Other clubs' transfers

[Dokko]

Depor has been given a special permission to sign a player outside the window, and apparently they are going after Giovanni Dos Santos from Tottingham. The extension La Liga has given to them will expire at the end of the month.

 

Why have they been given an extension?

 

La Liga does that on some circumstances, where you lose a player for the entire season for reasons beyond your control ("out for the season" injuries being the most common one). You have to sign a player that plays in the same position of the one you lost. In this case, they lost one of their midfielders on the night of deadline day to Zaragoza given a buyback clause, and La Liga gave them 30 days to sign a replacement since they couldn't have planned for it (and they are disputing the way Zaragoza triggered that clause).

 

Tottenham winger Giovani dos Santos will not be able to join Deportivo La Coruna until January due to loan restrictions, according to the Spanish club.

 

La Liga outfit Deportivo have confirmed their interest in the Mexico ace and the player is believed to be keen to leave White Hart Lanein search of regular football.

 

But Deportivo claim Giovani, who was taken off injured after a rare start for Spurs in Wednesday's Carling Cup win at Preston, will not be allowed to move until 2010.

 

Deportivo sporting director Ricardo Moar has stated that the Spanish Football Federation has ruled that only players based in Spain can become loan arrivals.

 

Moar said: "It is impossible to bring Giovani to Galicia.

 

"We like him very much but the Spanish Football Federation has clarified we cannot bring a foreign player in. They would have to be (based in Spain)."

 

We should get him in till xmas.

 

Would do all parties well.

[Guest Taff]

Depor has been given a special permission to sign a player outside the window, and apparently they are going after Giovanni Dos Santos from Tottingham. The extension La Liga has given to them will expire at the end of the month.

 

Why have they been given an extension?

 

La Liga does that on some circumstances, where you lose a player for the entire season for reasons beyond your control ("out for the season" injuries being the most common one). You have to sign a player that plays in the same position of the one you lost. In this case, they lost one of their midfielders on the night of deadline day to Zaragoza given a buyback clause, and La Liga gave them 30 days to sign a replacement since they couldn't have planned for it (and they are disputing the way Zaragoza triggered that clause).

 

Tottenham winger Giovani dos Santos will not be able to join Deportivo La Coruna until January due to loan restrictions, according to the Spanish club.

 

La Liga outfit Deportivo have confirmed their interest in the Mexico ace and the player is believed to be keen to leave White Hart Lanein search of regular football.

 

But Deportivo claim Giovani, who was taken off injured after a rare start for Spurs in Wednesday's Carling Cup win at Preston, will not be allowed to move until 2010.

 

Deportivo sporting director Ricardo Moar has stated that the Spanish Football Federation has ruled that only players based in Spain can become loan arrivals.

 

Moar said: "It is impossible to bring Giovani to Galicia.

 

"We like him very much but the Spanish Football Federation has clarified we cannot bring a foreign player in. They would have to be (based in Spain)."

 

We should get him in till xmas.

 

Would do all parties well.

 

Totally agree with this, would be class in this division and he is just what we are looking for. With Hughton & Calderwood's contacts at Spuds (and Ashley's for that matter!), I'm sure this could be a possibility if they wanted to make it happen.

[LooneyToonArmy]

Depor has been given a special permission to sign a player outside the window, and apparently they are going after Giovanni Dos Santos from Tottingham. The extension La Liga has given to them will expire at the end of the month.

 

Why have they been given an extension?

 

La Liga does that on some circumstances, where you lose a player for the entire season for reasons beyond your control ("out for the season" injuries being the most common one). You have to sign a player that plays in the same position of the one you lost. In this case, they lost one of their midfielders on the night of deadline day to Zaragoza given a buyback clause, and La Liga gave them 30 days to sign a replacement since they couldn't have planned for it (and they are disputing the way Zaragoza triggered that clause).

 

Tottenham winger Giovani dos Santos will not be able to join Deportivo La Coruna until January due to loan restrictions, according to the Spanish club.

 

La Liga outfit Deportivo have confirmed their interest in the Mexico ace and the player is believed to be keen to leave White Hart Lanein search of regular football.

 

But Deportivo claim Giovani, who was taken off injured after a rare start for Spurs in Wednesday's Carling Cup win at Preston, will not be allowed to move until 2010.

 

Deportivo sporting director Ricardo Moar has stated that the Spanish Football Federation has ruled that only players based in Spain can become loan arrivals.

