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Monday Ticker: On Donovan, Bocanegra and more

LandonDonovanEverton (Reuters) 

Landon Donovan is loving life in the English Premier League, and it appears he wouldn't be opposed to staying a bit longer than first planned.

Donovan's Everton loan spell is set to last ten weeks, but after his second straight solid performance for the Toffees, Donovan admitted that he would be open to extending the stay if all parties involved could agree.

“The future is out of my control," Donovan told the Liverpool Echo. "I want to enjoy this experience. That means I show up for training and I’m ready. I show up for the game and I’m ready.

“But who knows what will happen in the future. Football’s funny and you never know what could happen," Donovan said. “If I look back after 10 weeks and say I really want to stay then maybe I can make that happen. If I say OK it was good, but I’m ready to go then I can go, but for now I’m taking it week by week.”

Donovan had been set to rejoin the Galaxy for the start of the 2010 season after having signed a new four-year, $9 million deal with MLS.

Here are some other stories to get your Monday going:

Hull land Zaki on loan

Jozy Altidore's battle for playing time just got a bit tougher after Hull City secured the services of controversial Egyptian striker Amr Zaki.

Having been dropped from Egypt's African Cup of Nations squad, Zaki was last seen bailing on his most recent club side, Egyptian club Zamalek, but has now re-appeared with Hull on Loan. His arrival could cut into the minutes Altidore was already battling for.

Altidore did not dress in Hull's 0-0 tie vs. Tottenham on Saturday. He has been given time off by head coach Phil Brown to deal with his family's plight in Haiti.

Bocanegra loan looms

Carlos Bocanegra was on the bench for Stade Rennes yet again this past weekend, but his struggle for playing time could come to an end if a long-rumored loan deal to St. Etienne comes to fruition this week.

Bocanegra has lost his starting left back spot at Rennes to Romain Danze, and looks like he will need to make a move of some sort to avoid spending the months before the 2010 World Cup on the bench and not playing. While a loan in France seems like the most likely next step, there are a handful of MLS teams hoping he considers a return to Major League Soccer.

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What do you think of Donovan staying at Everton beyond the original 10-week loan deal? Hoping he stays until the World Cup? Worried about Altidore's playing time? Could you see Bocanegra returning to MLS, or are you hoping he stays in France?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. There’s no question about it. If he wants to improve and play his best soccer it has to be with the best players. There is no debate about the talent of the English Premier League vs. MLS. This is an opportunity that I think he’s already capitalizing on he just needs to stay with it as long as he can. He’s playing great soccer. Why would you settle for less?

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  2. I hope Boca goes to a team where he can walk into the XI and get his form and confidence back. He plays on the left for Rennes, does anyone know why? Is he not good enough to play in the middle, or is he that good where they just want him on the field, as Bradley did in the Confed. Cup with him?

    Donovan would be a hypocrite if he asks to stay (more like WHEN he asks to stay) with Everton. I will keep my mouth shut because it is a meaningless argument and only benefit his form. Who cares.

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  3. “Wasn’t Donovan claiming that Beckham was being unprofessional as a player and to his team by not being committed to the Galaxy as a whole the year BEFORE he left to Milan?”

    The story is that Landon was more perturbed by what he saw as a lack of effort, leadership, and commitment while he was at the galaxy. The loan deal itself was not upsetting, but the fact that Beckham seemed altogether disinterested for long stretches of that season while in LA was the focus of the gripe. That being said, this is a business guys. Clubs aren’t loyal to players when they’re past it most of the time, so when a player gets a higher chance, he only hurts himself if he loses out on it.

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  4. A “life-line” is, by definition, a single option. You admit yourself he had many options, so . . .

    Metaphors aside, it’s disingenuous to say that MLS was the only place he could have gone. He has raised the profile of the league, played well — I don’t think he owes anyone anything.

    Reply

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