And,if the Rossi loan materializes for next season,then the ManU quest for a striker upfront should be interesting.
http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=470501&plid=46810&clid=1&cpid=8
Euro Giants fight for Rossi
Sky Sports
Porto and Juventus are battling it out to win Giuseppe Rossi's signature on loan for next season.
The 20-year-old Manchester United starlet was prolific after moving to Italy in January, scoring nine goals in 19 Serie A games for Parma.
Claudio Ranieri managed to get the best out of the American-born Italian striker, after he had endured a frustrating time at Newcastle United earlier in the season.
Juve have since appointed the 'Tinkerman' - known admirer of the talented youngster - and Ranieri is eager to renew the partnership.
But United's purchase of Brazilian midfielder Andersen has complicated the issue, with Sir Alex Ferguson agreeing to give Porto preference in loaning players from the Premiership champions.
There is no indication that The Red Devils will even let Rossi back out on loan next season though, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer among a number of the frontline unsure of his future.
Louis Saha has suffered perennial lapses in fitness ever since moving to Manchester and speculation surrounding Alan Smith's contract also refuses to die down.
Rumours surrounding Nicholas Anelka have subsided, but the Old Trafford faithful would still like to see a new forward come in to improve the attacking options.
Rossi has stated his desire to forge a name for himself at the Theatre of Dreams next season, and that could prompt Ferguson to put his trust in the youngster, particularly if he is unable to enter in the transfer market again.
http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=470501&plid=46810&clid=1&cpid=8
Euro Giants fight for Rossi
Sky Sports
Porto and Juventus are battling it out to win Giuseppe Rossi's signature on loan for next season.
The 20-year-old Manchester United starlet was prolific after moving to Italy in January, scoring nine goals in 19 Serie A games for Parma.
Claudio Ranieri managed to get the best out of the American-born Italian striker, after he had endured a frustrating time at Newcastle United earlier in the season.
Juve have since appointed the 'Tinkerman' - known admirer of the talented youngster - and Ranieri is eager to renew the partnership.
But United's purchase of Brazilian midfielder Andersen has complicated the issue, with Sir Alex Ferguson agreeing to give Porto preference in loaning players from the Premiership champions.
There is no indication that The Red Devils will even let Rossi back out on loan next season though, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer among a number of the frontline unsure of his future.
Louis Saha has suffered perennial lapses in fitness ever since moving to Manchester and speculation surrounding Alan Smith's contract also refuses to die down.
Rumours surrounding Nicholas Anelka have subsided, but the Old Trafford faithful would still like to see a new forward come in to improve the attacking options.
Rossi has stated his desire to forge a name for himself at the Theatre of Dreams next season, and that could prompt Ferguson to put his trust in the youngster, particularly if he is unable to enter in the transfer market again.
well,Rossi is still a ManU "prospect".he is only 20 years old,and did pretty well in Serie-A this year,scoring 9 goals in 19 games for Parma.he is technically pretty talented and capable of playing deep if needed.
IF ManU doesn't acquire a striker ( Berbaov,Torres,Anelka,etc.) then Rossi should definitely get his fair chance to play for ManU. However, if SAF feels it's a year too soon for him ,one alterrnative would be to loan him out to another premiership club where he can play week after week consistently. (maybe Sunderland ) .Rossi needs the EPL experience.
IF ManU doesn't acquire a striker ( Berbaov,Torres,Anelka,etc.) then Rossi should definitely get his fair chance to play for ManU. However, if SAF feels it's a year too soon for him ,one alterrnative would be to loan him out to another premiership club where he can play week after week consistently. (maybe Sunderland ) .Rossi needs the EPL experience.
rossi is a pretty talented guy. hes generally rated highly by those who tend to watch reserve games, and its obvious how much manchester united rates him, since they are trying hard to make sure he gets some experience. but he needs to start making that transformation to the first team sooner than later. hes 20 already.
".....Earlier this week, Sprewell lashed out at his lack of an extension -- stirring up criticism by threatening to ask for a trade and suggesting he didn't owe the organization anything this year because it hadn't taken care of him.
His most-maligned comment, "I've got a family to feed," became instant fodder for talk-radio and water-cooler rants. Speaking before Wednesday night's game against the New York Knicks, however, Sprewell did his best to downplay those prior statements.
"The stuff I'm going through is minute compared to a lot of things people go through on a daily basis," he said.
The 34-year-old swingman, who will make $14.6 million this season in the final year of his current deal, blamed media spin for most of the backlash against him. Sprewell's pregame introduction, somewhat surprisingly, brought no audible boos."
