Eto'o Set To Stay, As Guardiola Will Most Likely Name Him In Champions League Qualifier Against Wisla Krakow

Having been named in the list of players set to leave along with Deco and Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o looks set to stay at Barcelona.

Pep Guardiola has apparently made a complete turnaround in his view of the Cameroon international due to performances in the pre-season, where Eto'o finished top scorer in the team with 5 goals. As a result Pep is likely to name him in the Champions League qualifier against Wisla Krakow, thus securing his place in the squad.

Despite this news Eto'o is apparently unhappy with the situation and wants answers regarding his treatment over the summer. Hopefully the air is cleared and everything gets sorted out regarding this situation.

I have to say at the beginning of the transfer season when Pep made the announcement that Ronaldinho, Deco and Eto'o were no longer needed at the club, I was hoping that at least one of the three stayed. I'm happy to know that my wish looks likely to come through due to Eto'o still being at the club.

Barca Ready With Fresh Trezeguet Bid

Pep Guardiola is said to be a fan of David Trezeguet and subsequently the Frenchman has emerged as Barca's top target.

Barcelona was linked with Turin player earlier during the transfer season, but seemed to drop their interest due to Juventus' reluctance to sell the man who scored 20 goals last season and finished second of the top scorers in Italy.

Fresh reports have emerged that Barca is still interested in the player, and are ready to offer a fee in the region of 25 million euros.

Juventus could be tempted by such an offer because of Trezeguet's age, 30, and because of the striking options available with Del Piero, Amauri, Iaquinta and Giovinco.

Trezeguet has said that his desire to stay with the Old Lady and win something with the club he has been a player for since 2000. However it has been said that he has contacted good friend Thierry Henry, and asked him about Spanish football and life in the country.

With Eto'o still at Barcelona though, it's hard to see Barca making a move for Trezeguet. Let's wait and see what happens.

Deco and Dinho Gone: Should Eto'o Follow?

With Deco now at Chelsea and Ronaldinho having justed signed for AC Milan, should Eto'o follow his former teammates through the exit door? Or should he stay and fight for his place, even though being told he's not wanted by Barcelona.

For a player of Eto'o's caliber, there are many top clubs across Europe to choose from, however due to his high wage demands a move is proving difficult. The latest news on the Cameroon international is that he was offered a deal worth around 40 million euros from an Uzbekistan club, to play in the Asian Champions League for 3 to 6 months.

Eto'o has been reported to have done nothing to push himself away from the Catalan club , even after having been told by Pep Guardiola that he, Deco and Ronaldinho were no longer wanted.

I don't know what are your views are, but Eto'o is one of the best strikers in the world, and I think Barca are making a big mistake by forcing him out of the club. Suitable replacements have been mentioned, the most interesting to me is that of Dimitar Berbatov, but even though Berbatov is an excellent replacement, Eto'o is the better of the two.

So what do you think should Eto'o pack his bags?

Mourhino "The Speial One" is back!!!

Jose Mourinho has once again entered the soccer arena after being out of a job for a about a year, and already the Portuguese, charismatic coach has made his mark.
Yes, Mourinho was appointed as coach of Inter Milan for the upcoming season and though that may be the highlight in the news about him thus far, it's not what I'm speaking about. Mourinho is a very controversial character and he just loves the spotlight, he is always in the media whether or not it is football related. If you know anything about him, you would recall that during his time as coach of Chelsea he had an incident with the London police and his dog. I laughed so much when I read that story. It seems that Jose does any and everything to get some attention.
Currently, Mourinho and the officials of Barcelona are throwing jabs at each other, primarily because Barca has claimed that Jose Mourinho asked them for an interview for a possible coaching vacancy the club had at the time. Mourinho however, has denied these claims and has stated that Marc Ingla, Barca's vice-president, lied about him and even went as far as saying that Ingla is out to tarnish his reputation. Barca has fired back swiftly and has said that yes a meeting had been held by the two parties, but Pep Guardiola, the newly appointed coach, was always the first choice and that they even have a literal transcript of the interview, to prove that Mourinho contacted them first.
To me, it was highly unlikely that Barca would have hired Mourinho anyway. During his time at Chelsea, when Barca knocked Chelsea out of the quarterfinals of the Champions League, Mourinho was a sore loser and made several questionable comments which apparently damaged his relationship with the club. Also because of his highly controversial character, he would have never really been a fit for a team who wears the Unicef logo on their shirt.
I know that some people probably don't like "The Special One", but I just personally love the spice or flavor, whatever you may call it, he brings to the football scene. In whatever he is involved, something "Special" is almost always likely to happen. So with that said, welcome back "Special One".

