Is Modric worth £35m & More?

Written by a DBS Football guess writer - A Chelsea Fan

Luka Modric's much publicized desparation to leave White Hart Lane for West London has been of vested interest to all Chelsea supporters, but is he really worth the £35m or more that Harry Redknapp is demanding "ease the pain" of Modric leaving?

A first important factor which determines this astronomical sum of money is the long term contract in which modric signed last year (2010) with the Spurs that is supposed to keep him at the club until 2016. This inevitably has risen his price considerably and is something Modric has done previously at Dinamo Zagreb. At he Croation side, he signed a 10 year contract before boarding a plane and flying across Europe to sign for Tottenham two years later. Modric's loyalty is therefore bought into question.

His impact on the pitch may statistically be questioned when considering that in 110 appearances for Tottenham in all competitions, he has only been credited for 16 assists and 12 goals and therefore surely not justifying such a vast amount of money.

In comparison, another midfielder wanting away from North London is Arsenal's Samir Nasri. In his 109 appearances for Arsenal he has 13 assists and 27 goals, meaning that perhaps Nasri would be a more shrewd move for Andre Villas Boas than Luka Modric.

However, it is important to note that with Modric's slick varied range of passing, amazingly quick feet and creative ability helped Tottenham Hotspur to a credible 5th place in the Premier League and advanced stages of the Champions League and those factors cannot be put into statistics. It is these qualities that Chelsea need to acquire if they are to one again be Premier League champions.

Written by a DBS Football guess writer - A Chelsea Fan

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Premiership New Boys Transfer Movement

Written by a DBS Football guess writer - Follow Him on Twitter @RealJoeFranklin

When a club is promoted from the Championship to the Premiership, it is never an easy feat to settle in to the league that is often hailed as 'the best in the world'. Norwich, Queens Park Rangers and Swansea all have points to prove as they enter what now seems to be the top tier of English and Welsh football.

Norwich have forced their way forward with back to back promotions, QPR earned promotion after several seasons of Championship football, and Swansea had also seemed settled in the Championship since their promotion from League 1 in 2005.

Transfers are seen as the most important factor when a club wants to move up the ranks, so how have the Premier League's newest arrivals acted in this summer's market?

Norwich have been busiest in terms of bringing in new players, but only three of the seven have come from Premier League clubs, and two of those (De Laet-Manchester United, Naughton-Tottenham) are loanees. The other is the signing of James Vaughan from Everton for £2.5million. The remaining transfers are Pilkington (Huddersfield, £2milllion), Morrison (Millwall, £2.8million), Elliot Bennet (Brighton, undisclosed), and Johnson (Leeds, free). Manager Paul Lambert has also let go of Daley, Gill, Habergham, and Askou, receiving no transfer fee for any of them. 

Lambert has explained that he intended to bring in players who are hungry for success, and wanting to fight for a place in the team, regardless of which team and league they come from. This is understandable, but there is no use in a team of players who are barely established at Championship level when coming up against sides like Manchester City who have completely transformed in the last couple of years. For example, when captain Grant Holt plays his first match in the Premiership against Wigan on 13th August, he will have played in four divisions in as many seasons. It shall be interesting to see how Norwich fare for the entire season. 

QPR have not been as active, as they seem to have had complete focus on keeping star asset Adel Taarabt, which cannot have been easy with PSG lining up a big money move for the Moroccan. However, signings such as Danny Gabbidon, Jay Bothroyd and Kieron Dyer are sure to provide QPR with more balance and quality throughout the team. Pascal Chimbonda has also been released, and he is a player who has previous experience in the Premiership, but could barely force his way into the team last term. QPR have also not received any transfer fees for the players who have left, showing how room needs to be made at clubs that are intent in the transfer market.

Swansea have also only signed 3 players thus far; Danny Graham (Watford £3.5m), Steven Caulker (Tottenham, loan) and Jose Moreira (Benfica, undisclosed). These are no doubt quality signings, and I cannot wait to see how Swansea's passing method of play works out in the Premiership. One of the key players of last season, keeper Dorus de Vries, has been offloaded to Wolves for free, and he had proved to be an incredibly valuable part of the team, keeping a great number of clean sheets. Also, Darren Pratley (free) has moved on to sign for Bolton, proving there is already Premier League quality in the squad.

Teams in recent years have been promoted from the Championship, and cemented their place in the top tier, if only for a couple of seasons. Teams such as Wigan, who are contenders for the drop again this year, have now been in the Premiership since 2005. Other clubs such as Sunderland, and particularly Stoke, have also excelled in the Premier League. 

So the question is, can the new Premiership minnows survive, or will they make a swift return to the second division from whence they came?

