Giuly hailed as quality player above all others.


Fabio Capello has praised ex-Barca player Ludovic Giuly as the best signing for the season in Italian soccer. Capello also praised Roma for making a successful bid in acquiring the former Blaugrana playmaker, saying:

Roma have had a great summer in the transfer market, very intelligent and well thought out. Giuly and Juan are superb signings for any big club. It will be champions like them that can make the difference. Everyone will have to wait to see Pato come of age, but now the best signing of the summer has been Giuly because of the quality he has and for the price Roma paid.

Capello has been making expert comments of late as a pundit in Italy for the new season.

Barcelona intensifies sale of players in response to club demands.


FC Barcelona's Sporting Director, Txiki Begiristain has spoken on three of the players who will likely leave FC Barcelona next after the exit of Ludovic Giuly. Pinpointing on Ezquerro, Thiago Motta and Maxi lopez who was loaned to Real Mallorca, Txiki starts with information on Ezquerro:

Athletic Club Bilbao has indictaed interest in getting back Ezquerro. The player has some value and we will be working with them.

On Thiago Motta, Txiki says:

He is the player that will receive plenty of offers. The question is whether we accept one and move forward with it. If Motta does what Giuly did and listens to all offers with due consideration for the most interesting ones, then he could move to an big club. I am really impressed by the attitude Giuly displayed in the whole process of his transfer negotiations.

On Maxi López Txiki worries that:

Clubs have called to ask about his situation, but there have been no specific offers.

Eidur Gudjohnsen is courting a lot of interests from English premiership side, Newcastle United and the Magpies were also negotiating on Edmilson before the Brazilian was operated upon , which may slow down his transfer, though Newcastle still show interest.

All the players listed for transfer will however continue training with Barcelona and join in the pre-season build-up matches even as negotiations for them continue.

Ludovic Giuly has made a surprising statement rejecting both English and French clubsides.


In a surprise U-turn to earlier held desires by FC Barcelona star, Ludovic Giuly, the French star has made a reversal of his goal to play in France next season, choosing to fight for a place in Barca next season. Giuly has also rejected a move to English premiership sides Tottenham Hotspur and Newscastle United, two Premiership clubs that have made offers to secure the services of the gifted left winger.
Giuly had plans of moving back to his home country France, and French clubs Olympique Marseille and Lyon were interested in sugning Ludo should he decide to come back home. This was one English interests surfaced and Giuly was left to decide where to stay. All seemed quite likely for a move to Tottenham this summer until Giuly changed his ind and is now bent on staying in Barcelona to see out the final year in his contract. Giuly said:

I have decided to stay at Barcelona.In the last days I have rejected offers from England and France. My desire has not changed and I believe I am capable of doing something for Barcelona. Now I wait for official communication from the club and if I do not know anything in ten days I will return to work as normal with Barcelona.

As the drama unfolds, events over the next few weeks will determine where Ludovic Giuly will be at the start of next season.

FC Barcelona´s French winger Ludovic Giuly does not fear German Champions Bayern Munich or Liverpool FC as opponnents in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.


Giuly, who was outstanding and the rest of his Barca team cruised easily through the must-win "final" against Werder Bremen last Tuesday night. through goals from Ronaldinho and Eidur Gudjohnsen.


Giuly was very pleased with his team´s performance and looks confident into the future. He told French football newspaper L'Equipe:

We did what we had to do. We put a lot of pressure and pace into the match at the beginning. Our two goals came early and then everything was easier. With Ronaldinho, football is easy. He is very intelligent and we know each other very well.
Playing Bayern Munich or Liverpool we will have to make the difference in the first leg. I believe we are capable of making it. We would have to play in the same way, with calm authority. With Eto'o and Messi back to full fitness, it will be much easier. Don't forget we are leaders in La Liga, with the best ever start to the season for the club. In the end, you will see we will be very close to another final.

FC Barcelona´s french winger Ludovic Giuly is not concerned about Real Madrid narrowing the gap at the top. Giuly feels the Merengues are too inconsistent to be real challengers for the spanish title:

One day they play well, another badly. I don't see them as being regular. A week ago, they beat us and I think this helped to calm everything down, but this is football. I'm not worried they've closed the gap on us, I'm only thinking of Barça. They are no cause for concern.