How can you not be excited when your club signs one of the most sought after players in the market? Well needless to say then that I’m absolutely enthused with Monchi’s latest steal of Negredo from the big spending mierda.

The fee was undisclosed by the club meaning it couldn’t have been a hell of a lot otherwise it would have had to be disclosed and placed on the stock market. The estimated fee is believed to be about €12 million or so and rising to €15 million depending on performances and all that junk. Of course the mierda like they always do have added a buy back clause in the deal and it really wouldn’t surprise me if they take him back next season when Van Nistelrooy’s contract expires.

This is all a bit of a shock to me as I really never imagined we had the funds to prize Negredo to Andalucía but when Fred committed himself to Fluminense earlier this week, Monchi put his money where Del Nido’s mouth is and signed probably the best available striker on the market in Negredo.

Alvaro Negredo is a proven La Liga goal scorer netting 19 goals last campaign for our fellow Andalucíans, Almería and 13 the previous campaign; he was the second highest goal scoring Spaniard last year after David Villa.

The addition of Negredo now means we have 5 strikers either signaling the departure of one or very limited playing time at best. Kanouté and Luis Fabiano are the obvious starting pair with Negredo obviously having one foot in the door to break the partnership but we can’t forget about both Koné and Chevantón who have played well (as usual) in the pre-season thus far.

In my opinion we don’t need to get rid of any strikers. Sure Chevantón will probably get the shit end of the stick and get the limited playing time but remember that both Kanouté and Koné will be gone for possibly a few weeks due to the African Cup of Nations and Chevantón and Fabiano both have a history of injuries. Last season we clearly saw that at one point, all four of our strikers were injured causing Renato and Acosta to start up front for a game of two which wasn’t effective to say the least.

With a massive signing like this one, Del Nido, Monchi and Jiménez are signaling our intent for the upcoming season where we prepare for our return to the Champions League and for a La Liga campaign which will be one to remember. We’re no where near the level of Real Madrid and definitely not even close to Barcelona who are far superior to the mierda but we’re close behind. We’re definitely the team this season not to be taken lightly.

The squad now has a total of 25 players which is way too many so there will be no more signings, thats for sure. Monchi has completed another very successful transfer window by signing Didier Zokora to strengthen our midfield which was much needed, Sergio Sánchez to solidify the right back position which we lacked since Alves’ departure and now Negredo to give us the extra fire power up front.

The squad is looking good, very good indeed.

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That would be my sexy self in Barcelona, which was one of my many destinations this past summer in my Euro trip. That would also explain and (hopefully) excuse the lack of activity in this blog. Don’t worry my fellow Sevillistas, I haven’t forgot about you nor our beloved squad who are not only doing fairly well in the pre-season but also shaping up quite nicely.

So many things have gone on in this past month it’s un-freakin’-believable but I’m going to try and name ‘em all here in this one, beautiful, legendary post.

Needless to say the Peace Cup was a flop. Not only the attendances which is a bit of a bad reflection on us Andalucíans but also our beloved Sevilla who lost to Juventus in a match which we totally dominated and also drawing Seongnam who are an extremely mediocre Korean side.

Let’s no reminisce too much on a pre-season tournament in which we faltered in but rather look at the many other positives in which this marvelous club has encountered after the pain.

New Sponsorship Deal
If you watched any of the Peace Cup or follow the club religiously enough like I do then you would have known that our deal with 888.com ran out and we were without a sponsor from the time last season concluded. Not to worry though as we at Sevilla are trusting our luck again with another Asian gambling company 12bet.com. The deal will last for two years and according to President Del Nido “boost the international recognition of the club”. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All bullshit. Whatever, as long as there’s money coming in for us putting some stupid foreign writing on our kits then I don’t care what we’re boosting.

Enough of that nonsense, let’s get down to the juicy stuff.

