Highly rated French youngster, Samir Nasri has completed a move to Arsenal from Olympique Marseille. The two clubs were said to be in talks over the transfer of the player for sometime now, and after about a month of finalizing things Arsenal, has completed the deal.
This news comes as sweet relief to many Arsenal fans, as the club's players just seem to keep leaving or are rumored to leave. Alas, a gifted player who can ease some of the dismay of loosing Flamini, Hleb and possibly Adebayor.
Personally I destine Nasri for greatness at Arsenal as he fits this team perfectly. Their style of play and his style are one and he will florish at the Emirates, provided someone doesn't break his foot like Eduardo.
Arsenal are believed to have paid Marseille a transfer fee in the region of 14 million euros.

With brilliant performances in the La Liga and Euro 2008, Iker Casillas has emerged as the favorite to win this year's Ballon D’Or.
Casillas won the award for top Liga goalkeeper this season, having conceded 32 goals in 36 matches with Real Madrid. Also with his key role in seeing Spain win Euro 2008, after he put in a breathtaking performances, with special notice to the quarterfinal penalty shootout against Italy, in which he stopped spot kicks from both De Rossi and Di Natale, Casillas has outdone himself.
Cristiano Ronaldo was thought to be the favorite for the award, after having scored 42 goals in all competitions this season with Manchester United. However due to his inability to perform in big matches and his poor Euro 2008 form, he has dropped somewhat down the list.
If you ask me I believe Casillas deserves the award, he showed that he is the best goalkeeper in Europe, if not the world right now, and he has been for sometime now. So what do you think? Does he deserve the award?

With both Ronaldinho and Eto'o out of Pep Guadiola's plans, they were said to be destined on their way out. However due to their high wage demands many clubs have lost or are loosing interest in both these players.
Eto'o is actually in no hurry to leave the Nou Camp and is said to be keen on staying, despite being practically told to find a new club. Eto'o is still currently on holiday, and is said to sit with the officials, to see what they have to say when he returns next week for pre-season training.
Ronaldinho on the other hand has drawn much attention from AC Milan. The club is having a long transfer saga with the player, and the latest news is that owner, Silvio Berlusconi has said that Barcelona is still asking too much for the player. Apparently anything in excess of 20 million euros is too much, as Milan is still trying to sign Adebayor from Arsenal, which is said to cost them around 30 million euros. This just makes me ponder. I wonder if they are trying to sign both Ronaldinho and Adebayor but I highly doubt it, especially after Milan's vice-president Adriano Galliani ruled out a double swoop.
So what does this all mean? It just means that Barcelona fans could possibly get to see two of the best players in the team, stay at the club. I am not a fan of Pep's idea to sell Eto'o and Ronaldinho. He should and eventually will, sit with both players and see what are their ambitions. Eto'o without a doubt in my mind wants to stay, and Ronaldinho though said to be keen on a move to Milan, will only move if the right offer is made. As a fan of both these players, I'm still hopeful that at least one of them will stay. Given the chance, I'm confident that they will perform and win more titles for Barca.

With both Ronaldinho and Eto'o out of Pep Guadiola's plans, they were said to be destined on their way out. However due to their high wage demands many clubs have lost or are loosing interest in both these players.
Eto'o is actually in no hurry to leave the Nou Camp and is said to be keen on staying, despite being practically told to find a new club. Eto'o is still currently on holiday, and is said to sit with the officials, to see what they have to say when he returns next week for pre-season training.
Ronaldinho on the other hand has drawn much attention from AC Milan. The club is having a long transfer saga with the player, and the latest news is that owner, Silvio Berlusconi has said that Barcelona is still asking too much for the player. Apparently anything in excess of 20 million euros is too much, as Milan is still trying to sign Adebayor from Arsenal, which is said to cost them around 30 million euros. This just makes me ponder. I wonder if they are trying to sign both Ronaldinho and Adebayor but I highly doubt it, especially after Milan's vice-president Adriano Galliani ruled out a double swoop.
So what does this all mean? It just means that Barcelona fans could possibly get to see two of the best players in the team, stay at the club. I am not a fan of Pep's idea to sell Eto'o and Ronaldinho. He should and eventually will, sit with both players and see what are their ambitions. Eto'o without a doubt in my mind wants to stay, and Ronaldinho though said to be keen on a move to Milan, will only move if the right offer is made. As a fan of both these players, I'm still hopeful that at least one of them will stay. Given the chance, I'm confident that they will perform and win more titles for Barca.

