Crouch Ducks Out Of Sunderland Move

Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch looks set to leave the south coast this summer as rumours surrounding his exit have gathered significant momentum. First, the half-man-half-robot declared himself (or itself) bemused with the way the club was being run, then his agent chimed in (as they so often do) claiming he believed the player to be up for sale.

One club Crouch definitely will not be joining however is Sunderland. The Black Cats had stolen a march on other potential suitors and held talks with the England international after having a bid of around £12 million accepted by Pompey. But today, Steve Bruce went to the club's official website, tail firmly between legs and said Crouch didn't wish to join the club:

"Naturally this is hugely disappointing for us as Peter was one of our primary targets. I know he was impressed with the set up here when he came for talks but it's simply a matter of geographical location and that's not something we can affect."

'RoboCrouch' wont be 'pulling out the rope' and dragging himself all the way to Wearside then, so where is he heading?

The smart money at this stage would appear to be on Tottenham Hotspur or Fulham, though there is little to choose between them. Spurs manager Harry Redknapp, who has signed Crouch on previous occasions for both Portsmouth and rivals Southampton has said he would be interested in bringing the striker to White Hart Lane, while Jermain Defoe, who has already made the move back to north London, would welcome a link-up with his old pal. The beanpole forward also started his professional career, presumably in slightly shorter days, with Spurs, but was moved on to Queens Park Rangers shortly after.

However, Cottagers boss Roy Hodgson should not be intimidated by the miniature Crouch firm at N17. Fulham have European football on offer, something Spurs do not have for the first time in three seasons. Having tasted action on the continent with Portsmouth last season, Crouch may wish to give this newly branded Europa League a spin. And surely, playing at Craven Cottage, where he would undoubtedly be a shoe-in for a regular first-team place week-in-week-out, can only benefit his chances of a place in Fabio Capello's 2010 World Cup squad. Also, despite being born in Macclesfield, a young Crouch lived in south London (after a year in Singapore!)

Portsmouth finally have their house in order as Sulaiman Al-Fahim was confirmed as club chairman today after a protracted takeover bid, with Paul Hart quickly confirmed as permanent manager undoubtedly due to his tremendous effort in guiding a turbulent Pompey to safety from relegation last season.

For Crouch though, it still seems a case of London calling.