Latest on the Transfer Front: MEGA Post

By: Inara | June 24th, 2008
   

The latest news from this week…Due to the amount of material covered, I didn’t post links to the original sources like I normally do, but if you want them, let me know.

OUTGOING:

FRED: Is it just me, or does Fred spend an inordinate amount of time making life difficult for the rest of us? Every six months, there is always a new transfer saga involving him, and it’s getting really annoying. Lyon have offered him a contract extension, which he is still “considering,” but it’s hard to tell if he just wants more money (most likely – he’s greedy) or if he genuinely wants to leave.

Despite having an output that was at best average this year, Fred has a whole host of clubs interested in his services. He’s currently being tracked by Roma, who have been linked with him on and off for the past year or so. A while back, Roma considered offering Mancini in exchange for Fred and cash, but Lyon thought that price too high. Roma are still interested, but no word yet on how much they’d be willing to pay.

Fred has received definite interest from several German clubs, most notably Werder Bremen, who like his profile and would like to see him play with Diego. But Fred doesn’t want to play in the Bundesliga and turned them away. He does, however, want to play in Spain and is currently being tracked by Valencia. The question is if Valencia will be able to afford Fred – with the crappy year they’ve had, their finances are pretty bad.

Claude Puel hasn’t said whether he wants to keep Fred or not, and knowing Puel, he might find Fred too much of a drama queen for a squad that needs stability. But Bernard Lacombe says Fred will have to honor his contract, which doesn’t make sense when you take Lyon’s operating policy into consideration. With his contract ending in 2009, if Fred doesn’t sign an extension, Lyon have to sell him this summer if they want to prevent him walking away for free next year.

GREGORY COUPET: Coupet said during Euro 2008 that he had no interest in playing for another French club, which squashed those PSG rumors. He wanted a foreign adventure, and if he didn’t get a suitable offer, then he’d just retire. That’s when the media had claimed that Coupet had all but signed for Tottenham, which eventually turned out to be an idle rumor.

But it looks like Coupet really will be signing for Atletico Madrid – there are even pictures of him in a hotel in Spain. Word is that Coupet convinced the club to lower his already ridiculous €3m buyout clause to €1.5m, which has got to be one of the steals of the year for a goalkeeper who is easily among the top ten in the world and one who still has two or three years left in the tank.

He’ll be signing a two year contract with an optional third year. He should be presented by Atletico sometime this week.

KIM KALLSTROM: The battle for Kongo Kim is once again heating up. Last year, Lyon turned down a hefty €14m offer from Valencia because the club wasn’t ready to let him go. This year they are, though some were concerned that he had devalued in price (which doesn’t make much sense since his second season at Lyon was better than his first).

Thankfully, that’s not the case. Sevilla really want Kallstrom to fill up the gaping hole in their midfield and are prepared to offer €14m for him. Why so much? Because Everton, Hamburg, and now Inter Milan are also interested in Kallstrom, so Sevilla are desperate to tie up this deal and not have it drag out. Lyon are apparently satisfied with the price and are waiting for a formal offer.

Kallstrom says that he considers La Liga the best in the world and that he would be thrilled the play there. I’m pretty sure Sevilla would be able to meet his salary demands, so unless there is a dramatic eleventh hour reversal, expect this transfer to happen.

HATEM BEN ARFA: This kid is taking lessons from Fred on how to create drama. While he hasn’t officially ruled out the possibility of staying at Lyon, it seems to be understood that he’ll be leaving this summer. Puel said that he intended to talk to Ben Arfa personally before he decided on anything, but rumor has it that none of the technical staff want Ben Arfa to stay. And neither, apparently, do most of his teammates.

He has a lot of clubs lined up for his signature. Manchester United, Barcelona, and Chelsea have expressed interest, Tottenham, Arsenal, and PSG have formal contact to discuss terms, while Marseille, Atletico, and Roma have submitted formal offers.

