Nilmar is officially off the table. We’re sweet on Oba, and now that we know that Oba is sweet on us, maybe we should seal this deal before Arsenal. Martins has a £8million dollar price tag and with weekly wages ranging from around £60,000 to £70,000. We absolutely need to shore up more talent up front with the influx of cash we’ve have earned from winning Bundesliga. I’d love for us to challenge in Champ’s League. We will definitely need depth like this to break out there. I think this would be an incredible deal, given that a player like Martins is itching for competitive first-team action within a tight competitive, confident team structure (over the mess that was Newcastle last season).

As for Wolfsburg, we’ve officially made a bid for Nilmar, however, Villareal as well as Sevilla, Atletico and Chelsea are all reported to be interested. Reports say that Villareal has coughed up a €15 million bid that has pushed Wolfsburg out of the running. But there’s more strikers on our shortlist.

Another dirty rumor has emerged following Nigerian international Obafemi Martins, 24, of Newcastle Utd. His price will be low, given Newcastle’s recent relegation, but I imagine that a host of Europe’s top clubs are tracking him. Internationally he’s had 13 goals in 24 appearances. In club play, 28 goals in 88 appearances. He’s had some minor injuries at Newcastle, but I’ve always liked him more than Michael Owen.

Reason #1:

Challenge Džeko and Grafite for their place on the first team.

Reason #34 out of #100:

Bundesliga needs more soul.

As for Bundesliga, I suppose the biggest move of the last few weeks has been Lúcio transferring from Bayern to Inter. For my two cents, Bayern is foolish to let go of such class defenders without investing into more youth; this opens a starting spot for Breno, which could make Bayern pretty weak defensively for the year.

Die Wölfe looks to have some movement in transfers too. As I posted earlier, we’ve made some solid midfield reinforcements with Ziani and Kahlenburg, however, we’re looking to bolster our attack (as we shouldn’t put all of our striking options in the hands of Grafite and Džeko).

Our prospect: Nilmar Honorato da Silva, or more simply, Nilmar.

Nilmar, 25, currently plays for Internacional, where he started his career. He signed for Lyon, had a mediocre first season, was loaned out to Corinthians and when he returned to Lyon–despite a good season in Brazil–he found himself playing fifth-fiddle behind four established forwards in Fred, Sylvain Wiltord, Milan Baroš, and Sidney Govou.

Corinthians owed him two million dollars in back wages, so he opted out of his contract. Since, Nilmar has played for his old club Internacional and has been the prospect of many top European clubs. Most notably, a hot prospect for Manchester United after the Ronaldo deal. This would be a prudent signing, but our management remains tight-lipped. More when the story breaks.

In the Volkswagen SuperCup, our Wolves were narrowly beaten 1-2 (0-1) by Werder Bremen, The goals on the night were scored by Per Mertesacker (20’), Grafite (66’) and Clemens Fritz (81’).

Both Wolfsburg and Bremen benched star players. Džeko was not even in the reserves, as he sat watching in what looked to be a purple American Apparel polo. The first half was a very mediocre showing for our boys, with Mertesacker slipping in a cheeky header past Hitz; well, he is only 21.

Bremen had the upper hand in the early phases of the game at the Arena and took a deserved lead after 20 minutes when Per Mertesacker pounced to poke a loose ball past Marwin Hitz in the “Wolves” goal, following a Bremen corner. The home side’s best chance of the first period fell to “stand-in” captain Zvjezdan Misimovic, the Wolves’ man of the match in my opinion, who came close with a powerful drive from distance (26’), but the visitors took their narrow lead into the break. In the 66th minute, Grafite finally levelled things up for VfL. The Brazilian forced his way past two Werder defenders in a race to meet a long ball forward and then slotted home clinically from just outside the box to make it 1-1. The finish was nice, but I think Bremen’s keeper was distracted by Grafite’s eye bandage.

Clemens Fritz took on a pass from Martin Harnik in the penalty area and the right full-back drove a powerful shot into the top of the net, leaving Marwin Hitz no time to react (81’). In the 90th minute, Hitz had his time in the sun (finally), making an excellent penalty save from Werder veteran Torsten Frings, but in the end, the Wolves had to accept a 1-2 defeat.

Watch the extended highlights before FIFA snags it off youtube.

It’s been a long hot transfer season for every league but the Bundesliga. Sure, we have our weekly Real unveiling of Kaká, Ronaldo, that other guy, or Benzema, but our Fußball-Bundesliga has been relatively stale given the recent dynamism of the market.

I think we had some good moves early on: Gomez and Tymoshchuk to Bayern; and Marin to Werder; the endless talk about Ribéry. But the push for Europe’s elite to lay their grubby paws on our boy Edin Džeko has come to something of a momentary stalemate. As Milan turns its gaze to Fabiano and Huntelaar, it seems old Edin just may have to stay and pout. This doesn’t mean Wolfsburg have to settle on lackluster prima donna want-aways all season (cough, CR7, Adebayor, cough)…

We’ve two new initiates thus far:
Thomas Kahlenberg and Karim Ziani

Kahlenburg is a non-flashy attacking mid with a good vision and technique who starts alongside Poulsen for the Denmark national team. Wolfsburg picked him up from Auxerre where he’s had just over a hundred starts over the past four years. While international studies show Denmark is the happiest nation in the world, international football shows us that this Nicklas Bendtner is also a regular starter for Denmark. Put bluntly, Denmark shows like a YMCA team internationally, but Kahlenburg should be a solid reinforcement.

