We’re already in the middle of June, and though the signings haven’t been coming hard and fast just yet, that doesn’t mean that there’s a shortage of action thus far in the summer transfer window.

In this morning’s transfer news and rumors roundup, we’ve got tidbits from England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, and Greece, with many big names and big clubs looking to spend, spend, spend. Some of the rumors are pretty concrete, while there is at least one in the bunch that, like Manchester United being linked with a move for Fernando Torres, are a little head-scratching, to say the least.

There are also a couple of signings to report, and remember, to keep up with all of the latest confirmed signings, check out our summer 2009 transfer lists.

England

Manchester United After Valencia Stars

There has been a great deal of speculation over the last few days about what Manchester United are going to do with the money they get from selling Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, and it could be that a sizable chunk of those funds go towards signing Valencia stars David Villa and David Silva.

United are reportedly set to make a £45m bid for Villa (The Mirror). The competition could wide open between United, Barcelona (Sky Sports), and Chelsea for Villa, as his potential move to Real Madrid appears to have broken down (Daily Mail).

Meanwhile. Rafa Benitez might not like hearing about United making a concerted effort to land Silva, as the winger has been a target for Benitez for a while now but could be the subject of a £25m bid from United. (The Mirror)

Analysis: £25m looks to certainly be enough to land Silva, but even though they could outbid Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Chelsea for Villa, they could be out of luck if Villa prefers the chance to stay in Spain. Of course, if Barcelona land Villa, that’d all but free up the opportunity for a United move for Samuel Eto’o.

United and Boro In Downing Swap Deal?

Middlesbrough are heavily interested in Manchester United duo Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, and there are reports that they could offer Stewart Downing to United to try to make a deal happen. (The Mirror)

Analysis: Both Scholes and Neville could be reluctant for such a move, but even so, it’d seem like United would come out a lot better in this deal, especially if they didn’t have to spend much of that sizable transfer kitty on purchasing Downing.

Costa On Shortlist To Replace Ronaldo?

Along with the moves mentioned above, United could be set to swoop for Gremio starlet Douglas Costa. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: Brazil’s becoming more and more of a hotspot for United, and signing a prospect of Costa’s ability and potential would be worth the fee United may have to stump up. He’s only 18, so he’s more one for the future and wouldn’t be expected to step in and star right away. But as Ronaldo did when he arrived at United, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him earn first-team opportunities immediately.

Bolton Lead Race For Veloso?

Bolton are back in for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Miguel Veloso, and after refusing to overbid for Veloso in January, could be in with a £10.2m offer for the 23-year-old, who’s also been linked with Arsenal. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: £10.2m is still a little lower than Sporting might like to get for Veloso, but it could be a sign that Bolton are willing to fork out a little more in order to land him.

Bentley And Huddlestone To Sign For Villa?

It could only be a matter of time before Aston Villa seal the deal on a couple of new signings, as there are reports that they are close on Tottenham pair David Bentley (Goal.com) and Tom Huddlestone (Birmingham Mail).

Analysis: Considering their interest in Bentley, Huddlestone, and Jermaine Jenas, I’m surprised they haven’t been strongly linked with Darren Bent or Roman Pavlyuchenko, considering a forward should also be on their summer wishlist.

Several Sides Interested In Newcastle’s Martins

Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Everton are all interested in Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins (Tribal Football), but they could face competition from a mystery Bundesliga club (Tribal Football).

Analysis: Everton would be a great fit, considering the familiar faces that would await, but wages would likely be a stumbling block, and that could also be the case with Aston Villa. No telling what the situation could be with the Bundesliga club, but Arsenal may well be the best match financially – but that could all hinge on whether or not they sell Emmanuel Adebayor.

Fulham And West Ham Interested In Acquafresca

It’s a London battle for young Italian striker Robert Acquafresca, as Fulham and West Ham are both interested in the 21-year-old. Acquafresca was supposed to go to Genoa as part of the deal that brought Diego Milito and Thiago Motta to Inter, but he could yet move elsewhere, with even Juventus being linked with a move. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: I don’t have any doubts that Acquafresca could succeed in the Premier League, but if Juventus come in for him, that might be an opportunity that’s too hard to pass up.

Sunderland Bid For Cattermole

Sunderland have made a £7m bid for Wigan midfielder Lee Cattermole. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Well they sure aren’t sitting on their money, are they? That’s certainly a tempting offer for Wigan, considering it’s double what they paid for Cattermole just last summer. I don’t know if Wigan will offload him right now though, unless he’s just that eager to be reunited with Steve Bruce. If someone’s willing to pay 7m for him right now, they could be in line to get a lot more if he continues to develop well over the next season or two. Besides, the sale of Antonio Valencia will net a nice amount of transfer funds for Roberto Martinez.

Wolves Sign Milijas

Wolves have completed the signing of Red Star Belgrade midfielder Nenad Milijas. (The Guardian)

Analysis: For a little while, the deal looked to be in some doubt, but in the end, Wolves fought off some pretty good competition to land the free-scoring midfielder.

