Photo: Igor Kralj/PIXSELL
Vida will play for Dinamo Zagreb
After a failed transfer to German Bundesliga runner-ups Bayer Leverkusen last summer, 22 year-old Croatian defender Domagoj Vida is returning home. However, Vida isn’t going back to hometown Osijek, he will actually be joining Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb for the 2011-12 season. Vida looked to have finally made it last year when he left the mediocre Prva Liga for the bright lights of the German Bundesliga. But with Bayer Leverkusen chasing German gold and a Champions League berth, there was no way Vida could be part of their plans at only 21 years old.
Vida did however get a chance to play in some scrap Europa League games before making his Bundesliga debut on March 5th in a 3–0 win at home to Wolfsburg, coming on as a substitute for the injured Manuel Friedrich in the 14th minute. Vida is a part of the Croatian national team’s future, but he will need to take a step back before he can move forward again. Dinamo Zagreb and Domagoj Vida will hold a press conference Friday in Zagreb. Although the transfer fee has been undisclosed, rumor has it that Dinamo get Domagoj for €1 million.
CSR’s Dinamo contingent: Obviously the Vida signing helps the club during Champions League qualifying, but where do you rank the transfer? Was Vida’s move to Germany premature or will he be a HNL player for years to come?
Question for everyone:
Did Darijo Srna make the right move by staying at Shakhtar the past few seasons?
@Natestadamus,
I remember you asking CSR nation for advice on an HNL team for yourself. I recommend you steer clear of Dinamo and Hajduk. Go for a Varteks, Cibalia or Osijek.
@Jack Vrankovic
You make some great points. ultimately transferring to Chelsea is a 50-50. Look what happened to Torres.
Transferring from Tottenham to Chelsea is not as big of a change as transferring from Dinamo to Tottenham.
My gut tells me, stay one year. If they qualify for champs league, then 2 years.
@ Concerned CSR Nation,
I assure you, we have not fallen off the map. We are in the final stage of launching CroatianSports.com and all of our energy (Denis and myself) are going towards that.
Remember, you can also send us articles that you write and we will post and give you credit. Just email us at CroatianSoccerReport@gmail.com.
@JP- Oh, the shame. Damned Frankie Hejduk messed with my mind.
I voted Spurs out of the choices given; the only other English team is Liverpool. Dortmund or Bayern.
@Natestradamus
It's "Hajduk" brother, not Hejduk.
Please don't confuse. It's not a mistake when you repeat it 4 times, it's an error in your mind.
@JackVrankovic
Indeed. I bet Modric plays as much as he wants at Chelsea, and he should definitely make the move if the opportunity presents itself.
If he goes to Barca there's some danger of not playing, but like Chelsea there's very little chance of him not playing as much as he wants at ManU either. Although Ferguson can be a @unt so you never know.
btw. didn't the aforementioned Hajduk hire a new Bulgarian manager…? How come no CSR articles about that?
@ Denis: Modric is either good enough to regularly start for Chelsea or he isn't. I think he is. Many players at Chelsea play regularly provided they are fit and producing. IMHO he would spend more time on the Man U / FCB bench if either of those transfers happened.
LeBron James' and Modric's situations are not analogous. LeBron is an American playing in an American league. If Modric was shamed into being "loyal" he would have never left Zadar or Zagreb.
If I was from North London, I might be upset about Modric leaving. However as a fan of good football and the HNS I want what is best for the HNS and our players. Modric seems to be an intelligent, ambitious young man who is reaching for greater heights in an appropriate fashion.
@Denis- Thank you, I wouldn't want Modric to make the move if I didn't think he would be a major player for Chelsea.
No, I never picked an HNL team. The easy thing to do would be to choose Hejduk, my family is from Dubrovnik and most Croats I know are from the coast. I dd a lot of research on each team but was drawn back to Hejduk. The problem is the rivalry with Dinamo. Did you see 'World Football Rivalries'? Back in the Yugoslavia days the two clubs got along well, now that the common enemies are gone they seemed to have turned on each other. I don't want to look down on a Croatia player just because he plays for a rival club. I also want to see Dinamo and Hejduk go as far as they can in Europe, which technically makes me a supporter of neither club, so I'm a fan. I am a supporter of The Croatia National Team above all else.
@natestadamus,
You're ok in my book. Enjoyed reading your analysis. Have you decided on an HNL team?
