Matthijs de Ligt

[Newcomer]

For any 19 yr old to go to a massive club like Utd and be THE best player, the leader and symbol of their rejuvenation is an incredibly attractive prospect. And I can guarantee you that Raiola has learnt about PSG from the Verratti debacle. He will make triply sure there are terms in the contract that allow his client to leave in 3/4 years with ease. Having his players imprisoned at a club is just a terrible business decision for someone like Raiola, he is simply not that stupid.

I agree that he could probably easily manipulate De Ligt if he wanted though.

I think you are mixing things here.

It is thanks to Verratti debacle that Raiola is his agent now.

PSG made Verratti change agent after his previous agent (di Campli) untolerable comments. Since Raiola is in good terms with PSG board, he was recommended to Verratti.

Also, Raiola did make Matuidi move from PSG to Juventus. And this summer, he made Areola renew at PSG since it was the goalkeeper choice.

 

[Ernesto GOATverde Tejedor]

I think you are mixing things here.

It is thanks to Verratti debacle that Raiola is his agent now.

PSG made Verratti change agent after his previous agent (di Campli) untolerable comments. Since Raiola is in good terms with PSG board, he was recommended to Verratti.

Also, Raiola did make Matuidi move from PSG to Juventus. And this summer, he made Areola renew at PSG since it was the goalkeeper choice.

Yes but what I'm saying is he would have learnt from that situation, even though he was not part of it. The point is this : Raiola makes money from moving players around - the last thing he would want would be to lock someone down at a club where they cannot move out from, especially a 19 year old who has potentially 2 or 3 massive moves left in his career.

 

[Newcomer]

Yes but what I'm saying is he would have learnt from that situation, even though he was not part of it. The point is this : Raiola makes money from moving players around - the last thing he would want would be to lock someone down at a club where they cannot move out from, especially a 19 year old who has potentially 2 or 3 massive moves left in his career.

Well, i provided you two examples : one where he made his player move as it was the player choice, one where he made his player renew as it was his player choice.

Also, the clauses you are talking about don't exist at PSG or in France. Once you sign, you have to get the approval of your club to leave, plain and simple.

There is a simple way to leave a non willing club : run down your contract.

 

[mia7007]

Umtits knows we want De Ligt in and him out and only last week said he is staying next season. It would be incredibly poor business sense for us to have Umtits, Pique De Ligt, Lenglet and Todibo at the club. Would destroy any chance Todibo makes it here and he could be a generational talent.

I personally don't see why people like Umtits, he is as positionally bad as Mina was but never gets called on it. Will never be world class for me.

Umtiti was our best defender and one of the best in the world 2017/2018.
His injury was the cause he lost his starting position and then his form, I still see we should keep him unless his injury issue is permeant.
Lenglet did a good season but Umtiti with his 17/18 form was far better than Lenglet.

 

[cris29]

Umtiti was our best defender and one of the best in the world 2017/2018.
His injury was the cause he lost his starting position and then his form, I still see we should keep him unless his injury issue is permeant.
Lenglet did a good season but Umtiti with his 17/18 form was far better than Lenglet.

Do we truly know whats wrong with his knees? Like would surgery bring him back 100%, or is it the Ledley King recurring type?

 

[Barcilliant]

Do we truly know whats wrong with his knees? Like would surgery bring him back 100%, or is it the Ledley King recurring type?

The club are not going to reveal Umtiti's True condition. They will probably try and sell him. I'm not even sure he'd pass a medical if he has a chronic problem. Very few clubs would take him and if they do buy it will be at a reduced price. Basically we have a shit board, coach and luck!!!

 

[xXKonan]

The decision is up to him and him only.

PSG no matter what Raiola fills his head with is no stepping stone club. There's a big difference between someone like De Ligt who is considered a super talent vs guys like Matudi, Digne, Kurzawa, Meunier who were clearly players who are easily disposable.

Even if Raiola stays true to his word about trying to get him out of PSG 5-6 years from now with PSG willing to do so, there's very little chance that we would be interested. Knowing us we will probably find a CB out there that is elite enough to eventually replace Pique or if Todibo ends up being the real deal and we may not really be interested in him to an extent that we are willing to pay out the ass for him.

