Exclusive Brum Boss Has Cash To Shatter Hoops Hopes
ALEX McLEISH will attempt to snatch James McFadden from Everton next month - and price Celtic out of the bidding for his one-time Scotland talisman.
The Birmingham manager has placed McFadden's name at the top of his January shopping list as he prepares to overhaul the side he inherited from Steve Bruce last month.
And Record Sport understands McLeish is prepared to offer the maverick a contract which would dwarf anything Scotland's champions would be able or willing to offer.
McFadden is already mulling over the offer of a contract extension from Goodison boss Davie Moyes worth around £25,000 a week. But although the player is settled on Merseyside he is frustrated by a lack of regular first-team football and could move on when the transfer window opens for a fee of around £3m.
That price would not scare off Gordon Strachan even though Celtic say their manager has only limited resources to spend.
But McLeish is cash rich in comparison and would also be able to offer McFadden a weekly wage in excess of £30,000 - a deal which Strachan may struggle to match.
Record Sport understands Rangers are also keeping an eye on McFadden's situation but the size of the figures already being bandied around will freeze them out of any serious bidding.
McLeish has already stated he intends to try to strengthen a squad which has lost seven of its last nine league games.
Chairman David Gold and co-owner David Sullivan seem certain to still be in power at St Andrews after the apparent collapse of the Carson Yeung bid.
And Gold said yesterday: "Alex has identified certain areas of the side that need improving. Presuming we are still the incumbents at the time he wants to buy, then we will support the manager with squad strengthening.
"Alex had concerns about the takeover, as did we, but we were able to tell him when he came here that we felt that it only had a 10 per cent chance of succeeding.
"We don't think it will happen now, so we have had to assume we will be in charge when the January window opens - although we still cannot rule out the possibility of new owners."
McLeish has indicated he could look to players he has managed to blood and McFadden was one of his stars in Scotland's glorious failure to reach Euro 2008.
The former national boss said: "Would I bring in trusted players?
"There is no doubt about that. It just depends if the target is available or if we can afford the target.
"There is no doubt I would like to bring in players I have worked with or players I have seen that I would like to work with.
