Benjani's future at City has been the subject of speculation for the last few weeks with a number of clubs credited with an interest in the Zimbabwe international.

West Ham were believed to be close to signing the former Portsmouth man, but they have ended their interest in Benjani.

Sunderland have now jumped to the head of the queue for Benjani with the player understood to be on Wearside for talks.

>>skysports.com

It appears that Roberto Mancini would not stand in the way should Benjani wish to leave:

“I spoke with him two days ago and he told me he had a possibility to go and play.

We have a lot of strikers but he it is up to him to decide. “If he wants to stay here I will be happy. He is a good player and a good man.”

Johnson deal moving closer?

It appears as though progress is being made over the potential signing of Middlesbrough's Adam Johnson.

After Gordon Strachan poured water on a possible move yesterday, Sky Sports reported that Johnson himself was keen to speak to us over a move and today's MEN states a deal is 'edging' closer:

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.

The departure of Robinho on Thursday on six months' loan to Santos has freed up a place in the City squad, and Johnson has asked Boro for permission to talk to City.

I do like Johnson as a player from what I have seen, and if he is interested in a move, given his contract expires in the summer I'd imagine Middlesbrough would take a fee in the region of £5 million or so.

UPDATE: Sky Sports are reporting Roberto Mancini as 'confirming' his interest in Johnson.

City 4 Sunderland 3

Yesterday's result, which saw us move back up to sixth in the table (and only eight points off second with a game in hand), was of course relegated to a minor footnote given events either side of the ninety minutes that encapsulated many of the frustrations of recent weeks.

Hughes said he had no idea of the speculation that was growing about his future, but his decision to axe Robinho and Adebayor following their midweek performances was certainly a statement. With Bellamy and Wright-Phillips back in the line up it showed exactly where our strengths lie, attacking with pace and intent. Bellamy in particular was instrumental, perhaps on a one-man mission to save Hughes's job as we raced into an early lead.

Familiar failings at the back were to haunt us though, throwing away 2-0 and 3-2 leads before Santa Cruz (who showed plenty of promise yesterday) scored his second to seal the points in a game that earned Hughes what was to be a victorious swansong, but which will largely be forgotten when history looks back on the days events.

Dunne interesting Sunderland

SUNDERLAND chairman Niall Quinn has admitted his interest in signing City captain Richard Dunne.

Dunne is City's longest-serving player but could become surplus to requirements at Eastlands this summer with boss Mark Hughes chasing a number of high-profile defensive signings, most recently being linked with Chelsea's John Terry.

>>MEN.

Said Niall Quinn:

"He is a player who is an excellent footballer but he is a Man City player until they say any different and we stand in a line," he said in the Daily Mail.

"We are not the only admirers but if there is a chink of light we will get through it if we can.

"We probably need a few men and spirited people to lift what we have and of course Richard Dunne would fit the bill."

It is strange to think how far Dunne's stock has fallen over the past season in particular. This time lalst year, we managed to fend off interest from Portsmouth and Tottenham (something that Hughes was very keen to do), yet the groundswell of opinion that formed about Dunne during 2008/09 was that his time had passed.

As good a servant and player (easy to forget four consecutive fans player of the year awards) Dunne has been, inevitably along the way where real progress is strived for, there will be casualties and sentiment can rarely be afforded.

If we are to add quality to the centre of defence, Dunne will undoubtedly be sidelined - something that could occur regardless if Vincent Kompany drops back - and given his age and that it is a World Cup year (with Ireland having a realistic shot at qualification) he may feel that he can ill afford to be sat on the sidelines for the most part.

I'm sure sides will covet him and that he will have plenty of options to pick from should he be made available. Unless we can add in that area though, he won't be going anywhere.

Hughes on Sunderland victory

From skysports.com:

"We had chances to win more comprehensively but towards the end we got a little bit nervous only because we obviously had a really hard game on Thursday.

"Some of the guys were cramping up so we needed to make changes. Sunderland were always going to throw balls into our box and hope something would drop for them.

"Overall we're delighted with the win. That's six home wins on the bounce so we're delighted after a good result in terms of getting into the next round in Europe and then a win against a spirited Sunderland side."

