Fistpumping across town next season?

Manchester United have today confirmed the departure of Carlos Tevez, as the Argentine hit-man has turned down the 5-year deal he so craved mere months ago. As his two-year loan deal ends in a few days, his adviser Kia Joorabchian has declared his clients next destination not only lies in the Premier League, but could very well be in the same town. Manchester City seem to be favorites to add Tevez to their Eastlands revolution but paying and playing the Argentine the way he feels he deserves.

Meanwhile, Joorabchian has also confirmed Chelsea are in the running to land the former West Ham player as the scramble for his signture is sure to intensify.

Liverpool is said to be out of the running as Tevez is said to respect the rivalry between the two clubs with their historic reluctance to share players well-documented. While this may be a noble gesture by the Argentine, it could also be considered a slap to the face to City fans who see their club as direct competiton for their cross town rivals and see United as their biggest rivals. To have Tevez consider City might be seen as a new high for an ambitious club like Manchester City, but for their prideful fans to have their side considered when Liverpool have been ruled out because of their bitter rivalry, could be seen as disrespect to his potential new side.

Can't buy a game at Eastlands.

Now-a-days at Middle-Eastlands, headlines are dominated by Robinho and Shay Given, and the exploits of last seasons dominate early season form at the hands of Brazilian Elano have been nearly forgotten. That is until he was dispatched by Dunga against Italy in London for an International friendly. Playing on the right Elano showed pure class, with silky passing and fluent moving and a clear ability to operate all over the field. With his one two from Ronaldinho found Robinho, followed by a through pass on the on-running Elano where he finished over the helpless Buffon, one thing became clear - this guy needs to play.

Although Mark Hughes and Elano have had a falling out back in September, it is time to get this guy on the field for the faltering Citizens. With the three-match ban on the horizon for Shaun Wright-Phillips, the time could be right for the Brazilian to step into the position he occupied for his country which he went on to impress. If Hughes overlooks this world-class star he already has on his books, this could go a long way in carving out the future for Elano who has done a great deal in a short time at the City of Manchester Stadium, mostly under Sven Goran-Eriksson.

So they missed out on Kaka, but after Elano's performance against Italy, is that such a big deal?

Where he should have been all along.

A part of me is glad Golden Balls loan move seems to have turned into a permanent migration, given the fact that Becks shied away from top flight football way too early. Although we were not going to see his name on any FIFA World Player of the Year shortlists, there was a lot the former Real Madrid star could bring to the table on a European level.

From the start there was really no way Beckham could A) settle, and B) do for the game what the the Galaxy and the MLS wanted him to do for the sport in America. Just like for a football side, big names won't bring you anything more than 15 minutes of notority. His star power attracted attention, but it wasn't enough to bring any permanent change. That has to come from development, just like a club's youth academy.

A big draw for Becks had to have been the money, and after realizing that by this point in his career, money doesn't mean all that much, playing in a side like AC Milan must have been like coming home after being lost at sea. With a host of superstars around him, Becks has fit into a strong Milan side and has even pushed Ronaldinho out of the starting XI. Milan will benefit from his play and his marketing abilities, while the US will use the fact that David Beckham used to play for one of their sides.

In hindsight, Beckham probably should have gone straight to AC when they were after him as it became clear that he was going to leave Madrid. Then perhaps, after a few years plying his trade in the Serie A would a move to the US seem slightly more rational and intelligent. But hindsight is always 20/20.

Whats the problem Andrei?

Andrei Arshavin has been linked with just about every major football club, on every continent, since the end of the Euro 2008 competition. Why?

Well, to be frank it is because of his leading Russian club Zenit St-Petersburg to the UEFA Cup title, and more so, about two or three appearances for Russia in the Euros, following his suspensin of the group stages of the competition.

No one doubts his talents, but the 27-year-old has created a sort of hysteria about himself. Plying his trade only in Russia for Zenit St-Petersburg, one wonders if all the hubbub around the creative midfielder is warrented.

No question of his talents, but at 27 what has kept this shining star from major European football? Many major teams are reluctant to sign the star, one because of his age, and two because of his reported belief that he deserves sky high wages. Why this belief that he deserves so much after proving himself, if you really think about, not proving himself at all at the highest level.

Problems mount up for the Samba star.

After the well-documented walk-out on the club in Tenerife, Robinho seems to have returned to England a wanted man after being arrested and reportedly released on bail. The charge stems from a nightclub sexual assault allegation at a Leeds night club. The former Real Madrid star has denied the charges on his official website, and in light of the timing of these events, some eye brows have been raised in connection with all the dramatic events surrounding the troubled star.

