Bravo, 28, is out of contract at the end of the season and is seeking a move to Europe after spending his entire career with Chivas, for whom he has scored over one hundred goals since making his debut in 2001.
Racing Santander have previously shown an interest in the Mexican, but it now seems as if Deportivo are ready to jump to the head of the queue for his signature after club president Augusto César Lendoiro met with his agents during the week to initiate talks.
Lendoiro is keen to build on an excellent season half of the season and having already secured the permanent services of Angel Lafita and Filipe Luis - Christian Wilhelmsson to follow - he has his eyes set on a forward and central midfielder to fill out the squad.
Depor have been caught short in both positions during the season and Bravo would appear to be an ideal fit for the latter position, especially as he will be available on a free transfer.
If Bravo does agree terms with Depor then it would require the club to part with one of their current non-EU players in order to make space for him in the squad.
With Bravo's compatriot Andres Guarado and Canadian Julien de Guzman guaranteed two of the three slots, that would leave Uruguayan forward Sebastian Taborda as the player who would have to move on over the summer.
Gattuso staying put, say Milan
Barcelona Maintain Benzema Interest
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Henry: Just Go, Eto'o
Thierry Henry has insisted that it's time for Barcelona teammate Samuel Eto'o to make a move, further to reports linking him with Milan and Tottenham.
“If I were Sam, I would go, but I don’t decide for him,” Henry told France-Football.
Regarding the club's fans turning on the striker, Henry added: “I never, never, never experienced such a moment. The atmosphere was very hard.”
As for himself, Henry feels that he's finished the season strongly. However, he admits that he should have taken a break after moving from Arsenal last summer.
“I was injured when I moved in and for six months I did not do anything,” the former Gunner admmitted.
“Rijkaard asked me if I wanted to be apart from the group and work for two months with a physical programme.
“I told him I wanted stay with the group, but it has been a massive mistake. When you play you cannot recover.
“I scored 18 goals in all competitions, without shooting free kicks or penalties. I made 10 assists and, despite the bad results, I finished with a good series: four goals in the last three games.”
Despite not hinting that he wants to leave the Camp Nou, the France international wants his future to be crystal clear before he continues, insisting: “If I am not part of the club’s plans, it is time to be told.”
NFL rule forces Texans part-owner to sell share
Kaka - Best is yet to come
Henry: The Referee Didn’t Help
“If I were Sam, I would go, but I don’t decide for him,” Henry told France-Football.
Regarding the club's fans turning on the striker, Henry added: “I never, never, never experienced such a moment. The atmosphere was very hard.”
As for himself, Henry feels that he's finished the season strongly. However, he admits that he should have taken a break after moving from Arsenal last summer.
“I was injured when I moved in and for six months I did not do anything,” the former Gunner admmitted.
“Rijkaard asked me if I wanted to be apart from the group and work for two months with a physical programme.
“I told him I wanted stay with the group, but it has been a massive mistake. When you play you cannot recover.
“I scored 18 goals in all competitions, without shooting free kicks or penalties. I made 10 assists and, despite the bad results, I finished with a good series: four goals in the last three games.”
Despite not hinting that he wants to leave the Camp Nou, the France international wants his future to be crystal clear before he continues, insisting: “If I am not part of the club’s plans, it is time to be told.”
NFL rule forces Texans part-owner to sell share
Kaka - Best is yet to come
Henry: The Referee Didn’t Help
Schuster Hopes For Go-Ahead
All current indications suggest that Levante will not take part on Sunday and Schuster - a former Levante coach himself - is surprised that such a thing could happen in the Spanish top flight.
"It causes some unrest because we do not know if the game will take place or not. It is unbelievable for something like this to happen in Spain. We won't know anything more until tomorrow," he told reporters at the pre-match press conference.
"[When I was at Levante] we had problems like any other club, but never something like not being paid. The current situation hasn't always been there."
Despite his misgivings over the situation, Schuster understands the plight of the Levante players, but feels that they could have chosen a more meaningful fixture earlier in the season in which to make their point by striking.
"You have to do many things in order to attract attention when you are in a situation like theirs. They have been professional in during every match and we hope they take to the pitch tomorrow as they have in previous games," he affirmed.