Written by a DBS Football guess writer - Follow Him on Twitter @RealJoeFranklin

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The Fabregas and Nasri Situation

Written by a DBS Football guess writer - Follow Him on Twitter @Kevin_Mega

So once again the summers longest transfer saga continues with Cesc Fabregas supposedly edging closer to a move to Barcelona even though they can’t match the valuation of our skipper. Arsenal are holding out for more than £40 million, which they rightly should do considering the market prices of other players.  In a world where players like Modric are valued at over £35 million it’s fair for Arsenal to demand £40million+ for Cesc.

It’s no secret that Barcelona have massive debts which is why they can’t raise funds to buy him. They’ve recently purchased Alexis Sanchez so it would be difficult to see where else they could get money to buy Fabregas. One thing that annoys me is; why do they want Fabregas? They already have Xavi and Iniesta, so why would they need Fabregas, especially as he will be on the bench for the most of his time there.  I don’t see Guardiola dropping either Xavi or Iniesta to accommodate Fabregas. It has been suggested that Fabregas, Xavi, and Iniesta could play in a three man midfield against weaker opponents because there would be no need for a defensive minded midfielder, however this option wouldn't suit Fabregas as he would like to play in the big games like ‘el classico’ and Champions League Finals.

It’s true that Fabregas would prefer to move to Barcelona but he’s equally happy to stay at Arsenal if the move to Barcelona doesn’t fall through. I don’t think it will be in the best interest for Fabregas to move to Nou Camp as he won’t be a first team starter and it would be just like the time he spends with Spain during international periods where he’s always behind Iniesta and Xavi to occupy the two attacking midfield spots. If Cesc was to move to Barcelona the best time would be when Xavi is close to retiring which is a few years away.

With Barcelona unable to match our valuation for Cesc it would seem better for all, for Fabregas to have another season as Arsenal's captain.

Now to another transfer saga which was picking up pace during the start of the transfer window; the Nasri contract situation. Nasri doesn’t want to sign a contract extension at Arsenal with some reports suggesting it’s because he wants more money whilst others say it’s because Arsenal took too long to start negotiations with him.  I wouldn’t mind if he was sold as long as we find a suitable replacement. 

The Spanish and English media have run stories today that we are close to signing Juan Mata. I don’t trust these sources but if Juan Mata was to arrive at Arsenal I would hope he is a replacement for Nasri and not Fabregas. This is because we need Fabregas more than we need Nasri. No-one at arsenal can occupy the centre attacking midfield role as well as Fabregas can. Several players have tried playing in that role when Fabregas is injured but they weren’t able to excel. Nasri prefers to play in that role but in the few times he’s played there he hasn’t really shone and he’s more effective as a winger.

Arsene Wenger has already said that he will not sell Nasri as it would undermine the clubs claim to be an ambitious club. I somehow agree with this because for Arsenal to remain a big club we need to keep our best players. Is it however worth the risk of losing him on a free where we could get £20m for him and get a suitable replacement? My view is that Wenger wants to keep him at Arsenal for another season where he could continue his attempts to convince him to sign a contract extension. If we win a trophy I think Nasri will stay. But if once again we fail in claiming a trophy, I don’t see how we can convince him to stay.

So with the new season only a few weeks away, I think Arsenal will begin the new season with Fabregas and Nasri in the starting line up against Newcastle. And when the summer transfer window shuts on September 1^st, we will still have them in our squad to help us mount a serious challenge for the title.

Written by a DBS Football guess writer - Follow Him on Twitter @Kevin_Mega

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Mata & Jagielka to Be Arsenal Players Very Soon

Arsenal have upped their offer for Phil Jagielka to around £15 million, while the Juan Mata deal, worth around £17.5 million - which is the 23 year-old Spaniard's buy-out clause - is nearing completion.

Earlier in the week, I reported that Arsenal had considered and had prepared another bid for Phil Jagielka, Everton's 28 year-old defender, after having a £12 million bid turned down last summer, and another £10  million offer rejected this summer.

Jagielka is Arsene Wenger's known favourite target out of the three Premier League defenders who have been linked, the others including Bolton's Gary Cahill and Blackburn's Chris Samba. While the latter two players are marginally younger than Jagielka, Wenger is going for experience and leadership in the back line - something Arsenal fans have been pleading for in recent times.

While the prediction of The Star, as reported here two days ago, that Valencia's Juan Mata "will sign for Arsenal in the next 24 hours" has proved to be incorrect, it is increasingly likely that the player will transfer in the coming days.

Valencia are ready, although reluctantly to sell their young star for a fee of £17.5 million and it is being reported that Arsenal have offered an amount that Valencia can accept. Valencia are not entirey enthusiastic about the move, but the technical secretary Bralui Vázquez has refused to rule out the possibility by saying:

"We have a back-up plan in case Juan leaves. That's not just the case for Juan, though. We have a plan like that for every player. We have to be prepared if something happens."

