Where did the sporting summer go? Federer’s grand-slam supremacy; Armstrong and Contador bickering their way through the Pyrenees; Watson holding back the years on the sun-kissed links of Turnberry. Like 10pm sunsets and long, hot afternoons (ok, long rainy afternoons) these glorious events have, already, been consigned to the annals for another year. But don’t despair – football’s back! Though it’s hardly been away and – for the love of God – the destiny of the Ashes is still in the balance, the English league season has kicked off once more.
As ever, through the barren months, wild transfer speculation has kept us all engaged, entertained and amused (Christian Vieri to Blackburn?? At 36, Big Bobo is surely in worse shape than Big Sam himself). Despite most of the guff which fills footy gossip columns lacking even the slightest thread of veracity, occasionally a juicy deal or two does, in fact, come to fruition. And – resisting the temptation to include broadcaster ESPN for their audacious signings of not only the English Premier League, but also Serie A, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga – here are six of the best mid-summer moves (so far):
Diego (Werder Bremen to Juventus) – Erstwhile team-mate of Robinho and Elano in the 2002/03 Santos superteam, Diego has been a star attraction in the Bundesliga since moving to Bremen three years ago. Juve expect the diminutive playmaker will add a necessary dash of élan to their workmanlike engine-room; aiding the transition of rookie boss Ciro Ferrara’s men from Champions League also-rans into genuine contenders. With a healthy haul of 20 goals during his final season in Germany (six came in Werder’s run to the UEFA Cup Final) and a hatful of assists, the 24-year-old from São Paulo appears to be reaching a peak which looked like it might never arrive when he failed to flourish in the first post-Mourinho Porto side. With several big names deserting Serie A like a sinking ship, Diego now has a golden chance to become a Calcio superstar in their absence.
Anatoliy Tymoschuk (Zenit St Petersburg to Bayern Munich) – Bayern’s shambolic 08/09 campaign ended in bitter recrimination, as the fall-out from the all-too-brief Klinsmann era threatened to destabilise the German giants. However, the shrewd acquisitions of experienced coach Louis van Gaal, Hamburg’s workhorse forward Ivica Olić and – in particular – Ukrainian grafter Tymoschuk give an altogether more resolute sheen to the FC Hollywood starting eleven. The ultimate professional, ‘Tymo’ will filter out opposition attacks in front of a back four now shorn of inspirational Lúcio; feeding the ball quickly and accurately to front-men Franck Ribéry, Miro Klose and €30m man Mario Gómez. Having been the lynchpin behind Zenit’s recent continental successes (including a 4-1 humiliation of Bayern in the 2008 UEFA Cup semi-final), the Ukraine vice-captain now chances his arm at a genuine European football heavyweight.
Yuri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow to Chelsea) – A summer of relative austerity for previously profligate Roman Abramovich, but at least Carlo Ancelotti has been allowed at least one exciting new plaything, by means of Zhirkov’s expensive acquisition. Given Joe Cole’s forthcoming return and Florent Malouda’s unexpected mid-season turnaround last term (...from disinterested to unstoppable in the eye-blink between Scolari’s dismissal and Hiddink’s appointment), the signing of a crafty, industrious left-footed winger will create intense competition for a starting place alongside Messrs Anelka and/or Drogba. Hiddink has used Zhirkov as a left-wing-back to great effect at international level, and the Blackburn Rovers fan (?) is certainly defensively capable. Causing havoc in the final third, though, is where Blues fans will see the costliest ever Russian footballer at his very best.
Lucho González (FC Porto to Marseille) – Few would have predicted that one of the Champions League’s most reliable, versatile and sought-after midfielders would switch to the Mediterranean coast, rather than to one of Italian or Spanish football’s big guns. El Comandante’s move, for a fee in the region of €18m, indicates the extent of OM’s ambition under new head coach Didier Deschamps. The former River Plate star will fill the gap in the Marseille midfield vacated by Sunderland’s new recruit (and former OM skipper) Lorik Cana, though he’ll offer far more offensive flair than the fiery Albanian ever did. With Gaby Heinze and Stéphane M’Bia among a number of impressive fellow arrivals, ‘Lucho’ will be confident that his new side is on an upward curve.
Nilmar (Internacional to Villarreal) – Though the Yellow Submarine’s general manager José Manuel Llaneza refers to the club’s new record signing as a “global superstar”, Nilmar has much to prove before he can truly substantiate such lofty acclaim. In a World Cup year, with his place in the final Brazilian squad still in the balance, it could be perceived as something of a risk for the 25-year-old to return to Europe. But now the time is right for the clever goal-poacher to atone for the aberration on his CV which was a short, unhappy spell at Lyon. With the talismanic Nihat Kahveci returned to Beşiktaş after seven productive years in La Liga, much of Villarreal’s attacking onus now falls upon the slender shoulders of their new star and his strike partner Giuseppe Rossi. The young duo are set to be one of the most scintillating in the Primera División.
Cristiano Ronaldo/Kaká/Xabi Alonso/Karim Benzema (all to Real Madrid) – There have been some exciting deals swilling around in football’s bottomless money pit of late, but for sheer arrogance, ambition and razzmatazz there’s simply no-one that can match the peerless profligacy of Florentino Perez. Even the greatest sceptics of his approach cannot wait to see how the second generation Galacticos ‘project’ pans out – both on and off the field. Let the fun begin...
Other great deals:
Top 3 young guns on the move
Fabian Delph (Leeds Utd to Aston Villa) – has enjoyed praise from quarters diverse as Steve Claridge, Steve Staunton and, perhaps more credibly, Fiorentina boss Claudio Prandelli. A left-footed English midfielder with authority, composure and great passing range: who needs Gareth Barry?
Radamel ‘Falcao’ Garcia (River Plate to FC Porto) – long-touted for a move to Europe (and already familiar to fans of certain football management games), the fleet-footed front-man has big boots to fill now that Lisandro Lopez has set sail for Lyons. Nonetheless, Porto’s new no.9 has all the raw talent to set the Champions League alight.
Marcus Berg – top-scoring at the under-21 Euros drew Premier League attention towards the Swedish striker, but the 22-year-old was instead destined for the Bundesliga, with Hamburg. If he can translate his scintillating Eredivisie form to one of Europe’s ‘Big Five’ leagues, Berg will soon replace Ivica Olić as the Hamburg fans-favourite.
Top 3 freebies (Bosmans/loans)
Aleksandr Hleb (Barcelona to Stuttgart [loan]) – turned down a season-long switch to Inter (as a makeweight in the megabucks Eto’o-Zlatan deal) to return to his old home. An excellent move for both parties.
Valeri Bojinov (Manchester City to Parma [loan]) – continuing his long, laborious return from serious injury with Serie A returnees Parma could be the ideal switch at this stage of the powerful striker’s stop-start career.
Michael Owen (Newcastle Utd to Manchester Utd) – what a move for the one-time Anfield hero, whom the press had prematurely consigned to the knackers yard, and what a bargain for wily old Sir Alex. Everyone’s a winner.
No comments:
Post a Comment