Martín Cáceres: blauguayan

Heh, nice article, especially for an American!

I just met Caceres tonight in a restaurant in the Port Olimpic. I said Benvenidos! He looks able and willing. I told him to watch out for Diego Capel...

g

Finally, Dani Alves is official!!!

I think that Ciaran's last comment about a cohesive unit being more important than talent and ego messing things up is what's behind certain favorites going on sale. Interesting. I also wonder if, absent the likes of Deco and Ronaldinho, Eto'o will be a better citizen. :D

Hey, kids, the 08/09 kits are on sale, complete with a 10% discount for us socis. I got long-sleeved home, away and keeper's shirts, plus one of the going, going, gone short-sleeved 3rd shirts. Suh-weet!

Look for a welcome, Dani Alves post outta me if it happens tomorrow. There might even be a picture if I can figure out this whole Vista/new blogging template business.

Also, I am definitely planning a politics post, just before the big vote, so that everyone understands what's going on and the potential import on our beloved club.

Meanwhile, we offered 30 million for Silva and Valencia said no??!! Screw them. 40 million for Adebayor is so crazy that if we did it, I just might fly to Barcelona just to chain myself to the gates of the Nou Camp in protest. Craziness. I think we're desperate, but not crazy. That just won't fly.

Guiza is still looking like the best alternative. Eto' is also under contract until 2010 like Ronaldinho. So we either sell him now, or really get rooked for him. Who wants to see these guys go on a free transfer? Not I. Deco was relatively cheap, but cheaper than a free transfer.

So. Eto'o stays, has a great season, and we open the pocketbook to keep him. Or he stays, has a great season, and everyone else opens the pocketbook, and he skedaddles on a free transfer for mega-mega bucks. Or he has a crap season, and we can't give him away in the January transfer window because he's a risk, and everyone might as well until he comes off contract.

With two years to go, now is the time to sell. With one year to go, teams can hold us over a barrel, as Spurs did with Dos Santos.

Ah, the modern game.

If we want a striker with an attitude problem we could just get Adriano from Inter... He'd cost a lot, like Adebayor, He can be brilliant, like Adebayor, but in all likelihood would cause problems because of his attitude, like you guessed it, Adebayor.
Berbatov, whilst still seems temperamental, would cost less and could teach Bojan a few tricks. His technique is outstanding has scored against all the big teams which is probably a good sign. His 4 goal performance against Reading was the best solo performance I've seen for a long time (with the obviouse exception of R10 and Messi's respective performances against EE).
AC Milan have ruled themselves out of a move for Adebayor because he is too expensive. I would say bad value at €40million. I wouldn't sign him for anything near that so MOVE ON TXIKI.
Same for Hleb, at €10million I'd accept his transfer but would you lose money swapping Deco for Hleb??? I can't imagine anyone would choose Hleb over Deco and neither should we pay above what we sold Deco for unless we are getting as much as we lost with Deco's departure. Make Sense?
At least Hernanes has age on his side being 24. Same for V.d.Vaart. Joao Moutinho is 21 I think. All have much more potential than Hleb.

If it happens that Eto'o stays for one more season, by the time he leaves Bojan should be first choice anyway so it shouldn't be too bad. If we do sign a striker, I really just want 2/3 good years for Bojan's development and growth.
Is Eto'o's hunger really a good thing to take from our locker room? I don't know what's going on in their but a cohesive unit is more important than talent and ego messing things up.

I do agree that he never worked with Eto'o -- note least, I think, because Sammy also likes to come in from the left. Adebayor? I worry about his attitude.

... and, btw, Henry has always favored the left side of the field, even during his glory days at Arsenal. I vividly remember countless goals where he collected the ball out on the wing, then darted into the center. He was never, but never, a centerforward.

Oh I still think that we should sign a striker, Bobby. You've probably missed my "Adebayor would be good" comments. Henry can't carry the full-time striker burden, but I would argue that he never could. He was at his best at Arsenal working with another striker, first Bergkamp, then Adebayor....someone to create space.

