Football Update

They don't come much more fickle than in the media. Midway through Euro 2008, praise was being lavished on Andrei Arshavin; he was being heralded as the star of the tournament and a world class talent. The minute the little magician failed to perform just once - against eventual winners Spain in the semi-final - it was as if he was almost instantly forgotten by the footballing world. There have been transient links to some of Europe's elite but they have, by and large, been denied by Zenit themselves.

The only major club to register an offer thus far is Barcelona - the side Arshavin has supported since he was a boy - and as it was almost half of what the Russians were asking for their prize asset, it was rejected. Since then, no concrete interest was lodged by any party until Tottenham Hotspur, who have recently contacted Zenit as they line up a possible replacement for vice-captain Robbie Keane, should he be tempted away from White Hart Lane to Liverpool. The interest comes despite firm declarations from the Arshavin camp that he would only move to England for one of the top four sides as to guarantee Champions League football, something he can look forward to with Zenit this season, if he stays with the club. However, he has made it clear that he is ready to leave his hometown club in order to challenge himself in one of Europe's major leagues. It is not a move motivated by money, but ironically it is the club's inflexibility surrounding the asking price that is most likely keeping many clubs at bay.

Zenit have stood firmly by their €30 million valuation of the 27-year-old, with Barcelona's rejected bid of €15 million the only one to have been lodged so far. The Blaugrana instead spent the money on Aliaksandr Hleb, a player of the same age and similar position to Arshavin. Though Hleb is more of a midfielder than a forward, it suffices to say that his signing has ruled out Arshavin's dream move to Barça, who will at the most be in the market for a striker if Samuel Eto'o secures an exit. Their bitter rivals Real Madrid are the only European heavyweight that held an interest in signing the player before he rose to prominence at Euro 2008, but they have been otherwise distracted with their pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo, and snapping up Rafael van der Vaart appears to be their contingency plan. Moving out of Spain and into Italy, there has been no official interest from the Calcio world since Roma's brief flirtation with the forward prior to Euro 2008. Milan and Juventus have finished their dealings for the summer, and while Arshavin could conceivably fill the creative void between midfield and attack for Internazionale, Jose Mourinho has publicly questioned the player's consistency at the highest level; instead preferring Frank Lampard, Marek Hamsik or Ricardo Quaresma - seemingly in that order - to fill the role instead.

There remains an outside possibility that Roma may reignite their interest in the Russian international, possibly to replace Amantino Mancini, but is not as much of a genuine wide player as his predecessor, and Real Madrid's Julio Baptista is the Giallorossi's number one target for the attacking midfield berth, as he is likely to be available at a better price for the somewhat cash-conscious capital club. And that brings us directly to Arsenal, whose fans have urged Arsene Wenger to replace Hleb with Arshavin who, as mentioned, is a player of similar mould and age, but far more fruitful in providing end product. On paper, there is little argument against making a move for the player but Wenger, like Mourinho, has not subscribed to Arshmania, despite the player's agent even hinting Arsenal could be the club for him. The Russian connection has seen a move to Chelsea mooted by the English press, but the club have made no offer and are pursuing Real Madrid star Robinho as what chief executive Peter Kenyon has hinted may be the final piece of the puzzle. Champions Manchester United are only making one purchase this summer, if that, and it has been widely documented that it will be a striker, most likely Dimitar Berbatov of Tottenham Hotspur. While Arshavin could, like Steven Gerrard, prove an invaluable foil for Fernando Torres in Liverpool's attacking set-up, the Reds have prioritised the capture of another Spurs star, in vice-captain Robbie Keane This incestuous transfer merry-go-round has resulted in Spurs being the only club interested and it is one that Andrei would not, if we are to go by the word of his representatives, be willing to leave Zenit for this summer.