City 1 Sunderland 0

[men report, sky sports minute by minute report, setanta match report]

A win that was expected, and although not as comfortable as was thought prior to the game, it is another three points nonetheless, maintaining our impressive home record this season and providing some further evidence that we can 'grit out' victories - after a European week and against ten men no less.

As I hoped, Bojinov continued his recovery and managed over an hour on his first start and given more important days ahead, the appearance of Craig Bellamy as a substitute was also a welcome one. It was a surprise to see Garrido not automatically replace Wayne Bridge, and I get the impression that Mark Hughes may have ducked a far trickier decision as to who to leave out from the side.

Disappointing to see Micah Richard's forced off with a hamstring injury, but not before scoring the goal - his first for some time - that won the points. We are far less threatening from set pieces than the makority of sides so it was pleasing to score one via this route. The game of course could have been far more conclusive and there were opportunities wasted (most notably the Robinho penalty miss - why didn't Elano take it?) that could have altered the scoreline if not the ultimate outcome.

Sterner tests undoubtedly lie ahead for us, but heading into the international break we are fairly well set for a big end of season push both domestically and in Europe. I'm sure there will be many fingers crossed that we see a full complement of healthy players return following the international break.

Sunderland preview

In my contribution to The Observer's preview of today's game, I focused very much on the race for seventh place. Yet, with yesterday's results at the bottom end of the table, the threat of relegation has once again been raised in certain quarters.

It is not a threat I subscribe to though given our impressive home return this season, and the sheer number of teams between ourselves and the bottom three who, simply put, are not collectively good enough to put enough results together to see us fall into trouble.

A win today though (in a game which we are clear favourites) would see us again move up the table and be just a win off West Ham in seventh - a distinct possibility if we can just resolve our away woes.

Team wise (from BBC Sport) is as follows:

Stephen Ireland and Wayne Bridge picked up ankle and hamstring injuries respectively in Manchester City's Uefa Cup win over Aalborg and are doubts.

Vincent Kompany, faces a late fitness test on his toe injury but striker Craig Bellamy (knee) may feature.

Sunderland defenders Anton Ferdinand and Nyron Nosworthy are available after recovering from hamstring injuries.

Tal Ben Haim is unavailable under the terms of his loan agreement with City while Kieran Richardson is suspended.

It is of course a bonus that Nigel de Jong will return, and I would like to see Valeri Bojinov given a start today. Wayne Bridge has improved since he joined the club but I think Garrido is a serviceable replacement. Stephen Ireland's absence would be a huge blow though, but if he does miss out it is hoped that others (notably Robinho and Elano) really step up to replace both the style and industry he has brought this season.

Sunderland are not out of relegation trouble and know a win today would help their cause greatly. They do not have a great record against us in recent years and their away record is patchy this season. One area we have been consistent in this season is beating those sides at home that we really ought to be doing.

This isn't something I really see changing today and I would expect us to take all three points, likely with a 2-0 victory.

Deadline day round up - Ben Haim departs

Tal Ben-Haim is heading to Sunderland on loan until the end
of the season.
The Israeli international defender moved to City from Chelsea
in the summer, and has made a total of 14 starts.

>>mcfc.co.uk

A very brief article on the clubs official site announcing the departure, which probably sums up perfectly Ben Haim's current standing at the club.

Brought in at virtually the same time as Hughes, it is apparant that he was not a 'Hughes signing', and after featuring early in the season Hughes quickly lost faith and of course Ben Haim all but threw away his City career with his decision to complain about Hughes to Garry Cook.

Although it is only a loan deal, surely we have seen the last of him in a City shirt.

Sunderland 0 City 3

Lost in the midst of the madness of the past 24 hours was the fact that we picked up a great 3-0 victory away at Sunderland that saw us climb (albeit it this early stage) to third in the table - something I called pretty well my Observer preview.

MOTD2 highlights for me with this one, and from them it looked like Sunderland probably shaded the first half, but without creating any clear cut chances, yet thanks to Stephen Ireland we sneaked ahead on the stroke of half-time.

