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Rovers track Paraguay striker
7:56am Monday 9th July 2007
Comments (48)
BLACKBURN Rovers manager Mark Hughes is tracking Paraguayan striker Roque Santa Cruz.
The 25-year-old star, who is currently in Venezuela with his country for the Copa America, appears to have become surplus to requirements at Bayern Munich after they signed German international striker Miroslav Klose earlier in the summer.
It is understood Santa Cruz could cost up to £8 million, which could prove a stumbling block, but Rovers look set to miss out Craig Bellamy, who should rubber-stamp his £7.5 million move to West Ham.
Rovers chairman John Williams said: "We have been made aware of his availability by a number of agents. He's a player that Mark is aware of."
Santa Cruz scored a hat-trick against Columbia in the Copa America.
And he has made it clear his future lies away from the Bundesliga.
He said last week: "I do not want to stay in German football. It is a different mentality. It is not as liberal as other championships. Besides, I could not play against Bayern. Out of respect for its fans and the city. My two daughters were born in Munich."
New Manchester City boss Sven Goran Eriksson is also keen on the striker, with the asking price posing little difficulties for the Eastlands outfit following last week's takeover by former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
One player who is definitely not on his way to East Lancashire is Belgian defender Philippe Leonard.
The 33-year-old has been released by Feyenoord, but Williams said there would be no deal to bring him to Rovers.
He said: "We were talking to Philippe Leonard about two or three seasons ago, but that was where it ended."
Meanwhile, the future of Rovers striker Francis Jeffers should be settled today.
Ipswich Town are thought to have made a third bid to sign the former Arsenal and Everton forward.
And Williams confirmed discussions had take place with the East Anglian outfit over the weekend.
He said: "I have had dialogue with David Sheepshanks and the Ipswich chief executive over the weekend and we will see what tomorrow brings.
"But if we can't make an agreement in the next couple of days then we may have to agree to disagree."
Your Say YourThis Is Lancashire
gareth, liverpool says...
10:29am Mon 9 Jul 07
Lars, denmark says...
11:15am Mon 9 Jul 07
....couldnt imagine Hughes spending that kind of money on him.
Daniel, spain says...
11:18am Mon 9 Jul 07
Savio, London says...
11:28am Mon 9 Jul 07
seems as though the price tag has suddenly gone up 50% I would say forget it would like him to come here and watched him last night in the copa america and he has the ability to succeed in the premier league as he is good in the air but for an unproven entity 8M is far too steep the last I heard there was talk of a deal in the region of 3.4M or at most 4.5M for that price would be willing to take a gamble but 8M far too much also heard that we were going to take the chap on loan for next season and then we would get first offers on a 3M deal well you know what's happened they have found out major clubs are after him including Man.City with theri takeover and them suddenly the price has gone up 50% I would prefer either take him on loan for one season if he then impresses take him on or for at most maybe spend 4.5M any more I would tell them we are not interested.
Laters all.
Michael, Darwen says...
11:30am Mon 9 Jul 07
gareth, liverpool says...
11:32am Mon 9 Jul 07
Michael, Darwen says...
11:36am Mon 9 Jul 07
gareth wrote:What has this got to do with anything
Im sick of you ignorant Rovers fans putting me and Liverpool, Ive been to Anfield 7 times last Season but Ewood only once, thats because I prefer the people, the team and the ground at Liverpool (not to mention the proud footballing history). Id much rather supprt a proper club like them next season than Rovers. We'll be challenging for the league next year and you lot will b lucky to break the top 6.Torres is class btw!!!
Finger Bang, Blackburn says...
11:36am Mon 9 Jul 07
gareth wrote:Presumably you are having a great time pretending to be Gareth and Vinjay?
Im sick of you ignorant Rovers fans putting me and Liverpool, Ive been to Anfield 7 times last Season but Ewood only once, thats because I prefer the people, the team and the ground at Liverpool (not to mention the proud footballing history). Id much rather supprt a proper club like them next season than Rovers. We'll be challenging for the league next year and you lot will b lucky to break the top 6.Torres is class btw!!!
blue n white rover, blackburn says...
