I have been following developments at Dortmund very closely. They are at the same situation with Lewandowski as we were with that RVP last summer.

LRF

Wumpatrol,

Doubt Lew will leave though...

But is it really beneficial to have a player that will most likely sulk for much of next season and has such a soured relationship with the fans? Llorente is a good example of why getting rid is a better option.

I remember RVP sulking in the last 10 games of the season before he left. So many Arsenal fans were blind to that. I swear I wanted him gone then.

But re Llorente, we've only seen the short-term results. The long term results might be different.

Athletic didn't need the cash, they wanted to send out a message, make a statement. Players sign a contract and they're expected to fulfil it. Llorente was a signal to other players to forget trying to negotiate their way out, that Athletic is a club players should be proud to play for, not just a stepping stone to bigger clubs.
I fully understand that stance. Athletic's choices are self-limited, their market's too small to simply go out and replace any player who leaves with one of similar quality.

It's not quite the same case, but look at when Bayern held on on Ribéry and refused him his wish to move to Madrid. What they basically said was, hey, we're Bayern, no one can trample on us.

That was 2009/10. Look at them now.

Lew isn't a character likely to sulk though and he isn't a player that will demand like a lot of others would do. Klopp needs a sit down with him so he can re-think his plans over the summer, he can't lose Lew.

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LRF
Lewi hasn't slagged the club of either meaning he has reached a point of no return.

http://www.footballandmusic.co.uk/gil-by-the-numbers/

more Gil memorabilia

after a bad game in las palmas, Gil said.." the plane should crash and kill the team "

another classic Gil quote:

"Players? My mistake was to treat them like people. My horses are more intelligent."

Is Canales still highly rated or has his career faded? I was impressed by him a couple of years ago when I saw him play against Chelsea in the CL, and before then on FM 2010 they suggested he had a lot of potential

Obviously he's not getting into Spain squads but that's no surprise anyway

Injuries man! Add that to time on the bench at Madrid and you will see why he has stagnated a bit. He still has time on his side though.

Would Real Madrid be delighted if Barca signed Mata?

Mata has 'Barca DNA'.

RVP was hardly a . Smartest career choice he ever made.

I don't really see how that is possible. Which angle are you using?

Mata hardly has 'DNA' for pretty much every team in Europe bar Stoke

Hardly was not meant to be in that sentence

I'm not really going to get into that with you Edin.

I understand Arsenal fans indignation at the RVP saga.

But even the most churlish of Arsenal fans admit deep down that RVP made the smart decision.

Stay at Arsenal and win nothing

or

Go to Utd, get paid a bit more and win trophies



Difficult choice

TRC
After the only one season where we didn't pay him to stay on the treatment table, I find the fact that he felt entitled for anything more a bit funny. He owed the club big time. 9/10 clubs in Europe would have gotten rid of him ages ago but we stuck with him and he repaid us by showing us a huge middle finger.

He didnt owe you anything and the fact that you made about 21m on him easily covered those costs, especially considering the amount of times he carried your team.