Publicity stunt
There could soon be two new foreign forward players in the Premier League if yesterday’s media reports are to be believed.
Similarity
There is no doubt that the two players being mentioned are, or have been, world class. That, however, is where the similarity ends. One, the proposed purchase of Wolfsburg’s Edin Dzeko by Manchester City, is a serious signing by a rich club looking to take the next step to challenge for honours at home and in Europe. The other, the proposed purchase of AC Milan’s Ronaldinho by Blackburn Rovers, is a publicity seeking signing by a supposedly rich club who haven’t got the faintest idea what they are doing.
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini spoke yesterday to say that he believed a deal has been agreed for Dzeko who will cost the club around £30 million.
Decent
The twenty-four year old striker is highly rated and has scored sixty-six goals in one hundred and eleven games since arriving at Wolfsburg in 2007. He is a Bosnian international and has a decent scoring record at that level with seventeen goals in thirty-one appearances.
He was voted by fellow Bundesliga players as their player of the season for 2008-09 and was the top scorer in the league in 2009-10. He has twice been named Bosnian footballer of the year.
Hungry
He is a player who is at the peak of his game and is hungry for success. He will be looking to help take City to the top in Europe and will want to win medals. He will be looking forward to working with great players and with a great manager. Roberto Mancini is excited by the prospect of having him at Eastlands.
We ve agreed a fee. He s a good player and all the teams in Europe want him.
Contrast
Let us contrast that with Blackburn’s attempt to sign Ronaldinho.
The company that owns Blackburn, Venky’s, say that they are in talks with Ronaldinho’s manager.
Nobody can question what a great player Ronaldinho used to be. Now, however, he is not the player he once was. He is currently in Brazil after leaving Milan’s winter training camp in Dubai. He went to Milan in 2008 after losing his place in the Barcelona side and this season he has lost his place at Milan.
Scored
He is thirty years old and has scored twenty league goals in sixty-eight games in his two and a half seasons at Milan. This season he has played just three games.
Ronaldinho was the world’s best player, Europe’s best player and won all sorts of massive honours. The fact is, however, that the last of these was five years ago.
Medals
Ronaldinho is not hungry, he is not looking for medals and he can’t seriously believe that Blackburn are going places. He certainly wouldn’t be looking forward to working with great players or a great manager.
The move is nothing more than a publicity stunt by the ridiculous owners of Blackburn. Even if the move does come about, and that is a massive if, Ronaldinho is the last player that Blackburn need at the moment. The Premier League is a tough old scrap this season and whatever the owners, and their mouth-piece Steve Kean, might say, Blackburn will be fighting to stay in it, not looking for a top five finish.
Thinks
Chairwoman of Venky’s, Anuradha Desai, has said that she thinks the move will come off.
He is keen to play in the EPL and I think that goes in our favour.
She went on to detail what has actually been offered to the player.
Precise
To be precise it is 7.6 million euros (£6.5 million) for the first year and about 8.5 million euros (£7.2 million) for the second and third years.
That is a heck of a lot of money to spend just to try to win the fans over.
Worse
To make matters worse, Desai went on to defend her role at Blackburn.
The impression is I ve never watched a football match. I ve not watched in a stadium but I have been watching the World Cup in India. I have watched hundreds of cricket matches but not live, it s all on TV. To say I don t have any knowledge would be wrong. I am a good listener. The fans have to trust us and give us some time and you will see for yourself that we are sincere people, very passionate about the football team and football club and our fans. We will not let you down.
Well at least she has seen a game or two on the television! If it wasn’t so sad and dangerous for football you really would have to laugh wouldn’t you?
