A month ago, Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann said what everyone who doesn’t own a vintage Seydou Keita jersey was thinking: “The only club that has no money, but buys every player they want. I do not know how. It’s kind of crazy.”
This was after Barcelona acquired 33-year-old Robert Lewandowski, scorer of 35 goals for Nagelsmann in the Bundesliga last season, for $49.5 million. Raphinha had already arrived from Leeds for $63.8m. It seemed “crazy” then … and then they spent another $55m on Sevilla defender Jules Kounde. They’ve also signed free agents Andreas Christensen from Chelsea and Franck Kessie from AC Milan, as well as resigning both Sergi Roberto and Ousmane Dembele once their previous contracts expired at the end of June. Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso is expected to join soon, and the club is reportedly still interested in Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva. The latter seems like a fantasy too far, but well, so did everything else until it all happened.
the how of all this — a club with over a billion dollars in debt and described as “clinically dead” by president Joan Laporta last season suddenly spending more on transfer fees than anyone else in the world — has been hashed out by many of our writers already this summer. In a word, which you must be sick of by now: levers. They’ve sold off a quarter of their future domestic broadcast revenue and a quarter of their in-house production company for a short-term cash infusion north of $600 million. More levers are being pulled, too, with news early on Friday — just 30 hours or so before their season opener, a home date with Rayo Vallecano — that the club was selling more in order to be able to register its signings.
Instead, I want to focus on a different question: why? Why is this once-great club selling off its future for a still-uncertain present? Can this really be as obviously short-sighted as it seems?
Laporta will make you think that they had to do this, that there was no choice but to totally revamp the squad with hundreds of millions of dollars of loans put toward a massive transfer outlay. However, that’s just not true.
Barcelona have finally managed to register most of their summer signings ahead of the start of the new LaLiga season this weekend, with only Jules Kounde still to be registered.
Xavi Hernandez’s side kick off their season against Rayo Vallecano at Camp Nou on Saturday, but the build up to that fixture has been dominated by the club’s race against time to get all their new arrivals registered.
– Stream every LaLiga match on ESPN+ (US only) – LaLiga team-by-team preview: Can Barca return to top? – Notebook: Barca not only LaLiga club with registration issues – Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access
Barca have spent over €150 million this summer on Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Kounde, while Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie both arrived on free transfers.
Prior to Friday, however, none of them had been registered with LaLiga due to the league’s strict financial regulations.
The new contracts agreed by Ousmane Dembele and Sergi Roberto had not been signed off by the Spanish league either. However, that duo were also able to be registered on Friday — along with Lewandowski, Raphinha, Christensen and Kessie — following the sale of another 24.5% of Barca Studios.
Barca’s summer spending has been funded by the sale of club assets, with each deal dubbed a “financial lever” by president Joan Laporta.
They sold 25% of their domestic television income for the next 25 years to Sixth Street in two separate packages worth €511m in total. They then sold 24.5% of Barca Studios to Socios.com for an additional €100m.
However, despite raising over €600m, Barca were told by LaLiga last week they would need to sell more assets — or further reduce their wage bill — to be able to register all their new signings.
Barcelona will now have to free up salary space in order to register Kounde. Because they are no longer exceeding their squad limit, though, the club will now just have to free up the equivalent salary space to what Kounde will cost.
On Friday Barca, whose gross debt still totals over €1 billion, closed a deal with Orpheus Media to sell off another 24.5% of Barca Studios for €100m.
Meanwhile, they are also re-negotiating Gerard Pique’s contract with the defender to create further salary space.
Speaking earlier on Friday, Xavi said he was optimistic that most of his new recruits would be available to him against Rayo Vallecano.
“We are working on it, we’re positive,” he said at a news conference. “We have announced the fourth lever and we will see tomorrow, maybe not all 100%, but we are optimistic. We have time until tomorrow.
“It hasn’t had much influence because working on systems, tactics, different variations… One player can play or another because we are doubled up in positions. We work on positioning, systems, variants… so not much changes. But right now, I repeat, we are very optimistic about the registrations.”