 

Moar said: "It is impossible to bring Giovani to Galicia.

 

"We like him very much but the Spanish Football Federation has clarified we cannot bring a foreign player in. They would have to be (based in Spain)."

 

We should get him in till xmas.

 

Would do all parties well.

 

Totally agree with this, would be class in this division and he is just what we are looking for. With Hughton & Calderwood's contacts at Spuds (and Ashley's for that matter!), I'm sure this could be a possibility if they wanted to make it happen.

 

certainly did well for Ipswich last season.......I think he is more of a striker though? If that:s the case then I am not sure if we`d be in for another one considering we just got Harewood.

 

What is max number of loans we can have anyway?

[Frazzle]

I don't think he's more of a striker.  Attacking midfielder or right winger at Barca anyway, hence why he left, pretty hard to get that RW spot at Barca. 

[Village Idiot]

Actually we got rid of him because of his awful attitude and ummoderate nightgoing habits.

[MW]

Actually we got rid of him because of his awful attitude and ummoderate nightgoing habits.

 

Would fit right in then

[Village Idiot]

Guy's a real talent though, he probably needs to play in a team in a truely boring city (like Ipswich?), or having a manager with good discipline. I always felt we were a bit too quick to get rid, but he doesn't seem to have fared better at Tottenham.

[Liam Liam Liam O]

Cattermole to choose between Inter, Barcelona, Bayern Munich & PSG

 

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1216026/Sunderland-star-Lee-Cattermole-linked-shock-join-Jose-Mourinho-Inter-Milan.html

[Frazzle]

Cattermole to choose between Inter, Barcelona, Bayern Munich & PSG

 

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1216026/Sunderland-star-Lee-Cattermole-linked-shock-join-Jose-Mourinho-Inter-Milan.html

 

Cattermole in the Spanish League man.    You aren't even allowed to tackle so Cattermole would get a ten year ban for one his slide tackles.

 

Plus he's ****. 

[Village Idiot]

We've also been linked with Gargano (Napoli) and Ledesma (Lazio) which I admit to not knowing too well.

 

All paper talk anyway, but it is true that we are looking for a physical midfielder since we'll be losing Touré and Keita because of the ACN in January.

[SEMTEX]

We've also been linked with Gargano (Napoli) and Ledesma (Lazio) which I admit to not knowing too well.

 

All paper talk anyway, but it is true that we are looking for a physical midfielder since we'll be losing Touré and Keita because of the ACN in January.

 

You should just be thankful you don't support Portsmouth.

[Segun Oluwaniyi]

We've also been linked with Gargano (Napoli) and Ledesma (Lazio) which I admit to not knowing too well.

 

All paper talk anyway, but it is true that we are looking for a physical midfielder since we'll be losing Touré and Keita because of the ACN in January.

You'd might be best off not getting anyone longterm. With Busquets, Yaya, Keita already at the club, I don't think you can afford to carry another holding player (Even though Keita isn't really one of those)

[Ridman]

hmm Jerzy Dudek has just been called up for the national squad and is expected to start in the next 2 qualifiers, God help us 

At least the useless drinking tossers that Boruc and Dudka are, get nowhere near the squad.

[Village Idiot]

We've also been linked with Gargano (Napoli) and Ledesma (Lazio) which I admit to not knowing too well.

 

All paper talk anyway, but it is true that we are looking for a physical midfielder since we'll be losing Touré and Keita because of the ACN in January.

You'd might be best off not getting anyone longterm. With Busquets, Yaya, Keita already at the club, I don't think you can afford to carry another holding player (Even though Keita isn't really one of those)

 

Guardiola prefers to play him as a more offensive minded mid (although not as good as the Xavi/Iniesta twosome on the whole, he brings something different than them), but he is indeed very athletic and that brings something to our midfield. Touré is a beast and Busquets' game is more based on positioning than athleticism, so we'll miss our Africans. But I too believe that we'll be able to cope and we should devote any transfer resources to a world class left winger.

[Frazzle]

Keita has been class so far this season, up there in the top 3 or so players for Barcelona.

[LooneyToonArmy]

We've also been linked with Gargano (Napoli) and Ledesma (Lazio) which I admit to not knowing too well.

 

All paper talk anyway, but it is true that we are looking for a physical midfielder since we'll be losing Touré and Keita because of the ACN in January.

