Sofiane Feghouli contract extension officially confirmed

Sofiane Feghouli contract extension has been officially confirmed by the official Valencia CF website. His contract has been extended till 2016.

Valencia CF transfers 2013

Happy New Year ladies and gentlemen and happy holidays. For those of us Valencia CF fans the club had a good year in which it finished 3rd place in the Spanish league, played in the round of 16 in the Champions League and Valencia CF didn't loose any important players in the summer like Roberto Soldado for example.

The third quarter of 2012 wasn't as good with the start of the new season, as Valencia wasn't able to get the results and the year finished with Valencia at mid table and some problems going into the new season.

I'll start from the back for the transfers and move forward.

There were reports from England and Spain that Arsenal FC are interested in Valencia goalkeeper Vicente Guaita and that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will make a big move for Vicente Guaita and even meet his 15 million euros buy-out clause. Of course this won't be the best time for Valencia CF to sell any of the goalkeepers, as club president Manuel Llorente is aware the club will have to sell one of the goalkeepers in the summer, but he wouldn't want to loose one in the winter and he would prefer to keep Guaita as he is a Valencianista and he has pressure to have more Spanish players playing at the club.

As far as the defense is considered there have been reports that Adil Rami will leave in the summer and probably go to Real Madrid or even England and that Valencia CF will use those money to get back Raul Albiol from Real Madrid. In fact recently Valencia CF president Manuel Llorente stated that he would like to bring Albiol back and I tend to take him very seriously, so there is no doubt Valencia will try to buy Raul Abliol from Real Madrid in the summer as the president is under pressure to have more Spanish players in the team and with the coming elections its obvious he will try to bring back Albiol.

Right now the club is working on getting one defensive reinforcement as the club has been with only 3 defenders this season and has had trouble occasionally filling the spots with various injuries and cards. In fact I know the club has 2 almost certain players that will join, I just don't have information who these players are and what positions. I suspect we have one central defender secured and then a defensive midfielder if Gago leaves. Earlier in the season Valencia CF were looking into Bruno Martins Indi a young central defender who play for Feynord.

The other positions at the back are full and apart from a forced sell in the summer of say Aly Cissokho due to the financial situation I don't see any major changed, certainly not in the winter transfer.

In the midfield Fernango Gago has been an issue as he was frustrated by the sacking of Mauricio Pellegrino and wanted to leave, but changed his mind, fast forward to today and he still hasn't really cleared up his situation, with reports saying he wants to go to Boca Juniors and doesn't want to stay at Valencia, while he himself claimed that much of the reports are exaggerated and false, though didn't outright dismiss them. Recently there have been new reports that Boca Juniors have agreed personal terms with Gago and send an offer to Valencia CF for Gago. The offer is said to be 3 million euros over a year, with Valencia CF demanding 4 million euros. The latest player Valencia CF has been linked with as replacement for Gago is Xavi Torres who plays for Getafe, while earlier there have been mentions about Tomás Pina from Mallaorca and Javi Fuego from Rayo Vallecano.

Earlier in the season the staff were interested in Vicente Iborra as a replacement for David Albelda for next season, though they figured out that he isn't as solid in the defensive role and that the team would need to find a stronger and better defensive midfielder who's main position is defensive midfielder.

Then there is the right wing for which the club is searching a replacement for Sofiane Feghouli who will leave for the African cup of nations for a month and possibly be sold in the summer, so the main target right now is Vittolo, after deals for Isac Cuenca and Eljero Elia are said to have fallen apart. Spanish newspapers reported that Valencia CF is interested in Victor Rodriguez who currently plays for Real Zaragoza on the right wing. Braulion Vasquez was also looking at Jordi Xumetra from Elche, though reportedly Elche said they weren't interested in selling him in the winter. Ultimately its very likely the club will bring in a reinforcement for the right wing and my bet is on Vittolo.

All other midfield positions are pretty much full and secured and may even be overflowing a little, as Bernat for example has rarely been given opportunity and Viera hasn't featured too much as well. With Pablo Piatti now fit and back in the squad and Sergio Canales coming back very soon, possibly within a month the midfield is secured, though depending on the performance there may be some big changes in the summer.

