To be clear Stoke didnt actually complain about our approach to the 11 year old from their academy - the deal that got us banned from signing academy players for two years.
We agreed a deal to sign him and agreed to pay for his private school education but after completing the deal we reneged on that offer because an interpretation of a new rule passed by the FA. We interpreted it that if we paid the school fees of this kid then we would have to offer every player in the academy the same deal.
When we withdrew the offer the child’s parents complained to the FA. It was pretty amatuerish from us but I don’t think it was done out of malice.
Not sure if the whole discussion about them is entirely accurate anymore, I think it’s pretty obvious that Dortmund have slightly shifted their strategy, they’re much more into getting players from other Bundesliga clubs now. Sort of a Bayern light strategy.
It is a good business strategy for a team that isn’t that interesting in winning stuff. It is a strategy that is only viable for them because they will play their kids, and let them fail, far more than a club that is trying to win, and in ruthless competitions, can afford to do. And anyone who has watched them over the past 2-3 years saw a team critically flawed by putting too much responsibility on inexperienced kids.
I think a lot of people misunderstand the relationship between us and Dortmund. People seem to have convinced themselves that we are some meek entity who refuses to make them feel uncomfortable because of Klopp’s history with them and as such we miss out on potential deal. In reality we are a wealthy club but not one with fuck you money who can just brute force deals to go through. In lieu of that we have got ourselves into advantageous negotiation positions by being known as a good faith respectable partner to deal with. So that doesn’t mean refusing to engage with Dortmund for fear of upsetting them. It means being very clear with them we intend to make offers for their player and trying to come to an common understanding of what is in everyone’s best interest with that deal. There was one deal recently, I think the Diaz one, where the selling club explicitly stated it was our good reputation in these deals that acted in our favour over other clubs trying to close the deal.
Most teams in any league have no chance of winning trophies. A team like Crystal Palace or Southampton know that they have zero chance of winning the league or even qualifying for Europe. Their priorities are avoiding relegation, having a decent cup run and finishing above local rivals. This is the situation of the vast majority of clubs everywhere. Only a handful can realistically hope for silverware.
We are privileged to be in this position and shouldn’t sneer at others who make the best of their situation.
Dortmund are a Bundesliga club who have been champions domestically and in Europe. They have a massive and passionate fanbase, but are in a league that is overwhelmingly slanted to one team. Of course they would like to win the league, but they have to be realistic about their chances. Success for them in second or third in the league and a good run in the CL. There’s nothing wrong with that.
The reality is Jude Bellingham already looks beyond Liverpool’s means unless a new investor is found or another star player is sold. Liverpool could only buy Darwin Nunez and afford Mo Salah’s contract because they sacrificed Sadio Mane. #lfc [chris bascombe - telegraph]
Unless it’s already been proven otherwise, I’m more inclined to think Mané was the impetus behind the move rather than the club actively looking to move him on to raise £30m to pay for a £60m player.
If that was their thinking, I’m sure we could have got a lot more for Salah at any point to pay for Nunez outright.
But the bit about Bellingham might be right. If he goes for north of £100m we might look for better value elsewhere.
I don’t understand how this constitutes a ‘race’. Surely if we are the only ones.who’ve had contact with Dortmund, we are the only club in the race?
If deciding privately that it would be quite nice to sign Bellingham is enought to be in the race, then surely that applies to most clubs in the country.