Modric might "step in and start three out of four games from the jump." However, playing for Tottenham and playing for Chelsea is not the same.
1) Lots of competition at Chelsea.
2) Pressure
3) John Terry might jump on your girl
I dont mind Modric suiting up for Chelsea, I just dont want him riding the bench in the prime of his career.
@Jack Vrankovic,
I really do believe that Redknapp thinks Modric is their "lampard or Gerrard." Sure ofr the right price they will sell, however, they know that Modric is almost irreplaceable.
I'm really sick and tired of all this Lebron James talk of "he knows whats best for his family." As if the guy is struggling to pay rent. As far as "knows whats best for his career." No one knows. Look at Pletikosa and Kranjcar at Tottenham.
This is like the "showcase" on the "Price Is Right" game show. Modric has showcase #1 with Tottenham. 1) Well paid 2) lives in one of the best cities in the world 3) plays for team that just made champs league quarters.
Showcase #2 is Chelsea. 1) Bigger Club 2) more $$$ 3) champs league
All of this means nothing if he comes off the bench or plays every other game.
I think Modric should suck it up one year, try to get Tottenham back to the champs league. If he fails, then transfer to supposedly bigger and better opportunities.
Long Shot Prediction #2;
1.Luka Modric to Chelsea
2. Harry Rednapp to Chelsea
3. Anelka or Drogba to Tottenham
@Andrej: Agree with your assessment of Spurs.
The club wants to sell him for a lot of money and this is just marketing magic to drive his price up. At the end they will make it look like Modric prompted the move and their fans will be appeased.
Personally, I think he would fit into Man U or Serie A / La Liga better than Chelsea. However, only he knows what is best for his family and career.
The loyalty argument is weak. Where was Redknapp's loyalty to Kranjcar after he was integral in Tottenham's 4th place finish?
If Spurs want to retain 5th or challenge for 4th they are going to need to keep almost everyone, add a quality center defensemen and a quality striker. They shop on a budget and next season’s results will reflect this. Brad Freidel?WTF? He is 40! I am a fan of his, but he is not a Top 4 starter at his age. He is not Van Der Sar and even he retired this season.
This is still my prediction (from a few months ago).
1.Modric sold
2.Kranjcar gets more playing time
3.Spurs finish 6-8th position
Vastic to Bayern.
http://www.croatiantimes.com/news/Sports/2011-06-18/20039/Vastic_moving_to_Bayern
Good morning! Drank way too much watching Sounders last night. Montero in the 90th!
@Allen19- Glad I passed the test. Never been a bandwagoner and never will be.
@Dennis- I agree with your assessment of Chelsea having an afluent fan base, and they aren't as rabid as a Liverpool or Newcastle. If I were to generalize the fans mentality I'd say they take the good and the bad with a grain of salt. Most real fans remember the days when relegation was a true posibility, and openly accpet Abramovich as a gift and not a God given right.
@Dennis- You bring up a good question about Modric and playing time. Chelsea stunk when Lampard went down and at 33 he may never be back. He will be played sparingly like a Giggs or Scholes from here on in. Modric would step in and start three out four games from the jump.
@Tottenham- They are 6 signings away from threatening for the title. That money will never be spent. Teams with no depth crash out, Chelsea learned that the hard way last season.
@Hoops fans- CONGRATS DALLAS! Not the city, not their fans. Mark Cuban was the only NBA owner (besides Paul Allen from Seattle) who voted to save our Sonics, so they are now my default team. Congrats to Jason Terry Seattle legend,he owned us in highschool.
I agree with most that you said, although I thought Lennon got better as the season came on. Good point about Defoe, but the guy is a huge threat when he plays. Eventually Modric will move on, but I think he should stay one more year to see if this team has any potential of making serious things happen. I give it one more year before making any move. As for those players, Neville and Adam fine but Scott Parker is a difference maker. Scott Parker could make a difference for any team, he is really good.
Allen,
That is Modrics exact problem! Tottenham are fighting for 4th while Chelsea, City, United, Liverpools ambitions are of winning the title and those clubs have the resources to do so. Jol did great with Tottenham with far less talent than Tottenham have today but Spurs also finished 4th in a season where the top of the table was the weakest I have ever seen it. Liverpool fell so far off that not a single person saw it coming…it was a fight between a newly formed city and spurs…sure they had a great season but like i said…one season wonders are not going to keep your players happy if there ambitions are higher.
