[Eaglesfan27]

Giving this some more consideration:

I'll need a left winger in the next season or so as Duff is starting to decline. Christopher Eagles looks good at right wing on the tape, but not great. I'd like to get someone who could play either wing if possible. If I don't, I'll get a right winger this year and a left winger next year. I've also takena look at Lucio. He is 32, but he is still a top notch defender. He is currently valued at 15 million. That would be kind of pricey for a 32 year old defender. As much as I want to manage him, I'll have to pass as Milan isn't willing to let him go for less. Despite this, I decide to make them an offer of 15 million to see if they will let him go for this price.


Now, I need to figure out who is going to be my big ticket item. I'm not going to offer more than 15 million for Lucio.

Looking at my previous list:


Cristiano Ronaldo - I'd really like to have him back on the club. 67 million is so expensive. If I could get him a bit cheaper, I'd really like to reacquire him. Of course, with the next sale clause I will get back 30% of my purchase price. The fact that he can play either wing is a big plus. Also, he is only 25 and would have several more years of quality play. The biggest drawback is the reputation that he lacks team work at times.


Joaquin - His speed is so tempting. He might be the fastest guy I'm considering. He doesn't have any significant weaknesses except his relative lack of natural fitness. He is 29 so this in combination with his poor fitness might make him suspectible to injury. Otherwise, he might be a top choice.

Schweinsteiger - No weaknesses, but isn't truly the best at anything. However, he is really very good at everything. Milan considers him an irreplaceable player and are unlikely to let him go for any reasonable price.

D'Allesandro - He doesn't fit my needs since I will continue to run the 4-4-2.

Donovan - Superb speed and acceleration. He might be the quickest guy I'm considering. His relative lack of crossing is a downer. He does everything else good. Also a poor tackler.

Adu - Not great at crossing the ball either. More of a central midfielder or striker. I'd love to acquire him at some point because I think he has the potential to keep getting better since he is only 21. I think he could be a great investment. He'd also be an ideal central midfielder/striker. I might pursue him if I have a decent amount of money left over after my first acquisition (I don't want to use all 93 million this year.)

Lahm - This 26 year old is so good at crossing. Has everything I'm looking for. Inter is quite attached to him. He can play both wings. If I can convince Inter to let him go, this might be my top choice. My biggest concern is that fullback is his favored position.

Jenas - Not a superb crosser like I want.

I also will add Shaun Wright-Phillips to my list of possibilities. He is playing very well for Germany and he has very good crossing, dribbling, physical skills, etc.


So, trying to narrow it down to a top 3...

1. Lahm - I'm worried that Inter won't let him go for a reasonable price. I'm even more worried that he will be upset he isn't playing fullback, but he has great skills.

2. Joaquin - Close to #1. His natural fitness worries me. He could be a very expensive bust if I sign him to a big deal and he gets hurt.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo - If his teamwork was better, and he wasn't so expensive he would be my top choice.


I bite the bullet and make a 23 million dollar offer to Inter for Philipp Lahm.

I'll wait to see what happens with this offer and the offer for Lucio before I make any further offers.