De Gea Contract Situation

[RedDevil@84]

That's the situation now.

You're basically asking for De Gea to throw away his get out card and still be in the situation of us asking for more than Real Madrid want to pay, basically putting himself in the middle of a dick swinging contest. No one wants to see Ed and Perez doing the helicopter.

If you can't understand why his position is perfectly reasonable rather than some nasty plot he's been conspiring then I think you're a bit blind by your frustrations.

De Gea has some choices
- He can sign a new contract (Real and Mendes might not be happy)
- He can rundown his contract, albeit train extremely well and deliver an absolute gem of a season for Man Utd
- He can rundown his contract, albeit sulking on what could have been which will make him see more bench time than he would want
- He can convince Perez to pay the feckin amount Utd wants before the window closes.

 

[Sultan]

Be a fecking strange thing to lie about. What could they possibly gain from fabricating it?

I think not ready, not wanting to play might be the issue. I reckon a lot of this will be misinterpretation between De Gea's Spanish and LvG's English. I personally think this should be kept in-house.

 

[VanGaalEra]

There's been a policy shift at United over contract negotiations over the last few years. The club have been taking risks running down contracts to save on salaries. It's proved a risky policy with the likes of Pogba and now De Gea.

When would you have offered him a new deal? He sure as hell wasn't going to sign during Moyes' shitfest.

 

[pierrethesnack]

You really think, if Real do well this season in the league and the CL, with whoever they use, they will drop them next season for a guy who has barely touched a ball in anger for a year?

Yes, I think they take pride in having Spain's numero uno in goal, so I think they will want him even if Navas has a very good season.

 

[VanGaalEra]

Then we should tell him that he isn't leaving and ask him to buckle up. He is a big boy, I am sure he can handle staying in Machester for another year.

All this "we'll not play him till the window shuts' nonsense needs to stop. That to me sounds like leaving the door open for his departure till the last minute of the window. Which isn't helping anyone.

We've told him to stay unless we get a suitable offer from Madrid, so we have done what you've said in the first line of your post.

We're also happy to let him go for a fee, so not playing him when his mind is clearly elsewhere is fine by me and should be fine with everyone else. One mistake in goal can cost us points that we can't afford to lose.

 

[nevillestache]

Messier than the Rooney transfer requests / new contracts crap this one.

 

[Sultan]

De Gea has some choices
- He can sign a new contract (Real and Mendes might not be happy)
- He can rundown his contract, albeit train extremely well and deliver an absolute gem of a season for Man Utd
- He can rundown his contract, albeit sulking on what could have been which will make him see more bench time than he would want
- He can convince Perez to pay the feckin amount Utd wants before the window closes.

De Gea can wait and get a massive signing on fee, and Madrid will get a great deal. The odds are stacked against United.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

This isn't even a very unusual scenario. It happens all the time. The most obvious example being Berbatov's antics at Spurs in the beginning of the season we signed him. The player won't go as far as flat out refusing to play, as that would probably incur some kind of financial sanction but they can still let it be known that there head isn't in the right place and they would prefer to sit the game out, if possible. This is a tactic to ramp up the pressure on the club to sell him.

It's a pity it's come to this and reflects badly on De Gea but Van Gaal is stuck between a rock and a hard place. He obviously shouldn't pick De Gea but the club seems intent on proving a point to Madrid (which I have some sympathy with) and don't want to be bullied by them into selling him on the cheap. I'm not sure that's a great strategy tbh but I guess it proves some kind of point. They probably also think that De Gea will get his focus back once the window closes and his presence could make the difference between winning and not winning trophies this season.

 

[VanGaalEra]

Messier than the Rooney transfer requests / new contracts crap this one.

Not really, Rooney and SAF had a clear falling out and that relationship was beyond repair.

If SAF didn't retire, Rooney wouldn't be here, I'm 110% sure of that.

 

[Full Member]

It won't! Sell at what Real are offering and move on to another target. If I was a betting guy I'd wager this is going to be the end game. The PR game being played out at present is I'm bigger, and holier between the clubs, LvG, and De Gea.

I agree with you Sultan. In the end we will sell but until then we will call their bluff in an attempt to get the most out of them. But by transfer deadline day I think he will be gone and we wont be getting much (if any) more than what we would have got today. I cant decide what option i'd prefer though:

A. To get rid in this window and get some money for him at least. We would lose the "PR battle" though and potentially look weaker than Real.

B. We set a precedent that we don't sell out best players at any cost and are willing to let their contracts to run down and them go for a free (a la Bilbao). We lose out on money though (which won't be a lot when factoring in his possible impact on where we finish plus the saving on how much he would be paying him this season if he were to have been given a new deal). Unfortunately, at the end of the season, you're bound to get the old "oh, it's like Pogba. We went for nothing as well. United let their players go and they go on to be worth record fees etc" chestnut being recycles by people.

