If Basturk is allowed to go to Arsenal, does Bayer Leverkusen make a renewed push to get Donovan back to Germany? Would Donovan go?
If Leverkusen forks over the money, he's got to go. NO more negotiating, what's left to negotiate. And I wouldn't be surprised to see it happen.
Isn't Leverkusen getting relegated? Would that mean they would have to sell off some players to reduce salaries? And if that holds true a strong showing in the Confed and/or Gold Cup could get Landon out of there.
Leverkusen isn`t relegated. (Such a pitty...) Donovan will come back to Leverkusen for the 04/05 season. That is written.
I'm suprised they didn't call him back aftedr the cup lst summer. He was one of the most dangerous attacking players in the tournament. I'd like to see him go and play in the Bundesliga.
Leverkusen tries to save 30 M for the next season due to lacking TV money in the league (paid according to standings) and failed international competition. They try to sell some players like Lucio, Bastürk, Schneider, Placente and/or Neuville, but so far nothing worked. As the roster will be reduced without international competition to about 22 players, they currently are trying to get rid off some superfluous ones, but still they have too many. New are defenders Hertzsch (Hamburg) and Lucic (Solna/Leeds) and attacking mid/wing forward Ponte (Wolfsburg). Other than that, a lot is rumoured but nothing happens so far. However, the name Donovan wasn't heard in any of the rumours. Quite in contrast, for the next season Leverkusen already signed Jermaine Jones, whose playing style is a bit comparable to Donovan's.
How the hell did Donovan get this strangle hold over Leverkusen? Its like they aren't even bothering with him anymore and only an idiot would think Leverkusen wouldn't need him. Has there ever been a case where a player has such a hold over a major club?
I am neither pro nor anti-Leverkusen but Landon will never play for them. That is clear. Here is what will happen: sometime in the next year and a half, a big English or Spanish team will buy Landon's rights from Leverkusen, and it will be all over. The plain fact is that Landon does not particularly want to play in Germany( for good reasons or bad).He has made that very clear. I have some sympathy for Leverkusen, but the fact is that you can't make a player want to play for you. But you CAN make some other team pay for that player's rights.And that will happen, maybe soon.
What's funny is how badly Landon did want to play for them, just a few short years ago. Remember that infamous MLS scrimmage when he was sixteen and trash talking MLS, saying he wouldn't play here, he was going to Germany? He went, he played only reserves, he sat way down the bench, frustrated, and learned a hard lesson. So Germany holds a lot of bitter memories. He might want to go back one day to purge them, but who knows. In the meantime, Bayer is getting paid from MLS for the loan of Donovan, so if they're hurting for money, the loan actually helps them.
They weren't disclosed, but I'm guessing Bayer was satisfied, because they didn't squack after the deal was made
Re: Re: Basturk/Donovan @ Leverkusen why do you say that? It's not like I see a ton of Landon-Nike commercials
How do you figure? As far as I can tell he is the one player in MLS who can help create goals by just being on the field.
Big English or Spanish squad? You've got to be kidding. Landon is good but if you think teams like Real, Barca, Arsenal, Man U, Liverpool, etc. will splash out cash to Leverkusen for him, you're mind is warped. If Donovan is sold by Leverkusen, he will go to, at the highest, teams like Racing, Villareal, Middlesborough or CHarlton. That's at the highest! I'm the president of Chelsea will I splash out 4 million on Donovan or keeping Zola? Dare I say Amerisnob?
That is what Landon wants to happen. He is a good player, but he needs to show that his play in the World Cup wasn't due to the alignment of planets. If he can continually plays well in international tournaments, I think he will be bought by some club in England or Spain, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
Re: Re: Re: Basturk/Donovan @ Leverkusen Because it's the faux-hip thing to say. Alot of posters live on the faux-hip comment.
hmmm....a player who has proven he can consistently waste the best defenses in the world (he torched Cannavaro of Italy a few times, and completly torched the German defense), is 21 years old and getting better, the focal point of a country that just went on a quarterfinal run,...and he would struggle to latch onto a decent 1st division squad? This is a kid who was singled out by Peru's most famous baller as a player who is really good. If thinking that Donovan is good enough to play for a good club in one of the big 4 is grounds for being an Amerisnob, then I guess I am a "Amerisnob"
A lot of other teams have made quarterfinal runs with their focus at the center to one player and he made no impact at club level. For example, look at Paolo Rossi of Italy in 1982. Most people would not even consider him one of the top 5 strikers the country ever produced yet he led Italy past Brazil, West Germany and Argentina. Not very sepctacular at the club level though. One quarterfinal run does not make you God's gift to soccer. Secondly instead of saying "Peru's most famous footballer" you might want to give the guy a name b/c I have no idea who the ************ he is. South Korea was the fourth best team in this world cup, yet I don't see their players being pick off for massive moves to Juve, Real, etc. Rivaldo is on AC milan's bench....doubtful Landon could get a spot there. And I'm sure Cannavaro was playing his heart out against Landon when he got "torched." I'm just being realistic. In most cases, you don't go from the MLS to a club like Inter Milan (bar Howard if the rumors are true). You have to work your way up with good performances for your CLUB during the SEASON. Look at Legrottaglie of CHievo, he's worked his way up from lower divisons to being on the verge of a move to Milan and Juve. It will take commitment from Donovan as well as the sacrifice of going from being high profile in the US to being a bloody yank somewhere abroad.