Olympics preview

The Olympics start today(I know that football(soccer) already started, but I do have to sleep some time). Below is my 16 team preview(or postview now that it's started), in order of how they will finish.

GROUP A

Argentina: The favorites in the tournament, and they should be. They have young players like Messi, Mascherano, Gago and Aguero who could start for most senior sides. They also used one of their over-23 roster spots on the mercurial Riquelme. It seems the footballing(soccering) world is divided over the playmaker, but anybody who saw him in Villareal's Champions League run or in the World Cup knows what he is capable of. He is one of the slowest players in the world, but he has a vision on the pitch that makes him a great distributor. This may have been the summer of Spain, but Argentina should go home with the gold.

Ivory Coast: They have come on strong and look for them to be a dark horse at South Africa in 2010, assuming they qualify. Their youth side is very similar, with a strong attack and a whole lot of pace. Salomon Kalou is their best known player, but Gervinho and Sekou Cisse should contribute goals as well. It will be interesting to see if they can go back as well as forward.

Serbia: Runners up to Holland at the UEFA U-21 in 2007, they are in a tough group. They will need a victory over Argentina(unlikely) or Ivory Coast(possible) to get out of the group stage.

Australia: Enjoy the sights boys. It's going to be a short trip.

GROUP B

Netherlands: They are the reigning U-21 champions of Europe and one of the pre-tournament favorites. Players like Babel, Drenthe, Maduro, Makaay and Sno bring top flight experience and are ready for the big stage. The question with the Netherlands is how to accomodate all the forwards, and this team has a plethora of talented left sided talent that they'll have to work in. At their best they can challenge Argentina, but don't be surprised by a Dutch collapse at some point.

USA: Trying not to be an early casualty, America has brought a strong squad to the Olympics. Led by veteran Brian McBride, the squad also includes Michael Bradley, Freddy Adu and Jozy Altidore. All three have experience with the senior side, and will be the core of the US team for years to come. An injury to Jonathan Spector hurts, but they will have Brad Guzan in goal. If Peter Nowak's team can play strong defense and take points from Nigeria or the Netherlands, they will have a chance. A chance to take on Argentina(yikes).

Nigeria: It's a bold(or stupid) move to put this team third in the group, when many think they will bring home a medal. Included in their side is the veteran Peter Odimwingie, who will terrify teenage defenses, and Victor Anichebe. Anichebe has impressed at Everton, and will have to be watched closely. If they struggle in defense, they may not make it out of the group stage.

Japan: Don't worry, it's a quick flight home.

GROUP C

Brazil: With all the talk of Argentina and the Netherlands, Brazil seems to have flown under the radar, which is shocking considering they have Ronaldinho on the team. He is joined by Milan teammate Pato, and Premiership boys Jo, Anderson and Lucas Leiva. Whether Ronaldinho can gel with the rest of the team is a question, but if he's at his best then it may not even matter.

Belgium: It's not that the Belgians are that good, the rest of the group is that bad. They have fallen from grace on the international scene, and it will be interesting to see if this generation can bring them back.

China: 1.3 billion people.

New Zealand: 4.3 million people.

GROUP D

Italy: Since only senior citizens were allowed to play at Euro Cup, it will be interesting to see their youth. Two players to watch will be Rocchi and Rossi, as they should be netting the goals for the Azzurrini. Both are prolific in Serie A, and with the stoic Italian defense supporting them they should move on.

Cameroon: They won the gold in 2000, and while they should advance don't expect them to do it again. Unlike the other African teams they will rely on their defense and players like Andre Bikey and Alexandre Song. I'm sure they wished that they could call on Eto'o, but hopefully Gustave Mbangue and Stephane Mbia will be able to provide the offense.

South Korea: Again, a short flight home.

Honduras: Sorry, you have a much longer flight.

Gold: Argentina

Silver: Brazil

Bronze: Netherlands to defeat Italy.

Ruud-tirement(that doesn't work really)

The leading news today is the retirement of Ruud Van Nistelrooy from international football(soccer). I should preface this by saying retirements are never final, and players often find the energy to unretire when the World Cup is close. Van Nistelrooy is 32 years old, but he was the focal point of the Dutch attack in their 4-2-3-1 system this past Euro Cup. It's interesting the amount of publicity this has garnered, especially since Van Basten had dropped Van Nistelrooy from the squad a couple of times. Van Basten focused on youth with his squad, and since the Dutch won the U-21 UEFA titles in 2006 and 2007 you cannot blame him. Those wins helped them qualify for the Olympics, where they are one of the favorites. This leaves new coach Bert Van Marwijk with an interesting decision to start his reign. Many question whether he will continue with the system Van Basten used, which succeded brilliantly and then failed miserably. The Dutch have a number of incredible offensive players; Kuyt, Van Persie, Robben, Huntelaar, Van Der Vaart and Sneijder to name some. The question is how you many of these players can be on the pitch at the same time. The Dutch have never been timid: Their greatest defense is their offense. That is what failed them in the Russia game, when they allowed the Russian to dictate the tempo and played on the back foot the entire game. Van Nistelrooy's retirement offers a chance to reformulate the Dutch squad. Robben, Van Persie and Sneijder have to be automatic selections. Kuyt and Van Der Vaart have been very consistent. That leaves Huntelaar and the class of players who don't have experience at the top level. Van Marwijk has to build on the success of Euro Cup, but try to figure out how to take the next step forward. The Dutch have consistently underperformed and he must choose a squad that won't do that. But first he must qualify for the World Cup.

One Liners

• Robinho weighing Blues offer, expect an answer any millenium now


• Sneijder injures knee in loss to Arsenal, could be out three months


• Drogba expected to be out until end of August, Blues expected to bid on 100 new forwards


• Wenger supposedly has offer for Alonso, Barry wishes on a star this is true


• Zenit stand firm on Arshavin fee, by stand firm I mean still dreaming

The draw

The draws for the Champions League and UEFA Cup qualifiers were announced today. Arsenal was handed an interesting draws in the Champs and will play the Dutch club FC Twente, who are now managed by Steve McClaren(yes that Steve McClaren). He has some great luck. He has done well in Europe, at least at the club level, but in a battle of wits against Arsene Wenger he is unarmed. Liverpool drew Standard Liege of Belgium. Seeing as this is in Europe, Rafa shouldn't have any problems. Rangers will have an easy game, but they are currently 0-0 against FBK Kaunas, and the second leg is away for them. Barcelona and Juventus both have rather easy draws, but the big match is Schalke 04 vs. Atletico Madrid. Both challenge in their respective leagues, and will need the money that comes from Europe to improve their squads. In the UEFA Cup Manchester City and Aston Villa have an easy road to the group stages. Man City will be playing Danish side FC Midtjylland and Villa will be playing the Icelandic side FH Hafnarfjordur(try to say that three times fast). The only issue will be the first leg occuring on August 14th, just two days before the open of the Premiership season.

Good news for Aston Villa is that they finally obtained a work permit for Brad Guzan. Clubs have been lining up to sign Guzan for a couple of years, but with the depth at keeper for the US squad he hadn't been able to make the number of appearances necessary to qualify for an EU work permit. Now Villa will have two American stoppers. At this pace Fulham should start worrying about their "Team America" nickname.

