Life After Euro 2008: Transfers, Real and Rumored

After Germany sent the Portuguese packing in the first quarterfinal, there are seven sides left in contention for the Euro 2008 title, and for the other nine, summer has begun. Of course, in football circles, summer means more than just sunshine and margaritas by the pool. Summer is transfer season, and for some of the recent dropouts from Euro 2008, the end of their tournament means they can concentrate on getting just slightly more ridiculously wealthy.

Here are just a few of the Euro 2008 players on the block, and who is interested in picking them up.

Jan Koller to Birmingham City : The 202cm mountain of a striker was unable to make his mark on the European Championships, but seems to have caught the eye of Blues boss Alex McLeish. Big Eck was unable to close the deal and lead Scotland to the Euros, but sees Koller as his ticket back into the Premier League. At 35, though, he’s a gamble, and could be one Turkish keeper’s shove away from a none-too-early retirement.

Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid : We were going to get to him eventually, so what’s the point in waiting until the end? C-Ron wasted about an hour after the match with Germany before opening his mouth and causing more trouble, and though the drama is far from over, his career at Manchester United looks like it just might be. The transfer fee, sure to set records even for a serial consumer of other teams’ talent like Real, will pay for an entire wave of new stars at Old Trafford.

Deco to Chelsea or Inter Milan : The Portugal and Barcelona midfielder has been targeted by Roman and his enormous money bags for a move to Stamford Bridge, but it may be Jose Mourinho who lures him to Italy, not Scolari to England. A bidding war between the two could inflate his value, and either way, Deco gets a Portuguese coach and a ticket out of the chaos at the Camp Nou.

Andreas Isaksson to Galatasaray : The Turkish champions are reportedly looking for a new keeper, and seem quite taken with 26-year-old Sweden #1 Isaksson. Shinawatra hardly needs the money, but he might be willing to sell if he gets sick of keepers as quickly as he does managers. Whether Isaksson is interested in a move to Turkey is anyone’s guess.

Dorin Goian to Werder Bremen or Stuttgart : The Romanian defense was rarely their problem, and center back Goian did nothing in the tournament to turn off his various German suitors. Now that Mutu and company are out of the running, he can play back-and-forth with Bremen and Stuttgart until the price is right. If he prefers a different locale, there is apparently interest from Betis and Lazio.

Gökhan Inler to Arsenal : Arsene Wenger has his eyes all over Euro 2008, picking and choosing the next wave of young talent at the Emirates. He reportedly has 10-million-pound interest in Inler to fill the boots of Mathieu Flamini, but he may hold out for the bigger prize of Russian playmaker Andrei Arshavin.

Today’s quarterfinal between Croatia and Turkey will inevitably release some more sought-after starlets into the insanity of transfer season. Arda Turan, Ivan Rakitic and Niko Kranjcar are all getting widespread interest.