All Spanish clubs must adhere to a spending cap for the season, which includes money spent on wages and transfer fees, which are amortized over the length of the contract.
The cap is loosely a club’s revenue minus outgoings and debt repayments and is applied prospectively. Barca’s cap was -€144m at the end of last season, the only negative limit in Spain, but it will rise significantly following the four financial levers triggered this summer.
Barca are not the only club having problems registering their players with LaLiga. Real Betis still have a handful of players not yet inscribed for the new season, while other clubs, including Sevilla, Celta Vigo and Girona, have had to wait until this week to register their summer activity.
A thrilling opening weekend saw the Premier League return with a bang. Liverpool and Manchester United were stunned, Spurs claimed a statement victory, while Erling Haaland made his mark for Manchester City.
Now attention turns to Matchday 2. Erik ten Hag faces a huge call over Cristiano Ronaldo as the Red Devils seek to get their season off and running, while Spurs visit Stamford Bridge in the first big-six blockbuster.
Here are the big storylines to watch out for this weekend.
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MANCHESTER UNITED SET FOR MORE PAIN?
Manchester United finished last season by losing their final six away games – a nightmare streak that ruined any hope of Champions League football. It was their worst run of road losses since March 1981 – but defeat at Brentford this weekend would make it their worst run since all the way back in 1936, when they lost ten on the trot away from Old Trafford.
But is it a serious prospect against a relative minnow in the Bees? Well, history hasn’t helped United much to start this season – their defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion last week was their first-ever loss at home to the Seagulls.
Christian Eriksen starred for the Bees last season, winning 7 of his 11 games on the park, but struggled in a false nine position for United against Brighton.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival in the second half shifted Eriksen into the midfield, a move which benefited the team immensely.
Whether Erik ten Hag rushes Ronaldo into the starting line-up in search of a maiden Premier League win will be a crucial selection conundrum, especially since the Portuguese legend is still short of fitness.
But after conceding two goals in the first half in the opening week – and it could well have been three if VAR didn’t overrule a penalty early in the second half – ten Hag clearly has just as many problems in defense (especially on set pieces ).
With Brentford adding to their well-earned reputation for fighting out of tricky situations when they fought back for a 2-2 draw against Leicester, this one will likely be battled out until the final whistle sounds. It just might signal more woe for the Red Devils.
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SPURS OUT TO BREAK HORROR RUN
It’s the first big-six clash of the season, and it should be an absolute beauty as Chelsea host Tottenham.
But there’s a heavy weight of history standing in their way: Spurs have won just once in their last 37 matches at Stamford Bridge. No wonder the Blues are favorites for this one, despite their ‘rusty’ 1-0 win over Everton last week – as coach Thomas Tuchel described it.
Spurs, on the other hand, fought back from an early deficit to win 4-1 over Southampton – a result that means they have scored the most Premier League in the 2022 calendar year to date.
Antonio Conte has enjoyed a full pre-season and a big transfer window in Tottenham, and this match will be a true litmus test for just how far they’ve come – and whether they can actually challenge at the pointy end this season.
“I think it’ll be a good test to mark whether they are really in the contest for the title,” former Spurs back Pascal Chimbonda told Sky Sports News.”
Perhaps the biggest key to their improvement is their depth: none of their six signings started against Saints. Some, like Richarlison, could start this time out, while Ivan Perisic might also hope to replace Ryan Sessegnon.
PREDICTED XI: Hugo Lloris; Eric Dier, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero; Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ivan Perisic, Emerson; Heung-Min Son, Dejan Kulusevski; Harry Kane.
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For Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel hasn’t been fully happy with his transfer window so far despite some big-name arrivals in Kalidou Koulibaly, Raheem Sterling, and Marc Cucurella.
Koulibaly and Sterling both started and should start again this time out, while Cucurella came off the bench and could depose Ben Chilwell from the starting role. Christian Pulisic’s impressive bench cameo could also see him introduced to the XI.
