FC Barcelona Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

Warper

kinaldo wrote: »

Spanish reports that Barca have signed Ibrahimovic for 40 million euros and Eto'o in exchange.

Inter are getting an incredible deal with that, Ibra won't be able to replace Eto'o imo.

If this is the case it is obvious that Barca just want rid of Eto'o before the season starts. Shame Eto'o is such a wanker as he fitted into the Barca team like a glove. Obviously Ibra isnt €40m worth better than Eto'o.

Pep is the coach and ultimately it is his decision. We have to trust him to decide what is best for the team. Eto'o must cause chaos in the dressing-room.

That said Ibrahimovic is lethal and it could be a master-stroke. I take it the Villa deal is off then.

JPA

That said Ibrahimovic is lethal and it could be a master-stroke.

He could be but it's also a risk, changing the style of striker after a perfect season.

dor83

JPA wrote: »

I don't want to argue about how good or not Zlatan is but that price seems insanely inflated. Halve the €40 million and you might start to think it's a decent deal. It's not like Zlatan is a young kid.

The thing you have to remember is that Inter don't want to sell Ibra and they put a price tag of €80m on him to deter clubs from bidding but if somebody comes in with a huge offer then you have to accept. This is a similar situation to Ronaldo joining Real, the selling club hold all the cards because they don't want to sell but they also know that the player only wants one club and in Ibra's case that club is Barca.

JPA

dor83 wrote: »

The thing you have to remember is that Inter don't want to sell Ibra and they put a price tag of €80m on him to deter clubs from bidding but if somebody comes in with a huge offer then you have to accept. This is a similar situation to Ronaldo joining Real, the selling club hold all the cards because they don't want to sell but they also know that the player only wants one club and in Ibra's case that club is Barca.

Well I know Inter are setting the crazy price but Barca must really really rate him if they're willing to pay that crazy price.
You're talking 2nd or 3rd highest transfer ever.

dor83

JPA wrote: »

Well I know Inter are setting the crazy price but Barca must really really rate him if they're willing to pay that crazy price.
You're talking 2nd or 3rd highest transfer ever.

I think it's more a case of a few things combining that is making them put such a high bit in, 1: they can't get rid of Eto'o and he won't sign a new deal 2:Every top player has an over inflated price tag this summer 3: They cant seem to find a better option, in that they get one of the best strickers in the world and get rid of Eto'o at the same time. Personally, I hope this doesn't happen because I think Inter need Ibra and don't want Eto'o at Inter.

gimmick

Warper wrote: »

That said Ibrahimovic is lethal and it could be a master-stroke. I take it the Villa deal is off then.

I am wanting to believe that this is an elaborate bluff ie show enough interest in someone else so Villa/agent tries to push through the move himself.

Unlikely I know, but I can wish can't I?

fillmore jive

Could not really see this happening. I think if it went through, it'll be just like the Berbatov deal. And surely it would be easier to bring in Villa then Ibra? I read somewhere that €30 million + Bojan on loan for Villa (?), as opposed to €40 million + Eto'o and Hleb. Pep would want to be as mad as a bag of spiders to go through with that.

Seaneh

kinaldo wrote: »

Spanish reports that Barca have signed Ibrahimovic for 40 million euros and Eto'o in exchange.

Inter are getting an incredible deal with that, Ibra won't be able to replace Eto'o imo.

Other way round if you ask me, Ibra will tear the spanish league apart, Eto'o will struggle in Italy, espically with that hopelessly uncreative midfeild behind him.

Slash/ED

It'll be a very depressing day if Ibrahimovic signs for Barca. I'd rate Bojan and Gudjohnsen ahead of him, never mind Eto'o. It'd be a bad deal even if Barca were getting money, never mind the other way around which is pure insanity.

Seaneh

Slash/ED wrote: »

It'll be a very depressing day if Ibrahimovic signs for Barca. I'd rate Bojan and Gudjohnsen ahead of him, never mind Eto'o.

Well then, you really don't have a clue what you are talking about.

when this deal goes through and Zlatan wins the Ballon d'or in December 2010 I'm going to drag this post back up and point out how wrong the majority of posters in this thread were.

mike65

Yep its a done deal, which is more bad news for David Villa if he wants a move.

