Frenkie de Jong | The last muppeting lap

[Mr Pigeon]

Innit these swings are mental, we all thought FDJ was in the bag, had essentially just signed Tyrel and just as they seem to be moving on to Lisandro this drops. No wonder everyone is so negative all the time feeling positive invites the pain

People were already negative in the Malacia and Martinez threads, saying that we still haven't signed anyone. People have been negative in this thread before Laporte said the same thing he's been saying for weeks (we're rich, we want him to stay, he wants to stay, but because of financial constraints...) And it was revealed that Ronnie wants to bigger off.

People have been negative no matter what happens here, it didn't just start up because of the news today. The reality is that people are just miserable wankers.

 

[Mainoldo]

Shut up man

General question why do you think this? I’m curious?

 

[NoLogo]

In the space of a few hours we have Laporte saying he’s not for sale and Ronaldo asking to leave….fecking hell.

I'm with the people who think he is trying to force us to accept their demands. The pressure of Ronaldo wanting out he hopes we will simply agree to their €80M with no add-ons demand.

 

[Berbaclass]

Yep, about as intelligent a reply I expect from you.

The details of Barca's financial worries are well documented. If you want to go educate yourself be my guest. I won't be spoon-feeding it to you if you're too dumb to understand what I've been saying.

 

[Berbaclass]

General question why do you think this? I’m curious?

Why do I think what?

 

[Mainoldo]

Why do I think what?

That a 50% wage cut isn’t enough.

If I was a player I wouldn’t accept it because it’s basically my job and your cutting my salary in half. Just interested on why they still would struggle if this happened.

 

[AlexUTD]

No, he certainly isn’t. He’s a top talent but he hasn’t reached anywhere near the level everyone expected when he left Ajax. Same with his compatriot and former teammate De Ligt. Both have been slightly disappointing at their clubs. Solid, but not world class.

Yeah, maybe. It just feels like this place has let the hype of signing a big name get to your heads. Many here acting as if you’re getting prime Kroos or Xavi.

He is a nice player who has a couple of levels to go up to reach the world class level.

Well in my opinion getting De Jong is very important for us and Ten Hag since we need that engine/playmaker from the middle wich we have been lacking for ages now. Ten Hag knows how to play on De Jong`s strenghts and he knows how to play the way Ten Hag wants to. For me he is a must get cause i cant see many other players around who can lift us as De Jong would.

I might be wrong,hell i thought Maguire and Wan Bissaka were great buys when we bought them

 

[Brophs]

The Sun: MatriMONEY
The Mirror: Dutch a mess
The Daily Mail: CAN YOU BELIEVE HE'S FOREIGN AND HASN'T APOLOGISED YET?

 

[NewGlory]

ESPN now reporting that Laporta said they have no intention selling De Jong? What the f...ing F..ck?!

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/4...e-de-jong-president?appearance=dark&appsrc=sc

 

[sepulturite]

ESPN now reporting that Laporta said they have no intention selling De Jong? What the f...ing F..ck?!

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/4...e-de-jong-president?appearance=dark&appsrc=sc

Where have you been for the past few hours?! This is old news

 

[Brownie85]

ESPN now reporting that Laporta said they have no intention selling De Jong? What the f...ing F..ck?!

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/4...e-de-jong-president?appearance=dark&appsrc=sc

Yeah this was hours ago...
He also said BUT he will have to lower his salary. Seems like he's setting himself up to blame FDJ when he leaves saying he didn't want to lower his salary etc

 

[Berbaclass]

That a 50% wage cut isn’t enough.

If I was a player I wouldn’t accept it because it’s basically my job and your cutting my salary in half. Just interested on why they still would struggle if this happened.

There is a fixed salary cap in La Liga (based on financial performance) and I believe they are at the moment very close to or over the limit (they broke even with the first lever the other day). With the impending arrivals of at least Christensen and Kessie ( Probably Lewandowski and Raphinha too) they simply don't have room in the budget to keep Frenkies current wage or probably even if it's reduced by 50%

The way I understand how it became such a problem for them is that he partially deferred his salary in Covid and now it has greatly increased to essentially catch up to what they should have been paying him.

