Sneijder and Robben have fans in England
Hola,
Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill has hinted that he would like to sign Wesley Sneijder. O’Neill has been linked with the Dutch star over the course of the summer, as his place at Real looks increasingly uncertain. Real have spent millions bolstering their squad making it unclear where Sneijder could feature. Sneijder’s agent, Soren Lerby, has made it clear that Real have told him that they want to keep the player. Reports emanating from Spain say that with Inter Milan also linked, it seems Real could be ready to allow Sneijder, amongst others, to leave. And O’Neill admits he needs to be interested in players of the calibre of Sneijder. The Villa manager told Sky Sports:
I think that the more creativity you have in your side the better chance you will have. These are particularly special players who are not (generally) available. If there were players like Sneijder, who have great talent and might be surplus to requirements at a club that is buying (new players), then I think you should be interested, even if that interest is not reciprocated. Because how else are you going to try and improve your team?
Arjen Robben has vowed to fight for his place at Real Madrid and will only leave to join a club playing in the UEFA Champions League. Reports have suggested that Real could look to offload the Dutch winger following the raft of big-name arrivals. Robben, along with compatriots Royston Drenthe, Wesley Sneijder and Ruud van Nistelrooy, is facing a battle to secure regular first-team football under new coach Manuel Pellegrini. The former Chelsea man has been linked with a return to the Premier League, with Tottenham Hotspur rumoured to be showing an interest. However, Robben has again ruled out a move to White Hart Lane and remains determined to establish himself in Pellegrini’s plans this season. Robben told The Sun:
With all the respect in the world, I have decided not to join Tottenham. For the moment I want to fight for my place at Real Madrid and want to focus all my attentions on my preparations. I hope to achieve a lot with Real Madrid this season. The only thing I would consider is a move to another club in the Champions League.
Guti has also been talking. He is currently in Toronto preparing for tonight’s game against Toronto FC. AS quoted him saying this during a press conference at BMO Field:
I don’t believe that it is worth talking about anything if the club have done everything possible to bring in all these great players and a new coach but we do not deliver on the field. Florentino has returned and he has made these big signings and the team is now at an exceptional level. The only thing we can do now is show that on the pitch. At the end of the day, results are what matter the most, but it’s true that this is a very exciting project.
One thing is common to all three players particularly more to Sneijder and Guti than Robben only because of the positions they play in. Their place in the team is not assured. But one thing has to be made clear. They are indispensable. If at all we want to win whatever is in our sight we have to keep them. The poll is fairing well. The readers seem to be as confused as I am. My vote was for Fernando Gago. Keep voting. The poll shall remain open till the end of the transfer window.
Till next time,
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
P.S: Atletico want Gago and Higuain. Haha!
36, 42, 27, 194, 185…
Morning all,
I’m sure the title of this post caught your eye as you saw it. If thats the case then its job is done. I remember when I was in my 8th standard (not Grade, We don’t call it grade here in India) I remember this guy who took a few classes to help us with our public speaking skills. The first thing he said were a few random numbers which no one understood as to why he was doing so. And it was then that he said “It caught your attention didn’t it? That’s the secret behind public speaking.” and the rest was all blah blah and more of blah to me as I went back to what I was actually doing. What a loser!
Anyhoo, moving on to the post itself, it has been a dull weekend with all the people involved in the transfer market spending time with their families, girlfriends or all alone. Spain played South Africa and won on Saturday snatching the World record for most consecutive wins which Brazil held for quite some time now. Brazil beat Italy comprehensively last night knocking them out of the tournament. At their expense the team that went into the semi-finals to meet Spain was the U.S.A who beat Egypt 3-0.
The Transfer Market itself has been quite dull lately. The David Villa saga is still going on. Xabi Alonso and Karim Benzema are being linked with us just for the heck of it. All the dutch starlets are linked with a move away from the club along with Fernando Gago. And we are planning to swoop both maico and hell Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
On Friday Valencia’s president Manuel Llorente declared that David Villa will not be sold in this transfer window. Manuel Llorente has said that since there aren’t any good offers currently David Villa will probably continue his career at the Mestalla next season but that would be the case only if there aren’t any amazing offers.
