Should We Go For Wayne Rooney?

A week's time is a pretty long time as far as footballing calendar is considered. Last week there were only rumours about Rooney being unhappy at the treatment by Alex Ferguson, this week its official. It may not have been yet officially declared, but the relationship between Rooney and Alex Ferguson as of now stands terminated. I was quite surprised watching the press conference of Alex ferguson. Never in my wildest dream I thought he is going to come and unofficially throw Rooney out of Manchester United. I expected him to evade questions about Rooney and expected him to work on retaining his biggest star in the background. Little did I knew it was an unofficial firing ceremony. Technically Rooney is still a Manchester United player but do anyone see him continuing after what happened this week.

Rooney has been in top form last season

Rooney has been rated one of the top strikers in world football for sometime. Last season he was on fire scoring goals after goals. Every football club was interested in signing him but it was clear that he was not going to part with Manchester United. A lot have changed since then and if thr rumours has to be believed he may very soon find himself in the other side of Manchester. Naturally a host of clubs are interested in securing his signature. None has officially declared their interest, that's simply a waiting strategy. Manchester City, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Inter Milan all are rumoured to be interested in signing him. But its not yet clear what is our club's positioin on Rooney. There were rumours of Zubizarreta ruling out any chance of approach for the coveted English superstar. And it is not yet clear whether we have the financial strength to bid for the player.

Financial worries or no worries, that will not prevent Rosell from going after Cesc Fabregas next summer.Wenger has yesterday reiterarted his wish to clang on to teh Spaniard for more years. that simply means if Rosell and Guardiola needs him, they have to pay anthing near to 60 million. Fabregas has five years left in his contract compared to Rooney's two. If we are able to bid for Cesc next summer then we do have the finances available, contrary to the picture the dictator Rosell paints. So why should we try to woo the English into Barcelona?

Why should we go for Rooney?

The reasons given by Guardiola while going for Ibrahimovic was that he need a stronger player who is a real aerial threat. eventhough the real reason was to get Eto'o out of Barca but that was the official reason given forward by the club. The Eto'o haters Barca fans expected him to fizzle out, but he has won a Champions League and has established himself as the leading striker in Europe once again. We all knew that the reason given for Ibrahimovic purchase has no apparent realtionship with the striker. The last thing you expect Ibra to do is to stand tall against an imposing defense. Rooney along with Drogba would be the only two strikers currently available who fits those description. There is no doubt about Rooney's aerial poweress but there is his another trait which should fit well with Barca - his speed. Rooney is one of the fastest centre forward currently in European football. Add to that the fact that he is known for constantly back tracking to help his defense. David Villa has shown that he can play in the front left comfortably, hence Rooney could be an interesting option upfront. Rooney is 24 now and should have atleast five more years of top football left in him.

Why shouldn't we go for Rooney?

The answer to this question is pretty simple. With Villa present if Rooney does come that is going to limit the chance of our youngsters - Pedro and Bojan. Bojan will be in immediate threat as he has not yet lived to the promise this season. He has time in his hand but if one more forward arrives it is going to limit his playing time. Add to that the progress of Nolito from Barca B. He has been in excellent form so far this season and that should be rewarded with more first team appearances. Another reason could be the recent controversy the player found himself in. The club may not prefer to have a star whose personal life would be a storyline for Papers in England.

Will we Go For Him?

The answer is a pretty big No. Simple reason, we most probably will be getting ready for another unsuccessful pursuit of Cesc Fabregas. With the situation in which Cesc is in, we will never get him for anything less than 50 Million. But still we will continue the pursuit once the season is over. Yet again next summer will end with we failing to reinforce our squad after unsuccessfully running after Cesc Fabregas. A front line of Rooney, Villa and Messi could be a real force to reckon with eventhough it will limit Bojan's chances. Rooney also would love the idea of playing with xavi, Messi and Iniesta, who in the eyes of Rooney is the "Best Player in the World"

Mesut Özil joins Spanish Giants Real Madrid

This news will come as nothing but frustration for many United, Arsenal and Barca fans who wanted their teams to buy this mejestic Midfield who was one of the best players in World Cup 2010. Now Real madrid and Bremen has announed the deal as Ozil joins Jose Mourinhi at the Bernabue, which might be a hint that KAKA's days at Real Madrid are numbered.

Fee close to £13m is expected. The 21-year-old had also been linked with moves to Manchester United and Chelsea but it was the usualy suspects who got the man after some intence negotiations with the club. He joins fellow Countrymen Sami Khedira who already a Madrid player and will be looking to set themselves as key figures in Mourinho's team.

It was believed that Bremen Rejected Real first offer labeling it as unacceptable but Madrid will be Real madrid they came up again and this time there was no stoping them.

Lots of Cesc Nonsense and Some Senna Rumours

Cesc Fabregas story refuses to die and most probably it will do regular rounds till the transfer market is closed. Everyone expected the lid to be closed after Iniesta remarked that "Cesc will continue with Arsenal". Suddenly Mundodeportivo has unearthed a secret agreement, which has put Wikileaks this week revelations to shame. According to them the agreement has already reached and will see Cesc moving into Barca very soon and they already have said which numer he will be weraing at barca - the Guardiola "4". Trying to make sense out of this latest revelation would be futile as there is only one word to describe this - RUBBISH. Barca management has recently started to acknowledge the fact that this deal is not going to happen this season. Many big players have already commented about Arsenal's reluctance to come to negotiating deal. So this deal remains as "Dead as Buried".

