Riyad Mahrez Finally Moves to Man City

[Dave]

Quote

Leicester City manager Claude Puel admits he does not know if Riyad Mahrez will remain at the club beyond this summer.

Mahrez recently refused to commit his future to the Foxes but did say he had withdrawn the transfer request he made in January.

The Algeria winger was the subject of four failed bids from Manchester City in the mid-season transfer window and after a move to the Etihad did not materialise he missed training for over a week, with Mahrez forced to deny going AWOL.

[Cicero]

Should really be going after him. 

[Stan]

Once again, resigned to losing him again this window. Bonus if he ends up staying.

Gotta stress that if we think he has a price and value of him, clubs have to meet this. We can't just undersell our prized asset. Fed up of clubs saying we should just let him go on the cheap cos he wants to. Fuck that.

[Rick]

Both him and the club need to agree on a price. Leicester can't really expect to get 60-70m for the fella. I think 50m has to the the ceiling price, cause, well...he's not THAT good.

[RandoEFC+]

How long left on his contract?

[Dr. Gonzo]

On ‎5‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 12:08, RandoEFC said:

How long left on his contract?

He's contracted until 2020.

That puts Leicester in a good bargaining position. Although the risk of not selling him this long after pushing off potential suitors and the player's expressed an interest in leaving is pissing the player off; and there comes a point where it's better to get rid of someone who's going to be making a scene all the fucking time than to fuck with the team chemistry of the dressing room too much.

With that much time on his contract, Leicester can easily demand upwards of £40m (even though I don't think I'll ever really get used to the new normal of our transfer prices - because they're absolutely fucking mental). But we saw what the market was like last season, it's going to be harder and harder to get players from established clubs at a "reasonable" type of price. Especially if the selling club is in the prem - our clubs are all minted from these TV deals. If you want our most valuable assets, be prepared to pay out the fucking arse for them like Barcelona had to with Coutinho & we had to with VvD.

Although I think some bargain signings are still possible. We did end up with Andy Robertson at an absolute bargain price. A cheap gamble that paid off, but how often can that be replicated?

[Dave]

On 11/05/2018 at 18:46, Mantis Toboggan M.D. said:

Both him and the club need to agree on a price. Leicester can't really expect to get 60-70m for the fella. I think 50m has to the the ceiling price, cause, well...he's not THAT good.

With inflation I don't see why they wouldn't want the same or more than what they wanted in January. Its not like he's got progressively worse in six months.

[Rick]

Oh I'm not saying the won't want more, I just think they'll struggle to get the 70m they probably value him at. I think he's very good, but he's not worth that money whatsoever. 

@The Palace Fan

[Dan+]

On 5/11/2018 at 18:46, Mantis Toboggan M.D. said:

Both him and the club need to agree on a price. Leicester can't really expect to get 60-70m for the fella. I think 50m has to the the ceiling price, cause, well...he's not THAT good.

I'll likely end up saying this a few times but I don't think anyone at the club would expect the same money we demanded in January. The fact Man City came storming in with a panic buy because Sane got injured with a day left in the window is why we bumped the price up even further. It's literally the most expensive time to buy a player. You want one of our star players at that time, you can pay through the nose and the eyeballs.

I'd go above £50mil though. He's got some great stats in what's a pretty ordinary side. I'm not going to compare him to Coutinho too much as frankly his fee was completely over the top even in this market, but there's no way he should be going for about a third of his price.

[Dan+]

On 5/14/2018 at 22:21, The Palace Fan said:

With inflation I don't see why they wouldn't want the same or more than what they wanted in January. Its not like he's got progressively worse in six months.

To be fair since January his form's been poor. I think he's shown a flaw in his attitude which I've always, up until that point, given him the benefit of the doubt on.

But there's no doubting his ability. I think he's under-appreciated because he plays for us. He is capable of the absolute sublime and he'd have a lot more opportunity to show it playing for someone like Man City.

[Happy Blue]

He reminds me of Nasri

[SirBalon]

6 hours ago, Happy Blue said:

He reminds me of Nasri

Yeah, there seem to be a number of similarities in attitude to Nasri.  But I don't think he goes as far as that plonker from what I understand concerning his relationship with colleagues. Practically nobody that's ever shared a dressing room with Nasri likes him.

[Stan]

Mahrez is nothing like Nasri

Nasri's a fat, rat-looking, drug-taking, knobhead cunt-muppet.

 

[Dr. Gonzo]

13 hours ago, Dan said:

I'll likely end up saying this a few times but I don't think anyone at the club would expect the same money we demanded in January. The fact Man City came storming in with a panic buy because Sane got injured with a day left in the window is why we bumped the price up even further. It's literally the most expensive time to buy a player. You want one of our star players at that time, you can pay through the nose and the eyeballs.

I'd go above £50mil though. He's got some great stats in what's a pretty ordinary side. I'm not going to compare him to Coutinho too much as frankly his fee was completely over the top even in this market, but there's no way he should be going for about a third of his price.

With Coutinho though he was literally just months out from signing a new 5 year deal getting paid an insane amount and with no release clause.

Apparently FSG were only willing to sell Coutinho when Klopp said he'd rather have the money offered than an unhappy player after Barca came back with their insane bid after their first bid in January was rebuffed. The owners wanted to keep him more than Klopp and were willing to hang on until they were persuaded otherwise.

The Coutinho fee was outrageous, but he was performing very well and very consistently for the first time possibly in his career you could say. Couple that with a fresh new expensive contract (with no release clause), and 8 months of being hounded by Barca to sell him... pretty easy for us to get huge price.

