Three hungry wolves and one silly Villain

by Joel Abraham

You'd have to have spent the last few months living under a rock to have missed out on Wolfsburg's astonishing title triumph, the first in their history. The side are solid at the back, with a fantastic team work ethic, and deadly in the final third. The team is built upon endless running and players working their socks off for the cause, with wing-backs Christian Gentner and Sascha Riether embodying the team spirit instilled by manager Felix Magath. Proving themselves equally important are left-back Marcel Schafer and Brazilian defensive midfielder Josue.

Yet the standout players have been the ones racking up the goals. In the mires of this summer's tedious transfer tattle, expect to hear plenty about Wolfsburg's "golden triangle": Grafite, Edin Džeko, and Zvjezdan Misimović.

Grafite, Misimović and Džeko

Džeko, a tall and skilful 23-year-old Bosnian striker, netted hattricks against Hoffenheim and Hannover within the space of a fortnight, finishing the season with the handsome tally of 26 goals and bagging the player of the year award to boot. He scores all sorts of goals with either foot, from three yards to thirty yards, and is dominant in the air. He can play comfortably as a lone striker or as a pair, having led the line superbly on his own when Grafite was sidelined by injury. Europe's elite will be falling over themselves to get their hands on this superb young player.

As for Grafite? Have a look at this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSuiI9WY2uY

The 30 year old Brazilian is a rampant beast blessed with great control on the ball, the perfect accomplice to the rangy Džeko. He's the top league scorer this season, with 28 goals in 25 appearances. All the more impressive when you consider he's had his share of injuries this season. He enjoys the big games, having netted decisive braces against Hamburg, Bayern and Leverkusen as well as a hat-trick against Schalke. Powerful and quick, his well-timed runs from deep have made him the ideal figurehead for Wolfsburg's counter-attacks. Also a model professional off the pitch, Grafite will be hot property this summer.

Džeko and Grafite have become the most prolific striking duo in Bundesliga history. They also might be the most religious, with Džeko a devout Muslim who reads from the Koran before each game as his teammate Grafite recites from the Bible.

Pulling the strings behind the pair is Zvjezdan Misimović. The 26-year-old captained the Bosnian national side before his international retirement, although he has been coaxed into reneging upon this decision. He is regarded as the top creative midfielder in the Bundesliga. He lacks pace, but his passing more than makes up for this, with 16 league assists this season.

On the topic, it is worth noting that the future of the Bosnian national side looks very bright indeed. With Misimović at the helm, the likes of Džeko, Lyon midfielder Miralem Pjanić, Hoffenheim duo Sejad Salihović and Vedad Ibišević, Hajduk Split's explosive winger Senijad Ibričić, and centre back Emir Spahić will all be looking to make their mark in South Africa next year. They are set up nicely for a playoff push, and may catch more than a few teams off guard should they make it to the finals.

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Rather than fill endless columns with pointless transfer gossip, here's a list of done deals so far this summer, with more than a couple that catch the eye:

Ivica Olic, Mario Gomez > Bayern
Diego, Fabio Cannavaro > Juventus
Sami Hyypia > Leverkusen
Lukas Podolski > Koln
Yoann Gourcuff > Bordeaux
Thomas Kahlenberg > Wolfsburg
Diego Milito, Thiago Motta > Inter
Fabio Quagliarella, Luca Cigarini > Napoli
Hernan Crespo, Roberto Acquafresca > Genoa

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Another transfer completed today is the £12m move of Gareth Barry from Aston Villa to Manchester City. I won't mince words here - Barry is mad. He's leaving behind one of the most promising young teams in the country led by one of the top managers, and has joined the circus. City are far, far inferior to Villa, and shame on Barry for believing whatever the moneybags owners have promised him. Or maybe his ambition doesn't quite match his greed, being paid a reported £100k a week at City.

A Villa-supporting friend of mine said: "I feel like I've been personally insulted. It's like hosting a party and having one of your best friends not show up because he's gone to the party of another guy you don't like very much. I wouldn't have minded him leaving for Arsenal or Liverpool, but going to Man City is an insult to Villa."