Bleacher Report - Articles by Puneet Singh

The Mistreatment of Samuel Eto'o

Puneet Singh — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 01:56:42 -0400

Usually when a team has massive success in one year its better to add players to that group rather than subtract. It would be foolish to remove a player or group of players especially if the one player you are removing was one of your best players out on the field.

In case you haven't realized yet, I am talking about the Samuel Eto'o saga that has finally found its conclusion.

With the conclusion of the Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Barcelona for Samuel Eto'o along with €48 million euros due to be done by this coming Monday, its time to take a look at how this saga actually began, back in the summer of 2008.

Summer of 2008

Call it the exodus and the re-establishment. Ronaldinho, Deco, Juliano Belletti, Gianluca Zambrotta, and their coach Frank Rijkaard were all shown the door while Lilian Thuram hung it up due to a potentially fatal heart condition.

In that summer came in Pep Guardiola as their coach, along with Seydou Keita, Alex Hleb, Gerard Pique, and Martin Caceres.

There was a strong push from both Guardiola and president Joan Laporta to have join Eto'o join the former group with an exit at the Nou Camp. They were heavily offering away "Samu" (as the Blaugrana faithful call him) to Milan, Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Arsenal.

Numerous deals were being offered; Eto'o for Emmanuel Adebayor (who came off his monster season), Eto'o for Didier Drogba, Eto'o for WHOEVER.

It was a slap in the face of a loyal servant who was coming off a year where he scored 18 goals in 28 total games which included 16 in 18 La Liga games.

Unfortunately for Eto'o a deal never materialized. Lucky for Barcelona. They would not add a forward that transfer window. And Eto'o would go off to have a big year leading them to the treble.

All the while that Barca were shopping away their No. 9, Eto'o continually insisted that he wanted to stay at Barcelona and see out not only his contract but his playing career as well.

Eto'o did not deserve Barca, he deserved better.

The 2008-09 Campaign: The Year of Barca's Treble

Barca started the year off in scintillating form with the offense in full force outscoring opponents 15-6 while going 4-0-1 in that time. Eto'o was responsible for four of the first 15 goals.

When everything was all said and done and Barcelona had finished their 2008-09 season winning La Liga, Copa Del Rey, and the Champions League: thus concluding the treble.

In that Champions League final against Manchester United, it was Eto'o who tore through the Manchester United defense in the 1st 10 minutes to score the game-opening goal.

At the end of the 08-09 year Eto'o finished second on the team in scoring, amassing a whopping 36 goals in 52 games which was 10 more than Thierry Henry and two less than Lionel Messi; the man who received all the accolades and praise for Barca's success.

Summer of 2009

Barca started the summer off quiet while Madrid and Manchester City were the ones making all the noise.

With Madrid stacking stars like poker chips, the pressure was on Barca. Whilst there was no interest from Barca to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul Albiol, or Kaka, Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola did make it clear that signing either Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema, or David Villa was his objective this offseason.

When Madrid were unable to sign Villa, they turned to Benzema and wrapped up that deal as well. Barca made an attempt to sign Villa, but the transfer fee proved prohibitive.

They were looking at a summer of no major signing while Madrid would take the spotlight of the summer without winning anything. Even Carlos Tevez showed his true colors as a mercenary and signed with Manchester City in a mega contract deal.

After Madrid had mopped up most of the major chips of the summer, Barca made a quick splash to sign Keirrison as a piece for the future but look set to loan him out for at least this year, unless Eidur Gudjonsen finds a new home.

Back track to Eto'o: Eto'o was almost offloaded in late June early July; the newly rich Manchester City were 90 percent done with a deal to sign Samu; the transfer fee of €25 million had been agreed to by both parties and all that was left were the personal terms. That was the stumbling block; Eto'o was demanding upwards of €10 million after taxes. The Citizens felt that was too much for their swollen pocketbook and opted against that, instead taking Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz along with Tevez.

The Week Of July 19th, 2009

Rumors became truth. Ibrahimovic officially hands in his transfer request to Jose Mourinho and Massimo Moratti, claiming he wants to go to Barcelona because he has a better chance of winning the Champions League and Ballon D'Or.

Inter Milan oblige and begin discussions with Barcelona within that week. Barcelona view this as an opportunity to offload Eto'o, while Inter will gladly take the services of a forward who has scored 130 in 200 appearances for Barca.

The deal is contingent on both players passing physicals while the contracts have been setup; Ibra will now earn €8 million a year for Barcelona while Eto'o's wages are suppose to bring him in upwards of €7 million.

Inter Milan are sad to see Ibra go, but both Moratti and Mourinho are ecstatic to have a player coming in who wants to be there. Eto'o meet Jose, Jose meet Samu. This is a match made in heaven.

Why Did Barca Go This Route?

Why did Barcelona opt to give up their second leading scorer who was such a clutch player for them over the last three years for a player who is considered a big game flop all over Europe?

Three Reasons:

1.) Eto'o's Contract. Samuel Eto'o wanted a pay raise over the last three years which Barcelona have failed to give him. He had openly stated that he will not sign an extension for Barcelona unless his wages are improved; very understandable given his work for the team.

2.) Youth. While there is only a one year age difference, many believe Eto'o has already peaked and a decline is imminent within the next two to three years. "Ibra'cadabra", on the other hand, is 27 and many believe he has yet to put it all together to be the total package. With a move to Barca everyone is banking on it to finally happen.

3.) A New Dimension. Eto'o can score, we all know that. But what Zlatan scores and creates opportunities for others; something that Eto'o doesn't do so good. What Barca are hoping is that when opponents lock down on Messi, Ibra will take over and when teams lock in on Ibra, Messi can run wild.

Conclusion:

Eto'o deserves better. Many people don't criticize Guardiola and Laporta because they don't say much to stir up trouble, but actions speak louder than words. Laporta may have signed Ibrahimovic but it is mainly from the pressure of Madrid.

When Zlatan flops in El Classico and Champions League, Barca will wonder what could've been if Eto'o was around.

Good Bye Samu, you are off to a greener pasture. Eto'o and the €48 million make Inter a better team now and for the upcoming years.

Ibra = Scudetto.

Eto'o and €48 million = a strong run in the Champions League.

Vancouver Canucks: How One Team Must Carry the Weight of an Entire Province

Puneet Singh — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:42:51 -0400

Some people will never realize the luxury of having more than one sports team in their state.

Amongst the four major sports (MLB, NHL, NBA, NFL):

California has 15 teams (Dodgers, Angels, Padres, Giants, A's, Lakers, Sac. Kings, Warriors, Clippers, LA Kings, Sharks, Ducks, Raiders, 49ers, Chargers).

New York (Islanders, Rangers, Sabres, Knicks, Mets, Yankees, Jets, Giants, Bills) has nine teams.

Florida (Rays, Marlins, Buccaneers, Dolphins, Panthers, Lightening, Heat and Magic) and Texas (Spurs, Rockets, Mavericks, Astros, Rangers, Stars, Cowboys and Texans) each have eight teams.

That's 40 major sports team between FOUR states. Given the stature of some of those teams, a major sports title could arrive every year to that state.

This brings me to my case of Vancouver, Canada.

Vancouver at one time was sporting the Grizzlies along with the Canucks, but even that seems so far long ago. The Canucks once again have to carry the weight of having to provide a major sports title to Western Canada.

Recently, I visited my cousin in Vancouver where we took a long drive on the interstate and just talked about hockey. It's not a sport or lifestyle; it's a RELIGION. It's all Vancouver has to hold on to.

