Mahrez has asked to leave

[Chester Dontlie]

10 hours ago, Matt said:

Well I wouldn't have known after how's he played, acted and had an attitude this season.

 

As I said towards the end of the season of course we want him to stay but he sorts his head out or he goes, As I said towards the end of the season the sooner he goes the better for him and the club.

 

My response to him asking to leave would be:

 

Yes Riyad you can go with my blessing, provided we get what we value you at, around the £40m mark, maybe £50m, but based on this season's form we'll accept £40m, I can't see anyone offering that though because of your form and attitude this season, if we don't get what we value you at then I'm afraid no, you cannot leave, if you have a problem with that maybe you should have bucked your ideas up, pulled your finger out and had a better attitude.

 

I must say he's one of the best players I've seen play for us, I'll be gutted to see him leave but this season has done him no favours for my opinion, clouded judgement and memories of him.

Good post, I agree with everything you wrote.

After this season I can't say I will miss him dearly. I can't care for the player who can't show that he cares on the pitch. Words are easy, but I find his statement awkward and a bit disrespectful. Not sure if it was needed at all... but ok, let's move on. Just get that minimum 40 mil for him so we can say farewell sweet Algerian prince, jog on to where the grass is greener, and may you take some of your plastic fans with you. Nevermind the poor season, after what they'd paid for Kante 30 mil just won't do

[Babylon]

4 hours ago, Gerard said:

 

I think you're wrong here.

 

I'm sure the way the works are these things are open secrets in the football world. Mahrez has probably come out with this statement because there has already been preliminary talks with his agent and another club. We still hold all the cards, he has no release clause and three years on his current contract to go. Whilst the club may be sympathetic to his needs we won't be bent over and dry bummed. There is no way he goes for less than £30m, this was the figures talked of for the likes of Deeney and spent on Bolassie and Sissoko. Mahrez is 26 and a top ten Balon d'Or player and the former PFA POTY. 

 

We will probably ask for £50m and accept £40m. 

He doesn't need to make any statement. You can say your thank you afterwards.  The only players who do this are ones forcing a move.

 

It is textbook manouvering. We might hold the cards, but clubs don't want players who kick up a fuss. Look at West Ham losing Payet and getting below value after the summer he had.

 

We'll be getting poxy £20/£25m bids.

[Babylon]

3 hours ago, hackneyfox said:

The club will have known he's leaving, do you want them to lie when asked by potential signings/agents if all the 'stars' are staying?

Not sure I want us signing players who will be pissed off if they find out they've been misled.

 

You say it's football we can't guarantee anything. Having the players here looks better than them not being when players are picking betweem clubs.

[DatfoxesKid23]

5 hours ago, volpeazzurro said:

At least if he goes to Arsenal we know that he won't get another Premiership medal. His Champions League runs will be short as well! If Sanchez leaves he's hardly a replacement for him.

If he thinks he is winning the prem at Arsenal then he's a joke

[KingsX]

Riyad and his agent may have recognized they are dealing from a position of weakness, so decided the only way to bring their position level was to weaken the club’s.  It will now be that much more difficult to make this end well.

 

The club has little financial incentive to make a deal.  The CL revenue boost ensures it can recruit for a year without a Mahrez cash-out.  LCFC will be around 17^th in the world when 2016/2017 revenues are compared.  The owners - thank the gods -- are interested in asset appreciation and would not see banking another few drops of their net worth as a win.

 

Absent player/agent drama, better to reinvest to try to construct a better, deeper midfield and attack, than to sell him low after a mediocre PL season for both player and club.  The upside of success -- PL places and Euro/CL qualification -- is larger than a one year fluctuation in one player’s price, perhaps even if dropped out of the XI.

 

Mahrez isn’t great enough, nor cut out mentally, to make a consistent impact in a side with only one other quality attacking threat.  But that doesn't make a sale even at ₤40M a good deal for the club given their financial ability to improve around him -- which might well restore much of his confidence and production, in a neutral situation.  His Jupiter-sized gravitational pull against a defense, and his ability to win a game with a single brilliant play, are not things we're likely to see again soon.

