Planet Soccer

This move should be good for Anelka! He can join up with all his compatriots as they get on the case of the ref. Nonetheless astonishing that clubs have paid such prices for him. But 11 goals during the first half of this season does speak for itself.
Cheers

Regardless of him havig a temper problems with coaches, teamates, fans etc. Anelka is what he is. A talented fierce striker who provides goals and that is why soo many clubs have been interested in him throughout this time. As for him being worth 30 million hey, thats chelseas problem not his. Lets not forget that Drogba has already stated that he will not re-sign with chelsea after june when his contract ends, so if chelsea signed anelka for that much is for a reason, that reason is to replace their current top goal scorer Drogba. I think its the perfect opportunity for him as a player scratch everything the media has written about his temper at other clubs etc and do what he does best, score goals an win tittles for chelsea. In my opinion it was a good move from chelseas part and great way for anelka to gain the respect he probably doesn't deserve yet, but can deffenetly gain it.

Maybe some facts would help.
Do you think the moody Anelka would have fouled general managers and their millions for ten long years? Planet soccer knows he is a good, hard-working, respectful (if respected), talented player...just not your typical one off the field. Ok, he has had eight teams but if you don’t count short transfer loans, that's 6 in 13 seasons, not that bad.
Only one consistent season ten years ago with Arsenal? That was 17 goals in 1999. He scored 17 and 15 with Manchester City in the 2003 and 2004 and never less than 10 per season since then (that's four seasons in a row) Let’s not forgets his great passing game, which is a big part of his game.
He also helped Fenerbahçe to win the championship they were running after for years the season he joined them, and same with Real Madrid and the Champions League back then in 2000 when he solely qualified them for the final with two crucial goals although he didn’t get along with the coach.
Yes, Anelka was young and moody in 2000 (he won the Euro that year too) He paid the price also for saying what he thought of some coaches and burned some bridges with the national team thus no world cup in 2002. But for the last five years, he has had a low profile and deserves to be where he is at. Comment like yours belong to the past, way back then.
Now, and for the last two years, he is been a key, consistent element with the French Squad actively participating to his team’s qualification for the Euro.
Opinions are good, just make sure you can back them up, something Anelka learned a long time ago because he too was a little too feisty in his comments (2000 was a learning curve: not easy to keep a low profile when you’re very young, good looking, millionaire, famous, talented and wanted)
Watch Anelka during the Champions league…

up till this day i don't understand whay John is called a soccer expert, the opinions are very amateur, Anelka is top notch Striker, does he have a temperament? absolutely, so does Rooney, I still would have enjoyed watching Anelka in Arsenal Colours, he does not have the best of relationships with managers and maybe fellow players, but time and again he produced great goals, he probably hasn't had the chance to play for a top european club because of his temper, on anyday he is the player you want on your team, Chelsea have made a wise investment, that was a bargain for them, how much did they splash for Shev? I can gurantee you Anelka is gonna prove worth more than Shev on anyday at any time.

In my oppinion most clubs haven't give him enough time to play and accomodate.Because the guy is outspoken and shows his attitude and...boom you are on the bench. So what he is a good player and gets the job done and that's the bottom line.I hope that Chelsea's coach is smarter and learn how to get the best of him because he could be a scoring machine let me tell ya.

Just for the record, Anelka has been declared the third most hated athlete in France after Michael Schumacher and Lance Armstrong (2-3 years ago). He's a prima donna who's always deceived when the expectations were high (Real Madrid / Euro 2000 that's right, he won euro 2000 by watching from the bench, couldn't earn a spot with his play in the firts games). "Planet soccer" also knows that there are tens of strikers worth Anelka.

Jose Mourinho would have not made the move for Anelka!

Without the blank cheque that is Roman Abramovich, the three stooges that are Bruce Buck, Peter Kenyon, and Avram Grant would be operating or managing beer-league football.

If Chelsea really wanted value returned for their investment, they could have secured the in-form and underrated Marcus Bent from Wigan for half of what they paid for Anelka! And get this, Bent will probably score just as many goals for the lowly Wigan the remainder of this year as Anelka will playing for the bloated Chelsea. Imagine that!

Yet after absorbing Ashley Cole, Michael Ballick, Claudio Pizarro, and Andriy Shevchenko especially, Anelka's acquistion should come as no shock.

You would think with that same blank cheque that Chelsea is, they would have at least made an effort to acquire who is really the most complete striker in the game today - Karim Benzema!!

there are little person who are concessive. and Anelka is one of them. i know anelka very well for he played football in turkey. you can not estimate what's adding to fenerbahce. discipline is require all of team. but for a moody stiker like anelka teams should give require time. and that team will sum good result. i think chelsea make good job that it complete this transfer.

Well, Anelka is certainly an odd personality, and he will clash with people from time to time, but players like this often settle down a bit when placed in a situation where they can succeed - Anelka has sulked since being discarded by Liverpool and having to scrape by in the football wilderness since. He has seemed to largely clean up his act over the past while, though.

Placed in context, though, he isn't such a terrible investment. The proof of that is in the very stats quoted above - teams invested in him but then got a load back in return, so while the most expensive player in history he has also been, by that logic, the best investment in world soccer history.

15 million is steep, no question, but he's a proven scorer in England (which is rare and at a huge premium). Also, I'm pretty sure he's eligible for Champions League. Add that up and he's probably the most attractive January striker around, warts and all.

As usual your article is a piece of lies , Anelka is a talented striker and he will AGAIN proove it. You dont seem to know something about soccer.

Once again Chelsea have proven their ability to purchase the flavour of the month. Well done

I have supported Arsenal since early seventies. Anelka is a talented striker. At Chelsea he will play with top footballers and should do very well. Nicky did very well for us in 1998-1999 and I am still a big fan of his

Wait a minute please ! Mr. John Molinaro : are you kidding me ?

Like Gooner from Saskatoon i wonder if you really are the football expert you pretend to be....

Anelka is one of the most talented striker of the world since his early seventeen regardless of his temperament and bad conduct.

Very skilled ,rapidity, vision, habilities right-left foot, head plays....i can't believe you can make this kind of comment Mr. Molinaro.

All the coaches in the world have always tried to sign Anelka despite his behaviour wich is not a model to follow i agree.