Diego Alves

Name: Diego Alves

Playing position: Goalkeeper
Playing style: Instinctive

Character: Keeps to himself

Factoids: Penalty specialist

Previous club: Almeria
Number: 1
Birthday: 24 June 1985 (Age 30)
Nationality: Brazilian, Spanish
Height: 1,88 m
Weight: 83kg
Contract ends: 30.06.2019

Previous clubs:

Atletico-MG 2004-2007

Almeria 2007-2011

+ Strengths	- Weaknesses
Reflexes Excellent	One on one Terrible
Agility Good	Crosses goalkeeping Terrible
Technique Good	Positioning Poor

Awards best play	Number	Awards poorest play	Number
Man of the match	0	Worst man of the match	0
Best offense	0	Worst offense	0
Best defense	0	Worst defense	0
Best possession	0	Worst possession	0

Player Rating:

Player Market Value:

Player statistics:

Benfica 2.0 close to getting Enzo Perez

So Benfica right back Joao Cancelo is supposedly already a Valencia CF player, Benfica president Luís Filipe Vieira said to Portuguese media. We knew Peter Lim was supposed to purchase this player, but we weren't sure if he'd become a Valencia CF player, but now it seems like he will play for Valencia CF.

This would mean that Joao Pereira or Antonio Barragan would be leaving Valencia CF till the end of the summer, the question is which player will it be?

Enzo Perez is already on the exit door at Benfica and Valencia CF are in prime position to get the player, having reached personal agreement with the player and Peter Lim of course should be able to meet the 25 million asking price from Benfica.

That would make Valencia CF Benfica 2.0, I mean we already have 2 Benfica players in our ranks, with very likely two others about to join Valencia CF.

Sale Unlocked!!!!

The sale has finally taken a turn for the better. An agreement has been reached between Bankia and Lim. Now, there is just the wait for the official announcement!!

Recently, there have been protests in the streets of Valencia by the fans to pressure Bankia into accepting Lim as the new owner. Also, Salvo traveled to Singapore to meet with Lim to decide how to deal with Bankia. Remember that Bankia wanted 200 million in personal guarantees for the debt, having changed the conditions from the June 6 agreement. Lim did not want to do that since it wasn't part of the original agreement. He felt his word was good enough and that he already met enough of Bankia's conditions.

At first, neither side was willing to give in to the demands of the other. However, with just one day left to the deadline, Lim was willing to step forward, be the bigger man, and offer a compromise. He would offer a guarantee not of 200 million euros, but for about 140 million euros. To this Bankia seems to have agreed and everything has fallen into place. Now with the Porchinos case and the complications with Bankia settled, everyone is awaiting the official announcement!

Manchester United 2-1 Valencia CF

Manchester United beat Valencia CF 2-1 in an exciting preseason friendly that had a very competitive spirit. The end results would have been 1-1, if not for Diego Alves's gigantic mistake that gave Fellaini the goal on a silver platter.

Manchester United dominated the first half, there were the occasional forward runs and chances for Valencia CF, but its safe to say that Manchester United were in the driving seat and completely controlling the match. Valencia's play was very well organized though and the defending was top notch for the most part and barring some smaller individual mistakes of the players.

Manchester United came to the first goal through Darren Fletcher after his shot was deflected from a Valencia CF player and tricked Alves for the direction it was heading, though I'd say that was also terrible goalkeeping, going down like that instinctively, rather than standing still and anticipating better.

Manchester United would have several more chances through Rooney and Young, but nothing too dangerous, while on the other side of the field Feghouli had two opportunities, but thanks to his poor reactions didn't make anything out of it.

Paco could have at least shot on goal if he latched to one through ball coming his way from Barragan I believe, but he was too slow to react, Andre Gomes and Gaya had few crosses into the penalty area, but didn't found any Valencia CF player there.

The second half had Valencia CF a lot more competitive, though it wasn't until Piatti and De Paul came on for Paco and Feghouli that Valencia CF really started playing and threatning Manchester United seriously. Instantly after the subs the game changed and Valencia CF were full on attacking and controlling the game, Piatti, Gomes and Gaya were combination amazingly on the left flank with often runs there, on the right side De Paul, Barragan and Moreno were combining very well and Parejo was controlling the midfield correctly and precisely.

Valencia CF would have several shots through Parejo, Moreno and I believe it was Barragan with a shot from the left side of the penalty area that got saved by Chicharito. The goal after a free kick by Piatti where the United defence failed to clear the ball, which was headed to Moreno who didn't miss from just few yards away.

Long story short the match was about to end in a draw, when Diego Alves decided to forget basic goalkeeping and literally turn into some random person who doesn't know anything about goalkeeping and gave away Manchester United an easy goal that would result in their victory.

