Football transfer news

Santos forward Neymar has stressed he has no intention of moving to Europe any time soon as he is happy with life at his current club.

The Brazil international is continually being linked with teams such as Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea, but Neymar feels the time is not yet right to leave his native country for a foreign adventure.

“I’m happy here in Brazil, I’m happy at Santos. I have a dream of playing in Europe, but it’s still not the right moment,” the forward told Reuters.

The 20-year-old then went on to voice his disappointment with Brazil’s disappointing 2011 Copa America campaign, and the Selecao‘s failure to win Olympic gold in London.

“We were very upset about the Copa America. A lot of people were upset about the Olympic Games, but none more so than us.

“However, I am very proud to have taken part in the Olympics and won a medal.”

Neymar feels Brazil are on the right track, though, ahead of the 2014 World Cup, and is confident they will hit top form when it matters most.

“The national team is on a very good upwards curve. We are creating our identity and the team is getting more confident and becoming tighter. In a short time, it will suit us, our Brazilian way of doing things and things will happen.

“Responsibility is always divided. Everybody does their part on the pitch. One man can’t do it alone. In the World Cup there will be 23 determined players, looking for the win. I will be just one more Brazilian, chasing after the title.“

Brazil last won the World Cup in 2002, when they beat Germany 2-0 in the final.

PROFILE
By Ben Hayward | Spanish Football Writer

Athletic Bilbao must be kicking themselves. When the Basque club sold Javi Martinez to Bayern Munich for a tidy sum of €40 million over the summer, they should have had a ready-made replacement waiting in the wings. But, Benat Etxeberria had been allowed to leave Lezama in 2008, almost without trace.

Benat, now a target for Manchester City following the arrival of Txiki Begiristain as technical director, came through the youth ranks at Athletic. But, he was unable to build on a six-minute cameo appearance against Osasuna in October 2006 and was shipped out on loan to Segunda Division B side Conquense.

That appeared to be the beginning of the end for the talented midfielder, who had featured for Spain’s Under-17 side and played in a cup final for Athletic as a youngster against Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique and Cesc Fabregas. Incapable of winning a place in a mediocre midfield at San Mames, he was deemed surplus to requirements. His fortunes were about to change though and onlookers in Cuenca could hardly believe their luck. And nor could Betis.

They tracked Benat after a tip-off and were immediately impressed by the player nicknamed ‘Gattuso’ by team-mates at Conquense, due to his similar physique and uncanny likeness to the Italian great. Betis watched the midfielder over the course of seven games and were convinced they were on to something good. The player’s agent, former Real Sociedad, Osasuna, Athletic and Espanyol goalkeeper Vicente Biurrun, told the Andalusians to speak to Bilbao and surprisingly, the Basque side allowed the youngster (then 22) to leave for free following his successful loan spell.

BENAT ETXEBERRIA, 25 MIDFIELDER | BETIS & SPAIN

Benat spent his first year at Betis B, but moved up to the Segunda Division with the senior side after injuries to Arzu, Juande and Jose Alberto Canas. His performances helped the club to promotion in his second season and he claimed cult-hero status by netting two fantastic free kicks in a 2-1 win away to eternal enemies Sevilla.

Such strikes saw Athletic take notice and the midfielder became a top target for the Basques following the departure of Javi Martinez. However, the club coached by Marcelo Bielsa were unwilling to pay the €20 miilion release clause for a player who was once theirs and who had been allowed to leave for nothing just three years earlier, while he was also thought to be very similar to their own Ander Herrera.

In the meantime, Benat had made his full Spain debut prior to Euro 2012, impressing in friendlies against Serbia and South Korea, although ultimately missing out on a place at the competition due to La Roja’s considerable riches in the centre of the park.

Disciplined defensively, deceptively mobile and blessed with a wonderful range of passing, Benat is a free kick specialist and central creator who is something of a mixture between Xabi Alonso and Xavi in terms of his playing style; a humble and quiet man off the pitch, who prefers to do his talking on it.

With contract talks stalling at Betis, a return to Athletic looking unlikely and a move to Wolfsburg seemingly improbable following the departure of Felix Magath as coach, Begiristain will be confident of capturing his fellow Basque this winter and Bilbao’s loss could be City’s gain as the Premier League looks to Spain once again.

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Theo Walcott deserves a new deal at the club after admitting that he has been impressed with his professionalism despite his contractual dispute.

The club strengthened heavily in the summer after the departure of leading man Robin van Persie, bringing in Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla, but Wenger is still keen to sort out a fresh deal for Walcott after his recent form in front of goal.
“I want to keep him, and I think aside from the contract talks, you have to give him credit for the way he is committed to the team, and for the way he behaves,” Wenger told reporters.

The England international struck a fabulous hat-trick in Arsenal’s 7-5 Capital One Cup victory against Reading and Wenger lauded Walcott’s ability to play as a striker, an issue seen as a stumbling block towards any progress over talks involving a new deal.

He added: “I always said he will be striker. He’s a good finisher now. He knows where to be on the rebounds.

“That is the quality of a striker you can’t give to someone, they either have it or they don’t.”

Lazio president Claudio Lotito has invited interested parties to make a bid for Mauro Zarate with the forward appearing to have been frozen out at the club.

The striker spent last season with Serie A rivals Inter but the Milan side chose not to keep the player beyond his initial loan spell and he went back to the Biancocelesti.

The 25-year-old has since been linked with a move to Genoa or Torino in the January transfer window and Lotito insists he is willing to listen to any offers which would see the out-of-favour attacker move away pernamently.

“I have not heard from Genoa or Toro,” Lotito told Tuttosport. “If the Granata really do want him, then they just need to tell me.

“The situation with Zarate has been clear since the summer as the player turned down several clubs, including Galatasaray and Marseille.

“In January when the transfer window opens, we will be prepared to speak with any club that makes an offer,” the 55-year-old continued.

“If Toro want Zarate, then make us an offer and we will evaluate it. However, there will be no loans considered, including a loan with an option to buy.

“I know how these things go. Everyone promises to buy the player at the end of the season and then [they] don’t keep their word.”

Hamburg’s Heung-Min Son has admitted that he does not know whether he will sign a contract extension with the club.

The South Korean’s current deal expires in 2014 and the striker is not certain about his future, but emphasised that he is enjoying life at the Imtech Arena.

“I am as yet unaware whether I am to sign a new deal with Hamburg this winter,” Son told the Hamburg Morgenpost.

“Still, there is no doubt that I am very happy with my current situation at Hamburg. I like the club and I love the fans as much as they love me.”

Son has scored five goals in nine Bundesliga appearances this season, with his side sitting seventh with 13 points from nine games.