Lionel Messi | Joins Inter Miami (pg4111)

[Prestwich_Blue]

If Messi wishes to leave Barcelona - and it is a very big if indeed - the first casualty will be FFP, if it survives M. Dupont's challenge, which is another big if. Messi would fetch a fee and wages out of all proportion to anything seen before, and no club - not City, not Chelsea nor PSG nor even Real Madrid could think about the figures involved while not falling foul of the regulations. This would change the issue at stake radically. The talk would no longer be of the right of the owner - of City or Chelsea or whoever else - to invest their money in their club, but rather of the employment rights of Lionel Messi. He is an Argentine, he's not a citizen of the EU, but that doesn't change the basic issue: a sovereign government of the EU is prepared to grant a work permit so that Messi could play for the club of his choice in the City of his choice (with his best mates?) but UEFA is prepared to try to block this and tell him that he can only work for a list of clubs acceptable to them! This issue was almost raised when Di Maria's transfer to PSG broke down in the summer because the club feared sanctions if it paid the fee demanded. No club would miss out on Messi because UEFA tells them they mustn't buy him! No European court would uphold the right of UEFA to decide which club a playerMUST play for.

Your posts are usually spot on but that one is just plain wrong. It's the club's problem not UEFA's, which is why PSG allegedly pulled out of buying Di Maria. But Messi, along with Ronaldo, is a different kettle of fish as he will bring a financial benefit which mitigates the cost of the deal. Players like Di Maria and Falcao go straight on the bottom line.

UEFA can't block the transfer in any way but can impose sanctions if the financial ramifications mean that the buyer fails FFP. That wouldn't become clear for at least 18 months though and you'd assume the buyer had done their sums to make sure they were OK.

 

[SPIDERBOY]

If Messi wishes to leave Barcelona - and it is a very big if indeed - the first casualty will be FFP, if it survives M. Dupont's challenge, which is another big if. Messi would fetch a fee and wages out of all proportion to anything seen before, and no club - not City, not Chelsea nor PSG nor even Real Madrid could think about the figures involved while not falling foul of the regulations. This would change the issue at stake radically. The talk would no longer be of the right of the owner - of City or Chelsea or whoever else - to invest their money in their club, but rather of the employment rights of Lionel Messi. He is an Argentine, he's not a citizen of the EU, but that doesn't change the basic issue: a sovereign government of the EU is prepared to grant a work permit so that Messi could play for the club of his choice in the City of his choice (with his best mates?) but UEFA is prepared to try to block this and tell him that he can only work for a list of clubs acceptable to them! This issue was almost raised when Di Maria's transfer to PSG broke down in the summer because the club feared sanctions if it paid the fee demanded. No club would miss out on Messi because UEFA tells them they mustn't buy him! No European court would uphold the right of UEFA to decide which club a playerMUST play for.

But wouldn't UEFA say summat along the lines of "he can play for whoever he wants,and they can pay him whatever he wants,he just can't play in our competition"..........they ain't really stopping him signing for anyone IMO.

 

[aguero93:20]

If we are operating without restrictions on spending this summer then I'm confident we'll be in the mix if he's available. If we aren't then things will be more difficult and we might have to consider sacrificing two or three players to do the deal and would we really want to do that given our squad size is currently restricted?

I think we'd take the risk, either of having a smaller squad and having to utilise the better EDS players (Lopes, Denayer, Pozo, Angelino) on a temporary basis (or permanent if they performed) or of having to deal with more sanctions. If he is moving and he's willing to move to us, I can't see Soriano, Glick and Khaldoon being willing to miss out at any price.

 

[Manchester33]

Messi isn't going anywhere.

Think about it. He didn't get on with the director of football - the director gets sacked.

He had his worst season ever last year, the manager is sacked and someone else is brought in.

Didn't he sign a new contract as well last year?

This has Rooney similarities all over it - act out so you get a bigger wage or a more comfier role in the club.


He would have to be insane to leave one of the biggest clubs in the world where he would be a hero for the rest of his days, to join a relatively small club just so he can play with one of his mates and get a bit of extra money in the mean time (Which he doesn't need).

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

If we are operating without restrictions on spending this summer then I'm confident we'll be in the mix if he's available. If we aren't then things will be more difficult and we might have to consider sacrificing two or three players to do the deal and would we really want to do that given our squad size is currently restricted?

