I've just read this on the Guardian's Football Weekly Extra comments section:
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It's been eye-opening to see how differently Kevin De Bruyne's situation is being presented in the German and English media, at least in The Guardian.
The reporting here has basically taken the tone that De Bruyne not only will go to Manchester City but that he wants to. As though it's a given that any player will always prefer to play in England over anywhere else. And that all a Premier League club needs to do is express an interest in him and the player will immediately "request a transfer."
My understanding from following developments in Germany is that De Bruyne is going nowhere this season. He and his agent have reached an agreement with business manager Klaus Allofs and coach Dieter Hecking that he'll stay one more season in Wolfsburg and then be permitted to move on; his market value isn't likely to drop much in only one season, even if he has an off-year or suffers injury. Whether or not he returns to England or (more likely) goes to Bayern or one of the Spanish giants remains to be seen. De Bruyne was twice frustrated at Chelsea but has thrived in the Bundesliga, where he was just voted Player of the Year. It's not at all clear that he even wants to return to England.
Most clubs would be crazy not to accept an offer of 50 million euros for a single player but Wolfsburg isn't most clubs. Backed generously by the VW Corporation, they have no real financial concerns. What they need more than money is respectability on the international stage. They reached the Champions League this season, after an absence of six years, and their chances of making a splash there are much greater with De Bruyne than without him.
Of course I could be wrong, but then so would be basically the entire German football media reporting on Wolfsburg and De Bruyne this summer.
Sounds pretty realistic and makes me think De Bruyne is no go. I don't care that much. Sterling gives us a new dimension and we should be looking to develop Roberts.
Feindbild
It's been eye-opening to see how differently Kevin De Bruyne's situation is being presented in the German and English media, at least in The Guardian.
The reporting here has basically taken the tone that De Bruyne not only will go to Manchester City but that he wants to. As though it's a given that any player will always prefer to play in England over anywhere else. And that all a Premier League club needs to do is express an interest in him and the player will immediately "request a transfer."
My understanding from following developments in Germany is that De Bruyne is going nowhere this season. He and his agent have reached an agreement with business manager Klaus Allofs and coach Dieter Hecking that he'll stay one more season in Wolfsburg and then be permitted to move on; his market value isn't likely to drop much in only one season, even if he has an off-year or suffers injury. Whether or not he returns to England or (more likely) goes to Bayern or one of the Spanish giants remains to be seen. De Bruyne was twice frustrated at Chelsea but has thrived in the Bundesliga, where he was just voted Player of the Year. It's not at all clear that he even wants to return to England.
Most clubs would be crazy not to accept an offer of 50 million euros for a single player but Wolfsburg isn't most clubs. Backed generously by the VW Corporation, they have no real financial concerns. What they need more than money is respectability on the international stage. They reached the Champions League this season, after an absence of six years, and their chances of making a splash there are much greater with De Bruyne than without him.
Of course I could be wrong, but then so would be basically the entire German football media reporting on Wolfsburg and De Bruyne this summer.
Sounds pretty realistic and makes me think De Bruyne is no go. I don't care that much. Sterling gives us a new dimension and we should be looking to develop Roberts.