"I know that a match against Real Madrid has more exposure, but I think that they could have made better use of fixtures in which things were at stake for them in order to get their point across."
Spanish Squad
Spain coach Luis Aragones announced his squad for Euro 2008 earlier on Saturday, with just two Real Madrid players making the cut, namely Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos. Schuster was asked whether he was surprised not to see more of his players included.
"The coach has faith with the same players that he always takes with him and thus it is very hard to break into that squad. You must also remember that we have a lot of foreigners on our team," he asserted.
" Raúl believed that he could make it and I think he deserved to do so because of his great performances this year. He knew before the announcement that he wasn't included and he is calm and behaving like normal."
Del Piero silent on Italy
D.C. United’s depth a strength
Voro Seeks Focus
"It causes some unrest because we do not know if the game will take place or not. It is unbelievable for something like this to happen in Spain. We won't know anything more until tomorrow," he told reporters at the pre-match press conference.
"[When I was at Levante] we had problems like any other club, but never something like not being paid. The current situation hasn't always been there."
Despite his misgivings over the situation, Schuster understands the plight of the Levante players, but feels that they could have chosen a more meaningful fixture earlier in the season in which to make their point by striking.
"You have to do many things in order to attract attention when you are in a situation like theirs. They have been professional in during every match and we hope they take to the pitch tomorrow as they have in previous games," he affirmed.
"I know that a match against Real Madrid has more exposure, but I think that they could have made better use of fixtures in which things were at stake for them in order to get their point across."
Spanish Squad
Spain coach Luis Aragones announced his squad for Euro 2008 earlier on Saturday, with just two Real Madrid players making the cut, namely Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos. Schuster was asked whether he was surprised not to see more of his players included.
"The coach has faith with the same players that he always takes with him and thus it is very hard to break into that squad. You must also remember that we have a lot of foreigners on our team," he asserted.
" Raúl believed that he could make it and I think he deserved to do so because of his great performances this year. He knew before the announcement that he wasn't included and he is calm and behaving like normal."
Del Piero silent on Italy
D.C. United’s depth a strength
Voro Seeks Focus
Friday, May 16, 2008
La Liga Preview: Real Mallorca - Real Zaragoza
When Real Zaragoza kicked off their opening game of the season against newly-promoted Real Murcia last August and lost, few would have thought that was a sign of more to come.
It was deemed to be a one off from a team that were expected to be challenging for the top six at the very least after their performance last season under Víctor Fernández.
Instead, los Maños head to the ONO Estadi in Mallorca knowing that they need at least a point to stand any chance of returning to the Balearic island for a league game next term.
The club's troubles have been well documented, with the current coach, Manolo Villanova, being the fourth of the season while the summer sales outweighed the summer purchases and appear to have left the squad thinly stretched.
Internal squabbles sometimes turned public, like with Andrés D'Alessandro's problems with Fernández which is ended with the player being loaned out for teh second half of the season.
On the pitch, the flowing football and the flurry of goals from last season failed to be repeated this time around and while Diego Milito remains popular he is not the hero he was when last term ended.
Talk at La Romareda this week has been one of optimism, even if Villanova somewhat oddly stated that their fate was in their own hands when in fact they are in 18th place and one points behind both Osasuna and Recreativo.
One Away Win
That feeling that they can achieve something must come from the quality on paper within the squad, because on grass they have not been at all good on their travels.
Zaragoza have played 18 away games this term and have won just once, while drawing five and losing 12, and they have only netted on 12 occasions while conceding 34.
Those figures do not bode well for the visit to a team that is just one place and one point behind sixth and have high hopes of pinching the final UEFA Cup spot from Racing Santander.
Mallorca are a club which are very difficult to predict at the start of any season, but for such a modest outfit their performance in the top flight since winning promotion ten years ago has been magnificent.
Two mid-table finishes in the past two seasons gave coach Gregorio Manzano something to build upon and he has done very well in the transfer market to bolster the squad.
The main arrival was Daniel Güiza from Getafe and his goals have helped lift the Balearic club into the top ten and to the cusp of another appearance in European competition.
