Watched by a global TV audience of around 650 million, it’s been described as ‘the mother of all derbies’ and the second most important game in the world (after El Clasico) – but is the Manchester derby the biggest derby in Europe?

This all depends on two things: (a) how do we define a derby? (b) how do we compare all the derbies objectively?

The first question is arguably the more difficult one. Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, Inter Milan vs. Juventus, and Liverpool vs. Manchester United are all examples of intense rivalries rather than derbies. We could define a derby as the match between two clubs from the same city, but this would exclude Newcastle United vs. Sunderland, Borussia Dortmund vs. Schalke 04, Ajax vs. Feyenoord and Athletic Bilbao vs. Real Sociedad to give just a few examples.

Even within the same city, Fulham’s main local derby is with Chelsea, whereas Chelsea’s is with Spurs, whose derby is with Arsenal. So even if we were able to compare all European derbies objectively, the very idea of a derby would always be problematic.

Of course, in terms of European footballing success, all one-city derbies pale in comparison to Milan, a city whose two teams have amassed a grand total of ten European Cups/Champions League titles between them (Real Madrid alone are not far behind with nine, whilst Manchester/Liverpool have eight). In fact Milan is the only city in Europe with more than one winner of the competition, making any objective success-based comparisons of European footballing derbies difficult.

An easier and in many ways more appropriate method for comparison would be to combine the average attendances of each derby team throughout the 2010-11 season and list them accordingly. Bear in mind that this is not a list of the fiercest rivalries (which would always be subjective) and that the attendance figure is for all games throughout the season (not just the derby games themselves).

The top 20 derbies in Europe based on combined average attendance

Notes

All figures are based on Wikipedia’s top 70 clubs by average attendance. I haven’t included any clubs that are outside the top 70, e.g. 1860 Munchen (whose average attendance of 20,000 would put the Munich derby in the top ten). This is because I’d like to source all the figures from the same place. However I don’t think the list would change dramatically if this was the case. Fenerbahce (39,542) vs. Besiktas (26,249) would have made the list but the figures given are not for the 2010-11 season (and the Besiktas figures is unsourced).

The top ten teams without representation in the list are Marseilles (51,081), Eintracht Frankfurt (47,335), Napoli (47,210), FC Kaiserslautern (46,378), Hertha Berlin (45,761), Hannover 96 (43,948), Valencia (41,599), VfB Stuttgart (38,847), Porto (36,404) and Shakhtar Donetsk (33,897). I considered classifying Eintracht Frankfurt vs. FC Kaiserslautern as a derby (which with a combined total of 93,713 would’ve made the top ten) but decided not to (see below).

Any list of teams based on average attendance will always be dominated by Germany, where competetive one-city derbies are uncommon. I’ve chosen to include the four biggest regional ‘derbies’ and exclude all the others – although I think the Ruhrgebiet still has to be classed as a single agglomeration (as of course does Greater Manchester).

No team has been included twice. This means that Arsenal vs. Spurs is classed as the biggest London derby, with Chelsea vs. Fulham second. It should be stressed that there is a lot of overlap when it comes to the London derbies. These four teams have been chosen purely because they have the highest average attendances, not (at least in the case of the West London derby) because they have the fiercest rivalry.

The closest distance between two stadiums is of course Milan vs. Inter, where the two teams share the San Siro. The distance between Anfield and Goodison Park is 0.6 miles; between Estadio Da Luz and Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon it is 1.4 miles. The longest distance between two clubs in the list is between Munich and Nuremburg (the two largest cities in Bavaria), which are around 100 miles apart, raising inevitable questions about how we define a derby. The distance between Hamburg and Bremen is around 60 miles, between Bilbao and San Sebastian around 50 miles, between Amsterdam and Rotterdam around 35 miles, between Lyon and Saint-Etienne around 30 miles. The distance between the Westfalenstadion and the Veltins Arena is exactly 17 miles, whilst there are exactly ten miles between St. James’ Park and the Stadium of Light.

The smallest difference in ratio between the two average attendances are those between Milan vs. Inter, Köln vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach and Celtic vs. Rangers. The largest by a long way is Barcelona vs. Espanyol (although the difference between Bayern Munich vs. 1860 Munchen would have been bigger still).

Whilst it isn’t perfect for all the reasons mentioned, the list above arguably gives us a better insight into European football than the list of average attendances itself or the infamous Deloitte Football League, in showing where the real football powerhouses of Europe lie. It’s no surprise to see the Revierderby topping the list with Manchester, Madrid, Munich (Bavaria), Barcelona and Milan all close behind. Manchester’s success on-the-field this season is clearly a reflection of the city’s status as one of the six football capitals of European club football.

More Football Derbies

• The World’s Most Violent Football Derbies.
• Major Football Derbies (with sub-articles for each continent).

