The window is open slightly longer this year due to the 31st falling on the weekend.

We'll kick things off with the first major money signing:

Lassana Diarra is on the move from Portsmouth to Real Madrid for $39 million.

Some major names already being thrown around:

STRIKERS:

Michael Owen (Newcastle) - Tottenham, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Inter Milan

Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn) - Manchester City

Craig Bellamy (West Ham) - Manchester City, Tottenham, Aston Villa

Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth) - Tottenham, Aston Villa, Manchester City

Carlos Tevez (on loan to Man United from West Ham) - Real Madrid, Inter Milan

Peter Crouch (Portsmouth) - Aston Villa

MIDFIELDERS:

Andrei Arshavin (Zenit St. Petersburg) - Arsenal, Juventus

Antonio Valencia (Wigan) - Real Madrid

Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough) - Tottenham

DEFENSE/GOALKEEPERS:

William Gallas (Arsenal) - AC Milan

Glen Johnson (Portsmouth) - Liverpool

Wayne Bridge (Chelsea) - Manchester City

Man City midfielder Elano is considering moving to Italy and joining Lazio.

Portsmouth is asking for $39 million to part with Jermain Defoe.

Manchester City has bid $15 million for Arsenal midfielder Kolo Toure, but Arsenal is unwilling to give him up.

Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given is also a target for City.

Tottenham is in pursuit of Bayern Munich striker Lukas Podolski.

Wigan have offered a $9 million bid to Reading for midfielder Stephen Hunt.

Manchester United have made what are expected to be their only signings, midfielders Zoran Tosic and Adem Llajic from Partizan Belgrade. Tosic will immediately join the Red Devils to provide help on the wing; Llajic will stay with Partizan on loan and will join ManU for the 09/10 season.

Bridge's transfer to City was completed, for an undisclosed fee.

BBC says that Downing will formally submit his transfer request to Middlesbrough tomorrow.

Aston Villa is working on signing West Ham defender Matthew Upson, but the sides are about $9 million apart on a fee.

Arsenal, having failed to pry Mikael Arteta from Everton, are now going to try to land Stephen Ireland of Man City, who is suspended for this week's match due to accumulated Yellow Cards. Man City is now trying to get Arteta, and supposedly will offer $23 million for him.

Add Juventus to the Michael Owen and Jermain Defoe chases.

Sunderland will release both El Hadji Diouf and Pascal Chimbonda, with Blackburn keen to snatch up both.

Both Everton and Newcastle are preparing to bid on Reading striker Leroy Lita.

Spurs' attempts at signing Podolski may become complicated as Roma is prepared to enter the competition.

The English Big Four, along with Man City, are all eyeing up Leeds midfielder Fabian Delph.

Manchester City has bid $47 million for Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure.

Arshavin supposedly is either going to buy out his contract or go on strike in order to force a move to England. Arsenal wants him, but isn't paying $39 million.

Tottenham is on the verge of signing Defoe for a fee of $29 million.

NY Red Bulls have re-signed defender Carlos Mendes.

Carlos Tevez wants out of Man United, and has Real Madrid at the top of his wish list.

Inter Milan has proposed a swap of Brazilians to Manchester City by offering up Adriano for Jo.

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo has, according to his agent, reached a verbal agreement to join Real Madrid "at some point".

Blackburn rejected a $23 million offer from Manchester City for striker Roque Santa Cruz, and are demanding that City make an offer to "blow us out of the water".

Chelsea have told Tottenham they will reject any offer for midfielder Joe Cole.

Real Madrid are still hot for Valencia, and are prepared to pay $29 million.

Charles N'Zogbia wants out of Newcastle, hoping to raise his profile and earn consideration for the French national team. Aston Villa and Tottenham are interested, but the youngster supposedly favors Arsenal.

Stoke City have signed Sheffield United's top scorer, James Beattie, for $5 million.

Niko Kranjcar isn't interested in leaving Portsmouth, scrubbing any plans Arsenal had for him.

Sunderland rejected a $21 million offer from Tottenham for striker Kenwyne Jones.

Aston Villa is willing to part with defender Nicky Shorey, with West Ham and Tottenham. The Hammers failed once before in landing him when Reading laughed at their bid.

Portsmouth and Iceland defender Herman Hreidarsson is joining Celtic for a $950k fee.

Everton is planning a double-capture of Hearts' Christophe Berra and Andrew Driver.

