Viewing Thread:
"Robinho move blocked = Baptista to Madrid"

[URL]http://soccernet.espn.go.com/section?id=europe&cc=5739[/URL]

Turns out that the deal for Robinho is never going to happen due to the confusion over the amount of money Real Madrid would have to pay to Santos.

So instead they've opted to sign Julio Baptista. Admittedly only Marca seem to have picked up this so far, but by what they're writing, it seems pretty much like a done deal for 20 million Euros.

Edit - just confirmed on the BBC. £13.8 million to Sevilla, and Baptista signs for Real.
[URL]http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/4714437.stm[/URL]


Wonder where Robinho will go, then, if anywhere.

I'd be more inclined to say it'd be Woodgate or Rio. How the funk can you leave Terry out - he must be one of the best three centre backs in the world at the moment?

And that's why they finished second last season, only four points behind the leaders? How many points did Arsenal and Man United finish behind Chelsea?

munn wrote:
> Blank wrote:
> munn wrote:
> And they'll still have a crappy defence.
>
> Ivan Helguera, Samuel, Woodgate, Pavon, Salgado, Roberto Carlos,
> Diogo. They've got a decent defence.
>
> The players are good, but the defence doesn't "work".
>
> It should, but it doesn't.

--

Hang on, lad, let Woodgate get fit first. If he'd been fit all last year, there'd be none of this "Campell or Terry?" lark, it'd be Woodgate or Terry.

Blank wrote:
> munn wrote:
> And they'll still have a crappy defence.
>
> Ivan Helguera, Samuel, Woodgate, Pavon, Salgado, Roberto Carlos,
> Diogo. They've got a decent defence.

The players are good, but the defence doesn't "work".

It should, but it doesn't.

But it was pretty much a done deal ages ago, then Santos seemed to change their mind. I'd love to see Robinho or Baptista play for Real, if they needed them, but they don't.

Robinho to Arsenal? They were linked, after all.

Scratch that, it'll never happen, Arsenal aren't big enough for Robinho. He wants a gold house and Figo as his butler and no-one who's on less than 100,000 Euros per week can look him directly in the eye.

Is it just me, or has Robinho's attitude about this whole move reminded you of a spoilt child demanding more dummies just so he can spit them out?

"My mind is in Madrid"

Shut up or I'll kidnap your mum.

munn wrote:
> And they'll still have a crappy defence.

Ivan Helguera, Samuel, Woodgate, Pavon, Salgado, Roberto Carlos, Diogo. They've got a decent defence.

Baptista plays as a striker or offensive midfielder, so he could play "in the hole" or just a regular support striker. If they're using a three striker system like they did towards the end of last season, they'll need another striker, because they only had three decent ones, plus Javier Portillo. But they really don't need one the standard of Baptista. His versatility will come in handy, but he's being bought mainly because he's a big name and other clubs are interested.

Also, Soldado is moving up from the junior teams, so it's not good news for him.

And they'll still have a crappy defence.

Kind of a shame that the big clubs like Real get all the good players. They'll probably get Robinho as well, and Joaquin, and Adriano, and Henry, and Ronaldinho, and Gerrard, and Lampard, and keep Figo.