In all these nonsense, some good news have emerged. The biggest is linking Marcos Senna to the club. At 34, he may be a risky buy but still he looks the most optimum solution to the defensive midfielder problem. His experience is going to aid Barca if this deal go through. The player has expressed his interest but has also acknowldeged that there has not been any approach from Barca's side. Another rumour that is doing the rounds is that Guardiola will buy another midfielder and Oezil or Mata are the prime target. That's sound good news but the only problem is that I just read an article which said that Oezil is very close to a verbal agreement with Madrid. Meanwhile Barca's young guns are giving a great account of themselves at the Euro Under 19 Championship. Half of the side always feature Barca players.

Arsenal Fans should Stop Blaming Barca

From the moment the Cesc Fabregas transfer saga started, there have been various counter accusations from both Arsenal and Barcelona fans. Blogs are the medium of communication in the modern world and promptly became the battle ground between Gunner and Cules. I believe the whole story started with Guillem Balague writing about a meeting that has taken place between Fabregas and Arsene Wenger He reported that Fabregas requested Wenger to allow him to move to Barca. Now it turns out that the whole story was purely fiction, I mean it looks like Fabregas and Wenger were in two different places at the supposed date of the meeting. But still no clarification has been offered by Arsenal about the meeting. Meanwhile Barca management under Laporta ponced upon the rumour and potrayed a picture via rumours that the transfer is imminent. After the initial reluctance to comment(which they shouldn't have), Arsenal and Wenger came out declaring unilaterally that "Cesc was not up for Sale".

Laporta has gone since then but the new man Rosell also looks to have made it a priority of signing Fabregas. Since the time Guillem Balague reported about the now non-existent meeting, Barca and Gunners fans have been at loggerheads. One can understand the paranoia of the Arsenal fans as they were bombarded with the news that their Captain was on their way out. Not only the Spanish media but the English one also went overboard reporting the transfer rumours. But at times and now at all times, it has become into a full fledged hatred to anything represented by the Spanish Champions. At times you are left wondering about the nonsense views they are bringing out simply because of Barca's pursuit of Fabregas. I myself does not approve of this stupid chase, as I wrote in my last post - Barca Losing the Bigger Picture in Cesc Chase. But having said that I clearly oppose many views expressed by Arsenal fans in recent times. I am trying to aggregate what I felt about those views.

1) If Somebody has to take the blame, then it has to be Fabregas
This is something which always annoyed me while visiting an Arsenal blog. Every Gunner fans puts the blame squarely on the Barca management. But Fabregas is the biggest culprit here. He could have silenced everyone by making a clear cut statement regarding his stay at Arsenal. His statement always is pretty vague and you can define those the way you want. Following the recent nonsense prank of being forced into a Barca shirt, he down played the incident but gave a statement like this about his transfer saga - "I think now the less said about the subject the better, because these things are worse for everyone when they come to light and people talk more about the matter. Right now we have to be very calm and what will be will be." Now what is that? I mean what should one get out of the "what will be will be" statement. Barca management is going to see that as an encouragement to pursue him further. Can't he just say that he is an Arsenal player and will remain so for atleast one more year. The case will close at that moment. Arsenal fans and club would do themselves a favour by trying to understand what is preventing him from issuing such a statement.

2) Fabregas is a player produced by Arsenal and the Barca DNA thing is crap
This always have been another bone of contention between Barca and Arsenal fans. Arsenal fans always considered him as the one whom they developed, whereas Barca fans have a different point of view. Fabregas made a choice to move away from FC Barcelona as there were serious doubts about playing time at Barca. Lionel Messi was earmarked to bigger greatness than Fabregas and it was clear that Cesc has to wait for his oppurtunity. Fabregas developed into the great player he is at Arsenal under the wings of Wenger. But that doesn't give any Arsenal fans the right to ridicule the value of work done at Barca academy. Don't say to me that - Wenger found this kid in the streets of La Rambla and felt pity on him and took to Arsenal. He was higlighted as the next big thing after Messi in the Barca academy. So the Barca DNA thing, eventhough it might be a bit overrated is not crap. Having said that I am not hiding away from the fact that Arsenal played a vital role in his development into a class player. So the idea that he should be loyal to Arsenal does not sell, but loyalty to his job definitely is something they can ask.

3) Barca Players are Overrated, now this is what I call nonsense
A recent visit to any of the Arsenal blog's comment section would give a clear picture of how the Arsenal fans consider our players as a bunch of overrated players. The most funny comment I saw went something like this - "Once the new kids from Arsenal academy emerge in the next year, they will piss on Messi, Xavi and Iniesta". How true!!!!!!!! What can you call these kinds of statements. Lionel Messi is way ahead of his peers at the age of 23, but the idea that he is nowhere near Samir Nasiri, Walcott and Vela is something that I can't digest. May be I am badly in need of a different perspective. Messi has been constantly compared to the great legends who played before him so considering him as crap is undefinable. Arsenal fans may have some reason to be upset by Xavi as he has been the most vocal in demanding the transfer of Cesc. But that cannot be used to justify ridiculing his talent and his role in both Barca and Spanish team. He is the heart of both the teams. So is Iniesta. Arsenal fans who ridicule Iniesta tend to forget that Fabregas was Aragones' first choice earlier. Iniesta slowly made it into the starting line-up and haven't given up on that since then. He offers complete unpredictability in that midfield. The simple fact that Fabregas has failed to displace either Iniesta or Xavi from Spain's national team definitely gives you the answer. Maybe Aragones and Del Bosque both are fools. The hatred to a club cannot be justified for expressing real stupid views.