Michael Owen has an agreement in place to join Manchester City this summer, provided he stays in game shape.

Emile Heskey will leave Wigan this summer to join Liverpool.

Liverpool is also poised to add Glen Johnson over the summer, thanks to an out clause in his new deal with Portsmouth.

Beattie's transfer to Stoke is being help up over the transfer fee SheffU is to receive.

Arsenal have had a $19 million bid for Arshavin rejected by Zenit as being "insufficient", and the Russian club says nobody else has entered the bidding.

That contradicts another English paper, that is reporting a rumor that Zenit have accepted a lesser bid by Manchester City

Man United is preparing for a summer exit by Tevez, and have lined up a signing of Karim Benzema from Lyon.

Tottenham will offer David Bentley to Middlesbrough in an effort to land Downing.

Several clubs are expected to bid on top Championship scorer, Reading's Kevin Doyle, with Aston Villa in the lead. The Royals won't listen to any offer under $15 million.

Reading and Ireland teammate Stephen Hunt is a target of not just Wigan, but Tottenham, Middlesbrough and Everton.

The Beattie signing by Stoke has officially fallen through, and now Newcastle and Blackburn are attempting to swoop in.

Boca Junior midfielder Sebastian Battaglia is on the radar of Arsenal and a pair of unnamed Italian sides.

The NY Red Bulls have traded midfielder Dave van den Bergh to FC Dallas for forward Dominic Oduro and a second-round pick in Thursday's MLS draft.

A respected Spanish journalist posted on his website the news of deal brokered between Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid that would become effective in the summer. Ronaldo's agent issued a denial, but it was carefully worded so as to name the former Real president, and not the current head. The rumored deal would be for $150 million, and is of course, being brushed off by United, in the form of comments that Ronaldo owes Untied for all of the success and honors he's received.



Gotta love the BBC.....a day after reporting this, Beattie signed his deal with Stoke, and the move was official.

A British paper is reporting that Manchester City have made a $190 million cash bid to AC Milan for Kaka, and will pay him upwards of $900k a week. Another paper says that they're even willing to let him finish the season in Italy and formalize things in the summer. That being said, Fox Soccer is reporting that Milan has ruled out any deal and says that the Brazilian superstud is "untransferable".

Marseilles is dismissing reports that they're preparing a major bid for Chelsea star striker Didier Drogba, saying that no French club can afford him.

West Ham rejected what is thought to be a $17 million bid from Man City for Craig Bellamy.

EPL bottom-feeders West Brom Albion are on the verge of signing striker Ariza Makukula from Benfica....meanwhile, defender Marek Cech wants to leave the last place side, claiming that their manager broke a promise to play him vs. Aston Villa last weekend.

Juventus has reportedly made an appointment with Werder Bremen to pry away midfielder Diego from the German side.

AC Milan has done an about-face, and have granted permission to Manchester City to talk to Kaka about a contract. If an agreement is reached, it would set up a $147 million transfer that would obliterate the previous record - $67 million paid by Real Madrid to Juventus for Zinedine Zidane.

The Makukula deal has fallen through, after contract terms could not be reached.

Middlesbrough striker Mido is willing to leave, but only if he can stay in England.

AC Milan is working on prying away defender Daniel Agger from Liverpool.

Djibril Cisse, on loan to Sunderland from Marseilles, is willing to make a permanent switch and has rejected a chance to return to France.

Portsmouth defender Lauren is the focus Bolton, Blackburn, AEK Athens and Turkish club Fenerbahce

Newcastle United have signed former Newcastle star Paul Gascoigne's seven-year-old nephew Cameron Gascoigne, after scoring 22 goals in a 30-minute junior match.

There's all kinds of conflicting reports coming out regarding a Kaka to City switch:

- The Daily Mirror says that he'll join City next week, and that he felt pressured into accepting the move
- The Sun says he's already turned down City, preferring Manchester United and Arsenal
- Milan's owner thinks he's on his way out
- both Ronaldinho and Fernando Torres have reached out, urging him to reject the move, while Robinho has tried to convince him to join him at Eastlands

Celtic wants to get a good look at Sacha Kljestan before any bid will be extended for the CD Chivas midfielder.

Zenit St. Petersburg have invited Arsenal officials to meet with them next week to try and finalize an Andrei Arshavin move, the sides are thought to be about $15 million apart on a transfer fee.

