Sporting News and Events

You are viewing the archives of transfer.

Manchester City have openly been accused of trying to destroy the game of football with their money. This time, the accusation has come from the coach of FC Copenhagen, Stale Solbakken who team is Manchester City’s opponent in the UEFA Cup.

According to Solbakken he feels that by buying off new players at this stage is a waste of money which in turn would spoil the game of football. He was referring to the transfer window where City had just added on to their side players like Craig Bellamy, Wayne Bridge, Shay Given and Nigel de Jong.

Manchester City’s manager Mark Hughes believes that he needs to strengthen the team in order to avoid a situation where they needed an own goal from the opposition to gain victory. He further claimed his buying spree of players is to make sure the situation would not arise again like the last time. Manchester City has already played an exorbitant £32.5 million for the player up front, who has yet to perform in his Nike Mercurial Vapor IV FG football shoes at the same level for Man City as he does for the Brazilian national team. Morever, Robinho has been especially weak whilst playing teams outside of England where has scored only 2 goals for Man U.

Solbakken was not against buying off players but he was against the amount that was being offered which was incredible. He felt that these amounts that were being offered would definitely lead to football being destroyed over money. He accused them of just hiking the transfer fees just because they have the funds to do so. He placed an example of Wayne Bridge who was a little bit better than the players they already possessed.

Although it was not mentioned by Solbakken, but I think he was feeling the pinch that he could not afford to sign on Kaka.

The moves manoeuvred off the football ground can be as significant as the ones on it. There’s a referee to keep a tab on you and you can be carded yellow/red as per your offence. But what happens when the tactics employed off the field are questionable?

In a very surprising move Arsenal completed transfer of Russian international Andrei Arshavin from Zenit St Petersburg, a good 23 hours after the transfer window was officially closed. Arsenal’s claim that they only followed Leagues clause that allowed completion of transfer even after deadline (that was affected by bad weather) under certain conditions, has not found favour with many especially Aston Villa.

A remark by certain official suggesting some issues regarding paper work has not helped Arsenal cause either. But their chief executive, Ivan Gazidis has reiterated that, “everything was done before the deadline.”

As for Andrei Arshavin, he is very excited with the £15 million transfer. The Gunners coach Arsene Wenger is also looking very positive about the induction of new no 23 by claiming, “he is a versatile player with great experience, an exciting impact player.”

Arshavin has been shining for past couple of years now. He was member of Zenith team that won Russian Premier League in 2007 and UEFA in 2008. But what really got him noticed was his performance in Euro 2008 where he was named in the Team of the Tournament.

Though there is still lack of clarity on the length of the deal, what is obvious is that he won’t be part of Arsenal’s Champions League campaign this season for having played for Zenith in it already. So it might be awhile before we see Arshavin work his magic Nike Mercurial Vapor IV football shoes for Arsenal on the European stage, but Arsenal can definitely be happy that they managed to pick up such an elite player.

Fulham owner Mohamed Al-Fayed is particularly taken aback by the reported $147 million transfer offer that Manchester City is offering for AC Milan’s Kaka. Terming the offer as absolute madness, he called on the Premier League and Football Association to take strict measures so that such outrageous incident, which according to him apparently has potential to shake the very foundation of the football leagues in Europe, doesn’t take place in the future. The best way to negate such aggressive pouching by clubs is to impose transfer and salary caps, he sited.

Man City is believed to be in the advanced stages of the deal with Kaka. The player has apparently sought the advice of his father and adviser, Bosco Leite, to chalk out the nuances of the deal.

While interacting with BBC Radio on Sunday, Al-Fayed said that it is now in the hands of the Premier League and the FA on how they approach the matter so that it may not instigate other clubs to follow suite. Whilst there have been many other expensive offers in other sports, baseball’s Alex Rodriguez received a $250 million contract, and basketball’s LeBron James got a $90 million endorsement deal to promote his Nike Zoom Lebron 6 basketball shoes, the intended football transfer fee amount is still completely unprecedented. He further stated that it is high time the management walk from their slumber and understand the gravity of the situation.

He simply called the entire drama a complete nonsense, saying that no one player on his own can change the fortune of his team. He asked, if the club is so obsessed with this one particular player what about the rest of the team, the players around him. He didn’t shy away from terming it as one of the dark days of football.

Mohamed Al-Fayed, citing his own example said that money alone is not the cornerstone to build a great team. It may be mentioned here that though Al-Fayed, using his wealth and ambition, has managed to make Fulham a first tier team, yet despite his best efforts it is still struggling to establish itself as a major force.

AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti hinted on Friday that pressure is mounting on the club from Manchester City, who according to him are hell bent on signing Kaka. The coach said that there is no intention on his part to sell the player when the transfer window opens, and that he would love to see the player playing for the club for many more years. Meanwhile, he also acknowledged that the offer from Manchester City for the player is by far the highest that he has ever heard, and of course if it is finalized it will erase the record of the existing highest transfer by a long distance.

Speaking at his weekly news conference at Milan’s training facility he said that he believes dealings are under way and that it is pertinent for both the club and the player to reach an amicable solution so that both the sides can benefit from the transfer.

The deal for the Brazil playmaker is reported to be in the range of $150 million, while the entire offer could top $196 million. If City does manage to break through the ice, it will make a mockery of the world record set in 2001 when Real Madrid signed Zinedine Zidane from Juventus for $65 million.