Llorente said:
We have taken the decision to not sell David Villa. We’ve taken this decision after some days of thought in which we studied the advantages and disadvantages. We think David Villa is the best striker in Europe and we have the fortune to have him in our team and we are going to fight to keep him.
Gaizka Mendieta, a few years ago, too was almost assured of playing in Real Madrid when Valencia blocked his transfer to the Santiago Bernabeu. Instead it was to Rome that he went to don the colors of Lazio who paid a record sum at that time to gain the midfielder’s services. Ofcourse he went and ruined his career there. Valencia, according to reports from Spain, are supposedly doing the same thing here. Llorente though insists the current move is not a ploy either, saying:
It’s not a strategy, but to avoid all the rumours. Because they affect Valencia, the media and the player. We have to be calm and think about the project. When we talked of selling it was because we thought that some players could bring in a lot of money, like Villa. But it’s not been like that.
Llorente did admit though that the decision taken by Valencia does not necessarily guarantee Villa will still be at the Mestalla next season.
I cannot say that because there could arrive an amazing offer.
The striker’s agent, Jose Luis Tamargo, said:
They [Valencia] have put us through a situation that is, sadly, very unpleasant because this is no good for anyone. Valencia have changed their minds and they are telling us they don’t want to sell the player after, as everyone knows, having talks with three of the four top clubs.
The player himself is unsure of his club future but he insisted that he wouldn’t let this uncertainity affect Spain‘s Conferderations Cup campaign. But one thing is for sure, Villa will remain in Spain, is atleast what his Fernando Torres thinks.
One other Spaniard who is linked with Real Madrid is Xabi Alonso. The Telegraph and The Daily Express reported that Xabi might be on his way out of Liverpool. But on Sunday the player himself said that he is not planning on leaving the club this summer. But then according to The Mirror Chelsea have joined the £18million race to grab Xabi Alonso.
Karim Benzema too has been linked with us. Jean-Michel Aulas hinted that he could be powerless to keep Benzema from leaving Lyon. But The Telegraph insists that Karim Benzema will not leave Lyon before the next World Cup.
Manchester United are rumored to make an offer that Real can’t refuse for Iker Casillas. Well, forget Iker Casillas, WE WON”T SELL A VIRUS TO THAT MOB.
Fernando Gago is worth 20 million euros apparently and Juve are interested. Read this.
Going Dutch, according to The Daily Star, Ruud van Nistelrooy wants his Dutch compatriots to move on if they do get a chance. Hahahahaha!
Royston Drenthe is linked with a move to Italy to Fiorentina but ON LOAN which is really really good. NOTW says that Aston Villa have lost the race to sign the Dutch youngster and are now onto Jurado.
The Guardian has an article that says Real Madrid have warned Arjen Robben that they are prepared to leave him out of their squad next season if he refuses to leave the club this summer whereas The Dutchman himself is not keen to leave the Santiago Bernabéu (which is wonderful to hear as we will need him). As to the whole banishing thing: BULLOCKS!
Another Dutchman who doesn’t want to leave Real is Wesley Sneijder. Speaking to AS he said:
I have no intention of leaving Real Madrid. Nobody called me to speak about that and what I want to do is stay at Madrid because I battled hard to join this club and being successful in this shirt is my aim. No doubt about it. I am pretty much relaxed and cannot wait to get back to work. Playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka or Franck Ribery is an honour for every player.
Does that mean Ribery is in?
There is another rumor that says Frank Rijkaard wanting Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to link up with him in Turkey. Bullocks again.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is desperate to leave Inter and to move to Real Madrid, is what Marca says. According to Marca, negotiations are going on between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Real Madrid. Inter in return want Mahamadou Diarra, Sneijder, Robben and Higuaín. And I want to whip Massimo Morati’s arse all around Milan. Personally I am no believer of Ibracadabra. I don’t like his attitude. We already have Ronaldo to do the tricks. We don’t need the Swede. But if I am proved wrong…
According to Corriero dello Sport, Marco Branca, the technical director of Inter Milan, is in Madrid to discuss the possible transfer of the Brazilian full-back Maicon. Why do we need a right sided player again?