I think I prefer the latter but the first will happen imo.

 

[Sultan]

We've told him to stay unless we get a suitable offer from Madrid, so we have done what you've said in the first line of your post.

We're also happy to let him go for a fee, so not playing him when his mind is clearly elsewhere is fine by me and should be fine with everyone else. One mistake in goal can cost us points that we can't afford to lose.

No one at the club would be happy to let him go for free, or not play our best goalkeeper. Talk is easy when it's not our money. Let's get realistic.

 

[SqueakyWeasel]

De Gea and his team are perfectly in their right to get the best deal for himself and client. That's business, and human nature. In De Gea's case he's going back to his home city, his family and a club comparable to United. This is not just about money. I'm pretty confident United will have offered a better financial package.

PS: Professional sportsmen are unlike us fans who generally have no emotional attachments to the club.

With one year left on his contract still to honour he's not in any sort of position to start thinking about forcing a deal through for less that Manchester United value him for or holding the club to ransom to meet that end. That, I think you'll, find is business!

And while he is a Manchester United player I will support the club's stance on not sending a message to other players, their agents or other buying clubs that we are a soft touch!

PS: He should act like a professional sportsman and see out the last year of his contract like a man, not fill his head with some emotional fairytale about going home one year early to his home town to be with his family and the girl he loves spurning millions of Premier League money.

 

[VanGaalEra]

This isn't even a very unusual scenario. It happens all the time. The most obvious example being Berbatov's antics at Spurs in the beginning of the season we signed him. The player won't go as far as flat out refusing to play, as that would probably incur some kind of financial sanction but they can still let it be known that there head isn't in the right place and they would prefer to sit the game out, if possible. This is a tactic to ramp up the pressure on the club to sell him.

It's a pity it's come to this and reflects badly on De Gea but Van Gaal is stuck between a rock and a hard place. He obviously shouldn't pick De Gea but the club seems intent on proving a point to Madrid (which I have some sympathy with) and don't want to be bullied by them into selling him on the cheap. I'm not sure that's a great strategy tbh but I guess it proves some kind of point.

I guarantee you Perez and Mendes were rubbing their hands in glee at the thought of having us by the balls.

Unfortunately, for them, they didn't realise the club now wanted to take a stand on the shit Madrid throw out. They all expected an easy transfer and this episode will make them think twice in the future.

 

[RedDevil@84]

De Gea can wait and get a massive signing on fee, and Madrid will get a great deal. The odds are stacked against United.

How is that? For that to happen, he has to play the waiting game for the entire season which I am not sure is something he would like. Does not really help his career.

 

[nevillestache]

Not really, Rooney and SAF had a clear falling out and that relationship was beyond repair.

If SAF didn't retire, Rooney wouldn't be here, I'm 110% sure of that.

Both badly handled situations.

 

[Insanity]

We've told him to stay unless we get a suitable offer from Madrid, so we have done what you've said in the first line of your post.

We're also happy to let him go for a fee, so not playing him when his mind is clearly elsewhere is fine by me and should be fine with everyone else. One mistake in goal can cost us points that we can't afford to lose.

And you think once the window shuts his mind will automatically turn alright?

We are taking a bigger risk by playing an inferior goalkeeper, whose mistakes can also cost us goals and points.

This uncertainity is not good for us. This situation should have been resolved by now. Or at least now, when we have enough time to get a goalkeeper, or we should tell simply De Gea that he ain't leaving. End of it.

 

[VanGaalEra]

No one at the club would be happy to let him go for free, or not play our best goalkeeper. Talk is easy when it's not our money. Let's get realistic.

Let's get realistic, the £13-15M that has been offered to us is peanuts. Even Dortmund (no where near the financial juggernaut we are) bit their tongue, dug their heels in and let Lewandowski go for free.

By the way, I think you read my 'fee' as 'free'. I mean we're willing to let him go for a 'fee' that we think is acceptable now (30M+) or keep him for a season and let him go next year.

 

[SqueakyWeasel]

Yes, I think they take pride in having Spain's numero uno in goal, so I think they will want him even if Navas has a very good season.

But he won't be Spain's no1! EDIT: If he doesn't play for the majority of the season.

 

[kouroux]

Try better excuses to defend De Gea. Nobody is talking here about the "legal aspects". The club is also within their legal rights to let him rot on the bench and not sell him, and Van Gaal is also within his legal right to say what he wants about De Gea.

The one who started the whole fiasco and acted unprofessionally was De Gea though, without any doubt.

You misunderstood me completely, I never said that as a way to defend DDG. Nobody is in the wrong.

Of course it is, and it's in our rights to request a fee we think is suitable and to let him sit in the stands if we see fit.

