Cardiff City sign Frederico Macheda

TRANSFER NEWS: #CardiffCity can confirm the signing of Federico Macheda on a three-year-deal. #WelcomeKiko pic.twitter.com/cLrCJb5e7K

— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) May 27, 2014

Not bad for someone who, as far as I know*, has only ever scored one goal. Albeit this one:



* I know. I know.

Gyan Leaves Sunderland on Loan

What, me worry?

I'm not sure how this works outside of the transfer window, but Asamoah Gyan has left Sunderland. From Sunderland's official website:

Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan is set to join United Arab Emirates side Al-Ain on loan.

Officials from Al-Ain made contact with Sunderland earlier in the week with a view to signing the player on a permanent deal. After further discussions overnight however, it was agreed that the striker would join the club on a season-long loan.

Sunderland AFC would like to thank the officials from Al-Ain for the professional manner in which they entered into negotiations and the club wishes all parties well.

Manager Steve Bruce said: "Anyone who has seen Asamoah play will know that he hasn't been himself in recent months. This option suits all parties at the present time and the club is well-protected in the deal.

"Asamoah has three years remaining on his contract and of course my wish would be that he finds his spark again and we see him in red and white stripes next season in the form that first attracted us to him."

Gyan never settled at Sunderland, although he certainly had some highlights. This leaves Nicklas Bendtner as their only "experienced" Premier League striker, with Connor Wickham and the Bishop, Ji Dong-Won the other forwards. After today's match against Chelsea, Sunderland host Stoke, travel to Norwich and host West Brom. Bendtner under 6 could be a useful option and his schedule compares favorably against Adebayor's, who is similarly priced.

Housekeeping Note

UPDATE: Beaten to the punch by the industrious Never Captain Nicky Butt. Here is his Transfer Window Winners and Losers.

###

Sorry for the light posting.  It's an international break, after all.  Additionally there was just too much transfer news -- in the end, not really, but it wasn't worth posting until everything was said and done.  So look for our reactions to "Deadline Day" soon. Then we'll be following the internationals and counting the fake, and not so fake, injuries as we head into week four of the Premier League season.

Week 4?!?!  How is it only week 4?

Malbranque joins St Etienne

Malbranque joins St Etienne - Yahoo! Eurosport

St Etienne have confirmed the signing of Steed Malbranque from Sunderland.

The Ligue 1 outfit have agreed a two-year deal for the 31-year-old midfielder, who returns to his native France for an undisclosed fee.

A statement on www.asse.fr read: 'It's official. Steed Malbranque is a St Etienne player. The midfielder is committed to ASSE for two seasons.'

We don't usually comments on transfers OUT of the Premier League, but this deserves special mention. Malbranque was a fantasy stud back in his Fulham days, and an early member of the "French winger" club that we love so much. Other founding members include Robert Pires and Fabrice Fernandes, but Steed outlasted them all. It was clear that he wasn't at his best with Sunderland. I believe he has the distinction of being the player who had the most shots on goal last season without actually scoring.  Best wishes to him back in Ligue 1, or should we say, "bon chance" and "mercis pour l'expérience".

Blackburn Rovers sign Goodwillie

Blackburn Rovers | News | Latest News | Latest News | Rovers sign Goodwillie

In a boon to headline writers and 13-year olds everywhere...

Blackburn Rovers have today completed the signing of Scottish international David Goodwillie from Dundee United.

He was scoring about a goal every third match for Dundee United, which isn't THAT impressive, but still represents a big upgrade for Rovers. No offense to Jason Roberts, of whom I'm a big fan, but I would expect Goodwillie to go right to the head of the Rovers attacking pecking order.

Oh, I might as well use this moment to announce my "player that I'm unreasonably excited about in week one" of 2011. "Distinguished" past winners include famously Marek Cech against Arsenal.