4) Fabregas was the reason why Spain won
This is another one. It is completely understandable that we all rejoice and highlight the contribution of our favourite players. Every fan is biased and I am also no exception. That is the reason you would see more of Iniesta's and Xavi's contribution in my World Cup report and less of Casillas and Ramos'. Fabregas played an important role in the final creating the goal which Iniesta finished. Arsenal fans were also quick to point out a gold gilted chance created for Iniesta which he squandered. But surprisingly there is no mention of that wonderful throughball which put Fabregas through on goal. Iniesta has been the most consistent Spanish player in whole of the tournament and had a direct contribution in majority of the goals scored. Xavi who was not upto the mark in the earlier matches played really well in both semi-final and Final. So claiming that Fabregas was the real reason for the triump is way overrated. I would have accepeted if he had come in for any of them and then created the goal. But the fact that Fabregas combined well with both Iniesta and Xavi should give Arsenal fans some trouble.

There is no doubt that this transfer nonsense has been dragging for more than what was needed. Everyone knows the end result of this. It is crystal clear that Fabregas is not leaving Arsenal this time around. But it looks like Barca will continue this as a ground work to signing him next year. Whether we need him or not, is another matter altogether. Until and unless Arsenal ask Fabregas to issue a definitive statement this issue is going to continue worsening the relationship between both the clubs. Already Arsenal fans are hoping for Real Madrid coach extracting revenge on Barca on their behalf. Quite Strange to see many Arsenal fans praying for Jose Mourinho's success, am not sure that they are praying that much for their club's success(just kidding).

For Heavens Sake , Stop this Fabregas Obsession

The first time watching this picture, there is only one question that comes to mind - Was This Necessary? It was not only unnecessary but also was pretty much cheap. The picture shows the level of obsession with Cesc Fabregas signing in the club squad itself. You expect Pique to do these kind of things as he is known for playing pranks but not from Puyol. Let's hope he was quite high in celebration and issue an apology soon or atleast a note of regret. What was Reina aiming to achieve by announcing cesc as the future of "the future of Barça, the future of Spain" is quite difficult for me to digest. Looks like it was a prank played by the team mates on Cesc, whatever it was absolutely stupid for FC Barcelona captain to get involved in this. The constant Fabregas transfer rumours has created a huge rift between the two clubs, and this action is not going to be viewed lightly in London.

For me this obsession to sign Fabregas amounts to madness. He is not going to come cheaply but the more important question is whether Barca absolutely needs him? I mean in Iniesta and Xavi we have the most brilliant midfield pair and to accomadate Cesc we have to shift Inietsa upfront. That's something which I strongly disapporve with. Iniesta is no traditional midfielder. He is kind of a floater and his unpredictability make the Barca midfield twice as dangerous. There is no doubt that Cesc is of top quality, but Xavi who is the heart of Barca and Spain had shown no signs of degrading in near time. Jonathan Dos Santos and Thiago have shown good talent and we can wait and watch they emerge as excellent mifielders. If they don't then we can go for Fabregas as a replacement for Xavi, but hopefully Xavi should play at this level for atleast another two years.

In all this obsession with Cesc, the management might be overlooking some essential position which need immediate reinforement. The first one is a replacement for Henry, who could compete with Pedro for a starting place. Second and the most important is the need to sign a quatlity holding midfielder. In all this non-sense we may once again forget to get the necessary reinforcement. Last season the obsession was to get rid of Eto'o (Guardiola, knows why!) and thsi season is to bring the kid who got away. It would be good to complete all the transfer before the team leaves for South Korea for pre-season friendlies. The first of pre-season friendlies will happen against Valerenga in Oslo. Guardiola also have to make sure that both xavi and Iniesta does not make any of those travels. Both have recently returned from injury and a gruelling World Cup campaign(in which everyone kicked Iniesta). A bit of rest could be what they need at the moment.

Liverpool transfer targets for the Summer 2010

New boss Roy Hdgson has taken over the rain as Rafa Benitez left the club and joined European Champions Inter Milan. Now Liverpool wont be playing Champions League next season and that is something which is a concerne for them in case they need to buy new players. Their are huge speculations that Torrs and Gerrard will surely leave the club and Yossi Benayon has already joined Chelsea. So the situation at Liverpool is kind of difficult to by new players as they are not playing Europ's premium compitition.

So Here some of the potential Tranfer Targets for Liverpool:

Joe Cole: A free agent
Roy Hodgson is desperate to sign while he will face tough compition from Spurs and Man Utd for the signature of the highly rated start who's negotiations for a new contract broke down over the wage demand with chelsea.

Bryan Ruiz: (FC Twenty):
FC Twente got him for a bargain last summer, and £12.5m would be a bargain for Liverpool. Ruiz is very good and only getting better. So if they can sign him up that will be a good prospect for them in coming season.

More Updates coming up Shortly.

Guardiola to Convince Toure to Stay

Two day ago this deal was almost done and there was no ambiguity about the same. The Club management has secretly confirmed that Toure will be moving to Manchester City adding 25 Million to Barca's coffers. Actually there were rumours that the money from Toure deal will be used to fetch Cesc Fabregas. The best things about Transfer Sagas are that it goes berserk when everything appears to be normal. Now it looks like Guardiola is in a last ditch attempt to convince the big Ivorian to stay at Barca. For the record, Toure always wanted to stay but with a Guarantee that he will see regular first team action.

