The Overrated Player

They may have lost one of their rising stars to Ligue 1 champions PSG, and their keeper to west London club Fulham, but the forthcoming season is looking up for AS Roma after the acquisition of Dutch midfield enforcer Kevin Strootman. The 23-year-old, already hailed as the reincarnation of the retiring Mark van Bommel, is a solid addition to the capital side which already boasts the talents of the loyal Daniele De Rossi and growing fan favourite Michael Bradley. And with ageless genius Francesco Totti taking care of the creative side of things, aided by the mercurial Erik Lamela (and when he’s bothered, troubled yet gifted striker Pablo Osvaldo), this could just be the Giallorossi’s year. 

It is still fresh in the minds of anyone with the slightest interest in the Premier League the hoops Chelsea FC went through six years ago to secure the services of the then-16-year old Gael Kakuta. The player himself had a hand in forcing his move from Ligue 1 side Lens and was in turn fingered by FIFA, receiving a heavy fine and four-month ban. Chelsea was also ordered to fork out a not-insignificant 100,000 euro sum for convincing Kakuta to do the unthinkable to cross over to where the grass was greener.

Everyone loves a happy reunion from time to time. There were some tear-stained cheeks in London when Chelsea’s prodigal son returned, the vagaries of life at the Bernabeu having seemingly mellowed him. Don’t call me the Special One, he said with a beatific smile, call me the Happy One. Well, another tear-jerker is set to take place in Naples as long-serving Liverpool custodian Pepe Reina rejoins his former Anfield gaffer Rafa Benitez.

Few footballers have the ability to dictate the pace of a game like Xavi Hernandez.

Among the key ingredients of the Spain Under-21 World Cup victory was a similarly indispensible cog in Real Sociedad’s surprisingly successful season.

Laurent Blanc has declared his admiration of Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye publicly, to the ire of Alan Pardew, his manager. Squawking like a hen over chicks that a circling hawk has its eye on, Pardew termed the newly-signed PSG gaffer’s remarks ‘disrespectful’.

David Moyes has begun life as Manchester United’s gaffer by griping about the fixture list. Over the past few years he’s never seen Man Utd have a more difficult start to the season, he says.

When I heard that US international Carlos Bocanegra was heading back to the MLS, I thought he would be doing so with the doors of Craven Cottage closing behind him. But while I was asleep the man had contracted Anelka-siosis and been to France, Scotland and Spain.