One Liners

• Bentley and Bent score in Tottenham win, the 'bent' boys should go over well in North London
• Adebayor says he will stay at Arsenal, Wenger plans one more 'veteran' signing and has been spotted at kindergarten games
• Zenit stalling on Arshavin move, Tottenham getting antsy
• Chelsea lose in Moscow on penalty kicks, it's deja vu all over again for Shevchenko
• Clubs lining up to sign Eto'o says Begiristain, sounds like a case of 'being more attractive when you have a gf' to me

Resurrected?

After yesterday's news that a deal for Gareth Barry was dead and buried, there are reports that the saga may not be over yet. The Daily Mail in England is running a story that says Liverpool missed Villa's 5pm deadline by only twenty minutes and had proposed a deal of £19million and Steve Finnan. Given the injury to Bouma, the Finnan part of the deal seems more worthwhile than ever. While Barry has told the media he wants to move on to Liverpool, he never handed in a formal transfer request because he would have to forfeit a loyalty bonus. It appears Liverpool are now urging him to hand in such a request and for O'Neill's hand. This seems like a pretty backhanded move by Barry. He has stated that he wants to play for Liverpool because of their ability to challenge in the Prem and play Champions League football(soccer), but this makes it sound like his main motivation is money. A similar incident happen with Joey Barton's transfer to Newcastle, where he claimed that he deserved his loyalty bonus because he never asked for a formal transfer. Newcastle ended up paying an extra £300,000 to Man City, which was the exact amount of his bonus. Speaking of Barton, he was charged by the FA today for his fight with Dabo and will surely be suspended for a number of games. The FA are saying they had to wait until all criminal charges were completed, but Newcastle is not happy. I am not comparing Barry to Barton(Barry has a clean rap sheet) but it seems a shame to see a Villain become a villain so quickly. Barry led Villa to their best season in ages last year, and they have built a strong young team. O'Neill and fans must have thought that Barry would help them push for silverware this year, and now it seems that he's not happy enough where he is. Much like a player they recently acquired, Steven Sidwell, he is trying to parlay a good season into a better club. It appears that loyalty is dead. All that remains is the bonus.

One Liners

• AC Milan say there will be no Shevchenko deal, he will continue to be the best paid sitter in the world
• Barca deny Trezeguet interest, but say they have lots of interest in Eto'o outside Turkmenistan
• Man City win 2-0 to advance in UEFA Cup qualifiers, Petrov continues hot streak
• Luis Garcia moving to Benfica, apparently Tottenham cannot buy everyone
• Redknapp to coach CSKA Moscow, you can toss that in the rubbish bin

Five ring circus

FIFA ruled(finally) today that clubs have to release U-23 players for the Olympics. Any other organization would have made up their mind more than a week ahead of the first game. It was only FIFA's incompetence at not putting the Olympics on the international calendar that left any doubt. Players will miss the start of the Premiership season(most of the other big leagues don't start until the end of August), but they'll also miss qualifiers for the UEFA Cup and Champions League. The delay was not only an inconvenience for teams trying to prepare, but also made life difficult for the players. Diego and Rafinha both left their German clubs without permission, and Barca seemed to have a tight hold on Messi's shirt while he tried to sidestep to Beijing. This has showed off the flaws of the international system: Tournaments occuring in the middle of seasons, inopportune qualifiers and the question of who is culpable if a player is injured while with the national team. The African Cup of Nations occurs during the middle of the European season, and Copa America during the middle of South America's season. Is Beckham expected to fly from LA to London for a qualifier, then back to America for a game, and then back to Zagreb for another qualifier? Rather than fight each other, it is in the best interest of clubs and countries to work together. Competitions like Euro Cup and the World Cup get fans excited for club competition(look at Bundesliga attendance since Germany hosted), and club football(soccer) keeps the skill level high and the drama last through the year. It would make sense to have large blocks of time set aside for qualifiers. The Bundesliga shuts down for a month during the winter, and between this time and when the players are off in the summer it seems like European qualifiers could be played. With all the money in football(soccer), the issue of who pays for an injury on national duty must be sorted out. While clubs acting like they own players has made the "slavery" issue appear, it should be remembered that they are paying the wages that have allowed them to live a comfortable lifestyle. With the money FIFA has made off international competitions they should be able to buy insurance. Man U could probably get them a deal with AIG.

There were a few moves around Europe today, but the biggest news is a non-move. It appears that Villa's deadline for a move for Barry has passed and that he will be staying with the club. I wouldn't bet a Canadian nickel on this being the final outcome, but as the Canadian nickel has appreciated that's not the statement it used to be. It appears Liverpool spent their kitty on Keane, and O'Neill doesn't want to wait for them to scrounge up the money. With the Premiership season nearly two weeks away, he wants to have his squad set and probably would not have enough time to find a suitable replacement. Tottenham started putting their Robbie Keane money to work by completing a £15million transfer for David Bentley. Rumors are that Arshavin may soon follow him to White Hart Lane. Roy Keane got a boost today when Steed Malbranque agreed to terms with Sunderland, but it seems that Kaboul would rather head to the coast with Portsmouth, we'll just have to see if they can meet Tottenham's valuation. It also appears Madrid are close completing a 10 million Euro deal for Hamburg's Rafael Van Der Vaart. Arsenal also signed Amaury Bischoff today on a free transfer from Werder Bremen.

One Liners

• Rangers stumble to 0-0 draw, hope for better luck in Lithuania(is anyone ever lucky in Lithuania?)
• Bent nets hat trick in friendly, Robbie who?
• Trezeguet staying with Juve, somewhere Raymond Domenech is disinterested
• Petit makes big move to Cologne
• Vela, Wilshire and Bendtner all score in Nasri's debut for Gunners

Calm(Before the storm)

After yesterday's feeding frenzy things have quieted down. The calm will not last, and clubs are just waiting to see those transfer fees show up in their bank account before springing into action again. Three of the teams involved in big moves yesterday are likely to make some more big moves; Everton, Liverpool and Tottenham. Everton have now sold off Johnson and McFadden, leaving a strike force of Yakubu and youth. Yakubu is good for 15 goals, but they will need another proven scorer to stay on the plus side in goal differential. They could also use some help in midfield, and flush with AJ money they will look to increase their offer for Joao Moutinho. Moutinho impressed for Portugal, and with Carsley nearing retirement and Arteta linked with a move to Spain he would be a great signing. Everton were hurt by injuries to Baines, Arteta and Cahill last year and it's important that they improve upon the depth of their squad. The last team to break the Big 4's lock on the top of the table, they will be pushing for a Champions League place while pursuing the UEFA Cup. They have been quiet so far, but if Moyes wants to bring home silverware he will need a proven striker and midfielder, and a couple of players to come off the bench. Moyes has turned good players into a great team, but with sides above and below his making big moves he has to make sure Everton isn't left behind.

Where Gareth Barry will end up is anybody's guess. Liverpool's expenditure on Keane shows that they considered the Irishman more of a priority than a holding midfielder. They have to sell before they can consider the Villa midfielder with Finnan, Voronin and Pennant being mentioned. There has been interest in Arbeloa, but Benitez is reticent to sell his fellow Spaniard. With Liverpool's owners acting the part of Scrooge, Benitez might have to convince Alonso to move on if he wants Barry. Wenger has quietly expressed his interest in both holding midfielders, though he rarely spends on players old enough to drive, but there will need to be a few more moves before this saga is decided. Tottenham meanwhile are looking to put the funds from up north to good use. They seem close to a deal with David Bentley, while Pavlyuchenko, Milito and Luis Garcia have all been mentioned. Depending on the fates of Malbranque and Kaboul, Ramos has nearly sold off an entire starting XI since coming to White Hart Lane. You can be sure he'll be buying a new starting once(as in the Spanish word for 11).