He couldn't work well with Eto'o because of that simple notion that there can't be two No. 1s. So both were trying to do the same stuff, essentially.

It will be interesting to see how Guardiola deals with all of this next season.

Kxevin, I'm not averse to giving Henry a chance -- but judging by his declining performance over the past three seasons (including at the World Cup and Euro08), I think it is a folly to expect he will be a season-long striker. Prudence dictates that we get a top-notch goalscorer to cover for him.

Yes, Henry showed some flashes of ability at the end of last season, but it was in very short bursts. And there have ben plenty of reports that his back condition is now permanent.

That's why I can't see him be more than a supersub. With Ronnie, Eto'o gone (or practically gone), we've lost the people who scored the majority of our goals over the past three seasons. To expect Messi, Henry and Bojan to carry that burden is too big a gamble for my liking.

So Alves is offically presented after a routine medical tommorrow. That potentially leaves 4 days to complete any further deals should Laporta receive a no confidence vote, however unlikely.
It seems unlikely that Ronaldinho and Eto'os future will be sorted out before then so I expect maybe Arshavin to arrive but no more. If it happens that Laporta is unsuccessful then Ronaldinho and Eto'o stay... at least til January. Very possible but not that bad a result. I think that for football reasons everyone still wants Eto'o in the squad.
Ronaldinho is a different kettle of fish. If he is still here maybe he will do a sit-up or two between here and christmas. He would have to work as Kxevin hopes and maybe prove himself as a useful sub or something.

Alves is in barcelona for a medical check before he becomes blaugrana, according to the FCB website.

Something to note from peps phenomenal blog: Marc Valiente (Barca B captain, central defender) is apparently going to Sevilla B. Another future star out the door for almost nothing?

Also, Arsene Wenger seems a bit bitter by the fact that Arshavin is all Barca, not Arsenal, saying that Arshavin is not strong enough for top class football. Sore loser?

I have to say, it is pretty emotional seeing Deco go. We all knew it was happening though.

im not sure if we will be learning anything july 1. this is only for the first two qualifying rounds. we will be entering later, i think. see

http://www.uefa.com/competitio...

Was just watching the Fox Soccer Report and they mentioned that the Champions League qualifying round draw is tomorrow. It'll be nice to know who we're up against, not that it should be a huge obstacle or anything..

I'm definately with you, Kxevin. Henry deserves a chance. Personally, I think that if he were physically up to it, he could have dominated Spain like he did (or even more so)in England. To be played out of position and still be one of the top performers in one of the best teams in the world means that you have some serious talent.

And yes, Domenech is shit. Just leave. Honestly.

Deco is a risk for a club, frankly. 10 million is about right for that kind of player. Might he be brilliant? Yup. Might he be the sullen, card-generating person that he was for us? You bet. Around 10 mil is right for that kind of risk.

I wish Thuram well. Ezquerro....well, I'm just glad that he's gone. Lordy.

And I was going to do a "welcome" post for the new medicos, and still might. But the link to Pep's space is as comprehensive as anything that Isaiah or I could do. So let's let that stand.

Bobby G, my defense of Henry isn't as much a defense as a realization that even at his diminished skill level, he was one of our better producers last season. This season, healthy and committed, he should be even better. We were getting glimpses of it toward the end of last season.

And even Messi couldn't shine in the Domenech system. I've been watching Les Bleus for some time now, and Raymond Domenech could mess up sex.

When Henry is poor, I've called him on it. I just think that when you stick a striker out of position on the wing, or in the case of Les Bleus, put him in a spot that makes it easy for him to be marked off the pitch by two or more defenders....it's no surprise he won't excel. At least it still takes more than one. Don't forget that Zambrotta all by his lonesome marked "the greatest player on the planet," one Cristiano Ronaldo, off the pitch.