You turn on the radio to 1040 AM in Vancouver and its Canucks hockey mixed in with some recaps of other things going on. Compare this to New York, where you put on 660 AM and you get a mix of Mets and Yanks, along with the occasional talk about Eli Manning or the Jets.

He went on to say that he follows the Seahawks and Mariners for football and baseball respectively, but that gives you some perspective on how some Vancouver fans have to live; they have to root for the local team that is three hours away.

Vancouver revolves around the Canucks. It's almost in the sense of how football is in England with loyal supporters for all the Premier League clubs.

Expectations and disappointment run parallel with the Canucks of late. Since the 2003-04 NHL season, Vancouver has either finished in first place or missed the playoffs.

Just think how that must feel. The last two trips to the playoffs have been the same, where the Canunks have won in the quarterfinals and lost in the semifinals.

The heart break is devastating and incomparable to none. If the Red Sox fail to make the playoffs, New Englanders can find safety in the Patriots, who will succeed barring any freak injury to their star quarterback.

There was also the time when the Pistons hit a slump and failed to kick it into that extra gear to win the NBA Finals. When this happened, Detroit still knew its "Hockeytown" Red Wings were a perennial threat to win it all.

What about Vancouver?

Once the Canucks lose and get out of the playoffs, it's back to depression and hibernation until November when the season starts up again.

Think about that for a second; a place like Texas has a season where early spring transitions from the Mavs, Rockets, Spurs, and Stars to the Rangers or Astros. By the time late summer or fall comes around, the Cowboys and Texans last until December-January, to which all attention goes to their three basketball teams.

Where is there a luxary like this for Vancouver?

For many people, the belief is that a big market and big dollars will bring stars to their city. Looking at the New York Rangers of the early 2000's, they sported big names.

Eric Lindros, Bobby Holik, Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Kovalev, Theo Fleury, and Brendan Shanahan are just some names that come to mind to further prove to the "Big Market, Big Money Theory."

So either Vancouver is a big market or players love the city. It's not like the Canucks can't attract big players or haven't had their fair share of stars.

Pavel Bure, Mark Messier, Markus Naslund, Trevor Linden, and Ed Jovanovski are just a few of the big names from over the last 10 years.

To keep it current, the Canucks have had the Sedin sisters (no that's not a typo, I really do refer to them as the Sedin sisters), Mats Sundin, Pavol Demitra, and that stalwart of a keeper in Roberto Luongo, within the last five years.

This offseason is by far the biggest time of the year for the Canucks.

Mats Sundin, Jeff Cowan, Rob Davison, Jason LaBarbera, Mattias Ohlund, Taylor Pyatt, the Sedin sisters, and Ossi Vaananen are all unrestricted free agents.

Jannik Hansen, Shane O'Brien, and Kyle Wellwood are restricted free agents. Take this with the fact that they have the dilemma of Roberto Luongo possibly leaving next offseason after his repeated refusals to sign an extension, and suddenly Mike Gillis, the General Manager of the Canucks, has a full plate.

Life could not be harder for a Canucks fan.

With the demands of the Sedins (they each want a 12-year $63 million deal, which is $10.5 million per year for 150 points between two players), Luongo's situation, and the main concern of re-signing Ohlund, Vancouver may need to make some moves. This could be a long offseason for the Canucks.

Keep your heads up Canuck's fans; you root for one team and one team only. There are few people in this world that can say that.

Instead of bouncing from sport to sport as the seasons go by, you stand by and live-and-die by the Canucks. I admire that.

When all hope seems lost, just remember one thing; at least you're not a Cubs fan waiting for a tomorrow that will never come.

The Demise of the Vancouver Grizzlies

Puneet Singh — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 01:04:31 -0400

In honor of the NBA draft that has recently passed us, I thought it would be fitting to write an article on a franchise that has seemingly been forgotten about by everyone.

The Vancouver Grizzlies.

The NBA draft is supposed to be a spot where teams can build themselves up or add that last missing piece. In Vancouver, that never happened.

The Grizzlies came along with the Toronto Raptors in 1995 amid the hype of "Canadian Expansion." While Toronto has made some sort of an impact in the NBA with a few solid playoff runs and good acquisitions, Vancouver is no longer even in Vancouver, as they became the Memphis Grizzlies in 2001.

While on vacation in Vancouver recently my cousin (who was born, raised and still resides in Vancouver) and I were talking about the Grizzlies and how it would've been great if they could've succeeded in Vancouver. We then proceeded to go through possible reasons of why the Grizz never made it.

The answer? Poor management.

Blame this strictly on Stu Jackson's stupidity. Taking a look at their drafting during their six seasons in the NBA and while he was GM there, the team that could've been built never was.

Here's a year by year breakdown of the draft:

1995

The Grizzlies were due to pick at number six with Antonio McDyess, Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace and Kevin Garnett all taken off the board from numbers two to five. And with their inaugural pick the Vancouver Grizzlies select: Bryant Reeves!!! Big Country, COME ON DOWN!

Reeves was coming off his senior year at Oklahoma State, leading them to the Final Four while averaging 21.5 ppg.

While at the time this seemed like the logical pick, the more safe pick of Damon Stoudamire (who was ironically taken by Toronto at No. 7) and Brent Barry were on the board.

For the first two years of his NBA career, Reeves did his best impression of an NBA player, avg 13.3 ppg and then 16.2 ppg the following year.

After year two, he was rewarded with a six-year, $61.8 million dollar deal. Suddenly he develops a "chronic back problem." And because of that, he plays sparingly and his numbers are mediocre at best.

He finally hangs it up in the middle of the 2001-2002 season when the team had already moved to Memphis and he had collected four out of six years' pay. Good job on that one, Stu.

It doesn't help that there was also a future All-Star by the name of Michael Finley falling all the way down to Phoenix Suns at 21. Oh well.

1996

This time, the Grizzlies moved up to the No. 3 pick due to a disastrous first season. With Bryant Reeves in place at center, the Grizzlies picked Shareef Abdur-Rahim at No. 3, with Iverson going one and Camby going two.

While never outstanding, Abdur-Rahim was solid and consistent; you can't ask for more. During his five year stint in Vancouver, Shareef averaged 20.96 ppg and 8.14 rpg; outside of his rookie year where he averaged 18.7 ppg he averaged at least 20 ppg for his remaining four years in Vancouver.

He was ironically traded during the 2001 draft for a No. 3 (who ended up being Pau Gasol) pick, Brevin Knight, and Lorenzen Wright.

But, (and there's always a but) look who else was on the board at the time: Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Antoine Walker, KOBE BRYANT!!!! Peja Stojakovic, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

The fans were pulling for the local boy Nash to be drafted. With a point guard in place to go with Reeves, they would've had the inside-outside game instead of using Greg Anthony at the point. That Kobe Bryant kid didn't turn out too bad, either.

1997

Two big men in place. NOW the Grizzlies decide to take a guard. Another bad year, another high pick. This time at No. 4 they take Antonio Daniels. What a complete failure this turned out to be.

In his only year with Vancouver, he averaged 7.8 ppg in 74 games. He was subsequently dealt that off-season to San Antonio.

While this was an insanely weak draft, a high schooler by the name of Tracy McGrady did fall to the No. 9 pick (Toronto getting another 1-upper on Vancouver.)

1998

Considering that whole point guard blunder of 1997 known as drafting Antonio Daniels, they realized once again that they needed a PG. This time they took Mike Bibby. Solid pick: no complaints, considering they needed to start over again.

