Transfer Rumours
Ronaldinho Still On The Cards But £19m - King Jo or Joking?
Manchester City have broken their club transfer fee record by signing Jo from CSKA Moscow for £19m but at what price? Whilst his record in Moscow was impressive, 30 goals in 53 games is not to be sniffed at is the money that has been paid obtaining best value or will he be an expensive flop?
With youth on his side, the Brazilian is only twenty-one, City are investing heavily in his potential. The Premier League is a different league from the ones he has previously played in, both physically and in speed of play which will require some adjustment on his part. His cost may preclude that from being a long period with brickbats handed out readily for big-money signings if they fail to deliver.
Sven Goran Eriksson built a solid base for Mark Hughes to launch City forward but they tailed-off badly post -Christmas last season to finish in ninth place, having been in the top four for some time at the start of the season. The stability in the squad may come if Joe Hart and Richard Dunne sign new contracts but to expect anything more than a top six finish is wishful thinking on the part of City’s owner, Thaksin Shinawatra.
More of his dubious millions could be spent on Ronaldinho who has yet to rule out a move to Eastlands apparently. Chelsea is one destination the player mentioned but Hughes believes the challenge of rebuilding City to the glory of thirty-five years ago will appeal more than Champions and Premier League titles. Delusion it appears is a virus spreading rapidly at the club.
LIVERPOOL CONTINUE THEIR DESPERATE CHASE FOR BARRY
Like a spurned lover, Rafa Benitez continues to court Aston Villa in the hope of seducing them with enough money for the transfer of Gareth Barry to Anfield. Following the weekend’s stories in the press, Barry’s position at the club seems untenable with criticism of Martin O’Neill not likely to have sat well with the Villa manager.
It is understood that the revised bid is for £15m cash plus bonuses dependent upon Liverpool’s success. With Villa holding out for £18m, such an offer is not likely to be well received, especially as Liverpool have not managed to mount a genuine title challenge for nearly a decade.
O’Neill’s stance on the transfer has changed over recent weeks. Having been filled with righteous indignation when news of the original bid leaked towards the end of last season, Barry’s genuine desire to move and the agitation that has gone with it, has convinced O’Neill that the time has come to cash in on his unsettled skipper. Such funds would allow the Villa manager to enhance his squad in several positions and were the move to be completed shortly, sufficient time to allow any new players the time to familarise themselves with his expectations and the style of Villa’s play.
The loss of one of the most consistent players cannot be ignored but no player is bigger than any club. For Villa it is the chance to open a new chapter and build on last season’s improved league form, perhaps challenging successfully for a European spot. The top four seems beyond them next season but judicious investment may open up the UEFA Cup for the Midlanders.
Villa To Stay At Valencia For Now
David Villa has dashed the dreams of supporters of Europe’s biggest clubs by stating his desire to remain at the Mestalla for the coming season. Having finished Euro2008 as top scorer, Villa has been heavily linked with a move away with the Premier League, Barcelona or Real Madrid favoured destinations in those reports.
However, in response to chants from supporters yesterday, Villa spoke at Valencia City Hall where the Spanish squad were celebrating their triumph, the striker said,
I am very grateful and I am very happy here. I hope to stay here. The president should be thanked for wanting to keep the best players and to make a great team
Had Villa left, it would have created a huge problem for Los Ches, still reeling from an indifferent 2007-08 campaign that saw them only pull clear of the relegation spots in the final weeks of the season. Villa maintained his excellent scoring record, a key reason for their survival.
Despite his proclamations, there is still no certainty that he will line-up at Valencia next season. The money that the club could raise from his sale would enable the squad to be strenghtened. That according to President, Agustin Morera, is not the key matter, keeping Villa is,
We had offers last year, we have had more this year and we continue to receive them. Our plan is to keep him and we will try and do this
For how much longer though remains to be seen. Having had his appetite for glory whetted with the national team, his desire for success at club level may yet overrride any sense of loyalty.
Adebayor Sale Hits Trouble
Emmanuel Adebayor’s future was thrown into the air yesterday as AC Milan pulled out of the race to sign the Togolese international. Adriano Galliani said,
Adebayor is overridden by continuous requests for €45 million; these figures are impossible for clubs in Italy
That figure is impossibly high and suggests that Galliani has been reading too many press stories. A suggestion is that he tries about €10m lower and he may get some response from Arsenal. Meanwhile reports are emerging that Barcelona have been snubbed in their attempts to sign the player with a bid of £25m being rejected by Arsenal.
