Manchester United; Cambiasso set for Old Trafford?

Word reaches the IBWM inbox this evening regarding a favourite of this site; Inter Milan's Esteban Cambiasso, and a bid from Manchester United.

No sooner has Uncle Roy Hodgson sorted somewhere to get his car 'looked after', then he finds that the English press have already decided who will be arriving at Anfield....and who are already heading for departures.

"Just a pound....and it will be ok?"

First up, the Daily Mirror have plumped for Rafa Beneitez making a raid on his old club with a bid for midfield destroyer par excellence, Javier Mascherano, with Uncle Roy receiving brer Cambiasso and a leather holdall full of Euros.  Plausible, maybe.  Masch, as regular viewers will recall IBWM likes to refer to him, may well be on his way out of Liverpool this summer and there is clearly a queue of potential suitors across Europe.  Uncle Roy will certainly have his work cut out should any tapping up occur over in South Africa; with a sizable transfer kitty unlikely to be sitting in the managers office at Liverpool, it may well be that the offloading of one of Torres, Gerrard, or Mascherano will be the only money raising option available.

Lot of ifs, buts and maybes there, but then it is silly season so please excuse IBWM
indulging this one.....with good reason.

After all, these swap deals are never likely to happen....it's always far more likely that another club steps in, buys one player in a certain position, that frees up cash and wages and we get the whole domino effect.  But that's not going to happen here is it?  is it?

Good evening, Manchester United.

Now I'm never that taken in with 99% of transfer stories that do the rounds, but the intelligence that IBWM has received on this one, direct from Italia, did not have the word FACT in bold at the end of each sentence.  That's enough for this correspondent.

Looking at this objectively, there certainly looks to be some mileage in this.  Cambiasso is not yet 30, but is as good a defensive screen as you will find anywhere.  Instrumental in Inter's treble winning season, Cambiasso was a huge favourite of Jose Mourinho, with many observers suggesting that the former Chelsea boss would look to take the (prematurely) ex-Argentine international over to Madrid.  But with other players, such as Maicon, looking to be a bigger priority for the special one, who will be looking to a more expansive style in Spain, Cambiasso was set to see out the remainder of his contract - till 2014 - at Inter.

But it's Cambiasso's closeness to Mourinho and the fact that he was so influential to his former gaffers Inter side that makes IBWM wonder.  Benitez will want to put his own stamp on Internazionale; following a treble winning season, Rafa has nowhere left to go.....other than to insist Inter do it again, but better.  

So with this in mind, a move for Mascherano, a younger and  - in the eyes of El Diego - slightly better player than Cambiasso could be on the cards.  But someone will have to pay for that.

I read today that Alex Ferguson likes to plan years in advance, and having just missed out to Chelsea in the race for the Premier League this year, the Manchester United boss will be smarting.

Looking at Manchester United last season, it's clear that Ferguson has already started to strip back an assemble another new side, with several younger players being joined by Javier Hernandez.  But last season, United clearly missed an enforcer in midfield.  Owen Hargreaves' long term absence was a huge factor in not retaining the title and I really can't see United standing still.  It's never been Fergusons style

Every inch a United player

As a wise head with some of his best years still ahead of him, Cambiasso looks every inch a Ferguson player, and it's not difficult to imagine him tidying up in front of the Manchester United defence, allowing Rooney, Nani, and - dare I say - Hernandez to do the unlocking?

The fee mentioned was round the £18m mark.  Lets see.

Comments welcome.

Arsenal; Letting Cesc go

Some things in life just seem to be inevitable; like torrential rain when you’ve organised a summer barbecue.  Or James Corden.  The same rules apply to football, and nothing in football over the last two years has looked more inevitable than Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas moving to Barcelona.

 

From the second that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger whisked the raw but talented young Cesc away from Barca’s academy aged just 16, there has been a steely determination from the Catalans to right a wrong and bring their boy back.  A prodigal destined to return.  

Of course Cesc certainly hasn’t stood still during his time with Arsenal, far from it.  Providing an array of skills, a wide range of passing and having grown into an on field general with goals to boot, Fabregas is every inch the complete midfielder and one of the best players in world football today.  

