Who’s On The Move?

June 21st, 2009 | By: Mario | 6 Comments »

It’s been a fairly rich month or so of transfer gossip and actual business getting done, so let’s make a brief summary of who’s going where and why. I mentioned earlier in this post that Pranjic is Munich bound and it’s only the medical exam routine that’s keeping him away from all that German beer bliss. But, it turns out Heerenveen (surely spelled wrong as I didn’t Google this time) officials are stalling the deal as they aren’t exactly satisfied with the fee (reported around 8-10m).

Let’s hope this is just a temporary setback and that the Germans are persistent enough to please the Dutch greed machine. In another time and place, Joe Simunic is all but ready to set sails and leave Hertha Berlin after a nine year spell with the capital club. One of Bundesliga’s best rated defenders last season isn’t exactly sure where he’ll be playing next season, but some sources claim he’s bound for Premiership. At 31, Joe, we wish you the best of luck.

And despite teasing the public a few times on how he’s gonna reveal his future club in a day or two, Darijo Srna is still in Ukraine. Cold Ukraine. While the sunny beaches of western Europe sit around the corner. Darijo if you can read this move your a** already. Ivica Krizanac has, despite his initial statement to leave Russia and move back to Croatia, penned a new deal with Zenit, prolonging his stay with the 2008 UEFA cup winners for another 2 years.

I guess there’s something about the Eastern clubs our players find hard to resist. Anyway, notable mentions are Sharbini, Mandzukic and Kalinic. The Croatian League trio has been on the move since day one of the transfer season, but if I were to call a bet, I’d say neither of the three will actually leave their clubs this summer. There’s just too much noise surrounding their transfers to not scare away “all those” potential buyers.

Tags: Croatia, Transfers

Croatia World Cup RSS Feed

Comments

By ivan | June 21st, 2009 at 11:59 pm

HaHa Great picture in the story Mario.

I will disagree with you on a few things. Mandzukic will get moved, way too much money floating around for Dinamo not to cash in on him. I understand rumors are just rumors but i have read on a few British websites that there is a lot of interest in him. Reportedly Aston Villa, Sunderland and Celtic are all offering around £8M for him (Dinamo is trying to get £10).

Sharbini is rated at about £3M which would be a good buy. He has been linked with a dozen teams who are interested in him. If Rijeka needs the cash, he will have his pick on where he goes.

Our Dario Srna, before the Ukraine game there was talk about him moving. The talk all but disapeared. Shakhtar reportedly put an €18M transfer fee on him. Shakhtar might have priced him out of the market. Reading between the lines, it looks like Shakhtar isnt willing to sell him unless the fee is so high they cant pass it up. If he goes anywhere it will be Barcelona or Milan. My bet is he stays where he is.

Kalinic … His last half of the season didnt go as he planned, his goal scoring slipped and Hajduk cant get what they want for him. His value has come down a bit and I dont think Hajduk will sell him on the cheap.

Some other transfers of interest….19-year-old Croatian striker Danijel Prskalo has signed with Schalke 04. Hopefully he gets some playing time, he has a lot of promise. …. 22 year old Ivo Ilicevic has been moved to FC Kaiserslautern.

Sorry for the long post. Keep up the good work Mario.

By Kevin | June 22nd, 2009 at 9:41 am

The Pranjic move to Bayern is now official. Looks like three years and Bayern paid 7 mil. Likin how Munich is starting to load up on the Croatians. Just hope they get some legitimate pt.

By ivan | June 22nd, 2009 at 11:25 pm

Finally some rumors about Srna… Chelsea to offer €17M for Dario. According to a croatian paper, Srnas agent (Stimac) said “the time is now or never”. I would love to see Dario @ Chelsea.

By Mario | June 24th, 2009 at 5:00 pm

@Ivan: Aye, looks like Mandzukic might be packing his bags after all. An interview popped up on Dinamo’s official site that pretty much sets the tone for his incoming departure. Though it’s not Premiership, but rather Bundesliga that’s his prefered destination. Werder look like they’ve taken the bait. Sharbini is a good buy, I like him as a player. And regarding Srna, well if he stays there he’s one sorry a** bastard. He’s at his peak and no way will he not regret the decision later on.

As for Kalinic, I think it’s more about him wanting to get out of Croatia then having actually someone who wants to bring him in. What saddens me is this “Wants a new challenge” routine. It’s the same with Mandzukic, but “Mandza” at least has a few more years and a couple of trophy’s on his list. Sad state of mind.

Oh and keep those long posts coming

@Kevin:
Aye, it’s finally official. And such was Pranjic’s desire to leave Holland that he had to “buy himself” out of there. Madness. But it’s definitely nice to see our players move there. And rumor has it that Simunic might end up joining them as well. Nice.

By ivan | June 28th, 2009 at 11:02 am

Hajduk is signing a new striker, 18 yr old Mario Sacer from Varteks. Looks like Kalinic is as good as gone. He refused to sign a new 3 yr deal and all indications is that hes very close to signing with Spanish club Valencia. I think its a good move for him. He seems to be unhappy in Split and it is affecting him on the feild.

By ivan | June 30th, 2009 at 2:46 pm

Simunic signs 3 yr deal with Hoffenheim (German 1)

Jerko Leko about to sign with Wolves (Barkleys Premier League)

Posted from Canada