Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samuel Eto'o have switched clubs, to FC Barcelona and Inter Milan respectively. Zlatan scored 25 goals with Inter, leading Serie A while Eto'o scored 30 and finished second in La Liga.
When considering this move at first, it just seems the two clubs swapped their most prolific strikers so they each could have a change of scenery. They scored similar amounts of goals, and the two players are only a year apart in age.
And then you realize that Inter Milan will get 46 million on top of receiving Eto'o (or so I've heard, I haven't been able to confirm this. I apologize if this is completely wrong). I consider Eto'o to be the more prolific scorer of the two. He also scored six times last year for the title winners in the Champions League, Zlatan scored only once. I also think Eto'o is the better all around player. So why Inter is getting money in addition to the better player (in my opinion) is beyond me.
Also, I see that Manchester City have finally had the sense to invest in their defense. They bought Kolo Toure from Arsenal today for a cool 16 million pounds.
Showing posts with label Transfer Nonsense. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Transfer Nonsense. Show all posts
July 2, 2009
Real Madrid Give up on David Villa
Real Madrid have already spent 94 million euros for Ronaldo, 65 million for Kaka, and now 35 million for Karim Benzema. Rumors have it that Franck Ribery wants in at the club, and he'll surely require a hefty transfer fee as well. According to Wikipedia (again, my ever reliable source for sports/soccer statistics), Real Madrid have already invested 209 million euros in this transfer window, while only receiving 10 million euros in return for players they've shipped out.
In a startling turn of events (I think at least) Real Madrid have showed they might actually be human by giving up their pursuit to sign striker David Villa. Real Madrid claim that they no longer need Villa for goals since their summer signings so far exceed the necessary requirements (no really...). But I find this as surprising...if they can afford him, why not try and sign him? Valencia needs the cash, and Villa would instantly become Madrid's best striker (over van Nistelrooy, Robben, Raul, Huntelaar...and yes, Benzema).
Will Chelsea or Manchester City now try and buy Villa? City certainly don't need another striker, but Chelsea have yet to make any noise in the transfer market yet. With Pato most likely not joining Ancelotti at Stamford Bridge and Drogba always seemingly on his way out of Chelsea, I wouldn't at all be surprised to see them try and bring him in.
In a startling turn of events (I think at least) Real Madrid have showed they might actually be human by giving up their pursuit to sign striker David Villa. Real Madrid claim that they no longer need Villa for goals since their summer signings so far exceed the necessary requirements (no really...). But I find this as surprising...if they can afford him, why not try and sign him? Valencia needs the cash, and Villa would instantly become Madrid's best striker (over van Nistelrooy, Robben, Raul, Huntelaar...and yes, Benzema).
Will Chelsea or Manchester City now try and buy Villa? City certainly don't need another striker, but Chelsea have yet to make any noise in the transfer market yet. With Pato most likely not joining Ancelotti at Stamford Bridge and Drogba always seemingly on his way out of Chelsea, I wouldn't at all be surprised to see them try and bring him in.
How well do you know your Soccer Trivia?
My recent obsession with sporcle.com has finally paid off. Today, a new quiz was added which tests your knowledge on the most expensive transfers in soccer history. Granted, this test is accurate as of today, and if Manchester City and Real Madrid continue to get their way, then this list will obsolete pretty quickly.
June 22, 2009
Manchester City and the Transfer Window
Here we go again.
Manchester City has picked up right where they left off in the last two transfer windows. But last year, while City bought good players like Shaun Wright-Phillips, Wayne Bridge and Craig Bellamy, none of them could be considered absolute world beaters (Robinho being the obvious, but lone exception).
This summer, City has only made two signings, yet the quality of player they are signing so far this summer as opposed to last has significantly improved. Gareth Barry is a regular England international at a position (central midfield) that is overrun with talent. Today, City announced that they had signed Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn for a cool 17 million pounds. Even with all of his injury problems last year, I rate him very highly.
Now enter Carlos Tevez, a transfer target for City who would dwarf any other signing that City could make this summer. His talents, when fully utilized, are tremendous. I think we got just a sniff of what he is capable of at Manchester United since he didn't receive consistent playing time last season. And he's only 25 years old - his golden years are still ahead of him. When it was announced that Tevez would not be returning to Old Trafford next season, the rumors immediately began to link him with United's crosstown rival. Chelsea have stuck their nose in as well, but all signs point to Tevez signing with City.