On Robinho's official website (http://www.robinhoofficial.com/) the meeting with police was described as pre-arranged, hinting that Robinho probably knew what was to take place when he jetted off back to South America. This could indicate that the "personal reasons" Robinho cited for leaving might be tied to the charge, as it also could explain Mark Hughes unwillingness to publicly and harshly punish the star, although the gaffar confirmed he would face a monetary punishment. More developments are sure to unfold, stay tuned as the plot thickens.

Can't get a game on Merseyside.

Jermaine Pennant is a hot commodity this transfer window, given his lack of first team opportunities at Anfield. With Portsmouth, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Tottenham, Chelsea and Wigan are all reportedly in for his signature, the pacey winger is surely out of Liverpool in the coming weeks. Portsmouth seem favorites to sign the former Birmingham man, yet it is reported Pennant is not interested in anything more than a loan spell away from the Reds.

Pennant was not named in the squad which lined up against Everton in the Merseyside derby on Monday, which further propels the idea that the wide-man's days are numbered.

Following his heart, and not his pockets.

So its finally over - Kaka stays in Milan after denying he even considered a move to Eastlands, while Manchester City insist Milan are at fault for the deal breaking down or "bottling it" at Garry Cook would say, and Brazilian ace goes missing from Tenerife training to return home to Brazil for his Birthday.

There will certainly be much more to come.

While City might consider it somewhat of a victory they even got this far in negotiations, they will be dissappointed as Kaka was seen as a key figure in the Blues revolution.

The dressing room unrest rumored to affect Kaka's decision not to come to City was somewhat confirmed when it was found that Robinho jumped ship against Hughes and the clubs wishes. Hughes managerial skills will surely come under scrutiny now, and the next big transfer saga involving City might be a managerial one.

Now where exactly did you pull that from?

In a relatively tame January transfer window (so far), there is one name that is surprisingly not popping up on the radar. Carlos Tevez has failed to land a permanent deal at Old Trafford since the arrival of Dimitier Berbatov after an impressive first season with the Red Devils.

With limited playing time this season and the striker adamant on playing somewhere on a long-term deal, it seems the time is ripe for someone to step in.

If United have dragged their feet this far into the campaign without deciding on the Argentine's future, the on-loan striker to me seems up for grabs and should tempt the likes of Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and even Kaka-chasing and cross-town neighbors Manchester City.

Now, Tevez has voiced that he would like to remain at Old Trafford, however he cannot be happy to be so low on the striking pecking order. Time will tell if this hot transfer property attracts new suitors.

Hugging goodbye?

Chelsea sit second in the Premier League table. Not too bad at this point in the season and given Big Phil Scolari's first season in the Premier League. Yet it seems all is still not well, especially after the 3-0 humiliation at Old Trafford last weekend. With rumors of a dressing room split, players wanting out, and Big Phil's inability to win big games, rumors have surfaced that the Chelsea board (Abromovich) want him out.

Scolari has hit back in his own way by axeing a player that has seemed to cause more harm than good over the last year, as Didier Drogba will miss Chelsea's trip to Southend in the FA Cup as he has been axed by Scolari and told he can leave the club if he is not happy.

If this revelation is true is anyone's guess, yet with Anelka leading the Premier League in scoring and the pair seemingly unable or the manager unwilling to play together, it could be lights out for Drogs at Chelsea.

However, it is more Chelsea style to get rid of the manager in times like these than a player, is it not?

With reports rife that City's executive chairman Garry Cook is in Milan negotiating a deal (not quite a deal, more a coup or a bid worth more than some football clubs), it seems Manchester City may not be that far from landing their next big-name signing.

With €100 million euros reported to be on the table, and a cool £250,000 a week in wages to be offered, money will not be a concern for Kaka, yet his agent proclaims the Brazilian is not in it for the money.

Cases can be made for both sides of this argument of whether Kaka will sign or not, given Robinho's recruiting methods and the draw of the City revolution (although it still looks like the same old City) versus whether or not this is another case of the Arab's money-weilding gone array.

At the beginning of January, Manchester City were linked with a slew of world class talent just as they have been ever since the ADUG takeover. With Lionel Messi, Kaka, Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto'o, and everyone who has ever been in the international spotlight at any given time for their world-class football abilities being linked to Eastlands, it was mind-blowing to see who or what would come to City when the January transfer window opened.