The author, Tom Riley, writes about football, music and the history of Manchester at http://ascentofmanchester.blogspot.co.uk.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The story of David Beckham’s football career has been an extraordinary tale. And yet, even at the not-so-tender age of 36, the world’s most famous footballer appears to have another chapter. Currently, Beckham’s MLS career is dwindling towards its conclusion with his lucrative contract to expire in November. Consequently, demand for the illustrious midfielder has heightened.

Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain are one among many clubs eager to acquire David Beckham. After huge financial commitment from the Qatar Investment Authority, PSG’s manifesto prioritises the development of global presence. Summer signings, such as Kevin Gameiro and Javier Pastore, have proven auspicious, but obtaining Beckham’s signature would provide a healthy injection for PSG’s reputation.

David Beckham’s global prominence has certainly favoured his previous employers. For instance, the English midfielder was, most certainly, a large contributor to Manchester United’s popularity rise in the Far East. Even today, ‘Beckham Fever’ remains a highly contagious epidemic. From Madrid to Los Angeles, the symptoms are alike: mass hysteria among the throng of adulating fans.

There are signs already that ‘Beckham Fever’ is rapidly spreading through Paris. French newspaper, Le Parisien, bestowed three pages on Paris Saint-Germain’s potential capture of Beckham. Furthermore, the news has also intrigued the PSG camp with players, such as Sylvain Armand, Salvatore Sirigu and Christophe Jallet, expressing excitement.

David Beckham himself is flattered to be linked to Paris Saint-Germain. In PSG’s favour is Leonardo’s amicable relationship with Beckham. The PSG sporting director has worked previously with the former England captain whilst at AC Milan. Moreover, Leonardo speaks of the ‘PSG Project’ and envisions great future success for the French side. Are the incentives sufficient to persuade Beckham to relocate?

Moving to Paris may come with an exorbitant salary for David Beckham, but the ex-Manchester United winger is adamant about the happiness of his family. Obviously, this serves as a possible sticking point for any team who desire David Beckham’s multi-service, let alone Paris Saint-Germain. In addition, Beckham has made no secret of his desire to return to the Premier League. A sporting director role at his beloved Manchester United has been mooted, whereas Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers are said to be interested in adding Beckham to their respective squads.

Reports suggesting that David Beckham is poised to join Paris Saint-Germain are premature. However, the rumours continue to circulate and Beckham hasn’t exactly poured cold water over the idea. Is David Beckham’s fame to shine in the City of Lights?

You can follow the author on Twitter: @OliverRhodes1

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Arsène Wenger is on the hunt for a striker who could help the Gunners end a trophy drought that has stretched from 2005, and their main target is Ivory Coast international, Gervinho who was instrumental for Lille in their Ligue 1 title campaign last term:

Gervinho in Ligue 1

Gervinho was the only player to reach double figures in both goals scored (15, his highest season tally in professional football) and assists made (10) in Ligue 1, joining a group of only seven more players who did so amongst the top-5 European Leagues:

Goals and Assists – top-5 European leagues (2010-11)

Since his arrival in Ligue 1 in 2007/08, Gervinho has made more successful dribbles than any other player in the French top flight.

Most dribbles completed in Ligue 1 since 2007/08

Do you think Arsenal should buy Gervinho?

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Winning the French championship brought jubilation to the streets of Lille. Red and white flags were woven on May 22nd with the double mark emblazoned on them after Lille OSC clinched their first league title since 1954 with a 2-2 draw against Paris St. Germain away in the Parc des Princes. The title win was followed by the French cup victory over PSG with the goal scored late on by French born, Polish international midfielder Ludovic Obraniak.

The eyes and ears of Europe perked up and began the chase after Lille’s stars. Victory in a championship, especially one that was a surprise considering the 57 year wait for the title, will result in the star players being scouted and rumoured with moves to Europe’s top clubs. The two main stars at Lille come in the form of Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard and Ivorian playmaker Gervinho. A disastrous situation for Lille manager Rudi Garcia would be to lose both of them in this summer transfer window, especially after the impending departure of central midfielder Yohann Cabaye to Premier League side Newcastle United.

Gervinho seems to have his heart set on a move. A whole host of European clubs have declared interest, but the move that the Ivorian skipper desires is to the Premier League. Arsenal were seen as the firm favourites to sign the Ivorian, especially after Gervinho said in 2008 that to play for Arsenal would be the best day of his life. However, the interest of Newcastle United may have changed Gervinho’s heart and there are strong rumours that he is tempted to join his former teammate Cabaye at St. James’ Park.

Lille president Michel Seydoux seems resigned to losing the 24 year old this summer with the amount of interest circulating the attacking forward, who impressed heavily in Ivory Coast’s World Cup campaign in South Africa. Seydoux has valued Gervinho at around £11 million and there is a wonder whether Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will pay big money, after his generally conservative tactics in the transfer market during his management career in North London. Newcastle chairman Mike Ashley is determined to put money into the club to get back on side with the fans who jeered him and with Magpies star Kevin Nolan rejecting a new contract offer from the club, the money they could raise from the sale of the Liverpudlian would partially fund a bid for Gervinho.

