January Transfer Window (Confirmed Signings And Rumours))

[Guest haze-e]

Mannone ove Scezzzzzney?Or has he gone on loan or suttn?

[TF S4DK]

On loan to Hull, and currently injured.

[BLACK VICTIM]

.

[Frank.]

Xavi: Cesc has Barca dreamFri, 28 Jan 2011http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/29012011/ ... dream.htmlSpeaking exclusively in an extensive interview to be broadcast on Monday night, the 31-year-old claimed that his fellow Spain international wants to return to the club where he was raised as a youth player before joining the Gunners aged 16. Fabregas, who won the World Cup last summer alongside eight Barcelona players, has long been linked with a move back to Catalonia, and he revealed before the tournament in South Africa that he would welcome the transfer but that the final decision rested with manager Arsene Wenger.Asked if Fabregas would one day play for Barca, Xavi said: "I believe so. I do, because it's his wish to do it. I believe in life your dreams are above all, and his biggest dream is to be back at Barcelona. Arsenal have to find a financial agreement with Barcelona but Cesc's dream - and he said it publicly - is to play and triumph with Barcelona. He's triumphing at Arsenal where he is captain, and he's still very young, he still has many years in front of him. He would adapt very easily at Barcelona. In fact, he grew up here in camp Barca, he has Barca DNA, and I would like to see him here. But it not only depends on us or him - it also depends on the clubs."Xavi, who was on the three-man shortlist for the FIFA Ballon d'Or along with team-mates Andres Iniesta and winner Lionel Messi, shrugged off talk that 23-year-old Fabregas would be his successor, instead insisting that the pair could replicate their international partnership at club level. He said: "It depends on when he will be coming. It will depend on my age. I don't know. I feel very good here now, and if Cesc comes I think we can play perfectly together like we do in the national team. I always say the same thing: my game is made of associations, and the more players with my style and my qualities that I have around me, the better it is for me."I hope we snap one of his legs in half when we play them.vile little c*nt.

[mp*]

I think Cesc is Xavi's son. Guys always chatting about DNA.

[Kompressor]

Why does that make Xavi at all vile. Cesc is his own man and do whatevr he pleases regarding his future, and all Xavi's really doing is stating what everyone else knows anyway. brush it off as just that.

[Guest Portuguese]

Ganso to AC Milan in the summer>>>>.Uncle Festa new transfer guru>>>>>

[Younger]

£70 million pound loss and you spend £70+mill on players...Madness.When the financial fair play rules kick in United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham will do well compared to Chelsea and Man City. So will we see clubs like City and Chelsea not making big signings in the summer?Shits still so confusing

[TF S4DK]

Rules come into play next season, but note their is leeway of up to 6 years from then to get your house in order, plu the mega rich can easily cheat.

[Guest FA23]