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1915717
His most-maligned comment, "I've got a family to feed," became instant fodder for talk-radio and water-cooler rants. Speaking before Wednesday night's game against the New York Knicks, however, Sprewell did his best to downplay those prior statements.
"The stuff I'm going through is minute compared to a lot of things people go through on a daily basis," he said.
The 34-year-old swingman, who will make $14.6 million this season in the final year of his current deal, blamed media spin for most of the backlash against him. Sprewell's pregame introduction, somewhat surprisingly, brought no audible boos."
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1915717
And this piece by Marcotti is an interesting and fine tribute to Sir Alex:
http://www.sundayherald.com/sport/shfootball/display.var.1443915.0.a_balancing_act.php
A balancing act
By Gabriele Marcotti
Sir Alex Ferguson has shown once again why he is the master at team building.
A WHILE back, when I had the opportunity to sit down with Sir Alex Ferguson, I asked him about team-building, and how to rebuild for success generation after generation.
"Obviously, identifying the right players and getting them at the right price is crucial," he said. "But, just as important, is creating an environment where they want to stay. It's easier at a bigger club like United, of course, but there are always challenges. And, for most players, getting them to stay is not just about money. They like to know they are well-rewarded and appreciated and many measure it by the size of their pay cheques. But it goes beyond that. You have to create the right balance of comfort, so they stay, and challenge, so you get the best out of them."
Those words came to mind last week on the day Ryan Giggs announced his retirement from international football and United confirmed they were signing two of the best young players around, Porto's Anderson and Sporting Lisbon's Nani. In the space of a few hours, two of the things Sir Alex is best at came to the fore: bringing in talented players and creating the environment to retain them.
advertisement In many ways, Giggs epitomises both qualities. In 1987, Sir Alex personally went by his house waving YTS forms in a last-ditch attempt to get him to shun Manchester City, with whom he had all but signed. Twenty years on, Giggs is on the verge of breaking Sir Bobby Charlton's all-time appearance record for United. That longevity is a function of both his ability and judicious use by the club. He has started more than 30 league games in a single season just once in the last 13 years, perhaps a testament to the fact that his skills come at price: durability.
A knack for using him at the right time and in the right position (while he will be remembered as a left-winger, he has been deployed with success on the right and centre of midfield as well as up front) has been instrumental.
Equally important is the way Sir Alex has handled him over the years. He has always been an important cog in United's machine without necessarily being the central figure - a role filled, at different times, by different players (Bryan Robson, Paul Ince, Roy Keane, David Beckham and now Cristiano Ronaldo) - perhaps precisely because, by his own admission, Giggs is more of the low-key, silent leader type.
Had he accepted any of the lucrative offers from abroad, it may well have been a different story. Landing at Milan or Barcelona with a £20 million price tag on your head and having to deal with the weight of immediate expectation in a foreign land might have placed him outside Sir Alex's delicately balanced comfort/challenge zone.
Much of this also applies to Paul Scholes, another home-grown product with, perhaps, a similarly understated personality. Scholes and Giggs turn 33 and 34 respectively in November and it's almost too easy to point to Anderson and Nani as natural replacements.
Anderson Luis de Abreu Oliveira is often compared to Ronaldinho, a heavy burden to bear for a kid who only turned 19 last April, andwhose progress has been slowed by injuries. Yet when fit, he has certainy justified the hype, displaying the form that won him the "Player of the Tournament" award at the FIFA Under-17 championships in 2005.
His main difference from the Barcelona star is his build. Anderson is compact and muscular, whereas, at 19, Ronaldinho was reed-thin. He can be deployed anywhere on the front line or midfield, though the word from Carlos Queiroz, Sir Alex's number two, is that his long-term future is in central midfield, as heir apparent to Scholes.
Nani, on the other hand, is pencilled in to take over from Giggs. The pacy winger has been hyped as "the next Luis Figo" since making his debut at Sporting. The 22-year-old has played an integral role at the club over the past two seasons, but he really came to the fore last September when he led the side to a 1-0 defeat of Inter in the Champions' League.
"I know I'm not supposed to designate an heir because I'm not supposed to put pressure on anyone," Inter's Figo said after the game. "But seeing him up close today, I have to say it's an honor for me that people are describing him in those terms."
That sort of recommendation goes some way to justifying the combined £30m United shelled out for the pair. Yet the club's initial outlay is only half that, with the rest dependent on appearances.
"This is an investment for the next ten years," CarlosQueiroz said. "It's worth imagining a frontline of Ronaldo, Rooney, Anderson and Nani, all of them players of enormous creativity."