I believe these things to be the case, of course if I am wrong I am happy to be corrected.

 

[Adnan]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

 

[Berbaclass]

Yeah this was hours ago...
He also said BUT he will have to lower his salary. Seems like he's setting himself up to blame FDJ when he leaves saying he didn't want to lower his salary etc

The important part of the statement really was " I will do everything in my power" suggesting that he will be able to blame others (Tebas and or Bartomeu) when they sell him.

 

[Brownie85]

What i find telling is that yes, Laporta has come out and said we've no intention of selling, but not one reputable source has said it's off.
No one has even really reported it and those who have are under the impression it's just Barca posturing. If the deal was off, you'd know by now, either with a Barca brief or vastly more likely, a United brief.

 

[Mainoldo]

There is a fixed salary cap in La Liga (based on financial performance) and I believe they are at the moment very close to or over the limit (they broke even with the first lever the other day). With the impending arrivals of at least Christensen and Kessie ( Probably Lewandowski and Raphinha too) they simply don't have room in the budget to keep Frenkies current wage or probably even if it's reduced by 50%

The way I understand how it became such a problem for them is that he partially deferred his salary in Covid and now it has greatly increased to essentially catch up to what they should have been paying him.

I believe these things to be the case, of course if I am wrong I am happy to be corrected.

Okay okay. Yeah I’ve heard most of that. Just wanted it said abit more clear. Thanks.

 

[Dazzmondo]

They are over the salary cap and want to buy/register Lewa, Kessie, Christiansen, Rafinha etc.

50% decrease isn't enough.

Looking at the wages through this site: https://www.capology.com/club/barcelona/salaries/

It's pretty clear they've saved huge amounts in wages over the last couple years by getting rid of Messi and Griezmann, and halving Pique and Umtiti's wages. This season they've removed Dembele's €385k pw and Coutinho's €420k (+£18m transfer fee). It looks likely that Lenglet will be going on loan to Spurs so they'll be covering some percentage of his €230k, they seem to be actively looking to sell Depay and remove his €200k. I would imagine they will be trying to get Busquets and Alba to either reduce their wage or will look to sell them since tbh they're the only other players on crazy wages on €420k and €400k respectfully. The point is there are other ways for Barca to save money, not just through FDJ's €308k (especially if he's prepare to renegotiate his wage down to around €150-200k). Considering they've just got a €300m sponsor injection confirmed, I'm starting to suspect the extent of Barcelona's desperation has actually been dramatised.

 

[Shakesy]

Out of interest, which were the longest transfer threads on here and what were the eventual outcomes of those transfers?

Right now it feels as if drawn out sagas have a tendency to disappoint... Hope to god I'm wrong

 

[Suv666]

FDJ is the better player, still... I don't think it'll work out if he shows up.

Rarely does a player who doesn't want to leave their current club work out.

Messi? Lukaku? ADM?

It's very immature and arrogant to just send a reply like yours.

"FDJ is the better player"
"But I don't feel like it'll work out"

Thank god the club doesn't take business decision on gut feelings. Anymore...

It was incredibly mature and level headed my post. Considering the nature of the claim.

 

[Suv666]

Didn’t say that. Just said he’d be a solid backup option if De Jong stays.

Fair enough but Tielemans has been shockingly bad last season. Don't know if he's good enough for the bench let alone the first team.

 

[Red the Bear]

Out of interest, which were the longest transfer threads on here and what were the eventual outcomes of those transfers?

Right now it feels as if drawn out sagas have a tendency to disappoint... Hope to god I'm wrong

I wasn't there but I think some of them like the pogba one or the di maria(god forbid) one gone on forever.
Some our wild goose chases like fabergas and Thiago must have been the same as well.

I think a bunch of them are archived in the classics section of the forum so you can take a look if you want to.

 

[Berbaclass]

Okay okay. Yeah I’ve heard most of that. Just wanted it said abit more clear. Thanks.