The complete midfielder

Not being a first choice for his country has not been enough to deter Barcelona in their pursuit though, and the campaign to bring Fabregas back to the Camp Nou has raged since he left, reaching a crescendo this summer.  For his part, Fabregas has just uttered the ‘flattered to be linked with’ line up until recently, but things have notably stepped up a notch over the last few months.  Barcelona have made a bid, understood to be in the region of £29m for the Spanish international, which Arsenal have turned down flat, with Arsene Wenger this week maintaining the line that his captain is not for sale, at any price. 

However things will crank up again this week; possibly as early as tomorrow.  New Barcelona President Sandro Roselli takes up the reins of his club on the 1^st of July, succeeding Juan Laporta, and makes no secret of his intentions, or the Catalan clubs main priority;

"My idea is to work hard to make sure that Barca follows in the tradition of last few years and I have the experience as a director in negotiations and Fabregas is the priority.

"I am sure that we can close the operation [to sign] Cesc. The relations between the two clubs has been very positive and we must make sure this does not damage those relations.

"Until July 1 we can't do anything as Laporta and his team remain in charge, but if negotiations are advanced and the coaching staff want the player, we will continue with the negotiations, without doubt."

It seems increasingly likely that a second bid, somewhere in the £30-40m bracket will follow this week.  That may not be enough to tempt Arsenal into the inevitable just yet, but with a lot of Europe’s media suggesting that Barca coach Pep Guardiola may turn his attention to Werder Bremen playmaker Mesut Ozil, their hand may be forced.  Fabregas has maintained a dignified silence of late, concentrating on Spain’s’ world cup campaign, but he will be sitting down for talks with Arsenal soon and if a deal is not struck between the two clubs it does seem likely that Cesc will ask for a transfer.  

So how do Arsenal go on without their talismanic captain?  The Arsenal supporters I speak with agree that there is a degree of inevitability about all this, with opinion ranging between it being time to cash in, to it being the final straw with Wenger; Fabregas’ frustration at failing to collect trophies mirroring the feelings of many supporters. 

While a minority of Arsenal fans will call 606 and demand that Wenger goes, the majority still maintain support for their manager…..but many will carry a strong sense of frustration at Wenger’s stubbornness not to play certain players in certain positions, or a stubbornness not to just blow some of those tidy profits on that one player that would make the difference; ‘one player’ is the quote I hear from Arsenal fans the most often, the margins certainly look that fine when you see Arsenal play.

As an outsider looking in though, I tend to think that Arsenal are actually moving forward at a rapid pace, mainly because many of their rivals are going backward so quickly, in financial terms at least, but I accept that it might just not seem like it when you go along and watch games at the Emirates.  

Ok, there have been no trophies of late, and losing your (arguably) best player is a bitter pill to swallow, but the North London club have a healthy bank balance, an excellent coach, a second-to-none scouting network, a first class stadium and excellent training facilities.  There is also that prodigious production line that shows no sign of stopping - in fact it looks on the verge of producing its finest crop yet (and I heartily recommend you visit www.younggunsblog.co.uk, to see what I mean) - and a reputation for fine football that stretches right across the globe; a far cry from the Arsenal I grew up watching.

.....and there's more

There’s not much anyone else can do to realistically compete with the money that Manchester City or Chelsea are spending, but money does not guarantee success - as Real Madrid consistently prove - and will it last forever? we all thought it would at Blackburn in the 90’s.  

Liverpool, even with the excellent Roy Hodgson set to come in, are awash with debt, as are Manchester United, where Alex Ferguson will one day have to retire.  Near neighbours Spurs have joined the top 4, but can they really afford to keep paying those transfer fees and wages, and what about Harry eyeing England?

Cesc might be on his way South, but Arsenal are far from doing the same.

World Cup 2010 - Ultra defensive Quieroz stifles Portugal

You can't really blame anyone for parking the bus when Spain comes to town.  It worked to great effect for Switzerland in their opening World Cup group game against the Spaniards, catching the European Champions cold on the break.  So tonight in South Africa, Portugal followed suit with another ultra defensive set up, with coach Carlos Quieroz taking a leaf out of Swiss counterpart Ottmar Hitzfelds big book of defending.  

