Frenkie de Jong | The last muppeting lap

[Mmm-Qatarian]

Leverndowski to Barca apparently done. Surely that means this one as well?

If Barca aren't confident they can get FDJ to accept the move they're playing a very dangerous game signing Raphinha and Lewandowski if my understanding of their situation is at all correct.

Anybody more knowledgeable can correct me if I'm wrong but as I understand it, Barca would not be able to register Lewandowski and/or Raphinha as La Liga players if they are unable to reduce their salary spend via player sales?

 

[Darlington Padgett]

It’ll be bad
But losing Pogba, signing him for 100 big ones then losing for free and a toxic number of years is the most ridiculous saga I’ve ever or will ever see

I try not to think about Pogo

 

[Rolaholic]

How are Barcelona able to sign Lewandowski, Raphina and possibly Bernardo Silva before De Jong has been sold? What if this doesn't get sorted and they still have him on their books? They're just going to pay him less?

Liquidation by 2025

 

[NoPace]

Thats fair enough I just hope we have a contingency plan if this ends up going south.

We’ve been poor in midfield for years and have just lost Pogba and Matic we should be signing 2 regardless in my opinion.

I don't think there's another De Jong out there, so my guess is Eriksen is the contingency plan and if we don't sign Frenkie we'll sign a more traditional holding midfielder (but who can pass) and play Eriksen in easier games and Fred in tougher ones as the #8. So I guess that's maybe Ruben Neves or Paredes

 

[Castia]

Barce just agreed a fee for Lewa - Romano here we go

Suddenly they’re signing everyone

 

[crossy1686]

Didn’t we say we wanted the deal done by Friday? Guess we’re out then, who’s next?

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

If that's the case then why not accept that and say it? Tell barca he'll go as they require, but only if they pay him. Otherwise he stays

Likely has.
They likely have said feck off.

Hence the stand off.

He’s says he’s staying, on full pay. The only option they have if they want rid is to pay him.

That’s why the top English journos think this saga will run and run.

 

[scream]

There hasn't been any credible source saying Ten Hag has spoken to him regularly has there?

Do you really think they’re going to tell the world Erik and Frenkie are in conversation. FFS

 

[JJ12]

I’ll go with :-

Scholes
Giggs
Keane
Gerrard
Lampard
Xavi
Iniesta
Kaka
Zidane
Ronaldinho
Pirlo
Essien
Modric

Off the top of my head in thirty seconds. Personally I wouldn’t put him anywhere near any of those players. He was a good player. He was nowhere near the best midfielder of his generation.

Snuck Essien in

Ronaldinho?? fecks he doing in a list of CM’s.

Carrick was a brilliant player, which was the original statement.

 

[Summit]

That is presumably exactly what is being said behind closed doors but publicly Barca claim they don't need to sell him even though they negotiated and accepted a bid for him and his publicly claiming he is happy to stay there as by far their highest paid player right now.

Presumably...no one has actually reported it. I don't get that if it is being said behind closed doors, why the cat and mouse? Everyone knows where they stand if they've said it behind closed doors, but I'll go away and say something different.

 

[Lash]

Lewandowski, Raphina and supposedly Kounde being signed, but some people still think Frenkie isn't leaving?

 

[hellhunter]

If Barca aren't confident they can get FDJ to accept the move they're playing a very dangerous game signing Raphinha and Lewandowski if my understanding of their situation is at all correct.

Anybody more knowledgeable can correct me if I'm wrong but as I understand it, Barca would not be able to register Lewandowski and/or Raphinha as La Liga players if they are unable to reduce their salary spend via player sales?

This is my understanding as well. And while Raphina may be willing to wait a couple of months unregistered for the league (unlikely), I can't see Lewandowski take that risk

 

[ReallyUSA]

Didn’t we say we wanted the deal done by Friday? Guess we’re out then, who’s next?