 

[Raketa10]

If he implies that we have to sell certain players in order for him to come then he can go take a hike. We don't need players who think they can dictate what the club should be doing when it comes to personnel issues.

It's not just that, what annoys me big time is the fact that he might be afraid of competition. And that competition is half broken Umtiti, 32y old Pique and Lenglet who was bought as a replacement for Umtiti. If you are an 80 mil player who demands 10+mil salary than you shouldn't have trouble with your confidence! He will cost us approximately the same amount Lpool paid for Virgil van Dijk. In that price range you are not allowed to have a lack of self confidence and if you have than lower your demands because than clearly you are not worth that amount.

If he is the real deal and I sincerely believe he is than he should take his chance and come here. Barca calls only once and he should accept it.

 

[cro-man]

The way he is talking some would think he is going to join a midtable team He is joining psg and is trying to sell us the idea of psg as a stepping stone thats hilarious He says he is not frighten to fight for his place but wants a guarantee for playing time? Oh so much bullshit.

All this hype and he is afraid to compete with pique lenglet and that cripple umtiti? This is the same bullshit we had with de jong. He is just waiting for a better offer or he will joing psg....

 

[MTL_Barca]

Getting the chance to start is a legitimate concern and we all know very well that in Barcelona some players don't have to compete to get their spots. Being confident in your abilities doesn't mean it's wise to join a club no matter who is playing on your position.

Pique-De Ligt doesn't seem ideal and i wouldn't be surprised if Pique will stay a starter for 2 more seasons no matter how he or De Ligt would play simply because he's a legend and part of the group that pretty much runs the club these days, what would make things quite hard for De Ligt.

Of course money is, as always, a big factor and players usually never talk about it for obvious reasons so he has to say some bullshit like they all do but i wouldn't say it's the one and only reason someone in his situation would pick another club over Barca these days.

But the big problem with that mindset i see here would be that PSG just isn't a normal club. They don't let you go if you want to leave (especially to Barca) what was proven over and over with Silva, Marquinhos, Verratti. If you sign there for 5 years that means you will have to play in the French league for at least 4 years, probably even the full 5.

Raiola just sees the money of course, but De Ligt should know whats up with Raiola anyway so either he is stupid or just cool with it. We'll see what he wants.

 

[Newcomer]

Getting the chance to start is a legitimate concern and we all know very well that in Barcelona some players don't have to compete to get their spots. Being confident in your abilities doesn't mean it's wise to join a club no matter who is playing on your position.

Pique-De Ligt doesn't seem ideal and i wouldn't be surprised if Pique will stay a starter for 2 more seasons no matter how he or De Ligt would play simply because he's a legend and part of the group that pretty much runs the club these days, what would make things quite hard for De Ligt.

Of course money is, as always, a big factor and players usually never talk about it for obvious reasons so he has to say some bullshit like they all do but i wouldn't say it's the one and only reason someone in his situation would pick another club over Barca these days.

But the big problem with that mindset i see here would be that PSG just isn't a normal club. They don't let you go if you want to leave (especially to Barca) what was proven over and over with Silva, Marquinhos, Verratti. If you sign there for 5 years that means you will have to play in the French league for at least 4 years, probably even the full 5.

Raiola just sees the money of course, but De Ligt should know whats up with Raiola anyway so either he is stupid or just cool with it. We'll see what he wants.

Thiago Silva and Marquinhos were wanted by Barcelona but didn't want to leave.

Don't you remember Thiago Silva "i have a family to feed" famous quote ?
Marquinhos keeps renewing with PSG too. Doesn't strike me as someone desperate to leave.

Verratti was tempted to leave that 2017 summer but has kept a low profile since then.

 

[MTL_Barca]

Thiago Silva and Marquinhos were wanted by Barcelona but didn't want to leave.

Don't you remember Thiago Silva "i have a family to feed" famous quote ?
Marquinhos keeps renewing with PSG too. Doesn't strike me as someone desperate to leave.

