Damallsvenskan Newsblog

Umeå IK today announced that they have reached an agreement on a one year contract with Denmark's winger/forward Johanna Rasmussen, presently playing for Fortuna Hjørring in Denmark's premier league. Umeå's Andrée Jeglertz calls Rasmussen a super signing and in particular mentions her "speed and her sensitive left foot". Rasmussen says that going to Umeå is "a wonderful challenge and a great opportunity".
24 year old Johanna Rasmussen was approached by Umeå already before the 2007 season, but didn't want to change clubs and leave Denmark just before the World Cup. She is Umeå's first new signing for 2008, but it is expected that she will be followed be more.
Västerbottens Folkblad: UIK värvar dansk stjärna

At the other end of the Damallsvenskan spectrum, newcomers Kristianstads DFF are close to signing Göteborg's goalkeeper Maria Edman. Kristianstad's sport director Ulf Berglund says that the 23 year old won't give any answer until after the season is finished, but adds that they have met in Kristianstad and that she is pleased with the club and the club is pleased with her.
Berglund also confirms that he still is in talks with Erla Arnardottír (last club Jersey Sky Blue in USA) and Therese Björck (Qbik) and will have former Malmö attacker Mia Westerbladh (now Stattena) and Husie's defender Therese Persson on trial. He finally conforms that he has initiated contacts with "two younger, but still well-qualified players", just on the verge of the US national team.
Kristianstadsbladet: KDFF på jakt efter amerikanska spelare

AIK's and Finland's experienced forward Laura Kalmari has played her last match, at least for a while. She is pregnant with the baby expected in February. She is unsure about her future in football, but a come-back doesn't seem completely out of the question. Finland's national team coach Michael Käld has told her that he is hoping she will play for Finland in the European Championship 2009 and Kalmari has promised to think about it.
Damfotboll.com: Därför spelar Laura Kalmari inte mer i år

Anne Mäkinen is still very much in demand on the Swedish player market. She has an offer to renew her contract with Bälinge and she has been in talks with Umeå and Linköping as well as Stockholm sides Djurgården and AIK. But she probably won't move far from the Stockholm area, where she has her studies, which makes a return to Umeå or a move to Linköping less likely. Bälinge's manager Conny Sjöberg expects an answer from Mäkinen next week.
Upsala Nya Tidning: Mäkinen - stannar eller går?

Another undecided player is Umeå's Lise Klaveness, who just has finished her law degree. "I really like it here in Umeå [...] I would like to combine football and work and I think it will be easier to find a job in Norway." She has recieved a contract proposal from Norwegian top side Asker and is waiting for one from Umeå.
Västerbottens Folkblad. Lise Klaveness står inför ett svårt beslut

Jenny Engwall, under contract with LDB FC Malmö but on loan to Kopparbergs/Göteborg the entire season, will not sign a new contract with Malmö: "If I continue to play, it will be in Göteborg", says the 30 year old defender. She has had a very good season in Göteborg, starting every match, and has also recieved an offer from the club. She says she is excited by the prospect of playing for Göteborg's new coach Torbjörn Nilsson, but would like a better contract.
Sydsvenskan: Inget mer spel i Malmö för Engwall

Linköping's and Sweden's defender Charlotte Rohlin has renewed her contract. Club manager Anders Mäki now has 13 players signed for 2008, 5 of them potential national team players.
Corren: Rohlin blir kvar i LFC

Linköping FC's winger/fullback Maria Karlsson has renewed her contract with the club, turning down offers from Örebro and AIK.
Daniela di Luca from Linköping's farm team Kenty, who has been starting for Linköping the last few matches, will probably get an offer for a contract with Linköping's Damallsvenskan team.
Corren: Karlsson stannar i LFC 

Hammarby's young defender Anna Lindblom, who was brought up from the youth team this season, has signed a contract for 2008.
Hammarby: Anna Lindblom även 2008

Marina Toscana Aggio, defender and key player with Umeå Södra, is hoping for an improved contract after the club has promoted to the premier division. Marina, who came to Sweden 2004 together with Marta, played professionally with Själevad in Damallsvenskan the two first years, but has since worked full time while playing for Umeå Södra in the second tier. She says she wants to come back next season, but needs a contract that allows her to take more time off from work.
Västerbottenskuriren: Marina är spelsugen - men vill slippa städa

