World Football: Top 20 Big-Name Stars for Sale in Summer 2011
The summer transfer window: one of the most exciting times in word football.
Enormous sums of cash trade hands, global superstars move from one league to another and teams are reborn, to fail or succeed anew.
The summer 2011 transfer is no exception. Some of the biggest names in soccer could be sold or transferred in the coming months.
Carlos Tevez
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Carlos Tevez, one of the top strikers in the world.
And one of the hardest footballers to keep happy.
Tevez has a number of complaints regarding his recent tenure in Manchester: it’s too cold, it’s culturally depraved, no one speaks Spanish.
Worst of all, the mother of Tevez’s children refuses to live in England because of language barriers and weather concerns.
If a big time club in Spain or Italy is willing to cough up the enormous sum required to move Carlosito out of Eastlands, expect him to be gone at the drop of a hat. Also, a move to Stamford Bridge may be in the works (more on that in a minute here).
photo: Tevez does the invisible yo-yo trick to the delight of City supporters.
Alexis Sánchez
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Udinese star Alex Sánchez has had a phenomenal year.
The Chilean winger/forward’s play in the 2010-11 season has drawn comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo, among others. Sánchez is the breakout star of Serie A this season.
With clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea purportedly vying for the 22-year-old’s talents, he’s among the most wanted players in summer 2011.
Rumor has it that Roman Abramovich is jonesing for Sánchez more than the rest, and willing to do anything it takes to bring him in as part of the Blues’ rejuvenation process.
photo: Sánchez wants you to know how much he appreciates your patronage.
Diego Forlán
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Atletico Madrid star Diego Forlán has scored a total of 74 goals with the club over the past four seasons.
As the star of Uruguay’s impressive 2010 World Cup finals run, Forlán won the Golden Ball for best player in the tournament.
Forlán has been looking to leave Atletico since the January transfer window, though his primary suitor, Tottenham Hotspur, apparently can’t afford his weekly salary.
photo: Diego Forlán, football star and part time parking attendant.
Dimitar Berbatov
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It’s all over the place these days: contract talks between Manchester United and Dimitar Berbatov have stalled.
Berbatov, currently the top scorer in the EPL this season, wants a two-year contract with the Red Devils valued at £120,000 per week.
Of course, the money isn’t a problem for United. Keeping a 30-year-old player currently in a slump of form for two years when they don’t really need anyone other than Wayne Rooney and Chicharito, however, is.
The rumor mill is abuzz with potential destinations for Berbie, all of which are top European clubs.
photo: Berbie in the Manchester derby performance of Swan Lake.
Nicolas Anelka
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Chelsea needs fresh blood, and Roman Abramovich is determined to get it.
Though the team is stacked front-to-back with all stars, the majority of them are older than or very nearly 30 years old. The acquisition of David Luiz and Fernando Torres served as phase I in the rejuvenation process.
Last summer, the side posted a loss of £70.9m. Add to that the new signings and the Blues are in serious danger of being officially reprimanded by UEFA on account of the Financial Fair Play rule. They need to unload some big names, regardless of how well the squad has been playing of late.
Expect Chelsea of sell some big name players and bring in young, less expensive talent to make up for this deficit. Player number one who might well be out the door: 32-year-old French international Nicolas Anelka.
The Daily Mail reported in February that MLS’ New York Red Bulls are after Anelka. Singing Anelka to play alongside Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez may well be the MLS coup of the century.
photo: Laugh now, Fernando, but you'll be playing in America some fine day.
Florent Malouda
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The Daily Mail reports that Florent Malouda, one of the manliest men ever to have a woman's name, may be headed out of Stamford Bridge during the summer transfer window.
The French midfielder has two years left on his contract but says he needs to feel wanted at Chelsea in order not to be off to another top European club after the season.
Among the things that could make Malouda feel wanted are homemade soup, hugs and a year-long extension on his contract, though we can’t rule out Abramovich passing on these things in order to bring young players to the Bridge and place a sizable dent in the Blues’ deficit.
With Michael Essien’s future at Chelsea secure, don’t be surprised of Malouda heads out the door.
photo: Malouda, fraught with anxiety, not sure if London loves him.
Didier Drogba
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Didier Drogba is 33 years old and not getting any younger, but his prestige, star power and goal scoring proclivities still demand a very high transfer fee.