Birmingham Bid For Gomez

Birmingham have made a £1.5m offer to Espanyol for midfielder Jordi Gomez, who starred on loan for Swansea last season. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: With Roberto Martinez set to complete his move from Swansea to Wigan anytime now, Birmingham could face some competition from Wigan for Gomez, so it might be in Birmingham’s best interests to try to get him signed, sealed, and delivered as soon as possible.

Spain

Real Madrid Offer Sneijder For Inter’s Maicon

Real Madrid could be set to offer Inter Milan €20m plus attacker Wesley Sneijder in a bid for right back Maicon. (Goal.com)

Analysis: Sounds like a reasonable deal. Sneijder’s someone that has been linked with Inter, and €20m + Sneijder would meet the €40m asking price that Inter have for Maicon.

Italy

AC Milan Sign Cissokho

AC Milan have completed the signing of Porto defender Aly Cissokho for €15m. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: This time last summer, Cissokho had just made the jump from France’s Ligue 2 to Portugal, joining Vitoria du Setubal, and now, he’s signed for AC Milan. Talk about a quick rise!

Inter Closing In On Double Swoop

Jose Mourinho could be close to being reunited with Deco and Ricardo Carvalho, as Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti spoke hopefully about being able to agree a deal with Chelsea for the duo. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Seems to be only a formality, really.

Juventus To Swap Trezeguet For Rossi?

Juventus are prepared to offer striker David Trezeguet as part of a swap deal for Villarreal star Giuseppe Rossi. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: £15m + Trezeguet would fall a little short of Rossi’s buyout clause of £40m, but it could get Villarreal to bite, or at least think seriously about the offer. Trezeguet might turn down the chance though, considering the interest that he’s had from the likes of Inter, Real Madrid, and others.

Lazio In Talks For Barnetta

Lazio are in talks with Bayer Leverkusen over a move for Swiss midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Barnetta’s valuation is reportedly €10m, but even though Lazio don’t exactly have the room to break the bank on summer purchases, it shouldn’t be a problem to spend the right amount on a player who’s certainly worth it.

Germany

Wolfsburg Want Berbatov?

In one of the more interesting transfer rumors of the day, Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov is being linked with a loan move to VfL Wolfsburg. (Sofia Echo)

Analysis: Though things didn’t exactly go completely swimmingly at United last season, Berbatov’s not going anywhere.

Stuttgart Interested In Tottenham Striker

VfB Stuttgart could be targeting Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko. According to Stuttgart general manager Horst Heldt, the Russian striker has come up in discussions within the club. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: After selling Mario Gomez to Bayern Munich for €30m, Stuttgart have money to spend and a big void to fill up front. Replicating Gomez’s 33-goal output from this past season might be a little much to ask, but Pavlyuchenko does have the quality to succeed in the Bundesliga, even though his struggles at Tottenham last season might convince some otherwise.

France

Shevchenko Offered To French Trio

Chelsea have offered striker Andriy Shevchenko to Lyon, Marseille, and Monaco. Lyon have turned down the opportunity to sign the Ukrainian, but Marseille and Monaco are still considering the chance to snap him up. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Safe to say then that Sheva doesn’t have a future at Chelsea, eh?

Coupet To Sign For PSG

Former Lyon goalkeeper Gregory Coupet could be set for a quick return to Ligue 1, as he has agreed personal terms over a move to Paris Saint-Germain. Coupet moved from Lyon to Atletico Madrid last summer, but after seeing little time last season, will be back on familiar soil if a fee can be agreed. (Goal.com)

Analysis: With current #1 Mickael Landreau looking to leave, PSG needed to swoop for a quality replacement, and Coupet, with his long history of success with Lyon, certainly fits the bill.

Greece

Panathinaikos Close On Drenthe?

Panathinaikos are going all out in their efforts to sign Real Madrid’s Royston Drenthe, as they could offer £11m in order to land the versatile Dutchman. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: That’s about the same amount Real spent to sign Drenthe from Feyenoord in the summer of 2007, so I don’t see them turning down an offer of that amount. Drenthe hasn’t exactly blossomed at Real, and he wouldn’t appear to have much of a future there, so the only holdup might be whether or not he wants to move to Greece or to a more elite league.

“Transfer Rumors (15 June 09): Man United after Valencia stars Villa and Silva, Aston Villa close on Tottenham duo, Berbatov and Pavlyuchenko linked with Bundesliga moves, and more” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

It’s somewhat rare these days to see an Englishman trying his luck in Europe’s top leagues, especially in the tactical cauldron that is Serie A. In fairness, for many, life seemingly begins and ends with the Premier League where visions of a move abroad are often distorted by what many perceive as the ‘greatest league in the world’.

Although of the very few over the years that have exchanged Blackpool tower for the leaning tower there have been significantly contrasting results. So without further ado I present to you a rundown of ten very good and shockingly bad moves that English players have made to the land of Calcio.

Five successful Englishmen in Italy

David Beckham

To say he raised a few eyebrows when he made the switch to AC Milan would be an understatement. Desperate to revive his international career, Beckham has not only firmly edged his way into Fabio Capello’s plans but he’s also proved an asset to the Serie A giants too.

