It would appear that Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry's days at Villa Park are now numbered.
His agent Alex Black, told the BBC that Barry has plans to play Champions League football next season. He has apparently informed Villa boss Martin O'Neill and it now looks certain that Liverpool will continue with their barely disguised interest in the England man.
O'Neill will still be desperate to keep Barry but it will be difficult if the player has come to a decision. O'Neill has been critical of Liverpool's interest, but it looks as though he might lose out.
Liverpool are keen to partner Barry in midfield with his England colleague Steven Gerrard and have declared their interest publicly, much to O'Neill's fury.
It was reported that Liverpool had a previous bid of £12million rejected by Villa who are said to be looking for at least £15million.
The asking price could just prove to be a problem for the Anfield Club as Rafa Benitez has gone public on his club's website to say that money will be tighter than he had hoped. Presumably this as a result of the childish and embarrassing feud between the owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
"If we had a lot of money to spend it would obviously be better," Benitez said, "But if we don't, it doesn't matter.
"It is not about buying the most expensive players, it is about buying the right players and we can sell some players to get the others we need. We have the spine of the team and we just need others in other positions."
Monday, July 14, 2008
barcelona confirm clear out
New Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola has announced his arrival by confirming that the big three of Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o and Deco are free to leave the Camp Nou as none of them form part of his plans.
In something of a surprise, Guardiola confirmed that he was looking to buy a new striker to partner Thierry Henry. Many people had thought that Henry may be on his way out of the club after an unimpressive first season during which he became a target for some of the fans.
He has continued to disappoint in Euro 2008 (written prior to the France v Italy game!) and hasn't really produced the goods for a couple of seasons.
Guardiola said, "We will look at the possibility of bringing in a winger, but if we don't that's fine. The priority is a number nine, we need one to complement Henry and Bojan. I want the three to feel like first-team starters."
It is rumoured that midfielder Deco could join his Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari when he becomes the boss at Chelsea next season, while Ronaldinho has been linked with Milan, Chelsea and surprisingly, even Manchester City.
Cameroon international striker Samuel Eto'o has also been linked with a move to Milan, but has many admirers in the Premier League, with Tottenham thought to be leading the chase if they lose Dimitar Berbatov.
Although all of this is just rumour at the moment it is impossible that any of three superstars would be unable to find another high profile club.
Guardiola has made it clear that from next season this will be his team and that he is not afraid to make big decisions. The position of these three players is untenable at the club and they have no choice but to move on.
unlucky cr7?
The tiresome Ronaldo saga rumbles on with the player undergoing surgery on his ankle today with reports suggesting that he could be out of action for up to six weeks, this on the very day that Real Madrid's unofficial press organ Marca predicted that Ronaldo would become their player. It hasn't happened and it seems unlikely that it will happen this summer with United refusing to (publicly at any rate) admit there's any chance of Ronaldo being allowed to join the Spanish club.
Ramón Calderón, the Real Madrid president tried to mount a brown-nosing charm offensive at the weekend when claiming that Manchester are "friends" of Madrid. Oh really? No surprise that the forgetful one never mentioned the fact that the Reds have reported Real to FIFA for alleged tapping.
The Spanish club have been stirring it nicely from the sidelines, though they have by and large been quite clever when allowing the press to do their bidding for them. Clearly this strategy has failed, because Calderón is now publicly being quoted on the matter, today he has told United that they should be proud that Real want our star player. Does Ramón Calderón realise how dumb this sounds? It's a bit like lobbing a hand-grenade into your neighbour’s garden and then shouting over the garden fence "we are still your friends".
It sounds like Ramón Calderón has become desperate to capture Ronaldo this summer, his club have been sending out very clear messages of intent to their supporters, hinting that it was only a matter of time before the player signed. However, it is looking increasingly likely that Calderón's clumsy big-footed attempts to walk all over United have failed, hence his stupid comments today.
Ramón Calderón and his god awful club need to understand that United are a massive club who do not take kindly to their star players being poached. There is a way of doing things, but as Fergie said recently, Real believe that they can ride roughshod over all. Let us hope that in this case it turns out to be unlucky number seven for Real Madrid and that Ronaldo reaffirms his commitment to United soon
Ramón Calderón, the Real Madrid president tried to mount a brown-nosing charm offensive at the weekend when claiming that Manchester are "friends" of Madrid. Oh really? No surprise that the forgetful one never mentioned the fact that the Reds have reported Real to FIFA for alleged tapping.
The Spanish club have been stirring it nicely from the sidelines, though they have by and large been quite clever when allowing the press to do their bidding for them. Clearly this strategy has failed, because Calderón is now publicly being quoted on the matter, today he has told United that they should be proud that Real want our star player. Does Ramón Calderón realise how dumb this sounds? It's a bit like lobbing a hand-grenade into your neighbour’s garden and then shouting over the garden fence "we are still your friends".
It sounds like Ramón Calderón has become desperate to capture Ronaldo this summer, his club have been sending out very clear messages of intent to their supporters, hinting that it was only a matter of time before the player signed. However, it is looking increasingly likely that Calderón's clumsy big-footed attempts to walk all over United have failed, hence his stupid comments today.