Ben Arfa has already refused Atletico and Roma and has stated that he would prefer to stay within France for another year or two. OM are his choice, and he’s been spotted looking for apartments in Marseille. However, Lyon won’t let their prodigy go for peanuts and are asking between €17m to upwards of €20m.

On Marseille’s website, Pape Diouf admitted that they were in discussions with both Lyon and Ben Arfa but that negotiations were difficult. First, €17m would pretty much eat up what they earned from the sale of Samir Nasri to Arsenal. Secondly, Ben Arfa is asking for a steep increase in wages, something that Marseille isn’t prepared to agree to at this point.

However, Marseille is going to have to come to an agreement soon because I suspect other clubs are waiting to see what will happen before sneaking in with a better offer for Ben Arfa. While I personally think Aulas is crazy in letting Ben Arfa go to Marseille (hello, the team that defeated us twice this last season) and that his whole “oh let’s keep L1 strong” mantra is kinda fishy, I also know that Aulas will do everything he can to encourage a bidding war.

ANTHONY REVEILLERE: Fiorentina need someone to replace the outgoing Tomas Ujfalusi, and Reveillere doesn’t want to rotate with Francois Clerc anymore. Plus I think Reveillere has decided by now that his international career is pretty much over, so he might as well leave France.

Fiorentina offered around €4.5m for Reveillere, which is a seriously low balled bid. Lyon said hell no and are demanding around €7m for him. Fiorentina, who have already agreed to terms with Reveillere, are still deciding if they want to maintain pursuit or find a cheaper target.

MILAN BAROS: This guy is an perpetual orphan. He goes from club to club, totally unwanted. His stint at Portsmouth was a failure in the sense that he didn’t score a single goal while he was there. But then the single game he played in Euro 2008 reminded us that wait, Baros can be dangerous when he remembers to.

His agent said that he had planned talks with Lyon to see if Baros is a part of next season’s plans, but it doesn’t look very positive at the moment. He’s got some clubs interested in him, including West Bromwich Albion, Werder Bremen, Bolton, and Besiktas. Bolton are prepared to offer €5m for his signature, which is about right (actually, I would say that it’s more than he’s worth, but that would be mean).

SIDNEY GOVOU: Aulas says that he expects Govou to accept the extension (and pay raise, I’m sure) to his contract.

SEE, I TOLD YOU SO.

For all his talk about leaving, he never is going to leave. Ever. Do you know why? It’s not because of his loyalty to Lyon but because no other club will pay him such insane wages (fyi, Govou is the 46th most highest paid footballer in the world – he gets paid more than Peter Cech and Andrea Pirlo!).

SEBASTIEN SQUILLACI: This is another situation that’s growing increasingly complicated. Sevilla are in the search of a quality central defender who is experienced and affordable. Squillaci is unhappy about the uncertainty regarding his position in the starting lineup. Sevilla, meet Toto. Toto, meet Sevilla.

Sevilla have already come to an agreement with Squillaci and have forwarded a €5m offer to Lyon, who agreed to the transfer on principle. But Lyon thought that the offer was too low and are demanding something like €7m. So then Sevilla offered €5.5m Close but no cigar.

Things looked stalled for awhile, then Sevilla came back into the picture and said, “Okay, we’ll raise our offer.” But then Puel decided that he didn’t want Squillaci to go. Except Sevilla don’t plan on giving up. And Squillaci won’t force a move. So…

Stay tuned.

MATHIEU BODMER: PSG are interested, but Bodmer isn’t going anywhere. Though if Bodmer doesn’t play more next season, he most likely will leave.

FABIO GROSSO: No one except Lyon wanted him last season, but now that he’s had such a fabulous Euro 2008 campaign (the only OL player besides Jeremy Toulalan who can hold his head up about that), he’s suddenly on the most wanted listed in Italy. Juventus, AC Milan, Roma, and Fiorentina would like a bite out of Grosso’s Dolce and Gabbana clad ass.

