Onyewu To AC Milan!

After much speculation and interest from over a dozen clubs, US and Standard Liege defender Oguchi Onyewu has just signed a 3-year deal to join AC Milan. He will be the first American to play in Serie A since Alexis Lalas played for Padova from 1994-1996.

Gooch's move to Milan makes much sense when one considers that the Rossaneri's ageing back line was overdue for renewal, especially given the retirement of longtime great Paolo Maldini.

Fiorentina, Palermo Enter The Race For Onyewu

According to press reports from Italy and Belgium, two Italian Serie A clubs are interested in acquiring American central defender Oguchi Onyewu. Fiorentina and Palermo now join Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Fulham, Besiktas, and Fenerbahce for the 6'4" player who is available on a free transfer from Standard Liege in July.

Personally, I'd love to see him go to Fiorentina, a club which always plays with a good attacking style and appears on the verge of regaining a potentcy not seen since the Batistuta era.

The Viola had been aiming to sign Barcelona's Mexican defender Rafa Marquez but since he signed a new deal with the Spanish champions on Thursday, Onyewu has emerged as an option. Their other option is Napoli central defender Fabiano Santacroce - a player also targetted by the deep-pocketed Juventus. This entire scenario also indicates that Juve could end up taking a look at Onyewu if Napoli (a club normally reluctant to sell key talent) decides to keep Santacroce.

The Gooch connection with Palermo looks less likely to result in a a serious bid since the club just made an offer for Sao Paolo central defender Andre Dias and a deal appears to be in the making.

Onyewu has been drawing ever more attention for his dominant play in Belgium's Jupiler League and strong performances at the Confederations Cup, in particular for his heroic defensive efforts alongside Jay DeMerit in the USA's 2-0 win over European champions Spain.

If Gooch can turn in another such performance tomorrow in the final against Brazil, expect the list of interested clubs to grow and don't be surprised to see a few Champion's League trophy contenders on the list.

Gladbach: Renewed Interest in Onyewu

Its been awhile since we've had some gratuitous transfer rumors about Standard Liege defender Oguchi Onyewu so let's fix that right now.

Kicker is now reporting that Michael Bradley's Borussia Moenchengladbach, which tried to acquire Gooch last winter, has renewed its interest in the 26 year-old Onyewu with a view toward picking him up on a free transfer this summer. Gladbach has already purchased Onyewu's teammate Dante, who just scored his first Bundesliga goal for the Foals.

Of course to land Gooch, Gladbach will need to do two very important things; beat the offers of other clubs seeking his services (PSG, Fulham, Marseille, etc), and manage to avoid relegation.

According to Express.de (quoting the Belgian Sportportal), Onyewu is ready to sign provided Gladbach stays up in the Bundesliga. So, my spidey sense tells me that until you hear such a statement from Onyewu himself, it means this one is far from being a done deal. I have strong sense that Onyewu would prefer to play in the Premiership but will settle for a good situation in France (where L'OM's Eric Gerets has him in his sights) or at Gladbach if England proves to be a bridge too far.

So, until you hear it from the Gooch himself, its all just speculation.

Russian Champs Eye Onyewu

Reports out of Liege indicate that Russian champions Rubin Kazan have their eye on Standard's American defender Oguchi Onyewu.

My take? I highly doubt Gooch would say yes to an offer to play in the Russian league since he still seems to have his eye on England or France. With just over 24 hours left in the winter transfer window, there is still plenty of time for Standard to make a pretty penny instead of losing him this summer on a free transfer.

So, when Onyewu suits up for Standard's match against cellar dweller FCV Dender tomorrow, it could be his last for the Belgian club where he has earned so much respect and praise and from fans and opponents alike.

Onyewu's Got Game

While all the talk about Oguchi Onyewu's potential transfer to a bigger club in France or England lingers in the air, Gooch is proving that he is not only ready to step into the role on the field but off the field as well. You see, these days the English tabloids aren't satisfied if a 'baller has great skills, tactical brilliance, and great speed - you need a top shelf WAG as well.

Now, Gooch's girlfriend, Persian model Salomé Khorasanchi has made the list of top WAGs in Europe (coming in at number 257) so he is nearly set (and it appears already jumping ahead into modeling). All he needs now is a big fat transfer offer.

Meanwhile, in actual football news, our pal Greg Seltzer has a nice scoop on Sacha Kljestan's potential new gig.

