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Move over Ibracadabra, Inter are 11 Men now!

The summer transfer of Ibrahimovic to Barcelona was one of the most talked about transfers in a crazy window which saw records smashed on a weekly basis. Inter were expected to collapse with the departure of their star man, but with a genius transfer campaign, Mourinho re-invented the Inter team into an almighty force as Fabio Sarlo reports.

Inter sold Ibrahimovic for roughly £40 million and Samuel Eto’o – A player who may not be as game-changing as Ibra but certainly very talented in certain aspects. With the £40mil in their pocket, Inter went on to buy: Diego Milito, Wesley Sneijder, Thiago Motta and Lucio. All of these players are now fundamental in the new improved Inter team and Mourinho is aiming for Champions League glory come May.

Start with the strikers; Diego Milito and Samuel Eto’o, they have forged a lethal strike partnership racking up 25+ goals already this season in all competitions. They are perfect for each other, they play off each other, with each other, behind, in front and they do it all so simply. They just seem to click straight away and Ibrahimovic is no more than a distant memory. With the addition of Goran Pandev in January Mourinho has added more depth and different options. Let’s not forget Balotelli as well, he may need to learn some maturity lessons but there is no disputing his raw talent and flair.

Wesley Sneijder for me has been the best signing of the season in Italy and possibly the world. His deadly accurate set pieces and passing has set him apart from the rest and Inter are yet to lose when he has played. Remember his debut? 4-0 against Milan? He is truly inspirational. Lucio and Thiago Motta have also proven vital in Inter’s steamroll to the title, they give the side more depth and options as well as providing a very experienced mental side to the team.

The main point however is that Inter don’t seem to be doing worse without Ibra, but infact doing much better! They have a solid team, no weak positions in the team. A good balance of youth and experience and do not rely on one person to pull them through a match! An almost certain bet for the title and look more improved on the European scene. Forza Inter!

Fabio Sarlo

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The Kids are alright

Aston Villa and Arsenal both showed that there is hope in the youth of the Premiership clubs by winning their respective pre-season tournaments.

Young English players had a big say in the lifting of the trophies, which is refreshing news in the current climate of throwing money at any old players.

Arsenal won the Emirates trophy on their on turf beating Atleti Madrid and Glasgow Rangers, with prodigious talent Jack Wilshere scoring twice in the final.

Aston Villa remarkably won the Peace Cup in Spain, which is probably the biggest pre-season competition going with 12 teams competing including Real Madrid, Sevilla and Lyon as well as the champions of Turkey, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and the CONCACAF Champions League. Villa arrived in Spain with a threadbare squad with academy and reserve players aplenty. In the final against Juventus six youth players were used, including th impressive winger Marc Albrighton. On the night the young Villa cubs had nothing to lose against a strong and possibly now quite embarrassed Juve line-up and matched them impressively, eventually winning 4-3 on penalties.

Both managers are keen to use their youngsters, and find more Ashley Coles and Gabriel Agbonlahors but are likely to strengthen their squads with more experience and numbers, but keep your eyes out for any of these names… Lansbury, Wilshere, Merida and Watt at the Emirates and Forrester, Albrighton, Bannon and Gardner at Villa Park … and there are plenty more where they’ve all come from!

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Ronaldo in record Real deal

Manchester United accepted a world record transfer offer for Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid on Thursday, clearing the World Player of the Year to negotiate personal terms with the Spanish club.

The Premier League champions received an unconditional offer of £80 million for Ronaldo, and unlike in the last offseason manager Alex Ferguson told the Glazer family which owns the club that he is willing to see his 24-year-old star performer join a major European rival.

United said: “At Cristiano’s request — who has again expressed his desire to leave — and after discussion with the player’s representatives, United have agreed to give Real Madrid permission to talk to the player.

“Matters are expected to be concluded by 30 June.”

Madrid confirmed the offer for Ronaldo in a statement, saying: “The club hopes to reach an agreement with the player in the coming days.”

The Portugal winger, who joined from Sporting Lisbon in 2003, spent last June pushing for what he called at the time a “dream move” to Madrid.

An unsuccessful complaint about Madrid’s pursuit was made to football’s world governing body FIFA and a move was blocked by United manager Alex Ferguson, who traveled to Lisbon to persuade his player to stay at Old Trafford.

That didn’t stop Ronaldo being linked with Madrid and Ferguson’s irritation boiled over in December when he said he “wouldn’t sell Madrid a virus,” describing the club as a “mob.”

But now a world-record bid — even if it means losing those feints, stepovers and thunderous free kicks — appears too hard to resist.

“It was the manager’s decision and it was supported by the board,” a spokesman for owner Malcolm Glazer has said.

“The deal hasn’t even been done yet so we don’t know how much money will be available and it would be inappropriate to comment on the use of the funds.”

But it is understood that the profits will not be used to service United’s debts, which have spiraled to almost $1 billion.

Ronaldo, who was contracted to United until 2012, plunged his future into doubt after losing the Champions League final to Barcelona last month, saying he wasn’t sure if would stay next season. This was despite having vowed to stay at United in the buildup to the match and even in a broadcast interview conducted with himself.

The return of Florentino Perez as Madrid’s president has changed things as the billionaire looks to spend to return the Spanish side to the glory days of its “galactico” era.

Kaka was signed from AC Milan earlier this week for a reported fee of around €65 million.

