Standard Liege defender Oguchi Onyewu, seeming to be completely disgusted with the
transfer process, told US reporters in Guatemala that "I only want to live in reality, and the
reality of the situation is that I play for Standard. I enjoy it and what happens,
happens."
Meanwhile, the buzz coming from cognoscenti back in the States links Onyewu to Serie A side
Catania, which is still looking to replace top defender Juan Manuel Vargas after selling him to
Fiorentina.
Today Real Madrid made it clear that they are no longer interested in signing Dutch ace Rafeal Van
Der Vaart from Hamburger SV as an alternative to Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo.
According to Real President Ramón Calderón, its Ronaldo or no one - they think their 85
million euro bid may still be workable.
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is looking to strengthen his squad on the defensive end which has
him targetting a number of players, including three Americans.
The team needs a roster deep enough in quality to hold its own in League and European play this
season. "I would hope for us to have a real proper squad, at least the size of, say, Everton.
According to France's Le Figaro, AS Monaco is not only after Freddy Adu but may be offering SC
Heerenveen € 6 million for US midfielder Michael Bradley. Germany's Bayer Leverkusen and
Hamburger SV, along with England's Middelsbrough and Everton have also expressed interest in
Bradley. Currently, the Monaco bid is the most definitive piece of news to have leaked out thus
far.
Football fans are not the most patient of breeds and short memories are part and parcel of the
game. As Arsenal hit top form and sit comfortably within the coveted Champions League places, few
Gunners will recall that spell between January and February when their attack floundered
haplessly.
Yesterday a club spokeman at Heerenveen mentioned that the club may decide to keep the 20-year-old
instead of selling him for a reported 8.5 million. Don't fall for it folks - this is just part of
the transfer negotiating game. Bradley is in the last year of his contract so this is Heerenveen's
only chance to cash in.