The second half was all about SWP though, who repaid a small slice of his (now pittance like) transfer fee with two smartly taken goals to seal the 3-0 win, and send the travelling fans into SWP-rapture.

What was interesting for me though was the line-up. Shorn of the injured Martin Petrov, Hughes decided on a 4-5-1 formation without Elano, opting for Hamman and Kompany in the holding roles, with a more advanced three of Johnson, Ireland and SWP, who lined in a central looking trio.

All three goals were as a result of players gaining and making space for themselves, and I'm not sure Sunderland quite knew how to deal with them. Chalk one up for Mark Hughes tactically and this formation is definitely one we'll see again throughout the season for sure.

A quick point regarding the refereeing - there were a number of poor decisions, which we mostly benefited from, and it was strange to see a referee so reluctant to give fouls. Richard Dunne definitely profited a couple of times from this, and it is all well and good for the administrators to bleat on about 'Respect' but if a referee turns in an inept performance, this is going to rile players and managers and little wonder we see some of the dissent that is shown.
Reports

They say you should never go back but there are exceptions to every rule and Shaun Wright-Phillips made the happiest of returns to Manchester City colours yesterday. >>guardian.co.uk

The delirious chanting from the Manchester City fans was all about Shaun Wright-Phillips. >>independent.co.uk

When attempting to drag his adoptive son out of the depression that blanketed him during his years of lucrative inactivity at Chelsea, Ian Wright would show Shaun Wright-Phillips videos of his electric displays in a Manchester City shirt. He can start building another collection. >>telegraph.co.uk

Never go back, they say, although make an exception for a detour via Sunderland. Life after Chelsea no longer seems such a daunting proposition for Shaun Wright-Phillips, whose second spell at Manchester City began with two goals and a resounding away victory for his team. >>times online

Transfer rumours gather pace

After it seemed that the Corluka stories had died down and he would perhaps remain a City player, rumours gathered apace yesterday (Saturday) morning as some newspaper reports suggested that the move to Tottenham would be completed prior to the season starting, and more fuel was added to the fire when it was reported that he did not feature in the team photograph, and was then left out the side for the final pre-season game against Milan.

It does seem inevitable that Corluka is on his way, and it is disappointing news given the impressive season he had last campaign and at 22 years of age, has plenty of upside ahead of him. However, the current financial situation at the club does appear such that at the very least we need to trim the wage bill and by a strange quirk, we have to sell Corluka in order to actually finish paying for him.

Given the quality we have in defence - and this season it appears that Ben Haim is set to partner Dunne in the centre with Richards at right back, Corluka to a degree does become expendable and if we have to sell then better it be a player such as that than an enforced sale such as Richards, Petrov or Elano which would the side far more.

Having said that, it is a sad state that we find ourself in if finances are such that we are being forced into sanctioning a couple of sales to balance the books, and is something that the press are beginning to prick their ears up about as they sniff around for a headline or two.

Another player who could be on his way is Stephen Ireland. Rumours linking him to Sunderland again surfaced this weekend - partly like the Corluka scenario where it is a player who could be expendable but perhaps also because Mark Hughes does not see him fitting into the side, and he was again left out of the side yesterday (with TV later indicating he was initially told to stay away from the game).

Ireland for me is an undoubted talent - despite all his quirks and slightly odd behaviour, and whilst his progress has been somewhat steady, I do believe that given his still young age he has plenty ahead of him and whilst £5 million may well be a decent return, further ahead we could look back on a sale with a great deal of regret.

One player who appears to be staying though (for now at least) is Rolando Bianchi. The club turned down a bid from Torino which would see him move to Turin on loan with a £2 million option at the end of the season. Rumours now link him with a potential move to Genoa as it seems inevitable that he will not be with his this season and I think the only reason a move has not gone through so far is that we are trying to recoup as much of our initial outlay back for him.

An interesting week all in all then as instead of new arrivals coming into the club with season just around the corner, we are having to face the prospect of players heading out of the exit door. Not an ideal start, and with the political and financial problems for our owner ever increasing, it is with a sense of aprehension that we head towards the season with.