I'm just saying let's give Henry a chance. Last season was a mess. Everyone is going to be better, I think. Or I should say the folks who are going to be left from last season.

thuram and ezquerro are officially gone, per the FCB website. i think we knew about thuram (the latest, his deal with PSG has been held up by the discovery of a heart problem) but there was some.....concern...about whether or not santi would be coming back. a space on the squad is freed up.

deco, 10 million euros. seems low.

maybe its hard to get money for a player when it's known that you don't even consider him part of your plans.

Mat, thanks for the info.

http://fcbtransfers.blogspot.c...

New this season is the setting up of the physiology applied to top level sport department, led by physiologist Esteban Gorostiaga’s team.

So I guess there is something happening on this side...but the main docs seem to be the same...Pruna from A team and Medina from B team...I don't know, we'll have to wait till Feb to end of season to see if those mysterious injuries start coming back or not!

Kxevin, I have to say there's something very heartwarming about your staunch defense of Henry -- all his poor performances are down to somebody or something else. You are a true fan. My hand to my heart, I would have loved to have had Henry in the team ... in 2004 and 2006. Now? Not so much. At best, he can do for us what Henrik Larsen did (and I'd LOVE it if he did!) but his legs and back won't take him through the entire season.

Speaking of injuries, does anybody know if we've made some changes in our medical team? Seems to me we've been weak in that department these past couple of years -- too many of our key players have been injured for too long. Our medics have to share the blame.

That coment of Deco`s "About not playing for Madrid once you play for Barca" was very heartwarming.

Weren`t we interested in Berbatov for a while? If Pep has his mind set on a hulk of a centre forward and Adebayor is out of orbits on the transfer fees, cant we go for someone who has that bit of flair which we see in Barca. Berbatov is a decent striker. Even Ibrahimovic is pretty tall. Why only Adebayor?

Finally, Deco has completed his move to Chelsea.
Thanks for the football and thanks for the trophies. He was genuinely the best midfielder in Europe over the past 5 seasons.
You'll be missed...

Chelseafc.com
Mon, 30th Jun 2008
Chelsea Football Club is delighted to confirm the signing of Deco from FC Barcelona.

The Portuguese midfielder becomes our first signing under Luiz Felipe Scolari since the Brazilian's appointment as manager on June 11.

Deco, who won the Champions League and UEFA Cup with FC Porto, spoke to Chelsea TV after officially signing and said: 'It is good for me to be here and first of all I am very happy to be here.'

The former Barcelona player has further Champions League success as one of his main ambitions with Chelsea and, after playing in Euro 2008 alongside a strong Chelsea contingent, now feels the time was right to join his former national coach in west London.

'I am sure I have come at the right time to do great things and be able to help Chelsea go back to the way it was and come back to being the first one, not only in England but also to win the Champions League that has been their dream for so long.

It would make sense to sign Arshavin in or around €15-20million. Money well spent I would think. Add Huntelaar for around the same and we would have the forward line finished. Well unless Pep wants Arshavin as the CM.
We would have our choice of three from Messi, Iniesta, Arshavin, Henry, Bojan and Huntelaar. Sounds very diverse and talented.
If Arshavin is signed as the attacking midfielder then probably add Palacio to that list. I don't expect this but it's another possibility.
If an additional attacking midfielder like Hernanes, Hleb or Lucho Gonzalez is bought then our midfield options are any combination of Toure, Keita, Pique, Marquez, Xavi, Iniesta, Arshavin and Hernanes etc. Again a lot of quality and more size that the prus seasons.