In Bibby's three years, he played all 214 games for the Grizz (his rookie year was the lockout-shortened year). He'd average 14.5 ppg to go along with 7.67 apg, including leading Vancouver in assists in all his years there. He was traded that off-season for Nick Anderson and Jason Williams, aka White Chocolate.

I don't want to say drafting Bibby was a blunder, BUT there were a lot more skilled players in that draft remaining. Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce all went later in the first round while Rashard Lewis went in the second.

While Bibby was a nice piece for Vancouver, VC, Dirk, Pierce all could've been a cornerstone for them to build around.

1999

This was the biggest disaster by Stu Jackson, trumping everything previously written. Steve Francis openly said "I DO NOT WANT TO PLAY IN VANCOUVER." Guess Stu didn't get that memo. Being the bonehead that he is, he went ahead and drafted him.

What ensued that summer? Stevie Franchise sulked his way throughout summer camp and then on Aug. 28, 1999, Francis got his wish and was traded to Houston as a part of a three-team trade in which Vancouver received Othella Harrington, Antoine Carr, Michael Dickerson, Brent Price, a future 1st rounder from Houston and a future second-rounder from Orlando.

Who are those players? EXACTLY. Stevie would go on to win Co-Rookie of the Year with Elton Brand.

What blows my mind is the fact that this was one of THE BEST drafts of all time. So why pick a player who wants nothing to do with you? That's like continually buying drinks for a girl at a bar who won't go home with you...makes no sense.

So who did Vancouver pass up on THIS time? Baron Davis, Lamar Odom, Wally Szczerbiak, Richard Hamilton, Andre Miller, Shawn Marion, Jason Terry, Corey Maggette, Ron Artest, Andrei Kirilenko, and Manu Ginobili. This was a PURE disaster.

2000

This is one draft I will give them a pass in.

The 2000 NBA draft was regarded as one of the worst ever and got rated as an F by many analysts. Picking at No. 2, they took college phenom Stromile Swift, who was coming off of a monstrous NCAA March Madness tournament.

The one season Swift played in Vancouver before the Memphis moved he averaged 4.9 ppg and 3.6 rpg. Overall he never reached his full potential throughout his career, he set career highs in every category, averaging 11.8 ppg 6.3 rpg 1.7 bpg .8 apg and .7 spg. Not much for career highs.

I will say this in defense of Swift. He was never given fair time to prove himself, never averaging more than 26.5 mpg over a full year.

Who else was in this pitiful draft? Darius Miles, Marcus Fizer, DerMarr Johnson, Chris Mihm, Jerome Moiso. This list of failure is endless.

For those who believe "well, tons of GMs botch drafts for five to six years and ruin teams."

Well here's the difference between an established franchise and one that's trying to open up in a new area. Drafting for the 76ers would be one thing because Philly has been around for so long. But a new team like what happened with Charlotte is a miracle.

Look at their drafting record since they came into the league: 2004 Emeka Okefor, 2005 Raymond Felton and Sean May, 2006 Adam Morrison, 2007 Branden Wright (who was traded to GS) and Jarred Dudley, 2008 D.J. Augustin and Alexis Ajinca and this year Gerald Henderson.

Even with the botched draftings of Morrison and May and the trading away of Dudley and Wright, the Bobcat's still have a nucleus of Okefor, Felton and Augustin and now add a gritty defender in Henderson.

Just imagine if MJ wasn't so dumb and picked Brandon Roy or Rudy Gay at the #3 slot in 2006. I'll save that for another time.

Back to the Grizz. Let's re-do some of the drafts. For arguments sake, they keep Reeves in 1995. They take the Canada native Nash in 96, T-Mac in 97, Dirk in 98 and Baron Davis in 99.

Suddenly this is their lineup come 2000:

PG: Nash
SG: Davis
SF: McGrady
PF: Nowitzki
C: Reeves

You mean to tell me A.) This wasn't possible or B.) These players wouldn't have played in Vancouver?

At the end of the day this is all that's left to be said. R.I.P. Vancouver Grizzlies. I for one wish you guys could've pulled through.

Thank you Stu Jackson for ruining the only other team outside of the Canucks that Vancouver and British Columbia actually had.

Beyond the Numbers: A Fun Look at Ronaldo's Madrid Contract

Puneet Singh — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 01:52:08 -0400

Now that all the tiny tidbits to Cristiano Ronaldo's contract are all wrapped up, it's time to break down the numbers for fun.

Cristiano penned a six-year contract at Madrid that will fetch him €237,000 a week in his first year and will increase by 25 percent each following year. Along with that, Ronaldo will be entitled to 60 percent of all his image rights.

Take a look at his contract per week every year after year one. The Euro to American Dollar exchange rate is approx €1 to $1.40; the US dollar amount is on the right below:

Year 2: €296,250/wk||$414,750/wk

Year 3: €370,312/wk||$518,439/wk

Year 4: €462,890/wk||$648,046/wk

Year 5: €578,612/wk||$810,056/wk

Year 6: €723,265/wk||$1,012,571/wk

With Ronaldinho earning about €42,000,000 a year or roughly $59 million in American(found these figures on <http://www.soccer-training-info.com/endorsement_deals.asp>) just in sponsorships and endorsements, it's not hard to assume that Ronaldo would be somewhere in the same ballpark as him.

Say hypothetically, that Ronaldo rakes in €30 million or $42 million American. Since he is going to Madrid now, it is ok to assume that his numbers will certainly increase. For the safer side though, I'll say he will earn €40 million or $56 million/yearly.

If he gets to take 60 percent of those figures, he is making an extra €18 million or $33,600,000 a year to go with his weekly pay, which mind you, is tax free.

Now consider this. Football in Europe is played for almost nine and a half months, going from late August to early/mid May. That's a good 40 weeks out of the year.

Take a look at his total yearly salary(given 40 weeks worth of football):

Year 2: €11,850,000/yr||$16,590,000/yr

Year 3: €14,812,480/yr||$20,737,560/yr

Year 4: €18,515,600/yr||$25,921,840/yr

Year 5: €23,144,480/yr||$32,402,240/yr

Year 6: €28,930,600/yr||$40,502,840/yr

Those are numbers WITHOUT the sponsor and endorsement bonuses. Here's a look at the totals with bonuses(given the estimate totals):

Year 2: €29,850,000||$50,190,000

Year 3: €32,812,480||$54,337,560

Year 4: €36,515,600||$59,521,840

Year 5: €41,144,480||$66,002,240

Year 6: €46,930,600||$74,102,840

In any country or currency these numbers are RIDICULOUS! All right, enough of the number crunching, onto the humor (NOTE: Starting Small, Getting Bigger and Almost There, are using figures from Year Two):

Starting Small (a little narcissistic; fitting for him)

With the $414,000 from one week, Ronaldo can buy 1,882 pairs of his signature Nike Mercurial Vapor V FG. They run $220 each.

With that same $414K, Ronaldo can buy 4,140 jerseys of himself from the 2009 Champions League Final from World Soccershop.

$414,000 can also fetch Ronaldo 4,447 wallbangers of himself running at $93.10 a pop.

Getting Bigger

The average price in the US costs $212,400 (<http://www.byebyeblighty.com/1/usa-average-house-price-212400/>).

With a full week's pay, Cristiano can buy a house in the US AND place a Bentley in front of it.