It may not be a coincidence that Queiroz's vision of the future does not include a traditional centreforward, but rather four guys who can interchangeably fill different roles while providing a sizeable goal return. And it may offer a clue as to what United will (or, more likely, will not) do during the remainder of the transfer window. Many, including yours truly, felt United were under-manned up front following the departure of Ruud Van Nistelrooy last summer. Given that neither Wayne Rooney or Louis Saha are back-to-goal strikers in the Van Nistelrooy mould, the concern was that the club lacked a genuine target man alternative.
As it happens, we were all wrong. Sir Alex simply found another way to make things work, one based on pace, movement and creativity, rather than physical strength and the ability to hold up the ball. While there are suggestions that United may yet bring in another striker (Ajax's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and the perennial favorite, Atletico Madrid's Fernando Torres are thetwo names most often mentioned) it appears Sir Alex may limit himself to bringing back Giuseppe Rossi from his loan spell at Parma to round out the attack.
Together with the protracted signing of Owen Hargreaves (hardly a snip at £17m, but a solid contributor if he stays healthy) United already look complete.
The fact that they appear to have everything wrapped up by the first week in June is certainly impressive. And, perhaps, a clue to just why the club have been so dominant for so long.
http://www.sundayherald.com/sport/shfootball/display.var.1443915.0.a_balancing_act.php
A balancing act
By Gabriele Marcotti
Sir Alex Ferguson has shown once again why he is the master at team building.
A WHILE back, when I had the opportunity to sit down with Sir Alex Ferguson, I asked him about team-building, and how to rebuild for success generation after generation.
"Obviously, identifying the right players and getting them at the right price is crucial," he said. "But, just as important, is creating an environment where they want to stay. It's easier at a bigger club like United, of course, but there are always challenges. And, for most players, getting them to stay is not just about money. They like to know they are well-rewarded and appreciated and many measure it by the size of their pay cheques. But it goes beyond that. You have to create the right balance of comfort, so they stay, and challenge, so you get the best out of them."
Those words came to mind last week on the day Ryan Giggs announced his retirement from international football and United confirmed they were signing two of the best young players around, Porto's Anderson and Sporting Lisbon's Nani. In the space of a few hours, two of the things Sir Alex is best at came to the fore: bringing in talented players and creating the environment to retain them.
advertisement In many ways, Giggs epitomises both qualities. In 1987, Sir Alex personally went by his house waving YTS forms in a last-ditch attempt to get him to shun Manchester City, with whom he had all but signed. Twenty years on, Giggs is on the verge of breaking Sir Bobby Charlton's all-time appearance record for United. That longevity is a function of both his ability and judicious use by the club. He has started more than 30 league games in a single season just once in the last 13 years, perhaps a testament to the fact that his skills come at price: durability.
A knack for using him at the right time and in the right position (while he will be remembered as a left-winger, he has been deployed with success on the right and centre of midfield as well as up front) has been instrumental.
Equally important is the way Sir Alex has handled him over the years. He has always been an important cog in United's machine without necessarily being the central figure - a role filled, at different times, by different players (Bryan Robson, Paul Ince, Roy Keane, David Beckham and now Cristiano Ronaldo) - perhaps precisely because, by his own admission, Giggs is more of the low-key, silent leader type.
Had he accepted any of the lucrative offers from abroad, it may well have been a different story. Landing at Milan or Barcelona with a £20 million price tag on your head and having to deal with the weight of immediate expectation in a foreign land might have placed him outside Sir Alex's delicately balanced comfort/challenge zone.
Much of this also applies to Paul Scholes, another home-grown product with, perhaps, a similarly understated personality. Scholes and Giggs turn 33 and 34 respectively in November and it's almost too easy to point to Anderson and Nani as natural replacements.
Anderson Luis de Abreu Oliveira is often compared to Ronaldinho, a heavy burden to bear for a kid who only turned 19 last April, andwhose progress has been slowed by injuries. Yet when fit, he has certainy justified the hype, displaying the form that won him the "Player of the Tournament" award at the FIFA Under-17 championships in 2005.
His main difference from the Barcelona star is his build. Anderson is compact and muscular, whereas, at 19, Ronaldinho was reed-thin. He can be deployed anywhere on the front line or midfield, though the word from Carlos Queiroz, Sir Alex's number two, is that his long-term future is in central midfield, as heir apparent to Scholes.
Nani, on the other hand, is pencilled in to take over from Giggs. The pacy winger has been hyped as "the next Luis Figo" since making his debut at Sporting. The 22-year-old has played an integral role at the club over the past two seasons, but he really came to the fore last September when he led the side to a 1-0 defeat of Inter in the Champions' League.
