Ken
2K posts
Re Julian Alvarez: I suppose I’ve become hyper-sensitive to transfer fees ever since overpaying for a handful of players (and their wages) quite literally pushed us toward financial collapse, and we’re only just beginning to steady ourselves again. It’s also true that every time we’ve spent 100m+, it’s ended badly. That’s why I’m inherently skeptical about Alvarez. At that price, it REALLY has to be a transformative signing. That said, I struggle to see a world in which Alvarez fails. He certainly wouldn’t be another Griezmann or Coutinho, while also being an upgrade on what we already have. But squad building, at its core, is about optimisation. It’s about asking where to invest, how much to invest, and whether committing most, if not all, of the budget to one player creates a bigger net gain than making several savvy additions. We need more than just a striker. The question then becomes whether it’s a significant enough upgrade to justify the exorbitant fee. And that’s where things become murky.
Busquets logically earned Touré’s starter role, but In an alternative universe, Yaya’s agent is less of a jackass, he stays at the club, we don’t sign Mascherano, and Yaya finishes his career at Barcelona as a CB. He could’ve become an absolute force in that position.
🚨🆕 Brentford have submitted an offer worth €45m (€40m fixed + €5m add-ons) to 1. FC Köln for Said El Mala. Köln have not responded yet. They still want at least €50m, after @AxelHesse1. Confirmed. #Effzeh El Mala has not yet agreed terms with Brentford. The player first wants the clubs to negotiate. @SkySportDE 🇩🇪
What position would Rogers play at Arsenal?
🚨🇦🇷 Atlético Madrid have no intention of listening to offers below €150m for Julián Alvarez. Julián has no desire to join PSG or Arsenal and only wants Barça. The fee could be reduced by including players who may interest Atlético, but even then, there are divisions within the club. Some are open to that scenario, while others would rather collect a large transfer fee and strengthen the squad with players who do not come from Barça. There are many names that could potentially be involved in such an operation, although several conditions would need to be met for any of them to end up at Atlético: the club would need to be interested and believe the player improves the squad, while the Barça player would also need to be willing to continue their career at Atleti. Another matter entirely is whether Barça can satisfy Atlético’s demands. If they cannot, Julián may be forced to consider other options. Among those possible options, staying at Atleti has not been ruled out, as he still has four years left on his contract. [🥇: @medinamarca, @marca]
💣🚨 BREAKING: Julián Alvarez has NO intention to accept Atlético Madrid's renewal offer. He wants to join Barça, as he believes he deserves a better and more ambitious project that gives him a better chance at winning titles. This has nothing to do with Simeone, as their relationship is good, contrary to the narrative others are pushing. Atlético Madrid wants €150m for him, and will NOT sell below that. Some at the club believe that they should keep him, others see this as a major opportunity to cash in and give Mateu Alemany greater financial power to reshape the squad. Atlético Madrid will not make his exit easy, and especially not to Barcelona. Although Laporta dreams of signing Julián, Atlético do not believe Barcelona currently have the financial capability to make an offer that satisfies them. Some inside the club would only accept cash, while others would consider players being included in the deal, such as Ferran Torres, who is reportedly highly rated by Mateu Alemany. Because of that, Atlético also do not rule out the possibility that, once the summer window closes, Julián Alvarez may simply have no option but to continue honouring his contract. [🥇: @medinamarca, @marca]