If they fail to score from open play again, it could just nudge the new owners to push even harder to complete the signings of targets Frenkie de Jong and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona, or Wesley Fofana from Leicester City – having already missed out on Manchester City’s Nathan Ake and Sevilla’s Jules Kounde.
The first heavyweight bout of the season is here, and it could have huge ramifications on the trajectories of two big-six members.
Predicted Chelsea XI: Edouard Mendy; Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta, Kalidou Koulibaly; Ben Chilwell, N’Golo Kante, Jorgino, Reece James, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz; Raheem Sterling.
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STAGGERING LAMPARD STAT IN BATTLE OF ENGLAND GREATS
Frank Lampard might be a Premier League and England great, but this weekend he meets another man of similar pedigree – his old England teammate Steven Gerrard.
The duo met 34 times during their playing careers, and Lampard had the upper hand with 16 wins compared to Gerrard’s 11. Both will be desperate for victory this weekend in their first-ever managerial meeting.
For Lampard, the biggest worry – among many – is his staggeringly poor defensive record away from home.
In 38 games in charge of Everton and previously Chelsea, his sides conceded 73 goals at an average of 1.92 per 90 minutes. That includes a Blues side that would win the Champions League six months after his departure from him.
There were concerns about Everton’s squad entering this season (having sold star striker Richarlison to balance the books), and those only worsened on opening day when defenders Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina both copped serious injuries.
Everton have since pulled a late signing swoop for Conor Coady and midfielder Amadou Onana (from Wolverhampton on Monday and Lille on Tuesday, in that order), while they added another solid defender in James Tarkowski from Burnley in pre-season.
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After Everton lost to Chelsea 1-0 and Gerrard’s Aston Villa lost to promoted Bournemouth 2-0, the pressure is on.
But where will the Toffee goals come from?
Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Andros Townsend are months away from returning, but Lampard welcomes back-up forward Salomon Rondon to the team after suspension.
And the club is reportedly chasing Southampton’s Che Adams to boost their stingy offence, having missed out on Burnley winger Maxwel Cornet who instead joined West Ham.
“We know there is a void in forward areas, we are short in numbers there,” Lampard said amid a difficult pre-season.
Arresting his poor defensive record on the road will be a key priority – but their lack of firepower up front could be just as worrying down the track.
Barcelona’s attempts to establish themselves once again as a force in La Liga and the Champions League this season have seen the heavily-indebted Catalans gamble with their future to enable a striking summer spending spree.
A year after being forced to let Lionel Messi go as eye-watering reported debts of 1.35 billion euros (A$1.96 billion) crippled the club, Barcelona have spent 153 million euros (A$222m) on transfer fees alone to strengthen their squad, with Robert Lewandowski the most notable new arrival.
“This is a really exciting season. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to make all the fans happy,” coach Xavi Hernandez said before last weekend’s 6-0 friendly win over Mexican side Pumas UNAM.
“That means winning trophies. That is our main objective.”
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After three years of struggles, on and off the field, the summer has seen hope return to the Camp Nou, with president Joan Laporta talking of an exciting “new era” when the club unveiled Lewandowski as a Barcelona player.
“Euphoria” was the headline on the cover of local daily Sport the same day. Even partisan Madrid-based sports daily Marca admitted that Barca were “frightening” in the wake of their drubbing of Pumas UNAM last weekend, when Lewandowski scored his first goal since his arrival from Bayern Munich.
Yet how Barcelona have gone about raising the funds to sign Lewandowski, as well as centre-backs Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen, AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie, and Leeds United’s Brazilian winger Raphinha have raised eyebrows.
Faced with severe limits on spending in order to comply with La Liga’s financial controls, Barcelona knew they needed to raise money quickly to be able to invest in any signings and, crucially, to register any new players.
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– PULLING ‘LEVERS’ –
They quickly set about selling off assets to bring in money by activating a series of what have been called economic “levers”.
The club sold 25 per cent of their domestic television rights for the next quarter of a century to US investment firm Sixth Street for some 400 million euros.
Barcelona sold 24.5 per cent of Barca Studios, which manages the club’s digital business and audiovisual productions, to Socios.com for 100 million euros on August 1, and then another 25 per cent to US investment firm GDA Luma for 100 million euros more.
