A Little Retail Therapy: The 2014 Summer Transfer Thread

Aren't both Koke and Veratti better passers and better at controlling the tempo of the game though? I am kind of torn about Pogba--I think he is a fantastic talent and could add a lot to this team, but I am not sure spending that much money on midfielder is a good idea. It takes time to learn the Barça style and Pogba may want to play all the time from the start. His wage demands are also concerning. Plus, I am not sure if he is the kind of guy who would sit patiently by without playing until the second half of the year.

 

You may be right that they are better at controlling the tempo of the game but is this the way we play now? We are still enjoying lots of posession but not controlling the game as Pep's side did and honestly i think not controlling the tempo of the midfield works better for us nowadays.

If we control the midfield and the opponents already know that it's a lost cause to even try and control the midfield, they will sit deeper than when we look like not having absolute control in the midfield. This tactic helps MSN to get more space and even more countering opportunities. As Lucho has made this team play this season, i believe a box to box midfielder with speed and physical attributes fits better than the one controlling the tempo. Even Iniesta, who is one of the best in controlling midfield, seems to struggle in this new tactical approach.

 

Yup he's earning less than Douglas ffs.

Did Busquets renew recently? I remember his wages being pretty low...

I think you're forgetting someone. You know, 5'7", balding, Spanish, scored a pretty important goal vs Chelsea about 6 years ago...

 

Xavi played this year plenty of games. He needs a replacement.
And it would be stupid to pass on on the opportunity as he will be cheap due to his contract

 

You missed the point. I was only replying to your last two sentences.

 

There was a link saying gundogan rejected a 8.5mil per year offer with us..

He's demanding higher wages, maybe somewhere around the 10+.

If any of this is true this guy is on some delusional island....

1: His injury made him miss many games the last 2 years
2: He hasn't reached his best form yet
3: He was shunned from the footballing world after his back issues came to light
4: BVB stuck by him and gave him a chance to get back playing at a high level again and he completely shits on them
5: He's asking more then he's worth

If all the things that's been mentioned is true, I wouldn't want anything to do with this clown.

 

I don't really believe that honestly. Because, I assume, the same papers reporting this also reported Kroos asked in the same region, but he went to Real where he receives 6 net. And Real takes 50% of your image rights
I think 6 net is enough for Gundogan considering he would be free.

It wouldn't matter at Barca. When he will see the level Barca is at he would come back down to Earth





PS Griezmann would be the perfect for Bayern. Why does the Bayern board rate him so low?

 

Because we need a true winger to take over robbery... Greizmann is not it

He plays more of a striker in atl Madrid and I don't think he'll fit well in the bayern system..

To take over the robbery role you need that speed and take on ability. 95% of the teams we play sit deep.

 

He can be that and more. The guy chanegd his way of playing from Sociedad and he was wonderful. I was sure that he was going to flop considering the diffenrt style of Sociedad and A Madrid. But he adapted and became Atletitco's best player

 

Disagree. For me James was more proven 11 months ago than Pogba is right now. Quite a lot more.

Sure there's always that chance, but different players have different probabilities of flopping. Neymar was pretty much a sure thing when Barca bought him. Just a question of whether he'd reach CRonaldo-level or become merely regular world-class like Ribery, for e.g.
He was already carrying two teams at the time. Pogba hasn't carried anyone beyond perhaps France touth teams.

 

Just out of curiosity, why was James 11 months ago, more proven than Pogba, right now? Due to his World Cup performance with Colombia? Not disputing it, just wondering why you made the statement.

 

I think that is a too positive view of Neymar. Before Barca bought him, the range was from Cristiano to Ribery? Surely he wasn't THAT guaranteed to do THAT well.

That said, there is a risk in signing Pogba, as there is a risk with any high-profile move. But I think as long as the money isn't impossibly high, it's a move that has high enough chance of being a success. He can be one of the very best midfielders in the world for the next 10 years. If it doesn't work out brilliantly, he has a high re-sale value anyway. I think it's a risk worth taking more than it is a risk not worth taking, although it depends on the exact amount of transfer sum and his salary, and what else is on the market. But if we could sign any midfielder in the world, I'd have a hard time picking anyone before him.

 

Veratti, Gundogan and Pogba are very different players.

The first two would come to take Xavi's role, which this last season was as a substitute. If Iniesta, Rakitic and Busi are all healthy then neiter Veratti or Gundogan will play a lot.

Pogba would come to take Iniesta's role, which at the moment doesn't feel very necessary.