Or with that one weeks pay he can buy the Ferrari 599; the same one he crashed back in January, and have somewhere in the neighborhood of $85,000 STILL left over.

Better yet, using his entire second year salary, he can purchase 155 Ferrari 599's. Yes you read that correct, ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-FIVE.

If Cristiano wants to play the role of market hero, he can take his $414,000 from one week and head to Detroit and end up buying approximately 27 houses; property is running as low as $15,000 a house in today's tragic times.

Still Room For Improvement

Taking his entire salary from Year Two, Ronaldo could buy 15 low-end houses in the Hampton's in NY (ironic I know considering what is low-end in the Hampton's) and put a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Maserati of his choice in the driveway.

This would be important for Ronaldo, seeing that his new lady friend (Paris Hilton) is very accustomed and a frequent visitors of the Hampton's.

Or if he's missing home, he can always invest in traditional Portuguese villas throughout Lisbon or Mount Pico. Each runs about $1 million for a piece of beauty.

Almost There

By saving a full years salary, Ronaldo can purchase the Montukod Island off in Malaysia. A private island unknown to most, the 17.2 acres will cost Ronnie a cool $35 million. Pocket change based on his new contract.

When the Taj Mahal was completed, its total cost was $1 million US dollars or 32 million rupee. Given today's change in cost and pricing, if Ronaldo really wanted, he could have his own Taj Mahal built. He's dominated India once, dating India's own Bipasha Bashu for a short stint.

Filthy Rich

Finally, for two last jaw-dropping facts.

If Ronaldo decides to not spend one penny over the next six years, he will have saved roughly €249 million or enough to wipe off more than half of Valencia's €450 million debt.

Or..If he gets bored with playing, he can buy his OWN soccer team. With Newcastle United and West Ham United priced at 100 million pounds each, could we possibly see Cristiano Ronaldo playing the role of Malcolm Glazer or Randy Lerner? Only time can tell.

At the end of the day one must realize. This article is meant to be taking light-heartedly. But the numbers ARE REAL. Only time will tell what Ronaldo chooses to do with his riches.

Real Madrid Lining Up the Stars, But the Defense Remains a Blackhole

Puneet Singh — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:49:31 -0400

With all the noise and impact Florentino's "Galactico's 2.0" are making, Perez himself is seemingly making the same mistakes from his past—buying stars, but forgetting to address NEEDS.

With the recent purchases of Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, they are reminiscent of Florentino's old purchases of Zidane and Beckham—the model professional and the mega star who can be marketed beyond belief. Both were something Perez fancied during the first Galacticos Era.

Again though, these are luxuries considering the Dutch contingent of Rafael Van Der Vaart, Arjen Robben, and Wesley Sneijder are a nice trio. Add them to go along with Lass and Mamadou Diarra, Fernando Gago and Guti, and you have an above average and serviceable bunch.

The area that was screaming to be addressed was the backline.

With glaring holes at left full back and one of the centre back spots, Madrid need not only depth, but quality as well.

With Fabio Cannavaro departing back for Juventus and Gabriel Heinze not losing a step but rather a flight of steps, the starting XI's backline already has two openings available.

Currently Madrid's defense consists of Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Miguel Torres, Christoph Metzelder, Heinze, Ezequil Garay (who's coming back from his loan at Racing Santander), and then Javi Garcia and Marcelo—the latter two splitting time between midfield and the backline.

Given Madrid's paper thin defense and Florentino's desire to add world class players, logical sense would be to go out and get defenders such as Raul Albiol, Bruno Alves, Ashley Cole, or Gael Clichy—young all world players who are either peaking or in the prime of their careers.

Considering Florentino's pursuit of Franck Ribery, David Villa, Diego Forlan, and David Silva is far from over, it's highly likely that this issue will once again be forgotten or over looked.

BOTTOM LINE: Same defense will yield same results.

Starting Gabriel Heinze, who has become a shadow of his former self at Manchester United, will continue to be detrimental.

End Conclusion: Buy a left back.

Who Will Replace Fabio Cannavaro?

Garay isn't used to the limelight and playing for a big squad and Metzelder hasn't exactly been a "star" during his time at Madrid. If you move Sergio Ramos to centre back then it opens up a hole at right back.

End Conclusion: Buy two center backs and keep Ramos at RB.

In the end though it is easy to predict what may happen: Perez will only buy one defender and continue to buy offense.

Logic says buy Albiol, Bruno Alves, and Ashley Cole. Perez says buy Ribery and Villa.
Let's hope Huntelaar and Higuain don't mind playing a little defense this year...

Milan Fans: Be Bitter Now, but in Two Years You Can Thank Silvio

Puneet Singh — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:11:03 -0400

Whether the Rossenari's faithful want to believe it or not; selling Kaka today is best for both Kaka and even more so for Milan.

By not selling Kaka to Manchester City as a slave or mercenary for the 100 million or 110 million fee that was being passed around, Milan and all of football should be proud of what has been done by treating him as a human, not a commodity.

With Carlos Ancelloti going to Chelsea and Leonardo now being appointed as coach of Milan, it signals the end of one era and the beginning of a new one.

That being said, Kaka has to go to better Milan and himself.

With injuries niggling him over the past few years, some say he's lost a step. Others believe it's a change of scenery that's needed considering he's won everything during his time.

More than anything, Kaka is settled in very well at Milan. That's why he's stuck around despite the poor 2007-2008 campaign.

But here's a thought.

With rumors of Kaka going to Real Madrid, is there a bigger challenge than Madrid for a player wanting to cement his legacy as one of the greatest? Outside of promoting Leeds United back to the Premier League, I don't think so.

Kaka is following the footsteps of Zidane. Are you gonna fault him for being the next Bernabeau savior wearing No. 5? Don't. Let's all see if Kaka is certainly destined for greatness.

With the 65 million euro sale of Kaka to Real Madrid 99.9 percent complete, it's time Milan start using that money wisely.

Take the 65 million from the Kaka sale, and add it with the 15 million from Galliani's mistaken sale of Gourcouff, and Milan are now sitting pretty on an 80 million euro transfer kitty for this summer.

Kaka's replacement is already in place at Milan so there is no worry for it. It's just time to wake him and remind Ronaldinho who he is and was, and give him the reigns to the Milan offense.

I doubt that Ronaldinho has fallen off that far. With the offense flowing through and around R80, don't be surprised to see Ronaldinho replicate his from for Barcelona circa 2005. Leonardo will push him to get back to optimal fitness and playing ability.

With the playmaker in place, what should the 80 million euros be used for? The backline and forwards are the most pressing needs that come to mind.

Kakha Kaladze, Alessandro Nesta, Gianluca Zambrotta, Giuseppe Favalli, Marek Jankulovski, Daniel Bonera, Luca Antonini, and Thaigo Silva are currently the defenders at Milan with Massimo Oddo coming back from his loan spell at Bayern Munich.

Outside of Thiago, Antonini and Bonera, everyone is at least 30-years-old. Age certainly isn't on their side. Favalli is nearing retirement unless he can pull a Maldini and magically play into his 40's at a high level, while Nesta has the reoccurring back problem that may send him into a retirement.

Backline is clearly their need. With the 80 million, Milan can easily buy three young new defenders. Names that come to mind are, Fabiano Santacroce from Napoli, Simon Kjaer from Palermo, and Phillipe Mexes from Roma; all players who are Serie A battle tested and relatively young.