What prompted Guardiola to take a U-turn is still unclear. Guardiola has always for some strange reason preferred Busquest ahead of Toure. But it looks like the recent form of his primary target to replace Toure - Mascherano could be the reason behind an attempt to convince him. Toure had been a pretty utility player, who can play as a centre-half, a holding midfielder and even as an attacking midfielder. Now all this will be on the hands of Rosell to negotiate and I honestly hope he stays for the good.

Fernando Torres on Rosell's Radar

From the moment Sandro Rosell was elected, Fernando Torres became the primary transfer target for FC Barcelona ahead of Cesc Fabregas. This doesn't mean the club is not interested in securing the signature of Fabregas. It is rumoured that Rosell is having a great friendship with Torres and he can use recent turmoil in Liverpool to bring the former Athletico Madrid striker to Camp Nou. Many Barca fans have questioned the reasoning behind going for Torres as we have both Villa and Ibrahimovic in the team. But there is a growing belief that Ibrahimovic may make a move away from Camp Nou before the transfer market closes. But still signing Torres could have it's pros and cons.

Barca's usual playing style has a lone striker upfront and two wingers flanking him. In that background signing Torres could be a huge gamble. But yesterday's Spain vs Honduras clash showed that David Vill is very much comfortable in playing on the left as he is on the centre. This could be the idea the management will be looking to follow. Or even better we may follow a formation adapted by Diego Armando with two strikers ahead of Lionel Messi. BUt whatever is the plans of the Barca management, Liverpool has for now stamped a value of 50 million for their star striker. That should keep Rosell and his boys off for the time being. But we have to wait and watch to see what happens next.

Robben and Mata on Barca's Radar

Finally it looks like the FC Barcelona management has realised the need to find a replacement for the aging Henry. All of this summer's transfer saga has been around Cesc Fabregas. As I have written earlier Fabregas to Cost 80 Million, Barca were looking like losing focus of the bigger picture. But the latest set of rumours emerging is good news for Barca, which clearly shows an effort to strengthen the front left of attack. If the reports are to be believed, then FC Barcelona is trying to secure the signing of either Juan Mata of Valencia or Arjen Robben from Bayern Munich. It looks like both interest are in some early stage and we may have to wait and watch how these evolves. It is also to be seen whether these will have any effect of the attempt to sign Cesc Fabregas. I have earlier written an article the pointing out the benefits in signing Robben instead of Ribery, a target for Barca for sometime. The major benefit at that time looked like the price but now it is becoming clear that Bayern will not let Robben go cheaply.

Barca may have to shell around 40 Million to get the signature of Arjen Robben. That puts Mata as the ideal choice for Barca. Mata's buy-out clause is close to around 30 million and Barca will be expecting to sign him for less than that. David Silva, meanwhile another target for the same position could be very costly as Manchester City, Manchester United and Real Madrid has expressed interest in the player. The benefit with Mata is that he is pretty young and has shown immense talent. But Robben as I written in my earlier post, offers someethings Barca don't have at this moment. His long range strikes could be very handy against teams who crowd the box with players. Both these players have played in the past for Real Madrid, Robben in the senior team and Mata in the youth and Castila.

Manchester United Transfer Targets for Summer 2010

Sir Alex Ferguson will be looking to strengthen his squad during the Summer Transfer Window, Last season they could not win Premier League no the Champions League and he must think of getting two or three players to compete against the likes of Chelsea and Man City in the League and High spending Barcelona and Real Madrid in European premium Competition. There are some names linked with United already and that includes:

De Rossi:
Roma midfielder Daniela De Rossi is the one who is strongly linked with United, though United face competition from Real madrid to sign him he might end up at Man utd as he hinted about a move away from Roma.

Klaas Jan Huntelaar:
Milan are expected to cash in on the Dutchman this summer, with Benfica confirming their interest last night but Ferguson is a admirer of the Player and might bring him to Old Trafford to partner Rooney up front.

Luiz Suarez:
After scoring 45 goals this season he is linked with whole loads of big name clubs around Europe and Just like young Ruud Van Nistelrooy he might be going to United as Ferguson prefer young strikers.

More to come soon:

Rumours, Rumours Everywhere, not a single one to Believe

Ain't it quite strange? When I wrote the match report for the Valladoid vs Barca match, many here thought that ideally would be my last post for the next two months. With my experience with previous transfer season, I knew that wasn't the case. The truth simply is that the real entertainment off the pitch starts the moment the transfer window opens or in other words when the season ends. Usually in a World Cup year, the transfer market usually heats up after the Showpiece event. But this time it has become hyper active much earlier. FC Barcelona should be blamed for setting the fire with their early pursuit of David Villa and Cesc Fabregas. They didn't wait for Real Madrid to inflate the market and started their business from the very next day after their La Liga defense. Already huge war of words are going between Arsenal and Barca fans all over the web for their pursuit of Cesc Fabregas. As I wrote in my earlier post, At 80 Million, Fabregas Deal Better Be Dead, the entire Cesc Fabregas story has shot up after Spanish Journo, Guillem Balague has suddenly reported about Fabregas expressing his interest to return home. The entire Spanish media based in Barcelona and the likes of Sid Lowe, Martni Samuel from England helped in raising the story to enormous proportion. The truth still remain that all these are mere specualtions and nothing has been clarified by any parties. Arsenal fans are rightly feeling being targetted not only by Spanish Journalist but also those from their own countries. At this moment nobody can say anything about this one and we may have to wait and watch.