Things are looking up?
Well at least they should be. We have a lot of players that can play in a few positions which should make us well equipped for any injuries that may crop up during the long season.
The best part of the squad being this balanced will be when it comes to crunch in the Champions League against the bigger teams at the later part of the season, we should have more options than most. Even if we need to go to a modified 4-4-2 we would have the option that we haven't previously.
Think Huntelaar and Henry upfront, Iniesta and Messi on the wings and Xavi and Keita in the middle for example. If necessary we could even go to a 3-4-3 than Rijkaard failed miserably on a few occassions, with Alves, Xavi, Keita and Iniesta accross the centre and Messi, Huntelaar and Arshavin/Henry upfront.
Finally, we could do the most common formation in La Liga 4-2-3-1, with Xavi and Keita holding, Messi infront and Henry, Huntelaar and Arshavin upfront.
Don't read too much into the players named in the formations, it was just an example. I expect Yaya to start most games but in a two-man central midfield Keita is more balanced, methinks.

For those who want to add David Silva to the squad, I would suggest he may be more effective as an attacking midfielder than the winger. I don't know if I would spend the €30million that would probably be required for what would be our 5th choice central midfielder where we could save around €10-12million on Hernanes or Lucho. Either way I don't want Hleb as he does not give us anything that we don't already have. He is similar to Iniesta but not as good at anything as Andres. Whilst Silva is also a similar type of player to Iniesta, there is a definite quality difference between Silva and Hleb. And Silva has the ability to score goals from outside the box (although I will accept that he doesn't really score enough).

Now all we need is the announcements of Henrique, Alves, Arshavin, Huntelaar and that other midfielder. If Henrique stays, Marquez goes and that should add more balance to our books.

damn..even BBC says that Chelski have signed Deco for 8 million pounds (11mil euros)...and here we are thinking of paying 30 million euros for Ade...can we sell our players for any less??

Bobby, I think we can rule out any evaluations of anything that happened at Euros as regards France. I can't believe that Domenech still has his job after that performance. He didn't really allow Henry to do anything, and they didn't have anyone to feed him.

And even at his best, Shevchenko never approached Henry.

Hey Corey, it's a new fiscal year for us, as we aren't in debt, like (ahem) a certain Evil Empire. Mind you, we will be once we lose all that money from Ronaldinho shirt sales. :D

I think that any good striker, in our system, will pour in goals. Striker, if Guardiola's system is properly working, is the least critical position. I can hear it now: "Just run into the box, take the pass and put the ball into the net, dummy. Don't worry about those defenders....they'll be worrying about Messi, Xavi, Henry, Keita and Alves."

I do want whoever that striker is to be big, with a good head to take advantage of those crosses that will undoubtedly be coming in from the right wing. :D

At this point, I don't think money is much of an issue. I think the board is happy with spending a lot of money this summer, plus the sales of eto'o, deco, and ronaldinho, with a little cash from gudjohnsen and maybe marquez thrown in, can finance just about any player with a pricetag less than CR7.

How much money you planning on shelling out this summer? It looks like it may be more than you actually have....

Kxevin, I'm surprised you're so down on one over-the-hill, former-great (Sheva) when you're so keen on another (Henry)!

You're right about the Ukranian: his best days are long behind him, and the EPL took what little was left in his tank. The same's true of the Frenchman, though. And his non-performance at the Euros was further proof of that. I still think he has a few short bursts left in him, and wouldn't mind having him on Pep's bench. But we need a younger, fitter striker to play 90-minutes-a-game, 50-games-a-season.

Xavi and Iniesta were magnificent in the final -- throughout the tournament. And although Puyol looked vulnerable at times, he was his usual indomitable self. No way Spain would have won this without our boys!

Adebayor is a more athletic and less technically gifted version of Eto'o, down to the massive attitude problem. And at least Eto'o has the trophies to back it up. Letting Adebayor and Henry's egos be reunited at Barca will make us as successful as the Arsenal team we seem obsessed with - in other words, not successful at all. He won't be cheaper than 40m, I think I'll pass on that one. I'd sign Guiza for 15m in a heartbeat, I'd like Huntelaar more (unlike Adebayor he's actually a finisher) but Guiza is worth that price, especially when we still have to play Henry and Bojan.

Zenit are being irrational about Arshavin, I hope he causes them trouble so we can get him for a decent price - he's easily worth 20m but not much more.

