There Is Only One Sinnacle

Manchester City are in talks to sign Brazil’s £30m-rated World Cup midfielder Ramires from Benfica after a deal for Aston Villa’s James Milner stalled. Daily Mirror

Ramires and James Milner are two very different players. This deal makese no sense what so ever considering Manchester City already signed Yaya Toure and Jerome Boateng this summer. Nevermind the fact they have Nigel De Jong and Gareth Barry as hold overs from last year.

City are confident of clinching the £23m signing of Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli to take their summer spending towards the £100m mark. Daily Mail

A new coach doesn’t need bad apples and despire Balotelli’s talents it’s unlikely he’ll change his attitude anytime soon if he stays with Inter.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is back on the trail of Werder Bremen’s German World Cup star Mezut Ozil. Ferguson missed out on signing midfielder Ozil as a teenager. the Sun

If your Sir Alex Ferguson you should be rubbing your hands hoping he can acquire Ozil. Would be a great match for Manchester United.

Chelsea have had a £16.9m offer for 18-year-old Brazilian forward Neymar turned down by Santos.
Full story: Daily Mail

Chelsea need to add some youth to the lineup but the fact if they did sign Neymar he most likely wouldn’t have a big impact in his first year.

Barcelona star Xavi has warned Arsenal they only have midfielder Cesc Fabregas “on loan” and that the Gunners captain will eventually return to the Nou Camp, where he started his career.
Full story: Daily Express

These comments will surely help Arsenal-Barcelona relations.

Liverpool want to sell David Ngog for £6m as they try to raise funds for new signings. Daily Mirror

I like David Ngog but he has done nothing to prove he is worth £6m.

Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko is on the verge of a season-long switch to Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon. Daily Mail

Must admit didn’t see this one coming. Still can’t see it happening (watch within 24 hours this deal gets done after I said that.)

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho is plotting a raid on former club Chelsea to sign defender Ricardo Carvalho, who he brought to Stamford Bridge from another of his former clubs Porto in 2004.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Real Madrid should forget about the likes of Thiago Silva and work out a deal with Chelsea for a winner like Carvalho.

Wolves, West Ham and Blackburn are locked in three-way tussle to sign striker Benjani, who is a free agent after leaving Manchester City. Daily Mirror

First time in about three years someone has had any real interest in Benjani.

Real Madrid midfielder Mahamadou Diarra has committed himself to the Spanish club despite an approach from Newcastle. the Independent

This should read Mahamadou Diarra has committed himself to the Spanish clubs bench.

Chelsea keeper Petr Cech could be ruled out for the champions’ Premier League opener against West Brom in August after suffering a calf injury in training on Tuesday. the Independent

Season hasn’t even started yet and Petr Cech is already out with an injury.

Manchester City have rubbished claims by Didier Drogba’s agent that the club have been in contact about signing the Chelsea striker.

But a City spokesperson said: “There has been absolutely no contact. We have not spoken to him and there is no foundation to this.” (Press Association)

Chelsea wouldn’t sell Drogba unless they get Dimitar Berbatov money and even then it’s no sure thin they would sell. Spending that amount of a player with a fragile ego who is over 30′s rarely makes for a great investment.

Blackpool deny reports they have become the first club in Britain to encourage fans to bring vuvuzelas to matches.

“Any decision will be taken in due course and in consultation with relevant supporter groups.”
Blackpool Football Club website

Hey when your Blackpool and your about to take a beating week after week you’d look for any advantage you can get.

Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas is refusing to give up on his dream move to Barcelona but may be forced to submit an official transfer request to force his exit from the Emirates. Daily Mail

Already said Arsenal won’t sell Fabregas just for the simply fact Barcelona keeps talking about it. Arsenal can’t look like they are getting bullied into selling Fabregas.

Gunners striker Eduardo is on the verge of a £6m move to Shakhtar Donetsk after undergoing a medical. (the Times)

Broken leg and the dive against Celtic. Also the player who was suppose to replace Thierry Henry. These are the things I think about when I think about Eduardo.