Slash/ED

Seaneh wrote: »

Well then, you really don't have a clue what you are talking about.

when this deal goes through and Zlatan wins the Ballon d'or in December 2010 I'm going to drag this post back up and point out how wrong the majority of posters in this thread were.

I'd be delighted to be wrong, if you do drag it back up because he's been a great signing I'll be happier than anyone, but nothing in his career has shown him to be anything beyond mediocre. He's not in the same league as Eto'o even.

ShaneU

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/8155593.stm

BBC say £35m plus eto'o, I don't think he's worth that tbh.

dubmick

ShaneU wrote: »

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/8155593.stm

BBC say £35m plus eto'o, I don't think he's worth that tbh.

just read that, it's nuts!! wtf

I would say Eto'o is worth more than Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Seaneh

Come november everyone of you will be creaming yourselves about him.

FACT.

And the rest will be saying, with a sigh, "told you so".

32 goals in one season, no penalty, that's mediocre?

Pfft.

flahavaj

Now is Ibrahimovich's chance to prove himself. He has the greatest stage, the club, the greatest creative force in the world behind him. No more excuses, lets see if he can step up to the plate for once and for all. I'll be fascinated to see if he has the stuff to do it on the big occasions.

El Classico next season is going to be arguablt the finest collection of players assembled on one pitch for a competitive match in the history of the game. Mouth watering.

Do people think he'll fit into the Barca system? Won't they miss Eto's mobility and ability to interchange with Henry and Messi and play a little wider if needed as well as his pace and directness?

Seaneh

flahavaj wrote: »

Now is Ibrahimovich's chance to prove himself. He has the greatest stage, the club, the greatest creative force in the world behind him. No more excuses, lets see if he can step up to the plate for once and for all. I'll be fascinated to see if he has the stuff to do it on the big occasions.

El Classico next season is going to be arguablt the finest collection of players assembled on one pitch for a competitive match in the history of the game. Mouth watering.

Do people think he'll fit into the Barca system? Won't they miss Eto's mobility and ability to interchange with Henry and Messi and play a little wider if needed as well as his pace and directness?

Anything Eto'o can do, Zlatan can do better.

He is not the typical 6'5 target man, his ball control is the best in the world, he can run with the ball at full tilt and make a fool of defenders and he is happy to drop back and help midfeild when needed.

He will not just fit into the Barca attack, he will complete it.

Seaneh

Oh, and Barca just signed his best friend too...

Warper

I am delighted that we got Ibrahimovic - he adds a whole new dimension to the team. This is a massive signing and I cant wait to see him play for Barca. I was getting a bit worried for a while seeing all the superstars heading to Madrid but now our attacking line is truely mouth-watering.

The coming season is fascinating and seeing Xavi, Iniesta, Messi and Ibra line-up together will send shudders down the opposition spine. I realise that the CL has never been won back-to-back but if any team can do it, it is this current Barcelona team.

The signing of Maxwell is fantastic as well and I dont think we are finished yet. Villa could still join.

BTW Inter done well out of this deal as well, 40m plus Eto'o is great business but just illustrates how esteemed Ibra is.

dor83

It's not quite a done deal yet, it seems that Eto'o could cause it to fall apart.

Samuel Eto'o is demanding a €10million per season wage packet from Inter, if he is to join them as part of the Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Barcelona deal.

A report in Spanish paper AS claims that the Cameroon star has made a mega wage demand, in order to help persuade himself to leave the European Champions. Both clubs have reached an agreement which will see the two players swap places.

The Blaugrana are expected to pay Inter around €48m and give them Eto'o. And fresh reports claim Aliaksandr Hleb will be sent out on loan to Inter as part of the deal. All that remains is for the respective clubs to agree personal terms with the hitmen.

Despite the Spanish reports, it is not clear as to whether Inter will now accept Eto'o's high demands. Furthermore, Sky Sport Italia are claiming Eto'o wants a €25m compensation package for leaving the Blaugrana.