Tottenham have lined up a $21 million move for Wigan midfielder Wilson Palacios, but both Manchester clubs are thought to try and swoop in.

Liverpool have accepted a $3.6 million bid from Portsmouth for Jermaine Pennant, but he's thought to be resistant to the switch.

The Daily Sun is suggesting that Manchester City's next big target will be Chelsea and England captain John Terry.....City is also being linked with Hamburg midfielder Nigel de Long and Inter Milan defender Marco Materazzi.

Inter Milan is willing to send strikers Adriano or Hernan Crespo to Tottenham, but only if they receive both Gareth Bale AND Jermaine Jenas in return.

Juventus has announced that any bid for goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon will be rejected.

The Daily Observer is reporting that, if Kaka were to join Man City, it would come with a change in managers, as fellow Brazilians Robinho and Elano have found it hard to play for and communicate with current boss Mark Hughes. They go on to say that City has already started planning for a switch to former Chelsea leader Jose Mourinho.

Even if they don't get the ultimate prize, City will finalize deals for Craig Bellamy and Wilson Palacios this week.

Arsenal will up their bid for Andrei Arshavin to $24 million when they meet with the Russian club this week.

Portsmouth is exploring a loan move for France international Patrick Viera with Inter Milan.

Manchester United have loaned striker Manucho to Hull City for the remainder of the season.

Ariza Makukula wound up departing from Portugal after all.....landing with Bolton on a loan deal to run through the remainder of the season.

Everton are on the verge of signing Ireland defender Seamus Coleman from Sligo Rovers.

Kaka is staying in Italy. Man City got as far as talking to his father about making the switch, but talks stalled. Milan says Kaka didn't want out, City claims Milan never gave them reasonable opportunity to pursue the deal.

City still landed Bellamy, but Palacios is now expected to sign with Tottenham.

Liverpool have loaned winger Jermaine Pennant to Portsmouth for the remainder of the season.

Wigan is loaning striker Marlon King to Middlesbrough, after cutting short an loan deal with Hull City. Meanwhile, the Teesiders may reciprocate by sending striker Mido to the Latics on a season-long loan

Juventus is planning a $15 million offer for Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt

Villareal are planning a $14 million offer for Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda

Man City is expected to soon complete the $23 million signing of Nigel de Long

Former Liverpool and Blackburn striker Robbie Fowler is looking at a move to North Queensland in the Australian A League

Newcastle have told Man City it will cost $20 million for 'keeper Shay Given after rejecting a $8 million offer

Man City defender Micah Richards is the target of Bolton and Wigan

Wigan are also earmarking $8 million for Reading winger Stephen Hunt, who is the primary target of Everton

Fellow Reading (and USA) winger Bobby Convey has been linked to the San Jose Quakes

Jimmy Bullard to Hull City for 5 million from Fulham and should start for Hull in this weekends FA cup tie against Millwall
also Emile Heskey from Wigan to Villa for 3.5 million and may start against Pommpie on Tuesday

That's a nice deal for Villa.

I agree it will make there forward line very crowded now will they move harewood?
Who is the winner with bullard he has been playing well recently, or is it just a case of they could not keep him and got what they could?

I think they keep Harewood with Carew in and out of the lineup. O'Neill loves Heskey and will pair him up with Agbonlahor for now.

Bullard's name was always being thrown around; I've seen many on the Reading message board who pined for him. The BBC article about it said that he wanted a longer deal than Fulham would give him after the year, so yeah, it was a matter of getting what they could. The EPL site said it was a 4.5 year deal.

I think Hull needed to do something to get back some momentum, and signing a well-regarded player like Bullard after bringing in Manucho might help.

Tottenham is trying again to pry away Kenwyne Jones from Sunderland after already having a $22 million offer rejected

Man City is lining up a $37 million move for Diego from Werder Bremen

Arsenal have a midnight deadline to make a successful bid for Andrei Arshavin; meanwhile, the Gunners are going to join the bidding on Micah Richards

Shay Given has agreed to a move to Man City, and Newcastle wants Portsmouth stalwart David James to replace him at St. Andrews

Crystal Palace midfielder Ben Watson, who was set to go to Middlesbrough, now appears headed to Wigan

Long-time Petr Cech caddy Carlo Cudicini will leave Chelsea for Tottenham on a free transfer

Wolves midfielder Mark Davies (on loan to Leicester) wants out, and Bolton have made an offer

Do u see Given starting over hart for city? will james go to st james park?