Greek side Panathinaikos have stepped up their efforts to sign out-of-contract Arsenal defender Williams Gallas, offering the Frenchman £25,000-a-week wages and a signing-on fee of almost £1m.
Full story: the Sun

Joe Ledley got that from Celtic. Surely Gallas would command more money in an open market.

Sevilla’s Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano says he may remain in Spain, despite a summer of speculation linking him with a move to the Premier League. the Sun

Of course Fabiano is going to remain in Spain. It’s a delicate balance for a club like Tottenham let’s say. You bring Fabiano in on huge money to a new league and new culture and not only does Fabiano need to adjust quick but also everyone else on the squad. Somethings it all clicks, a lot of times it doesn’t.

Manchester City officials have travelled to Italy to close the £35m deal for Inter Milan’s 19-year-old striker Mario Balotelli. Daily Mail

That price is right for Balotelli who unless he grows up will wear out his welcome with a lot of clubs.

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson insists he is not concerned that he has not heard from Javier Mascherano since trying to contact the midfielder last week. The Argentina captain is still on holiday after his World Cup exploits and is not due to return for pre-season training for another week. the Independent

Hodgson shouldn’t be concern because he should be looking to sell Mascherano. If able to go back in time I’d always pick Xabi Alonso over Javier Mascherano.

Great move by Liverpool by locking up Joe Cole for the next four years. No one quite knows the future of Gerrard and Torres yet but signing a player with Cole’s talents can’t hurt. Joe Cole at only 28 years still has a couple of prime years left in him plus you know he’ll be motivated to prove Chelsea and even Fabio Capello wrong. Another added bonus is Joe Cole is a winner, he has won every domestic title there is to win in England. It can only help Liverpool having someone who knows what it takes to win the EPL on your team.

Liverpool are hopeful their £90,000-a-week offer to England midfielder Joe Cole will be enough to persuade him to turn down rival suitors Tottenham. Cole has been released by Chelsea. the Guardian

Considering Liverpool don’t need to pay a transfer fee Cole is going to end up getting more compared to if he was being sold by Chelsea. Don’t think Cole will miss Chelsea too much once the first pay cheque comes in.

Cole is expected to make a decision on where he will resume his club career in the next 48 hours, while his former manager at Chelsea, Carlo Ancelotti, claims the reason for his Stamford Bridge departure this summer was “economic”. Daily Mail

Two ways to look at it. 1) If it was “ecomomic” how is Chelsea going to cough up 30 million plus for Torres? 2) This is the more likely of the two. Ancelotti can’t say Joe Cole was let go because of talent because doing so always manages to bite you in the ass later on.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp hopes to sign Manchester City forward Craig Bellamy after pulling out of the race to land Cole. the Sun

Harry Redknapp wanted to sign Craig Bellamy before he went to Manchester City so it isn’t a shock he’ll go after him again. If your Robbie Keane and you know the exit door is near, do you get worried that not a lot of clubs seems to be lining up wanting to sign you?

Aston Villa are ready to open talks with Spurs about the possibility of signing striker Robbie Keane.
Full story: Daily Express

In other words beg and pled to go to Aston Villa.

Chelsea and Real Madrid were given fresh hope in their pursuit of Mesut Ozil after Werder Bremen conceded they may have to sell their talented forward rather than lose him on a free transfer next summer. (The Times)

Frank Lampard would take up all of Ozil’s space. Real Madrid wouldn’t be a perfect fit either.

European champions Inter Milan are considering a move for Everton’s South African midfielder Steven Pienaar. Daily Mail

Why?

Arsenal are ready to offer £18m to sign Everton defender Phil Jagielka. Daily Star

Can you really see Arsenal offering 18 million for any player? Much less Phil Jagielka.

