SoccerBlogs

Esteban Granero can't find work at Real Madrid

Loftus Road phones and faxes have been plenty busy this transfer deadline as Esteban Granero becomes another victim of Real Madrid's proud cantera system, a homegrown lifeline replenishing the club with talent before they went Galactico.

The plundering of Arsenal's roster by Europe's top teams continued on Saturday as the Gunners agreed with FC Barcelona on a� £15 million� to transfer midfielder Alex Song.

Song joins Robin Van Persie, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri as top Arsenal stars to leave the Gunners in the past two summers, though the transfer fees acquired in those deals have left Arsenal with a sizeable amount of transfer revenue to work with for the second straight summer.

New Queens Park Rangers winger Park Ji-Sung has bid an emotional farewell to former club Manchester United, explaining that the special memories he built as a Red Devil with stay with him forever.

Despite recently declaring United the biggest club in the world, Park began being linked to QPR last week.

By FRANCO PANIZO

Roberto Mancini helped give Manchester City the ultimate reward in English soccer this past season by helping them lift the Premier League title.

Now, they are rewarding him.

Mancini signed a five-year deal worth an estimated $38.7 million with the wealthy club on Monday, meaning the Italian's contract runs through the 2016-2017 season.

An unsung gem and a trailblazer for Asian footballers

The hardest working player in the business has a new home at Loftus Road. He will be missed at Old Trafford where for seven years he could be depended on to give a 110% every time he came on the pitch.

Park Ji Sung joined Utd in 2005 for £4m from PSV Eindhoven and in doing so became the most decorated Asian player, helping Utd win four Premiership titles.

The next manager to try and help the Netherlands finally meet expectations is a man who has tried before.

Louis Van Gaal has replaced Bert van Marwijk as manager of the Dutch national team, taking the same job he previously held from 2000 to 2001, when he led the Netherlands in a failed bid to qualify for the 2002 World Cup.

Park Ji-Sung has enjoyed a very successful career at Manchester United but the South Korea international has revealed some of the cultural challenges that made his journey very challenging at times.

The 31-year old midfielder spent time in Japan and Holland before venturing into the English top flight seven years ago.

Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung believes that the players that surround him at Old Trafford form the "biggest club in the world".

Park, 31, arrived at United in 2005 and having enjoyed four Premier League medals, three Carling Cup trophies, and a Champions League title with some of the players he once only dreamed of playing with, he has paid a glowing tribute to the global stature of the Red Devils.

Queens Park Rangers are on the verge of landing midfielder Esteban Granero after agreeing a transfer fee with Real Madrid earlier today.

Granero, 25, still needs to agree personal terms and pass a medical at Loftus Road before completing the switch but given the limited opportunities the Spaniard has had in Madrid, the move is very likely to be completed before the transfer window shuts.

Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand has paid a glowing tribute to outgoing winger Ji-Sung Park, explaining that the Red Devils will truly miss the new QPR signing.

Ferdinand has played alongside Park during one of United's most successful eras in recent years and in addition to the South Korea international's demeanor as a "selfless" teammate, Rio believes that his upbeat attitude was a major asset for the club too.

Following his move to QPR, Ji-Sung Park has spoken with fondness about his time at Manchester United.

"My time at United will last in my heart for the rest of my life," he told the official site. "It's been a great privilege to be part of such a great team, to have won so much and to have played with special teammates and for the greatest manager in the game.

When Queens Park Rangers' eager communications department described new signing Park Ji-Sung as a "global phenomenon" it was easy to mock. After all, a quick Google search of the phrase mentions the decline of the honey bee but little of the similarly busy Korean midfielder.

And yet, who hasn't at some time got carried away with outrageous optimism about their club's summer signings?

Borussia Dortmund defender Neven Subotic has praised former teammate and new Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa for taking a step forward in his career.

Subotic saw the 23-year old Kagawa quickly transform into a difference-maker during last year's league and cup double in Dortmund, and is confident that the Japan international can have a similar impact in the English top flight.