Monday, July 14, 2008

A donde vas Ronaldinho(Where are you(informal) going Ronaldinho)?


The Ronaldinho saga has picked up steam again. Barcelona confirmed that Manchester City have made a £25.5 million bid for the Brazilian. Some reports say this is nearly double what AC Milan have bid, and you would think that City are the frontrunners. You would be wrong. Ronaldinho's brother/agent has said that Milan is the preferred side. For Ronaldinho. Barcelona is surely more interested in all the baht coming from Shinawatra's wallet. The club and player have given themselves 72 hours to make a decision. With their bid and the wages they are offering it's clear that City is overcompensating, as they are a mutt to the pedigree of Milan. They may be able to surround him with other Brazilians, but they are still the second team in Manchester. It's a testament to how far the club have come and how far Ronaldinho has fallen. Nobody would have linked the two together in 2006 when they were a middle of the table club and he was the World Player of the Year. My money is still on Milan.

There are reports that Tottenham have accepted a £28 million bid from Manchester United for Dimitar Berbatov. Berbatov has been linked with a move away from London since his stellar first season, and it looks like he's gotten it. Tottenham would get £18 million upfront and the rest would be determined by appearances and other achievements. This follows speculation that Berbatov's striker partner Robbie Keane would be moving to Liverpool. Berbatov has certainly shone in his time at White Hart Lane, but this fee would be more than Atletico Madrid received for Torres last year. Talk about inflation. Man U realize that a slow start could be a disaster, and felt that they needed to make a move to bolster their offense. They have Tevez and Rooney, but Saha looks to be moving on and Ronaldo is gone for at least three months. Pairing Berbatov with either Rooney or Tevez is a pleasure Alex Ferguson will love to be able to afford. This is also a big move for Tottenham, and shows the imprint that Juande Ramos is making. The other big news story was a bid for David Bentley that would send £17 million pounds and Paul Robinson to Blackburn. That is a high fee for the England right winger, and it would call into question the future of another England right winger, Aaron Lennon. You will definitely need a program to tell you who's playing at White Hart Lane this season.

One Liner's
  • Ballack weds girlfriend, cries of Nein heard along the Rhine
  • Goian may move to Stadium of Light, only place more unlikely to see him would be Stadium of Garlic
  • Poulsen moving to Juve, Xabi Alonso prepares for another season of rotating
  • Scott Carson in Stoke talks, Rafa sends O'Neill a not so subtle message(piss off)
  • Eto'o and £15 million for Adebayor? Are we sure Laporta hasn't given up already?
  • Arshavin wants Arsenal, Arsenal waiting three days to call him back