One Liners

• Hughes makes bid for Ben-Haim, if five million pounds falls into Roman Abramovich's pocket can he hear it?
• Wigan signs Lee Cattermole, apparently he's worth the same as Scott Carson
• Keane vows to end title drought, why don't people ever start with small promises like tying their own shoes
• Valencia struggle to keep Villa and Silva, they're probably just waiting for Real Madrid to put a bid on the entire roster
• Chelsea win in Malaysia, only because Terry didn't have to make a pk

Strikers on the move

A lot of strikers swapped teams today, but Robbie Keane's move to Liverpool grabs the headlines. Keane moves from Tottenham for £20.3 million, but Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy did not "regard it as a transfer deal." It was hard for Keane to turn down better wages and Champions League football(soccer), but he was never really for sale. In a time where contracts are worth as much as the paper they're signed on, once Liverpool made their interest clear it was only a matter of time. Benitez had claimed they were priced out of David Villa, so it is interesting they would spend so much on a 28 year old striker. Keane is proven in the Prem, and scored 23 times in all competitions last season, but he is not exactly the guy you would picture to replace Crouch. He is great with his feet and can play ticky-tacky, but it is quite surprising that Benitez wouldn't cough up another £5 million on Villa or find a cheaper foreign player. There have been a lot of theories that the Big 4 sign players from the sides below them to hurt the other teams as much as better themselves, and this would be an interesting example. Keane is a great player, but Liverpool have a squad of them and it will be interesting to see where he fits. Darren Bent scored 4 goals in an exhibition match and should fill in for Keane quite well.

In other striker news, Andrew Johnson will take his creppy bald head to Craven Cottage next year, as Fulham have signed the striker on a reported £12 million pound deal. Johnson made his name for a prolific season with relegated Crystal Palace, and while he has shone at times for Everton his time with the Toffees could not really be called a success. That's what £12 million gets these days, in a reversal of beer prices a domestic is pricier than an import. It is a definite upgrade for Fulham, and a partnership of him and Zamora should help the Cottagers in their battle to avoid relegation. Diouf, who was a striker at some point, is the latest acquisition by Sunderland. There are tempestuous players and then there is El-Hadji Diouf. Quite often he recedes from the game, with his only contribution a stupid foul, but when he springs to life he can singlehandedly change the outcome of a game. He is definitely a wildcard in the Sunderland squad, and if anybody can control him it will be Roy Keane.

In other news, the signing of Muntari seems to spell the end of Inter's interest in Lampard. At least for now.

One Liners

• Arsenal puts up 10, in meaningless pre-season game
• Aston Villa lost Bouma in Intertoto victory, O'Neill looking to 'Naylor' replacement(that joke may or may not work)
• Barton out of jail, teammates and teenagers everywhere cower in fear
• Fabregas denies Madrid link, apparently he's the one Arsenal player who doesn't want to leave
• Scolari wants four trophies, will settle for one of Ronaldo's ex-gf's

Another slow day(Hello, Calderon and Kenyon, I need something to write about)

Since there was not a lot of news today, I want to start with a rather awkward comment. Carles Puyol said that he hopes Barcelona can prevent Lionel Messi from going to the Olympics because they need Messi to start the season off well. Barca has a Champions League qualifying game that they want Messi to play in, and after that they would release him. This follows a number of disputes between German clubs and FIFA about whether or not they have to release their players. Apparently FIFA did not put the Olympics on the international fixtures list so clubs are questioning whether they have to release players who are called up. FIFA is saying it's too obvious, not really a sensical argument, and that all U-23 players must be released. Messi is 21 so he would have to be released, but this means that while Ronaldinho was included in Dunga's squad Milan do not have to release him. It amazes me that Puyol would make a club over country comment like this, especially after Spain's Euro Cup was supposed to bring the country together. The Olympics has never been a big tournament, but to say you hope a teammate doesn't get a chance at a gold medal is not cool. Seeing how various players have defied their clubs to train with their country shows that the players are taking this seriously. For a lot of them, this is a chance to prove themselves and earn a place in World Cup Qualifying. Messi doesn't need to do this, he should have a starting place on the senior squad guaranteed, but it's probably uncomfortable for him to be in the middle of a row(fight) between Barca and the AFA. I doubt there will be any problems between the players, as Messi only reaches Puyol's knees, and given his injury history Messi gets worried when a fly lands on him. But bad form Puyol, bad form.



In another awkward comment by a Carlos, Carlos Tevez said that Ronaldo should be allowed to join Real Madrid if he wants. This breaks with the company line, and will probably make for an uncomfortable conversation with Alex Ferguson(I am unsure if anyone has ever had a comfortable conversation with Alex Ferguson). Tevez spoke of the dream that all players have to play for Madrid and while Man U is nothing to sneeze at, players should be allowed to follow their dreams. How touching. There could be a certain amount of self interest involved, as Ronaldo's departure would give more opportunities to Tevez. Tevez does play further forward, but he is comfortable on either side of the pitch, has incredible pace and a wicked strike. Apparently he also has a big boca(mouth).

One Liners

• Chelsea confirm pursuit in Robinho, I confirm duhhhh
• Kaboul agrees deal with Sunderland, Malbranque holding out for more croissants
• River Plate was offered Pizarro, did not have enough pesos to pay him
• Liverpool sign Ngog, fans agog
• Muntari may be bound for Inter, Harry Redknapp begins twitching early this year
• Everton lining up possible Wagner Love transfer, he is a player I have strong feelings over
  

A handsome Devil

Roy Keane is pushing Sunderland in a direction, and it seems to be up. He did a wonderful job with them in the Championship and they were the only one of the newly promoted clubs to avoid relegation. With his latest moves it looks like Keane has his heart set on moving further up the table. The Prem has been dominated by the "Big Four" and an argument could be made that there is now a "Next Five" with Man City, Everton, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Portsmouth all trying to play in Europe. These clubs aren't as set in stone, Newcastle and West Ham are close behind, and all it takes is a billionaire takeover to propel Hull into the "Next Five." It is clear that there is now a gap between the clubs secure in the top of table and those fighting for survival. With the current tv deal newly promoted teams will always have trouble competing with established Premiership sides, but the old boys are afraid of being sucked into a relegation battle. It's not so easy to recover from a drop into the Championship, as Southampton, Leeds and Millwall can all attest to.

This brings up Keane, who launched an ambitious £23 million bid for four Tottenham players; Tainio, Malbranque, Chimbonda and Kaboul. Tottenham is no stranger to selling in bulk, they made a similar deal with Portsmouth a couple years ago, but this would be a dramatic shift for both teams. Ramos is building a squad that will be almost unrecognizable to the team Jol coached, and Ramos is not done. Chimbonda and Tainio have had their medicals, leaving Kaboul and Malbranque. Malbranque and Tainio are underrated players who will upgrade Sunderland's midfield and Chimbonda is a world class defender when he's in the right mood. Kaboul, well lets call him "promising." These are the first signings for Keane, and if you're not upgrading your squad than you're moving backwards. Keane did a great job in the market last year with Chopra and Jones, but he hasn't been able to land any big names. Sunderland has the other Stadium of Light and 45,000 seats so they have the facilities to become a big team. A few more signings and I might have to revise my "Next Five."