Since joining the club on loan in January, Golden Balls has established himself as a vital cog in the Milan machine that has attempted to keep abreast with rivals Inter in the race for the Scudetto.

At 34-years-old it would have been easy to hide away in the shadow of the likes of Kaka, Ronaldinho, Pato and Seedorf but with two goals and five assists in 16 Serie A outings, Beckham has certainly adapted well to life in Italy’s top flight.

Paul Ince

Ince’s performances in a Manchester United shirt indisputably earned him many plaudits at Old Trafford and after Sir Alex Ferguson had had enough of his ‘big-time Charlie’, Inter Milan were quick to snap him up for £7 million.

The Guv’nor went on to make over 50 league appearances for Inter where San Siro fans warmed to his combative style akin to an Esteban Cambiasso of today.

Although he never won a trophy in Italy, Ince undoubtedly made a decent impression on Serie A before he returned back to England in 1997.

David Platt

As one of the only Englishman to have won anything in Italy, Platt can safely say he enjoyed a fruitful period in the land of pizza and pasta.

In a terrific first season with Serie A club Bari in 1991/92, the Lancashire born goal-scoring midfielder managed an eye catching tally of eleven goals which consequently alerted the attention of Juventus.

Despite not firing on all cylinders for the Old Lady, mainly due to being played out of position, Platt still went on to win the UEFA cup with the club in 1993.

The England man, capped 62 times for his country during his career, then moved onto Sampdoria where he won the Coppa Italia and finished second top goal scorer in Serie A during his second season with the club.

Gerry Hitchens

Our younger readers may not know too much about Gerry Hitchens but he’s certainly worthy of a place in this top five list and arguably at the peak of it too.

Hitchens made his name in England with Aston Villa during the late 1950’s although a brace for his country in a 3-1 victory over Italy in Rome persuaded Inter Milan to part with £85,000 (how the transfer system has changed since then eh) to secure his signature.

At a time when Serie A was experiencing an influx of players moving over from England, Hitchens embraced Italy’s top flight scoring goals aplenty along the way (including 16 in his first season with the Nerazzuri).

The former Cardiff centre forward went on to spend the best part of a decade on the Italian peninsula representing Torino, Atalanta and then Cagliari during a nine-year spell that asserted him as one of the greatest ever Englishman to have played in Italy.

Trevor Francis

Fabio Capello labelled him the best English player to have ever played in Serie A. And to be fair it’s hard to argue with that assessment.

As England’s first £1 million player Francis invariably had to live up to expectations when he joined Sampdoria in 1982.

In his three years spent with the Blucerchiati he scored 17 goals in 68 appearances, helping  the Genoa club win their first ever Coppa Italia in 1985.

Even after having enjoyed varying levels of success with Sampdoria, Francis was hungry for more and he would go on to play for Atalanta for another two seasons before joining Rangers in 1987.

Five unsuccessful Englishmen in Italy

Paul Gascoigne

Undoubtedly one of the most technically gifted players of his generation, Gazza looked as though he was set to conquer the world when he agreed terms with Lazio in an £8.5 million deal from Tottenham in 1991.

Unfortunately Gascoigne sustained a serious knee injury in the final of the FA Cup when he lunged in knee-high on Gary Charles in the early moments of the showpiece Wembley tie. That challenge plus a further accident at a night club would keep him out of the entire 1992/93 season and would delay his move to Italy, knocking £3 million off the eventual price-tag too.

A spate of injuries and a failure to settle in Rome ultimately took its toll on Gazza and after only 41 appearances for Lazio he was on his way back to the UK and Rangers.

Yet wedged in between three years of inconsistency and injury heartache were some rousing moments too, including a fantastic run and finish against Pescara.

Joe Baker

Baker may have found life easy in England and Scotland but a press infused Italian lifestyle certainly proved a different kettle of fish for the Merseyside-born England international.

Despite a relatively impressive scoring record of seven goals in nineteen matches (including one against Juventus) during the one sole year he spent with Torino, Baker was lucky to escape back home to England with his body still intact.

In February 1962 Baker and teammate Denis Law were involved in a serious car crash that left the former needing seven operations that would inevitably cut short his Italian adventure.

Luther Blissett

A legend at Watford and football AM may have named a stand after him but he certainly didn’t receive too many standing ovations in an AC Milan shirt.

Whatever possessed Milan to shell out £1 million in 1983 on this bustling English centre-forward is beyond me and the Italian club soon realised their mistake.

After 30 appearances in his first season yielded just five goals, Milan had shipped Blissett back to the Hornets for nearly half the original fee!

Des Walker

You’ll never beat Des Walker…apparently. Although during his time with Sampdoria you would have certainly fancied your chances.

These days you can find this former England international hanging inside closets and perhaps that’s exactly where he should have stayed when making the decision to join Sven Goran Eriksson’s team back in 1992 for £1.5 million.

On his debut against Lazio, Sampdoria conceded three goals with Walker at the heart of the defence and the Italian job soon became the Italian sob when it became arrivederci for Desmond after just one season in Serie A.