Player Ratings:
Alves 3 - Pathetic goalkeeping, the mistake he did for the 2nd goal was gigantic. That kind of mistake is unforgivable.
Barragan 8 - Great defending, really controlled and aware defending, made some strong tackles that he absolutely won and was quite offensive on the attack as well.
Vezo 6.5 - Defended well, didn't make any mistakes that were obvious at least, few offside trap miscommunications though and he'll have to work on the tactical side of things.
Ottamendi 6.5 - Had one slip up where he lost the ball in midfield and allowed United to have a shot on goal, otherwise a solid defending.
Gaya 7 - Overall good defending, he slipped few times on the grass, but defended well and had some really great offensive runs, especially in the 2nd half.
Fuego 6.5 - Solid defensively, but slow to move the ball forward and wasn't available for passes, creating a bit of a bubble around him from fellow VCF players.
Parejo 6 - Pretty good performance, but he still lost the ball way too often and quite a lot in dangerous positions as well, these type of ball losses will result in goals for the opponents in the season, so he needs to improve massively or stay on bench.
Gomes 6.5 - Clearly bothering each other with Parejo and the two can't function properly in mid, once he went further forward in the second half as Piatti and Rodrigo came in he instantly became solid, otherwise he had few decent runs on the left flank, but nothing serious.
Feghouli 4 - Poor performance from the Algerian, he was slow on the ball, slow off the ball, his movement was predictable, wasted 2 pretty good opportunities and was generally useless.
Paco 5 - Missed to latch onto two good opportunities and was otherwise very ineffective, never threatening on goal.
Moreno 6 - Was on the periphery of the match the whole time, he had some good runs and combined well in the second half with De Paul and others, but overall not a great performance.
Subs: 
Piatti 7 - Instantly more dangerous than Paco and added some threat and pace on the left wing, combining well with Gomes and Gaya on the flank, provided one great pass to Parejo I believe who's shot was saved.
De Paul 6.5 - Way more dangerous than Feghouli and played really well on the wing, combining well with Barragan and Moreno as well.
Guardado 5 - Ineffective performance from the mid of the park, was most effective on the flank and going in and providing crosses, in central midfield he was terrible though, lost the ball few times and overall his passing was very poor.
Vinicius NA - not enough time

Man of the match: Antonio Barragan
Worst man of the match: Diego Alves
Best offense: Rodrigo Moreno
Worst Offense: Sofiane Feghouli
Best Defence: Antonio Barragan
Worse defense: Diego Alves
Best possession: Jose Gaya
Worst possession: Daniel Parejo

Lucas Orban joins Valencia CF

Its official, Lucas Orban joins Valencia CF on a 5 year deal, he joins from French club Bordeaux.

The reported fee for the player is around 4 million euros. He can play as a left back and as a central defender.

What do you guys think of this new signing, do you love it?

Filipe Augusto will play for Valencia CF on loan next season

Valencia CF are looking for a reinforcement for midfield after a move for Bruno Zuculini failed to materialize. Manchester City coach Pelligrini prefers to keep the player in England. As such, Nuno will call upon one of his players at former club Rio Ave FC, 20 year old Brazilian CM/CDM Filipe Augusto.

After the Portuguese Super Cup today, Rio Ave's President confirmed that Filipe Augusto will play for Valencia CF on loan next season. Despite being only 20 years old, Nuno has at lot of confidence in the player and believes he can give a lot to the team. When Nuno first took over, Augusto was rumored to follow and it took a while, but he will be part of Valencia CF's first team.

The details of the deal such as a purchase option or wages haven't yet been specified. But there you have it, another young player, a defensive midfielder will be Valencia's next signing. Meanwhile, the output of Banega, Jonas, Barragan, Postiga, Araujo and Viera are in progress.

Any thoughts?

Update on the sale

The big day draws near. This Friday is the deadline for the exclusivity agreement between Bankia and Lim. The sale will be decided by the end of this week. Last time, I wrote about this, Salvo criticized Bankia for delaying the process, being unprofessional and changing the terms of the demands. He has clarified what those changed terms were in a recent press conference.

Valencia CF have to make a first payment to Bankia some time near the end of August. Of course, when Lim takes over, it will be him making the payment since Valencia CF cannot. This first payment of 215 million euros will reduce the debt to 71 million euros to be paid later. That was the agreement that the two sides reached on June 6. Now Bankia wants to change the terms of the collateral (guarantee that the payment will be made). Previously, pledged shares and his signature as a collateral. Now Bankia wants a list of unrestricted assets worth 4 times the debt of Valencia CF as collateral. Salvo is amazed at how Bankia can make such a demand for a man with high international reputation. He also wants an explanation as to why the previous agreement made on June 6, is not valid anymore. He even suggests that Bankia's plan has made a deal with a group of businessmen who also want to buy the club. He says that Bankia is trying to make a fool out of him, and challenged Bankia's president to come out and say that things are not the way that Salvo has described them.

This week will feature tense negotiations as well as the appearance of a figure that has been at a distance so far in this negotiation. None other than Peter Lim himself, will be in Spain this week to finalize negotiations. The club is hoping Lim's appearance will speed things up and pressure Bankia into settling the issue. Lim will also be holding a press conference at the end of this week about the sales process. Let's hope everything goes well. 

Any thoughts?

Ever Banega close to leaving for pennies

According to reports in Spain, Sevilla has been negotiating with Valencia CF for Ever Banega. The plan is to takeover Ivan Rakitic's spot after his transfer to Barcelona this summer. This transfer is a request from Unai Emery who still sees some potential in the player, and hopes he can recreate the amazing form Banega had when the two previously worked together in Valencia CF. This prospect interests the player himself.

In a previous post, I wrote that the offer would be around 4.5 million dollars, now the reports are saying 2.5 million dollars and some saying he will go for free. Of course, Valencia CF don't want that since they paid about 13 million euros to buy the player. However, since Banega has one year on his contract, and Valencia CF have made him train separately from the rest of the group they have little choice remaining. Valencia CF also wants to avoid paying the 1.5 million euros for his wages this season. Sevilla is hoping to land the player for really cheap to avoid the risk associated with signing Banega. The only option to prevent it, would be to reincorporate him into the team and renew his contract but that's looking highly unlikely.

If he does go for that price, it will be really disappointing. Even worse, he is going to a rival team. What if he does manage to regain that form? Then Valencia CF would have given a sensational player to a rival team for pennies.

Any thoughts?

Lim buys Benfica youth players

Peter Lim has bought three of Benfica's best youth players for a fee of 45 million euros. With this Lim now owns 5 Benfica players, and Enzo Perez could be the sixth.

The three players bought by Lim were: Ivan Cavaleiro, Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo.