As far as the forward positions go its Roberto Soldado, Nelson Valdez and Jonas Goncalves. Its was Jonas that most transfer speculations have been around and he was linked to Tottenham and Liverpool, though since then the transfer rumors about him have calmed down. Reports at the time linked Valencia CF with 23 years old Wilfried Bony who plays for Erdevise club Vitesse Arnhem.

Recently Manuel Llorente publicly stated that he would like to see David Villa return to Valencia CF and with David Villa said to want to leave Barcelona as he hasn't feature much since his recovery it looks like a strong possibility, although Barcelona officials have come out and said there isn't much chance of him leaving in the winter. Then there is also the transfer fee and salary for him, which is much bigger than your average salary in Valencia CF. Still he spend 5 years at Valencia CF and it wouldn't surprise me if David Villa accepted a low salary in comparison to return, though it will all depend if other teams bid for him like say Juventus and even Arsenal FC.

Valencia CF players market value 2013

Valencia CF has some really talented players in its squad, but how much are they really worth?

This is a tough process because there are no measurable element, there is no mathematical formula to form the price of a player, its basically how much the club values its own player and at what price is the club willing to sell the player with few more variables.

The following list is based on current values and it can change depending on performance.


Vicente Guaita, 25yo; positions: GK - 12 million euros
Diego Alves,  27yo; positions: GK - 12 million euros
Joao Pereira, 28yo; positions: RB - 10 million euros
Antonio Barragan, 25yo; positions: RB - 3 million euros
Adil Rami,  27yo; positions: CD - 14 million euros
Ricardo Costa, 31yo; positons: CD - 6 million euros
Victor Ruiz, 23yo; positions: CD - 8 million euros
Aly Cissokho, 25yo; positions: LB - 8 million euros
Jeremy Mathieu, 29yo; positions: LB - 10 million euros
David Albelda, 35yo; positions: DM - 2 million euros
Tino Costa, 27yo; positions: DM, CM - 10 million euros
Ever Banega, 24yo; positions: CM, AM - 12 million euros
Fernando Gago, 26yo; positions: DM, CM - 6 million euros
Daniel Parejo, 23yo; positions: CM, AM - 5 million euros
Sofiane Feghouli, 23yo; positions: RM - 20 million euros
Pablo Piatti, 23yo; positions: RM, AM, LM, ST - 6 million euros
Jonathan Viera, 23yo; positions: LM, AM - 6 million euros
Andres Guardado, 26yo; positions: LB, LM - 8 million euros
Juan Bernat, 19yo; positions: LM - 6 million euros
Sergio Canales, 21yo; positions: LM, AM - 5 million euros
Jonas Goncalves, 28yo; positions: AM, ST - 10 million euros
Nelson Valdez, 29yo; positions: ST - 3 million euros
Paco Alcacer, 19yo, positions: ST - 8 million euros
Roberto Soldado, 27yo; positions: ST - 30 million euros

Arsenal FC interested in Vicente Guaita

Valencia goalkeeper Vicente Guaita

Arsenal FC are reportedly interested in Valencia CF goalkeeper Vicente Guaita. Arsenal FC have had troubles with their goalkeepers this season, as no one has managed to impress Arsene Wenger, so the Frenchmen is keen to bring in a quality goalkeeper in the winter transfer window.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has money to burn as he has been running the team with profit each year for several years now and even in older times, which is why Arsenal were able to build a new stadium, though they also found financiers as well.

But more importantly Vicente Guaita hasn't been the happiest as his contribution has been limited and Diego Alves is the first choice. The problems started with Vicente Guaita getting injured and repeatedly having injuries, through which he would loose his starting place and end up not playing for long periods even when fully healed.

Valencia CF president also knows he is going to be forced to sell someone in the summer transfer, though he would like to keep Guaita as he is Spanish and he is facing presidential re-elections and he has been accused of not having many Spanish players in the club, which is actually true. He might not have much choice though, as Vicente Guaita has a buyout clause of 15 million euros and Arsenal FC can certainly afford that kind of low price for a quality goalkeeper like Guaita. In fact Manchester United payed 22 million for De Gea, so 15 million would be pocket change for Arsenal for an even better goalkeeper.

