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.

Another week, another rumor linking Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid. Will it ever end? Not until he actually moves to Madrid, which can’t happen soon enough for some. But, until he moves, he’ll still be popping up in our transfer news and rumors column, along with several other tidbits from around England and Europe.

Spain

Ronaldo or Ribery for Real?

It appears that Real Madrid are going to go all out to sign a world-class winger in the summer, but which one will it be? According to the Daily Mirror, Real are set to offer Cristiano Ronaldo 200k a week to move to Madrid. However, the Daily Mail says that Real’s efforts are focused on Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery.

Analysis: It doesn’t seem too likely that Ronaldo’s leaving Manchester just yet, but fortunately, Ribery certainly seems to be doing his best to get his move to Madrid.

Real Bid for Wigan Winger Valencia

If Real can’t land Ronaldo or Ribery, who will they turn to? The agent of Wigan winger Antonio Valencia has confirmed that Real Madrid have made a bid for the Ecuadorian star. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: Wigan weren’t ready to part with him when Real went after him in January, but Steve Bruce knows that it’s only a matter of time before he leaves. The preferred destination could be Manchester United, but if United aren’t in need of a new winger this summer, then Real will be free to have him.

Barcelona to Rekindle Interest in Bayern’s Lahm?

Barcelona could follow suit with their archrivals by making a move for a Bayern Munich star, as Bayern left back Philipp Lahm could be in their sights again after a failed move in January. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: So, is this is a nice way of saying that they don’t want Eric Abidal anymore?

England

Manchester City to Move for Forlan

Could Diego Forlan be on his way back to Manchester? The former Manchester United man could be, as Manchester City are set to make a move for the Atletico Madrid striker, who’s also been recently linked with Liverpool. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: If Liverpool can afford him, I’d favor them for his signature because they offer a chance to win the Premier League and Champions League, but that all depends on how much Rafa has at his disposal, and if Atletico are going to stand firm by their asking price.

Tottenham Lead Race for Wolfsburg Star Dzeko

Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko has been lighting it up in the Bundesliga this season, and he could soon be doing the same in the Premier League. A number of English sides are being linked with the Bosnian star, with Tottenham reportedly leading the way for the 12m man. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: It could be hard to turn down the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal, unless one of them offered him regular first-team football, but his height, not to mention his prolific scoring ability, would be a welcome addition to Tottenham’s front line.

Tottenham and Chelsea Battle for Lazio’s Pandev

Tottenham could look to make a 15m move for Lazio striker Goran Pandev, though they could be set to face competition from Chelsea for the Macedonian star. (Daily Mail)

em>Analysis: Pandev’s been a pretty solid scorer in Serie A over the last few seasons, but if their options came down to Pandev or Dzeko, I’d take Dzeko.

Italy

Inter Set to Snap Up Duo

Inter Milan are set to complete a double deal with Genoa for striker Diego Milito and midfielder Thiago Motta. Milito and Motta will move to the San Siro in exchange for 16m and young striker Robert Acquafresca. (Goal.com)

Analysis: Tough blow for Genoa to lose a couple of key pieces to their run to a European place, but the deal works out well for them. Not only do they get some cash to strengthen their squad, but the 21-year-old Acquafresca is one of the top young prospects in Italy, and he’s already proven himself as a regular scorer in Serie A, with back-to-back double-digit goal hauls with Cagliari.

Scotland

Celtic In Hunt for Barcelona’s Krkic?

The chances are high that Barcelona striker Bojan Krkic will go out on loan next season, and the latest club to show their interest in the youngster is Celtic. (Goal.com)

Analysis: Celtic already have a relationship with Barcelona thanks to their move for Marc Crosas last summer, so the seeds are there, but my guess is that he’ll stay in Spain.

Daily Links

Cohen Apologizes for Hillsborough Comments

World football Daily host Steven Cohen has finally apologized for his controversial comments about the Hillsborough disaster.

The Best and Worst Englishmen to Play in Italy

Stephen Darwin takes a look at some of the most and least successful Englishmen to ply their trade on Italian soil.

More Great Quotes from Andrei Arshavin

Andrei Arshavin has been a great addition to the Premier League not only because of his skills on the pitch, but also because of his blunt honesty.