Ridiculous Rumours linking Rooney and Torres To Barca has Emerged

The fun watching how a transfer window develop is the fantasy associated with it. Otherwise how will you explain the emergence of the strange rumours about Barca's attempt to sign Rooney and Torres. The Rooney story emerged the very next day after our capture of David Villa. The story describes how Barca is readying a 80 Million Pound to bring the England international to Camp Nou. Quite strange isn't it, as if we already don't have a crowded house for the centre forward position. Now as if that wasn't enough some dead brain in England has suddenly dreamt about a 70 Million offer from Barca to sign Torres. If all these stories comes true, we may have to change the formation to 3-2-5 to accomadate all these stars.

With all these non-sense stroies flying around, you may find it difficult to recognise the genuine ones. One genuine story recently emerged is the 17 Million offer for Yay Toure by both Chelsea and Manchester City. I seriously doubt whether Chelsea will go for him with Essien and Obi Mikel in their squad. But Toure in recent matches has shown a glimpse of his attacking talent but still he can't score to save his life. That looks like a decent developing story, even though that will see my favourite Toure moving away from camp Nou. But that is bound to happen. The Barcelona based media house, SPORT looks like is determined to send Zlatan Ibrahimovic to England. They have started a serious of stories which links the Swedish striker to Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City. With their huge bank account, Manchester City looks like is a default participant in any Transfer deals. The Barca management has made it clear that Ibra is not going anywhere but that is never going to dissuade SPORT.

At 80 Million, Fabregas Deal Better Be Dead

With reports emerging from London about Arsenal slapping a price 80 Million pound, the Cesc Fabregas transfer saga has truly heaten up. Suddenly the great enthusiasm that surrounded the Barca Management regarding Fabregas has made way to caution. The recent comments made by sporting director, Txiki Begiristain is a testimony of the sudden realisation that this one is not going to be easy. Begiristain recently said "What counts here is Arsenal and what their decision is, because Cesc is a very important player for them. It is great news that he wants to come. Sometimes what players want does not happen ,they have contracts in force. I think that at some stage Cesc will come to FC Barcelona. I don't know when but I have the feeling that he is a Barcelona player and he would love to play here. But we have to respect Arsenal and the contract he has there." Now that's a sudden change in attitude as it was reported that the Barcelona Hierarchy recently gave a "Now or Never" ultimatum to Cesc Fabregas. Now there is a realisation that Arsenal will do whatever needed to hold on to their captain and it's essential not to irritate the Premier League club.

It's been quite a drama since the day Barca won the La Liga title. Laporta, who is at the end of his tenure highlighted the need to complete the tranfer deals before the Show piece event in South Africa. A very wise decision, when you consider that after the World Cup the market will suddenly be inflated. Barca management highlighted Cesc and Villa as their primary target this summer. The David Villa deal was sure to happen as Valencia was looking to get out of the their financial mess. But from the begining Cesc Fabregas deal looked like a fantasy. It was difficult to understand why Arsenal will let go off their captain, who has four years left in his contract. Then came the twist, there were reports emerging rapidly from Spain and England about Cesc Fabregas expressing his wish to rejoin Barcelona. That changed the whole scenario, now suddenly it became something like "The Kid who got away, wants to come home". Barcelona suddenly sensed the oppurtunity to grab the player and made an offer which is reported to be around 35 Million Euros. With Arsenal putting a price tag of 80 Million pound, the deal looks like dead for the moment.

A price tag of 80 Million would be an attempt by Arsenal to ward off the Barca interest in the player. According to market experts, Arsenal may finally agree to a price around 50 Million. Now that raises some serious questions. Number one, Why should you pay that much for a player who may not even start in the present FC Barcelona setup. I am not saying that Fabregas, if signed will struggle to find first team action. He most probably will walk into the midfield and Iniesta will be pushed further up. The real question is "Is This necessary?" The last time we did something similiar was when we bought Henry, who naturally would have occupied Ronaldinho's position. The thinking at that time was either of Ronnie or Henry can play the centre striker role. How badly we were proven wrong. Henry settled into the team only after the exit of Ronaldinho explains the whole situation. The chances of Fabregas upsetting Iniesta or Xavi is very less, but at 50 Million could be a needless buy. The second and the more important question would be whether we are losing once again the bigger picture in the whole drama. As the squad stands at the moment, what we need the most is a player who can cover up for the front lef position. The position soon to be vacated by Henry. Pedro has done well in that position but we need a genuine match winner at that position. Pedro is too inexperienced. A David Silva, Mata or a Robben could be the ideal solution. If in the end we failed to land Cesc and get distarcted from filling the void, we could be in for some trouble next season.