One Liners

• Blackburn to let Friedel go to Villa on condition they find a suitable replacement, is Paul Robinson really "suitable"
• West Ham signs Behrami, hoping it won't be a Swiss miss
• Toure contracts malaria, Wenger puts in personal transfer request
• Scolari avoids Fergie's comments, Mourinho wishing he was still in England
• Alves wins case against AZ because his agent didn't sign pre-contract, sounds like someone went on the Heineken tour a few too many times that day

Makelele moves on

Claude Makelele is now officially a Paris-Saint Germain player after signing a two year contract with the Ligue 1 club. This follows his retirement from international duty for France after their 2-0 loss to Italy. He has come to dominate the position of holding midfielder so thoroughly that it is known as the "Makelele role", but he was also starting to show his 35 years. Anyone who watched him at Chelsea or for France could see that while his defensive tenacity remains, his passing and ability to move the ball upfield have fallen off dramatically. He started only 15 games for Chelsea in the Prem, but did start 12 in the Champions League including the Final where he was only subbed off in injury time before the pk's. Players who create goals get most of the glory, but Makelele's ability to stop those players was world class.

In his three years at Real Madrid he won a Champions League medal, Intercontinental Cup, European Super Cup, two La Liga titles and two Spanish Super Cups. The one thing he couldn't win was equal wages with the rest of the "Galacticos" and in 2003 he put in a transfer request and was sold to Chelsea for £16.6 million. Real Madrid's president, Florentino Perez, famously said "We will not miss Makélélé. His technique is average, he lacks the speed and skill to take the ball past opponents, and ninety percent of his distribution either goes backwards or sideways." Beckham's arrival coincided with the departure of Makelele, and Zidane voiced the feeling of a number of the players when he said "Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine?" The results speak for themselves as Chelsea won two Premiership titles, the FA Cup and made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League four times in his five years with the club. Though they never became champions of Europe, Makelele's transfer ushered in Chelsea's most successful period in the club's history. With players like John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien they will be able to fill the "Makelele role," but they will definitely miss the man himself.

One Liners

• Ferguson says Ronaldo move to Madrid would be worst thing for the player, does not seem like objective advice
• Scolari expects to return from Asia to a fit Drogba, seems more likely he will return to Drogba in a fit
• Blackburn says Bentley is for sale, if you're willing to spend like a Russian oligarch/deposed Prime Minister
• German clubs say they won't release players for Olympics, first the clubs will have to catch them
• Lyon gets Mensah, smart move

Keeping the keeper

Scott Carson moved to West Bromwich Albion today for £3.25million. Carson had been close to signing with Stoke, but once teams got wind of his price tag there was a scramble for his signature. Rafa's original valuation of £10 million had scared off Aston Villa, but while that seemed to high a price tag his final fee seems a bit low. Carson looked great for Villa last season, and it seems that goalkeepers are the only position to have escaped transfer inflation. It will be hard for any of the newly promoted teams(West Brom, Stoke, Hull) to stay up, but Albion has to be the most likely of the three. Carson wants to stay in the Prem, and his life will probably be easier at West Brom than it would have been at Stoke. This should be only a temporary move for him, as another good year combined with some ageing(bloody old) keepers should see him move to a team in the top half of the table.

There are rumblings coming from other keepers throughout the league. Brad Friedel has declared he wants out of Blackburn. Friedel has been a wall for Blackburn, but it seems that he's ready to leave after seeing Mark Hughes jump ship. Hughes has expressed his admiration for the player and it's very likely that Friedel will join him at Manchester City. Villa are also interested because their current number one, Stuart Taylor, has only nine Premiership starts in three years. They were one of the strongest teams defensively last year, and the loss of Carson and Mellberg will have to be made up for. Robert Green is also making some noise at West Ham. Green is currently unhappy with his pay packet and is letting everyone know. Green was supposed to be England's number two for the World Cup, but injured his groin in a game right before that cost him his spot. He is one of the better domestic keepers, but seems stuck with teams on the lower half of the table. He beat out Roy Carroll, who had been a starter at Man U, but it will be interesting to see if his whinging will see him leave London. With Van der Sar, Cech, Reina, Howard the Premiership is flush with world class keepers, and woe be the team who has a question mark between the sticks.

One Liners

• Tottenham make formal complaint about interest in strike duo, hope they used recycled paper because it's going straight to the bin
• Cech to sign new contract with Chelsea, I would make a check joke but I'm sure he gets direct deposit
• Somebody offers a lot of money for Kaka and AC Milan says no, surprised?
• New England Revolution subdue man on airplane, first save that was covered by media this year

And we're off

How exciting, actual soccer matches were played today. I'd felt like a gossip writer covering the summer transfer window, but today the headline goes to Manchester City's 2-0 defeat of EB/Streymur. Petrov and Hamann scored the goals and really they should tacked on a few more. City has such an early start because they qualified for the UEFA Cup through the Fair Play League, a feat they will be unlikely to accomplish under Mark Hughes. Hughes started his new £19 million signing Jo who impressed, but was unable to find the back of the net. The 250 traveling supporters who cheered them on will probably run into the players celebrating their victory at one of the two bars on the islands(kidding). City has an impressive combination of veterans and young talent, and it will be interesting to see how Hughes uses them. At Blackburn he took no prisoners and made the other team earn their way up the pitch, while on the other end his wingers would try to cross the ball into the box and convert set pieces. In Johnson, Ireland, Petrov and Elano he has a midfield that can pass the ball forward and take on defenders. They are very strong defensively, though there has been talk about bringing Friedel down from Blackburn to give Hart and Schmeichel more time to develope. City has struggled to find a consistent strikeforce with Castillo, Bojinov, Samaras, Corradi, Benjani, Vassell and Bianchi all struggling to fill the position. Jo should be an automatic starter and it will be interesting to see if Hughes tries to find him a partner or opts for a 4-5-1. He probably wishes Roque Santa Cruz had come with him. With all the money he has invested, former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shiniwatra will expect to qualify for Europe through a place at the top of the table or Cup win.

There was also a bizarre development in the future of Samuel Eto'o today. Eto'o has been told he is free to leave, but Barcelona say they are yet to receive any firm offers for the three-time African Player of the Year. His attitude is not always the best, but there is no doubting his skill so it's a wonder that nobody has made a bid yet. That may change as the number one club in Uzbekistan(yes Uzbekistan), Kuruvchi, have reportedly made a $40 million offer for Eto'o. Kuruvchi will face Iran's Saipa in the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League in September, but surely this is a ploy by Eto'o to get other teams interested. Chelsea seem more interested in Robinho, but with Calderon demanding an exorbitant fee it might be time to consider Eto'o again. There were also rumors that he might be involved in a swap for Adebayor, with his pace and ability on the ball he would fit in perfectly with the Gunners. At 27 he may be too old for Arsene Wenger(ageist). That being said, I would put good money that he won't be playing in Uzbekistan next year.

In Olympics news, the United States unveiled their 18 man squad today. I'll do a big Olympics preview before the games begin, today I'll just congratulate Brian McBride on making it to the team. He has been great for the national team, and anyone who watched him at Fulham last year knows that he is a warrior. The American woman's team suffered a serious blow when Abby Wambach broke her leg in a friendly last night. She is one of the best players in the world, and is the leading goal scorer on the squad. The U.S. women's team has gone through a lot of turmoil in recent years and this will make it hard for them to try and get back to their winning ways.

