Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to have a lucrative summer ahead of him amid news that he actually does have a secret contract! Speaking on Spanish radio, one of the Real Madrid directors admitted that the contract does exist, and will see Cristiano take home a massive pay-out whether he moves to Real or not.
One of the contract’s penalty clauses states that Manchester United's Ronaldo will receive around 30 millions euros if Real Madrid do not come in for him in the summer – making him a whole lot richer! On the other hand, if the transfer goes through and he ends up in Madrid, he will pocket a healthy signing-on fee as well as seeing his wages DOUBLED (and he gets to play for his ‘dream club’.)
One club that might be short of cash this transfer window is Liverpool – after they announced a massive £42m operating loss – much of it caused by the £21m in interest payments that the American owners forced onto the club. Rumours that Rafa Benitez would be adding to the Spanish contingent may well prove wide of the mark, with winger David Silva currently in talks with both Barca and Real, and striker David Villa expected to cost a lot of money!
Manchester City are still dreaming of a strike-partnership of Samuel Eto’o and Carlos Tevez, whilst their central midfield may be boosted by Xabi Alonso.
Chelsea have yet to start their spending spree, and are intent instead on securing the futures of their best players. Ashley Cole will be the first to sign on the dotted line, with Frank Lampard and John Terry set to follow suit to ensure that the Stamford Bridge side retain an element of Englishness.
With Bruce installed at Sunderland, and given a £60m kitty to spend, he’ll return to his former club to take Lee Cattermole to the Stadium of Light, before heading to the Spurs bargain bin and picking up Darren Bent. Tom Huddlestone and David Bentley will be out of the door to Aston Villa, whilst Harry Redknapp will also sanction the sale of Didier Zokora to Villareal.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Chelsea give up on Kaka
Another day, another truckload of transfer rumours, which is no surprise really given that there is no actual football to fill the back-pages of the papers with.
The Kaka saga looks like being concluded after AC Milan supremo Galliani admitted that they could not afford to pass up the offer of £70m for one player – and has already talked up a fresh start built around youngster Pato. Ancelotti has supposedly given up on signing the Brazilian for Chelsea, so will use his money on Franck Ribery and Valencia’s David Villa.
With Manchester City making a move for Samuel Eto’o, Ibrahimovich could be brought in by Barcelona to paper over the cracks. Eto’o is needed because Chelsea’s first signing this season is set to be out-of-contract City striker Daniel Sturridge, who is set to take home upto £50,000 a week in spite of having made only a handful of appearances in the Premier League.
Chelsea also want to sign old-boy Glen Johnson, possibly for as much as £17m, topping the £11m they paid West Ham for him when he was just a promising youngster. It seems that they have given up on Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor though, with the Togo international moving through the revolving door at AC’s Milanello.
Relegated Middlesbrough could be playing next season without Tuncay Sanli, with Rafa Benitez interested in ‘the next Yossi Benayoun’. The Reds have also been linked with Kevin Nolan, whose Scouse roots and hard-working approach could make him a useful understudy to Javier Mascherano.
Manchester United have decided that Fraizer Campbell and Danny Simpson are surplus to requirements, with both transfer listed.
Team-mate Michael Carrick appears to have jeopardised his international future by not telling the England set-up that he was unlikely to be able to play in the upcoming international rounds – there is no doubt he is injured, but he should have told Fabio Capello well before the Friday call-up deadline. Carrick looks to be recovering sooner than Owen Hargreaves, who is still unlikely to be ready for the new season in spite of spending the whole of the last campaign in plaster on the sidelines. Hargo has vowed to play again, but his career could yet be cut short.
The Kaka saga looks like being concluded after AC Milan supremo Galliani admitted that they could not afford to pass up the offer of £70m for one player – and has already talked up a fresh start built around youngster Pato. Ancelotti has supposedly given up on signing the Brazilian for Chelsea, so will use his money on Franck Ribery and Valencia’s David Villa.
With Manchester City making a move for Samuel Eto’o, Ibrahimovich could be brought in by Barcelona to paper over the cracks. Eto’o is needed because Chelsea’s first signing this season is set to be out-of-contract City striker Daniel Sturridge, who is set to take home upto £50,000 a week in spite of having made only a handful of appearances in the Premier League.
Chelsea also want to sign old-boy Glen Johnson, possibly for as much as £17m, topping the £11m they paid West Ham for him when he was just a promising youngster. It seems that they have given up on Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor though, with the Togo international moving through the revolving door at AC’s Milanello.
