I know they were. They were trying to screw us for every penny they could get, but there was no reaction from the player to suggest he wanted to come and after the deal fell through there was no reaction to suggest he was disappointed.
More likely the case, if I recall they ****ed about & kept changing the figure, in public anyway. A bit like Andre Gray figure kept changing in public. Blackburn's owners are a bit weird though, chicken feed short of a chicken really!
A lot of players think they should just keep out of the posturing when a transfer is being discussed.
I think professional players stay out of the limelight publicly, but make their feelings known to their club privately (especially if they favour the move.) The player's choice often defines whether his club settle for a reasonable fee or feel they can screw the buyer. Blackburn's position in the Rhodes discussions suggests the player wasn't putting them under any pressure to settle.
To be honest I don't really know anything about the negotiations and can't remember too much of what was said in public. I'm not going to get excited if his name gets mentioned again unless there is some really encouraging news. Maybe if Blackburn look like they are in danger of relegation things might change.
If you listened to Bruce's interview before the Blackburn home game - he confirmed we were close to signing Rhodes, but it was Blackburn that pulled the plug on the deal.
I just wouldn't like us to waste another full window chasing a player who shows no interest in moving from a club who show no interest in selling him. It would be far better to go for someone who wants to come here.
He agreed terms with us! The venkys changed their minds at the last minute! If he'd join us now in the champ is another question?
We offered £12m for Rhodes and we thought the deal was done, Blackburn decided they didn't want to sell, the player himself wasn't involved. He seems a decent bloke and he's on a lot of money, I'm not surprised he didn't start pushing for the move himself, he'll get one soon enough.
I heard that interview too, but I stand by what I've posted in the past that Rhodes has no ambition or intention to leave Blackburn, he's on a long term contract on PL wages with no relegation clause in his contract, have been told this by several Blackburn fans, to me this explains why he's still at Blackburn and not in the PL. Contracted to Blackburn till June 2019
During the recent transfer window he complained publicly about about not getting the chance to move. I think the last minute rejection of our bid was the final straw for him and he did kick up a fuss about not being allowed to talk to Boro.
It looks like Rhodes would be willing to join a club that has a real chance of promotion to the Premier League.