The midfield with the loss of Kaka is still one with depth, but again age is the issue. Gennaro Gattuso, Clarence Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo, Massimo Ambrosini, and Matteu Flamini are all they have right now with Ronaldinho occupying a CF/CAM type of role.

Outside of Flamini who is 25 and Ronaldinho who's 29, the afforementioned group is another sector of the 30 and over club. Pirlo and Gattuso are injury prone and missed significant time last year with various injuries.

This needs to change with at least one new face coming in. Names coming to mind are Michael Essien to share the role of Gattuso and eventually replace him long term.

A Pirlo for Essien swap is rumored to be in the works, but you have to believe that it will not happen. No offense to Andrea Pirlo, but Michael Essien is the complete midfielder in the world.

The final spot is the strike force. Pippo Inzaghi continues his magnificent run with il Diavolo, so until he fails miserably he shall still have a spot on the squad. Joining him in as forwards is the young Brazilain starlet Alexandre Pato and Marco Borriello.

Borriello missed three-quarters of the season last year due to a severe knee injury, but has recovered nicely and deserves a spot due to his goal prowess as proved during his time at Genoa.

Pato is on the rise to stardom. He scored 14 goals in 33 games last year during Serie A play, in his first full season as a Rossoneri player at the tender age of 19.

With Borriello and Pato's young and best years in front of them, Milan have a good core but their depth is thin.

Names that have been linked to Milan before are Karim Benzema of Lyon, Edin Dzeko of Vfl Wolfsburg, and Emmanuel Adeybayour of Arsenal. All have yet to hit their primes and have a knack for scoring goals.

Now lets look at it from an economic perspective. By selling two players and receiving a combined 80 million euros, if Silvio and Adriano could manage to bring in say Simon Kjaer, Fabiano Santacroce, a midfielder, and Edin Dzeko, would this be better long term?

Absolutely.

Face it, with the squad Milan have next year it would have been a repeat of this year. Put up a fight for the Scudetto but ultimately come up short.

New blood needs to be injected into the Milan lineup. With the additions of the four players mentioned before, Milan instantly becomes a favourite to challenge for Serie A not only next year, but for the next three to four years with a solid young core finally being established.

At the end of the day, Milan diehards must understand: You can live without Kaka. This is the same team that sold Andrei Shevchenko and many believed they were doomed. What ensued that season? Champions League glory.

While I'm not saying that something drastic of that nature will happen again, I am saying this: Worse things can happen, but the sun sets and it rises. It's time for a new era and a fresh change at the San Siro.

Is Florentino Perez Headed Down A Familiar Road?

Puneet Singh — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 14:59:19 -0400

Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Luis Figo, Ronaldo, Antonio Cassano, Michael Owen.

In case you didn't catch the trend, these all were players of Real Madrid at one point during their famed "Galacticos" era, which was Florentino Perez's theory of buying ONE megastar player each season to go along with promoting players from their youth academy.

While the Galacticos provided beautiful and entertaining football, the trophies and results were limited. Outside of the La Liga title in 02-03 and the Supercup De Espana in 2003, Madrid went trophy less from 2003-2006.

In addition to the trophy drought, there was a coaching carousel every year. Vincente Del Bosque, Carlos Queiroz, Jose Antonio Camacho, Mariano Garcia Remon, Vanderlei Luxemburgo and Juan Ramon Lopez Caro all managed Madrid from 2002 to 2006 whether it was on an interim or permanent basis.

It wasn't til the end of the 2007 campaign when Madrid finally had one new piece of silverware by winning La Liga.

Ironically by then the Galacticos era had come to an end, with the last two of the Galacticos, David Beckham and Roberto Carlos playing their last games for the storied club, whilst Ronaldo was sold in that January 2007 transfer window to AC Milan.

At that moment on June 17th, 2007 every last piece of the Galacticos monster had officially be finished. Perez had been removed a few years prior with Ramon Calderon being the man credited and responsible for dethroning Barcelona's reign as Spain's kings and champions.

Real would go on to win La Liga again for the 2007-2008 campaign. Bernd Schuster was in his 1st year as coach of Madrid, and along with the big signings Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, and Pepe, Madrid was able to coast to the Liga title, in part to the falling apart of Barca, but also through semi attractive football that Schuster could conjure.

But again failure came about that year, with Madrid being unable to get to the round of 16 in Champions League play falling to Roma 2 - 1 both legs and 4 - 2 overall on aggregate.

Last year however was a MAJOR step back for Real.

During the summer 2008 transfer window Calderon had signed Ezequiel Garay, the young Argentine defender from Racing Santander to address the thin backline, but immediately loaned him back to Racing.

But most of the summer was surrounded by the saga of Cristiano Ronaldo.

And because of this, Madrid also lost Robinho, who broke all ties away from Real and was trying to manufacture a transfer to Chelsea.

In the end as we all know, Robinho was sold to Manchester City.

When failing to sign Ronaldo, it seems as if Calderon had panicked and signed Rafael Van Der Vaart, who in the first few coming weeks proved to be a steal of a signing at 12 million.

All the while, all Schuster has asked for was a CB to play and help right away and a big name forward. NOT another MF.

Injuries began to hit Real and hard. Van Nistelrooy was done for the year as was Mamadou Diarra, both lost to knee injuries. Wesley Sneijder had injured his knee as well but it would cost him to miss only half the season.

When it was all said and done, Schuster stepped down as Real Madrid manager on December 9th, 2008, leaving Madrid in a state of shambles; partly his fault, mainly managements.

Upon his departure, Juande Ramos was appointed in charge of Real on an interm basis. During the January window he purchased Lassana Diarra and Klaas Jan-Huntelaar and acquired Julian Faubert on loan.

During the January window it was confirmed that Ramon Calderon, the president of Madrid that time, would be sacked. His replacement would be Vicente Boulda for the rest of the 08-09 season.

While Ramos and Boulda did the best they could to right the ship, Madrid lost La Liga to Barcelona once again, and get demolished in Champions League again, this time losing to Liverpool 5-0 on aggregate.

Although an embarrassing defeat, the worst would come on May 2nd, 2009 when Madrid lost to Barca 6-2 during the "El Classico" derby AT THEIR HOME.

Ultimately, this would be the Barca victory that led to Barca winning La Liga, deflating the sliver of hope Madrid hung onto.

So here were stand today on June 7th, 2009.

Madrid have entered a new regime yet again but this time with a familiar face: Florentino Perez.

On June 1st, Florentino was once again appointed the president of Real Madrid. Perez wasted no time making his presence felt, bringing a new coach with him in Manuel Pellegrini formerly of Villareal, within 24 hours of his appointment.

Perez has once again promised a clean house and big names.

He has already said, big players such as Robben, Van Nistelrooy, Sneijder, Van Der Vaart, Saviola, Gago, and Mamadou Diarra all could be headed for the exit, so Perez can continue to build his new Dream Team.

And if the rumours are true, Perez may have already delivered.

Reports from all over are claiming that Kaka has agreed to join Madrid and that Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani have agreed with Perez on a fee to acquire him.

But are Madrid doing the right thing? Is buying marquee players the correct philosophy for Madrid?

The answer is Yes and No.

The No comes from the fact that Madrid should just address the backline of theirs and buy a forward and they should be right on track. No need to clean house and break down an entire squad.

The Yes wins though. And here's why:

Madrid need a new image. They need to bring the flair of Figo, Ronaldo, Beckham and Zidane back into their lineup.

Now while Madrid have many great players, do they have WORLD CLASS Players? In short: no. Outside of Robben, Sergio Ramos and the emerging Gonzalo Higuain, there is no one else who is considered a World Class talent. Very good, but not world class.

