He's actually scottish but choose to play for ireland as it was his grandad's wish, which is a loss for us but great for ireland, can't really argue with circumstances unlike mcgeady's reason.
The Transfer Speculation & Discussion Thread
- Thread starter Milanista
- Start date
He's actually scottish but choose to play for ireland as it was his grandad's wish, which is a loss for us but great for ireland, can't really argue with circumstances unlike mcgeady's reason.
MadbaLL
Interista per sempre!
it seems inter is ready to part ways with cambiasso and milito.
apparently their salaries are too high for the club.
apparently their salaries are too high for the club.
amineken22
*****
- 9 November 2010
:C Cambiasso is an effin' legend, they shouldn't let him go so easily.
gerd
Retired Footballer
Good tongue in cheek article about the transfer period and the English last day frenzy (By Rafaël Honingstein on the Guardian website).
The game was up before transfer deadline day™ began in earnest in Germany: you know it's going to be the dampest of pretzels when the most exciting name on the DFL transfer list is Niko Kranjcar. The Croat's mysterious inclusion at lunchtime threw up the delicious possibility that Hamburger SV were maybe considering the installation of Harry Redknapp (with Felix Magath as director of football) but that nano-excitement waned a few hours later, when the realisation dawned that "top, top player" Kranjcar was of course Queens Park Rangers-bound, set to be signed for a third time by Harry. A t'riffic bit of business, no doubt.
In previous years, the shutting of the window has been so similarly nondescript that the whole phenomenon is yet to acquire its own proper German name, let alone a sense of occasion and tradition. But that is not to say that transfer deadline day™ doesn't have an impact. In fact, its popularity has been rising steadily, albeit for largely secret, largely unmentioned reasons that are quite different to those in the UK. It's chief and not-to-be-underestimated function in Germany is not unlike those played by Asterix comics, Benny Hill reruns and encounters with Her Majesty's subjects on the lash in a southern European tourist hellhole: reassuring confirmation that the English are (still) full-on, wrong-side-of-the-road-two-taps-on-the-sink bonkers.
The Bundesliga watched open-mouthed, with morbid fascination as leading clubs in the leading league of the world changed targets almost daily, pursued speculative bids that had little to no chance of succeeding and then embarked on their customary "last orders" scramble on Monday. The scenes after the final bell were pretty similar to those encountered by any frequenter of UK high streets after 11pm on a Saturday: a jumble of broken dreams, low-level crime – mostly muggings – and approximately 3.57 desperate, doomed hook-ups for every happily snogging, well-suited couple.
Now the (immensely self-satisfying) question going through every sensible, measured German's mind is just why the English love leaving it so late? Is it a basic misunderstanding of football business dynamics, the patently irrational hope that the best deals will be available shortly before the window slams shut? Macho-posturing has been mentioned in this context, but maybe a slavish adherence to the rules of engagement or the rather un-macho fear of being seen to break the rules are better explanations. No such procedural hang-ups exist in Spain, Italy or indeed good old Deutschland, where key transfers are often done by springtime, in blatant but also blatantly tolerated violation of the respective league's transfer regulations. Why waste time keeping up appearances when everybody's aware about the real game being played?
It's telling that recent calls for the transfer window to close before the Premier League restarts have found little to no echo overseas. Only the English seem to distrust their own passion for last-minute excess so much that they want to restrict themselves to an even tighter schedule. Two weeks' less speculation might make life easier for one or two managers but all it would do in the majority of cases is bring the binge-bidding forward. Imagine pubs kicking out punters an hour earlier. Will they drink less as a consequence?
In the more sober (and of course incredibly smug) confines of the Bundesliga, by contrast, the last few days demonstrated how the transfer period could be used to its fullest in its existing shape. Matchday four was dominated by two very different arrivals at two very different clubs who had come at very different times – but who have both made an instant impact.
