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Thank you for visiting! est189 will soon be closing its doors (do forums have doors?) please visit the following thread - (to wail & cry perhaps?)
https://www.est1892.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=4002484#post4002484
Thanjk you.
Paul.S
Frank Arnesen at Chelsea thinks he will be the next great European to play the game.
Knew it was something like that, normally the kiss of death, can't think of one player who was meant to be the new version of xyz who has ever lived up to the billing. Apart from Diao obviously
Not Arnesen, but another Dutch bloke working for Chelsea.
The hottest young property in European football will be unleashed against Liverpool this week.
Ibrahim Afellay is the 22-year-old PSV Eindhoven midfielder who could have joined Manchester City on transfer deadline day. He is also top of the Arsenal list of players to watch.
In fact, PSV say the Gunners sent scouts to check on Afellay 15 times last season. There's a £12million get-out clause in the youngster's contract, so potential buyers know what he's going to cost. But the big question is, just how good is Afellay?
Ronald Koeman, the former Dutch star and renowned coach, insisted: "Ibrahim has certain things in his style that can be compared to Johan Cruyff's game.
"He can speed up with the ball, he can whizz past players as if they are puppets. He has qualities as an attacker which we hardly see these days in football." Piet de Visser, the international scout employed by Roman Abramovich, believes Afellay could be the next European superstar. But De Visser's regard for the PSV player is no guarantee he will end up at Stamford Bridge.
Man City have already told PSV they are prepared to outbid anyone else. On transfer deadline day, while City were gazumping Chelsea by landing Robinho, they also moved for the Dutchman of Moroccan parentage. But Afellay didn't want to rush into the move.
A transfer in the January window is now a real prospect - especially if he continues to prove his burgeoning talent at Anfield this week.
The first Premier League boss to spot his potential was Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman was astonished when he saw Afellay come on as a substitute against Arsenal when the Dutch side knocked the Gunners out of the Champions League 17 months ago.
Wenger has instructed his scouts to keep a close eye on the player ever since.
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