I know he is just sticking up for his friend, but Messi's defense of Ronaldinho is out of line. It's clear we are rebuilding right now, and Gordinho does not have a place on this team. Rossell is a twat who wants to make us a Nike showcase.

And finally, congrats to Xavi for winning the Euro golden ball! I've been very critical about Senor Hernandez when it comes to Barcelona, but for Spain he is vital. If only he can show that form for us next season.

Oh, and that goal that Torres scored against Germany was greatly facilitated by Lahm's ineptitude. Anybody remember when he was being linked with us as a done deal? Yow!

But I wouldn't say that no other strikers could have scored that goal. Adebayor has the strength and even more pace. He also has the ball control and shotmaking skills.

It was a nice goal, but plenty of strikers could have put it away, particularly with Lahm making it so easy, which explains why Lehmann was caught out. He assumed his defender was going to actually defend. Great pass to set up the goal, as well.

Monday morning bollocks watch:

Zenit say they'll give us Arshavin and 20 million Euros for Messi, and call it a day. Word is that Laporta had to be rushed to hospital for emergency surgery after he ruptured his gut from laughing.

Gio Dos Santos said he left because he felt he was ready for first-team football every week, not because he was a greedy little shit. So there.

Messi hopes that Ronaldinho stays put. This makes sense, because Messi needs some sort of lightning rod/deflector. Don't know how completely comfortable he is with the idea that it's his team now. Having Ronaldinho there would help that comfort level, in that he wouldn't be the biggest star on the pitch all the time. But the odds of us keeping R10 are about as fat as his gut these days.

Shevchenko on loan? Ain't gonna happen. Agents sometimes float stuff to suss out the possibility. Then the concerned parties giggle, and life moves on. Shevchenko isn't ready for La Liga, and he might not be ready for first-team football anywhere. He used to be an extraordinary striker. But the Chelsea/Premiership grind has worn him down and out.

We're preparing a "and this time we almost mean it" offer for Hernanes. The hope is that we can get the deal done for something around 18 million Euros. Sao Paulo would be crazy to stick to their guns, but there is some other nonsense going on in that Sao Paulo are vexed by Hernanes' co-owners, a sports marketing agency who, for obvious reasons, want their man in big-time footy. Stay tuned.

We're going to try for David Silva (not Villa). An initial number will be around 25 million Euros, but I wouldn't expect him to move for less than 30-35, particularly since we paid almost 30 for Dani Alves. Talks begin this week, with an eye toward taking care of all family business before next Sunday, election day. If we could nail down Silva, I wouldn't see a need for Arshavin AND Hleb in addition. Let's see how that one turns out.

Oh and hooray for Xavi for getting player of the tournament. Puyol and Iniesta were in the team of the tourament too.

Word around town is that we want Shevchenko on loan. If he can get back to his best, sure, do it, but only if we have the option to sign him full-time (like Pinto), just in case we bring back the best of him. And make it cheap, too. Still, it won't happen, and I don't think I'd be too happy with it anyway.

No the captain was Iker Casillas.

Did any Catalan captain the Spanish national team?

Colby, I'm pretty sure its "Ka-seer-eez"

Would anyone like to help me out on the pronunciation of "Caceres"?

Just to clear things up... as a footballer, Adebayor could be exactly what we are looking for. As a big striker he is the business and scores every type of goal. His finshing needs to be improved but his overall game is very complete.
On the flip side, if it is for strictly footballing reasons Eto'o would not be sold so that's what I have the slight problem with.
Adebayor is a better player than Huntelaar but Huntelaar is the better goal scorer.

We could just take Fernando Torres home... He has the size, the speed, the finishing... pretty much what we want but the price would be high. Only saying.

The goal scorers that have come out of the Eredivise have normally proven themselves everywhere in Europe (with the exception of Kezman). Van Basten, Romario, Ronaldo, Van Ntelrooy etc., some of the best strikers in Europe over the past decade.
Huntelaar has a better record than ANY of them. I'm not saying that he is a better player than them, he merely does a better job of that one, most important, part of the game... scoring. He is always in the right place at the right time. As said above, he will score goals anywhere in any league.

