Is Jonho off this week or the end of the season.?

Well it was thought that Johno would not be moving until the end of the season and Sunderland were the club he had set his heart on.
But all of a sudden with only around 72hrs remaining of the transfer window things are starting to heat up.

According to the snippet below we now have Man Cty/Everton/Chelski/Sunderland all interested.
What with Sunderlands form of late being rather suspect one feels that Johno may well change his mind and if the right offer were to come in then I am sure Gibbo would have no hesitation but to sell him from under wee Gordy's nose.
Albeit Strachan believes that Johno should stay until the end of the season.

That done it would make it one hell of a job to get back into the P/L this season.
At the begining of the season Johno was a one man band and when he was snuffed out by the opposition Boro got hammered.
The other night there was a lot of plus's but the main one was that the players all pulled their weights and also played well with Johno.

One has to ask is this all going to end in the next 3 days.?
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MANCHESTER City will attempt to get over their Carling Cup disappointment by signing England Under-21 star Adam Johnson from Middlesbrough.

The Blues have lodged a bid for Johnson and they hope to conclude a deal before the end of the transfer window.

Johnson scored twice for Boro in their victory over Doncaster on Tuesday but has been touted for a move away from the Riverside since the Teessiders were relegated last season.

The 22-year-old is a product of the prolific Boro academy, despite being born in nearby Sunderland.

Although he was largely viewed as a deputy to Stewart Downing, the winger’s longterm injury and subsequent move to Aston Villa offered Johnson the chance to shine and he has taken the extra responsibility in his stride.

As Boro at the moment look unlikely to reclaim their place in the top flight for next season, a move may appeal to Johnson, particularly to a club like City, who are on the rise, despite last night’s semifinal setback at Old Trafford.

Certainly money would not appear to be a stumbling block to any possible deal, so, if Johnson believes it represents a step forward, it is hard to imagine it will fail to be pushed through.

However, despite the speculation that has surrounded him of late, Johnson insists that staying focused on playing for Middlesbrough remains his priority.

Chelsea, Everton and Sunderland, as well as City, are leading the chase for the leftwinger ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline.

Johnson proved inspirational in the 4-1 win at Doncaster, his two goals both coming from outside the penalty area and his driving run in the build up to Jonathan Franks’ first senior goal proving that Johnson will continue to perform for as long as he remains at the Riverside Stadium.

Despite being aware he is being courted by Premier League clubs, Johnson claims the speculation has actually contributed to his exceptional performances.

“The manager (Gordon Strachan) is right when he says that I’m enjoying playing for this club this season,” said Johnson, who is also believed to have been the subject of a £6m-plus offer from Wolves.

“This has been the best season I have had with the club and it has felt great from a personal point of view.

“I just have to get on with the football and whatever happens will happen. I can’t think about anything else.

“When you are on the pitch you tend to forget about it. If anything, all the attention gives you confidence. Personally speaking, it definitely does, because it’s nice to be talked about and when I’m talked about I like to go out and show why people are talking about me.”

With his contract up for renewal at the end of the season, there is an acceptance within the corridors of power at the Riverside Stadium that Johnson will be leaving at the end of his existing deal.

But with Middlesbrough due compensation through a tribunal because he is under the age of 24, there is no rush to sell him before Monday’s 5pm deadline unless their valuation, which could be as much as £9m, is met.

“I’ve had brief chats with the manager but I’m just getting on with the football side of things,” said Johnson.

“That’s all I can do. I enjoyed scoring the two goals for Middlesbrough on Tuesday and we just have to wait and see what happens.

“It’s been a good season for me and there’s nothing more I would like to see than the team going straight back up.

It looks like we have lost a bit of ground but whatever happens is going to happen, we just have to see. I’m just thinking about football.”

Strachan has ssaid he expects Jophnson to be here for the rest of the season.

Personally I think he will be gone this week

LATEST SPORT NEWS Boro ace Johnson wants to speak to Manchester City
8:35pm Thursday 28th January 2010

MIDDLESBROUGH winger Adam Johnson has asked to be allowed speak to Manchester City despite manager Gordon Strachan's insistence that he is going nowhere.

It is understood the 22-year-old midfielder wants to hear what the Premier League outfit have to say after they tabled a bid of around £5m.

Johnson, who has scored 12 goals for the Coca-Cola Championship club this season, is out of contract at the end of the current campaign.

Strachan confirmed earlier today that a series of potential buyers had contacted the Teessiders, some of them with verbal offers and at least one with a formal bid.

Sunderland, Johnson's hometown club, are long-time admirers, while Everton too have been linked with him.

However, Strachan has repeatedly insisted the England Under-21 international is not for sale, and he remained defiant at his pre-match press conference this morning.

He said: "We have had verbal offers in the last week for Adam, but nothing has changed.

