Reuters Soccer Blog

If Torres goes, Liverpool should heed Spanish lessons

If the excited reports on the 24-hour channels are correct, Fernando Torres may soon arrive at Chelsea’s training ground to seal a move that will leave Liverpool in a dangerous situation — under pressure to sign high-profile reinforcements and with wodges of money to spend as the deadline fast approaches.

Kenny Dalglish accepted on Monday that transfers are part of football and the internet chatter suggests many fans have reached the conclusion that Torres may have reached the end of the Anfield road.

There are indeed plenty of reasons why Liverpool may reflect that the time has come to sell Torres, 50 million of them you might say, but if they do agree to part with the Spain striker they should consider a bit of Spanish history before going out to spend their new found riches too quickly.

Losing an iconic player can be traumatic and perhaps the worst case of how to compensate came from Barcelona back in 2000.

Barcelona found themselves forced to let the Portuguese forward walk out when Real Madrid’s newly elected president Florentino Perez paid the 10,000,000 pesetas ($56 million at the time) buy-out clause in his contract (plus VAT). Barcelona had a new president of their own in Joan Gaspart and his response has gone down in Spanish soccer folklore as an object lesson in how not to spend an unexpected windfall.

First, Gaspart bowed to pressure from the local media and spent a ridiculous $20 million on buying Gerard, a former Barcelona youth team player, back from Valencia. The president then went on a shopping trip to London and came back with Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit for a joint-fee of $38 million. 

Finally, Gaspart sat down on the floor of his new and still empty office and submitted to “a little bit of madness” as he agreed to new and vastly improved terms in the contract of his remaining star player, Rivaldo, just to make sure there was no chance of him following Figo out.

Real’s search for a striker — who fits the bill?

Jose Mourinho’s constant pressuring of Real Madrid for another striker has finally paid off, with director general Jorge Valdano saying they were in the market for a number nine.

In the past, many top clubs would have been worried that the world’s richest club by income according to the Deloitte’s Football Money League, would be turning the heads of their prize assets.

This time, however, Real have set themselves an even tougher task. They only want to borrow a striker on loan until the end of the season when Gonzalo Higuain should have recovered from the back surgery he underwent on Tuesday.

Their only other recognised striker, Karim Benzema, “lacks a hunger for goals,” Mourinho said after another disappointing display from the Frenchman in the King’s Cup on Thursday. He has only scored once in La Liga this season.

The Spanish media quickly cranked into gear with a shopping list of possible targets.

1. Manchester City’s Emmanuel Adebayor leads the betting at present, ticking all the right boxes. A powerful target man in the mould of former Mourinho favourites Didier Drogba and Diego Milito, he is surplus to requirements at City and eligible to play in the Champions League.

2. Bayern Munich’s Miroslav Klose is out of contract with the German club at the end of the season and spending most of his time warming the bench. He is an experienced goalscorer, but he would not be able to play in Europe.

Transfer deadline day live blog

We’re following all the deals as they happen on the final day of activity in the transfer market. Comments always welcome…

Hernandez shines among Premier League newcomers

Perusing through the latest influx of major pre-season signings to join the English Premier League can quickly become a competition to find which transaction does not include the words Manchester and City.

As expected, it is the blue half of Manchester that have splashed the cash on behalf of Italian manager Roberto Mancini, as they bid to break into the top four and come away with a minimum of Champions League soccer this season.

By logic, the team with the most spending power should sit on top of any best pre-season buy list, but since when has soccer been a logical game?

City have spent well, no doubt. Valencia and Spain winger David Silva, Ivory Coast and Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure and Germany and Hamburg SV fullback Jerome Boateng have all moved to Eastlands for a combined total of around 80 million pounds and more are likely to follow, with Aston Villa’s James Milner set to take their spending over the 100 million mark.

Inter Milan’s Mario Balotelli could also join.

Their rivals have been more modestly busy.

Why Henry’s move might not kickstart transfer window

Barcelona’s Thierry Henry is heading to New York Red Bulls in a widely expected move but don’t think the first big post-World Cup transfer means the window will suddenly be awash with deals.

An event before the World Cup is a major reason why Henry has decided to follow David Beckham’s lead and try out MLS. David Villa’s early move to Barca from Valencia meant there was no room for Henry at the Nou Camp and after France’s flop in South Africa there were few other interested parties.

Barcelona were seen as the major drivers for this transfer window given they are also keen on Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas. However, noises coming out of North London suggest the midfielder is set to stay in the Premier League for now.

The fact Fabregas could not get a start in Spain’s victorious World Cup team might make him realise that he would not be an automatic first choice at boyhood club Barca either given international team mates Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets all play there.