An Intertoto Cup place is still in the offing, of course, but the Mallorca players will know that victory on Sunday coupled with Racing dropping points could mean a couple more weeks holiday this summer.
RECENT FORM
Calderón: Sergio Ramos Is Staying
Jones: Sunderland Must Now Prove Worth
La Liga Preview: Racing - Osasuna
It was deemed to be a one off from a team that were expected to be challenging for the top six at the very least after their performance last season under Víctor Fernández.
Instead, los Maños head to the ONO Estadi in Mallorca knowing that they need at least a point to stand any chance of returning to the Balearic island for a league game next term.
The club's troubles have been well documented, with the current coach, Manolo Villanova, being the fourth of the season while the summer sales outweighed the summer purchases and appear to have left the squad thinly stretched.
Internal squabbles sometimes turned public, like with Andrés D'Alessandro's problems with Fernández which is ended with the player being loaned out for teh second half of the season.
On the pitch, the flowing football and the flurry of goals from last season failed to be repeated this time around and while Diego Milito remains popular he is not the hero he was when last term ended.
Talk at La Romareda this week has been one of optimism, even if Villanova somewhat oddly stated that their fate was in their own hands when in fact they are in 18th place and one points behind both Osasuna and Recreativo.
One Away Win
That feeling that they can achieve something must come from the quality on paper within the squad, because on grass they have not been at all good on their travels.
Zaragoza have played 18 away games this term and have won just once, while drawing five and losing 12, and they have only netted on 12 occasions while conceding 34.
Those figures do not bode well for the visit to a team that is just one place and one point behind sixth and have high hopes of pinching the final UEFA Cup spot from Racing Santander.
Mallorca are a club which are very difficult to predict at the start of any season, but for such a modest outfit their performance in the top flight since winning promotion ten years ago has been magnificent.
Two mid-table finishes in the past two seasons gave coach Gregorio Manzano something to build upon and he has done very well in the transfer market to bolster the squad.
The main arrival was Daniel Güiza from Getafe and his goals have helped lift the Balearic club into the top ten and to the cusp of another appearance in European competition.
An Intertoto Cup place is still in the offing, of course, but the Mallorca players will know that victory on Sunday coupled with Racing dropping points could mean a couple more weeks holiday this summer.
RECENT FORM
Calderón: Sergio Ramos Is Staying
Jones: Sunderland Must Now Prove Worth
La Liga Preview: Racing - Osasuna
La Liga Preview: Racing - Osasuna
For Real Madrid and FC Barcelona the league season may be over and talk of summer rebuilding plans dominate the headlines, but for Racing Santander and Osasuna things are far from settled.
With just one game to go the meeting in El Sardinero on Sunday sees the host team looking to cement themselves into a UEFA Cup spot, while their visitors are desperate to stay up.
The curious thing is that at the start of the season many would have predicted that their positions would have been the other way around, given their form in recent seasons.
Racing ended last season in tenth, which was their highest position since the 1993-94 campaign, the year after they returned to the Spanish top flight after a long absence.
Since then, the majority of years has seen the Cantabrian club battling against the drop, a struggle that they lost in 2000-01, before bouncing straight back up a season later.
Things changed last summer when Marcelino was brought in, somewhat surprisingly, after he had resigned following a relatively successful spell with Recreativo.
There were few indicators about what was to come and many predicted that Racing would once again jostle to stay up and almost as many said that they would not even achieve that.
Euro Dream
Far from just achieving that, however, Racing have been in the top ten nearly all season and in the European places for the past few weeks, with a Champions League spot even an outside possibility at one stage.
They currently lie in sixth place and are just one point ahead of Mallorca, who take on another relegation struggler in the shape of Real Zaragoza at rthe ONO Estadi.
After all that the team have been through they would, and rightly so, consider their season to be a failure if they do not now book their place in Europe for next term.
Their guests on Sunday reach the UEFA Cup semi finals last season could have built on that in order to try and push themselves back into the competition for next term.
Instead, their impressive home record has not been so impressive and while things have not improved on the road, Osasuna now go into the final match needing a win, or Zaragoza to lose, in order to stay up.