Yeah, they need someone to stabilize the back line while they try to get away from the drop zone. They've made a lot of changes, and save for some early success they've been really struggling. Asking a 20-year old to be the last line of defense of that mess is awful lot. Given's a known quantity who's already used to working with Dunne on the Irish team. I wouldn't be surprsied to see Hart loaned out to keep getting first XI time.

I have a hard time seeing Pompey let James go. He set the clean sheet record with them, and with Defoe back in Tottenham is their best player. He'd have to reaaally want to head north for them to accept a bid.

Timmah
I have to agree that a move to St James would need to have some very attractive reasons or $$ attached. There is nothing wrong with Steve Harper for the toons and he is already there and played well last season covering for Given

Will City suspend Robinho?? with bellamy coming in to cover?

Have you heard anymore about this at Villa It would make things very interesting up front - Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has lined up a £10m raid for Manchester City's Michael Johnson and Daniel Sturridge

I sure hope not, he's in my fantasy lineup for this the matches this week But no, the match preview for Citeh on BBC says that he will be in Hughes' XI on Wednesday.

No rumor, only news today......

Pascal Chimbonda completed his return to Tottenham after leaving Spurs over the summer for Sunderland. He signed too late to be eligible for tomorrow's match with Stoke, but will be available for Spurs' trip to Bolton on Saturday

Newcastle have made an inquiry to Celtic about center-back and team captain Stephen McManus, after the Scottish champs asked the Magpies about obtaining left-back Jose Enrique

Portsmouth have added a pair of midfielders, West Ham's Hayden Mullins and Porto's Pele

Wigan have signed 15-goal scorer Hugo Rodallega from Necaxa of the Mexican League, and also completed the Ben Watson signing transfer with Palace

West Ham have replaced the aforementioned Bellamy by signing Savio Nsereko, a 19-year old striker from Uganda who was playing for Brescia in the German B league, in what is though to be a club-record deal

The Cudicini-to-Spurs switch went through

Hull City have backed off from a John Arne Riise move after failing to come to an agreement on a bid for the Roma defender

Shay Given is ready to talk contract with Manchester City in anticipation of a transfer from Newcastle; as expected Steve Harper is tabbed to replace the Ireland keeper at St. Andrew's and signed a three-year extension.

David Beckham admits he's enjoying Italy more than expected, and is unsure about his future with LA Galaxy.

Real Madrid is still hot for Aston Villa winger Ashley Young and are in talks with the Villans over a deal.

Arsenal is close to finalizing the Andrei Arshavin deal.

West Ham have bid $6 million for Spartak Moscow midfielder Radoslav Kovac.

Chelsea striker Claudio Pizarro wants to make his loan spell with Werder Bremen a permanent switch.

Middlesbrough are lining up a previous target, Reading midfielder James Harper.

Timmah
Looks like city have to come up with a bit more?

What do you think they will take or need to get for given?

I just got done reading the BBC article....as long as NU keeps that Given is the best keeper in the EPL, then City's gonna have to pay up. A few weeks ago, when the window first opened, Kinnear said that it didn't matter if Given wanted out, they weren't selling.

I actually think the situation is bigger than Given. Kinnear is getting a LOT of heat right now, especially from N'Zogbia. They can't win a match to save their soul, and they're supposedly struggling to pay the bills. They have a Premiership roster, but they're playing like a Championship side, and I'd put money on either Wolves or Reading to put up 3 on them right now....heck, I'd even lay cash if it were at St. Andrew's.

Dispatching N'Zogbia to Arsenal or Lyon would be a blessing at this point; whether or not he should feel insulted, he does, and he won't play for Kinnear. But losing Given would be a dagger. He's been a fixture in net for them, and his departure would essentially be the end of an era. He's not the best keeper, but he's a sure thing for them in a time of great uncertainty. I've seen him rated at £8m, which is fair. But I wouldn't be surprised to see they rate him a couple million more, just to make it prohibitive to sign him.

We'll see....as of now, I don't think they let him go, and maybe rouse themselves enough of the last four months to earn the 18-20 points they need to avoid relegation. But the schedule ahead is very difficult, and they have to win matches now. If they beat Sunderland on Sunday, I think he stays.

If they don't, all bets are off.

