Transfer Time: Baros hopes the third time’s le charme with Lyon

By: Sam | January 22nd, 2007

Just as both my index fingers suddenly come down with injuries (bagel slicing, you know), Lyon and Bordeaux go and decide to get active with their transfers. Now i’m stuck writing excitedly about Milan Baros, John Carew and Fernando Cavenaghi with a bandaid on one finger and missing half my nail on the other. Woe is me.

Woe is not Lyon, though, as they finally managed to bring in Czech striker Milan Baros into their outstreched arms. After unsuccessful tries at Liverpool and Aston Villa, the Euro 2004 sensation will wear #7 in Stade Gerland, where they have more strikers than I can name. I haven’t had the chance to find some words from the man himself, but OL president Jean-Michel Aulas had a few to praise his new son.

Said Aulas (translated from French): It’s no surprise because he always was Lyon’s priority. He’s signing a three-and-a-half year contract. As for John Carew, he’s going the other way. He’s doing the medical visit at Aston Villa right now. We want Milan to be playing on wednesday, so all that went very fast.

So yes, the gentle Norwegian giant John Carew is heading to Villa in return. Never really having an impact on Lyon, his departure was obvious, and this was the perfect time to get rid of him, as far as OL was concerned. Monetary terms were not disclosed, but a straight player swap might be the only thing involved.

In other news:
Fernando Cavenaghi, the Argentine striker who moved to (goodness!) Spartak Moscow in 2004 after scoring a fantastic 58 goals in 84 games for River Plate, is leaving the Russian capital after a not-so-swell two years with the Moscovites. 17 goals in 62 matches was not enough to appease his staff over there, and what else to do but move to France?

Bordeaux stepped up, currently enjoying a season that’s not gone so well after last year’s surprise second place finish. The 23-year old of Italian blood signed a contract good for four and a half years.

Other quick fixes:
Monaco’s short relationship with Italian Marco Di Vaio ended monday as the striker signed with Genoa in Serie B.
Youth international Nabil Taïder moved from Toulouse to Lorient today, in search of more playing time.
PSG’s Paulo Cesar went south, to fill Taïder’s spot and have a go with TFC.