By RYAN TOLMICH
Dani Alves has been at Barcelona for seven years, but the club’s lack of action regarding his contract situation has left the Brazilian “sad.”
Barcelona is currently in the midst of a transfer ban and — despite the inability to add new players — appears willing to let Alves depart the club. Alves’ deal is set to end in June, which means he is free to discuss a move with other clubs.
“Disappointed is not the word,” said Deborah Santana, Alves’ agent. “Yes, we did expect there would be some contact, but this is not a disappointment. We are more sad than disappointed. There has not even been any move made.
“Dani is there at Barca, the normal thing would be for them to say if they want to renew or not,” she added. “We are not going to put pressure on for them to offer a new contract. He has been there for seven years, it is not up to us to pressure anyone.”
Here are some more news and notes to kick off your Friday morning:
CHELSEA ISSUES APOLOGY TO RACISM VICTIM
Chelsea continues to take steps to address the racist acts of a group of its traveling fans.
Ahead of the club’s meeting with Paris-Saint Germain midweek, a group of Chelsea fans racially abused and harassed a local black man, identified as Souleymane S., barring him front entering the train. Three men have been identified and could be issued life bans after already receiving suspensions from attending the club’s matches.
“I’d like to make clear, on behalf of everyone at the club, our disgust at the incident. We were appalled by what we saw,” a club spokesman said in a statement.
“The club would also like to apologize unreservedly to Souleymane for the behavior of a small number of individuals and their unforgivable action towards him. We’re writing to him to apologize and to invite him to come to a game as our guest.”
In addition, Jose Mourinho made sure to address the incident in Friday’s press conference, condemning the actions while also insisting he is a proud member of Chelsea.
“We feel ashamed but maybe we shouldn’t because I refuse to be connected with these people,” Mourinho said. “I’m connected with Chelsea and the many good things this club defends. I left Chelsea in 2007 and I couldn’t wait to be back.
“I felt ashamed when I knew what happened, but I repeat I’m a proud Chelsea manager because I know what this club is.”
WENGER UNCONCERNED BY CAZORLA DEPARTURE RUMORS
Arsene Wenger says he doesn’t have any fears about Santi Cazorla departing the Emirates for Spain.
Cazorla has been linked with a move to Atletico Madrid in recent weeks, but Wenger insists that the midfielder still has at least two more years with the club.
“He extended his contract last year. I think he has still two years to go,” the Arsenal manager said. “He was just 30 years old. He has two years to go.
“You know our policy at the club, so I don’t think there’s anything special to worry about there. The suggestion is only a suggestion. We have never been approached by anybody about him.”
Wenger went on to discuss just how valuable Cazorla has been this season, as the Spaniard has been one of Arsenal’s most consistent players.
“Until now he has been maybe the most consistent — he has been voted player of the month twice in the last two months which means he has been remarkably consistent,” Wenger said. “Since he has moved centrally his influence on the team has been bigger as well.”
QUICK KICKS
Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini has criticized his team’s complacency after conceding a late equalizer in the team’s 3-3 draw with Celtic on Thursday. (REPORT)
Tottenham have won a battle in court to secure land to be used for construction of their new stadium. (REPORT)
Jack Wilshere is set for his return after missing time since November due to ankle surgery. (REPORT)
Jay Beatty, an 11-year-old Celtic fan with Down’s syndrome, has been awarded Scotland’s Goal of the Month award with 97 percent of the vote. (REPORT)
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What do you think of Barca’s choices regarding Alves? What do you think of Chelsea’s handling of the situation? What do you expect from Cazorla and Arsenal going forward?
Share your thoughts below.
Alves to Orlando and would have been nice to San Jose , hey cosmos are opening their wallet more than MLS teams but I think agents are noticing they are in D2.
Orlando, Houston, DC, and cosmos would be interesting options. Money talks 🙂
Dani Alves would be an ideal DP singing. High-profile, 30s, still has plenty in the tank, and would wreak havoc on MLS defenses from the back or used as a wide midfielder. His aspirations may still be higher, but MLS would be foolish not to make a run at him if he is out of contract.
Pros: In his day, impressive attacking right back. A lot of fun to watch.
Cons: Wrong side of 30. Appears to have a horrible attitude, incredibly petulant and routine diver.
I doubt he’d even last a full season. He’s everything MLS should stay away from.
It sounds like you’re describing Clint Dempsey ……. Without the pros
Also, technically, he’s not on either side of 30 since he’s 30.
Touche regarding Dempsey. That’s a very fair assessment, even though I’d disagree with it.
