Summer Transfer Window 2017/18 - Rumours & Signings
- Thread starter BaZ87
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Oh come on Shami. We all turn a blind eye when a player is pushing to join our own club. The VvD situation is no different than a 100 other transfers and I was being a bit mischievous with what I said re Keita. Supposedly one of his teammates took him out and he retaliated - I suspect it had nothing to do with a move to Liverpool.
I've joked about it before but as Shami says, it's not possible to own two sides that compete in the same competition. You only have to look at the two Red Bull clubs - in order for them to both be able to compete in the CL Salzburg had to do some major restructuring and iinm (I haven't followed it closely) they're now not owned by RB but they're just sponsoring them.
Are we talking about the same Real that blew £60m(?) on James and just signed a 16 year old for close to £40m? And didn't Barca pay up to £50m(?) on Andre Gomes?
Tbf, as a general rule yes, those clubs don't get bent over quite like a PL side would but there's reasons why. Inflated fees aren't just because of how much money the buying club has - how rich the selling club are too is just as important. As Frank will testify, sides would rather buy from within their own league to minimise the risk of that player settling or adapting which causes a bigger problem to PL sides than it does Real/Barca/Bayern. The TV money here means that no PL side is forced to sell their players any more. Real/Bayern/Barca can go pick off the best players from their leagues with relative ease because most other sides don't have £100m of TV money propping them up and have to be realistic about selling players. It's also far easier for Spanish sides to pick up players straight from South America, where there isn't as much money, than it is a PL side.
The issue for Iheanacho isn't the players in front of him but the type of player he is. Ihenacho's a penalty box/fox in the box striker - he doesn't have the complete game or offer enough outside the 6 yard box to box to have a future under Guardilola. You only have to look at his treatment of Aguero last season to see the demands he has on his strikers.
Completely agree on the Jesus point. In the games he played he really looked like something special and he's the one player I'm actually excited to see next season.
I strongly suspect we haven't put a price on his head, no matter how stupid that price. Unless there's some kind of clause that we don't know of (and I believe all the reports are saying he has no clause in his deal) then I can't see how any deal is possible. We're obviously not actively looking to sell him so even if we could be persuaded to sell him, it would need to be for a fee well beyond his value in today's market.
The same article that claims we want €150m for Coutinho, iinm, is also claiming that Barca aren't prepared to pay more than €80m for him. I can believe the latter part. Barca don't need Coutinho enough to justify paying an extortionate fee - if they can get him for a fair price them I'm sure they are interested but I can't imagine we're going to be very fair and reasonable with them. We don't need the money, there's no clause (as far as we know), there's no sign of him agitating for a move and certainly not to an extent that might force our hand, and given his age, contract length and the way the market is, there's no risk that his value will drop if we keep him for another year or 2.
He's good enough to play regularly at Barca, whether that be in midfield or in the front 3 should Neymar leave - the key is he's not going to be a star for them or important enough to justify paying anything stupid. Imo anyway.
And when did he become injury prone CM?
My view of him is very similar to what I said about James & Sig before. He's a bit of a luxury player - when things are going well, the team is on top and he's getting on the ball a lot he looks good but when things aren't going so well, he's not got everybody playing to his strengths and/or in the biggest games, he's too often a passenger. Tbf, in that respect Poch has improved him a bit and he's more willing to put a bit of a shift in but he's often (iinm) the one Poch subs off in those bigger/more difficult moments.
That's a surprise, if true.
The man that's never used a capital letter in his life is giving out English lessons
I wouldn't bet on that. How true the reports are I don't know but even reports coming out of Spain and Brazil are saying that Coutinho isn't agitating for a move and the club have shown previously, when in a far weaker position and players have acted up, that they won't just cave in and sell a player. It would take a stupid offer from Barca to make us consider selling, which I don't think they'll make and even if they did, given the difficulties we're having signing the players we want, I suspect the answer will still be no.
I'd suggest that most times, as soon as a player realises he's not getting his move he gets back to business. In fact I can barely think of a time where a player hasn't and a club keeping a player against his wishes has backfired.
Suarez had a release clause, Coutinho by all accounts doesn't. The season before when Suarez kicked up a fuss and wanted to leave, he didn't get his way. People also forget that Mascherano wanted to join Barca the summer before he did and we point blank refused to sell him too.
We're in a far stronger position in every possible way than we were when we refused to sell Suarez (and Masch) and if it takes anything less than an absolute mental offer (assuming he has no clause) then I'd be stunned.
Not only a limited footballer but he's about to turn 29 too. In real terms, £40-45m is quite possibly the most expensive transfer of the summer so far.
Klopp did exactly that. He said Coutinho isn't for sale, he spoke with him and said that he's more than happy & comfortable at Liverpool. He even said that despite being clear on this, he knows it's not going to stop the speculation.
As omnom says, we're not going to report Barca because we do the exact same thing, as do every single major club.
edit: Klopp asked about Coutinho again in his press-conference:
"He is NOT available for sale. There is no other interpretation of that."
What? There's a very good chance it's true and as above, I'm certain that it happens in the vast majority of signings. Club won't go through the long drawn out process of trying to agree a deal with the selling club without knowing whether the player wants to join them and what their demands are. How difficult would it be for a Barca director to meet with Coutinho's agent and agree a deal? It's very possible that Coutinho's agent also represents a Barca player (unless Mascherano has changed agent then he does) - nobody would bat an eyelid if they met and probably wouldn't even know who these guys were. The penalties aren't harsh either. One, it's nigh on impossible to prove and even when it is, you get a slap on the wrist.
I'm sure Barca want him and I'm sure that Coutinho would join them if he could. If Barca offered an absolutely mental fee then maybe we could be persuaded to sell but they won't offer that sort of fee and there's zero sign that Coutinho will rock the boat, there are even reports coming from Spain and Brazil saying the opposite in fact.
I'm sure Barca want him and I'm sure that Coutinho would join them if he could. If Barca offered an absolutely mental fee then maybe we could be persuaded to sell but they won't offer that sort of fee and there's zero sign that Coutinho will rock the boat, there are even reports coming from Spain and Brazil saying the opposite in fact.
I was taking the **** but how so?