As for Defoe being an animal that season…ehh he was pretty average that season as well…18 goals looks great on paper but 8 of the 18 were scored in 2 games! Hull and Wigan….15/18 goals were vs Mid-bottom table teams! Just saying…Tottenham does not have a striker who gets it done consistently and gets it done vs the best.
Tottenham has potential to be good…who knows how long that will be if it fills out. Bale was decent last season..sorry but outside of CL he did fairly bad in PL and was nobody since January…
King is done. Woodgate is done…Gallas is old but good…BUT OLD! Dawson…average(1 season wonder so far 09/10 great 10/11 bad)
The midfield…Sandro (looks) promising but only time will tell. Lennon is good player but isn't getting much better…in fact he has got a little worse since his great 09/10 season has never looked the same but he is still good. Bale is young has potential but his season was up and down more than anybody. Played good in Europe awful throughout most of the league time…
Let me put it to you this way…Spurs are decent side but there only strong suit is the few quality mids they have. With a couple injuries to the side they get in trouble Jenas, Palacios, Hudd…sorry but thats not good enough. Spurs are good enough to (maybe) finish 4th but if thats what your ambitions are as a player than its laughable. Sure it brings CL but as a top player you want 1st and you want trophies and Arsenal, Chelsea, Man U, City, Liverpool…are all above Tottenham in favor of getting those.
Tottenham has to sign two quality players to improve and give them hope of top 4…and no not Charlie Adam, Phil Neville, Scott Parker…those are good players but will not make the difference between where they are now and 4th…
Now back to this whole argument. Tottenham is a damn good team, a decent goalkeeper and a top notch striker then this team is a force to be reckon with. How long have you been watching soccer ten months ago? Tottenham was insane in 09/10, they were so tough to beat because they had people scoring. Defoe was an animal and even Crouch scored key goals. I really can see them pushing for a top four spot which will lead to Modric staying if they can get some guys. I am confident in them, I am not saying their a big club but with talent like VDV, Bale, and Modric they are well on their way. When you make it to the quarterfinals, I would say your a damn good team. They went on a bad run mainly because they had a completely useless goal keeper and strikers that can't find the back of the net.
Modric will most likely stay because Levy and Redknapp are playing hardball thank god. I don't want this being the summer fiasco story. I want to hear some Kranjcar links so I can get all giddy and excited.
Here's something to rest your eyes after what just happened above. Jajalo, Petric, & Illicevic make the cut
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOkecN1WEyI
As of right now it's not etched in stone Luka Modric is going to Chelsea. My perspective on the situation is Modric should stay at Tottenham to gain more experience; full playing time, stick to his "word", to overall raise his value as a player & become a "legend" at Tottenham.
Personally I hope Luka sticks with Tottenham for one more season, regardless of the poor treatment some players receive from Harry Redknapp.
Not the best environment for Luka though by the looks of it he gets treated well by the Tottenham management.
On topic, Vida going back to Dinamo Zagreb is the best move he can make in his situation. Stay there for a season; maybe a season and a half, build up on experience and most important playing time. In the end it will benefit Vida; the national team and Dinamo when they sell him for more then they purchased him for.
I picked up this interesting "theory of success" model from an ESPN host.
sports success =
50% – $$$$
30% – Intelligence
20% – passion
$$$ to buy and pay players, build stadiums… etc etc..
intelligence = coaching… making the right decisions(signings, trades, investments, etc etc,)
passion = fans, media, sports town, history, tradition.
fans— like Dinamo Zagreb, are not afraid to protest. Lakers season ticket holders got together and demanded the Lakers sign Phil Jackson back in 2005 or they would not renew their contracts. What happened? Jerry Buss signed Phil.. Gave him 10 mil or so per year.
media— are not afraid to ask the questions… to players, to owners.. to management if team is struggling or any other reason..
sports town— Boston is the #1 sports town in the USA. Hate to admit it, but thats the truth. They follow all 4 of their teams and have been successful.
history, tradition… Lakers, ManU, Steelers, Milan… players want to play for them….. not only for the $$$… for the prestige. They say that Foreign players trade in their Mercedes, porsches, BMWs for Ferraris when they move to Juve or Milan. Its a cult. It a club. Difficult to win without tradition.
The formula is not mine. But I agree with it. The analysis and explanation is pretty much all mine. Interesting to hear what CSR nation has to say.