“Transfer Rumors (19 May 09): Ribery, Ronaldo, or Valencia for Real Madrid?, Tottenham chase Lazio’s Pandev and Wolfsburg’s Dzeko, Inter set to snap up Genoa duo, and more” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

The Daily Mail ‘exclusively’ reveal that the Ecuador international is set to join Real Madrid after Latics boss Steve Bruce thrashed out a £21.5million deal with the Spanish club.

Despite the fact that Valencia does not feature on Real Madrid president-elect Florentino Perez’s wanted list the deal will apparently force the hand of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Although the players agent Diego Herrera said: “Real Madrid made an offer last week, but nobody from Wigan has told me of an offer from Manchester United.”

Valencia, 23, is seen by United as a potential replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, who, as we all know, is permanently linked with a move to Madrid.

However, the Daily Star claim that Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso is the one who will be on his way to Real if Perez returns as club president. £21m should just about do it.

According to the Daily Mirror’s Football Spy Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp is set to move for Lazio’s £15million-rated striker Goran Pandev to beef up his attack. Presumably ‘Arry will have to get rid of one of Darren Bent, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Robbie Keane or Jermain Defoe from his beef-lacking attacking first.

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s pursuit of AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti has taken a new twist after it emerged that the club are reluctant to recruit the Italian’s trusted assistants, according to The Times.

Mauro Tassotti and Filippo Galli will not be following the Italian to Stamford Bridge as owner Roman Abramovich would prefer Ancelotti to work with the club’s existing coaching staff of Ray Wilkins and Paul Clement.

But Milan loan-star David Beckham has revealed in The Sun how the players are begging Carlo Ancelotti not to quit the Rossoneri for Chelsea.

“Every single one of the Milan players loves him, adores him and doesn’t want him to go,” Beckham said.

Newcastle United could play themselves out of a £140m takeover if they are demoted from the Premier League this weekend. The Guardian reports that investors from the United States and the Middle East are lining up an offer to buy out unpopular owner Mike Ashley – but it all hangs on the club avoiding relegation.

And finally… an interesting story in The Independent claims top-flight footballers in England are routinely surrounded by gangsters who pose a threat to their reputations and tempt many towards criminality. That is according to a former Premier League player just released from prison after serving four years of an eight-year term for his involvement in a drugs ring.

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/learning-from-history-how-benitez-must-avoid-the-mistakes-made-by-houllier/ http://www.latestfootballnews.net/learning-from-history-how-benitez-must-avoid-the-mistakes-made-by-houllier/#comments Mon, 18 May 2009 21:15:24 +0000 admin http://www.latestfootballnews.net/football-news/learning-from-history-how-benitez-must-avoid-the-mistakes-made-by-houllier/

My Grandad always used to say “The Runners Up in anything are just the first losers”. It is a notion that is unlikely to endear himself to the man who he refers to consistently as “Bennertez”, as Rafa Benitez wakes up today contemplating being the “first loser” of this season’s Premier League.

But, clichés and mispronunciations aside, there is more to second place than meets the eye this season. Debates have rumbled long and hard on whether this current crop of players really is Sir Alex Ferguson’s (or indeed Manchester United’s) best ever, whilst defensive records have tumbled, and finally Liverpool’s long-held record as the most successful league side in the country has been equalled. It is a sobering fact. Liverpool have fans have long basked in their “18+5” boast. Theoretically, it is just one year away from being rendered superfluous.

Nevertheless, there is still room for bullish optimism on Merseyside, and not simply because being “first loser” is an honour they have only enjoyed on three occasions in the past twenty years. Yesterday’s hard-fought 2-0 win over West Brom at The Hawthorns meant that Benitez’s current charges have recorded Liverpool’s best ever points tally for a Premier League season, and a victory over Spurs at Anfield next Sunday will ensure they will break another record, the highest points tally for a runner-up in Premier League history.

Scant consolation no doubt, Benitez’s side were seven points clear at one point of course, before a run of five draws in eight games gave United an impetus they would not relinquish, even in the face of a chastening 4-1 reverse when the sides met at Old Trafford in March. Yet still the positives to be taken from a Liverpool perspective are hard to avoid.

