Ballack

CivilServant

Where do you think he'll end up next season?

andrewie

Real Madrid!

Guy:Incognito

Portadown

Rikand

Bayern Munich

dr zoidberg

Bayern have confirmed he's leaving.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/4781902.stm

Big Nelly

Shef Wed, him and Whelan will form a great midfield partnership

Rikand

dr zoidberg wrote:

Bayern have confirmed he's leaving.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/4781902.stm

ooo, missed that report

hmmm, in that case i go for inter milan

evad_lhorg

man utd:D

Kingp35

I would Leeds but we dont want him. He wouldnt get his game with Miller and Derry ahead of him

smemon

over-rated as an engine man. he's the volkswagen of midfielders, for utd, we need the bmw's or mercedes

he's quick fix, at a high cost (wages wise). i'd prefer to see a gamble taken on a few youngsters with the money instead.

shepthedog

He's biding his time until he seems who's gonna be strong in Europe next season, i.e who goes far this yr..

He has stated he will only go to a team that has a better chance of winning the champions league than Bayern,.. Rules out alot of teams..

casanova_kid

Chelsea will get him, they're the ones who need a penetrative midfielder the most and have the money to pay for him.

Necronomicon

casanova_kid wrote:

Chelsea will get him, they're the ones who need a penetrative midfielder

....Frank Lampard??


Well if you believe the reports up and down the country, then he's as good as at Chelsea already. I've been reading that Mourinho sees him playing a more advanced, almost striker's role. Inter Milan is another team being thrown around. I don't know who in their right mind would go to Madrid at the moment, half the team could be axed in the summer.
His main criteria seems to be a team that is capable of winning the Champion's League. I know Man United doesn't seem like the most attractive proposition in that regard at the moment, but I'm still a bit hopeful.

casanova_kid

Necromomicon wrote:

....Frank Lampard??


Well if you believe the reports up and down the country, then he's as good as at Chelsea already. I've been reading that Mourinho sees him playing a more advanced, almost striker's role. Inter Milan is another team being thrown around. I don't know who in their right mind would go to Madrid at the moment, half the team could be axed in the summer.
His main criteria seems to be a team that is capable of winning the Champion's League. I know Man United doesn't seem like the most attractive proposition in that regard at the moment, but I'm still a bit hopeful.

Apologies, I meant world class penetrative midfielder. Lampard is a good hard working lad who is the engine behind chelsea but he's no Ballack or Kaka when it come to changing the course of matches at the highest level.

Villain

Arsenal

Pepe LeFrits

irish1 wrote:

Arsenal

lol, not that I wouldn't take him in a heartbeat, but Arsenal already have one egotistical, crazy German and I don't think the other (not Kahn) is interested in joining!

iregk

Ballack they can keep him. Over rated in my opinion. He was completely outplayed last night and had no input what so ever on the game.

besty

smemon wrote:

he's quick fix, at a high cost (wages wise). i'd prefer to see a gamble taken on a few youngsters with the money instead.

Man United don't need more unproven players. That experiment (Djemba Djemba et al) failed miserably and left the club trophyless for 2 seasons. Someone proven is needed, and incidentally, I don't think Ballack is the man for Manchester United. I can see him going to Chelski or AC Milan.

Slash/ED

besty wrote:

I don't think Ballack is the man for Manchester United

Mainly as they simply wouldn't be able to get him

PHB

Ballack is the man for United but we won't get him unfortunately. World class player, love to have him in our team

PHB

Today's news has given me a little hope:

Massimo Moratti has claimed that Michael Ballack is pricing himself out of a move to Internazionale.

Germany star Ballack is set to be the most prized Bosman of the summer if, as expected, he lets his contract with Bayern Munich expire.

Bayern have still not given up hope of persuading Ballack to extend his stay at the Allianz Arena, although their cause was hardly helped by tumbling out of the UEFA Champions League at Milan on Wednesday.

A clutch of Europe's biggest hitters are courting Ballack, with Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United admirers of the 29-year-old.

Inter had trained their sights on Ballack but club supremo Moratti says they will not be held to ransom by any player.

"I have read some things in these days which didn't seem that correct," Moratti told the club's website. "From what I have understood, it seems to me that the player's request was too excessive, so we're not interested in him.

"So the Ballack matter is closed."

Moratti is keen to retain the services of Argentine star Juan Sebastian Veron, who is mulling over a return to his native land, but will not rush the midfielder into making a decision on his future.

"I will leave it entirely up to the player to decide because it's his own personal business, but I obviously hope his decision is positive for Inter and the fans who are fond of him and respect him," added Moratti.

If Inter are actually priced out of the move, then that leaves very few clubs who could take him on.

Man Utd
Real Madrid(who are ungoing a huge change hoping to get rid of Galactico's)
Chelsea
Juve
AC Milan(who have shown no interest, not suprising considering their midfield)
Barca(who have shown no interest, not suprising considering their midfield)

Although I think its a distant hope, I now hold a little more hope. If he is just afer finance, which it appears to be, United can compete in that area.

quad_red

Chelsea, all the way. They're the only ones who'll pay his crazy wage demands.

'But where will he play' I hear you ask?