Relegated Middlesbrough could be playing next season without Tuncay Sanli, with Rafa Benitez interested in ‘the next Yossi Benayoun’. The Reds have also been linked with Kevin Nolan, whose Scouse roots and hard-working approach could make him a useful understudy to Javier Mascherano.
Manchester United have decided that Fraizer Campbell and Danny Simpson are surplus to requirements, with both transfer listed.
Team-mate Michael Carrick appears to have jeopardised his international future by not telling the England set-up that he was unlikely to be able to play in the upcoming international rounds – there is no doubt he is injured, but he should have told Fabio Capello well before the Friday call-up deadline. Carrick looks to be recovering sooner than Owen Hargreaves, who is still unlikely to be ready for the new season in spite of spending the whole of the last campaign in plaster on the sidelines. Hargo has vowed to play again, but his career could yet be cut short.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Kaka, Barry + other news
Kaka looks like he is on his way to Real Madrid! In perhaps one of the greatest returns ever seen in football, Florentino Perez, taking over as President once more, has managed to add Kaka to his list of captured Galacticos - this is the man who also broke the transfer records (and probably rules!) to sign Figo, Zidane, Beckham and Ronaldo! A reported fee of £65m will make the Brazilian trequartista the most valuable player in history, and may well call a halt to any chasing of Cristiano Ronaldo.
There is a chance that both Manchester City and Chelsea could steal in with a last-gasp bid, but neither club has the romance or history that the Madrid club offers. The move should trigger big moves in Serie A, with AC Milan looking to spend the money wisely to create a more youthful team. Robinho (unhappy at City), Nani and Anderson have all been linked to the Milan side.
Manchester United can be safe in the knowledge that Ji Sung Park and Nemanja Vidic are staying - both have come out in the Press to let the fans know - though it looks like Fraizer Campbell may be off to Hull City after a less-than-successful stint at Spurs. Having been knocked down the pecking order by the arrival of Danny Welbeck and Federico Macheda, Campbell may be returning to the Tigers, where he enjoyed a great season two seasons ago, leading them to promotion.
Barcelona look set to add to their world conquering team with Cesc Fabregas soon set to trade passes with Iniesta and Xavi in the centre-circle, and Zlatan Ibrahimovich adding some guile and zest to the front-line, in place of Thierry Henry.
Daniel Sturridge is now out of contract at Manchester City, which has prompted them to try and secure the signature of Carlos Tevez before the week is out. Gareth Barry has already joined the club, in search of Champions League football, and a few more useful additions by Hughes should make next season very, very interesting.
There is a chance that both Manchester City and Chelsea could steal in with a last-gasp bid, but neither club has the romance or history that the Madrid club offers. The move should trigger big moves in Serie A, with AC Milan looking to spend the money wisely to create a more youthful team. Robinho (unhappy at City), Nani and Anderson have all been linked to the Milan side.
Manchester United can be safe in the knowledge that Ji Sung Park and Nemanja Vidic are staying - both have come out in the Press to let the fans know - though it looks like Fraizer Campbell may be off to Hull City after a less-than-successful stint at Spurs. Having been knocked down the pecking order by the arrival of Danny Welbeck and Federico Macheda, Campbell may be returning to the Tigers, where he enjoyed a great season two seasons ago, leading them to promotion.
Barcelona look set to add to their world conquering team with Cesc Fabregas soon set to trade passes with Iniesta and Xavi in the centre-circle, and Zlatan Ibrahimovich adding some guile and zest to the front-line, in place of Thierry Henry.
Daniel Sturridge is now out of contract at Manchester City, which has prompted them to try and secure the signature of Carlos Tevez before the week is out. Gareth Barry has already joined the club, in search of Champions League football, and a few more useful additions by Hughes should make next season very, very interesting.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Chelsea set for Busy Summer
He's only been in his job for one day, but if you listen to the newspapers, Carlo Ancelotti has managed to judge each and every
Out go Carvalho, Alex, Ferreira, Deco and Kalou, and in
One person who won't be leaving his football club this season is Manchester United's Barry Moorhouse. He hasn't played any minutes for the Reds (not even in the reserves) but has been deemed irreplaceable. Barry is the man who goes out and fixes any problems that the players may have, in his role as 'Player Liaison Manager'. His role includes changing light-bulbs, fixing rogue Jacuzzis, and so much more. Patrice Evra has no qualms with calling him at any time of day, and Barry is always available for whatever domestic emergency has occurred.