And about someone who will surely wear Real Madrid colors next season in Cristiano Ronaldo, The Mail says that Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract dispute with Real Madrid is understood to have been resolved which means the record deal will be completed soon. Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted that he made up his mind to leave Manchester United last summer. And according to The Mirror Sergio Ramos and co. are OK with Ronaldo’s wages.
And finally Vicente Del Bosque speaks about Raul‘s possible return into the Spanish National Team.
Thats it. End of post. More from me soon.
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
P.S: Our kit for next season has been released. The serigraphy on the shirts have also changed.
An early morning brain wave
Its sometime around 0730 or 0800 or whatever here and I am up already. Hell I am getting no sleep. Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah. I could go on and on like this. But this isn’t about that. I’ve got a lot of other stuff to talk about
For the past few weeks or so I’ve been concentrating too much on the big names like Kaká, Cristiano Ronaldo, Franck Ribery and David Villa the former pair have been signed and the latter duo have been strongly linked with us. But what I seem to have forgotten already was the fact that we do have other players on our team who have been linked with moves away from the club (Six in-Nine out Policy of Florentino) and plus there are millions of other European quality players.
So without further adieu lets get rollin’…
This is what David Villa told the press following the game in Bloemfontein after again being quizzed about his future:
I have made my decision. My agent knows my wishes, and he is now working on that – so I am relaxed. There is no deadline on the subject, and I really do not have any more details as this whole thing is not totally dependent on me.
We are hearing this amongst the rumors that the striker wants to stay in Spain and that only Real Madrid and Barcelona are contenders to sign him. At the same time there have been other rumors as to the only club Villa would move to would be the one in which his La Roja strike partner Fernando Torres is in at the moment. Well, just because they celebrate every goal of theirs like they’ve just given birth to a new baby, it doesn’t mean… Hell.. what am I saying?! This is a future Madridista we’re talking about. But why is he linked with Barcelona?!?
Anyhoo, moving on, the next rumor is about an exit from the Bernabeu concerning a one Mahamadou Diarra who was sitting at home throughout last season nurtuting an injury. The Malian central midfielder has been linked with a move to Juventus who are very keen on the 28 year old. Diarra is said to have been recommended to the Bianconeri by Fabio Cannavaro. He knee injury is unlikely to scupper any potential deal.
Diarra admits he would be willing to discuss a move to Italy, but insists any such agreement will rest in the hands of his current employers which is ofcourse Real Madrid. Speaking to skysports.com he said:
I am feeling very well at the moment and I hope to come back even stronger next season. Real are recruiting a lot of big stars at the moment and I am looking forward to the next campaign.
Thats nice to hear. But he did have a few words to say about Juve:
Juve? They are a great side, one of the best in the world, so to be linked with them is fantastic.But to play there, I don’t know yet. We will have to wait and see what the new officials at Real have planned.
It is true that we are having an abundance (of players) in the middle of the park with Lass, Gago, De la Red, Kaka, Sneijder, Van der Vaart, Guti, Parejo, Javi Garcia which means that we will sell one or two or maybe send them on loan. Diarra is a good player. No doubt. And it is very obvious that he is our most mature defensive midfielder with the lesser mature being the likes of Lass, Gago and Javi Garcia. So do we sell him?
For sometime now The Offside guy has been whining to get to back the Cantaneros who are doing so well now at every other club (almost (OK, exaggeration)) other than Real Madrid. One such player who has been linked with us is Álvaro Arbeloa of Liverpool. The player has admitted that he would consider a return to Spain as he believes he has a point to prove in his homeland.And also there is this little fact that he has only one year left in his contract and Liverpool are close to signing a certain Glen Johnson who too plays in the same position as our young Cantanero. Anyhoo, Arbeloa has been talking and we too have been talking about a right sided player (God knows why). He told Elmundo while on international duty at the Confederations Cup:
I am happy at Liverpool, but I have something to prove in Spain as I did not show my best form in La Liga. One day, I’m sure I will return.
It is always nice to be linked to big teams – even to this Madrid side in a time of transition. They are working hard to build a great team.