Ivan Cavaleiro is 20 years old and plays on the right side of midfield, he was immediately loaned to Deportivo La Coruna. Bernardo Silva is also 20 years old and  plays as an attacking midfielder, he was loaned to AS Monaco. Joao Cancelo, as was mentioned in a previous post, is 20 years old and plays as right-back. He remains at Benfica until Valencia CF can offload Barragan (contract expires next year and will not be renewed), and will be Joao Pereira's understudy.

All three of these players have huge potential and could be the future of the Portuguese national team, we'll have to see about that. Should Valencia CF need reinforcements in the future years, they can always be drawn upon. With this, Lim has made an investment for the future as Valencia CF have these three players as well as the Mestalla B team feeding into the first team.

Aly Cissokho transfers to Aston Villa

Its official, Aly Cissokho has transferred to Aston Villa for a reported fee of about 2.5 million euros. The fee is absurdly low and the club is selling him without having a ready back up player before hand and I hate this kind of silly transfers. Why did they even sell him, he was good in preseason, Nuno even said it himself in an interview that he was impressed by Aly Cissokho, I guess this comes from the club officials who for some reason don't like him. I don't know if its because he is black, or because he was brought it by the previous administration. since most of those players have been let out, though both would be really unprofessional if true.

The reports are that Valencia CF is going to get Lucan Orban, he currently plays for Bordeaux and is a relative minnow and unknown. I've searches for his stats and it seems like he has played about 2300 minutes in the French league or about 25 matches in 2 years for a low level club like Bordeaux. Is that good enough for Valencia CF, is he the "big" player that will make our left back slot great?

He can play as a CB, so that is probably the main reason he is a target, not because of his skills, but because he can cover a weak back line of only 3 defenders, two of which are extremely young, unproven and barely tested.

Valencia CF bid for Raul Jimenez

According to Mexican sources, Valencia CF have submitted a bid for 23 year old Mexican and Club de Futbol Amercia striker Raul Jimenez. This move comes as Valencia CF have been looking to reinforce the attack with someone who can compete with Paco Alcacer and Rodrigo. The bid seems to be in the region of 5-6 million euros.

Jimenez is one of the biggest prospects in the Mexican League and is being coveted by the likes of Porto and Benfica. These two Portuguese footballing giants have a great scouting system and if they're interested in this guy, he's going to be good. I've heard of the name a couple of times but don't have very much knowledge about the player but apparently he is a pure striker, he has great physical presence, really tall and good heading ability. Please share if you know more about the player.

Any thoughts? Is this more like it as a reinforcement for the offense?

Valencia CF could bring back Eduardo Vargas

There are some reports that Valencia CF is attempting to bring back 24 year old Chilean Eduardo Vargas who was loaned to Valencia CF last season from Napoli. While this is just speculation at this point, it would be quite interesting to have Vargas back. He gave a lot to the team, had great work ethic, and would work well in a counter-attacking system like the one Nuno is trying to implement.

There are other parties interested mainly Locomotiv of Russia and Arsenal. Valencia CF have been looking for another forward to compete with Rodrigo and Alcacer. He has already played here and knows the players so he would have no trouble settling into the club. Valencia CF will only attempt a bid should the price be reasonable. So far in the transfer market, Ayala and Rufete have pulled off good negotiations for incoming players, not so much for outgoing (except Mathieu). Let's see how this will work out.

Any thoughts? Would you like to see Vargas back or would you prefer someone else.

Official: Ruiz on loan to Villarreal

Its official, Victor Ruiz will be going on a one year loan to Villarreal with the option for Villarreal to purchase the player at the end of the season for about 4 million euros.

There are reports that Valencia CF are close to signing Lucan Orban who plays as a left back, though can also play in central defense. If these reports are true and they might as well be, then Aly Cissokho is sure to leave, with Valencia CF having Gaya and Orban as left backs with Orban covering in central if needed, Ottamendi, Mustafi,Vezo as CB's and Pereia and Barragan(for now) as right backs.

Update on the sale

Well it looks bad so far. We are less than ten days to the deadline and President Salvo's most recent comments weren't too encouraging either. The Porxinos case seems to be on the way to resolution but Bankia is yet again giving major problems to the Salvo and to Lim.

 The previous post about the sale, discussed that Bankia were delaying the process by submitting documents to Singapore in Castillan (Spanish) and not English. There was also delay because of the time difference between Singapore and Spain. However, even with Lim's representatives traveling to Spain, there are more complications.

During the most recent press conference made by President Salvo, he says that there is no respect given to them by Bankia. He also adds that no progress has been achieved since last week. None at all.

Lim and Bankia had already agreed terms as early as June 6 and it was pretty much just the Porxinos case left. However, during the next two months, Bankia decided to go back on the agreement and change/add undisclosed conditions that suited their own personal interests, much to the outrage of Lim and Salvo. No one can understand why Bankia suddenly wanted to add more conditions when they had already settled the issue.

Salvo insists that Bankia have the most to benefit from the sale of the club. After all, that is the only way, they'll get their money. By no other means can Valencia CF make the payments that are due at the end of this month, or any other payments, as a matter of fact, without this deal going through. So, if Bankia want their money, they have to start cooperating. Hopefully sooner rather than later. I don't even want to think about what would happen if they don't. Let's just hope Salvo can pull Valencia CF out of this situation like he has done so far. The input and output transfers are fully operational so far, and there is no change in behavior there which means the club is still confident it can make this work.

Any thoughts?

Ruiz agrees deal with Villareal

Villareal are close to losing their center back Mussachio for some 20 million euros to Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. As such, they are in need of a replacement and Ruiz is a candidate.

Reports say that Ruiz is becoming increasingly closer to Villareal as he is now at the bottom of the pecking order at Valencia CF, behind Mustafi, Otamendi and Vezo.