Specimen A: Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Armenian scored two goals in Borussia Dortmund's 2-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt – the second one was a real beauty – and once again underlined the intelligent transfer dealings of the Jürgen Klopp-coached team. Despite some considerable pressure from their fans, who wanted an instant replacement for Mario Götze, and the manager, who insisted that new recruits should be in place by the time training started again at the beginning of July, the club calmly looked at half a dozen options before deciding on the elegant No10 from Shakhtar Donetsk. There were murky third- and fourth-party ownership issues as well as sizable competition but Dortmund got the deal done with minimal fuss over the course of 48 hours, for €25m-€27.5m, on 9 July. Signing the 24-year-old this early was crucial to Klopp's plans – the manager knows that new arrivals often take a few weeks to get used to his side's collective gameplan. Dortmund also couldn't afford to wait for various domino effects to kick in – they understood that the chance to get him was dependent on moving quickly.
Dortmund also made sure that Mkhitaryan would be schooled in Borussian ways by Mr Black and Yellow himself, Kevin Grosskreutz. Sharing rooms with the club's unofficial spokesman was probably the ultimate test of Mkhitaryan's adaptability. He passed with flying colours, by all accounts; even Grosskreutz's insistence on teaching him 20 classic clubs songs didn't make him doubt his decision to move to the Westfalenstadion. He knew he wanted to play for Dortmund ever since coming up against them with Shakhtar in spring, the player told with a broad smile, "they played so well that I thought: I want to play with them." Beats the usual "childhood dream" rhetoric, doesn't it? Klopp couldn't be happier, naturally. "He's even a bit nicer as a human being than as a player," said the manager, "that makes [working with him] very agreeable".
Will Jens Keller soon roll out similar compliments for Kevin-Prince Boateng, our specimen B? Maybe not. But then again, the Ghanian international wasn't signed for being a nice man, rather the opposite. Schalke had started the season poorly. They have quite a few injured players and were engulfed by a strange fog of lethargy. Worst of all, there was – and still is – a niggling sense that the manager, Keller, is too short of charisma and leadership qualities to power on a club that aims for the stars but often quickly resigns itself to its own, trophyless fate. Following on from the fairly embarrassing showing against Paok in the Champions League qualifier – the Royal Blues only squeezed through thanks to the inspired Julian Draxler – the sporting directorm, Horst Heldt, pressed the emergency button with the skull and bones logo. Boateng was flown into Gelsenkirchen on Friday morning and soon signed for a bargain €12m from Milan.
The 26-year-old was put straight into the side for the tricky home tie against Bayer Leverkusen, and the positive effect was immense. "It's as if the whole club has been changed," wrote Süddeutsche. Boateng's "bad boy" presence had indeed altered the equation completely. All of a sudden, S04 played with courage and verve, Leverkusen were swept aside. "Schalke needed power, dynamism, confidence and authority; a figure who scares the opposition," wrote WAZ. "All these things are delivered by Boateng." "We now have a real gangster gang," joked Felipe Santana, with reference to Boateng and the other tattoo-loving newcomer, Dennis Aogo (HSV).
It's hard to tell whether that love-in will survive his first red card or the next, inevitable managerial crisis at Schalke. But for the moment, getting Boateng in has at least allayed fears of a total meltdown over the coming weeks. His case wonderfully illustrates the importance of having the freedom to act in the transfer market after the season has started. Schalke got a perfectly good deal, to boot, even if they had to compromise a little when it came to Boateng's inner values. "Dortmund are my favourite club, I watch all of their games," the midfielder had told spox.com only a few weeks ago.
The game was up before transfer deadline day™ began in earnest in Germany: you know it's going to be the dampest of pretzels when the most exciting name on the DFL transfer list is Niko Kranjcar. The Croat's mysterious inclusion at lunchtime threw up the delicious possibility that Hamburger SV were maybe considering the installation of Harry Redknapp (with Felix Magath as director of football) but that nano-excitement waned a few hours later, when the realisation dawned that "top, top player" Kranjcar was of course Queens Park Rangers-bound, set to be signed for a third time by Harry. A t'riffic bit of business, no doubt.
In previous years, the shutting of the window has been so similarly nondescript that the whole phenomenon is yet to acquire its own proper German name, let alone a sense of occasion and tradition. But that is not to say that transfer deadline day™ doesn't have an impact. In fact, its popularity has been rising steadily, albeit for largely secret, largely unmentioned reasons that are quite different to those in the UK. It's chief and not-to-be-underestimated function in Germany is not unlike those played by Asterix comics, Benny Hill reruns and encounters with Her Majesty's subjects on the lash in a southern European tourist hellhole: reassuring confirmation that the English are (still) full-on, wrong-side-of-the-road-two-taps-on-the-sink bonkers.
