Raheem Sterling

[Norbs]

Kane is destined to become a Uniturd player, I'm certain of it. He already has a face and body you'd never tire of punching so it just makes sense

[danperkins]

If we look at the really big players for us over the past 10 to 15 years that left whilst in their prime, then for the most part two clubs in particular keep popping up as the destination of choice for those players.

Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Both are clubs that are bigger than us on a global scale, and both are clubs that most professional footballers probably see as being the pinnacle of club football.

So when those two clubs come knocking most players will answer the call, and few clubs in the game, if any, will be able to knock back overtures from Real or Barca.

You mentioned Arsenal and Spurs. The majority of the big names that those two clubs lost also went to Real or Barca as well (although in the case of Arsenal Man City have started to nab some of their players).


Even Man Utd were unable to stop their top player at the time in Ronaldo from eventually winging his way over to Real Madrid.


So losing players, your best players, to Barca and Real Madrid does not make a club a selling club in my eyes. Rather it instead highlights a club's position on the food chain. If it usually takes a Barca or Real Madrid approach to take your very best, then you are pretty high up the food chain and are probably the type of club that is able to take players from clubs all over the world and cause fans of those clubs to bemoan the fact that their clubs are selling clubs.


As for having a drawn out transfer saga every summer/season....seems to me that nearly every top club sees this happen to this every season and more than likely it happens at the not so big clubs every season as well.


This coming summer I expect to see plenty of paper inches get filled up transfer sagas involving;


Mancs - De Gea and Di Maria

Arsenal - Walcott, Wilshire, and maybe Ramsey

Spurs - Eriksen and Kane

Chelsea - Hazard to PSG again

Man City - Pick one from Jovetic, Mangala, Kompany, and maybe even Aguero.


It is just that our transfer sagas stand out more for us because it involves the club we care about and tattle about other clubs does not register in the same manner.

Well unfortunately this is it, most of the south american or Spanish players do seem to long for Madrid or Barca. Ronaldo is the only big loss for United TBF and they won the title the next season & don't lose many players. Di maria has been **** for the most part but De Gea would be a huge loss.

Arsenal won't be sorry to lose Walcot or Wilshere IMO as they are crocks & Ramsey is also a crock but IMO isn't going anywhere. Can't see Kane moving yet but Eriksen might. Chelsea and City have so much money that whomever goes they don't worry as they can fork out whatever for whomever. Jovetic and Mangala have been **** signings so they will be happy to get rid. Toure wants out & he'll be a huge loss but he's been way off this season, aswell as Kompany. Aguero would be a huge loss for them. IMO City have spent very poorly in recent times but will address it in the summer. Bit of a clear out i reckon.

From our point of view, getting into the top 4 on a regular basis is the only way to counteract this or to stem the impact. It means that if we do lose key players, we are in a much better position to replace quality with quality.

[Tee]

Kane is destined to become a Uniturd player, I'm certain of it. He already has a face and body you'd never tire of punching so it just makes sense

[Bender]

Kane is destined to become a Uniturd player, I'm certain of it. He already has a face and body you'd never tire of punching so it just makes sense

Phil Jones will be happy

[Doc_Piptorious]

Well unfortunately this is it, most of the south american or Spanish players do seem to long for Madrid or Barca. Ronaldo is the only big loss for United TBF and they won the title the next season & don't lose many players. Di maria has been **** for the most part but De Gea would be a huge loss.

Arsenal won't be sorry to lose Walcot or Wilshere IMO as they are crocks & Ramsey is also a crock but IMO isn't going anywhere. Can't see Kane moving yet but Eriksen might. Chelsea and City have so much money that whomever goes they don't worry as they can fork out whatever for whomever. Jovetic and Mangala have been **** signings so they will be happy to get rid. Toure wants out & he'll be a huge loss but he's been way off this season, aswell as Kompany. Aguero would be a huge loss for them. IMO City have spent very poorly in recent times but will address it in the summer. Bit of a clear out i reckon.