Also, its heartbreak for Hoffenheim as striker Vedad Ibisevic has suffered a knee injury that will have him out for the rest of the season.



And of course, here is a little something to get you charged up for the weekend...



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Gooch Transfer Rumor Of The Week

Well Vagabonds, its Friday and what week would be complete without some new wrinkle in the Onyewu transfer saga? Its either that or gratuitous links to Soundgarden videos.

Since the Soundgarden discography is so finite (given that they broke up in 1997), we need to use them more sparingly. So, I guess Gooch transfer rumors will have to do.

This week Belgium's ExtraFoot is reporting that Olympique Marseille thinks the price tag on Oguchi Onyewu and his teammate Milan Jovanovich is too high. My spidey sense tells me that we should not take such reports as the final word but rather as part of the transfer dance between two clubs.


Aaah, why not?

Onyewu To PSG In June?

As the long-running Oguchi Onyewu transfer saga becomes closer to achieving War and Peace epic status, the strongest links remain with French clubs. We've all seen recent statements from Standard Liege that he is not for sale this winter and after the club just pocketed 20 million euros to send Maroune Fellaini to Everton and appears set to make another 10-12 million euros in selling Milan Jovanovich, who can blame them?

As we've mentioned earlier, Marseille's defensive needs are immediate and they are looking for a fix in January to battle for a Champion's League spot. They've got their eyes on Fiorentina's Da Costa but may not be able to outbid his other suitor, Juventus. So, if Standard is unwilling to sell Onyewu now, L'OM may need to look elsewhere.

But Paris Saint-Germain seems a bit more patient and may be willing to wait until the summer to acquire the American defender. Some observers in Paris seem to think this may be the case but again, its all speculation until a deal is done.

My spidey sense tells me its a June move to either PSG or L'OM unless an English team (Fulham?) swoops in with an offer. Both one English observer and the always reliable Matthias Seidel estimate Onyewu's transfer value at circa 4 million euros ($5 million).

Sorting Out The Onyewu Transfer Rumors

It seems every few months we need to debunk a few transfer rumors about where Oguchi Onyewu could be going if Standard Liege decides to sell him in January. As we've reported before, there has always been strong interest from France (Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Marseille in particular) but little has come of this interest.

There has also been interest from nearby Borussia Moenchengladbach, which is struggling to stay up in the Bundesliga this season. If Gladbach has any chance for Onyewu, it would not be until next summer. Another nearby Bundesliga club, 1FC Cologne was also interested but whether they still have Gooch in their cross hairs remains to be seen. So, the French clubs appear to be the front runners (barring any English club which could swoop in, most likely Fulham).

Right now, Marseille's number one target for central defense is Fiorentina's Brazilian Manuel Da Costa. Gooch is also on their short list, along with Galatasaray's Servet Cetin and Atletico Minerio's Leandro Almeida. Fiorientina are keen to secure a Champion's League spot and may not be ready to let go of Da Costa, leaving Onyewu and Cetin as the most likely options.

PSG never truly solved their central defense problem after the sudden retirement of new signing Lillian Thuram due to a heart condition. Onyewu could certainly fit into the side well but given Standard's strong showing in the Jupiler League and UEFA Cup competition this year, the club will drive a hard bargain before they give up the man who has become the team's talisman.

In short? Still few facts but lots of rumors.

'Gladbach Interested in Onyewu

Add another club to the list of teams interested in Standard Liege's American defender Oguchi Onyewu. Now, Kicker is reporting that Borussia Moenchengladbach (Michael Bradley's team) is interested in acquiring Gooch.

While 'Gladbach could certainly use help on the back line, its hard to see Gooch taking a transfer to a team which appears bound for relegation to the Second Bundesliga (unless he is confident enough to think he can help them stay up).

I expect Onyewu and his agent will hold out for a deal (be it in January or June) which takes him to a team competing in the Champions League. Otherwise, as our Amsterdam buddy Greg Seltzer says, why leave Standard - a team competing for another league championship and a European trophy?

UEFA Cup: Gooch, Standard Crush Sampdoria

Standard Liege continues to punch above its weight this season, this time with a 3-0 win over Serie A side Sampdoria. With American defender Oguchi Onyewu anchoring a strong Standard defense while the Belgian side's attack put the Genoa side under pressure early and often.

