Eboue dismisses Barcelona rumours

Asked about the rumours linking him with a move to Barcelona (read more here), Arsenal right back defender and Ivory Coast international Emmanuel Eboué (26) has said in an interview with British tabloid The Sun that he never wanted to leave the English club:

"Even when people were booing me last season, I never said I wanted to move. The aim is to keep improving and to win a trophy. I have two more years at Arsenal. If they want me to sign for longer, I will do that. I love this club.

I am very happy, because I have a new partnership with the fans and now we are all together. They understand I will always give 100 per cent for this team and it helps me to know I have the confidence of the boss. Last season was difficult. I wanted to give my best and it didn't always happen. But I have forgotten everything that happened with the fans. Now they sing my name and I thank them for their support."

Read more:
Eboue tops right back target list
Transfer of Arsenal right back Eboue close
Eboue honoured by Barcelona rumours

Guardiola asks for one or two more transfers

Speaking at a press conference, Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola has repeated that he hopes the club will sign more players before the end of the summer transfer window:

"We miss one or two more pieces. I know that, Txiki knows that, the president, everybody, we don't disagree on that. If it's possible, a new player will come. If it's not to be, then it's not to be. I'm not worried.

It's difficult. There are negotiations, asking prices... It depends on the market and on what the club is looking at. I don't know how much money we have to spend. We're looking at names and we discuss them and we'll keep on doing that until the market closes. There are a lot of players who want to join Barcelona, but it also depends on the price, the needs of the club and other things. Cesc? He won't come to Barcelona. Eboué? Probably not.

We maybe could need something at the back, in midfield and on the wing, although if we sign players, they have to be very good. Last year we had a great squad and it's the same this year. If we don't sign new players, I'll use the youth players. It's good we demand a lot of them, but they can relax because they know that their team-mates and the staff are there to protect them. Whatever happens, we won't be looking for excuses."

Read more:
Guardiola Only Wants "Cracks"
Barcelona Could Sign No More Players

Eight names on right-back short list

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola has been proposed by the club a short list, including videos, of candidates to strenghten the right back positon.

It's now up to the coach to inidicate his priority so Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain and Barcelona director of football Raúl Sanllehí can then start to move for the player.

Barcelona would be looking for a quality player, with good technical skills, an attacking way of playing, who's physically strong and agressive.

The names on the short list would include the following eight players:

César Azpilicueta (19 - Osasuna)
Cicinho (29 - Roma)
Emmanuel Eboué (26 - Arsenal)
Zdenek Grygera (29 - Juventus)
Jonás Gutiérrez (26 - Newcastle)
Andoni Iraola (27 - Athletic)
Rafinha (23 - Schalke)
Darijo Srna (27 - Shakhtar)

Read more:
Decisive day for transfer Eboue
Looking for a right back defender
Cicinho and Grygera also options for right back

Decisive day for transfer Eboue

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that this Tuesday could be decisive for the transfer of Arsenal right back defender and Ivory Coast international Emmanuel Eboué (26).

If the Ivorian player takes part in tonight's Champions League qualifying game against Celtic Glasgow, Eboué won't be able to take part in this season's Champions League with Barcelona.

Since Eboué will also be away for the Africa Cup in the months of January and February at the beginning of next year, his transfer would in that case be totally excluded.


Read more:
Eboue tops right back target list
Cicinho and Grygera also options for right back
Eboue honoured by Barcelona rumours

Poll result: Right back position

This is the final result of this blog's What is your preferred option for the right back? poll:


42% Eboue (Arsenal)
22% We don't need another right back
16% Another player
12% Cicinho (Roma)
4% Don't know
3% Grygera (Juventus)



Read more:
Cicinho and Grygera also options for right back
Brazilian right back Mattioni has been offered
Transfer of Arsenal right back Eboue close

Eboue honoured by Barcelona rumours

Asked about the rumours linking him with a move to Barcelona (read more here), Arsenal right back defender and Ivory Coast international Emmanuel Eboué (26) has said in an interview with British sports site Sky Sports that he feels honoured:

"It is an honour to be linked with the best team in Europe, that means I am valued by people. I have lost my Arsenal place, and, while the papers talked about Fiorentina, nothing happened. So I don't know about Barcelona, let's wait and see."

Read more:
Eboue tops right back target list

Eboue tops right back target list

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola will decide on the transfer of Arsenal right back defender and Ivory Coast international Emmanuel Eboué (26) (read more here).