Benitez has been under fire from certain quarters for his perceived lack of ambition at times, yet Liverpool’s status as the league’s top goalscorers would fly in the face of such criticism. Equally, the defensive solidity which the Spaniard is famed for has not been abandoned- only a criminally under-rated Chelsea and a record breaking United have conceded fewer goals in the league. And despite the common consensus being that dropped points at home have cost Benitez’s side in the end, the Reds remain the only side in the division with an unbeaten home record, and possess comfortably the best record on their travels.

The omens are good. Benitez has signed a new contract, removing one more distraction from the Anfield table, and the imminent appointment of a new Chief Executive to replace the outgoing Rick Parry (a distraction too far in Benitez’s eyes) should yield the transfer-policy power that the Spaniard has long hankered after. This summer, it is widely agreed, is pivotal for the club.

And if Benitez desires a blueprint for how not to go about making the leap from first loser to first winner, he need look no further than the last time Liverpool occupied the former position. In 2001-2002 Gerard Houllier & Phil Thompson led the Reds to second place, seven points behind a double-winning Arsenal.

Tellingly, it is the only time Liverpool have finished above Manchester United in Premier League history. That they achieved it having been deprived of their manager for five months of the season after a heart attack in October is something for which not enough credit if offered. Houllier had always spoken of a “5 year plan” to win the league at Liverpool. In summer 2002 they were entering the fifth year.

The omens, like now, were good. In his four seasons in charge Houllier had presided over finishes of seventh, fourth, third and finally second. The natural progression could be clearly seen. The Frenchman himself had proudly boasted upon his return to the dugout in spring 2002 that his side were potentially “ten games from greatness”. Unfortunately by the end of his transfer splurge that summer, his squad were potentially ten signings away from greatness.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing of course, a place where mistakes are never made (or at least rectified immediately). Yet looking to Liverpool’s squad at the end of the 2001-2002 season, and the one which began the following campaign, it is impossible to wonder exactly what Houllier was thinking.

To refresh, this was a squad that featured England internationals in Jamie Carragher, Danny Murphy, Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, Emile Heskey & Nick Barmby. Didi Hamann spent the summer of 2002 anchoring the Germany midfield as they reached the World Cup final, Sami Hyypia & Stephane Henchoz had established themselves as one of the best defensive pairings around, whilst in Jerzy Dudek & Chris Kirkland they had two of the best keepers in the Premier League. The rest of the squad was filled with the talented yet inconsistent- John Arne Riise, Patrik Berger, Igor Biscan, Vladimir Smicer, Milan Baros (who was yet to make his debut for the club) – and the dispensable older players- Gary McAllister & Jari Litmanen.

In short, it is easy to see where the need for strengthening lay. Owen & Heskey had forged a partnership good enough to see off fans favourite Robbie Fowler (sold to Leeds for £11m in one of Thompson’s first acts in caretaker charge), whilst in Gerrard & Hamann they possessed a midfield duo capable of starring for the club for years to come (as proven). Henchoz & Hyypia, with Carragher as cover, meant that centre half signings were unnecessary, and the same applied with the goalkeeping situation, with Kirkland seen by many as a future England keeper, and Dudek shining in his debut season.

The problems, patently, lay in the wide areas. Barmby would depart for Leeds that summer amid a string of injuries and loss of form, Berger was struggling with something similar, whilst Smicer had never reached any level of consistency since his move to Anfield in 1999. Houllier had been forced to address a problem with lack of quality from the flanks by using Murphy, Gerrard or, most sickeningly, Heskey in a wide position. It was clear that wide players were (or should have been) top of Liverpool’s shopping list.

Instead, Houllier spent a combined £20m on a defensive midfielder (Salif Diao), a physically-weak attacking central midfielder (Bruno Cheyrou), and a goal-shy centre-forward-cum-wide-midfielder with an attitude problem (El-Hadji Diouf). By the end of the year, none of them were first-choice. By the time Benitez arrived at the club he was struggling to give them away.

Diouf was, it is considered, signed at the expense of Nicolas Anelka, who had spent five months on loan at Anfield in 2002. At a cost of £10m from Lens, he had big expectations. His performances for an impressive Senegal side at the World Cup had given Reds hope that the man nicknamed “The Serial Killer” in France could be the man to add the pace and creativity that Houllier’s solid but at times prosaic side could often lack.