De Jong is particularly attractive in the sense of a sale not only because of his big wages but also how much cash they can get back in terms of a fee.

Players like Brathwaite, Untiti, Puig, etc and the other deadwood are also overpaid (quite similar to United and their deadwood players on big contracts they cant shift) so they struggle to sell them to get them off the books.

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

Out of interest, which were the longest transfer threads on here and what were the eventual outcomes of those transfers?

Right now it feels as if drawn out sagas have a tendency to disappoint... Hope to god I'm wrong

I think they either end in us not signing the player (most times) or us ending up wishing we hadn't (Pogba, Di Maria, Schneiderlin, etc)

 

[croadyman]

Definitely in desperate need of an Ornstein/Whitwell/Stone tweet to make me feel less concerned about Laporta's comments

 

[Suv666]

the levers thing is BSing to their fans, not to us

Grinds my gears that word. Economic levers. One of those corporate jargon phrases that mean feck all. Like synergy.

Dumpster fire of a club

 

[Ted Lasso]

These club leaders know exactly how to pander to the reactive fans. It's working to a tee on the United forum so im sure the Barca fans are eating it up and will also do so when FDJ refuses to drop his wages and leaves.

Manipulating human emotions is quite the trick the rich and powerful have refined across issues.

 

[Adam-Utd]

I genuinely cant believe after all this smoke and fire, people really think that Barca now intent to keep him

It's funny AF watching people in here panic. I guess the Ronaldo news from earlier has given everybody a fright

 

[Berbaclass]

Looking at the wages through this site: https://www.capology.com/club/barcelona/salaries/

It's pretty clear they've saved huge amounts in wages over the last couple years by getting rid of Messi and Griezmann, and halving Pique and Umtiti's wages. This season they've removed Dembele's €385k pw and Coutinho's €420k (+£18m transfer fee). It looks likely that Lenglet will be going on loan to Spurs so they'll be covering some percentage of his €230k, they seem to be actively looking to sell Depay and remove his €200k. I would imagine they will be trying to get Busquets and Alba to either reduce their wage or will look to sell them since tbh they're the only other players on crazy wages on €420k and €400k respectfully. The point is there are other ways for Barca to save money, not just through FDJ's €308k (especially if he's prepare to renegotiate his wage down to around €150-200k). Considering they've just got a €300m sponsor injection confirmed, I'm starting to suspect the extent of Barcelona's desperation has actually been dramatised.

Dembele is renewing (althought for 40% less)

The financial lever they recently activated only served to put their finances back to a point where they show no losses for recent years. Giving them a little time to breathe. They went from being able to spend 1:3 of what they bring in to 1:1

The financial situation they are in is almost certainly not being overdramatized. They are in big trouble still, no doubt about that.

 

[sherrinford]

No, he certainly isn’t. He’s a top talent but he hasn’t reached anywhere near the level everyone expected when he left Ajax. Same with his compatriot and former teammate De Ligt. Both have been slightly disappointing at their clubs. Solid, but not world class.

Yeah, maybe. It just feels like this place has let the hype of signing a big name get to your heads. Many here acting as if you’re getting prime Kroos or Xavi.

He is a nice player who has a couple of levels to go up to reach the world class level.

He only has to return to a level he has shown before, to be at a world class level. And it's fair to say that he will be more suitably utilised at United than he has been at Barcelona, which inspires confidence.

Surely no-one is pretending we are getting prime Xavi? In my opinion he is a better player than Kroos though.

 

[DWelbz19]

This Laporta wanker could tell me it’s a clear sunny day and I’d leave my house with an umbrella. Feck him and his levers

 

[Keefy18]

"FDJ is the better player"
"But I don't feel like it'll work out"

Thank god the club doesn't take business decision on gut feelings. Anymore...

It was incredibly mature and level headed my post. Considering the nature of the claim.

Does Messi look happy? How did it work out for Rom at Chelsea? Hell we've prior example with ADM.

We wasted a summer chasing Cesc the summer of Moyes and ended up with Fellaini.