As for Ziani, it may be telling that there are more photos in a google-image search of him with his porsche than him actually playing ball. That harsh reality confronted, Ziani is French-born Algerian who plays for the Algerian national team and was a regular starter for Eric Gerrets’ starting XI at Marseille. Just a couple days ago, it was confirmed that Wolfsburg had splashed a cool €7 million on the Algerian. I’ve seen him play for Marseille in domestic and international club competition, and I must say, he also seems like a judicious reinforcement. Again, nothing flashy, but a midfielder who can get the ball to our big guys up top.

“Talks on a new contract with Wolfsburg are currently underway. If I get what I have asked for I will most likely stay there for another year.”

That aside, with Manchester City sniffing around, the asking price of £9m could make a sizable jump to the point that it would be impossible for Wolfsburg to turn down. With Man City’s attempt to sign Carlos Tevez suffering some growing pains, it is very possible the Wolfsburg could see a bidding war erupt for the Sarajevo native.

After considerable thought this will serve as my final post. If you care to apply for this blog please contact Daryl with The Offside (click here) after reviewing the guidelines at www.theoffside.com/bloggers.

Edin Džeko was named Germany’s footballer of the year in the professionals poll, as reported by Football media giant Kicker with teammate Grafite finishing second.

The twenty-three year old Sarajevo native joined Wolfsburg from Czech side FK Teplice and has quickly emerged as a deadly scorer, notching twenty-six goals during the recent campaign.

Felix Magath, now of Schalke, was honoured as top coach.

Now of-course the big question for all Wolfsburg supporters, can they keep the young Bosnian sharpshooter?

Inheriting the Bundesliga Champions, the new leader said:

“I’m delighted to be taking over this team, which just two days ago became German champions. It’s a wonderful and appealing, if at the same time difficult, task – but I know how to deal with that! I believe that this team has a lot of potential. It’s a young side that will have a lot of success in the future too.”

If there was any doubt of Wolfsburg’s focus, that ended within minutes of the opening whistle. Die Wölfe are rich with hero’s this year and none better than Zvjezdan Misimović to start the scoring only six minutes in as he poached on a rebound from Makoto Hasebe’s and sent the ball in from nine metres. Nine minutes later the margin was doubled as Christian Gentner outworked the opposition to the left and after creating space near the byline he crossed to Grafite to the near post, who turned the ball in deftly. Still pressing Wolfsburg’s day was near complete at the twenty-fifth minute as Grafite’s cross from the right was turned in by Bremen’s Sebastian Prödl for an own-goal making it 3-0. Six minutes later Diego gave Bremen hope, scoring from the right via a brilliant provision by Claudio Pizzaro but that was as close as it would get as Wolfsburg added second-half goals by Grafite and Edin Džeko. Four minutes before the hour Zvjezdan Misimović’s long diagonal free-kick from the right was sent in by Grafite and to cap the day off perfectly the Bosnia and Herzegovina international team chipped a perfect cross that his compatriot volleyed in to bring the match to the final 5-1 mark.

The celebration has only started but the impact of Wolfsburg winning the Bundesliga title is profound. While their are undoubtedly many changes to the club coming, starting first with Felix Magath’s departure to Schalke, it is a time for rejoicing for all Wolfsburg fans and for that matter, all Bundesliga supporters for a glorious campaign.

For Bremen it is the most peculiar of matches. A brilliant side that has fallen unceremoniously in the depths of the middle table, threatening the positions of long-term men Thomas Schaaf and Klaus Allofs. Heading into the final week, after the painful added-time loss to Shakhtar Donetsk in Istanbul, Bremen has a chance to deal the ultimate hand of the “spoiler” prior to next weeks DFB Pokal final against Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Whether they are capable of a concerted effort that could deal Wolfsburg its first loss of the year at home remains to be seen but they are without a doubt capable. The showdown waits as Bremen playmaker Diego, in his Bundesliga swansong before heading to Juventus, will hold the cards to the visitors success.

The home side with its randy bunch of goalscoring phenoms, Edin Džeko, Grafite and Zvjezdan Misimović, must go beyond showing a morsel of ice-water in their veins but instead a champions cunning ability to close out the competition. It is the most complex of all skills, the killer instinct to finish the competition off and rise to the top. Many are great competitors but one only can be called champion.

And so this campaign ends with a brilliant finish, the rare chance to see a side climb to the top of the league with only one step remaining. In its way, a storied side, nay institution, waits to steal away their dreams only to let Bayern or Stuttgart to pull off the ultimate of last-minute jobs. Regardless of the outcome it is the grandest of days to be a fan as the final scene plays out.