Two goals on his Anfield debut hinted at good times to come, but by the end of the season he had added just three more, and had sickened Liverpool fans with his spitting antics in a UEFA Cup clash with Celtic at Parkhead. The mistake made by Houllier was highlighted further by the antics of Anelka, who notched 15 league goals to fire newly-promoted Manchester City to a respectable 9th placed finish.

But if Diouf was a gamble which backfired, his international colleague Diao was simply a shocking signing. Houllier is known to have long coveted a dominant midfield force in the mould of Patrick Vieira at Arsenal, yet Diao from his first appearance at Anfield possessed neither the physical force, nor the footballing ability of his contemporary. At £4.2m, he swiftly became tagged as a liability.

Speaking of tags, Cheyrou arrived from Lille wrapped in one which read “The next Zinedine Zidane”, a danger sign at the best of times. A left footed attacking midfielder, six foot plus and with a neat touch; the Frenchman would make three appearances for his country during his spell on Merseyside, but would be exposed as criminally out of his depth when asked to feature in a Premier League midfield. Too weak for the centre of a four-man midfield, too slow for the left flank, and too inconsistent for a place in attack, he flitted around the squad for two seasons with only fleeting glimpses of his ability. It would be a further two years before Benitez could offload him for free to Rennes.

The lesson is clear, Houllier rightly believed that his side were a couple of signings away from competing for the title, yet failed to acknowledge the key weaknesses of his squad. Liverpool are known to have haggled over the price of Damien Duff- then of Blackburn and rated around the £12m bracket- during that summer, and the Irish winger would eventually move to Chelsea a season later for £17m. Ring any bells?

Duff would certainly have added plenty of purpose and quality to Liverpool’s left flank, yet Houllier opted to mould an unfit player into the role. It proved costly, Liverpool would end 2002-2003 in 5th place, outside of the Champions League places and nineteen points behind Champions Manchester United.

Benitez faces a similar situation this summer. His squad is in need of minor alterations as opposed to all-out surgery. In Fernando Torres & Steven Gerrard they possess a partnership of enough class to lead them to glory, whilst Javier Mascherano & Xabi Alonso offer a midfield duo matched by few in Europe. Pepe Reina is one of the top keepers around, whilst Jamie Carragher, Martin Skrtel & Daniel Agger possess the know-how and youth to keep Liverpool’s defence solid for plenty more seasons. And in Yossi Benayoun, Dirk Kuyt, Albert Riera & Ryan Babel, they have sufficient options in depth to ensure that their bench is always populated with a couple of game-changers.

Benitez is expected to resume his voyeuristic pursuit of Gareth Barry this summer, which again leads to question marks over the future of Xabi Alonso- wanted by Arsenal, Real Madrid & Manchester City if the red tops are to be believed. Without meaning to undermine Benitez, it is difficult to see the thinking behind such a move.

Alonso has been one of Liverpool’s key men in their most successful league campaign for nineteen years, and his passing scope far surpasses that of Barry. Listening to any of Liverpool’s current squad, it is easy to see that they rate the Spaniard as one of the game’s best. Barry may be a good player, Mr Consistent in an impressively consistent Aston Villa side, yet it is unlikely that he would prove an upgrade on Alonso.

More exciting from a Liverpool fan’s perspective are the names Diego Forlan & David Silva, both of whom have been linked in recent weeks. Forlan may well have some making up to do to the Kop following his exploits in a Manchester United shirt at Anfield, but his 27 goals for Atletico Madrid this season- the latest in a string of impressive totals since swapping the Premier League for La Liga- make him one of the hottest strikers around, and his propensity for the unexpected would add a fresh dimension to Liverpool’s squad.

Silva meanwhile is almost certain to jump ship from a club in crisis at Valencia, and can operate anywhere across the top end of the field with distinction. At 23, his best years are undoubtedly to come, and in Benitez he may well find a coach who can turn his mercurial talent into one which lights up the European stage.

At this point, such talk is purely speculation of course. Benitez is known to keep his cards close to his chest with regards to transfers- Barry aside- and there have been few words coming from the horse’s mouth in recent months with regards to specific targets. One thing is for sure though, there won’t be any Dioufs or Diaos rolling up at Melwood this summer. One hopes.