The Bundesliga watched open-mouthed, with morbid fascination as leading clubs in the leading league of the world changed targets almost daily, pursued speculative bids that had little to no chance of succeeding and then embarked on their customary "last orders" scramble on Monday. The scenes after the final bell were pretty similar to those encountered by any frequenter of UK high streets after 11pm on a Saturday: a jumble of broken dreams, low-level crime – mostly muggings – and approximately 3.57 desperate, doomed hook-ups for every happily snogging, well-suited couple.
Now the (immensely self-satisfying) question going through every sensible, measured German's mind is just why the English love leaving it so late? Is it a basic misunderstanding of football business dynamics, the patently irrational hope that the best deals will be available shortly before the window slams shut? Macho-posturing has been mentioned in this context, but maybe a slavish adherence to the rules of engagement or the rather un-macho fear of being seen to break the rules are better explanations. No such procedural hang-ups exist in Spain, Italy or indeed good old Deutschland, where key transfers are often done by springtime, in blatant but also blatantly tolerated violation of the respective league's transfer regulations. Why waste time keeping up appearances when everybody's aware about the real game being played?
It's telling that recent calls for the transfer window to close before the Premier League restarts have found little to no echo overseas. Only the English seem to distrust their own passion for last-minute excess so much that they want to restrict themselves to an even tighter schedule. Two weeks' less speculation might make life easier for one or two managers but all it would do in the majority of cases is bring the binge-bidding forward. Imagine pubs kicking out punters an hour earlier. Will they drink less as a consequence?
In the more sober (and of course incredibly smug) confines of the Bundesliga, by contrast, the last few days demonstrated how the transfer period could be used to its fullest in its existing shape. Matchday four was dominated by two very different arrivals at two very different clubs who had come at very different times – but who have both made an instant impact.
Specimen A: Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Armenian scored two goals in Borussia Dortmund's 2-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt – the second one was a real beauty – and once again underlined the intelligent transfer dealings of the Jürgen Klopp-coached team. Despite some considerable pressure from their fans, who wanted an instant replacement for Mario Götze, and the manager, who insisted that new recruits should be in place by the time training started again at the beginning of July, the club calmly looked at half a dozen options before deciding on the elegant No10 from Shakhtar Donetsk. There were murky third- and fourth-party ownership issues as well as sizable competition but Dortmund got the deal done with minimal fuss over the course of 48 hours, for €25m-€27.5m, on 9 July. Signing the 24-year-old this early was crucial to Klopp's plans – the manager knows that new arrivals often take a few weeks to get used to his side's collective gameplan. Dortmund also couldn't afford to wait for various domino effects to kick in – they understood that the chance to get him was dependent on moving quickly.
Dortmund also made sure that Mkhitaryan would be schooled in Borussian ways by Mr Black and Yellow himself, Kevin Grosskreutz. Sharing rooms with the club's unofficial spokesman was probably the ultimate test of Mkhitaryan's adaptability. He passed with flying colours, by all accounts; even Grosskreutz's insistence on teaching him 20 classic clubs songs didn't make him doubt his decision to move to the Westfalenstadion. He knew he wanted to play for Dortmund ever since coming up against them with Shakhtar in spring, the player told with a broad smile, "they played so well that I thought: I want to play with them." Beats the usual "childhood dream" rhetoric, doesn't it? Klopp couldn't be happier, naturally. "He's even a bit nicer as a human being than as a player," said the manager, "that makes [working with him] very agreeable".
Will Jens Keller soon roll out similar compliments for Kevin-Prince Boateng, our specimen B? Maybe not. But then again, the Ghanian international wasn't signed for being a nice man, rather the opposite. Schalke had started the season poorly. They have quite a few injured players and were engulfed by a strange fog of lethargy. Worst of all, there was – and still is – a niggling sense that the manager, Keller, is too short of charisma and leadership qualities to power on a club that aims for the stars but often quickly resigns itself to its own, trophyless fate. Following on from the fairly embarrassing showing against Paok in the Champions League qualifier – the Royal Blues only squeezed through thanks to the inspired Julian Draxler – the sporting directorm, Horst Heldt, pressed the emergency button with the skull and bones logo. Boateng was flown into Gelsenkirchen on Friday morning and soon signed for a bargain €12m from Milan.