I have one more year remaining on my Liverpool deal, but anything can happen. A contract renewal is in the air. I am contracted for one more year, but if Liverpool get an offer they will consider it. It is all in the hands of my agent.
If there is one Cantanero whom I would never want Real to sign it would be him. First of all he is cheap and second of all he has played for both Deportivo and Liverpool. And ofcourse there is obvious reason that we don’t need a Right sided defender who can do nothing but play on the Right side.
And if there is one Cantanero whom I want us to sign ASAP it would be Esteban Granero. But Getafe president Angel Torres has said that Granero would be made to stay for another year atleast despite being linked with swap deals to Valencia and Villareal.
Bayern Munich is confused. Der Kaiser Franz Beckenbauer is yeah, senile. Franck Ribery is AWESOME. Even though these three phrases don’t sum up to mean anything they are independently true.
It was Beckenbauer who told Bild that:
We discussed the issue at our last board meeting and we all agreed that, if he really wants to leave, then we will deal with the issue.
Immediately reports emanating from Spain suggested that Real are leading the chase for the sought-after Ribery by offering Rafael van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder as makeweights in the deal which is SO BLOODY FOOLISH. And Zidane was quoted as saying:
We will do whatever it takes to make Ribéry come to Real Madrid. It is the voice of Florentino Perez and mine.
But then Bayern made all this just a little more than a speculation by releasing an official statement that said:
There is no such resolution by the advisory board of FC Bayern Munich AG which includes the issue of a sale of the player Franck Ribery. The transfer (sale) of a player does not need the approval of the advisory board, according to the constitution of the FC Bayern Munich AG board of directors. The FC Bayern Munich AG board of directors have made the overwhelming resolution that the player Franck Ribery is not for sale.
There are several reasons as to why you can love Arjen Robben and there are several more reasons why you can love Hans Robben, Arjen Robben’s father, who is also the Dutch International’s agent. The following is one amongst them. He told Dutch paper Algemeen Dagblad:
There are reports currently circulating on the internet that the agent of Arjen has confirmed there are talks with Spurs. But the only who is representing him is me and I don’t know anything about it. At the moment we are not in action with any other team than Real Madrid.
Robben Senior is adamant his son will not be playing under Harry Redknapp next season adding:
I even want to bet on a bottle of wine Arjen won’t play there.
Staying with England, Tottenham have put in a 30 million pound bid for Real Madrid trio, Arjen Robben, Gabriel Heinze and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. Sportsmail revealed that Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy is in Madrid along with finance director Matthew Collecott to meet Florentino Perez.
Harry Redknapp’s priority this season is a winger, striker and left-back. The White Hart Lane boss has already gone about trying to get hold of another Madrid player, Ruud van Nistelrooy, but the Dutch striker’s wage demands are too high for the North London club.
F*ck you Tottenham! F*ck you Redknapp! F*ck you North London!
Oh talking about North London, we are apparently vying for the signature of Arsenal’s French full backs Bacary Sagna and Gaël Clichy. Sagna went from ‘not against’ Real deal to ‘deny any knowledge of link to Madrid‘. But then again why are we after a right back? And about the other Gunner, he straightway declared that Arsenal is his only club but at the same time he is flattered that he has been linked with Real Madrid.
Another player of ours who is linked with a move to England is Royston Drenthe. After Barry’s move to Man City the player has been linked with a move to Villa Park to play under Martin O’Neill. Villa have supposedly made a bid close to 5 million euros. Reject it immediately. Period.
Luis Antonio Valencia is still linked with Real Madrid. Its false. Don’t believe it.
I wouldn’t blame you if you haven’t heard of Luca Dürholtz. This is a kid who plays under-17 football with Bayer Leverkusen and is considered to be the next Bernd Schuster (ofcourse he has blonde hair). We are apparently ready to pay 700,000 for the youngster to lure him into Castilla. He is a German international at the U-16 level and plays offensive midfield.
Staying with Castilla, Real Valladolid are targeting Alberto Bueno, Miguel Torres and Dani Parejo. The wage structure of Dani Parejo though doesn’t match with his suitors. But one kid who will be staying at Real Madrid when he grows up will be World Champion Pablo Sarabia. The youngster has declared that his goal is to play at the Bernabeu.