With the saga now looking to be at its most convoluted, surely from here, we can only move closer towards a resolution. The player has intimated that he gracefully accepted Zenit's rejection of Barcelona's bid as it was not up to scratch. However, he is now showing signs of frustration as the press continue to report that he is pining for an exit and upset with the steep asking price. Just how much is he worth? Some have questioned whether he could survive in the top leagues, despite his scintillating showings at both the Euros and in the UEFA Cup final, no less. A Zenit stay becomes more likely with each passing day, but is it in their best interests to keep hold of a player that is ready, willing and eager to leave? They have thus far remained publicly compliant with the notion of selling but stubborn in lowering the price on the little man's head. It is, as it has been with superstars like Frank Lampard, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robinho, almost impossible to tell whether the player will force an exit in the coming weeks or not. He would certainly benefit from a move to one of Europe's elite, so a move to Tottenham, though in a superior league with players of an arguably superior calibre playing alongside him, would not be too much greater a challenge than that he is currently undertaking at Zenit. Though his preferred destination as he initially stated, La Liga is all but out of the question and though Inter are crying out for a player in his mould, Mourinho's preferences look like leaving him with England as his only option. The majority of the Big Four have their sights set elsewhere and Arsenal, at least currently, appears to be the only conceivable destination for the 27-year-old. However, they are notoriously stringent, and one club who would have little compunction in paying whatever Zenit demand is Chelsea. If Robinho does indeed stay at Real Madrid, might Roman Abramovich get his wish of both attractive, exciting football and a Russian contingent all in one?

Yes They Should Sell

Even by today’s inflated standards, €100m is an obscene amount of money. From purely a business point of view, it would make sense for Milan to sell Kaka. He may still only be 26, but his game, a little like Cristiano Ronaldo, relies heavily on physical attributes such as pace, acceleration, and quick movements. Within a few years these will have declined, and it is debatable whether Kaka will then still be the same player he is today. Furthermore, the Brazilian had a miserable time with injuries last season, and there are still some lingering fitness doubts following the chronic knee problem that was recently operated on.

With the €100m that Milan receive for Kaka, they could buy three guaranteed world class players who would surely strengthen the team. Use the example of Zinedine Zidane’s world record €76m move from Juventus to Real Madrid in 2001. Luciano Moggi was heavily criticised for offloading arguably the best player in the world at the time. However, Moggi used the money recouped to sign three world class players in Gianluigi Buffon, Lilian Thuram and Pavel Nedved. At that time Juve were in a similar position to that which Milan find themselves in now. They hadn’t won the Scudetto for a few years, and needed revitalising. With these three purchases, Juventus again became the dominant force in Italian football, winning four of the next five Scudetti prior to the Calciopoli crisis.

Despite buying Mathieu Flamini (24), Marco Borriello (26) and Ronaldinho (28) this summer, Milan still have a very old team. The entire defence is over the age of the 30, while most of the midfield is also nearing or already past this landmark. A €100m war-chest would go a long way to injecting some top quality young players into the squad for the future.

No They Should Not Sell

While it is true that €100m is a lot of money, who could Milan realistically buy to adequately replace Kaka? There are very few players in the world who could live up to what he has done. Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is one, but even if the Blaugrana decided to sell, he would cost more than €100m. It is also unlikely that a high profile Argentine would move to such a Brazilian environment. I still have my doubts over Cristiano Ronaldo, and he is probably set to join Real Madrid anyway. Even if he stays at Man Utd, his transfer fee would be astronomical. If you rattle down the list of other highly rated attacking midfielders – Gerrard, Sneijder, Ribery, Riquelme, Iniesta, Robinho, Diego, Van der Vaart – could any of these, assuming they are purchasable, replace Kaka and be value for money?

In simple terms, Kaka is probably irreplaceable in Milan’s current system. Ronaldinho, who plays in a similar position, has just signed but, as has been well documented, he is a huge gamble. The only way the Rossoneri could counter Kaka’s loss would be to change their style of play, which is what Juventus did when they sold Zidane. During the first few years of Marcello Lippi’s first reign in Turin, Juve played some of the most delightful and entertaining football in Europe, with Zidane at the centre of the action. When they sold him in 2002, they had already decided to go down the more efficient route, with workhorses in midfield instead of artists.

With Silvio Berlusconi as owner, this would simply never be allowed to happen at Milan. The club are Berlusconi’s joy, just like Chelsea are to Roman Abramovich. They must always play beautiful football, and so Kaka, someone who brings great enjoyment to the Italian President, must therefore stay.

It must also be noted that when Juve sold Zidane, he was coming off three relatively average seasons for his club. While Zizou was a revelation in his first two years at the Delle Alpi, he struggled to lift a team who had gone into decline from 98/99 onwards and, in truth, offloading Zidane, was a Moggi masterstroke. Kaka, on the other hand, may have been under-par last campaign, but this was only down to injuries, and despite this, he still finished as the club’s top scorer with 15 Serie A goals. Kaka is in his prime now at the age of 26, Zidane was approaching 30 back in 2001.


Carlo Garganese