Football (EPL, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1) player recruitment

The close season is upon us and the rumour mills are in full swing.
In Liverpool's case, you could say they're working overtime.
So far we're apparently close to the following players:

Defenders- Burdisso, Milito...
Midfielders- Keita, Simao, Malouda, Silva, Rossini...
Forwards- Eto'o, Mancini, Villa, Owen, Tevez, Bent...

I am sure to have missed out on several names.
At the same time, we're apparently shifting

Carson (probably)
Riise (nah)
Hyypia (possibly)
Paletta (loan?)
Kewell (probably)
Bellamy (probably)
Crouch (unlikely)
Gonzalez (adios, and bad luck)
Zenden (adios)
Fowler (come to Oz, or the N.E. Revolution)
... Again, I'm sure to have missed a few names.

I think Xabi may be a surprise swap plus cash for Eto'o, our big coup of the pre-season.

What are fellow footy fans hopes for their respective team's recruitment drives

I thought Benitez said he was going for really big names. Tevez will be good but there will be some competition to sign him. I can't see Etoo wanting to go to Liverpool to be honest. Owen is an oddity, I don't think he'll ever perform at the top level again. I'd say that most of your 'to go' list should go.

I'm a ManU fan - and after Owen Hargreaves, a few out of Nani, Queresma, Torres, Tevez would be nice. Berbatov would be top of my list, but there's no way Spurs are going to let him go.

Originally Posted by strazzaque

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The close season is upon us and the rumour mills are in full swing.
In Liverpool's case, you could say they're working overtime.
So far we're apparently close to the following players:

Defenders- Burdisso, Milito...
Midfielders- Keita, Simao, Malouda, Silva, Rossini...
Forwards- Eto'o, Mancini, Villa, Owen, Tevez, Bent...

I am sure to have missed out on several names.
At the same time, we're apparently shifting

Carson (probably)
Riise (nah)
Hyypia (possibly)
Paletta (loan?)
Kewell (probably)
Bellamy (probably)
Crouch (unlikely)
Gonzalez (adios, and bad luck)
Zenden (adios)
Fowler (come to Oz, or the N.E. Revolution)

... Again, I'm sure to have missed a few names.

I think Xabi may be a surprise swap plus cash for Eto'o, our big coup of the pre-season.

What are fellow footy fans hopes for their respective team's recruitment drives

There was some recent press about Eto'o saying that playing at Liverpool would be great (I forget the actual adjective). But I don't see it.

Originally Posted by strazzaque

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Carson (probably)
Riise (nah)
Hyypia (possibly)
Paletta (loan?)
Kewell (probably)
Bellamy (probably)
Crouch (unlikely)
Gonzalez (adios, and bad luck)
Zenden (adios)
Fowler (come to Oz, or the N.E. Revolution)

Here are my few thoughts (not being a huge Liverpool follower or anything).

I have always hated Craig Bellamy. If I were an Anfield supporter, I'd want him gone.

Get rid of Crouch? I don't know what sort of season he's had, but the times I've seen him play, he's been good.

Is Hyppia's form in bad shape? I can't imagine Liverpool without him on the back line. I've always been impressed by him.


b

Originally Posted by strazzaque

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What are fellow footy fans hopes for their respective team's recruitment drives

I'm not so concerned about any one team, but a number of Yanks Abroad are out of contract or are free to leave after loan spells away from their contracted clubs.

Kasey Keller was not offered a contract at Borussia Mochengladbach (sp?). Apparently they wanted to make a quick decision and he wanted to put it off to the end of the season. So they made back-up plans that didn't include him--since they were relegated, they thought he would leave anyway. I don't care where he ends up in particular, just that he's getting regular play time and some recognition that he deserves. I think there's got to be a newly promoted club in the Bundeslige, the EPL, or even La Liga again where he will fit.

Oguichi Onyewu was not picked up by Newcastle in the EPL so is headed back to Standard Liegge but they say he's free to leave. Lord knows where he'll go. last summer everyone from Middlesburough (EPL) to Chelsea to Real Madrid to some Italian and French clubs were rumored to want him. It was ridiculous. And he went to NUFC? Ugh. Hopefully he'll get some attention after the Copa America and/or Gold Cup.

