Malbranque may not be last signing
Jul 31 2008 by Mark Douglas, The Journal
Nottingham Forest 0
Sunderland 1
AFTER clinching his most high-profile deal of the summer so far by signing Tottenham winger Steed Malbranque, Sunderland manager Roy Keane has hinted he may be active in the transfer market again before the end of the week.
The French midfielder has signed a four-year contract in a move that must be viewed as another step towards Keane’s stated aim of moving the Black Cats to the Premier League’s next level.
But, while delighted at completing a deal for Malbranque, Keane has confirmed time has been called on the club’s pursuit of Younes Kaboul. There will also be no move to Stoke for Márton Fülop, with the Sunderland manager accusing the Potters of “disgraceful” conduct in their handling of negotiations over personal terms.
It is the signing of Malbranque, however, that will have piqued the interest of Sunderland fans.
“We’re delighted to sign Steed. He brings quality, that’s the word. We need that quality to provide competition and that’s what he brings,” said Keane after watching his side win at Nottingham Forest in last night’s pre-season friendly.
“(Chairman) Niall (Quinn) and (chief executive) Peter Walker worked very hard on that one – it took longer than we expected but I appreciate that it’s a difficult decision for a player.
“We’re heading in the right direction and I’m pleased with the progress we’re making. We’ve got another two to three (other) players in mind and we’re hoping to make progress in the next few days. We’d
like to think we’ll have someone else in before the end of the week, but you never know with the way the transfer game works.”
Malbranque, who moves away from the capital for the first time in his seven-year spell in English football, joins fellow former Tottenham players Teemu Tainio and Pascal Chimbonda on Wearside as Keane continues to address the goal-scoring problem that proved a heavy hindrance to the Black Cats’ progress last season.
With more than 250 top-flight games on his CV, Malbranque possesses precisely the type of pedigree Keane has made a pre-requisite for newcomers this summer and is arguably the most exciting of the ‘Tottenham four’ Sunderland moved for.
Malbranque is one of the “four or five” new players Keane believes are required before his side begin their Premier League campaign.
A centre-back to challenge the combination of Nyron Nosworthy and Danny Collins is a priority, while Sunderland also look light up front with Kenwyne Jones out for the start of the season.
Ideally, Keane wants to bring Manchester United’s Jonny Evans back to the Stadium of Light, but Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson has already indicated he wants to start the season with the Northern Ireland international as back-up.
Keane retains a long-standing interest in Darren Bent, who has reportedly been impressed by the ambition shown in Sunderland’s other transfer business, and Reading’s Kevin Doyle is another option. But a move for Louis Saha has been ruled out.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Fülop is back in training with the Black Cats after his proposed move to Stoke collapsed with the two clubs unable to reach an agreement over his personal terms.
While Keane appeared critical of Fülop’s stance in asking for more money at the start of the week, a subsequent discussion has changed the manager’s mind.
“We’re delighted to have him back but basically Stoke wasted his time. They brought him down, made him an offer – he asked for a bit more and they asked for a bit more. I’m not happy with them at all,” he said.
“Football is a small world and what goes around comes around.”
The Potters yesterday signed former Sunderland keeper Thomas Sørensen – released by Aston Villa at the end of last season.
