Futera’s ‘Man in the Stands’ Mitch Freeley keeps you up to date with news in the world of Football.
You can send any comments to Mitch by emailing him at
Article 10 – July 2009
In this World Football blog I’ve cast an eye over some key transfers in Europe. So enjoy as I walk you through some of the more interesting transfers in France, Germany, England, Spain and anywhere else that takes my fancy.
Lucho Gonzalez to Marseille €20 million
The Argentine Midfielder has signed for L’OM after spending 4 seasons at Porto. The club captain headed over to the south of France to join new coach Didier Deschamps. It’s a major coup for Marseille who spurned off reported interest from a mystery English Premier League side. Marseille are looking to close the gap on current champions Bordeaux, who have sold speedy winger Gabriel Obertan to Manchester United.
Mario Gomez to Bayern Munich €30 million.
Bayern have spent big domestically again, this time on the big man from Stuttgart with whom they had been linked for a couple of months. But they paid a record €30 million making Mario the most expensive Bundesliga player of all time. This signing could perhaps mean a move for Italian Luca Toni, who is reportedly wanting a move back to Italy?
Thomas Kahlenberg to Wolfsburg undisclosed
Auxerre sold classy midfielder Kahlenberg to current German champions Wolfsburg, which could prove to be a clever buy by the German Side. The Dane has looked a strong player for Auxerre this season, and at 26 still has his best years ahead of him. Expect him to compete in the centre of the park with Brazilian Josue. The Wolves will also be delighted that their strike pair of Edin Dzeko and Grafite have committed to the club for another season.
Javier Pastore: Talleres- Palermo
This guy has big things ahead of him, only 19 and dubbed the ‘Argentinean Kaka’ he has moved to Europe. He starred in the Argentine Clausura this season for Hurican and scored an impressive eight goals in his first full season. This led for calls of an international cap by the Argentinean press but so far Diego Maradona has not obliged. He has moved to Palermo who secured his services after reported interest from Manchester United and A.C Milan. He is contracted until 2014.
Djibril Cissé Marseille – Panathinaikos €7 million
Last season he was helping Sunderland avoid the drop and now the flamboyant Frenchman and his differing hairstyles will be joining the Greek league with Panathinaikos. The promise of Champions League football was too much and he completed his move to Athens for a rather princely 7 million Euros. Henk ten Cate is crafting a new side to compete with Olympiacos who completed the league and cup double last season; they have also strengthened in the close season with the likes of Swedish defender Olaf Melberg, and young English striker Matt Derbyshire.
So that’s my run down of some of the more interesting deals going on around Europe at the moment.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Futera or www.futera.com
The World’s Finest Collectible Cards
Copyright © Futera 2010. All Rights Reserved.