Sunderland 1 City 2

Often a poor run of results or form is ended by something rather fortunate, and in the end yesterday we had not one, but two slices of luck to get us back to winning ways.

By concensus a rather drab game was brought to life in the final fifteen minutes with three goals that swa us come away with maximum points to hopefully ignite a late season run of form to overcome Aston Villa for the Inter-Toto position.

Firstly, substitute Daniel Sturridge won a penalty after appearing to foul himself which Elano duly converted only for Dean Whitehead to volley home unmarked minutes later. However, another substitute - Darius Vassell, ran onto an Elano through ball only to mis-kick completely, yet the ball managed to trickle past a helpless Craig Gordon to seal the points.

It was perhaps just as well that Vassell's goal did earn us the points (although his 'sharp-shooter' celebration was a touch misplaced) as Sunday's headlines were focusing on the reports that Thaksin is potentially considering firing Sven at the end of the season - or at the very least given a warning that recent results have not been what is expected.

Given that the attempts to prise Ronaldinho away from Milan's clutches seemed to be led by Thaksin and not Sven, it could well be that with his legal troubles in his homeland eased, Thaksin may be set to take a prominent hands on role in the running of the club - including transfer policy. Given his admitted lack of football knowledge, this could be a not too palatable prospect, and one which those who had at least a scepticism when he took over would not relish.

The win though at least gives us some heart heading into the final handful of games as we look to take a hold of seventh position to earn our highest Premier League finish, highest points total and European qualification.

Sunderland preview

It is a measure of recent contrasting fortunes of the two sides that should Sunderland defeat us this weekend, there will be just ten points between us, an amazing figure given until recently we were eyeing Europe (via the conventional route at least) whilst Sunderland were mired deep in relegation trouble.

I have no doubt Sunderland will fancy their chances given the recent flourish in their fortunes where they finally banished their away day blues, whilst we are sliding fast and Nedum Onouha became the latest injury problem to beset us.

It has been a strange past week or so for the club (including the Ronaldinho speculation), and you get the impression that things are just drifting aimlessly as we head towards the season with us heading nowhere fast - even our route into Europe doesn't depend on results on the pitch, but there are still a handful of games remaining and the aim has to be to finish as high as possible.

At the very least the players must be thinking ahead to next season, and almost auditioning for that campaign given the increasing likelihood of players arriving during the summer. Whilst there have been one or two murmurings from Sven, he is not the type to bang his fists on the table but he needs to light a fire under the side to get them out of the funk they are currently in.

Whilst struggling for the most part of the season - largely down to some dreadful form on their travels, when it matters Sunderland have pulled themselves together to launch themelves clear of the drop and having achieved the magical safety figure of 36 points could free themselves of the worries of relegation and end the campaign in style.

Given the resources available (and spent) by Roy Keane this season in achieving safety, it is a measure of just how big the gulf is between the Championship and Premier League, but with another spending spree in the summer anticipated, and with one eye on who may be coming up this season, Sunderland can justifiably feel confident of an extended stay in the top flight.

Team wise Sunderland boss Roy Keane will again be without midfielders Dwight Yorke and Dickson Etuhu. Yorke missed last weekend's 3-1 win at Fulham with a knee problem while Etuhu has been out for several weeks with a similar injury.

Nedum Onuoha is out for the rest of the season, leaving Man City short of options in the centre of defence. Vedran Curluka is likely to partner Richard Dunne in the middle, with Sun Jihai slotting in at right-back.

Not likely to be too exciting a contest I don't imagine, and a 1-1 is the most likely outcome.

City 1 Sunderland 0

It is often said that it is a sign of a good time when they can pull out wins when they are not playing well, and if that adage is true it is certainly a good trait to have.

Yes, we didn't play well - but realistically we didn't have to. Sunderland are not a strong side, lacking the qualities that many pundits thought they would possess when tipping them for a top half finish. Despite maintaining the 100% home record, we didn't really click for the most part - something that has been a trait in recent games.