Chelsea dont have the tradition(as some of the other teams) and dont have the passion. Just my opinion.
Miami Heat doesnt have the tradition or the passion. Overnight Miami fans. They couldnt sell out games this season.
Knicks have tradition and passion. Madison square garden sold out for how many consecutive seasons even when they sucked. They lack management and intelligence.
@Allen, NateStadamus, and Andrej,
All three of you make some valid points.
My first taste of EPL football came in the winter of 2003 in London, where I had the pleasure of watching Fulham-Southampton and Chelsea-Portsmouth.
Fulham fans really impressed me, singing and chanting all game. While Stamford Bridge reminded me of UCLA…. Beverly Hills part of town. Chelsea is the glamour team of the EPL. They remind me of the Lakers today. From then on, I've been a Fulham fan. For the most part, in sports I frown on the glamour teams and the rich teams and root for the little guy.(Lakers being an exception. Born and raised in LA, Laker fan since '86)
I understand the hatred thrown at the big boys in sports(Lakers, Miami, Chelsea, ManU)
I approve Allen as a Heat fan because he was a Miami fan in the old Alonzo Mourning days.(Why I still dont have a clue)
I approve NateStadamus as a Chelsea fan, because he was with them before the Abramovich era.
Fans have a tie as to why they are followers. Its the bandwaggoners that I dislike. All the overnight Heat fans. All the overnight Chicago Bulls fans during the Jordan era.
Now the question is loyalty. Allen19 makes a good point. Modric did all of a sudden flip the script almost overnight. Saying just weeks ago that he wants to stay at Tottenham. Now he is trying to hide this by saying "I won't ask for a transfer, no. That would be disrespectful." He wants to abandon ship as a nice guy. Tottenham fans will never see it as that. If he gives one year to Tottenham and they still dont qualify for champs league, then its time to go. His stock will still be high.
Obviously we are talking about peanuts to dollars here, but Runje gave one year to Lens in the french second division and carried them to Ligue 1. Vedran could have made more $$$ elsewhere and played for a bigger club.
Modric, if he stays at Tottenham will not play champions league football this year. he wont make the same amount of $$$. However,
1) he would give Tottenham and their fans one year to see if he can guide them to a champions league spot.
2) He would start and play in every EPL game.
3) Tottenham will play less games since they missed out on champs league.
4) Modric did seem fatigued for Croatia and Tottenham throughout the season. Less games = better performance for Croatia.
Moving to a team like Chelsea could ruin a players career. Modric' stock is sky high right now. One bad season at Chelsea(might even be out of his control because of lack of playing time) and Luka goes from a 40 million pound man, to a 8 million pound guy.
Tottenham already upgraded their keeper situation. I really believe they are one great striker away from making the champions league next season.
I mean, the Spurs made champs league quarters with Pavlyuchenko, Crouch and Defoe as strikers.
Its too early for Modric to jump ship right now.
As far as "booing" Modric. Unless he were to join Partizan or Zvezda, I would never boo him. Even if he goes to the hated Chelsea, I would still cheer for him and Chelsea if he is playing of course. If Modric is riding the bench, then I would give two shits about them.
I dont think Terry and Lampard are overrated. Great EPL players. They might be dirty, assholes, and terrible people, but that doesnt take away that they are great footballers.
@Andrej
"1)More money
2)Play in CL
3)Win trophies…"
#1 is a given. #2 is questionable. Modric is not guaranteed to start or come off the bench. Luka can easily ride the bench in meaningful EPl and champs league matches. #3, who cares if you win a trophy if you ride the bench. Meaning in the end, Modric will have a fatter wallet but will no longer be a top 10 EPL midfielder.
I really dont think that champs league quarters was a fluke. Not saying that Tottenham is on Chelsea level, they are not.
If I was a diehard Tottenham fan, I would boo Modric if he signs for Chelsea.
In the end, the question comes down to $$$$$.
the funny thing is if Dinamo sign either Simunic or Spahic, Vida won't even be guaranteed to start (unless Vrsaljko is sold)
About Modric, I'd prefer him to leave the EPL, but in reality, he will be sold, probably the last day of the transfer window. Chelsea is more likely to be his destination, don't see United spending 30+ million on him
But like I said i am open to listening to your reasons for booing him…at club but not country? lol
molim te reci mi zasto…
Allen you say you will boo Modric…LOL! Come on this isn't Dinamo vs Hajduk…even then I find it funny to boo as the quality soccer there is comedic sometimes and well they are all hrvati but to boo a croatian out side of that match is an effing joke!