The deal is said to be a loan doal including a purchase option in the contract. In addition, Villareal will have to pay additional money if Ruiz plays against Valencia CF. The deal will be made official tomorrow. If this does go through, it means Valencia CF will be in need of yet another center-back. Currently, no one has submitted a bid for Balanta, except some rumors of Galatasary bid, so that could still be on the cards.

Sevilla interested in Banega

Sevilla have taken an interest in 26 year old Argentine Ever Banega. Despite starting off well in the preseason, an injury kept him out of a tour of South America and ended up costing him his place in the team. Now he is said to be on his way out of the team along with the likes of Postiga, Jonas, Araujo and Viera.

It seems former coach Unai Emery is keen on the idea of bringing back Ever Banega, whom he worked with well during his time at Valencia CF, and believes he can restore the brilliant form he had. Sevilla recently lost Rakitic to Barcelona and are in need of a replacement. Reports have suggested a fee of 4.5 million euros.

Any thoughts? Fair price or not?

Valencia CF target Joao Cancelo

The right-back spot has been one area of the pitch which has yet to convince in this pre-season. Neither Joao Periera or Antonio Barragan have given consistent and decent performances thus far. From the first day of the transfer window, there were reports saying that Valencia CF would be willing to sell one of the right-backs, some even suggested both. As such Valencia CF have turned to a promising young talent who plays in Portugal. And unsurprisingly, he plays at Benfica.

Joao Cancelo is 20 years old and a promising right-back for both Benfica and the Portuguese youth teams. He is said to be the future right-back of the Portuguese national team.

We know that Lim owned the rights of several players in Benfica, namely Rodrigo, Andre Gomes and Garay. At the beginning of the transfer window, it was said that he was also going to buy three Benfica youth players to bring to Mestalla B for a combined total of 30 million euros. One of these youngsters was Joao Cancelo. For now, it seems only Cancelo is on his way, there is no information on the other two. I don't know what it is about Benfica but it's been facilitated by Jorge Mendes, Lim's close friend.

This type of deal will be the same sort as that of Rodrigo and Andre Gomes. A loan deal that will be made permanent when the agreement between Lim and Bankia is settled. I think that should he join, Pereira will make a good mentor for him for both club and international level. I don't see Barragan as a mentor or a good example for any youth players, given his attitude and rashness.

Any thoughts on Joao Cancelo? Who should he replace? Barragan or Perreira?

Aly Cissokho leaving Valencia CF?

Spanish news are reporting that Aly Cissokho will be transferring to Aston Villa for 2.5 million euros. Supposedly the club has accepted this ridiculously minor offer for the player who started in pretty much all of our preseason friendlies and for who we have no cover and would gladly send him off for 1/4th of his value.

Aly Cissokho has also reportedly agreed personal terms with Aston Villa and the transfer will go through once the player passes the medical test.

I find it hard to believe that Valencia CF staff would so foolishly sell Aly Cissokho, especially for such a ridiculously small transfer fee of 2.5 million euros, when the player joined Valencia CF for 8 or 9 million euros.

He also had a great preseason if you ask me, you don't actually get better preseasons that he had and we still sell him.

Either this is some stupid rumor or a big mistake from the staff, we shouldn't be selling basically our only left back. Gaya for all we know may turn up worthless, he may turn up extremely weak, he hasn't been tested at all. First we need to buy a quality left back before we go on selling like this.

Official: Shkodran Mustafi joins Valencia CF

Shkodran Mustafi has passed his medical in Valencia and thus becomes the latest player to join Valencia CF. The 22 year old German joins on 5 year deal with Sampadoria claiming 10% of future transfer fees. The deal is worth 8 million euros plus variables depending on his performances. He will sign the contract and be presented tomorrow.

Official: Carlos Akapo signs for Mestalla B

Valencia CF has officially announced that 21 year old Equtoguinean and CD Numancia (Spain 2nd division) full-back Carlos Akapo has joined the Mestalla B team. The deal will tie him to the B team for three years (till 2017).

Mestalla B coach Curro Torres has wanted to reinforce the right back position since he wasn't all that convinced by Sergio Leuko, the current right-back. Akapo is also capable of playing as a center-back or a right-back and thus adds to the club's list of versatile players. He could also get a chance at the first team depending how the right-back situation develops. Financial details have yet to be disclosed due to variables in the amounts.

Rodrigo de Paul gets EU passport

Rodrigo de Paul finally has an Italian passport. With this Valencia CF has one less player to worry about in terms of EU passport limits. The limit is 3 players and currently there is Otamendi, Jonas and Araujo occupying those slots. Expect Jonas will be out soon and it looks like Araujo will follow after missing out on the Emirates cup completely. This will leave room for Valencia CF to sign two more non-EU players. It appears as if Enzo Perez will be one of them. I just hope the other one isn't Jackson Martinez.

Fantasy football

Hey guys, its that time of the year again. Everyone please join my custom premier league fantasy league. http://fantasy.premierleague.com/my-leagues/162212/join/?autojoin-code=647490-162212

The more people we get the better, compete against me and other Valencia CF fans for the ultimate premier league expert knowledge bragging rights.

Last year my team failed miserably, on the back end of the table, even though I had almost all of the big names, like Silva, Suarez, etc... my failure was picking the right captain.

Join my league now: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/my-leagues/162212/join/?autojoin-code=647490-162212

Sampadoria accept Valencia CF's offer for Shkordran Mustafi

Shkodran Mustafi should be a Valencia CF player within the next 48 hours. Italian sources have declared that Sampadoria had accepted Valencia CF's bid for the 22 year old German which was about 8 million euros (possibly over two installments) plus bonuses. The deal agreed upon so far is a five year deal with wages 800,000 euros per season (four times as much as he earned in Sampadoria). Valencia CF edged out the likes of Juventus and Napoli for the player.