I think we'd take the risk, either of having a smaller squad and having to utilise the better EDS players (Lopes, Denayer, Pozo, Angelino) on a temporary basis (or permanent if they performed) or of having to deal with more sanctions. If he is moving and he's willing to move to us, I can't see Soriano, Glick and Khaldoon being willing to miss out at any price.

If my projections are accurate to any degree then we could actually theoretically make a loss of something like £130-140m in 2015/16 and still get through FFP. We wouldn't do that of course as we'd be in trobule the year after but we could probably add £50m a year or more to the bottom line and still meet FFP. So even if we bought Messi and did nothing else to bring in revenue, his amortisation and wages would probably be less than that.

 

[OB1]

Might I remind you of the UEFA ruling/settlement:

"Manchester City agrees to significantly limit spending in the transfer market for seasons 2014/2015 and 2015/2016."

I cannot see how we could possibly sign him any time soon, whilst adhering to that rule. IF he became available, it's either fuck FFP or no Messi.

but... this was taken from the Annual report...

This year we have also accounted completely for the settlement with UEFA over disputed breaches of its Financial Fair Play regulations dating back to 2010. We have budgeted for a profit in 2014-15 and now expect to be entering the 2015-16 season with no outstanding sanctions or restrictions.

so unless UEFA throw another curve-ball then I expect FFP punishment to have no hold over us next summer

Khaldoon also stated in his end of season interview last summer that we would be operating without sanctions from the summer of 2015.

We discussed this a little in the thread about Milner/Hart contracts last night. IMO the lack of clarity from UEFA with regards the details of the sanctions is because at the time nothing had been agreed. You have bare in mind that although UEFA would like to state that operated unilaterally the punish City and PSG, the truth is the punishments were decided after discussions with both clubs. The same will apply next summer. If as our Annual Report states, we are operating at a profit next summer, then I would expect all sanctions to be lifted.

I also don't think City would allow FFP to stop them signing a player of Messi's calibre. We're not talking about just a world class player, we're talking about arguably the greatest player EVER to play the game. Oh and Messi's people are only using Chelsea as a stalking horse to apply pressure to Barca IMO.

I would hope that if the only obstacle to City signing Messi came down to FFP restrictions, City would buy him and sic their lawyers on UEFA.

 

[Chippy_boy]

I have highlighted before, the seeming incompatibility between UEFA's statement saying we must significant reduce our spending for seasons 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 - vs the club's statement that we will be operating without restriction after this season.

In my view, the only way both seemingly contradictory statements can be correct is if the 2nd year restriction is at a level higher than what City were expecting to spend anyway, and therefore we made our statement meaning "it won't affect us".

I cannot think of any other interpretation other than one of the statements being a pure mistake, which would also seem unlikely.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

I would hope that if the only obstacle to City signing Messi came down to FFP restrictions, City would buy him and sic their lawyers on UEFA.

How is puking all over Platini going to help us there?

 

[Chippy_boy]

Messi isn't going anywhere.

Think about it. He didn't get on with the director of football - the director gets sacked.

He had his worst season ever last year, the manager is sacked and someone else is brought in.

Didn't he sign a new contract as well last year?

This has Rooney similarities all over it - act out so you get a bigger wage or a more comfier role in the club.


He would have to be insane to leave one of the biggest clubs in the world where he would be a hero for the rest of his days, to join a relatively small club just so he can play with one of his mates and get a bit of extra money in the mean time (Which he doesn't need).

You forget the obvious appeal of Gorton and Longsight and other such local attractions.

 

[aguero93:20]

Messi isn't going anywhere.

Think about it. He didn't get on with the director of football - the director gets sacked.

He had his worst season ever last year, the manager is sacked and someone else is brought in.

Didn't he sign a new contract as well last year?

This has Rooney similarities all over it - act out so you get a bigger wage or a more comfier role in the club.


He would have to be insane to leave one of the biggest clubs in the world where he would be a hero for the rest of his days, to join a relatively small club just so he can play with one of his mates and get a bit of extra money in the mean time (Which he doesn't need).

You forget the obvious appeal of Gorton and Longsight and other such local attractions.

I've heard he's always wanted to visit Stockport, his favourite poem is 'pickpockets in Britain'.;)