Like I said I wouldn't ever want him to move to Chelsea as I am not a fan what so ever of Chelsea…but I wouldn't boo him I would still support him…as long as he aint playing for Partizan or Zvezda…i dont care to boo them…thats pathetic. I am not from England and I dont care for my clubs more than my NT. Its an excuse they use to say they support clubs more because there NT is #$@#
Andrej man you my friend are funny. Croatia is always in my heart first in front of Tottenham, let me make that clear. I will always love my checkers before any damn team, so you watch your mouth. I will continue this argument tomorrow. BTW, Nate I really respect your opinion, I was testing you as a fan. You are a true loyal fan and I always respect that. I hate Chelsea, but I respect fans like you. You are good in my book.
If you think Tottenham is the top of the world for a player than your mind is deluded….they are a big club but if you think great players will stay there for a career…i dont know what to tell you then.
Barca, Madrid, Man U, Liverpool, Bayern, AC, Inter….I mean those are the clubs that you say you have achieved it…and even then a lot of players move on to other clubs…
I will put it this way…Tottenham fans are nothing but jealous of City, Chelsea, and any other team who spends more…I would be too! I am jealous that Mark Cuban is not the owner of my Phoenix Suns!…who wouldn't want that? A man who cares about winning regardless of what he spends…give me a break…like you give two #*($@ about balancing the books and looking good financially?
If you expect Modric to stay at Tottenham you are crazy man. So he can get paid 1/3 the amount he could at a better club. So he can play in Champions League…and so he can play for a team that has potential of actually winning something in the next 3 or 4 years which will be when he is in his prime.
You are so biased when it comes to Tottenham that you actually in your head think they have the ability to win something…what top team goes 1 win in the final 13 matches of the season…remind me again. If I am a player of Modric quality(who can play on better teams) why do I stay at Tottenham. Sure he said he would but the difference is while Tottenham had winter transfer window to make changes(they had plenty of money) they sat back and watched teams like Chelsea make huge signings(torres) regardless of how he played that shows intent. That shows you want to do something…who does tottenham sign? Pienaar…yay! Seriously…come on. Tottenham cast is fairly overrated if you want to talk about Chelsea being overrated….they at least are consistently better how do you argue that? I don't like Chelsea and I do enjoy Tottenham but you cant compare the buying power and the sqaud that those two have. Sure Chelsea are aging but they will spend as you saw…Tottenham have not shown they will take a risk signing since Modric and the guy who signed him departed to Liverpool…
Not trying to be disrespectful but just trying to break it down here…
1)More money
2)Play in CL
3)Win trophies…
Tottenham is light years behind Chelsea on that currently. All they have is potential…blah blah blah thats just a fact. Sure Bale could be the next great thing but he showed that 1/10th(exaggeration but not to far off) of the season last year and otherwise was nothing special in PL…Sandro could be amazing player…Lennon is good but potential…dont see where he gets much better…
No strikers…aging defenders…unhappy bench players…Tottenham is not the fricken happiest place in the world just to remind you. They were in CL and so many players wanted out during that CL season…now no CL…
Sorry but Tottenham have a long time to go till they can be compared to the big boys. When you can only pay salaries of 70k-ish you are way behind the times of competing with Chelsea and Man U…ect
You are a Tottenham supporter 1st and not a Croatia supporter 2nd…no offense but thats the way you make it seem. I would prefer Modric to stay at Tottenham than play in Chelsea but I do think he should leave Tottenham and he has all the right reasons too
Allen19-OK you gave me a lot to addres.
First, Lampard. The club versus country argument hold no water. What has Messi ever done for Argentina? England is a nightmare no need to go in to that. Lampard has the most goals all time in EPL history for a midfielder. He is second in EPL history for assists. In 2005 he was runner up for FIFA World Player of the Year. Hate him all you want but he is undoubtedly one of the all time greats in the EPL.
Second, Terry is a punk no argument there.
Third, hating Chelsea. Let me start by saying I am from Seattle and none of my teams have ever won anything. I hate teams that buy championships. The problem is, I became a Chelsea fan years before Abramovich bought them. My team essentially won the lottery, I'm not going to abandon them for it. That said, Chelsea doesn't spend as much as people think. Excluding the ridiculous signing of Torres, the last three years didn't see any huge purchases. Luiz was a steal in my opinion. Same with Ramires. I hope we don't break the bank for Neymar.