For a long while it looked like working, Spain ran out of ideas and quickly got that 'feeling the weight of expectancy' look, while the Portuguese did look threatening on the break.  But that was all Quieroz's team could offer, and by the time David Villa had latched onto Xavi's deft through ball to make it 1-0, there was no plan B, and so Portugal, like Italy, France and England, head home barely doing themselves justice.

Now IBWM likes it's Latin sides to play with flair, and when you have a player as explosive as Cristiano Ronaldo on your team, I'd like to think you'll utilise him properly.  It's easy to remember Portugal cutting loose and knocking seven past the hapless and hopeless North Koreans, but bear in mind that those seven strikes apart, Portugal failed to register in any of their four other games at South Africa 2010.

Admittedly, steering a side through the so called 'group of death' along with Brazil was always going to require a plan, and knowing that you would likely be facing your next door neighbours who are much bigger and better than you would suggest that safety first should apply.....but did we always need quite so many players behind the ball, Carlos?  

Bigger, better

Portugal have for many years lacked a target man, a striker that weighs in with lots of goals.  Nuno Gomes and Helder Postiga have both enjoyed lengthy international careers despite being, well, shit basically.  However Portugal could always be relied to make up for this with goals from the flanks and midfield.  I accept that Nani got injured, which is a shame as he was in top form for Manchester United going into the tournament, but there were still options.  Simao, Danny and Deco would have all at one time all started alongside Ronaldo, and now that prolific Sporting Lisbon striker Liedson has finally decided he is in fact Portuguese (ahem), rather than Brazilian, there were options.  But no, Carlos had his plan.

Carlos Quieroz is a well respected coach that is only too happy to receive the plaudits in being described as the man behind the discovery of Portugal's golden generation of Figo, Costa and Couto, so why stifle his current charges so much?

Am I being too harsh here......or is this world cup turning out to be just a bit on the piss poor side?  So many teams and players just haven't turned up at all.

What do you think?

Spurs bid accepted for Arsenal and Manchester United target Kjaer

Just as Arsenal seemed to have been on the verge of nipping in, Sky Italia have confirmed tonight that Tottenham Hotspur's bid for Palermo's Danish defender Simon Kjaer has been accepted.

Simon Kjaer

Whether Spurs actually know anything about this bid yet is open to conjecture, but the story was running at the weekend without denial from London and the Italian media are fairly convinced that a double deal for Kjaer and Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani will go through...........but Inter Milan could still step in.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and City were all linked with the big blond stopper, but Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini is clear on who has got in first........unless he's just hiking the stakes for Internazionale at the last minute, which just wouldn't be cricket, would it;

"Tottenham have bid €35m, an offer we cannot refuse, seeing as the two players have both said they want to leave," said Zamprini on Monday.

Both players certainly fit the current Spurs identikit; with central defenders Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate spending most of their lives on the treatment table, the signing of Kjaer, one of the worlds most highly rated defenders aged just 21, would be a significant coup.  In addition, Uruguay forward Cavani, who scored 13 Serie A goals last season, will bring further firepower to the Tottenham ranks.

Edinson Cavani

Kjaer has been a huge success this season for Palermo, who like Udinese and Sevilla have targeted the worlds rising youngsters over the last few years with a view to developing and selling on for a tidy profit.  The young Dane had already passed a trial at Real Madrid in 2007, but his club, FC Midtjylland, turned down the Madristas offer.

23-year old Cavani first arrived in Italy from Montevideo club Danubio in January 2007 and has developed well at Palermo.  Fairly tricky and a good mover at over 6 foot tall, Cavani looks the type of player that will thrive in an attacking team.  Whether he can dance like a robot is not yet known.

IBWM rates both, so fingers crossed for you Spurs fans, these are excellent players, primed for the Champions League........just hope Inter are sleeping.........

World Cup 2010 - EXCLUSIVE - FIFA Presdient Blatter backs goal line technology

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has backed goal-line technology.

"I am sure that when we play the World Club Cup then we will have goal-line technology," he said.

