Food For Thought: David Beckham To Manchester City - Is It Feasible?

Can Manchester City Pull Off The Beckham Coup?

Goal.com exclusively revealed on Tuesday that Premier League side Manchester City are eager to pull David Beckham to the Eastlands. City completed the signing of Carlos Tevez, formerly at city-rivals Manchester United, on Tuesday and have now hinted that they could launch a mega-offer for Beckham.

Of course, at the moment it sounds ridiculous to suggest that Beckham would ever play for Man City, given that he is a Manchester United legend and City are United's rivals. But then again, no one ever genuinely believed that Beckham would leave Old Trafford, only for that conviction to be booted out as the once-upon-a-time world's most famous footballer now of course displaced by Cristiano Ronaldo became a Real Madrid Galactico.

Beckham, though, insists that he will see out his contract with MLS side LA Galaxy. Yet, after what happened with AC Milan last season when he managed to outstretch his original loan stay at the San Siro must have convinced the Man City men-in-suits that Beckham can be cajoled to play outside the MLS soon. There is no suspicion that Beckham enjoyed his stint with Milan in the second half of last season, his statements often betraying the fact that Beckham was missing playing in Europe.

Now, joining Man City would not give Beckham a direct ticket to European football but at least he would have a chance to play in the Champions League again. Beckham would be back playing in the Premier League and would be back enjoying his football. As much a media pleasing, iconic personality Beckham is, there has never been an iota of doubt on the England international's professionalism and hunger to play football.

He might not be a Zinedine Zidane or a Luis Figo but Beckham's effort and professionalism have always made him a role model on the pitch. Although playing in the MLS has fattened his bank account, it has apparently (and understandably) not given him the same joy as playing in Europe did.

But maybe, just maybe, the Premier League club he returns to could be Chelsea. Of course, as Beckham himself admits, going back to Milan between January and June next season is quite feasible but in Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti the 34-year-old has a keen admirer who trained him at the Rossoneri in the second half of the 2008-2009 campaign.

The Most Ridiculous Transfer Rumour Of The Summer.....

Christian Poulsen to FC Barcelona! Catalan daily Sport reports that should Barca coach Josep Guardiola fail to lure Javier Mascherano to Camp Nou before the start of next season, he would sign the Juventus defensive midfielder. And this is difficult to digest.

Barcelona already have a tough, strong, intelligent and somewhat underrated defensive midfielder in Yaya Toure and although there has been genuine interest in Mascherano, believed by many to be the best in the world in his position and by Diego Armando Maradona as a more complete player than Lionel Messi, signing Poulsen doesn't at all sound Barca-like. Sergi Busquets is already a deputy for Toure and has exhibited marvelous maturity and strength of character and he is still 20 years of age.

Poulsen was an important figure at Sevilla between 2006 and 2008 and won the UEFA Cup with the Andalucian side in 2007, but his one-year stint at Juventus was a disaster as he failed to displace Mohamed Sissoko and filled in only when the Malian got injured. Sevilla are a top four side in Spain and Poulsen did deserve to climb up a rung on the ladder and join Juventus last summer but the 2008-2009 campaign showed that the Danish international is perhaps not 'a European giant material'.

Signing Poulsen would be a waste for Barcelona.

Subhankar Mondal