Transfer News

CBarca wrote:Looks like we're trying to land Damiao.

Really, really hoping this happens.

nh01 wrote:

CBarca wrote:Looks like we're trying to land Damiao.

Really, really hoping this happens.

Sound Overrated IMO

CBarca wrote:

nh01 wrote:

CBarca wrote:Looks like we're trying to land Damiao.

Really, really hoping this happens.

Sound Overrated IMO

With us being after him for quite a while now, and AVB knowing him quite well due to being in South America after he was sacked at Chelsea (actually scouting several players, among them Oscar and Daimiao, which is why we were interested in Oscar), I'm confident he isn't overrated and a very good striker.

AVB knows his sh*t and Tottenham have been after him for a long time so I trust he's a great player.

If Brazil is a country known, perhaps stereotypically, for strikers of immense individual ability and flair, then Internacional striker Leandro Damiao goes against the grain somewhat.

The imposing forward plays as if he had been born and trained across the Atlantic Ocean in Europe, but he still possesses that showman's streak frequently associated with the Samba nation.

It is part of what makes him so appealing to European clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, and it is an understandable motive. But it is his strength of character that should be noted as it has been integral to his rapid and intense progression.

His extremely high work ethic has seen him become a starting striker for the Brazilian national team, and on his current form it is a position he could well fill when they host the World Cup in 2014.

While other promising youngsters, such as Neymar, Ganso and Lucas Moura, made their names at the more prestigious academies of Brazilian football, Damiao has taken a far more arduous path to the upper echelons of the Brasileiro.

A late bloomer, Damiao suffered regular rejections as he chased his dreams in the early stages of his career in rural Brazil. Playing as a midfielder, his talents were not recognised until a positional switch to his current centre-forward role secured a temporary contract with minnows Atletico Tubarao. From there he earned a chance with, and secured a move to, Santa Catarina side Atletico Ibirama, who had previously turned him away.

His impressive form was finally picked up on by one of the nation's top clubs in Internacional in 2010. After initially being taken on loan, the Colorado acquired his rights having witnessed his potential first hand during first-team appearances in the Campeonato Gaucho, which included a debut brace against Ypiranga Erechim at the age of 20.

From then on, Damiao has been on an upward trend and he also scored in the final of the Copa Libertadores the same year as Inter won the trophy for just the second time in their history.

But it was 2011 that would truly serve as Damiao's breakthrough period. After a disappointing Copa America, the national team was in need of new blood and, with the striker in the midst of a season that would see him score 38 goals in 51 games for his club, he provided an ideal fresh option.

Despite having made his debut against Scotland as a replacement for the injured Alexandre Pato in March of 2011, Damiao soon became part of the bigger picture.

LEANDRO DAMIAO
STRIKER | INTERNACIONAL

2012 SEASON CLUB STATS
Appearances 33
Goals 18
Assists 6
INTERNATIONAL FILE
Brazil debut v Scotland (Mar 2011)
Caps 17
Goals 8

The 23-year-old may not be the archetypal Brazilian centre-forward, but this is what has been so influential in his commandeering of the national team's attack. At over six feet tall he provides a physical focal point, something which the Selecao lacked at the Copa America, and his impressive aerial game allows for diversity in the play. But he is more than just a target man; Damiao is a predator.

There are few in Brazil who are as lethal as he inside the box. His physical nature allows him to welcome the ball under pressure and he also has the technique to create space and shoot. He acts on instinct and can score goals of any kind, from acrobatic bicycle kicks to poacher's efforts.

However, he is not one to create for his team and instead he waits on others to make chances for him. He does not drop deep to get involved and thus can go missing for large parts of a match. This will not be accepted in Europe and he will be expected to up his work rate and contribute more to the team going forward.

Questions had been raised on his back-to-goal game but he has improved that drastically this year and is now capable of drawing in and involving team-mates around him.

Damiao's form was contentious in the warm-up friendlies before the Olympic Games and led to questions as to whether he should retain his starting berth. However, he dispersed all doubts over his ability in London with six goals in five appearances as the Canarinho reached the final, only to suffer a shock loss to Mexico. The fact that he kept Pato on the bench shows just how highly rated he is.