This deal will not be funded by Meriton Holding Limited (Peter Lim) but rather Valencia CF will use the cash earned for Mathieu's transfer to fund his replacement. Sampadoria was insisting on 15 million euros but eventually backed down to 8-9 million euros. Credit to Ayala and Rufete's long negotiations and the player's desire to play for Valencia CF. This deal is now very highly likely and reports say Mustafi will be in Spain tomorrow to finalize the details of his contact and sign.

As for Balanta, chances are realistically nil now. Other clubs, mainly Juventus, Galatasaray and Lazio have taken action and his destination lies in one of those three clubs. In the end, the lack of an EU passport was the major obstacle and proved too much a turn-off for his arrival in Valencia CF.

Mustafi is deemed by the management as a great future prospect, he has an EU passport (German), and according to them has the same profile as Mathieu.

Any thoughts?

Valencia CF interested in Zdravko Kuzmanovic

Valencia CF is supposedly interested in Serbian player Zdravko Kuzmanović who currently plays for Inter Milan. He is a natural defensive midfielder, a position Valencia CF is looking to add strenghten and bring in competition for Javi Fuego as he is currently the only defensive midfielder for the club.

Zdravko Kuzmanović is valued at around 4 million euros, though due to his lack of playing time at Inter Milan and the fact that he is not in their coach plans for this season, we could see Zdravko Kuzmanović transfer to Valencia CF for 3 million euros or less.

Valencia CF are also looking into Argentinian Bruno Zuculini who transfered to Manchester City this summer, though with their midfield being extremly crowded they are looking to loan out the play, so Valencia CF is looking to bring the young player on a loan deal.

Bruno Zuculini main position is a central midfielder though, so I actually think this story is more likely to be false rather than the Kuzmanovic one, since we already have 2 central midfielders and Enzo Perez is on the verge on transferring to Valencia CF and the club needs a DM to compete with Javi Fuego, not yet another CM.

Valencia CF to offload Jonathan Viera

Valencia CF is looking to offload Jonathan Viera as he has been deemed surplus to requirements and coach Nuno isn't counting on the player. Valencia CF is looking at all options, meaning to sell or loan out the player, probably more on the loan option as Valencia CF asking price of about 2 million for Viera will be hard for any club to offer, since he hasn't really featured for the team and they also want to keep the player possibly for the future, though at this point I think it would be better for the player if the club just sold him for any price.

I have always been impressed by the player in preseason, I remember last season and now this season he was impressive, scoring goals and providing assists in his preseason, but maybe he is not as good in training, maybe he is tactically weak or something since all of the coaches so far have deemed him surplus.

Personally I like his play, what I've seen from him, but at this point I think it will be best for the player and likely Valencia CF as well if they just sold him. This loaning out every year is getting a bit boring and unfair I think.

Transfer Market update

1) Enzo Perez will reportedly arrive in Valencia tomorrow (Monday) to finalize his transfer. The deal is said to be in the range of 20-25 million euros. He will be the third player from Benfica to join Valencia CF this transfer window.

2) Valencia CF have 24 hours to complete Juanfran Moreno signing due to interest from Italian club Genoa. Thus if Juanfran is to be signed, it will also be tomorrow.

3) Jackson Martinez has renewed with FC Porto till 2017 but dropped his buyout clause from 40 million to 35 million euros. This could be understood as a sign that he's staying but the buyout clause is now easier to meet for Valencia CF which has now been interested in him for a while.

4) Valencia CF have increased the bid for Shkodran Mustafi to 10 million euros while Sampadoria value the player at 15 million euros. The negotiation today went well between the club and Ayala, and there was confidence that this deal will be completed.

5) Valencia CF is interested in CD Numancia right-back/center-back Carlos Akapo (he is Equatoguinean) to reinforce the Mestalla B team. The manager Curro Torres wants an alternate to Sergio Leuko as he is reportedly unimpressed by him. Carlos Akapo will also be given a chance at the first team should Nuno's evaluation of him be a positive one.

Any thoughts?

Preseason Coverage: S.L.Benfica 1-3 Valencia CF

Valencia CF cap off their Emirates Cup with a convincing win over Portuguese champions Benfica and thus Valencia CF win the cup. The point system for this cup is 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss, plus a point for each goal. It finishes Valencia CF lead with 9 points, Arsenal are on 8 points, Monaco on 7 points and Benfica on 2.

Valencia CF started this game playing 4-3-2-1 with Alcacer heading the attack, supported by Piatti and Feghouli on the wings, and a three man midfield composed of Guardado, Parejo and Carles Gil. The defense was the same as the past few games with Barragan as right-back, Otamendi and Vezo partnering in the middle, but Gaya started over Cissokho. In goal, Yoel Rodriguez featured for the first time.

While Valencia CF were clearly the side with more energy and presence, Benfica took the lead due to a rather unfortunate error. Guardado gave possession away in midfield and an unfortunate deflection set up a Benfica counter attack which Yoel could do nothing about.
 
With the exception of that error, Valencia CF were by far the superior side. Alcacer found himself in good positions in the first half and gave the Benfica defense something to think about.

At half time, Nuno brought on Andre Gomes, Rodrigo and Javi Fuego replacing Gil, Feghouli and Parejo. Rodrigo played on the right wing while Fuego and Gomes took their regular positions in the middle of the pitch. Almost instantly, Valencia CF had went to yet another gear. Another example of a Nuno substitution and half time talk that changed the dynamic of the team. Rodrigo wrecked havoc on the left side of the Benfica defense, they simply couldn't deal with his quick feet and trickery. He is a real viable alternative to Feghouli on the right. It's nice to have such versatile players. Also, the addition of Fuego the midfield gave Guardado the freedom to move forwards and cause real danger. I think we found ourselves a midfielder. Guardado had a better time playing further forward than he did in the first half. It was the same position he played for Mexico this World Cup with a CDM to cover his tracks. And it paid off.

