EMERTON NOT GOING ANYWHERE

Brett Emerton will definitely not be leaving Feyenoord for the English Premiership before the transfer window closes for the year. An unexpected last-ditch attempt by Newcastle United Tuesday morning to secure the signature of the Australian international was rejected by Feyenoord Chairman Jorien van den Herik, because the Magpies were only offering payment of the eight million pound transfer sum in instalments. The North-easterners were also unable to submit a bank guarantee.

‘Final consultations only lasted four emails this morning,’ manager Jan D. Swart confirmed. ‘What’s more, Van den Herik’s final answer to his colleague was a very brief one. It was basically: please do not waste my time in the future. Under the current market conditions it is naturally very strange to expect a selling party to make do with money that to its knowledge may not exist or may never arrive. The final payment would have been made as late as 1 September 2005, but it would not be guaranteed. The chairman of Newcastle United was very surprised that Feyenoord refused.’