Former Arsenal and Everton forward Francis Jeffers will have a trial with Premier League newcomers Blackpool this week after being released by Sheffield Wednesday at the end of last season.
Full story: Daily Mail

Francis Jeffers one of the main reasons why Wenger doesn’t pony up for English talent.

Spanish World Cup winner Carles Puyol has called on Arsenal to show midfielder Cesc Fabregas some respect by allowing him to join him at Barcelona. “I have just spent six weeks with him and there is only one club he wants to be at,” said Puyol. the Sun

Someone should slap Puyol in the face again, next time not as playful.

I was going to name it Ricardo Quaresma all stars but decided at the last minute to name it the Diego Milito All Stars. Basically what this means is much like Diego Milito being picked up by Genoa for a song two years ago below are five players whose value have dropped in recent years but with the right club could prove their worth and end up being sold for a ton of money ala Diego Milito’s transfer to Inter Milan a year later.

Sebastian Giovinco – One of the great things about football unlike basketball is players from all shapes and sizes can play the game at a top level. At five foot five Sebastian Giovinco isn’t the tallest of players but has a world of talent. The problem lies in Juventus playing 25 million a year ago for Diego (he too could join this list in a matter of months) who at 5’8 isn’t a monster either plus plays in the same position Giovinco likes to feature in. A team can have one small player in the midfield, playing two and you run the risk of getting run over by bigger and stronger clubs. Hench the problem with Giovinco where Luigi Del Neri is now the 4th coach in Giovinco brief time at Juventus who will try to find a way to make Giovinco succeed before his talents go to waste.

Clubs I’d like to see Giovinco move too: Arsenal, Genoa

Giovanni Dos Santos – Let’s make one thing clear, Giovanni Dos Santos deciding to leave Barcelona for Tottenham was one of the biggest mistakes a player has made managing his career. When Dos Santos was trying to adjust to life in England Juande Ramos was sent packing and Harry Redknapp quickly grew tired of Dos Santos spending too much time enjoying the night life. Loan moves to Ipswich and Galatasaray followed without much fan fare but it’s when Dos Santos puts on the Mexican national jersey where flashes of his game are on display. At 21 Dos Santos is way too young to give up on but with the crowded midfield at Tottenham it looks like only a matter of time before another club comes calling trying to get the best out of Dos Santos

Clubs I’d like to see Dos Santos move too : Club America, Sporting Clube de Portugal

Joanthon de Guzman – Every other play on this list can be had for less than their talents would suggest they are worth. Joanthon de Guzman can be had for nothing. It’s rare where a 22 year old who has almost cracked the Dutch national team can be had for nothing. Granted there are questions of de Guzman keeping fit since the last two years he has spent mostly on the sidelines but a year ago at this time rumours of a 10 million pound move to clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal were in the papers.

Clubs I’d like to see de Guzman go too – Toronto FC, Valencia

Julio Baptista – In the lead up to the World Cup, Dunga was asked why did he gave Julio Baptista a call up when he isn’t an every game starter for Roma. Dunga simply replied to the effect that Julio Baptista is behind Francisco Totti who is a god in Rome. There lies the problem as Totti isn’t leaving Roma anytime soon. The former Sevilla, Real Madrid, Arsenal man is built like a brick truck whose game is very unBrazilian like but whose talents in midfield are rare to find with his combination of skill and brute strength. Another reason I’m a fan of Julio Baptista is because he rasies his game in big games. Off the top of my head can recall him scoring in the last Copa America final against Argentina and winning goals in key matches for Real Madrid and Roma against Barcelona and Lazio.