Anyway one good thing that has happened is that we have entered the market much earlier this season, this will give us more time even if some deals fall flat. But you have to question whether it is a good thing to create so much fuss around a player, who could be crucial to Spain's ambition at the World Cup. The last thing Ve=icente del Bosque wants is an unsettled Cesc Fabregas in the team, who may find it difficult to concentrate on the pitch due to the actions off it. It's a good thing that the Barca Management is striving har to conclude the deal as early as possible. But it's easier said than none. Arsenal has demonstarted very clearly that they want to let go off their Captain. And this has all the recipes to become a prolonged saga. One could hope that this don't go the same way like last season's attempt to sign Villa. In the end Villa had a tough time winning back the loyalty of the Valencia fans. The last thing Arsenal would want is an unsettled Captain leading their side, so it's better for Arsenal to come out in the open and clarify what's going on. Meanwhile just gera up for more entertainment with this saga as the new twist is round the corner.

Barca close to Signing Villa and Cesc

If rumours emerging from Spain and England are to be believed, FC Barcelona is pretty close to completing the signing of David Villa and Cesc Fabregas. Joan Laporta has made it a priority to complete the signing of these two Spanish internationals before the end of his tenure. Actually Cesc Fabregas has expressed that he would like to see his future resolved before the World Cup in South Africa. If Barcelona based daily Sport is to be believed, then we most probably will sign David Villa by the end of the week. That may be a bit of exaggeration but Laporta himself have said that the negotiations with Valencia over David Villa is in an advanced stage. Mean while David Villa has learnt from last season's mistakes and is not revealing anything about his desire. He has stated that he will make a move away from Valencia only if the financial situation forces the club to sell him.

Meanwhile FC Barcelona has made an official approach to Arsenal for bringing back the Catalan boy, Cesc Fabregas. The initial reports suggests that Arsenal has slapped a price tag of 50 Million on their captain. But situation has changed a bit after a reported call made by Fabregas to Wenger, in which he has made the manager know about his desire to join back his childhood club. There is no way we can confirm these rumours. But the fact that even Guardian reported the story means there could be some truth in these stories. Remember it was Guardian's Sid Lowe who reported last season's Ronaldo transfer. But it is yet to be seen what will be the price tags. It's expected that David Villa will cost Barca around 40 Million euros and Fabregas also could cost somewhat similiar. There are indication that Toure could be involved in the deal for Fabregas. There are rumours that even Ibrahimovic could be used for Fabregas swap, but I can't understand the sense in such a move.

Why FC Barcelona should Sign Arjen Robben instead of Ribery?

In the second semi-final of this season's Champions League, Bayern Munich holds a slight upper edge after winning their first leg at home. No prize for guessing who scored the goal and who was declared the man of the match. Yes, indeed it was the Dutch star Arjen Robben, who once again overshadowed everyone in his team. It is becoming quite a habit for Robben to push this above average Bayern team to greater achievements. It was his screamer against Fiorentina, which put them into quarter final. Again against Manchester United at Old Trafford another sensational goal helped them to proceed to semi-final. Robben has once again started to show the great form and skill he showed at Chelsea. He has formed a lethal partnership with Ribery which has seen Bayern perform really well in Germany and also in Europe. Something they have failed to do in recent past.

Robben outshone Ribery in Recent Times

Frank Ribery has always been linked with both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Ribery himself have hinted that he would prefer a move to either of these clubs next year. But the more I see Ribery playing at Bayern Munich, the more I get impressed with Robben. I am not saying that Ribery is a bad player. He is one of the best available at this moment. But he has been constantly over-shadowed by the knacky dutch man in his team. A clear look at FC Barcelona squad will point out the positions we need to reinforce this summer. One of the most urgent requirement is in the front left position of a 4-3-3 formation. Henry is way past his prime and most probably will move to United States of America next year. The name constantly linked as a replacement for Henry is Frank Ribery. Ribery naturally should fit into that role and should be able to play well with this Barca side. Another player who is in Barca's radar is David Silva of Valencia, a more appropriate choice. Signing David Silva will give us options upfront and also in the midfield. But let keep Silva out of the discussion for the time being.

Ribery's Fitness will be a major concern

Real Madrid has always made their intesion clear on signing of Riberry. Ribery has not yet expressed his preference amongst the Spanish giants. But with a very highly injury prone history Ribery signing could become a double edged sword. If he is fit he will provide a great option for Guardiola, but the problem is his fitness. He has a history of getting injured easily, the best was in Euro where he went in for a challenge and got himself injured. Ribery has been good this season, but was largely overshadowed by Arjen Robben. Robben has proven again that he is a big match player. Real Madrid would be cursing the decision to offload him and Sneijder. In contrast with Ribery, Robben would bring in more options into this Barca side. He has one of the most prolific long range shots. He is not that bad with free kicks also. Being a dutch player, a liking to total football philosophy should naturally come to him and he is definitely quick.
He also can be used a free running winger upfront or in the midfield. At a year younger than Ribery and with Physic much larger, he could be in service for more time.

Signing of Robben, also has his risk factors. In Real madrid he was always known for his individualism. He would skip past opponents but instead of passing to his fellow team mate in great position will end up blasting the ball into the crowd. But Guardiola could reign in that tendency. He also has shown that he can shine at the presence of greater players, something he may have to do consistently if making a move to Barca. Compared to a Ribery, he would come much cheaper as Real madrid will not be there to inflate his prize. But the biggest obstacle for Barca (if they decide to opt for him) will be Bayern Munich. We have a great relation with Bayren and may not want to spoil that. Bayern looks like have receded to the fact that they may have to sell Ribery. That would make them hold on to Robben even more dearly. But Robben present a great option for Barca and looks like is in the prime of his career. We should atleast make an attempt to sign him.