Ganso to AC Milan in the summer>>>>.Uncle Festa new transfer guru>>>>>

nice little post by tim vickery on ganso

ne of the many wonderful things about covering South American football is the opportunity to watch young talent bloom. Yet too often that process is interrupted prematurely, the player sold off to Europe at a dangerously early stage in his career.That is what has happened to Marcos Rojo, who made such an impact in the second half of 2010 as Estudiantes won the Argentine championship. Could this be the attacking left-back that his country have been looking for?I was hoping to draw some conclusions from the Copa Libertadores, South America's Champions League, which kicks off in a few weeks. Yet Rojo will not be participating following his sale to Spartak Moscow.Further north there is Fernando Uribe, the interesting centre forward in the Once Caldas side that has just won the Colombian title under former Manchester City assistant coach Juan Carlos Osorio.Uribe finishes well and is highly proficient at timing his runs to get behind the opposing defence. The rest of his game needs work. Could he show signs of development in this year's Libertadores? It seems not, as he looks set to join Chievo in Italy.European football taketh but European football can also giveth back. Some of those who struggle after moving too early come back across the Atlantic to regain momentum.A fascinating example looks like being Louis Angelo Pena, the most talented of the Venezuelan squad who played in the 2009 World Youth Cup. He looks set to join Caracas after failing to get much of a look in with Braga in Portugal.Pena, an attacking midfielder, is by no means the only South American playmaker to find it hard to make the step up - which brings us to the player whose progress will be watched most closely in 2011, Paulo Henrique Ganso of Santos and Brazil.A tall, elegant, left-footed number 10, Ganso is considered an automatic choice for Brazil after only one game for the national side. Some have talked of him as the best in the world in his position - which I find a bit worrying.Ganso - a left-footed Zidane? Photo: Getty ImagesNo doubt about it, the talent is there. This is a player who is strong in possession, with the vision to see the killer pass and the technique to play it. His team-mate, the similarly heralded Neymar, talks of Ganso as a left-footed Zidane - a lovely thought for football fans everywhere. But some context is needed before we start getting too carried away.There is the view that contemporary Brazilian football offers rich pickings for playmakers. Yet the country has struggled recently to produce attacking midfielders whose game is collective, who dictate the rhythm and bring team-mates into play with inspired passing.Meanwhile, a number of imports have caught the eye in recent years.In the 2009 Brazilian Championship, Dejan Petkovic, a 37-year-old Serbian playmaker, was the decisive player. At his peak, he did not make much of an impact on the major European leagues but his intelligence and quality were key as Flamengo won the title.Last year, it was a similar story with the Argentine Dario Conca at Fluminense, a little playmaker who had failed in his native land before starring in Chile and now Brazil. Another Argentine playmaker, Walter Montillo, has a similar biography to Conca and had a splendid campaign with Cruzeiro.These success stories can hardly be put down to coincidence. Instead, it would seem that the following conditions apply:With the defensive lines operating deep, the playmaker has time to pick his pass, the criteria applied by Brazilian referees gives him plenty of protection and he is surrounded by interesting options. For example, he can slip a ball through to the wonderfully athletic attacking full-backs that are a speciality of the Brazilian game.My cause for concern, then, comes from the fact that, so far, the pedestal on which Ganso is being placed is built of fairly flimsy material. He looked a fine prospect in the 2009 Brazilian Championship, though he found it hard to impose himself on a consistent basis in that year's World Youth Cup. His reputation, then, currently rests on his form in the first few months of 2010, when Santos won two titles.Indeed, he was outstanding - but in weak competitions. Of all Brazil's 27 state championships, the Sao Paulo one is the best. But that does not make it very good. A quiet consensus is growing in the Brazilian game that all these competitions do is clutter up the calendar unnecessarily. And the Brazilian Cup is essentially a consolation prize for clubs who have not qualified for the Libertadores.Last year's National Championship was when Ganso could have made the transition from promise to reality - as happened with Neymar. But a serous knee injury put him out of action. He returns this year to find that the tests will be much stiffer.First, there is the Libertadores, where, if the technical level is not always great, he will be set new tactical puzzles and the marking will be more robust. Then, in July, comes the Copa America, his first senior competition with the national side.I am optimistic that Paulo Henrique Ganso can meet these challenges. But as he gets ready for them and, in due time, for the move to Europe, I hope he is mentally prepared for the fact that the bar is going to rise.Denilson had the world at his feet but failed to deliver. Photo: Getty ImagesThis has not always been the case with young Brazilian talent that has been praised too much too early - and I fear that in the past I have added some grains of sand to unwisely constructed pedestals.The most glaring case is that of Denilson, the left winger who became the world's most expensive player when he joined Betis in 1998. I was carried away with his power and acceleration, tight dribbling skills and ability to score. But the player was clearly unprepared for the degree of difficulty that he was going to face, was blown off course and never came close to fulfilling his potential.Denilson was the better dribbler, so it would be wonderful if Ganso can pass his way out of the possible trap of premature praise.

[Guest Portuguese]

Great read thank you for bringing to my attention.

[TF S4DK]

Arsène Wenger would not have paid £35million for Andy Carroll - because he would not spend that much on any player.The England international was one of many big-money moves on a record-breaking transfer deadline day: Carroll left Newcastle for Liverpool to help £23million fellow new boy Luis Suarez replace Fernando Torres, who joined Chelsea in a British record £50million deal.Chelsea added a £25million centre back - David Luiz from Benfica - for good measure and Wenger admitted that he would not have considered such expensive signings."If you look at our transfer record, we have never spent more than £15m - that gives you the answer," he said. "We are in the market always because if a good opportunity comes up we will always take it, but we are not in a desperate situation."

[Guest Portuguese]

Milan next season will be a problem if they can add a GK/CB/LB.With Ganso going I wouldn't be surprised if Neymar transfers to Barca in the summer(especially with Rosell's love of Brazilians)

[Guest FA23]

Great read thank you for bringing to my attention.

check out his SA blog, its very good: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/

[MEIRELES.]