If Valencia CF looses Guaita the fans, especially the Spanish ones are not going to be happy. I'm not going to be happy, as I'd like Guaita to stay over Diego Alves as Guaita is a Valencianista and has been at the club for all his life. I also would want to loose him in the winter, as that would create a bad situation trying to find a replacement in such a short time, when Valencia is already having troubles finding replacements for Gago.

I do have good news though and I can say that the Sporting director, Llorente and the staff have identified 2 new reinforcements that are fairly certain will go through and have been kept under wraps. So while we are in a search for a new defensive midfielder, two reinforcements have already been decided and the staff have quietly been working of securing the transfers.

Valencia CF Best Winter Players

Valencia CF ended mid season at a somewhat surprising 9th place on the table this year. Last year the team finished 4th place on the table in the mid season and the team was doing very well back then. This season was different though as club legend Mauricio Pellegrino didn't end up as successful as a coach as he was as a player and was ultimately sacked after two terrible consecutive defeats at the hands of Malaga and Real Sociedad.

The players haven't been performing to their best either, so its going to be much more fun with the awards. First category is the summer transfers and as always I will be looking at the statistics, personal ratings, overall skill, team work and then come to a conclusions.

Best summer signing

Best summer signing nominations for the award are: Joao Pereira, Nelson Valdez and Aly Cissokho.

Joao Pereira transferred from Sporting Lisbon for a transfer fee of 3.5 million euros in what was supposed to be a long term solution to our right back problems. Joao Pereira didn't disappoint and fitted in immediately at Valencia CF. Since his arrival he has featured in most of the matches and has been very secure at the back and threatening on the offense. In fact he has the second highest ranking in my player ratings with 6.11 score, just bellow Roberto Soldado.

Nelson Valdez wasn't met with much excitement by Valencia fans and his previous low scoring record in other clubs was weighing down on him. Since his arrival though he has impressed with his performances, which have been characterized with fighting spirit and lots of running. Even though he's featured sparsely as Soldado has been the undisputed started, he's managed to score 3 goals in La Liga and one in the Champions League. But what put him ahead of other players was his commitment and humbleness which is something some other players lack.

Aly Cissokho fought off Andres Guardado mostly in the nomination as he has contributed more than Andres Guardado and has been more consistent, while Guardado has been largely ineffective in attack which is why he was brought in and not as a left back. Cissokho barely had time to adopt and with no Spanish understanding as well was instantly put into action as Mathieu has been injured for most of this season. Even with his lack of adaptation and no understanding of Spanish, he was able to perform admirably and most importantly consistently and has a score of 5.88 in my rating which is significant.

The best summer signing for Valencia CF is Joao Pereira.

• He came in as as the cheaper option out of a variety of options for right back and wasn't the first choice for the sporting director, nor the fans favorite, but has turned out to be the right option as we've seen Mathieu Debuchy and Gregory Van der Wiel struggling this season, while Joao Pereira has excelled at Valencia CF. Him winning this prestigious award awarded by me was uncontested as he really hasn't had a strong competition and Gago who might have been a decent competition has been a terrible professional and no amount of skill can overcome that. 

So there you have it, Joao Pereira the winner of the best summer signing award.

Best Valencia CF player mid season

Best Valencia CF player nominations are: Joao Pereira, Roberto Soldado, Tino Costa.

Joao Pereira as I wrote and already won the best summer signing award has been in terrific form for Valencia CF and while he had some smaller defensive problems initially, he quickly ironed out those and has been solid at the back and going forward. He's been quick to track back from attack and quick to go forward and support the wingers on the right. His crosses have also been very accurate and has had good amount of penetration on that right flank. He has also been an outstanding professional, working hard and not making any problems at all.

Roberto Soldado has been a frequent nomination in these awards and has actually featured as a nomination in all my awards, winning the best summer signing of 2010/11 summer awards. Since his arrival in Valencia CF he has been one of their key players and has since rejected a big money offer from Tottenham and has committed his future to Valencia CF. Roberto Soldado is currently the biggest name in Valencia CF and is generally considered one of the best players at the team, but also one of the best strikers in Europe. This season he had a slow start and a period of drought, but has rediscovered his form and went on to score 9 times in the Spanish League and 4 times in the Champions League. He is right now also the highest rated player on my ratings with 6.20 rating.