What Seydoux does not want to do is lose both Hazard and Gervinho. The 20 year old Belgian has made 20 international appearances for his country and his play alongside Gervinho last season was mesmerising and resulted in the championship for Lille. Manager of the LOSC Rudi Garcia has described the loss of both of these players as a ‘nightmare‘, but Hazard’s head may be turned by the interest of Spanish giants Real Madrid. Hazard is seen as a collected and calm character, which could be the difference in Real Madrid’s pursuit of the La Liga title and dethroning Barcelona.

Lille general manager Frederic Paquet has quoted that it ‘will take something unreal’ as a bid to allow Lille to think about an offer, but in this era of player power, will Hazard’s taste of international glory and championship victories force him to slap down a transfer offer on Seydoux’s desk and demand a move away from LOSC? If both of these players, Lille can expect a great windfall of money from the sales of the two playmakers and could rebuild the squad to try and cement a place in European football for next season.

LOSC will be fighting tooth and nail to hold on to their prize assets, but there is an inevitability that the efforts will be in vain. Gervinho is a certain departure after the enormous attention Premier League sides are showing him, but the worry is losing Hazard. Lille lose Hazard and they lose the Ligue 1 title next season and may go back to the wilderness of another five decades without a domestic championship.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Is your club completely skint? Still waiting for your Arab oil sheikh to sink billions of his black gold profits into your first team? Just like the rest of us, you’ll probably we waiting a long time. As Manchester City fans are going to find out in the next few seasons, money can’t guarantee you long-term success. Just ask Real Madrid. It can, however, buy you the players you want.

Money is increasingly short in the modern game, meaning that clubs are becoming increasingly reliant on the free transfer market, and in turn their scouting network and their luck. At the same time, clubs are retaining fewer players than ever, meaning that there are countless players available on the market at any time for free.

Most of them will never amount to much, but there are some real gems out there for the shrewd manager. It’s certainly possible to assemble an entire team of free transfers. If you were giving it a go this summer and salary was no object, here’s what you might come up with.

Goalkeepers

Brad Friedel is coming to the end of his Aston Villa contract and, given the quality of his performances and of the clubs interested in him, it’s unlikely that he’ll be there next season. Even more pressing is the fact that he was declared bankrupt in January, after his US soccer academies got into financial trouble, meaning that he’s unlikely to turn down any lucrative move which is offered. A return to Liverpool is possible, although Arsenal and Spurs need a decent keeper too.

Also available: Robert Green, Manuel Almunia

Defenders

Sol Campbell and William Gallas missed each other at Arsenal by a season, and having both captained the Gunners, now find themselves possibly without a club in the summer. Gallas is much more likely than Campbell to find work in the Premiership, having been excellent for Spurs whilst Campbell floundered at Newcastle, appearing just seven times in the league. Whilst we’ll probably see Gallas in the Premiership next year, the smart money is on Sol to call time on a glittering career.

Also available: Matthew Upson

Too late for: Phillipe Mexes (Roma to Milan)

Jose Bosingwa was a big-money signing for Phil Scolari at Chelsea, but after a bright start, his career has stalled on the treatment table. With Branislav Ivanovic making the right-back slot his own, the future looks bleak for the pacy attacking full-back, who initially drew comparisons with Daniel Alves for his marauding runs and long-range shooting.

The experienced John Paintsil is a popular figure at Craven Cottage, but Mark Hughes isn’t convinced. Perhaps his popularity stems more from his one-man laps on honour than from his performances, but there is no doubting that the Ghanaian offers buckets of experience both internationally and in the Premiership, and can be called upon to do a solid, if occasionally erratic, job.

Also available: Pascal Chimbonda

Too late for: Taye Taiwo (Marseille to Milan)

Midfielders

Whilst Mark van Bommel has made it very clear that he wants to extend his six-month contract with Milan into next season and beyond, nothing has materialised as of yet, and this has alerted Tottenham, amongst others, of his potential availability. Tough and dirty, a loose cannon but a winner, van Bommel would literally strengthen any midfield in Europe. With Spurs unable to replicate their qualification for the Champions League, someone with van Bommel’s personality might be just what they need in their midfield (Editor’s Note: As of this morning Mark van Bommel has extended his stay at Milan till 2012).

David Vaughan was lost in the football wilderness just three years ago after a failed spell at Real Sociedad concluded with relegation, and he was snapped up by then-Championship strugglers Blackpool for the paltry sum of £200k. Over 100 league appearances later, and he is one win away from playing a key role in the most unlikely Premiership survival story of them all. Blackpool’s form is uncannily linked Vaughan’s fitness, falling off a cliff whenever he is unavailable, and there should be plenty of suitors this summer. He’s unlikely ever to be lost in the football wilderness again.