Congratulations to Mauro Formica, who has been playing pre-season as a withdrawn forward and has scored a few goals for Rovers. Welcome to my week one fantasy line-up. Hosting Wolves will be a good early test for both sides. Goodwillie will become an interesting choice if he is posted to the games in time, but Formica is my pick.

Barton Available for Free after Twitter Outburst

Newcastle United have confirmed that Joey Barton has been made available on a free transfer.

Relations between the club and the outspoken midfielder had already been strained following a breakdown of contract talks over the summer, with Barton taking to Twitter to air his frustrations.

The 28-year-old did so again following Sunday's friendly defeat at Leeds, hinting at widespread dressing-room discontent towards the Newcastle hierarchy, before saying he would make an announcement on his future at 4pm on Monday.

But the club pre-empted whatever Barton was going to say by announcing he is able to leave St James' Park a year out from the end of his contract.

Some of the "offending" tweets included these:

If only we as players could tell the fans exactly how it is, without them above fining us lots of money. There will be a time and a place.less than a minute ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® Favorite Retweet ReplyJoseph Barton
Joey7Barton

And again it would be left to those magnificent fans to pick up the remnants of their once great football club. #hadenoughofcertainpeopleless than a minute ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® Favorite Retweet ReplyJoseph Barton
Joey7Barton

If I wanted to leave, I'd just come out and say "I want to leave" Things need addressing as am not prepared to go through a relegation againless than a minute ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® Favorite Retweet ReplyJoseph Barton
Joey7Barton

And he's at it again today.

One day the board might realise, what the shirt signifies. HONOUR and PRIDE. Thanks for your continued support........... #toonarmyless than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyJoseph Barton
Joey7Barton

So... where will he end up? Liverpool is the obvious answer as they're collecting every English midfielder they can get their hands on. [To that point, do you think they're regretting the &poind;24 they've spent on Henderson and Adam?]

But seriously, what club couldn't use his talents? But what club will take the chance on him after his washing out with Manchester City and now Newcastle United?

Who are we kidding. Barton on a free? ANY club would take a chance. It's not even a question of who has money to spend! This is going to get silly, quickly!

Plus ca change

What was true last January is true again this summer.

[11:21] JSpitzberg: so what does 20 million get you these days?
[11:21] JSpitzberg: a back up attacking middie, if you're LIV

Downing is Not Moneyball

Downing Could Be A 'Moneyball' Buy | F365 Says

In some respects, Downing is a 'Moneyball' signing. Those of you that have read Michael Lewis's book will know that this approach is based on statistical objectivity, rather than subjective gut feelings or opinions. Instead of looking at a player's physical attributes, Billy Beane - the man around whom the book is based - would pay more attention to his statistics. Indeed, Beane would sometimes select players who his scouts actively advised against, as long as their numbers stacked up.

Beane adopted the 'sabermetrics' (a method of analysing baseball statistics objectively) approach with the Oakland A's, a baseball team towards the lower end of the financial spectrum in the MLB, because every dollar had to be spent wisely. Liverpool aren't exactly in the paupers section, but their resources are much more limited than many in the Premier League, so the same theory applies. John W. Henry and the Boston Red Sox won a couple of World Series on the back of that approach, and it looks like the theory is being carried over to Anfield.

In Downing, Liverpool are buying a statistically reliable footballer, who should in theory help get the best out of their current resources.

No, no, no.

Downing is NOT a "moneyball signing". As fashionable as it is to try to attribute that approach to Liverpool's new ownership growth that hugely misinterprets what moneyball means and what they are actually doing.

Look, it's no secret what their plan is. The article even makes the clearest case yet for what that is:

Perhaps the only attacking player that one imagines being a permanent fixture in that system is Andy Carroll, largely because at present Liverpool don't have another centre-forward capable of leading the line...

Therefore, much of Dalglish's strategy will be geared around exploiting Carroll's talents. It doesn't take a tactical genius to spot that much of Carroll's best work at Newcastle was done with Joey Barton pinging crosses onto his piratey head.

