Eric Garcia to Barcelona

[doobyedoobye]

So how did Phil get through the net?

Pep said he is the most talented player he has ever seen, that's how

 

[mosssideblue]

Pep said he is the most talented player he has ever seen, that's how

Good enough then, that's how you get games

 

[Colin Bells Boots]

It's pretty simple, if not sad, the sporting direction under this board is an abomination - particularly in terms of La Masia, it has been decimated over the past decade. Eric leaving was my 2nd most disappointing cantera loss, the first being Grimaldo

I can't envision the cost being more than 10M, nor should it be considering he was de

Certain contract expires in 2022, wrong
Certain player will sign City extension by end of month (July), wrong

There's a pattern there, at best nothing is certain. Moreover, a player developed at the buying club who can sign for free in 4 months is not going to be leaving for a huge fee after the coach effectively said he is gone. There is no leverage, only the will of those involved to get a deal done. Perhaps some incentive laden fee to reward Pep & City but up front cash won't likely exceed 10M

I am certain that you will have been told before ( having read a number of your posts ) but gloating and being a knowall and self-satisfied smartarse is really not that endearing on another club's forum.

Any chance you could fuck off and dream about Barca in the comfort of your Swiss home ?

 

[ctid1894]

If he has intimated his desire not to remain, then the club will seek to profit from that this summer. In that case, I don’t see the point in playing our least experienced defender (no Champions League experience at all) in a game that could see him pick up a long-term injury and leave for free next year. That’s not emotional in the slightest.

If you don't rate him, you're entitled to your opinion. My post was in response to questioning the lads integrity and professionalism which is completely different.

 

[MaineDAWG2008]

phewwwww..... the guy thinks hes the next best thing since slice bread. Bollocks, no loss from our sides. Bang average and he wont be an exceptional defender mark my words. He will be another Puyol. Energy. Passion but no skill.

 

[OB1]

Whoever is performing best in training, plays. If it's Garcia, Stones, Otamendi, Fernandinho or Harwood-Bellis, who cares.

I'm sure if Garcia plays he will want to knock Real out.

However, we now know for sure the rumours are true and Barca have well a truly tapped him up so I'd generally sideline him and focus on guys who intend to stay. Ideally, we'll do a deal with Barca this summer.

I'm already on record as saying that I'd rather keep Stones so not too concerned over Garcia's decision. Just hope we get another top quality CB signed and have whoever that is, Stones, LaPorte and Ake as our main guys.

 

[Colin Bells Boots]

This is always going to be a problem if you raid other team's youth set ups for players. Especially overseas. They have no real attachment to the club or the area and i don't know how you can expect much loyalty from a player you've poached from elsewhere.

Disappointing because he looks a really promising player but there are flaws to his game and nobody can say for sure how he'll turn out. He's replaceable.

Its been a weird year and lots of people have been re-evaluating what they want in life and where they want to be. Can totally understand why he'd want to return home to be honest.

It's clearly a risk that City obviously see as being worthwhile but must be frustrating if the club really wants to keep the player.

But he's made his decision so we have to move on.

 

[Gareth Barry Conlon]

And Laporte got injured after 30 minutes so it was Dinho and Otamendi for an hour

But I dont think they have played recently. Stones had a run out of the bench a few weeks back but that was it.

 

[FCBarca]

This is interesting. Pol Ballus is basically saying here that he won't move this summer unless Barca pay up. We're thinking about him as equivalent to Ferran Torres, so 23m + add ons.

I believe kids refer to this as 'negotiating'. Barca leaked they intend to offer 10M + variables and City come back to leak they value him much higher

There was something about the tenor of Pep's responses and not actually mentioning Barca that made me wonder. Now, makes more sense that they don't intend to be steamrolled by just any offer.

Of course, I can also confirm without any sources needed that there's no way Barca will pay more than 10-15M for a player that is seen as left via the backdoor. Now that Pep confirmed the player will leave, it means it frees the player to respond to questions and if City take a strong stance then Barca will pressure to play things out in the media along with influencing the player to apply pressure too. There's already bad blood there despite professionalism. If you're City you also don't want to alienate potential cantera kids from coming if they sense they will be punished when looking for an exit. No one will want it to drag on until winter when he can sign for free. It's delicate so I do think the messaging reflects that too.

But if it gets played out in the media, well it won't be pretty or good for anyone. A big reason why I still believe it will ultimately go smoothly considering those involved (Puyol, Eric, Pep & Txiki) - City will not want to look foolish and Barca will ultimately let them save some face. Perhaps then 10M will become 15M as a compromise (Along with bonuses) to get it done sooner

 

[Benarbia’s Backheel]

He’s obviously not up for the fight with Ake and potentially Koulibally, which is fine, but surely he had more chance of game time for us than at Barca who are definitely going to need a defensive overhaul soon