Also available: Andrea Pirlo, Patrick Vieira, David Jones, Mahammadou Diarra

Giles Barnes rolled of the consistent but modest Derby County Premiership production line, which also gave us the likes of Malcolm Christie, Chris Riggott, Danny Higginbotham, Rory Delap and, most notably, England midfielder Tom Huddlestone. A tricky and pacy winger, who can also offer thrust and penetration through the middle, his career has stalled significantly since picking up an injury shortly after Derby County last won promotion. If he can be kept off the treatment table and fulfil his potential, he could prove to be a very shrewd signing.

At the opposite end of his career, but with much greater pedigree, Valencia winger Vicente was once the most talked about youngster in Europe. Still only 29, he has also struggled with injury, but has also found time to make over 250 appearances for Valencia and win 38 caps for Spain. Cultured, tricky and with a great delivery, he could find a new lease of life in the Premiership next season.

Also available: Hasan Salihamidzic, Reto Ziegler, Lee Bowyer

Forwards

Michael Owen needs no introduction. 118 league goals for Liverpool, a prolific season in Real Madrid and then very little in six years with Newcastle and Manchester United. When he reached 35 goals for his country in 2005, he seemed destined to comfortably be England’s all time top scorer but has only managed five goals since, and none since 2008. Given his injury record it looks unlikely that he will be offered a new deal by Sir Alex Ferguson, but there’s no chance of him retiring whilst he still harbours international ambitions. Aston Villa could be ideal, as they’re in dire need of a player to partner Darren Bent.

Johan Elmander is a player who performs in spurts, scoring goal after goal for Bolton at the start of this season, before tailing off in the new year. He came to the Trotters attention after a similar spell for previous club Toulouse, where he would often go months without scoring, before suddenly coming to life. He seemed set for a move to Liverpool in the summer, before their moves for Suarez and Carroll seemingly closed the door on that. Powerful and direct, with deceptively good feet, he could prove an ideal target for Stoke, but will surely be aiming higher.

Also available: Marco Di Vaio, John Carew, Kevin Phillips, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Ricardo Fuller

You can also read Red Ben at Five Cantonas, and follow his tweets @FiveCantonas.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

When Deloitte release their annual list of ‘Richest Football Clubs’, there’s plenty of debate on English football’s earning power, the individual TV deals negotiated by Real Madrid and Barcelona, Manchester United’s position at the top of the Premier League food chain, insane amounts of debt in the game, and so on.

I thought it would interesting to take a closer look at where exactly football clubs are earning their revenues from – and thanks to Deloitte’s data on % of revenues earned through matchday, broadcasting and commercial activities, we can draw the following conclusions (all data pulled from the Guardian):

Commercial Revenues

Bayern Munich are miles ahead of the competition when it comes to commercial revenues, with a whopping 171.19m Euros earned in 2009/2010. Real Madrid are 2nd with 149.12m, with Barcelona 3rd at 123.41m Euros in 09/10. United are, predictably, the best performing English club with a ‘paltry’ 97.94m Euros. This tells us three things:

One, you can’t ‘blame’ TV deals as the only factor in Madrid’s and Barcelona’s financial strength.

Two, English clubs have, theoretically speaking, a lot of margin to improve when it comes to commercial activities, and this in part is behind their bullishness in being able to manage their debts / meet UEFA’s FFP policy.

Three, Italian clubs lag behind their English, Spanish and German counterparts when it comes to commercial revenues, something the likes of Internazionale, Milan and Juventus must work on if they want to compete with their European rivals economically in the long run.

Full List:

Bayern Munich 171.19
Real Madrid 149.12
FC Barcelona 123.41
Manchester United 97.94
Schalke 04 79.69
Liverpool 76.6
Chelsea 69.09
AC Milan 63.67
Hamburger SV 62.87
Manchester City 56.54
Juventus 55.35
Arsenal 54.82
Internazionale 47.21
Olympique de Marseille 45.15
Olympique Lyonnais 42.37
Tottenham Hotspur 38.04
AS Roma 38.04
VfB Stuttgart 36.74
Atlético de Madrid 26.15
Aston Villa 16.41

Matchday Revenues

Barcelona lag behind arch-rivals Real Madrid in the matchday revenues stakes, while Manchester United and Arsenal are comfortably 2nd and 3rd thanks to their high-capacity stadiums. It remains to be seen if United fans boycotting matches in protest of the debt will have a significant impact in 10/11, and we might have Arsenal overtaking United if that is the case.

Both Tottenham and Liverpool earn roughly the same amount from their Matchday activities – but still less than half of Arsenal or United. How important is a new stadium to these clubs? Roughly to the tune of 50m-60m per year.

Chelsea are at an impressive 5th in overall matchday revenues with 81.89m Euros in 09/10 – although they would seem to have maxed out their earning potential in this category.

The Italian clubs are again the biggest losers here, with Juventus earning a miserable 16.4m Euros in 09/10, comfortably bottom of the Matchday revenues list.

