S04 said:
Ducky_ said:
The only way he will leave is if he forces a move... and that aint going to happen this summer.
I´m utterly convinced that he wants out as soon as possible..As for Liverpool the real control of the club now rests with the banks (RBS and BarCap) who might regard Liverpool as insignificant moneywise..But they will do anything to curry favours with Abu Dhabi because for some banks it´s the difference between profit and loss.
hmmm, it's an intriguing theory.
I've had this on my mind for a bit, sorry about the looooong post.
I know there are big pressures to cut the exposure, but I'm not sure about the politics are that simple. First, let's say, the reason RBS got their man in charge was surely because, in the current climate, a 300m exposure is anything but insignificant. RBS are owned by the tax payer, so the exposure is ours. That complicates things a bit, but I reckon RBS are making their own decisions over the management of their individual assets and liabilities. The idea that they'd compromise the management of individual assets, do favours to keep the sovereign wealth funds happy, seems a little bit fanciful to me. Abu Dhabi made mega bucks out of the Barclays deal. If the situation arose again, would they turn it down because they didn't get their way on an unrelated deal? Thinking about it that way, I'd imagine City is actually the small beer, compared to the profits made in these other deals.
Take all that out of the equation, the question for RBS is one of asset management. Yes, it's likely he leaves. But nailed on? I'm not so sure. Do they take the money for Torres, or do they calculate that the club is more valuable and more saleable with him on the playing staff? 60m up front would be extremely tempting, I'm sure, and they have to consider, he could get injured at any moment, and that money disappears forever. But what if you strip all the prize assets out and leave yourself with a worthless shell, not having realised enough to cover the exposure?
Maybe they decide it's smarter to get rid of Gerrard, Mascherano, Reina, Johnson, and keep the one shining light, the box-office and the best chance of success. They could still get some chunky upfront money, spend a bit of it as down payments on a few new players, slash the wage bill, maybe pocket a good 50m. Definitely Gerrard goes, he is 29, and his value is dropping by the day. But by keeping Torres, surely they'd have a team with a very reasonable shot at the top four. Do that, and the value of the asset on which it's all secured, goes back up...
Maybe if Torres proves he's over his fitness problems, scores an absolute hatful, and more buyers enter the race, his value actually increases. They also have to consider the reaction of the fans, I suppose the Tories don't care about pissing off the Scousers, they don't vote for them anyway, but what if the fans turn on RBS instead of the yanks? Bad for business.
As for Torres, he may well want out, but I would have thought, as he has a contract, there is no way any particular move can be forced on Fernando. If, for example, Barca whispered in his ear that they'd be able to make a move for him in January, and he wanted that above all else...
I think there are reasons to be optimistic, but, a couple of easy wins with Silva and Yaya, and we're in danger of thinking like Hitler in 1940, world domination is within our grasp, all we have to do is turn up and BTOOTW. Maybe our previous wins were largely due to the opponents making a tactical withdrawal. It seems obvious that this is the first time we will face determined competition.
I wouldn't like to call any outcome here, and I have the nagging feeling that there are always unexpected scenarios waiting to be played out, someone might be playing the long game.