Voices claim the mega demands from Eto'o could have an antithetic impact on negotiations. It is said that Ibrahimovic's agent Mino Raiola is in Barcelona preparing his client's contract with the club and that it is expected to be ready by Wednesday.

If reports from Spain and Italy are to prove correct, it's appears that the deal is now hinging on Eto'o and whether Inter will pay him what he has demanded.

If this is true I would tell Eto'o where to go, €10m a year is a lot but to ask for €25m from Barca is crazy and I would rather let him go on a free next year than pay him to leave.

JPA

dor83 wrote: »

It's not quite a done deal yet, it seems that Eto'o could cause it to fall apart.If this is true I would tell Eto'o where to go, €10m a year is a lot but to ask for €25m from Barca is crazy and I would rather let him go on a free next year than pay him to leave.

Why does he think he can ask for this crazy money? Is he just trying to piss them off?

MisterAnarchy

JPA wrote: »

Why does he think he can ask for this crazy money? Is he just trying to piss them off?

Yes ,he is a greedy petulant brat and has the biggest ego in football.
There has been friction between him and Laporta for the last 2 years.
He's want his head examined for leaving that Barca side to go to Inter Milan .

48m for Ibrahimovic and Eto as part payment is utter madness.WTF !
Eto is a better striker .
Barca need an out and out striker to replace Eto ,not an in the hole striker .
Villa would be a far better deal ,I hope they get him instead of Zlatan.

JPA

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

Yes ,he is a greedy petulant brat and has the biggest ego in football.
There has been friction between him and Laporta for the last 2 years.
He's want his head examined for leaving that Barca side to go to Inter Milan .

48m for Ibrahimovic and Eto as part payment is utter madness.WTF !
Eto is a better striker .
Barca need an out and out striker to replace Eto ,not an in the hole striker .
Villa would be a far better deal ,I hope they get him instead of Zlatan.

Or both. :eek:

gimmick

Question re Ibra - I know almost nothing about him - is he a "number 9" or a "number 10" style player??

CantGetNoSleep

gimmick wrote: »

Question re Ibra - I know almost nothing about him - is he a "number 9" or a "number 10" style player??

number 9.5

Bubs101

flahavaj wrote: »

Now is Ibrahimovich's chance to prove himself. He has the greatest stage, the club, the greatest creative force in the world behind him. No more excuses, lets see if he can step up to the plate for once and for all. I'll be fascinated to see if he has the stuff to do it on the big occasions.

You do realise he was playing in Serie A, not the Eircom league or MLS.:pac:

Ibra's a great signing for Barca because he will provide far more dynamism and assists for the others.

As for whether he's a 10 or a 9, he's in essence a man built like Luca Toni with the skill of Francesco Totti so 9.5 is a good answer.

TBH though, I really really don't see the point in Barca deconstructing an attack that worked that well

An Citeog

Bubs101 wrote: »

You do realise he was playing in Serie A, not the Eircom league or MLS.:pac:

Ibra's a great signing for Barca because he will provide far more dynamism and assists for the others.

As for whether he's a 10 or a 9, he's in essence a man built like Luca Toni with the skill of Francesco Totti so 9.5 is a good answer.

TBH though, I really really don't see the point in Barca deconstructing an attack that worked that well

Barça already have enough players to provide the assists. It's a clinical finisher that they need and I'm not sure whether or not Ibra is the right player for them. On the plus side, I think he'd be a great player for Bojan to play and develop alongside. €40m + Eto'o seems very steep though!

PHB

I think he'd be an utterly fantastic signing for Barca. With the runners they have from midfield, he'd make the whole system work amazingly.

Warper

As mentioned, this hasn't been completed yet. They have agreed on the fee but Eto'o, being Eto'o still hasn't agreed to the deal.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/12/spain/2009/07/19/1391119/only-i-will-decide-if-i-join-inter-samuel-etoo

Another interesting far-out tag from Goal will see Barca play in a new 150,000 seat stadium in the sea - nice.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/12/spain/2009/07/19/1391154/camp-nou-in-the-sea-sparks-barcelona-debate

fillmore jive

Sky Sports have just reported that Keirrison has just signed for €14 million!