Full List

Real Madrid 131.58
Manchester United 122.43
Arsenal 115.12
FC Barcelona 99.53
Chelsea 81.89
Bayern Munich 67.83
Liverpool 51.82
Hamburger SV 49.71
Tottenham Hotspur 45.35
Internazionale 38.22
Atlético de Madrid 36.11
AC Milan 30.65
Manchester City 30.56
VfB Stuttgart 29.85
Aston Villa 29.54
Olympique de Marseille 25.4
Schalke 04 25.16
Olympique Lyonnais 24.84
AS Roma 19.63
Juventus 16.4

Broadcasting Revenues

Barcelona and Real Madrid predictably top the list, generating an impressive 175.16m and 157.9m in revenues respectively. Next are the three big Italian clubs, beating out their English rivals in the broadcasting stakes thanks to lucrative deals of their own.

The collective TV deal for the Premier League is a boon for all Premier League clubs but also a hindrance – how much more could Manchester United earn if they were to sell their own TV
rights? If they could match Madrid or Barcelona, that’s an extra 30m to 50m to be had, which would put them at a par overall with Barcelona and within touching distance of Madrid.

How much would Manchester City stand to gain if, along with a boost in their commercial activities, they could also experience a massive increase in broadcasting income?

Full List:

FC Barcelona 175.16
Real Madrid 157.9
AC Milan 141.48
Internazionale 139.38
Juventus 133.25
Manchester United 129.43
Chelsea 104.92
Arsenal 104.16
Liverpool 96.88
Bayern Munich 83.98
Olympique Lyonnais 78.89
Olympique de Marseille 70.55
Manchester City 65.7
AS Roma 65.03
Aston Villa 63.45
Tottenham Hotspur 62.91
Atlético de Madrid 62.25
VfB Stuttgart 48.22
Schalke 04 34.95
Hamburger SV 33.63

More Fun Facts

Shamelessly copied from the Guardian, these refer to the overall rankings:

• Real Madrid has the highest revenue – €438.6m, an increase of 9.3% on the previous year
• The biggest riser is Manchester City – up by 49.5% and nine places to number 11. Tottenham Hotspur did well too – up three places to number 12
• AS Roma is the biggest dropper – down six places to number 18 with a 16% drop in revenue
• Manchester United is up 7% in revenue to €349.8m
• Juventus gets the highest proportion of its revenue from broadcast deals – 65%; Hamburger SV has the smallest – 23%

Full List (Team, 09/10 revenues, 08/09 revenues)

Real Madrid 438.6 401.4
FC Barcelona 398.1 365.9
Manchester United 349.8 327
Bayern Munich 323 289.5
Arsenal 274.1 263
Chelsea 255.9 242.3
AC Milan 235.8 196.5
Liverpool 225.3 217
Internazionale 224.8 196.5
Juventus 205 203.2
Manchester City 152.8 102.2
Tottenham Hotspur 146.3 132.7
Hamburger SV 146.2 146.7
Olympique Lyonnais 146.1 139.2
Olympique de Marseille 141.1 133.2
Schalke 04 139.8 124.5
Atlético de Madrid 124.5 105
AS Roma 122.7 146.4
VfB Stuttgart 114.8 100
Aston Villa 109.4 99

Debt

In itself, borrowing money puts your club at a disadvantage – not only do you have to pay that money back, you also need to pay interest, creating a bigger strain on your revenues. If that money has been borrowed to increase overall revenues (like Arsenal, who have seen strong growth in their matchday revenues as a result), it’s a worthwhile risk. If we’re talking about leveraged buyouts, then we are all agreed that those are bad for the club. The loans Real Madrid and Barcelona pull in to help pay their astronomical wages / transfer fees aren’t much better.

However, once the debt is there, crying over it serves little purpose. The key factor then is to understand whether, in the short run, your club can manage the interest payments and in the long run, whether your club can successfully pay off that debt (while still remaining competitive on the pitch).

When it comes to Barcelona and Real Madrid, a debt of 430m (Barcelona) may seem excessive (and coupled with their Qatar Foundation shirt sponsorship, an clear indication that they are just another football club), but these clubs have the revenue generating capability to service such debts and crucially, the socio-political leverage in their respective regions to thrive even if they cannot.

However where the English clubs are concerned, all of them (even Arsenal) need to look at significantly increasing their revenue generating capabilities. TV money is not enough. United and Arsenal are near the top end of maximising matchday revenues but both clubs, especially Arsenal, have plenty of room to grow in the commercial sponsorships / merchandising sector. Both Tottenham and Liverpool, as previously discussed, desperately need to increase their matchday revenues to financially compete with the top English clubs.

Football & Money

Fans look at stats such as 14 out of 20 Premier League clubs being in debt, or 56% of European clubs operating at a loss, and wonder what all the fuss about buying football clubs is if everyone’s losing money. They might benefit from taking the long-term view – football clubs are powerful revenue generators, and as the stats above show, there’s still plenty of room for them to grow.