Sunnanå's leading goalscorer Lina Johansson has signed a new one year contract with her club, making it the 26 year old's 10th season in the club.
Norra Västerbotten: Lina spelar ett år till

Sunnanå is also looking at 17 year old Matilda Forslund, successful midfielder with 6 goals and 10 assists for promoted Umeå Södra FF. Forslund, who is trying out with Sunnanå, is from Sunnanå's home town Skellefteå.
Norra Västerbotten: Matilda klar för allsvenskan

Lovisa Hübinette scored 20 goals for 2nd division side IFK Gävle as the club promoted to the 1st division and has attracted some attention from other clubs. Bälinge's Zaine Söderlund says the 19 year old is a "young and promising player that we have been in touch with", but adds that doesn't mean that they have decided to offer her any contract.
Upsala nya tidning:  Bälinge uppvaktar skyttedrottning

Former Djurgården coach Benny Persson has signed a three year contract with AIK. Persson, who has a history coaching AIK's men's development team, says he's proud being asked and is looking forward to take AIK's women to the top.
Persson has extensive experience coaching men's team just below the two top divisions and took Djurgården's women to one third and two second places during his two and half year stay. AIK's Peter Johansson says that "we have been looking for an experienced and competent coach and with Benny we have a coach that knows women's football well and knows what it takes to be a top team".
This announcement also means that Pia Sundhage, who was on the short-list and met with AIK's management last week, still is available for other positions.
AIK: Klart med ny tränare för damlaget
Damfotboll.com: Benny Persson ny tränare i AIK

Another of Kristianstad's prospects, Icelandic national team player Erla Arnadottir, played a few fall matches with the team before she moved north to Skellefteå (Sunnanå's home town). "Both I and the club wants to see me playing for Kristianstad next year, but my girlfriend is living in Skellefteå so it's not just up to me", comments Arnadottir. And if she should end up in Skellefteå, Sunnanå, where she has played before, might be an alternative.
Kristianstadsbladet: Björk återigen aktuell för Kristianstads DFF, Erla har återvänt till Skellefteå

Umeå's Roland Arnqvist was at Visby and watched Sweden's 18 year olds losing to Germany 0-2. The players that prompted his trip are Öster's Petronella Ekroth and Sofia Jakobsson and Eskilstuna's Sara Fröjdfeldt. Coach Jeglertz has stated that he "wants them on the team next season". Arnqvist also denies that Denmark's Cathrine Paaske Sörensen should be close to signing for Umeå - "There is no truth in that, we haven't talked with her or about her".
Västerbottens Folkblad: UIK-bas har åkt på scoutresa

Marika Domanski Lyfors and Pia Sundhage, head coach and assistant coach for China's natioanl team, has decided to decline the offer from China to extend their contract over the Olympic games 2008. "They [China] have done everything they can to make us stay, but they respect and understand our decision", commented Marika Domanski Lyfors. Marika cites family reasons - she has a teenage son and has only been in Sweden four times the last six months. She has several job offers in Sweden, but refuse to comment on if any of these offers are from Damallsvenskan clubs.
Pia Sundhage has several job options, as have been reported here earlier. The decision of US Soccer to look for a new head coach to replace Greg Ryan has put her as one of the front runners for a position with the USA women's national team. Asked a few hypothetical questions by the Swedish women's football news site Damfotboll.com, she says that coaching USA's women would be a great challenge, and she would accept an offer. She also says that she would like to change the way USA plays and see a more varied play from the team, one that doesn't solely rely on pace.
Aftonbladet: Nobbar Kina
Expressen: Domanski Lyfors och Sundhage hoppar av
Damfotboll.com: USA nästa för Pia?