Jesus who knows. Savic?! Ha

 

[RDCR07]

Barce just agreed a fee for Lewa

Wow they already spent over 100m Euros this summer and agreed to sign two more players on free. On the while being 1.3B in debt. Something has to give. Levers for 550m can’t be enough to solve their financial crisis.

 

[ReallyUSA]

Lewandowski, Raphina and supposedly Kounde being signed, but some people still think Frenkie isn't leaving?

The Catalans aren’t operating with any sense whatsoever

 

[Red Stone]

As much as this is clearly just about the money he's owed and not about him not actually wanting to come here, a part of me still hopes we walk away from the deal just to watch Barca throw an absolute shitfit when they can't get neither the transfer fee, nor his wages off the books.

They need rid of him more than we need Frenkie. We can go for Tielemans instead. He might not be as good, but he's cheaper and PL proven. They're stuck with his wages unless they find a club willing to pony up that amount of money, and so far it does seem like it's just us.

 

[Glorio]

I’ll go with :-

Scholes
Giggs
Keane
Gerrard
Lampard
Xavi
Iniesta
Kaka
Zidane
Ronaldinho
Pirlo
Essien
Modric

Off the top of my head in thirty seconds. Personally I wouldn’t put him anywhere near any of those players. He was a good player. He was nowhere near the best midfielder of his generation.

Agreed - really good player underrated during his playing days but I feel he's gotten a bit overrated since then.

 

[Jeppers7]

I like Essien, but what the feck is he doing in that list?

He was better than Carrick and somebody just said that Carrick was one of the best midfielders of his generation

 

[Rolaholic]

They've been in financial tatters having to sell their long term BLM rights for pennies on the dollar with debt through their eyeballs and they're still going full Galactico this window

No matter what happens with Frenkie, I've never seen a company run like this dodgily since maybe Enron. Their accountants might need triple bypass surgery soon

 

[Castia]

Lewandowski, Raphina and supposedly Kounde being signed, but some people still think Frenkie isn't leaving?

They want him gone so why aren’t they just paying what they owe? It will cost them a million in wages if he goes on tour tomorrow seems absolutely bonkers.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

I’ll go with :-

Scholes
Giggs
Keane
Gerrard
Lampard
Xavi
Iniesta
Kaka
Zidane
Ronaldinho
Pirlo
Essien
Modric

Off the top of my head in thirty seconds. Personally I wouldn’t put him anywhere near any of those players. He was a good player. He was nowhere near the best midfielder of his generation.

Essien

As for Giggs & Ronaldinho, are you shitting me, in no World were they “midfielders”. You’re stretching it with Zidane.

 

[Lash]

The Catalans aren’t operating with any sense whatsoever

They'll make him a pariah if they have to, he's 100% gone. I've never been more confident of it after all these moves on the Barca side.

 

[Jeppers7]

Agreed - really good player underrated during his playing days but I feel he's gotten a bit overrated since then.

Perhaps he was underrated I’m not sure, people were watching him week in week out back then. I don’t remember people thinking he was great when they watched him for 90 minutes every week. He had an excellent season in 2013 though.

 

[Pronewbie]

The Catalans aren’t operating with any sense whatsoever

It's like the band on the Titanic continuing to play as the ship sank. I have a sneaky feeling that they will be the next football poster-child for "too big to fail". Except this time it's possible that society will be so enraged with the economic crisis that they will be allowed to fall.

 

[Lash]

They want him gone so why aren’t they just paying what they owe? It will cost them a million in wages if he goes on tour tomorrow seems absolutely bonkers.

Strong chance they're just negotiating a compromise, if he does go on tour it will be a new addition to the list of farcical things Barca have done in recent history.

 

[RedMilo]

Would love to see how you'd react to losing £17 million dollars that was contractually obligated to you.

This choice has nothing to do with United. It's a standoff between Barcelona and FDJ.

A) he decides to lose tens of millions of dollars and take an additional pay cut to continue playing for a club that wants him out.