The reason investors are flocking towards football clubs isn’t because they want to make money (although in some cases that’s definitely the case) – it’s because they see an opportunity to leverage that profitability later down the line and sell the club for a hefty profit (although there will always be investors like Abramovich / ADG who will buy a football club as a personal symbol of power).

If football were a property market, this one has been in a boom for decades (consider the profit the former chairmen / owners / shareholders of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool made in the last 10 years) and shows no sign of stopping.

You can follow Ahmed Bilal on Twitter (@Soccerlens).

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Morning all. Throughout January Soccerlens is going to be bringing you a daily round-up of the morning’s various goings-on. Be it juicy morsels of spurious transfer gossip or real, actual bona fide news, rest assured, we’ll have it covered.

Here’s this morning’s batch.

Eden Project…

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed that he is interested in bringing Lille prodigy Eden Hazard to the Emirates, but will only make a move for the 20-year-old starlet if and when he becomes ‘available’:

“He’s a player that I have followed for some time, but I do not want to unsettle Lille now.

When he is available for transfer, we will see if there is the possibility to sign him.”

An approach is expected to be forthcoming over the summer, as Wenger – sporting chap that he is – also promised that he wouldn’t do anything to derail Lille’s table-topping season.

Vela sets sail…

After starting just three Premier League games in three seasons, Arsenal pine-warmer Carlos Vela is close to wrapping up a loan move to Valencia after meeting representatives of Los Che in London yesterday to discuss a potential switch.

Several Spanish sources are also claiming that Valencia may have asked for a ‘first refusal’ clause to be factored into the loan contract, meaning that the club may be looking at securing a permanent deal for the Mexican international in six month’s time.

Chopper Nev…

The Daily Mirror seem fairly certain that ‘Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp will make renewed efforts to sign Everton captain Phil Neville at some point this week – despite being respectfully told to ‘stick your offer where the sun don’t shine’ by David Moyes the last time he came a-sniffin’.

The paper reckon that a ‘formal bid’ will be lodged before the weekend is out, with Spurs apparently hoping to use Steven Pienaar‘s recent move to White Hart Lane as a carrot with which to tempt the donkey (Neville) to North East London – though quite why that would be a deciding factor is beyond me.

Luiz control…

Depending on which national newspaper you read, Chelsea are either within a hair’s breadth of snapping up Benfica centre-back David Luiz or about to completely give up their pursuit – and everything between.

In short, no-one’s got a soddin’ clue what’s going on.

Both the Times and the Sun seem to think that the Blues are on the very cusp of completing the £25 million signing of Luiz, whereas the Mirror believe the deal is now off after negotiations hit yet another snag yesterday.

Stay tuned.

The best of the rest…

• Just days after Liverpool announced he would be staying at the club, a brief statement has been posted on their official website to confirm that Dutch winger Ryan Babel has agreed a move to Hoffenheim, and will fly out to Germany today to finalise the deal…

• Speaking of Liverpool, Dutch newspaper Het Parool is reporting this morning that their protracted pursuit of Ajax forward Luis Suarez is ‘dead in the water’, with the Amsterdam club refusing to settle for a penny less than £30 million.

• In even further Liverpool news, it seems as if they are also about to miss out on Blackpool’s Charlie Adam, who saw his transfer request rejected at Bloomfield Road yesterday afternoon…

• West Ham are on the verge of signing Hoffenheim striker Demba Ba and Middlesbrough midfielder Gary O’Neil (both on loan). Consider your season ‘saved’, Hammers fans…

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Morning all. Throughout January, Soccerlens are going to be bringing you a daily round-up of the morning’s various goings-on. Be it juicy morsels of spurious transfer gossip or real, actual bona fide news, rest assured, we’ll have it covered.

Here’s this morning’s batch.

Liverpool to ‘break the bank’ for Sevilla striker…

Reports emanating from Spain and being carried by several websites this morning are suggesting that Liverpool are once again courting Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo, with the Reds said to be weighing up a hefty £17 million bid for the former Real Madrid man – a bid they hope will be substantial enough to persuade the Spanish outfit to renege on their €70 million buy-out clause.

The very same reports are also suggesting that, should ‘Pool be successful in their attempts to land Negredo, German side Hoffenheim will make an official approach for peripheral forward Ryan Babel, after staging a bout of informal talks with the Dutchman last week.

City wrap up Dzeko deal…

Who’d have thunk it? It seems like that last great bastion of journalistic integrity, The Sun, were talking complete and utter cobblers yesterday when they claimed that Edin Dzeko‘s move to Man City could be delayed for up to 4 weeks by a VISA-related issue as, just 24 hours down the line, the club have announced that the £27 million deal has now officially gone through.

Via a statement on their official website, City have confirmed that Dzeko has signed a four-and-a-half year contract at Eastlands and will be handed the vacant ‘number 10′ shirt.

Although the former Wolfsburg striker completed his move too late to be considered for City’s FA Cup third-round tie at Leicester tomorrow, he is more than likely to make his debut against Wolves in the Premier League next Saturday.