It doesn't matter. They'll just buy him anyway. Lampard and Ballack in front of Makele. Essien on the bench (making last summer even more of a fiasco)

Rikand

Chelsea front runners now

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/4781902.stm

Chelsea are now the only club in the running to sign Germany captain Michael Ballack, BBC Sport understands.

Inter Milan announced they were no longer interested in signing the 29-year-old on Friday.

Yet Inter realised they were unlikely to be able to sign the midfielder as long as Chelsea were interested in him.

Ballack sees his future away from Bayern Munich and is not talking to the German champions about renewing his contract with them.

Inter Milan owner Massimo Moratti announced he had pulled out of the race to sign Ballack on Friday.

"I have read things in recent days that are not true," Moratti said.

"From what I understand, it appears Ballack's requirements are exorbitant and, therefore, we are not interested. This is the end of the Ballack affair."

Real Madrid had confirmed their interest in Ballack earlier in the season, but changes at the club meant this was not followed up.

Real sacked coach Wanderley Luxemburgo in December last year and their president, Florentino Perez, stepped down earlier this week.

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has admitted that Ballack is set to move to Chelsea when his contract expires in the summer.

"Inter made their move for Ballack much too late. I'm sure that by now he is joining Chelsea," Rummenigge said.

"There are little possibilities he'll stay. The reasons are not of an economic nature but in his desire to have new experiences."

But, in any case, Inter were unlikely to sign the German while Chelsea were in the running for him.

Ballack has denied reports that he has already signed a four-year deal with the Blues, but has made it clear he wants a new challenge.

His agent Michael Becker last week told BBC Sport that Ballack would want to join a club with a better chance of winning the Champions League than Bayern.

And Bayern manager Felix Magath has said the club is already seeking a replacement for the midfielder.

He said: "We need to look for a leading figure outside the club. When Michael leaves we will lose a personality who takes responsibility."

"We do depend a lot on him but that does not mean we will have problems once he's gone.

"This is a great opportunity to take a new orientation."

Ballack, who joined Bayern from Bayer Leverkusen in 2002, is generally regarded as Germany's only genuine world-class player

Rikand

quad_red wrote:

It doesn't matter. They'll just buy him anyway. Lampard and Ballack in front of Makele. Essien on the bench (making last summer even more of a fiasco)

sorry for two posts in a two, but ::

I reckon Essian will be slotted into Makelele's role...Makelele is well into his 30's and i would fancy essien to end up being his most likely replacement in the holding midfield position.

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Cech

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Ferreira - Terry - Carvalho - Del Horno

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Essien

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Robben - Lampard - Ballack - Duff

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a new attacker

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^^ something like that...-ish.

casanova_kid

I think Diarra will be groomed for the role actually. I see Essien as the most likely to be demoted, i don't think he has any flair and what chelsea needs is a ballack or a kaka sort player.

Rikand

from the bbc website

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/4801024.stm

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has confirmed he wants to sign Michael Ballack - and is waiting for the Germany captain to give him an answer.

Ballack, 29, is out of contract at Bayern Munich at the end of the season.

And Mourinho told German newspaper Bild: "I want him. He has said he needs time before making a decision. I respect that. Now it's up to him."

Mourinho said Ballack joining would not signal Frank Lampard's exit - insisting he wants them both as a "dream pair".

Lampard has been linked with a summer move to Barcelona with Ballack's arrival being seen in some quarters as a signal of the England international's possible departure from Chelsea.

But Mourinho added: "For me Ballack is one of the best players in the world.

"He's very intelligent, tactically very strong and he scores a lot of goals.

"For me in Europe there's only Frank Lampard who plays at that level. The two would form a dream pair."

Manchester United stated earlier in the season that they had pulled out of the race to sign Ballack while Italian side Inter Milan and Spanish club Real Madrid have also been linked with the German international captain.

cournioni

He won't be coming to United, I'm certain of it. Riquelme will be signing for United this summer.

Mark

Riquelme really isn't suited to the English game at all. Likes time to pick a pass and all that, the usual. Both Argentina and Villareal are built around him as well, would Utd be willing to do such?

Makelele, Ballack and Lampard. That'll be...odd.

cournioni

Well he seemed to do ok against both England and Rangers when he played against them. And to be honest, United are in the position to have the midfield built around him as the midfield at the moment is non existant.

As for Ballack, I really really think that a move to Chelsea would do him no good what so ever. Both he and Lampard are too similar. It would totally destroy Chelsea's shape IMO. Whatever Mourinho thinks himself though.

besty

quad_red wrote:

Chelsea, all the way. They're the only ones who'll pay his crazy wage demands.

'But where will he play' I hear you ask?

It doesn't matter. They'll just buy him anyway. Lampard and Ballack in front of Makele. Essien on the bench (making last summer even more of a fiasco)

Frighteningly, I think that's what will happen. Chelsea are quickly turning the transfer market into a farce and that would be confirmed if they went ahead with said transfer.

Necronomicon

Gun to my head, I'd pick Gattuso over Ballack. I know Ballack is quality, but does a manager really want someone who's making demands before he comes to a club and is pricing himself out of even some of the biggest clubs in Europe? I know I'd rather a bit of heart, something about Ballack just screams "I'm here to get my paycheck."

besty

As a Manchester United fan, I would also prefer Gattuso. He really is a great, tenacious little player - exactly what United need at the moment.