Vagner Love: Sensational Samba Striker Sparks Bidding War Between Spurs, Man City & Everton
David Moyes, Mark Hughes and Juande Ramos are reportedly battling to sign CSKA Moscow’s Vagner Silva de Souza (Vagner Love for short) in Januray. However, signing the Brazilian striker won’t be easy after the Russian club sold his former partner Jo to Man City in an £18m deal.
The 24-year-old was born in Rio de Janeiro and begun his career with Palmeiras. He finished the Brazilian 2nd division’s top scorer in 2003 as they won promotion to the top flight. However, after scoring 8 goals in 11 League games the following season, CSKA signed him in a £4m deal.
In his first season with the club there were constant rumours linked the flamboyant striker with a move back to his homeland. However, 9 goals in 12 League games helped the massive transition from Brazil to Russia. Since then Love has been an unequivocal success. He’s scored 48 goals in 100 League games for the club and has been part of the side that won back to back Russian League titles, 2 Russian Cups as well as the Uefa Cup in 2005. In fact, Love scored the third goal in the 3-1 success over Sporting Lisbon held in the opposition’s home city.
The 5 ft 7 striker has won 20 caps for his country (4 goals) and was part of the Copa America wins of 2004 and 2007. He is an exciting skilful forward with outstanding pace and strength for his relatively small stature. He was strongly linked to Man City when Eriksson was in charge and recently confirmed this, “I really did get an offer from Manchester at the end of the previous season,” Love said.
“However, the CSKA president said this offer was not suitable for me and I stayed at the club.
“I like the Russian league, I like my team-mates, the management and our supporters. I am satisfied with everything in the team and I will surely play there until the end of my contract.
“CSKA are a great club and one of the leading powers in Europe so I am convinced it would be better to play there rather than in some middle-range club in England or Italy.”If you want to swap your club for another one, it should meet your requirements and have better conditions and that is why I decided to stay in CSKA.”
This was the player’s stance at the start of the year but after the departure of his compatriot Jo to Eastlands, Love may finally be about to depart to the Premier League with Man City, Tottenham or Everton his likely destination. However, unless Spurs league position changes dramatically it may be difficult to tempt the Samba star to North London.
So would you like your club to sign the exciting Brazilian or do you expect him to be too expensive? Let’s hear your views.
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Tags: Brazil, CSKA Moscow, Everton, Man City, Tottenham, Vagner Love
October 16th, 2008 at 17:08
He is already signed for Everton and will join up in January.