It's crazy that people hate Chelsea now. When I became a fan we were just like Tottenham, a London club that played well but were never good enough to get in the title mix. People used to compliment our style of play. We were relegated as recently as the 80's. Funny how winning changes everything. Now that we are on top I'm proud of the non'bandwagon fans. We don't rub it in peoples' noses and we won't turn bitter like Liverpool fans if our team goes to hell.
Modric. Was it a lack of loyalty when he left Dynamo for Spurs? He was advancing his career then. Moving to Chelsea or Man U would be the same. He needs to be in the Champions League. I wish he was more careful with how he said it. saying Chelsea is a bigger club (although true) was still an insult to Tottenham.
Luka Modric was probably my 4th favorite player on Croatia. After Kranjcar, Rakitic, and Corluka, he is easily up there. Luka is great and fun to watch, but I like loyality (which is why I have yet to buy a LeBron James jersey and I am a die hard Heat fan, well I did but I cancelled the order). I expect Croatians to be loyal and not be punks like Torres (another great Chelsea project, although I am not going to lie David Luiz is a terrific signing). He is going to be a force to be reckon with. Chelsea and Tottenham aren't too far off when you think about it. If it wasn't for Gomes, Tottenham wins the game at home and possibly at least gets a point at Stanford Bridge. Also would have helped if the ref had some glasses and saw that Kalou was offside but it wasn't Tottenham's year in EPL form.
Lampard has done little to none on the national team level and what did he exactly do last year? Lampard is just about done, in case you forgot to see the Switzerland England game. He got taken off halftime because you know he was doing awful. Lampard and Terry are different players. I will give you this Terry isn't that overrated, he usually is top notch and rarely botches. This is how I break down..
Lampard is a nice guy, but completely overrated. He had some huge years for Chelsea, but international level is funny. John Terry top player, but a terrible human being. He spits on players (Tevez), he punches players in the kidney hell the guy had major kidney problems (Klasnic), and not to mention he sleeps with national teams girlfriends (Wayne Bridge). John Terry is the biggest piece of shit of a human being I ever seen and how he became captain of a great team like England again sickens me. I like England (I know Croatians won't be happy with that comment) other than the fact I think they threw that game against Ukraine, they are a fun team to watch. Lampard is done and hopefully John Terry will be soon. JT is a top player, but as a human being he is a complete prick that I could never like. If I met him, he be one of the few athletes I would not ask an autograph for and I probably flip him off. He sickens me..
That is true about the titles, but you forgot to keep in mind that you have millions of dollars to spend and get world class after world class players. Money> Lampard and Terry. Sorry I am a massive Chelsea hater like I said before. I don't want any Croatian being apart of a team that gets a new coach every year or two. At least their is some stability in Manchester, but Luka should stay in Tottenham. Other than Arsenal, no team I hate more in the EPL than Chelsea. I even like those greedy Manchester City guys more.
@Allen19-Did you like Modric before all transfer speculation?
Terry and Lampard overrated? You are freakin' crazy and letting your anger cloud your judgement. Hate Chelsea all you want, but here are the facts. Chelsea had one title in club history before the two of them arrived, now they have four. Captain and Vice Captain, the unquestioned leaders of the team on and off the pitch.
I swear if Modric were to go to Chelsea, I would boo him for the club. For a guy thats talks about loyalty and how he wouldn't leave, it's sure funny to see him now saying he wants to leave. Champions League is great and all, but for one year try to be the man and lead Tottenham back. I am so happy that Daniel Levy won't let him go, it shows Tottenham wants to become a big club and they won't deal with his crap. Modric just bought into all the hype and thinks it's all great. I don't care if he stays or not, you will never see me wear a Modric jersey unless he does something amazing in the Euro 2012 (if they even damn make it). I am so disappointed in him, just a typical European that gets all the hype stuck in his head. Chelsea is scum, I hate those guys so much other than Drogba who I respect very much and Cech. Torres, Terry, and Lampard are all overrated fools that make me laugh.