But the offer for Ronaldo would eclipse that and the €76 million it paid to get former France striker Zinedine Zidane from Juventus in 2001.

Madrid will hope Ronaldo’s arrival could strengthen its position as world football’s richest club based on revenue. According to accountancy firm Deloitte, Madrid earned €365.8 million compared to second-place United’s €324.8 million.

On the pitch, though, Ronaldo would be joining a club which just had its first trophyless season in three years, while United won a third straight Premier League title, the Club World Cup, and the League Cup.

Ronaldo finished United’s top scorer again, despite not matching the 42-goal haul in the 2007-8 campaign when Ferguson’s side won the Champions League and the English title.

Govou Dismisses Portsmouth Link

Olympique Lyonnais’ Sidney Govou, has denied claims that he is set to sign for English Premiership side, Portsmouth. The French Internationalist, however, has hinted that he may well move away from the Ligue 1 table toppers in the future:

“Portsmouth? I don’t know where that rumour came from…Could I leave Lyon this winter? I would like to say no, but if tomorrow a club comes and would attract me, people would call me a liar.”

It is believed that the striker would prefer a move to fellow Ligue 1 side, Paris St.Germain, after previously expressing an interest. Govou has failed to find the net in Ligue 1 this season after 9 appearances, but, with the prospect of facing Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League, any move to prize him away from Stade de Gerland before the end of this year’s campaign may well prove to be a difficult one.

Jonathan Simmons

Russian football’s bear market

Russia’s football season ended almost two months ago, and most of the country’s newspapers were tipping a brisk trade in players once the January transfer window opened. However, a third of the way through the month, and much like the situation across Europe, player sales in Russia have largely fallen flat.

A number of Russian football clubs are in a period of transition after an unusual 2008 season, which saw outsiders Rubin Kazan grab the title for the first time in their history.

Former champions and UEFA Cup holders Zenit St Petersburg have been tearing themselves apart for the last six months, as the club’s top players (including Andrei Arshavin, Pavel Pogrebnyak and Anatoly Tymoshchuk) have all touted themselves for moves abroad. Arshavin, as is well documented, is currently negotiating a deal with Arsenal which may yet come to fruition.

Spartak Moscow changed their manager mid-season, bringing in Danish legend Michael Laudrup, and the club are expected to clear out a large number of players. CSKA Moscow have also seen changes, with coach Valery Gazzaev replaced by the Brazilian Zico. There are question marks over some of CSKA’s top players, including star of Euro 2008 Yuri Zhirkov and Brazil striker Vagner Love, with the latter persistently linked with a move to the Premier League.

Meanwhile some of Russia’s less well-known clubs also have business to do in January. The downturn in the Russian economy has left a few clubs fighting for their very existence. The Moscow state government recently injected a large sum of money into Premier League side Khimki to ensure their future, and to prevent a merger with another Moscow region club Saturn. They, along with other struggling clubs, will surely have to sell to stay afloat.

Indeed, the world economic crisis is sure to have an effect on Russian football, irrespective of the wealth of its various clubs. Gazprom, Zenit’s financial backers, are reported to be $50bn in the red, and the club may be forced to cash in on their big stars. Generally speaking, players in Russia are paid wages comparable to those of the big leagues of Europe, but those contracts may become untenable given Russia’s financial plight.

So we Russia-watchers were expecting a fire-sale once the clock hit midnight on December 31st. But trading has been eerily silent.

The most notable deal has seen Zenit St Petersburg’s French defender Sebastien Puygrenier depart on loan for Bolton after just six months and 16 games in Russia. Puygrenier failed to settle during Zenit’s post-UEFA Cup hangover, but didn’t help his cause by contriving to get himself sent off on debut. Gary Megson take note.

But for now Puygrenier is on his own, as no other big transfers have taken place.

There are two factors in this. Firstly, as mentioned above, players in Russia earn wages which many clubs in Europe cannot match. Secondly is the inflated prices which Russian clubs place on their players’ heads. Andrei Arshavin, for example, has grown exasperated by Zenit’s insistence on pricing him at around £15m.

However, the lack of trading is unlikely to remain by the end of January. Russian clubs in difficult financial straits will grow increasingly desperate to recoup some transfer fees, while players will do everything in their power to engineer moves. Arshavin, for instance, has already made he clear he will never play for Zenit again.

So keep one eye on dealings in the Russian Premier League, as it may become the forum for a late flurry of activity during the transfer window.

Players to watch:

Yuri Zhirkov – CSKA’s left-sided player starred for Russia at Euro 2008, and has been tipped by many as the most likely to be able to make a transition to Europe’s top leagues.

Alan Dzagoev – Only 18, but already a fixture in the CSKA side. A playmaker with fantastic vision and deadly from set pieces, Dzagoev has been linked to Chelsea.

Nikita Bazhenov – Spartak youngster who recently debuted for the Russian national side. A striker with pace and strength, he could tempt a Premier League club, though is still inexperienced.

Anatoly Tymoshchuk – Ukraine and Zenit captain who plays in the Roy Keane mould. He has been heavily linked with Bayern Munich and Manchester United.

Emir Spahic – Bosnian international who plays for Lokomotiv Moscow. A reliable defender who at 28 is reaching his peak. Has expressed an interest in moving away from Russia.

James Appell

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