VfB Stuttgart - Pushing for Europe, 08/09 Season Thread Part III (R)

[footyfan1]

Just to throw out more names: Today I read that Real Madrid wants to get rid of Huntelaar. He probably still won't be cheap and he probably wouldn't want to go to Stuttgart anyway, but hey, we should at least try to talk to him...:rolleyes:

I agree. All he can do is say "no".

[Equilibrium]

Huntelaar would be awesome for you guys! He would cost around 15m euros too, which is good for someone like him since Real Madrid wants to rid of all Dutch players.

[Kirsten19]

Kicker and other reports claim Helmes will be out for 1/2 a year.

Should be able to at least play in December

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Nothing big to report again, except another player joins the box of 10000s who have already been linked with us:

- Sportbild writes Pizarro is the latest to be linked to our striker spot. They also write that we remain very interested in Barnetta.

[benztown]

http://www.stuttgarter-nachrichten.de/stn/page/2096587_0_9223_-vfb-prueft-alternativen-zu-ba-huntelaar-rueckt-in-den-fokus.html

Apparently, Stuttgart now is actually talking with Huntelaar...would be great, but this article also mentions that Juventus, Olympique Lyon and Tottenham have been linked to him and I'm sure that there are more to come...

[Rainer24]

http://www.stuttgarter-nachrichten.de/stn/page/2096587_0_9223_-vfb-prueft-alternativen-zu-ba-huntelaar-rueckt-in-den-fokus.html

Apparently, Stuttgart now is actually talking with Huntelaar...would be great, but this article also mentions that Juventus, Olympique Lyon and Tottenham have been linked to him and I'm sure that there are more to come...


Well, they can all outspend us, so I doubt he'll be landing in Stuggitown.

[footyfan1]

http://www.stuttgarter-nachrichten.de/stn/page/2096587_0_9223_-vfb-prueft-alternativen-zu-ba-huntelaar-rueckt-in-den-fokus.html

Apparently, Stuttgart now is actually talking with Huntelaar...would be great, but this article also mentions that Juventus, Olympique Lyon and Tottenham have been linked to him and I'm sure that there are more to come...


Except for personal terms, I still think you guys would have a good chance.

Why?

I think Huntelaar will probably want to go somewhere where he is "top dog" again.

At Juventus, there are Del Piero, Iaquinta, Amauri and Trezeguet. However, what could intrigue Huntelaar about Juve is that all those guys are OLD compared to him. Also, I think Trezeguet will finally leave.

At Lyon, there is Benzema and not much else. But Benzema would be "top dog." Lyon would have a better shot at Huntelaar if they sell Benzema first. However, I don't think that's going to happen.

Tottenham has Robbie Keane and Roman Pavlyuchenko (who you guys are rumored to be interested in too), not to mention Jermain Defoe and Darren Bent. While I think Spurs will try to sell Defoe and/or Bent, I also think they will make a play for Luca Toni, who isn't helping his cause any by continuing to look like S-H-I-T at the Confederations Cup. Spurs are also known to be interested in Marc Janko and Ruud van Nistelrooy.

You guys are the only ones listed so far really looking for a new "top dog".

Juve are the only others in the CL, but they are also the most "loaded" even though all of their guys are OLD compared to Huntelaar.

But as I said at the start, I think the major thing that will hurt you guys is how much the others can/will pay him in salary.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

I love how benztown randomly brought him up and now it's become an official rumor :D

Don't see too much into it though, we've now been rumored with:
- Gignac
- Love
- Helmes
- Ba
- Janko
- Voronin
- Pantelic
- Valdez
- Pizarro
- Pavlyuchenko

and some others I can't think about right now. We're pretty much being linked to everyone on the market. Hopefully once we do sign someone, it'll be a top player.

Huntelaar obviously would be a wonderful signing. But I don't see much chance in it happening.

