Profiles of the latest transfer targetsUpdated: December 26th, 2006
Here are more details about the three players to be linked with City recently.
Profiles of the players from the lower leagues that have been linked with us can be found here.
Robert Koren (Lillestrom)
Position: Midfield
Age: 26
Height: 5ft 9
Nationality: Slovenian
Contract ends: Jan 2007
League record:
2006 (Lillestrom): 10 in 26
2005 (Lillestrom): 8 in 26
2004 (Lillestrom): 1 in 23
(Norwegian season runs April to Nov)
Sky news archive; video clips; photos
Koren looks a certainty to leave Lillestrom in January, telling Sky: “I doubt I will return to Norway.”
Last month the Sunday Mirror reported that the player was holding talks with City in Manchester, but with Koren claiming to have already received several offers, we’d have a real fight to land this talented playmaker.
Recently voted the Norwegian league’s midfielder of the year, he’s been described on Wookie’s Lair as a “Berkovic-type midfielder with a good nose for goal and the killer-pass”. A Lillestrom fan on Newcastle-online offered this assessment: “He has international class. His passing ability is excellent, and he is also capable of scoring goals from a distance.
Ivan Klasnic (Werder Bremen)
Position: Forward
Age: 26
Height: 6ft 1
Nationality: Croatian
Contract ends: Summer 2007
Record:
05-06 (Bremen): 1 goal in 12 (league); 0 in 6 (Champions League)
05-06 (Bremen): 15 goals in 30 (league)
04-05 (Bremen): 10 goals in 28 games (league); 5 in 7 (Champions League)
Career: 68 goals in 230 league games (0.30 goals per game)
Klasnic’s website (with video archive); Sky news archive; Goal.com interview; Yahoo profile; BBC profile; photos.
The MEN has again linked us to the German-born forward, who was a key figure when Bremen won the Bundesliga in 2004.
The player certainly has talent. World Soccer described him as having “quick acceleration, a feel for a scoring opportunity and precise left-footed finishing make him the perfect predator”.
But Bremen’s director of sport Klaus Allofs appears reluctant to sell, recently telling Sky: “We have a strong selection of strikers and don’t even think about parting company with Klasnic during the winter.”
Even if he is available, Klasnic’s temperament might make him a risky buy. This season he has started eight out of 12 games on the bench, and has been reported to look “overweight and disinterested”. In February he told Goal.com that he regularly surfed the web looking for stories about himself and got depressed at criticism from the German Kicker magazine.
Having to wear the worst kit in the world can’t have helped matters either.
Marouane Chamakh (Bordeaux)
Position: Forward
Age: 22
Height: 6ft 1
Nationality: Moroccan
Contract ends: Summer 2009
Record:
06-07 (Bordeaux): 2 in 11
05-06 (Bordeaux): 7 in 29
04-05 (Bordeaux): 10 in 33
Sky news archive; Channel 4 profile; photos
According to Eurosport, City are interested in a loan deal, although a fee of £2m has also been mentioned.
But judging from this profile at Channel4.com he’s probably not the goal-poacher we desperately need:
A tall and elegant player with good close control and an impressive understanding of the game, Chamakh may not be as clinical as Pauleta, but is every bit as professional and possesses qualities that his mentor does not. At 6ft 1, he is strong in the air and works tirelessly for the team, holding up possession and bringing midfielders into the play.
Injury problems also cast doubts on his suitability. Last month Sky revealed that Chamakh has a problem with his cartilage and may need surgery in the future.