 

no need to spend......you can take Nicky Butt off us on loan for a couple months as cover with a view to a permanent transfer.

[MW]

Chris Sutton is appointed Lincoln manager

[Pilko]

Chris Sutton is appointed Lincoln manager

 

That's an odd one.

[Guest Heneage]

Chris Sutton is appointed Lincoln manager

Has he changed much in appearence ? Sky used a playing days photo.

[Delima]

Guardiola prefers to play him as a more offensive minded mid (although not as good as the Xavi/Iniesta twosome on the whole, he brings something different than them), but he is indeed very athletic and that brings something to our midfield. Touré is a beast and Busquets' game is more based on positioning than athleticism, so we'll miss our Africans. But I too believe that we'll be able to cope and we should devote any transfer resources to a world class left winger.

 

Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Bojan Krkić, Lionel Messi, Pedro Rodríguez

Xavi Hernández, Sergio Busquets, Yaya Touré, Seydou Keita, Jeffrén Suárez, Andrés Iniesta

Maxwell, Éric Abidal, Gerard Piqué, Gabriel Milito, Dmytro Chygrynskiy, Rafael Márquez, Carles Puyol, Dani Alves

Víctor Valdés

 

World class left winger, as a replacement for Henry ? What do you think about Pedro Rodríguez ?

 

Also wonder what are your opinions on Chygrynskiy and Pique ?

 

I sounded out Pique long time ago and everyone thought (and still think) I was/am a Man Utd supporter taking the piss. While I rated him I never thought he will scale this height with Barcelona. Johny Evans (of Man Utd) was better than him, and is arguably still better than him.

 

What do you think ? Personally I think he reads the game well, he heads well, but he is a slow-turning and clumsy.

 

And what happen to Rafael Marquez and Gabriel Milito ?

[Cajun]

The reason people thought you supported Manchester United is because you used to bang on about how we should sign half their youth team, players who you really couldn't have really ever seen play but were probably quite highly rated on champ man!

[Village Idiot]

Pedro Rodríguez is a decent cover, but not good enough for being the main starter on that position if you ask me. He has, however, improved massively in the last couple years so he might be a late bloomer and still surprise me.

 

Chygrynsky has so far been slow and often caught out of position. Looks comfortable on the ball but still overall disappoiting. He's just landed and doesn't speak the language though, so I'm cutting him slack until he settles.

 

Piqué's been... awesome. I'm the first surprised by his performance. He is indeed not quite fast, which makes him and Chygrynsky not the best pairing, particularly when they both like to go forward. He is very strong (for a Spanish defender) and great at positioning as you've said. His "clumsiness" I think it's more rashness, which experience will solve. He sometimes just doesn't take the best decision. He and Bojan are a bit alike on that regard, young and with loads of ability, but they need to learn when to do what. Piqué's best asset though is how ridiculously confident he is on the ball. Sometimes he just works as more a holding mid than a central defender, bringing the ball forward and scoring quite often.

 

Milito I can't really comment. Liked him lots before coming to us, but he's hardly featured and I'm afraid of what kind of fitness he can muster.

 

Overall, we have the ball so much (and our attack-minded defenders have helped in that) than the defense hasn't been really tested. But we have looked very very fragile to counterattacks. We'll see when we face decent opposition (Valencia away coming up soon).

 

Márquez is going to be a backup this season with the emergence of Piqué. He has also been losing his fitness due to age, and he never was the quickest player to begin with. They are similar, good footballing defenders that rely on positioning more than pace, and able to build play from the back.

[Delima]

Thanks Village Idiot, that's a fantastic write up.

 

Gejon, after so many months you are still on about me playing Championship Manager. I have never played Championship Manager in my whole life - is that clear enough ? You being a plonker as you are most likely wouldn't take that.

 

I would be amazed if Championship Manager could tell me that Pique was/is slow turning, that Johny Evans was/is better. If I followed Championship Manager, I shouldn't be surprised that he has achieved what he has with Barcelona. Wasn't him very highly rated !?

 

Anyway, say what you like, as usual. Comments is free.

[Delima]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/sep/28/barcelona-keeping-tabs-sid-lowe

 

You gotta love Sid Lowe's writings.