Sensing that the winds of change may not be blowing in his client’s direction, Adebayor’s agent Stephane Courbis has been on a charm offensive, replacing his client’s offensive charm. Courbis said,
There has been a love story between Adebayor and Arsenal, and his relationship with Arsene Wenger is based on trust and respect. If this was a money problem, then he would have asked to leave. I know that Arsenal’s political position is that they don’t pay high salaries. Whatever they decide, the decision will be taken with respect
Respect is the new byword in football, UEFA demand it, FIFA demand it and so too do supporters. Adebayor and his representatives have shown scant respect or regard for the Arsenal fans in recent days and there is a growing discontentment that he may remain at the club. Most would be happy to take the £25m that Barcelona have offered and see the player depart to the Camp Nou.
Even then that is not so straightforward. Joan Laporta has elections on July 6th which may well see him lose his position as President. If that were to happen, the deal may be thrown into doubt. In any case, with summer spending that has already reached €80m, the Blaugrana need to sell before they can buy.
Deco has gone and AC Milan are keen on Ronaldinho which leaves Samuel Eto’o as the main source of income to fund purchases. Adebayor would clean a substantial amount of that money and Arshavin or Hleb the remainder. Whether a new President would sanction more spending remains to be seen.
UNITED ONLY NEED ONE PLAYER FOR THE NEW SEASON ACCORDING TO SIR ALEX
Sir Alex Ferguson sought to explain his inactivity this summer in the transfer market by blaming Euro2008. Speaking at his Charity Golf Day in Loch Lomond, Ferguson said,
The European Championships derails transfer activity. Nothing really happens when the Championships are on. Obviously now that is all over, people settle down. Managers are back at their clubs and you can get some dialogue if they are interested.
In this respect, Ferguson’s words should be interpreted as being one new addition and replacing anyone who leaves. He went on to comment that United would probably only buy one player and a younger one at that whilst avoiding talk of Crisitano Ronaldo’s future. At the weekend it emerged that it is the player himself who appears to be agitating for a move, his agent Jorge Mendes believing that another season at Old Trafford would suit his career better.
Assessing the United squad is not easy in the light of a double-winning season but to believe that only one player is required is an earnest statement of trust in his players. With Edwin van der Sar, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes all closer to retirement that anything else, the new generation has the chance to make its mark at Old Trafford. In defence, he has a stable group of players although there have been murmurings that Mikael Silvestre is keen to move on for more regular first team action. United boast the strongest central defensive pairing in the Premier League but are less convincing when either of Vidic or Ferdinand is missing.
Midfield is their strongest area with Hargreaves, Carrick, Nani, Anderson, Giggs, Ronaldo, Fletcher and Scholes all regularly vying for starting places. With the players able to play in any number of positions there or further up the pitch, United are able to cover for the lack of cover up front with Rooney and Saha both available. They have been lucky in recent seasons in that both have been injured for spells but rarely at the same time. Whether Saha can continue as a United player remains to be seen, not having the opportunity to shine due to his time on the sidelines. Doubts persist and he has been strongly linked with a move away from the club.
One thing is for certain, United were the most consistent team in the final third of the season and able to take advantage of Arsenal’s slips in the run-in. With Chelsea strengthening on and off the pitch and Arsenal learning from their experience, United look to have a tough defence of their title one that Ferguson is no doubt relishing.
BENITEZ SETS THE EARLY TOP FOUR PACE IN THE TRANSFER MARKET
Rafa Benitez is determined to put right the inconsistent form in the Premier League by overhauling his squad. To what effect remains to be seen. Having dabbled with the odd low-key signing thus far, Benitez is looking to up the ante with two potential signings arriving at Anfield in the near future.
Gareth Barry publicly talked himself out of Villa Park at the weekend and also off of Martin O’Neill’s Christmas Card list, criticising the Aston Villa manager for finding time to be the outstanding pundit on the BBC’s Panel for Euro2008. Without even a nod in the direction of hypocrisy, Barry continued his public eviction by talking to the News of the World on Sunday. Perhaps his time might have been better spent trying to contact his manager instead of leaving the legwork to his Agent? Villa’s stance has been pretty clear through the tawdry public courting of Barry by Liverpool; he is not for sale unless you meet our valuation of £18m.