Sidenote: According to Wiki, Alves is almost 32. Of course, we know how reliable (or not) that can be at times.
Oh my God!! That’s sooooo old! I’m amazed he can still walk on his own!
i agree with bradsley, your description sounds a lot like dempsey.
alves is a fighter, and while he can be an @sshole, he also gives everything he has–he doesn’t seem like the type of guy to just sit around and let other people pick up the slack. he also hasn’t slowed down much from his top years; if he came this summer, he’d easily be the league’s best fullback, and maybe best player overall.
Dani Alves has always had a tireless engine and scrappiness about his play, both of which have made him the player he is, but he has never been accusing of going less than full speed or showing anything short of full commitment to Barca or Brasil. I think its still true that he has more assists on Messi goals than any other player, which says a lot about all of his qualities considering he is fullback. Take his work rate, on the ball skill and crossing ability, and he’d be a nightmare for MLS defenses (and he often remains one for La Liga defenses). Then add the name recognition and resultant shirt and ticket sales, and offering him a solid DP salary for three years seems like a no brainer. As I said, MLS would be foolish not to at least explore this.
So you’re saying he’s like the reigning MLS MVP?
So you’re saying he’s like the reigning MLS MVP?
In fact I did not. It appears you just did. Please expand on this in detail since your reading comprehension connected the two. To clarify, you’re saying Landon Donovan “Appears to have a horrible attitude, incredibly petulant and routine diver.”
No sarcasm, no attempts at humor. Actually back up what you just accused/said or go back under the bridge where you belong.
No, I’m saying Robbie Keane is all that, and yet still great for the league.
My mistake, I had associated Donovan with the award due to it being named after him.
Even so, how is Dani Alves attitude comparable to Robbie Keane. Keane has always been a classy player and professional.
It’s an absurd comparison for no reason other than trolling.
Robbie Keane is great to watch, but he’s as petulant as it gets in MLS. No one cries and whines more to the refs than he does.
Two equally valid, nearly identical comparisons – Clint Dempsey and Robbie Keane. One you call a very fair point, the other trolling. Sorry, but I don’t get where you’re coming from at all on this.
People who forgotten more about soccer than you and I will ever know made two of the three in this scenario captains.
Whining for calls, while annoying, and being unprofessional are two entirely different things. Alves, after all, was considered to be a leading culprit to Brazil’s issues (see bad influence on Neymar).
I didn’t “come from anywhere”. You compared Keane to Alves, from a professional standpoint, and I find that absurd.
Also, I feel that his salary would be higher than what he is worth.
that’s what i think it would come down to (doesn’t everything though?).
if his salary stays even close to what it is now, he would probably be more suited to place that is trying to sign him as merely a publicity stunt, such as the qatari league or cosmos, or like with queretaro and ronaldinho. hopefully mls has moved past that.
Normally I would agree that it does not make sense to spend huge DP money on a defensive position, as I just don’t see the ROI on that spend for MLS’s purposes. Dani Alves is perhaps the single exception to that because his style, goal creation ability and overall skill set from the back is so unique, and he can also play as an attacking mid. I think he’d be a huge success in MLS at this point in his career.
I thought about the high priced salary for a defender as well (in comparison to Dempsey for instance). Given his ability, what are the possibilities we see him play winger instead of wing back?
As you mentioned, his style seems like it could also be well suited at that position in a smaller league like MLS.
He can play either position, and in effect, he often ends up playing both positions at the same time. That’s how a defender ends up assisting Messi on so many goals. Alves is also particularly adept at winning the ball back in the offensive half after he has bombed forward, which is part of Barca’s style and the reason he fits so well into it. Where he would play on an MLS side largely depends on his personal preference and the team’s other players. Perhaps he more formally moves to the midfield as he get older. But his versatility and workrate are huge plusses.
yep. not that messi isn’t amazing, but one f the reasons that he could do what he did from the wing is that alves essentially played two positions. he’s been one of the most important parts of barcelona for the past decade.
Dani Alves has been at Barcelona for seven years, but the club’s lack of action regarding his contract situation has left the Brazilian “sad”.
I hope MLS clubs avoid the “sadness” and pass on any consideration of an Dani Alves signing.
Jay Beatty, an 11-year-old Celtic fan with Down’s syndrome, has been awarded Scotland’s Goal of the Month award with 97 percent of the vote.
Always nice to see these kind of stories now and again in sports.
That is really cool for Jay Beatty. But lets keep him away from any Chelsea fans, they may come up with a not so nice chant for him.