If he shows up, I don't think we'll get the best from him. Just my own personal sentiment. If I'm wrong, which I'll gladly be, I'll post that I was wrong.

I think its a naïve attitude to have considering our transfer history post Fergie, how many big names have we signed and failed to live up to the hype?

There's simply no guarantees with any transfer.

 

[Giggsy13]

Spoiler

 

[NewGlory]

Where have you been for the past few hours?! This is old news

Haha. Sorry. Was taking a Saturday afternoon nap. I guess such things are not allowed, anymore

 

[ForeverRed1]

In the space of a few hours we have Laporte saying he’s not for sale and Ronaldo asking to leave….fecking hell.

being a United fan is a rollercoaster for sure.

 

[Brownie85]

I genuinely cant believe after all this smoke and fire, people really think that Barca now intent to keep him

It's funny AF watching people in here panic. I guess the Ronaldo news from earlier has given everybody a fright

Nah i'm fairly certain that he's still coming. Absolutely nothing at the moment to suggest otherwise.
The only thing that will change that is a brief by United saying we've walked away from the deal. None of the reputable sources have said anything about tonights comments and if the deal was off, you know for a fact they'd know quick.

The important part of the statement really was " I will do everything in my power" suggesting that he will be able to blame others (Tebas and or Bartomeu) when they sell him.

Yep, he'll blame everyone, except himself of course.

 

[Giggsy13]

Laporta is posturing in hopes a club another club will barge in and offer more money up front. This strategy so far has failed and will continue to fail since it appears United are well into making this move happen. I wouldn’t expect a club like Barca who are in financial hell to accept having to sell prime assets on the cheap but that’s where they are at the moment, and they’ll kick and scream until Frankie is in a photo with ten Hag signing a new contract.

 

[Summit]

Guys, stop quoting Laporta on Messi. When he said that, he actually believed Messi would stay because Tebas assured him Barca signing LaLigas cvc deal allows them to keep Messi. But then Florentino Perez called Laporta and reminded him cvc deal will be for 50 years and it prevents their superleague. So Laporta had to chose between 2-3 years Messi and a bad cvc deal, which also prevents the superleague for 50 years or release Messi. He chose the latter.

Right now it's a different story. Frenkie has his Bartomeu contract which guarantees him an absurd amount starting this season. Way above the new wage limit Laporta's board set. Barca doesn't want to sell Frenkie, but they also want to reduce their wage bill. So there is a possibility to sell Frenkie if he doesn't agree to the new wage limit. But if Frenkie loves it so much in barcelona and he agrees to do without Bartomeus promised money there will be no selling. In terms of liquidity, barca needs no money. They will activate the 2nd lever and sell the 15% tv money for round about €400m which will take the pressure of LaLiga's ffp.

In the end, it will depend only on Frenkie. The negotiations between those clubs take place in case Frenkie decides to leave. No one can force him.

These levers are funny. Like and overdraft which is useful once...

 

[Lay]

Out of interest, which were the longest transfer threads on here and what were the eventual outcomes of those transfers?

Right now it feels as if drawn out sagas have a tendency to disappoint... Hope to god I'm wrong

The Thiago one was long. De Gea writing on the football "see you in Manchester". Sky Sports thinking its WWE and expecting Moyes to do a surprise reveal of Thiago at a press conference. Good times, good times.

 

[Shakesy]

I wasn't there but I think some of them like the pogba one or the di maria(god forbid) one gone on forever.
Some our wild goose chases like fabergas and Thiago must have been the same as well.

I think a bunch of them are archived in the classics section of the forum so you can take a look if you want to.

Thanks!

I think they either end in us not signing the player (most times) or us ending up wishing we hadn't (Pogba, Di Maria, Schneiderlin, etc)

So that must mean we should hope for unexpected signings! Like... Like... OK. Can't remember the last time we had one of those that turned out to be good.

How many good signings have we actually made in the last decade? Could it be only Bruno

 

[redIndianDevil]

If he does stay after all this saga, who would you guys even turn to?

Whoever is playing in that position in Ajax now obviously. That seems to be our transfer strategy at the moment.