First off let me just by saying something from the heart, and that’s an obvious, HUGE “Rest in Peace” to Espanyol captain Daniel Jarque. We at Sevilla know this all too well and experienced it first hand when Antonio Puerta sadly passed away 2 short years ago. I can’t emphasize enough how much of a tragedy this is not only for Espanyol or La Liga, but for the whole footballing world and especially for the family and wife of Jarque himself. Our thoughts and prayers (well at least mine for sure) are with Jarque’s family, wife and his unborn child. It hit hard in the Sevillista community not only because of what happened to Puerta but also because our new signing Sergio Sánchez also played with Daniel at Espanyol and knew him very well. Obviously he has taken this hard and we wish him all the best and as a condolence the whole squad wore t-shirts with Jarque’s face on them before the final of the Carranza.

Moving on then and speaking of the Carranza… We tore it apart. Mallorca, Valencia, Depor, meh, no competition for us. Sure they weren’t convincing scores, mere 1-0 victories but its the fashion in which we got them. They were all hard fought, I’ll give them that but in the end we proved our worth once again and came out winning that huge trophy which is meaningless really, but good for the show cabinet none the less.

For today ladies and gents, that is all. You can’t expect me to write about all the transfer gossip when I missed my siesta can you?! Hah, yeah right, nice try though. I promise you though that it shall all be here tomorrow, same time, same place so stay tuned!!!

Damn it feels good to be back. Nos Vemos

We’ve had two friendlies so far up until this point and we’ve come out on top in both but not as convincingly as planned. Zokora made an impact as planned but alone he wasn’t enough to lift us to more than a shaky 1-0 victory over Conil CF.

Technically we’re the hosts of this tournament with the matches being played in both El Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán and the Estadio Olímpico which are both in our beautiful city. Not sure how much home field advantage will factor in to the games but we’ll have to see after tonight.

Tonight’s match against Italian giants Juventus will take place in the Estadio Olímpico which has a maximum capacity of about 57,600.

It’ll be a real test for us for two reasons – 1) Juventus are a top side with top players such as Amauri and Trezeguet amongst many others and 2) We’re without our two hitmen Luis Fabiano and Kanouté.

Luis Fabiano was given extra time off to recover from the Confederations Cup in which he led Brasil to victory and won the Golden Boot to show for it. Kanouté was also given extra time and as a result the deadly duo only started training this week thus, not having reached acceptable match fitness yet. Like I said, it truly will give Jiménez an idea of who will play next season from Koné, Chevantón or even Alfaro who has impressed in pre-season.

Adriano, Fazio and De Mul are all also nursing slight knocks but are included in the squad and expected to play if needed none the less.

The Old Lady are looking a bit crippled also with Melo, Giovinco and Diego out which could balance the sides a bit or even shift the advantage to us.

Our midfield is what I’m interested in. Now of course Navas will start on the right with either Capel or Perotti on the left but I’m curious to see who Manolo will start in the centre. It is presumed that Zokora will play the holding midfield role but will Jiménez give him the freedom to roam and therefore start Duscher to hold instead of will he go with the more experienced as the attacking midfielder? Maybe he’ll go with an all-Ivorian pair of Zokora and Romaric in which I’m actually really excited to see. Whatever it is, it will be experimental and interesting for anyone watching.

New boy, Sergio Sánchez will not play after just arriving in Nervión today and not being match fit yet which will mean Adriano or Konko will start at right back.

It’s hard to say what this game will come down to because clearly both sides will be going all out for a victory in a match which is for both teams, the first real test of the pre-season. What I do know is that Zokora will be keen to make a first impression and if you know our fans, well yeah, they’ll be keen to make an impression as well.

It’s been clear that we’ve been in the market for a right back after chasing Jesús Gámez for most of the summer and although the deal seems to be done and dusted, Lolo and Duda who were supposed to be heading the other way in an exchange of players, couldn’t agree to terms so the deal fell through. Not to worry though as we have the best sporting director out there in Monchi who clearly had a plan B lined up because just days after Málaga President Fernando Sanz announced that the deal probably wasn’t going to happen, Del Nido and co. are announcing the arrival of Sánchez.

Our right back situation has been a bit of a problem since Alves left before the beginning of last season with Konko and Mosquera failing to live up to his name and the latter now having been transfered back to Mexico. Adriano did a solid job as a stand-in right back but he’s obviously a left footer so it’s not an ideal situation for either him or the team. The arrival of Sánchez probably does signal very limited playing time for Konko who failed to impress during his first season in Nervión last year. In all fairness to him though he did spend a lengthy time on the sidelines due to injury so maybe he will come good this year, we’ll just have to wait and see about that one.