Teams I’d like to see Baptista go too – Sao Paulo, Atletico Madrid

Klass-Jan Huntelaar – Two years ago at this time Klass-Jan Huntelaar and Ajax were rubbing their hands just waiting for a big money offer to come in. Six months later after a panic buy by Real Madrid in Janauary 2009 Klass-Jan Huntelaar has been the forgotten man amongst elite strikers. When Florentino Pérez came back into the fold as Real Madrid president players from the old regime had to go in order to make way for Perez’s lavish signings of Kaka and Ronaldo. Off Huntelaar went to A.C Milan where big things were excepted as a dream partnership with Huntelaar and Pato where talked about but the 26 year old produced a decent but not overwhelming 7 goals in 25 games, many of those games having Huntelaar coming off the bench. Ask Wayne Rooney, confidence is a fragile thing for a striker once it goes it takes something special to get it back. Unless Massimiliano Allegri can restore Huntelaar confidence look for plenty of clubs to try and grab Huntelaar at a bargain.

Teams I’d like to see Huntelaar go too – Tottenham, PSV

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has admitted they may not be able to sign Arsenal captain this summer. Rosell says there are currently no talks between the two sides over a deal for Spain midfielder.

“We will not go all out for him. We would only pay his value in the transfer market.” (Press Association)

Of course Arsenal is angry and they have ever right to be. Been telling people for months Barcelona and Real Mardid are not all that different. It’s never going to happen but I’d love to see how Barcelona handles it if a player they clearly don’t want to get rid of (Xavi for example) is linked daily with a move away?

Cesc Fabregas isn’t going to sign with Barcelona this summer. Barcelona would be foolishly to pay more for Fabregas than they did for David Villa and Arsenal wouldn’t even think about selling Fabregas for anything less then the 40 million spent on Villa.

Manchester City will take their summer spending to £75m after Lazio accepted their £17m bid for left-back Aleksander Kolarov. Daily Mail

This is going back and forth but while Lazio would love to keep Kolarov, 17 million for a player in the last year of his deal is good business.

Manchester United could be in danger of losing Kolarov’s Serbia team-mate Nemanja Vidic, with the centre-back believed to be the subject of serious interest from Real Madrid. Daily Mail

Not going to happen. Mourinho would try to sign someone like Bruno Alves before picking off a player from Sir Alex Ferguson’s sqaud.

Shakhtar Donetsk are considering a £20m bid for out-of-favour Manchester City winger Robinho.
Full story: Daily Mail

Robinho hated life in Manchester, no way would he enjoy life in the Ukraine.

Sevilla’s Brazil international striker Luis Fabiano has welcomed talk of a summer move to Tottenham.
Full story: the Sun

If your Tottenham do you try and break the break making a move for Luis Fabiano?

Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti has hinted the club may be ready to sell forward Mario Balotelli if a club makes the right offer. Independent

In other words more then the 20 million Manchester City have bid.

West Ham will complete a £1m deal for Lyon striker Frederic Piquionne on a three-year contract worth £40,000 a week. The Hammers also hope to land Nice forward Loic Remy on Friday after failing with an initial £11.5m bid. the Sun

But Liverpool may yet enter the race for Remy with a late £12m bid. Daily Mirror

The contract is a tad rich but Frederic Piquionne is a good signing for West Ham who never really had a shot at Loic Remy. It would be interesting to see Loic Remy at Liverpool and if so does it mean Ryan Babel is on the way out?

Bruce will have to pay £10m if he wants to sign midfielder Stephen Ireland from Manchester City. (Daily Mirror)

Stephen Ireland may be hard to handle for a coach but players with his offensive flare don’t fall to a club like Sunderland all that often. Sunderland should do the deal if it’s there.

The German aquarium that owns octopus oracle Paul has rejected a number of bids for the celebrity mollusk from Spain.

It’s totally out of the question to sell Paul or lend him out,” said Sea Life spokeswoman Kerstin Kuehn. “Paul will enjoy his greatly deserved retirement in Sea Life in Oberhausen.” (Associated Press)

That octopus has more transfer value than some of the players mentioned in this post.

Manchester City are to sell Craig Bellamy after completing the £25m signing of David Silva from Valencia to fill his position on the left side of attack. the Guardian

You like Bellamy on the field, you hate him in the dressing room. It’s not like Craig Bellamy has won many titles and with Manchester City looking to recoup some of the money spent it wouldn’t shock me to see Bellamy leave.

