Fergie confident he can nick£14m Palacios and wreck Spurs' plans

16 January 2009 23:43
Looking good: Wilson Palacios in action against Manchester United   More... Fergie pips Benitez and Wenger yet again after being hailed best coach on the planet Tevez angry at lack of opportunity at United, says Argentina boss Maradona MANCHESTER UNITED FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB Arsenal have also shown an interest but are reluctant to meet the fee. However, United's bid is desperate news for Tottenham, who had seemed primed to clinch the deal when their increased bid was accepted by Wigan supremo Dave Whelan yesterday morning. Spurs manager Harry Redknapp was led to believe the deal would be confirmed over the weekend and said the matter was being handled by chairman Daniel Levy. Redknapp said: 'He's a good player. The chairman is dealing with it - he's talking to Wigan. I've spoken to him and he was pretty close to a deal.' Wigan boss Steve Bruce signed the Honduran for Birmingham on the recommendation of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. When Bruce moved on to become boss at the JJB last season, he soon took Palacios with him for a bargain£1m. Yesterday morning, Bruce claimed a deal with Spurs was 'virtually agreed'. He added: 'It's an unbelievable success story. Wilson was in Honduras 18 months ago, we brought him here for buttons and he's on the brink of joining a club like Spurs. It must be very exciting for him.' Hours later, United stepped up their interest in the tough tackler who Sir Alex Ferguson sees as the ideal replacement for injured Owen Hargreaves. Spurs were still claiming they could see off United's interest last night but failing to sign the 24-year-old would embarrass their scattergun approach to the transfer window. It would also be a satisfying riposte from United who were angered with the way Spurs chairman Levy dragged out the Dimitar Berbatov saga to the closing minutes of the last transfer window in August. Interest: Spurs and United both want Wilson Palacios Ferguson admits United's title bid is entering its critical phase as they chase top place and a Barclays Premier League record at Bolton today. Already without Wayne strike Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra and Wes Brown, the United boss has fitness doubts over Carlos Tevez and Jonny Evans as he seeks the win that would take the champions above current leaders Liverpool. His patched-up side are also aiming to equal Chelsea's four-year-old Premier League record of 10 consecutive clean sheets. 'This is a vital period for us,' he said, after drafting in young reserve James Chester. 'It's crunch time, definitely, particularly when you have top players out. It'd be a major blow losing Evans, because he has been fantastic and has formed a tremendous partnership with Nemanja Vidic. If we can find any way of getting him on that pitch at Bolton, we will. 'Looking at our run-in and how many injuries we have at the moment, these next few weeks are going to be the most important of all for us. If we can get through and reach the middle of February with a full complement of players, we'll be in good shape.'   More... Fergie pips Benitez and Wenger yet again after being hailed best coach on the planet Tevez angry at lack of opportunity at United, says Argentina boss Maradona MANCHESTER UNITED FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB  

Source: Daily_Mail