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It’s easy to be fooled by the hyperbolic nature of European sports journalism. I’ll admit, I’ve fallen prey to their siren stories suggesting that superstar talent may well be landing up at my favorite futbol club. In an industry that mirrors the quality reporting and integrity of The National Enquirer, English newspapers/tabloids/writers publish daily nonsense related to the varied and vast landscape of transfers, with limited sense or fact-vetting. In the interest of leveling the playing field, I thought it a good idea to give you all a rundown of what to expect, along with a brief summary of what has already transpired. Here are the 5 biggest stories that will captivate the press throughout the summer transfer season:
5. The Resurgence of Manchester City
Man City, along with their new found desire to buy everyone with a pulse, it seems, have been on a tear of late. After picking up Robinho, Nigel de Jong, Craig Bellamy, and Jo last season, the Abu-Dhabi backed club have secured the services of former Aston Villa skipper Gareth Barry (£12 million) and Blackburn Rovers striker Roque Santa Cruz (£18 million). After missing out on Brazilian ace Kaka last January, who opted to stay at the San Siro in the face of an astounding £100 million transfer fee, Manager Mark Hughes has pressed forward with his desire to capture the signature of wantaway Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez. For his part, Tevez has made clear that he is departing from Old Trafford where he was ‘not respected’ and is seeking weekly compensation in the range of +£100,000. Having already ruled out the possibility of moving to Liverpool, Tevez has narrowed the field to Citeh and London-based Chelsea. But with Chelsea unable to ensure Tevez ample playing time and a starting berth, it is looking increasingly likely that the Argentine will sign on with the Sky Blues for an estimated fee upwards of £25 million.
4. Tension at The Kop?
For Liverpool fans, this may be a summer to lament. Having suffered through another season sans-silverware, fans on the Merseyside might be forced to watch as their American-based ownership offloads players in an attempt to hemorrhage the internal financial bleeding. Having declared single-season losses in excess of £45 million, owners George Gillet and Tom Hicks may well be forced to shed excessive contracts and live within a limited budget, something that will not sit well with temperamental manager Rafa Benitez. For his part, Benitez has already secured the services of England International Right-Back Glen Johnson for £17.5 million, though it remains to be seen what else the Liverpudlians commit, even if rumors continue to abound that Valencia winger David Silva is on his way. With Real Madrid continuing to tempt players such as Alvaro Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso to the Spanish capitol, it may well be a matter of time before Benitez loses two of his more influential players. Furthermore, rumblings in London suggest Chelsea and new manager Carlo Ancelotti may well be preparing a massive £50 million offer for Spanish striker Fernando Torres, who recently pledged his long-term future to Liverpool. While Benitez may not want to part with his young superstar, he may very well be left powerless in the face of such an impressive offer, and his owners might take the bait. Meanwhile, Argentina International Javier Mascherano has been rumored to fancy a switch to Spain’s north coast, where he would ply his trade under the bright lights at Barcelona’s Camp Nou. A general chorus of players have suggested in local press that they find little pleasure working under the tempestuous Benitez, and particularly find his much-maligned rotation policy frustrating. With the failure of last summer’s big signing (Robbie Keane) fresh in their memories, Liverpool fans may be in for a difficult, and treacherous summer.
3. A Rebirth at Old Trafford?
It’s not entirely out of the question, given the new direction Manchester United find themselves facing. After offloading Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for a whopping £80 million, the defending Champions should have plenty of cash available to secure the services of some notable talent. Manager Alex Ferguson is a noted admirer of French-based Lyon striker Karim Benzema, though it remains to be seen if the player himself is willing to leave his home country a year before the World Cup resumes. As well, United are rumored to be interested in the services of French-based Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery, a built-in replacement for the flashy firepower Ronaldo displayed. For all the rumors that abound, however, United have continued to keep their feet on the ground, sticking firmly to their rigid transfer policy which, in short, indicates a refusal to spend upwards of £25 million on any players above the age of 25 (with Dimitar Berbatov the lone exception). The sole persistent rumor that continues to boil and may well become a reality any day now, suggests Wigan‘s Antonio Valencia would move to the club for a tidy £10 million. But am I the only one who feels that the Champs have little left they need to do in terms of restocking the shelves? They’ll welcome back a fully-fit Owen Hargreaves, offer a birth on the flank to Portugese International Nani, track the continued development of Anderson, Carrick, Fletcher, and Rafael da Silva, and still rely on the production of lifers Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand, and Ryan Giggs. As an added bonus, the departures of Ronaldo/Tevez ensure starting births through the center for Berbatov/Rooney, who will certainly relish the added freedom to create in front of the net. Expect United to make a push for a young goalkeeper, as the creaking knees of Edwin van der Saar suggest he may be put to pasture after the coming campaign.