It’s always good when your team buys an aspiring player in the transfer market like we have done with Sánchez, but it’s even better when that player is ecstatic about playing for your team.

“After such a hectic summer in the transfer market, I am finally at where I always wanted to be. It is a pleasure to already be a player of Sevilla FC. For me, the opportunity to enjoy the Champions League with Sevilla is the real prize. The staff and the squad of the club did an excellent job last season and they were rewarded with a third-place finish. I will arrive with a lot of motivation and excitement and I’m ready to help the club reach their objectives, which is ofcourse to win La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey. This team have the aspirations to achieve everything.”

Clearly the boy wants to play for us and that’s definitely an encouraging sign. He also said he relishes the chance to link up with his Spanish teammate Diego Capel who he just had the opportunity to play with in the U-21 Championships.

Other Transfer News
In the same press conference where Sergio Sánchez was announced, Del Nido also took the time to address a couple other matters which have been floating around the papers.

Just to clarify things, Del Nido said that Luis Fabiano was never for sale and his comments yesterday about being happy in Sevilla and continuing for us are comforting for all the supporters and club to hear. He went on to say that he hopes Luis can take his Confederations Cup form and stay injury free throughout the upcoming season to show the world why he’s Brazil’s number 9.

Del Nido also said that all no one should expect any new signings in this window. He did go on to mention that that another player would arrive only if Jiménez required it for our squad. With Koné, Kanouté, Zokora and Romaric out after Christmas due to the African Cup of Nations we’re going to be a bit short up front and in the centre of the park, but then again, we do have a larger squad than needed. This could set the stage for players like Lolo and Chevantón to shine but it really begs the question about whether these players are good enough for a top four team. We’ll find out in about 5-6 months but personally I don’t think so.

I’m happy we sorted out our right back situation which was probably the most important but I still think there’s a few holes in the squad which in turn leave a massive gap between us and teams like Barça and Real.

We have failed to have a solid right sided defender since the departure of Dani Alves about a year ago and it was clearly our weak spot this season. Konko didn’t live up to the expectations he had when arriving from Genoa last summer and Mosquera was well below-par hence his transfer to Mexican side América early last week.

Gámez was clearly one of Málaga’s best players last season as they just failed to qualify for the Europa League in their first season in La Liga after finishing 8th. Before last season started there was massive interest in Gámez from other top European clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and Valencia. Jesús stated that he held out for a move to us because he preferred the location of Sevilla and was more motivated by our Champions League football.

The deal was said to be easy as both presidents previously had a solid relationship and Málaga were keen to acquire Lolo and Duda who spent last season there and hope to use them in their push for Europe this season. Both of our loanees impressed during their time last year and were key parts of the starting XI who helped our Andalucían neighbours almost qualify for Europe.

Although Jiménez isn’t ready to totally give up on Konko yet, there is no doubt that Gámez has been brought in to give us strength down the right side – strength which we so desperately needed. To be fair, Konko was injured a lot of last season and he could still turn out to be a decent player for us but Gámez is a proven talent in La Liga and one of the most sought after defenders in Spain and it’s a huge bonus that he is also Spanish – something I love to see in the squad.

Lolo was a good young prospect but considering he wouldn’t have fit into Jiménez’ plans, it was good to sell him and get someone worth while in return. It was obvious that the right back spot needed to be addressed in this transfer window and Gámez is more than a quality signing in my eyes.

Monchi’s clear objective this transfer window was to add strength to the squad and with the signings of Zokora and now Gámez, his objective seems to be met.

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Today Enzo sat down in a press conference held in Sevilla where he said his final goodbye’s to the fans, the club, and the city. Of course he came in dressed stylishly like a typical Italian and explained that he renewed his contract at the beginning of the year because the way things were going he planned to retire in Sevilla. Of course we know that since his public critique of Manolo Jiménez things have been a bit more difficult for Maresca and he has struggled to see much playing time.