8-10

fillmore jive wrote: »

Sky Sports have just reported that Keirrison has just signed for €14 million!

Jesus. Now there's value for money. Why wasn't Rafa on that???

Glico Man

Isn't he gonna be loaned out though?

MisterAnarchy

Seems Eto has agreed terms with Inter.
Why in Gods name would he want to leave Barca ,the man needs his head examined.
Barca is getting fleeced here.
Eto is only 28 and at his prime.
He is a better fit for the Barca attack ,a spearhead to Mesi and Henry's foil.
I think Barca have lost the plot paying 45m extra for Ibrahimovich who while being a good skillful player just isnt clinical enough in my opinion.

gimmick

Eto'o, by all accounts, is a very disruptive dressing room influence and is not all that popular with his team mates. Pep Guardiola himself reckons that moving Eto'o out would give the team a fresh new dimension.

While Eto'os scoring reckon is impeccable, he looked quite wasteful in the latter third of the perfect season, really only shining in the CL final. He probably needsa new challenge for himself as well.

Plus, we have got to assume that maybe, just maybe, Pep Guardiola knows exactly what he is doing. Afterall, he has done nothing wrong yet has he?

MisterAnarchy

gimmick wrote: »

Eto'o, by all accounts, is a very disruptive dressing room influence and is not all that popular with his team mates. Pep Guardiola himself reckons that moving Eto'o out would give the team a fresh new dimension.

While Eto'os scoring reckon is impeccable, he looked quite wasteful in the latter third of the perfect season, really only shining in the CL final. He probably needsa new challenge for himself as well.

Plus, we have got to assume that maybe, just maybe, Pep Guardiola knows exactly what he is doing. Afterall, he has done nothing wrong yet has he?

I'm not questioning Eto leaving the club,that has been on the cards along time,he has come to the end of the line there.

However swapping him and Hleb plus 45m for Ibrahimovich is farcical.
Barca need an out and out striker ,someone who will hang around the box and put the ball in the net.
They already have enough players that can dribble with the ball and play in a deep attacking role.
Ibrahimovich will clog things up in the middle,he drops too deep too often.
Its a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth.
45m ??? WTF,they could have bough David Villa for that alone ,a tried and trusted goal scorer in La Liga .
Crazy deal.

gimmick

Ya, the money sounds a bit outrageous. Maybe Barca are giving Inter money to take Hleb away for a while?

They already have enough players that can dribble with the ball and play in a deep attacking role.
Ibrahimovich will clog things up in the middle,he drops too deep too often.

As above, we have got to assume Pep knows better than you or I.

Mitch Connor

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

Barca need an out and out striker ,someone who will hang around the box and put the ball in the net.

I disagree - one of the things that made barca so fearsome to play last season is the fact that all their players (including Eto'o) offered such great movement, having one player hang around one area (no matter how important that area is) would reduce the space the other players like Messi, Henry and Iniesta can move into.

Quint

gimmick wrote: »

Eto'o, by all accounts, is a very disruptive dressing room influence and is not all that popular with his team mates. Pep Guardiola himself reckons that moving Eto'o out would give the team a fresh new dimension.

But replacing him with the second biggest ego in world football?

MisterAnarchy

Mitch Connor wrote: »

I disagree - one of the things that made barca so fearsome to play last season is the fact that all their players (including Eto'o) offered such great movement, having one player hang around one area (no matter how important that area is) would reduce the space the other players like Messi, Henry and Iniesta can move into.