City are expected to reignite their interest in Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta if they fail to sign England international James Milner from Aston Villa. Daily Telegraph

At the end of the day money talks but Mikel Arteta should look at the lack of success former team mate Joleon Lescott had with Manchester City last year. Sometimes home is where the heart is.

Manchester United, meanwhile, have rekindled their interest in Bayern Munich right-back Philipp Lahm. Daily Mail

Bayern Munich is not going to sell Philipp Lahm. Only way they would is if Manchester United overpays again like they did with Owen Hargreaves.

Inter Milan say that say that striker Mario Balotelli – a target for Manchester United and Manchester City – is not for sale. The European champions insist defender Maicon is also indispensable. Daily Mail

I’m a tad shocked Real Madrid haven’t made a serious push for Maicon yet.

Chelsea are to step up their pursuit of Liverpool striker Fernando Torres and have not been put off by the thigh injury he suffered while playing for Spain in the World Cup final. Daily Mail

They will be put off by Liverpool’s asking price.

Blackburn are ready to sell striker Jason Roberts – to bring in cash for Sam Allardyce to sign a new forward. Daily Mirror

Nothing against Jason Roberts but how much cash does Sam Allardyce think he is going to get for a career 3rd or 4th striker?

Liverpool left-back Emiliano Insua is set to join Fiorentina after the clubs agreed on a £5m fee for the Argentine. Daily Mail

Liked Insua who was thrown into the fire last year and did a decent job. Not exactly the English steel in the backline Roy Hodgson seems to want at Liverpool.

Mike Tyson made a surprise appearance at West Ham’s pre-season friendly against Peterborough on Wednesday night. The former heavyweight champion is in the UK giving a series of talks on his life and career and making a pigeon racing show for television in the United States.
Full story: the Sun

Interesting way to end today’s post on.

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In one of the worst kept sercets the New York Red Bulls have finally made it official by taking Thierry Henry off Barcelona’s hands. The writting on the fall for Henry was made clear when in the Champions League semi finals, down a goal Pep Guardiola decided to bring on Jeffrén Suárez instead of Henry.

From there it was only a matter of time before the pieces fell into place and kudos to Henry for making the move to MLS after hinting about ending his career in New York the last couple of years. The move is a fresh start for Henry who clearly needs it after a horrible year, being struck on the Barcelona bench, the handball against Ireland (few will shed tears for him over that I know) and France’s awful showing in the World Cup. Going to New York will wipe most of that clear and the Red Bull clearly need a star player after building their brand new stadium.

Real Madrid are close to sealing a £30m move for Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole, 29, according to Real’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who said: “I am confident he can be a Real Madrid player next year”. the Sun

Jose Mourinho loved Ashley Cole when he was at Arsenal so it doesn’t shock me he would want to link up with Ashley Cole again. That being said he isn’t a £30 million player. Can’t see Chelsea turning down that amount of cash.

Stoke boss Tony Pulis has dismissed reports that he is planning to exchange Republic of Ireland midfielder Liam Lawrence with Middlesbrough’s Gary O’Neil. “I haven’t spoken to Gordon Strachan (Middlesbrough boss) about this, so I don’t know where it has come from,” Pulis told the Stoke Sentinel. Stoke Senitnel

Liam Lawrenece doesn’t play with Celtic or Rangers so there is no chance of him going to Middlesbrough.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have pulled out of the race to sign Werder Bremen’s Mesut Ozil, 21, with the Stamford Bridge outfit instead keen on fellow German midfielder Sami Khedira, 23, who plays for Stuttgart.
Full story: the Sun

Waiting for Chelsea to open up the chequebook again and you may have to wait awhile.

Chelsea will challenge Manchester United and Manchester City to sign Italian striker Mario Balotelli from Inter Milan but they will have to outbid United, who are willing to pay £28m – £2m more than City have offered for the 19-year-old. Daily Star

I’d love to see Balotelli and Drogba together. No way those two get along.

