Sebastian Giovinco: The Talk Of The Town

Young Sebastian Giovinco is regarded as one of Europe's top young talents, and is tipped to be a star in the near future.

Having recently returned to Juventus after spending last season on loan to Empoli, there has been some disputes over the renewal of his contract between the player and the club.

Premier League clubs Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool are all said to have their antennas up, and are keeping tabs on the situation, with hopes of bringing the player to England.

Arsene Wenger, who is known for his interest in young talent, is said to be lining up a bid for Giovinco next summer along with Italian Under-21 team-mate Claudio Marchisio.

Juve is said to be willing to sell both players to Arsenal, provided that they include Robin Van Persie in the deal. Van Persie was linked in a shock transfer over the weekend to the Turin club, and is highly valued in the eyes of the current Juventus management team.

Here's Giovinco in action:

Needed Relief!!!! As Nasri Completes Arsenal Move

Highly rated French youngster, Samir Nasri has completed a move to Arsenal from Olympique Marseille. The two clubs were said to be in talks over the transfer of the player for sometime now, and after about a month of finalizing things Arsenal, has completed the deal.
This news comes as sweet relief to many Arsenal fans, as the club's players just seem to keep leaving or are rumored to leave. Alas, a gifted player who can ease some of the dismay of loosing Flamini, Hleb and possibly Adebayor.
Personally I destine Nasri for greatness at Arsenal as he fits this team perfectly. Their style of play and his style are one and he will florish at the Emirates, provided someone doesn't break his foot like Eduardo.
Arsenal are believed to have paid Marseille a transfer fee in the region of 14 million euros.

Adebayor To Milan Finally?

The transfer that has been getting the most hype in the media for sometime now, is none other than the possible move of Emmanuel Adebayor to a new club. To the surprise of many, Adebayor has drawn the most attention this transfer season, and even though he managed to finish second in the goal scoring charts of the EPL, this comes as a shock to many.
AC Milan and Barcelona are the two main clubs who have been after the Togolese hitman since the beginning of the transfer window. But it was always thought that the player was more keen on a move to the San Siro.
Arsene Wenger, a manger who never likes to loose his stars, was insisting that the player would stay, but later dismissed these comments by stating that the club will have to sell its top players every season, in order to pay for their new stadium at the Emirates.
Adebayor is apparently keen on more money, having stated that he will play like Henry when he is payed like Henry, and Arsenal were said to be keen to give the player one more chance by doubling his current pay.
However new rumors have surfaced through the Italian press that the Rosserneri and Arsenal have agreed a fee for Adebayor, having received word from Arsenal that they are ready to sell. According to the report, Milan will pay 30 million euros for Adebayor and include France Under-21 international Yoann Gourcuff in the deal.
Gorcuff is said to have been one of the highly rated young talents throughout Europe, who joined Milan in 2006. However having failed to impress at Milan, the midfielder was loaned out to Bordeaux for next season. Wenger is said to be fond of the player and would welcome the deal.
Milan general manager, Adriano Galliani, is said to be hoping to wrap up the deal by next Wednesday, the 16th of July and although Adebayor will move immediately, it said that Arsenal won't get Yoann Gourcuff until his loan spell with Bordeaux ends in June 2009.
Adebayor will be the third player to move away from the Emirates this season if the deal does pull through, but I'm just curious, what does this all mean for Arsenal and their title hopes for next season? With Flamini already at AC Milan, Hleb said to complete a medical at Barcelona soon and now Adebayor on his way out, this can't be good for the club. And it doesn't help their stability at all. Besides scrambling to find new players, when these new players do arrive, how productive will Arsenal be. My only thought is that if Arsenal do manage to win the Premier League next season, Arsene Wenger is one hell of a manager.

Barcelona, Arsenal Agree Hleb Deal

Aleksandr Hleb's future has been somewhat very uncertain over the past months, as he was an unsettled Arsenal player, trophyless, coming of age and wanting a new challenge.
Reports had stated that Hleb had agreed personal terms with Barcelona earlier in the transfer season, however a deal did not materialize, as the clubs had not yet agreed a transfer fee for the player. However reports today indicate that the clubs have agreed on a deal for the Beloriussian, and he will now fly to Barcelona, to perform a medical and sign for the club.
With this news Ronaldinho is more likely than not to leave, as Hleb has been tipped as his replacement on the left side of the team. There's really no replacement for Ronaldinho but the club has to take action in case he leaves.
This news also decreases the likelihood of Andrei Arshavin arriving at the Nou Camp this season, as his club has rejected two bids from Barcelona for him, stating that the offers weren't enough.
With club president, Joan Laporta pulling through the vote of no confidence by a very narrow margin, as 60% of the club members with voting rights voted against him, but 65% were needed for an election to be held, trasnfers activities were able to continue as usual and thus, a deal has been agreed for Hleb.
This will reunite two former Gunners, Henry and Hleb, and it is yet to be seen if the two can strike a successful partnership, as it is said they didn't play well together while at the Emirates.