One Liners

• Keane bids for four Tottenham players, trying to get money together for the other seven
• Stoke to sign Kitson for £5 million, having a red head doubles their chance of relegation
• Ferguson admits to making a major bid for player, forces us to play the guessing game
• Ramos coy about strike duo's future, is White Hart Lane the new London Stock Exchange?
• Del Bosque might recall Raul, Spanish excited for coach to put them on wrong track again

Awwwwwkward(emphasis on the w)

Wesley Sneijder decided to let his mouth do the talking, which is much more interesting than when players let their feet do the talking. Sneijder claimed that Dutch teammate Rafael Van der Vaart desperately wants to join Real Madrid. The Bernabeu is starting to look quite Oranje with Sneijder, Drenthe, Robben and Van Nistelrooy all on the books. Sneijder also played with Van der Vaart at Ajax and they seem to make a great midfield duo. Publicly Van der Vaart remains committed to Hamburg, but Sneijder is confident that they will link up this year or next. This is definitely not Martin Jol's(coach of Hamburg) best week ever, as he is also trying to keep hold of Nigel de Jong who has been linked with Newcastle. Jol is a great coach who was one bad fryup(British breakfast) from pipping Arsenal for a Champions League, but without his two Dutch stars Hamburg doesn't have a chance. Sneijder continued by saying Ronaldo would be a great addition, but paying him higher wages than the other players could cause some acrimony. He also doesn't feel the move is necessary because in Sneijder's eyes Robinho is just as good. Maybe he should see an opthamologist. This follows Cannavaro's comments that Ronaldo should honor his contract at Man U. Coming off consecutive La Liga titles, it seems a poor time for Madrid to be messing with their team chemistry. During the Galacticos(very famous and very expensive players) era they had great individuals, but the team didn't perform well. Calderon might want to heed the advice of his players and not disrupt the dressing room. Then again Calderon feels Robinho would be a steal at £47.4 million, so we can assume he's not in touch with reality.

There was big news on the other side of the Atlantic as former U.S. captain Claudio Reyna retired from football(soccer). Reyna was part of what I call the first generation of U.S. soccer players(I know America has been playing in the World Cup since 1930, but hosting the World Cup in 1994 ushered in the MLS and rebirth of soccer in America. I use rebirth loosely). He missed out on the 1994 World Cup due to injury, but played in the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups. He retired from the national team after the U.S. was eliminated in 2006 with 112 caps, 8 goals and 12 assists. Anyone who watched him at that World Cup could see he was a step behind. He should also be remembered for his long career in Europe, he was a pioneer for other American players, where he played in the Champions League and UEFA Cup, and was affectionately known as Captain America. When Fifa decided America would host the World Cup it was very controversial as they hadn't qualified since 1950. Players from that first generation like Reyna, Friedel and Jones turned qualifying into a certainty, and made the U.S. a competitive team. They'll be remembered for leading America to the quarterfinals in 2002, and a hand ball call could have put them in the semi-finals. They are being followed by a second generation that watched that 1994 World Cup on tv and have helped America win back to back Gold Cups. Hopefully players like Altidore, Johnson and Dempsey can push America even further. Reyna will be missed, and he should be remembered as a leader on and off the pitch.

One quick note about Hleb and Ronaldinho. Hleb was unveiled at Barcelona today, and the fee is reported to be £11.9 million. With Ronaldinho's move to Milan nearly tied up, I am imposing a moratorium on the mention of their names. Lets see how long it lasts.

One Liners

• Bruce's crossed fingers pays off as Kapo becomes a Latic, does anybody know what a Latic is?
• Mourinho still pining for Lamps, doesn't he know that playing hard to get always works better?
• Drogba sets 10 day deadline on future, Abramovich stand there with two briefcases full of cash saying Deal or No Deal?
• Benfica to sign Aimar, he must have seen how thin Time Out Newcastle was
• Wenger interested in signing Alonso, Rafa stops looking under coach cushions for pence

The saga ends...

Ronaldinho is set to sign a three year contract with AC Milan. He is said to have a handshake deal with Milan VP Adriano Galliani that would see the player transferred for €18.5 million, and earn €6.5 million a year. Manchester City's bid, which was roughly £10 million more and included wages of £200,000 a week, was not enough to bring the player to England. It will be interesting to see what happens if the two teams play each other in the UEFA Cup next year. While there is still the question of whether or not Ronaldinho will be released to play for Brazil in the Olympics, it appears the drama has come to a close. That leaves only Ronaldo, Barry, Lampard, Robinho and I think you get the picture. There's still plenty to write about.

Ronaldinho's transfer should facilitate a number of other moves across Europe. Barca can look to upgrade their attack now, and Hleb should be arriving shortly. He may have company in Emmanuel Adebayor, especially if Eto'o is shown the door. Robinho's has repeated his commitment to Madrid, but is unhappy about being included in a deal to bring Ronaldo from Man U. Reports are that Chelsea have put in a bid, its size depends on the source, and Robinho's agent has said that playing for Scolari again would be a big draw. Chelsea are desperately trying to hold onto Didier Drogba, despite numerous clubs as well as the fans of Marseille tempting him to leave London. With Claudio Pizarro and Andrei Shevchenko likely to move on, Chelsea need a world class striker. Anelka was unable to impress when playing alongside Drogba last season, and Robinho would seem to fit with Big Phil's vision for Chelsea.

Martin O'Neill was forced to eat crow today, but that was probably an upgrade from the jellied eels they serve in Birmingham. Aston Villa lost 3-1 to League Two side Lincoln. John Carew heading in the one goal for the Villains with an assist from Steve Sidwell. In what could only be a coincidence, it was announced that Gareth Barry would be rejoining the squad. Martin O'Neill said he would be talking to Liverpool again, and also said that Arsenal had expressed some interest in the player.

One Liners

• Kapo move to Wigan stalled, Steve Bruce crosses his fingers
• Fulham make £6.5 million for two hammers, look ready to fight for 17th place
• Stoke in a battle for Carson's signature, file this under no duh!
• Fowler signed to play for Blackburn, how long until Ince signs himself
• Mutu may be heading for Roma, lets hope they don't have good talcum powder there

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

ARSENE WENGER FOR PM(PRIME MINISTER NOT NIGHT TIME)

Samir Nasri is now a Gunner(he's trading the neon orange for neon yellow. Wenger has been pursuing Nasri for months and now he has him at the price of £12 million. He is taking the number 8 jersey, of Ian Wright and Freddie Ljungberg fame, and would seem to be a good replacement for Hleb. Arsenal is not done in the transfer market, Wenger says they are a selling club due to building the Emirates and a number of high profile names seem likely to exit the club. While Arsenal have built the Emirates, Arsene has built a new club. When construction began in February 2004 Arsenal was in the midst of the first undefeated season in Premiership history. With reports that Gilberto is leaving for Panathanaikos, Kolo Toure and Gael Clichy will be the only players still remaining from that team. Wenger has sold those players to finance a younger team. He is still building that team with players like Huntelaar, Radamel Falcao and Amaury Bischoff being linked to the club. Now the question is if he can hold onto these players and if they can grow into a championship. There has never been a doubt in Wenger's ability to spot young talent, now he must show that he can turn it into trophies. If he can it will be a pleasure to watch North London football(soccer) next year.

In what I guess could be deemed Ronaldo news for the day, Carlos Quieroz is leaving Manchester United to coach the Portuguese national team(he's Portuguese). Quieroz was a controversial figure at Old Trafford. Many did not like his influence and blamed him for a move away from the classic 4-4-2 system. He has coached at Real Madrid and is a high profile number two, though surely not high in profile when compared with Alex Ferguson. There is definitely a Portuguese influence in the team with Ronaldo, Nani and Anderson. Last season definitely added to his CV(resume) and silenced his critics. It will be interesting to see what, if any, bearing this will have on the Ronaldo saga. Actually it probably won't be that interesting. Forget I mentioned it.