Last term the club finished 14th, but that was only 12 months after they had pinched fourth place and qualified for the Champions League qualifiers, which they ultimately lost.
That defeat did not serve them badly as they went on to enjoy a good run in the UEFA Cup, but with few strong signings last summer and some key players leaving, the team has struggled this season in the league.
RECENT FORM
Nedved could stay at Juve
Schalke stay on track
La Liga Preview: Real Mallorca - Real Zaragoza
With just one game to go the meeting in El Sardinero on Sunday sees the host team looking to cement themselves into a UEFA Cup spot, while their visitors are desperate to stay up.
The curious thing is that at the start of the season many would have predicted that their positions would have been the other way around, given their form in recent seasons.
Racing ended last season in tenth, which was their highest position since the 1993-94 campaign, the year after they returned to the Spanish top flight after a long absence.
Since then, the majority of years has seen the Cantabrian club battling against the drop, a struggle that they lost in 2000-01, before bouncing straight back up a season later.
Things changed last summer when Marcelino was brought in, somewhat surprisingly, after he had resigned following a relatively successful spell with Recreativo.
There were few indicators about what was to come and many predicted that Racing would once again jostle to stay up and almost as many said that they would not even achieve that.
Euro Dream
Far from just achieving that, however, Racing have been in the top ten nearly all season and in the European places for the past few weeks, with a Champions League spot even an outside possibility at one stage.
They currently lie in sixth place and are just one point ahead of Mallorca, who take on another relegation struggler in the shape of Real Zaragoza at rthe ONO Estadi.
After all that the team have been through they would, and rightly so, consider their season to be a failure if they do not now book their place in Europe for next term.
Their guests on Sunday reach the UEFA Cup semi finals last season could have built on that in order to try and push themselves back into the competition for next term.
Instead, their impressive home record has not been so impressive and while things have not improved on the road, Osasuna now go into the final match needing a win, or Zaragoza to lose, in order to stay up.
Last term the club finished 14th, but that was only 12 months after they had pinched fourth place and qualified for the Champions League qualifiers, which they ultimately lost.
That defeat did not serve them badly as they went on to enjoy a good run in the UEFA Cup, but with few strong signings last summer and some key players leaving, the team has struggled this season in the league.
RECENT FORM
Nedved could stay at Juve
Schalke stay on track
La Liga Preview: Real Mallorca - Real Zaragoza
Ibagaza: Güiza Must Grasp Opportunity
Güiza joined Mallorca from Getafe in the summer and has enjoyed an excellent campaign in front of goal, scoring twenty-six times for the Islanders as they go into their final game of the season with their eye on a top six finish.
The twenty-seven year old striker has all but wrapped up the Pichichi crown for the domestic top-scorer and his performances have attracted the interest of a number of clubs, including Barcelona and Valencia.
Ibagaza is realistic when assessing Güiza's future and believes that the striker should take the opportunity to further his career with a move to a bigger team in the summer transfer window.
“The truth is that we are proud to have the Pichichi in our side. You would have to think that Sunday will be his last game for us as it will be difficult to keep hold of him," he affirmed.
"It is not easy to score twenty-six goals. What would he do if next season he stays with us and scores just four, for instance. If he has the opportunity to leave them he must take advantage of it. I do not believe that he will stay, but it would be good for him to get at least one more goal in front of the fans on Sunday."
Güiza's likely departure will have no effect on Ibagaza's own commitment to the club, with the thirty-one year old indicating that he would be perfectly happy to end his career in the Balearics.
“I enjoy it here and would like to finish my career at the club. There was talk about me leaving to play for another team, but I am relaxed here and so are my family. I am very proud to where the Mallorca shirt and have informed the president of my intentions," he concluded.
Sagnol confirms Milan interest
Hoops finish the job this time
Güiza: Hard Work Is The Way To Goal
The twenty-seven year old striker has all but wrapped up the Pichichi crown for the domestic top-scorer and his performances have attracted the interest of a number of clubs, including Barcelona and Valencia.
Ibagaza is realistic when assessing Güiza's future and believes that the striker should take the opportunity to further his career with a move to a bigger team in the summer transfer window.
