Dinamo Zagreb’s most prized possession, Mario Mandžukić, will be playing in the Croatian capital for at least one more season. This ends all speculation of Mandža going to Bremen, Wolfsburg, Portsmouth or even Tottenham.
Hope that makes all you BBB out there happy!
Will it make a difference though?
Dinamo is always a favorite to win the Croatian title; but do they have enough to make a run in Champions League this season?
Like I said, smrekar just turned 20, he was playing for the under 21s at the age of 18. I am willing to gamble with a kid like that. I think he just needes to be surrounded by some more veteran talent. As for Oremus, hes really a combo type player. He has played on the wing as well as Forward.
No reason for MAte Bilic to come back to hajduk. He just had his best year ever in what might be the best league in the world. Make no sense for him to go to Hajduk.
Is oremus not an attacking type midfield player. I think Rodic and Smrekar are step backwards – should really see how they do this year at Sibernik and Varteks. Rodic has fair season last year, but Smrekar really is not that great. Varteks were a lot lower than you'd expect them to be last year. Also now Hajduk signed Cernat does that mean they play two playmakers behind one striker. I hope Kalinic moves to someone like Portsmouth along with Jerko Leko who seems to be target for Wolves and hope Mate Bilic is signed as Kalinic's replacement at Hajduk. Maxi Lopez has been bit of a failure everywhere. That'd be a bad signing really. If gonna sign a foreign player needs to be like Papadopolos that's not got any great blip on CV. Even with Lecce basically they were already doomed before he got there. I think this is our first real quality buy in a long time.
@ DinamoFan – I have heard of budimir. I said that I have not heard of him mentioned in their long term plans. I keep on reading that Smrekar has been linked with a move to Hajduk. I like that kid allot, he just turned 20 and has loads of potential. The question is whether Secar plays for the senior team this year. I think that Hajduk would be fine if they had Kalinic, Oremus, Rodic, Smrekar and Vukusic as their striking force. Let Secar go out on loan to a smaller club for the year.
The word that I am reading now is that the League of 16 will be abandoned after this year. It should be a league of 10, 12 at the most.
maxi lopez, former argentine international could replace kale – http://www.hns-latest.com/
Yeah on agreement on this – I think you could find 300 teams that would take Kalinic on a free transfer and could afford him. If i was a coach i'd take Kalinic on a free definitely. Wouldn't pay £3m for him but as a free he's a great signing.
Exactly…..that is why Kalinic needs to be sold now. Hajduk will get nothing for him next year. Just more proof that everyone who has been associated with Hajduk for the last 15 years needs to leave.
Even the current deal is bad for Hajduk. Kalinic gets 25% of any transfer fee as opposed to the traditional 5-10%.
Re: Vinko
I don't want to be a spoiler, but actually nobody said Kalinic was staying lol. Situation is different with Kalinic. Hajduk just have to take the money they are giving cos the guy's refusing to sign a new contract. if you look at it from his point of view, Kalinic knows that some decent side will take him on a free transfer in 2010. With Kalinic the longer Hajduk leave it the less money they get rather than more money. Mandza's situation is different as he's under contract this, next and season after so we can relax and take our time on when to sell him. If we really wanted some money to tide us over we could sell Vrdoljak instead for £1m or £2m.
re: Ziva istina
Well that's the way it goes i guess. Dinamo and Hajduk have to live with their financial realities. We can't all have million owners and pay £10m for each player. At the end of the day teams are giving us on average £2m plus per player so guess we must be doing something right:) Not many teams lose 8 best players every season and still keep competing. Also remember Eduardo, Modric, Vukojevic, Corluka all came from us.
To be honest being a Croatia fan isn't always about watching Modric each week. Football will just die in croatia if nobody took an interest just cos money is not there.
Regards Cernat i think thats a bit harsh. i think he's not a bad player. The guy definitely has talent and was on fringes of Dinamo Kiev side. Just that Aliev is preferred to him.
re: Peter
I'm surprised you not heard of Budimir. Maybe Hajduk didn't play him much. He was out on loan most of time i think. he looks decent at Ergotelis. Maybe if he went to Belupo he'll look better. just thinking who Hajduk can sign to add depth to strikeforce. Clearly Vukusic and Kalinic is not enough. They need at least one more.
Great news for Dinamo and even though I'm a Hajdukovac I'm glad to see Mandza stay because winning the title back from Dinamo just isn't winning the title back if it means we have to wait for Dinamo to sell all it's players. I think Kalinic stays too now for just another year because he's worth more than the 7 mil offered. don't want Hajduk going crazy over these offers again. That's exactly what happened when they le Kranjcar go. Portsmouth comes in with a sack of cash and they sell immediately. No, hang on to them a bit longer the value will rise and then you sell. Then use the additional money for better players. Now for predictions Dinamo and Hajduk both qualify for UEFA and Champs League respectively, Hajduk wins the Kup and League this season. They had it last season as well but lost it somewhere against Cibalia and Rijeka and should of won on penalties Na Poljudu in the Kup against Dinamo because you can't lose at home with Torcida blazing up the stadium in support.
