Transfer rumours

[CTID Hants]

According to Lukaku we made him an offer 15 months ago, better money than he is on now but the time was not right. He felt he owed Inter at that point. So we must have shifted our attention to Kane after that.

Was that from the same interview Sky Italia where he says he's not happy at Chelsea?

[Mase]

According to Lukaku we made him an offer 15 months ago, better money than he is on now but the time was not right. He felt he owed Inter at that point. So we must have shifted our attention to Kane after that.

Was that from the same interview Sky Italia where he says he's not happy at Chelsea?

Seems to be causing trouble already. Tuchel come out this morning and said he can’t understand the timing of coming out with that.

[zuricity]

According to Lukaku we made him an offer 15 months ago, better money than he is on now but the time was not right. He felt he owed Inter at that point. So we must have shifted our attention to Kane after that.

Was that from the same interview Sky Italia where he says he's not happy at Chelsea?

Seems to be causing trouble already. Tuchel come out this morning and said he can’t understand the timing of coming out with that.

Apparently he lost a lot of money on a bet he had with his inter team mates that Tuchel would be gone by Xmas.... now looks like Easter !

[Mase]

According to Lukaku we made him an offer 15 months ago, better money than he is on now but the time was not right. He felt he owed Inter at that point. So we must have shifted our attention to Kane after that.

Was that from the same interview Sky Italia where he says he's not happy at Chelsea?

Seems to be causing trouble already. Tuchel come out this morning and said he can’t understand the timing of coming out with that.

Apparently he lost a lot of money on a bet he had with his inter team mates that Tuchel would be gone by Xmas.... now looks like Easter !

[Harry Dowd scored]

According to Lukaku we made him an offer 15 months ago, better money than he is on now but the time was not right. He felt he owed Inter at that point. So we must have shifted our attention to Kane after that.

Was that from the same interview Sky Italia where he says he's not happy at Chelsea?

Seems to be causing trouble already. Tuchel come out this morning and said he can’t understand the timing of coming out with that.

Apparently he lost a lot of money on a bet he had with his inter team mates that Tuchel would be gone by Xmas.... now looks like Easter !

He may get the OBE off the Queen in new year honours list. OUT BEFORE EASTER

[zuricity]

^^^^^^ at least the Queen and Thommy can quatschen together.

[Harry Dowd scored]

^^^^^^ at least the Queen and Thommy can quatschen together.

Haha chat about their heritage

[Hazy2]

HNY boys and girls. I was thinking about the Lukaku interview. When Haaland and Sancho are swapping best wishes, I cannot see The rag waxing lyrical about his new home. The cliques the mess, after being at City and Dortmund he should be saying stay well clear of this shit show, as half the squad want out, and the other half are wankers.

[Mase]

Looks like Braaf is finally going this month. He did something to upset the people at City.

[johnny crossan]

JC, seeing you have the dubious benefit of a free subscription to the Athletic, can you print the article purporting to tell us all why Torres went to Barca?

Soon as I get back home boys Happy New year btw

[nottsblue]

Looks like Braaf is finally going this month. He did something to upset the people at City.

Either by being not good enough or not training well or an attitude issue would be my guess.

One thing though that I think we dont do well is give minutes to these peripheral squad guys so when we sell we could get higher transfer fees. No one will have heard of Braaf in the main as he has barely featured.

[Mase]

Looks like Braaf is finally going this month. He did something to upset the people at City.

Either by being not good enough or not training well or an attitude issue would be my guess.

One thing though that I think we dont do well is give minutes to these peripheral squad guys so when we sell we could get higher transfer fees. No one will have heard of Braaf in the main as he has barely featured.

Agreed. I made the same point a few weeks back about playing kids that might not make it with us but will add value to their fees by putting them in the shop window. When we’re 5-0 up will it hurt to whack on a kid for 10 mins?

[johnny crossan]

Explained: Why Ferran Torres has left Manchester City for Barcelona

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 03: Ferran Torres of Manchester City celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the UEFA Champions League Group C stage match between Manchester City and Olympiacos FC at Etihad Stadium on November 03, 2020 in Manchester, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
By Sam Lee Dec 28, 2021 125
When Barcelona’s chief executive and director of football arrived at Manchester City’s training ground at the end of November, officials from the English club were expecting an approach for Raheem Sterling, who had previously been of interest at the Nou Camp.