Ray Wilkins

It’s a tad harsh to comprehensively claim that Butch was a failure in Italy so I’ll let the statistics do most of the talking instead.

During three years with one of Europe’s biggest clubs, AC Milan, Wilkins only managed to pick up a runners up medal in the Coppa Italia final of 1985.

In fact Wilkins time with the Rossenari coincided with a barren trophy spell for the club as a whole and in a total of 73 Serie A appearances, the current Chelsea assistant manager notched up a somewhat uninspiring two goals.

“Walker to Wilkins, Beckham to Baker – Five of the best and worst Englishmen in Italy” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

Shakhtar Donetsk v. Werder Bremen
Stadium: Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey
Competition: UEFA Cup Final
Date: 20 May 2009
Kickoff: 18:45 GMT, 14:45 EST

Shakhtar Donetsk and Werder Bremen will fight for the right to lift the UEFA Cup! footballlens will be bringing you the action live! Log on to the site 15 minutes before kickoff for the live-blog! In the meantime, feel free to leave comments or make predictions below!

Match Preview:

It’s the final year of the UEFA Cup, and the two squads that will compete for the prestigious and tradition-laden trophy have never lifted it before. Shakhtar Donetsk and Werder Bremen both want to win this trophy and would love nothing better than to close out this competition in style.

Werder Bremen have the bigger names and, according to the oddsmakers, are slight favorites. They have German internationals like Torsten Frings, Per Mertesacker, and Clemens Fritz. They have a dynamic play-making midfielder in Diego. They have former Chelsea hitman Claudio Pizarro and Portuguese international Hugo Almeida scoring the goals up front. However, Werder have been wildly inconsistent this season. They’re languishing in tenth place in the Bundesliga, where they’ve won 12 matches and lost 12 (pending next weekend’s final league match against leaders Wolfsburg). Despite their mediocre league form, they could win a Cup Double as they’re also in the finals of the DFB Pokal. Football really is a funny sport sometimes.

In the semifinals, Werder prevailed over their domestic rivals, Hamburg SV, with the help of one of the most fortuitous occurrences in recent football history. After losing the first leg by a score of 1-0 at home, Werder were leading the second leg by a score of 2-1 when a Hamburg backpass took a bad bounce off a plastic cup and went out for a corner. Frank Baumann then converted the gift corner for the crucial third away goal which propelled Werder to the Final. They’ll hope that they didn’t use up all their luck in the Semis, especially since they won’t have the aforementioned Diego. The Juventus-bound midfielder who compared himself to Zinedine Zidane is suspended for the match. Almeida is also out due to yellow card accumulation, while Claudio Pizarro and Markus Rosenberg missed Saturday’s 3-1 loss to last-place Karlsruhe with injuries. Mertesacker is likely gone for the rest of the season after having ankle surgery following the Semifinal victory over Hamburg.

As for Shakhtar, they might not have the big names, but they’ve excelled by playing excellent defense while getting timely scoring up front from their Brazilian contingent. They may not be as celebrated as some of their countrymen, but Fernandinho, Jadson, Ilsinho, and Luiz Adriano have been getting the job done as Shakhtar have knocked off several of Europe’s best and most famous clubs en route to the Finals. Tottenham Hotspur, CSKA Moscow, Olympique Marseille, and domestic rivals Dynamo Kyiv have all fallen victim to Shakhtar’s brand of efficient football. Since entering the UEFA Cup from the Champions League, Shakhtar have only conceded four goals and have scored twelve.

Shakhtar will also come into this match in better domestic form as they’ve won their last six league matches in a row. They won’t have as many injury or suspension issues as Werder, as only midfielder Tomas Huebschman is suspended. If they defend they way that they’ve been doing, then it’s extremely likely that they’ll become the first Ukrainian team to hoist the UEFA Cup, and the final team ever to do so.

Who will go down in history as the final UEFA Cup Champions? Tune in and find out!

“Shakhtar Donetsk v. Werder Bremen – Live Blog – UEFA Cup Final – 20 May 2009” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

Today’s rumours are looking for a comfortable dark place in which to hide

Yes, he’s really off now. Off. This time. Going now. Five-goal ace Carlos Tevez really is packing up his little scurrying legs and taking his wounded, puppyish baby-brown eyes off to somewhere else, somewhere better, somewhere his organ grinder can get a few more quid to put towards that small Pacific Island complex where he plans to raise his next generation of energetic, saleable human beings. According to The Sun, Tevez gave the United-Player-of the-Year do the swerve, choosing instead to scurry about ceaselessly at home making rehearsed emotional gestures (or “looking after his daughter who had a temperature”). “Now free agent Tevez is set to join United’s fiercest rivals Liverpool — and there will be nothing Ferguson can do about it”. Except, of course, pay a bit more money if he really wanted him that much.