Up to a point,Eto was still the point of attack for most of the season.
I dont think Ibrahimovich is capable of doing that,plus he is a lazy sod.

eZe^

In my eyes the only bad thing about this Ibrahimovic deal is the fact that the price is so inflated, but we have all seen what Real have done to the market and if we held out another season on selling Eto'o he would have left on a free. Eto'o is obviously a proven goal scorer, but he is a VERY VERY streaky player. In that he will score 7 goals in 4 games and then go another 5 without scoring again. That means his record looks excellent, when infact he is very very wasteful infront of goal for long periods of a season. (From February until May this year being an example)

Ibrahimovic is a class act, no matter how you look at it. He seems to be the perfect striker that Guardiola was looking for. Pep wants a tall dominant striker that is also capable of being skillful enough to fit in with Barca's regime. That's why he was after Adebayor and Drogba last year, but got neither because Eto'o stayed. Now he has a player superior to both, albeit for about 70 million euros. Ibrahimovic is an absolute monster, he is dominant in the air, but can also hustle the biggest and strongest of defenders. He is also probably the most naturally gifted footballer of the past decade behind Ronaldinho, Messi and Zidane. His skill and intelligence means he SHOULD be able to fit in with this Barca squad, and finally we'll have a player that can take advantage of Alves' and Xavi's crosses (bar Messi obv, CL being the moment I'm remembering :pac:;) ).

Ibrahimovic's ego is different to Eto'os, Eto'o is genuinely egotistical in that he will gladly disrupt a dressing room in order for his voice to be heard, whereas Ibrahimovic is quite mocking and joking with the media- like Jose Mourinho. Zlatan is taking a pay CUT to join Barca, whereas Eto'o was refusing to move unless they gave him a pay increase. That sums their difference in egos up for me... I really do wonder how Inter will cope now that their main creative force is gone, Eto scores loads, but only if the midfield supplies the balls, Zlatan is capable of creating something from nothing...

The only problem with the big man is his choking in the CL K.O stages, for anyone to say otherwise is being blind and biased. Ibrahimovic is alot of things, but he has consistently failed to score in KO rounds of the CL. He has played well on a number of occasions (Man Utd, Madrid). I'm just hoping that this is down to the Inter team not being able to cope as a whole with the best teams outside of Italy, as that's who you face in the KO rounds. I'm hoping that with service from the likes of Xavi, Alves, Iniesta and Messi that he can prove everyone wrong, and rightfully be spoke of in the same breaths as Eto'o, Villa and Torres.

Finally, it's only right to say goodbye to Eto'o, he has been an absolutely fantastic acquisition and asset to the club. One of our best strikers of all time, proving that with his two CL medals and two goals in the finals. He was adored by fans for being an ex Madrid player and rubbing it in their faces when we won the league - 'Madrid, cabron, salud el campeon'... Samu's brutal honesty was sometimes his downfall, he is a big disruption in the dressing room, and he is also the most greedy player I've ever witnessed when it comes to wages... Overall though, he is a club legend, and I hope he absolutely tears it up in Serie A, and scored at least 20 goals. Best of luck buddy!




Another thing worth mentioning with Barca this season is how excellent their other deals have been. Sure we are paying about 25 million too much for Ibrahimovic, but Maxwell is worth 10 imo, and Keirrison is also an absolute steal. When we sign Chygrynskiy and a cheap enough DMF we will have completed our squad really, no weaknesses anywhere...

---

Ibrahimovic

---

---

Henry

---

Messi

---

---

Xavi

---

Iniesta

---

---

Toure

---

---Maxwell

---

Pique

---

Puyol

---

Alves

---

---

Valdes

---

Then their is -

Abidal, Marquez, Milito, Henrique, Chygrynskiy as defensive cover.


Busquets, Keita, Hleb, Gudjohnsen, and another signing as midfield cover.


Keirrison, Bojan, Pedro, as forward cover, plus a few more Barca-Athletic players as cover all over...


That looks a pretty strong team for the upcoming season really.

dor83

eZe^ wrote: »

Zlatan is taking a pay CUT to join Barca, whereas Eto'o was refusing to move unless they gave him a pay increase. That sums their difference in egos up for me...

That isn't really how it's working, the tax situation means that even though he will be getting less before tax he will not be losing any money after tax. The opposite is also true for Eto'o to, although I don't know if there is a difference in his after tax pay but Ibra will not be losing money by moving.

eZe^ wrote: »

I really do wonder how Inter will cope now that their main creative force is gone, Eto scores loads, but only if the midfield supplies the balls, Zlatan is capable of creating something from nothing...