Same goes for DeMarcus Beasley who is free to leave Eindhoeven (sp?) after a year's loan at Man City. They didn't want him permanent (or balked at the price as was the case with Gooch at NUFC). He needs to have a good summer and increase the interest.

There are a few other Yanks who are in question, but because of relegation not contract: Spector (West Ham), DeMerrit Watford), and Lewis (Leeds, gawds help him) come to mind.

b

Following the Roma transfer rumors is a fairly futile and fruitless endeavor as they seem to be completely random and out of control. My hopes are for a couple of promising signings, the retention of our quality players, and no stupid/illegal shennanigans ala the Mexes affair that end up hurting us financially or result in a transfer ban....

United have just announced the imminent signing of 20 year old winger Nani and 19 year old Anderson.Couple that with the arrival of Hargreaves and things are looking very rosy at OT.

Who calls it the "EPL"?

And yes, the rich indeed appear to be getting richer in United's case...

Apparently there's talk of Eto'o plus cash for Henry; I think Arsenal would be getting the better of this one, since as good as he Henry probably only has a couple years left in top form.

Originally Posted by Bona Drag

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Who calls it the "EPL"?

And yes, the rich indeed appear to be getting richer in United's case...

Apparently there's talk of Eto'o plus cash for Henry; I think Arsenal would be getting the better of this one, since as good as he Henry probably only has a couple years left in top form.

I see it referred to as the EPL (English Premier League) all the time (bigsoccer.com, yanks-abroad.com, foxsportsworld.com, etc.).

b

I just read that Luca Toni is heading to Bayern Munich. I haven't exactly been following him, but how often do Italians end up in Germany? Not often from the games I've seen.

b

Originally Posted by Bona Drag

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Who calls it the "EPL"?

And yes, the rich indeed appear to be getting richer in United's case...

Apparently there's talk of Eto'o plus cash for Henry; I think Arsenal would be getting the better of this one, since as good as he Henry probably only has a couple years left in top form.

I think Henry is well out of it, he's a shadow of the player he was a couple of years ago. I would have thought that it'd be Henry plus cash for Etoo even though the latter has been a bit off form this season too.

Originally Posted by rdawson808

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I just read that Luca Toni is heading to Bayern Munich. I haven't exactly been following him, but how often do Italians end up in Germany? Not often from the games I've seen.

b

Yes, Toni's headed to Bayern. Like the Enlglish, Italians don't export much, especially the better players. The Azzuri were the only national team (maybe Saudi Arabia, too?) in the World Cup whose players all played in their country's league. That being said, Montella went to Fulham this spring, and Ferrari had a miserable stint at Everton. Of course there's DiCanio, and I know Chelsea has featured a bunch of Italian players over the years, so the Premiership gets their share. La Liga too, but not so much the Bundesliga...

Originally Posted by chobochobo

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I think Henry is well out of it, he's a shadow of the player he was a couple of years ago. I would have thought that it'd be Henry plus cash for Etoo even though the latter has been a bit off form this season too.

I definitely hope that's not the case. An injuries-plagued season is not a sure sign of decline. And even if he returns at somewhat less than his top form, Henry should be kept in London till retirement; he is like a modern day Alan Wright and Tony Adams rolled into one.

Originally Posted by whacked

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I definitely hope that's not the case. An injuries-plagued season is not a sure sign of decline. And even if he returns at somewhat less than his top form, Henry should be kept in London till retirement; he is like a modern day Alan Wright and Tony Adams rolled into one.

Oh, he will still be a good player but when he was at his peak he was pretty much the best in the country if not europe. When he recovers from his injuries, he'll be an asset still but he seems a bit frustrated at Arsenal at the moment.

Hi Romafan,
What are the chances Mancini will leave? I've read a link between him and Anfield, and if anyone can dispel it here, it'd be you.

Originally Posted by strazzaque

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Hi Romafan,
What are the chances Mancini will leave? I've read a link between him and Anfield, and if anyone can dispel it here, it'd be you.

Well I hope not. He's a bit petulant for me. But despite being rather inconsistent (runs hot/cold, and is invisible at times), I'd like to see him stay. I know he & Totti had a rather ugly feud earlier this year, but that seems to have been patched up. I'll check my 'sources' and let you know.