Transfer Talk: Christmas Lists Filling Up

By: chris | December 12th, 2007

It’s that time of year again, when everybody’s making their wishes and checking them twice. Same goes for all the big boys of world football, as there are only 3 weeks left until the January transfer windows opens back up when all the disgruntled salary leaches and necessary midseason upgrades start swapping kits. Silly season doesn’t wait for the official opening, so it’s already in full swing and rumors have started to pop up ad nauseam. As you probably know, most of these rumors have the legitimacy of a blind movie critic, not to mention the same probability as Santa Claus impregnating the Tooth Fairy, but it’s fun to run with it nonetheless. Onto the rumors we go.

• Juventus have begun their annual look at a big man up top, usually deciding between Peter Crouch and Klaas Jan Huntelaar, and it looks like they’ve made their decision. Seems the jailbirds have already begun discussions with Ajax for Eredivisie goal scorer extraordinaire KJH: “Yes, we are negotiating a deal for Huntelaar of Ajax,” Cobolli Gigli told the Corriere dello Sport today. Works for me, as long as no one reminds them they were a defensive injury away from plucking a senior citizen out of Serie C1 a couple months ago.

• More Juve, more non-defenders. And this one is the bi-monthly (at least) rumor that Frank Lampard just cannot wait to get his hands on some non-Champions League action for the rest of the year. And all Frankie wants in return is €7m per annum. Pennies. Color me, uh, not thinking this is going to happen.

• Fulham wants Watford skipper Marlon King. That’s all well and fine, but I doubt they’re ready to shell out the £60m Adrian Boothroyd thinks he’s worth. I’m also going to guess old Adrian is on an island all by himself on this one. (The guy does have a point, though. Wonder if he’s still on board with that thought now that Watford is in first in the Championship and primed for promotion.)

• Arsene Wenger is getting to take a significant shot at Yoann Gourcouff, aka “The New Zidane #72″, from Milan for a reported £15m. £15m! Clearly this rumor is a complete fabrication: Arsene would never buy a Frenchman.

• Milan must be banking on some of that Gourcuff money to put under their mattress as they stock away Fort Knox type money for a reported £34m bid for Amauri. Half for Palermo, half for the hitman on a 4 year deal. Seriously, who comes up with these numbers? Does somebody just spin the Price Is Right wheel and slap down whatever number it hits on? Amauri for 6m per? Really?

• David Villa, whose buyout clause could probably cure world hunger, has drawn interest from Tottenham according to his agent. Normally you’d say this is a completely ludicrous rumor because Tottenham would never blow an obscene amount of money on a superfluous striker, but I have two words for you: Darren Bent. Never say never.

• Despite the fact that Massimo Moratti won’t spend any money in the winter window (uh huh), he’s already tapping up players for a summer splurge, namely: Mahamouda Diarra (because he needs more men behind the ball), Jeremy Menez, and Daniele De Rossi. The first two maybe, but the last one is clearly just an attempt to make people think he would actually target an Italian. Because any owner in Europe, besides Rosella Sensi, who wants to sign Daniele’s checks is going to have to buy Roma first.

• It appears Willy Sagnol has kinda maybe decided to move on from Bavaria and would like to make England his next stomping ground, with Chelsea and ManUtd hot and heavy on his trail. Milan is sniffing around too, as we all know they’d never turn down the chance to add a defender over 30.

• People are making stuff up now that Kaka has said he hearts the Prem. Boy, didn’t see that coming at all. (But ya know, Milan isn’t looking all that likely to make next year’s CL without a repeat of last year’s title…)

• Napoli is keeping an eye on Swedish sensation Johan Elmander, who said last summer he was staying because…

“Some time in the future I would like to try playing in Spain or England. But now, it has to be a step forwards. It must be a club which is better than Toulouse.”

Turning down the likes of Tottenham, Juventus and Roma (two of which aren’t in Spain or England, but whatever). Toulouse is currently sitting 14th in Ligue 1 after hovering around relegation for awhile. I’m sure a lot of clubs are looking juicy to Johan right about now, Napoli being one. Anyone but Toulouse being another.

• Hernan Crespo, who pouted his way to a 3rd loan from Chelsea to Milan this season, would like to return to River Plate if old gaffer Diego Simeone returns to the bench next season. Why? Inter must feel just as much like Argentina as Argentina itself.

• Another underplayed Inter striker - this one fatter and more depressed - would also like to return to the home continent. Sao Paolo is considering the return of Adriano, and everybody in Milan but Moratti is not-so-subtly shoving him towards the exit door, but the Brazilian club won’t make an offer because it “isn’t ethical”. Uh huh. Admit it, nobody wants him.

Surely there are more, and plenty of smaller fish to pair with the big boys, so throw em below in the comment thread.