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by **account deleted by request** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:40 am

Eye-catching Villa central to Spanish planning

A prolific record at every level has made the Valencia forward among the world's best, writes Sid Lowe

Tuesday February 6, 2007
The Guardian

When it comes to selling himself, David Villa is not up to much. Quiet and reserved, most of the time he mumbles cliches. He has done nothing to groom cheerleaders in the press, and on those rare occasions that he has opened his mouth it has hardly helped attract big-money moves. When Liverpool showed an interest, he said: "I don't much like the Beatles." When Chelsea did likewise, he claimed that he was not remotely interested in going to London. And now he insists that there is not a team in the world that would - or should - pay his buy-out clause to prise him away from Valencia.

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At €150m (£99m), the same price put on Ronaldinho's head, he may well be right. But the man born in the mining town of Tuilla, up in the green, northern province of Asturias in December 1981, has become Spain's most sought-after striker. And with very good reason, as he will hope to prove at Old Trafford tomorrow evening. It is not, he insisted last night, an opportunity to put himself in the shop window but any doubts potential buyers may have could be forever dispelled against England.
"Villa is the best striker in Europe. He was born to make history and he is on course to do so. He's a phenomenon," says the former Sporting Gijón striker Quini, five-times Spain's top scorer. Villa began his career as a 19-year-old in the Sporting Gijón first team, for whom he scored 38 league goals in two seasons, so Quini could easily be dismissed as biased. If, that is, he was not so obviously right. After all, with each step up, Villa's goals tallies have further impressed.

Joining Real Zaragoza at 21, he scored 17 goals in his first season, 15 in his second, in a team that finished 12th both seasons. Valencia paid his €12m buy-out clause and he immediately scored 25 - almost half of his side's goals, spread over 20 different matches and scored in every possible way.

"He's one of those players who seems to be dangerous even when he has the ball on the halfway line," said Peter Luccin, the Atlético Madrid midfielder who faced Villa at the weekend. Luccin could hardly have been more right: one of Villa's 25 goals last season, against Deportivo La Coruña at Riazor, was struck from inside his own half. On the turn. He added others from close in and distance, left foot, right foot and his head. And he topped the scoring charts despite the fact that, as the corner and free-kick taker, he is absent from the penalty area at every Valencia dead ball.

Which underlines the fact that Villa's game is about more than just goals. Fast, strong and skilful, he has it all, adding to his own tally by producing more assists than any player at Valencia last season except the playmaker Pablo Aimar and continuing this season in the same vein. Nineteen games into the season he has 10 league goals, another one in a solitary Spanish Cup match and three in five appearances in the Champions League. Three more assists place him at the top of the tournament's list of providers, ahead of rivals including Kaka, Ronaldinho and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Nor do the statistics do him full justice: against Atlético on Saturday night he neither scored nor provided an assist, yet it was his wonderful pass, dropping off to slip a perfectly weighted ball through the gap for Vicente, that led to Valencia's second goal.

But if Villa immediately became Valencia's leading star, the national team has proven a greater challenge. He is now, though, finally emerging from the shadows of the former captain Raúl - an automatic first choice who has at long last lost his political protection - after scoring three in four appearances at this summer's World Cup, despite being played out of position and never getting more than 57 minutes on the pitch.

Now that he has established himself as Spain's most dangerous striker, having scored nine goals in 18 matches, Villa should spend rather longer out on the Old Trafford pitch tomorrow night. Up in the stands, meanwhile, Europe's biggest clubs could do a lot worse than reach for their cheque books.
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I think he must be our number one target for the summer. I am not sure how fast he is but he seems to have everything else.

by **Elchris** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 9:55 am

i hope we get ryan babel or Huntelaar from the ajax team.... dutch players play well in the EPL
and i think torres will be better then villa...he's young and seems to have better physique to play in d EPL

by **HacksawJimDuggin** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 11:12 am

Maybe the likes of Torres and Villa are now within our reach now that Gillett and Hicks have taken the reigns??

I noted the BBC website this morning and Steve Sidwell may well become a free agent in the summer. I know we are loaded in the Midifield department but he is a very good player and one I would like to see at Anfield (or whatever the new stadium will be called)

by **stmichael** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 1:36 pm

torres is the spanish version of andy cole. he needs about 5 chances to score 1 goal. one of the most overrated players in world football. david villa is far superior in the goalscoring stakes.

by **woof woof !** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 2:22 pm

£99 million price tag (?) don't care how good he is NO PLAYER imo is worth such a ridiculous amount of money .

by **account deleted by request** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 2:30 pm

Thats his buyout clause, usually the transfer fee has no relation to this. I reckon a bid around the £20/25million mark would be enough to aquire his services.

by **jkop** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 3:52 pm

Just hope Rafa spends the money well and not like that fool Maureen.

by **Elchris** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 12:30 pm

Should we go for kaka...?

he's class and ac milan is not doing well at the moment may not even qualify for champs league n the italian league is at a very terrible situation...r.madrid and barcelona willl be fightin over cristiano ronaldo and we could take the chance and land kaka...

by **woof woof !** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 2:27 pm

s@int wrote:Thats his buyout clause, usually the transfer fee has no relation to this. I reckon a bid around the £20/25million mark would be enough to aquire his services.

That makes things a little clearer Saint .
But if the buyout clause is a massive £99 million surely that infers Valencia intend to hang onto him and it will take more than £20-25 mill to prise him away, any idea how long is left on his contract ? this obviously would have a great bearing on his price. . I reckon in terms of "hot property" value he's at the very top end of the market , if he has a long term contract it could take £30 mill just to get their attention .

by **Kopjon** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 1:38 pm

Hi all. Got a question with regards to a couple of transfer rumours i have heard. Me and a mate for a laugh phoned up the clubcall lines that you see on teletext last night and the liverpool one mentioned we are looking to secure the services of freddy ljungberg in the summer, but firstly sign David Beckham in the next week on loan for the rest of the season, and that a press conference is due shortly toannounce the signing (shortly could be hours or days though).

Has anyone ever had any experience of these phone lines and are they just a load of old cobblers?

Cheers

by **dward** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 11:50 am

Sounds like c.rap mate

by **Keris** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:26 am

Eto'o slams Rijkaard and Ronaldinho

[url=http://www.eurosport.com/football/la-liga/2006-2007/sport_sto1085983.shtml[U]]http://www.eurosport.com/footbal....html[U][/url]

Maybe Rafa should make a few phone calls?? what do you guys think???

by **HacksawJimDuggin** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 7:34 pm

I would take him. He's not a bad player

by **66-1120597113** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 8:08 pm

All this speculation??
Firstly a £99 million buy out clause is pathetic and laughable.

Secondly IF a player wants to go he wants to go.Any club in the land knows that regardless of a players quality or estimated worth he is not worth tupence if he does not want to play there and his heart is no longer in it!

Thirdly Raffa won't pay a silly price for Villa even with American investment....£20m tops

And lastly what exactly makes everyone think he can cut it in a more physical league?..It is not set in stone that he could fit into the EPL and will be a success!

Looks great in Spain..he is not GOD!

by **Elchris** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 6:23 pm

The buyout clause is mad..but that kid is the nex ronaldhinoEto n Dos Santos

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