Each player smuggled to their new club in the back seat of the manager's car, with both player and manager fearful of their discovery for the entire journey.
Is Suarez a United-type player, though? I mean, he cheats, he dives, he deliberately sets out to injure his opponents, and he gets the right arse-ache when he loses... Oh, wait... !
The fact is that journalists try to tap up outstanding Tottenham players Carrick, Berbatov, Modric and Bale All of them have had daily stories in one or more media outlets for at least a year And why Tottenham? Because they are the most likely challengers to the top 4. This sort of thing never happened until the mid-2000s when the top 4 were Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool and Tottenham finished 5th (and in one season would have finished top 4 if not for corrupt Richard Scudamore breaching human rights by forcing people to work while ill because he was friends with David Dein)
LDL raises a good point: journalists write this crap because it sells papers. I also feel it may be gamesmanship on Man U's part: they'd rather the stories be about their tapping up of Bale (or Fabregas, or Suarez) than of Mourinho's tapping up Rooney (though I think he just saw a good chance to stir the pot.)
According to The Times today, United is "prepared" to spend £100 million on securing the signatures of Bale and Fabregas. Now, knowing that Levy is demanding in excess of £80 million for Bale, that means that United will have to persuade Barca to let Fab go for less than £20 million. Seems a bit of a long-shot to me. Yes, more tapping-up from the gutter press (sorry, but it's been a long time since The Times could be considered a respectable newspaper). The Daily Mail is also reporting that United may find it difficult to prise Fab away from Barca with the club insisting that he isn't for sale, yet hack journos don't seem to have got it into their thick skulls that Levy's insistence that a bidding for Bale would have to start at more than £80 million is tantamount to him saying that Bale is not for sale. It would be pitiable if it wasn't so pathetic.
I highly doubt we are after Bale. We simply dont need him right now. Also nobody would pay £80million for him so he'll be staying at Spurs and rightly so.
I disagree. I think it more than likely that Real would pay it, given the slightest encouragement that Bale was for sale.
United cannot afford to blow over £80 million on one player, that's why Levy said bidding would have to start in excess of £80 million. And if Real came in with a bid of £80 million, Levy would tell them to sling their hooks. £80 million is not in excess of £80 million. All of this is, in reality, very, very simple. Bale is not for sale.
Good luck with that. Not sure if you know but I dont think real Madrid have all that much money to spend right now and the banks are no longer allowed to lend them the money to do so like they did when they signed Ronaldo, Kaka and the rest in one window. If they sell enough players then the situation will change but as they have already spent 50million ( 63mn out and 13mn in ) I dont see where they will get another £80million from just now.
I agree. You dont need to sell this year. However fail to get top 4 again and you will struggle to keep him next season. The thing with Bale is, he doesnt need to be playing CL football this season as Wales aint going to no WC.
Not anymore. Spains a very different place ( you should know, you are suffering there ). The money simply isnt there for Real Madrid to borrow and if they did, considering how bad a state the country is in and the way fans are falling out of love with the game ( 15% & 25% drop in viewers for two TV channels showing La Liga games ) it would cause massive upheaval.
Yes, and it's because I live here, and know a bit about the way things work here, that I say that. They are very closely tied to some very influential people. Yes, the Spanish people are suffering. Unemployment is ridiculously high. But still, the success of Real Madrid supersedes all that. Where I live, near Alicante, is some 370 Kim's from Madrid. Still, virtually nobody around here supports the local sides - the closest La Liga side now being Elche - the support is almost exclusively for Real. On the whole, Barca are detested. The success of Real is very important to the average Spaniard. If Real finding £80mil to buy Bale is liable to,bring them that success, the vast majority of them wouldn't begrudge a penny of it.
It's not about what Bale is worth to the buyer, it's what he's worth to the seller. If Spurs feel that by selling Bale, they will plummet 3/4 places down the league, then they can charge whatever they like, a premium as well given it would be to a PL club. As for Pep, why did he choose Bayern over United? The reality is, Barca, Madrid & Bayern are all ahead of United and you are on a par with City, Chelsea & PSG (at best).
Now that he's no longer manager he can't step within 10 feet of a ref (pretty much). PNP is right, Fergie upstairs will undermine Moyes, the same thing happened to Hodgson at Liverpool when Dalglish was breathing down his neck. The best thing United could have done was appoint Guardiola, Mourinho, Hiddink, Heynckes or someone of that ilk (even just for a stop gap) because they have experience of top level football and would have demanded Fergie has no influence at all at the club.
Our "clown of an owner" was signing Bale for £10mill whilst United were tying up deals for Nani and Anderson for nearly 4 times that!
Real have just spent £34m on Illarramendi, so I can't see them splashing out stupid money for Bale, not this summer anyway. Also I think Bale will stay at Spurs this season, but if Spurs don't get CL football then he will be off for sure and his price will plummet next summer. There's no way he's worth £80m, those figures are reserved for the very best, Messsi, Ronaldo ... Bale at the moment is probably a £50m - £60m player, but next season a want away Bale could go for £35m - £40m 'if' he has another good season, if not, then possibly less still.