Pep reaveals plans

New coach of Fc Barcelona, Pep Guardiola, was officially presented today and has announced his plans for next season. The coach has stated that he is not counting on Ronaldinho, Deco or Eto'o, come next season and that these three players have their own futures in their hands. However he said that if Ronaldinho wanted to continue at the club he could do so and earn his place.
I can understand Pep's comments, apparently the relationship with these players and the club has deteriorated and he cannot really count on these players, who seem to have lost motivation to play for the club. I understand that he has to move on and build a strong side, one which does not include Ronaldino, Deco and Eto'o because these players' names are constantly in the transfer market and who knows what decision they will make.
Of the three, the player most likely to leave is Deco, he has been linked with Chelsea and Inter, but he has stated that nothing will be decided until he has finished with his international duties with Portugal. Ronaldinho too like Deco has been linked with Chelsea and has been urged by his teammate to join him at Chelsea should he join the Blues this summer. Eto'o on the other hand has expressed that Barca is his first choice but if he's not wanted he would move on. Despite Pep stating that he's not counting on Eto'o, I find it hard to believe that statement, primarily because of the high price tag Barca has placed on the striker. My view is, if you really want a player to go, you would do everything necessary to make it happen and lowering the transfer price would be a good start.
Pep has implied that he already has replacements lined up for the trio by stating that he and Barca know who they want. Recent news in the transfer market has stated that Barca are still keen on signing Emanuel Adebayor and Aleksandr Hleb from Arsenal, and time will tell if they get their targets. Clearly I can see why they would want to buy these players because to me Arsenal's style of play is quite similar to that of Barca's, but Barca just does it better in my opinion.
With all this said, Pep has stated that he is ready for the challenge ahead and that if he wasn't ready he wouldn't take up the job. I'm glad to hear his comments, I'm just hoping and praying that at least one of the three mentioned, stay at the club. I'm thrilled that he's ready for the challenge and I hope he doesn't disappoint. FORCA BARCA!!!

Milan want Eto'o more than Ronaldinho

Today the news is that Samuel Eto'o suits the needs of Milan more than Ronaldinho and subsequently he is higher on their shopping list. After finishing in 5th the Italian giants are ready to tweak their squad for next season.
It is reported that Barcelona are ready to listen to offers for both the gifted Cameroon striker and Ronaldinho as Pep Guardiola looks to make his mark on the team.
Eto'o is most likely a brighter prospect for them as he is a year younger than Ronaldinho and they are probably thinking about how they would fit Kaka and Ronaldinho within the same team, but ultimately i think they want Eto'o because when he is on his game he scores a lot of goals.
However although he is a brighter prospect for Milan, they know that he will cost them. Eto'o is reported to cost somewhere in the region of 40 million euros. Giving his key role in the team Barca won't let him go cheap so the number is not surprising.
Even more likely to move from the Nou Camp than Ronaldinho and Eto'o is Zambrotta, as the defender has expressed his desire to play in Itlay once again. It is reported that the two teams only need to agree a fee for the player and he will most likely be on his way.
In conclusion it is still very interesting to see who will stay and who will leave Barcelona this summer. As a Barca fan, I like so many others am left to wonder what kind of team will we have next season as Zambrotta, Eto'o, Ronaldinho and Deco are all likely to leave, but fear not Barca fans, we still have talented young stars like Messi, Krkic, Dos Santos, Yaya Toure and Iniesta. With the addition of more talented players who most likely will be bought with the transfer money received from our current stars the club will definitely rise again. FORCA BARCA!!!