Lionel Messi | Joins Inter Miami (pg4111)

[paulchapo]

For me this is all about the brand for us and global exposure. From a footballing perspective I don’t think it’s what we need currently. If we don’t sort our problems at the back and in defensive midfield then it’s more of the same next season.

Spot on it's vital we strengthen these areas with the right players or as you say we'll be second best again. Whoever we choose we have to.act like the so called richest club in the world and get them.signed. The time for moral stances is over, the media will slag is off whether we spend one pound or one hundred million. Go get the players we need,!

 

[ShaunMCFC]

Or you could just fuck off?

Seems a bit better here at this time, maybe all the kids have gone to bed?

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

Some nice praise for City fans here.

Just send miss bum bum and we’ll call it quits.

 

[argyle]

Will probably get abuse for saying so however I think for the good of the squad I would have rather spent the money earmarked for Messi on players the likes of Havertz and Werner for example.

If he comes next year he's 34. We may get a bump in some sponsors for him for a year, maybe two at best.

The club should really be working on improving the stale squad we have rather than focusing on Messi.

There, I've said it. (runs and hides)

 

[Ric]

Mods! Can we now close this topic?

No.

 

[Bluemanc100]

Lots of post scrubbing will be on tap after all the name calling earlier today.

Not from me, I think next summer is too late...

 

[ShaunMCFC]

Didn't put up much of a fight did they

A brief summary of events so far: 1:22PM: Jorge Messi denies €700M release clause 1:45PM: La Liga prepare response to Jorge Messi 2:01PM: La Liga reiterate €700M release clause is valid 2:04PM: TyC Sport claim Lionel Messi has decided to stay

How longs left in this window? I'd be amazed if we didn't know this was going to happen, especially with Pep being such a key figure with Messi. I reckon it's a play, it's perfect if so, if not, we get him on a pre in January and Barca lose either way. It's not pennies that Barca are gonna lose, as we would if we keep Garcia for his last year, it's a fuck ton of money Barca stand to lose for being stupid.

 

[kaz7]

I disagree. I think a deal is still on in January.

I have given up , i had to be persuaded to get carried away this time

 

[BluechesterCity]

Looking at that

1. Its clear he wants out and has done for a while

2 How do the board, other players progress from here - he was directly crticial of the board but indirectly critical of the squad - no plan no direction...papering over holes - what will the other players think?

3 He says that him leaving is the "best for the club" - this is a powerful statement - regardless of what happens now he has the barca fans on side as they know if he leaves he is doing it for the love of the club. Messi knows that Barca need o rebuild - and are better off doing ti without him) - this puts pressure on the board now to buy as well (they have just given Rakatic away and Suarez is on his way)

(on a side not ive just read that they will now have to pay him £63m loyalty bonus for not leaving - so thats potentially 163m they could lose with the potential for him leaving on free in the future (factoring in that if they went for a negotiation they could ask around 100m for him) - for a club looking to rebuild and in huge debt (and one that has jut been criticised as papering over the holes recently)

City need t put a bid in to test their resolve. The president is under investigation and has had a vote of no confidence - the rest of the board may look at this and say selling Messi now is in the best interests of everyone -

4 weeks to go and plenty of time for something to change.

Great post, Simon. Pretty much covers what I am thinking. This is a big statement from Messi; let's see what happens over the next few days. That is unless Barca just carry on as if nothing major has just happened.

 

[M18CTID]

Good job she didn’t look on here :)

True, but most of that was aimed at that dickhead Bartomeu though! As a fanbase, we don’t really have an issue with Barcelona or their fans in general.

 

[5 Hit Gibbon]

Well I'm hopeful Paul Stewart completes his return and Geoff Thomas finishes the last leg of his walk from Wolverhampton, somebody tell him we've moved Grounds.

I'm still not fully over the Paul Stewart transfer I don't think. The only transfer I can remember being more gutted about was Shauny to Chelsea. Not getting Messi, if he doesn't come, doesn't come close to either of those in terms of disappointment levels.

 

[Ric]

I have given up , i had to be persuaded to get carried away this time

Yeah, I’m sceptical that it will happen but I certainly don’t think he has misled us though, as you claimed. I think he’s done his best to force a transfer, but has reluctantly accepted that he will have to wait a year.

 

[GRB]

I have spent so many hrs reading this thread.

meh.

 

[kaz7]

Not from me, I think next summer is too late...

So do i ,today was the day

 

[dadv1]

So do i ,today was the day

Henry 2.0
Griezmann 2.0

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

How longs left in this window? I'd be amazed if we didn't know this was going to happen, especially with Pep being such a key figure with Messi. I reckon it's a play, it's perfect if so, if not, we get him on a pre in January and Barca lose either way. It's not pennies that Barca are gonna lose, as we would if we keep Garcia for his last year, it's a fuck ton of money Barca stand to lose for being stupid.

I agree it is Barca who are the big losers here no matter which way this concludes.
They end up suffering either financially, reputationally or both.

Whether anyone agrees with taking him a year older for nothing is neither here nor there at the moment.
There’s a ton of things can happen between now and then.

 

[bluesince76]

I disagree. I think a deal is still on in January.

We could sign a deal with him in January for him to join next summer, but he'll be 34. That's a big risk for a player that age to join the PL for the first time.
Alternatively, we actually sign him in January, but that would mean a fee and he'd be ineligible for the CL, so we'd be buying him for the FA Cup and to help with the league - if we were 10 points clear, would we want to disrupt the team?
If we get him, I think it'd be next summer on a free, but at that point he's a shirt salesman rather than a real asset to the team, which would concern me about what we were trying to achieve.

 

[chaddblue]

As a few have alluded to, their lunatic president will be gone soon. No doubt Messi will have a big say in his successor. All will be well again and Messi will extend his contract to take him to the end of his career, probably with promises of future roles within the club

 

[wolviedinho]

It all depends on how Barca react now. Messi wants out. He repeated his desire to leave on numerous occasions

Come on Barca do the right thing and respect his wishes.

I can see it all change by Monday after discussions this weekend.

Barca cannot let this go unanswered they must respond.

 

[wayne71]

We could sign a deal with him in January for him to join next summer, but he'll be 34. That's a big risk for a player that age to join the PL for the first time.
Alternatively, we actually sign him in January, but that would mean a fee and he'd be ineligible for the CL, so we'd be buying him for the FA Cup and to help with the league - if we were 10 points clear, would we want to disrupt the team?
If we get him, I think it'd be next summer on a free, but at that point he's a shirt salesman rather than a real asset to the team, which would concern me about what we were trying to achieve.

Not the case anymore I don't think.