"I know I'm not supposed to designate an heir because I'm not supposed to put pressure on anyone," Inter's Figo said after the game. "But seeing him up close today, I have to say it's an honor for me that people are describing him in those terms."
That sort of recommendation goes some way to justifying the combined £30m United shelled out for the pair. Yet the club's initial outlay is only half that, with the rest dependent on appearances.
"This is an investment for the next ten years," CarlosQueiroz said. "It's worth imagining a frontline of Ronaldo, Rooney, Anderson and Nani, all of them players of enormous creativity."
It may not be a coincidence that Queiroz's vision of the future does not include a traditional centreforward, but rather four guys who can interchangeably fill different roles while providing a sizeable goal return. And it may offer a clue as to what United will (or, more likely, will not) do during the remainder of the transfer window. Many, including yours truly, felt United were under-manned up front following the departure of Ruud Van Nistelrooy last summer. Given that neither Wayne Rooney or Louis Saha are back-to-goal strikers in the Van Nistelrooy mould, the concern was that the club lacked a genuine target man alternative.
As it happens, we were all wrong. Sir Alex simply found another way to make things work, one based on pace, movement and creativity, rather than physical strength and the ability to hold up the ball. While there are suggestions that United may yet bring in another striker (Ajax's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and the perennial favorite, Atletico Madrid's Fernando Torres are thetwo names most often mentioned) it appears Sir Alex may limit himself to bringing back Giuseppe Rossi from his loan spell at Parma to round out the attack.
Together with the protracted signing of Owen Hargreaves (hardly a snip at £17m, but a solid contributor if he stays healthy) United already look complete.
The fact that they appear to have everything wrapped up by the first week in June is certainly impressive. And, perhaps, a clue to just why the club have been so dominant for so long.
And,how about this little yummy piece of transfer drama to chew on for a while!!!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=461000&in_page_id=1779&ito=newsnow
United swoop for Tevez: Sir Alex to take Argentine star on year’s loan
EXCLUSIVE By BOB CASS - More by this author » Last updated at 21:55pm on 9th June 2007
Manchester United have made a sensational bid to sign Carlos Tevez, the striker whose controversial move to West Ham cost the east London club a record £5.5 million fine for breaking transfer regulations.
Discussions have taken place between high-ranking Old Trafford officials and connections of Tevez, 23. Hijacking the brilliant Argentina forward from under the nose of north-west rivals Liverpool would eclipse even United’s recent £50m splash for Owen Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson.
Scroll down to read more:
More....
The deal, initially thought to be on a loan basis for at least a season,would depend on removing the complications which surrounded Tevez’s arrival at Upton Park last August from Brazilian club Corinthians.
The issues had deterred United manager Sir Alex Ferguson from taking up an option to sign the striker and his international team-mate, midfielder Javier Mascherano, when they were offered to United last summer.
‘Tevez was offered to everybody,’ said Ferguson. ‘We were offered both him and Mascherano but, if I remember it correctly, we weren’t sure of the deal.’
The controversial disciplinary action against West Ham raised a furore because the Premier League’s independent commission refused to impose a points penalty on the relegation-threatened club. Tevez built on that reprieve by scoring six goals in West Ham’s amazing run of seven wins in their last nine matches as Alan Curbishley’s team escaped the drop.
It included the only goal of the game against champions United at Old Trafford when the issue was settled on the final day.
Sheffield United were condemned to relegation instead and responded by threatening legal action.
Ferguson has been unstinting in his admiration for the part Tevez played in West Ham’s survival.
‘He is the one who lifted their game,’ Sir Alex said. ‘He scored a couple of really good free-kicks and seems to have a lot of enthusiasm.’
West Ham broke Premier League rules when they signed Tevez and Mascherano because the players were part-owned by a third party.
Mascherano has since joined Liverpool, whose manager Rafael Benitez is keen to reunite the pair at Anfield but who could be undone by United’s audacious swoop.
Tevez’s registration is currently held by West Ham, with whom he signed a four-year deal.
Technically that agreement still exists but the repercussions of the tribunal could mean Tevez is no longer bound by it and is, therefore, available on a free transfer.
The player’s future will be thrashed out at a meeting this week between his lawyer, Graham Shear, and West Ham’s legal team.
Kia Joorabchian, the Iranianborn British businessman whose company, MSI, own the economic rights to Tevez’s transfer, has yet to meet West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson and is currently in Buenos Aires on business with the striker, who is preparing to play for Argentina in the Copa America.
