Transfer Rumors: Somethings Old and Somethings New.

By: John | November 27th, 2008

Potential Lyon Target, Palermo/Dutch International CB Simon Kjaer

I don’t think that anyone out there- except for maybe Ronan obviously- loves transfer rumors more than I do. And with the winter transfer window approaching, lots of rumors have begun to swirl around. Thankfully, there are none- except for possibly the 15-year-old AZ Alkmaar midfielder Adam Maher- on the offensive side of the ball, because if there were, I think I’d pull my hair out. Obviously, the side back injury castrophy is priority #1, and with Bodmer out, and extra CB couldn’t hurt. The following is a list of potential defensive pick-ups in the winter window:

The New:

Side Backs:

Pascal Chimbonda: Pascal has supposedly been rotting-away on the Sunderland bench after reportedly falling out of favor with Roy Keane. He’s allegedly disgruntled and would welcome a move to Lyon, although his agent has down-played all the talk, stating that Chimbonda is happy at Sunderland and there has been no contact by Lyon. There was talk about his being picked-up as a joker for Reveillere and some sources report a possible loan deal. What I like about Pascal is that he can play all positions along the backline- I think we need to recruit defensive players from now-on that can play both CB and SB or both SB positions- though his natural position is right back.

Mahamadou Dabo: A starter at St. Etienne and with ten caps for the French U21 squad, Dabo plays primarily right back but can also play on the left. Haven’t seen him play, so I’ll let you guys comment on his skills. Dabo was a target of Arsene Wenger along with Jean Makoun and Blaise Matuidi this past summer.
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Central Defenders:

Adil Rami: Central defender who plays for Lille. Adil plays either side center half. Rami had one call-up and cap for the French National team, Domenech calling him up for the B team friendly, vs. Mali this past March. Now that Lille is officially our satelite club, I think that this signing is the most probable. Although, Rami recently said that he was happy and didn’t plan on going anywhere this winter, he said that next summer was a different matter. Marseilles and Man U are also supposed to be in the running to sign Rami.
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Simon Kjaer: A Danish U21 star and Palermo central defender, Kjaer is just 19 yrs old. Reportedly, he had a very good game vs. the French U21 squad this past Nov. Haven’t seen him play- can’t bear watching a Serie A match- but he looks like a Viking stud in his pics. I know some of you regularly follow the French U21, so please share your thoughts about his play. Juventus is said to be very interested in him also.

Onyekachi Apam: The OGC Nice player and Nigerian International is a solid defender. He usually plays center half on the right- Cris’ position- and can play left and right back. I’m sure for the extra money Lyon will throw at him, he’ll move over to left center back without complaint. As with Lille, Lyon have excellent “trade relations” with Nice, and this would also be an easy signing.
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The Usual and Highly Improbable Suspects:

Nicolas Burdisso: Burdisso is an Argentine CB playing for Inter Milan. He is another versatile defender. Supposedly, he can play any position along the back line and after CB, is especially partial to RB. Nicolas’ main criticism seems to be lapses in concentration and bad judgement at times. Burdisso can also score goals, with headers being his specialty. He’s won (20) caps and scored two goals for the Argentine NT. Burdisso is sought after by Fiorentina and I can’t find any other credible suitors.
Thiago Silva: This Brazilian International is a big, physical, central defender playing for Brazilian outfit, Fluminense. AC Milan and Inter are believed to be the front-runners to win his signature, although Silva has declared his preference for AC Milan, probably due to his affinity towards Ronaldinho and Kaka. He’s more of wishlist player for Lyon at this point, if he’s still even on their radar.