I could not agree more in relation to this sunday's game and that should they lose i can see a possible fire sale. The loss of owen after just a short time in the mid week game spells trouble as he is the only one that looks like he can score for them. i can see Sunderland who are not much better over the last few weeks coming out with a 2-0 win.
In relation to Given, yes i agree with the 8 million and that he would be a strong net minder for some team. the signing of Harper to the 3 years is a worry for Given to be kept?
All will be revealed soon.

This cannot help there cause at all either

No it doesn't.......even though he hadn't played much this year, they were hopeful about him.

Starting to wonder whatever happened to Xisco....he'd be helpful, no?

EDIT....I just now saw what Kinnear was calling N'Zogbia in that interview....he kept saying "Insomnia". It's close, but if you really want to read into it, you can kinda see what had N'Zogbia so pissed.

A lot to talk about today.....

Barton will be replaced in Newcastle consideration by long-time Bolton midfielder Kevin Nolan

Charles N'Zogbia is getting his wish....but he's going to Wigan, in a deal that will bring defender Ryan Taylor to Newcastle

Blackburn signed much-traveled Egyptian striker El-Hadji Diouf for an undisclosed fee...he'll replace Matt Derbyshire in Rovers' lineup after he was loaned to Greek side Olympiakos

Rovers also rejected a Man City bid for struggling ace Roque Santa Cruz

Arsenal remain confident they will sign Andrei Arshavin, with Man City and Inter Milan still in the running

Chelsea have dipped their toes into by signing Turkey U-19 international Gokhan Toure from Bayern Leverkusen

Instead of an outright transfer, Spartak's Radoslav Kovac will join West Ham on a season-long loan deal

Meanwhile, the Hammers loaned winger Julien Faubert to Real Madrid in a season-long loan deal with an option to make it permanent

Fulham will replace Jimmy Bullard in the lineup by receiving Giles Barnes from Derby on a season-long loan

Ipswich left-back Dan Harding is on his way to Reading on a season-long loan

Gossiping, or, Who else is Citeh after?....

Atletico Madrid is lining up a bid for Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso

Hoffenheim are planning a bid for out-of-favor Man City striker Jo

Tottenham will also make a bid for Santa Cruz, with Spurs throwing in striker Darren Bent as part of the deal

If Santa Cruz leave, Rovers will throw £10mil at Portsmouth for Peter Crouch

Man United striker Carlos Tevez is a target for City and Chelsea

Middlesbrough is about to add Reading's James Harper in a £5mil deal

Celtic are working a a loan-deal add of WBA left-back Marek Cech

Newcastle have agreed to an undisclosed fee with Man City for Shay Given, who will join the Citizens pending a physical, and City is still hopeful to finalize a deal for Roque Santa Cruz with Blackburn

Out-of-favor City defender Tal Ben-Haim will join Sunderland for an undisclosed fee

Everton is thought to be close to adding City striker Jo on a loan deal

Fulham are hoping they can bring back striker Brian McBride from MLS, which he returned to last summer

Antonio Valencia rejected a move to Real Madrid from Wigan

Bolton are trying to wrap up a deal for Newcastle and City target, Sporting Lisbon midfielder Miguel Veloso

Reading rejected a Wigan bid for Stephen Hunt, who is still on the Tottenham radar

The window deadline has been extended due to poor weather in England, provided both teams provide email confirmation of the deal, and it can be verified that weather conditions delayed final agreement.

Here's the latest:

Jo's loan switch to Everton has been completed

Liverpool are sending out-of-favor striker Robbie Keane back to Tottenham after only 5 months with the Reds

Aresenal and Zenit have agreed to a fee for Andrei Arshavin, but have some sticking points to work out

Portsmouth have signed AEK Athens midfielder Angelos Basinas to an 18-month loan deal

Wigan have loaned striker Henri Camara to Stoke for the remainder of the season

The Arshavin deal has fallen through, once and for all.

The Russian made it as far as London for his physical, but headed back to St. Petersburg after Arsenal and Zenit were not able to come to final terms. The BBC says that the overall size of the fee was cited as a sticking point, with Zenit demanding a percentage of the contract that Arshavin would receive, in addition to the actual fee they would receive from the Gunners.

The amount of the transfer fee that Arsenal would have been willing to pay ranged from £12-18mil, depending on the source.

The BBC is now reporting that the Arshavin deal will go through, based on an account provided by the midfielder's agent. He claims that not only are Zenit's claims of a breakdown false, but that all sides have agreed to terms and that the deal, finalized during the extra time provided by the EPL, will become official tomorrow.

