Me too. Thought it was insane not to take that, especially as he wouldn't be going to any of our rivals, domestic or European. Only thing is that FSG would have just banked the money though.
Hmm. £10m plus £2.5m add-ons (plus £20m in wages over 4 years) is not exactly "risk-free", but as somebody who strongly advocated getting Shaqiri as 'risk-free' (and he was on higher wages, IIRC) I'm prepared to bury my reservations. He's here now and he's a Red - he has my full, unmitigated support.
Got to be said, the guy seems desperate to be here. Hope he gets his own chant pretty soon. Something Italian? Something opera, or something around a Perry Como?Tony Bennett/Dean Martin thing going on?
There has to be a middle ground between over regulation and allowing clubs to do what they like regardless of how it affects the others.
There are two valid stances on regulation of players and finances. Either you believe there should be no regulation. Or You believe it should be regulated and enforce. Either of those stances are valid subjectively depending on your views of what is fair. What the Premier League and UEFA are doing... Implementing regulations but not consistently or effectively policing them is the worst of both worlds. Either enforce them properly or revoke the regulations. Don't make it so that the only way to get ahead is to break the rules or bend them like Chelsea do.
That's pretty much my view. It's funny that they have no problem over regulating the game played on the pitch and interfering as much as possible, making it less enjoyable but everything other than the actual game, is open to cheating and in city's case, even applauded. Had Chelsea achieved some success, they too would be getting plaudits regardless of how they got it.
They make all the rules and have no one to answer to for on field decisions. Off field they’re bound to a higher law
Not really. I fail to see the issue with a 25 man squad means 25 men. Not 35. If they would actually stop registering the players when signed then it instantly stops cheslea dead. You only need account for hg players turning 22 in a 2 year dispensation maybe and you are golden. Oh I want another shiny toy. Ok which toy you have not even taken out of its box yet will you get rid of then Todd? They are literally signing a player in June then signing his replacement in july or August.