If Guardiola accepts that Barcelona won't buy a central defender but a right back defender this summer, Eboué will probably be the number one target of a list of 20 players managed by Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain.

Eboué was reportedly already the back-up option last summer in case the transfer of Barcelona right back defender Dani Alves wouldn't have gone through.

The agent of Eboué, whose contract expires in 2012, would already have had indirect contacts with Barcelona and has let the club know that the player wishes to join Barcelona, because of the way of playing and his friendship with Barcelona players Yaya Touré and Seydou Keita.

If Guardiola gives the green light, Begiristain would start moving this week for Eboué, who is waiting for a call and who knows that Arsenal is willing to let him go. Barcelona could sign the player for a transfer fee between 8 and 10 million euros°. Catalan sports paper El 9 Esportiu claims that the fee could be 5 million euros°.

Read more:
Transfer of Arsenal right back Eboue close
Cicinho and Grygera also options for right back
Brazilian right back Mattioni has been offered

Transfer of Arsenal right back Eboue close

French radio station Radio Monte Carlo claims that Barcelona is close to signing Arsenal right back defender and Ivory Coast international Emmanuel Eboué (26).

Eboué could join Barcelona for a transfer fee between 8 and 10 million euros°. If Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola gives the green light for the transfer, the deal would be closed soon.

Italian clubs AC Milan and Fiorentina are also believed to be interested in Eboué, who joined Arsenal in 2004.


Read more:
Eboué to replace Zambrotta
Looking for a right back defender

How things stand: Right back defender

(a few weeks before the end of the season, Barça Transfer Zone looks forward to the coming transfer summer making an analysis for each position, in part 2 we look at the right back defender)

2007-2008
With Belletti joining Chelsea in late August, everything was clear at the start of the season: Gianluca Zambrotta (31) would act as regular with Oleguer Presas (28) as his back-up.

Consecutive injuries of Oleguer caused the return of captain Carles Puyol (30) for more than ten official games to the place where he started his first team career. It even looked for a while like Puyol would become the first-choice right back, with Márquez replacing him in the centre. An injury of the Mexican could have prevented this from happening.

Out
Italian international Zambrotta, whose contract expires in 2010, is almost certainly returning to his home country in the summer. A deal with AC Milan seemed close (read more here and here), but the difficult negotiations on a transfer of Ronaldinho could postpone the final agreement. Milan seems to offer between 5 and 7 million euro° for the player. There have also been rumours about Juventus and Inter Milan.

Being a good team player, Oleguer is probably not very high on the Barcelona exit list. But if the player would like to leave to have more playing time, the club would not prevent that from happening. After being linked with Lazio Roma and Wolfsburg during the January transfer window, a few weeks ago there were claims about Ajax wanting to sign the Catalan defender on loan.

In
With Zambrotta on his way out, one of the main tasks in the coming transfer window is the transfer of a top right back defender. The first choice for this position is undoubtedly Dani Alves (Sevilla - 24). If Sevilla wants to sell this time, the player is not expected to leave for less than 30 or even 35 million euro°.

Second choice is Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich - 24), whose contract with Bayern expires in 2009 and who is not planning to sign a renewal. If Bayern accepts the full back to leave, the transfer price is expected to be between 9 and 15 million euro°. Lahm can also play as left back defender.

Other players that have been mentioned are David Cortés (Getafe - 28), Rafinha (Schalke 04 - 22), Emmanuel Eboué (Arsenal - 24), Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich - 31) and Maicon (Inter Milan - 26). Central defenders Fabricio Coloccini (Deportivo - 26) and Gerard Piqué (Manchester United - 21) and defensive midfielder Stéphane Mbia (Rennes - 21) have also experience on the right back position.


Read all How things stand contributions here in the coming weeks or read the contribution about:
Goal keeper - Right back defender - Central defenders - Left back defender - Defensive midfielder - Attacking midfielders - Wing attackers - Centre forward

Eboué to replace Zambrotta

Catalan television channel TV3 claims that Barcelona is interested in Arsenal right back Emmanuel Eboué (24). The Ivorian international would be a strong candidate to replace current Barcelona right back Gianluca Zambrotta (31), who will most probably return to Italy at the end of the season.

Barcelona would have elaborated several reports about the player, following him in the English Premier League and during the recent edition of the Africa Cup in Ghana last month. Since Barcelona is looking for a right back with attacking qualities, Eboué is seen as a serious option. Married to a Belgian, the Ivorian has also the Belgian nationality, which means he wouldn't occupy one of the four non-EU citizens spots.