Poor Mario Gomez seems to have put his career on hold after that miss. He could have joined most teams in Europe and was my outside pick for top goalscorer before the tournament now not much talk of his future. Funny eh?

Ronnie looks like he was really trying hard whilst "recovering" in Brazil. Working on his physique I'm presuming.
http://www.sport.es/vivo/recur...

.... or Eto'o ?

The goal Torres scored against Germany is the sort of goal you wont get out of Adebayor or Guiza and the sort Aguero can score.

has anyone else noticed that roberto de assis is just a ronnie-rijkaard hybrid?

http://bp2.blogger.com/_B1JtfO...

I like Adebayor as a player and wouldn't mind seeing him at Barca but not with that attitude. No way in hell.

Alright I'm off to watch the Euro finals. Enjoy!

I saw the Adebayor comments, Ciaran. Ugh. Not exactly the way to begin a prospective relationship with anyone, eh? Adebayor might have the talent to approach Henry, but until you've done it, shut up and play.

Good comments, Sid. But I don't know if Arshavin is necessarily the answer to all the midfield problems. I think that the only real problem we had last season (well, two) was depth, and lack of a true playmaking, attacking midfielder in that Deco role. I'm still not convinced Arshavin is that person, but if the price is right, it's certainly worth a go. He adds to depth, at any rate.

And to clarify, playing for Ajax is like playing for Lyon in Ligue Un (this season was a notable exception). You don't have any REAL competition. Huntelaar is definitely talented. You have to be at that level. Week in, week out against top-level competition in the Liga and Europe is where you really tell.

I'm still not sure what the answer is, but I do wish that Adebayor would stop putting his foot in his mouth.

sid, if Arshavin played for Barca, I doubt that he would get dominated like that. He was Russia's best player, so obviously Spain were going to mark him well. At Barca, he won't necessarily be the star, so he'll have a lot more freedom. And you're right about playing for Ajax, I do remember reading something about that a while back.

Out of Guiza and Berbatov, I'd probably take Guiza. Less ego, and proven in la liga.

LOL @ Adebayor comparing himself to Henry.

Kxevin, Life is not all good if you are a striker at Ajax. You are under tremendous pressure to score at rapid rate throughout the season. All the past strikers of Ajax have stated that they have not felt such pressure to score anywhere else they have gone to. And hence, people thriving under the striker role at Ajax have historically been genuine goal scorers.

I still remember Ibrahimovic saying he felt much more cmofortable playing for Juventus because at Ajax, if he went for two games without scoring, there was immense pressure. As for Huntelaaar, he might not be all that talented or pleasing to the eyes. He is always scoring the easiest of the goals. But he will score wherever he plays. He can score in all possible manners(head, both feet, tap, chip, shot whatever). This he will do by being an excellent in the box player, being at the right place at right time and excellent composure in front the goal. It`s like Van Nistelrooy will score wherever he plays.

Comparing that with Guiza, I still fancy Huntelaar over Guiza any day of the week.

And lastly, Berbatov is good. I`d take him over Adebayor if it wasnt for potential for improvement that Adebayor has (Given his speed and presence and if he works on his composure, adds a little more adventure to his game and improves finishing on the easy chances smartly).

Lastly, i hope everyone is right when they think Ashravin is the solution to all midfield problems. Have seen him in the Euros and he was good but havent seen anything else. But like someone already said, his desire to play for Barca is worth trying our luck on. And also if he was on the radar of Arsene Wenger, then he probably is good. My worry was that in the game against Spain, Sergio Ramos totally dominated him with ease. Dont want to see that happen in El Classico. I was impressed by Yuri Zhirkov`s left hand side play specially against the Dutch. Not sure if he is left back or left midfielder. Didnt play wide enough to be called a winger though.