The Carlos Tevez saga continues to develop, with agent Kia Jaroobchian spotted in
Newcastle United is set to be taken over by a group of Omani investors, which should give them the spending power to get out of the Championship at their first attempt. Michael Owen and Alan Shearer have decided that battling in the lower leagues is not for them, however, and will move on - Owen is tipped to lead Everton alongside fellow-crock Louis Saha next season, whilst Shearer may well be back on the MOTD sofa.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Ancelotti gives Chelsea edge on Kaka
Carlo Ancelotti has been confirmed as the manager of Chelsea! It's massive news, and not only will Chelsea get a four-times winner of the Champions League (twice as a player, twice as AC Milan's manager), they will also get a fantastic advantage in the Kaka auction, which is due to take place later this summer.
With Real Madrid's Florentino Perez already having name-checked Kaka as one of his future signings, Kaka looks like he will be on the move this summer. Change is afoot at AC, with manager and team-mates moving on, and Kaka will be sold to fund the freshening up of the squad. The question is whether Kaka will choose Real's unstable millions, or take a punt on a Chelsea side managed by the man who signed him from Brazil, gave him his first chance in European football, and has turned him into one of the best footballers in the world? Chelsea with Kaka and a few other attackers would be formidable.
Ancelotti's compatriot Roberto Mancini may well have touted himself for the Sunderland spot, but it looks like Wigan's Steve Bruce will be taking that hotseat. With £20m to spend, Bruce has a chance to build a team that can challenge for the top half of the table - with Lee Cattermole, Dean Ashton and Darren Bent linked to the Rokerites.
It may well be that Roberto Martinez, who used to play at the JJB stadium, will take over as Latics' next manager, but there are also noises linking the Spaniard to Celtic - arguably a much more attractive role, even if they are currently struggling to compete with Walter Smith's Rangers.
With the managerial merry-go-round just getting started, you would imagine that Sven Goran Eriksson will find a club in the Premier League, with Portsmouth looking the most likely option. That said, he has also been linked with the Real Madrid post, now that Perez is back in charge of the club, and could be the man to lead a new age of Galacticos, which may or may not include Cristiano Ronaldo, Antonio Valencia, and maybe even a certain world-beating Brazilian.
With Real Madrid's Florentino Perez already having name-checked Kaka as one of his future signings, Kaka looks like he will be on the move this summer. Change is afoot at AC, with manager and team-mates moving on, and Kaka will be sold to fund the freshening up of the squad. The question is whether Kaka will choose Real's unstable millions, or take a punt on a Chelsea side managed by the man who signed him from Brazil, gave him his first chance in European football, and has turned him into one of the best footballers in the world? Chelsea with Kaka and a few other attackers would be formidable.
Ancelotti's compatriot Roberto Mancini may well have touted himself for the Sunderland spot, but it looks like Wigan's Steve Bruce will be taking that hotseat. With £20m to spend, Bruce has a chance to build a team that can challenge for the top half of the table - with Lee Cattermole, Dean Ashton and Darren Bent linked to the Rokerites.
It may well be that Roberto Martinez, who used to play at the JJB stadium, will take over as Latics' next manager, but there are also noises linking the Spaniard to Celtic - arguably a much more attractive role, even if they are currently struggling to compete with Walter Smith's Rangers.
With the managerial merry-go-round just getting started, you would imagine that Sven Goran Eriksson will find a club in the Premier League, with Portsmouth looking the most likely option. That said, he has also been linked with the Real Madrid post, now that Perez is back in charge of the club, and could be the man to lead a new age of Galacticos, which may or may not include Cristiano Ronaldo, Antonio Valencia, and maybe even a certain world-beating Brazilian.
Friday, May 29, 2009
United to Offload Nani, Anderson & Kuszczak
With Manchester United's Champions League hopes smashed and dashed by a convincing Barcelona side, the papers are speculating on changes being made at the club. The Sun and Mirror both say that regular squad players such as Nani, Anderson and Kuszczak will be on their way out of Old Trafford, though the changes will be nothing like as dramatic as when Mark Hughes, Kanchelskis and Paul Ince left some years back.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked with Real Madrid once more - this time by Florentino Perez, who hopes that his new Galactico project will entice Ronny across. Ronaldo himself has refused to rule out the rumours - saying that he is tired, thinking about the Portuguese national side, and unsure of his future. Until Ronaldo decides to stay or go, Franck Ribery will continue to be mentioned as his replacement.
With Portsmouth joining Manchester City & Chelsea in the 'richest clubs in the world' category, more top-class players could be playing in the Premier League next season, though the south-coast side, like Abramovich's Chelsea, need to find a worthy head-coach before blowing their millions. Sven has been mentioned, along with Riijkaard, van Basten and Ancelotti.