 

Why Barcelona are keeping tabs on top spot – and their directors

 

While Pep Guardiola's side lord it in La Liga, president Joan Laporta is leading the way when it comes to 'security audits'

 

There was a suspicious look in his eyes as they narrowed and darted from side to side. Outside, flashing lights pierced the darkness. Silence. It was 1am, Saturday night-Sunday morning. Lowering his brow, bringing everything into focus, he peered out from behind a post, surveying the scene, taking in his surroundings. Was he being followed? Could they see him? Could the cameras? The moment of truth had arrived. The theme from the Pink Panther rose, cello and double base building. Checking to see if anyone was watching, he synchronised his watch, whispered something into his wrist, and prepared his weapon, pressing his back against the wall. Breathing heavily, heart racing, he gestured to his partner. Go!

 

Now Joan Laporta was exposed; now, the president of Football Club Barcelona stood in full view of everyone, humming loudly. The theme from the Pink Panther reached its climax, the final note tumbling dramatically from Laporta's lips as his fingers began firing and he collapsed into giggles. After the few days he'd had it was time for a little relief. But no matter how topical the comedy, not everyone got the joke. While he and a couple of directors played the secret agent, on the other side of the bus trundling its way across the runway at El Prat footballers wearing headphones so big they looked like Princess Leia stared blankly, a little bemused. As for Pep Guardiola, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Some said he even changed seats, keen to distance himself – and his team – from the charade being played out in front of him.

 

It wouldn't be the first time. In fact, it would be the second time in three days. And while it ended up being a laugh for Laporta, had it not been for the football it might not have been so funny after all. In three days, Barcelona were almost torn apart by what has inevitably been dubbed Barçagate; in 90 minutes, Guardiola and his team put them together again by beating Málaga 2-0 in a match that the coach said had left him "too happy". "Guardiola," ran the headline in Marca, "cleans up Laporta's dirt", while the cartoon in Sport showed the coach sweeping the Barcelona badge clear of the debris left by his president.

 

Hardly surprising. When Laporta became president in 2003, he complained that he had found bugs hidden in the boardroom; someone was spying on his directors. Six years later, it turns out that he was quite right; someone is spying on his directors:

 

He is.

 

On Thursday, the Catalan newspaper El Periódico revealed that Barcelona's director general Joan Oliver had organised €56,000 (£52,000) worth of surveillance on vice-presidents Jaume Ferrer, Joan Boix, Rafael Yuste and Joan Franquesa. The reason, Oliver insisted the following day, was simple: Franquesa had confessed to him that he felt like he was being watched, so Oliver decided to help him out by having him put under surveillance. Oh, and by throwing three other vice-presidents into the mix for good measure. There was no espionage; it was in fact a "security audit" carried out for their "protection" – one that Laporta didn't even know about until after it had been completed, some five months ago. It was for all their "own good".

 

Of course it was. And it was nothing to do with the fact that next summer Laporta's presidential term will come to an end, that all four men, backed by other board members, are in line to replace him on a continuity ticket; with Laporta wanting to be able to control whoever takes over after his departure; with the fact that the other man who looks well placed to take over is Laporta's current favourite – the ridiculous-jacket-wearing director Xavier Sala-i-Martin; or with the fact that Sala-i-Martin just happens to be one of Oliver's business partners.

 

Which is why Oliver turned to private detectives rather than saying anything to the club's director of security Xavier Martorell, a former police chief, or going to the cops himself; why he decided not to tell Ferrer, Boix, or Yuste; why the one vice-president not spied upon just happened to be the one who ruled himself out of the presidential race, and why reports suggest that when one of the three directors found out in April, he grabbed Oliver by the scruff of the neck and threatened to hit him.

 

After all, Laporta's not power hungry or paranoid and he's never been involved in anything contentious before or even slightly fishy before. He's never lied about his brother-in-law's involvement in the Fundación Francisco Franco; been accused of "dictatorial behaviour" by the lifelong friend with whom he came to power; or presided over a board which now boasts just four of its original members. Or survived a censorship motion that would have forced him to resign by just 5.6%, witnessing 60.6% of the electorate vote against him.

 

But then, that's the thing. For all the question marks about the way Laporta has run the club, for all that his nationalist stance has irritated people – more, in truth, outside Barcelona than within it – and for all that Laporta has done things wrong, there is one thing that has gone very right. The most important thing. The thing that really matters to fans. The football. And while some have accused Laporta of being a lucky man – which he certainly is – he's also paved the way for his own survival. The censorship motion was brought at the end of a season in which they had finished empty-handed. A year later, a year after Laporta opted for Pep Guardiola as coach rather than José Mourinho – the man the fans and the media demanded – they are the best side in the world, treble winners. Just as they won the league and Champions League double under Rijkaard – the coach Laporta backed when many called for his head.