One Liners

• Despite Gunner interest Given says he's commited to Newcastle, everybody wonders why?
• N'Zogbia dreaming of Arsenal and Tottenham, apparently he sleeps well in North London
• Blatter says three countries are alternates for World Cup, we'll find out which one gets it in a year
• Liverpool gets Brazilian keeper, expect Scott Carson and a sack of sugar to be used to sweeten Barry offer
• Beckham says Ronaldo has a tough choice ahead, world shocked to hear another opinion on the matter

Slavery(At 120,000 quid(pounds) a week)

This picture should really have Sepp Blatter's foot in his mouth. The head of FIFA said "I think in football there's too much modern slavery in transferring players or buying players here and there, and putting them somewhere." He went on to say he sympathized with Ronaldo, and criticized the Premiership's plans for a 39th game that would be played overseas. After his 6+5 proposal was rejected he is obviously lashing out and acting like someone 1/24th his age(he's 72). Since the Premiership is the wealthiest league and Manchester United won the Champions League last year they make an easy target. The Premiership has imported more foreign players than any other league and Blatter, among others, doesn't like so much talent being concentrated in one league. Ronaldo said he agreed that players should be allowed to go where they want, but maintains that he does not have a deal with Real Madrid. At this point it seems like Man U is trying to stop a boulder from rolling down a hill. Make that a mountain. Reports suggest he could be out for 12 weeks following his ankle surgery, but that doesn't seem to be holding Madrid back. Michel Platini(head of UEFA) defended the clubs today saying that wages have spiraled out of control and that players have too much power. It does seem that contracts no longer matter and when a player has made up his mind to move it usually comes true. Ask Mr. Wenger.


In other news it appears that Joan Laporta may not have survived the challenge to his presidency after all. Eight out of 17 board members resigned, including first Vice-President Albert Vicens. They didn't seem to feel that the 39.4% of the vote that Laporta garnered was enough. Laporta's future is now in the hand of the roughly 3,000 club delegates. The delegates, who represent the tens of thousands of club members, will meet in September. Without the support of the board or the delegates it will be incredibly difficult for Laporta to keep his job. It should be remembered that he won back to back La Liga titles in '05 and '06 and won the Champions League in '06, but the club went trophy less the last two seasons. If only we could run politics this way.

In a not very new development Rafa Benitez has expressed his displeasure with the funds available for him during the transfer window. It's no secret that American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have not gotten along with each other and Hicks has not been supportive of Benitez. The two are also having financial trouble, who knew mortgage defaulting in Florida would affect Liverpool, and are not prepared to give Rafa the same money that some of the other coaches at the top of the table are privy to. Rafa has expressed his interest in David Villa and Gareth Barry, but so far they have both been out of his price range. Selling Riise and Crouch will help fund Barry's move, but Villa seems out of reach. It appears that Robbie Keane is the spendthrift substitute, though Ramos does not want to let go of the Irish striker. Ramos is close to signing Luis Garcia from Espanyol, so we'll see if that makes Keane-o easier to part with.

One Liners

• Inter says Lampard wants to join, everyone in world says shutup already
• Hleb close to 15 million pound deal with Barca, I'll believe it when I see it
• Inter sign Mancini from Roma, no word when they'll acquire the Boom-Boom
• Scolari to trim Chelsea squad, Hilario no longer laughing
• Villa make 10 million pound bid for Bentley, we all know he's already a Villain
• Marseille fans to buy Drogba, cheaper than caviar on toast they usually enjoy at game
  

Slow day(expect Ronaldo news tomorrow)

After yesterday's whirlwind day things seems to have settled down a bit. The big news is the transfer of Steve Sidwell to Aston Villa for around 5 million pounds. We all know Chelsea needed that money. The folks in the railroad business(Reading) must be wagging everything they can. Though Sidwell turned down an extension in 2006, Steve Coppell hoped he might sign and wanted him to spearhead their first Premiership season. Sidwell did a great job keeping Reading in the Prem, but his free transfer meant Reading were without their star or any money and relegation ensued. While the money may have been green, the bench was blue and that's where Sidwell spent most of his time. He only started seven games in the Prem and only appeared once in the Champions League. That he thought he would displace Ballack, Lampard, Essien, Obi Mikel, Makelele or any other player on the roster shows judgement usually found in Joey Barton. As a former Arsenal trainee he has tons of potential and will do well to replace Barry when he eventually leaves. Villa can also use the difference to do some more spending and purchase a striker.

The Lampard saga continues. Chelsea have said that they will not be selling him and that Lampard will see out the end of his contract. Roman Abramovich will only offer a four year contract, not the five years Lampard wants. Inter came right back and said that Lampard will be theirs by the end of the summer. Also I am all about Heitinga. Now for the news.

One Liners

• Atletico Madrid sign Heitinga, Madrid creatine sales expected to double
• Milan says Ronaldinho or Adebayor, the roustabout proved smart in Italy
• FA to Rooney's agent, na-na na-na-na-na hey hey hey goodbye
• Jussi Jaaskelainen keeps Premiership's strangest name at Bolton
• Calderon tells Nadal that Ronaldo deal is done, teacher says no passing notes in class

Big Phil(No need to use the SAP button)

Chelsea unveiled Luiz Felipe Scolari as their manager today and he got off to a good start by speaking in english. We all know how hard it is for us english speakers to learn another language and now that translator money can go to the transfer kitty(funds). Having coached Brazil and Portugal, Big Phil says he is prepared for the pressure that the Chelsea job will bring. He said that he had met with Frank Lampard yesterday and that Lampard wants to stay with Chelsea. Steve Kutner, Lampard's agent, said his client did want to stay with Chelsea if the two sides agreed on an extension. Lampard is in the final year of his contract and has not been satisfied with any of Chelsea's previous offers. Inter Milan followed this up with a 7.95 million pound offer for the midfielder, which Chelsea rejected. Scolari is in a difficult position as Lampard is extremely popular and has played a huge role in Chelsea's recent success. Two years of negotiations have not brought them any closer as even big spenders Chelsea cannot seem to meet his wage demands. While they would love to retain his services, it would be better to sell Lampard now than let him walk away for free next summer. Chelsea will not part with the midfielder for anything less than top dollar, but look for Lamps to reunite with Mourinho soon.

As if that could be the only Chelsea news for the day, AC Milan are saying that they rejected a 94 million euro bid for Kaka from the London club. Chelsea are denying the claim, but the appointment of Scolari has increased speculation that they'd make a move for the Brazilian. Kaka released a statement from Brazil where he is recovering from knee surgery thanking Milan for showing their commitment to winning by keeping him. In his press conference Big Phil said he also wanted Drogba to stay with the club, with the striker garnering heavy interest from European clubs. Milan have been very interested as their approaches for Emmanuel Adebayor have been rebuffed. Chelsea: never a dull moment.

