Erling Haaland

[Fernando 6,538]

  On 08/06/2021 at 12:33, Blues Forever said:

Really? Mbappe only has one year left, PSG either sell him now or let him walk for free next summer.

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I know, but I find it much complicated still then dealing with Dormund. 

More then likely Mbappe signs a new contract and we are left chasing nothing. Because PSG is a club that offers everything. So it's not the same as Dortmund, where people jump to the next club that will offer more money and chance to win the CL. 

[milka 3,382]

He looking good in blue and yellow  😉

[Jase 43,479]

  On 08/06/2021 at 12:36, Pizy said:

And Real Madrid/PSG/City/United will be in his agents ear offering him £600k per week to sign with them.

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Even if we buy him now, it would mean blowing our wage structure already, which will cause problems down the line with the other players. 

[OhForAGreavsie 5,917]

I watched Fjortoft's ESPN interview on the subject. He genuinely seemed to know something. Given his reported relationship with Alf-Inge he is a) in a position to know and b) likely to respect the family's wishes if they did not want him to go as far as giving the hints he gave.

Personally, the player I'd most like to get from BVB is Bellingham but I definitely don't see him feeling ready to leave yet.

Edited June 8, 2021 by OhForAGreavsie

[Jype 6,398]

  On 08/06/2021 at 12:57, Jas said:

Who knows? How many English players have decided to go play abroad? Not many. A lot prefer to play in their own league in England while getting stay close to the family etc. 

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These days definitely more than before.

Currently there are Sancho, Bellingham, Tomori, Trippier, Smalling, Young playing in Spain/Germany/Italy just off the top of my head, as well as some academy youngsters who've left the UK to pursue first team football elsewhere. Ramsey is Welsh but I guess you could count him with the lot too.

Most will definitely stay in England, especially because English clubs can generally pay higher wages, but I don't think the current generation of players are as picky about where they play as the ones say 10-15 years ago. 

[OneMoSalah 8,852]

  On 08/06/2021 at 13:02, OhForAGreavsie said:

I watched Fjortoft's ESPN interview on the subject. He genuinely seemed to know something. Given his relationship with Alf-Inge he is a) in a position to know and b) likely to respect the family's wishes if they did not want him to go as far as giving the hints he gave.

Personally, the player I'd most like to get from BVB is Bellingham but I definitely don't see him feeling ready to leave yet.

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All those journalists seem as if they know something though. Thats the whole point of their job.

I have no doubt we are interested but 6 months ago reportedly Haaland didn’t consider us a top club so it just shows how erratic the media can be. 

I think if he had his pick of all the clubs and they all matched his demands we would be near the bottom but because we are in a position to do something this summer, we are the “favourites”

[Pizy 18,555]

  On 08/06/2021 at 13:00, Jas said:

Even if we buy him now, it would mean blowing our wage structure already, which will cause problems down the line with the other players. 

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Yes, but when he’s got a release clause that’s affordable to many, many more clubs next summer each one will be upping their wage offer to sway him in their direction. It’s true that we’ll have to blow up our wage structure if we want him now but it’ll probably “only” be something like £350-400k per week. I can never see us doing stratospheric wages like what Real Madrid do. Wasn’t Bale on £650k a week? We’d surely never do that.

[Jase 43,479]

  On 08/06/2021 at 13:05, Jype said:

These days definitely more than before.

Currently there are Sancho, Bellingham, Tomori, Trippier, Smalling, Young playing in Spain/Germany/Italy just off the top of my head, as well as some academy youngsters who've left the UK to pursue first team football elsewhere. Ramsey is Welsh but I guess you could count him with the lot too.

Most will definitely stay in England, especially because English clubs can generally pay higher wages, but I don't think the current generation of players are as picky about where they play as the ones say 10-15 years ago. 

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Sancho and Bellingham chose to go because it was Dortmund who came calling while they were in still City's academy and Birmingham respectively.

Trippier, Smalling and Young didn't have many options in England when their stock was rather down at Spurs and United respectively. 

Can't remember if there were other sides interested in Tomori but it was Milan and he had Maldini to convince him. 

[Jase 43,479]

  On 08/06/2021 at 13:09, Pizy said:

Yes, but when he’s got a release clause that’s affordable to many, many more clubs next summer each one will be upping their wage offer to sway him in their direction. It’s true that we’ll have to blow up our wage structure if we want him now but it’ll probably “only” be something like £350-400k per week. I can never see us doing stratospheric wages like what Real Madrid do. Wasn’t Bale on £650k a week? We’d surely never do that.

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£350-400k might not seem a lot for one player but wait till we get a bunch of others in the future asking for similar wages. It's happened before during the JT/Lampard era. The money wasn't that much but we definitely had the issue.

From our perspective, we would want to try and get him now. But from his perspective, he can wait till next summer if he wants to, have a bunch of club to choose from and have them try to outbid one another when it comes to wages etc. 

[Jype 6,398]

  On 08/06/2021 at 13:10, Jas said:

Sancho and Bellingham chose to go because it was Dortmund who came calling while they were in still City's academy and Birmingham respectively.

Trippier, Smalling and Young didn't have many options in England when their stock was rather down at Spurs and United respectively. 

Can't remember if there were other sides interested in Tomori but it was Milan and he had Maldini to convince him. 

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But still the point stands, these days a lot more players will consider opportunities abroad than the previous generation.

If Tammy had a choice between Dortmund and say West Ham, I struggle to believe anyone in their right mind would choose the latter. Assuming both offer similar wages, a starting role etc.

[Jase 43,479]

  On 08/06/2021 at 13:15, Jype said:

But still the point stands, these days a lot more players will consider opportunities abroad than the previous generation.