Igor De Camargo opened scoring in the 23rd minute on a header past Sampdoria keeper Luca Castellazzi, who was a busy man on the tonight. Just over ten minutes later, a De Camargo corner found Onyewu outleaping the rest to head the ball home for a 2-0 lead. Shortly before halftime, a left footed blast from Milan Jovanovic sent both teams to the locker room with the home side leading a 3-0.

Sampdoria had one good scoring chance in the second half but Marius Stankevičius' shot buzzed just above the bar. Meanwhile Jovanivic and Dieudonné Mbokani continued to lead attacks on Samp's goal but muffed some well set up chances. With both teams running out of steam, the match faded out like a 1970s pop record.

The win put Standard Liege into the final 32 knockout stage which starts on December 18th and 19th.

Photo courtesy of UEFA.

Marseille: Renewed Interest in Onyewu?

Back in January 2007, Olympique Marseille offered Standard Liege's Oguchi Onyewu a three-year deal which he spurned in favor of a six-month loan to Newcastle United. Gooch's roll of the dice did not work out as the Tyneside club decided not to acquire him so he ended back at Standard where he has helped the club win a championship and make some noise in European competition. This past summer, Paris Saint-Germain had taken an interest in Onyewu after the premature retirement of Lillian Thuram but no deal was made.

Now Ouest-France is reporting that Marseille is once again interested in acquiring Onyewu during the January transfer window. They are also looking at Glasgow Rangers' Madjid Bougherra Lille's Adil Rami, and Anderlecht's Roland Juhasz. They may also be looking at Marcos Angeleri of Argentine side Estudiantes. While Onyewu is reportedly still primarily interested in a transfer to England, there seems to be continued interest in him in France.

Others, like longtime expat soccer observer Keith Richardson (who is also the English translator for Borussia Dortmund's web site) would like to see Gooch playing in Dortmund alongside Neven Subotic in central defense. In this scenario, if Subotic decides to play for the USA, the USA's twin tower central defense would be playing together every week in the Bundesliga - not a bad thing for USA fans.

The question for many of these clubs is whether to acquire Gooch in January or to wait until next summer and get him on a free transfer.

Follow Onyewu and Standard vs Beerschot: Live Ticker

Brush up on your high school French and follow along with Oguchi Onyewu and Standard Liege as they visit Beerschot tonight in Jupiler League play. The match starts in 10 minutes (at 8:30 PM CET) here. Need translation help? No problem.

UPDATE: IT LOOKS LIKE GOOCH IS NOT PLAYING TONIGHT.

Elsewhere in the French-speaking world today, Carlos Bocanegra went the full 90 as Stade Rennais pounded three goals past Saint Etienne for a 3-0 win today at Stade Geoffroy Guichard. The win elevated Rennes to 4th place in Ligue 1 with 22 points.

This week Rennes faces Havre AC in a midweek French Cup match before hosting Freddy Adu's AS Monaco side next weekend. Last night, with Adu watching from the bench, Monaco fell to league leader Olympique Lyon 1-0 on a 5th minute goal from Fred.

Standard Wants To Keep Gooch Beyond 2009

Standard Liege's American defender Oguchi Onyewu is out of contract in June 2009 and he has already expressed a desire to move to a bigger challenge. After the summer 2008 transfer season passed without an expected transfer, Onyewu ended up staying on at Liege.

While most observers figure Gooch will be sold during the January 2009 transfer window, word out of the Standard camp is that they still want to extend his contract beyond 2009. While its not clear which clubs (most likely in France) are interested in a mid-season transfer, its doubtful Liege will be able to offer a competitive pay package unless they pick up a new sponsor. Only time will tell.

Onyewu: No Need To Sell

It looks like Oguchi Onyewu will spend at least another half season at Standard Liege after the transfer period came and went without any deal being made. It seems the board at Standard would rather keep him onboard to help the team to another title and to see how far they can advance in the UEFA Cup now that they have been knocked out of the Champion's League.

It also seems that Standard will not be hard up for cash this year, having just sold Belgian midfielder Maroune Fellaini to Everton, for a record $30 million fee. The team can still garner a respectable transfer fee for Onyewu in January or next summer, especially if he signs a contract extension to 2010, which would put an upward pressure on his transfer value.

Its also hard to say whether some of the situations on offer were not to Gooch's liking. If it was not a deal to make him a starter and play at a higher level, why leave?