Victoria Svensson today announced that she has signed a new two year deal with Djurgården. "Linköping offered a good and interesting deal, but so did Djurgården. The contract with Djurgården feels like a dream deal". She is satisfied with the financial side, but it seems like Djurgården's promises of a continued career with the club after she finishes playing was the deal breaker. Djurgården's manager Mikael Söderman is of course very pleased when the club increases their ambitions for coming seasons.
Aftonbladet: "Vickan" stannar i Djurgården
Expressen: Drömkontrakt får "Vickan att stanna

Pia Sundhage and Marika Lyfors Domanski will shortly give an answer to the Chinese Football Association regarding their future as coaches for the Chinese national team. The Chinese FA seems eager to keep them, but both of them has aired some doubts. For Marika it is family reasons (her son is in the last year in highschool) and Pia has experienced some health problems in China. Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet investigeted a rumour connecting Sundhage with AIK: "I haven't been contacted directly, but I saw that [AIK's former head coach] Jörgen [Zetterström] got fired". What do you mean with that you haven't been asked directly, the paper asked. "Well, you know how the word gets around. People have been talking to me."
Pia has also, in an interview with Göteborgsposten, revealed that she has been contacted by both US Soccer and college teams in USA. She said that there were no concrete proposals, but denied to comment on wether the US women's national team had been in touch.
Aftonbladet: AIK jagar Sundhage
Göteborgsposten: Sundhage erbjuds tränarjobb i USA

Recently promoted Umeå Södra FF is looking at Finland's 22 year national team goalkeeper Minna Merilouto. Their goalkeeper coach went to Finland to watch the match between Merilouto's FC United and Raisio in the Finnish league. Umeå Södra's manager Ola Carlén says that the vclub has decided that they want to sign her.
Västerbottens Folkblad: Umeå Södra kan värva finsk landslagsmålvakt

Västerbottenskuriren: UIK jagar nyförvärv till truppen, Nöjd Söberg blir kvar i UIK, Södras stjärnskott: "I Södra vet jag att jag får speltid i allsvenskan"
Västerbottens Folkblad: Söberg fortsätter i UIK, Emma vill spela i UIK

Norway's midfield star Ingvild Stensland says she will renew her contract with Koopparbergs/Göteborg: "It will be exciting with Torbjörn Nilsson as coach". Stensland, who had the early part of the season destryod by a knee injury and got fit just in time for the World Cup, also says that she wants to be able to play a little bt more for the club.
Göteborgsposten: Ingvild Stensland kvar i Göteborg FC

Göteborg's other star, Lotta Schelin, says she doesn't want to comment on her contract situation until she has signed a contract, "but if I decide to leave Göteborg I've got some alternatives". It also seems like her decision will be wether she wants to stay in her hometown Göteborg or not. Incoming head coach Torbjörn Nilsson, who now has had some time to get to know the team, says he hopes Schelin will stay.
Göteborgsposten: Lotta Schelin säger ingenting

Some non-Göteborg news:

My Axelsson, who has been the back-up for Qbik's goalkeeper Maria Yatrakis, will leave the club after this season and probably return to her old club Eskilstuna United, that plays in the 1st division.
Eskilstunakuriren: My Axelsson flyttar hem

Bälinge has signed four year contracts with four 17 year old juniors in the club: Emilia Appelqvist, Alexandra Höglund, Jenny Jansson, Julia Lyckberg. Even if they have mostly played in Bälinge's farm team, all of them have seen some Damallsvenskan action this season. "It takes time to build a good team and you need patience" said head coach Zaine Söderlund, who also has signed a long term contract with the club. Bälinge has used a lot of foreign players the last years, but manager Conny Sjöberg says that was neccesary to gain promotion and establish the club in the premier. He now wants young players with roots in the community but admits the team will still need to sign experienced players from other clubs.
Upsala Nya Tidning:  Fyra 17-åringar fick fyraårskontrakt
Damfotboll.com: Fyra lovande 17-åringar har fått fyraårskontrakt

Sunnanå's young winger/forward Maria Nordbrandt, who finished just outside Dennerby's World Cup team, is reported to be close to signing with Kif Örebro. The ability to get the education she wants in Örebro seems to have been the tiebreaker.
Nerikes Allehanda: Sunnanåstjärnan: "Mycket talar för Örebro"