The gap in Liverpool’s finances has made such a bid virtually impossible. The Merseyside club welcomed George Gillet and Tom Hicks with open arms amid what turned out to be wild claims that money would be made available for Benitez to spend on an annual basis in the transfer market. The hidden caveat appears to be manifesting itself this summer - ‘but only if you sell to fund any purchases’.
This explains the tough stance taken over the departing Peter Crouch and Xabi Alonso. Both could have been settled in their new homes weeks ago but for the fact that Liverpool need more than Portsmouth and Juventus are offering. The crunch will soon come and Liverpool will need to hold their nerve to obtain best price. Their hand in Alonso’s case was strengthened slightly with Spain’s Euro2008 triumph. Unfortunately, Alonso was a peripheral figure, a substitute aside from the meaningless Group rubber against Greece. He proved his worth in that game and in solidifying the Spanish midfield in the Final but it is not the same as, say, Iniesta or Xavi Hernandez.
With a rumoured Crouch and Cash being the offer for Robbie Keane, it is also indicative of a change in playing style with the two players being polar opposites on the pitch. Should Keane arrive, tactically Liverpool would have more mobility up front with Keane being an excellent foil on paper, similar to Nigel Clough in the style of play. Will this be enough to propel The Reds to a title challenge? It seems unlikely for that would necessitate a change in Benitez’s thinking; the Champions rarely, if ever, rotate their side to the extent that he prefers to. Indeed, his successes at Valencia came on the back of a settled side. The spending days of summer at Anfield will not be over with these changes alone.
CHELSEA SIGN DECO - IS FOOTBALL TO RETURN TO STAMFORD BRIDGE?
Chelsea have completed the signing of Deco from Barcelona for a fee of £8m. The transfer represents Felipe Scholari’s first activity in his new job yet creates doubts about the future of other creative midfielders at the club.
There have been strong media links between Frank Lampard and Internazionale, reuniting the England midfielder with his old boss, Jose Mourinho. Lampard yesterday did not rule out a move either, commenting in Italy yesterday,
Inter? Let’s wait and see. For the moment, I am on holiday here with my family. My future at Chelsea? I don’t know anything yet. Italy is a beautiful country but I am not due to meet anyone here
His departure would leave the strength of the squad at the same level as the end of last season in terms of numbers, something that managers are normally keen to avoid. There is little doubt that Deco, Lampard and Michael Ballack can fit into the same team, nominally leaving the German at the head of a creative triangle. However, it would seem to reduce the opportunities for players such as Joe Cole, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Saloman Kalou to play on a regular basis. Wright-Phillips has been strongly touted as joining Harry Redknapp at Portsmouth but it would seem inevitable that he will not be the only departure. Cole would draw plenty of suitors were he to be made available and bring in a large transfer fee, helping the club toward their goal of breaking even financially.
Rotation of squads is a key weapon in any team’s armoury but there has to be a balance, a core of a side that performs on a weekly basis. No team has yet won a league title in England with a consistent level of changes to the starting eleven on a weekly basis and there is no reason to suppose that this will change now.
Crucially though, the signing of Deco is a signal of intent by Scholari that he wants to win in the style craved by Roman Abramovich, a style missing during Jose Mourinho’s reign for all of the silverware that he brought to the club. Avram Grant set about changing from functional to entertaining and fell short in the Premier and Champions Leagues, arguably the fault of Mourinho’s relatively indifferent start to the season.
Deco was a pivotal player for Barcelona during the recent successful times, combining with Xavi Hernandez, Iniesta and Ronaldinho to produce entertaining football along the way to winning La Liga and beating Arsenal in the Champions League final of 2006.
There is no guarantee that Deco on his own will be the catalyst for change but certainly passing the ball is his forte. The style of Manchester United and the growing confidence of Arsenal represent new challenges for Chelsea to overcome.
Milan Are Spoilt For Choice
AC Milan have two major transfer targets this summer according to the omnipresent Adriano Galliani, CEO of the Rossoneri. Having spent most of the close season so far trying to bully, agitate, co-erce and beg Arsenal to sell Emmanuel Adebayor, Galliani has admitted that they will also be turning their attentions to Ronaldinho.
