jose - soccer

All of Italy is reporting it now. At first it was just a crazy rumor. Nobody believed that Kaka would leave Milan for Manchester City. But now it’s slowly becoming official. According to Italian press reports (including Milan Channel, Milan’s official TV station), Milan have accepted Manchester City’s 120 million euro offer for Kaka. Kaka’s father has flown to Manchester to negotiate terms and once that is complete Kaka will be a Manchester City player. Yes, you’re reading right, Kaka will become a Manchester City player. Nobody expected this, but this truly shows the power of money in modern day football. This is similar to Juventus’ sale of Zidane to Real Madrid a few years back, where they didn’t really want to get rid of him, but the offer was too good to refuse. Same scenario here. With 120 million euro, Milan can makeover their whole squad, and fix all the areas of the team that need fixing. The way I see it Kaka doesn’t want to leave Milan, but he knows 120 million can really help the club he loves and he always stated how he’s fascinated by the EPL (he speaks fluent English as well). We’ll see how this all unfolds tomorrow, but right now it’s looking like Kaka is a Manchester City player.

It is being reported in the English tabloid press that Kaka is now expected to join Manchester City next week - though more through pressure than preference. Early editions of Saturday's Daily Mirror claim that Kaka has been "railroaded into accepting the £108 million move."

According to Mirror Sport, the Milan and Brazil playmaker bid an emotional farewell to club coach Carlo Ancelotti when he left training on Friday, and is unlikely to figure in the Rossoneri's Serie A clash with Fiorentina at the San Siro on Saturday night.

It remains to be seen how accurate this report is, but the paper, on its online version, says Kaka's love affair with the Milan club is over, adding that the blow will be softened by a £10m signing-on fee and a £15m-a-year salary. It also says that Kaka’s father and chief adviser, Bosco Leite, will hold talks with City officials in Milan on Monday, but reports claims from the Middle East that Kaka has already agreed to the transfer with Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi-based owners.

Despite the astronomical amounts of money being offered, former World Player of the Year Kaka, 26, is said by Mirror Sport's sources to be unhappy about the move, feeling that he is being pressurised into leaving a team he helped win the Champions League in 2007 for one embroiled in a battle to avoid relegation. City's last major trophy was the 1976 League Cup. Earlier this week Kaka revealed that he hoped to “grow old” with Milan, to whom he is contracted until 2013.

(source: goal, italy.theoffside.com)

Chelsea aren't keen on handing boss Luiz Felipe scolari any cash to spend in the impending January transfer window. Like everyone else, the capital club has been affected by the frightening state of the global financial climate. Naturally, though, the sting of such worries takes has more ridiculous complexion at Stamford Bridge than anywhere else.

Reports suggest that billionaire Russian owner Roman Abramovich will have to choose to sell either the club or his £200 million mega yacht, Pelorus. In fact, he has allegedly sounded out buyers for the club already, hinting that the boat may be too dear to his heart.

According to Russian press agency Prime-Tass - who source an expert in football finance and, for some reason, someone of standing in German football - Abramovich's fortune has dwindled from €16.7 billion (£13.2bn) to €2.3bn (£2.25bn).

The giant yacht apparently has a couple of helipads and an anti-missile system to fend off pirates - a job given to skipper John Terry at the Bridge. Further reports in Russia hint at the practical affect which the crisis is having on Chelsea. For instance, apparently the players are paying for their own lunches.

Assets depreciation and another effects of the world financial crisis might have reduced Roman Abramovich's personal fortune from €16,700 million to €2,300 million, according to Russian news agency Prime-Tass.

This is the current scenario for the Russian tycoon, who must made a decision: either he puts Chelsea for sale (he invested more than €210 million since July 2003, including the team's debts) or he sells his yacht, which is said to cost some €200 million.

The press published statements from an expert in financial transactions in soccer and former manager of two teams from Germany; according to him, "rumors about selling Chelsea started spreading in November" and Abramovich "is looking for a broker to lead the transaction."