The 23-year-old has the physique, technique and goal-scoring ability to succeed in Europe but he will not come cheap. The progression he has made over the last two years is tantamount to his determination and desire to become the best he can be.

Potential suitors should not be put off by a large transfer fee: they could well be purchasing Brazil's starting striker for the 2014 World Cup.

Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian star Willian is interested in a move to the Premier League within the next six months.

The 24-year-old attacking midfielder was wanted by Andre Villas-Boas during the Portuguese's brief tenure as Chelsea boss, but a transfer to Stamford Bridge two summers ago failed to materialise.

Willian has remained with the upwardly-moving Ukrainian club, making more than 150 appearances since 2007, and was part of the side that knocked Chelsea out of the Champions League last month.

With the January transfer window open, Villas-Boas, now head coach at Tottenham Hotspur, is again being linked with the former Corinthians man, while Chelsea remain keen on the player along with their London rivals Arsenal and Premier League leaders Manchester United.

And Willian, speaking exclusively in the February 2013 issue of FourFourTwo, out now, says he is ready to move away from Eastern Europe and test himself in England.

"Oh, I want to. I hope so. I hope to move there. Maybe next season, or even this month, but it's difficult to say anything because I'm totally focused on my work here, and I prefer not to lose my grip. Who knows, maybe I'll get offers not only from clubs in England but teams from other countries too. Let's see what happens.

"I think I could well be playing there [Chelsea] with [compatriot] Oscar, but I'm trying to concentrate on my game at Shakhtar and forget about the offers."

Willian, who joined Shakhtar for $19 million on a five-year contract in 2007 and has gone on to win four Ukrainian Premier League titles, the Ukrainian Cup on three occasions as well as the UEFA Cup, has also distanced himself from claims by Donetsk team-mate and ex-Arsenal goal-getter Eduardo that there are only three English clubs 'good enough' for Willian: Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

"Absolutely not. Tottenham are a big team with a great structure and great players too. I would rate them with Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United."

Tottenham are confident of completing a move for Schalke midfielder Lewis Holtby in the coming days — six months ahead of schedule.

The original agreement was for the Germany international to join at the end of the season when his contract at the Bundesliga club expires, meaning Schalke would receive no fee.

It was announced last month that Holtby had signed a five-year deal at White Hart Lane which would start in the summer. However, the knee injury to Sandro that threatens to end his season early has forced Spurs into a rethink and talks with Holtby are thought to be at an advanced stage.

Sources in Germany believe the deal could even be completed by the weekend, with Spurs paying a comparatively small fee to secure the player immediately. The willingness on both sides to negotiate means the transfer could, in theory, be finalised before the Premier League’s registration deadline of midday tomorrow, which would enable Holtby to make his Tottenham debut against Manchester United on Sunday.

It appears more likely, however, that the 22-year-old’s first appearance for Spurs would be in the FA Cup fourth-round tie at Leeds United on January 27. Either way, he will be forced to abandon Schalke’s Champions League campaign.

Although Holtby’s best position is as a central attacking midfielder operating behind a lone forward — the role Clint Dempsey would fulfil in a 4-2-3-1 at Spurs — he has been used as one of the holding pair during his career in Germany, where he has also played for Alemannia Aachen, Bochum and Mainz.

While Holtby is still not considered physically strong enough to be a regular midfield anchor, he does, at least, have some knowledge of the position.

Without Sandro, who faces a significant spell on the sidelines, Spurs head coach Andre Villas-Boas was keen to improve his midfield immediately and the club started work on the deal to bring in Holtby as soon as they became aware of the severity of the Brazilian’s injury.

Sandro was pictured on his Twitter account yesterday with his right leg almost entirely encased in plaster. He damaged his knee in Saturday’s goalless draw at QPR.

Before Sandro’s setback, Villas-Boas had been willing to let both Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore leave the club but only one is now likely to depart, with QPR still chasing a loan deal for Livermore.