Now that was a lot of rumors considering it being a single post. *Sigh*
I’ll make sure that it isn’t the case next time out. And yeah, Hala Madrid will be following a new format soon (tentatively from 1st of July). The changes will be obvious and so I am not going to list out all the changes and stuff.
Until then, Cheerios!
Para Siempre Blanco!
Hala Madrid!!
Peace Cup 2009
While the primary goal of the Peace Cup is to promote world peace, the attention of this year’s edition will no doubt be centered on the twelve participating teams, who have over 1,130 years of combined history.
The twelve participating teams will be divided into four groups of three, in which each team will play at least two matches and a maximum of four. The top team of each group will automatically qualify for the semifinals.
This year’s participants include Real Madrid, Sevilla, Malaga (Spain), Al-Ittihad (Saudi Arabia), Aston Villa (England), Celtic (Scotland), Fenerbahce (Turkey), Juventus (Italy), LDU Quito (Ecuador), Olympique Lyonnais (France), Porto (Portugal) and Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (South Korea).
The venues for the competition include the Santiago Bernabeu, La Rosaleda (Malaga), Chapin (Jerez), Nuevo Colombino (Huelva) and the Sanchez Pizjuan (Seville).
Pedja Mijatovic commented on the importance of the Peace Cup and the draw which took place on Thursday and pitted Real Madrid against Liga de Quito and Al-Ittihad.
It’s a very prestigious tournament. Just look at the teams that are participating. These matches will help our coach prepare for the start of the new season. Football fans will be very happy because they get to see some great matches over the summer.
The tournament has always been important because bringing teams together during their preparations stages is very difficult. Real Madrid would like to congratulate the organization.
The Peace Dream Foundation and the Peace Cup have created a great idea to help the world through football.
We will do whatever we can to win the tournament, which grows in prominence every year. The Peace Cup will be one of the world’s most important competitions. I am sure we will see some good football.
Real Madrid to face Liga de Quito and Al-Ittihad
Representatives of the twelve teams participating in the 2009 Peace Cup gathered at the El Gran Hotel Renacimiento in Seville on Thursday for the draw ceremony, which pitted Real Madrid against Liga de Quito and Al-Ittihad in Group B.
Real Madrid will play there first match against Liga de Quito on 26 July and two days later will face Al-Ittihad. If they finish top in Group B, the Whites will qualify for the 21 July semifinal against the Group A winner to be played in either La Cartuja (Seville) or La Rosaleda (Malaga), the former which will also host the final on 2 August.
President Vicente Boluda was accompanied by Vice-President Amador Suarez for the draw and the former discussed why Real Madrid is partricipating in such an important competition. According to Boluda,
The tournament follows the same philosophy as that of Real Madrid. We also have an important Foundation that carries out social work with more than 50,000 kids on three continents. Anything that entails the promotion of peace is important. Real Madrid has participated in many important causes. Two years ago we were in Tel Aviv to play against a team comprised of Palestinians and Israelis. We are proud to be here and happy to be in Andalucia.
Adios 2008!
We have now neared the end of 2008. We have had our share of good times and bad times in the past year but overall it has definitely been a good one as it saw us lift two titles viz. the La Liga and The Supercopa. The latter half of the year saw us drop to as low as 5th place and we were almost down to 13 fit first team players on the squad. But now it isn’t so. We have infact more than 24 players on hand which means a fully fit squad ending the year 2008 on a high note.
This would be the last post on Hala Madrid for the year 2008 and since I haven’t blogged properly for days now, it will be a bit longer than usual. This post would cover up all the transfer rumors surrounding the club as usual involving the likes of Jermaine Pennant, Luis Antonio Valencia, Roque Santa Cruz, Ashley Young, Angel Di Maria, Franck Ribery and even some of our players like Royston Drenthe, Fabio Cannavaro and Rafael van der Vaart.