In the space of a few weeks, 600 million euros had been brought in to fill the coffers.
The aim was to clean up the club’s finances, make it possible to increase the salary limit set by La Liga and allow the new signings to all be registered for the start of the season.
On top of that, Barca signed the biggest sponsorship deal in their history with Spotify, bringing in a reported 435 million euros for the music streaming giant to feature on the club’s shirts and to have naming rights to the Camp Nou.
All up, that series of deals totals 1 billion euros – so Barcelona look well placed to become serious title contenders again as they prepare to host Rayo Vallecano this weekend.
Only time will tell if mortgaging part of the club’s assets in exchange for an immediate influx of cash will bear fruit.
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– DE JONG TO LEAVE? –
Yet, Barcelona are still waiting for La Liga to allow them to register their five new signings, although they hope to be able to do so in time for the season starting this weekend.
They are also hoping to further ease their financial problems by reducing their wage bill.
The Catalans have been trying to persuade Frenkie de Jong to leave, with suggestions even made that a contract he signed in 2020 was not legal. The Dutch midfielder says he wants to stay.
FULL STORY: Barca threaten legal action over contract drama — Rumor Mill
Martin Braithwaite, Samuel Umtiti and Memphis Depay are also candidates to depart the Camp Nou, with the latter reportedly a target for Juventus.
On top of that, efforts have been made to persuade certain players, including Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets, to accept wage reductions.
Barca’s “economic miracle”, as the press have called it, still has to be transformed into a footballing miracle.
New signings Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie could both leave Barcelona for free if they are not registered before Saturday’s LaLiga opener against Rayo Vallecano, various sources have confirmed to ESPN.
Christensen and Kessie both joined Barca on free transfers earlier this summer from Chelsea and AC Milan respectively. With three days to go until the new campaign starts, however, neither has been registered with the Spanish league.
– Why can’t Barca register summer signings yet? – The impact of Messi’s exit, one year on – Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access
Sources have told ESPN that if they are not registered before Barca’s opening fixture against Rayo, both players could choose to execute a clause that allows them to leave for free.
Fellow summer arrivals Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde are also yet to be inscribed with LaLiga, while the contract renewals signed by Sergi Roberto and Ousmane Dembele have not been registered either.
ESPN understands Christensen and Kessie’s situations are slightly different, though, given they joined Barca for free. Therefore, if they so choose, they would be entitled to leave for free before the transfer window closes.
Sources say at this stage there is no indication it will come to that and president Joan Laporta continues to transmit optimism that all seven players will be registered in time, but Barca are cutting it fine before the start of the season.
In the worst case scenario, sources told ESPN Barcelona would seek to speak with the players’ agents to avoid such an extreme outcome because they have until the end of the month to register signings.
Barca have spent over €150 million this summer and have raised over €600m by selling 25% of their domestic television rights for 25 years and a 24.5% stake in Barca Studios.
A league source has told ESPN that it is still not enough incoming cash for Barca to be able to register all of their signings and contract renewals, although some could be registered now. This would depend on the cost and combination of the deals.
Therefore, Barca are looking to sell a further 24.5% stake in Barca Studios and continue to negotiate wage adjustments with other players, including Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique.
It was Pique’s wage cut last summer which allowed Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia to be registered on the eve of last season, while similar actions from Busquets and Alba permitted Sergio Aguero to be signed up with the league before the transfer window closed.
Barca’s LaLiga-imposed spending cap was -€144m at the end of last season, the only negative limit in the league, and will have to be increased substantially to register all their summer activity.
The Catalan club hope that the sale of club assets, coupled with a sponsorship deal signed with Spotify earlier this year, will eventually increase their cap to allow them to register everyone.
Frenkie de Jong’s agents have arrived in Barcelona amid continued uncertainty over the midfielder’s future at the club, with Manchester United and Chelsea still pursuing his signing.
Ali Dursun and Hasan Cetinkaya, who also represent Barcelona striker Martin Braithwaite, flew into the city on Wednesday and are expected to hold talks with the Catalan club in the coming days over both of their clients.
