Robert and Segura on transfers

[Barcaman]

Barca sports directors faced the press to answer questions on summer transfer window.

Barca have ended the summer transfer window yesterday without signing 2 more signing including Coutinho.

"Yesterday at the last minute named their price for a player we were interested in. A price of €200 million. Logically, we decided not to go ahead. And that's an indication of the new model. What we won't do it put the club at risk: football is not about clubs any more, it's about investors," Soler explained.

"Logically you can do everything better and there should always be some self-criticism. Based on that, we adapt to a situation. With people who know we had money and a football situation we weren't contemplating after the departure of Neymar".

"The rules have changed but we didn't want to risk the club's viability and assets. If we sign two players for €270 million then we would definitely have crossed that red line"

More quotes:

Robert: "We signed Gerard Deulofeu because we though he could be very useful to us."

Robert: "On the right we had several options but we opted to sign Nelson Semedo."

Robert: "I have no doubt that Paulinho will change many people's opinions on him."

Robert: "Many doubt Paulinho's qualities, he will do what is necessary to change their minds.

Robert: "We have decided to loan out Marlon, Munir, Samper and Douglas. We want them to grow so they can return next season."

Robert: "We have a lot of confidence in Vermaelen. He has had injuries but Valverde is happy with the player."

Soler: "The transfer market is broken. The traditional clubs are no longer the protagonists, but the countries and the investment funds."

Soler: "The president and the board have asked us not to jeopardise our heritage. We have taken certain decisions to achieve this."

Soler: "Liverpool wanted €200m for Coutinho. The club decided not to continue with the operation. We will not put Barça at risk."

Soler: "When everyone knows the amount of money you have obtained, the money they ask for is exorbitant."

Robert: "We have a magnificent team, they are used to being the best on the continent. Valverde is satisfied.

Soler: "We have made the most expensive signing in the history of the Club, but we do not want to put our economic viability at risk."

Soler: "We are self-critical, you can always do better."

Soler: "Both the president and I did not know anything about Neymar's departure in advance."

Soler: "We have the best team to start the competitions with. Today we do not think about the winter market.

Robert: "The signings we have made will bring a lot to the team. Any fans knows this."

Robert: "The renewal of Messi is validated by both parties. We wouldn't have announced it if there wasn't an agreement."

Soler: "If we had been irresponsible with money surely we would have resigned by now.

Robert: "What Unai Emery said isn't true, he knows very well that Verratti is a player we wanted."

Soler: "There will be no resignations"

Robert: "Seri and Iñigo were two players that we looked at but we decided that it was best not to sign them."

Soler: "We run this club differently than how it was run in the past. We want the best possible results."

Soler: "PSG wanted €70m for Di Maria. We didn't want to pay that much."

Soler: "Everyone needs to be calm. There is no problem with Messi and his new contract."

Robert: "Yes I said we will sign a player, but we couldn't get him in the end."

Robert: "We will analyse La Masia and bring players up."

Soler: "We thank Coutinho for his efforts to push a move but we could not afford to pay €200m to Liverpool."

Soler: "We don't fear Messi not renewing. The contract extension is done."

Robert: "Don't ask me about Real Madrid or their players. I don't know anything

 

[Devils]

It's amazing. Over five weeks of chasing Coutinho, repeatedly being told he wont be sold and it is now that they complain about the price and blame market inflation.

I cannot understand how the socis are not on a war path right now.

 

[Barcaman]

It's as if only Coutinho existed and we didn't need a midfielder in the first place.

 

[Gaudi]

If they wanted 200 mills for Coutinho it's fine they didn't buy him, but someone wrote here: It all started with Thiago.
Miss after miss, bad decision one after another...that is why they are responsible.

 

[fergus90]

They can't pull the wool over anyone's eyes anymore. It's known throughout the footballing world that this board is a complete incompetent joke. The fact is Paulinho may well be useful but he should be half the price and also used sparingly in a 'plan b 'not as our main midfield signing. We've had the need for a world class midfielder for a long time and yet amazingly we go into another season without one.