Alberto 'Tino' Costa isn't the obvious choice for this award as he doesn't boast the best assist or goals statistics and isn't the most talented and technical player, not even one to make a difference in thigh matches, but he has been very consistent, very hard working and has chipped in with few assists and goals as well, helping the team win some important matches. In fact he is actually tied for first place with 4 assists with Jonas in La Liga, 1 goal in La Liga and 1 assist in the Champions League. His corner kicks and free kicks are also often dangerous, creating quite a few chances for the team through them. Overall this seasons lack of competition has helped him to this nomination and he just edged out Adil Rami due the the Frenchmen's very poor start and occasional big lapses of focus.

The best Valencia CF player for this winter awards is: Roberto Soldado

• While Soldado's two competitors for this winter award have done very well, Joao Pereira even winning the best summer signing, Roberto Soldado has been leaps and bounds the better player so far this season. While Valencia CF can play without Joao Pereira and Tino Costa, playing without Soldado has proven difficult and neither Jonas nor Valdez can quite replicate his goalscoring and fast paced runs into the oppositions penalty areas. Roberto Soldado has scored 9 goals this season in La Liga and scored 4 goals and provided 1 assist in the Champions League. The fact that at times he's had a complete lack of service and still managed to score as many goals is proof more than he is a great striker. His international performances for Spain have also been great this year, fighting off competition from Negredo and Torres. Soldado is also currently the top rated player in my ratings with 6.20 rating so far this season.

Revelation of the season: None

• I haven't been impressed with any of the younger players and potential stars and we haven't seen something extraordinary out of the older players, so at least for me there hasn't been any revelations.

Biggest disappointment of the season: Fernando Gago

• I'm still hopeful for Fernando Gago, but with his mixed performances, constant injuries, unprofessionalism and primadona acting he's been the biggest disappointment so far.

Worst player of the season: Daniel Parejo

• While Daniel Parejo has been improving and has actually had few very good appearances recently, overall he's been poor this season and just like last season bellow his expectations and price tag. In fact he was so bad at the start of the season that people just couldn't stand him playing and there was no alternative at the time as all other midfielders were injured. So even though he's improved and played few good matches, out of all the players he's been the worst and needs to prove himself.

Feghouli extends contract with Valencia CF

Sofiane Feghouli extended his contract with Valencia CF till 2016. With the new contract he will be one of the highest paid members of the squad earning around 1.7 million euros with bonuses. Only few players earn more than him, including Soldado and Adil Rami.

Feghuoli joined Valencia CF in 2010 as a young talented player, considered by many in Spain as the next Zinedine Zidane. In his first year at Valencia CF he was relegated on the bench and only featured few times, forcing Braulio to loan him out to Almeria. He featured 10 times for Almeria and scored 2 goals.

Sofiane Feghouli slowly began creeping into the first team, as Valencia CF lost Joaquin in the summer of 2011 and with Pablo Hernandez being in poor form, then coach Unai Emery gave him more and more playing time, with Feghouli returning the trust with plenty of goals and assists that season.

Right now Sofiange Feghouli is a standard first team player and is yet to have serious competition for the right wing, though with the return of Piatti that may change. He was closely followed by PSG and few other teams and there was a potential that he could leave in the winter transfer market, but now that he's signed a contract that will have him stay till 2016 its clear that he won't be leaving, at least not in the winter, but I don't think he'll leave in the summer either, unless some really big offer comes along.

Valverde wants Rafik Djebbour at Valencia CF

Valencia CF coach Ernesto Valverde wants to bring Olympiacos striker Rafik Djebbour to Valencia CF. Ernesto Valverde as you know coached Olymiacos for 2 years before joining Valencia CF and 3 years overall.

He had great success together with the striker at Olympiacos and would want to see him at Valencia CF. Rafik Djebbour's contract with Olympiacos expires on 30.06 2013 and as such would come cheap.

Of course the striker position is fully covered right now and this option will only be possible if Jonas Goncalves is sold, though right now the status is that Jonas will continue till the summer as any potential offers for him in the winter transfer market would be undervalued.