Robinho and Craig Bellamy are expected to lead an £80m exodus from Manchester City this summer, with Brazilian forward Robinho’s likely destination being AC Milan following his spell on loan at Santos. Tottenham are interested in Wales striker Bellamy and his City team-mate, defender Micah Richards. (the Times)

Manchester City needs to have some sort of plan to go along with all that money. Just look at all the defensive midfielders and strikers they have signed in the last 18 months. It’s like a kid in a candy store.

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is ready to launch ­an £8m bid to lure Liverpool’s Dutch forward Ryan Babel to St Andrew’s. Daily Star

Ryan Babel didn’t go to Birmingham in January and with a new coach now at Liverpool don’t see him leaving in July.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp says he has talked “at length” with free agent Joe Cole about a move to White Hart Lane following the end of his contract at Chelsea. (ESPN Soccernet, 1150 BST).

Harry Redknapp and Joe Cole may go way back to heir West Ham days but it’s iffy at best Joe Cole would sign for Tottenham. Spurs have a ton of depth at the midfield position, while Joe Cole would start the season in the starting eleven a bad run could see him repeat his final Chelsea days where he spent most of it on the bench.

The agent for Liverpool’s Javier Mascherano has dropped a big hint he could leave for European champions Inter Milan, saying “to be linked to Inter has a magical taste…it’s a dream.” (Press Association, 1025 BST).

Liverpool should cash in on Javier Mascherano. Last summer Barcelona, this summer Inter but it always appears the Mascherano have a wandering eye.

Fulham have held talks with Swiss national team coach Ottmar Hitzfeld about being Roy Hodgson’s successor. The 61-year-old is one of only three managers to have won the Champions League with two different clubs – Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund – and speaks fluent English. goal.com

Stranger things have happened but can’t see Ottmar Hitzfeld coaching Fulham. Hitzfeld is at the stage of his life where international coaching suits him more as he left a pretty good gig at Bayern Munich to coach the Swiss National team.

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres could be out for another two months after suffering a groin injury in Spain’s World Cup final win over the Netherlands, which could scupper a possible move to Chelsea.
Full story: the Guardian

These last 10 months must of be frustrating for Fernando Torres with everything he had to deal with.

Striker Edin Dzeko remains confident that Wolfsburg will drop their £50m asking price and allow him to join Manchester City. Daily Mail

Wolfsburg seems pretty set in their ways. They are not going to allow themselves to be run over by Manchester City. If Wolfsburg sell Dzeko it will be on their terms.

Mexican winger Pablo Barrera is set to complete a £4m switch from Pumas to West Ham on a two-year contract, with the option of a third, subject to gaining a work permit. Daily Mirror

Upton Park could also be the destination for Nice striker Loic Remy. The 23-year-old is keen to make the move and manager Avram Grant is closing in on a £12m deal. Daily Mirror

The talent is there when watching Pablo Barrera play but aside from Hugo Sanchez and Rafael Marquez there isn’t a long line of Mexican players who have excelled in European football. Regarding Loic Remy I’d give it about 12 months before he starts making noises about leaving for another club. He would just see West Ham as a stepping stone.

Premier League new boys Blackpool are weighing up a move for United States international midfielder Michael Bradley, who plays for Borussia Moenchengladbach. Daily Mail

Bigger fish will come calling for Michael Bradley soon enough.

Celtic insist that winger Aiden McGeady’s failure to travel to the United States was because of a thigh strain and not a pending transfer. (Daily Express)

Pity the folks in Toronto won’t get to see him play against Manchester United.

Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas had a Barcelona shirt put over his head and was referred to as “the future of Barcelona” by Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina as Spain’s players celebrated their World Cup win in front of 200,000 fans in Madrid. Daily Mail

While innocent in nature a day after saying great things about Arsenal this won’t quiet down transfer rumours anytime soon.