Pro Eleven Headline News

Scolari planning a £10m move for Marseille star Ben Arfa

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari is set to make a surprise £10 million move for Marseille star Hatem Ben Arfa in the January transfer window.

The 21-year-old midfielder is already a French international, and Scolari is keen for Chelsea to have an extra creative edge in the second half of the season.

The Blues have been stuttering of late, with Sunday's 2-2 draw at Fulham seeing them slip three points behind leaders Liverpool in the title race.

And although Ben Arfa has already played for Marseille in the Champions League, making him ineligible for Chelsea's campaign, Scolari is keen to sign up the highly rated player, according to a report in the Mirror.

Ben Arfa, who joined Marseille from Lyon in the summer, made his debut for France in October 2007, and played in European Championship qualifying games against the Faroe Islands and Lithuania, but was left out of their Euro 2008 squad.



Juventus set their sights on Chelsea pair of Ivanovic and Malouda

Juventus are considering a loan move for Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic — and are ready to launch a £9million summer bid for the Blues’ France international winger Florent Malouda.

Although the Italian club claim they will bring in no new players in January, they remain desperate to improve their defence and Ivanovic is top of their list.

Juve, along with Serie A rivals AC and Inter Milan, were keen to sign the 24-year-old Ivanovic last January, when he first joined the Blues in a £9m deal from Lokomotiv Moscow, and coach Claudio Ranieri and sporting director Alessio Secco are now understood to have rekindled their interest in him.

Ivanovic has made only 12 appearances since moving to Stamford Bridge, and is the club’s fourth-choice centre-back.

Ivanovic will not be allowed to leave, though, if Alex is granted his wish for a move from Stamford Bridge. Juve also see Malouda as a replacement for veteran Czech winger Pavel Nedved, who is expected to retire at the end of the season.



I would love to play for Chelsea or Man Utd, says Franck Ribery

Franck Ribery dreams of playing for Chelsea or Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League.

The France left winger, who joined Bayern in 2007 from Marseille, said he wants to play for a top club in England or Spain at some point in his career, but has no plans to leave Bayern Munich before his contract ends in 2011.

He told Germany's Kicker magazine: 'Bayern is obviously one of the biggest and best clubs in the world. Obviously there are other clubs who would be a dream: Real Madrid and Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United.

'I certainly love Real Madrid because of their great tradition, but I feel happy here at Bayern. We will have to wait and see what the future holds.'

Ribery, 25, who was voted the Bundesliga's best player of 2008 by Kicker, said he wants to win the Champions League with Bayern and believes they can do it this year.

Jurgen Klinnsman's side came first in their qualifying group and are tipped to beat Sporting Lisbon in the last 16 to reach the quarter finals.

Bayern are also joint leaders of the Bundesliga, with Ribery contributing six goals in 11 appearances, and will face Stuttgart in the last 16 of the DFB-Pokal, the German Football Federation Cup.


Beckhamania hits Dubai as AC Milan take to the pitch

Such was the excitement when David Beckham walked onto the pitch at the Al Nasr Club on Tuesday that not a single member of the audience sat down for 10 minutes.

Fans of the megastar packed two whole stands at the diminutive stadium from 5pm as team AC Milan began public warm up session ahead of the side’s faceoff against Hamburg on January 6.

Occasional cheers went up as the stars in the Italian team such as Brazilians Kaka and Ronaldhino displayed characteristic flashes of genius. However, all eyes were on Beckham who is on loan after a disappointing stint in the America league at LA Galaxy.

“He is moving from one of the least challenging leagues in the world to one of the most tough,” said 24-year-old AC Milan fanatic Azhar Khan. “It will be interesting to see how he does today and whether he’s up to it or not.”

Khan said he saw Beckham earlier on Tuesday morning when he stepped off the plane at Emirates Terminal 3 in Dubai International Airport. However it wasn’t Beckham who he was here to see. “My hero is Paulo Maldini,” he said.

“I play in the same position as him and always watch him to pick up tips. I managed to get his autograph on a football when he passed through earlier.”

However, much of the excitement has been with Beckham, who attracted the loudest applause during the warm up.

“He’s a legendary player and it’s amazing to see him in person,” said wide-eyed AC Milan supporter Ahmed Zeidan.

The team will be training for 10 days over the New Year period.

The fans will have the opportunity to watch the legendary footballers take on Hamburg SV in the Emirates and DTCM-sponsored Dubai Football Challenge which takes place at Emirates’ new sports venue The Sevens on January 6. A press release adds: Maurice Flanagan, Executive Vice-Chairman, Emirates Airline & Group, said: “We are delighted that, through our sponsorship, we are able to bring a team of this calibre to Dubai for their training camp. Their stay in Dubai will give local football supporters a unique opportunity to see some of the world’s best players up close.

“We are also pleased to announce that we have recently reinforced our commitment to the team and have increased our level of sponsorship. We are now a Top Institutional Sponsor of AC Milan.”

Carlo Ancelotti, AC Milan’s coach said: “We are thrilled to be back in Dubai and the team and I are greatly looking forward to a productive week ahead of us. This trip to Dubai is an important part of our preparation for the rest of the season and our thanks must go to Emirates Airline for making this possible.”