 

A born survivor, a true political shark, Laporta knows that the football does the talking. Even when he does. On Saturday afternoon, after two days of silence, he finally spoke out from the shadows of Gate 19 at Málaga's stadium. "There are some people who are revving for the elections already and as they have no real policies they're trying to dirty our name; I can see certain [vested] interests behind this," he insisted before going on to argue – and this man's a lawyer, for goodness sake – that it doesn't matter because it "all happened five months ago". "Some people," he claimed, "have got it in for us." It didn't convince anyone but nor did it matter: in the end football conquers everything. Well, Barcelona's football does, anyway.

 

Even espionage and assassination. With Guardiola talking of the need to "isolate" his team from the scandal, goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gerard Piqué saw them continue their perfect start to the season – five wins from five – and rescue their Pink Panther-playing president. According to AS, it was evidence of another dastardly plot involving Barcelona and their conspiratorial lackeys at the Federation, the headline declaring that victory came courtesy of "Zlatan and referee Delgado Ferreiro".

 

Trouble is, like Oliver's explanation, it didn't stand up to scrutiny: the Delgado Ferreiro in question was the same Delgado Ferreiro who ignored the Málaga centre-back Weligton trying to break Leo Messi's ankle and Piqué's jaw, overlooked two possible Barça penalties, and who, despite AS's complaints, was actually right when deemed Barça's first on side and their second legal despite the hint of a foul from Yaya Touré; the same referee who when he wrote his official report confused Leo Messi with Dmytro Chygrynskiy. Because the 6ft 3in, long-haired, bearded Ukrainian is a dead ringer for the unknown 5ft 7in Argentinian. Delgado Ferreiro's no flunkey, just a rubbish referee with very, very bad eyesight. As for the conspiracy, there was no conspiracy. Not on the pitch anyway.

Results and talking points

 

• Hay que ser gillipollas, as they say. You must be bloody stupid. A week ago, the Valencia coach Unai Emery was accused of being too conservative and looking to protect a 2-1 lead at Mestalla over Sporting Gijón rather than finishing the game off. By his own star player, David Villa. In the last minute, Valencia conceded an equaliser to draw 2-2. So what does he do a week later, with rumours of him being sacked flying around? The same thing. 2-1 up against Atlético, with Villa and Pablo having both scored great goals, he took off Ever Banega, who was controlling the midfield and sent on the brilliantly named but not brilliantly talented Hedwiges Maduro. Hey presto, Atlético get a 93rd-minute equaliser. A stay of execution for Abel Resino; another step towards the sack for Emery?

 

• Speaking of David Villa, what was that about Messi and Ronaldo and the Pichichi?

 

• Tenerife had more shots, more possession and more corners than Real Madrid at the Bernabéu. Madrid won 3-0. Awful in the first half; Kaká, in Manuel Pellegrini's words, "changed the face of the side" in the second. Cristiano Ronaldo, who nearly scored a brilliant goal running from inside his own half, also got a face on. When he was substituted by the coach.

 

• Four ugly-arsed towers blighting the Madrid skyline, creating more traffic backlogs? Not according to Marca they're not. In the most sycophantic photo caption ever, they described the Ciudad Deportiva development, which rescued Madrid from debt as "the four spectacular and majestic towers that have given an irresistible touch of modernity to the urban landscape of Madrid". Hmm, now, who was the man behind that project, I wonder … (Cheers Interceptor).

 

• Xérez get their first ever First Division point. But not a First Division goal.

 

• Help us Sevilla, you're our only hope! 4-0 against Athletic, four wins on the trot … could there be a team who can challenge Madrid and Barcelona this year? Next week they face Madrid. Athletic, meanwhile, start to find their level.

 

Results: Madrid 3–0 Tenerife, Athletic 0–4 Sevilla, Malaga 0–2 Barcelona, Valencia 2–2 Atlético, Almería 2–2 Racing, Espanyol 0–0 Xérez, Mallorca 3–0 Valladolid, Zaragoza 3–0 Getafe, Deportivo 1–0 Villarreal.

[Guest palnese]

Danny Rose on loan to Fergie jr.