– Why can’t Barca register summer signings yet? – The impact of Messi’s exit a year on – Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access
De Jong’s future has been the subject of much attention throughout the summer. ESPN revealed in July that Barca had agreed to a fee of around €85 million with United, including add-ons, while Chelsea are also interested.
However, the player has so far preferred to remain at Camp Nou.
Barca, meanwhile, have told De Jong that if he wants to stay, he must reduce his salary, although sources have told ESPN he is reluctant to do so at this stage.
Sources confirmed to ESPN earlier this week that Barca sent a letter to De Jong’s camp in July warning that the contract renewal he signed in 2020 under the previous board had alleged irregularities.
Sources close to the player said the contract is legal and claim the letter that Barca sent was intended to put pressure on De Jong to either accept a move away or agree to a wage reduction.
Barca’s board believe there were possible irregularities in other renewals signed at the same time by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet.
However, the timing of Barca’s tactics has drawn questions as they try to raise funds and reduce their wage bill to be able to register their summer signings.
Despite that, De Jong remains happy in Barcelona with his girlfriend and scored in Sunday’s 6-0 friendly win over Mexican side Pumas UNAM at Camp Nou.
Still, the uneasy situation was highlighted when De Jong arrived at training on Wednesday and was subjected to shouted abuse by some Barcelona fans, who called on him to accept a reduced salary.
Dursun and Cetinkaya also represent Braithwaite, who has been told by Barca to find a new club. The Denmark striker was left out of the squad for the tour of the United States last month and has not featured in preseason.
Braithwaite, 31, was even jeered by Barca supporters before Sunday’s game against Pumas. Sources have told ESPN he is open to leaving the club, who has joined as an emergency signing from Leganes for €20m in 2020, but only if the offer is right for him.
Meanwhile, Barca continue to negotiate further wage adjustments with Pique and Sergio Busquets. Sources have said talks have gone well so far.
Both players, along with Jordi Alba, agreed to pay cuts last summer to enable Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia and Sergio Aguero to be registered, and they may have to do the same this year.
With Barca set to kick off the new LaLiga season on Saturday against Rayo Vallecano, none of their five signings have been registered with the Spanish league, nor have the new contracts signed by Ousmane Dembele and Sergi Roberto.
The club have so far sold assets worth over €600m and are now in a position to register some of their signings. However, a league source told ESPN more money must be raised — or wages cut — before Saturday to register everyone.
Barcelona have reportedly threatened legal action over Frenkie de Jong’s contract, after the Spanish giants claimed to have found evidence of criminality on “the parties who signed” the upgraded deal.
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, the Catalan club is hoping to either sell the Dutch star or revert the deal back to what it was before to help solve their financial woes.
De Jong has been heavily linked with a transfer to Manchester United, although Chelsea recently emerged as a potential suitor for his services.
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Meanwhile, striker Timo Werner is close to finalizing his death with RB Leipzig after arriving in Germany for his medical.
The 26-year-old rose to footballing stardom during his first stint with the club, and became one of the biggest names on the transfer market before being snatched up by Chelsea two years ago.
While Chelsea may lose Werner, the Blues are heavily linked with another emerging star who they could sign on a world record fee.
Here’s all the news and gossip in the latest edition of our Rumor Mill!
BARCA THREATEN LEGAL ACTION
Barcelona’s financial woes are in dire need of a solution recruit after La Liga rejected their attempt to register new players, including star Robert Lewandowski.
Frenkie de Jong has been linked with two of the biggest clubs in England, with a transfer shaping up as a potential solution to their money drama.
But the de Jong saga at Barcelona has reached a dramatic new twist with the club reportedly threatening legal action over the stars renewed deal.
Barcelona’s Dutch midfielder Frenkie De Jong reacts during the 57th Joan Gamper Trophy friendly football match between FC Barcelona and Club Universidad Nacional Pumas at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on August 7, 2022. (Photo by Pau BARRENA / AFP)Source: AFP
De Jong signed a two-year contract extension with the club on October 20, 2020, which kept him at the club for longer but reduced his salary in the short-term.
