After every World Cup, clubs from around the world are always trying to capture the latest talent who have shined on the world’s stage. And a player that a lot of clubs, including Manchester City, are keeping a close eye on is Landon Donovan who showed a lot of skill and composure under pressure to lead his US team to a successful World Cup campaign.

When players talk in the press about transfer speculation, there are definitely coded words they use to send messages to other clubs and agents. In a recent interview that appeared in the British media today, Donovan dropped some major hints regarding his intentions to play abroad again. Everton is reportedly interested in signing him on a permanent deal, but it sounds like Donovan is telling the other interested clubs to “come and get me” in hopes of starting up a bidding war to land Donovan a lucrative contract. Here are his quotes today along with my interpretation of what I believe he means:

“Right now I want to be in America, I absolutely love being here and I love getting back to my team-mates.” Translation: Landon Donovan is under contract to LA Galaxy and Major League Soccer, but that’s only “right now.” If the right offer came along, he and his agent would seriously consider it.

“As you know I never say never to anything and right now rumors are rumors.” Translation: Come and get me. Right now, there are no firm offers on the table and it’s all transfer speculation in the newspapers, but that’s just right now.

“And if there is something serious to look at then I will, but for now I am very excited to be home.” Translation: I’m under contract to LA Galaxy and Major League Soccer, but I’m very interested in reviewing any serious offers from clubs worldwide.

What do you think? Which European club should he join where it would be a good fit for him and his club? Share your opinion in the comments section below.

Say what you will about David Beckham, but at least the man isn’t on Twitter.

Too bad in a way, because Beckham epitomizes the Internet age.  Thirty years ago, football’s ignominious sideshow used to be known only to players and pub owners; today, David Beckham has made the 24 hour netnews tabloid periphery the main event.  Or rather, he hasn’t per se.  Had he married a twenty-six year old accounting executive and never dropped by the hair salon, it’s very likely we’d view David Beckham much in the same way as we view any aging England star—nice that he’s still chugging away, but when will he secure that TV pundit deal and drop out already?

And no, this isn’t just another David Beckham harangue.  The man is on the verge of breaking Bobby Moore’s venerable record of 108 England caps.  John Terry has openly spoken of giving him the armband if he gets subbed on against Slovakia.  This after he’s already quieted, if not silenced completely, his critics by playing well with AC Milan after a dubious pair of seasons with the LA Galaxy.  Even though, like the late George Best remarked, the man can’t score, dribble, or mark to save his life, all he’s got is that right foot.

But what a foot! Many fans under twenty might think a player like Beckham would be inconceivable playing for the fluid, short-passing United of the late naughts, but as Rob Smyth pointed out today, his partnership with Scholes, Giggs and Keane was for a time the most effective midfield in English football.  His foot brought qualification to England for WC 2002, and, via Shearingham and Solskjaer, won Manchester United a European Cup.

So why all the animosity?  It can’t be because he’s been overrated; certainly no one worthy of attention has or will ever call him one of the all-time greats.  Some ‘real’ fans hate him because he is the face of ‘sah-ker’ for the unconverted, even while the Leonel Messi’s and Dani Alves’ of the world play a much better game at a much younger age with relatively little outside regard.  To others, he simply represents everything wrong with modern football—sponsorship, ad deals, money, his b-list celebrity wife and chavish looks, fame without the once requisite talent to justify it.  They regard him as soccer’s Paris Hilton.

Perhaps.  To them, I would only say that in thirty years time, no one, outside of some nineties/naughts retrospective, will care about Victoria or sunglasses or 100 million dollar transfer deals to North American bush leagues.  They will remember the football.  It wasn’t always great, but whether it was or it wasn’t, at least the man was dedicated.

And didn’t feel the need to Tweet about it.

While you’re enjoying EPL Talk, don’t forget to check out the sister sites in our network for a taste of German, Italian, Spanish, European and American soccer.

Bundesliga Talk has the statistics comparing Schalke to Atletico Madrid for the most enticing Champions League third round qualifying match. Another new article written by Bundeliga Talk correspondent Mark Moll is a piece on the new manager at Hamburger SV, Martin Jol, who lost 2-1 yesterday against Real Madrid in the 2008 Emirates Cup in London.

Prolific writer Lonnie Smetana at Champions League Talk has been busy previewing the most exciting matches in the Champions League third qualifying round stage, the latest transfer market activity in Europe and a roundup of the results from the third round of the Intertoto Cup.

If you’re a fan of Major League Soccer, Kartik Krishnaiyer writes on a near daily basis at Major League Soccer Talk about topics such as Cory Gibbs who may be heading to LA Galaxy, the list of MLS players playing in the Olympics, how the Mexican players are notorious sore losers when they get defeated by US club sides and/or the national team, and a very interesting article entitled, Does SuperLiga Have A Future?

Over at Serie A Talk, Kevin Walker has an interesting article about the Italian connection at Bordeaux, as well as rumors about Tiago leaving Juventus.

Yours truly has written an article about the Spanish influence at Swansea City under the website Championship Talk. Shakira Graham meanwhile writes about one of the best supported clubs in England, Derby County.

If you’re a fan of the world’s game, be sure to check out the sister sites on a regular basis.