But the contention that Downing is a moneyball signing because he crosses the ball doesn't hold up because again, that's not moneyball.  First of all, that's not finding hidden value in a player based on advanced statistics as opposed to what the naked eye reveals.  That's just plain old-fashioned naked-eye work.  Downing is a winger who crosses the ball a lot.  I could tell you that and I can barely open a spreadsheet, much less interpret one. This is just team building 101.

Second, that's overlooking the "value" part of the moneyball equation.

[I]t's hard to contest that turning Downing into N'Zogbia and £10.5M doesn't represent a fantastic bit of business http://sbn.to/om9NNpless than a minute ago via bitly Favorite Retweet ReplyJeremy Spitzberg
jspitzberg

Liverpool overpaid for Downing. Explain it however you like - he's English, he solves a need, etc - 20million for Downing is over-the-odds. And it happened because it's SO CLEAR that he's English, and he solves a need. That's not moneyball.

The moneyball approach explains doesn't work for the Henderson signing either. Despite a surfeit of central midfielders Liverpool may have seen something in his cross rate when playing on the right side of midfield, or his successful pass ratio, that made them think that he can supply Carroll. But they still overpaid for Henderson. Adam too.

Looking at your needs and spending big to meet them isn't moneyball. Moneyball would have been saying that Gary McSheffrey looks statistically like another Frank Lampard and snatching him up relatively cheaply. And no, the moneyball approach doesn't always work out. But it's finding VALUE relative to more highly regarded, and paid, players and building a team around that value.

Downing isn't moneyball.

</rant>

Inequality

Screen grab rom http://totalfpl.com/

I can't speak to the veracity of these rumours, but for me, this juxtaposition highlights the inequality in the Premier League. And in truth, in world football in general. When one team is getting Kun Aguero and the other is hoping to land Leroy Lita... well, it's just not fair. I'm not saying it has to be fair, I'm just saying it's not.

Sir Alex Ferguson Goes for the Hat Trick

What, me worry?

UPDATE: "Sir Alex Ferguson has tipped Tom Cleverley to follow Danny Welbeck into the England squad and confirmed neither player will be leaving Manchester United on loan this season."

Sir Alex Ferguson dismisses suggestion Rooney can replace Scholes - ESPN Soccernet

"We lost five experienced players in the summer. Five players who gave the club great service - Wes Brown, John O'Shea, Edwin van der Sar, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville. At the time, you think it's a big slice out of the cake, but we have replaced them by adding De Gea, Jones and Young, and also bringing back Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley, who were on loan.

"We've actually got 12 players aged 22 or under with us now, so it could be an emerging team again. There are also some experienced players who are maturing and will carry the responsibility of performance - Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand have responsible roles, as do Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick and Michael Owen.

"These are experienced players we've got, and the young players will be desperate to get in their positions, so I think it's a healthy situation we're in."

I think I have my history right in that Sir Alex is credited with building two great Manchester United teams - the late nineties version with a midfield of Keane, Scholes, Giggs and Beckham, and the mid-2000s team with Ronaldo, Rooney, et al.

Now, in the wake of United's record 19th title and their third Champions League final in four years, Sir Alex is going for the hat-trick. And with all the money Chelsea and Manchester City have to spend - and Liverpool have spent - you still have to have United favorites for next season's title.

Here's United's potential line-up.  Not their best line-up, which today would include the likes of Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra, but the line-up of young studs that are just entering their primes:

Jerome Boateng joins Bayern from Manchester City

Boateng spent all too much time on City's bench - if not the treatment table.

Jerome Boateng joins Bayern from Manchester City - World Soccer - Yahoo! Sports

Germany defender Jerome Boateng is set to join Bayern Munich from Manchester City on a four-year contract.

Bayern said Thursday Boateng will arrive in Munich for a medical in the next few days and sign his contract. It said both clubs agreed not to disclose the transfer fee.