It’s believed the Netherlands international is owed €18 million ($26m AUD) in deferred wages, which the club is hoping to annul.
David Ornstein has reported that the deal presented by the club’s previous board involved alleged “criminality” and provides “grounds for legal action against those involved”.
Previously, Barcelona president Joan Laporta had insisted that he wants de Jong to remain at the club.
“Frenkie’s our player and we want him to stay at Barcelona, he wants to stay too,” Laporta said.
“With him and his teammates, we have a very powerful midfield. He has offers, but we want him to stay.”
RED DEVILS TO SIGN FRENCH MIDFIELDER
Manchester United had identified midfielder Fabian Ruiz as a possible alternative to de Jong and it appears the deal is progressing, as Erik ten Hag looks to complete his fourth signing.
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Guardian revealed an agreement has been reached between Juventus and Manchester United for £15 million ($26 million AUD).
Rabiot has had a decorated playing career so far, having won Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain on five occasions, and he’s also a Serie A winner.
WERNER TO COMPLETE MOVE
Chelsea striker Timo Werner is on the cusp of returning to RB Leipzig, after arriving in Germany for his medical.
Tim Werner.Source: AFP
Werner had an underwhelming spell at the Blues, but is set to return to the club where he really made his name in world football.
The 26-year-old scored 90 goals and had 40 assists in his 156 games for RB Leipzig, before leaving in 2020.
CHELSEA BIG SPEND CONTINUES
Leicester defender Wesley Fofana could be wearing another navy jersey this season, as Chelsea prepare to launch a world record bid this week.
Football Londonunderstand that the Blues will attempt to sign their second center back of the English summer, after announcing Kalidou Koulibaly.
It’s believed that Fofana is pushing for a move away from the Foxes, even though coach Brendan Rodgers has insisted that he’s not for sale. According to the report, Chelsea are preparing a bid that would smash the world record for the highest fee paid for a defender — currently the 87 million euros ($A127m) Manchester United paid for Harry Maguire in 2019.
ONE OR THE OTHER
Barcelona will not sell Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Memphis Depay, as both players continued to be linked with transfers away from the Camp Nou.
Football insider Fabrizio Romano has said that no discussions have been held between Chelsea and Barcelona over Aubameyang, although he is on their “list”.
BARCELONA, SPAIN – AUGUST 07: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of FC Barcelona celebrates after scoring his team’s fifth goal during the Joan Gamper Trophy match between FC Barcelona and Pumas UNAM at Spotify Camp Nou on August 07, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The former Arsenal captain could be set for a sensational return to England with London rivals Chelsea, although he’s happy in Spain.
Meanwhile, Depay is reportedly negotiating a free agency with Juventus interested in acquiring his services.
BOLOGNA MAKE IT CLEAR
Bologna director Marco di Vaio has made it quite clear that the Italian club want to retain striker Marko Arnautovic, amid rumors of an offer from Manchester United.
The Red Devils reportedly had a bid for the 33-year-old striker rejected.
“Man United on Arnautovic? We’re proud of Man United’s interest for Marko bur we are not planning to sell him,” di Vaio said.
“We want to keep him at Bologna as president said, he’s a key part of our project – there’s not even a price tag.”
Premier League legends Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have slammed disgruntled star Cristiano Ronaldo, amid the uncertainty and speculation about his future at Manchester United.
Ronaldo returned to United’s match day squad for a game against La Liga side Rayo Vallecano earlier this week, after missing the clubs pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia.
But after being subbed off at halftime by manager Erik ten Hag, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner reportedly walked out of Old Trafford with 10 minutes to run on the game clock.
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The infamous walkout was described as “unacceptable” by ten Hag, and only fueled rumors that Ronaldo is desperate for a transfer away from the Red Devils.
Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville believes the club needs to sell the Portuguese international, as he suggested how Ronaldo’s actions may be hurting the club.
