Trundle belongs to Bristol, says so-long to Swansea

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Lee Trundle is a Bristol City player - and has made his Bristol City debut to signal an end of an era at Swansea.

But before the game he caught up with me to pen an emotional open letter to the Swansea fans he's left behind.

It gives his reasons why he had to quit the Liberty Stadium and details just what went on over the last week that saw him become a £1m player.

And if you needed reminding why he was worth that much - or why he was called Magic Daps - have a look at this YouTube clip.

For the full and exclusive Trundle verdict - plus all the pre-season latest - see tomorrow's Wales on Sunday.

Trundle's Bristol Saga Continues for Swansea

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The saga of Lee Trundle's transfer from Swansea to Bristol City took a new twist when a Bristol press conference had to be abandoned in farcical scenes.

But it is now believed the deal HAS gone through - and the striker is now a Bristol City player.

Bristol officials had to back track after calling a press conference to unveil Trundle at Ashton Gate, but then had to admit the deal could not be completed due to hitches in some minor details of the £1m plus deal.

Chief Executive Colin Sexton confirmed he had agreed personal terms with Trundle and a fee had been agreed - but the minor details meant contracts could not be signed.

But then just hours later it is thought the issues were ironed out to pave the way for Trundle to quit the Liberty.

For the full details and the latest on the saga see Wales on Sunday this weekend.

Swansea Hero Trundle Ready to Sign for Bristol City

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Lee Trundle is poised to officially become a Bristol City player in the next hour as he stands on the verge of quitting Swansea City.

Trundle is at Ashton Gate now and has already met his new team-mates after completing talks over the last few hours.

The Scouse striker did not travel with Roberto Martinez's men to Holland this morning as the Swans prepare for their pre-season tour of the Netherlands.

Instead, after reportedly asking for a transfer request following an estimated £1m bid from the Robins, Trundle is ready to end four years at the Welsh club by agreeing a move to the Championship.

Swansea officials are still refusing to comment on the situation and there are doubts whether the full details of the fee have been agreed on.

But a press conference has been called for 4pm at Ashton Gate and it looks as though Trundle has now played his last game in a white shirt.

Stay logged on for any further updates - but get the real story in this weekend's Wales on Sunday.

Trundle Latest. . .

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Lee Trundle has to make up his mind whether to leave Swansea City after a dramatic turn in events and a fourth transfer bid from Bristol City.

Confusion still surrounds the future of Trundle following the striker's absence from the friendly at Port Talbot.

Swansea drew 1-1 thanks to a late Steve Watt leveller, but the main talking point was whether Trundle will sign for Bristol City.

The Robins look like they have met the price tag laid out by Swansea in last week's Wales on Sunday - a minimum of £750,000 up front for the 30-year-old. The club are thought to have again knocked the bid back but it could be down to the player himself to decide whether he wants to move.

Swans chairman Huw Jenkins refused to comment on the speculation after the match, while manager Roberto Martinez toed the party line in insisting the club were not looking to sell Trundle.

Club officials all stayed tight lipped as did Swansea players who claim they did not know whether the rumours were true.

The ball is now thought to be in Trundle's court - with the next 48 hours due to bring an answer to a transfer that could rock Swansea's season before it's begun.

Trundling Off?....

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Could Lee Trundle be leaving Swansea City?

Rumours are spreading around the Talbot Ground in Port Talbot that Bristol City could have snatched the star striker in a sensational deal.

Reports in the Bristol press suggested the Robins have significantly upped their bid for the 30-year-old that could have swayed the club to say yes.

And Trundle's no-show at tonight's game has only fuelled speculation the Scouser is about to leave the Liberty Stadium.

Readers of WoS will know the Championship side have come nowhere near Swansea's valuation of Trundle with their three previous bids.

But Swansea would be prepared to sell if they offered around £750,000 up front, or if Trundle had been tempted by the chance to step up a level.

Roberto Martinez certainly sees the striker as part of his plans and was telling me such just a few hours ago.

But things could have moved quickly in the last few hours which could yet see Trundle quit South Wales.

There has been no official confirmation of the situation - stay logged on for any updates live from the game.

Keep the Faith . . . .

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WHEN you’re suffering from a lack of faith, you turn to God.

And that’s just what Cardiff City have done this week in their biggest transfer coup since... well, since Lord know’s when, by luring Robbie Fowler to Ninian Park.

Fans have been shorn of belief since their early promotion promise of last season was washed away during a woeful winter.

And the sale of top scorer Michael Chopra – regardless of the obvious financial benefits – hardly did much to change the minds of supporters who thought this would be another season endlessly chasing rainbows in the Championship.

But in one swoop, the Bluebirds have gone a long, long way to restoring the faith that Cardiff do have ambitions beyond this division.

Continue reading "Keep the Faith . . . ." »

Ferrie Good . . . .

