Premier League 2024/25

[foxfanazer]

Incoming Saudi bid for El Khanouss. Loan with an option to buy for £15m

[Foxin_Mad]

1 minute ago, foxfanazer said:

Incoming Saudi bid for El Khanouss. Loan with an option to buy for £15m

That's the Italian style! 

[Finn Claw II]

Literally every club in the Premier Leauge  is owned by a billionaire with quite often dubious ethics or a US hedge fund, sovereign wealth fund or some such.

 

Compared to European leagues and Barca and Real, we massively overpay in wages.  
 

Before the Premier League it was Italy with all the money. 

 

i have no time for the Saudi league but Money isn’t just a problem there 

 

 

[jayfox26]

Sad that so many players are more concerned about earning even more money than the absurd amounts they already earn, than they are about their actual careers. Literally nobody gives a fck about the Saudi league and it would never be recognised as serious accolades like winning competitions in Europe is. I totally understand older players doing it but players in their 20's it's just a joke. 

 

I don't buy this whole bollocks when players say I'm doing it for my family and I come from a poor up bringing and it's a short career etc, yeh cos earning 100k plus a week in Europe obviously isn't enough to set someone and their family up for life. The greed in football is utterly sickening and another reason to just turn away from it. 

[Foxin_Mad]

Just now, Finn Claw II said:

Literally every club in the Premier Leauge  is owned by a billionaire with quite often dubious ethics or a US hedge fund, sovereign wealth fund or some such.

 

Compared to European leagues and Barca and Real, we massively overpay in wages.  
 

Before the Premier League it was Italy with all the money. 

 

i have no time for the Saudi league but Money isn’t just a problem there 

 

 

Money is running football.

 

I suppose my point is Football existed and was successful in Europe as a great competition with great clubs before money and it will continue to do so even after money departs, for the average fan the game would be immeasurably better if Sky and the money men packed up. 

 

The bigger issue for the Saudi League is noone except locals cares about those teams! There's 100s of years of coverage and prestige built up by Top European clubs, you can buy that, especially overnight. 

[StanSP]

Looks like Spurs have another injury to contend with. 

Dragusin on at HT, off 20mins later. Went down unchallenged with a knee injury. 

[filbertway]

10 minutes ago, Foxin_Mad said:

Money is running football.

 

I suppose my point is Football existed and was successful in Europe as a great competition with great clubs before money and it will continue to do so even after money departs, for the average fan the game would be immeasurably better if Sky and the money men packed up. 

 

The bigger issue for the Saudi League is noone except locals cares about those teams! There's 100s of years of coverage and prestige built up by Top European clubs, you can buy that, especially overnight. 

Money has ran football for as long as it's been a thing.

 

Literally in the late 1800s players came down from Scotland to play for English teams for money

 

[DJ Barry Hammond]

1 minute ago, filbertway said:

Money has ran football for as long as it's been a thing.

 

Literally in the late 1800s players came down from Scotland to play for English teams for money

 

Ah, the Craig Levein era - brings fond memories ’right back’

[The Doctor]

59 minutes ago, DJ Barry Hammond said:

Ah, the Craig Levein era - brings fond memories ’right back’

I know he looks like that geography teacher who's been at the same school as long as anyone can remember, but I don't think he's old enough to be from the 1800s.

[fox_favourite]

1 hour ago, StanSP said:

Looks like Spurs have another injury to contend with. 

Dragusin on at HT, off 20mins later. Went down unchallenged with a knee injury. 

Ange is running players into the ground. I'm sure it's down to his insane tactics causing these. 

[filbertway]

2 hours ago, DJ Barry Hammond said:

Ah, the Craig Levein era - brings fond memories ’right back’

Canero, Maybury, Hughes, De Vries, Hammill, Douglas.

 

Superb

 

[Footballwipe]

I think some people seem to forget that players might just have other priorities.

 

We always love to talk about Assou-Ekotto and how he didn't really like football, he was skint good at it. For him, moving to Saudi and earning a tonne of money would've been ideal.

 

Some people just want to maximise their bank balance, and tbh that's okay? The majority want to win something but if Duran spent his entire career at Villa what would he realistically win? Maybe the Europa or a cup under Emery. He might have got a big move but who knows. Form tailing off, injuries can happen at any time.

 

Essentially he's being offered the chance to earn £20m a year tax free for 3-5 years, there's no way his place in the Colombia team is at risk as one of their biggest stars, and he could saunter back into a Villa-level team in five years and he'd only be 26.

[jayfox26]

1 hour ago, Footballwipe said:

I think some people seem to forget that players might just have other priorities.