While Madrid have won a few things here and there over the past 2-3 seasons, have they advanced further in CL play? This is where big game experience kicks in.

This is why the signing of Kaka is so big. He is a professional. A professional athlete and human being. This is what Florentino bought when he bought Zidane from Juventus.

He can build the type of legacy that Zidane had built while plying his trade at the Bernabeau. That is partly why Zidane wants him to don his old number 5 should he arrive to Madrid; almost as if to follow in Zidane's footprints.

Along with Kaka, Franck Ribery, David Villa, Karim Benzema, David Silva, Xabi Alonso, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrihimovic and Maicon are all being wooed to play for the Blancos. Florentino has stated on numberous occasions that out of this bunch, there will be one more to arrive at the Bernabeau this summer.

All have played in the Champions League over the years and have featured heavily for their respective countries during International Tournaments.

Given Perez's track record and ability to sign any player like it is FIFA or Football manager, I would not put anything past him.

In the end we will have to see for ourselves. Can Galacticos 2.0 do what the original Galacticos couldn't do; Conquer Spain and all of Europe and give Madrid the glory that Barcelona is receiving this year for their accomplishments.

Is it possible? Only time will tell if Florentino can finally put the right pieces to the Madrid puzzle this time around.

Enjoy The Money Gareth, You Won't Enjoy Much of Anything Else

Puneet Singh — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:41:26 -0400

Up until today, I had nothing but respect and admiration for Gareth Barry.

His loyalty to Aston Villa was highly commendable and rare in today's time. I actually believed that Barry had the chance to be one of those few players who play their entire careers at one club and become an iconic figure for them.

I WHOLE HEARTILY believed that when Barry wanted to sign with Liverpool last summer, it was for a chance to play in the Champions League, not a fatter pay packet.

When this Premier League season ended, I thought to myself: "With Aston Villa adding a few pieces, they could make a solid run towards the top four this coming year. They should build off their progress of the last two years, and with Martin O'Neill and that group of players, they could be onto something special."

That was, until I read the reports: Gareth Barry had signed for Manchester City this afternoon. And, none the less, for a 12 million euro bid, less than what Liverpool were offering Aston Villa last year.

Gareth Barry, not only have you now made me look stupid, but you have made yourself look stupid.

Barry's claim last summer was that he wanted to move to Liverpool or Arsenal for a chance at European glory; playing on the biggest stage amongst the biggest of opponents.

So, how does moving to Manchester City give him an opportunity to play in Europe?

It doesn't.

City are not even playing in the newly-minted Europa League (previously known as the UEFA cup). That puts Manchester City AND Gareth Barry at least ONE full year from European play.

One can only believe that Barry's move to the Eastlands is all about money, given that City's new owner has plenty of it, and he isn't afraid to spend it.

Does this hamper Aston Villa?

Not as much as people would believe or are worried about. They have midfield depth with Steve Sidwell and Nigel Reo-Coker, both able to play the CM spot.

If anything, this 12 million is now a luxury to Marty O'Neill to go plug in other holes through the backline and add another midfielder to the mix.

At the end of the day, one must realize that greed is a sick disease. Aston Villa can live without Gareth Barry but can Gareth Barry live without Villa?

So say good bye to the good time's Gareth, you just sold your integrity away along with your "European Dreams." Have fun making money, because there won't be much else you'll be doing there at City.

Liverpool On The Verge of A Spending Splurge

Puneet Singh — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:43:29 -0400

A report surfaced this morning on Goal.com about how Liverpool had their $22 million Euro bid for Napoli's young star forward, Ezequiel Lavezzi rejected.

Now as a United fan I was in a state of shock.

Why?

Because Rafa Benitez is showing us that he may be serious about signing top quality talent this transfer window, regardless of the cost.

Over the past couple years outside of the purchases of Fernando Torres from Athletico and Javier Mascherano from the third party MSI group, Rafa's signings have be adequate at best.

Names that come to mind that didn't pan out at Pool or are still struggling: Lucas Leiva, Andrea Dossena, Andrei Voronin, Robbie Keane, David N'Gog, Charles Itandje; the list can go on for awhile.

Couple that with the sale of Momo Sissoko and Peter Crouch; former Liverpool players who had success during their tenure at the Merseyside, and you can understand why there has been a lackage of silverweare to the Liverpool cabinet in recent memory.

What if Rafa has had enough? What if all arguing in the media and mind games with Sir Alex Ferguson has now forced him to take a page out of Roman Abromovich's book and dropping a hefty amount of money in one window?

There have always been the murmurs and rumors going around: "Rafa wants to sign David Silva" "Rafa's going to get David Villa". Well, what if this is the year that Rafa ACTUALLY gets it?

Speculation has already been going around that Rafa is ready to pounce for Carlos Tevez, who himself has said he wouldn't mind playing for Pool.

Rafa has made a list of players he is expected to sell to further build his transfer kitty. Few notable names on this list are: Xabi Alonso, Riera, Dossena, and Ryan Babel.

Now I can't quite understand why he would want to sell Alonso and Babel; Alonso has been in scintillating form all year, while Babel hasn't even begun to hit his peak.

Chalk it up to Rafa's desire to go out and get Gareth Barry, who he was pursuing so heavily in the previous summer's transfer window. Alonso is better, but it is up to Rafa's discretion about who they get.

Rafa somewhat addressed one of Liverpool's main concerns last season by signing Riera to be a left side midfielder/winger, and converted Dirk Kuyt to the right sided equivalent.

Riera is all fairness is not a good enough player for Liverpool to win a PL title. Kuyt is a hardworker so for all his bad lapses that he does have, he is a grinder and a workhouse

If Rafa is willing to throw money at big proven talents then there are plenty of players available for him to choose from.

Reports earlier this year claimed that the Spaniard was keen on breaking the Dutch Wizard Arjen Robben back to the Premier League to play for his squad.

He failed at a bid for David Silva previously, but with Valencia slipping further into debt, he may have a better chance now to land his target man.

Regardless, bringing in a star left winger and the addition of a new forward to compliment El Nino and Stevie G, Rafa looks to be making a strong case for Liverpool to be considered title favorites not only for next year, but for years to come with the solid core that he has in place.

Can Arsenal Get Those Last Missing Links to Become a Dominant Force?

Puneet Singh — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:31:47 -0400

Let me make one point clearly evident. I am and always will be a DIEHARD fan of Manchester United. I've followed them since I got into football at the age of eight in 1997, and have been chanting "Glory Glory Man United" ever since.

That being said let me explain the following; I genuinely admire and respect Arsenal and Arsene Wenger.

Outside of William Gallas, Patrick Viera and Cesc Fabregas, I generally have no problem with Gunners of past and present. Unfortunately for those three, they will never get onto my good side.

While the Red Devils have been scurrying to titles throughout Europe and England over the past four years, Arsenal has been coming up just a tad bit short, always because of two things; injuries and lack of depth.

This has been showcased in this season as well, when a lack of quality has hurt Arsenal when key players such as Robin Van Persie, Fabregas and Gael Clichy all missed extended time with injuries.

In their places Nicholas Bendtner, Samir Nasri and Kieran Gibbs filled in respectively. Out of this bunch Bendtner and Gibbs don't merit starting in the Premier League little less for a grand club like Arsenal, while Samir Nasri is a world class player.