I'm not overly confident that we will cope without him, he has been our best and most important player since he joined. Mourinho will most likely try to change the style now, like he tried to last year but it didn't suit the players we had then.

eZe^ wrote: »

I'm just hoping that this is down to the Inter team not being able to cope as a whole with the best teams outside of Italy, as that's who you face in the KO rounds.

IMO, his perceived failure in the CL is down to the team he had around him, he gets absolutely no support from the rest of the team in most games and is expected to do it all himself and imo there is no player in the world who could do what he did for us. I think he is a great signing for Barca and, as you said, with their other signings they have done very well this summer. I hope Ibra does very well there and can see him winning a lot of trophies there.

Third_Echelon

I'm sorry, but ibrahimovic is half the player Eto'o is.. The deal should be the other way around... 40 million plus ibra for Eto'o.

Ibra doesn't do it in the big games when it counts. Any half decent striker can score goals against the lower teams in a league.

He's lazy and frankly not worth the money. A step backwards for Barca in my opinion...

eZe^

dor83 wrote: »

That isn't really how it's working, the tax situation means that even though he will be getting less before tax he will not be losing any money after tax. The opposite is also true for Eto'o to, although I don't know if there is a difference in his after tax pay but Ibra will not be losing money by moving.

Oh of course, but Eto'o was demanding 5 million euros from Laporta before he would agree to leave, I've never come across a player so hungry for money, he was close to playing for 6 months in Uzbekistan last year just because he would have pocketed millions...

Ibrahimovic has won Serie A every year he has played in it (I'm ignoring Calciopoli) - Has any player in any of the top 3 leagues won 5 of their last 5 league titles?

Third_Echelon wrote: »

I'm sorry, but ibrahimovic is half the player Eto'o is.. The deal should be the other way around... 40 million plus ibra for Eto'o.

Ibra doesn't do it in the big games when it counts. Any half decent striker can score goals against the lower teams in a league.

He's lazy and frankly not worth the money. A step backwards for Barca in my opinion...

I don't think you understand... Even if you put aside your perceived opinions on their talents and look at this from a purely economic point of view. Eto'o is a commodity that Barca want to get rid of, he has one year left on his contract and Guardiola never wanted him in the squad, so straight away when you sell something you really don't want, you will not be getting the true value for the product. Now take Ibrahimovic, he is Inter's most valuable asset, and they DO NOT want to sell him, unless they get an offer they cant refuse (or at least one that they believe is worth more than their own valuation of the player). So when you factor in how Real have inflated the transfer market, and the above economics of both players, there was no way that the Ibra and Eto'o deal would go any other way. It's just a shame that they are getting an extra 40 million instead of 20-25... (But that, imo, is Reals fault)

eZe^

I'm giggling with excitement tbh... Gutted Eto'o is going, but the potential of Barca's team for next year is excellent, we should put in a good CL and Liga title shout. Interesting statistic too, Rivaldo and Eto'o have both scored 130 goals officially for the club, that's a pretty awesome feat for Rivaldo, who was primarily used as a winger... What a player he was.

gimmick

Wonder what number he will be given and what name on the shirt - Zlatan, Ibra, Ibrahimovic?

As I have stated already, I know nothing about him as I never watch Italian football. He has a lot to live up to as the fee is astonomical - must be worth €70m maybe?

eirebhoy

You would have seen him at a world cup, euro's, CL, no?

Bubs101

Third_Echelon wrote: »

Ibra doesn't do it in the big games when it counts. Any half decent striker can score goals against the lower teams in a league.

He didn't do it against Liverpool. I don't know what game people were watching this year against Man Utd in the 0-0 draw. Ibra was fantastic but he was too selfless. He gave Adriano two golden opportunities, both of which he spurned. Messi and Henry won't be so generous

gimmick

eirebhoy wrote: »

You would have seen him at a world cup, euro's, CL, no?

Not enough to form a definitive opinion one way or other tbh.

eZe^

gimmick wrote: »

Not enough to form a definitive opinion one way or other tbh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukpcB3RLVnc

Eire-Dearg

What is the final fee in the Ibra/Eto'o deal, anyone?