“Learning from history: How Benitez must avoid the mistakes made by Houllier” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

Two goals in the last 9 games. That is the total tally for Samuel Eto’o. Here is an overview over the games:

1. FC Barcelona vs. Recreativo Huelva 2-0 (Eto’o didn’t participate)
2. Bayern Munich vs. FC Barcelona 1-1
3. Getafe vs. FC Barcelona 0-1
4. FC Barcelona vs. Sevilla 4-0 (Eto’o scored a tap-in)
5. Valencia vs. FC Barcelona 2-2
6. FC Barcelona vs. Chelsea 0-0
7. Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona 2-6
8. Chelsea vs. FC Barcelona 1-1
9. FC Barcelona vs. Villarreal 3-3 (Eto’o scored another tap-in)
10. Athletic Bilbao vs. FC Barcelona 1-4

The games tell the very true story that Eto’o simply can’t seem to find the net at the moment. The two goals he has scored in this 10 period games where easy can’t miss chances.

In this period, Guardiola has played Eto’o more on the flanks than previously which carries some of the blame. However, he only chose to do so after he stopped scoring and it intensified after Henry’s injury. Against Madrid he played a right wing for most of the game with Messi in center, and yesterday against Bilbao he was in the left wing spot.

Unfortunately this isn’t the whole story. As the commentators said under the game yesterday, Eto’o should have scored a hattrick. He still gets to the chances but he just can’t seem to convert them anymore.

His drop in form is a big worry for the Blaugrana. In order to beat Manchester United in the Champions League final, every player has to play up to his best. This includes Eto’o.

We can’t afford to seem him miss chances like the ones yesterday. His miss in the first game against Chelsea was also very close to costing the Champions League finals pot. It has to be said that he created the chance by himself. The problem is, that he would have converted it when he was scoring at will in the autumn – he doesn’t do that anymore.

So Guardiola faces a tough decision. Rest Eto’o in the coming matches or play him and hope that he regains his form? The answer to that question is a very hard one and it will be exciting to see what Guardiola chooses to do.

This article was originally published at www.elbarca.net

“Samuel Eto’o’s form leaves Guardiola with some big decisions” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

It’s been a busy week in the world of La Liga. Javier Saviola finally realised that he wasn’t a required player at Real Madrid, and if he actually wanted to be able to write the word ‘footballer’ as his occupation on his arrival card whenever he nicked back to Buenos Aires for a holiday, he would have to go in search of new employers.

Florentino Perez couldn’t hold it in any longer and announced he fancied another shot at being the President of Real Madrid, and the boys from Catalunya broke two trophy droughts –they scored their first Copa Del Rey in 11 years and their first trophy of any kind in three.

The Camp Nou trophy cabinet could well be two trophies fuller by Sunday evening, and in all likelihood, it will be. Barca only need one point from their trip to Mallorca on Sunday, and that’s only if Real Madrid dispose of Villarreal on Saturday night at El Madrigal. If Los Merengues draw or get battered again like they did last week at the hands of Valencia, then Pep Guardiola could give the likes of Martin Caceres and Alexander Hleb a game, safe in the knowledge that however badly they play, the title is already safely in their keeping.

Real Madrid must defeat Villarreal to keep the title race alive. The good news is, they pistol whipped the Yellow Submarine, 5-0, on their home turf last season, a full 72 rounds ago now. Roysten Drenthe started that day, but the bad news is, things have changed somewhat, for both him and Real since then.

The last fortnight in particular has seen the whippers become the whipees. Saint Iker’s back is surely killing him after having to retrieve the ball from his net nine times in the last two games; Sergio Ramos has given up pretending to give a crap whatsoever; Gabi Heinze has shown that he can, in fact, get any worse; and the coach has given up the illusion that his team is anywhere near as good as Pep’s. In short, Real are done – stick a fork in them.

Villarreal, on the other hand, will be feeling pretty good about themselves after spoiling Barca’s planned title party last weekend, and a win on Saturday night will do them a world of good in their fight with Atletico Madrid and Valencia for the last Champions League spot.

I’m now going to make a bold prediction – there will be more Diego Forlan heroics this Sunday when Atletico host Valencia at the Vicente Calderon. I’m talking real heroics here, not simply the footballing kind. Something along the lines of Diego rushing into the crowd to perform the Heimlich Maneuver on an 80 year old Atleti fan who began choking on the sunflower seeds he was munching, after witnessing the striker smash in his fifth goal, a 200 yard screamer, in the 94th minute to give his side a 5-4 victory.

