Arjen Robben Thread

[SOBRIQUET]

Out with Robben in with Drenthe?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/6904044.stm

Robben agrees terms with Madrid 

Chelsea winger Arjen Robben has agreed personal terms over a move to Real Madrid, reports BBC Radio Five Live.
The clubs are yet to agree a fee, which is understood to be about £15m, but Robben, 23, is due to fly to the Spanish capital on Friday.

It is also believed Feyenoord's 20-year-old left winger Royston Drenthe has been lined up to replace Dutch international Robben.
Holland Under-21 star Drenthe is expected to move for £7m.

BBC Five Live's football correspondent Jonathan Legard said: "Sources in Holland say Robben has agreed personal terms on a five-year deal and is due to leave Chelsea's pre-season tour to fly to Spain on Friday.

"The two clubs have yet to agree a fee and Chelsea have maintained publicly that they want him to stay.

"But with Robben stalling on a new deal and admitting talks are not going well, I am told they are holding out for £15m. Real have so far indicated they would pay £12m."

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon earlier admitted they were keen to sign Robben but Blues boss Jose Mourinho denied the winger was to leave the club.

Robben has two years left on his Chelsea contract but Calderon told radio station Onda Cero: "It is a negotiation which will take place in coming days or weeks.

"If the situation is favourable financially, I think that he is a player who could be brought in."

But Mourinho is in no hurry to sell, saying: "The club wants to keep these players. I trust the board and our chief executive Peter Kenyon in the negotiations he is doing.

"I know the players want to stay and I would be happy if they signed."

Robben's future has been further clouded by Chelsea's signing of Lyon winger Florent Malouda and Robben admitted on 10 July that contract talks were not going well.

The winger has been one of manager Mourinho's key players but his progress at Chelsea has been hampered by a succession of injuries.

Last season, a thigh strain and knee injury kept him on the sidelines for several weeks of the campaign.

However Mourinho said he was keen to keep Robben, despite Malouda's arrival.

Robben played 45 minutes of Chelsea's 1-0 friendly win over Suwon Bluewings at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, on Tuesday.

 I look at him as a Chelsea player and he has to compete against very good wingers like we have. I am happy with the situation

Jose Mourinho on Arjen Robben

After the match Mourinho said: "The latest with Robben is that he played the game. I cannot tell you more than that.

"At the moment he is a Chelsea player with two more years of contract and he is working well.

"For me, he is a player like Terry or Lampard with two more years of contract.

"I look at him as a Chelsea player and he has to compete against very good wingers like we have. I am happy with the situation."

Drenthe caught the eye during this summer's Uefa European Under-21 Football Championship.

The player, who can play at left-back or on the wing, has been linked with a move to a host of European clubs.

 

[Tongue]

nutten on the RM or Chelsea sites. this is not tuh say it eh true, but also have to keep in mind dat Caleron in de State....probably lurking around LA....we go see

[SOBRIQUET]

http://goal.com/en-us/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=356809

Chelsea Closing In On Deal For Drenthe
 
Chelsea are reported to have agreed a fee with Eredivisie side Feyenoord for the young Dutch midfielder Royston Drenthe - but Real Madrid still claim to be in pole position for the versatile 20-year-old, who can play anywhere along the left-hand side and was a star as Holland won the European Under-21 Championship in June.
 
Drenthe has also been linked with a move to any one of several clubs, including Barcelona and, most persistenly, Real Madrid, but Chelsea are thought to be closest to securing his signature, having had a £6.76 million offer accepted by Feyenoord - according to The Independent.

However, Feyenoord want to hang on to Drenthe for another season, and it is thought that Chelsea might agree to defer the deal.

Personal terms have yet to be negotiated with Drenthe.

Real Madrid claimed earlier today that they were confident of signing Drenthe, who has power and pace, and who has said he is unsure about his immediate future.

He told Spanish newspaper Marca: "Every footballer has dreams and I have mine.

"I can't tell more for the moment. When I signed with Feyenoord until June 2011, I already knew what my ambitions were."

With Chelsea winger Arjen Robben reportedly close to a transfer to Real Msdrid (despite Jose Mourinho saying he wants to keep the Dutchman at Stamford Bridge), Drenthe is not being seen as a replacement - although he successfully moved forward from left-back to left midfield for Feyenoord last season.

[Disgruntled_Trini]

New Real Madrid president Vicente Boluda has heaped praise on in-form winger Arjen Robben, insisting he would not even swap the Dutchman for Barcelona ace Lionel Messi.

Messi, who recently finished runner-up to Cristiano Ronaldo in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards, is enjoying a fairytale campaign at Barca and his performances have seen him showered with praise from all corners.

However, Boluda, who took over as interim Madrid president following last week's resignation of Ramon Calderon, admits he prefers Robben to the Argentinian.

"Robben is the more entertaining and I would not change him for Messi. He is the more electric player," Boluda told Spanish radio station Cadena SER.

Boluda also admits he is a big fan of Madrid coach Juande Ramos, who has won five of his six competitive matches since replacing Bernd Schuster in December.

Ramos' current deal at the reigning Primera Liga champions is only until the end of the season, but Boluda fully expects the former Sevilla boss to still be in charge next campaign.

"I think Juande is a great coach and that he is going to continue at Madrid next year because, moreover, he has a clause which says if he wins any title he will continue," added Boluda.

Boluda also said Real Madrid will take their bid to register new signings Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Lassana Diarra for the Champions League to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

UEFA's appeals body said last week the Spanish club's bid to register the pair, who have already competed in UEFA competition this season with their previous clubs, had been rejected.

UEFA regulations say clubs can register as many as three new players for the knockout rounds by Feb. 1 but only one who has already played this season in Europe with another club.

