Where is Bathez?

He's currently "out of favour" at the club.

 

I think we held out in case Howard didn't make it. But Howard is the real deal, so Barthez will be gone in the January transfer window, or we could keep him till the end of the season depending on how things are going. I think we probably did offer Barthez as part of a swap deal for Ronaldinho as PSG claimed, and I also think we haven't received an offer acceptable enough to let him leave yet.

 

Yeah, but what's worth more, a former No. 1 keeper who is out of favour or a former No. 1 who is now playing for the Reserves?

 

I'm not sure his transfer value is the problem... Barthez earns very large wages at the club... the struggle is to find a team that is willing to offer him an acceptable wage so he actually pays.
I believe he's on about £20k a week, which is a hell of a lot of money to sit at home watching the United matches on the telly. In France, I can't imagine there are too many players earning that kind of money, and fewer clubs willing to pay it for a goalkeeper... The question is whether Barthez will agree to a pay cut to play first team footie again.

 

Well, not so far anyways.

There are different ways to look at Fabien's situation. I just feel that it's well known that United went out and bought a young keeper with heaps of potential so he is getting a run of games to establish himself. That's the reason he's not the starting keeper for United anymore. I think the difference in him either not playing or playing for Reserves is negligable from a monetary standpoint from United's point of view. Of course, it would be better for Barthez and France if he was playing more (at all) as well, but I don't think that's United main concern right now....

 

I think there's no point in playing Barthez in the Reserve League if he isn't in the first team's long term plan. The point of the reserves team is to 1) train young players to get them ready for the first team, and 2) get a formerly injured player back to match fitness. As Barthez falls into neither category, he doesn't really belong there.

It makes sense for Carroll to start in reserve games because currently he is always the substitute goalie in first team games and he needs practice in reserve games. Barthez sitting as a sub in a reserve game? Don't you think this is an insult?!

I agree with Motterman that Barthez will be gone before the end of this season. I actually believe the media's speculation that the original plan was to trade Barthez for Ronaldinho this past summer.

One remaining question: when Barthez moves on, who is going to be the 3rd goalkeeper? If either Howard or Carroll gets injured, is Ben William or Luke Steele capable of stepping up as a temporary substitute keeper?

 

I believe he is living in a van down by the river.

 

I too think that he will be gone come Jan. It's good for him to not see any action in the CL for the simple fact that he will not be cup tied when the window re-opens. if I recall SAF didnt bring any new talent in during the winter window because he couldnt find any capable players who weren't cap tied. If somebodys 1st choice keeper gets injured... I can see Barthez as a suitable replacement. Not sure how much we would get for him but anything is better then nothing which is what we're getting from him right now. I was a little dissapoiinted to see Davids saw 45 minutes in Juve's CL game earlier in the week, I read that he had fallen out of favor with his club, that would of been a great pickup if the deal was right barring he and RVN can work out their beef.

 

Times 3!

That's how much he makes.

 

are you serious?? that's an astronomical sum for a keeper. they may as well loan him to some Frenchies if that's what he's making not playing at all. Still I guess it's worth having a third keeper should someone get injured..

 

Not really. In terms of salary in US dollars

60K x 52 * 1.6 = $5 million / year.

elite hockey, football, baseball, basketball players all make more. He also signed the contract before the revenue bubble burst. Nowadays he won't get anywhere near that much money.

 

Well, I don't think it'd drop if he was still one of the very best in the game. The truely big clubs will still shell out big money for the Becks and Shevs of this world.

 

According to BBC, Barthez is a gonner. He is off the PSG during winter transfer window.

 

PSG and United are both denying this.

So, of course, he's on his way to Paris in January.

I don't believe that we are going to do business with those tossers though.

 

Well I think it makes sense.

I can't see how Barthez will work out now that he has fallen so far in SAF's eyes.

Plus our back four are so solid that we can afford to let Howard grow on the pitch.

More money to spend next summer. We should have oodles of cash. Attacking midfielders, now taking your applications.....

 

I haven't really thought about this too hard I'll admit, but I hadn't considered if having Howard between the sticks last year against Real may have made a big difference or not... I'd have to guess that if we face them this year, our defence will be more experienced and we have a more athletic and imposing presence in goal, and those facts can only help the cause...