Then something went wrong...

A bid for Roque Santa Cruz was turned down. The Bayern reject who was bought for £3 million by none other than Mark Hughes, has been held at ransom for a staggering £22 million. Jury's out whether Hughes will follow through, but things get worse.

Then news came that Hughes has launched a double bid for....Scott Parker and Craig Bellamy. The mediocre Hammers pair are hot in Hughes sights. After the world-rocking tranfer of Wayne Bridge, Hughes has lived up to the hype by continuing his stronghold on the market by throwing millions around on top-shelf players. Well, let's say mid-shelf players?

The double bid being rejected, a second Bellamy bid rejected, a Shay Given bid rejected, a Taiwo bid rejected. Something is wrong. Things are not going like Hughes or the rest of Manchester City thought it would.

Perhaps Hughes will want to do some well thought out looking and buying this week. All of the players he has recently been linked with are more of the Blackburn stature than the new money-rich Citizens stature which he is the head of. If he does not get on it I have a strange feeling their might be a new Italian sitting amoungst the Eastlands faithful. (Hint, his son played for City last year. Not Peter Schmeichel).

Manchester City seem to be leading the way in speculation these days. The floundering billionaire-backed team is constantly being linked with top players while the side continues to drop points in the Premier League.

It seems newly appointed manager Mark Hughes' failure to cement the Blues in the top half of the table, let alone the top four, has none-too-pleased his new owners. As the Welshman flies to Dubai in what was supposed to be a meeting about transfer targets, could this be it for Sparky?

Equally outrageous to the various player names associated with City at the moment is the possibility of signing mega-manager Jose Mourinho from Inter Milan. The ex-Chelsea man is rumored to have been offered, or soon to be offered, a £15 million a season to take over at Eastlands. As the Portuguese tactician has just taken over in Milan, it seems doubtful at this point in time, but who knows in the future. At any rate, the Citizens did land Robinho, so anything can happen!




In other transfer news, word on the street is Chelsea are lining up a move for Theirry Henry. Three quick reasons this is probably a fabrication.

1. Barcelona are ridiculously free-scoring right now, and although Henry is not necessarily creating a lot of goals himself, he's not playing half bad either.

2. Chelsea arn't spending. How can they sign him without paying?

3. Henry is an Arsenal legend. Some players have done worse (ie Figo), but with Henry's passion for the Gunners, I can't see him in South London.

This one can be chalked up to the gossip writers, but then again, you never know.

League leaders and favorites are finally starting to take shape around the football world, but that doesn't mean there is not some room for surprises!

In the Premier League, Chelsea have taken the top spot off Liverpool as Robbie Keane finally opened his EPL account with the Reds. The Irishman has finally began chipping away at his £20 million pricetag.

Arsenal have proved doubters wrong while denting Manchester United's title challenge significantly. Seems like Berba and Rooney may not be a match made in heaven, but at least Rafeal looks like a gem!

Manchester City are on a three game skid, while in a game marred by questionable cards and sending off's, Tottenham moved clear of the relegation zone. Mark Hughes will be in hot water when he goes to meet his new owners for the first time, yet with a rumored £100 million plus to spend, who knows what the Welshman can do.

Abroad, Real Madrid got back on the high road with a sintilating performance from Hinguain. The Argentine tore apart Malaga for four goals. Maybe Madrid don't need a striker after all. Around La Liga, Barcelona saw off Valladolid by convincing 6-0 margin. Eto'o's four goals in 45 minutes will go a long way to shut up his critics. So will his league leading 13 goals in La Liga. Valencia have also seen off Getafe. Shaping up to be a good season in Spain.

Italian league leaders AC Milan heading into their tie will be dissappointed to leave Lecce with only a point after fighting ahead with a Ronaldinho strike. The injury time equalizer will set the Rossonari behind last years champs Inter Milan as Julio Cruz put the Inter by Udinese at the San Siro. With so many teams playing well in the Serie A, it should be a tight one again this year. Here is hoping Roma can get their domestic form in order!

Stay tuned to the Fanatic for more gossip this week!

So with a league loss to Almeria compounded with two Champions League group stage loses to Juventus, it is clear that Real Madrid might be in a spot of bother.

Well, some would say, shouldn't they have seen it coming?

A few reasons why yes might be the right answer.

1. Letting Robinho go without a replacement was never a good answer, especially with Robben's constant and laughable injuries.

2. Striker options limited and untested. Beyond Raul and RVN, Real looks weak up front. Combined the duo are about 70 years old as well.

