I guess that was the "option to buy" clause decided last year, when Siqueira had good seasons at Granada but didn't seem SO good. After seeing him playing in Europa League, I guess there could be several teams ready to offer more. If, as I understand from what Roji wrote, the Pozzo's gave Benfica not a simple "right to buy for 7M" but a "first refusal with minimum 7M", that's genius!
I'm sure the final sum will go higher than 7 million, but not by much. Fullbacks generally don't command huge transfer fees. Real Madrid's most recent purchase for that position, Dani Carvajal, only commanded a fee somewhere in the region of 6 million euros.
That's because they had a buy back clause on him, it was them who "sold" him to Leverkusen in the first place It's quite common for clubs to sell youngsters on the fringe of the first team for a small fee to other clubs, with a low buy back clause should they be good enough. Bayern did it for Emre Can too, can buy him back for £8M
I'm sure that'll change soon, we're entering a new age of full-backs where they're ALWAYS expected to help join attacks (it's been done in the past certainly, but nowhere near the scale that they're used these days). I can't imagine, Shaw, Baines, Alaba as some examples to go for under 15m.
Hopefully the Pozzo's see sense and filter the money into the better club, being Watford - 15 mill war chest for Beppe this summer! Granada area a lost cause!
Yep, I was going to give notice. Strong rumours give for certain that Pereyra will go to Juve in the very first days of the transfer window. Nothing sure yet, but the sum should be about 15M€, partially covered by one or more young players owned by Juve (maybe Rugani or Zaza).
Well, I despise Juventus but I must admit they are maybe our best "customers" in Italy. They have the money and want players already proven in serie A. We have players whom we took as young unknowns and who have proven themselves in serie A, and we need the money to buy more youngs and keep a sound budget. Juventus wants the finished product, not the raw stone. Their millions of fans are unpatient and want immediate results. Udinese is the gem-cutter, who buys lots of raw stones and keeps them the right time to cut and polish them.
No news yet. Only some vague rumours that he may have changed his mind. Scoring a hat-trick in last match, reaching 17 goals in season and 193 in serie A in career may help in seeing him play one more season maybe. The 200 goals, or the 6th place in serie A all-times-scorers (http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classifica_dei_marcatori_della_Serie_A) currently held by Baggio with 205 are so near that I hope he'll do it.
Would another season out of Di Natale not hamper the progress of someone like Muriel? Am I right in thinking he rarely played this season
True, but mostly due to various minor injuries. Main problem for the progress of the younger strikers anyway was that Guidolin had become too much defensively-minded and seemed to not even consider the possibility of fielding 2 strikers together. To answer to Arakel: 24 goals next season looks like something impossible for a 36YO striker. But the 7 missing to reach 200 or the 12 to reach 6th place in all-times-scorers table may be possible. I guess the (hopefully near) choice of our next coach will influence Di Natale's choice. He often complained in this season he was too lonely in attack. A more attacking-minded manager might convince him that he can break some new records and it's worth to continue. Probably not always playing the 90' but sometimes (or maybe often) coming from the bench in SH. As a "deluxe sub" entering the field when opponents are tired, he might still do wonderful things for at least one season.
Paco Jemez won't move from Rayo Vallecano due to the president and the managers. He wants to leave but they doesn't let him leave before the last contract year [Rayo Vallecano has no money and now they have a good coach, so they want to retain him] Granada CF and Michael Laudrup had talked each other. Now the danish has the Granada CF project to read it and say if he will be our coach this week.
That's a brilliant appointment if it happens. Also raises the possibility of him managing us in the future, should he want to try his hand in England again.
Joaquín Caparrós talking to Granada CF to become the new coach, well that's what I read...God help them
A big change in Italy's transfer market. The "shared property" of players has been abolished. Current shared ownerships can be renewed for one last season. No new ones can be established.
That is great news I think Sherlock. I never understood why you had the co-ownership rules in the first place! Are you pleased with this?
What does that mean for all the players that are currently shared then? Will they have a year to sort a deal between the sides or will they go blind bidding?
The shared ownership was anyway a "temporary" situation that needed yearly renewal or resolution (by agreement between the teams for one to buy 100%) or blind bidding. Now there will be one last possible renewal of existing co-ownerships in oncoming transfer window.
Caparros new coach, we like him, he "made" the structure to Sevilla [Which win 2 UEFA after him, making Reyes, Ramos or Navas come to Sevilla A and making Alves and Baptista the player that they would become] or Athletic [Now in Champions, he make the debut of Muniain, Iturraspe, De Marcos, Susaeta… And made Llorente have minutes]. Its a coach that loves B teams and their teams usually stay 10th or ahead, their teams have a great defense style and attack fast, the player must give everything they have in the field. He left Levante to stay with us. Seems Laudrup was just a "fog curtain" as we say here while they talked with him.