Asked if Real would appeal the UEFA ruling at CAS, Real President Vicente Boluda said: "Yes. Because the club members will demand of us that we do everything possible for Madrid to the end."


By Soccernet staff

[Feliziano]

shouldn't this be in de "Barca is de Greatest" thread? 

[giggsy11]

To quote the great Arsene9 " everybody thinks their wife is the prettiest". Messi has the best left foot in football not Robben which means Robben doesn't  have leg to stand on.

[Filho]

Typical media warfare between the traditional giants of la liga.

Messi is still in the best form imo...but Robben is playing amazing football right now (not so much last weekend tho'). He has the same qualities as Messi and can be just as good.

Still hasn't reached the heights of his first season at Chelsea..when imo he was heads and shoulders the best player in the EPL. Also been injured too much to be consistent. But (and I know I will upset all the people who feel Messi is the 2nd coming) Robben actually playing at a fairly similar level to Messi of late. There's no other way to explain it..he is unstoppable and scoring every game. If he holds this form all season, he will get the recognition he deserves

[Filho]

To quote the great Arsene9 " everybody thinks their wife is the prettiest". Messi has the best left foot in football not Robben which means Robben doesn't  have leg to stand on.

Have you actually watched Robben play since Juande came to RM. wow is all i can say. nobody can take the ball off him. A little frustrating with his decision making tho. he is 2nd only to Messi right now..at least in La Liga

[kicker]

Robben is playing the best football of his life at the moment, but as a Madrid fan, if I were getting Messi in exchange for Robben, I'd welcome the swap without reservation.

[dinho]

i'm a big fan of robben but this is blasphemy, plain and simple.

[giggsy11]

To quote the great Arsene9 " everybody thinks their wife is the prettiest". Messi has the best left foot in football not Robben which means Robben doesn't  have leg to stand on.

Have you actually watched Robben play since Juande came to RM. wow is all i can say. nobody can take the ball off him. A little frustrating with his decision making tho. he is 2nd only to Messi right now..at least in La Liga

Yeah I have watched him. I have watched him take on men and score some great goals; I have also watched him try to score when he had teamates open with a pass. I also watch him doing the same shit he was doing his second season at Chelski that makes him so frustrating to watch at times. i agree he is second to Messi but it is not going to stop at right now, it will continue.

[Disgruntled_Trini]

I see the article and post it just to see the responses.

I think Robben is very good and he ketch a good run of form of late, as Filho say he is a little unlucky with injuries.

The last game as I saw him play, was the game before the Classico when he got a red card. And he was ON FIRE!!!

Presently, i will give Messi a slight advantage. Football is an ebb & flow when it comes to form so one never knows what the future may hold.

[Filho]

To quote the great Arsene9 " everybody thinks their wife is the prettiest". Messi has the best left foot in football not Robben which means Robben doesn't  have leg to stand on.

Have you actually watched Robben play since Juande came to RM. wow is all i can say. nobody can take the ball off him. A little frustrating with his decision making tho. he is 2nd only to Messi right now..at least in La Liga

Yeah I have watched him. I have watched him take on men and score some great goals; I have also watched him try to score when he had teamates open with a pass. I also watch him doing the same shit he was doing his second season at Chelski that makes him so frustrating to watch at times. i agree he is second to Messi but it is not going to stop at right now, it will continue.

yeah..we on de same page (kinda)

[Toppa]

Messi has my vote although Robben is very good right now.

[jai john]

its hard to believe that this is being discussed so soon after Ronaldo who is in stellar form , won the best player in the world award. I will bet anyone robben will not be in the reckoning by years end. the gap between those two and Roben  is so wide ..I could easily slip in 5 players ..and that is for a start... but then dais just my opinion.
Allyuh kyah be serious putting Robben up dere ...give him a few more games and he will join us all in front de TV ...watching games.

[jai john]

let kaka sign up for Madrid ..allyuh go see how ordinary Robben go look ! ..but if I was de new guy i would probably have said the same thing .... just like Sir alex ..." ronaldo go be up day with  Pele and maradona " in my best scottish accent.

[Filho]

let kaka sign up for Madrid ..allyuh go see how ordinary Robben go look ! ..but if I was de new guy i would probably have said the same thing .... just like Sir alex ..." ronaldo go be up day with  Pele and maradona " in my best scottish accent.

Jai. I feel yuh jess vex cuz Robben poison Villareal 

[Daft Trini]

All yuh feel it have good weed in Spain?

Messi is currently (and I cannot believe I'm saying this) probably the top of world class ballers. Robben cannot hold a candle to him.... no freaking way...!

[JERSEY TRINI]

I remember the days when I did get some hard weed like what that man smoking lol...it was great, but now without that I see the light and this man is mad...Robben is good but he still no were close to Messi...

[Big Magician]

cyatwoman better than Robin....and she Messi

[jai john]

let kaka sign up for Madrid ..allyuh go see how ordinary Robben go look ! ..but if I was de new guy i would probably have said the same thing .... just like Sir alex ..." ronaldo go be up day with  Pele and maradona " in my best scottish accent.

Jai. I feel yuh jess vex cuz Robben poison Villareal 

Nah I eh vex wid Robben ..he scored a damn good goal against villareal ...we had our chances and cant blame him ...just like against barca ..I believe however that you give unto robben the things that are Robbens and give unto Messi ....

[Mango Chow!]

Opinions are like assholes, everybody has one.  Boluda opinion is shit, so allyuh know where it comin' from......but I eh falt 'im too much, he hadda rate up he own players.

[Flex]

http://gfycat.com/OptimalShamelessLadybug

Nice goal.