Aston Villa on the brink for Sidwell:
Steve Sidwell is on the verge of agreeing to a deal with Aston Villa. The seldom-used Chelsea man is looking for a side that will get him active playing time in the Premiership. Martin O'Neill the headman at Villa sees Sidwell as a potential replacement for Gareth Barry who has been linked with Liverpool all summer. Chelsea's former number 9 (which I thought was an odd number for a midfielder) has been told that he is behind Lampard, Deco, and Essien at Stamford Bridge and sees Villa Park as the place for him. I wish Steve the best of luck at his new home.
Luiz Felipe Scolari wants Lampard to Stay:
It appears that Lamps is in Big Phil's plans after all. Frank Lampard who has seen much success under former boss Jose Mourinho has been linked to a reunion with "The Special One" at Inter Milan. Well, apparently Scolari does not want the reunion to happen. The two men have had talks and although John Terry will remain captain of the Blues, he offered the assistant or deputy role to Lampard as an incentive to stay. Personally, I am curious to see the kind of role that Scolari will use him in. While I find Lampard a little overrated, he does play well in a system where he can move forward and attack the goal. He works well off defensive midfielders like Makalele and Essien, but he can be lost when playing with a similarly offensive minded midfielder like Steven Gerrard. If Scolari plays him in an attacking midfielder position and give all the defensive responsibilities to Essien, Makalele or even Salomon Kalou, then Lampard should stick with the Blues and terrorize EPL keepers for another season.
Lothar Matthaus tells Lukas Podolski to decide your own future:
Apparently, Lukas Podolski is one unhappy member of Bayern Munich. Podolski, who has been replaced in the starting XI by Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose, has been looking to leave the Bundesliga winning side. The rumors are that Podolski is looking to stay in the Bundesliga and play for his hometown team, Cologne. Now, Podolski is known to disappear from time to time in matches. He can rise to the occasion like he did early in Euro 2008 but when it counts he tends to fold (how many times did you hear his name get called against Spain? Not many). Lothar Matthaus, former Bayern Munich player and New York/New Jersey Metrostar, believes that in Cologne Lukas will get the support that he needs. Podolski is still only 23 and has enough time in his career to rebuild himself. Maybe returning to Cologne, re-establishing himself on a club level, before returning to a larger side might be what his career needs. Like Sidwell, I wish him good luck if he moves on.
AC Milan balks at Adebayor's Price:
As reported in yesterday's Truth and Rumors section, Arsenal is having some financial issues and feels the need to sell some of their young stars. One of their stars that is rumored to leave is Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor. Adebayor has been linked to Barcelona but most importantly, he has been linked to Serie A power AC Milan. AC Milan has been linked with Mathieu Flamini and Ronaldinho this summer, along with Adebayor. Adebayor, who succeeded Thierry Henry when he went to Barcelona, did have a fine season for Arsenal; however, the 24 year old thinks he deserves Henry money based off his season. That is a bit ridiculous on Adebayor's part. He is a fine striker but unlike Henry who was willing and able to fall back into a midfielder's role, Adebayor relies solely upon receiving service upfront to score his goals. Unfortunately, for AC Milan who sold Gilardino to Fiorentina and have reportedly relinquished their rights to Ronaldo, they need to bring in a striker. So, if Adebayor is the one they want, then let us hope that Milan and Arsenal can reach a fee for the striker.
So, that's the report for today. Enjoy.
Consecutive Playoff Streaks
Comments (16)
It's up, Keeper.
J. HOVA: BROOKLYN'S OWN | 07/08/08, 10:02 AM
Report Offensive CommentGood info - easy to read - thanks for the daily update
Thugmeister | 07/08/08, 10:32 AM
Report Offensive CommentGood job J.HOVA. Thanks a lot. I thought it would be good for them to hear someone else for a change. I know my style can be a bit boring at times, so great job. I knew you'd bring a nice little flow and you did.