What was really impressive this game, was the entire left flank. Piatti and Gaya partnered up quite well with each of them grabbing a goal. Gaya was the first to strike for Valencia CF after he made an overlapping run which was picked out by Guardado and he shot it between the keeper's legs from a wide position. Again, Piatti's work ethic was simply amazing this game. He was fighting for every ball and helped out Gaya in defense several times. Piatti grabbed his goal when Otamendi picked out Gaya's run on the wing who then crosses to Alcacer who had his shot saved by the keeper only to finished off by Piatti who had drifted towards the center.

The third goal was a Guardado solo effort where he drove in from midfield and shot it from outside the box but despite the keeper getting a hand to it, it found its way into the net.

Rodrigo de Paul, Dani Ramirez and Roberto also had time to play but not enough to show anything significant. Andre Gomes kept possession much better than Parejo. Parejo did great today, smooth passes, good dribbling but he did seem a bit off on some passes.

In defense, Otamendi did decently well but it was Vezo who stepped up this time. On many occasion he was the one that took charge and made the decisive tackles and clearances. Really impressive by him.

On the right wing, Feghouli was a menace to the defense during the time he was on but the fatigue from the World Cup does show on him still. Gil was invisible and didn't provide too much for the team other than being a passing option. Barragan had a so-so day, his offensive work was great but defensively was lacking. Barragan and Gaya had loads of space to work with thanks to the great work from the wingers drifting inside and freeing up space. Also, credit to Guardado's runs for drawing defenders to him and then picking out a pass to the wings.

In goal, Jaume came on later in the game and made a fantastic save almost right away. He looked confident again and you could see the fight in him, trying to win the goalkeeping position from Yoel.

Valencia CF could have made it four goals after Rodrigo cut the ball back to three Valencia CF players who were in loads of space but a lack of communicated saw all three of them miss the ball.

 All in all, a very good game against a rather drained Benfica team. For Valencia CF, mostly everyone was at ease and comfortable on the ball. Substitution did not disrupt the rhythm of the team, rather everyone knew their role quite well. The passing was seamless, smooth and effortless. Pretty great game. It's difficult to chose a man of the match with Gaya, Guardado, Piatti, and Rodrigo all doing so well. I'm going to go with Gaya and Guardado since they aren't regularly used recently but stepped up to the occasion today.

Next up is Manchester United, an even bigger step up. They are unbeaten so far in the preseason and have sent people to watch Valencia CF's games. Look forward to that, it will be a great game.

Squad:

Yoel Rodriguez, Barragan, Otamendi, Vezo, Gaya, Parejo, Guardado, Carles Gil, Piatti, Feghouli, Alcacer

Subs: Jaume, Javi Fuego, Andre Gomes, Rodrigo, Dani Ramirez, Rodrigo de Paul, Roberto Ibanez

Goals:

1-0 Derley, min 2'
1-1 Jose Luis Gaya, min 49'
1-2 Pablo Piatti, min 54'
1-3 Andres Guardado, min 60'

Any thoughts on the game? Best or worst performers?

Valencia CF bid for Shkodran Mustafi

Valencia CF has reportedly submitted a bid to Italian Club Sampadoria for 21 year old Germany center-back Shkodran Mustafi. You might have seen him in the World Cup this year where he featured as a right-back but his main position for club is center-back.

Valencia CF have bid 6.4 million euros for the young German center-back, however there are reports that Sampadoria want an amount closer to 15 million euros, an amount that Valencia CF would not want to meet.

You might ask, why are we going for another young center-back when Balanta is already on the way? That's the thing, Balanta's move is stalling. This is because the club is trying desperately to manage the remaining EU passport slots and Balanta would take on of them. Therefore, alternatives are being explored to avoid having to give up an EU passport. With Mustafi that wouldn't be a problem.

What do you think of Mustafi? Better or worse than Balanta? How much should Valencia CF pay for him?

Valencia CF reach agreement with Juanfran Moreno

Valencia CF have an agreement with Real Betis right-back Juanfran Moreno. Nuno Santo sees the right-back position as one that needs reinforcement since he is not convinced with the performance of Barragan. In addition, Barragan has one year left on his contract so the club wants to get rid of him now.

Valencia CF have bid 1.5 million euros plus Antonio Barragan for the 24 year old right-back who is a product of Madrid's academy. Now they are just pending the agreement of Real Betis to a deal.

What do you think of the deal? Worth it or not?

Preseason Coverage: Valencia CF 2-2 AS Monaco

Much better game from Valencia CF than the previous two friendlies, but work still needs to be done. There is another game tomorrow against Benfica and it will be interesting to see if anything will change.

Nuno started things off with a 4-4-1-1 formation, with Rodrigo starting as the spearhead of the attack and Paco on the bench. Behind him directly was Andre Gomes while Parejo and Fuego formed the midfield partnership. Piatti didn't start and the left wing was given to Rodrigo de Paul instead, while Feghouli featured for the first time in this preseason playing on the right wing. Cissokho, Vezo and Otamendi got to start again while Barragan's horrendous performance in the last friendly wasn't enough to stop him from starting ahead of Joao Pereira.

Rodrigo is finally starting to establish himself within the team. With Paco on the bench, he seemed to have loads of space and often drifted wide causing lots of trouble for the Monaco defense; not just as an offensive threat but also had some really dangerous passes. His vision at times was outstanding.

Despite rumors that the club plans to offload Barragan, he did put in a good showing today. He had good overlapping runs and caused plenty of trouble on the left side of the Monaco defense in the first half. His counterpart Cissokho, also had a good day and his defensive performance was finally complemented with a great offensive threat. He set up Alcacer's goal and could've done one more if Carles Gil had finished off that chance, which really should've been a goal.