Following the Germany v England match at South Africa 2010, which was poised at 2-1 when Frank Lampard scored a legitimate goal for England, only to find this missed by the officials, the clamour for the introduction of goal line technology had hit vuvuzela volume.*

"But we will not have video technology and stop the game" added the FIFA president.  Fair enough Sepp, still it's a start though eh?

Just one word of caution though.  Timing.  That's right, timing.  These comments are direct quotes from FIFA President Blatter......but he made them in November 2006.

We've yet to hear from Uncle Sepp on the latest controversy, and of course Blatter has long since decided that the current Hawk-Eye technology isn't reliable enough, something that has been openly challenged by Dr Paul Hawkins, one of the Hawk-Eye folk, to no avail.  Isn't reliable enough?  It seems to work fine at Wimbledon as far as this correspondent can see and has to be a step up from what we have now.

"I just can't see it......"

I understand that you can't replicate goal line technology right down to all levels, which always seems to be Blatter's gripe, but we hardly need it to filter right down; just for it to be effective at the top level.......although if you're listening Mr Thompson; Kenton School interform April 1987, I hit that from a full 30 yards so I'd like you to review your decision.

* Please bear in mind that while I am English and live in England, IBWM is as neutral as you can get; I love all teams because I love football, enjoyed the way Germany played and would have backed anyone that has been unjustly punished due to the head honchos stubbornness on technology.  He's not even following IBWM on Twitter yet.  The silly old goat. 

Manchester City; Maicon set for Real Madrid, Alves staying at Barcelona

IBWM's mailbox has received word that Brazillian international, and rather good player Maicon will most definitely be following Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid in the next week, for a fee in the region of £30 million.   Most of the English tabloids had Maicon on Manchester City's shopping list.....but then they had everyone else on that list as well.

Spanish tittle tattle merchant's Marca have gone a little further this morning though and suggested that City will now target Maicon's Brazilian understudy, Dani Alves.  Alves has already turned down an initial contract offer from Barcelona and Citeh's name has sprang up.  Now there's a surprise.

With the Catalan club securing the services of most of it's top players on long term contracts, as well as adding David Villa to it's roster, it's highly unlikely that 27-year old Alves will be leaving the Camp Nou for Eastlands.  Bit of a non-story then.  Sorry about that.......

Forgotten man Vittek issues a reminder

Robert Vittek, once courted by the great and good of Europe has issued a timely reminder at South Africa 2010 that he's still around.

While the gaze of Europe's leading clubs watching Slovakia at their first world cup has been clearly trained on Napoli's Marek Hamsik, it is Vittek who has come to the fore.  Scoring Slovakia's first ever goal at a World Cup finals in their opening 1-1 draw with New Zealand, Vittek repeated the trick, and then again, in the 3-2 victory over defending champions Italy last week.

While most of us look and wonder whether we should indeed have had Vittek in our respective fantasy football sides, there will still have been plenty of coaches and managers across Europe tuned in to Vittek's exploits.

But it certainly isn't the first time that Vittek has caught the eye.  He moved from hometown club Slovan Bratislava to Nuremberg in 2003, at a time when when the German side were playing outside of the top division.  Having averaged almost a goal every game by the age of 21 with Bratislava, Vittek was starting to attract attention.  While others stalled, Nuremberg pounced.

Helping his team gain promotion back to the Bundesliga's top division in 2004, Vittek was an in and out sort of player, struggling to adapt to top flight football.  Some reasonable appearances came and went for the muscular forward but by the start of 2006 everything fell into place.  

If only Robert could reach the ball.......

Just after the Bundesliga's winter break, Vittek netted an astounding 17 goals in the last 15 games of the season for Nuremberg, including 3 separate hat-tricks.  This little display got Vittek noticed and bids from other clubs prevailed.  Courted by several Bundesliga sides, and with others from outside of Germany's borders making ultimately fruitless enquiries, Vittek remained at Nuremberg.  And stagnated.

Hampered by a severe loss of form following a couple of minor niggles, Vittek eventually moved on to French club Lille in 2008, with little success, and then onto Turkish side Ankaragucu, his current home. 

Tucked away in Turkey, Vittek has shown signs of past glories, but his current World Cup form might just get the forward another chance in a big league.