If the blonde haired Uruguayan wasn’t enough of a worry, the visitors won’t have midfield mule Carlos Marchena or midfield maestro David Silva available due to suspension. They will have David Villa though, and he must be giddy with excitement at the thought of facing Atletico’s ‘defense’.

It’s a massive round for the five teams from Andalusia, with all of them involved in potentially fate determining encounters. Sevilla FC are on the road in Pamplona to tackle an Osasuna team who are seemingly hell bent on self destruction. Two losses in as many weeks to fellow strugglers Getafe and Recreativo de Huelvo as seen Jose Camacho’s team drop to within touching distance of the drop zone. A win for the visitors may not guarantee Manolo Jimenez that he’ll have a job at the club next season, but it will just about guarantee them a third spot finish.

The other team from Seville, Real Betis, were, how can I put this, wretched – no wait, deplorable- no wait, I’ve got it, pitiful – they were pitiful against an Athletic Bilbao reserve team last week at San Mames. Perhaps the most underrated team in La Liga, Almeria, visits the Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera this weekend in a match that Betis simply must win to guarantee their survival.

In another match that promises to be intriguing if not entertaining, Numancia host Recreativo de Huelva on Sunday as both sides attempt to avoid relegation. A draw would be useless, but a win, for either team, would give them a shot at playing with the big boys next season. The other team in big big trouble, Sporting de Gijon, will host Europe chasers Malaga. A win for Sporting could see them hop out of the drop zone, a loss would see them pretty much condemned to return to whence they came – La Segunda.

Elsewhere, the Houdini act of Espanyol will be all but completed if they can defeat an Athletic Bilbao side who were slaughtered by Barcelona a couple of days ago, and have nothing to play for as far the league is concerned. If Deportivo la Coruna can overcome a resurgent Getafe side they’ll still be in with a crazy shot at making the Champions League, and as for Racing Santander versus Valladolid…who cares?

“Three Rounds remain in a crazy La Liga season” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

Today’s rumours think play-off defeats plus 1664 do not a happy Mill make

The Mill is usually a snout, a grass, a squealer, reporting the tittle-tattle of others and rarely breaks sweat, never mind stories. But we have one exclusive this morning, straight from the mouth of Jermaine Beckford, lamenting his lame Berbatov-esque penalty in Leeds’ play-off defeat last night. “I have of late, but wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises, bruv,” he said. “And indeed, it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory; this most excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave o’erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire, chief. Why, it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours, guv.” Well, indeed.

Moving swiftly on to our stock-in trade, the Mill can report developments at the Bridge where Carlo Ancelotti is going to be unveiled as Chelsea’s new manager as early as Saturday. He’ll swing into action by signing Emmanuel Adebayor, because Arsène Wenger says he hasn’t got a problem with taking money off Chelsea, put a gilded shepherd’s crook around the neck of CSKA Moscow’s Yuri Zhirkov and parcel up Didier Drogba, stick a stamp on his head and dispatch him in the general direction of Manchester City.

Apparently Zhirkov’s nickname is the Russian Ronaldinho (which brings to the Mill’s mind all those dubbed “Maradona of the … ” such as Gheorghe Hagi, “the Maradona of the Carpathians”, and Ian Bogie, “the Maradona of Trubshaw Cross”) but Didier needn’t worry about missing out on playing with him. City are going to provide him with the real Ronaldinho, or at least the one masquerading for the past three years as the former world player of the year. A snip at £10m, according to the Mirror.

Whither Carlos Tevez this morning? To Manchester United, for nowt via legal loophole, Liverpool, as “Rafa’s Cantona”, or City? No one knows but the Mail is certain that he is not going to Real Madrid, having “snubbed” a £40m offer. Instead Real will start a row with United over Wigan’s Antonio Valencia but will get pipped by Fergie’s offer to Bruce which comprises £16m plus the use of Fraizer Campbell and Danny Welbeck for a year.

