again, never said that. never even limited to England really. there's 3 big leagues plus 1 half big one thst actually really attract England, Spain, Italy and Germany in the rear. spain is actually the most sought after but only at 2 clubs. not every player can get to the very top but they want to test themselves as high up as possible and get in that shop window. really that simple and you two are talking complete arse trying to compare players moving to genuine big time leagues and players retiring by going to **** leagues be it China before or Saudi now. wake up and see the hostile takeover that's coming. what's going on at Chelsea, are there secret Saudi owners at play? what's going on with fake sponsorships at newcastle
wtf are you talking about i have not mentioned Saudi once i just took exception to your dismissive no one cares about winning the league / cup in Holland or wherever plus the idea that players don't move to the PL because of the wages is frankly laughable
you've butted into us talking about a player doing exactly that lol. I've never said the wages are nothing to do with it. I've said many times now thst going to Saudi is in effect retirement. there's a world of difference between retiring for the money in Saudi and coming to the prem to play at a higher level and get good money for it. yes if you play in France or Holland you will do well to get half the prem wage but guess what, there's a lot more to being a footballer than one big deal and that's a mistake many players make at a young age with bad acting agents. we could same several aidy ward ruined for example.
Players are professionals so money has to be a factor in their deliberations. Who wouldn't move for x times what is already good money. Family set up for life. The worry is as with golf the money spent will act as a Trojan Horse to gain control of as much of football as they think they want.
In the same way pre-92 medals don’t really count because England wasn’t the biggest league back then. Only medals in Italy really counted then.
I'm unsure how there's an argument about this. Playing at a higher level brings higher wages. The premiership, the two big Spanish clubs, Munich etc. I suppose if you relate it to real life, would you be happy being the big fish at little local firm, or would you take the chance at a big pay day at a multi national, but it might not work out? Or would you be happy to work overseas which I believe a few on here have done, take the money, but turn a blind eye to who and what your working for?
No Saudi refers to the last bit, taking higher wages but turning a blind eye. It was obvious lad, please don't try to wum me.
The who and what are irrelevant in this, when it comes to your first bit, playing at the highest level brings the highest wages. What playing at the highest level brings is a chance of winning the highest trophies. There are two types of players, those who want to be remembered as winners and those who want to retire rich. The first type invarariably end up in the same situation as the second (rich) but usually have a much more satisfying and memorable career.
they are arguing to argue and making really silly points. it's fine though. no player who joins Brighton are doing it to better themselves or try play at a higher level. they are all just in it for the money apparently
Having seen the fiasco in professional golf, the Saudi element and sports washing is a big concern. This ownership by oil states will destroy the game in the UK as we know it, the City monopoly in the last six years is a taste of what is to come. 3-4 oil state teams and the rest there as cannon fodder
Just reading back on the last couple of pages shows a clear divide between those who think going to Saudi is alright because after all, all players are in it for the money and those who are concerned about a country/state taking over and ruining the game. The cognitive dissonance with some of the replies is huge. With regard to Neves specifically, he's not shown a lot of ambition in his career so far other than chasing the money; joining Wolves in the Championship with no guarantee they would be promoted and now going to a league to disappear when he's still only 26 and could be picked up by a CL club. One thing of interest is his agent is Mendes who is only in it for the money himself.
perfect summation. cognitive dissonance is a good way to put it. neves was instructed where to go by his agent at the time. his agent was in bed with china and building another megs club. China took a decision to get out of football and even closed clubs down. wolves progress was completely stunted at that point and money dried up. yes the player has been at the mercy of the agent and quite happy to go where he is told to make them both the money. if you look at haaland by contrast, nobody but nobody can deny his ambition. he's gone to salzburg then dortmund then city. has he been greedy? probably. has he been ruthless and on a plan? 100% does he care one jot about the type of club? no. does he know he is tha good that he is out to be recognised as the top striker in the world? absolutely. then again the example of a caicedo comes up. he's moved when an opportunity presents itself, was it the best opportunity? probably. did he want to move to Arsenal? absolutely dis he sign a new contract? yes. does he still think he can move anyway? it seems so.
I’d imagine he’s been told this will be for a few months maximum, before he’s shipped to Newcastle in January earning twice the going rate and the wages and the transfer fee nowhere near Newcastle’s books. Even if the above scenario doesn’t occur, I can see many young lads going for it - £25m or so for 2 seasons and then back to normal. Easy to sit here and say ‘aren’t they rich enough’, reality is that it wouldn’t be easy to turn down
interesting theory. if it were tried then explusion from the leavie should be the punishment I'm still waiting to hear kante has been soled for 93million to exactly cover the ffp issues at chelsea. there is a big scandal brewing
I agree with the first paragraph, the second one, I'm not so sure. The Saudis don't want young lads, they want recognised names (usually at the end of their careers, the more successful, the better) to sell their product which is easier accepted and sold if the people they are selling to know the players thus legitimising the product ie sportswashing. I've got no respect for any player taking money from an employer who dismembers bodies over perceived crimes. It really should be very easy to turn down. Whatever you think of Djokovic and his refusal to take the Covid vaccine (not intending to open this debate up), he has turned down millions in earnings and guaranteed trophies to stay true to his beliefs. (I don't necessarily agree with his beliefs). A tennis player's career is of similar length to a footballer's. I don't think that we should just accept that all footballers have no principles. Some must have.