The board bangs on about revenues etc but fails to accept that people are here for the love of football not finances. They can come up with any excuse in the book but the bottom line is, each and every one of them isn't fit to run this great football club.

This is Barcelona, the tremendous history of trophies and players to have played for this club means that many great players will still arrive but we need these lot gone before that happens.

 

[Alik]

So much bs, makes me sick.

 

[Vilarrubi]

Why not Seri for 30/40m then.... they will tell us anything

 

[Total-Football]

More questions than answers. From the conference the the way the local journalsist were arse-licking them with those soft questions i suspect The board is indeed lobbying around with Sport and Elmundo Deportivo. There is no way the board of any other top spanish club would have had it this easy especially after this disasterous management.

Not even the management of some Small company would have the audacity to complain about the unforseen dynamics of the market because that what all management is about : prevent danger and adapt to danger, not cry about it like some bitch. behold i'm talking here about small companies let alone an over 3 Billon dollars company.

The statement about Seri is shocking though . Because here they are stomping on their dicks, the statement implies that they started monitoring the player not during the season but a couple of days ago. No way a proper management would dismiss a player based on one game after monitoring him for a year.

 

[serghei]

A bunch of morons. They basically say what every 10 year old child knows. The market is inflated. We know that already you clowns. The issue is if you are good enough sailors to conduct the ship through this bad weather. You are absolute shit. Robert basically proves with these quotes that he was the mastermind behind Paulinho. He seems to rate Paulinho a lot higher than Seri.

 

[mark1nhu]

Not even the management of some Small company would have the audacity to complain about the unforseen dynamics of the market because that what all management is about : prevent danger and adapt to danger, not cry about it like some bitch. behold i'm talking here about small companies let alone an over 3 Billon dollars company.

This! Simply this!

All this whining from this pathetic board only highlights the kind of incompetents running our club, which makes me more embarrassed than any on pitch defeat.

I can cope with a few years of titles drought, but few years of mismanagement is simply unbearable.

Fuck, this is disgusting, it's a nightmare.

 

[Lelouch vi Britannia]

clowns

A bunch of morons. They basically say what every 10 year old child knows. The market is inflated. We know that already you clowns. The issue is if you are good enough sailors to conduct the ship through this bad weather. You are absolute shit. Robert basically proves with these quotes that he was the mastermind behind Paulinho. He seems to rate Paulinho a lot higher than Seri.

Still think he's just trying to cover Farto's ass on Paulinho.

Either way, they all need to go, starting with Farto. Was willing to give Robert the benefit of the doubt if a new board was but not any more.

 

[El Flaco]

Here's the full press conference, although it's in Spanish/Catalan with no English subtitles or anything...

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5z8obk

Grup14 have provided very detailed quotes from Robert Fernandez & Albert Soler regarding Coutinho, about today's market, Neymar leaving us etc.

[tw]903970040797696000[/tw]

 

[khaled_a_d]

Albert Soler: "What do I think about today's market? It is broken. Countries are being used as investment funds but we celebrate theat UEFA will investigate these clubs. I think UEFA and FIFA have to look into these matters as certain clubs are contravening set standards. The board feel that we should not put Barcelona at risk by getting involved in this crazy market.

Ok, that is good, so what is the fucken alternative?

 

[Neeraj]

You wouldn't have this pussyfooting by the media in England. The media would have ripped into them. The corruption in Spain and general mismanagement of the league keeps it from being labeled the best league. Spain is the best league in terms of football, but in everything else, it's so poor.

 

[Chainsaw]

It's not taking a genius to realize that Liverpool didn't want to sell Coutinho and he was ridiculously overpriced. It shouldn't be an excuse for this board to say Liverpool was asking for a (made-up) ridiculous amount at the end. The same story was going on the whole summer. He was way too overpriced and once the club found that out they should have moved on. Instead they wasted the whole transfer market doing nothing. Yeah, every fan knows you're incompetent and no excuses in the world should change that.

How these muppets even have a job in a big club like FC Barcelona is beyond me.