Alexander Hleb has decided to be proactive and use his mouth to transfer him out of Arsenal. He criticized Arsene Wenger, saying that he didn't agree with how the gaffer(manager) was playing him. He also criticized teammate Cesc Fabregas for being selfish and shooting at every opportunity, unlike the generous Belarusian. Hleb tried to play down the rift, but it will difficult for the club to keep him after those comments. Gareth Barry has tried the same tactic, saying that Martin O'Neill was more interested in being a tv pundit than talking to his skipper. The result was a fine of two weeks wages and a suspension from the club's pre-training sessions. O'Neill is still holding out for his original valuation of the player, but it's a shame that Barry's time at club he has appeared in more than 300 games for has to come to such an ignominious end.

One Liners

• Guiza to join Aragones at Fenerbahce, says he always preferred turkish delight to flan
• Huntelaar says everyone interested him, Ajax waiting for the phone to ring
• Barca won't release Ronaldinho for Beijing, worried about him and Chinese buffets
• Zenit want Barca to double Arshavin bid, Barca want to be a fireman when they grow up
• South Africa stadium will not be ready for Confederations Cup, nobody surprised
• Ronaldo surgery a success, fans in Madrid cheer the news
• European clubs blot Blatter's 6+5 rule

The world's most expensive stringbean

It looks like Peter Crouch is heading to Portsmouth after Liverpool accepted an increased bid from Pompey. He will be reunited with Harry Redknapp, who coached Crouch in his previous spell at Portsmouth as well as Southampton. His 6'7" frame belies one of the best touches in the Premiership, and his footwork and passing belong to a man half his size. He is listed at only 156 pounds, and questions have been asked about whether he has the pace and strength to play with the best. He has been through seven different teams, and now Rafa has deemed him surplus to requirements. Crouch does not fit into the Liverpool system of quick ground passes and lightning counter attacks. He started only nine games in the Premiership last year, but has been effective in Europe scoring 11 goals in the Champions League.


Redknapp has always believed in Crouch and seems to be able to get the best out of him. When he purchased the striker to help Southampton stave off relegation, they didn't, he scored twelve goals in eighteen starts. Redknapp has been handed more money and control since the departure of Mandaric and has used it well. They finished in the top half of the table for the first time in the 06-07 Premiership season. They did even better in 07-08, winning the FA Cup and qualifying for Europe for the first time in the club's history. Redknapp has brought in a combination of youth and veterans that looks to propel the team forward. Lassana Diara was a steal from Arsenal and the holding midfielder has excelled in a starting role alongside Kranjcar and Muntari. The back line of Johnson, Campbell, Distin and Hreidarsson is one of the toughest in the Prem and David James has been playing himself into the national team again. Crouch would do well to replace the aging Kanu as Jermaine Defoe's striker partner, and Pompey will look to do well in their first UEFA Cup.


Democracy was in action this weekend in Spain. Oriol Giralt collected 5,882 member signatures to request a referendum on Barcelona's president Joan Laporta. They needed at least 10% of members to vote and two-thirds to vote against Laporta. Roughly twenty five percent of members voted, but Giralt came up just short with 60.6% voting against Laporta. Laporta had started his career with the "Elefant Blau" trying to unseat Josep Lluis Nunez in 1998, though he was unsuccesful. He won the job in 2003 when he promised to bring David Beckham to Barcelona, though Beckham ended up at Real Madrid. Laporta has said he will not resign, but look for Barcelona to make some big moves shortly. They have already begun building up the team from the back, but this is Spain and they want players who can score. With Laporta knowing that the majority of members are against him look for Barca to spend some big money on some big names shortly.

Domino transfers

Where this man ends up is going to have a huge impact on the summer transfer market. Man City have made it clear that they want him and they will pay. However it's unlikely that Ronaldinho wants to play for the number two team in Manchester. Two years ago he was considered the best player in the world, having led Barcelona to domestic and Champions League titles. Man City are playing a UEFA Cup qualifier in the Faroes. Ronaldinho wants to be at a top club. He has said he would love to play for Scolari again, but Chelsea may not agree. Most likely he'll go to an AC Milan. They finished a disappointing fifth in Serie A last year, meaning that the reigning FIFA Club World Champions will not be in the Champions League this year. They need an offensive injection and Ronaldinho would enjoy the company of Kaka, Pato and Dida. It would be interesting to see how he fares in Serie A. I would expect it to be well.

Ronaldinho's fate will have a large impact on Emmanuel Adebayor. Barcelona and AC Milan are vying for the Togo striker. Wenger has spoken how the financial commitment of Emirates Stadium has meant he cannot offer the same wages as other teams. This means they are committed to youth and to selling for now. Adebayor is only 24, but with Wenger youth comes early. His system and eye for talent has seen Vieira, Henry, Cole, Pires and Ljunberg out the door. Flamini left on his own and Hleb can't seem to make up his mind. He scored 24 times in the Prem and probably would have been player of the year if not for Ronaldo. He wants more money, Wenger seems unable to pay so it looks like he will be forced to sell. The two teams being mentioned are Barcelona and AC Milan. Barcelona's new coach is quickly building his own side and selling Ronaldinho could finance the capture of Adebayor. AC Milan need a striker and could use him with Pato or Inzaghi. It's unlikely AC Milan has the money to splash out on both players. It would be difficult for any team to turn down Ronaldinho and Kaka playing alongside each other. Just ask Brazil.



With Adebayor gone Arsenal would be in the market for their own striker. Eduardo de Silva is coming back from a broken leg and Robin Van Persie is coming back from an injury ravaged season. Obafemi Martins has expressed his interest and he looks like a great fit for the Arsenal system. He is only 23 and has already played for Newcastle and Inter Milan. There is no doubting his talent and athleticism, watch his backflips, but he has yet to be fully settled and successful at a club. The question is if he can find this at Arsenal. Rafa may have a rotation policy, but Arsenal have a revolving door. While selling his veterans, Wenger has been investing in youth and the question is when they will come of age. It's easy to forget that Fabregas is 21 when he is already one of the best midfielders alive. Van Persie, Sagna, Eduardo, Clichy and Eboue are 25 or younger. They even have a generation behind that in Abu Diaby, Alexandre Song, Nicklas Bendtner, Denilson and Walcott. They could rival any golden generation, if Wenger can keep hold of them. It would definitely be something to see.

How Does This Man Still Have a Job?

He doesn't exactly have a job, that's how. He has a moral contract. Nothing signed, it's just a six month contract. That means he has a friendly against Sweden in August and then three World Cup Qualifying matches to prove he should keep the job. Away at Austria, home for Serbia and away to Romania. France will expect to win in Austria. Serbia finished first in their group over Spain in World Cup Qualifiers, but last in "the group of death." They no longer have Montenegro, but they do have a healthy Nevanja Vidic. The French are going to expect to win this one. That leaves away at Romania. We all know what happened in the Euro Cup and the French will what at least a point. If Domenech comes away with six or more points I think he will have a job. Good luck.


I'm not sure this is the right decision. In Euro Cup he held onto players who were past their prime. The French also couldn't seem to get lucky. One might think it were time for some new thinking for the French side. They have the players: Nasri, Ben Arfa, Benzema, Sagna and Diarra are the future of France. Played with Henry and Ribery and you have a fresh forward thinking team. The French spent way to much time with their foot off the gas in Euro Cup. If Domenech makes those changes in the next few games then both may prosper. I loved the suit he wore in Euro Cup. He's a very French coach, and you can only expect great victories or wonderful tragedies.