This is probably the best move for all parties, but I can't help but feel cheated somehow. Boateng was going to be a +10 after a good showing for Germany in the 2010 World Cup. But a succession of injuries, and the good form or Pablo Zabaleta, kept him of the pitch for most of the season.

Interestingly, "he is expected to partner up with Germany team-mate Badstuber in the centre of Bayern's defence." Evidently he prefers to play centrally. Have Bayern pulled a trick similar to Manchester United's (Smalling and Jones) and rebuilt their central defence for the foreseeable future? And how much of this spending amongst the top clubs is in response to Barcelona's absolute dominance of European competition over the last few years?

Stewart Downing to Liverpool

Liverpool have completed (I understand) a £20 million move for Aston Villa's Stewart Downing, solving their need for a left-winger. My first thoughts on the deal:

Could Villa get Lucas, Spearing and/or Shelvey in part return for Downing? Villa need to replace Reo-Coker and retire Petrov. #needsless than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyJeremy Spitzberg
jspitzberg

Riise returns to England with Fulham

Riise returns to England with Fulham - Yahoo! News

Fulham have completed the signing of former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise from Italian side Roma for an undisclosed fee, the English Premier League club announced on Wednesday.

Riise has signed a three-year contract and his arrival at Craven Cottage will see him linking up with brother Bjorn Helge.

I guess this paves the way for the end of the Carlos Salcido experiment. Shame, as he was a good fantasy defender. But Riise, in his day, was a great fantasy option - taking set pieces, even playing in midfield at times. He's still just 30 years old, which honestly surprised me, and I would expect that he will still be good value for fantasy managers. Especially when Fulham are at home.

Wolves close to Johnson signing

Wolves close to Johnson signing - Yahoo! Eurosport

Wolves are closing in on the signing of Birmingham defender Roger Johnson after agreeing a fee approaching £7million, Press Association Sport understands.

Johnson held talks with Wolves officials at Molineux on Monday morning and was set to undergo a medical later that day.

Sources close to Wolves anticipate the deal being completed sooner rather than later.

This is a big statement of intent from Wolves. For a scrappy, competitive side they were too often a mess at the back. Hopefully Johnson can sort them out. And he's wont to put some in the back of the opponents net too. He'll be a nice target on set-pieces.

Adam to Liverpool

Liverpool Seal Charlie Adam Switch - SBNation.com

We've known it was coming for a while and now it appears to be official according to people all over the world wide webs.  The mysterious Liverpool summer in which they stockpile central midfielders and fail to address their core needs (LB, CB, and both wings).  It really leaves you wondering, doesn't it?

I like Adam as a player and he's certainly better than Henderson is right now.  That said, I'm not sure he's better than Meireles.  Whether he's better than Gerrard depends on which Gerrard shows up this year.  None of the above are better than Gerrard at his best but all of them might be better than broken-down, injury-plagued Gerrard.  Assuming that the Liverpool captain is somewhere in-between those two models coming into the new season, I have a hard time guessing where he falls in the pecking order.  One thing we do know is that unless he's physically unable to go, politics at Liverpool are such that he'll be in the line-up regardless of where age/injury have left his ability to perform. 

So what next for Liverpool? Does this signal the end of Meireles in red? (If Fab4 is leaving Arsenal they could do far worse than Meireles as a short term replacement while they're waiting for Ramsey, Wilshere, and the next young guy Wenger buys to grow into their prime.  Just a random thought but one I suspect will find its way into the gossip rags soon enough.  Alternatively, he'd be a great buy/exchange for Villa is they can't keep hold of Downing.

Bolton Sign Darren Pratley and Sell Ali Al Habsi

Bolton Wanderers | News | Latest News | General | Wanderers Snap-Up Pratley

I missed this news over the holiday weekend, but Bolton bolster their central midfield options - in the wake of releasing Joey O'Brien and Tamir Cohen - by signing Swansea's Darren Pratley. Also, they have sold Ali Al Habsi to Wigan after his loan spell there last season.

