Photo by Brett Sarsfield/ISIphotos.com
The international club interest in David Beckham isn't going away, and the reports from around the globe only figure to pick up steam as time elapses on the end of his current MLS contract.
The latest round includes a report from France, which states that Paris-St. Germain is sending a group of officials to Los Angeles to meet with Beckham and persuade him to join the Ligue 1 side. Leonardo, the current sporting director at PSG, worked with Beckham when the two were at AC Milan.
Leicester City, meanwhile, maintains its interest, with manager Sven-Goran Eriksson even alluding to a potential player-coach role that could be available for the L.A. Galaxy midfielder.
Here are a few more stories to get your day going:
REPORT: FIRE WANT FERDINAND TO BE DP
European reports frequently throw out names of aging stars that are MLS Designated Player targets, and the latest rumor links Manchester United central defender Rio Ferdinand with the Chicago Fire.
Ferdinand, 32, has been battling injuries on a regular basis for the last few seasons but is one of the top at his position in the world when fit. The Daily Mail (UK) states that Ferdinand is making more than $185,000 a week, a salary that would put him well into DP territory but would probably be a bit rich for MLS' and the Fire's blood considering age, fitness and position.
ENGLAND DELAYS USE OF GOAL-LINE TECHNOLOGY
England's plan to use goal-line technology has been put off for at least another season after the English FA said that the process in getting approved and verifying the accuracy of the different testing systems won't be complete ahead of the 2012-2013 Premier League season.
Instead, it appears that the 2013-2014 campaign is the earliest that goal-line technology would be instituted.
VALENCIA SHOWS BERBATOV INTEREST
Striker Dimitar Berbatov has become an afterthought at Manchester United, and one team said to be in the mix to pry him away from Old Trafford in January is Spanish side Valencia.
Berbatov led the Premier League in goals last season despite being relegated to the bench for a good portion of the campaign. With Danny Welbeck emerging alongside Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney, though, the minutes are few and far in between for the Bulgarian striker.
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Do you see Beckham bolting for Leicester or PSG, or do you see him remaining with the Galaxy? Can you see Ferdinand manning the back line for the Fire? Do you hope to see goal-line technology become a regular part of the game? Do you think Berbatov would succeed in La Liga?
Share your thoughts below.
You’re the genius that doesn’t understand that losing 20 million a year for an MLS team is alot of money. Maybe you should enroll in a basic math class.
Age is a factor, of course, but the number one consideration should be whether he can still play at an appreciably higher level than a regular MLS player. Henry loves NY, is the heart of his team, and is at the top of the league in goals. I don’t care is he’s 54 as long as he remains productive and has a good attitude.
I think LA should let Beckham go and save the DP money. Beckham is great on the free kicks, but the Galaxy have proven that they can get results without him.
shocking.
I don’t work in the soccer business so stop imagining things.
Well, Lando got it in 2008 with 20.
it is pretty embarrassing not gonna lie lol. That and how many ties each team has. Most are 10 and up
in England, I believe the standard is to refer to salaries as basically per league match week. The season, therefore, is 38 weeks, so $185k*38=$7.03m
teams*
Yeah totally skipped Henry. 8/22 are 32 or over. Sorry, didnt mean do lump you in with the previous poster, just wanted to point out the fact that MLS seems to have gotten the message, most new DP’s are young and from south America, just because Chicago inquired about Rio ( it could all just be a rumor) doesn’t mean we are not seeing team use the dp slots better.
Where did I say I would be fine with losing him altogether? I did, make no mistake, proclaim your suggestion wasn’t worth the time it took to type it out. Are we clear now on that?
Sorry, I’m not working for MLS. I can only speak as a supporter/fan of the league. Your proposal is unequivocally horrible for the league and the precedent it set for other players.
I didn’t know MLS employees post on this site, though. You must not be a good businessmen if you’re spending your time on here. Perhaps less time on here and more time on creative marketing and our league wouldn’t need your ridiculous proposal.
Get back to work & the drawing board.
You need to more carefully read what I posted. Nowhere in my post did I say or insinuate that the majority of MLS DP’s were old. BTW, you also forgot Thierry Henry, who’s 34, and Robbie Keane is awfully close at 31. So, that’s now 9 versus your original 5/22 stat, 10 if you count Keane, that are in their early 30’s…just sayin’.
Now, if you bring in Ferdinand, that’s 10-11 of 23 DP’s that are in their early 30’s, and Ferdinand is assuredly a risky wager with his injury history. Is this the kind of player a team needs to spend $2-3 million a year on??
Henry and De Rosario are both tied with 14 league goals. Interesting. when was the last time we the Golden Boot was awarded to someone who scored over 20 goals in MLS?