"Adam is still here and I would expect him still to be here for the last 19 games of the season.

"We have had verbal offers, we have had one official offer and I would imagine after looking at those that Adam will be here for the rest of the season, which we are quite delighted about because he is coming back into form.

"That's great for us because when he is on form, we are a better team, that's for sure.

"Adam is a terrific, terrific professional and a terrific young man. He is a credit to his mum and dad."

But Johnson, who spent much of his formative years in the first-team squad playing under-study to England international Stewart Downing, is ambitious and wants the chance to at least talk to City.

Boro know they will be entitled to compensation for their aqcademy graduate if he leaves the club in the summer, and with Chelsea having been ordered to pay City a sum which could eventually amount to around £7m for Daniel Sturridge, they would hope for a sizable figure for a more experienced player.

In the circumstances, they are unlikely to be persuaded to part with their prized asset for below what they believe to be his market value, particularly to a club which is now regarded as the most wealthy in world football.

With the winter transfer window due to close on Monday, it remains to be seen whether or not Boro's stance will soften.

But asked if he expected any more departures this month amid speculation that Portsmouth want to take Gary O'Neil back to Fratton Park, Strachan's reply was unequivocal.

He said: "No, definitely not, absolutely not."

I know in Johnsons case it could be pretty much out of the clubs control (whether he leaves or not) , but if the club start selling / loaning players out against Strachans wishes , i can see him walking.

The lad is a class act and i think you will struggle to keep him at a midtable championship side however his choice is massive as he could go Man City and be sat on the bench each week and that would possibly ruin him.
I would take a move to a top championship team like Forest,Newcastle or even wba.

Make or Break for him.

diggerman wrote:I know in Johnsons case it could be pretty much out of the clubs control (whether he leaves or not) , but if the club start selling / loaning players out against Strachans wishes , i can see him walking.

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You could be right there Digger..
9:32am Friday 29th January 2010


GORDON STRACHAN has told Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson he wants Adam Johnson to stay for the remainder of the season, despite learning the winger wants to talk over a possible move to Manchester City.

And while trying to fend off the attentions of the world’s richest club, Strachan is close to reaching an agreement with Celtic for striker Scott McDonald over a £3.5m move.

Wolves, Everton and Sunderland are among clubs interested in Johnson, but City’s initial £5m offer has turned the head of the 22-year-old.

Despite their wealth City will be unwilling to pay over the odds for a player whose contract expires in the summer.

But with time running out for Strachan to find a replacement, Middlesbrough are also determined to strike the best deal possible.

In an ideal world the former Celtic boss would convince the highly-sought after forward to stay on Teesside, but privately he accepts it will be difficult to keep Johnson out of the reaches of City.

“A perfect scenario for us is if he stays here,” said Strachan, who is due to have further discussions with Johnson today.

“I haven’t resigned myself to anything. I have not given up, no. The chairman and chief executive (Keith Lamb) know what I want.”
Further talks between the two clubs were expected last night, with the potential for Johnson to be loaned back to Middlesbrough until the end of the season if a fee can be agreed.

Such a move at this stage would appear unlikely, with City intent on adding further attacking options to a squad which has lost £32.5m Brazilian Robinho to Santos.

The Johnson saga is likely to gather pace before Monday’s 5pm deadline and Strachan added: “If Man Utd couldn’t turn down £80m (for Ronaldo) there is no club who can turn down the right money. Every club has their price for any player.

“I could come out with bold statements and say Adam is not for sale and he is away next week. That is just paying lip service saying this player or that player is not for sale.

Everybody is for sale.

“We’ve had verbal offers in the last week for Adam but nothing has changed. He is still here and I would expect him to be still here for the last 19 games of the season.”

Middlesbrough are aware that Chelsea were ordered to pay City a performance related fee of £6.5m for striker Daniel Sturridge by a tribunal two weeks ago, with a 15 per cent sell-on clause.

That ruling strengthens Boro’s bargaining position if they sell the player. With that in mind Middlesbrough hope for a fee nearer £9m this month, although City would like to strike a deal for an initial £6m.

While Johnson’s displays on the left flank would be difficult to replace in three days, Strachan would welcome the cash after moving a step closer to signing his top striker target, Aussie forward McDonald.

player they rate in the £5m bracket after signing Danish forward Morten Rasmussen and Middlesbrough are hopeful talks with the 26-year-old will begin soon.

Strachan, who watched Hearts defender Lee Wallace and Aberdeen’s Lee Miller in action on Wednesday night, also hopes to bring Stephen McManus in, but Celtic are holding out for a loan fee of £500,000.

The stand off could remain until Monday and Strachan said: “If he can go then we would love him here. It is not right for us at the moment, the financial arrangement.

Stephen wants to be here and I think Tony Mowbray said he could move on.”