Other news:
- We're stuttering a little in buying Niedermeier, as Bayern are asking for quite a lot considering he's only played 5 1.Liga games and he is not in their future plans I imagine. I assume it's just a matter of time, we should be able to buy him soon.

- I think Rangnick and Schindelmeiser are having a talk with Ba today, we'll see what comes out of that.
- Jovanovic: Kicker and BILD are reporting that the transfer is close to becoming a reality.
- Celozzi: We are rumoured to be the favourites to secure the services of the young wingback, ahead of Hannover and Koeln.

[Equilibrium]

Get Ba, Huntelaar and a full-back along with a player midfield for depth. That should set you up for next season.

Like footy explained, you have a good chance to land Huntelaar. He has no reason to go to a EPL club that has no chance of playing CL, so that leaves the other 3 clubs. Treze is leaving I believe, but that still leaves a lot of other strikers, means a lot of competition. It's between 3 clubs and depneds how hard you go for him. Ba has been trying to move to Stuttgart like no other, the word professional has been changed entirely now, he disgusts me for what he's done but is surely yours now if you attempt to get him. 15m for Ba and 15m for huntelaar from the Gomez deal, than CL money for some depth and full-back. It doesn't look impossible if your manager does his job.

[Rainer24]

Get Ba, Huntelaar and a full-back along with a player midfield for depth. That should set you up for next season.

Like footy explained, you have a good chance to land Huntelaar. He has no reason to go to a EPL club that has no chance of playing CL, so that leaves the other 3 clubs. Treze is leaving I believe, but that still leaves a lot of other strikers, means a lot of competition. It's between 3 clubs and depneds how hard you go for him. Ba has been trying to move to Stuttgart like no other, the word professional has been changed entirely now, he disgusts me for what he's done but is surely yours now if you attempt to get him. 15m for Ba and 15m for huntelaar from the Gomez deal, than CL money for some depth and full-back. It doesn't look impossible if your manager does his job.


No way we would sign Ba and Huntelaar. If we get one of them at all, it will be just the one. We aren't going to shell wages for two strikers of that level. Cacau is solid, so we just need someone to play with him.

Getting Huntelaar would depend on his wanting Champions League ball more than money, because I'm sure Spurs will offer higher wages. Wouldn't even be shocked to see Jol lure him back to Ajax for less than what Real originally paid them.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Yeah, buying two strikers seems incredibly unlikely. It would only happen if Marica was to be sold - which doesn't appear to be the case at the moment.

StZ writing that we remain favourites to sign Celozzi. I'd really like to have him, played a solid season, he's very young and would be exactly the player to provide some depth at leftback AND rightback.

Ba had his talk with Rangnick and Schindelmeiser and they have reaffirmed their case that he isn't going anywhere.

[benztown]

Ba had his talk with Rangnick and Schindelmeiser and they have reaffirmed their case that he isn't going anywhere.

Actually, I have to say that I kinda like this development...mostly for two reasons:

1) Ba would probably have been too expensive (speculations went up to €19m and beyond)
2) I'm not sure that I want a player who acts like that in order to get out of his contract...

[footyfan1]

Actually, I have to say that I kinda like this development...mostly for two reasons:

1) Ba would probably have been too expensive (speculations went up to €19m and beyond)


Agree with this. I don't think he's worth the numbers that were being speculated upon in the media.

Let's see him perform like that over seasons, not just one season.


2) I'm not sure that I want a player who acts like that in order to get out of his contract...

That's just how things are today man. A player sees a better opportunity and he wants it. Don't hold that against Ba.

I'm just a typical worker, but I have a contract. However, if I got a better offer tomorrow, I can simply give notice and move.

If we can have that freedom in our everyday world, why can't players?

And I don't mean players should be able to simply quit and move. The system they have now is good.

But if they'd rather be somewhere else to make more and have better opportunities, why should we hold it against them for saying so and trying to do something about it??

