Who is Alhassane Keita?

By: Jeremy | July 1st, 2008

Now that Euro 2008 is over, things should heat up in the transfer market. Mallorca hero Dani Guiza managed to have himself a good tournament with a couple of goals and he clearly showed why he was La Ligas top scorer. His missed penalty in the Italy game luckilly will not cost him. Where he ends up is anyones guess at this point as it could be Arsenal, Roma, and even Fenerbache in Turkey.

I know his girlfriend/agent is really hot and probably sees money before she sees anything else, but she would be a fool to let him sign for Fenerbache. Yeah they are a good club and make some noise in the Champions League almost every year, but if you are a player on the way up, you dont go to Turkey, especially if you have offers from other big clubs. It seems he took and passed a medical and Fener was ready to pay the 15 mil transfer fee, but he didnt quite sign because after his Euro performance, interest in him has increased. Nuria could learn a word called patience. Dont screw up his career because you have some money being thrown at you. Wait for the right offer and show your talents on a top level stage. I still think he ends up at Barca, but he will have to wait for some bigger names like David Villa to sort out where they will play.

Mallorca knows they are going to lose him even if the fans have admirably formed a group to keep him around. Of course he is our most important player and any fan wants him to stay, but reality is a bitch. Atleast an attempt has been made to bring in a replacement for his inevitable loss. We just signed Alhassane Keita for 3 million from Al Ittahad in Saudi Arabia. He is 24 years old and from Guinea and was once the Swiss Leagues top scorer for FC Zurich. While still young, something is amiss if this guy hasnt landed on someones radar by now. I know those Arab clubs pay more then anyone else for players who are either too old and on the downside of their career or players who might end up being good. While its easy to criticize a team who will lose a Dani Guiza and replace him with this guy, but atleast they are trying. The guy can score if even on a lower level and is young so improvement is possible. While I think it would be better to take the 3 mil and add it to a bid for a bigger player, we shall see. Im sure Manzano gave his ok so why not. For some reason though I just cant get over this guy being the Guinean Joaquin Larrivey.

With ownership in flux as the current group is willing to sell, former New Castle bossman Freddie Shepherd, who lives in Mallorca for most of the year and is known for making flamboyant statements, is trying to buy the club. I would love to see this guy take over. A big club mentality for a small club by someone who has a tie to the islands and isnt looking at it as just a business purchase will in the long run bring some money into the club. Lets hope he can make a deal to own this team.

There are many rumors about many of our players leaving yet very few about potential new players. Everyone from Ibagaza to Moya is rumored to be somewhere. No need to speculate or guess just to make a story. The fact our players our in demand shows what a team we had last year. Once things shake out and we know who is in and who is out, we can assess the team and see if we will be in relegation dogfight as we are so used seeing as fans.

As much as I want Guiza to stay, I really want to see him end up with the right big club and not just chase the first money thrown at him. Spain in Euro 2008 just summed up what was a great year for the league, Mallorca, and its fans.