From our point of view, getting into the top 4 on a regular basis is the only way to counteract this or to stem the impact. It means that if we do lose key players, we are in a much better position to replace quality with quality.

Point still remains that when it comes to the majority of the best players, at pretty much any club in England, that the call of Barca or Real Madrid would be enough to prompt the want to move.

Maybe Barca and Real Madrid can be put off for a season if they set their mind on getting a player but, as shown in recent seasons by the likes of Ronaldo, Modric, and Suarez, they tend to get their way in the end.


So I would disagree that we are a selling club in the sense that we tend move our talent on to the highest bidder a la Newcastle, Southampton etc., but rather we are the sort of club that when we do possess a top class or world class talent in their prime that it usually takes the biggest clubs in the world to take those players from us.

[ChrisDR1968]

If we look at the really big players for us over the past 10 to 15 years that left whilst in their prime, then for the most part two clubs in particular keep popping up as the destination of choice for those players.

Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Both are clubs that are bigger than us on a global scale, and both are clubs that most professional footballers probably see as being the pinnacle of club football.

So when those two clubs come knocking most players will answer the call, and few clubs in the game, if any, will be able to knock back overtures from Real or Barca.

You mentioned Arsenal and Spurs. The majority of the big names that those two clubs lost also went to Real or Barca as well (although in the case of Arsenal Man City have started to nab some of their players).

Even Man Utd were unable to stop their top player at the time in Ronaldo from eventually winging his way over to Real Madrid.

So losing players, your best players, to Barca and Real Madrid does not make a club a selling club in my eyes. Rather it instead highlights a club's position on the food chain. If it usually takes a Barca or Real Madrid approach to take your very best, then you are pretty high up the food chain and are probably the type of club that is able to take players from clubs all over the world and cause fans of those clubs to bemoan the fact that their clubs are selling clubs.

As for having a drawn out transfer saga every summer/season....seems to me that nearly every top club sees this happen to this every season and more than likely it happens at the not so big clubs every season as well.

Excellent post and agree wholeheartedly

The last paragraph is just a symptom of player power. These days that's just a fact of life and isn't going to go away anytime soon

[danperkins]

Point still remains that when it comes to the majority of the best players, at pretty much any club in England, that the call of Barca or Real Madrid would be enough to prompt the want to move.

Maybe Barca and Real Madrid can be put off for a season if they set their mind on getting a player but, as shown in recent seasons by the likes of Ronaldo, Modric, and Suarez, they tend to get their way in the end.


So I would disagree that we are a selling club in the sense that we tend move our talent on to the highest bidder a la Newcastle, Southampton etc., but rather we are the sort of club that when we do possess a top class or world class talent in their prime that it usually takes the biggest clubs in the world to take those players from us.

I can't disagree with any of that mate

[Bender]

Liverpool's Raheem Sterling: 'I'm not a money-grabbing 20-year-old'

Raheem Sterling tells BBC Sport he's not a "money-grabbing 20-year-old" as speculation about his Liverpool future rumbles on.

Watch BBC Sport's exclusive interview with Sterling from 17:00 BST on the BBC Sport website.
BBC

[Norbs]

Phil Jones will be happy

It'll be impossible to tell through the gorm that engulfs his face

[Bender]

It'll be impossible to tell through the gorm that engulfs his face

[meffin]

[ame]https://twitter.com/danroan/status/583290633105866752[/ame]

[kingfunk]

Raheem Sterling

Bit of a strange interview just. Reckon he will be off to chelsea.

[Paddy]

Want to concentrate on your football and nothing else do you Raheem?

Why the interview then?

[BobTheCharmer]

He can't win either way, but I personally think he would have done better to say nowt and not had an interview. People will just read more into it.

[Shaggy]

Ah **** off then Raheem, you're ****ing boring me.