Also on the go is Paul Scharner, who believes he may have to give up spinning really quickly on his big toe to the music of Martha and the Vandelas and leave Wigan for good in order to play in the Champions League. “That is any player’s dream,” he says. Hamburg and Schalke are reported to be “interested”, but they might just be being polite. Formerly Granny finagling oddball turned sparky midfield thruster Stephen Ireland could be on his way out of Manchester City if he’s not offered a bulging new contract. “I think I’ve done enough this year, let my football do the talking,” he sighed. And Tony Mowbray “faces a fight” to keep loan striker Marc-Antoine Fortuné. A proper jacket-off, tell-the-wife-to-go-home, slowly-remove-your-watch-and-adopt-kung-
fu-pose-in-the-car park kind of fight too.

The Mirror is convinced City are on the verge of paying £20m to secure the amiable Diego Forlán, who’s good in Spain. And in no way destined to replicate his Old Trafford turn as a scurrying and vaguely hunchbacked goal-shy gnome. Apparently David Villa costs too much. Milan believe they have “a good hope” of being allowed to pay Emmanuel Adebayor lots of money to stroll about shrugging and wanging footballs at the corner flag next season. And Peter Andre meanwhile is “crushed”. Not, however, beneath a sudden and violent volcanic mudslide. But by being dumped by Jordan and, at a push, the weight of his own looming absurdity.

In The Times there’s talk of a crimp in Chelsea’s bid to install the man who looks most like Guus Hiddink if you squint: Carlo Ancellotti may not be allowed to bring his coaches Mauro Tassotti and Filippo Galli with him, but may instead have to sit next to Ray Wilkins. The club are currently trying to persuade Ancelotti that this would be, not just tremendous, but also super.

The Daily Mail has Stewart Downing putting on a rough smock, growing a locust-infested beard and “leading the exodus” when Middlesbrough are relegated. Sorry, if. Liverpool are “leading the race”. And amazingly Chelsea are interested in Tuncay. ‘Arry Redknapp has been getting hot and sweaty and muttering quietly in his sleep about 23-year-old Bosnian striker Edin Džeko, who plays for Wolfsburg. Džeko, who the Mill imagines John Motson will call “Duzechko” and “Jekko”, before settling on “Djjejjchko” will cost £12m, score one goal in 23 appearances, have a moan in a foreign newspaper but claim he was “misquoted” and eventually go out on loan to Portsmouth before being signed by either a third rate Spanish club or someone in Turkey. Brazil defender Luisão could be moving to Manchester City for £15m. Apparently he’s “a good friend of Robinho” (disco! disco!) And Steve Bruce has agreed a £21.5m deal with Real Madrid for occasionally quite eye-catching winger Antonio Valencia. But he’s still waiting to see if Sir Alex can match it. Why would he do that, the Mill wonders? Steve, just take the money. Take the £21.5m. Take it Steve.

And according to Tuttosport, via Goal.com, the aged Fabio Cannavaro will leave Real Madrid for Juventus. Cannavaro has already had a medical, which determined that he was, indeed, very old and quite small. Middlesbrough youngster Adam Johnson’s odd and unexpected but still strangely exciting move to Atletico Madrid could be a goer. And Internazionale have set their sights on prising Nemanja Vidic away from Manchester United. Well, it’s nice to have ambitions. Back in the world of things that might actually happen, Milan are eyeing up Shakhtar Donetsk’s very nifty Croatian wing-back Darijo Srna.

And according to Calciomercato.com, who appear to have taken laudanum and embarked on a 17-hour dream-like Serie A transfer-related trance, next season’s “new Inter” will feature not just Vidic, but also Thiago Motta, Diego Milito, someone called Marko Arnautović, Didier Drogba and, yes, Emmanuel Eboué. With, presumably, Peter Andre, Carlos Tevez, Garrincha and Howard from the Halifax ads on the bench.

Got a rumour of your own? Have your say in the comments section below.

]]> http://www.latestfootballnews.net/football-transfer-rumours-diego-forlan-to-manchester-city/feed/ 0 http://www.latestfootballnews.net/claudio-ranieri-sacked-by-juventus/ http://www.latestfootballnews.net/claudio-ranieri-sacked-by-juventus/#comments Mon, 18 May 2009 17:17:00 +0000 admin http://www.latestfootballnews.net/football-news/claudio-ranieri-sacked-by-juventus/

It’s been a while since Juventus fans have seen three points. You have to go back to a 24 March, 4-1 victory over AS Roma to find a match where the club walked away the better side. Since that match the club have spiraled out of control, losing a match to Genoa and drawing the other six matches in the process.

The Turin club who at one time were the closest challenger to Inter Milan, have been a shell of their former selves of late. Fights in the dressing room and on the pitch added more and more pressure on manager Claudio Ranieri’s job. With only a point separating the club from fourth placed Juventus with two matches remaining, the hierarchy knew the needed something drastic to shock the squad back to life before their Champions League aspirations disappeared.

So with the season slipping out of their grasp, Juventus did the only thing they could think of: they fired Claudio Ranieri.

Since taking over for Didier Deschamps in 2007, the results under Ranieri have been relatively poor. Ranieri was at the helm of this season’s catastrophic collapse and their less-than-stellar Champions League knockout defeat to Chelsea, and at the end of the day, mediocre just won’t do at one of the biggest clubs in the world.

A statement from Juventus stated the obvious: win at all costs to finish the season.