So they were taken back when Ferran Torres, who was only signed from Valencia 15 months earlier, was the subject of conversation. Especially as they had already rejected an approach in the summer.

But this time, something had changed and City replied as they often do when they know the player wants to leave: “We won’t stop him, but he has a contract until 2025 so make us a good offer.”

So long, then, Ferran. We hardly knew you.

Barcelona are delighted with their purchase, worth £46 million plus £8 million in add-ons, hoping the 21-year-old can be the man to spearhead a new era under new coach Xavi for years to come.

The rest of us, meanwhile, are trying to establish what to make of the whole thing.


Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick against Newcastle United last season (Photo: Scott Heppell – Pool/Getty Images)
Barca had been keeping an eye on Torres since 2017 and had tried to sign him in the summer. Mateu Alemany, the director of football that pitched up in Manchester, had helped Torres break through at Valencia and felt he was the right man for a new era.

City said no — they were already trying to move on Gabriel Jesus and Bernardo Silva — and considered that the end of the matter, but Xavi is a huge admirer and after taking over as Barca coach in November he wanted the club to try again.

The key to the transfer — in the sense that it convinced Torres and Guardiola — was Barca’s absolute insistence that Torres would not only be part of the new project but that he would also spearhead it.

Since Lionel Messi’s departure, Barca are rebuilding with young Spanish players, including Pedri (19), Gavi (17), Nico (19) and Eric Garcia (20), as well as Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo (22) and the Moroccan winger Abde Ezzalzouli (20).

Xavi spoke to Torres and made it absolutely clear that would be the leader of this project — “el jugador franquicia”, the franchise player. He was their No 1 choice in the transfer market.

City did not want to sell him this time around, either, but when Torres relayed all of this to Guardiola, the move was sanctioned. The City boss appreciated the size of the opportunity and knew he could not offer the same at City.

Torres had also been struggling to live away from family and friends in Manchester, had been frustrated at what he considered limited opportunities to play, and felt City would soon sign a big-name striker anyway. He was determined to make the move.

Sources close to Torres say his big regret is that he was not able to get to grips with Manchester life due to the pandemic.

“If you want to leave because you’re not happy here, you believe you’ll be happy in another place, you have to go,” Guardiola said. “The career is short. One day, it’s over.”

City had signed Torres for £21.8 million, plus add-ons, in August 2020. Considering they believe that £6 million of the £8 million in add-ons are easily achievable at Barcelona, they are happy with a profit of around £30 million.

Like so many new arrivals at the Etihad, Torres struggled to make his mark in his first season and Guardiola said in the final weeks that the forward’s reaction to a lack of opportunities affected his attitude and, therefore, performances.

“Ferran was in an incredible mood when he arrived, then was sad and upset with the world for many situations and that’s why he didn’t play good,” Guardiola said. “When he changed his mind and he was open and he started to smile again, he started playing well.”

Even so, he had scored 13 goals last season, more than any player has managed under Guardiola in their debut City season, and he was settling into life in the dressing room.

Sergio Aguero offered him advice on the type of movements to make as a striker, and Fernandinho is said to have been a huge help in his first weeks at the club. He was very close to Garcia and Aymeric Laporte, he drove Phil Foden to training and set up something of a language programme with Raheem Sterling, where they conversed in both Spanish and English.

Torres did not always play a big part in City’s passing game but his goals, including a hat-trick at Newcastle in the third-last league game of the season, suggested that he may have the killer instincts to lead the line once those moves for Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo had fallen through.

[Mase]

Re: Torres - he’s going out with Luis Enrique’s daughter. Another loser that is controlled by his bird.

[zuricity]

So Torres was tapped up then , illegal isn't it ?

[nottsblue]

So Torres was tapped up then , illegal isn't it ?

Seemed to have signed before January as well

[ayrshireblue]

So Torres was tapped up then , illegal isn't it ?

Seemed to have signed before January as well

Contract can be signed and announced outwith the window but registration can only happen in the window. So it's really a registration window rather than a transfer window.

[PeterParker]

Patrick Roberts is going to Sunderland.
Still just 24, but slim chances to develop into a Premier League player.

[Mase]

Patrick Roberts is going to Sunderland.
Still just 24, but slim chances to develop into a Premier League player.

From scoring against us at Celtic in the CL to League 1!

[nottsblue]

Patrick Roberts is going to Sunderland.
Still just 24, but slim chances to develop into a Premier League player.

From scoring against us at Celtic in the CL to League 1!

Any fee mentioned?