Keeper | 07/08/08, 10:35 AM
Report Offensive CommentVery nice blog, J. Thanks for the link.
B
Burgundy | 07/08/08, 10:44 AM
Report Offensive CommentThanks Keeper. That means a lot to me.
J. HOVA: BROOKLYN'S OWN | 07/08/08, 11:08 AM
Report Offensive CommentBreaking News: J. Hova's debut blog rocks SoccerNation
jeevs BS | 07/08/08, 11:48 AM
Report Offensive CommentThanks Jeevs. I had to edit it though. I made a mistake about Crouch. For some reason I linked him to Aston Villa so I deleted his name out of the blog.
J. HOVA: BROOKLYN'S OWN | 07/08/08, 11:50 AM
Report Offensive Comment-Sidwell barely got a shot at Chelski, and with Deco there and a new manager, no point in him staying
-Lamps will leave in a year or two I believe to reunite with the special one
-If I was Podolski I would give Klinsmann a chance, but if it's not working out by winter, I would move to another big club
-Milan can't get into the Champions League, and only sign Flamini over the summer...
jeevs BS | 07/08/08, 11:51 AM
Report Offensive CommentCrouchy's on his way to Portsmouth I believe
jeevs BS | 07/08/08, 11:51 AM
Report Offensive Commentyeah jova good stuff
Notorious O.T.T. | 07/08/08, 11:56 AM
Report Offensive CommentYeah, Crouch is on the way to Portsmouth. For some reason I got the BBC story confused.
I agree with you on Lampard. He stays for a year until his contract is up and goes on a free transfer to Inter.
Podolski SHOULD go to Cologne. He's a talent but he needs to go somewhere where he could be the man. Let his hometown inflate his ego a little big.
AC Milan needs to stop crying poverty and do more. They have an aging back line, they got rid of some strikers and need someone to play off Kaka. They have to step up and land targets. Simple and plain.
J. HOVA: BROOKLYN'S OWN | 07/08/08, 12:02 PM
Report Offensive Commentgood blog my brotha
ahung | 07/08/08, 12:42 PM
Report Offensive Commentnice blog HOVA.
- did Sidwell even play for the 1st team? smart of him to move though.
- I wonder what Scolari's line-up will look like? He'll want to play Deco and Lampard but what about Ballack? Essien's another sure starter in midfield now that they have Bosingwa.
- Poldi is upset bc Bayern had the hots for Gomez...and him already being behind Toni and Klose in the pecking order doesnt help. Maybe Klinsmann will try to play him in the same position Low used him... If not def move to another club. But can Cologne afford him?
- Ade is another money-hungry player who had one good season... I wouldnt want a player like that at my club. Milan is still in for Eto'o i believe but this one isnt necessarily looking to move. Selling Gilardino was a dumb move from Milan
ctsubasa | 07/08/08, 01:44 PM
Report Offensive CommentI think Ballack is on the outside looking in, ctsubasa. He definitely sounds like he's going to be on the bench with Scolari in charge. I could see him becoming a transfer target during the January window especially if Scolari doesn't give him enough playing time.
I don't think Sidwell played with the starting team. I only remember seeing him once in the matches I saw last season.
J. HOVA: BROOKLYN'S OWN | 07/08/08, 04:04 PM
Report Offensive CommentPodolski: Cologne may have to go beyond what they would want to offer him, but if I'm Cologne I would make that happen. Bringing him home to Cologne should create a huge demand in ticket prices and concessions for the club. I'm not sure of their financial situation, but here's a chance to get better and get more revenue. You have to do it.
J. HOVA: BROOKLYN'S OWN | 07/08/08, 04:06 PM
Report Offensive CommentGood write up here J. Sidwell didn't see much playing time at all last season. That should change if he signs with Villa. Best of luck to him.
I really think Lampard is out at Chelsea, but if I'm wrong and he's in, I couldn't be happier.
Thanks J.
GoldenThread U-23 | 07/08/08, 08:44 PM
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