Too bad for them because Lyon aren’t interested in selling, and more importantly, Grosso isn’t interested in leaving.

THE CHILDREN: Some of Lyon’s reserves are also moving around this summer. Aurelien Badin will be joining his old teammate Gregory Bettiol at Troyes. Anthony Mounier will be chilling with Loic Remy at Nice next season (Mounier will be on loan – no word yet on whether Nice will have the option to buy). And in what took me by surprise, Alexandre Bouchard signed a three-year contract with Chateauroux. I’m surprised because Bouchard was supposed to be The Next Big Thing, so I wasn’t expecting Lyon to sell him outright. Loan him, maybe, but not sell.


INCOMING:

JOHN MENSAH: This guy is definitely one of France’s best defenders – immense, in control, just a beast really. He’s also looking for a move out of Rennes this summer, and he shouldn’t be too expensive.

The problem for Lyon is that Mensah’s preference is for a move to England. His family are all English speaking, plus his BFF Sulley Muntari plays there. Oh, and let’s not even get into the issue of wages.

STEPHAN LICHTSTEINER: A player who spent the last couple of years under the guidance of Puel, he’s been earmarked as a potential replacement for Reveillere. He’s great at going forwards though defensively, he’s not the best. But he’s certainly good enough to get noticed by Real Madrid, and he’s been under Lyon’s radar for some time now.

A Swiss international, he’s experienced both for his national team and in the Champions League with Lille. Puel also knows him really well, so that could be an advantage as well. However, if Lyon really do land Lichtsteiner, Lille will officially have become our satelitte club. And that would really suck for them.

MICHAEL CHRETIEN: One of the best players at overachieving Nancy this season, Chretien is ready to leave for another club. Lyon like his profile and are considering him as another alternative in the event Reveillere leaves.

He’s gotten a lot of interest from Sevilla, but it’s believed that Lyon are the favorites for his signature. Plus Nancy’s president, Jacques Rousselot, prefers the Chretien stay in France than go abroad. However, in recent days, Lyon have been backing out because Nancy’s asking price is too high. According to the media, Lyon are eying a mysterious player in Brazil instead.

DIEGO MILITO: Puel had Milito on his list of players that could play alongside of Karim Benzema. Milito looked to be an achievable target because his club, Real Zaragoza, was relegated to Secunda for next season. Unfortunately, Tottenham have stepped in and are now the favorites for his signature. Lyon are also looking at Johan Elmander and Bafetimbi Gomis as alternatives.

SEBASTIEN POCOGNOLI: A player that Lyon have been interested in for a long while, AZ Alkmaar have suddenly decided that he’s not transferable. Which is too bad because he would have been a great option at LB. While it’s not clear whether Lyon are going to take Alkmaar at their word and back off, hopefully the club is examining other options.

SERGIO GARCIA: He’s another member of the sinking ship named Real Zaragoza. A Spanish international, he’s a winger/attacking midfielder. Lyon haven’t made any formal overtures but have sent scouts to watch on him on several occasions.

YURI ZHIRKOV: !!!!! I guess Russian is the new flavor of the month, with them doing so well in Euro 2008. The world might be captivated by his teammates Roman Pavlyuchenko and Andrei Arshavin, but Zhirkov is also a key part of Russia’s success this summer. He’s very versatile and can play any where on the left side, though as an attacker, his best position is LW (ahem, the Ben Arfa position).

With both Kallstrom and Ben Arfa looking to leave, Lyon are without any true left sided attackers (okay, there is Grosso), but as admirers of Zhirkov, they have made preliminary contact with CSKA Moscow and are waiting for Puel’s final verdict – I guess Aulas and Lacombe need that now – before making a formal offer.


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Tags

   
  • pean8ts
  • pean8ts
  • Mat

    Baros set to stay at Lyon : http://www.goal.com/en/Articol...
    What the hell is going on ???
    + this weird Lyon's veto if there is not an agreement with Ben A before friday night...
    that is what happen when the weather is suddenly very hot...