Guy oozes class.

[Flojo]

Sick of this guy and his high horse.When he was spending £13 million on Wiltord that was a relatively high fee at the time (amongst the top 15 that year) he wasn't so adverse to paying high fees for players.t's funny how his condemnation of high transfer fees has coincided with Arsenal's need to be financially prudent.I don't think Carroll is worth £35 million for the record.

[Guest Portuguese]

Thank you once again. He gets a lot of air time compared to what he used to with World Soccer Magazine.Never knew you was a fan of SA Football.

[LS]

Found this interesting :Am I a £35m striker?? I scored 24 goals helping my side win promotion back to the Premier League aged just 22. Then in my first season the top flight I bagged an impressive 15 goals by the end of January. This includes a goal against the reigning champions, another away at Arsenal and in a home win against Liverpool. My form earned me a England call up and made my debut in a International friendly. Am I am £35m striker?? No, I am Michael Ricketts, February 2002

[TF S4DK]

Heard that yesterday, however Andy Carroll is no Michael Ricketts.

[Guest Portuguese]

What was he like in that game?(I know its harsh to judge a player based on one game)What has he like after that game?I think he played well in that game and kept his form up he would of went to Korea/Japan and earned a move to Manchester United

[MEIRELES.]

Heard that yesterday, however Andy Carroll is no Michael Ricketts.

/gundam'loukie

[TF S4DK]

Sick of this guy and his high horse.When he was spending £13 million on Wiltord that was a relatively high fee at the time (amongst the top 15 that year) he wasn't so adverse to paying high fees for players.t's funny how his condemnation of high transfer fees has coincided with Arsenal's need to be financially prudent.I don't think Carroll is worth £35 million for the record.

Fam your taking it as a dig at Liverpool...I dont think Wiltord at 13m is comparable, as you just point out it was amongst the top FIFTHTEEN in that YEAR. Carroll is amongst the top TEN of ALL TIME and is the most expensive British footballer.Wenger answered cos we playing Newcastle & they lost Carroll (& Wenger wanted Carroll), his words would be way stronger if he was talking about Chelsea, as highlighted earlier in the week when he spoke on them.

[MEIRELES.]

Arsène Wenger has hailed the rapid progress of in-form Newcastle striker Andy Carroll. In his first full season in the Premier League the 22-year-old has been a huge hit. His all-round play and five league goals have prompted suggestions he is in the frame for a call up to Fabio Capello’s England squad, and the Arsenal manager isn’t surprised.“Personally, I have been highly impressed by him. He has presence, charisma, confidence,” said Wenger. “He is intelligent on the ball. I had doubts about him when I saw him one year ago but in the last year he has improved tremendously. "He has to show it over a longer distance but I'm convinced Capello will have a look at him. I believe he will be good enough to play for England.” And what does the Frenchman put this improvement down to?“Attitude, and by that I mean motivation, and intelligence are the two main things I see personally. When you are not highly motivated and not very intelligent your potential to improve is very limited.”

NICE ONE WENGAR. C/S for the 1st time EVER./Time has moved on. Clubs are now way richer then they once were and obviously the prices are inflated. This is all down to that scum of a team who wave the blue plastic flags and the FA for allowing them to set trends for teams like Shitty to follow suit. Carroll of now back then would be no more than 10m.

[Mr Q]

Notice Wenger's comment about his initial doubts about him a year ago. Much like others, but talks about the quick progress he has made. On Monday, so many people tried to make a big deal about West Ham turning him down in 2009.

[TF S4DK]

I just said Wenger liked him, we seriously enquired about him months ago... But Wenger would have never paid 35m, I dont think even Liverpool would have if they hadn't been stuck with their trousers round their heels in transfer pen.Wenger has a habit of doing this as he said the same on Rio, that Fergie paid 10m too much.Looking back now at that statement, Wenger looks a bit of a d*ckhead from a purely footballing sense (bit like Fergie looks a d*ckhead now for trying to say their no value in the market), just like If Carroll gives Liverpool, 10 years of service bagging hundreds of goals, it will be hard to argue that 35m hasnt been well spent.However if Carroll ends up like any Andriy Shevchenko at Chelsea, then we will all laugh for years...His comments are more damning for Arsenal fans in my opinion as its tells you he isn't really prepared to take on such a gamble.