2. Chelsea’s Italian Job
For incoming Manager Carlo Ancelotti, the lure of Champions League success will certainly drive his reshaping of the squad this summer. Having to follow in the footsteps of cult-icon and recently departed Guus Hiddink will be a chore, but the Italian has been equipped with an expansive transfer kitty, and the onus to secure some of the world’s top talent. While reports suggest moves for Tevez and Torres, Chelsea have continued to remain mum on the subjects. Rather, there have been reports that some of Ancelotti’s old counterparts in Milan would like to continue working with their former Manager. Notably, Italy International Andrea Pirlo and Brazilian ace Alexander Pato have expressed their keen desire to continue their working relationships, with confirmations from the Chelsea camp that talks are ongoing. Perhaps the best name available in the entire collection of talent remains Valencia‘s David Villa, who has continued to dance around the precise location he would prefer to play at next term. Reports continue to suggest that he could well be on his way to Real Madrid, while an official bid has been entered by Chelsea for an approximate £40 million sum. Spanish tabloid Marca (a Real Madrid newspaper) has recently scuppered the notion that Villa’s signature has already dried on the page, while unconfirmed reports emanating from Valencia indicate that the club’s hierarchy would prefer the player depart the Spanish league, fearing a massive revolt amongst their fans that their best player could well play for their biggest rival. With Valencia seriously teetering on the brink of financial collapse, there is increased pressure for a deal to be finalized in the coming days. While it’s hard to determine which way this will tilt, the expectation that Chelsea could win the race is clearly not out of the question. Outside of this move, Ancelotti will continue to trim the fat by discarding want away players (Deco, Shevchenko, Carvalho), and look to refocus the squad around a new formation. Chelsea will, once again, place their emphasis towards that illustrious Champions League crown, though purchasing players past their prime has clearly been a failed policy of the past three seasons. Ancelotti would be wise to pick his purchases carefully. With rumors circulating around Inter Milan‘s Maicon & Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Dymano Kiev‘s Yuri Zhirkov, Bayern’s Franck Ribery, and Milan stalwarts Pirlo and Pato, the summer could well be a major time in the club’s history.
1. Real Madrid
There’s not much that needs to be said outside of fact that they’ve exploded into the summer scene with two massive purchases (Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo). Seemingly every available player has been linked with the club, including supreme players such as Villa, Silva, Ribery, Maicon, Benzema, Ibrahimovic, Alonso, Torres…Pele, Maldini, Zidane. You get the idea. The club has been on the warpath to bring big-name players into the fold, and have made their ambition to return to the top of the mountain a key priority. I do feel that their two purchases so far have been good bits of business, even if they paid inflated prices for both players, they’ll more than double that in increased revenues from gate sales and merchandise. But the curious part going forward will be to see how a new coach will adapt with a squad of mega-stars, and how current President Florentio Perez will trim the fat, so to speak. There’s been reports that the Madrid Supremo has already faxed a list of available players to every major club in England, with said list including players such as Robben, Van Nistelrooy, Huntelaar, Sneidjer, Van der Vaart, Diarra, Drenthe, and Gabby Heinze. I forgot just how many Dutch players Madrid had! It’s clear though, that Los Blancos will have to unload some contracts before they can continue their summer splurge, even while they continue to suggest that David Villa and Franck Ribery are all but finalized purchases. My guess: Madrid will secure Ribery, Arbeloa, & Xabi Alonso before calling it quits for the summer, and will in-turn offload Robben, Huntelaar, Van der Vaart, Diarra & Drenthe.
