Bluebirds will sign key targets by July

STRIKER Michael Chopra and midfield player Stephen McPhail will become Cardiff City players by the start of July.

Both are still under contract until the end of this month - Chopra at Newcastle United and McPhail at Barnsley - but will sign within the next three weeks on free transfers.

Chopra, 22, is seen as the ideal strike partner for Scot Steve Thompson, who struggled to build an understanding with Cameron Jerome last season.

Cardiff beat off competition from six other clubs, including Southampton, Crystal Palace and Barnsley, to snap him up.

Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder offered Chopra a new one-year contract at St James Park, but the Geordie goalscorer wants regular first team football.

Chopra is a product of Newcastle's youth development, has made 21 first team appearances and scored in their Premiership North East derby win against Sunderland.

He had a medical at Ninian Park last week, has agreed terms and the only factor to be agreed is a compensation package for Newcastle.

They are entitled to a payment because they developed him and he is still under 24.

Newcastle want £500,000 and Cardiff City have agreed that figure, although structured with a guaranteed down payment plus extras for appearances and Cardiff's promotion to the Premiership.

Bluebirds manager Dave Jones watched McPhail in Barnsley's final League match last season and quickly put him top of his wanted list for midfielders.

London-born McPhail, aged 25 and a Republic of Ireland international, started his career at Leeds, going out on loan for Millwall and Nottingham Forest before joining Barnsley two years ago.

McPhail has made more than 200 first-team appearances during his career, 78 for Barnsley in the last two seasons.

He played a key role in helping Barnsley earn promotion to the Coca-Cola Championship, beating Swansea City in the play-off final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

Jones is also in talks with Arsenal about signing full-back Kerrea Gilbert on loan for the whole of next season, but Cardiff will not be signing goalkeeper Mart Poom from the London club.

 

WHATS THIS FROM?

 

Did you know that..

Mexicans are South Americans. </p>

No honest.</p>

 

Dean Windass / Notts County this site is getting banal

 

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0600soccer/0200news/tm_objectid=17216833&amp;method=full&amp;siteid=50082&amp;headline=bluebirds-will-sign-key-targets-by-july-name_page.html

 

Chopra's the ideal target man for us too, so does that mean he's signing for us as well?

If that's from one of them Cardiff papers it probably won't be true. Their fans said in the local papers it had said he was signing over the weekend. Shows how much truth there was in that one.

 

Not convinced re chopra

flannel</p>

Agents upping the ante.</p>

could be wrong like but hey?</p>

 

London born mcphail??????

 

This time last year speculation like this had Howard Signed and sealed at bournemouth

lets just wait and see

 

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the thing that narks me if mcfrail goes, is that he saai he would stay if we strengthened so that we didn't struggle.
well that's obviously b@ll@cks because he hasn't even given us time to strngthen.
i think it's all about money.

 

RE: This time last year speculation like this had Howard Signed and sealed at bournemouth

Something isnt right.

Why would Chopra tell the Chronicle that he's going to look at the offers and make a decision in the next few weeks and then apparently agree terms with Cardiff in less then 24 hours?

Either the papers down Cardiff talk ballox, or Cardiff have offered a contract which cannot be rejected ala Ridsdale and Seth Johnson

 

Exactly

Also , back in 2004 , when Barnsley let it slip they were in for Liam Lawrence from Mansfield , numerous posters claiming to be "in the know" waxed lyrical that we couldn't possibly sign him as he'd be joining Rotherham . In fact , according to these people , he'd agreed to sign for the Millers earlier in the year so no other club could go in for him ( similar to what's happening with Chopra at the moment ) . What happened ? He signed for Sunderland and all the talk with regards to Rotherham United was just that , talk .
Patience is a virtue sadly lacking with some of our fans .

 

well it,s in the barnsley star tonight,can,t get more local than that.

 

RE: Exactly

tell you what though if newcastle want 500 grand for chopra you can forget barnsley .

 

As I see it

<p align="left">Chopra is a free agent come July.</p><p align="left">all newcastle are entitled to is compensation for training costs and this will be set by tribunal.i.e. just like Hayes.</p><p align="left">Now unless you think Chopra has decided to let newcastle have the cash that he could negotiate for himself in wages then I would suggest any transfer fee mentioned or agreed with any club at this stage is likely to be utter B*ll*cks.</p><p align="left" />

 

Hmm, really? nt

 

correct nt

 

So why didn't we sign him and go to the tribunal then?

&pound;&pound;&pound;&pound;&pound;&pound;&pound;&pound;&pound;&pound;&pound;&pound;&pound;'s.

 

financial gamble

we were not prepared to take.

 

Financial gamble?

But we were prepared to gamble a &pound;75K transfer fee on Dwayne Mattis, plus his wages, say &pound;75k/year. That would add up to &pound;3K per week in wages for the year. Interesting management don't you think? Who would be the biggest gamble, a stiker who had already scored 20 goals for us in a season and who had premiership experience or a failed League 1 player?