  • Aditya

    I have a feeling JMA was serious about strengthening Ligue 1. Maybe he did that to start a new era of friendship with OM.

  • Pride of Lyon

    I was also surprised of the tranfer fee (only 11 million), while Nasri left for much more! But thinking a bit more about it, I realize Lyon didn't have to pay anything to get Ben Arfa (straight from Clairefontaine), so excluding the salary, it is 11 million for JMA without having to negotiate. Ben Arfa must really have sucked a lot in the locker room for JMA to accept any offer.

    It is nice though to sell such a player to Marseille. Marseille supporters will be awful for a while, but it improves the image of Lyon as well as the team atmosphere.
    I can't wait for Lyon-Marseille, and Marseille-Lyon... a shame I probably won't be able to see those games. :(

  • Mike

    To echo many of you, the Ben Arfa transfer seems to be the organization drawing a line with those to fail to buy into the 'orginizational culture.' Even though it seems to be a temporary set back (and when Hatem scores on us next seasons it'll seem even bigger) in the long run any organization run in this manner will be better off for it. I'll give 7 championships in a row as evidence that the front office knows what it's doing.

    In fact, I think Ben Arfa's exciting style of play as the only reason people miss him that much. Would you rather have Malouda there or BA? For me there is no question who scared defenses more on a consistent basis. Hopefully we'll find a true replacement for Florent with BA gone.

  • Jo

    Oh, be sure I agree with Lyon, Pride of Lyon.
    I totally think that Marseille is the club for a player like Ben Arfa, you're right.
    But I'm not a Marseillais supporter, so that's not my preoccupation.
    I'm just fed up with all this Marseillais who talk too much, and won't stop now that they have buy one of our diamond for only 12 millions...
    Look at OLweb forum. They've already begun. Don't like that mentality.

  • Pride of Lyon

    Sad to see Ben Arfa leave, but contrarily to Jo, I am delighted he goes to Marseille.
    Ben Arfa is probably the most amazing dribbler we ever had in Lyon. But his team spirit didn't match his abilities. I think Marseille is a club meant for Hatem before a move to la Liga. Hatem's mentality (spectacular football) fits in Marseille.

    IMO, this transfer is one of the most important in French football history. Next year I do for once believe in a 3 horse race.

  • Nicolas

    It might not be over yet:

    http://www.goal.com/en/Articol...

    I know it is probably just a matter of time (and wages/transfer fee), but the part that took my eye is this: ''There are still some fine details that we have to conclude with Ben Arfa with reference to his own standing at Lyon''. Does this mean that Ben Arfa and Lyon haven't really parted ways yet and that there is a slim chance Puel would make the kid stay?

  • Jo

    I cannot believe the tag "Hatem Ben Arfa" on my right will disappear and now belong to "former Lyonnais" category.
    If 12 millions is really the price, I would be more mad than sad.
    But I guess we don't know everything... and you're right : Aulas surely have a reason to do so.

    So difficult to swallow. Really.

  • James

    Thanks a lot for filling me in Inara! It does seem odd that Ben Arfa is like that, because his name has been thrown around on Theoffside a lot, and he seems exactly like Benzema/Nasri (attitude wise).

    Although France has excellent academies.. I think they need to hire someone who's a little harder on them and not baby them so much.

  • mikep

    Well ben arfas trouble in lyon must have been pretty bad. Aulas probably thinks he sold marsielle a trojan hourse.

  • Jean Bernard

    The Milito interest is intriguing. I definately rate him, and if we can snatch him we should. By the way Inara, where did you get that info on pirlo and cech's wages? I would be interested in seeing some more of that.

  • Corey

    The death of the 4-3-3 with the sale of Ben Arfa. Pathetic, I think I just stopped supporting Lyon after such a stupid move.