You can rip on Kranjcar for not being loyal, but at least he cares for his teams. He could have went to Arsenal but stuck it out with Portsmouth for a year when they were absolutely horrible. Hopefully Tottenham locks Luka and makes him stay, so this nightmare doesn't happen. God help him if he goes to Chelsea, I hope Tottenham fans start burning his jersey.
Modric should leave the EPL! The longer he stays there the worse it is for our National team. He would flurish in Spain, Italy or Germany. I realize this is not going to happen but it would be the best thing for him and our National team.
@Andrej-You got it. What Chelsea is lacking most is a creative midfielder who can control the tempo of the game. Lampard can make the run or the pass but can't beat a man to make an amazing pass like Modric can.
This is a rumor that I would bet on. Lampard turns 33 this month. We paid crazy dollars for Torres but lack a player who can feed him.
Prediction- Modric to Chelsea for 32 million.
One last thing unless Modric turns in request…don't see Tottenham selling him for 22 mil.. sorry
35 mil maybe…
Put it this way HR will resign and that team will fall apart. If Henderson for liverpool is 22 and Carrol to liverpool 35 mil Modric isn't worth 22…
Yes, the PL is inflated with potential english players being sold at ludicrous amounts but HR will make comparisons to that.
I watched plenty of Chelsea games over the course of the years and I will agree with you about this year being bad. The year before they played amazing but they also won the title…I just don't like them to be honest. I don't enjoy watching there style of play its just so overpowering with the talent they have they just have never been attractive team. They are strong and overpowering but lack exactly what Modric is…
Like I said I don't enjoy them but as far as Modric goes its a step forward…just dont think its the best team to choose.
ESPN…ehh
I will beleive it more once Sky/BBC has something. I see it on 100 other websites besides those…rumors are rumors as it is but the whole context of what was said does not seem like a thing Modric has ever said before…
@Andrej- The Modric quote is the headline on ESPN Soccernet.
How many games did you watch Chelsea play two years ago? Agreed, this last season stunk. But in 2010 we set an EPL record for goals, 103. That was pretty damned entertaining.
Once this article is posted on BBC or Sky then I will believe it! Independent and Daily Mail have fooled me so many times.
In my honest angry opinion…I despised Chelsea. I despise the style they play and just simply dont like them. Modric to Chelsea? I understand and want him to leave Tottenham and want him to go to a big club but Chelsea just isn't (my) favorite. They play so ugly for a team with talent…oh well. If this is true he will have far more talent around him and I would have never seen Chelsea as the team. He wants to stay in London alright…he wants CL alright.
Don't get me wrong I don't think this would be a bad move on his part as Chelsea have far more power and talent than Tottenham have had on there best season….but I simply have never admired Chelsea. Like I said I will believe it when I see it. Money turns heads and making 3 or 4 times more in a week then he is at Tottenham….what person in the world could stay there with no CL and little potential to sign quality players and 1/4th the wages..
I have been a Chelsea fan since 96. Without a doubt this is the most excited I have ever been about a transfer rumor. Sorry Spurs fans, I feel for you.
Bring Modric to Chelsea!
Modric might go to chelsea…….
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/modric-tells-tottenham-i-want-to-join-chelsea-2299436.html
Another reason to qualify for Euro 2012!
http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=ap-euro2012-prizemoney
Yes, it's a step back, but he didn't have much of another option. Hopefully it's one and done for him in the HNL, another reason Dinamo are more than happy to pick him up. Sign him for a decent price, and try to oversell him when he outshines every other defender in the lackluster HNL.
I think he's actually pretty decent. Maybe not great enough YET to play on a high level squad like Bayer, but Bayer did pick him up for a reason previously.
Best bet…somebody needs a defender in the Bundesliga, pick him up for 2011/2012 season's end.
Worst Bet…He plays for Dinamo the entire season.
Supporter update–
Mamic held a press conference the other day where he called all Dinamo supporters (all of the BBB udruge, Klub Navijaca, Zajedno Za Dinamo, etc.) to finally meet and bury the hatchet. The boycott took a fart in the right direction. However, most people are skeptical about Mamic's intentions. They claim that they will talk to Mamic only if everything in the club in transparent and not illegal. This just might be wishful thinking if they ever do might but if they do happen to meet up, and its sincere, the boycott will soon end.
I won't be holding my breathe on this one. Mamic is a sociopath.
Ziva,
LOL must agree.
4-team league is the best option….Dinamo, Hajduk and two traveling all-star teams from north region and coastal region
Tramvajska Liga this year for sure with Gorica and Lucko getting the call up.