Linköping's forward Maria Aronsson (8 caps with the full national team) is one of the few that hasn't resigned with the club and is rumoured to be listening to offers from AIK, Bälinge and Hammarby. And so are Linköping's full-back/midfielder Maria Karlsson (8 national team caps) and young forward Sandra Landgren, who has arranged a try-out at AIK.
Corren: Allsvenska klubbar jagar Aronsson

Umeå Södra, that had a cooperation agreement with Umeå IK until last year, might find it difficult to compete for local players and sponsor money with the bigger club. Umeå IK is already eyeing their young midfield talent Hanna Folkesson. Umeå Södra's first target was on the other hand retired Anna Sjöström, mostly known as a UIK player, but she actually started her career in Umeå Södra. The former national team star's answer was hesitant, but she added "If I should feel the urge to play again, I'll get in touch". Other local players that the newcomers has expressed interest in are also mostly UIK players; June Pedersen, Erika Karlsson and Johanna Andersson (currently Jitex, but has played with both Umeå IK and Umeå Södra). One of the team's key players the last two seasons has been Marina Aggio, an accomplished defender who came to Umeå 2004 as an older companion to the then 17 year old Marta. She hopes that it will be possible for the club to hire another Brazilian, but the club's budget for 2008 looks very tight, somewhere around SEK 1,5 millions. The management hopes that continuing working the way that finally secured promotion, using mainly young, local players, will help them through their first Damallsvenskan season too.
Västerbottens Folkblad: Södra vill övertala Sjöa, Södra söker spetsar,

Kristianstads DFF began strengthening the team already this season, recruiting from Malmö's bench and signing Icelandic international Erla Arnadottir. Kopparbergs/Göteborg's goalkeeper Maria Edman seems to be their next signing. The former U21 goalkeeper says three years in Göteborg is enough and wants to move closer to her home back south. And the club is also claiming they are in talks with a young American player, "that finished just outside the US World Cup team". Not many players fit this description, and two of them are in Sweden; Örebro's Keeley Dowling and AIK's Kacey White. White refused to comment on her future when she was interviewed after her winning goal against Bälinge last weekend. But if she decides to play a third season in Sweden, she really ought to be able to find better teams than the likes of AIK or Kristianstad, commented the interviewer from Bälinge's local paper UNT.
Norra Skåne: KDFF jagar Göteborgs målvakt

Just to make a short recap, Umeå manager Roland Arnqvist met with Marta's agent Fabiano Farah when Brazil guested Umeå before the World Cup. Farah stated that Marta wants to stay in Umeå, but her decision would be dependent of what kind of offer Umeå can put on the table.

Marta's performance in the World Cup, not the least in the match against USA, probably had something to do with what happened next. The AEG group, owner of the MLS club LA Galaxy and behind the Los Angeles franchise in the new US women's league (but in Sweden simply called David Beckham's club), was reported to have contacted Marta with a, for women's football, huge offer. An 8 or maybe 10 years long contract worth something like US$ 2-3 millions, starting immedeately after the Olympic Games in China 2008. "There is no way we can compete with that kind of money" was Arnqvist's reaction, but added that Marta has turned down bigger money than Umeå has been able to offer before. Marta herself said that the offer from AEG was "interesting", but that she had matches to play before she would make up her mind.

The next step was that Umeå increased their bid, offering Marta somewhere close to SEK 100,000 a month. This is on the other hand more than the club can afford, so they started a fundraising campaign, targeting both local business and individuals. "Marta has done more to put Umeå on the map then any other individual" argued manager Arnqvist, who already has managed to get promises from a couple of local companies.

The new offer from Umeå apparently pleased Marta and her agent. Newspapers quoted them saying that they are 90 % in agreement with Umeå. But 10 % can still be a lot and manager Arnqvist denied in a short press statement that there was any agreement: "It is no news that all concerned parties wants an extension. [..] But from there it can still be a long road to an agreement."

Västerbottenskuriren: "USA skulle vara intressant", UIK startar insamling för Marta, Marta funderar på USA-budet, Marta får över en miljon i lön
Västerbottens Folkblad: Arnqvist dementerar Marta-rykte
Dagens Nyheter: Insamling ska rädda Marta kvar i Umeå, Marta stannar i Umeå
SVT: Marta INTE klar för Umeå (video)