True that.

 

[VanGaalEra]

And you think once the window shuts his mind will automatically turn alright?

We are taking a bigger risk by playing an inferior goalkeeper, whose mistakes can also cost us goals and points.

This uncertainity is not good for us. This situation should have been resolved by now. Or at least now, when we have enough time to get a goalkeeper, or we should tell simply De Gea that he ain't leaving. End of it.

If he wants to progress his career, be Spain number one and play in Euro 2016 (which is a big deal in Europe btw), he sure as hell better knuckle down.

 

[Full Member]

Of course it is, and it's in our rights to request a fee we think is suitable and to let him sit in the stands if we see fit.

We're within our rights to expect him to act professionally and be available for selection.

 

[Siorac]

This isn't even a very unusual scenario. It happens all the time. The most obvious example being Berbatov's antics at Spurs in the beginning of the season we signed him. The player won't go as far as flat out refusing to play, as that would probably incur some kind of financial sanction but they can still let it be known that there head isn't in the right place and they would prefer to sit the game out, if possible. This is a tactic to ramp up the pressure on the club to sell him.

It's a pity it's come to this and reflects badly on De Gea but Van Gaal is stuck between a rock and a hard place. He obviously shouldn't pick De Gea but the club seems intent on proving a point to Madrid (which I have some sympathy with) and don't want to be bullied by them into selling him on the cheap. I'm not sure that's a great strategy tbh but I guess it proves some kind of point.

They made us pay 60m for a player they didn't want and now they're trying to get one of our best players - who is top 3 in the world in his position - on the cheap? feck that. They can 1) pay the proper amount, 2) wait a year, 3) sign someone else.

I agree with the club on this. Madrid should pay. They usually do pay exorbitant fees without batting an eyelash, they shouldn't start being all rational and money-conscious now.

 

[RedDevil@84]

And you think once the window shuts his mind will automatically turn alright?

We are taking a bigger risk by playing an inferior goalkeeper, whose mistakes can also cost us goals and points.

If he doesn't show promise in the trainings, LvG wont pick him. Best player plays is LvG policy.
So I don't think we will have a half-cooked DDG between posts.

 

[VanGaalEra]

Both badly handled situations.

Completely agree, I don't like any of these situations being made public.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Let's get realistic, the £13-15M that has been offered to us is peanuts. Even Dortmund (no where near the financial juggernaut we are) bit their tongue, dug their heels in and let Lewandowski go for free.

By the way, I think you read my 'fee' as 'free'. I mean we're willing to let him go for a 'fee' that we think is acceptable now (30M+) or keep him for a season and let him go next year.

Lewandowski's a good example of a player who was able to make a really valuable contribution while running his contract down. He was the top scorer in the league (and scored 6 CL goals) in his last season at Dortmund. That probably worked out better for his club than selling him for a derisory fee 12 months earlier. Once Dave accepts that he'll have to wait until next summer for his move to Spain I'm sure he'll sort his head out, knuckle down and be an important player for us. Right now, he's doing all he can to force the club to sell, which is a dick move but only an issue so long as the window is still open.

 

[VanGaalEra]

We're within our rights to expect him to act professionally and be available for selection.

And tbf to Big Dave, I fully believe he will try his best to do that. However, if his performances aren't up to scratch because he's mentally not right, he'll have to sit on the bench, sadly.

 

[Sultan]

I agree with you Sultan. In the end we will sell but until then we will call their bluff in an attempt to get the most out of them. But by transfer deadline day I think he will be gone and we wont be getting much (if any) more than what we would have got today. I cant decide what option i'd prefer though:

A. To get rid in this window and get some money for him at least. We would lose the "PR battle" though and potentially look weaker than Real.

B. We set a precedent that we don't sell out best players at any cost and are willing to let their contracts to run down and them go for a free (a la Bilbao). We lose out on money though (which won't be a lot when factoring in his possible impact on where we finish plus the saving on how much he would be paying him this season if he were to have been given a new deal). Unfortunately, at the end of the season, you're bound to get the old "oh, it's like Pogba. We went for nothing as well. United let their players go and they go on to be worth record fees etc" chestnut being recycles by people.

I think I prefer the latter but the first will happen imo.

As fans we'd all love winning the transfer battle with Madrid and De Gea. I'm not sure the money can think on our level.

 

[marcomanmufc]

LVG saying what he said gains nothing for MUFC but DDG "saying" what he said does gain something for himself and Real. So personally, i'm with LVG on this one.

I have to say that LVG is in a lose lose situation, if he puts DDG in regardless of whether or not DDG feels ready and he plays horrendously, he'll be slaughtered for not getting this sorted sooner and/or be called an idiot for playing him in the first place. Even if he played a blinder, the ill feeling would only roll over to the next game, where the same bad case scenario could occur; which would continue until hopefully the end of the window but probably longer.