Mata's arrival may help Cesc Fabregas' case of moving to Barcelona this summer, but thanks to the news that Samir Nasri will be staying for at least one more season, Arsenal will have a strong side next season. Mata can play both on the left or in the middle, as is the same with Samir Nasri, so expect to see the two swapping positions from time to time if the deal were to materialise.

It is exciting timed for Arsenal, as Arsene Wenger attempts to silence his critics with some big money signings. He has already spent over £10 million on the Ivory Coast striker Gervinho, and with the news that he is closing in on the £15 million and £17.5 million signings of Jagielka and Mata respectively, things are all of a sudden looking up for Arsenal.

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Scholes Prefers Modric Over Sneijder & Nasri

An epic hunt began once a 36 year-old Paul Scholes informed Sir Alex Ferguson of his plans to retire from football. Manchester United would be the hunters, and Inter Milan, Tottenham and Arsenal were the targeted prey.

They would be the prey because one particular player in each of those sides looked extremely attractive for United, with Ferguson desiring one of the following players; Wesley Sneijder, Luka Modric or Samir Nasri. Out of all of the central midfielder's around the world, these three were seen as the realistic targets that Manchester United could possibly persuade to jump aboard.

We are now a few weeks away from the end of the transfer window, and the hunt is still unfinished. United remain hungry for a midfielder, and according to the clubs Chief Executive David Gill, whence they return from the USA, they may be ready to pounce.

But what does Paul Scholes think? The legend of the art of passing the ball around the pitch has had plenty of time to reflect, with no pre-season football to worry about or tire over. Who would he like United to sink their sure and sharp teeth into? (I'll stop the animal metaphors soon, I promise.)

The former United midfielder told the Manchester Evening News that all of the players Manchester United have been linked to look like they have the qualities to make it at Old Trafford, but that out of the three, Luka Modric is his favourite:

"The ones who have been linked all look like they are capable of playing for United." 

"The three linked the most with United are all great top players. Of the three Modric, when we've played against him, has been the one I have been most impressed with." 

"Whenever we played Tottenham, he was the one who stood out."

Modric seems dead set on a move to Chelsea, despite Tottenham's defiant stance that selling their prized possession is not an option. If they did sell however, it would be for a fee of at least £35 million.

It is understandable that Modric is Scholes's favourite - they both have rather similar styles of passing and moving, both being extremely steady and skill-full in possession with all the technique any footballer would possibly want. He is seen by many as a natural replacement for Paul Scholes, but Scholes himself doesn't even think there is actually any need to replace him. Being extremely modest, Scholes said:

"I don't think it is a big deal really replacing me because I haven't been the type of player people are talking about for the last four or five years. I haven't been scoring goals or been the main playmaker in the team for a while. I don't think I actually need replacing in that way at all."

"I wasn't pulling the strings anymore, definitely in the last two years and probably even since I was 31-32. I haven't been as prominent in the side. I wasn't scoring the goals and I wasn't making the goals."

"I think people are obsessed with having to replace me. If you look at the facts over the last couple of years, I haven't played in the big games, so I don't think there is that much that needs replacing!"

"I think when people are talking about replacing Paul Scholes they are talking about replacing the Paul Scholes of five years ago. I was more prominent then. Because I wasn't contributing as much any more was part of the reason why I retired. My contribution wasn't enough for a Man United midfielder."

I suppose Scholes knows best, but he really is underplaying his contribution here. He may not have been a prominent in the side as he was earlier in his career, but he certainly made a difference in games, and for that he will be missed greatly. For that, Manchester United do need a replacement.

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Arsenal's Pursuit of Samba Boosted

Arsenal have been given a boost in their pursuit of a central defender, as Chris Samba of Blackburn - a known target of Arsenal's, announced his desire to play Champions League football.

Despite being infuriated by the sacking of Sam Allardyce last season, he signed a new four and a half year contract early this year. However, Arsene Wenger's determination to sign a new defender will certainly have been helped by what Samba said after Blackburn's 1 - 0 defeat to Aston Villa in the semi-finals of the Barclays Asia Trophy:

"At the minute I am at Blackburn but we will have to see what happens. If you have a player who has no ambition to play at a higher level, then he made a mistake and chose the wrong sport. He should do something else."

"When you are a footballer – or if you play any high-profile sport – you should be ambitious. It is difficult at the moment but I am just waiting to see what happens and concentrating on my pre-season preparation."

