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As City ponder Plans C and E, so The Times and The Daily Mail have Earnie off. Wheels are turning…

29th June 2007 By Latest News Leave a Comment

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Further evidence that this summer's transfer merry-go-round was suddenly whirring dramatically into life was not too hard to find this morning – open up The Times newspaper and there was Robert Earnshaw in among their 'dead certs' to move to Charlton Athletic in a ?3 million switch from the Canaries.

And there was this morning's Daily Mail following suit. Same story; same destination for City's Welsh international striker.

The last 24 hours have hardly been quiet with Billy Sharp's decision to return to the club of his boyhood dreams, Sheffield United, being swiftly followed by Darren Bent's ?16.5 million exit to Tottenham Hotspur – a move which not only leaves the Addicks a striker light, but also gives Alan Pardew a few more pennies to play with.

The 'ripple' effect of both moves could swiftly wash over Norfolk in the next 24 hours as all eyes now turn to 'Plan C' and, in Freddy Eastwood's case, 'Plan E' as City boss Peter Grant looks to fill the slot that Sharp has left – and if he opts for 'Plan E', nip in ahead of his one-time Celtic room-mate Mick McCarthy and leave Wolves wholly empty-handed, still fiddling around waiting for Steve Morgan's ?30 million to arrive as one after another of their summer transfer targets flames and burns.

It is a fascinating choice – if choice it is with Shrimpers owner Ron Martin slapping a ?3 million price tag on 25-year-old Eastwood.

For while Eastwood may benefit from having the younger legs – Cureton is 32 in August – he has none of the yellow-and-green blood that courses through the one-time City youngster's veins. And nor does the want-away Us striker come with such a price tag attached.

Given their hour of need if The Times report is accurate and Sharp's decision to return to his own roots at Bramall Lane, the Canaries may not have either the time or the will to haggle Colchester down from their ?750,000 price – a figure that the Layer Road club threw in the direction of Hull City when they came a-calling earlier this month and found Cureton himself smarting at, given that he had arrived on a free last summer, was 31 going on 32 and was out of contract this time next year.

That said, anyone with the Championship's Golden Boot in their locker will come with a premium attached.

As for McCarthy's next move, reports today suggested that Wolves were about to up their bid for Eastwood – if and when they can get their hands on Morgan's millions after his proposed ?10 takeover found itself locked in a series of protracted legal problems in relation to trusts set up by the departing Hayward family.

Sharp did at least go there for talks – on Tuesday, apparently. His love of the Blades clearly counted for rather more than his friendship with Andy Keogh.

Back in South-East London and Charlton Plc chairman Richard Murray was busily penning the club's official farewell to Bent – a deal that leaves Ipswich ?2.58 million the richer thanks to their own sell-on clause.

That, in turn, should speed Francis Jeffers' arrival in Suffolk as Blackburn Rovers hold out for their own ?1 million asking price.

“Realistically, it was always going to be difficult to hang on to a player of his quality following relegation, but we feel we have negotiated the best deal possible for the club and, after a payment to Ipswich, it's a sum of money that will cushion the effects of relegation for the club,” Murray told the club's official website this morning.

Sheffield United club chairman Terry Robinson was the one who broke the Sharp news to BBC Radio Sheffield yesterday afternoon. In his interview, he revealed that the Blades' hand was forced when Sharp and his agent, ex-Owls star Imre Varadi, felt obliged to ring round his list of suitors to inform them of the boy's decision.

In a city as small as Sheffield, word was always going to quickly seep out of Hillsborough that Sharp was Bramall Lane-bound. Whether the flood waters of the River Don will seep out as quick is another matter.

“Bryan (Robson) has identified him as a player that he wants to bring to the club and we're hopeful that with his background, Billy wants to come,” Robinson told BBC Radio Sheffield.

“He has the experience of United, it's not like he's going to a strange club, and we're hoping he's going to get the goals in for us.

“I'm not saying he's jumping up and down, because that wouldn't be true. But he's glad he's coming back.

“All the i's and the t's need crossing. We wouldn't have let the information come out but unfortunately the clubs the agent and Billy have turned down, and given the respect they deserve, have told people that we're the club he has chosen.”

All of which merely confirms the impression that Sharp's signature was always something of a 'Gimmee…' – as long as United merely expressed an interest. As far as anyone can work out, they never actually lodged a formal bid with Scunthorpe as Sharp was on his grand tour of the country.

Or at least that was the impression Glanford Park chiefs were giving last night. A wink and a nod and the boy was coming home.

Whether the same logic will know work between Norwich and Colchester is one big question; what Pardew does with that wad of Darren Bent cash another.


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