The club is yet to comment on the rife speculation.

(source: goal, sportsya.com)

Roma coach Luciano Spalletti held an emergency meeting with his squad as they prepare to face Chelsea, writes Tom Collomosse.
Spalletti's job is under threat after his side were thrashed 4-0 at home by Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan at the weekend, and another heavy defeat at Stamford Bridge tomorrow would leave him in an even more vulnerable position.
Roma are 14th in Serie A after collecting only seven points from their first seven matches. Spalletti held talks with his players at the training ground and admitted: "When you go through a period like this, it becomes even more difficult to convert your chances because everything is out of order."
Francesco Totti added: "Our league position is very worrying."
Skipper Totti, who has had a knee problem, is fit to play at Stamford Bridge, but former Arsenal striker Julio Baptista misses the game as he has yet to recover from a knock.
Serie A Roundtable Part I: Roma Crisis—When and How Will it End?
In the first ever Serie A roundtable on Bleacher Report, Salaar Arshad Shamsi, Marzia Hazra, Daniel Penza, and Zahi Sahli have their say over Roma's current form crisis.

Salaar Arshad Shamsi:
Roma have had a pathetic start to their season, both in Europe and in the Serie A. Luciano Spalleti's men are in the bottom half of the league table and have already suffered a defeat at the hands of FC Cluj in the Champions League. A victory at Bordeaux followed by a defeat at Siena summed up a mixed bag for the Romans but the question remains:
"How can they get out of this hole?"
Well, Roma have plenty of quality in their side with the likes of De Rossi, Vucinic, Totti and Taddei and players like Riise, Baptista and Menez have been fine additions so Roma should be able to overcome this early glitch by mid-season but a poor start probably means they have destroyed their chances of Champions League action next season.

Marzia Hazra:
Roma has started the season disastrously and seven points in six games definitely qualifies for a crisis.
The club has had their most important player sidelined for the majority of the season as the captain only has made three brief appearances so far. Considering the fundamental role Totti plays for his team, it is in some sense understandable the position the club now find themselves in.
Although Totti’s absence most likely is the biggest factor to Roma’s crisis I also have to take into consideration the injuries that have haunted several of the defenders. In addition to that there is always Spaletti’s recent inability to change the picture of the game with tactics—he just looks so lost.
On top of that, Roma lack players in the central striker role and without Totti there are no natural replacement for him in the squad. The club has built their entire team around one player, and when that player isn’t around things tend to fall apart.
Reports have suggested that Roma and Inter could go in for a swap deal with Aquilani going to Inter in exchange for Hernan Crespo—considering the excess of central strikers the Nerazzuri have.
Roma—including the club, supporters and coach—need to stop putting all their hope on a single player. Just this the weekend Spalletti told Corriere dello Sport that Totti would save the team with his (planned) return against Inter, that he himself would make the difference.
The players have missed so many given goals this season, there is close to no will and the confidence seems washed away in the absence of the skipper. What Roma needs to do is to make all the players take responsibility for their own and stop looking sideways at Totti.

Daniel Penza:
It's hard to say when Roma will regain their form because, aside from Riise and Julio Baptista, they are basically the same team. So meshing together as a team shouldn't really be an issue.
So, with that being said, when Francesco Totti returns from injury, things will have to get better. He is the captain and the driving force of that team. Yeah Daniele De Rossi is the future captain, but the current captain is needed right now to stabilize things in the capital city.

Zahi Sahli:
Roma equals Totti. It is as simple as that. Totti is not playing and hence Roma cannot get the right results. But there is no reason why Roma can't get back to their winning ways. They have an excellent team with three of the best center midfielders in Italy, a good defense and have added quality to their attacking line after signing Julio Baptista.
Roma have maintained faith in Luciano Spalletti after having a good season last term. The current drop in form does not mean Roma will be deluded forever. They will return to their top form. The players and the manager should have faith in the quality of the squad's abilities, and the results will come soon.

Tom Collomosse, Football Correspondent
www.thisislondon.co.uk