Personally I wish Enzo Maresca all the best in Greece and will never forget the numerous times he has captained this beloved club as well as the unforgettable 2 goals he scored against Middlesboro in the UEFA Cup final way back in 2006 where we cruised to a 4-0 victory. I will also never forget the penalty he smashed in to top off our 3-0 thumping of Barcelona in Monaco to win the UEFA European Supercopa (I’m sure all Barça fans remember this quite well too!).

¡Nos Vemos Maresca!

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After about a month of negotiations with Tottenham Hotspur, Del Nido and Monchi have finally signed their guy. He was said to be an integral part of Monchi’s plan to assemble a competitive side for next season as well as the Champions League.

We are believed to have payed about €9 million for the Ivorian and he has agreed to a four year deal to stay in Nervión. Like all players Monchi signs, Zokora has a €30 million release clause attached to his contract so if he’s the next big thing in Spain like Alves was or Fabiano is, he isn’t leaving on the cheap.

Being a Tottenham supporter, I’ve had the chance to watch Zokora in action many times and I wouldn’t say I highly rate him but I definitely do consider him a quality signing. He’s got loads of pace and some decent skill which should make him quite effective in La Liga. His biggest downfall is by far his finishing but then I guess it’s a good thing he’s a defensive midfielder so we won’t have to rely much upon him to score. He also tends to lack quality distribution of the ball and if he could work on that I think he could definitely be a huge success. With that said you are probably wondering what does he possess then? Well, he’s got more energy than probably Jesús Navas and Diego Capel combined if you can imagine that being possible and is a tank in the midfield when it comes to breaking up play.

Zokora was our main target of the transfer window and now that we’ve got him we’re moving on to our second target – a defender who we’ve been linked to for some time and that is Jesús Gámez.

Apparently as of today we’ve reached an agreement for the signature of the defender from Málaga in a deal which includes a player swap of our own defender Lolo who would be heading to our Andalucían neighbours. Lolo spent last season on loan in Málaga, did considerably well and feels he has a better chance at first team football so he’s happy about the move as well.

We would have not been able to guarantee Lolo first team football in Sevilla so it’s a move that benefits all parties as we desperately need a right back seeing as there’s been a void since Dani Alves left. Gámez is just that and was one of the main reasons if not the main one why Málaga did so well this year and were extremely hard to score against – something we know all too well.

It will mark our second signing in the span of less than a week but just as we seemed to have been adding some key pieces to the puzzle, we might be losing our biggest.

Saying that Luis Fabiano had a successful Confederations Cup in South Africa last month would be an understatement as our very own Brazilian striker came away with the Golden Boot and a first place medal to prove it. This however has attracted some of Europe’s top clubs to our prized possession with AC Milan being the most persistent to acquire his services.

The Fabiano transfer saga has been on and off ever since the tournament had begun and his agent adds more fuel to the fire each and every day. He will come out to the media and say things like “Milan are close to a deal” or “Fabiano’s asking price should be brought down because his dream is to play in Milan”; obviously I’m paraphrasing but that is the general idea.

Today his agent has come out with his latest garbage saying that Sevilla have lowered their asking price for Fabiano from €30 million to €18 million. Luis has a €30 million release clause in his contract and knowing Del Nido and Monchi, they will wait for the full price before letting our star man go.

There has been argument that he is 29 and possibly reaching the end of his career (as many Brazilians do at a young age) but the fact of the matter is that he has only really flourished over the past few years leading me to expect that he will still be good for the next few years.

Fabiano’s agent has also come out and said that “Sevilla should lower their asking price because we are in a global economic crisis”. Is this man being serious? I actually couldn’t help but laugh when I heard it. How can he expect us to compete with the best in Spain when we only have a quarter of their budget to begin with and then we can’t even sell our top players for their true value – it just doesn’t work. We’re being over-charged for players like Zokora so although €30 million may be a bit steep, we absolutely must hold out for the full asking price.

Assuringly for us, Fabiano has come out and said that while Milan would be a move he would be more than happy to stay in Sevilla as he loves the team, the people, and most importantly the city where his family is comfortable settled in.