“Ciro Ferrara is the new Juventus coach. Juventus would like to communicate that they have sacked Claudio Ranieri.

“From today, the first team will be handed over, and guided by Ciro Ferrara. Juventus would like to thank Claudio Ranieri for the work he has done in these two years.

“We would like to wish new coach Ciro Ferrara well for immediate success.”

Ferrara, who is a Juve legend in his own right, will be asked to take on the task of keeping Fiorentina at bay over the next two weeks. At this point nothing less than a spot in Champions League will do.

“Claudio Ranieri sacked by juventus” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

Several of England and Europe’s top clubs already being proactive with their summer transfer plans. Who’s making bids and trying to seal a few deals before the window officially opens?

England

Liverpool Make £15m Bid for Valencia’s Silva

Liverpool have made a take-it-or-leave-it offer of £15m to Valencia for winger David Silva. (The Mirror)

Analysis: I was expecting Liverpool to make a bid for Silva before too long, but with some superior offers likely to come in (which Valencia no doubt hope for), Rafa might be left hoping and praying that the lure of Liverpool is too much to resist.

Rafa to Move for Forlan?

While Silva may be far from a certainty, Liverpool could be set to land Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan in a cash-plush-Lucas Leiva swap. The former Manchester United man has already reportedly agreed terms with Liverpool, but the stumbling block could be the fee. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: You have to wonder where all these funds are going to come from, but Liverpool could do to add another prolific striker, and Forlan’s been just that since he moved to Spain. The capper on the deal, at least for Liverpool fans, could be seeing Lucas be sent on his merry way out of Merseyside.

Manchester United to Sign Brazilian Center Back

Manchester United have agreed a £5.4m deal for Corinthians center back Dodo. The 17-year-old Brazilian youth international has a Portuguese passport, so he should have no problems being able to make his way to England. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: All Fergie needs now is one more Brazilian center back, and United could have an all-Brazilian backline in just a few short years. I’m sure he’s already got his eye on that other center back, so it won’t be long.

Blackburn Interested in Barcelona’s Krkic

Blackburn have reportedly made quite the ambitious attempt to bolster their front line, putting forth a loan offer for Barcelona starlet Bojan Krkic. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Bojan may well go out on loan to get regular first-team opportunities next season, but I think there’ll be better offers than Blackburn.

Wigan’s Bruce Expects Valencia to Leave

Wigan manager Steve Bruce has resigned himself to the fact that he could lose star winger Antonio Valencia in the summer, with Real Madrid and Manchester United both heavily interested in the Ecuadorian. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: Well, he may lose Valencia, but the sizable fee that he stands to receive for him will be more than enough to make several quality additions to his squad for next season.

Tottenham After Fulham’s Schwarzer

Tottenham and Aston Villa are both being linked with Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, who has been a huge reason why the Cottagers have Europe in their sights. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: I don’t see them letting him go, or him wanting to go just to compete for a starting spot, when he already has one more than assured where he is.

Italy

Werder Bremen Star Diego Inks with Juve

According to the agent of Werder Bremen star Diego, the Brazilian playmaker signed a five-year deal with Juventus last week. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: You always have to wait on the official confirmation for these such things, but I do think it’s only a matter of time before this one’s official, much to the disappointment of Bayern Munich.

Sao Paulo Look to Seal Ronaldinho Deal

Brazilian side Sao Paulo are looking to make a quick deal for AC Milan’s Ronaldinho, as they’ve made contact with his brother/agent about a potential move. A sweetener to the deal for AC Milan could be Sao Paulo defender and Rossoneri target Joao Miranda. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Things haven’t quite panned out as well as Ronnie would’ve hoped when he spurned Manchester City for Milan, but will he take the same route that Ronaldo and Adriano have to rejuvenate their caeers? It’s certainly not a bad idea.

“Transfer Rumors (13 May 09): Liverpool bid for Valencia’s Silva, Manchester United land another young Brazilian defender, Blackburn bid for Barcelona’s Bojan, and more” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

Today’s rumours chow in public to 80s tunes

The Mill almost got away with it. Mrs Mill’s birthday yesterday sneaked up unexpectedly, but some emergency last-ditch present buying (books, clothes, wine, online experience) looked to have saved the day.

The birthday meal venue, though, was a bit of a disaster. Even the Mill, not being quite as stupid as he looks, knew the Somewhere With A Telly idea was a non-starter, so a quiet table for two in the new local seafood restaurant seemed like a decent back-up. What the Mill didn’t expect was the weird 80s-styled interior, sickly neon-pink lighting and a banging soundtrack stripped straight from Now That’s What I Call Music 4.

The creeping sense of horror as the Mill chowed down his lobster spaghetti (yeah, that’s right, the Mill likes lobster – what of it?) to the romantic strains of ‘YMCA’ at ear-bleeding volume must be something akin to the feeling Internazionale fans must be suffering this morning over talk that Manchester United and the San Siro side are planning a swap deal involving Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Dimitar Berbatov.