“Ronaldo’s achievements in football go beyond, to be fair, anyone could ever wish for and imagine. He’ll go down in the top players of all-time and he always will be, ”Neville said on The Overlap.
“What happens this summer at Manchester United will be forgotten about in 20 years.
“The star player in the dressing room is playing up. It happened at times over the last few years where you had Pogba’s agent, not necessarily (Paul) Pogba all the time but his agent always playing up with the club.
“You can’t have your star player in a club running the shop. You cannot have it. When Sir Alex Ferguson potentially in the past moved players on, it was because that player was needed to be moved on.
“I know Manchester United fans want Ronaldo to stay, but if Ronaldo wants to leave, Manchester United in my mind should facilitate that.”
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Ronaldo, who has won the Champions League five times, was reportedly set to be benched for United’s Premier League season opener against Brighton after missing most of the pre-season.
But a thigh injury to French attacker Anthony Martial could see the star named as a surprise starter for Sunday night’s match (AEST).
Asked if Ronaldo will start, coach Erik Ten Hag said: “We will see on Sunday.”
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Liverpool great Carragher always expected to follow Ronaldo after he signed his contract, as the 37-year-old never would’ve wanted to “play second fiddle” to a teammate.
“I always felt this situation would come. Even if Ronaldo did great for a year, he signed a two-year deal plus another year which I couldn’t believe. He’s never going to play second fiddle to anyone,” Carragher said.
“As players, at a certain stage in your career we all know that you’re not the same player and his (career) has gone on longer because he’s such a great professional.
“He’s not the same player, he’s still a great goal scorer but he’s not the same player. No other club in Europe at this moment wants him.
“I think if you ask (Erik) ten Hag, I don’t think he wants him and I’m not quite sure the dressing room at Manchester United would want Cristiano Ronaldo right now.”
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While it’s been said that Ronaldo missed the pre-season tour due to personal reasons, the rumor mill was in full swing as fans and pundits alike speculated about his future.
It’s believed that he’d handed in a transfer request after United failed to qualify for the Champions League last season – finishing sixth, 35-points behind rivals and champions Manchester City.
While in Australia, new manager ten Hag was bombarded with a number of questions about his key player.
Ten Hag insisted that Ronaldo wasn’t for sale, but Ronaldo continued to dominate headlines over rumors of a potential transfer to Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, and even Lionel Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain.
“Ten Hag literally has had every single press conference that he does just obliterated by the Ronaldo issue,” Neville added.
“If a player becomes the dominating factor and a distraction in a press conference for a manager, there’s only one thing that needs to happen. We all know it.
“You might have to go back to go forwards and this season Manchester United, they may have to go back without Ronaldo.”
New Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski said farewell to his former Bayern Munich teammates and club staff during a brief visit to the Bundesliga champions’ headquarters on Tuesday, despite his rocky departure from the club.
The Poland forward, who scored 344 goals for Bayern in 375 games during his eight years in Germany, joined Barca in a deal worth €45 million last month after forcing a move away.
– Lewandowski talks to ESPN about his Bayern legacy – Rae: Bundesliga team-by-team preview – Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access
Lewandowski and Bayern bosses have publicly criticized each other over the transfer, with the striker saying there had been a lot of “politics” from Bayern who he said were “trying to find an argument” to sell him.
Bayern in turn said the situation had been caused by the player who asked to leave despite having a contract to 2023.
“Everything is fine,” Lewandowski told Sky television from his car before driving away from the club offices. “I met everyone and thanked them. I will never forget what I received here and what I experienced.
“That is the most important thing for me. Last week was a bit complicated but sometimes this is part of football.”
Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic spoke with Lewandowski during his brief visit and they cleared the air.
“Robert came into my office to say goodbye and we talked for 15 minutes,” he said in a club statement.
“I addressed everything and we cleared everything. Robert did great things for Bayern and that’s what should remain. He knows as well what he has to thank Bayern for.”
Lewandowski won almost every domestic and international club honor with Bayern, including eight Bundesliga titles, three German Cups, the Champions League and the Club World Cup.
He is the Bundesliga’s second highest all-time scorer behind the late Gerd Muller.