 

[mozartfox]

7 hours ago, HighPeakFox said:

esture please? Were you going for 'astute'?

Yep- predictive Text failure. 

[PaulW]

Don't understand the people criticising Mahrez for his public statement.  If & when a deal goes through, do they think that all the other clubs management & recruitment teams think "Ooo...didn't know he was available!  I'd have put a bid in if I'd known."  

 

What do you think player's agents actually do, people?

[Fox 4 Life]

Anyone else getting fed up with every transfer window being about who is leaving? Just appoint a ****ing manager, get rid of Mahrez asap and focus on strengthening our club.

 

The longer this drags on the less chance we have of a productive summer.

[sk3since03]

Any player who doesn't want to be or play for the club no matter how good they are or what they have achieved I've got two things to say and two things only...

 

 

See Ya  

[jon1bc]

7 hours ago, Redouane said:

I would too. I love him as a player, but as a person he's an idiot. He's got the good life at Leicester and wants to leave. He's adored by *most* fans, has a good wage, was part of a special title win and champions league run, is a regular starter.. I'm not saying he can't succeed anywhere else, he just might. BUT it's a huge risk

A good life....surrounded by mediocre players in a team where a top half premier league finish is unlikely and a high proportion of fans do not appreciate you.

 

It would be detrimental to his career if he stayed, he's ambitious, it's a nobrainer

[CollinsLCFC]

The sad thing about this is that we all knew it was coming. Even before the statement, we knew what he wanted. We could tell by his body language and lack of enthusiasm on the pitch, which in my opinion we don't need in the team. I want the old Mahrez giving 100%, not the half arsed Mahrez thinking about his next move, Champions League or not, you represent that club, you get paid high wages, you owe them fans whilst your on that pitch. 

[lgfualol]

He wont be the only person to ask to leave publicly. I'm expecting a Schmeichel one soon.

[Livid]

Just now, lgfualol said:

He wont be the only person to ask to leave publicly. I'm expecting a Schmeichel one soon.

I wouldn't be surprised, we have a massive job on our hands this summer.

[HighPeakFox]

Calling Mahrez an idiot is a bit poor.

[truebluethroughandthrough]

3 hours ago, DatfoxesKid23 said:

If he thinks he is winning the prem at Arsenal then he's a joke

I would think his odds will be a little shorter than 5000-1?

 

so much bitterness in this thread.

 

Our one and only (maybe ever) PFA winner can go to any club he wants as long as we get a fair whack, and he'll go with my best wishes.

[mozartfox]

Would Arsenal stump up UKP50M???   Normally Arsene Scrooge does not play at that table.

[ian_marshall]

On reflection I think that the main issue with Riyad going public about his desire to leave is that it weakens our position in terms of finding a replacement as average player's that we enquire about will have a premium added, similar to what happened when Heskey left. I can see us forced into paying an extortionate fee for a pretty average player if Gray doesn't prove to be an adequate replacement (for the record I'm not suggesting that the expectation is that Gray becomes our new Mahrez just that he does enough to make the position his own before anyone accuses me of expecting too  much from him).

[MC Prussian]

2 hours ago, PaulW said:

Don't understand the people criticising Mahrez for his public statement.  If & when a deal goes through, do they think that all the other clubs management & recruitment teams think "Ooo...didn't know he was available!  I'd have put a bid in if I'd known."  

 

What do you think player's agents actually do, people?

The timing is bad or at least very odd, it reeks of discontent, unprofessionalism and/or an agent panicking.

 

The gracious thing would've been to keep quiet, work on a transfer in the background and then thank the fans and the club in a heartfelt statement once the deal had been completed.

 

As a fan, I do feel somewhat disappointed in the player (and his agent). It's the logical consequence and hopefully the final chapter of a rather screwed-up season in Mahrez' case.

[Thracian]

13 hours ago, fuchsntf said:

Agree...I still dont understand, the damn silly idea he had an attitude problem.

