Early bird transfer speculation worms (pt 2): Daniel Alves, Fernando Amorebieta, Kakha Kaladze, Jonathan Zebina, & Francesco Modesto

Continuing from yesterday's post. Time to talk defense... sort of.

Daniel Alves, RB/RM/RW, Sevilla FC - I don't know why I punish myself, but what the hell. After the death of Antonio Puerta, it looks mission impossible for anyone to snatch the 24-year-old Brazilian from Sevilla. He would certainly solve any issues we have with the right side of the pitch. His quality is unquestionable and though he does tend to disappear at times, he has the talent to dominate matches. He's obviously CL cup-tied, so I'm thinking if we do make a bid, it'll be this summer. The price? Probably £20m. The chances? None.


Fernando Amorebieta, CB/LB, Athletic Bilbao - I'm not going to lie to you, I don't know much about Señor Amorebieta other than he's 22-years-old, was born in Venezuela though holds a Spanish passport, and plays centre-back, but can also fill in at left back. Apparently Rafa rates him though, which is ultimately all that matters. Oh, and he likes designer t-shirts, tiger cubs, baby alligators, and has a spider web tattoo on his right elbow (see video). His valuation is somewhere between £6-8m and I'm thinking the closer to 8, the better chance we could nab him. Somewhat likely.


Kakha Kaladze, CB/LB, AC Milan - Apparently this was on the books until the American owners stalled on the transfer funds. Now with the retirement of Paolo Maldini, it's looking even more unlikely. I'm kind of 50/50 on it anyhow. Kaladze is an adequate squad player who can fill-in at multiple positions, but he doesn't do much else. I guess right now, he'd fill a need. His fee is set at around £4m, so availability is the real question. Somewhat likely.

Jonathan Zebina, RB/CB, Juventus - Like Kaladze, Zebina is 29-years-old and would be a decent squad player. The thing about him is that he's primarily a right-back and though he does have centre back experience, I'm not sure he's worth the risk unless he comes on a free. He may be a throw-in on a Sissoko deal as well. Another issue with the Frenchman is that he does have a bit of an attitude and I don't know how he'll take to the limited time he'll receive on the pitch. Here's a video of him bitch-slapping a camera man. Somewhat likely.


Francesco Modesto, LB/LM, Reggina - Oh my God, I'm getting bored with this shit. Anyhow, Modesto may have the shortest Wikipedia entry on the planet. Hell, I think mine is longer. I'm pretty sure I've watched him play before, but like most the times I watch calcio, I probably fell asleep. I have no clue what his valuation is set at, but I would assume it's somewhere between the ballpark of £6-9m. Apparently he's available at the right price, though he'd prefer to stay in Italy. Somewhat likely.

Stay tuned for part 3: Mancini, Gabriel Heinze, Jesus, the Pope, & less...

Transfer target of the day: Fernando Amorebieta

Even with three months until the January transfer window opens, the rumors are starting to sprout. Today we have Fernando Amorebieta, a 22-year-old Venezuela-born, Spain eligible player, who currently wears the Athletic Bilbao kit. For some reason, he's ineligible to play for Venezuela though.

He stands six-foot-three, is somewhat highly-rated, and though his primary position is centre back, he has also started at left-back. Sounds like a good fit and probably will be inexpensive. Unfortunately the only video I could find of him is an own goal so I won't bother.