Liverpool are after Cadiz’s Jesus Fernandez, an attacking midfielder known as Suso, but will have to see off Barcelona first. Arsenal, however, have got a clean run at Independiente’s 17-year-old keeper Damian Emiliano Martinez but have lost out to Manchester United in their pursuit of Le Havre’s new Makelele, Paul Pogba. In today’s last mention of the big four, at least on this page, Chelsea think Porto’s Bruno Alves, a snip at £15m, is the ideal long-term successor to Ricardo Carvalho.

Fancy dress hire shops within a swabber’s spitting distance of the Solent have reported two middle-aged gentleman in search of outsize yellow shoes, curly blue wigs, red noses and amusing, water-squirting buttonholes. Paul Hart and Brian Kidd will be awarded two-year contracts at Porstmouth and have vowed to become “entertainers”.

Elsewhere, the Express thought Michael Owen was set for an early retirement training horses, then it changed its mind. Other papers think he’ll resurrect his career at … they’re not sure and frankly don’t care. One player who might be hanging up his boots imminently is Aston Villa’s Martin Laursen, or so says the Mail, while the Mirror has Martin O’Neill lining up a summer spree of Joleon Lescott, Fabian Delph and Ajax’s Thomas Vermaelen.

And finally Wolves will take Doncaster’s Brian Stock for £2m, Leicester will deprive Rovers of Richie Wellens for £1m, PSG’s Jerome Rothen is on his way to Blackburn, Djibril Cissé has told his mates he’s off to Spurs and ‘Arry Redknapp has issued his verdict on the 2006 World Cup Wags. “They’re busy cows,” he says.

Please feel free to bring any other dirty laundry to the Mill’s laundrette below.

]]> http://www.latestfootballnews.net/football-transfer-rumours-ronaldinho-to-man-city/feed/ 0 http://www.latestfootballnews.net/perez-dreams-of-galacticos-return-to-the-bernabeu/ http://www.latestfootballnews.net/perez-dreams-of-galacticos-return-to-the-bernabeu/#comments Fri, 15 May 2009 11:36:35 +0000 admin http://www.latestfootballnews.net/perez-dreams-of-galacticos-return-to-the-bernabeu/

Former Real Madrid player Steve McManaman called it the “Disneyfication of Real Madrid”; others scoffed at the idea as a bad science experiment gone wrong. If there was ever a time where football was at its peak of absurdity, this was most definitely the time.

Los Galacticos. The mere mention of the two words together conjure up memories of watching some of the world’s great names in the sport — Beckham, Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo and Owen — stepping onto the same pitch wearing the same kit and playing together in a match that wasn’t a friendly for charity. For the first time ever Real Madrid had bought the greatest names in the world to form the biggest mega-power on and off the pitch that we’ve ever seen.

Florentino Perez, who was the president at the time, built the team with the intent of making the club the biggest “brand” on the planet. The idea worked; it’s just too bad the lack of consistency on the pitch didn’t match the money Madrid was making off it. In 2006 Perez was ousted at Madrid to never come back.

The Galácticos era was officially over — or so we thought.

With the lack of success recently at Real Madrid, a decision was made to bring in a new president to turn things around. What Real Madrid needed was a spark; someone who could come in and bring the club back to respectability.

Enter Florentino Perez. The former president, who was was forced to step down in 2006, has decided that he’s seen enough of Barcelona at the top of the table. So earlier today Perez did something that could back into the good graces of the Madrid faithful: he entered his name in the elections and promised a return to the Galácticos era if given the chance.

“I know that the status of the club is precarious and is a challenge and I should not have left without having assured that there was the stability that Real Madrid needed,” Perez said to a packed press conference earlier today.

Rumours are that Perez will announce in the coming days who his transfer targets would be for the summer if he won the election. And with the likes of Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez, Milan’s Kaka, Arsenal’s Cesc Fábregas, Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribéry and Valencia’s David Villa floating around, there’s a very good chance that if Perez was elected president, that we could see the start of a new Galácticos era.

And who would manage such a club? When asked to confirm if Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger or Inter’s Jose Mourinho were on his list, Perez said coyly, “They are great managers.”

Real Madrid’s election are on June 14th, but if today’s conference was a sign of things to come, then chances are pretty good that we’ll see some more fireworks from Perez over the next month.

“Perez dreams of Galácticos return to the Bernabéu” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.