The waiting is over??

The more observant visitors may have noticed that I changed the colour-scheme of the blog yesterday to the colours of the Rossoneri in anticipation of the imminent deal.

The details of the agreement are starting to trickle through and it is thought that Beckham will bear a cost of around £2m himself, and that he will fluctuate bewteen the two clubs over the next year or so. This keeps the marketing people happy as both Milan and The Galaxy will be able to print shirts with Beckham's name on the back. Of course, if the original deal of a 50/50 split on Milan merchandising of Beckham artifacts is intact, he may be able to put a dent in the £2m with shirt sales alone...

Staying at Milan until the end of the Italian season makes him available for England games against Kazakhstan and Andorra. He is then likely to return to LA to train with The Galaxy, but not able to play until after the transfer window closes in July. He will then see out the MLS season and return on loan again next year, probably resuming his role in the team after the Winter transfer window opens.

If all goes well, this could see Beckham as part of the squad that goes to the World Cup in South Africa next summer, possibly returning to LA again to finish off the MLS season. During this time, the family will remain primarily based in Los Angeles. One is just left wondering if this punishing schedule of game after game after game will take it's toll on the 33 year old Beckham, although his fitness is not really in question.

There has been much speculation about Beckham's value as a player as opposed to a marketing tool, but the simple fact is that he would not be on the field for Milan or England if he were not contributing - if he was not on the field, no-one would buy the merchandising. The critics have to accept that some very intelligent football minds are willing to stake their reputation on having Beckham in their side namely Ancelloti and Capello - they are primarily concerned with performance and results and I am sure their judgment is exactly what it should be.