Verratti was tempted to leave that 2017 summer but has kept a low profile since then.

Sure, none of them ever wanted to leave. That's exactly how it went down

Anyway, you can't just leave PSG after 2-3 good years. That's just not happening. So a player like De Ligt should really think through if he wants to spent around half his top level career in France. I would understand not choosing Barca, but i wouldn't really understand choosing PSG.

 

[Tackle]

Who does this bloke think he's kidding? Giving an exclusive interview to a Catalan paper and the board's mouthpiece just one day after having your national team eliminated in the final of a tournament? Bloody hell, at least make it bit less obvious mate.

This is obviously a play by Raiola to endear his client to the Catalan press and local fans by telling their favourite rag that he doesn't care about the money or competition. Clever little PR move by the weasel to put pressure on Bartomeu and our board to up their offer and give more guarantees like the "important role" De Ligt was talking about in his interview.

His first choice is obviously Barca and Raiola seems to be trying to make a power play to gain his client some more leverage in negotiations. He hopes Barto will cave, pack his shit up and fly over to Amsterdam again with a few suitcases filled with money. If not PSG it is.

 

[Newcomer]

Sure, none of them ever wanted to leave. That's exactly how it went down

Anyway, you can't just leave PSG after 2-3 good years. That's just not happening. So a player like De Ligt should really think through if he wants to spent around half his top level career in France. I would understand not choosing Barca, but i wouldn't really understand choosing PSG.

Getting the chance to start is a legitimate concern and we all know very well that in Barcelona some players don't have to compete to get their spots. Being confident in your abilities doesn't mean it's wise to join a club no matter who is playing on your position.

Pique-De Ligt doesn't seem ideal and i wouldn't be surprised if Pique will stay a starter for 2 more seasons no matter how he or De Ligt would play simply because he's a legend and part of the group that pretty much runs the club these days, what would make things quite hard for De Ligt.

Of course money is, as always, a big factor and players usually never talk about it for obvious reasons so he has to say some bullshit like they all do but i wouldn't say it's the one and only reason someone in his situation would pick another club over Barca these days.

But the big problem with that mindset i see here would be that PSG just isn't a normal club. They don't let you go if you want to leave (especially to Barca) what was proven over and over with Silva, Marquinhos, Verratti. If you sign there for 5 years that means you will have to play in the French league for at least 4 years, probably even the full 5.

Raiola just sees the money of course, but De Ligt should know whats up with Raiola anyway so either he is stupid or just cool with it. We'll see what he wants.

PSG is as normal as any big club. It is just that the club was/is seen as some lower level club where Barça could just pick up players.

MU didn't let de Gea leave with the famous "fax" problem. They don't want to let Pogba go nowadays.
No City player is getting anywhere if they have not agreed. And so far, only the unwanted players have left.
Chelsea didn't let Courtois and Hazard leave before they ran down their contract.
Even Arsenal didn't let Ozil and Sanchez leave before they ran down their contract. Ozil finally renewed while Sanchez went to MU.
Bayern Munich took a stand last summer only not to let Lewandowski go when he was screaming he wanted to go to Real Madrid.
I remember the whole comedy when PSG tried to pay the release clause of Neymar between Barcelona, Tebas (didn't accept the payment) and the Spanish federation (didn't send the FIFA paper for Neymar to be able to play to PSG until the very last day possible, meaning he couldn't start the season with his new club).

Etc. Etc.

Bottom line is big clubs don't want to sell their top players. Didn't PSG sell Digne to Barça without any problem ? This transfer alone disprove the theory PSG wouldn't sell to Barça anything. It was after the attempt for Thiago Silva and Marquinhos. PSG will not just sell his top players if they think they can still keep them.

As for de Ligt, he will not join PSG. But in your theory, ofc he wouldn't leave PSG in 2-3 years. Do you know a club that will pay top dollar like that for just 2 years of football ?