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They may have been pre-season friendlies, but there was enough to get excited about at Swansea's two games against Welsh Premier opposition this week.

One was the speed, skill and sheer confidence of winger Paul Anderson who has left his team-mates all standing in all of the pre-season training sprints so far (Read WoS this week for more on the wing whizz-kid).

The other was the outstanding ability of Ferrie Bodde in midfield.

Continue reading "Ferrie Good . . . ." »

Cardiff's Egyptian Summer. . .

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There was a joke going around the football press corps at Cardiff's training ground the other day as we wondered whether the Bluebirds were going to scrap their pre-season tour to Portugal and head for Egypt instead.

Why? Because the club have seemed to spend most of their summer in denial.

Chairman Peter Ridsdale distanced himself from Franny Jeffers being linked with the club this week - but who says that's the end of it?

One City-covering colleague put the names Gavin Rae and Steve MacLean to the club only to be knocked back the same week they were unveiled as Dave Jones' latest signings.

And more than a month ago another journo pal was told his rumour about Cardiff lining up a striker was plain rubbish.

The player's name? Robbie Fowler.

There's a reason it's called the silly season.

Got Milk?

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Brian Flynn has named his Wales Under 19 squad for the annual Milk Cup tournament in Northern Ireland on July 27.

Flynny's fledglings face Chile and Israel - definitely good experience for the young 'uns.

Few names to look out for, obvious ones like Ramsey aside; Bristol City's James Wilson has courted interest from Spurs while his club colleague Christian Ribeiro has also caught the eye.

Jamie Price was tipped for big things at Birmingham - the new Robbie Savage apparently - but looks as though he's now at Wrexham. Matthew de Cae from Luxemborug is an interesting one too.

Continue reading "Got Milk?" »

Oh and another thing . . .

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Internet talk has been rife of Swansea looking to sell Leon Britton and Lee Trundle.

Well Trunds looked more eager to kick-on with Swansea than ever when I spoke to him recently while Britts has just had a little girl and I'd be surprised if he was looking to move anywhere.

Sure, Roberto has been told he will have to sell one or two players to trim the fat of his squad after his summer spending.

But I'd eat my cyberwords if he would be prepared to let these two leave - and it would take £600,000 at least for either of them for the board's money men to be even tempted.

Seems like rival fans have been doing a bit of fishing. Just like the Swans have been doing in Sweden .

By the way, the lads only managed to catch one fish between them - and it was Andy Robinson who landed the catch.

Fox hunting . . . .

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A few Cardiff fans seem to against the idea of Franny Jeffers coming to Cardiff.

I'm not sure I can agree with them. Sure, Jeffers has tried - and most often - failed to repeat the same sort of goalscoring form that made him such a tip for the top when he emerged on the scene as a 17-year-old in 1998.

Back then, his goalscoring form for Everton prompted Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger to fork out £8m for a guy he described as his "fox in the box".

Since then it's not worked out for the Scouser at Highbury, Ibrox, the Valley or Ewood Park.

But I think Jeffers, now 26, showed enough on loan at Ipswich last year he could really bring something to City's promotion hopes.

And if there's one thing Dave Jones can do, it's getting the most out of players where others have failed. No-one would touch Jason Koumas with a barge-pole before a season under DJ put him on the road to a £5.3m move to the Premiership. You could say the same about Chopra, teams weren't exactly breaking the door down to sign him last summer and now he's worth £5m.

Available on loan or for about £500k, it ticks all the boxes for Cardiff. If it happens, it might be best to reserve judgment on the former England cap.

Or am I just too full of that optimism I talked about?

Fun in the sun

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Two games and two wins for the Welsh teams today.

Cardiff looked impressive by all accounts in their 1-0 win over Vitoria while Swansea steam-rollered the Swedes of Ostersund 5-2. It's too early to judge yet, mind. These games are little more than a fitness exercise and a chance to get a football back at the players' feet.

But, winning breeds confidence and that's never a bad thing when you're heading into a season where promotion or play-off pushes are on everyone's minds.

For the full details of the two games - plus some lovely pics of the stars sweating it out in the sun - see tomorrow's Wales on Sunday.

So then, who's next? . . .

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A week may be a long time in football, but 12 months is a lifetime.

So perhaps it’s not too late to catch up on Wales on Sunday’s article on who will be the next teenage treasure for Tosh dig up for our boys.

Three lads have been picked out – Ched Evans of Man City, Sam Vokes of Bournemouth and Rhys Williams of Boro – who could well start to shine over the coming season. But they won’t be the only ones worth keeping an eye on.

Continue reading "So then, who's next? . . ." »

The Season Starts Here . .

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Well, okay, not until August 11 actually.
But in blogging terms this is the big kick-off for The Goal Post - and I don't think you could have timed it better.

Continue reading "The Season Starts Here . ." »