  • Ush

    Must have really wanted to get rid of him. He must look at himself, I'm sure he'll realize his mistakes when he's not winning anything at the end of next season with Marseille.

  • Nicolas

    Noooooooooooooooooo!

    I really like Ben Arfa, I was hoping he would stay and simply didn't want to believe that he is set to leave Lyon! This is going to be one of the biggest transfer mistakes in Lyon's history, I have a feeling we'll be crying for Ben Arfa in the next few years. Such a player, such a dribbler, he was one of the best Lyon players before his expulsion from the first team. There better be a good reason for this, I'm really pissed and dissapointed! And does anyone understand what has happened for Perrin to put him on the bench in the first place???

  • Ush

    http://www.goal.com/en/Articol...

    They say region of 20 mill.
    lol@comment on the article page:
    "I thought this kid was a huge talent, why's he leaving Lyon to go to Marseille don't players normally do that the other way round ?!?!"

  • lefutur

    I think Lyon should try to pick up one of these Turkish players. Now these guys play with heart!

  • Jao

    I hope we don't buy another player to replace Hatem. Even if we lose Kallstrom, we will still have a stacked midfield. This is a good time to bring up the next Ben Arfa (in terms of play) from the youth system. And what the hell is Puel thinking with Baros? Seriously, guy is useless.

  • Jao

    Sad to see him go, but at least he is staying in France.

  • Jo

    I'm so sad...
    Everywhere, but Marseille.

    Good Luck, Hatem.

  • I think like I said, the only reason why he didn't agree at first was to humor Claude Puel and make sure he can meet Ben Arfa. But from what I've heard, the fact that he was seen in Marseille looking for flats sealed the deal for the Lyon staff.

  • Inara, Apparently it's 15 million. I'm waiting for an official number before I post anything up

  • Alex

    Yes Inara, l'equipe is reporting it too...I have a Ben Arfa Lyon shirt oh no! He had such a great run in the winter this year. I think what might have sealed it was the Lyon-Marseille match at the velodrome. (remember that 3-1...ouch) Ben Arfa entered the match and was the best player on the pitch

  • Ush

    Damn shame about Ben Arfa. Why can't every young player be as good AND humble as Lionel Messi!!!??

  • Aditya

    I hope Zhirkov joins OM rather than Ben-Arfa. No more brats in OM after Nasri and Cisse leave. I also want OM to be interested in Reveillere. Bonnart is ok but AR would be a nice upgrade.

  • japple

    I was very surprised to reach the end of the post and see Zhirkov's name and picture! Watching this year's euro, while Arshavin and Pavlychenko are immense, russia's number 18 has really stood out to me. Great technical ability, pace, and work rate. Against the netherlands, this guy was running up the flank throwing crosses into the box, then the next moment he would track back and help in the defense.

  • Nicolas

    Yuri Zhirkov! I just love that player! I've been taking a close look in the past few years at the Russian national team and their major clubs such as CSKA Moscow and Zenit, and it doesen't surprise me at all that the've come so far at the EURO or that Zenit had won the UEFA cup (they were my favourites all along). Russia has so many exciting players that few people know about, and now all of a sudden the whole of Europe wants them! Only one member of the Russian NT, Ivan Saenko, plays outside of Russia, and I would really love things stay that way and that not one of them, including Pavlychenko, Pogrebnyak or Arshavin, goes abroad. Their clubs, especially Zenit, actually can afford those players western wages (which they already did with Arshavin). However, if Zhirkov really is to be sold, I'd love to see him in Lyon - I'm sure he would adapt really well!

  • James

    So why is Ben Arfa so disliked? Or what'd he do? Someone please fill me in. :)

  • mrCham

    Is Gomis any good in L1 ?

  • Always a headache, this time of year ):
    I think I'm glad that Puel are looking at some defenders considering that two of them might be leaving..

    And what about Beynié, any news on him?

  • Aditya

    Come on don't we need another central defender? The other transfers are ok.

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