Football Dispatch

Thursday Football
23 October 2008
by Jerrad Peters

Word of David Beckham’s January move to AC Milan caught Bruce Arena uncomfortably off guard on Wednesday. In speaking to reporters, the Los Angeles Galaxy head coach voiced his displeasure both with the concept of the deal and the manner in which it has been conducted.

“The first I heard about it was today (Wednesday),” he said. “But I would think, given the position the Galaxy is in and the fact that we’re rebuilding our team and trying to have a successful year, it would seem very odd to me if we were loaning out our top players at the start of the season.”

Arena’s remarks were in stark contrast to those of Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani. When questioned about the transaction, the 64-year-old gushed, “We are speaking with [Beckham’s] agent but we believe he will arrive for some months on a free loan. Beckham has chosen Milan,” he said. “Our squad is ultra-competitive and it will remain this way, but Beckham is something different and intriguing.”

Indeed, even if Beckham were to grace the San Siro for just three months, Milan would stand to pull in an estimated 10M-pounds in additional revenue. The commercial benefits would be immeasurable to a club desperate to re-brand itself as one of Europe’s top sporting entities. Given that, it would hardly come as a surprise if the Rossoneri made an attempt to buy out the remaining three years of Beckham’s contract with the Galaxy and Major League Soccer.

That said, MLS commissioner Don Garber remains adamant that Beckham will see out his commitment in North America.

“Discussions have taken place between AC Milan and the Los Angeles Galaxy regarding the possibility of a short-term loan agreement that would allow David Beckham to play for AC Milan during the MLS off season,” he admitted. “Those discussions are ongoing. David remains an L.A. Galaxy player and will be here for the start of the 2009 MLS season.”

Arena certainly hopes so. And if he had it his way, Beckham’s first priority would be reporting to Galaxy training in early March, rested and recuperated.

“On the surface, it sounds like an odd proposition,” Arena said of the proposed loan arrangement. “I don’t see where that Benefits the MLS or the Galaxy.”

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Liverpool Football Club co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. are actively seeking a buyer for the Premier League outfit. The pair, having feuded through much of their tumultuous 20 month reign at Anfield, are now on speaking terms and have hired investment firm Merrill Lynch to probe the marketplace for interest in the team.

With 350M-pounds remaining in outstanding loans, Hicks and Gillett face a January deadline to refinance their debt through the Royal Bank of Scotland. But as the troubled institution was bought by the British government last week, such a deal is unlikely.

So too are plans for a new stadium at Stanley Park. Both owners have repeatedly stressed the importance of a new facility to revitalize the club’s finances. But with the prospect of securing additional funding having gone out the window with the ongoing global credit crunch, that approach has been indefinitely shelved.

Instead, Hicks and Gillett are hoping to recoup their losses by asking for upwards of 550M-pounds for the club. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Dubai International Capital group has had a 500M-pound offer on the table for months, but has balked is apparently unwilling to pay the asking-price. DIC was initially interested in purchasing the club in December, 2006 before Hicks and Gillett swooped in at the last minute the following month.

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Roberto Mancini is being touted to replace manager Roy Hodgson at Fulham. The 43-year-old Italian was in London, Wednesday, to watch Chelsea host AS Roma in the Champions’ League. He is reportedly keen on the English capital and has been linked to Craven Cottage for several weeks.

Since being replaced by Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan, Mancini has been weighing his options in Serie A. Both Juventus and Roma may be looking to make coaching changes before long, and Mancini’s agent has admitted that both would be of interest. Neither have yet to make a formal approach, however.

In four seasons at the San Siro, Mancini won five major trophies, including three championships. His failure to win the Champions’ League, however, eventually led to his departure.

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Have a question about football? Email your query to jerradpeters@gmail.com.

Jerrad Peters covers football for the Winnipeg Free Press, Soccer Three-Sixty magazine, ESPN Soccernet, and Soccer365.com. His work has also appeared in The Globe and Mail, TheMirror.co.uk, Canadian-soccer.com, Footy247.co.uk, Foot2ball.com, and Squadinfo.com.