Arshavin Keen on La Liga Move

Zenit St. Petersburg forward and current star of Euro 2008 thus far, Andrei Arshavin is the man of the moment. Reports suggest that he is ready to try his trade outside of his native Russia, and he has received offers from England and Germany.
However Arshavin has stated that he is keen on a move to Spain, as he is a fan of the league, and he likes the way football is played there. Zenit boss Dick Advocaat, has also claimed in a recent interview that Arshavin is likely to join Barcelona.
Arshavin's desire to play in Spain has now put a twist on the current Adebayor transfer saga as the Blaugrana may be tempted to make a move for the 27 year old instead. Arsenal have apparently been keen to land Arshavin and has been planning to use the funds from a possible Adebayor transfer, to buy the gifted striker while still having cash left over, having priced Adebayor at around 32 million euros, while Arshavin will cost in the region of 15 million euros. Barca however are only prepared to pay 27 million euros for the Togolese striker and thus could make a move for Arshavin instead.
My take on this, is that Barca should make a move for the man of the moment, Arshavin. He is a player who I believe many Barca fans would love to see at the Nou Camp, even more so than Emmanuel Adebayor. Also Arshavin has expressed a desire to move to Spain while Adebayor's heart seems set on playing in Italy for AC Milan. Barcelona needs to bring players to the club who have a strong desire to play for the club and I believe Arshavin is one of them.
Russian football is clearly on the rise, it was proven with Zenit St. Petersburg's Uefa Cup triumph over Rangers and now Russia's run in Euro 2008. Arshavin believes they are many good players in is country which are now being discovered, and one thing is certain, he definitely is one of them.

Adebayor, Hleb no replacements for Eto'o, Ronaldinho

Here's the deal guys, Barca are for some reason trying to force Eto'o and Ronaldinho out of the Nou Camp, or are they?
Barca has been linked with the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor and Alexander Hleb and though these Arsenal hitmen are good players, I personally don't see Adebayor as a replacement for the three-time African Player of the Year, Eto'o, and I definitely don't see Alexzander Hleb as a replacement for two-time World Player of the Year, Ronaldinho.
Both Ronaldinho and Eto'o have been linked with several clubs since the beginning of this transfer season, but yet nothing has materialized. It seems to me as if Barca doesn't really want to sell these players, they are just keeping them until they know for sure they can get their targets, or they may just be trying to send a message to these players to shape up or ship out.
Adebayor is a striker on the rise, he's young and he has plenty time to develop, however his killer instinct is a lot duller than that of Eto'o's. He may have finished second in the goalscoring charts of the English Premier League, but more likely than not, he will not find the same space or room to score that many in the Spanish Premier Liga. Hleb too like Adebayor has potential, but let's face it guys, he is about the same age as Ronaldinho, so why replace Ronnie with him, and besides Guacho is a wizard at the top of his game, there is definitely no comparison between the two.
Both Ronaldinho and Eto'o have implied in the case of the former and clearly stated, the latter, that they prefer to stay at Barcelona. Ronaldinho said to the media in Brazil that he has a contract until 2010 with the club, and Eto'o has said that Barca is his first choice.
Really and truly, I just believe that Bara are trying to get both these players to wake up. After watching Barca loose to Manchester United in the Champions League semifinals, a team they could have easily beaten, if they had the kind of commitment and dedication they had in the early years of Frank Rijkarrd's reign, it is clear that the new coach and current officials of Barca are sending a strong message, Wake Up! Or be gone. I truly believe their intentions are really not to sell these players because if that were the case, they would have offered both these players at lower prices. I believe they are trying to get both Ronaldinho and Eto'o to be willing to give their all on and off the pitch and I guess by Pep Guardiola stating that they are not in his plans, it has given them both a since of urgency to know the reasons why such statements have been made, so they both can act accordingly. Maybe I'm being a bit hopeful, but I do hope they stay.

EPL teams constantly stealing foreign talent

Today in the news Bruno Conti, technical director of Roma, has blasted Sir Alex Ferguson for his double standards as Manchester United has prized Davide Petrucci, a youth player who is tipped to be the next Francesco Totti, away from Roma.
Alex Ferguson is being specifically blasted because of the current Cristiano Ronaldo transfer saga, where he and Manchester United have criticized Real Madrid for trying to prize the gifted winger away from Old Trafford, yet on the other hand continue to steal young talent from clubs like Roma that developed them.
Roma is not alone, Barcelona especially has had many of their gifted youngsters tempted into moves by English clubs, the biggest of these being Cesc Fabregas, who signed for Arsenal back in September of 2003 at the age of 16, the same age that Davide Petrucci of Roma is. Atletico Madrid has also been recently said to be protecting their youth team from English clubs such as Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool with the likes of Ignacio Camacho being promoted to first team action. Other names within the youth team who coaches tip to be promoted in the coming year are Borja González , Sergio Marcos, Pedro Mba and Perico.
What I don't like is that the English Premier League is currently boasting to be the best league in the world, yet still the majority of the talent playing in the league are not English, hence one of the reasons the English national team could not even qualify for Euro. The money and effort that they put into stealing other people's young players should be put into developing their own talent and nothing is stopping them from doing it. They are the richest league but yet they are content to steal, and that's why I personally have no respect for English clubs or their league. Bruno Conti was right for calling Alex Ferguson a hypocrite, I would call him one too.

Villa In Demand

Due to his amazing performances at Euro 2008, many of Europe's elite clubs are interested in signing El Guaje from Valencia this summer. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal and now Liverpool have all been linked with the 26 year old.
Villa had been reported to say he would prefer to play for a big club in Spain but now seems to be interested in a move to England, but as I see it, it's still in the air. He could very well stay at Valencia, as the club is reluctant to sell. If i were Valencia, i would not sell my top striker either, but it all comes down to what the player wants and what's best for the club as a whole.
It's funny to me how clubs are now beginning to take notice of Villa, because in my opinion he was always a great striker and one of the best in La Liga. Dating back to the 2005/2006 La Liga season, he was the runner-up in the race for the piccici and was only outscored by Eto'o.
Villa recently said that he would be tempted to join Liverpool because of Rafa Benitez and the many friends he has at the club, including Spanish teammate Fernando Torres. However, I've heard no news of Liverpool trying to capture the player, they are currently fending off the interest from Chelsea for Torres.
Wherever Villa goes or if he decides to stay, I just hope it is the best decision for such a gifted striker, on thing is certain at Valencia, he won't see the bench.