Tickets for the Challenge are selling fast and fans are being urged to buy their tickets before getting to the ground on January 6 to avoid disappointment. Khaleej Times


Calcio Debate: Worst XI Of The Season

WORST XI

Formation: 3-4-3

Goalkeeper

Andrea Campagnolo (Reggina) – The Calabrians are second from bottom in Serie A, and face yet another relegation scrap. The major reason for their problems has been a leaky backline, which has conceded a whopping 33 goals in just 17 games, far and away the worst record in the league. Campagnolo has done little to stem the tide.

Defence

Nicolas Frey (Chievo) – Some brothers down the years have shared a footballing talent - Bobby and Jack Charlton, Karl Heinz and Bernd Forster, and Ronald and Erwin Koeman for example. Unfortunately, the younger sibling of Sebastien Frey, Nicolas, doesn’t appear to share the Fiorentina man’s God-given ability. The 24-year-old has been shaky in defence all campaign, making a number of positional blunders for the rock-bottom outfit.

Simone Loria (Roma) – Has been described by some as the “worst defender ever to pull on a Roma shirt”, and his performances early in the season certainly suggested this could be the case. Slow and clumsy, Loria seemed more suitable for the local Sunday Pub League, and it is no coincidence that the Giallorossi’s form picked up when he was basically frozen out of the squad.

John Arne Riise (Roma) – Roma transfer chief Daniele Prade obviously hadn’t been watching the English Premier League for the previous couple of years when he decided to invest in Liverpool left back John Arne Riise, a player whose best days were well and truly behind him, as underlined by the comical own goal that ultimately knocked the Reds out of the Champions League semi final against Chelsea. Goal.com predicted Riise to be a flop at the beginning of the season, and we haven’t been wrong so far.

Midfield

Ricardo Quaresma (Inter) – Having joined Inter in a deal worth just under €20m, Quaresma is well on his way to becoming one of the most expensive flops in Serie A history. His confidence has been shot to pieces, he has spent most of the time hiding away, and when he has received the ball, nine times out of 10 he has lost it. Even his sponsor, Jose Mourinho, who convinced the reluctant Massimo Moratti to sign him, appears to have given up on him.

Christian Poulsen (Juventus) – Juventus fans rioted on the news that Poulsen was indeed the ‘big’ midfield name they had been promised by President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli. The Dane had a dire start to the season – he frequently gave the ball away, and could not strike up a partnership with Momo Sissoko. Juve’s Serie A record with Poulsen in the team is Won 1, Drawn 3, Lost 2. After he suffered an injury at Napoli, the Bianconeri have taken 27 points out of a possible 30, without him.

Sergio Almiron (Fiorentina) – Pantaleo Corvino made some excellent signings this summer in the form of Alberto Gilardino and Felipe Melo, but Almiron was a bizarre one. A resounding flop at Juventus last season, the Argentine moved on loan to Tuscany in the summer, but during the nine Serie A opportunities he has been handed, he has not produced the goods. Highly unlikely the Viola will take him on permanently, unless there is a dramatic improvement.

Amantino Mancini (Inter) – Despite being only 28, his form for Roma last season suggested that, physically, he was on the wane. This didn’t stop Inter from splashing out big on the Brazilian and, like Quaresma, he has failed miserably so far. Has certainly lost more than half-a-yard of pace, and does not dribble past players like he used to. Once again, Mourinho appears to have lost faith in his summer signing.

Attack

Andriy Shevchenko (Milan) – The whole world laughed when Milan signed Emerson last season, and they laughed again when another old-timer in Shevchenko arrived this past summer. Has made 11 appearances in Serie A, but has failed to score or impress. Despite bagging the odd goal in the UEFA Cup, the 32-year-old Sheva is a pale shadow of the once world class hitman.

Joaquin Larrivey (Cagliari) – The ‘new Gabriel Batistuta’ they called him when he arrived in Sardinia from Huracan in the summer of 2007. Larrivey made Goal.com’s Worst Serie A Team of the Year for 07/08 after scoring just one goal all season. This term he has found the net once in 10 Serie A outings. Still another 212 goals (and years) before he reaches Batigol.

Raffaele Palladino (Genoa) – Genoa are flying high in Serie A this season, but Palladino has not contributed much to this success. Playing in a three man trident, he has scored just one goal, and has been overshadowed by the likes of Sculli, Milito and Gasbarroni. Too lightweight, and easily bullied off the ball, what has happened to the Palladino who was tipped for great things at Juventus?


Dishonourable Mentions

Nicolae Dica (Catania)
Mauro Esposito (Chievo)
Juan Manuel Vargas (Fiorentina)
Mario Balotelli (Inter)
Adriano (Inter)
Juan Pablo Carrizo (Lazio)
Emerson (Milan)
Davide Lanzafame (Palermo)
Bruno Fornaroli (Sampdoria)
Emanuele Calaio (Siena)
Marco Pisano (Torino)

What are your views on this topic? Do you agree with those who made it into the above Worst Team of the Season? Who would make it into your XI? Goal.com wants to know what YOU think...

Carlo Garganese, Goal.com