THESE PLAYERS WILL BE FREE ON JUNE!(This article is available in English and Español)

During the next days, the national football championships take a break, because there will be qualifier games for the World Cup 2010 in South Africa. However, this break should be only for the club players and it should not be extended to other estates of the teams, as the football´ directors, since they must plan the next season, because although we are at the beginning of the season, it is already clear the problems and needs of the different team and therefore the different football´s directors have to work from now, because if they do not it now, later we will sound an habitual song: “the soccer´s marke is very difficult” or “that player is very expensive” or “it is difficult to compete with the richest teams”, in short, a thousand excuses to try to conceal a mismanagement. Although it seems impossible, it is possible to sign a player with these 2 characters: good and cheap, since there are many players, who finish their contract next June and therefore these players should be the objective of many clubs and for example if clubs like AC Milan or Tottenham Hotspur, had done it, now AC Milan would have a good and cheap goalkeeper like the Russian Igor Akinfeev –he made an excellent Euro 08- or the German Tim Wiese of Werder Bremen and Tottenham would have the Russian Roman Pavlyuchenko in the squad without a Transfer fee, but of course they did not read our article of last year (October,the 29)and now they are “suffering” the consequences.
This situation is similar this year and if we look at the various European club- I do not include the South American teams, because we know the situation there, since the players have normally 2 owners, the club and a company, and therefore the European club always must pay for these players-, we can find a lot players, whose contracts finish next June.

For example, if we analyse the goalkeeper´s positon, although it is true that it might not have the names of last season, we can find interesting "things", as the secure Borussia Dortmund´s goalkeeper, Roman Weidenfeller or the spectacular Carlos Kameni of Espanyol Barcelona- maybe he is not the safest goalkeeper of the world, but he has a lot of agility and reflexes and if he has a good day, it is very difficult to score a goal- or the 2 goalkeepers of AEK Athens, the Argentine goalkeeper-scorer (he has scored 12 goals during his career) Diego Sebastian Saja (he has an important experience in Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Italy and Greece and besides he played 4 times for the Argentine National team) or the secure Austrian goalkeeper Jurgen Macho, who showed a good level during the last Euro 08- or the irregular goalkeeper Volkan Demirel of Fenerbaçhe-anything is possible with him-or the fashionable player -as his entire team (the Romanian Cluj)-, Cornel Eduard Stancioiu (he has played 1 time for Romanian National team) or the young, but already experienced, goalkeeper of Le Mans, Yohann Pele.

On the defensive line, teams with defensive problems like Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, AS Roma, AC Milan (it needs new young defenders) or Bayern Munich can analyze the list of the players in this situation, because there are interesting “products”. For example, if one wants an offensive back, it can focus on players like Clemens Fritz of Werder Bremen (he has played 21 games for the German National Team), Emmanuel Eboue of Arsenal FC (he is just 25 year´s old!) or Thimothée Atouba of Hamburg SV or Jeremy Mathieu of Toulouse( this is player is only 24 years but he has already an important experience, since he has played 7 seasons in the French first division and besides he played for the French National team). If the teams needs a more defensive players, they can find very experienced players such as the Danish central defender Per Kroldrup of Fiorentina-he has played 8 seasons in the Italian Serie A- or the polyvalent Theo Lucius (he has played 10 seasons between PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord) and Arne Friedrich of Herta Berlin (he has played 61 games for the German National team) or the Argentine Leandro Cufré of AS Monaco. If the teams want young, but experienced, players, then I recommend that these clubs should go to the Espanyol Barcelona´s stadium to sign the central defender Marc Torrejon and the versatile defender Sergio Sanchez, since they are very good and secure players.

We can also find good players-even stars-in the midfielder´s position, so we will see if teams like Manchester City-it needs a good defensive centre midfielder to balance the team-or Juventus Torino-it is playing horrible and I think that it needs a playmaker to help player like Christian Poulsen and Momo Sissoko- acquire some of these players:

a) More defensive: the experienced German Frank Baumann of Werder Bremen(he has played 28 games with the German National team) or the powerful Nigerian John Obi Mikel of Chelsea FC (he is just 21 year´s old!) or the veteran Pavel Pardo of VfB Stuttgart and Canadian worker Julian De Guzman of Deportivo de La Coruna or the Argentine Lucas Bernardi of AS Monaco and the classical players like Edouard Cisse of Besiktas and Claudio Maldonado of Fenerbahçe (he is living a nightmare with Luis Aragones, who is “singing”again his favourite song :"I do not resign") or Thomas Hübschman of Shakhtar Donestk and the young, but already experienced, Marco Donadel of Fiorentina