Verbal Agreement Reached with Cesc Fabregas

Barcelona based Sports daily Sport and MundoDeportivo both has reported a story about FC Barcelona and Cesc Fabregas reaching an agreement about the players transfer. Joan Laporta, before his tenure expires is expected to bring the Catalan star back to the club. There were reports emerging from England about Arsenal writing to FC Barcelona to stop pursuing their Captain in public. Now the club has to negotiate with Arsenal for the players transfer in the summer. Arsenal is reported to be offering Cesc an improved deal which will see him becoming one of the highest earners in English football. Nobody knows which story is true and we may have to wait till the end of this summer to get an answer. Cesc Fabregas is reported to be increasingly frustrated about the lack of silverware at Arsenal.

The agreement says Cesc will sign a five year deal with Barca and will take home a salary less than Iniesta and Xavi. Now that will be again a bone of contention. Another problem for Barca will be how much Arsenal will be asking for their Captain. Many consider that a price tag of 60 million may be enough for bringing home Fabregas. Again all these reports could emerge as just imagination of some wild thinking media person. Anyway guys I am starting a poll to see where you all thing Maxwell should start against Atletico Madrid. He has never looked heabvily comfortable at Left Back this season. But against Getafe he was sensational on the right. So will it be good to use him at Right, as he was complementing Messi throughout the match.

UPDATE : Club has announced a statement clarifying that no agreement has been reach with Cesc Fabregas - FC Barcelona Announcement

Bojan Off To Arsenal?

Ok, the latest rumours that is doing the rounds in Barca circles are the possible move of Bojan to Arsenal in the January window. Arsenal has been plagued by injury problems for their attacking line-up and Wenger is rumoured to be looking to add Bojan to his squad as a soultion. Bojan has been having a tough time finding playing time under Guardiola as Pedro is the coach's favourite. He was considered the next big thing after Messi to come out of La Masia but his career has taken a downward spiral after that. It is very clear that he will make his move out of Barcelona by next summer. There was a report which suggested that he is not at all interested in a loan move. Now that comes as a testimony of how Guardiola treats players who was picked by some other managers. Bojan was interested in a loan move for this season, but looked to have talked out of it by Gaurdiola. But the manager does not clearly think high of him and looks like has only talked him out of a loan move as a precaution in the squad. The last time a young player who siad that he will not prefer a loan move was Giovani Dos Santos and it was a result of the way Guardiola treated him. But Giovani's career has taken a further downward spiral as he chose a wrong team to make his switch. English teams apart from Arsenal is not known to favour youngstars and it should be a lesson for Bojan before he makes the switch.

Another problem that is hurting Giovanni's transfer out of Totenham is the contract they made with Barca when buying him. The contract had a clause which is restricting Giovanni's sale. If he is sold in the first 2 years , Barca gets 20% of it and after that 10%, I believe that could be another reason that's hampering his transfer. Bojan has to be careful with these in the future. Arsenal at present might need Bojan but he has to look into the long term. Once the stars who are injured return back, he may find it difficult to find playing time there also. So a loan move to Arsenal till the end of the season may be good but a permanent move may not be that interesting for Bojan. Meanwhile Barca has clarified that they have not received any interest from Arsenal for Bojan. Let's wait and see how this story shapes. Meanwhile Txiki Begiristain has said that he has spoken to Yaya Toure's agent about his future. Nothing is clear apart from that the coach will call the shot.

Robinho and Kompany for Yaya and Puyol - This has To be a Joke

Goal.com reported a story which featured in Daily Mirror about a possible exchange deal involving Kompany and Robinho for Yaya Toure and Puyol. This definitely has to be a joke or an imagination of some disturbed mind. Howelse you can explain the exchange of one of the best defensive midfielder and defender for two players who are struggling to find a regular place in the Manchester City side. But there could be some deal involving Yaya or Puyol in next summer. For some insane reason I have always felt that Guardiola rarely appreciate the value of Yaya Toure. Maybe he does not think him to be a good player, but for me he is the best defensive midfielder along with Essien in the business. o I won't be too much surprised to see him leave in the summer, even though I will be really shattered. He is the best assurance our attack needs in the midfield. In the case of Puyol, Barca management has given him an ultimatum to complete the contract negotiation as soon as possible. Puyol's agent alleges that Puyol is not happy with his role in the side but I don't think Barca will let him go. Especially a new president will have a tough time expaining the departure of a player who has become the symbol of Barca around the world. On top of it, Puyol is a wonderful defender. He may not be the most tecnically brilliant defender in the world, but he one of the most effective. And the spirit he brings to this side cannot be replicated by anyone else.

Robinho is a player whom barcelona were interested in. He is seen as a good cover for our attacking talent. But again I doubt heavily; he has a history of under achieving and I doubt his tenure at Barca will be any less. But there is a high chance of we going for him, especially with Assistant Coach Tito Vilanova empahsising on the possibility of a January signing. Meanwhile there are reports emerging from team doctors that Gabi Milito is closing on fitness and he is expected to join his team mates in practice within weeks.

Do We Really Need Cesc Fabregas?