11:44am Mon 9 Jul 07
Finger Bang, Blackburn says...
11:48am Mon 9 Jul 07
Savio wrote:Totally agree. This bloke is not worth a 8m gamble. He only scored 2 leauge goals in 26 games last year - the most leauge goals he has ever scored in a season is 5! Let's not get over excited about a couple of games in the Copa America, and get into a bidding war with Man City. Surely.
Hi all, seems as though the price tag has suddenly gone up 50% I would say forget it would like him to come here and watched him last night in the copa america and he has the ability to succeed in the premier league as he is good in the air but for an unproven entity 8M is far too steep the last I heard there was talk of a deal in the region of 3.4M or at most 4.5M for that price would be willing to take a gamble but 8M far too much also heard that we were going to take the chap on loan for next season and then we would get first offers on a 3M deal well you know what\'s happened they have found out major clubs are after him including Man.City with theri takeover and them suddenly the price has gone up 50% I would prefer either take him on loan for one season if he then impresses take him on or for at most maybe spend 4.5M any more I would tell them we are not interested. Laters all.
Lars, denmark says...
11:52am Mon 9 Jul 07
Daniel wrote:by no means do I want the ruin your entuthiasm :-)...but on the Bayern website he is known as "mr. 5 a season" - he has only scored 5 goals pr season for the last 5 years!! Hope he wiil prove me wrong...and that savio is rigth abouth the lower pricetag
Oh man, i was depressed when i saw Bellamy was joining West Ham, but my God, if we sign Roque Santa Cruz, i'll go through the roof with excitement! If we sign him, just think of the attacking options, i'll salivating thinking about it! We would mean serious business next season. We would be top 6 and would have a decent chance of going all the way in the Uefa cup. Goals win games, and with this strike force of Mccarthy and Santa Cruz, we would score a tonne. Defensivley we look sound with Friedel, Nelsen and Warnock. I hope Samba will be as good as Nelsen, just the right back that needs sorting then. I assume most Rovers fans will agree that Santa Cruz is as good as Bellamy? Air your views on this Rovers fans. And, my god, i forgot the takeover in all the excitement! With Santa Cruz AND money to spend, we can start pressing for the top 4 in the next couple of seasons, i think. Blackburn in the Champions League again?? Well, let me have my dream, ok?
Bob, Blackburn says...
11:57am Mon 9 Jul 07
If City want him that much then let them have him. Corradi, Samaras, Vassell and Roque........yikes.
gareth, liverpool says...
12:15pm Mon 9 Jul 07
Tom, Blackburn says...
12:19pm Mon 9 Jul 07
Tom, Blackburn says...
12:19pm Mon 9 Jul 07
Tom, Blackburn says...
12:20pm Mon 9 Jul 07
Bob, Blackburn says...
12:24pm Mon 9 Jul 07
Rigters - 23 year old golden booter = £350,000
OK, he's a good-looking South American boy gareth, and you might need a replacement pinup for Prince Benni, but it's got to be a loan or the Jeffers money max.
Finger Bang, Blackburn says...
12:48pm Mon 9 Jul 07
Bob wrote:I take it you are getting your stats from wikipedia - they aren't correct. You need to go to the Bayern website for corect stats. He scored two goals in the BL last year.
1 goal last season in 36 appearances and none in the league. Is he a striker or a centre-back? No wonder Bayern are buying more strikers and want to get shut. There's no way we should be subsidising their purchases of Toni, Ribery and Klose. Surely this can only be a loan deal. If City want him that much then let them have him. Corradi, Samaras, Vassell and Roque........yikes.
It's still absolutely pitiful for a striker mind.
Finger Bang, Blackburn says...
12:52pm Mon 9 Jul 07
Bob wrote:He scored two in the league according to Bayern's website.