Like many players of his ilk, his body stance, his nonchelant swagger through a game, is what makes these players.

Hes Not guilty of his body language, its that what makes him...!!

We tried to make too much of his defensive duties...ha bloody ha, he shouldnt of been anywhere near the backline!!

That was Ranieris then Shakespeares failure...

Bad season,10 goals   in this team!!!  Still on this forum a truelly underrated player.

Any criticism, far way OTT.

 

RIYAHD MAHREZ you little Algerian wizard....you go at least with ALL my blessings and no buts.

Some are incapable of reading Genius....!!

i tend to agree with most of that but genius? When it comes to football I see genius in people like George Best, Tom Finney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Johann Cruyff and a few more. I see an exciting attacking footballer in Mahrez but one who could frustrate as much as waken the crowd.

 

Mahrez has shown nothing like the all-round skills and consistency to be labelled anything like a genius and I really could name lots of players who were gifted and arguably more so than Mahrez...some of whom played together in the same team.

 

You touch on something though when you mention him as being Algerian. With the players I've mentioned their nationality didn't come into it. They were admirable footballers whatever.

 

With Mahrez at Leicester there's always been the undercurrent of a cultural agenda from his countrymen on here. I don't think he - or his national fans - ever quite belonged or lastingly identified with us - we were just the catalyst for their own expression and their own journey.

 

It stood out with Mahrez during the last close season - it was all about him really and he seemed ever more  distant and aloof. Sad really, but then we each tune into our own path through life and while I'll forever admire his ability I won't much miss his playing here nor hold him with quite the same regard as the likes of Davie Gibson, Graham Cross, Steve Walsh, Lenny Glover, Pontus Kaamark, Matt Elliott, Muzzy Izzett, Howard Riley, Steve Whitworth  and so many more true greats of our club.

 

Guys who lived and breathed Leicester City really and gave their all, week in week out. Mahrez was and is just a journeyman at Leicester. Not as a player, but as a person.            

 

 

[Thracian]

12 hours ago, AmarteyAndChill said:

It shows a lack of ambition, losing your best players. 

It shows nothing of the sort. Good players come and go at every club, every season. Football is essentially trading in people. You buy right and sell right. The better you do it the better you become. 

[Thracian]

12 hours ago, Legend_in_blue said:

I think we need to stop being overly harsh on Gray. 

 

Bottom line is if we're not prepared to give him a reallly good go in the position next season, we'll need two replacements, not just Mahrez.

 

 

Two it is then. 

[Bilsthorpe Blue]

I'm sure his agent had already put the feelers out to potential clubs way before he released the statement. As most are saying, his heart wasn't in it for the majority of this season. 

The owners are in a difficult position, refuse to sell him and have a Payet  on their hands, or sell him and there will be question marks over there ambitions possibly leading to a couple of others following suit.

Buckle up your seatbelts it's going to be a bumpy close season. My main worry is the head of recruitment

Must say though it's been a privilege to watch him at his best, absolutely unplayable at times

[Thracian]

1 hour ago, lgfualol said:

He wont be the only person to ask to leave publicly. I'm expecting a Schmeichel one soon.

You might be right but I'd be surprised. Schmeichel's been a massive part of this club and I hope he still will be. There's never been any doubting his commitment to the cause or his response to anyone he thinks is falling short. But he'll expect us to maintain momentum and right now we don't even have a  manager.      

[Happy Fox]

I thought Shakey had the support of all the players?

[Thracian]

10 hours ago, Col city fan said:

Spot on I'm afraid. You watch him playing for Chelsea or someone....he'll look superb.

I tend to agree with that but we seem to have agreed that he can leave for Champions League football and we may be tempted to move him on elsewhere if the right offer comes in. Personally i'd sooner see him go to Monaco for a bit less than to Arsenal but who am I to suggest our owners lose a few million when i wouldn't necessarily do it myself. Actually, yes I would. I'd sooner send the bloke home for the rest of his contract than sell him to Arsenal.