To be honest, as much as we could generate from the sale of Fabiano, we cannot sell him. We are a big club now and big clubs don’t get pushed around into selling their biggest stars. Obviously we’ve done it in the past with Sergio Ramos, Julio Baptista and Dani Alves just to name a few but if we want to maintain our position in the league and as top side in world football then we must know when to say no, regardless of what club come knocking. Milan’s actual top target was Edin Dzeko of Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg. They flat out told Milan “no” and as a result there is no risk of them losing their star striker. We have to have the same mentality if we truly want to progress or we will forever stagnate both in La Liga and in European competition. The Fabiano/Kanouté strike partnership is mouth watering and if they hadn’t both been injured so much of last season we would have seen a much different Sevilla side.

We’re adding these key players like Gámez and Zokora to the squad to assemble a squad which can compete with the best, we can’t be letting our best players go. If we do indeed end up keeping Fabiano and all of our key assets, I believe we will have a solid squad going into next year.

The rivalry that has developed between the two clubs I hold closest to my heart has been draining and sometimes saddening. I feel so torn between my two loves, Sevilla and Tottenham. When they faced off in the UEFA Cup it was easy for me because I said whoever won, I’d be happy. But the whole Juande saga along with the tension which followed is where I became stressed. How could I possibly support either side in a situation like that? I had my cousins from both England and Spain trying to convince me that the other team was evil and completely wrong in their actions but somehow I managed to keep my head in such a heated situation.

It appears as if the two clubs are about to cross paths again but this time in a deal for Spurs midfielder Didier Zokora. The Ivory Coast defensive midfielder has loads of energy and Monchi is looking for a boost in the centre of the park considering Romaric and Duscher haven’t exactly been consistent this season. Zokora isn’t exactly known for his scoring abilities actually never having scored whilst wearing the Lilywhite but having seen him play I know for a fact that he is better than what we currently have. Since Wilson Palacios’ arrival at White Hart Lane, Zokora, who was a favourite under Ramos at his spell with Tottenham, has found playing time hard to come by. Harry Redknapp has left the Ivorian on the bench during most of his time in charge which caused the once-happy, fan favourite Zokora to come out openly and say he would assess his situation at the end of the season in regards to where his best fit is and where he will get the most playing time – the desire of any professional footballer.

Monchi is said to have been interested in Zokora since before Juande’s arrival in North London and now that tensions between the two clubs seem to have been “soothed”, he will launch a full out offensive to finally capture his target. Didier could move to the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán for about 8 million Euros but considering Spurs still owe us some compensation for prizing away Juande from Andalucía it will be significantly less than that.

José Maria del Nido and Monchi aren’t taking any chances though and seem to be quite unimpressed with what we currently have in the centre of the park. Next year as everyone knows, we will be making our return to the UEFA Champions League and inconsistency is unacceptable if we expect to advance into the latter stages like previously before.

Along with Didier Zokora of Tottenham, we are supposedly looking at Raul Meireles of FC Porto. The defensive midfielder has made 111 appearances for the club, scoring a total of 13 times. He’s no Marcos Senna but is definitely known for his long range shooting and solid defensive abilities. The Portuguese International won’t come on the cheap though as Valencia were quoted a massive 12 million Euros for him last summer. Monchi as we know though always has a trick up his sleeve and he is willing to include our left sided midfielder Duda in the transfer who spent this season on loan at Málaga. Duda has expressed his desire to return to his homeland if he is not guaranteed time in Nervión and with the recent performances by Diego Perotti and having Diego Capel along with Adriano on the bench, I really don’t see where Duda would fit into any of Jiménez’ plans.

The downside to all of this is that Monchi only apparently has a 15 million Euro budget to work with to capture both of these targets. Considering the Zokora deal would probably be under 8 million because of the compensation owed and the Meireles deal could include Duda heading in the opposite direction, it could work.

A little bit of optimism never hurt anyone, anyway.

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The scoreline doesn’t accurately reflect the game but definitely flatters us so I’m not complaining. Neither us nor Numancia played well enough to deserve 3 points but once again – I’m not complaining.