But Joorabchian has appointed Shears to negotiate on his company’s behalf after a planned meeting with Magnusson was cancelled last week. MSI will demand that West Ham reinstate the now-notorious clauses in Tevez’s contract which give the company rights over the striker’s transfer.
The Hammers claimed,following the disciplinary case against them, to have torn up that part of their original deal with Joorabchian, a move that prompted the Premier League to allow Tevez to play on during West Ham’s controversial escape from relegation.
West Ham want to discuss the possibility of keeping Tevez at Upton Park but that is an increasingly forlorn hope given United’s interest. However, in order for negotiations to begin between the clubs, the West Ham issue will have to be resolved.
West Ham’s negotiations with Joorabchian and Tevez’s lawyers may also impact on the forthcoming arbitration claim by Sheffield United, who requested a hearing over the player’s continued eligibility. Joorabchian is likely to sue West Ham if the club do not reinstate his player’s contract, which allowed the businessman to dictate where and when Tevez could move.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=461000&in_page_id=1779&ito=newsnow
United swoop for Tevez: Sir Alex to take Argentine star on year’s loan
EXCLUSIVE By BOB CASS - More by this author » Last updated at 21:55pm on 9th June 2007
Manchester United have made a sensational bid to sign Carlos Tevez, the striker whose controversial move to West Ham cost the east London club a record £5.5 million fine for breaking transfer regulations.
Discussions have taken place between high-ranking Old Trafford officials and connections of Tevez, 23. Hijacking the brilliant Argentina forward from under the nose of north-west rivals Liverpool would eclipse even United’s recent £50m splash for Owen Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson.
Scroll down to read more:
More....
The deal, initially thought to be on a loan basis for at least a season,would depend on removing the complications which surrounded Tevez’s arrival at Upton Park last August from Brazilian club Corinthians.
The issues had deterred United manager Sir Alex Ferguson from taking up an option to sign the striker and his international team-mate, midfielder Javier Mascherano, when they were offered to United last summer.
‘Tevez was offered to everybody,’ said Ferguson. ‘We were offered both him and Mascherano but, if I remember it correctly, we weren’t sure of the deal.’
The controversial disciplinary action against West Ham raised a furore because the Premier League’s independent commission refused to impose a points penalty on the relegation-threatened club. Tevez built on that reprieve by scoring six goals in West Ham’s amazing run of seven wins in their last nine matches as Alan Curbishley’s team escaped the drop.
It included the only goal of the game against champions United at Old Trafford when the issue was settled on the final day.
Sheffield United were condemned to relegation instead and responded by threatening legal action.
Ferguson has been unstinting in his admiration for the part Tevez played in West Ham’s survival.
‘He is the one who lifted their game,’ Sir Alex said. ‘He scored a couple of really good free-kicks and seems to have a lot of enthusiasm.’
West Ham broke Premier League rules when they signed Tevez and Mascherano because the players were part-owned by a third party.
Mascherano has since joined Liverpool, whose manager Rafael Benitez is keen to reunite the pair at Anfield but who could be undone by United’s audacious swoop.
Tevez’s registration is currently held by West Ham, with whom he signed a four-year deal.
Technically that agreement still exists but the repercussions of the tribunal could mean Tevez is no longer bound by it and is, therefore, available on a free transfer.
The player’s future will be thrashed out at a meeting this week between his lawyer, Graham Shear, and West Ham’s legal team.
Kia Joorabchian, the Iranianborn British businessman whose company, MSI, own the economic rights to Tevez’s transfer, has yet to meet West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson and is currently in Buenos Aires on business with the striker, who is preparing to play for Argentina in the Copa America.
But Joorabchian has appointed Shears to negotiate on his company’s behalf after a planned meeting with Magnusson was cancelled last week. MSI will demand that West Ham reinstate the now-notorious clauses in Tevez’s contract which give the company rights over the striker’s transfer.
The Hammers claimed,following the disciplinary case against them, to have torn up that part of their original deal with Joorabchian, a move that prompted the Premier League to allow Tevez to play on during West Ham’s controversial escape from relegation.
West Ham want to discuss the possibility of keeping Tevez at Upton Park but that is an increasingly forlorn hope given United’s interest. However, in order for negotiations to begin between the clubs, the West Ham issue will have to be resolved.
West Ham’s negotiations with Joorabchian and Tevez’s lawyers may also impact on the forthcoming arbitration claim by Sheffield United, who requested a hearing over the player’s continued eligibility. Joorabchian is likely to sue West Ham if the club do not reinstate his player’s contract, which allowed the businessman to dictate where and when Tevez could move.