Loading ...Aug 23 2008
Saturday Robinho Update
A series of interesting notes from Saturday’s papers, but nothing to dissuade me from the notion that Robinho will be in London early this week and will be confirmed a Blue shortly there after. There are, however, plenty of reports that would undermine that conclusion.
For example, plenty of sources are hinting that when Real Madrid says they will not stand in the way of Robinho moving, they mean they are willing to let him buy-out his contract. In Spain, all players have buy-outs built into their contracts, so Real’s supposed position here is not that profound. Robinho’s buy-out is reported a prohibitive £120 million, though that is not certain. Nobody is confirming the number, and Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has said the courts would have to decide. No surprise, Calderon seems full of bombast.
This situation has made Ramon Calderon look an absolute fool. Today, he came out with some quotes that cast more irony on his Cristiano Ronaldo pursuit and Robinho neglect that was already present. He said Robinho is not for sale and that it is disrespectful to intimate a move like this so late in the transfer window. He evoked the clubs history and fans in citing this disrespect, though he failed to mention what the presence of an overzealous president does to the perception of a club’s history. He and Joan Laporta are quite a pair. I can not wait to see how Calderon reacts when Sepp Blatter comes to Robinho’s defense and notes no player should have to stay at a club against his will.
What? That’s not going to happen?
Assuming buy-out the number is something outrageous like £120 million, not even Chelsea will pay that, and Real Madrid can not be seriously thought to have a position where saying a player can move means they will accept his contract being bought out. More likely, the buy-out ens up being Madrid’s leverage in negotiations with Chelsea, saying you can either pay the £120 million (which we can’t argue with) or we can come to a mutual agreement.
That mutual agreement will fall between €37 million and €40 million. The former is the number tabled by Chelsea chairman Peter Kenyon on his trip to Madrid this week. The latter is the number Real Madrid wants. If the stories quoting these numbers are to be trusted, why is Chelsea wasting their time over €3 million? Pay the extra money, get your player now, and be done with it. It is not as if Roman Abramovich is doing to balk if Luiz Felipe Scolari and Kenyon say they want to pay the difference.
In the interim, Robinho is set to play tomorrow in the second leg of the Spanish Supercopa against Valencia. This raises eyebrows because players about to move to other clubs are usually kept out of play so as to avoid injury, but looking at this from a very cynical point of view, would it be all bad for Real if Robinho suffered an injury? If he does, the deal might collapse, and Real gets what they wanted before the winger went public with his dissatisfaction: they get to keep him. Besides, though Madrid wants to win (and presumably Robinho will do nothing to hurt their chances) who would the club rather risk? Robinho, or somebody who is going to stick around?
If Robinho moves, Luiz Felipe Scolari has said the acquisiton will allow Chelsea to use more formations than their 4-3-3, a tactical consideration that makes the move make slightly more sense than the scenario’s I outlined last night (see related posts, below, or click on Robinho in the category list, above). Scolari playing a 4-4-2 will allow Robinho to work towards the middle as a second striker while playing towards Chelsea’s depth in midfield. Is this tactical consideration worth £30 million? Maybe not, but if it means the team can sell one of Salomon Kalou or Florent Malouda, then the cost becomes less than £30 million, and the whole things makes even more sense. If Chelsea chooses to sell Kalou (considering they can’t make their money back on Malouda), they can take a huge bite out of the Ronaldo fee.
After reading Scolari’s thoughts on the move, I am more convinced of its viability, and certainly willing to bow to him its potential positive effects.
Links
Calderon in Robinho warning
Real annoyed with Robinho efforts to force Chelsea move
Scolari given green light for Robinho move
Robinho named in Real squad
Real to respect Robinho’s wishes
Schuster picks Robinho for Supercopa squad
Madrid prez says Robinho can buy out contract
Robinho won’t join Chelsea - Schuster
Real chief says Robinho can buy out contract
Real ready to let Robinho leave
Scolari: Robinho Will Make A Difference
Real annoyued with Robinho’s efforts to force Chelsea move
WFP Related Posts
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