Perhaps that is being a touch harsh though as three points is three points after all, and good sides are often as good as they need to be. Despite last night being a dull encounter, it was livened up by a well taken goal, even if the celebration was suspect (something Ireland quite rightly won't face any censure over).

Defensively we were sound, the loss of Richards not noticeable in the middle as Corluka more than ably deputised, although Sun Jihai hardly put pressure on Sven to give him a run in the side. We did struggle in midfield with neither Elano or Petrov having the most productive game and it could be that Michael Johnson's impending operation provides a break for him as he has played a lot of football this season (including internationals) at a high level for someone his age.

Vassell was a willing worker on the left and his cross for the goal made Sven's decision to put him on the left (with Petrov moved to the right hand side in the second half) look a sound one - or perhaps lending weight to the 'lucky Sven' tag!

Bianchi got a warm reception when he replaced Mpenza, but never quite got into the game and reports do still persist he will move back to Italy in January.

Another three points then - and a new record to boot, and it really is our home record which has carried us to where we are this season given our sketchy form on our travels. With Portsmouth up next weekend at Fratton Park, this will definitely be a big test against one of our realistic challengers this season - and a game we need to be looking to get something from.

Reports:

IT IS 105 years since City last won their opening seven home games of the season and that year they won the title! They are not going to repeat that feat this season - especially on this kind of patchy form - but at least showed they have not suffered terminal damage from their off-day at Chelsea. -MEN.

Sunderland slumped to their fifth away defeat of the season tonight, going down 1-0 to Manchester City at Eastlands. -Sunderland Echo.

When Sven-Goran Eriksson was asked to analyse Manchester City's 6-0 humbling by Chelsea, a rather over-emotive radio reporter told him that the "eyes of the world" would be watching the club's response against Sunderland.
Until Stephen Ireland drove home a wonderfully timed volley that would take Manchester City into third place in the table, the eyes of the world would have been heavy-lidded. -Telegraph.

Sunderland prediction

We go into the game aiming for a magnificent seven victories at home to start the season. I do expect us to win this game, but perhaps not without a struggle or two along the way.

No doubt Roy Keane will receive a warm welcome, and despite the plaudits he has received from the press this season, his Sunderland side have struggled for the large part - hovering around the lower reaches of the table.

Keane has spent a large amount of cash in preparing for this season - largely on unproven players, but one I will give him credit for is Kenwyne Jones - who I was very sceptical of when he spent more than £5million to bring him to the club, but has impressed over the last month in particular.

As for ourselves, Onouha will step in for the injured Richards - with Corluka moving into the centre, and Petrov may well be ruled out again.

We have stuttered at times during the past couple of games, although still picking up wins and I don't think this one will be a classic - but we will be good enough to keep the home streak going with another 1-0 win.

Former Blues get fresh opportunity

Sunderland boss Roy Keane is taking a look at former
Manchester City midfielder Kiki Musampa.
Musampa is training with Sunderland,
having severed his connections with Turkish side Trabzonspor. Keane said: "He is
having a few games for us. We'll probably play him in reserve next week and he's
someone we are looking at. There are one or two players that we're checking out
and he is one of them."He has been in Turkey but he has been released. We are
still looking at things because bringing in players can be a bit of a nightmare
in terms of contracts."Hopefully the work permit situation won't be a problem
and he can have a look at us and we can have a look at him."

- Sunderland Echo.

Southampton have completed the signing of Cameroon defender
Lucien Mettomo on a short-term contract.The 30-year-old centre-half, who had a
spell with Manchester City in 2001, was a free agent having been released by
Lucerne and Saints manager George Burley has snapped him up following a
successful trial.“Lucien has been here on trial and he did well so we’ve given
him a short-term contract,” Burley told the club’s official website,
www.saintsfc.co.uk.“We will work hard to get him fully fit and then he will give
us extra cover at the back, where we are quite short with injuries to Darren
Powell and Claus Lundekvam.“He is very experienced and a full international with
Cameroon. He’s played in different countries as well as in the Premiership with
Manchester City.“He’s a strong, dominant centre-half and I’m pleased to have
signed him.”

- Ireland Online.