Hazard definitely on Wenger’s radar…

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that he is aware of Lille starlet Eden Hazard‘s insistence that moving to the Emirates would be a ‘dream come true’, though the veteran Frenchman is adamant that he will not be making a move for the 20-year-old Belgian tyro this season as he already has ’17 similar forwards’ at his disposal.

Meanwhile, Wenger has also told the gathered press that there is now a ‘small chance’ that out-of-sorts ‘keeper Manuel Almunia will be leaving the club during January, with Atletico Madrid, Osasuna and Valencia all said to be waiting patiently in the wings.

Sunderland line up double swoop…

According to several outlets, Sunderland are beavering away to seal loan deals for Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari and PSG flanker Stephen Sessegnon to help ease the impact of the considerable injuries sustained by Danny Welbeck, Lee Cattermole and David Meyler over the last week or so.

Sessegnon recently signed a new contract with PSG, though the Benin international is understood to be available, whereas a move for Muntari may be scuppered by the fact that his wife is reportedly pining for a move to London.

The best of the rest:

Tottenham winger David Bentley is set to join Birmingham on loan until the end of the season at some point within the next few days…

Fulham are hoping to hijack the Blues’ £7 million move for Robbie Keane and West Ham’s bid to sign Steve Sidwell from Aston Villa. The rotten swines!

West Ham and Villa are interested in snapping up Manchester City left-back Wayne Bridge on loan, but both sides are being put off by his frankly ridiculous £90,000-a-week wages…

Villa manager Gerard Houllier has confirmed his interest in signing Lyon midfielder Jean Makoun, though the Frenchman admits that the current asking price (believed to be around £7 million) is too high…

Everton are now the verge of signing Azerbaijan defender Araz Abdullayev from Neftchi Baku, after the deal was put on hold by the Toffees back in June of last year…

After being scuppered in their pursuit of Edin Dzeko, Juventus are now planning a €15 million January move for Atletico Madrid forward Diego Forlan…

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

With the transfer window now ready and open for business Soccerlens looks at the possible comings and goings at some of Europe’s top domestic leagues.

Italy, Serie A

AC Milan look to be one of the busiest clubs in Italy this January as they prepare themselves to tie down Antonio Cassano from Sampdoria. The Italian international had been in revelling form for i Blucerchiati up until his falling out with president Riccardo Garrone.

Former World Player of the Year Ronaldinho looks set to return to Brazil after a decade of enthralling us all in Europe with his scintillating flair and prowess. Gremio are keen to lure him back to the club where it all started for the toothy Brazilian. You will be missed Ronnie!

Champions Inter under the stewardship of new Coach Leonardo have already wrapped up the signing of defender Andrea Ranocchia who arrives from Genoa. The Nerazzurri are also contemplating a move for Chievo starlet Kevin Constant who has had a fantastic season thus far with The Flying Donkeys.

Roque Santa Cruz of Manchester City has his heart set on a move to Italy with a host of interested parties including Lazio and Juventus. A stumbling block however is the Paraguayan’s determination to move on a permanent contract rather than a short-term loan. It is questionable whether or not anyone is willing to pay an inflated price for his services.

Spain, Primera Liga

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho hasn’t disguised the fact that he is keen to bolster his squad with the arrival of a new striker. This is all the more evident following the injury layoff to Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema being the only recognised available striker with pedigree.  The largely talented Fernando Llorente at Athletic Bilbao is widely tipped to make a move to the Spanish capital and his centre forward prowess will compare to that of Didier Drogba and Diego Milito who Mourinho utilised spectacularly during his days at Chelsea and Inter Milan.

The Whites however will have the joy of bringing Kaka back to the fold who is ready to return to action following a five month injury layoff. This will be like a new signing in itself.

Barcelona have already conducted a piece of business by luring the largely talented Ibrahim Afellay from PSV Eindhoven. Sporting Director Andoni Zubizarreta has already stated that the champions don’t intend to make any more signings.

Germany, Bundesliga

Champions Bayern Munich have had a disappointing start to their Bundesliga title defence and are expected to up their chase for Hoffenheim’s Luiz Gustavo as a long term replacement for the ageing Mark van Bommel. The Bavarians are also courting Swiss starlet Xherdan Shaquiri who is continuously linked with a move to Munich.

Raul may be joined at Schalke by his former teammate at Real Madrid Ezequiel Garay. The Miners have been leaking goals for fun this season and see the Argentine defender as an ideal recruit to prevent this mishap. Garay may make the move for as little as €5million.

France, Ligue 1

There may be a number of departures from Ligue 1 this month with a host of their top talent being linked with moves overseas. Lyon’s Jean Makoun is continuously linked with a move to Aston Villa where he could link up with former Les Gones coach Gerard Houllier and Bordeaux’s talented captain Alou Diarra is being courted by big spenders Manchester City.