McManus, a centre-back who has captained Scotland, has struggled for form since Strachan’s departure.

■ Boro have tickets for tomorrow’s visit of Bristol City available starting from £13 under-18s, £16 over-65s and £23 adults.

Boro Pride members tickets are £8 under-18s, from £14 18-21s/over-65s and £21 adults. Boro Pride members can also purchase a family ticket for one adult and one under-18 in blocks 44 or 46 of the East Stand for £27.

roversboy4lyf wrote:The lad is a class act and i think you will struggle to keep him at a midtable championship side however his choice is massive as he could go Man City and be sat on the bench each week and that would possibly ruin him.
I would take a move to a top championship team like Forest,Newcastle or even wba.

Make or Break for him.

Nah - if he leaves it'll be to a premier league club.

Johnson talks blocked
9:12am Saturday 30th January 2010

Well done Boro at last showing there is someone with balls at the MFC instead of just rolling over to the big boys.
£9 mill and they can have him.

MIDDLESBROUGH have refused Adam Johnson permission to speak to Manchester City despite the Premier League club stepping up their pursuit of the in-demand winger.

On the day they finally completed the loan capture of Celtic defender Stephen Mc- Manus, Boro officials informed their counterparts at the City of Manchester Stadium that they would not be granting permission for a formal approach to Johnson and his representatives.

Despite making renewed contact yesterday, City are still to increase the £5m offer they tabled late on Wednesday night, and Boro continue to insist that is far too low a fee for a player likely to command a compensatory fee of around £5m if he leaves when his contract expires in the summer.

Johnson is understood to be keen to hear what City are willing to offer him, but that will not happen unless the Manchester club increase their offer significantly over the weekend.

City boss Roberto Mancini confirmed the club’s interest in the player yesterday.

‘‘He is a good, young player but we have respect for him and the club. We will see (what happens),” said the City boss.

The likelihood of Johnson leaving the Riverside this month will increase if he is excluded from the starting line-up for this afternoon’s Championship home game with Bristol City, but all indications last night suggested that Strachan was poised to select the England Under-21 international in his side.

He is also expected to name McManus in his squad after the 27-year-old signed on loan until the end of the season yesterday, for a fee that is understood to be in the region of £300,000.

McManus joins Barry Robson, Chris Killen and Willo Flood to become the fourth former Celtic player to sign for Middlesbrough this month, and his arrival brings an end to a fortnight of fraught negotiations.

“We’re delighted to have Stephen join us,” said Boro boss Gordon Strachan. “He has achieved a lot in his career, winning trophies, playing in the Champions League and captaining club and country.

“I think the world of Stephen as a player and as a man. He’s a leader and an organiser and will be a great asset to the club.”

It wasn’t all good news on the transfer front yesterday though, as Blackpool turned down Boro’s £2m offer for attacking midfielder Charlie Adam.

With his pursuit of Celtic striker Scott McDonald hitting a succession of snags, Strachan turned his attention to Scotland international Adam, who has scored 12 goals this season following a £500,000 move from Rangers.

Blackpool rejected Middlesbrough’s initial offer, and their boss, Ian Holloway, feels his club’s prize asset would achieve little by swapping Bloomfield Road for the Riverside.

“I’ve told Charlie about the offer,” said Holloway. “We have a bit of a pact that I want to get him to a club that – if I’m allowed to say it – is in a much, much better situation than us.

“Why leave Rangers to come to Blackpool and then step sideways? Why do that when I think he can step up?

“I think he will still be here at the end of the season. It is normally after 18 months that I lose them.”

Adam is not the only attacking midfielder interesting Strachan, as the Boro boss has also inquired about the availability of another of his former Celtic charges, Shunsuke Nakamura.

Nakamura, who made more than 150 appearances in his four seasons at Parkhead, is currently playing for Espanyol, although he is struggling to hold down a place in the Spanish side’s first team.

Boro are understood to have proposed a six-month loan deal, which would enable Nakamura to play regular football as he attempts to cement a place in the Japan squad for this summer’s World Cup finals.

Played like he was on his way at times. Didnt want to do an awfull lot especially as he was being man marked.

Well listening to Ali Brownlee on the radio.
It was Hoyte that kept been given the ball on the lefthand side by Wheater/Grounds and wasting it.
Jinky was running all over the place to get into positions but the ball was not being played to him.
Thats what it sounded like.
Perhaps the others did'nt want to play with him.

well hes gone now.

Good luck to him.

Hopefully the players we have brought in will spur us on for the rest of the season.

Appparently we got 7 million- I think that's good money.

I think its a good deal,if he stayed till end of season we would only get compensation from tribunal.

Porrit got dumped as well, others to come but not named yet.I do know the names but one of the lads is a relative of a friend of mine from MDSA.