Tiago to Tottenham rekindled after player outburst

Portuguese international midfielder Tiago Mendes has declared he must leave Juventus after 2 horrible performances and 2 half time substitution which sees the potential for Tottenham to revive their bid for the player after Juande Ramos has said he wants to sign a central midfielder.

Tiago’s outburst came after Juventus won their Coppa Italia match against Empoli:

"I can't stay here any longer, the best thing for me would be to leave."

Tiago signed for Juventus from Lyon over the summer for 7m pounds but has not settled in the Italian League as it appears his playing style has clashed with the league and teammates.

Last Saturday he was in the starting 11 to face Catania but a woeful first half performance saw him hauled off at the break. It happened again Tuesday night against Empoli with Juventus trailing 4-3 on aggregate.

Tiago, 26, has been linked with a transfer for several weeks now and has resigned himself to an exit. Tottenham’s bid was rejected recently but talks seem imminent as the manager has given up as well.

Ranieri has done his best to defended the player but now:

“He played really badly, he didn’t play with the right tempo and he was always passing the ball backwards. It was a performance without personality”

Harsh words. Would it be any better at Spurs?

Platini’s greatest goal

Michel Platini was one of the greatest players ever, and an icon at his former club Juventus. For such a studied player, his greatest goal came from a brilliant piece of improvisation back in 1983 versus Ascoli.

The play started out with the famous number 10 playing the ball into feet from midfield and receiving it back in a classic 1-2. But the ball came back behind Platini and off the ground which forced the playmaker to improvise.

And improvise he did, as he flicked the ball in the air over his head directly into his own path, in the box with a chance on goal but still a lot to do. The ball bounced high for Platini but he made due, redirecting the ball with the sole of his raised foot into the corner of the goal well outside the path of the keeper. A sumlime demonstration of talent:

See the entire greatest goals ever series

Liverpool striker chased by Italian and pair of Premiership clubs

Peter Crouch may be moving on during the transfer window. Juventus, Manchester City and Portsmouth are both vying for the player’s services.

Portsmouth have expressed interest, as Harry Redknapp, who has already sold Peter Crouch twice, will make a third attempt to re-sign the striker as he continues to build a strong side at Portsmouth.

Sven Goran-Eriksson is also interested as the rumors persist that he will be handed a massive transfer kitty during the January window and it appears Crouch is tall on his list.

But Liverpool appear disinterested in selling the striker to another Premiership club and it’s been rumored that Juventus are interested in the striker to coming to Italy. Apparently Crouch is interested in the chance to play abroad.

Crouch has slipped to fourth choice at Liverpool and he is out of contract at the end of next season which means that Liverpool will look to sell sooner rather than later should they choose to let Crouch go.

Why such a fuss for Heinze?

As the transfer saga between Liverpool and Manchester United has evolved the question that keeps popping into my head is why?

Rafa Benitez is certainly fighting to bring the 29 year old Argentine international over from Old Trafford to Anfield, but there is a much better option on the table, and I cannot understand why Giorgio Chiellini is being seen as second choice and not first.

Chiellini has the complete package: great defending, heading, composure, leadership (he was the Italian U-21 captain) and pedigree. He’s also only 23, 6 years younger than Heinze, and has many of the same attributes as the Argentine. Chiellini has also received 6 international caps, rare for an Italian defender of his age. He’s poised to become one of the best left backs in the world, just needs a club to give him regular football. On top of that, he’s come cheaper and will less, um, litigation.

Don’t get me wrong, Heinze is an excellent player, but at 29, he only has a couple of good years left in him. Chiellini is a better option for Liverpool’s long term ambitions.

Unfortunately, Manchester City has made an offer which has surpassed Liverpool’s and Juventus are considering it, especially after the player expressed his frustration last week. I don’t know how likely Chiellini would be to accept a move to City, but in any event, it appears Liverpool have lost the initial opening that would have signed the player for less.

I can’t quite put my finger on the rationale behind Liverpool’s hesitation to sign Giorgio Chiellini. With Manchester United blocking a move to their arch rivals and even considering reporting illegal contact with the player, it doesn’t look like litigation will help. I’d forget it and go for the Italian. Check out this video, and you can see his quality and why he’d do so well in the Premiership.

No Heinze, Liverpool turn to Italian U-21 (video)

After Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson made it clear that he was not going to deal Argentine international Gabriel Henize to rivals Liverpool, Tuttosport reports that the club is turning to Italian U-21 captain and Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini.

Liverpool’s bid was 5m pounds for the talented left-sided defender who, for such a young age has been capped six times in the Italian senior side, debuting against Finland. No mean feat, considering the pedigree.

Liverpool have been chasing the youngster for quite a while now. Juventus had talks with Liverpool during the season for a loan deal but that has evolved into an offer for a permanent stay, as the arrival of fullback Domenico Criscito from Genoa has changed the possibilities.

Chiellini was a standout during the recent European Under-21 championships, being named to the team of the tournament. Juventus have rated the defender at 7m; he recently extended his current deal from 2009 to 2011. This kid is a top class defender and would be an excellent signing. On the other hand, with few exceptions, it doesn’t seem like Italian players stay in England long term. To invest in Chiellini as a long term solution could prove fruitless.

Here is a video of some of his attributes:

Pair in blue battle it out for bleu

There is a race is on for Juventus midfielder Olivier Kapo with both Steve Bruce at Birmingham City and David Moyes at Everton preparing a bid.

The 26 year old Frenchman is highly regarded in Spain after a season on loan with Levante. Real Betis is trying to sign him and keep him in La Liga next season. It appears that he wants to play in the Premiership though which leaves Everton and Birmingham poised.

The former Auxerre player is owned by Juventus where he has been given very little chance. He’s had a rocky few seasons until the loan spell saw him re-emerge as a viable player for larger clubs. Kapo said he would not consider staying at Levante.

Juventus’s price tag for Kapo is 2m pounds, a fee well within the reach of both Premiership contenders. You can see him in action here scoring against Deportivo De La Coruna:

Mauro German Camoranesi

(I forgot to publish this one after the game :-)

Juventus is out of the Champions League, but it isn’t because of Mauro Camoranesi.

The Argentinian played some fantastic football, often the only player in midfield that attacked with any conviction, and frankly, success.

His play reminds me very much of fellow countryman Javier Zanetti with winding runs from the edges of the midline towards the goal. Camoranesi often creates good opportunities in these runs, when his teammate’s key in that is. His energy goes on and on and intentions are good, but I sense he often goes out of step with the game and annoys his teammates in the process.

To me though, he was Juventus’s only stand out performer. The team seems stale with Del Piero and doesn’t have enough around Nedved to get their point across as Fabio Capello’s tactics are rather negative.