SkySports is saying that Cristiano Ronaldo will have ankle surgery by Sunday. He received a red card in his first game last year and was suspended for three games. He then went on to have the best season of his life. They need him to make a full recovery. At his best he can make you forget the other Ronaldo, but he is fickle. He seems unsettled at Man U and will move on in the near future. He's going to be hard pressed to match 31 goals in the Premiership and 42 in all competitions. Alex Ferguson has said he will not be doing much in the transfer window. Yet things can change quickly and as the teams around him make improvements he will be tempted to do the same. They will be looking towards their young players to propel them forward. Nani and Anderson have the talent, but not the experience. Rooney and Tevez looked great together last year, while Carrick and Hargreaves are good in any combination. They can no longer expect much of Giggs and Scholes. This has been said before and could be wrong again, but now in their mid 30's the pace of the game may be past them. They pipped(squeaked) Chelsea for two titles last year and they will need a lot of luck to do it again. I don't think they will be that lucky.

Some new residents on White Hart Lane

This man is a good coach. Juande Ramos won back to back UEFA Cups with Sevilla and the Carling Cup with Tottenham last year. I thought Martin Jol was a good coach and I wish him well at Hamburg. The two coaches have similar styles, though as you can see from his suit Ramos bring a bit more panache. Tottenham came a couple bad mincemeat pies from pipping Arsenal for fourth a couple years back, and maybe that's why Ramos changed the team's diet when he arrived. One of his other big changes was Paul Robinson. The fact that he was the number one keeper for England might explain their absence from Euro Cup. He can pull of the spectacular, but he also makes a serious amount of flubs. He's like a less entertaining Jens Lehmann. He just purchased Heurelho Gomes from PSV and Robinson will likely be sold in the coming weeks. He has already made some other shrewd moves during the transfer window.

Luka Modric was one of the stars of this Euro Cup. He seemed to be in the middle of every play for Croatia. His passing was sublime and he showed no fear with his tackling. He is also only 22 years old. The midfield corps of Tottenham is: Lennon, Malbranque, Zakora, Huddlestone, Jenas, Tainio and Boateng. Lennon and Malbranque, consistently underrated, are great on the wings. Jenas is a player who everyone expects to find a place in the England squad soon. Zakora is looking a lot better under Ramos than he did under Jol. Huddlestone doesn't look like much, but a few times he'll make a DVR pass. That's when you're so shocked at the pass you have to rewind your DVR and watch it again. With Berbatov and Kean or Bent playing up top, that means only four positions in midfield. They'll be looking to challenge in Europe as well as the Cup competitions, so they'll need depth. They also just signed Giovanni Dos Santos. He is a quick player who is great on the ball and should fit well in the system. Barcelona already have Messi and Krkic to fill that role, but Dos Santos is definitely a player to watch. The only concern will be his size, as both he and Modric are on the small side. Modric should definitely be tough enough to handle the Boltons and Blackburns, but we'll have to see how Dos Santos does in a more physical league. The continuing issue for Tottenham is their defense. Ledley King is always injured and the same can be said for Woodgate. Bale was injured for a large part of last year and Chimbonda has a bit of an attitude problem. The less said about Kaboul and Lee the better, while Dawson just needs to be a bit more consistent. Ramos definitely has the talent up the field. With one more addition to their back line to go along with Gomes they might put some fear into the Big Four.

The other big news of the day concerns Barcelona. They snapped up Danni Alves from Ramos' old team Sevilla. A little back story on Alves, because his transfer drama last year helped push Mourinho out the door. Chelsea had a lot of defensive problems in 06-07. They sold Gallas and Huth so they had no cover when Carvalho and Terry suffered injuries. With injuries to Cech and Cudicini in the same game Clean Sheet Chelsea was no more. Abramovich refused to spend and told Mourinho to win with the squad he had, which he couldn't. That summer Tal Ben Haim came in for free and Alex was recalled from PSV, but Mourinho really wanted Alves. Abramovich refused to spend and that is why Essien was forced to play at right back for much of the season. They now have a cheaper replacement in Bosingwa, but Alves is definitely a superstar. It's a smart move for Barca to spend on defense. They've also signed Seydou Keita, a good defensive midfielder, and Gerard Pique. This is a sign that new coach Pepe Guardiola is taking defense more seriously. Deco and Dos Santos are already gone and it is expected that Ronaldinho will follow them. Even Eto'o and Henry have been rumore to be leaving the Nou Camp. If any team can cope with the loss of these superstars it's Barcelona. They still have Xavi, Iniesta, Messi and Krkic. And you can expect that any money they get from selling these superstars will go into buying new superstars. I'm sure Unicef will be thrilled.

Transfer(said in a falsetto voice)

This is what I want to start with. John Arne Riise got transfered to AS Roma today. How many of you knew that those were three separate names? He did fetch four million pounds. He was 27, average one goal in ten with 234 appearances for Liverpool. He had a rocket of a left foot and was a good crosser. His pk in the 2005 Champions League Final against AC Milan was saved, he converted his pk in the 2006 FA Cup Final and scored the own goal at Anfield against Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final. He's surplus to requirements at Anfield. Rafa wants a spanish side, if not in name than in style. And he's built that team. They have Fabio Aurelio, who went off injured to be replaced by Riise in that Champions League game. Alvaro Arbeloa, Martin Skrtel, or even Steve Finnan could play the position. They would have had Heinze last year but for Man U's protestations. They have Torres, Mascherano and Xabi Alonso. They also have Ryan Babel and Dirk Kuyt. And Steven Gerrard.

I shouldn't say Spanish side. I'm still suffering from Euro fever. Steven Gerrard is as English as they come, though he was also nearly a Chelsea player. He can cross the ball and has been used on the right wing by Rafa. However he is know for coming forward and firing. This is a team that can counter attack, pass the ball around and does not allow goals at home. They are built for cup play. His rotation system keeps players fresh at the end of the year. It's almost like he's building his resume to coach Spain. I still don't think they're built to win the Prem, but we'll see what other changes they make during the transfer window. Sissoko has gone. Xabi Alonso will probably go. Crouch will probably go. Kewell will not be coming back. I think that Riise money will go to buy Barry, if O'Neill gets all the money he wants.
On the other end Roma gets even better. They came in second by only three points, and grabbed the Coppa Italia. This adds to a team with Totti, De Rossi, Vucinic and Aquilani. Man U have run them out of the Champions League two years running. However they'll have to cope with an Inter Milan side coached by the "Ordinary One." He should have some new recruits. They say Lampard won't be leaving until next year, but I would be surprised if he goes in the next couple of months. Carvalho and Drogba have also been mentioned as moving on, and Hleb can't seem to make up his mind. There will be new players coming in and they'll be a team to watch in Italy as well as the Champions League. This should be a better year for the Italians in Europe.

Chelsea have already had a busy summer. It seems they now have half the Portuguese national team. Deco, Bosingwa and Scolari are all great additions to a team that was pipped by Man U in two competitions. Now the talk is that Robinho might be on his way, though 24 million pounds seems a high price. Ronaldinho has also expressed interest, but you think they might have to do some selling first. They currently have Ballack, Deco, Lampard, Essien, Makelele and John Obi Mikel in the center of the pitch. Even Mr. Abramovich has limits. Carvalho would be a big loss, but Alex is a great defender. A healthy Terry along with Bosingwa should lead for a tighter defense that allows Essien to play in the midfield. Deco is a great playmaker and a healthy Ballack will be looking for revenge. I wouldn't be surprised if Chelsea and Inter meet at some point, and wouldn't that be a hell of a game.

That's it for today. I'm sure they'll be new transfer news tomorrow and I'd love to talk about Tottenham who seem to have already signed a couple of incredible youngsters.