Riyad Mahrez

[Gorton_Tubster]

Sky reporting he didnt turn up for training. LOL Leicester really fucked this one up, Mahrez will down tools and come the summer they will have to sell him.

So summer, we stick to our bid, maybe Utd/che/Liv/Arsenal go for him too... My guess is he will want to play for the best team with the best manager and we can offer Leicester the £40-£60m he is worth.

 

[San Tropez]

I am sorry but NO, he will go to the team which give him highest salary and nothing else, to actually believe in things like "he dreams of playing only there" is just pure naivety.

And yet players have forfeited a lot of money to go to clubs of their choice - most recently Coutinho, didn't he lose £15m to move? I bet the rags would have paid him double whatever he is getting paid at Barca too. Though no way Liverpool would have released him to the rags without mass walkouts at Anfield.

Also Fernandinho to move to City.

There appears to be a correlation between age and money e.g G Jesus turned down higher offers to learn from Pep, Sanchez on the other hand....

 

[Healdplace]

i've read in their forum, they expecting £80M+ for Mahrez.
i guess in the summer, Maureen are getting more desperate and have no problem to fulfill Leicester demand.

That's exactly what they are counting on.

If he is serious about wanting to play for Pep (who wouldn't really but I suspect it is a bit overblown from just wants to get out) then we should table to Leicester now the exact offer we just did and say that remains on day 1 of the window, and say ask the player if he accepts (contingent on his fitness of course).

If they say we will go to an auction in the Summer and see who pays us £90 m - make clear we definitely are going no higher.

Then see what Mahrez does.

If he agrees to play on for them IF they sell to us at that sum then fine. If he agrees to play on and let them get any offer from anyone and go to the highest bidder make clear he will not be coming here ever.

Up to him then.

Leicester get a happy player and the sum they just turned down and time to plan a replacement.

We get a fit motivated player.

If he just wants out to whoever Leicester want to sell him to at the highest bid then we say that is it, good luck but not for us.

Don't think it will work out like that but its what I would do. Show we still want him at our valuation. Then it is down to the player to persuade them of that.

My guess is they will want more and he will want out anywhere but if that's the case then we should end all interest publicly now.

 

[cleavers]

So summer, we stick to our bid, maybe Utd/che/Liv/Arsenal go for him too... My guess is he will want to play for the best team with the best manager and we can offer Leicester the £40-£60m he is worth.

Worked well with Sanchez that tactic.

 

[hammersmithlad]

So will others though

This has got the Sanchez saga written all over. Sure he's expressed his desire now to play for Pep & City, but as we have found out, a lot changes after a few months in football & if this turns into a bidding war in the summer, money seems to be a head turner regardless of earlier intentions.

I'd be surprised yet happy if he does become a City player in the summer, but feel he will go to the highest bidder (either via transfer fee or wages or both) which we have demonstrated on the recent past will not be part of any longer.

Who knows if Leicester were encouraged by Arsenal's end result whom were in a similar situation with Sanchez & actually ended up doing fair well out of it. But I feel that was a rare occasion where so many other variables fell into place at the right time i.e. a player swap & then a trigger purchase involving & approved by 3 other clubs.

 

[OB1]

I think Leicester have been utterly stupid in this instance if they we asking for and not budging from £95m: Mahrez is not currently worth that money and City were right not to pay that much.

What the right price for him, I don't know for sure. I commented yesterday £70m seemed a fair price but I was being a touch sarcastic as I think that is an inflated figure but in the circumstances of a late bid and a stupid market, I could have understood City going that far but I reckon around £50m would be a more sensible figure. Anyhow, Leicester were taking the piss and they have denied a player a dream move so, given he has clearly wanted away, they were asking for trouble.

 

[bobmcfc]

I don’t care who comes in for him in the summer, if he chooses us then good for him, if he goes elsewhere I doubt we’ll miss him

Just get the next one ..

 

[Healdplace]

They might see the Sanchez deal as a model but that was largely down to the unique desperation of United to score any kind of win over City.

Why I would make clear we are not coming back unless they accept our offer now then it is clear we are not part of any auction they create and nobody can argue they are scoring points over us by paying more if we do that before one even happens.

We are such a good team that we should want players who only want to come here for the football. The ones we have are like that. We don't want anyone who is balancing salary v football. Because we are a big enough attraction now to only seek those who are desperate to come here for what happens on the pitch.

Mahrez says he does. If he now proves it, great. If he doesn't, forget him now and go elsewhere in the Summer. We have then played fair with him and the next move is in his hands.

 

[TonyM]

I'd imagine Liverpool for one would offer silly money for him (and crazy wages). But there's only a handful of such clubs that can afford to do this. Plus the more hassle he creates the lower the transfer fee but the higher the wages. Who knows.

I guess we have to judge whether he's the best available at whatever price/wages in the summer. Remember that there are only so many slots in the squad so our thinking then may be different to our thinking now. I suspect by then this forum will be in a frenzy about someone else.

I am way more disappointed than I'd have expected though. It'd have been great to see how he'd have done. But the kids might surprise us :-)

 

[Healdplace]

I was disappointed too as he was just what we needed in this tough upcoming period.

But the upside is the ability to try the kids and so far they look like saving us a fortune by taking the chance.

But I absolutely think we have to stick to our guns here. We chose not to go higher as we have again and again made clear that whatever other clubs do about silly prices we have a structure and a ceiling and will not go higher.

That is the right thing to do. Because if we paid £100 for Mahrez next time it would be £150 million.

We want players who buy into the ethos of the club and the football we play and not ones motivated by big money. Or clubs fleecing us because they assume we will pay any price.

This love of wanting to be here in this side is what creates the team spirit that Pep has been building.