Speaking to La Gazetta dello Sport, Galliani said,
There is a ‘yes’ from coach Carlo Ancelotti to go for the Brazilian. It’s Ronaldinho or Adebayor. Buying one excludes taking the other
There appears more chance of success with Ronaldinho as the competition for Adebayor is hotting up. Spanish daily Sport suggest that Barcelona are going to tempt the North London club with a double bid of €45m for Alexandr Hleb (€15m) and Adebayor (€30m). Repeatedly, the Spanish media are reporting that the stumbling block to any deal with Adebayor is Arsenal’s insistence of finding a replacement for the Togolese striker before selling him.
For Milan this represents a bigger issue. Despite the public claims of Vincenzo Morabito, a sale to them seems less likely as Wenger is still disappointed to have lost Mathieu Flamini on a free transfer. Any asking price for Adebayor is likely to be higher than they will pay for the player. Another obstacle for the club to overcome is the absence of Champions League football next season. No matter what their attraction is in terms of history, there is a considerable rebuilding job to be undertaken at the San Siro and convincing the best players to come will be more than a case of waving suitcases of money in their direction.
Barcelona Chastised By Cesc
Players are not normally openly critical of clubs in general terms. Any bitterness is reserved for how badly they have felt treated or about the deterioration of relationships with managers; never though about how they conduct their business.
Never Say Never is the new maxim as Cesc Fabregas took time out from Spain’s Euro2008 campaign to slap his former employers and long-time suitors, CF Barcelona, about how they conduct their business.
Speaking with Catalunya Radio, the Arsenal midfielder said
A club like Barcelona must respect a little more the intimacy of a club that never makes ‘noise’ and that tries to do things well like Arsenal. In the last few weeks it’s come out that Barcelona want at least 7 players from Arsenal and this is not necessary. These things cast doubts on our players and upsets them. Arsenal do things in a different way. Always in secret. This is much more normal.
The relationship between the Spanish clubs and the media is more developed than in England and it is this aspect that causes dissension in the ranks of supporters. Both Real and Barcelona have radio and newspaper outlets that are supportive of their objectives, more than willing to be the font of speculation in order to achieve them. In England, clubs rarely use the media in the same way, the domestication of those outlets never likely to happen either with journalists happy to bite the hands that feed at the first opportunity.
At Arsenal, it is rare for speculation to be officially commented on. In Wenger’s time and before then, the club would never speculate openly regarding potential targets, leaks coming from Agents and Selling clubs. It leads to a mass of unfounded rumour and places stress on those who want action and demand that the club sign everyone that they are linked to.
In openly criticising the Catalan’s, questions about his commitment to Arsenal are answered. It is clear that he is unhappy with the ongoing dramas surrounding Alexandr Hleb and Emmanuel Adebayor. Of those two, he has been more supportive of the latter albeit stopping short of telling him to stay. Adebayor is the more likely departure to the Camp Nou with a fee of €30m quoted by Marca yesterday. For Cesc, the team ethic is clearly important which marks him out as a potential Arsenal captain of the future.
SPURS JOIN THE QUEUE TO BUY A VILLA IN THE SUN
Tottenham’s offer of £20m for David Villa seems more tongue-in-cheek than based in any serious reality. The player is being heavily linked with all of Europe’s major clubs and now some minor ones too and the Spanish club admit that offers have been received for the player but they have not given up on him staying.
The player has often been quoted as wanting to move to Real Madrid or Barcelona but has also drawn attention from at least two of the Premier League’s top two. A move to the Catalan giants seems to be the more stretched imagination of journalists with Joan Laporta closing the net on Emmanuel Adebayor although the chances of that succeeding are diminishing by the day. It seems that they have realised that Arsenal will not be negotiating a fee below €30m (£24m), a valuation that the azulgrana had previously baulked at paying.
Villa meanwhile has been subject to more interest that the media is aware of. Juan Sanchez, Les Ches technical secretary, spoke with Spanish daily AS,
A number of teams have come in with offers, more than are being spoken about, but both (coach Unai) Emery and I think that he’s going to stay
Were El Guaje to leave the Mestalla, it would be a big hole for them to fill. Scoring twenty one goals in thirty-five appearances in all competitions is a record comparable to any of Europe’s leading strikers. Considered in the context of Valencia’s dismal season in 2007-08, it becomes all the more remarkable.
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