A New Year’s Worth of French Transfer Rumors!

Ah, January! The month when you can warm yourself with the heat generated by the transfer rumor mill! This is what I’m seeing at the moment:

First, the done deals: Fabien Barthez is at Nantes (YEA!!), Gonzalo Higuain is at Real Madrid. (Yawn.) Note to Gonzalo: When you commit yourself to France, maybe I’ll start caring where you end up.

Next we have the David Trézéguet saga. There are rumors of a striker swap with Milan, Trézéguet for Gilardino. Or, once again, Lyon is (is not, is, is not, is) interested in beefing up their attacking forces with Trézéguet in the face of multiple Lyon injuries. This one is reminding me of old-fashioned courtship, with Lyon’s Houllier and Aulas seeking David’s hand from Juventus’s Daddy Didier (Deschamps.) So far the suitor has been rejected more than once, but who can say what will happen next? (I’m getting these visions of Houllier playing the guitar under the balcony… )

It certainly has not escaped David’s attention that Lyon is prime hunting grounds for Bleus coach Raymond Domenech. Raymond might not get out and about much to look for talent (ask Philippe Mexès), but it’s almost a guarantee that if you’re French and playing well at Lyon, you’re on the National team. The thing is, as I’ve said before, Lyon’s injured strikers are all scheduled to be better soon. So again, would this really be a good move for David? (Lilian Thuram made the leap from Serie B hell at Juve to Barcelona and has spent much of the season on the bench. It’s not a huge stretch to imagine this happening to Trézéguet also.) I’ll let you know what happens.

And speaking of Roma’s Mexès, he may be on the block also. Transfer rumors have linked him to Juventus, and also to AC Milan, which is looking to “rejuvenate an aging rearguard.” (Hey, I think I have a friend who had that surgery too!) (Also: I must confess here to having a completely irrational bias against pretty blond players with Fanzines, but I am working on this. I hope to start caring about where Philippe ends up very, very soon.)

And what about Thierry Henry? If you think back to last month, you’ll remember that he and Arsenal agreed to a mutual break a month or so ago while he healed from sciatica and other issues. (And the fact that they agreed to this “healing period” after he and Arsene had a little spat? Totally coincidental, I’m sure.) But Arsenal hasn’t done too well without him, dropping to fifth behind Man U, Chelsea, Liverpool and a smokin’ Bolton, and they appear ready to kiss and make up and work at giving it another go. So. Will Titi return, or has he found another? I’ll let you know what I hear.

And speaking of Bolton, what about my favorite bad boy, Nicolas Anelka? It wasn’t so long ago that things just weren’t clicking for him at Bolton and there were murmurings of yet another move. (For the record, Bolton is his seventh team.) Well, things have turned around and our boy Nicolas is hot, hot, hot, having scored seven goals in seven games. (And let’s just forget about that whole little Liverpool thing last weekend, shall we?) So it looks like Anelka won’t be going anywhere, and this is a good thing. Stay, Nicolas! Stay! Good boy!

And in more Bolton news, guess who may be coming to town: Mr. Melancholic Art Film himself, Vikash Dhorasoo. Dhorasoo has been without a club since last year, when he became the first player ever to be fired from a French team after a falling out with Paris St. Germain management. Bolton’s Sam Allerdyce has a history of taking in strays who have a hard time finding happy homes, (See, again: Anelka), so there’s a chance this could work out. Go, Vikash! (And don’t forget your camera.)

Rio Antonio Mavuba is still being linked to a move to Manchester United – a move he would be happy about. He’s hoping to end up on a team where he’ll get more exposure and more playing time than he’s currently seeing at Bordeaux.

Franck Ribéry has been linked to Real Madrid as a possible replacement for David Beckham. (Who may be going to Inter. Or Japan. Or MLS. Or wherever.) And there’s also been some talk of Franck’s going to Juventus. Estimated price for our Franck? Twenty-two million Euros. Although Marseille is still saying he’s not leaving this winter. (Which may just mean that the price isn’t right. Yet.)

And those Florent Malouda-to-Chelsea rumors are still around, given new life by Chelsea’s Didier Drogba, who wants Florent by his side. (Or at his back.) Imagining: English tabloids, meet Malouda’s cheekbones. Cheekbones, meet the tabloids. What a pleasant pairing this could be. (Oh. Sorry. For the record, I may be old and married, but this has not rendered me so blind that I haven’t noticed that this boy’s face could have been sculpted by Michelangelo. But I digress.)

Those are the transfer rumors for today. Stay tuned for more as the January transfer period heats up!