Following reports of Fifa President, Sepp Blatter's comments of Manchester United practicing modern day slavery in the case of Cristiano Ronaldo, who wants to leave Old Trafford this summer for Real Madrid. Ronald has been said to have agreed with Blatter's comments.
Blatter's comments were made because United are said to be so keen to keep the player, that they would even drop him to the reserves rather than sell him for his disloyalty.
The interview in which Ronaldo stated these comments, are set to be aired this evening at 2000 BST on Portuguese station TVI.
Blatter is right and Ronaldo is right, I'm a fan of neither of these teams but United is being rather unreasonable. If a player has a desire to leave a club, which he has won practically every competition there is to win and given all that he can, why not respect his wishes to move on. After all he's given Manchester United everything. Don't you think?

The transfer that has been getting the most hype in the media for sometime now, is none other than the possible move of Emmanuel Adebayor to a new club. To the surprise of many, Adebayor has drawn the most attention this transfer season, and even though he managed to finish second in the goal scoring charts of the EPL, this comes as a shock to many.
AC Milan and Barcelona are the two main clubs who have been after the Togolese hitman since the beginning of the transfer window. But it was always thought that the player was more keen on a move to the San Siro.
Arsene Wenger, a manger who never likes to loose his stars, was insisting that the player would stay, but later dismissed these comments by stating that the club will have to sell its top players every season, in order to pay for their new stadium at the Emirates.
Adebayor is apparently keen on more money, having stated that he will play like Henry when he is payed like Henry, and Arsenal were said to be keen to give the player one more chance by doubling his current pay.
However new rumors have surfaced through the Italian press that the Rosserneri and Arsenal have agreed a fee for Adebayor, having received word from Arsenal that they are ready to sell. According to the report, Milan will pay 30 million euros for Adebayor and include France Under-21 international Yoann Gourcuff in the deal.
Gorcuff is said to have been one of the highly rated young talents throughout Europe, who joined Milan in 2006. However having failed to impress at Milan, the midfielder was loaned out to Bordeaux for next season. Wenger is said to be fond of the player and would welcome the deal.
Milan general manager, Adriano Galliani, is said to be hoping to wrap up the deal by next Wednesday, the 16th of July and although Adebayor will move immediately, it said that Arsenal won't get Yoann Gourcuff until his loan spell with Bordeaux ends in June 2009.
Adebayor will be the third player to move away from the Emirates this season if the deal does pull through, but I'm just curious, what does this all mean for Arsenal and their title hopes for next season? With Flamini already at AC Milan, Hleb said to complete a medical at Barcelona soon and now Adebayor on his way out, this can't be good for the club. And it doesn't help their stability at all. Besides scrambling to find new players, when these new players do arrive, how productive will Arsenal be. My only thought is that if Arsenal do manage to win the Premier League next season, Arsene Wenger is one hell of a manager.

Aleksandr Hleb's future has been somewhat very uncertain over the past months, as he was an unsettled Arsenal player, trophyless, coming of age and wanting a new challenge.
Reports had stated that Hleb had agreed personal terms with Barcelona earlier in the transfer season, however a deal did not materialize, as the clubs had not yet agreed a transfer fee for the player. However reports today indicate that the clubs have agreed on a deal for the Beloriussian, and he will now fly to Barcelona, to perform a medical and sign for the club.
With this news Ronaldinho is more likely than not to leave, as Hleb has been tipped as his replacement on the left side of the team. There's really no replacement for Ronaldinho but the club has to take action in case he leaves.
This news also decreases the likelihood of Andrei Arshavin arriving at the Nou Camp this season, as his club has rejected two bids from Barcelona for him, stating that the offers weren't enough.
With club president, Joan Laporta pulling through the vote of no confidence by a very narrow margin, as 60% of the club members with voting rights voted against him, but 65% were needed for an election to be held, trasnfers activities were able to continue as usual and thus, a deal has been agreed for Hleb.
This will reunite two former Gunners, Henry and Hleb, and it is yet to be seen if the two can strike a successful partnership, as it is said they didn't play well together while at the Emirates.