What I mean is they haven’t been watching what has happened since Beckham, including Rafa’s show with RBNY.
I think Ferdinand’s agent has been working overtime to come up with this chestnut. Puh-leeeaase!
Problem is, there are those over the pond who might think that this carries a whiff of truth based entirely on their ignorance of where the league is at 5 years after Beckham (and several years after Denilson, Gallardo, Nkufo) while watching Rafa Marquez work his special magic in NYC.
how about we invest in South American youth talent. Tons of those boys would enjoy playing here even for $100 K. Even some of the crappy ones would shine in MLS. It would definitely turn the league into an explosive attacking variety
I totally forgot about Mendoza, who is 33 and Danny K, who is 32.
Point still stands.
So you would be fine losing him all together. Lets see with Beckham Galaxy got a 5 million shirt sponsorship from Herbalife, 4-5 million from Addidas, doubled ticket prices in many sections, millions from friendlies, millions in shirts sales, increase in away attendance. You’re a good businessman!
Read what i just posted.
You really need to do your research better.
“most” are not are overage European players, that is just something that was maybe true in the past, but is now just perpetuated by posts like yours and silly rumors.
There are 22 DP’s in MLS. Let say that this “overaged” title you so easily used means they are 32 or over.
Five of those dps are over 32.
Beckham
Rafa
JPA
Torsten “Hand to ball” Frings
and Frank Rost.
Pardon my fuzzy math, but 5 out of 22 does not equal = majority.
Rio is a twitter star. That counts right?
This type of loan deal is ridiculous, caters only to Beckham and was the leading culprit to his injury that forced him to miss LA matches.
That’s a huge step back in the wrong direction, for MLS.
Correct.
MLS should try to resign Bekham to a full contract. If that doesn’t work offer the opportunity for a full half season loan to Europe: January until June 1. Have him come back to Galaxy in June until the end of the MLS season. He would still get 6-8 weeks off each year which is about the same if not more than most European players. Beckham may take it rather than moving his family to a different country.
I think a DP should meet a few criteria:
1. MOST IMPORTANTLY, be healthy enough to contribute consistently on the pitch.
2. Be someone who’s capable of being an icon image for the club to raise PR; Beckham meets this nicely despite failing on criteria #1.
3. Be a player who fits into the overall chemistry of the team; Freddie Lundberg was an example of how this did not work in Chicago.
I also agree with other posters that MLS needs to avoid bringing in aging, “washed up” international players who are just looking to cash a nice check for a few more years. I know MLS may never draw a top-form European or South American player in their prime, but DP’s still should have a reasonable expected career span, and be in the highest echelon of talent for the league.
Agreed. Doesn’t make any sense at all, as he brings no name recognition to casual or unaquainted fans and is not a crossover “star” like Becks. Would be crippling for them to waste that kind of money
Who? Soldado.
We need to purchase more DPs south of the border. A DP should be between the ages of 25-30 and have a certain recognizable factor. And we shouldn’t have to pay out the bum for them. A guy like Ferdinand if HEALTHY could be worth $2-3million a year. Basically whatever they are paying Robbie Keane. Guys like Beckham, Henry are GREAT players but also great PR opportunities. Ferdinand however is not. Same with Keane i’d wager
A DP should
1) increase attendance or PR for the club
2) aid the team on the field to more victories
3) not cost so much that the club is run into debt
Most DPs seem to be overaged European players who are so close to retirement that they don’t mind making a few million bucks a year with little committment on/off the field. We need to get rid of that shite
Only during the time MLS plays like March to November. Everywhere else it’s paid every week I believe.
$185K per week: can someone tell me if that is per week during the season or for 52 weeks ($9,620,000.00)
They purged by choice. Hence why signing Berbs would be a bit contradictory to that & to say nothing of how hot Salgado is for them right now.
Rumor*
Ill be truly amazed if there is even an ounce of truth to the Rio rumer. I also doubt the Berba is moving, but it would be good for Valencia to get a player in after being farmed by richer clubs the past few transfer windows.
MLS needs to stop spending DP money on over the hill people who are trying to cash a paycheck. I thought we had gotten past it but this move for Rio just wouldn’t make sense for Chicago.
No matter how good he is when fit, it would be truly insane to spend DP money on a 32-year-old defender who can’t play 3 games in a row.
Beckham to Leicester story makes me wish Special One TV was still on the air. “Oh David!”
DP Defender/Oft-injured player? Verdict: Pass
It was rather surreal though to see “Fire interested in Rio”, on another website, as their main-story.
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In fact, I think all three players in this article are staying put: Berbatov & Ferdinand with United and Beckham with Galaxy.