Because of the lack of depth and quality of that depth, Arsenal not only lost out on the Premier League title but a solid Champions League run too, after meeting Manchester United in the semifinals and were trumped out.

So here is the scenario: with Emanuel Adeybayour and Robin Van Persie expected to be sold this summer to help fill the transfer kitty in addition to Wenger finally cutting ties with Mikael Silvestre and William Gallas, who should Arsenal buy to make the strong push for the top?

Allow me to give the full analysis of every hole on this Arsenal squad and player(s) most suited to address it.

The most pressing needs: should one of Adeybayour/RVP be sold this summer, a striker would now be a necessary purchase along with two defensive center midfielders two centerbacks and one other playmaker.

To start from the back moving forward; although not a pressing need, a new goalkeeper would work well for Arsenal, seeing that Almunia is inconsistent and simply not world class quality.

The solution to this: Carlos Kamieni, the GK from Espanyol who is available on a Bosman.

Kamieni has single-handedly kept Espanyol alive and away from relegation over the past two years.

Facing teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Athletico Madrid, Villareal, Valencia and Sevilla, Kamieni should be more than upto the task of facing off against a strong team such as Manchester United or Liverpool.

The fact that Arsenal can sign him on a Bosman (free transfer) should be further incentive for Wenger to go out and get him.

Going onto the backline, which has been a cause for concern for the Gunners all year; with the headcase William Gallas and the slowly deteriorating Mikael Silvestre, Arsenal need to move fast to shore up the main problem to their team.

With Clichy, Kolo Toure and Bacary Sagna already in place on the backline as cornerstone pieces for Wenger and Arsenal, it is now up to him to find two more centerbacks to shore up his world class defense.

Likely candidates for Arsenal: Lucio from Bayern Munich, and Christoph Metzelder from Real Madrid.

The Brazil national team captain and world class defender, Lucio has openly said he is looking to leave Bayern Munich in order for a new challenge. He should look no further than Arsenal.

Arsenal can provide Lucio with a nice pay wage, Champions League play and a spot in their lineup.

Metzelder is highly likely to leave this summer with the appointment of Florentino Perez as the President of Real Madrid.

It is well know through all of the media that Perez will be cleaning house, and it is safe to say that Metzelder isn't in his agenda of players to keep.

Arsenal have everything to gain in signing Metzelder. He is hungry to prove his worth and eager to earn a spot in Germanys squad for the 2010 World Cup.

With his place not secured, a move to Arsenal where he can get more playing time would work out for both parties.

When healthy, Metzelder is a MONSTER of a defender. At 6'4" he is a gargantuan figure and strong enough physically to handle the battles of the Premier League.

Couple the signings of Metzelder and Lucio along with leftovers Emanuel Eboue, Johan Djourou and the three pillars of Sagna, Clichy and Toure and suddenly Arsenal have the proper depth and talent for a respectable and efficient backline.

Onto the midfield: parts, talents and quality is there, just not the right blend of it.

Tomas Rosicky has been injured for the last year and a half and his future is unknown. Nasri has been a pleasant surprise in his first year at the Emirates, along with Theo Walcott and Alexandre Song blossoming, Wenger is going somewhere with this.

Along with those young Gunners are three more YOUNGER guns: Jack Wilshire, Aaron Ramsey and Denilson; all young unproven talent who have shown moments of brilliance.

Adding Song, Walcott, Nasri to a group that includes Cesc, Abou Diaby and Rosicky and then the youngsters Wilshire, Ramsey and Denilson, Arsenal certainly have the numbers.

But its QUALITY that wins Championships. Outside of Nasri and Cesc, the rest are uncertain.

Lining up in Wenger's 4-4-2 formation a midfield of Walcott-Diaby/Song-Cesc-Nasri looks like one that can produce, but the MF is all flair and no muscle.

This is where the signings come in. The four players that should be looked at are: Yaya Toure from Barcelona, Mamadou Sakho from PSG, Mamadou Diarra from Real Madrid and Stephen Appiah who is not signed by any team at the moment.

It is extremely important that Wenger look to sign at least two from the bunch listed above.

Yaya Toure was nearly signed by Arsenal in the January transfer window, but they opted to address another hole and signed Andrei Arshavin.

By signing Toure, they would be adding a significant force to the midfield that Arsenal have been lacking since Flamini departed for Milan.

A warrior in the trenches, Toure is one of the key reasons to Barcelona's success this year. With playing time scarce due to Barca's star studded midfield, a move to London could once again be reignited.

Mamadou Sakho is young Frenchman; we all know that tickles Wenger's fancy.

Outside of that this is certain; Sakho is a young talent who's potential is huge. Forming a partnership with Cesc in the middle, we could be looking at a combination similar to Essien-Lampard on another part of London as well.

Mamadou Diarra's time in Madrid looks up. With Lassana settled in at Mamadou's old position and Florentino's reign coming upon us, Mamadou could be on his way to Wenger's squad.

For what he accomplished during his time at Madrid, Wenger would be foolish not to welcome Mamadou to the Emirates with open arms. A clone of Toure, he should come cheap considering he is coming off a knee injury.

Stephen Appiah makes too much sense; a gritty defensive midfielder available on a Bosman. He has Champions League experience and has recently played on a trial for Tottenham. That shouldn't scare off Arsenal from signing a missing part to their midfield.

Signing two of these midfielders is beyond essential. The grit and fight that Arsenal have lacked from their midfield is available right in front of them. To not sign two or even one of these listed midfielders would be a complete disaster.

The last and hardest position to analyze; forward. Arshavin, RVP, Adeybayour are all star players. Vela is an up and comer and Eduardo was destined for glory prior to his horror ankle injury.

The one who does not fit in this bunch is Nicholas Bendtner. By saying he is terrible is keeping it polite. He must go, whether on a loan or just given away. Words cannot describe how he has managed to throw away games for Arsenal.

The problem arises for who leaves; Adeybayour and RVP are two different players.

Should RVP leave, Arsenal should look at Karim Benzema.

The young frenchman has drawn comparisons to Zizou, and oozes class. With the tutelage of Arsene, he would be able to take Benzema to the next level.

Due to his poor form of late, and Lyon failing to qualify for Champions League play, Benzema may be sold cheaper than that $40 million euro pricetag that was slapped on his head. Wenger needs to jump at him first chance he gets.

Now what to do if Adey leaves? The answer; Klaas Jan Huntelaar.

Another outcast at Madrid, Huntelaar was nearly signed by Arsenal in the summer transfer window, only to be scared off by his pricetag.

With the sale of Adeybayour at an expected $35 million to $40 million, Arsenal will have more than the necessary funds needed to sign "The Hunter."

Although it seems Arsenal's problems were all solved, there's one thing that keeps getting overlooked. It's the grinder type of player that both Chelsea and Man Utd. have.

Michael Essien and John O'Shea.

Michael Essien may seem like a center mid, but he's more than that. He's often been lined up on the right wing, the left wing, throughout the entire backline and always in the trenches; excelling wherever he is put, and often bailing Chelsea out of troubled situations.

It can't be stated enough about how underrated and underappreciated Essien really is. The same should be said for O'Shea at United.

O'Shea is the footballing equivalent of a sixth man. He comes off the bench and does what is asked of him. He is clearly SAF's most loyal and trusted solider. Time and time again, he slots in wherever he is asked, and gets the job done.

This is ultimately what Arsenal are missing. This is their main void: a gritty utility player.

Is it possible to get one? Appiah is the one who best fits the description and given his ability and talent to play all over like Essien, he should be highly pursued.