The 26-year-old was put straight into the side for the tricky home tie against Bayer Leverkusen, and the positive effect was immense. "It's as if the whole club has been changed," wrote Süddeutsche. Boateng's "bad boy" presence had indeed altered the equation completely. All of a sudden, S04 played with courage and verve, Leverkusen were swept aside. "Schalke needed power, dynamism, confidence and authority; a figure who scares the opposition," wrote WAZ. "All these things are delivered by Boateng." "We now have a real gangster gang," joked Felipe Santana, with reference to Boateng and the other tattoo-loving newcomer, Dennis Aogo (HSV).
It's hard to tell whether that love-in will survive his first red card or the next, inevitable managerial crisis at Schalke. But for the moment, getting Boateng in has at least allayed fears of a total meltdown over the coming weeks. His case wonderfully illustrates the importance of having the freedom to act in the transfer market after the season has started. Schalke got a perfectly good deal, to boot, even if they had to compromise a little when it came to Boateng's inner values. "Dortmund are my favourite club, I watch all of their games," the midfielder had told spox.com only a few weeks ago.
MadbaLL
Interista per sempre!
Mladen Petrić (free) ---> West Ham
signing today upon medical tests.
signing today upon medical tests.
gabe.paul.logan
Retired Footballer
Valerij Bojinov(Free) -> Budapest Honvéd
gonalois
KING OF LISBON
Per Kroldrup -> Olhanense 
elensar77
11 Abdul Kader Keita
Mancini >>> Galatasaray
gabe.paul.logan
Retired Footballer
the player or the manager?
elensar77
11 Abdul Kader Keita
Manager.
Roberto Mancini.
Roberto Mancini.
PIPA23
retired :)
- 21 June 2007
Reds ready for january move.
Liverpool have been cleared to sign Jeremy Menez in the January transfer window after he was kicked out of the PSG side.
http://sulia.com/channel/soccer/f/5a78e3b6-7a82-4c3e-b135-86460fc8f679/
Liverpool have been cleared to sign Jeremy Menez in the January transfer window after he was kicked out of the PSG side.
http://sulia.com/channel/soccer/f/5a78e3b6-7a82-4c3e-b135-86460fc8f679/
PLF
Legend
- 2 August 2004
Liverpool turning into a team of huge ASSholes!!
I watched Jeremy Menez make his debut as a teenager for Sochaux! Was a long time ago but seems likes yesterday. If I recall correctly, he scored a beautifully chipped goal over the goalie in a 1-on-1 breakway that day!
You could tell he's got 'special talent' right away. Unfortunately 26 years old and he never turned into a better footballer than just a 'good' one and that because of his HORRIBLE attitude!
He's very unprofessional, egotistical and at 26 years old, he's no longer a kid that you can hope will 'fix' himself up once he grows up. He's already grown up but he's a douche.
I'm glad to see Laurent Blanc is kicking him out of the team.
I watched Jeremy Menez make his debut as a teenager for Sochaux! Was a long time ago but seems likes yesterday. If I recall correctly, he scored a beautifully chipped goal over the goalie in a 1-on-1 breakway that day!
You could tell he's got 'special talent' right away. Unfortunately 26 years old and he never turned into a better footballer than just a 'good' one and that because of his HORRIBLE attitude!
He's very unprofessional, egotistical and at 26 years old, he's no longer a kid that you can hope will 'fix' himself up once he grows up. He's already grown up but he's a douche.
I'm glad to see Laurent Blanc is kicking him out of the team.
PIPA23
retired :)
- 21 June 2007
just like he did with Sakho? The more he is welcome to work under Rogers..you know they said Sturridge is selfish and bad attitude... the oposite is true right now..
PLF
Legend
- 2 August 2004
Sakho and Menez are completely different cases. If you've watched both for years, you know that.
Sakho is actually a mature guy and always was for his age. That's why he was even made captain as teenager! Professionalism wasn't his problem; competition with new buys like Thiago Silva was.