Feghouli's technical ability and pace wasn't lacking today despite it being his first appearance following his World Cup campaign with Algeria. However, it was interesting that Nuno replaced him in the second half for Piatti to test him out on the right wing. That didn't last long as few minutes later he took off de Paul, who had some sparks of brilliance but nothing more, put Roberto Ibanez on the right wing and returning Piatti to the left.

The defense seemed to be shaky at times. The first goal conceded was a Ruben Vezo own goal which caused Valencia CF to go a goal down against the run of play having dominated for the majority of the first half. The second goal had Ocampos cut inside Vezo and beat Alves out from range. While that was poor defending, Alves should've really saved that (maybe his injury is still affecting him). Alves just wasn't looking all too great in goal today. If he wasn't ready to come back from injury, Nuno should've given Jaume the start. Vezo had some good tackles but his positioning and anticipation still aren't up to par. Valencia CF need to really work on getting those center backs (two more could come in considering Ruiz might leave). Otamendi had a solid performance barring a few silly moments.

Andre Gomes wasn't at his best today and was for the most part quiet. Parejo on the other hand was a maestro in midfield and seems to be well on his way to regaining his form. Along with Fuego, they had complete possession of the midfield, shutting out Moutinho. Great passes from Parejo and some really clean footwork.

At the front, Paco, who had come on for Rodrigo, took very little time to find the net. His positioning for his age always impresses me.

Anyways, tomorrow's game against Benfica is something to look forward to, especially since we signed two of their best players and are on the way to signing the third. Let's see what happens.

Goals:
0-1 Ruben Vezo (o.g.)
1-1 Ricardo Carvalho (o.g.)
2-1 Paco Alcacer
2-2 Ocampos

Any thoughts on today's game? Best or worst performers?        

Valencia CF explore more defensive options

Even with Eder Balanta on the way from River Plate (pending the availability of EU passports), Valencia CF have been exploring other defensive options.

Still being explored is Marcos Rojo. However this transfer now seems very unlikely as Sporting have been asking upwards of 20 million euros for the Argentine. In addition, Valencia CF would need another EU passport, one that it doesn't have. Currently, Jonas, Araujo, de Paul and Otamendi have taken up those slots and Valencia CF is only allowed three. Jonas and Araujo will probably be on their way out, and de Paul will soon get an Italian passport. This gives Valencia CF two slots, one of which will go to Balanta and the other to Enzo Perez. Therefore, there is simply no room for Rojo.


Another name on the table, is 24 year old Brazilian and Olympique de Marseille defender, Lucas Mendes. He is capable of playing both as central midfielder and a left-back. Marseille is willing to let him go should a good offer come in. His market value seems to be from 3-5 million euros. He is eligible for a Portuguese passport so that he won't be a problem.

The other name, which I think has been suggested on this blog, is 26 year old Italian and Juventus center-back Angelo Ogbonna. However, he would cost somewhere around 13 million euros.

He has been reduced to a bench role in recent times so I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted a change of scenery. But we also have to consider that there is a new manager at Juventus so he might still have a chance of being a starter. He is more experienced than Mendes and plays for a bigger club so between him and Mendes, I would prefer him. He has an Italian passport so he won't be an issue either.

Any thoughts on the new targets? Who would you like to see at Valencia CF?

Official: Guaita transfers to Getafe

Valencia CF made it official today that Guaita will transfer to Getafe for free. Guaita was one of the players who came up from the Mestalla B team into the first team. He was also one of the captains of the side (all three are now gone, Mathieu, Costa and Guaita).

Guaita did very well when he first came into the team and could've very well been a huge success. He was even said to be capable of being called up for the Spanish national team. All that changed when Diego Alves gave him something to think about. Alves fought with Guaita for the spot and came out victorious. Instead of fighting back to earn the spot, Guaita simply complained. That attitude could very well be what cost him a place in Nuno's team. Meanwhile, Nuno chose to count on Jaume and bring in Yoel Rodriguez from Celta, leaving no room for the sulking Guaita.

Now, the deal is in fact for free, however Valencia CF retained some economic rights meaning they will take a portion of any future transfer. In addition, Valencia CF also insisted and got a right of first refusal option, meaning the player will be offered to Valencia CF first should another team want to purchase him from Getafe. This way Guaita gets his playing time and if he recovers the fantastic form he was on, Valencia CF can still get him back.

Any thoughts on this transfer?

Everton interested in Guardado

Premier League club Everton is reportedly interested in signing Andres Guardado. Everton manager Roberto Martinez is said to be a big fan of the player and he wants him. They are currently preparing a bid for the Mexican winger.

We have yet to see much of Guardado in the pre-season so I am a bit reluctant about selling him. We did see him last game against Universidad Catolica, but it was in midfield not at his natural wing position.

If we do go ahead with this sale anyway, we should make some good money considering the good performance put in by Guardado in the World Cup. If he leaves, it has to be for good money otherwise I'm against it. That is the deciding factor along with his role in Nuno's plans.

So far it seems like the left wing spot will go to Piatti judging by preseason performances thus far. If Guardado leaves, it might free up room for someone like Viera to break into the team.

Any thoughts on Guardado? Sell him or not?

The Board votes YES to Lim!

The board has voted in favor of selling 70% of the shares to Peter Lim. The meeting also featured members from PwC consulting and Meriton Holdings Limited which explained the terms of the contract and what they can offer at the beginning of the meeting. The meeting took almost five hours and from the 19 trustees at the vote, 17 voted 'yes' and 2 voted 'no'. With this the contract between Meriton Holdings Limited (Lim's company) and Valencia CF is agreed upon. The sale will be subject to the cases with Bankia and Porchinos being resolved.

The next date to look forwards to is August 16, which is the date when exclusitivity between Bankia and Meriton Holding Limited ends. If the deal with Bankia is not settled then things will fall apart quickly since ten days after (August 26), a payment of 44 million is due to Bankia. The Porchinos case on the other hand is said to be on its way to resolution and should be solved the week before the August 16 deadline (from the 11th-15th of August).