These are still people we're talking about here.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Funny news today is that, while Schindelmeiser and Rangnick say that the result of their talk with Ba earlier in the week is that he definitely will not be sold, Ba himself is saying the exact opposite! BILD writes that he spoke in an interview for some French media in which he says that they see he's going to leave now and that he's allowed to go. Weird.

Just goes on and on.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Todays news:

- Tasci looks set to prolong his contract until 2013 :)

- We are apparently close to signing Stefano Celozzi. Supposedly we have already agreed details with the player and the move will be confirmed in the coming days.

- With Demba Ba, it seems to be more and more a case of how much we offer Hoffenheim. Hoffenheim seems to be ready to accept losing him IF we offer a real ton of money. Rangnick even said 'Now we'll see how much Stuttgart really want him'. BILD report about 15 million euros needed, StZ write more like 20 million. 20 million would really be a huge price, i'm not even sure if that's worth it. But we will see.

- Things apparently less certain with Jovanovic than it would have seemed a week ago. He has said he wants a really really strong contract if he has to move, and it remains to be seen whether we are willing to offer this to him. I hope we sign him, if we can't, it may be time to shift focus back on Barnetta.

- We've now been linked to yet another striker: Jovanovic's teammate, Dieumerci Mbokani, from Congo. He seems to be a big talent, is quite young and scored 16 goals in the Belgian league last season. Apparently he's also a bit of a hot head.

[footyfan1]

- We are apparently close to signing Stefano Celozzi. Supposedly we have already agreed details with the player and the move will be confirmed in the coming days.



Would be a f#ckin' GREAT move.

I think this kid is going to be Germany's next top right back......

[benztown]

I've read somewhere that Celozzi will come to Stuttgart and Karlsruhe will get €3m + Pischorn in return.

As for Ba, I've read that Heldt offered Hoffenheim €12m, but Hoffenheim won't let him go for less than €20m. I'm sure that should that be the case, Ba won't come.

Alternatives to Ba according to the Stuttgarter Zeitung:
Mbokani, Huntelaar, Vagner Love...

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for Huntelaar, although that seems to be the least likely candidate by far...

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Stz also wrote that Huntelaar and Love are both 'eigentlich zu gut fuer den VfB'...

It seems most likely that there will be some sort of compromise between the two parties, say something like 15 million instead of 12 or 20. Only in such a scenario could the transfer happen.

@footy
Yeah Celozzi looks like he could have a very bright future ahead of him, I really do hope we sign him. If we do we'd be looking better at rightback with two bright talents in Celozzi and Traesch... Osorio could perhaps even be sold.

[footyfan1]

@footy
Yeah Celozzi looks like he could have a very bright future ahead of him, I really do hope we sign him. If we do we'd be looking better at rightback with two bright talents in Celozzi and Traesch... Osorio could perhaps even be sold.


Kicker reports here (http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/bundesliga/startseite/artikel/510632/) that the Celozzi deal is done.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Yup, and now VfB website also reporting that it is a done deal!

http://www.vfb.de/media/images/news_2009/celozzi1_174x174.jpg

Welcome, Celozzi! :)

I'm happy we've finally made a decent transfer! As Heldt says, he is one of the top German talents of his age group and he stood above KSC's poor defence in the last season. I see him and Traesch at roughly the same level, and it should indeed make for an interesting battle for the RB starting spot. The question now is what will happen with Osorio. Marco Pischorn, the pretty talented 22 year old central defender who has played in 4 BL games for us, will ahead in the other direction as part of the deal, rumoured to be around 3 million euros.

But i'm very happy we've got him!

On another note, we've made another transfer today, one that makes slightly less sense in my eyes: Matthias Schwarz, a young midfielder all-rounder from FC Ingolstadt. He had a pretty poor average kicker rating of 3.83 in the II. Liga this year and i'm not sure what Heldt plans with him. I'd assume he'll be moving to VfB II.