Monaco: Still Interested in Bradley?

Yet another twist in the Bradley transfer saga as the deadline approaches in just five days. After there seeming to be much interest from Monaco for Heerenveen's American midfielder Michael Bradley a few weeks ago, they then focused on Betis Seville's Marko Babic as a new offensive option. This morning here in Europe, word has come out on Footmercato.fr that ASM has not agreed terms on Babic and is now taking another look at bringing Bradley on board.

Looking over at the state of play on Standard Liege's American defender Oguchi Onyewu, PSG looks less likely as an option as word came out last night that the Paris side wants to acquire defender Jean-Alain Boumsong from Olympique Lyon.

Onyewu: I Deal With Reality

Standard Liege defender Oguchi Onyewu, seeming to be completely disgusted with the transfer process, told US reporters in Guatemala that "I only want to live in reality, and the reality of the situation is that I play for Standard. I enjoy it and what happens, happens."

Meanwhile, the buzz coming from cognoscenti back in the States links Onyewu to Serie A side Catania, which is still looking to replace top defender Juan Manuel Vargas after selling him to Fiorentina. In what appears to be a late house cleaning, they also just sold defender Andrea Sottil to Rimini with three more midfielders and defenders on the auction block. The Sicilian club had a pretty porous defense last season and boss Walter Zenga is looking to shore up the back line.

Another coach looking to anchor the back line is Cologne boss Christoph Daum, who at one time was stalking Gooch like a teenager in puppy love. Its not clear now if Daum is still interested, given the club's transfer focus on bringing in another attacking player.

All that said, I still think Onyewu will either stay at Standard to win another championship or he'll be playing somewhere in France where there has been sustained interest in him since 2007. Plus, its hard to see tiny Catania outbidding PSG or Lyon, two of the bigger teams which still seem to be in the hunt. PSG was also looking at Dynamo Kiev's Senegalese defender Pape Diakhaté, who is also being pursued by Monaco and Rennes (where Carlos Bocanegra is in desperate need of a quality partner in central defense). If Diakhaté ends up at PSG, perhaps Rennes will opt for Gooch, provided there is enough time left to make a deal - the clock is ticking. Two Americans at Rennes? Who knows.

Also when asked in Guatemala, Heerenveen's Michael Bradley seemed mystified by the entire transfer process, telling US reporters: "I have no real idea what is going on but my agent tells me something may happen next week." Greg Seltzer seems to think its Everton, Celtic, or Middelsbrough (a club which always seems to be linked to an American player but never seems to close the deal). Again, my spidey sense seems to indicate he'll head be heading to Germany (Bayer Leverkusen?) but probably not Hamburg which found its replacement for Van Der Vaart in Mladen Petric, just purchased from Borussia Dortmund. In about a week, we'll know the answer for sure.

There have also been whispers here on the boot that a few Serie B teams have taken an interest in Colorado Rapids midfielder Pablo Mastroeni but its not clear if any of them are in a position to acquire him now or wait until mid season, when he would be available on a free transfer. Back in July, Serie A side Cagliari had also taken a discreet interest in Mastroeni but given the club's modest budget, they may also be waiting for midyear.

Elsewhere today, American Jozy Altidore replaced Giuseppe Rossi in the 67th minute of Villarreal's preseason match against Italy's Udinese. Altidore's side lost 1-0.

NOTE: In case you are waiting for the fourth and final installment of The Evolution of American Soccer Players in Europe, I'm waiting for the smoke to clear on this transfer season before finishing it up.

Lazio and PSG Links to Onyewu: Nothing But Rumors?

Since the news and rumors linking Oguchi Onyewu came out over the weekend, I've had my feelers out (and been scouring the Italian and French papers piling on my desk) to confirm them both -to no avail.

The first report linking Onyewu to Lazio came out at about 1PM (Western Europe time) on Sunday by the Lyon, France branch of Eurosport and we all did our share of speculation. Since then, while Lazio has been very public about the players it is pursuing, Onyewu does not appear to be one of them. There was interest back in 2007 but any talk of current interest from Lazio remains an unconfirmed rumor. While I'd love to see Gooch playing in Serie A, where I think he could help Inter in their time of need, its not looking very likely right now.