Now if City has been bothering you lot behind the scenes for a transfer, then I don't see any reason to not get an insane fee. But I don't think he's had anywhere near the form Coutinho was in for us when he moved and he's not just signed a new fresh contract I don't think.

Still see no reason why Leicester won't get a huge fee for their best player. If Mahrez leaves, Leicester is getting a lot richer.

[Dan+]

On 5/17/2018 at 15:59, Dr. Gonzo said:

With Coutinho though he was literally just months out from signing a new 5 year deal getting paid an insane amount and with no release clause.

Apparently FSG were only willing to sell Coutinho when Klopp said he'd rather have the money offered than an unhappy player after Barca came back with their insane bid after their first bid in January was rebuffed. The owners wanted to keep him more than Klopp and were willing to hang on until they were persuaded otherwise.

The Coutinho fee was outrageous, but he was performing very well and very consistently for the first time possibly in his career you could say. Couple that with a fresh new expensive contract (with no release clause), and 8 months of being hounded by Barca to sell him... pretty easy for us to get huge price.

Now if City has been bothering you lot behind the scenes for a transfer, then I don't see any reason to not get an insane fee. But I don't think he's had anywhere near the form Coutinho was in for us when he moved and he's not just signed a new fresh contract I don't think.

Still see no reason why Leicester won't get a huge fee for their best player. If Mahrez leaves, Leicester is getting a lot richer.

I'm a bit confused by what you're saying there. What came first, the new contract or the insane offer? I think Barcelona paid well over the odds for him and I'm saying that as someone who always thought he had potential to be brilliant. He showed glimpses of genius. Not quite sure he's a top bracket player though and for £140mil I want undisputed world class.

I actually think the club who should sign Mahrez is Tottenham. I don't think they will, I think we'll price them out of it, unless what Pochettino said last week changes things there slightly and they are prepared to pay more money going forward, but I think he offers something they've not got and without wanting to rub their nose in it (for once!) he does have experience of winning something.

I'll maintain this for as long as he plays but he is pure quality and if he played in a side that had more of the ball, better runs around him and more control over games, he'd be viewed in a different light. At Leicester he's got a steady side, an excellent striker, but very little else in terms of goal threat, a side that loses more than it wins, one with very little support from his right back in an attacking sense. I think if you put someone like Coutinho or Hazard in his place and you'd see their numbers dwindle. I'll hold my hands up if he does end up flopping but I'm convinced he's top quality and it'll show when he gets his move.

It's just a bit of a sickener that we look like we're about to sign the right back he'd have craved in Ricardo.

[Dr. Gonzo]

11 hours ago, Dan said:

I'm a bit confused by what you're saying there. What came first, the new contract or the insane offer? I think Barcelona paid well over the odds for him and I'm saying that as someone who always thought he had potential to be brilliant. He showed glimpses of genius. Not quite sure he's a top bracket player though and for £140mil I want undisputed world class.

I actually think the club who should sign Mahrez is Tottenham. I don't think they will, I think we'll price them out of it, unless what Pochettino said last week changes things there slightly and they are prepared to pay more money going forward, but I think he offers something they've not got and without wanting to rub their nose in it (for once!) he does have experience of winning something.

I'll maintain this for as long as he plays but he is pure quality and if he played in a side that had more of the ball, better runs around him and more control over games, he'd be viewed in a different light. At Leicester he's got a steady side, an excellent striker, but very little else in terms of goal threat, a side that loses more than it wins, one with very little support from his right back in an attacking sense. I think if you put someone like Coutinho or Hazard in his place and you'd see their numbers dwindle. I'll hold my hands up if he does end up flopping but I'm convinced he's top quality and it'll show when he gets his move.

It's just a bit of a sickener that we look like we're about to sign the right back he'd have craved in Ricardo.

The new contract came before Barca wouldn't leave us alone.

[Dan+]

15 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

The new contract came before Barca wouldn't leave us alone.

I misread what you said, I thought you meant he was mouths out before signing a new deal rather than after. Get what you mean now. Very good business from you.

[Dr. Gonzo]

12 minutes ago, Dan said:

I misread what you said, I thought you meant he was mouths out before signing a new deal rather than after. Get what you mean now. Very good business from you.

I still hate him and Barca though.

[Stan]

deal to Man City looks set to go ahead

 

[Lucas]

I think Mahrez would have been a good option for Arsenal or Spurs. 

I think Spurs can often struggle to break down sides if Kane and Erikson are not on it. Mahrez is the kind of guy that could change the game for them.

They need that extra strength rather than relying on the Lamela's, Sissoko's and Llorente's to come off the bench for me.

I struggle to see him as a first teamer at City. Plain and simple. It would be a bad move from a playing perspective but at least he'd win honours i guess.

[Dan+]

I hope it's sixty at the absolute minimum, and I think measured up against some others, that's less than it should be.

[Dan+]

We're wanting £80mil apparently.

Will have a right laugh if Man City baulk at it. They're one of the reasons the market is so inflated.

[True Blue]

Where would he play at City? I mean i understand having a strong bench but goddammit City.

[LFCMadLad]

32 minutes ago, True Blue said:

Where would he play at City? I mean i understand having a strong bench but goddammit City.

Don't understand it either? He plays on the right side where Bernardo Silva is already back up? 

Seems a waste really.

[True Blue]

3 minutes ago, LFCMadLad said:

Don't understand it either? He plays on the right side where Bernardo Silva is already back up? 

Seems a waste really.

Maybe pep needs a back up for a back up.

City A, City B and City C

Sounds like a girl band