"I don't know about Arsenal as I am not the one who is dealing with it. I'm just trying to get myself fit. Of course, I would like to play in the Champions League, which player does not dream of that? It would be a lie if I told you everything was good and that I didn't want to play in the Champions League. That would be a big lie. Every player wants to do that."

Blackburn's new owners have long term ambitions to steer the side to the Champions League, but this is surely too much of a wait for the 27 year-old defender. That is especially unlikely considering the strong competition from the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham for a place inside the top four as well as Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal who are usually certain of a top our finish.

Five seasons in the Premier League has given Samba ample experience in England, and is a strong and reliable defender - something Arsenal would certainly benefit from. Arsenal just need to make the move for him now, although Blackburn may be looking for a fee in excess of £10 million considering his contract and the fact that Blackburn have already let Phil Jones leave for Manchester United.

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"SUPERTHIAGO"

En pleno debate sobre la conveniencia de fichar a Cesc Fàbregas, el teórico jugador que sería sacrificado, Thiago Alcántara, ha vuelto a demostrar su clase, anotando los dos goles de su equipo que le dieron al Barça la Copa Audi tras derrotar a domicilio al Bayern de Múnich (0-2).Thiago fue la estrella del Barça. Marcó un gol en cada periodo. El primero de cabeza y el segundo tras un disparo con efecto que batió a Butt. El canterano, en estado de gracia, fue el acompañante ideal de Andrés Iniesta en el mediocampo y siempre aportó un plus en ataque en el primer compromiso serio de la pretemporada azulgrana.

A pesar de que el Bayern no jugó de salida con sus mejores jugadores, los alemanes ofrecieron un perfil muy físico, un fútbol con músculo y mucha presión en el centro del campo, una dura prueba para los azulgrana que apenas llevan diez días de preparación. De salida, ha contado Guardiola con más futbolistas del primer equipo que en la víspera, a pesar de que volvieron a quedarse sin jugar Xavi y Puyol -al margen de los cinco participantes en la Copa América-, pero con sólo diez días de preparación física, el Barça sufrió ante la presión del Bayern.

Y Thiago Alcántara, que luego fue la estrella del partido, sufrió especialmente, tanto que todo el peso en la construcción prácticamente lo llevó Andrés Iniesta.Guardiola equilibró su medular con Keita y volvió a contar con Busquets y Fontàs en el eje de la defensa con lo que el Barcelona se garantizó una buena salida de balón desde la defensa.

Adelante Villa, Jonathan Soriano y Pedro tenían que darle movilidad ante la atlética defensa de los bávaros. La realidad es que el Barça tuvo problemas en la circulación de balón y no se sintió nada cómodo. Por eso, las primeras ocasiones de los azulgrana llegaron a balón parado. Un par de faltas lanzadas por David Villa, especialmente la primera que puso en apuros a Butt (m.12), fueron los primeros avisos de los azulgrana.

Mucha presión

El Bayern se movió bien en las transiciones defensa-ataque, especialmente por medio del japonés Usami, muy rápido en la banda. Un centro del nipón, rematado porPetersen, fue la primera aproximación del equipo deHeynckes, pero no la más clara. Usami, en el 39, dejó solo a Alaba ante Valdés y el meta azulgrana demostró su calidad en el uno contra uno. Justo después, en una de las pocas apariciones de Thiago Alcántara, el centrocampista azulgrana dio muestras de su clase.

Un centro desde la izquierda de Jonathan Soriano fue rematado de cabeza a gol por Thiago (0-1, m.42), un futbolista que está en racha, porque ya marcó en el partido de ayer ante el Internacional de Porto Alegre. Con el paso de los minutos, las inercias de los equipos cambiaron. Dio descanso Guardiola a buena parte de sus titulares y a la hora de juego, Heynckes fue dando entrada a buena parte de sus jugadores más determinantes:Schweinsteiger, Mario Gómez, Kroos o Müller.

A por el partido

Así, el Bayern abandonó su apuesta por el músculo y puso más talento sobre el césped, pero al Barça le dio igual. Fiel a su manera de ver el fútbol, en cuanto Thiagotomó las riendas de la situación, ya sin Iniesta, los azulgrana volvieron a lucirse. Tras una buena intervención de Pinto, a remate de Boateng (m.74), los azulgrana enlazaron una buena jugada de ataque. Afellay desde la izquierda combinó con Thiago y tras una pared con el holandés, el centrocampista recibió en la frontal del área desde donde disparó con efecto y de manera espectacular para marcar el 0-2.

Está Thiago, un tipo al que parece que le van los retos, en la rampa de lanzamiento, dispuesto a disputarle el puesto a quien se le ponga por delante, a Cesc o a quien venga. De momento hasta se ha convertido en el máximo goleador del equipo en la pretemporada.