Ok, Arsenal fans could up in arms against me for posting this. But relax guys there is no chance of this completeing this season. But it is always good to have a debate on a subject which matters most to Catalans. Guardiola and Laporta both have made clear their hopes of signing the Catalan. Cesc Fabregas, naturally is a catalan and is a product of Barca's youth academy and therefore naturally will fit into Barca's scheme of things. But at reported asking of 45 million Euros, Barca management will stay away from him for atleast this year. Not because he lacks quality, but for that amount he will be an extra-vaganza. If FC Barcelona manages to sign Cesc back, it is not yet clear whether he will get a regular start. Many of the fans would disagree, I also agrees that he is of highest quality. Naturally if he has to start then we have to shift Iniesta to front left, competing with Henry. But is that a solution. I have earlier written a post of why the Xavi - Iniesta Duo is the best in the world - Andres Iniesta vs Xavi Hernandez; The Dangerous Duo. Now ideally we will not like to unsettle that combination. Fabregas and Xavi are similiar kind of players and moving Iniesta out of that midfield will take a lot of variety from that midfield. Just see how Spain struggled with the absence of Iniesta recently. Fabregas and Xavi relies heavily on giving those wonderful defense splitting passes but Iniesta is one of the most naturally gifted dribblers and provide the pace to the midfield and to an extend the surprise. That is why Iniesta and Xavi together is a great combination than Xavi and Fabregas. But also I believe that a Fabregas and Iniesta combination in the midfield will be as dangerous as Xavi - Iniesta duo.

Now that is what bothers me - Fabregas is the ideal replacement for Xavi. Xavi at 29 will have some more playing years left in him; Fabregas who is 22 will be an ideal choice for the future. But if we somehow sign him now I don't think we will be able to give him enough playing time that does justice to his talent. But then the real dileama is that he is the best replacement for Iniesta and Xavi available at this moment in the world. And with him available we will be able to rotate the midfield more and keep the little masters out of injury from long time. But then the real problem will be he may not get a starting place in the biggest matches, let's say a crucial El Classico encounter or a Champions League final. That is the reason why I believe we may not go for him at the quoted amount but at a lower rate around 30 million it is good to bring him back. Again there is a chance that by the time Xavi fades off we might have a suitable replacement coming from the youth setup. But for now I believe he will be best served at Arsenal but I don't see him staying there in the future.

Transfer express

Not a bunch of news this time:

• Xabi Alonso unveiled by Real Madrid.
  
• Arsenal folks says Cesc Fabregas isn't going anywhere.
  
• Didier Drogba signs extension with Chelsea.
  
• AC Milan boss says midfielder Andrea Pirlo is staying (for life?)
  
• Darren Bent move to Sunderland is done.
  
• As is Liverpool's acquisition of Aquilani.

All for now...

Credit The beautiul game for the find.

Has Eto Agreed To Leave Barca?

Reports are emerging from Spain that Samuel Eto has finally agreed to a 9 million Euro a year deal with Inter. There has been no confirmation from both the clubs but the players agent was recently quoted - that a deal is imminent. The whole saga of Eto - Ibra swap has taken some crazy twists recently. One media report suggested that Barca is ready to scrap the swap agreement and pay 75 million Euros for the Swede striker. That showed the desperation of Barca management to sign Ibrahmovic. With Eto agreeing to terms, this can be considered as the biggest signing of Barca history (it is still not clear whetehr Hleb is includede in the deal). Laporta earlier this season criticized Real Madrid for their extravaganza and inflation of the transfer market. He also recently defended the Ibra-Eto swap deal as nothing similiar to Madrid's transfer this season. But I am sorry to disagree with Laporta on this. Real Madrid with their purchase of Kaka and Ronaldo inflated the transfer market out of proportion. If the Ibra-Eto deal goes through we will be doing the same. Madrid atleast can justify that they have paid these enormous amount tow former WPOY. We can't even do that.

Samuel Eto has been an essential part of Barca's success for all these years - first with Rijkaard and now with Guardiola. It is not a huge surprise that he scored in both of Barca's triumph in Barca's greatest triumphs till date - the Champions league final in 2006 and 2009. With Eto one thing was guranteed - Goals. Ibrahmovic is a slightly different kind of player but more technically gifted. But he initially has to fit into the 4-3-3 formation we play so well. And with the price tag associated with him he has to score atleast 25 goals in league this season. Now that would be a huge expectation to live with. Many of the people point out that we have to change the team as we have won everything last season and they are firmly behind such a huge move. They all fear that not acting now will repeat the failure of 2006-07 season. But honestly how many of you have recommeneded to have Ronaldinho, Deco and Eto sold out after the 2006 Champions League final triumph? The truth was that Rijkaard lost it completely interms of discipline after that seasona and we basically paid for that. Still this deal could be good but the price of this is cannot be justified.

Another statistics that has been put forward to justify this deal was the aerial ability of Ibrahmovic. He was billed as Barca's potential answer to the Bus-Parking done by Chelsea this season and ManU a year before. Ibrahmovic is much better than Eto in air but I don't believe that he will be that good agaisnt the Chelsea and Manchester United defense. Last season I have watched the ManU vs Inter match and he looked impotent in that match. Maybe we can hope that maybe a one-off game. But he could be real threat when it comes to free kick. After the departure of Ronaldinho we were quite innefficient in this field and we could add another weapon to it by Ibrahmovic signing. Again then it is yet to be seen whether he will track back to help defense like Eto has done in all his times at Barca. It is quite surprising that Barca fans who yelled out at Madrid's huge signings weeks before is seeing this huge signing in a different angle. They justify this saying that it is essential for FC Barcelona at this point of time. But then it is quite surprising to see them crying foul at Madrid's signing as it was essenitial for Madrid to bring in major players after such a succeful season for their traditiona rivals.