Barça B: Introducing the promoted players

Catalan sports paper Sport gives today an introduction to the seven Juvenil A players who could be promoted to Barcelona Atlètic:


Marc Bartra
Powerful centre-back, good positing, strong in the air.

Rubén Rochina
Natural born scorer. Opportunistic and a good free kick taker.

Martín Montoya (picture, on the right)
Fast and technical right back defender, who can create danger going forward.

David Alvarez "Polaco" (picture, on the left)
Hard-working and ambitious player who can play in midfield and as left back defender.

José Luis Gómez
Right winger, good at one-on-one situations, scores easily.

Ilie Sánchez
Midfielder who reads the game well.

Sergio Maestre
Physical midfielder, good left foot.


note:
Dalmau, Planas and Riverola started the pre-season with Barcelona Atlètic (Dalmau already started his pre-season one week earlier with the first team) but have now returned to Juvenil A. Romeu will join in today and it's still not clear what will happen with Muniesa and Jonathan. So in the end, ten players could be promoted from Juvenil A to Barcelona Atlètic this season.

Read more:
Barcelona's Spanish U-17 stars
Barça B: Pre-season test for seven Juvenil players

Hazard doesn't yet want to leave Lille

Asked about the rumours linking him with several European top clubs among which Barcelona (read more here), Lille attacking midfielder and Belgian international Eden Hazard (18) has said to journalists that he wants to continue with the French club next season:

"It’s good to know that big clubs are interested in me. It’s nevertheless impossible that I would leave already this summer. I just signed in November a contract extension until 2012. I have the skills to play, so I will be disappointed if I’m not a fixed starter next year. But the coach has to make choices. It’s like that."

Hazard is meanwhile unconfirmedly quoted as saying in a interview with French sports paper Le 10 Sport that he would rather join Madrid than Barcelona: "Interest from teams like Barcelona, Chelsea and Liverpool bring great pleasure. But I'm a Lille player. Everything is fine here. I just want one thing, to carry on here. My dream clubs would be Arsenal and Real Madrid. I'd prefer to join them rather than Barcelona or Chelsea."

Read more:
Barcelona interested in Belgian talent Hazard
Youth: Cooperation agreement with River Plate
Barcelona monitoring Irish talent McCarthy


Watch a video of Hazard here:

Alves: "Valdes has a very difficult task"

Barcelona player Daniel Alves gave an interview to French sports paper Le 10 Sport.





Was Barcelona facing a crisis before the game against Lyon?
We have never been in a crisis situation. We just had a bad period. But in the last game againt Athletic Bilbao, the team has regained the good feeling and we created a lof of chances.

For a while now, Víctor Valdés has been the target of a lot of criticism...
I've always said that Víctor Valdés is a great goalkeeper. It's a very important guy for the team because his task at a team that is so attacking as Barça is very difficult. He has the quality and the mental strength to deal with the criticism.

What do you think of Thierry Henry?
Personally, I admire him enormously. What he has done at Barça is impressive. A world star like him, who plays for the team and works with so much modesty, it's sensational! I'm extremely happy that he has been able to overcome the little problems he had during is first season here and that he has returned this strong.

What do you think of the French league?
It's certainly not one of the best leagues in Europe. But I think you can find some very good players there. The truth is that I don't really follow it because the Spanish television channels offer far more images from the Premier League or the Serie A.

Who are for you the most talented french players?
Obviously, I like Karim Benzema a lot. But I also like players like Hatem ben Arfa or Yoann Gourcuff.


Read more:
Alves: "I enjoy more when I give an assist"
Schuster wanted Alves for Madrid midfield
Alves: "I have more energy every day"

Lyon president opens door for Benzema

Asked about the future of Olympique Lyon forward and French international Karim Benzema (21) who has been linked with several European top clubs, among which Barcelona (read more here), Olympique Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has suggested in an interview with French sports paper Le 10 Sport that the striker could leave in the summer:

"There are potential buyers and there are products for sale. Letting a player go is a strategic decision and we'll take it a the right time and place. We have been approached by an English club, one that recently joined the top players on the transfer market. The offer was phenomenal. Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United are also interested. But at this moment, he's a Lyon player."

In an interview with Monaco radio station RMC, Aulas also commented on the future of Benzema: "He just signed a great contract until 2014 but nobody believes that he will stay until that date. We could receive offers but it's better to be envied than to be pitied. Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United are interested. He's with us now, we'll see what happen later. He's a great guy and the best ambassador for Lyon in the world."

Read more:
Benzema postpones decision on future
Cash plus Abidal bid for Benzema on the table
Benzema not a transfer target anymore

Lyon president confirms Benzema interest

Asked about the future of Olympique Lyon forward and French international Karim Benzema (21), Olympique Lyon president Jean-Michal Aulas has confirmed in an interview with French sports paper Le 10 Sport that Barcelona is among the interested clubs:

"We will do everything to keep him here next season. You all know the admiration we have for Karim and the good relationship we have with him. If it's possible, it's worth to make the effort. We will do everything so that he stays with us for just a little longer. If the results keep up with our ambitions, I'm sure that we'll have solid arguments to convince him to stay.

The prestigious clubs that are trying to sign Karim shouldn't be seen as disloyal competitors. It's on the contrary an honour to know that Manchester United, Barcelona, AC Milan, Manchester City and Real Madrid are interested in him. It's better that people envy you than that they have pity for you. It's good for him, but it's also good for Olympique Lyon.

When we talked about an asking price of 100 million euro, that was a way of saying that he was not for sale. We still didn't change that point of view. The plan is not to sell Karim, but to give him the means so he can help bringing Olympique Lyon to the top. Karim and Lyon both want to reach the top of European football. As of this year, we will do everything to come closer to that goal."

Read more:
Benzema and Cesc on the president's wish list
Lyon rejects offer for Benzema
Benzema agent confirms Barcelona interest

Feghouli to decide on future in the summer

Asked about the rumours linking him with several European top clubs among which Barcelona (read more here), Grenoble attacking midfielder and French youth international Sofiane Feghouli (18) has said in an interview with French sports paper Le 10 Sport that he will make a decision on his future at the end of this season:

"I like to finish the season with Grenoble and do my best to help keeping the team in the first division. It has been a good decision to stay at Grenoble, since I needed to play on a regular basis in the Ligue 1. That was my goal for this season.

It's true that everything is going well, I'm satified with my performances with Grenoble. There has been a lot of talk about me over the last weeks, but I try to keep the focus on the game. The most important thing is to confirm on the pitch.

In June, I have one more contract year left. I don't know yet what I'm gonna do. We'll look at the situation at the end of the season. Personally, I would like to continue in France. That's my first option. I'm not interested in going abroad right now just to be the 20th or 21st player of the squad. I need to play. But my representative is taking care of all that. At this moment, there's nothing concrete."

Read more:
Barcelona interested in French talent Feghouli
Barcelona monitoring Irish talent McCarthy
Youth: Barcelona interested in Croatian talent Coric


Watch Feghouli scoring a goal:

Lyon interested in Abidal return

French sports paper Le 10 Sport claims that French champions Olympique Lyon are interested in Barcelona left back defender and French international Eric Abidal (29).

The French champions would like to bring their former player, who also received offer from the English Premier League, back to France during the winter transfer window next January.

With Abidal, who left Lyon for Barcelona in the summer of 2007, performing well since the start of this season, the Frenchman feeling good in Barcelona and a presumed transfer fee of at least 10 million euro°, a return to Lyon seems nevertheless not very likely.

Read more:
Lyon president confirms Abidal interest
Milan interested in Abidal
Roma wants to swap Mancini for Abidal