Coach Pep Guardiola is staying at least another season but Barca’s money problems mean any really big buys might be out of the question and Arsenal clearly want a lot for Fabregas.

Another bit of transfer gossip affecting Barca is constant rumours linking Zlatan Ibrahimovic with a move back to Milan after one season. The only difference is that AC Milan want him rather than former club Inter.

January sale shopping looks tricky for Premier League big four

I have my shopping list for the January sales but my need for a new desk-lamp is not as important as the requirements of the Premier League’s big four.

I’d say I could get my lamp quite cheap if I employ the Arsene Wenger technique of shopping around, making sure I get good value for money.

The thing is, Wenger needs a proven goalscorer now if he wants to win the Premier League and he doesn’t really have a lot of time to dwell on choices otherwise all the best ones will be gone, thankfully this shouldn’t be an issue with my lamp.

Reports say Bordeaux’s Marouane Chamakh is desperate to join but Wenger is more likely to wait until the end of the season when he is out of contract to snap him up for free rather than pay the money now to have him in January.

Bayern Munich’s Luca Toni maybe a more viable option for Wenger as he might be available on loan, which would fix the short term problem until Nicklas Bendtner and Robin van Persie return from injury and would give the Italian valuable game tie before the World Cup.

However, it looks like he is poised to join AS Roma. 

Will Man City continue their spending?

How long is the spending spree at Manchester City going to last and what implications will it have, asks Phakamisa Ndzamela.

City’s new owner Sheikh Mansour stands among men with the biggest war chests in England.

They have spent millions signing players like Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz, Gareth Barry, Kolo Toure. The list goes on and the spending does not stop.

In a clear sign that purse strings are still loose, Everton rejected an improved 18 million pounds offer from City for defender Joleon Lescott, having turned down a 15 million bid two weeks ago.

For now the only thing that can stop the spending is when the transfer window closes next month.

Then what? Can the flurry of signings yield immediate results or will manager Mark Hughes be looking over his shoulder again after a lacklustre season?

Why it pays to wait for the likes of Cruz and Panucci

You would think ex-Inter Milan striker Julio Cruz and former AS Roma defender Christian Panucci might be panicking about not having a club just a few weeks before the start of the season.

At 34 and 36, there surely is no time to lose.

In reality, they seem quite happy to bide their time and wait for the right offer like other top players released by their clubs.

Waiting until the season starts to find a club means their ageing limbs don’t have to be put through the torture of full pre-season training after years of running up hills and playing meaningless friendlies in bizarre places.

By leaving a decision until the last moment, a bidding war could ensue between interested clubs and wage offers could sky rocket. Argentine Cruz, a saviour for Inter so many times with late goals, has been linked with Roma, Lazio, Napoli and now Bologna.

The end of the transfer window on Aug 31 also does not apply to out-of-contract players, meaning there is no artificial rush.

Ronaldo set for Real Madrid – your views

Manchester United said on Thursday they have received a world record 80 million pound ($131.2 million) bid for forward Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid.

“At Cristiano’s request – who has again expressed his desire to leave – and after discussion with the player’s representatives, United have agreed to give Real Madrid permission to talk to the player,” a statement on the United website said.

“Matters are expected to be concluded by 30 June. The club will not comment until further notice.”

So Florentino Perez isn’t just stopping at Kaka. It’s shaping up to be one of the most amazing transfer windows ever. Will he go for Franck Ribery too or will United want him as Ronaldo’s replacement?

It’s not a done deal yet, Ronaldo wanted to go last year and it didn’t happen, but this seems pretty definite. How much money has Perez got?

PHOTO: Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo is seen celebrating after scoring his second goal during their English Premier League match against Aston Villa in Manchester, April 5 2009 REUTERS/Phil Noble

Thrifty Chelsea search through Golden Bin for Quaresma

Since Roman Abramovich arrived with his millions from Russia, Chelsea have been used to shopping in the transfer market’s version of Harrods for glitzy new players.

Monday’s deadline day snaffling of Ricardo Quaresma, a player recently voted the worst performer in Serie A, suggests Chelsea are suddenly hunting in the thrift stores with the rest of the struggling population, self-consciously sifting through the bargain bucket.

Chelsea fans have become accustomed to arrivals such as Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Ricardo Carvalho and Michael Ballack in recent years, players at the top of most clubs’ shopping lists.

How things have changed. Quaresma, unwanted by Chelsea’s former boss Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan, has signed on loan until the end of the season but hardly looks equipped to revive the club’s fading title hopes. (more…)