Kxevin, the reason Adebayor is so unpopular, with me anyway...
http://www.goal.com/en/Articol...
Not the an impovement on Eto'o ego is it?

Oh. And Messi is going to the Olympics, which means we begin the Champions League qualification phases without him. Truth to tell, we shouldn't need him. The bigger worry is injury.

1. Henrique will probably be loaned out to his current side for some more seasoning. I wouldn't plan on seeing him in the colors this season, except for the team picture.

2. The timing of the Alves announcement, as predicted, will come right before the vote. It's also at the beginning of the new fiscal year for the club. Laporta ain't no dummy. Without the big three being sold, the club had to wait to make the official move. When the fax machine purrs on Tuesday, it will all be official, said and done.

3. What else is Del Nido going to say about Konko? That he hopes he is as good as Alves? :D Konko is the goods, but he has yet to make his name as the best right back in the world. That man will be wearing the colors next season, and raising holy hell on the wing.

4. Strikers. Dani Guiza is back in the picture, for few reasons other than the price is right, and everyone else is about as good, but tainted in some way. As someone pointed out about Huntelaar, how hard is it to be leading scorer in the Erdevisie? If you're playing for Ajax, life is good. At least Guiza has shown he has the goods in La Liga, and going pichichi playing for Mallorca couldn't have been the easiest task in the world. At this point, I think that we're settling for something short-term. I don't think the striker (unless we get who Guardiola wants) will sign anything longer than a two-year deal.

5. Ferran Soriano is talking "chicken in every pot" stuff. At present, there aren't any "great" strikers on the market, unless Van Nistelrooy has been taking a Ryan Air shuttle to and from Barcelona to do some back-room deals. Ibrahimovic is staying put. Trezeguet is staying put. Adebayor is staying put. I wouldn't classify Huntelaar as "great," nor anybody else we might be able to get our hands on at this point. Guiza is most likely. He has size, strength and skills. He's also priced to move at 15 million Euros.

Benzema might be great. He isn't yet. Villa is WAY too expensive. If we're going to break the bank, I'd rather it was for the real deal, like Adebayor. (Still can't figure out why he's so unpopular....he's the real deal, which is why Arsenal is fighting so hard to keep him.) But we shouldn't overpay for him, or anyone else.

I'd look for a surprise, such as Guiza, or maybe Pavlyuchenko. Oh. Berbatov ain't "great," either.

The biggest thing being addressed with these summer signings is depth. Pique won't start, but he's ready to come in. Same for Marquez and Sylvinho, who looks to be staying put. We'll probably keep Abidal, as well. When Milito comes back from his injury, we're as deep as can be defensively.

Keita gives us midfield depth. The fact that Arshavin can play attacking mid is what made him pop up on the radar. Hleb or Hernanes will probably be the other signing and frankly, I'd go for the proven commodity. Laporta, et al are frightened out of their wits right now, so they're risk-averse. If Sao Paulo were willing to let Hernanes go for a reasonable number, rock on. But they aren't. If we're going to splash 25 million, it might as well be for Hleb, who will do very well in our system.

6. Sandro Rosell is a dimwit who doesn't have the club's best interests at heart. Why else would he lobby for a repeat of last season? He knows that Eto'o, Deco and Ronaldinho are fan favorites, so it's an easy thing to say. But the side has gotten a lot better in the summer transfer period. It's also gotten deeper.

That's all I got for now, folks.

Bon voyage, Isaiah. See you in a week or so.

I have a feeling that for a season or so Pique or Caceres could be used out wide mainly. Not so sure why we'd sign Henrique unless we were selling Marquez, or were loaning him out to someone for a season. Kinda like what Villarreal did with Caceres. Not a bad idea at all.
Mr. Wenger has summed up the Adebayor thing as he has a contract so tough... Fair enough, we should accept it and move on. I don't want to fall out with clubs using a EE tactic.
Sorriano has ruled out Trezeguet and revealed that we are close to a great striker. Just get Benzema and have done with it. I just don't know who they'll get.
Del Nido (Sevilla) has said that Alves will say goodbye to Sevilla fans at a conference on Tuesday, meaning he'll probably sign for us Wednesday/Thursday, and most importantly before the vote. He also said that Konko (the player he bought for buttons to replace Dani) is better than the real deal... maybe we should have jud him instead.