Firstly, Fabio Cannavaro, who’s contract with the club is about to run out this summer, has stated that he cannot guarantee his future with Real Madrid. While speaking to Corriere dello Sport, he said:
In early January we’ll assess the intentions of Real Madrid, and then act accordingly, even considering bids from other clubs. (Napoli director general) Pierpaolo Marino and I sat down together, but we didn’t talk about football. The club (Napoli) has focused on young people, and the results are good, even if the team is proving to have some problems lately away from home, while at the San Paolo they are doing extraordinary things. Can they reach the Champions League? Perhaps.
I hope he does extend his stay. Atleast by one year or so. By then Garay would be back and he can work under Cannavaro for a year and learn a few tricks in the trade. Cannavaro is a mammoth in defence. He is a stalwart as far as I am concerned. We should do all that we can to keep him here. And Italians generally play till they’re 40 so I don’t think him spending a season or two at his home town in Naples would be a problem even if he stays here for some more time.
Our search for a striker seems to go on according to a few tabloids in England. Blackburn Rovers and Paraguay striker Roque Santa Cruz is apparently wanted by us. He is not all that happy with Blackburn and is looking out for a move. His dad initially said that him moving is inevitable but Real haven’t moved for him yet. He should most probably move to Manchester City even if he does and he himself was quoted saying:
I would like to stay in England. I like this league. It is one of the most competitive in the world.
Whatever.
The next English based player on whom we are interested in is Wigan’s Luis Antonio Valencia. AS says Mijatovic has been handed a £17 million budget to land a new winger and is focusing on Valencia as he is not Cup-tied from the Champions League. Valencia too is apparently keen on a return to Spain, where he was snapped up by Wigan from Villarreal. His agent has stated that a move to Real Madrid would be a dream for the Ecuadorian winger, but admitted that there had been nothing official from anyone at the Spanish club. Diego Herrera told AS that if Los Merengues made their reported interest concrete then the player would jump at the chance of a move to the Bernabéu. But in a bid to not cause problems with Wigan Athletic, the agent explained that nothing official had been done or said so neither he nor his client were going to add anything more.
It would be a dream for Antonio to join Madrid, an incredible opportunity. But until there is something official I do not want to say anything. Nobody has said anything to me. When there is an official statement from someone in authority at Madrid, called Mijatovic or Bucero, informing that there is an offer, then we will speak. I understand that Madrid want to complete the signing in teh first week of January. We wlll see what happens over the next few days. Next week we will know for certain if Antonio is to become a Real Madrid player.
Jermaine Pennant is the next England-based winger with whom we are linked with. He has not settled at Liverpool. Juande Ramos doesn’t want him and is more keen on Valencia. So I prefer not to talk about him.
Next is the brilliant Ashley Young. He is currently one of my favorite players and I would love to see him play for us. But Martin O’Neill is no fool and thinks that his current employers Aston Villa can keep Young with them. Also Young is cup-tied, so I don’t see a point in signing him.
Real Madrid remain keen on Benfica winger Angel di Maria. Despite being Cup-tied from the Champions League, Record says Real are pressing on with a bid for Argentina international Di Maria. It’s understood Real are willing to offer £17 million for Di Maria when the winter market opens this week. Rumors bloody rumors!
Franck Ribery too is interested in a move to Madrid. The Frenchman currently with Bayern has made us his first choice if he decides not to extend his stay with Bayern. I don’t know how genuine it is. It might even be the usaul trick which players use to improve their contract and the cash that they are getting at present. While speaking to Kicker magazine he was quoted as saying:
Bayern are one of the most important clubs in the world and I feel good playing here. Clearly there are other clubs that make you dream – Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United. But I like Madrid for their story and history.
Whatever. But I think it is kinda genuine as I remember Beckenbauer as saying it would be tough to keep Ribery if Real Madrid come asking for him.Hmmm.. patience Madridistas!
In other news, Portsmouth apparently are in need of the services of Royston Drenthe on loan. Johnny Metgod who is now a coach at Pompey had worked with Feyenoord before and suggested to his club that they go asking for Drenthe on loan. Juande Ramos though was quick to block out any chances of that happening.
Van der Vaart told Marca that he is happy here. So no move for him. Pheew!
Thats about it. See you in 2009.
Hala Madrid!!
Just another Madridista
Hala Madrid 
Junta speak