Ivory Coast international Gervinho has also been linked with Aston Villa aswell as Liverpool in recent weeks. The Lille man has seen his stock rise following his displays in the 2010 FIFA World Cup last summer.

Lille however are looking to press their title credentials with the signing of Nadir Belhadj from Al Sadd in Qatar.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Alongside the worldwide players’ union (FIFPro),  FIFA have this afternoon announced the 55 players that have been included on the shortlisted for the FIFA/FIFPro World XI 2010 – which will be unveiled as the undercard event on the night that football’s governing body also plan to dole out their prestigious Ballon d’Or award in Zurich on January 10th.

The World XI is voted for by the 50,000 professional footballers that are registered with FIFPro, who will now conduct a secret ballot to nominate whichever of their 11 peers they see fit for inclusion in their ‘fantasy team’, i.e. their individual pick of 2010′s best four defenders, three midfielders, three forwards and single goalkeeper.

The 55-strong list, of basically what is just the world’s most famous players, reads as follows (in alphabetical order):

Goalkeepers:

Gianluigi Buffon (Italy, Juventus), Iker Casillas (Spain, Real Madrid), Petr Cech (Czech Republic, Chelsea), Julio Cesar (Brazil, Inter), Edwin van der Sar (Netherlands, Manchester United).

Defenders:

Daniel Alves (Brazil, Barcelona), Gareth Bale (Wales, Tottenham), Michel Bastos (Brazil, Lyon), Ashley Cole (England, Chelsea), Patrice Evra (France, Manchester United), Rio Ferdinand (England, Manchester United), Philipp Lahm (Germany, Bayern Munich), Lucio (Brazil, Inter), Maicon (Brazil, Inter), Marcelo (Brazil, Real Madrid), Alessandro Nesta (Italy, AC Milan), Pepe (Portugal, Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (Spain, Barcelona), Carles Puyol (Spain, Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Spain, Real Madrid), Walter Samuel (Argentina, Inter), John Terry (England, Chelsea), Thiago Silva (Brazil, AC Milan), Nemanja Vidic (Serbia, Manchester United), Javier Zanetti (Argentina, Inter).

Midfielders:

Esteban Cambiasso (Argentina, Inter), Michael Essien (Ghana, Chelsea), Cesc Fabregas (Spain, Arsenal), Steven Gerrard (England, Liverpool), Andres Iniesta (Spain, Barcelona), Ricardo Kaka (Brazil, Real Madrid), Frank Lampard (England, Chelsea), Javier Mascherano (Argentina, Barcelona), Thomas Muller (Germany, Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Germany, Real Madrid), Andrea Pirlo (Italy, AC Milan), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany, Bayern Munich), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands, Inter), Xabi Alonso (Spain, Real Madrid), Xavi (Spain, Barcelona).

Forwards:

Dimitar Berbatov (Bulgaria, Manchester United), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast, Chelsea), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon, Inter), Diego Forlan (Uruguay, Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina, Real Madrid), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden, AC Milan), Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona), Diego Milito (Argentina, Inter), Arjen Robben (Netherlands, Bayern Munich), Ronaldinho (Brazil, AC Milan), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Real Madrid), Wayne Rooney (England, Manchester United), Carlos Tevez (Argentina, Manchester City), Fernando Torres (Spain, Liverpool), David Villa (Spain, Barcelona).

That’s that horrible lump out of the way. Here’s a few nationality/league-based break-downs of the shortlist for you to digest of your own free will:

Unsurprisingly, reigning World (and European for that matter) champions Spain are leading the way with ten players included on the shortlist, followed closely by nine from Brazilians, eight Argentinians, six Englishmen, four Germany natives, three each from the Netherlands and Italy, two from Portugal and one each from Uruguay, Wales, France, Bulgaria, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Ghana, the Ivory Coast and Cameroon.

Spain’s Primera Division also managed to attract the most nominees with 18 La Liga-based players making the cut, followed swiftly by 17 of the Premier League’s finest, 15 from Italy’s Serie A, a further four representing Germany’s Bundesliga and just one from France’s Ligue 1.

The same old problems arise due to FIFA’s insistence on having their awards cover a calendar year rather than the familiar annum-straddling seasonal schedule that most of Europe’s major leagues currently adhere to.

Of course, every four years a World Cup comes along half-way through to simplify matters, meaning that Sneijder and most of the Spaniards are almost guaranteed to walk their way into the final selection but, as with the Ballon d’Or many short-listed selections can seem strangely dated (Buffon, Mascherano) or knee-jerk (Bale, Berbatov) depending on the timing of the given player’s particular spurt of form.

With that in mind, I’ve plumped for the following hypothetical selection:

Julio Cesar; Maicon, Lucio, Puyol, Cole; Fabregas, Xavi, Sneijder; Forlan, Messi, Tevez

Fancy having a flutter yourself? Feel free to leave your suggested ‘World XIs’ in the comments box below…

From Soccerlens.com - Football News