How many 21 year old centre backs do we need?

According to Sport, we've signed Henrique Adriano Buss, known as Henrique, a Brazilian central defender from Palmeiras (though his rights are owned by a Brazilian company called Traffic) for between 8 and 10 million euros.

I've never heard of this guy before, but he was born on my birthday, 3 years later, so he can't be all bad...He's 6'1", aged 21...and, um, Brazilian. He's played at least one game for the national team...and that's absolutely everything I know about this guy.

And now, without further ado, I am leaving on a jet plane. Adios muchachos.

Oh and larm, the gold thing was for the Nou Camp (or Camp Nou?) 50th anniversary, so it wouldn't really make sense :)

Hilarious article from Russia (found it on peps blog):

Russian energy company considering Messi bid

Russian news agency RIA Novosti claims that Russian champions Zenit Saint Petersburg are interested in Barcelona right wing attacker and Argentinian international Lionel Messi (21).

During the annual general meeting of Russian energy consortium Gazprom today, the rumour has been spreading amongst the shareholders.

Having seen what the performances of the Russian national team at the European championships in Switzerland and Austria have provoked inside and outside Russia, Gazprom would want to try to get Messi to Russia, namely to Zenit, the club that is owned by the company.

Zenit would consider to offer Barcelona 20 million euro° plus Zenit Saint Petersburg forward and Russian international Andrei Arshavin (27).

This really is the funniest thing I have read all year. And couldn't the press come up with anything better than 20mil + Arshavin?

Isaiah i agree the new home kit is no good. bring back the stripes. oh and that cool gold thing that had around the logo this last season, that was sweet

I was pumped when we signed Caceres over Garay. He is much better defensively and we still have Marquez in any case. We certainly have depth in defense anyhow. Dani Alves (who we all assume is signed), Pique, Puyol, Marquez, Milito, Abidal, Sylvinho and Caceres. Oh and that Oleguer guy.
Sorriano says that signing a striker is not reliant on selling Eto'o. Sounds odd though, why would sign another striker until you are sure Eto'o gone? He, afterall, has his heels dug in further than Ronnie and Deco.
I'd push through deals on Arshavin (as AM) and probably Palacio (as winger), and then see if we get what we want for Eto'o before deciding who to sign to replace him. Or maybe have the deal in place just to complete the deal quickly.
It's not that I think Eto'o will stay, I do however think that we should not sell him for a small figure just to get rid of him. There is no point decreasing the quality in the squad and losing a lot of money because someone isn't willing to accept the mediocrity of the past two seasons

The kid seems really earnest. While he would have probably acted the same exact way had Madrid signed him, he sounds like a good kid who is willing to bleed on the field if it's what is asked of him.

Rosell would be a really bad move. The more he says, the more I find out how much he would implode this club. Laporta is an idiot, but aren't all politicians?

I am getting really excited with Caceres' interviews. He says over and over that he will do anything to defend the blaugrana shirt, which is something that I LOVE to hear. A lot of players say that just to get on the fans' good side, but somehow I really believe him on this one.

I'm really excited about seeing what he is capable of. He can also play LB, as he has for the Uruguayan national team recently, which is good news if Abidal continues to show indifferent form.

In other news, Rossell has slamed the club's "bandwagon" interest in Arshavin and said he wants to keep Ronaldinho, Deco, and Eto'o. I can only agree with keeping Eto'o. As much as I am questioning Laporta's recent moves it is clear Rossell has no love of the club, sabotaging our rebuilding attempts and it will be a disaster if he gets his way.