1 goal last season in 36 appearances and none in the league. Is he a striker or a centre-back? No wonder Bayern are buying more strikers and want to get shut. There's no way we should be subsidising their purchases of Toni, Ribery and Klose. Surely this can only be a loan deal. If City want him that much then let them have him. Corradi, Samaras, Vassell and Roque........yikes.
Still pitiful for a striker mind. Samba scored that many in all of about 15 appearences!
Savio, London says...
1:05pm Mon 9 Jul 07
I wish people from rival teams would not come on here spouting rubbish Gareth should be more concerned with his L.pool team and the rubbish theri chief executive comes out with every day I had to chuckle an intelligent man like Rick Parry coming out with get rid of loan deals as there is a lot of money in the EPL to buy those players when I heard that I had to chuckle haven't heard so much rubbish in all my life just a thought how would we feel if we had brought Nonda in permanentley without the loan deal I would be crying into my beer for a very long time Mr Parry obviously does not know what he is going on about
Laters all
Savio
Andy, Blackburn says...
1:45pm Mon 9 Jul 07
Oracle, says...
2:10pm Mon 9 Jul 07
Can't wait until the season starts, what with all teams improving it will be a close league again.
Robbie, Manchester says...
2:35pm Mon 9 Jul 07
i would personally keep the 8 million in the bank and see what the strikers we have can do until christmas.. or bang in a cheeky 7 million bid for nugent.
everyone is bring up grabbi.. he was si** but everyone loved him and he worked his little socks off... bless him...
gareth, liverpool says...
2:42pm Mon 9 Jul 07
jimluftas, says...
3:17pm Mon 9 Jul 07
I can't understand why we need another striker so badly. Does this mean Benni is definitely on his way? Because we managed last season & that was without Roberts for most of it & now we have Rigters to replace Nonda. Although i would have taken Bellamy back for sure.
rovers thru nd thru, bburn says...
5:14pm Mon 9 Jul 07
please support liverpool and not rovers
ur giving rovers fans a bad name
Graham from Blackburn., Fraser Eagle stand. says...
5:34pm Mon 9 Jul 07
gareth, liverpool says...
6:39pm Mon 9 Jul 07
gareth, liverpool says...
6:51pm Mon 9 Jul 07
Adolf Pickering, BNP Central says...
7:02pm Mon 9 Jul 07
My mate's just come back from a footy tour of Rio and Buenos Aries. Wherever they went, (hotel, football, sightseeing) they were being pestered by ponces, pushers and pimps. Apart from a boat trip up the Amazon and Christ the Redeemer, he said the place is a dump and he couldn't wait to get home. Even the pilot of the boat up the river was a coca-leaf chewing psychopath.
No wonder you keep going on about it, and feel so at home in Liverpool.
One day they were pestered by some girls with loads of make-up on and one of them had a really deep voice and hairy toes and kept asking "Do you know garess from leevapul? I can't wait to have him here again"
gareth, liverpool says...
7:15pm Mon 9 Jul 07
Chris, ST Helens says...
7:19pm Mon 9 Jul 07
Adolf Pickering, BNP Central says...
7:30pm Mon 9 Jul 07
gareth wrote:no you're not!!keep on talking out of your liverpool!!na na na na??
more than you mate!! thanks keep on biting!! love it!! night sweetheart xx
Ken "King of Culture" Dodd, Knotty Ash says...
7:52pm Mon 9 Jul 07
Chris wrote:mufc 9
Most successful team in England? Get with it, we're in 2007 not 1977. What kind of prat says they 'wished they supported another team'? Nobody is holding a gun to your head. I lived in Manchester but it only made me hate the Red scum even more! who is then?? liverpool are the most succesful team in england!! check out the number of trophies won
afc 3
cfc 2
brfc 1
lfc 0
or
mufc 0
afc 0
cfc 0
brfc 0
lfc 145
Mr Sandman, Dreamsville says...
