By: Alan
Soccer City FC
Former and current Brazilian internationals have been a common theme in transfers worldwide as teams look to reinforce their squads in the off-season.
Playmaker Geovanni was quickly signed up by Premiership newcomers Hull City upon his release from Manchester City. The former Barcelona midfielder, who once cost the Catalan side £11 million from Cruzeiro and represented his country 4 times during 2001, signed a two-year deal. His stint in Manchester ended in disappointment despite scoring in the derby against Manchester United and he failed to hold-down a first-team position. He is a welcome addition at the KC Stadium where experience will be vital if they are to secure their position in England’s top flight league. 2006 UEFA Champions League winners Liverpool, meanwhile, received the the signiture of goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri from Palmeiras. The Merseyside outfit are in the market for a backup keeper to Spaniard Jose Reina as Scott Carson looks to make his move to Aston Villa permanent and Charles Itandje is expected to move to Galatasaray for around £2 million. Diego Cavalieri has spent all of his professional career at Palmeiras and the move should be worth around £3 million for the Brazilians.
Another Brazilian joining the Premier League is striker Jo, who has joined Manchester City for a record-fee in the region of £19m from CSKA Moscow. The season for the Eastlands side starts a month earlier than most other club’s as they embark on an UEFA Cup run, starting off in the Faroe Islands on July 17th. However, Jo along with compatriots Anderson of Manchester United and Lucas at Liverpool will miss the opening league games as they have been called up by Dunga to the Olympic squad.
Atletico Madrid have made their fifth signing ahead of their Champions League campaign. Paulo Assuncao has signed from Portuguese champions Porto for an undisclosed fee. The defensive midfielder spoke of the club’s ambitions of regaining the title they won back in 1996 as the reason behind the move. "The Atletico players want to win titles like me. It's a team that has won over many years and now I'm happy to be here.” Assuncao joins Florent Sinama-Pongolle, John Heitinga and Tomas Ujfalusi at Atletico.
Defensive midfielder Amaral, who donned the Brazilian shirt on 31 occasions between 1995 and 1996, has signed with Australian A-League outfit Perth Glory, being described as “a terrific addition to the squad” by manager Dave Mitchell. “Amaral is a wonderful footballer, he's the type of player we've been missing in the last couple of seasons. His interplay with the rest of the team after just a short time is outstanding.” Amaral could prove to be an astute signing for the West Australian team and he heads a list of impressive summer transfers.
Elsewhere, Sammarinese champions Murata have ambitiously revealed that they are hoping to persuade 42-year-old Romario out of retirement. They hope to discuss a short-term contract with the 1994 World Player of the Year in time for their UEFA Champions League campaign, which begins with a first qualifying round draw against Gothenberg of Sweden. Whether the move actually happens is a completely different matter, after Romario announced on his retirement “Officially I'm not playing any more. I've stopped." With or without the veteran, Murata will have to defy all odds if they are to advance any further in the Champions League.
Related items at Soccer City FC:
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Transfer Roundup: Samba Stars On The Move
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Euro 2008: Saturday June 7th Schedule
Saturday 6/07
11:50 a.m.- Switzerland vs. Czech Republic (Group A) - (ESPN Classic)
Key Players
Switzerland - FW Alexander Frei, MF Tranquillo Barnetta, and MF Gelson Fernandes
Czech Republic - FW Jan Koller, DF Tomáš Ujfaluši, and GK Peter Čech.
Prediction: Switzerland win 1-0. The home crowd carry the squad to victory.
2:30 p.m.- Portugal vs. Turkey (Group A) - (ESPN Classic)
Key Players
Portugal - FW/MF Cristiano Ronaldo, FW Nani, and MF Deco
Turkey - FW Nihat Kahveci, MF Tuncay Şanlı, and GK Rüştü Reçber
Prediction: Turkey 2-1 over Portugal. The Ronaldo - Real saga plays a part in Portugal's unfocused day.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Juventus Looking at Defender Tomáš Ujfaluši
Juventus now appears to be the front runner in the race to land Fiorentina defender Tomáš Ujfaluši. Ujfaluši decided against renewing his contract with Fiorentina and appears ready to move to another club via free transfer.
Reports from several media outlets are stating that he has committed to the Bianconeri with a verbal agreement. Spanish sides Atletico Madrid and Sevilla FC have also been rumored to covet the Czech defender.
Juventus has already added Swedish international Olof Mellberg to the back line for the upcoming 2008-2009 season.
Monday, April 7, 2008
The Weekend XI - World Edition: 4/5 - 4/6
The Weekend XI - World Edition will highlight the top eleven players from around the globe as judged by Soccer City FC. 3-5-2 format will be used.
- (GK) Bordeaux's Ulrich Ramé: Shutout v Stade Rennais
- (D) Boyacá Chicó F.C.'s Mario Garcia: 1 goal v Deportes Tolima
- (D) FK Atlantas' Ivo Begic: 1 goal v FK Šilutė
- (D) Sporting Cristal's Amilton Prado: 1 goal v Atlético Minero
- (MF) Cardiff City's Joe Ledley: 1 goal (GW) v Barnsley FC
- (MF) Atletico Madrid's Simão Sabrosa: 2 goals v Almeria
- (MF) Real Betis' Mark Gonzalez: 2 goals v Real Zaragoza
- (MF) Inter's Patrick Vieira: 1 goal v Atalanta
- (MF) River Plate's Diego Buonanotte: 1 goal v CA Lanus
- (F) Middlesbrough's Afonso Alves: 2 goals v Manchester United
- (F) Ajax's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar: 3 goals v De Graafschap
League List:
- England - 2
- Spain - 2
- Argentina - 1
- Columbia - 1
- France - 1
- Italy - 1
- Lithuania - 1
- Netherlands - 1
- Peru - 1
Friday, March 7, 2008
The Weekend XI: March 1-2
The lastest edition of the Weekend XI is now at Soccer City FC's Corner Kicks. Follow the link below to see which players were selected from last weekend's matches.
