Cassano Back Earlier Then Expected

Cassano will to return to the Sampdoria camp ten days earlier then expected for pre-season training



Troubled Italian talent Antonio Cassano truly seems to have turned over a new leaf in recent times, despite one or two incidents last season.

The ex-Real Madrid starlet has shown maturity and is excelling at Sampdoria since his loan move from the los Merengues, even managing to receive a call up for the Azzurri's Euro 2008 campaign.

Reports in Italy now indicate his new attitude towards the club that saved him from his Spanish misadventure have served him well. Due to his exploits with the national team this summer, Cassano was given an extra ten days of rest before the resumption of training.

Despite this, sources close to the player have revealed that he is more interested in getting the season underway and is reported to be willing to forgo the extra rest and return to training with his team mates as early as possible. Cassano is said to be eager to return in order to meet the new players in the squad and get to work for the Serie A and UEFA Cup season ahead.

Whether the player is truly maturing is yet to be seen, but perhaps a few steps in the right direction can release the potential that Il Talentino possesses.

Readmore »»

Baptista Roma Loan Impossible – Agent

The agent of Real Madrid forward Julio Baptista has made it perfectly clear that the only way that his client will be joining Roma if it is in a permanent transfer.



There have been almost constant reports over the past couple of weeks that Baptista is set for a transfer to Roma, with the Italian and Spanish press claiming that a deal is just days or so away.

However, the 26-year-old’s agent, Herminio Menendez, responded to these reports yesterday, and claimed that Roma have still made no contact with either him or Real Madrid about buying ‘The Beast’.

There have been rumours that Roma are being scared off by Madrid’s supposed €15m price tag, and instead could be eyeing up a loan deal.

Menendez says that this is impossible, while also confirming that there still has been no contact from the Giallorossi.

“For the moment nobody from Roma has contacted me and I haven’t spoken to Real Madrid,” Menendez told Centro Suono Sport.

“I only know what Spanish newspaper Marca says and that is that two Roma officials are expected in Madrid to talk to the Merengues.

“A transfer for Baptista is possible if Real agree but a loan is impossible. Only a permanent transfer is possible and I don’t know what the fee would be.”

Baptista is almost certain to leave Real Madrid this summer as he is not in coach Bernd Schuster’s first team plans for the coming season.

Readmore »»

Thiago Silva Also Close To Inter?

Inter Milan's transfer campaign is springing into motion with Thiago Silva now joining Quaresma in appearing to be on the verge of a nerazzurri trip...



Reports from Italy and Portugal in recent weeks have linked Portuguese ace Quaresma with the Italian giants, but the move has taken its time and had virtually stalled until recently.

Yet the rumours remain: the ex-Barcelona man had been on the nerazzurri radar for some time and it is thought that he himself favours a move away from the BWIN Liga. Today it has been reported that Porto are willing to lower their asking price for the winger, with his agent Jorge Mendes expected in Milan to negotiate the details of the move.

These last reports look promising for Inter fans awaiting the arrival of the skillful Porto player. Meanwhile it seems that Inter are also close to signing 23-year-old Brazilian central defender Thiago Silva from Fluminense after another successful campaign for the Rio-born ace.

The Inter transfer bandwagon is beginning to build steam with the names of Lampard and Eto'o being echoed in the media. Regarding the Englishman however, coach Jose Mourinho seems to have given up on his former player for the current campaign, saying, “Lampard will arrive in a year's time.”

Readmore »»

The Nooner (July 21) -- Beckham Tied In Gotham

In SuperLiga action, Houston and New England advanced out of the group stage and will host Pachuca and Atlante, respectively. At least for the semifinals the Revolution don’t have to worry about any shenanigans at 30,000 feet.



MLS play on the weekend saw Landon Donovan steal a point for Los Angeles in front of a mostly packed house at Giants Stadium. The other three games involved another 2-2 draw and a pair of scoreless ties. And yet West Virginia doesn’t have an MLS team.



Those same Galaxy finally cut Abel Xavier loose. They could no longer fit his stylist bills under the salary cap.



As Xavier went, Cristiano Ronaldo signed in Los Angeles. Because he wants to win silverware, it wasn’t with the Galaxy.



Ramon Calderon still claims Ronaldo will head to the Bernabeu, even if it breaks the club financially. Sir Alex met with his Portuguese superstar and says he is staying. Terry Venables said Ronaldo is being selfish and immoral while Roy Keane told Ronaldo to tell Fergie to piss off. MUTV is now lining up an interview with Cristiano.



Chelsea have reportedly made a €150 million bid for Kaka. In related news, the Ecstasea is now up for sale.



One player already inked with the Blues admitted he could have gone to MLS for more money. Deco, though, knew mo’ money meant mo’ problems.



Tottenham are on the trail of Andrei Arvashin according to Zenit St. Petersburg. He would replace Robbie Keane, should the Irish striker move to Liverpool. Might there be cartwheels in the Kop?



West Ham, preparing for their big clash with the MLS All Stars, downed Columbus 3-1 in a game that was marred by halftime violence between opposing supporters at The New Den Crew Stadium.



All4All Blog’s Kyle McCarthy takes a look at the players Steve Nicol selected for the game against the Hammers in his Monday MLS Breakdown. The Nooner still thinks Kelly Gray should have gone over Jimmy Conrad at the position of head writer.

Readmore »»

Lucho Wants Porto Exit

FC Porto creative midfielder Lucho González has once again expressed his desire for a move this summer...