@ DinamoFan – To be quite honest, never heard much of Budimir in any kinds of long term discussions. Mirko Oremus is a far better talent in my mind. Also, with mario Sacer joining, being labeled as one of the top 3 juniors in the country, I think Hajduk has found another youngster to groom. I agree with you, Kalinic has to stay and at least sign for one more year. It doesn't not look well on the club that both he and Rukavina can both leave the club under such poor circumstances. Crnat is an upgrade, he turned down offers in Greece to come to Split. The three Brasilians they signed will add some depth. The team needs a CB and another striker, someone like Ivan Rodic. I am very eager to see the developments in players like Ticinovic, Tomasov, Secar, Antolic, Kramaric, Vida and Delic this year.
Dinamo should still finish first, it will be a tight race though. I see Hajduk finishing second. I see both clubs making it to their respective Uefa competitions. Hopefully one of Slaven Belupo and Rijeka make it through as well.
just read that simunic has been sold to hoffenheiem i think for seven million euros
just read that simunic has been sold to hoffenheiem i think for seven million euros
Dinamo and Hajduk continue to sign has beens….
Dinamo pays nearly $1 million US for a guy nobody wanted.
Hajduk brings back Cernat, a guy that nonbody wanted.
Sad sign for the croatian league when these guys are considered improvements for your teams.
Why did Hajduk give away Mario Budimir by the way for £100,000? He looks like a player of some potential. Only 23 and scored a few goals since he went to Greece. Now he is out of contract maybe Hajduk could take him back. At least would add depth to squad. I'd like to see a player like this go to Slaven Belupo if not Hajduk. That's what HNL league needs is like a player who does well at a small foriegn club and then comes home at a strong HNL club. Personally i think top 4 are really gonna stretch away from rest of division this season – Dinamo, Hajduk, Rijeka and Belupo. I'm quite amused too that it appears Sibernik are thinking of holding onto Zec and Belupo to Vrucina. Its not a bad idea as Sibernik got £400,000 for Kulusic and Belupo got millions for Jajalo so financially maybe they don't feel they have to let them go yet. I think they are both under contract for 2 more years. It seems Rijeka and Hajduk have biggest issue hanging hold of Sharbini and Kalinic as they both could leave on free transfers next year which really prob will financially damaging long term to both clubs. Kalinic and Sharbini prob will be valued at £2m in the winter and seems like that's when they'll go. Lets face it why pay £5m now when can pay much less in winter.
I'm really happy about Mandza. To be honest he had every reason to be annoyed as we have recieved suitable offers for him which ARE appropiate for his true value. When Mamic says he's worth £10m plus at the press conference i think even Mandza sniggered to himself. It is possible he can be worth that much though. He'll get more games in Europe and international matches and if he shows up well like he did against Ajax, Bremen, Sparta Prague, Ukraine and England then he will be worth £10m. Its also good news that Mandza is not depending on to score all the goals. If he works hard in holding up the ball and creating and scores 15 again i think that's fine. I think he can drift, come deep and do his norm thing as Papodopoulos is the penalty box scorer and we are expecting 20 goals from him this season. Not sure where this all leaves Slepicka. We prob should consider offers for him as ideally Sivonjic has to be third striker.
Regards Mandzo being over hyped i don't really go along with that. He's promising, but not the finished article – but Mandzo is not the one doing the hyping up. He actually said he wants to go to Germany or stay in Dinamo in the short term which means he think he still has more to learn. I can see why he wants to leave HNL, but i think we are not too far away and as long as we stay in Europe then it'll still be useful for him to stay with us.
Btw Leon Benko has now joined Kortijk in Belgium so that's another striker thats not coming back to HNL. I think Hajduk need to have a sit down with Kalinic as well cos they only have one other striker in the club – Vukusic. Kalinic actually still owes Hajduk one more year as last year wasn't good enough. If Kalinic doesn't get his head sorted i think Slaven Belupo and Rijeka will be jumping ahead of Hajduk next season.
Is there a possibility of Dinamo drawing Partizan? I haven't been following it too much.
Mandzukic staying at Dinamo is good news for them, he's a good player but I do think he is a bit over hyped but then again I haven't watched heaps of him.
A bit off topic but Ivo Karlovic has beaten Verdasco to get to the quater final of Wimbledon if anyone is interested.
With UEFA changing the qualifying procedure, teams in Croatia don't have any more excuses. We no longer have to face first tier opposition as in years past. All challengers will be at a comparable coefficient. I think Dinamo will have enough this year, as long as they sign another CB and perhaps someone to pull the strings in the middle of the park. Hajduk, with the signing of Cernat, the three Brasilians and young Secar, providing they still add someone like Rodic and some defensive help, should also ensure that they at least make the first round of the Uefa Cup.