Menez on the other hand is a supreme talent who has horrible attitude and always has had. He's been a spoiled brat since he was a teenager and not much has changed at all!
Anyway, I don't care about these things but I do notice them all and it's worth mentioning. Regardless of consistent unprofessional behavior, I think Menez will be a good pickup for Liverpool or any other team because the price is very low for a player with such great technical skills!
Sakho is actually a mature guy and always was for his age. That's why he was even made captain as teenager! Professionalism wasn't his problem; competition with new buys like Thiago Silva was.
Menez on the other hand is a supreme talent who has horrible attitude and always has had. He's been a spoiled brat since he was a teenager and not much has changed at all!
Anyway, I don't care about these things but I do notice them all and it's worth mentioning. Regardless of consistent unprofessional behavior, I think Menez will be a good pickup for Liverpool or any other team because the price is very low for a player with such great technical skills!
Last edited:
amineken22
*****
- 9 November 2010
Laurent Blanc didn't kick Sakho out of squad in fact he wanted him to stay, Sakho chose to leave because he wanted to play more so he can win his place back in the NT. Like PLF already said he's a very mature player and was captain at PSG since he was 17! Sakho was one of the few peoples that actually belonged to that team, watching him leave was heartbreaking...
gerd
Retired Footballer
In the end this might turn out to be a problem for Liverpool.
I completely agree with PLF about Menez' attittude. He does behave like a spoiled brat and has underachieved massively.
I completely agree with PLF about Menez' attittude. He does behave like a spoiled brat and has underachieved massively.
M.-A. ter Stegen (Borussia Mönchengladbach) -> FC Barcelona
Source @Sport1 (quotes radio station Cadena Ser)
Source @Sport1 (quotes radio station Cadena Ser)
amineken22
*****
- 9 November 2010
That'd be dumb, haven't we learned enough from Enke's venture?
gerd
Retired Footballer
I've read the book about Enke. He was certainly bought as first choice GK. But Van Gaal and De Boer killed his carreer and arguably him too...i'm sorry if this sounds harsh...
PS: still the best sports book i've ever read...
PS: still the best sports book i've ever read...
ThomasGOAL
Retired Footballer
- 15 March 2003
Victor Valdes (FC Barcelona) ---> AS Monaco (official in January for June 2014)
amineken22
*****
- 9 November 2010
A bit curious about this, What's the title? I'd like to give it a read myself.
gerd
Retired Footballer
Robert Renke, ein allzu kurzes leben
Written by Ronald Reng
The book is translated in English.
I belive the title is Robert Renke, a life too short.
Written by Ronald Reng
The book is translated in English.
I belive the title is Robert Renke, a life too short.
amineken22
*****
- 9 November 2010
Thanks, I'll look for it
PIPA23
retired :)
- 21 June 2007
Valencia want Tiago Ilori on loan to replace Adil Rami.
http://www.express.co.uk/sport/foot...er-Liverpool-s-Tiago-Ilori-January-exit-route
could be a good move for all, Valencia, LFC and Ilori who needs to play.
http://www.express.co.uk/sport/foot...er-Liverpool-s-Tiago-Ilori-January-exit-route
could be a good move for all, Valencia, LFC and Ilori who needs to play.
PIPA23
retired :)
- 21 June 2007
Liverpool are considering a January swoop for forgotten Manchester City striker John Guidetti.
http://metro.co.uk/2013/10/24/liver...e-for-manchester-citys-john-guidetti-4159749/
http://metro.co.uk/2013/10/24/liver...e-for-manchester-citys-john-guidetti-4159749/
Kanouté
#NewEra
- 26 April 2008
do hope it happens. guidetti have to get his chance someday. quality player.
Godotelli
Stroking Silva's Hair
It's not a case of him not getting a chance. He's only just completed his first week back in training after a terrible illness. I'd be very surprised if we sold him. Loan him? yes. Sell? nope.
If he's still the same player he was I expect him to replace Dzeko in the squad when the Bosnian is sold (almost certainly to Dortmund)
If he's still the same player he was I expect him to replace Dzeko in the squad when the Bosnian is sold (almost certainly to Dortmund)
PIPA23
retired :)
- 21 June 2007
realy? i read Dortmund are after Jackson Martinez..