Steve Bruce could be heading to Sunderland, with Elliot Short willing to give Roy Keane's former team-mate more cash, and the assurances that he won't have to sell his best players - in contrast to his time at Wigan.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked with Real Madrid once more - this time by Florentino Perez, who hopes that his new Galactico project will entice Ronny across. Ronaldo himself has refused to rule out the rumours - saying that he is tired, thinking about the Portuguese national side, and unsure of his future. Until Ronaldo decides to stay or go, Franck Ribery will continue to be mentioned as his replacement.
With Portsmouth joining Manchester City & Chelsea in the 'richest clubs in the world' category, more top-class players could be playing in the Premier League next season, though the south-coast side, like Abramovich's Chelsea, need to find a worthy head-coach before blowing their millions. Sven has been mentioned, along with Riijkaard, van Basten and Ancelotti.
Steve Bruce could be heading to Sunderland, with Elliot Short willing to give Roy Keane's former team-mate more cash, and the assurances that he won't have to sell his best players - in contrast to his time at Wigan.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Strach to Sunderland and other news
Is Gordon Strachan off to Sunderland?
Fresh from relinquishing control at one of the biggest clubs in the SPL, Gordon Strachan is on the managerial market at exactly the right time to capitalise on the relegation and promotion changes.
Sunderland's Ricky Sbragia has done just enough to keep the Rokerites up in the Premier League, but isn't going to be trusted to spend the £20m budget that will be created when Elliot Short takes full ownership of the club from Drumaville. Strachan has been proven to have a good track record in buying accomplished players, as well as having the tactical nous and man-management skills to lead a successful club. He would be exactly the kind of manager chairman Niall Quinn is looking for too - someone to attract talent to the club because of his name in world football.
With Newcastle United and Middlesbrough both possibly looking for someone to take over after failed campaigns, Strachan could be ending up in the North-East regardless of whether Sunderland offer him the role.
Newcastle fans can be bouyed by the fact the scorer of the goal that sent them down has decided he wants to continue at Newcastle. His wages may become a stumbling block, but at least to the fans Damien Duff is making all the right noises.
Other news from the papers centres around the Champions League Final, with the players of either side pushing their best-paid team-mate as being the very best in the world. Xavi and Iniesta insist that Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo aren't even comparable, with Messi beign in 'a league of his own'. Sir Alex suggested Ronaldo had the better physique, whilst Evra had said that he wouldn't swap Ronaldo for anyone, even though he's supposed to be tapping up French team-mate Franck Ribery to replace him for United next season.
Burnley won the 'Biggest game in football' - the Championship Playoffs - which should see Owen Coyle handed a large chunk of the £50m made from projected TV revenues in order to try and avoid the plight of West Brom, who went up last season only to drop straight back down on Sunday.
Fresh from relinquishing control at one of the biggest clubs in the SPL, Gordon Strachan is on the managerial market at exactly the right time to capitalise on the relegation and promotion changes.
Sunderland's Ricky Sbragia has done just enough to keep the Rokerites up in the Premier League, but isn't going to be trusted to spend the £20m budget that will be created when Elliot Short takes full ownership of the club from Drumaville. Strachan has been proven to have a good track record in buying accomplished players, as well as having the tactical nous and man-management skills to lead a successful club. He would be exactly the kind of manager chairman Niall Quinn is looking for too - someone to attract talent to the club because of his name in world football.
With Newcastle United and Middlesbrough both possibly looking for someone to take over after failed campaigns, Strachan could be ending up in the North-East regardless of whether Sunderland offer him the role.
Newcastle fans can be bouyed by the fact the scorer of the goal that sent them down has decided he wants to continue at Newcastle. His wages may become a stumbling block, but at least to the fans Damien Duff is making all the right noises.
Other news from the papers centres around the Champions League Final, with the players of either side pushing their best-paid team-mate as being the very best in the world. Xavi and Iniesta insist that Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo aren't even comparable, with Messi beign in 'a league of his own'. Sir Alex suggested Ronaldo had the better physique, whilst Evra had said that he wouldn't swap Ronaldo for anyone, even though he's supposed to be tapping up French team-mate Franck Ribery to replace him for United next season.
Burnley won the 'Biggest game in football' - the Championship Playoffs - which should see Owen Coyle handed a large chunk of the £50m made from projected TV revenues in order to try and avoid the plight of West Brom, who went up last season only to drop straight back down on Sunday.
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