We started an extremely altered and weakened lineup to finish off the season with some of our biggest stars and key players being rested. Javi Varas started between the sticks in place of Andrés Palop; Dragutinovic, Mosquera, Crespo and Konko made up our *shakey* back four; Romaric and Renato were the core of the midfield while Diego Capel and Diego Perotti ran the flanks; Arouna Koné and Lautaro Acosta lead the team up top filling in for Kanouté and Fabiano.

It’s funny because in the reverse fixture earlier this year we lost 1-0 and that was with us fielding a full-strength squad.

None the less though, we sent the boys from Soria down to La Seguna with style capturing a 2-0 victory in what for them, was frustrating fashion.

It ended up being our two substitutes who made the difference when in the 88th minute, Romaric sent in a pin-point ball to Chevantón who still had all the work to do but controlled nicely and centred into the penalty area for Armenteros who was running in and smashed it to the top of the goal. 2 minutes into added time it was our young player of the year, Diego Perotti causing havoc on the left flank again as he hit in a low and hard cross which Numancia defender Moreno deflected into his own goal to hand us the 2-0 victory. Chevantón was running behind him anyway so it would have most likely been finished by the Uruguayan International but none the less, that sums up Numancia’s season.

Game Notes:
• Javi Varas believe it or not actually was tested a few times throughout the match and made some very tough saves. It is encouraging to see that we have a more than qualified replacement for “San Andrés” should he choose to hang up the boots in the near future (God forbid).
• Chevantón showed flashed of brilliance which gives me that false sense of hope that he will win the Pichichi next year should he be fit.
• Diego Perotti was immense like he has been all season, I can’t get enough of this kid and Diego Capel should be very worried about his minutes on the pitch in regards to next season.
• Romaric played solid in the middle and set up our first goal causing me to believe he heard Manolo Jiménez is looking for three or four more midfielders for next year and is feeling the pressure to perform now.
• It was definitely encouraging to see a product of Sevilla Atlético in Armenteros grab the decisive goal which shows we definitely have a lot of upcoming talent in our infamous Cantera.

We finish the season on a solid 70 points, a total we haven’t achieved since Junade’s departure. Jiménez’ contract as you know has been extended and needless to say it shall be a very interesting summer window in regards to who joins or leaves the club.

Overall I cannot say enough about this season. I enjoyed every minute of it when I look back at all the craziness that occurred. From the highs to the lows, I love being a Sevillista and want to send a huge THANK YOU to all the readers and posters here on the Sevilla Offside. You haven’t heard the end of me and I will definitely be posting just as often this summer to keep everyone who is interested, up to date with all the ongoing’s in Nervión.

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You could say I’m a busy man, but in the end it’s all worth it if I get to share my love for Sevilla with you.

The transfer of Dani Alves to Barcelona at the end of last summer was one which was imminent. We in Nervión knew it was coming for some time and our failure to qualify for the Champions League this season sealed Dani’s fate in Sevilla. We didn’t let him go to Cataluña on the cheap though as we got a deal which had the potential value of €32m.

Yesterday with Barcelona’s triumph over Manchester United in Rome, we cashed in big time on Alves. In total, we gained an extra €2.25m in the several clauses within our former star right-back’s contract.

His contract stated that we would receive €750,000 if Barcelona won the league and an identical amount if they won the Champions League in which they did both. In addition, we were paid €500,000 because Barça won the Copa del Rey and an additional €250,000 because the Catalans directly qualified for next year’s Champions League.

Daniel Alves came to us in December of 2002 when we paid Brazilian Club Bahía €500,000 for his services. We were at this point newly promoted and looking for cheap but decent talent and Alves seemed to fit the bill. Little did we know that he would develop into one of Europe’s best right-backs. At his first season in Cataluña, Dani played 34 league matches and 12 in European competition scoring 5 goals in total.

Even after the way he went about his transfer, I can’t have anything but love for Dani as he was one of the reasons we as a club hold the stature we do today and have the status we do. Thanks for everything Dani, and these €2.25m Euros make everything a lot sweeter.

Another good bit of business by our legendary sporting director Monchi if I do say so myself.