“The truth is that we are proud to have the Pichichi in our side. You would have to think that Sunday will be his last game for us as it will be difficult to keep hold of him," he affirmed.
"It is not easy to score twenty-six goals. What would he do if next season he stays with us and scores just four, for instance. If he has the opportunity to leave them he must take advantage of it. I do not believe that he will stay, but it would be good for him to get at least one more goal in front of the fans on Sunday."
Güiza's likely departure will have no effect on Ibagaza's own commitment to the club, with the thirty-one year old indicating that he would be perfectly happy to end his career in the Balearics.
“I enjoy it here and would like to finish my career at the club. There was talk about me leaving to play for another team, but I am relaxed here and so are my family. I am very proud to where the Mallorca shirt and have informed the president of my intentions," he concluded.
Sagnol confirms Milan interest
Hoops finish the job this time
Güiza: Hard Work Is The Way To Goal
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Deco: I'm Leaving
The Portuguese international's current deal with Barcelona only expires in June 2010, but it is understood that the club have given his agent the green light to start negotiations with other teams.
Deco has been one of the most avid critics of Barça's current situation, having claimed back in December that he would seek a new challenge in case of another trophyless season.
Barcelona fans expressed their unhappiness with Deco by whistling the 30-year-old whenever he had ball in last weekend's game against Mallorca, which only came to confirm his unsatisfactory situation at the Catalan club.
"I would never stay like this. I want to be where I am wanted and when things end like this, it is better to go," Deco said. "I thank the club for being honest with me."
Deco has ensured that his new challenge will come from another country as he does not want to stay in Spain, after serving Barcelona for four years.
"I will go to England or Italy, I can assure you. In Spain, no, because the only club that can match Barça's level are Real Madrid and I would never go there."
The Right Stuff
And while the Brazilian-born player thinks that it won't be hard for Barça to find a replacement for him, he stressed that his performances this season have not been what many have suggested.
"If I go, whoever comes will do it right. Gerrard, Cesc, Lampard... it won't be difficult for Barça to find someone to replace me. I hope that I have a good Euro tournament - that's the only thing I have left this season.
"It is hard to play a season at the highest level with injuries, but I believe I played well in about 80 per cent of the games."
On Barcelona's incoming boss, Josep Guardiola, Deco said: "He is young and very ambitious, he will do a good job. It will be a great team."
Barca set Ronaldinho price
Jose wants big club or nothing
Messi wants Ronaldinho stay
Deco: We Have Failed So Far
Sylvinho Set To Sign New Barça Deal
Player Ratings: Barcelona 2-3 Real Mallorca
Deco has been one of the most avid critics of Barça's current situation, having claimed back in December that he would seek a new challenge in case of another trophyless season.
Barcelona fans expressed their unhappiness with Deco by whistling the 30-year-old whenever he had ball in last weekend's game against Mallorca, which only came to confirm his unsatisfactory situation at the Catalan club.
"I would never stay like this. I want to be where I am wanted and when things end like this, it is better to go," Deco said. "I thank the club for being honest with me."
Deco has ensured that his new challenge will come from another country as he does not want to stay in Spain, after serving Barcelona for four years.
"I will go to England or Italy, I can assure you. In Spain, no, because the only club that can match Barça's level are Real Madrid and I would never go there."
The Right Stuff
And while the Brazilian-born player thinks that it won't be hard for Barça to find a replacement for him, he stressed that his performances this season have not been what many have suggested.
"If I go, whoever comes will do it right. Gerrard, Cesc, Lampard... it won't be difficult for Barça to find someone to replace me. I hope that I have a good Euro tournament - that's the only thing I have left this season.
"It is hard to play a season at the highest level with injuries, but I believe I played well in about 80 per cent of the games."
On Barcelona's incoming boss, Josep Guardiola, Deco said: "He is young and very ambitious, he will do a good job. It will be a great team."
Barca set Ronaldinho price
Jose wants big club or nothing
Messi wants Ronaldinho stay
Deco: We Have Failed So Far
Sylvinho Set To Sign New Barça Deal
Player Ratings: Barcelona 2-3 Real Mallorca
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