In Chelsea’s rush to rejuvenate and cut its losses, the side may seek to sell Drogba. Like Berbatov, Drogba is aging but commands maximum respect at Europe’s top clubs.
According to an article that appeared in the Manchester Evening News yesterday, Manchester City is willing to offer cash plus Carlos Tevez for Drogba.
Only a fool would offer such a deal—Tevez is undoubtedly the better player at this point—and only a fool would say no. If the deal goes down, it would be the superstar transfer of the summer.
Drogba and Tevez may well be wearing different shades of blue come August.
photo: Drogba, wondering what the advantage of trading Tevez plus large sums of cash for himself is.
Wesley Sneijder
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Any fan of European football knows the truth: you can’t go on your favorite soccer site these days without finding rumors of Dutch star Wesley Sneijder’s impending sale to Manchester United.
The Inter Milan man plays the same creative, dangerous, attacking midfield role as Rafael Van Der Vaart at Tottenham and may be even better than Spurs’ talismanic figure.
Add to that Ferguson’s desperate need to rebuild his midfield, and you have the perfect climate for a big name, big money summer transfer. Expect Sneijder to be a bona fide Red Devil come next season.
photo: Before becoming a soccer star, Wesley Sneijder starred in a series of films about a half-human vampire killer.
Cesc Fabregas
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Cesc Fabregas has displayed intermittent brilliance this season with the Gunners, but his mind has clearly been in Barcelona since Carles Puyol put a Barca top on the young Spanish midfielder after the 2010 World Cup final last summer.
Though Xavi is brilliant, he is 31 years old. He has a few prime years left in him, but Pep Guardiola needs to start grooming a replacement very soon.
Fabregas is the perfect candidate to assume the central role in Barcelona’s famed network of passes.
Somewhat strangely, the Guardian linked Fabregas to Real Madrid in February.
photo: "Look how white my tummy is. I need to move south and get some sun."
Radamel Falcao
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Recent headlines from metro.co.uk declare that Portuguese side Porto is entertaining offers from Liverpool and Tottenham for star striker Radamel Falcao.
Falcao has scored 69 goals in 82 appearances for Porto since 2009, including a hat trick and an assist against Spartak Moscow and a four-goal match against Villarreal, both in the Europa League.
Though Porto is a powerhouse in Portugal, the side can’t compete with big clubs in England, Spain and Italy. It will be hard to Porto to say no to big money offers for its Colombian international.
photo:
Falcao: "Hold me one last time before I leave you forever, Hulk."
Hulk: "Ok, but only if you stop shouting in my ear. I can hear you perfectly well when you use your indoor voice."
Hulk
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Hulk is Porto’s other superstar, and a big name facing sale during the summer 2011 transfer window.
The 25-year-old Brazilian winger/striker has 52 goals and 37 assists in 124 appearances over the past three seasons, including 33 goals and 17 assists in the 2010-11 campaign. Hulk brings a dangerous combination of power and pace to the game.
Rumors link Hulk to a number of clubs. In addition to a potential double bid for Falcao and Hulk from a squad like Tottenham or Liverpool, Hulk has been linked repeatedly to Manchester City as a potential replacement for Carlos Tevez.
photo: Hulk smash Europe.
Neymar
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This scrawny Brazilian and his stupid haircut are everywhere these days.
The 19-year-old striker impressed the world with his form during Brazil’s friendly against Scotland this March at Emirates. In that match, Neymar scored a brace.
Since the match, the forward has been linked to major clubs in Europe. Neymar regularly starts for Brazilian powerhouse Santos, for which team he has scored 27 goals in 64 appearances during the past two seasons.
The rumor mill posits Chelsea as the most likely to club to pick Neymar up during the summer 2011 transfer window.
Picking up Neymar with money from the sale of Drogba or Anelka would leave the Blues with a good deal of left over funds and a much younger striking presence.
Speaking to The Telegraph about a move to Stamford Bridge, Neymar said, “It's a dream of every player to play at Chelsea.”
photo: "What strange behavior. Do all British people act like this?"
Fernando Llorente
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Fernando Llorente, AKA the Lion King, is Athletic Bilbao’s 6'5" striking giant.
Llorente has had a good 2010-11, with 17 goals in 35 appearances. He’s not posting Eto’o or Tevez numbers, but Llorente is a consistent, mature presence on the pitch who would benefit a number of clubs.