Speaking of young men with no need to feel down, Marc-Antoine Fortune won’t have to worry about dropping out of the Premier League next season even if his West Brom side do. Newly promoted Birmingham and Wolves are keen to have the on-loan Nancy striker lead their relegation fight in 2010. The Blues are also keen on Greek Cup hero Matt Derbyshire, while Wolves want to bring Lee Naylor back to Molineux from Celtic.

There’s a place you can go when you’re short on your dough, and it’s called Outside The Premier League. Everton are ready to spend £6m on Cardiff’s Joe Ledley and £2m on Huddersfield keeper Alex Smithies. (So I suppose they’re not that short on their dough. Let’s just pretend they are.)

One young man (well, he’s 31 – this riff is unravelling by the second really isn’t it?) still hoping to make real his dreams, is Juventus striker David Trezeguet. According to Trezeguet Sr, Dave is wanted by “Everyone in England”. Manchester City and Chelsea lead the chase, but they face competition from Lyon.

And for any half-decent striker on the market there’s no. Need. To. Be. Unhappy. Demand is high for your services. Everton want Roman Pavlyuchenko. Tottenham lead the race to sign Bordeaux’s £8m-rated Marouane Chamakh. West Ham want Spurs misfit Giovani dos Santos. Fulham want to do battle with Valencia, Villarreal, Rennes and Hoffenheim over Al-Itifaq’s Ghanaian forward Prince Tagoe. Atalanta are keen on Pippo Inzaghi. Shahktar Donetsk want Fiorentina’s Adrian Mutu. Even if your name is Michael Chopra, Roy Keane can find a place for you in his Ipswich revolution.

Away from YMCA riffs, Wigan are keen on Portsmouth’s Sean Davis, Aston Villa want Gael Givet from Blackburn, Bayern Munich have laughed off reports that Chelsea could hijack a deal for Zenit St Petersberg’s Anatoliy Tymoschuk and Liverpool are closing in on Heerenveen’s left-sided utility man Danijel Pranjic.

Leave your own thoughts, no one else’s mind, below

]]> http://www.latestfootballnews.net/football-transfer-rumours-manchester-uniteds-dimitar-berbatov-to-internazionale/feed/ 0 http://www.latestfootballnews.net/football-transfer-rumours-gianluigi-buffon-to-manchester-city-for-30m/ http://www.latestfootballnews.net/football-transfer-rumours-gianluigi-buffon-to-manchester-city-for-30m/#comments Thu, 14 May 2009 12:37:58 +0000 admin http://www.latestfootballnews.net/football-transfer-rumours-gianluigi-buffon-to-manchester-city-for-30m/

Today’s rumours are on a quest for strengths

Sometimes you just have to know when to quit. Ricky Hatton could box on forever, but he’s never going to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world; Veronica Lario could stand by her husband Silvio Berlusconi forever, but he’s never going to stop being well, rather slimy. And the Mill could scour this morning’s papers for another hour in search of an original rumour, but it just ain’t going to happen.

So let’s just get on with re-hashing what was already out there, shall we? And what better place to start than Manchester City’s enduring fixation with Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon. Apparently, after careful consideration, Juventus have decided that £50m isn’t such a bad price to accept for a 31-year-old who probably isn’t the best at his position in Serie A these days. In fact, they might even be willing to accept a knock-down price of £30m, provided they can tie up a deal of their own for Udinese’s Samir Handanovic.

All of which is bad news for Joe Hart, whose prospects at City are now looking so bleak that picking balls out of the net for Birmingham next season is beginning to sound attractive. Still, at least he’s better off than Ryan Babel, who just two weeks ago was being linked with a move to Arsenal, but this morning finds his name printed perilously close to pictures of Steve Bruce and the words “desperate for first-team football”.

Elsewhere, in a rumour retrieved directly from May 2007, Harry Redknapp wants to sign Sulley Muntari. You’d have to go back another year before that to find the first whispers of a West Brom bid for Kevin Phillips.

]]> http://www.latestfootballnews.net/football-transfer-rumours-gianluigi-buffon-to-manchester-city-for-30m/feed/ 0 http://www.latestfootballnews.net/ac-milan-v-juventus/ http://www.latestfootballnews.net/ac-milan-v-juventus/#comments Thu, 14 May 2009 12:29:31 +0000 admin http://www.latestfootballnews.net/ac-milan-v-juventus/ ]]> http://www.latestfootballnews.net/ac-milan-v-juventus/feed/ 0 http://www.latestfootballnews.net/transfer-rumors-11-may-09-spurs-enter-race-for-manchester-united%e2%80%99s-tevez-arsenal-want-russian-striker-pogrebnyak-valencia%e2%80%99s-silva-in-juventus-negotiations-and-more/ http://www.latestfootballnews.net/transfer-rumors-11-may-09-spurs-enter-race-for-manchester-united%e2%80%99s-tevez-arsenal-want-russian-striker-pogrebnyak-valencia%e2%80%99s-silva-in-juventus-negotiations-and-more/#comments Tue, 12 May 2009 07:59:01 +0000 admin http://www.latestfootballnews.net/transfer-rumors-11-may-09-spurs-enter-race-for-manchester-united%e2%80%99s-tevez-arsenal-want-russian-striker-pogrebnyak-valencia%e2%80%99s-silva-in-juventus-negotiations-and-more/

It’s a new week, and we’ve got a fresh batch of transfer news and rumors from around Europe. We’ve got tidbits from England, Italy, and Germany in today’s roundup, with names big, medium, and small all being linked with moves from here to there.