My final analysis: Wenger has stuck with his Youth Policy through thick and thin. But Arsenal fan's patience is wearing thin.

It's time to splash the cash and take your team to the promise land Arsene; a little money spent goes a LONG way.

Why, Oh Why, Are You Doing This to Us, Carlos Tevez?!

Puneet Singh — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:34:53 -0400

The success of Manchester United all over Europe for the past two years can be pointed to through many different aspects of the team–our great depth of the bench and reserves, Sir Alex Ferguson's unparalleled coaching tactics and mind games, Cristiano Ronaldo's 42 goal tally last year...the list is endless.

One of the unsung heroes on our squad who gets lost in all the fame and praise of the other stars at United is none other than "El Apache" Carlos Tevez.

Since arriving at United on a two-year loan in the summer of 2007, Tevez has earned a reputation as a bulldog and a grinder.

This is evident in his style of play and his never-quit attitude on the pitch. Through the 98 games over the last two years he has appeared in, Tevez has netted 34 goals.

In the process, Tevez has formed a dynamic partnership with Wayne Rooney, known to the Manchester faithful as RooVez.

He has been unsettled though this year, starting less games because of the signing of Dimitar Berbatov. Berbatov is the box monster and front-line carrier that Manchester have been lacking since selling Ruud Van Nistelrooy off to Real Madrid prior to the 2006-2007 campaign.

It seems like, by not starting consistently at Manchester and having not secured his long term future from the third party group of MSI by now, that Tevez is now irate and frustrated, thus prompting rumors of his departure.

However, Tevez has to remember that Manchester United is an elite club, if not THE ELITE CLUB in the football world.

There will be plenty of talent at Man U and players will want to come and play for Fergie and the Red Devils.

John O'Shea, Darren Fletcher, Park Ji-Sung, and Johnny Evans are all role players for United, but could easily be starting for 12 to 13 of the other Premier League teams today. The key is that these players are a vital and integral part to our organization and have a certain role. As long as they do their job, they will continue to have that role.

Tevez needs to realize that he too is highly regarded not only by the organization, but the fans that sing and chant his name. He will always have his place at United should he choose to stay here.

If Tevez believes that his situation is unfair and he does not get enough playing time, try explaining it to these players from these teams. In 2005, Real Madrid had Fernando Morientes, Raul, Ronaldo, Robinho and Michael Owen all as their forwards, and all were world talents at the time.

Playing time was beyond scarce for Owen and Morientes, whom both would eventually leave after the season. Robinho was in the process of being converted from a CF to a Winger.

In 2000, Inter Milan had the dilemma of deciding who to start out of a group that included Hernan Crespo, Christian Vieri, Alvaro Recoba, Robbie Keane and Ronaldo again.

So where oh where could Carlos be headed?

The man himself has said he would love to stay in England and in his own words "Any club I join, whether it be Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool or Everton, will be a rival of Manchester United."

This all but shows that his mental state has already left United. Outside of England, Tevez is heavily being pursued by Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich.

Should Tevez sign with another club, it would not be the end of the world for United, but the end of the world for him.

There is no bigger of a winning culture in all of Europe than Manchester United over the past three years. Walking away from that to go to a team such as say Liverpool or Real Madrid (which has not won much over the past three to four years), would seem questionable.

Although he will be getting a greater amount of playing time, he will be going to an area where the culture is completely different.

Liverpool is always in a state of panic and breakdown so long as Rafa Benitez is the skipper there. At Madrid, there is no continuity with their coaching carousel.

Manchester City can afford to pay him beyond his wildest dreams and start him all the time, but the case comes up that they are at the bottom of the barrel and as far away from winning the Premier League as anyone.

In addition to that, they are still a year or two away from Champions League play.

Tevez should know this, although the grass may seem greener outside of Manchester, there is no one out there who can offer him more as a whole than we can. Playing time and a heftier paycheck may be nice, but at the cost of being a legend and a winner, is it really worth it?

Carlos should realize, he's not irreplaceable as he thinks. If United can replace icons such as Roy Keane, David Beckham and Eric Cantona, he should feel honored to be wearing the same shirt as that elite company.

Playing for United is a privilege one that he should look forward to continuing for years coming.

We embrace you Carlos; it's time you show us love back.

The Big Leap For Clayton The Kid

Puneet Singh — Wed, 20 May 2009 23:53:58 -0400

Within two to three years, many baseball fans along with GM's and executives will be saying one of two things. Either: wow this was a great draft, or this was one of the biggest bust drafts ever. High Potential, High Risk.

Notable names to have come out of this draft are Luke Hochevar, Evan Longoria, Brandon Morrow, Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum, Max Scherzer and Ian Kennedy; all of whom have gotten up to the majors in a quick period of time.

Lincecum and Longoria have already leaped to greatness and potentially may be the best at their position within the next year or two. Lincecum has a CY Young award under his belt and an all star game, while Longoria in his 1st semi full season got to the All Star game as well.

So who's the next of that list that I gave you to make the jump to prominence? Look no further than Clayton Kershaw.

Everything is in the right place for this kid to succeed. First off, look what team he plays for...HE'S IN MANNYWOOD BABY! With the Dodgers playing in the NL West which is baseballs equivalent of the Eastern Conference in the NBA, the goal is to get to 87 wins and you're into the playoffs.

It also helps not having to be the staff ace and rushed into a situation of being a savior which was exactly what happened to Felix Hernandez out in Seattle. With Chad Billingsley carrying the staff the way Jason Schmidt was suppose to be(betcha didn't even know he was alive still; ironically he's in his last year of that three yr 45 mil deal)and good veterans around him such as Randy Wolf and Hideki Kuroda when he comes off the DL, he and teammate Eric Stults have less pressure to succeed.

But why settle for less? Some of Kershaw's starts this season have left viewers awe struck. Look no further than the one hitter of the Marlins through 7 innings the other night. His line for that night: 119 Pitches, 7 IP, 1 ER, 9 K's, 4 BB's. This is nothing out of the ordinary for him. HE CAN DO THIS NIGHT IN AND NIGHT OUT. The key for him is developing consistency. It's the only thing that separates him from being a 13 game winner this year and an 18 to 20 game winner. He has the makeup of an ace, with two dominating pitches(his fastball and curve) and he's beginning to master the changeup as well.

While Morrow, Kennedy, Scherzer and Hochevar are all having or have had difficult times in the Majors up to this date, Kershaw is rather fine.

He was eased into the rotation as a number five last year towards the middle of the season as opposed to Kennedy who was thrown into the fire from the get go last year by the Yanks and had a miserable meltdown and Morrow who's been bounced around between the bullpen and rotation so much that its messed with his psyche.

Scherzer is slowly beginning to develop, but even then its not at the pace that the D'Backs had in mind when they drafted him and Hochevar is making the Royal's management look flat out foolish for passing over Lincecum Longoria and Kershaw.

Kershaw's progression and success of this year just shows that he will take the leap to greatness sooner rather than later.

It's safe to say that the Dodgers progression for this year does squarely fall on that left shoulder and arm of Clayton Kershaw. They are already a lock for the NL West.

But if Kershaw begins to shine like the star he's destined to be ahead of schedule, the Dodgers can see themselves making a deep run in the playoffs and possibly a strong run to the World Series.

By next year we can be talking about Kershaw as the next dominant lefty, and the possibly forming a strong duo with Billingsley as a young dynamic 1-2 combo at the front of LA's rotation for years to come.