There are some reports that Aurelio Martinez the President of the Valencia CF Foundation, has declared his resignation in the press conference after the vote conditional upon the sale of the club.

This vote is pretty significant. This when transfers in and out will pick up speed. Expect a lot of movement this coming week, particularly the likes of Balanta, Enzo Perez and Zuculini. Meanwhile, Guaita, among others, will be announced out following the arrival of Yoel Rodriguez on loan.

In case you're wondering who voted 'no', Christopher Grau of the City Council was one name who was said to have disagreed with the wording of something in the contract. The other figure was unidentified. Apparently there wasn't much anonymity in the vote.

Any thoughts?

Yoel Rodríguez joins Valencia CF

Celta de Vigo goalkeeper Yoel Rodríguez Oterino joins Valencia CF on a one year loan deal with the option for Valencia CF to purchase the player for 2.5 million euros at the end of the season.

This means that Vicente Guaita is close to leaving and I wouldn't be surprised if he moved to another club within 10 days.

Yoel Rodriguez was first choice goalkeeper last year for Celta and overall he' featured 78 times on goal.

The fact that he comes on a loan deal is a bit strange and I wonder if the situation is same as with Gomes and Rodrigo, since the club is planning permanent deals only once the club has been sold to Peter Lim, which now seems to be going a lot slower than initially thought.

Valencia CF lose out on Vietto

Valencia CF have chosen not to activate the first refusal option on Luciano Vietto. This means that the talented Argentine youngster will be heading to rivals Villareal instead. The Valencia CF management does not see the striker role as an immediate concern and prefers to focus on other areas particularly the defense and midfield. This is the second one we lost to Villareal in recent times, the other being Giovanni dos Santos.

Preseason Coverage: Unversidad Catolica 1-0 Valencia CF

Valencia CF cap off their South American journey with a loss against the local Chilean team. So far in this competition, the score is European Teams 4-2 South American Teams, with Valencia CF providing both losses for Europe.

The game featured Rodrigo and Alcacer paired up again in attack but neither getting close to goal. They were generally isolated and there was no connection between the two. Nuno Santo chose to start Andre Gomes as a right midfielder again despite it being very ineffective in the previous game against Alianza Lima. Yet again, Piatti was easily the best player on the field when he was on, creating some chances and terrorizing the opposing defense. He had a really high work rate, just like the previous game, he really wants to impress Nuno this preseason. Jaume also put in some great saves but was helpless for the goal which won the game.

Let me get to the point everyone is probably thinking. What is wrong with the right-back position? For both games, it was by far the weakest link on the team. I don't know what Barragan was doing that first half. In attack, his crosses would travel all the way to the opposite touchline. In defense, he makes really stupid challenges. He got yellow carded early in the game and instead of being cautious, was showing no restraint with his challenges, and after two more silly challenges was shown a second yellow and told to leave the field of play. Alcacer was sacraficed at half time to bring on Joao Pereira and secure the defense. Again, his crosses were misplaced and his defense left a lot to be desired. The goal happened right in front of his eyes and he didn't even move.

As for the other defenders, Otamendi improved from last game showing confidence at times and Vezo despite some good challenges is still not ready to start. Most of the defending was panicky, rushed and mistimed. Hopefully with Balanta now on his way the defense will be more secure. Cissokho secured the left side well but did not provide anything going forward.

A few posts ago, one comment suggested that Guardado should be tried in midfield. Surprisingly, that wish was granted and Guardado came on for Parejo, who was missed two good chances at goal and was generally lackluster, in the second half. He did a good job pressuring the opposing players but didn't give much beyond that. Javi Fuego gave his usual solid performance in midfield, held possession well while the rest of his team mates gave it away quite easily at times.

As for wingers, de Paul had some bright moments when he first came on for Piatti but soon faded out out of the game. Roberto Ibanez was explosive on the right wing causing all kinds of problems and didn't seem to stop running. Feghouli did not feature, neither did Viera nor Gil.

Playing a game with ten-men did serve a good purpose in that it made the team play under pressure and kept them on alert. Too bad they couldn't remain on alert all the way to the very end.

The next game is against AS Monaco who is a big step-up from the teams Valencia CF is playing against now. Nuno has to work on the right-back position and on the defense as a whole. As for offense, I think it just needs time till the players get used to the new additions and the new formation. Until then, we have to trust that Nuno knows what he's doing and that the team will improve. Better make the mistakes now that during the season.

Goals:

1-0 Munoz, 89'

Any thoughts on the game? Best and Worst players? What was good? What needs improvement?

Valencia CF agree deal for Eder Balanta!

Valencia CF have agreed a deal with Argentine club River Plate for 21 year old Colombia defender Eder Balanta. The deal is reportedly in the range of 6.5 million euros. However, an issue must be addressed before the signing is complete. Valencia CF have four players with non EU passports: Otamendi, Jonas, Araujo, and Rodrigo de Paul. A slot must be cleared to make room for Balanta. Rodrigo de Paul will get an Italian passport before the start of the new season but a slot needs to be free now. Therefore, expect either Jonas or Araujo to be on their way out in the coming days.

What do you think of Eder Balanta? Good signing or not? Is he capable of starting or do we need someone else?

Second Valencia CF shirt unveiled

Orange is the new black. Valencia CF get their second shirt and it looks stunning. This is one of the best shirts I've seen. It looks really colorful, but in a good way, strong orange with reddish elements mixed in, cool stripes across the shirt and the official Adidas trademark on the side of the shirt with blue color.

The new shirt looks absolutely amazing and is one I will definitely be getting once they are available in my country.

What do you guys think about the new secondary shirt? I think just wearing it makes you a winner, period.