So the question is what kind of player we want. IMO Pogba would be the one of most use for us in the long term, as Iniesta might decline in a year or two.

Lucho didn't use Xavi that much this year as we play differently with Rakitic in that role, it was still nice to be able to throw him in when we needed to control the game though. So if Lucho wants to have a similar player then Gundogan would be great to have. To splash out a huge amount for Veratti who would most likely start most games on the bench would be crazy.

 

Well, the WC helped but he also had a good season at Monaco. Ligue 1 is underrated IMO. Its tough and competitive, if you're not playing for PSG. OTOH it is very difficult to properly judge a player in a 1-team league like Serie A when he plays for that 1 dominant team. It would be like trying to gauge James when he was at Porto, w/o having those Monaco and Colombia-WC stints to give more hope for the future.

Plus James is easy to market. You'll always get your money back regardless.

 

What's Griezmann's buyout clause? Atleti should do everything they can to keep him.

 

60 million euros
Last i heard A Madrid were trying to raise it to over 100 million

 

apparently ManCity are offering Pogba a €346,000/week salary (and offering Juve a transfer fee that would break Bale's world record €120million).

Pogba is very promising, but i can't think of anything he has actually achieved that would warrant a price tag like that. he's not worth more than Neymar.

 

Yeah, we want players who want to be here at Barca. We pay high wages to players we deem to be worthy of transferring here but I don't think we want to break the bank. So as much as Pogba is a great talent with a bright future we do not want to pay anywhere near what ManCity may be proposing. Also don't want Mino Raiola anywhere near our team and don't want to cast aside Iniesta or Rakitic for someone who is not willing to back them up or at least share minutes. So I say no Pogba here, as good as he already is.

IF we can play Denis Suarez immediately he still seems like the simplest solution for the transfer ban year. But this article suggests that he too might have to sit out till January (since it was a 2 year loan) before we can play him. In that case let him play out the 2nd year at Sevilla and keep Sergi Roberto for at least the coming season: http://www.sport-english.com/en/new...might-not-eligible-until-january-2016-4269822

Sport on Gundogan suggesting he might play out his contract in which case he would be worth a higher wage bill due to no transfer fee. If he stays healthy next season and stays at BVB he could be ideal to add next summer, or we could pay BVB a reduced fee in January if we felt he would add something mid-season which we were lacking. Fee reduced as he could leave for free in 6 months. Trouble is for a player especially one with lots of injuries that is taking a tremendous risk. So more likely he signs with someone this summer when BVB can still get a nice transfer fee and he can get 4-5 years salary guaranteed: http://www.sport-english.com/en/new...book-that-will-decide-his-future-soon-4269490

Shame to hear Bartra say this, the outgoing board really should have addressed this before stepping down pre-elections. We're kinda in a bad place if Bartra decides to leave pre-election: http://www.sport-english.com/en/new...hat-happens-with-regards-future-barca-4269255

 

Not too surprised that Bartra might have doubts. He was 4th choice, and now Vermaelen is fit, there's a significant risk he becomes the 5th choice, as Vermaelen is quite solid.

Bartra is 24. Seems like a career crossroads now/soon: step up in Barca to get really significant minutes, or move. Tough to continue too many years playing little. Bit like S. Roberto kinda situation.

That said: I think it's pretty certain he stays at least until the next summer, and then it's time to decide what's the deal.

 

apparently Ariedo Braida (who is temporarily filling Zubi's role) is traveling to Brasil to have a closer look at a couple of players: Gerson and Kenedy (both at Fluminense). Braida claims that Barca has the option to sign either/both.

 

for what it's worth, i've heard that chelsea have also been very interested in Kenedy.

 

Not sure what is meant by option to sign but it sounded a bit "definitive" so I looked up the names of the 3 "optionees" we paid money for back when we signed Neymar and none are Gerson or Kenedy, rather it was Gabigol, Giva, and Victor Andrade. http://www.football-espana.net/34872/barca-first-option-santos-trio

So, again, just not clear what in meant by "option", usually that suggests no one else can sign them without us first refusing to match terms. but here it just sounds like sloppy journalism or backroom dealings.

For what it is worth Gabigol is 18 and still with Santos, Victor Andrade is 19 and with Benfica albeit their 2nd team, Giva is 22 and with Cortiba now. I think we never sign any of them and the money we paid for their options was just a small part, perhaps, of the whole Neymar signing scandal which is still being litigated.