I still think HNL should be 10 teams, with last 2 for relugation.
Dinamo, Hajduk, Osijek, Rijeka, Cibalia, Varteks, Split, Sibenik, Zadar and Zagreb. That should be your 1 HNL right there.
Can anybody believe that Lika doesn't have a 1 HNL team?? How awesome would that be? They would easily be my 2nd team. NK Gospic! Even the bears from the forest would come out…
Gorica & Lucko up
Dragovoljac & Istra down
Istra are still appealing, so its far from over…only in Croatia do results in the second division not matter lol
This season, 5 clubs will go down, meaning the 2012/2013 season will be reduced to 12 clubs, step in the right direction
Smart and safe move on Vidas part. Sure he can go run around Europe and try to find a club in a bigger league but he is young enough to come back and play for Dinamo and still leave HNL and make a name for himself. It should have been his 1st choice last year but he probably got a bit excited at the thought of leaving to a big team. Its hard to imagine him breaking into Bayer line after the season they had anyway. He played well in Europa and he will be huge for Dinamo.
If only Dinamo could get Simunic they could make a slight push in Europe this year. There defense would be fairly solid(more solid then usual) but they still need goals to make it anywhere and right now not a single striker good enough to do much outside of the HNL.
Whats the latest on the HNL? Ive read that pomorac and gorica are stayin in second div and istra is remaining in the first? Is lucko staying up as well??
He should've went to Dinamo instead of Bayer in the first place. Step backwards for Vida but Dinamo's defense is looking pretty damn good if I may say so…it will be their bread and butter. Napad, not so much. Will Vida help the qualifying campaign? Absolutely.
I think talks with Simunic are now basically over. Steta, he would've looked great in blue.
Good move for both club adn player.
If he moves to a mid table team, still no gaurantee he will play.
He will develope with Dinamo and transfer out to a better club in the near future.
Bayer really doesn't have a good history of developing Croatian talent since the Zivkovic/Babic/Vranjes days. They since signed Tadic, Pamic and Vida and probably all together played less than 10 Bundesliga games. Pamic is now on loan in the 2. Bundesliga.
Its a good move for Dinamo but with Jurcic as manager I don't think Dinamo are favorites to make the CL yet. They still need to keep the players they currently have and bring in 1-2 quality players, not "HNL all-stars" like Krstanovic and Alispahic. Apparently Spahic wants to come, which would be a good signing but he can be wreckless. Simunic is still an option.
Dinamo will be seeded for every qualifier for the CL, so they have a good chance, but they can still draw teams like Partizan, Genk, Graz in the later rounds. While these aren't world class clubs, Dinamo still haven't proved that they can beat these type of teams consistently
I always wonder about a young kid who did not play. Was he a mistake from day one for Bayer? Is he nothing more tha a good player at HNL level and bottom-tier clubs in Europe? Time will tell.
Personally, I think this is a good move for him, but we shall see. This may end up like the Rukavina move.
I agree moving back to dinamo is a step backwards as he is ready for the next level…
personally, i feel vida is adopting a safe approach..moving back to HNL has the highest chance of succeeding getting his career on track..
on other way, of course i would rather he move to a mid table bundesliga club than HNL and succeed…however, if the club does not guarantee him first team or if he is injured or if he plays one or two poor games at beginning of season, he maybe dropped permanently throughout the season.then he will TWO steps backwards which is even WORSE and bad for the NT.
@AZ,
I agree with you on every point. I'm still not sold on Lovren. Good year at Lyon, however, no one on that bench to take away Lovren's spot.
Vida needs a fresh start. I would have preferred he went to a bottom-mid table bundesliga team as returning to th HNL is a step backwards, even returning to the "great" Dinamo Zagreb. Domagoj is ready for the next level and the next level isnt Dinamo. Hopefully, he develops and transfers out in 2012. We could use him in D.
i dont think vida is a flop at levekusen..just that he is not given a chance/consecutive to prove his worth as there are many more recognised defenders in the teams already…perhaps if he is in lyon, he may have made a breakthrough, just like lovren…
On the bright side, he did not have a poor match whenever he is called upon, in particular europa league…
to sum it, i feel the club that players transferred to, does make a difference to their career, whether it is a step up or down…if vida were to move lyon and lovren to levekusen, it is possible their fate may be different compared to current situation