3. Defense is out of sorts. Canna keeps talking about Napoli, Pepe still hasn't settled, Heinze just wants to talk about Fergie and Ronaldo, while Ramos is too busy yapping to the media about the team dressing room. Casillas is the only rock in the side.

Schuster better make some big, well-thought out long term moves in January if he wants a successful run and the results necessary to keep his job.

Lets make this a Ronnonari Winner/Loser this week, shall we? With so many headlines attached to the club is seems only natural.
Big Winner:



Pippo Inzaghi - The aging striker has managed to secure a contract extension with the club, even at his age with the amount of strikers Milan has on their books. Superhuman Pippo just cannot be stopped and continues to be one of the most feared goal poachers in the game. Winning a new contract and being able to finish out his career in Milan may not be a new thing for AC to do for their players, but it will be a relief to Pippo who feared getting the axe in the face of a Milan revolution.

Big Loser:



Alessandro Nesta - This legendary center back looks set to lose out to his own body in a bid to regain enough match fitness to continue his career. With reports rife that the ageing Italian is ready to hang up the boots, it seems extremely long spells on the sidelines have ended the journey for this world-class footballer. After missing Euro 2008 and large chunks of World Cup 2006, extended runs on the sidelines have plagued Nesta. Perhaps a major turn of fortune is on the cards, but for now it seems to be all she wrote making a major dent in the Rossonari back line.

After Inter's owner Massimo Moratti poked fun at Milan's inability to reach the top spot over the last few campaigns, it seems Milan head honcho Adriano Galliani took the bait and bit back at the wild haired millionaire.

In return for the degrading jibe, Galliani declared: "Are we thrilled to be at the top of Serie A? Moratti should take a look at our trophy cabinet and then he would understand our thrills."

Speaking of old trophies, I wonder if Galliani is going to parade David Beckham around in front of Moratti? Surely he'd be classified as an old trophey as well.

In Manchester City's endless circus, it now seems that another super-star name has been linked with the struggling mega-rich club. Now Atletico Madrid's Sergio Aguero seems destined for the City of Manchester Stadium, with Mark Hughes ready to put the player at the top of his wishlist when he travels to Dubai to meet with the new owners.

Along with the likes of Buffon, Casillas, Torres, Gerrard, Essien, Ronaldo, Kaka, etc, etc, Manchester City's list of potential targets just keeps going and going.

Who would have thought that losing to Bolton could bring about so much good news?

The list:

Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal, Togo), Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid, Argentina), Andrei Arshavin (Zenit St Petersburg, Russia), Michael Ballack (Chelsea, Germany), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus, Italy), Iker Casillas (Real Madrid, Spain), Deco (Chelsea, Portugal), Didier Drogba (Chelsea, Ivory Coast), Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona, Cameroon), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal, Spain), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool, England), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan, Sweden), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona, Spain), Kaka (AC Milan, Brazil), Frank Lampard (Chelsea, England), Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich, France), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, Portugal), John Terry (Chelsea, England), Fernando Torres (Liverpool, Spain), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid, Holland), David Villa (Valencia, Spain) and Xavi (Barcelona, Spain).

Vastly similar to the Balon list, but a little more refined and predictable.

Most would have to say it comes down to only a few when you look at form over the last year, or so: Ronaldo, Messi, Torres, Fabregas, Aguero, Gerrard, Xavi, Villa, Lampard and Casillas. To me, the rest have some injury or inconsistency to keep them out of serious contention, but you might not agree!

Spain dominates the list, but interestingly enough Chelsea rules the roost as far as clubs go, but the Blues boast no Spanish players. Interesting....

Cesc and Ade have to be eating their words now. Their Spurs taunting surely did not go unnoticed. What a comeback, probably one of the best in history.

Now that Uncle Harry has been in the hotseat he has managed one win and an Arsenal draw, better than Spurs had done in eight. Looks like the managerial switch paid off.

After Modric's performance, I can't see Juventus luring him from under Harry's nose, but weirder things have happened.

Mourinho has shown his scary side again. It's been reported Adriano has been out on the town with, none other than, Ronaldinho. Not only that but he was late to training and sent home by the Portuguese tactician.

After Adriano's successful return from a year long loan to Sao Paulo to get his head on straight, things looked on the up for the Brazilian to get his career on track under the ex-Chelsea gaffer. Now it seems that their relationship has soured.

I could only imagine if Ronaldo was still in Milan. Yikes.