B) he gets paid in full by Barca and find a new club. At that point the question becomes does he want to join United or another club. If it comes to this, it's quite likely ETH is a big draw as is the fact that we're Manchester fng United.

C) he gets paid partially by Barca and partially by a suitor. We haven't reached this stage yet. If United says ok we pay the £17 m owed because we want him that badly, and FDJ still decides to stick it out THEN we can consider that we aren't an interesting option for him.

C has not even been close to being a possibility based on the negotiations we've been hearing out.

I disagree, apparently we have restructured our deal with Barca with a higher guaranteed fee, in order that THEY can facilitate De Jong's exit in relationto the wage situation. They have made it clear his exit is necessary but he is still clinging on. This is not about deferred wages - he doesn't want the move full stop.

 

[JPRouve]

Essien

As for Giggs & Ronaldinho, are you shitting me, in no World were they “midfielders”. You’re stretching it with Zidane.

Kaka and Lampard have also no business being listed. I bet that the next player was Babangida.

 

[the_cliff]

So now Barca have agreed a fee for Lewa.

Hope Barca have 14 day cancellation policies on these transfers if FDJ decides to stay.

 

[Jeppers7]

Essien

As for Giggs & Ronaldinho, are you shitting me, in no World were they “midfielders”. You’re stretching it with Zidane.

Carrick better than Essien Only on a United forum.

If Giggs didn’t play his entire career in midfield then I want some of what you’re smoking.

 

[MF1138]

There hasn't been any credible source saying Ten Hag has spoken to him regularly has there?

Do you honestly believe there is any chance in hell that ten Hag hasn't made damn sure that he is more than interested in coming? This is a player who he knows well and is his priority target... but he hasn't thought to make sure we're not wasting our time? I tend to believe he's not an imbecile.

 

[Niemans]

If Barca aren't confident they can get FDJ to accept the move they're playing a very dangerous game signing Raphinha and Lewandowski if my understanding of their situation is at all correct.

Anybody more knowledgeable can correct me if I'm wrong but as I understand it, Barca would not be able to register Lewandowski and/or Raphinha as La Liga players if they are unable to reduce their salary spend via player sales?

Barcelona will activate the second lever in a few days, there we will see who registers.

 

[Jeppers7]

Kaka and Lampard have also no business being listed. I bet that the next player was Babangida.

They weren’t midfielders?

 

[hellhunter]

Carrick better than Essien Only on a United forum.

If Giggs didn’t play his entire career in midfield then I want some of what you’re smoking.

That makes only sense if you started watching United ca. 2010

 

[JJ12]

Carrick better than Essien Only on a United forum.

If Giggs didn’t play his entire career in midfield then I want some of what you’re smoking.

What planet are you on? On both counts

 

[PoTMS]

Didn’t we say we wanted the deal done by Friday? Guess we’re out then, who’s next?

The goalposts are shifted every week. And yet "we're prepared to walk away."

 

[Jeppers7]

What planet are you on? On both counts

Seriously put that out on a platform that isn’t a United forum. Some massively underrating of Essien. He was immense.

 

[JPRouve]

They weren’t midfielders?

They were attacking midfielders and neither of them was close to Carrick as a CM/DM. You had the opportunity to name Modric, Schweinsteiger, Vidal, Xabi Alonso or Busquets and decided to share the most ridiculous list possible.

 

[Lash]

He was better than Carrick and somebody just said that Carrick was one of the best midfielders of his generation

They're were easily on the same level and if one was better there'd be extremely little in it and extremely subjective due to their difference in style and role.

You listed the top midfielders of their generation and then just popped Essien in there, just stuck out like a sore thumb in that list.

 

[Jeppers7]

That makes only sense if you started watching United ca. 2010

We played 442 under SAF mainly from 1993 to around 2004. Can you name the four midfielders?

 

[charlenefan]

They've just signed Lewandowski surely now we get Frenkie