There are no terms indicated, but his agent called the "toughest" transfer he ever negotiated.

Elsewhere, Chelsea have landed Inter Milan winger Ricardo Quaresma on loan for the remainder of the season.

Well I think this will help the Club as they were really struggling up front


Also this was an expensive 6 month trial for Liverpool. I think they lost around 20million on the deal

Yeah, they needed to do something....I caught their match with MU on Saturday, and they couldn't get anything going against admittedly white-hot backline. Tim Cahill is out of place up front, and Jo wasn't fitting in at Eastlands. This is a nice re-start for him.

I'm wondering what kind of a '09 Robinho is going to have. I think the rumors of a Chelsea switch this summer are likely to play out.



The final figure I saw on BBC said the final price was £12 mil, meaning they took an £8 mil loss, or $11.38 mil USD.

They took a bath, no two ways about it.

Yes Cahill is much better fitting in with Arteta in the middle of the park and just there for the set pieces, as for Robinho well that is a very interesting situation.
If city can not improve this season or at least make a very strong finish, he will be gone for sure.he looks like he wants to play with the best and win (like most players lol), that could mean Chelsea or a move back to Europe. I think it will remain quiet until City's results start the talk one way or the other.
As for his play well he should continue to be a major force up front with he and SWP forming a strong connection

Andrei Arshavin officially became an Arsenal Gunner today. He's eligible to play as soon as this weekend, but hasn't played in a competitive match since the Russian club season ended in November.

AC Milan are preparing a $20 million bid to keep David Beckham in Italy after his loan spell ends next month.

Bundesliga side Schalke apparently tried to claim Glasgow and USA winger DaMarcus Beasley on a free transfer yesterday, but were rebuffed by the Scottish club.

The latest on Becks from the BBC:

There was apparently a number of late bids that failed somewhere along the process; there's always a likelihood that the moves will be re-visited when the Transfer Window opens in the summer:

Didier Drogba - Chelsea striker would have gone to Inter Milan

Niklas Bendtner - Arsenal striker would have gone to Man City

Lukas Podolski - Bayern Munchen striker was pursued by Man City and Portsmouth

Christian Panucci - Roma defender would have gone to Hull City

Glen Little - Portsmouth midfielder would have gone to Everton

Timmah
just a small obscure transfer that I though you may like to know about
Robbie"God" Fowler to new A-league franchise Nth Qld Fury for 2 years. Not sure of the salary but the lifestyle will sure beat Liverpool in winter - Beach's great barrier Reef Sunshine

For me this is one that I would have liked to see in the EPL. could be a very good goal scorer with a team like City and the feed from midfield, maybe even Everton??

Yeah, I remember seeing that one....I think when I mentioned it it was still in the discussion stages.

Considering that it's currently 15 degrees with a RealFeel of about 1 where I'm sitting, I'd say that it was a helluva move on his part, LOL.



Everton would be a good spot for him; their striker situation is a bit of a muddle right now, and having a younger player used to the physical style of play in the EPL to build around would be most helpful.

I like Jo, Saha is capable, and when Yakubu is on, they have good options. But Jo is flighty, Saha isn't a lead striker, and Yakubu is alternately hurt and streaky. They have some nice pieces, and Podolski might be what they need to start making serious challenges to the Big 4 (well, 5 now).

No deal was reached and today Reading released Convey midway through his 5th season with the club.

The Philadelphian was one of the original members of the Bradenton Academy - along with Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley and Oguchi Onyewu - the full-time residency program for USA Soccer's U-17 team. He became the youngest player ever signed to MLS when he joined DC United in 2000, and was later acquired by Reading on transfer in 2004 after a failed attempt by Tottenham.

The left wing was a crucial part of the club's record-setting 05/06 campaign that earned them promotion for the first time in club history. You can see a nice collection of his goals from that season here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKNEo3iMHDA

That summer, he was one of the few Americans who showed up at Germany '06, and collected 2 assists in the first five matches of the 06/07 Premier League season....and then he hurt his knee.

Two surgeries and a few okay matches later, Convey has failed to regain the form that made him one of the most promising young players the USA had to offer.

His release, while brushed aside by some as lopping off a disappointment, is widely regarded as the departure of a part of team history: http://hobnob.royals.org/forum/viewtopic.p...art=20#p2068159

It's unclear what the future holds for Convey, but you hope that wherever he lands, it's in good hands.

Thanks, Bobby.