As with every halfway decent striker in Europe, rumors link Llorente to Tottenham—Harry Redknapp is absolutely desperate to unload Peter Crouch and pick up a world-class striker.
Rumors from fall of 2010 and spring of 2011 also link Llorente to Manchester United and Liverpool, though Liverpool apparently withdrew its interest after signing Andy Carroll, because how many bean pole forwards do you really need on one team?
photo: Llorente, always on the lookout for Scar, the evil lion who killed his father.
Kaká
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Just when Real Madrid's Kaká was beginning to look like a has been, the Brazilian footballer, once widely consider the best player in the world, scored two goals and had two assists against Valencia.
Kaka-fantasy-may-come-true.html">Rumors have linked Kaká to Stamford Bridge for over a year, and given Abramovich’s penchant for acquiring the best of the best, it would be no surprise if the Blues had Brazil’s prodigal son at the top of their summer 2011 purchase list.
Inter Milan was also rumored to have interest in Kaká, though the club’s president refuted that rumor during the January 2011 window.
photo: "For the last time, my name does not mean 'poop'!"
Javier Mascherano
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It’s hard to believe that Barcelona defensive midfielder Javier Mascherano made his way to European football with Carlos Tevez in a collective move from Argentina to West Ham.
Since moving to Barca from Liverpool, Mascherano has had difficulty maintaining a steady spot in the starting 11, and has been used occasionally as a stand in center back for injured first team regulars.
According to Caught Offside, Manchester United is prepared to take the Argentine powerhouse off Guardiola’s hands this summer, and Mascherano is ready for a move back to England.
photo: In that moment, gravity abandoned them, and they were one with infinity.
Dani Alves
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Brazilian right back Dani Alves has played an instrumental role in Barcelona’s recent über success.
However, according to Goal.com and other sources, contract talks between Alves and Barcelona have broken down and Manchester City is willing to swoop in and sign the star.
If City manages to sign Alves, it will have one of the great defenses in Europe, with the right back playing alongside Vincent Kompany and Kolo Toure, and in front of Joe Hart.
photo: Alves, shedding his Barca top and moving on.
Keisuke Honda
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Japanese central midfielder Keisuke Honda stands on the cusp of being his country’s first international superstar. He is already a household name in Japan, South Korea (that rivalry never sleeps) and Russia.
In the 2010 World Cup, Keisuke showed his prowess as a free kick specialist. In the fall of 2010 and again in the winter and spring of 2011, rumors have linked Honda to Liverpool.
Honda has also been linked to Arsenal through the message board transfer rumor mill.
photo: which language are these men speaking?
Gareth Bale
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Harry Redknapp is in furious pursuit of a striker he may not be able to afford, and the club looks poised to lose out on a Champion’s League spot next year. Simply put, Tottenham needs money, and Bale is worth a lot of it.
Real Madrid and Manchester City top the list of clubs that want Bale, though reports link him heavily to Milan, Chelsea, Barcelona, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Fashion pundits hope Bale goes to a team other than Liverpool or United, as the red tops would accentuate his strange ruddiness.
photo: "Sorry lads, didn't say 'Simon Says.' You're both out."
Samuel Eto'o
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Inter Milan may lose a bigger star than Wesley Sneijder this summer.
Samuel Eto’o is one of the top five strikers in Europe, hands down. The Cameroonian international won the Champions League final with two squads in two years and has 33 goals and 12 assists in all competitions this year.
Not Messi numbers, but phenomenal none-the-less.
According to Italian periodical Corriere dello Sport, Inter Milan is willing to use Eto’o as leverage to bring Cesc Fabregas to the San Siro.
If such a deal doesn’t materialize, the side may still sell Eto’o in order to raise funds to replace Sneijder and bring in a young striker—Eto’o turned 30 this year.
photo: Eto'o, surrounded by sparkling fairy dust.
Andrey Arshavin
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Ultimately, looking at the numbers, Arsenal's former boy wonder Andrey Arshavin wasn't nearly as crap this year as many would make him out to be, but the Gunners need more consistent form from a key player.
A number of sources, including Goal.com linked Arshavin to Chelsea during the January transfer rumor, and those rumors haven't gone away.
While Chelsea fans don't necessarily see Arshavin succeeding with the Blues, if he finds himself in a consistent run of form, the Russian can be very, very dangerous.
And if there's anything dangerous Russians like Abramovich like, it's dangerous Russians like Arshavin.