The other option is to play Romero, who i thought did ok last week. Sure his kickings not good, but what i did like was that he was more willing to come out and collect or get rid. Something which i still feel DDG misses from his game. Anyway, if LVG plays Romero and he performs badly, the fans/journalists will be on his back again asking why we didn't just play DDG!

The best i can see happening is that Romero keeps his place and we don't ask him to win us the game, like we did numerous times last year with DDG.

Personally i want a world class keeper DDG or someone else, but tbf teams have won leagues and champions leagues without them, so why not us. Romero might not be at the same level as DDG, but apart from his kicking, he's not shown any reason why we would drop him. Fingers crossed that continues and makes LVG's/MUFC's lives that little bit easier.

 

[pierrethesnack]

But he won't be Spain's no1! EDIT: If he doesn't play for the majority of the season.

Unless some new wonder kid goal keeper breaks through within the next year, he will be the next no1 after Casillas, won't he?

 

[VanGaalEra]

Lewandowski's a good example of a player who was able to make a really valuable contribution while running his contract down. He was the top scorer in the league (and scored 6 CL goals) in his last season at Dortmund. That probably worked out better for his club than selling him for a derisory fee 12 months earlier.

Yup, and as I just said in my previous post, I expect DDG to try his best. Now whether his best will be of the standards of the last 2 season remains to be seen.

 

[Insanity]

If he wants to progress his career, be Spain number one and play in Euro 2016 (which is a big deal in Europe btw), he sure as hell better knuckle down.

I agree. Then what is the harm in laying down the law now? Why keep the options open?

We should have set Madrid and De Gea a deadline, if it doesn't happen by then, it doesn't happen.

 

[pierrethesnack]

I don't understand why people are so mad at him for not wanting to play. The contract thing I can understand (and agree), but I'm glad he has the honesty and integrity to realize that he should step aside if he's not ready to play. Imagine the outcry and condemnation if he messed up. Yes yes, he's a professional and everything, but it can happen nonetheless.

 

[SqueakyWeasel]

Unless some new wonder kid goal keeper breaks through within the next year, he will be the next no1 after Casillas, won't he?

Casilla (currently at Real) will overtake him if he gets no game time this season no problem!

 

[pierrethesnack]

Casilla (currently at Real) will overtake him if he gets no game time this season no problem!

But that's not very likely, is it. The people who think we will leave him on the bench are kidding themselves. As soon as he is ready again, he will play.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

As fans we'd all love winning the transfer battle with Madrid and De Gea. I'm not sure the money can think on our level.

On a purely financial level, the club will be thinking about whether having DDG in goals next season might get us a better league finish, or further in the CL. The money for doing so adds up pretty quickly and could easily offset the sort of paltry offer that Real has been rumoured to be willing to pay so far.

 

[Mali_Zeus]

I don't understand why people are so mad at him for not wanting to play. The contract thing I can understand (and agree), but I'm glad he has the honesty and integrity to realize that he should step aside if he's not ready to play. Imagine the outcry and condemnation if he messed up. Yes yes, he's a professional and everything, but it can happen nonetheless.

I dont think anyone is mad at him cause of that. If he doesnt want to play then its logical for LVG to drop him.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I don't understand why people are so mad at him for not wanting to play. The contract thing I can understand (and agree), but I'm glad he has the honesty and integrity to realize that he should step aside if he's not ready to play. Imagine the outcry and condemnation if he messed up. Yes yes, he's a professional and everything, but it can happen nonetheless.

Because there's a good chance it's just a tactic to force the club to sell him.

 

[VanGaalEra]

I agree. Then what is the harm in laying down the law now? Why keep the options open?

We should have set Madrid and De Gea a deadline, if it doesn't happen by then, it doesn't happen.

Unfortunately, deadlines are all well and good but the only deadline that counts is the one that Jim Watt ejaculates to.

We have laid down the law IMO, we've basically said:-

1. You can go if we get what we want (30M);
2. If we don't get what we want you'll have to stay the season;
3. If you do stay, you better be 100% focused and committed to Manchester United and the fans or you're going to be sitting in the stands looking down thinking, feck my Euro 2016 chances now.

He has the options in front of him (as does his heavenly agent and Real Madrid) so it's now up to him/them to do what we want or we'll take our stand and stick with it.

 

[pierrethesnack]

Because it's a tactic to force the club to sell him.

I don't think it's true, but even if it is, it seems like a pretty dumb approach as the club seems petty determined.

 

[Full Member]

As fans we'd all love winning the transfer battle with Madrid and De Gea. I'm not sure the money can think on our level.

Yes, i see how you got to this.