The coach however refused to divulge details whether there is any certainty of the player accepting the offer, instead saying that it is now with the management to take the final call. Though he appeared optimistic that with or without the player the club is determined to go forward. So it is still uncertain whether or not Kaka will remain in Milan in his Adidas Predator Absolute TRX trainers. Moreover, the goals of the club are very much the same now than it was anytime before, Ancelotti stressed.

Andrei Arshavin has re-emerged as one of the most hotly pursued targets of Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, who seeks to strengthen his squad in a bid to turn around the fortunes of the club, which has been barren for the last four years without a major trophy to its name. Arsenal is expected to make some aggressive bidding for the player once the transfer season starts, and if betting pundits are to be believed the player can make upwards of £20m.

Zenit St Petersburg, the 27-year-old player’s present club has confirmed reports that the preliminary round of talks between the two involved clubs had taken place, and admitted that the current situation is such that the player in all likelihood would move out. Zenit coach Dick Advocaat said that he was aware of the Arsenal interest in the player, and that he was expecting the player to leave. Speaking about the player he said that, Arshavin is a class act and that he can practically play for any of the top teams of England. The coach further stated that he has already discovered a successor to the player to play for the club, in the form of Portugal forward Danny, a purchase he said was done keeping in view of the near certain exit of Arshavin.

Meanwhile, Arshavin has also confirmed his decision to join Arsenal and expressed the hope that the two teams will soon reach a pragmatic solution. All signs currently point to Arshavin lacing up his Adidas +F50.8 trainers in Holloway, but nothing has been confirmed. The transfer if goes on expected lines would be a rather interesting one as Wenger has always been reluctant to spend in the transfer window, though he has time and again stressed that he would change his mind for an exceptional talent. The only issue now is money, with Zenit valuing the player at £20m, while Wenger at the moment is ready to shell out only £15m.

Jermain Defoe is on the verge of signing an exclusive £15 million deal with his former club Tottenham, as talks reached a final stage with Premier League rivals Portsmouth, the player’s current club, who apparently has agreed to the advance. The player had only last year left White Hart Lane to join Pompey on a five year contract for a deal that would have fetched him approximately in the range of £12m.

Defoe was given a grand reception by the Spur fans when he arrived at the stadium complex before the match commenced, played between Tottenham and Burnley, won by the hosts 4-1.

The signing of Defoe will come as a relief to the club, but the club has still got some important formalities to maintain, as the transfer regulation forbids a player returning to his former club within a year. The rule is albeit a new one and has come into force to stop clubs from exploiting the loan system.

Senior football reporter Ian Dennis however believes that the transfer should not meet any problems considering that a sell-on clause worth about £4m by Portsmouth has been waived. He further adds that though the transfer package is £15m, the initial outlay is considerably low, connoting that the club needn’t have to announce the transfer conditions to the Stock Exchange. The striker is already familiar with Tottenham so he is not likely to need an extra conditioning, such as additional training like weight training with the Life Fitness Fit 3 multi-gym, before he is in top form with the club. Incidentally however, some Portsmouth fans have taken the transfer the wrong way, and threatened the player with menacing calls to his personal mobile phone.

The global economic recession is having an impact in every sphere, as its most recent victim apparently appears to be the European football market where transfer prices are likely to come down drastically. The transfer window is currently due in January but the mood is hardly an inspiring one as the economic turmoil has pushed many clubs to the brink of bankruptcy.

Even premier clubs like West Ham are facing the heat, with its owner facing bankruptcy due to the collapse of Iceland’s banking sector. Despite that the club has issued statements that it is not going to let go off its players for cheap, as it had spent a fortune acquiring them.

The likes of Manchester City, which is financed by the wealthy Arab investors, are also adopting a cautious approach and are unwilling to go on an unrestricted spending spree. Their manager Mark Hughes has insisted that the club will not make any decision in haste and that decision regarding purchase of players of the quality of Kaka and Lionel Mess, if any, will be done after doing a thorough research.

The recent wait and watch policy adopted by City speaks volumes about the unhealthy trend gripping the transfer market that is expected to be a part of the management policy in times to come. Manchester City it may be remembered broke the British transfer record to bring in £34.2 million Brazil striker Robinho on the last day of the September transfer window, while the club was on the threshold of changing hands with the Arabs taking charge.

Michael Owen has made it clear that he has no intention of leaving his current club, Newcastle, until the end of the season when his contract expires.

The announcement means that the player, who has scored nine goals in 16 games for the Magpies this season, is not up for sale when the transfer window opens next month and in all possibility will stay at the club until June to assist it in securing Premier League status and take a shot at the FA cup. The player though is free to move to a new club when his transfer obligation ends next year.

The player, who has been plagued with many a career threatening injuries throughout his career, arrived at the club on a reported transfer fee of $23.7 million (around £16 million) from Real Madrid in August 2005. Newcastle has earlier this month even approached the player to extend the contract by another three year and keep him at the club.

Ending the speculations surrounding him, Owen said that he is committed to the club until at least the end of this season. This means that for the time being, any Newcastle fans and owners of an Adidas 07-08 Newcastle away shirt, can rest easy. Furthermore, Michael Own said that he has informed the bosses about his reluctance to make any decision regarding his future until the end of the season.

He expressed the hope that his stand would create a positive vibe between him and the managers, and eliminate any scope of him being branded disloyal to the team. He further stated that playing for the club has been one of his career highlights, and that he enjoyed the team and the challenges that came with it.

There are also reports that Owen, who is reportedly paid around £120,000 a week, is keen to stay with the club with a pay cut.