Posts Tagged ‘transfer’

Football

Too late for Arsenal? David Villa told he can leave Barcelona by club’s VP

By Stefano on February 26th, 2013
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Here is yet another thing guaranteed to set Arsene Wenger’s teeth on edge this morning. After spending days chasing the player in the transfer window only to be told that the club wouldn’t let him go, it now transpires that Barcelona are willing to let David Villa leave.

Talk Sports is reporting that he will not be kept at Barcelona against his wishes, according to the club’s vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu.’

As you may remember Wenger was desperate to sign Villa in the window and it is pretty clear that Arsenal’s lack of firepower (and the not too clinical finishing from Gervinho and Giroud) might be the thing that prevents them from securing a Champions League qualification place.

Talk Sports says that

In an interview with BTV, Bartomeu said: “The coaches hope he is here next season but we will not retain any player that is uncomfortable. In that case, we will talk to him to seek a solution.”

So are Arsenal likely to renew their interest in Vila in the summer? I wouldn’t have thought so. He would have been a perfect fit at a time when the club had a very real (and still unaddressed) problem. Come the summer and Wenger will have a lot of other options to look at (Jovetić, Cavani, Benteke) and a player who is pushing 32 and has been wracked by injuries probably isn’t going to top his list.

He might want Champions League football too – and that may or may not be an issue for Arsenal.



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Football

Arsenal update: David Villa deal back on? Afellay targeted. Shaw going nowhere. Diaby back against City?

By Stefano on January 10th, 2013
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Barcelona President Sandro Rosell may have told Arsene Wenger that he is not prepared to sell Spanish international striker David Villa in the window. But it seems that hasn’t put the Arsenal manager off. Caught Offside is reporting that Arsenal are still engaging with Barcelona in discussions about Villa and want to sign another of their players.

Long term Gunners target Ibrahim Afellay is apparently back on Wenger’s radar and the club are said to be very keen on the versatile attacker who is currently on loan at German side Schalke. Afellay struggled in his first season at Barcelona though his loan period – which has yielded four goals in 13 games – has been slightly more successful. The player was also a key man in Schalke’s recent Champions League victory over the Gunners.

There are very few hard facts on the Caught Offside story, so make of that what you will. But Afellay has been on Wenger’s radar for a while and could be picked up relatively cheaply. And as for Rosell’s pronouncements on Villa, how many times have clubs, especially Arsenal, gone back on their word when the right deal came along? We’ll have to wait and see.

Another of Wenger’s targets is happy to stay where he is for now anyway. Southampton’s highly rated left back Luke Shaw told the club’s website he is staying put.

“I’ve spoken with the chairman about a long-term plan for me at the club and just to end all speculation, I will be committing my future to Southampton.” 

“I’m not going anywhere. I think Southampton is the place to be for young kids like me.

“I’m playing in the Premier League in the first team and that’s what anyone wants to be doing and I just want to carry on doing that.

“If you look back, you’ve had Ads [Lallana] come through the youth system, and now he’s captain of the first team. Prowsey [James Ward-Prowse] has just signed a new deal and that’s what I want to be doing.”

Finally Arsenal’s injury-prone midfielder Abou Diaby played 65 minutes of the club’s most recent Under-21s league game without any reaction from his thigh problem. He may even make the squad to face Man City at the weekend.

Pic Wikipedia



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Football

Wesley Sneijder on his way to London? Spurs favourites, but don’t rule out Arsenal

By Stefano on December 26th, 2012
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There have been some interesting rumours about Inter Milan’s Dutch playmaker in the last few days. His wife recently tweeted

“We are about to emigrate. It should happen in early January and we are looking for a nice place for our family.”

Though she did retract the tweet soon after.

Now Italian journalist Tancredi Palmeri has told TalkSPORT that Tottenham have agreed personal terms with Sneijder.  The Mirror has the story too. The rumour is likely to spark interest from Arsenal , whose manager Arsene Wenger reiterated yesterday that he was only interested in buying expectational players. Wenger has been keen on Sneijder before (he apparently talked to Inter about the player twice in the summer), but was unable to make a move for him because of lack of finance and the fact that Sneijder allegedly had ongoing issues with Robin Van Persie.

Sneijder would be available now at the cut price of £10 million – considerably less than the £24 million Arsenal secured for another 29 Robin Van Persie.

Whether the Spurs deal goes ahead depends on if the two clubs can thrash out a value for the player for the player and that other clubs don’t come in with bigger offers. Sneijder is thought to favour a move to the Premiership and apparently fancies living in London.

The only huge question mark hanging over the story is that Spurs are currently not in the Champions League and although they are in the mix to qualify this year, there is no certainty that they will finish in the top four.

Oh, that and the fact that he is paid £200,000 a week by Inter, a figure that neither of the London clubs would match.

Pic PA



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Football

Are Chelsea now favourites to land Theo Walcott?

By Stefano on December 18th, 2012
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So the Theo Walcott  transfer saga rumbles on in many ways over shadowing everything else that is going on at The Emirates at the moment.

Last night the youngster got his wish and was started by Arsene Wenger as a central striker. Walcott scored one and looked a constant threat trying to latch on to balls from Santi Cazorla and Mikel Arteta. It is clear that Reading gave Arsenal way too much room to play their free flowing football and that naivety cost them dearly. Still, Waclott seems a better bet in the striker position than Wenger’s other winger turned poacher Gervinho.

Wenger has once again called for Theo to sign a new contract and BBC Radio Five Live were reporting that insiders think that the issue of signing a contract is about to come to ahead this week.

If Walcott doesn’t sign then Goal is reporting that the club in prime position to secure the signature of the England player is Chelsea. In an article this morning here’s what they had to say.

Liverpool, the two Manchester clubs and Juventus are all on Walcott’s trail but they all fall short in one notable area.

“Location is key for Theo,” said one source well acquainted with the 23-year-old’s situation. “He is settled in the South East and would prefer to stay there.”

The article suggests that Walcott will stay at The Emirates until the summer and then sign for The Blues.

The sticking point for Walcott could be his insistence that he wants to play as a striker. Were Benitez to sanction the deal Walcott would run the risk of being frozen out of his preferred position if Benitez’s successor has other plans.  It would make a lot more sense to wait until the Chelsea choose a new manager before signing. Choosing to play as a striker will also scupper moves to the Manchester clubs who both arguably need wide men as they are well stocked with front men.

So where do you think Theo will be next season?

 

 



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