I don't see why you laugh. You guys seem not to have good memory over here. I showed it to Luft the other day. I still remember the uproar here when Thiago Silva said he had a family to feed and rejected Barcelona offer.
Marquinhos keeps renewing and so was doing Verratti before. Why would you keep renewing so much if you don't intend to stay at the club ? You have to remind it is a two way street : the player gets improved salary every time he renews and the club is able to keep the player longer. Just this year, we hear story about Semedo wanting to leave because his role at Barça is not pleasing him but the club doesn't want to sell him. I don't hear Barça is a prison.

 

[Newcomer]

Sure, none of them ever wanted to leave. That's exactly how it went down

Anyway, you can't just leave PSG after 2-3 good years. That's just not happening. So a player like De Ligt should really think through if he wants to spent around half his top level career in France. I would understand not choosing Barca, but i wouldn't really understand choosing PSG.

A reminder : http://www.barcaforum.com/showthread.php/3964-Thiago-Silva/page156?highlight=thiago+silva

Thiago Silva: "They said I just thought of the money, but we have families to feed. Why would I accept to earn less to play for Barça?" [gu]

So, now we know the reason why he didn't choose us. His family would starve if he played for Barça.

Your argument is valid. But so is his decision. Why would a brazilian who played most of his career not is barcelona, take a huge pay cut to join barcelona ? i think anyone wouldn't. Okay few millions less he wouldn't starve but asking him to forgoe salary, put in a transfer request and come running to us, was a bit unfair.

Had we matched the salary i am sure he would've preferred barcelona.

90% of the modern day players only care about money #nomaslow

You're cute, just as cute as the journalists that continiously harrass him all the time when in international duty about why he didn't chose to go to Barcelona


--------------

Anyway, TS gave a full in depth interview, here's my translation for those interested



"His arrival and his situation at PSG"

"I am happy in Paris. That was not the case last year when I arrived because everything was different from Milan. Now my family is well settled and that helps. I also am in a position where I am of big importance for the club, and not only when on the field."

"His Captain Armband"

"Some players think that i asked to wear that armband, but it was not the case. But I couldn't refuse when Carlo Ancelotti, with who I worked in Milan, asked me to. He gave me his trust to become the team leader. Compared to making friends, that was one priority."

"His contacts with Barcelona FC"

"It was difficult to say No to Barcelona two times in a row. This is not a secret, I admire this club since I'm a child and I always wanted to play there. But that's life. Life is made of difficult choices and sometimes you have to go against your dreams. I also heard people saying that I only thought about money, but they forgot I have to take care of a family. Why should i have accepted to gain less money to play in Barcelona? Are players supposed to sacrifice themselves for Barcelona? Beside that, PSG offered me the opportunity to start a new challenge and the club is following the right path. Leonardo made me move to Milan et he was of a great importance in my choice to join PSG."

"The language barrier"

"I learn to read, speak and write French as fast as i can but it's easier to communicate in italian. For example, Ibrahimovic speaks italian. But the new coach, Laurent Blanc, only speaks french to me despite him having played at Inter Milan. Because I am PSG ambassador, I have to improve and become fluent in french."

"The French League"

"The French League is stronger than what people think. In regards to clubs that try to cause you a lot of problème when off-guard, it resembles the brasilian league a lot" I played in Italy and I think that I don't have to prove anything else anywhere. You meet the best european teams in Champions League. I can see myself playing in France for a very long time."

"Ambitions in Champions League"

"The president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi dreams to win the Champions League and we have to be better than last year to reach that goal. People are aware about how much the club invested. The Quarter final against Barcelona? This shows to everyone that we are afraid of no one. But of course the football specialists would think that's abnormal if we don't move further in the competition this season".

"The Rise of Monaco"

"That's a good thing. Firstly, everyone will stop saying that PSG is the only club to spend money. It's something that always irritated me. The big teams always invested money. An example is Chelease. People tend to forgot that the club had to wait 8 years to win the Champions League".

Families to feed? Is this guy serious? If by "families" he means the 10th generation of Silva's after Thiago Silva dies, then I can understand. These athletes make millions of dollars, give me a break.


I mean I understand he wanted the higher salary, but why go and say to the media such a stupid thing as that? He could've simply said "Barca didn't match the salary I wanted".

Thankfully, i have you guys ! I have an excellent memory !