England

Tottenham Enter Race for Tevez

Tottenham have joined the queue of teams looking to sign Carlos Tevez, as Spurs are being linked with a 25m offer for the Argentine hit-man. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: If he can combine effort and goal-scoring more often, he’s easily worth the 25m and then some, but if he did combine those two things more, he wouldn’t be on the market right now.

Cisse Reveals Summer Spurs Switch

On-loan Sunderland striker Djibril Cisse reacted to being left out of the starting XI for the club’s weekend match at Bolton by telling his teammates that he’s off to Tottenham in the summer. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Well, that’s a good way to assure that you won’t be in the starting lineup for the last two games, eh Djibril? There’s no telling whether or not this is actually true, or if he was saying it just for devilment, but given his little outburst, I might be considering if my name was Harry Redknapp.

Arsenal After Zenit Striker Pogrebnyak

After striking gold with Andrei Arshavin, Arsenal are going digging in St. Petersburg again, this time lining up Arshavin’s former Zenit teammate Pavel Pogrebnyak as a replacement for the itching-to-leave Emmanuel Adebayor. (The Mirror)

Analysis: He’d certainly be one of the less expensive options on the market, and Zenit won’t have much room to do what they did with Arshavin, considering that Pogrebnyak is out of contract in six months.

Aston Villa Like Ajax’s Vermaelen

Aston Villa could be in the market for a new center back in the summer, and one of the names at the top of their list is Ajax defender Thomas Vermaelen, who Martin O’Neill went to personally scout over the weekend. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: Even if Laursen is able to overcome his injury problems, Villa do need to bolster their defense, and adding a player who’s young and has experience at a high level for club and country can only improve their back line.

Fulham In for Stockport Striker Johnson

Roy Hodgson is looking to the lower leagues to bolster his front line, targeting 21-year-old Stockport County striker Oli Johnson. (The Mirror)

Analysis: Given Stockport’s current financial straits, Fulham should be able to get him on the cheap. He looks to be more for the future than the present, but to make the move up from non-league to League One to the Premier League in less than a year is certainly something to be proud of either way.

Portsmouth’s Davis Wanted by Several

Portsmouth midfielder Sean Davis is a serious target for newly-promoted Birmingham, but Alex McLeish could face competition from Wigan, Bolton, and fellow promoted side Wolves for the 29-year-old. (The Mirror)

Analysis: Davis will be out of contract this summer, so it might all come down to who’s going to fork out the best wages. Birmingham seem to be willing to fork out a sizable amount to add his experience to their ranks, so they’ve got a chance.

Italy

Juventus Set for Talks for Valencia’s Silva

Valencia winger David Silva confirmed yesterday that the club has given his agent the go-ahead to negotiate with Juventus. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Silva may not want to leave Valencia, but selling him would certainly be a much-needed boost for the club financially (and so will Champions League qualification), and I think you can expect a few more clubs, including one or two (or more) from the Premier League, to enter the race with this bit of news.

Inter After Fiorentina Star Melo

Jose Mourinho is reportedly eyeing Fiorentina midfielder Felipe Melo as a potential replacement for Patrick Vieira. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Fiorentina signed Melo just last summer from Almeria for 13m, and he’s already discussing an extension to his current contract, but Inter would have no problem paying the 12m buyout clause, so this one can‘t be ruled out yet.

Shevchenko Wants to Stay at AC Milan

His second spell at the club has been nowhere near as successful as his first, but on-loan AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko says he would like to finish his career at the San Siro. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: So, does that mean he’s going to retire after this season? In all seriousness, it doesn’t seem too likely at present that his stay in Milan will be extended, and his future at Chelsea seems to be grim, so he may just have to hope that Milan have enough faith in his abilities to keep him past this season.

Germany

Bayern Confirm Interest In Barcelona’s Hleb

Bayern Munich are hoping to beat out Juventus for Werder Bremen star Diego, but if they miss out on the Brazilian, Alexander Hleb is next on their wish list. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: This is like someone telling you, “Yeah, I like you, but I’ll only date you if the guy I like more turns me down.” As is though, he could be their guy in the end, because I don’t see Werder selling to Bayern, especially if Juventus offer what they’ve been holding out for.

Daily Links

Fletcher to Miss UEFA Champions League Final

Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher will not play in the Champions League final against Barcelona, as UEFA unsurprisingly upheld his red card against Arsenal.

Mexico Withdraws from CONMEBOL Tournaments

Mexico’s football federation has withdrawn its teams from participation in CONMEBOL tournaments after the South American football federation’s decision to force two Mexican sides to play their Copa Libertadores home legs in Colombia.

“Transfer Rumors (11 May 09): Spurs enter race for Manchester United’s Tevez, Arsenal want Russian striker Pogrebnyak, Valencia’s Silva in Juventus negotiations, and more” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.