On the PSG rumor, Matthieu Margueritte of French football website Footmercato cleared it up when he reported yesterday that Onyewu's agent, said: “It is only one rumour. Paris did not come into contact with the player, nor with me.” Some have mentioned that another French club may be in the hunt but the other club has never been named. Again, Ligue 1 is a competition where I think Onyewu could do very well and given his agent's strong connections to French football, I still think a move to France may be in the works - its just not clear where that could be. Lyon anyone?

So, the only confirmed interest in Gooch this summer remains at FC Koeln and Fulham but in the transfer game, for every two clubs you know about, there are usually 3-4 more quietly in the mix. In any case, LFV hopes to see Gooch, who is not only a great player but a very good guy, get into a situation where he can achieve great things.

Speaking of transfer rumors, things seem to be quieting down on Heerenveen's Michael Bradley but friend of LFV Greg Seltzer breaks the situation down better than anyone.

In other news, Freddy Adu has arrived back in Monaco and is eager to play in Saturday's match against SM Caen, telling France Football; "I'm ready to play." Monaco president Jérôme de Bontin also seems excited to finally have his new signing available when he told the Monaco press today; " I am convinced that his presence will have an significant impact on the level of our offensive sector. He will be able clearly to give a new dimension to our attack."

All of this chasing transfer rumors has left little time to think about tonight's (or here in Naples, tomorrow morning's) US Men's World Cup qualifier against Guatemala. Luckily, my good friend Bob Wagman, who is in Guatemala for the match, has a great preview here.

Lazio: Renewed Interested In Onyewu?

Now the real circus begins as news items slowly leak out about teams interested in American defender Oguchi Onyewu. After interest from PSG came out of Paris a few days ago, this afternoon Eurosport is stating that Lazio has renewed its interest in Gooch. Like a number of Serie A clubs, they are in the market for a central defender but this is the first time Onyewu has been mentioned since January. They recently signed Czech Republic defender David Rozehnal from Newcastle and seem to be looking for new options after loaning out two Romanians; left/central defender Radu Stefan and central defender Cosmin Moti to Dynamo Bucharest.

Gooch's athletic style is well suited to the Italian game but if he ends up at Lazio, he'll need to be a bit more clever against Serie A forwards who are experts at selling a foul in the penalty area. Whether or not any renewed interest from Lazio is serious, I've got to hand it to Onyewu's agents, they sure know how to stir up interest in their client.

More on Onyewu's last transfer saga (January 2007) available here.

Onyewu To PSG?

As we've reported here previously, Standard Liege's American defender Oguchi Onyewu has drawn interest from FC Koeln, Fulham lately (not to mention Marseilles an Lazio back in January). With French legend Lilliam Thuram being forced into retirement by a heart condition, PSG remain in the market for a central defender. Now, according to Info PSG, they are looking at Onyewu as an option along with 24 year-old Dynamo Kiev defender Pape Diakhaté, who is under contract until 2011.

Gooch has experience in the French league after out starting at Metz and since he has played for years on French speaking teams, integrating into the side should be easier. He has shown well in recent club matches and appears to be one of the better central defense options available in northern Europe. With two days left before the French transfer deadline, Gooch and his agent Roger Boli appear to be in a tough spot. Assuming he gets an offer, should he sign for PSG by midnight on the 17th or hold out for a better deal in England? Its no secret that Onyewu prefers to play in England but a strong couple of years at PSG could be a springboard to the top teams in Europe. It seems to have worked fine for Gabriel Heinze, Ronaldinho, David Ginola, and George Weah.

Update: It turns out that back in mid-July, Ligue 1 reached an agreement with FIFA to extend the transfer window from the original August 17th to August 31st - the same as the other major Europen leagues.

Gooch Goes Distance in Friendly Against Saint Etienne

American defender Oguchi Onyewu played a full 90 minutes for Standard Liege Saturday night in a 3-0 loss to French Ligue 1 side Saint Etienne. Despite the impending transfer of Onyewu, Standard coach Laszlo Boloni chose to use the Maryland native in the friendly.

This may indicate that he intends to use Gooch in the third round of Champion's League qualifying against Liverpool starting August 12th. While this would "cup tie" Onyewu, making him unable to play in European matches the rest of the year, this may be a of little consequence since few of the teams interested in him are playing in the Champion's League of UEFA Cup this season.

At the same time, a stout performance in a high profile match against the Reds may be just what he needs to get the offer he is looking for.