The Argentina international has been linked with a transfer away from Estádio do Dragão for most of the summer, with Atlético Madrid emerging as serious candidates to win the race for his signature.

El Comandante has made no secret of his desire to experience football in a more competitive league and he has now voiced his thoughts on his future once again.

"I think this is the right time to looking for another challenge. I am 27 years old and I would like to try another country," he told Ole.

Vicente Calderón seems to be his most likely destination, although Lucho does not rule out a move to England and the Premier League.

"If I see myself in Spain? It's a league that attracts me. Atlético Madrid? I won't talk about clubs because I do not know what might happen. But there are other interesting leagues, like the British," Lucho added.

Readmore »»

Torres Hails Great Squad And Wants Soldado

Ángel Torres believes that Getafe are starting the new season with the best squad that the club has had since he took control and wants to add a new striker too.



Los Azulones' president is excited about the forthcoming campaign under new coach Víctor Muñoz and added the weight of expectation on to the club with his statement.

Jaime Gavilán, Adrián González, Rafa, Eugen Polanski, Ibrahim Kas, Joffre Guerrón and Esteban Granero have all joined this summer and Torres is very pleased with the new additions.

"We have the best squad since I becaome president and all we are missing is a striker, but that should be solved in the next few days," he explained.

"I think we have built a very good squad and we know we need another centre forward. Víctor has asked us.

The addition of Roberto Soldado will bolster the team's striking options and Torres is hopeful that a deal can be struck with Real Madrid before Getafe' first pre-season trip.

"If in the next few days (Soldado) does not sign then we do have other options. This week we want to sort it out before we leave for Holland," he continued.

"At this moment whether Soldado joins depends on Real Madrid. It does depend on us somewhat, but we are trying our hardest."

Readmore »»

Calcio Debate: Should Milan Accept €100m For Kaka?

There have been reports in the press over the past few days that Chelsea are prepared to fork out €100m, or even €150m, to bring Kaka to Stamford Bridge. If such a bid were to be officially lodged, should Milan accept?



Yes They Should Sell

Even by today’s inflated standards, €100m is an obscene amount of money. From purely a business point of view, it would make sense for Milan to sell Kaka. He may still only be 26, but his game, a little like Cristiano Ronaldo, relies heavily on physical attributes such as pace, acceleration, and quick movements. Within a few years these will be gone, and it is debatable whether Kaka will then still be the same player he is today. Furthermore, the Brazilian had a miserable time with injuries last season, and there are still some lingering fitness doubts following the chronic knee problem that was recently operated on.

With the €100m that Milan receive for Kaka, they could buy three guaranteed world class players who would surely strengthen the team. Use the example of Zinedine Zidane’s world record €76m move from Juventus to Real Madrid in 2001. Luciano Moggi was heavily criticised for offloading arguably the best player in the world at the time. However, Moggi used the money recouped to sign three world class players in Gianluigi Buffon, Lilian Thuram and Pavel Nedved. At that time Juve were in a similar position to that which Milan find themselves in now. They hadn’t won the Scudetto for a few years, and needed revitalising. With these three purchases, Juventus again became the dominant force in Italian football, winning four of the next five Scudetti prior to the Calciopoli crisis.

Despite buying Mathieu Flamini (24), Marco Borriello (26) and Ronaldinho (28) this summer, Milan still have a very old team. The entire defence is over the age of the 30, while most of the midfield is also nearing or already past this landmark. A €100m war-chest would go a long way to injecting some top quality young players into the squad for the future.


No They Should Not Sell

While it is true that €100m is a lot of money, who could Milan realistically buy to adequately replace Kaka? There are very few players in the world who could live up to what he has done. Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is one, but even if the Blaugrana decided to sell, he would cost more than €100m. It is also unlikely that a high profile Argentine would move to such a Brazilian environment. I still have my doubts over Cristiano Ronaldo, and he is probably set to join Real Madrid anyway. Even if he stays at Man Utd, his transfer fee would be astronomical. If you rattle down the list of other highly rated attacking midfielders – Gerrard, Sneijder, Ribery, Riquelme, Iniesta, Robinho, Diego, Van der Vaart – could any of these, assuming they are purchasable, replace Kaka and be value for money?

In simple terms, Kaka is probably irreplaceable in Milan’s current system. Ronaldinho, who plays in a similar position, has just signed but, as has been well documented, he is a huge gamble. The only way the Rossoneri could counter Kaka’s loss would be to change their style of play, which is what Juventus did when they sold Zidane. During the first few years of Marcello Lippi’s first reign in Turin, Juve played some of the most delightful and entertaining football in Europe, with Zidane at the centre of the action. When they sold him in 2002, they had already decided to go down the more efficient route, with workhorses in midfield instead of artists.

With Silvio Berlusconi as owner, this would simply never be allowed to happen at Milan. The club are Berlusconi’s joy, just like Chelsea are to Roman Abramovich. They must always play beautiful football, and so Kaka, someone who brings great enjoyment to the Italian President, must therefore stay.

It must also be noted that when Juve sold Zidane, he was coming off three relatively average seasons for his club. While Zizou was a revelation in his first two years at the Delle Alpi, he struggled to lift a team who had gone into decline from 98/99 onwards and, in truth, offloading Zidane, was a Moggi masterstroke. Kaka, on the other hand, may have been under-par last campaign, but this was only down to injuries, and despite this, he still finished as the club’s top scorer with 15 Serie A goals. Kaka is in his prime now at the age of 26, Zidane was approaching 30 back in 2001.

Readmore »»