LOL- Ian Harte to Italy???(G'wan Ian!)

eirebhoy

http://www.eleven-a-side.com/acrossthewater/story.asp?newsid=9504

Italians eye up move for Harte

Serie A side Siena have reportedly made a daring bid to exploit the financial troubles of Leeds United by attempting to prize Irish international left back Ian Harte away from Elland Road on the cheap.

Harte had been the subject of reported interest from Spain last summer, while Portsmouth were also interested in taking him away from Leeds, where he spent much of last season on the bench as on-loan Real Madrid defender Raul Bravo stole ahead of him in the first-team set-up.

His future at Elland Road looked bleak after manager Peter Reid snapped up left back Didier Domi last summer, and although the Frenchman made little impact, Cameroon international Salomon Olembe, another loan signing by Reid, was preferred to Harte in the left full position at the beginning of the season.

Despite those difficulties, Harte has made the left back slot his own once more in recent times, with caretaker-manager Eddie Gray restoring him to the starting line-up since taking over from Reid in November.

However, Leeds have slipped to the foot of the table, and need to raise £5m by next week to keep the club out of administration.

And with the sale of players seen as one of the few means in which they will be able to come up with the cash, speculation on the futures of several of the Leeds players has been rife, with Alan Smith, Mark Viduka, Paul Robinson, Eirik Bakke, James Milner and Harte all linked with moves away from the club inside the past 48 hours.

Siena are currently in a respectable 12th place in the 18-team Serie A, and Harte would link up with Former Rangers, Chelsea and Sunderland forward Tore Andre Flo, ex-Italy international Enrico Chiesa and former Internazionale strike Nicola Ventola if he should make the switch to the Tuscan club.

Oh how I would love to see that.:D

kmart6

Bye bye,you wont be missed:D

Quatre Mains

- Whats the story with lowly Serie A sides taking on all these Premiership rejects all of a sudden? How the worm turns - I remember Forest and Pa lace completing the 'coup' signings of Silenzi and Lombardo

SheroN

Ian harte isn't that bad, he had a bad world cup campaign in 2002, but he's not that bad.

Tellox

Yes, but leeds rejected the bid, so it doesnt matter all that much now, does it
Shame too. This time next year,He could've been playing in italy. But now its most likely he'll be on the dole

eirebhoy

Just a bit of hypnosis and he'll be flying.:) and I actually mean that! Confidence is probably the most important factor in how a player performs, look how Kilbane is playing with a bit of confidence. There are some players who it doesn't affect (eg.Roy Keane) but you notice a player straight away when he is low in confidence.

eirebhoy

Originally posted by Tellox
But now its most likely he'll be on the dole

Kingp35

as a leeds fan harte has served the club well but we need the money so i definitely sell him to try and keep the better players. He wouldn't be that hard to replace

Tellox

I of course meant the "irish soccer dole", otherwise known as "sunderland"

AngelofFire

Wow Italy`s shortage of left sided players is worse than i thought. siena are doing well they are 8th in the serie A. If i were him id jump at the opportunity considering that leeds are a couple of weeks away from administration. if he doesnt act soon his only possible option will be sunderland or perhaps a soon to be promoted division 1 team.

Seaneh

Siena are doing really well for a team who just got promoted, they already got Flo from sunderland when everyone said he was rubbish and he is doing well, I think the italian game would siut Harte more than england, more time on the ball and attacking fullback usually do really well in Itlan (Ze Maria, Cafu, Cocco, the list goes on).

Mr Grumpy

Harte's problem is that he's too slow. Milk turns quicker...

gucci

remember a few years back(round the same time as leeds were a fewplayers/over-payed rehabs away from winning the champions league he was linked wit barcelona.....but apparently they wanted to sign breen after world cup