The speculation has been on going for weeks now, with a huge air of uncertainty concerning Frank Lampard's future.
Jose Mourinho, former Chelsea boss and new coach of Inter Milan, is very keen to bring Lampard to the San Siro, as he is in the hunt for a top class midfielder. It was thought that the two would almost certainly be reunited at the start of the season, as they were reports that the clubs had agreed a fee for the player, and that Lampard had landed in Italy to complete a medical.
However Chelsea has officially denied these claims in a statement that reads:
"Chelsea Football Club can confirm it has received an official approach from Internazionale to discuss the possible transfer of Frank Lampard. Contrary to reports no financial offer was made. Chelsea FC has informed Inter this morning (Tuesday, July 8) that we will not enter into any discussions regarding the transfer of Frank Lampard."
Inter are still very keen on getting the player, and Jose Mourinho has informed the club that he wants to sign Lampard by next Wednesday, when all the players will be back for pre-season training. However with Chelsea's official statement, the only way the player can move is if he hands in a request to be transfered.

I don't get it why Javier Saviola can't find a permanent club. Is it his small stature? And the desire of clubs these days to buy tall center forwards like the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Adriano, Adebayor, and Roman Pavlyuchenko, because it definitely can't be his attitude.
Saviola is one of those strikers who although small, is very gifted and he finds the back of the net almost every time he's given the opportunity to play. Arguably his best performances in recent times, was when he was on loan with Sevilla in the 2005-2006 season, as he was a key figure in their Uefa Cup triumph. Maybe Saviola should have taken a pay cut and signed for Sevilla, his career probably would be in better shape than it is now.
However now a Real Madrid player, after being sold by Barcelona last season as he did not fit into Frank Rijkarrd's plans, he still finds it difficult to to hold down a secure position, and now Madrid's coach Bernd Schuster has instructed the board to find Saviola a new club.
Juventus, Fiorentina and Napoli are all said to be interested in the player, however they may be discouraged by his high wage demands as he is payed €3m-per-season at Madrid.
Saviola apparently is only prepared to spend one more season on the bench at Madrid and refuses to lower his wage demands, thus forcing the club to find him potential buyers. So with that said maybe it is the player's attitude, but I doubt it.

Today, Barcelona's 118,528 members with voting rights will decide if current president, Joan Laporta and his board will continue their reign at the Nou Camp or step down.
Fans have mixed feeling on whether Laporta should step down or stay, as it is rumored that the futures of Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho will be determined by this vote. It is said that if Laporta maintains his position, Ronaldinho and Eto'o will leave, and if he is voted out, they will stay. AC Milan is hoping for a Laporta win, so they could possibly bring Ronaldinho to the San Siro.
For this motion of censure to take place it is required that 10% of the club's associates vote and that 2/3 of all votes are gathered. If the vote proves successful Laporta and his board will immediately resign and a temporary commision led by Xavier Sala i Martín will take over, until elections are held.
I was at first against this vote, but now that FCBarcelona has made all the necessary signings of the summer, Alves, Keita, Pique, and Martín Cáceres, I believe Laporta should be voted out. The intention of he and his board to sell our best attacking players, Ronaldinho and Eto'o, doesn't go well with me, as Barca does not need Adebayor or any other striker. For me the main issues with the team was a lack of discipline and their defense, and now that we have made defensive signings, new coach Pep Guardiola should just focus on gelling the team together.
Laporta has done well during his period as president, as the club has managed back to back league titles and the Champions League under his rule. Also the club has been profitable for the fifth consecutive year, massing a profit of 10.1 million last season. However much of his success is attributed to the man trying to take his position, Sandro Rosell. Rosell was vice president of the club during those successful seasons but departed due to differences with Laporta. After his departure the club's success has dropped dramatically, thus causing Rosell to jump at the opportunity and force the vote of no confidence against Laporta. Rosell is also said to be the man responsible for bringing Ronaldinho to Barcelona in the first place.