If Tevez does join Mark Hughes' squad, then I believe Manchester City's international appeal will surely be fulfilled. With his presence, City will finally be able to lure world class players like they failed to do last year with both Kaka and Ronaldinho. Their signings thus far have shown that they are already attracting a higher quality player than they were last year, and this serious interest from Tevez certainly would not have been possible from City's position last year.
Manchester City has picked up right where they left off in the last two transfer windows. But last year, while City bought good players like Shaun Wright-Phillips, Wayne Bridge and Craig Bellamy, none of them could be considered absolute world beaters (Robinho being the obvious, but lone exception).
This summer, City has only made two signings, yet the quality of player they are signing so far this summer as opposed to last has significantly improved. Gareth Barry is a regular England international at a position (central midfield) that is overrun with talent. Today, City announced that they had signed Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn for a cool 17 million pounds. Even with all of his injury problems last year, I rate him very highly.
Now enter Carlos Tevez, a transfer target for City who would dwarf any other signing that City could make this summer. His talents, when fully utilized, are tremendous. I think we got just a sniff of what he is capable of at Manchester United since he didn't receive consistent playing time last season. And he's only 25 years old - his golden years are still ahead of him. When it was announced that Tevez would not be returning to Old Trafford next season, the rumors immediately began to link him with United's crosstown rival. Chelsea have stuck their nose in as well, but all signs point to Tevez signing with City.
If Tevez does join Mark Hughes' squad, then I believe Manchester City's international appeal will surely be fulfilled. With his presence, City will finally be able to lure world class players like they failed to do last year with both Kaka and Ronaldinho. Their signings thus far have shown that they are already attracting a higher quality player than they were last year, and this serious interest from Tevez certainly would not have been possible from City's position last year.
June 19, 2009
Ronaldo > Zlatan Ibrahimovic > Kaka??
According to an official from inside the club, Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is better than Kaka, but not Ronaldo, meaning that if he were to be transferred, Inter would not accept a fee that was less than Kaka's. He is a very skilled player who led Italy's Serie A in scoring last year with 25 goals (Kaka had 16 from a midfield position and was AC Milan's leading scorer). Most people would claim that Kaka, a former FIFA world player of the year winner, is the better player. I'm not sure what Inter is playing at here. Maybe they're trying to make a dig at their cross-town rivals by claiming that Ibrahimovic is better than one of their best former players. Who knows.
According to this article, Ibrahimovic has attracted from Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona, and the first two clubs certainly have deep pockets with which to sign players. I personally don't know how much he's worth, but anyone who can do this is worth a fair amount of money in my book:
According to this article, Ibrahimovic has attracted from Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona, and the first two clubs certainly have deep pockets with which to sign players. I personally don't know how much he's worth, but anyone who can do this is worth a fair amount of money in my book:
June 17, 2009
Transfer Madness
Transfer season is in full swing, and apparently Real Madrid isn't feeling the recession pinch. Real Madrid is no stranger to big spending. When they shelled out 59 million euros (which roughly equates to $94 million), they broke their own record transfer record of 46.7 million euros ($75 million) for Zidane in 2001. And Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer fee of 80 million euros ($131 million) only a couple of days later ensured that Real Madrid would play their next season with the last two FIFA World Player of the Year winners, and they could also boast about having the three most expensive transfers in soccer history.
The transfer window officially opens in Europe on July 1st (meaning these players cannot join their new teams until then), and it closes on August 31st. That leaves a lot a time for clubs to make new signings. With several names being dropped as potential targets for clubs (David Villa, Didier Drogba, and Franck Ribery come to mind), the summer transfer window will continue to make headlines as club look to bolster their squads. Throughout the summer, I will be keeping tabs on this blog of the more significant transfer news. Who will Carlo Ancelotti try and attract to Chelsea this summer? What will Manchester United do with all the profits of selling Ronaldo? Will there be a firesale at relegated Newcastle? And so much more...
The transfer window officially opens in Europe on July 1st (meaning these players cannot join their new teams until then), and it closes on August 31st. That leaves a lot a time for clubs to make new signings. With several names being dropped as potential targets for clubs (David Villa, Didier Drogba, and Franck Ribery come to mind), the summer transfer window will continue to make headlines as club look to bolster their squads. Throughout the summer, I will be keeping tabs on this blog of the more significant transfer news. Who will Carlo Ancelotti try and attract to Chelsea this summer? What will Manchester United do with all the profits of selling Ronaldo? Will there be a firesale at relegated Newcastle? And so much more...
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