Pratley has been improving his goal-scoring over the last two seasons and put in nine for the Swans last term. I won't pretend to know much more about him, or how he might be used at Bolton alongside the likes of Holden and Mulumbu Muamba, but consider this a marker and a reminder for further study.

Al Habsi is a keeper we've liked for a while now, and I for one am happy to see he's found a home at Wigan.  For fantasy purposes he may provide a good, cheap squad option who can rotate with David De Gea and the like.

Now we await the real news, which will be Bolton's signing (or taking on loan) a forward, be it Daniel Sturridge or someone else.

Manchester City Sign Stefan Savic

Man City complete deal for Savic from Partizan - ESPN Soccernet

Savic, a center back with the speed and athleticism to play right back, is only 20 and would seem to be one for the future. That being said, the only players between him and first team spot are Kompany, Lescott, Toure (when not banned), Boyata, Richards, Boateng and Zabaleta. #bloat

Gardner Signs for Sunderland

photo courtesy SAFC.com

Gardner is a Black Cat | Latest Sunderland News | Team & Transfer News | Sunderland AFC | Sunderland

Steve Bruce has completed the signing of Craig Gardner from Birmingham City.

The Solihull-born 24-year-old joins Sunderland on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee, becoming the Black Cats' third signing in just over 24 hours following the acquisitions of Connor Wickham and Ji Dong-Won...

He picked up a Carling Cup winners' medal and scored 10 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions during the campaign just ended, including a spectacular long-range strike against the Black Cats at St Andrew's in April.

Eight of those goals came in the Barclays Premier League, ranking the attack-minded player in the league's top ten midfielders in terms of goals scored.

I think this is a good signing for Sunderland and goes a long way towards replacing Jordan Henderson.  We've been fans of Gardners since he was listed as a defender in the Y! game but playing attacking midfield.  He had a brilliant start to last season, but as with Birmingham City as a whole, he faded as the year went along.

Coupled with some of their other signings, I would have to say that Sunderland is doing a really nice job of building a team of reasonably young players who still have a wealth of Premier League experience. With current players like Turner, Meyler, Campbell, Richardson and Bramble coming back to fitness Sunderland should be solidly mid-table again. Damning with faint praise, I know, but better than flirting with relegation.

I still worry that they're light in central midfield, with Lee Cattermole a liability rather than an asset, and on the left with Malbranque and KRich an ineffective duo and Bardsley a right-sided player. But maybe the aforementioned Myler or Riveros make their mark. Maybe Sessegnon settles into a wing role. Regardless, Bruce has pieces to play with coming into the new season.

"Bishop Magic" Dong-won

The original

ESPN Soccernet - On the Move - Love for Leighton

15.11 South Korea international Ji Dong-won has become Sunderland's second signing in as many days after completing his move from Chunnam Dragons.

I don't know much, if anything, about him but I do know that Sunderland need forwards and I'm going to love the nickname (which I should since I just gave it to him - hopefully no one beat me to the punch).  For those who don't know here's the Wikipedia version and his very own official website. 

How can you not love it?

David De Gea says farewell to Atletico Madrid

David De Gea in tears as new Manchester United keeper says farewell to Atletico Madrid | Mail Online

David De Gea broke down in floods of tears last night as he bade farewell to Atletico Madrid, just hours after his first interview as a Manchester United player.

Uh oh.

The last player I remember having such a hard time leaving his Spanish club was Arsenal's Jose Antonio Reyes. He too was in tears upon leaving Sevilla, where he had played since the age of 15. And despite the occasional flash of brilliance, he never settled into what was very much Thierry Henry's Arsenal team.

Now I'm not saying that De Gea is another Reyes. But what would worry me is that the United keeper job is SO high pressure.  It has chewed up and spit out the likes of Taibi, Carroll, Howard, and seemingly most recently Kuzszcak.  I know that the reviews of De Gea praise his mental strength, and I'm not going to judge based on this moment.

But still, it does give one a little pause.