b) More offensive: Michael Ballack of Chelsea FC, the brilliant Tomas Rosicky of Arsenal FC-ok, he suffered important injuries, but it is sure that he will show his incredible level again-, the incisive Bayern Munich´s player, Bastian Schweinsteiger- he is one of the our favourite player and he has a great future, since he is only 24 year´s old, but he has an important experience both with his club, Bayern Munich,-he is playing his 7th season- and with the German National Team-59 games and 17 goals-, and the fast and smart Diego Capel of Sevilla FC- we think that he should calm down to be really a key player-, Camel Meriem of AS Monaco and key players like Shunsuke Nakamura of Celtic Glasgow (he is the perfect man for the free-kick) and Alex of Fenerbaçhe (he has an incredible individual technical).
By the way, I can not finish the midfield´point without referring to the one of the sensation this season in the Spanish League, Sergio Busquets of FC Barcelona, since he is showing an incredible level, both defensively and offensively and of course he will have many interested club and especially because his contract (30.000 euros per year) finishes next 30 of June, so we will see if Joan Laporta (the FC Barcelona´s president) makes a good job and he achieves an agreement with this young player and the FC Barcelona´s supporters can enjoy with him during many years.

Finally we will speak about the strikers, whose contracts expire on 30 of June and really we can find excellent players and besides with a “big name” in the European football, since they are synonym of goal, as Michael Owen of Newcastle United-ok, he has injury´s problems but he is an interesting player for any club, especially if he arrives without a transfer fee-or the veteran Julio Ricardo Cruz of Inter-he is a specialist to score during the difficult games-or Hernan "Valdanito" Crespo-ok, he is a veteran player and his last year was not too good, but he has still the instinct and he is the perfect man to play against ultra-defensive team-or Ivica Olic of Hamburg SV-he is a real headache for the rival defensive´line-, or Fernando Morientes, who can show an excellent level for a medium team-or Marko Pantelic, who is playing very well at Hertha BSC Berlin, or the powerful Jean Claude Darcheville of Glasgow Rangers or the smart Guille Franco of Villarreal, who is a player with great mobility.
We can also find players with a big future as the Almeria´s striker Alvaro Negredo (he has a powerful shot and besides he scores easily with his head-he scored 12 goal during his first Spanish Primera division´s season and he has scored 5 goals in 6 games during this season) or Iñigo Diaz de Cerio of the Real Sociedad, the Brazilian Fred of Olympique Lyon-he said that he did not play very well last season because he had personal problems, but it is sure that he will play again with an high level-or one of the sensations during the last Euro 08, Roguer Guerreiro of the Polish team, Legia Warsaw-he has a good quality and mobility -.

Anyway we did a small survey of the most interesting players, but obviously the list is much more extensive and for example, we can mention other players like:

In the defensive line: the experienced backs: Manuel Pasqual of Fiorentina, Lauren of Portsmouth, Paul Stalteri of Tottenham Spurs, Manuel Pablo of Deportivo la Coruña, Pernia of Atletico Madrid, Papac of Glasgow Rangers, Lee Naylor of Celtic Glasgow, Hayrettin Yerlikaya of Sivasspor, Frechaut and Joao Pereira of Sporting Braga and Serginho Greene (Feyernoord´s back right and he has played 7 times with the Dutch National team), or the central defenders: Pablo Amo from Deportivo la Coruña, Juanito of Betis Seville –European Champion with Spain in the last EURO 08- , Bostjan Cesar of Olympique Marseille and Oguchi Onyewu of Standard, or CFR Cluj´s defensive line: Hugo Alcantara (central defender), tony (right back), Cadu (central defender) and Andre Galiassi de Souza (Central defender).

In midfield: Mark van Bommel of Bayern Munich, Jacek Krzynowek of VFL Wolfsburg-excellent shot with his left leg - Gustavo Varela of FC Schalke 04, Scott Chipperfield of FC Basel, Sean Davis of Portsmouth FC, Kevin Nolan of Bolton Wanderers, Sergio and Joan Verdu of Deportivo de La Coruna, the brilliant Ivan De la Pena of Espanyol Barcelona, Mario Alberto Santana of Fiorentina, Moustapha Bayal Sall-powerful centre midfielder of AS Saint-Etienne-, Modeste M'Bami of Olympique Marseille or the classics Bruno Cheyrou of Stade Rennes and"Bolo" Zenden of Olympique Marseille and Hasas Sas of Galatasaray's and Brahim Hemdani of Glasgow Rangers or Paul Hartley of Celtic Glasgow.

Forwards: Peter Lovenkrands of FC Schalke 04-we expected much more level- the brilliant Nwankwo Kanu of Portsmouth FC and the bit overvalued Emile Heskey of Wigan Athletic and Darius Vassell of Manchester City, or good players like Brazilian Deivid de Souza of Fenerbahçe, Shabani Nonda of Galatasaray, and Mehemt Yildiz of Sivasspor-he is one of the best scorers during the last years in the Turkish league-.

From now, it is time to see the movements of the different European clubs.
Cheers,
J&F