 

We always love to talk about Assou-Ekotto and how he didn't really like football, he was skint good at it. For him, moving to Saudi and earning a tonne of money would've been ideal.

 

Some people just want to maximise their bank balance, and tbh that's okay? The majority want to win something but if Duran spent his entire career at Villa what would he realistically win? Maybe the Europa or a cup under Emery. He might have got a big move but who knows. Form tailing off, injuries can happen at any time.

 

Essentially he's being offered the chance to earn £20m a year tax free for 3-5 years, there's no way his place in the Colombia team is at risk as one of their biggest stars, and he could saunter back into a Villa-level team in five years and he'd only be 26.

It's still pure greed which ever way you want to look at it. Their choice of course but fans respect players that actually want to play football and have a good career more than mercenaries. I also understand that not many players give a fck what fans think and again it's his choice, but it is sheer greed and nothing else 

[Bert]

9 minutes ago, jayfox26 said:

It's still pure greed which ever way you want to look at it. Their choice of course but fans respect players that actually want to play football and have a good career more than mercenaries. I also understand that not many players give a fck what fans think and again it's his choice, but it is sheer greed and nothing else 

It’s also very easy to say when you’re not in his position. So what if it is greed? Me and you would do exactly the same. 

[whoareyaaa]

Didn't Mbappe turn down the chance to go play over there ?

[AjcW]

3 minutes ago, whoareyaaa said:

Didn't Mbappe turn down the chance to go play over there ?

Not the best example? Real pay him Saudi money anyway.

[Foxin_Mad]

11 hours ago, filbertway said:

Money has ran football for as long as it's been a thing.

 

Literally in the late 1800s players came down from Scotland to play for English teams for money

 

Obviously Money runs everything to an extent but its only really since 1992 that football has gone into the realms of silly money, I mean 300k a week for Marcus Rashford...

[Stadt]

I’d respect it if he pitched up for a year, maybe two then went to a top club after but I don’t think that’ll be the case.

[jammie82uk]

12 hours ago, StanSP said:

Looks like Spurs have another injury to contend with. 

Dragusin on at HT, off 20mins later. Went down unchallenged with a knee injury. 

Seems like they are solving that issue by buying another forward, who needs defenders when you can just play Forwards
 

Tottenham and Bayern Munich have reached a verbal agreement on a £50m transfer for Mathys Tel.

 

However, the player has not yet made a final decision on whether he will accept Spurs’ offer.

He has also not decided whether he wants to go on loan or permanently, having previously been determined to breakthrough at Bayern.

 

Spurs face rival interest from Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli, who are managed by German Matthias Jaissle. And Chelsea and Aston Villa also remain interested in Tel.

[jayfox26]

2 hours ago, Bert said:

It’s also very easy to say when you’re not in his position. So what if it is greed? Me and you would do exactly the same. 

I wouldn't personally as I wouldn't have any interest in living in Saudi Arabia. If I was fortunate enough to be a top level player, I'd 100% stay in Europe but everyone is different. He's getting an obscene amount of money tax free to play in a league where even if he only plays to 50% of his ability, he'll still be one of the best players. As I said its his choice but nobody can expect fans to agree with it, the average wages across Europe are disgustingly high and Saudi is just ridiculous. 

[Bert]

5 minutes ago, jayfox26 said:

I wouldn't personally as I wouldn't have any interest in living in Saudi Arabia. If I was fortunate enough to be a top level player, I'd 100% stay in Europe but everyone is different. He's getting an obscene amount of money tax free to play in a league where even if he only plays to 50% of his ability, he'll still be one of the best players. As I said its his choice but nobody can expect fans to agree with it, the average wages across Europe are disgustingly high and Saudi is just ridiculous. 

I don’t agree with it myself really, it’s such a waste at his age. 

[Leicesterpool]

Once you go to the Saudi league and if your English your England career is over. Henderson being prime example. 

 

However for these players earning more money is more important than playing for your nation at a major tournament... not just England... France have had couple do this.

 

Edited 31 January by Leicesterpool

[JimJams]

Yes but that won't be the case with Duran.  He'll still play for Colombia.

[Leicesterpool]

3 minutes ago, JimJams said:

Yes but that won't be the case with Duran.  He'll still play for Colombia.

Probably will but columbia arent exactly the main elite of international football. You could play league one and get a call up.

Edited 31 January by Leicesterpool

[JimJams]

2 minutes ago, Leicesterpool said:

Probably will but columbia arent exactly the main elite of international football. You could play league one and get a call up.

But that's not the point.  For most players, the pinnacle is representing your country.  And if he can still do that whilst playing in Saudi then he can still fulfill his playing ambitions.  If going there limited his chances of playing international football he may feel differently.