If Tammy had a choice between Dortmund and say West Ham, I struggle to believe anyone in their right mind would choose the latter. Assuming both offer similar wages, a starting role etc.

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Maybe but everyone has their own preference. Some may choose to take the plunge while some may not. 

[MoroccanBlue 5,322]

  On 08/06/2021 at 13:15, Jype said:

If Tammy had a choice between Dortmund and say West Ham, I struggle to believe anyone in their right mind would choose the latter. Assuming both offer similar wages, a starting role etc.

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Don't worry. 

@Jas and his constant devil's advocate will find a reason. 😂

[OneMoSalah 8,852]

  On 08/06/2021 at 13:05, Jype said:

These days definitely more than before.

Currently there are Sancho, Bellingham, Tomori, Trippier, Smalling, Young playing in Spain/Germany/Italy just off the top of my head, as well as some academy youngsters who've left the UK to pursue first team football elsewhere. Ramsey is Welsh but I guess you could count him with the lot too.

Most will definitely stay in England, especially because English clubs can generally pay higher wages, but I don't think the current generation of players are as picky about where they play as the ones say 10-15 years ago. 

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Yeah definitely are much more than before, still don’t know re Abraham, don’t know if he would personally. Its not just English footballers to be honest, its been British footballers as a whole the last 10 years or so and its good to see because it is boring just seeing them go to top PL clubs the whole time and also, these different leagues and cultures bring something different to them as players and as people.

  On 08/06/2021 at 13:10, Jas said:

Sancho and Bellingham chose to go because it was Dortmund who came calling while they were in still City's academy and Birmingham respectively.

Trippier, Smalling and Young didn't have many options in England when their stock was rather down at Spurs and United respectively. 

Can't remember if there were other sides interested in Tomori but it was Milan and he had Maldini to convince him. 

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Tbf Sancho turned down a new deal at City and refused to go on their pre season tour to go there and Jude Bellingham turned down Man United so it just shows its a more interesting or appealing thing to do now.

Other promising younger players like Ronaldo Viera, Jamal Muisala, Rabbi Matondo, Jonathan Panzo, Yunus Munsah, Arvin Appiah, have made moves to Italy, Germany, France and Spain also in this last however long from big clubs or clubs where they could have played first team sooner.

Tripper may not have had much interest but a move to Atletico is hardly a bad one or for Tomori a move to Milan is also hardly a poor one. I mean in terms of Tripper hes now linked with a return to the PL to go to Man United after winning a league title. Wouldnt have happened at a West Ham or Newcastle. 

Edited June 8, 2021 by OneMoSalah

[OhForAGreavsie 5,917]

  On 08/06/2021 at 13:07, OneMoSalah said:

All those journalists seem as if they know something though. Thats the whole point of their job.

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And yet, I'm sure I'm not the only one who sometimes feels able to discern genuine conviction from bravado. That's not to say my feeling must be right here but I definitely picked up no hint that JAF was claiming more than he knew.

 

  On 08/06/2021 at 13:07, OneMoSalah said:

I have no doubt we are interested but 6 months ago reportedly Haaland didn’t consider us a top club so it just shows how erratic the media can be. 

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Or perhaps how erratic opinions can be. Anyone who has a better view of Chelsea now than they did six months ago is not alone.

  On 08/06/2021 at 13:07, OneMoSalah said:

I think if he had his pick of all the clubs and they all matched his demands we would be near the bottom

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I agree. If I'm correct that JAF knows something and is speaking with the permission of the Haaland family then the implications are either that there is interest in what Chelsea have to say, or that they are happy to encourage others to believe they are interested in what Chelsea have to say.

[bigbluewillie 1,908]

  On 08/06/2021 at 06:48, Vesper said:

and I would like a better CB to replace Zouma (we can get another next season to replace Thiago) just buy Lacroix if Bastoni or Varane are impossible

 

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Agreed!..what's happened to or about Malang Sarr??

Seems we've dumped him in Portugal and forgot about him.

Edited June 8, 2021 by bigbluewillie

[Artandur 939]

  On 08/06/2021 at 12:31, Jas said:

Is there anything in Germany on this, apart from any story that's quoting Christian Falk and/or Fjortoft?

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Nope nothing. Just Bild quoting the Mail, which is already being misquoted/mistranslated on Twitter. 

[Jase 43,479]

  On 08/06/2021 at 13:27, OneMoSalah said:

Tbf Sancho turned down a new deal at City and refused to go on their pre season tour to go there and Jude Bellingham turned down Man United so it just shows its a more interesting or appealing thing to do now.

Other promising younger players like Ronaldo Viera, Jamal Muisala, Rabbi Matondo, Jonathan Panzo, Yunus Munsah, Arvin Appiah, have made moves to Italy, Germany, France and Spain also in this last however long from big clubs or clubs where they could have played first team sooner.

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But the circumstances surrounding them are different, no? They were/are young and need game time to develop. If clubs in England - something that big clubs in England can't offer - then of course they would take the plunge to maybe go abroad and look for opportunities. 

  On 08/06/2021 at 13:27, OneMoSalah said:

Tripper may not have had much interest but a move to Atletico is hardly a bad one or for Tomori a move to Milan is also hardly a poor one. I mean in terms of Tripper hes now linked with a return to the PL to go to Man United after winning a league title. Wouldnt have happened at a West Ham or Newcastle. 

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I didn't say Trippier's move to Atletico and Tomori's move to Milan were bad. But it's also undeniable that in the former's case at least, his stock was low at Tottenham and Atletico offered him an escape route out of England to revive his fortunes.

[MoroccanBlue 5,322]

Reports Pep Guadiola wants Kane and Grealish....