Ramón Calderón and his god awful club need to understand that United are a massive club who do not take kindly to their star players being poached. There is a way of doing things, but as Fergie said recently, Real believe that they can ride roughshod over all. Let us hope that in this case it turns out to be unlucky number seven for Real Madrid and that Ronaldo reaffirms his commitment to United soon
Riise to roma???
Liverpool's long serving left-back John Arne Riise is believed to be discussing a possible 6m euros (£4.75m) move to Serie A side AS Roma.
The AS Roma website states that the club have been given permission by Rafa Benitez to discuss personal terms with the 27-year-old Norwiegan international player.
Riise has been with the Anfield club for nearly seven years and has played his part in winning the FA Cup, League Cup and, of course, the Champions League.
Liverpool are refusing to comment on any transfer rumours but this one would seem to have some substance as Riise was generally second choice to Brazilian full back Fabio Aurelio last season who has established himself as the club's first choice left-back.
Riise has long been a target for AS Roma and with Liverpool unlikely to want him as first choice, they may well be happy to take the money.
Riise has been a great servant for Liverpool and has scored some spectacular goals. A magnificent strike against Manchester United at Anfield some years ago springs to mind. Unfortunately, he may well be remembered more for the goal he scored at the wrong end in this season's Champions League semi-final against Chelsea that may well have ultimately cost his side a place a in the final.
For such a great and loyal player it would be a shame to bow out on such a low.
berbatov to mu???
According the player's agent, Manchester United want to sign Dimitar Berbatov this summer, just like we reportedly wanted to sign him in 2006 before he moved to Spurs. So after two relatively successful seasons playing for the North London club, it seems that the Red Devils have rekindled their interest in the Bulgarian. It actually beggars belief that Berbatov chose Spurs over United, given Tottenham's lack of success over the last 20 years.
While there's question marks about the Bulgarian's choice of clubs, there's even more questions about his suitability to lead United's attack. Many observers say that he's more than a bit lazy, added to which there's been suggestions that he's prone to sulking - nothing particularly unique where footballers are concerned.
But what of his playing attributes, what exactly would Berbatov bring to the United squad that we don't already have? Certainly not pace - the Bulgarian would probably come third in a sprint with Rooney and Tevez. What Berbatov does well though is link the play around the penalty area, he's probably the best in the business in this respect, but Rooney also excels in this area.
When comparing United's existing strikers, Berbatov probably has more presence given his stature and he's certainly much more composed than Saha, for whom the exit door will surely beckon once the Bulgarian is signed.
Like Cantona before him Berbatov has that ability to find that killer pass, and like Eric he should thrive at Old Trafford, especially in the Premier League, but it will be interesting to see how well the Bulgarain does in Europe.
The only major stumbling block is the fee, quite why United should go beyond £20m is hard to justify, given that no other European club is likely to come anywhere near that valuation. Spurs, being Spurs will try to fleece the Reds and let us not forget them letting it be known via sources they'd have accepted a lot less for Carrick once the deal had been done for £18m....
Potential line-up and food for thought for Fergie on selection issues:
.................... Van der Sarr...............
Gary Neville (Brown).....Rio.....Vidic.......Evra
Ronaldo (Nani)...Hargreaves (Carrick).....Anderson (scholes)......Tevez (Giggs)
.............Berbatov (Manucho).......Rooney
That team has the potential to win the lot again next season.
While there's question marks about the Bulgarian's choice of clubs, there's even more questions about his suitability to lead United's attack. Many observers say that he's more than a bit lazy, added to which there's been suggestions that he's prone to sulking - nothing particularly unique where footballers are concerned.
But what of his playing attributes, what exactly would Berbatov bring to the United squad that we don't already have? Certainly not pace - the Bulgarian would probably come third in a sprint with Rooney and Tevez. What Berbatov does well though is link the play around the penalty area, he's probably the best in the business in this respect, but Rooney also excels in this area.
When comparing United's existing strikers, Berbatov probably has more presence given his stature and he's certainly much more composed than Saha, for whom the exit door will surely beckon once the Bulgarian is signed.
Like Cantona before him Berbatov has that ability to find that killer pass, and like Eric he should thrive at Old Trafford, especially in the Premier League, but it will be interesting to see how well the Bulgarain does in Europe.
The only major stumbling block is the fee, quite why United should go beyond £20m is hard to justify, given that no other European club is likely to come anywhere near that valuation. Spurs, being Spurs will try to fleece the Reds and let us not forget them letting it be known via sources they'd have accepted a lot less for Carrick once the deal had been done for £18m....
Potential line-up and food for thought for Fergie on selection issues:
.................... Van der Sarr...............
Gary Neville (Brown).....Rio.....Vidic.......Evra
Ronaldo (Nani)...Hargreaves (Carrick).....Anderson (scholes)......Tevez (Giggs)
.............Berbatov (Manucho).......Rooney
That team has the potential to win the lot again next season.
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