David Villa is a target for Chelsea, Liverpool and Barcelona

Any lingering hopes Arsenal fans had of capturing Spain’s star striker David Villa have died, with the Valencia man’s transfer market price rising in the millions since his hat-trick against Russia.

That was followed by the winner against Sweden, and Valencia are now in an incredibly strong bargaining position. Los Che are set to ask for up to 40million euros for the former Zaragoza man, ruling out Arsenal who are again to avoid investing huge sums on a single player.

Barcelona, Chelsea and Liverpool now lead the chase for Villa’s signature. Barça are thought to be favourites, and with the likes of Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho heading for the exit, the club are looking for a new forward to lead the line and have identified Villa as their main target.

Villa has also told the News of the World that Chelsea and Liverpool interest him. Chelsea are ready to hand new coach Luiz Felipe Scolari an open chequebook while Liverpool’s level of funds is unclear following the splurge a year ago by Rafa Benítez. They would likely hold sway, however, as Villa is close friends with Pepe Reina and has demonstrated at Euro 2008 his great affinity for Fernando Torres. The pair have also formed a fantastic partnership for country.

Failing to capture Villa will leave Arsenal supporters disappointed, especially with Emmanuel Adebayor rumoured to be on the move and Cesc Fàbregas publicly stating that he would like his compatriot to join the club. Gunners fans responded positively to the quotes attributed to Villa last season, when the 26-year-old stated that Arsenal would be his preferred destination. However, with the North London side unwilling to splash the cash, Villa has turned his attention to two other members of the big four.

The bidding war for Europe’s most wanted striker is set to commence upon the end of the European Championships. With Valencia cash-strapped, the highest bid will be accepted despite the club’s obvious wish to keep him. With Villa’s departure virtually guaranteed, the only lingering question is over which of the top destinations El Guaje will eventually select.

Do you agree with our selections? Who else deserves a mention? Have your say in the comments section below. And see our pre-season list of the seven star signings who we thought would rock the Premier League.

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On the surface, the Premier League has never been more bullish, never so possessed of skillful footballers. Where once, players such as Torres, Ronaldo, Gerrard, Drogba et al would be compelled to move to Italy (or, latterly, Spain) to compete at the highest level, now the general preference is England. A dozen years ago the Premier League could only hope to attract top players in the twilight of their careers, but today, many of the world’s leading talents spend their best years in Blighty.

So great is the pull of the Premer League pound that even the inferior weather can’t keep them away. And because of its global attraction, English football has become seriously big business.

But what price, if any, are we paying for this cosmetic and commercial success? Is the Premier League at risk of becoming the plaything of a ‘scoreumvirate’ of business tycoons who might down tools and move on as abruptly as they entered the fray, leaving vast debt in their wake?

The sports pages have been dominated this season by the ‘business’ of football. Comment on the beautiful game has made way in part for boardroom battles that wouldn’t be out of place in the script of ‘Dynasty’.

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Chelsea’s away goal is arguably very valuable but it seems that, more and more, the main priority of teams in the first leg is to stay in the tie.

The home side is always tempted to try and build a lead, and consequently starts brightly. But as the game gets older, the cost of conceding becomes greater and both teams prioritise defensive solidity. In short, the second legs are where you will find most of the drama. And so, this week should provide some of the best football of the season.

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Degen primarily plays at right-back and despite the success of Álvaro Arbeloa and Steve Finnan in that position, while Jamie Carragher is also more than capable, Benítez appears to be looking to add much-needed depth in quality to the squad.

Benítez first noted Degen’s name following a commanding World Cup with Switzerland in 2006. He helped guide his country into the second round, and Switzerland went out of the competition having not conceded a single goal in their four matches - the first such occasion in World Cup history. Degen was an essential part of a sturdy back-line that kept out the likes of France and Ukraine, adding to his budding reputation as a reliable full-back.

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Arsène Wenger’s side have often been lamented for their desire to ‘walk the ball’ into the net and, apart from Emmanuel Adebayor, no player has reached double figures for league goals.

With only two wins in their last thirteen matches, Arsenal’s season imploded in just two months. Their failure to finish off games when ahead or make an early breakthrough against weaker opposition proved critical in their failure to secure any silverware.

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Many Liverpool fans have been waiting for a while now for someone in their right mind to call for Rick Parry to resign from the club. Unfortunately for those of us that love the club, it is not someone in their right mind that has called for it, it is our un-beloved chief, Tom Hicks.

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The theory being that the bigger of the two throws his considerable bulk around, unsettles defenders and generally causes a nuisance while the diminutive, usually nippy, ever-grateful partner feeds off the disarray to poach and plunder. Simple.

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Pepe Reina 5
At fault for the opening goal of the evening as Diaby’s stinging shot somehow deflected in off the Spanish stopper.

Player Ratings: Arsenal

Jamie Carragher 7
The defender did not stop running and provided his customary exceptional service at the back to steer Liverpool through.

Martin Skrtel 7
Skrtel has been an impressive presence in the Liverpool shirt and was so again as he demonstrated an immediate adaptation to the English game.

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]]> http://www.footballingworld.com/2008/04/09/player-ratings-liverpool/feed/ http://www.footballingworld.com/2008/04/09/player-ratings-arsenal/ http://www.footballingworld.com/2008/04/09/player-ratings-arsenal/#comments Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:40:41 +0000 Matthew Day http://www.footballingworld.com/2008/04/09/player-ratings-arsenal/

Manuel Almunia 6
Not at fault for any of the four goals and had little else to do in terms of testing saves or goalmouth action.

Kolo Toure 6
Competent throughout at right-back but an incredibly costly loss of concentration immediately after Arsenal had equalised gave the referee little option but to award a penalty.

William Gallas 6
Defensively solid but failed to offer much in the way of strong captaincy or leadership to the rest of the back four who were often overwhelmed.

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