7:53pm Mon 9 Jul 07
gareth wrote:"Night sweetheart?" It's 15 minutes past your bedtime, what are you still doing up? I won't bring you a dream (Of Liverpool) if you don't hurry up and shut those peepers young man. Looking forward to snuggling you tonight x
more than you mate!! thanks keep on biting!! love it!! night sweetheart xx
iamarover, London says...
8:56pm Mon 9 Jul 07
My God my God my God. Forgive me. Why oh why have you put on this earth these whingeing whineing Scudgers trapped between the Irish Sea and the M62? They bleat and whine till the end of time. Curiously missing from the endless emotional outpouring over Hillsbrough is any reference to Hysel where thousands of these so called hilarous footy fans rampaged and 'murdered' (allegedly) Italian fans without remorse. Well the Club has been conspicuously absent in posting any kind of remembrance close to the Eternal Flame at the Shankly Gates. What was it not your fault? Was it all down to the Bizzies again you Scouse scumbags? Not content with ignoring the memory of the Juve fans the disastrous Mongrels from the oppressed North West proceed to nick tickets from Kids and storm the gates in order to gain access to a Euro final they cant afford to attend thereby resulting in mayhem outside which could very well have resulted in the type of carnage these ne'er do wells profess to honour. Ok. allegedly. Lying. Cheating. Violent. Scousers. I hope you drown in your Yankee debt.
mark, fleetwood says...
9:49pm Mon 9 Jul 07
gareth wrote:wel dont come on here n leave stupid comments u bellend, n no u wont win league, stop dreaming n be realistic 3rds best u can achieve. we dont wont scanky pool fans on here leavin comments cyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Im sick of you ignorant Rovers fans putting me and Liverpool, Ive been to Anfield 7 times last Season but Ewood only once, thats because I prefer the people, the team and the ground at Liverpool (not to mention the proud footballing history). Id much rather supprt a proper club like them next season than Rovers. We'll be challenging for the league next year and you lot will b lucky to break the top 6.Torres is class btw!!!
Tony Knight, Padiham says...
9:52pm Mon 9 Jul 07
gareth, liverpool says...
11:16pm Mon 9 Jul 07
michael treen, australia says...
12:59am Tue 10 Jul 07
Rev Noel Pepper, Hertfordshire says...
9:20am Tue 10 Jul 07
Mark, Accy says...
10:30am Tue 10 Jul 07
michael treen wrote:As I recall, Sutton had had one very successful season at Norwich as a striker before Kenny took the 'brave' decision to sign him and play him as a striker - the brains here was Mike Walker not kenny
i thinke we should buy santa cruz and get rid of roberts the bundesliga is not as attacking as the premier league. we bought shearer and gambled on him. we bought sutton as then a centre half and ended up converting him to a centre forward. rovers should take a gamble on him sparky knows what he is doing, we have got the bargain basement player in rigters lets splash out on cruz.
Bob, Blackburn says...
10:42am Tue 10 Jul 07
Mark wrote:Correct, and there wasn't a gamble on Shearer either. We fought off competition from Utd for the best young centre-forward at the time, and paid a record £3.5m. Fortunately for us he turned out to be even better than we anticipated.
michael treen wrote: i thinke we should buy santa cruz and get rid of roberts the bundesliga is not as attacking as the premier league. we bought shearer and gambled on him. we bought sutton as then a centre half and ended up converting him to a centre forward. rovers should take a gamble on him sparky knows what he is doing, we have got the bargain basement player in rigters lets splash out on cruz.As I recall, Sutton had had one very successful season at Norwich as a striker before Kenny took the 'brave' decision to sign him and play him as a striker - the brains here was Mike Walker not kenny
Anybody that does gamble any more than £2m for Roque the Benchwarmer needs their bumps felt.
Steve, Godalming says...
11:08am Tue 10 Jul 07
Norfolkrover, Sheringham says...
3:17pm Tue 10 Jul 07
Norfolkrover, Still Sheringham says...
3:41pm Tue 10 Jul 07
seedy, blackburn says...
9:22pm Tue 10 Jul 07
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vinjay, nuthouse says...
10:21am Mon 9 Jul 07