The Official 15/16 UEFA Champion's League and International Club News Thread

[The Big Chill]

Originally Posted by devo22

80k, actually ...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...-contract.html

Thats incredible. I remember being amazed by the number the first time I heard it, but I apparently forgot just how ridiculous it was.

[nik-]

sounds like one of those good problems.

[Pagal4321]

That is an unreal amount of money for someone that age. Can't blame him for going to Real but whoever was advising him should have clarified that he would probably never see the pitch at Real.

[d_phaneuf]

big thanks to City/Arsenal/Chelsea for helping the coefficient in the last few days

Spurs/United/Liverpool would be 3 of the favorites to win Europa too, maybe top 4 or 5 with Dortmund and Napoli

as long as a few of those teams make the quarters in their competition we should be safe from dropping to 3 teams for a few more years

[devo22]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

Spurs/United/Liverpool would be 3 of the favorites to win Europa too, maybe top 4 or 5 with Dortmund and Napoli

nothing would make me more happy than United taking the EL seriously, but I somehow doubt it. Hope I'm wrong ... they actually have to look at their own club coefficient too, they are in danger of dropping to the 3rd pot in the CL otherwise (if they make top 4 again ...)

took a look at the clubs in the EL today and that's actually a lot of quality:

United, Leverkusen, Porto, Napoli, Basel, Bilbao, Olympiacos and Lazio are seeded
Shakhtar Donezk, Valencia, Sevilla, Galatasaray and St Etienne are unseeded
Liverpool, Dortmund, Schalke and Tottenham, among others, could either be seeded or unseeded

could potentially be a very interesting competition this year.

[Senator Clay Davis]

If any of United, Spurs or Liverpool are in position to challenge for the league by the time Europa kicks in they have to tank out of it. Gotta look for every advantage to win the league, and obviously fewer games and less travel is an advantage.

[The Big Chill]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

If any of United, Spurs or Liverpool are in position to challenge for the league by the time Europa kicks in they have to tank out of it. Gotta look for every advantage to win the league, and obviously fewer games and less travel is an advantage.

And on the other side of things, it could get incredibly interesting if any of those fall out of the CL race in the league and need to turn all focus to the EL in order to qualify for CL next season.

[Addick]

Originally Posted by Locke

I honestly didnt think Arsenal were going to be able to pull that off.

It's nice to see that Arsenal can troll supporters of other clubs in addition to their own.

In regards to Odegaard, his agent is probably trying to drum up interest in a January loan move.

[Locke]

Thomas Muller, what a guy!

"Harry Knodlseder, our president, called me and said 'a player from Bayern is coming!'" Joe Ritzer, the supporters club's treasurer, tells ESPN FC. "I told him I didn't believe him. He said 'OK, well listen -- it's number 25', then he hung up. My mind had gone blank so I went straight to the Bayern website, looked through all the positions, and then... 'Oh f***, it's Muller!' That was three weeks ago and since then I've not been able to think of anything else."

The Hauzenberg club had benefited from a tradition that Bayern have followed for three decades. Every November, a random draw is made among Bayern's 3000-some Germany-based fan clubs and others from conveniently situated locations in neighbouring countries.

Each of the 30 winners receives a visit from one of Bayern's first-team squad, coaching staff or board, and the club in question may host the player as they see fit. Although clubs at all levels actively organize supporter events at this time of year, few have made long-standing commitments on this scale.

This time around, for example, Robert Lewandowski could be found in the village of Thalmassing, while Philipp Lahm was 60 miles away in Plattling and Bayern manager Pep Guardiola visited the small town of Vilsbiburg.

The hall, more used to the routine business of school assemblies, has never been this full and its occupants chant Muller's name upon his entry. On the stage, he settles straightaway into relaxed repartee with Bayernpower Hauzenberg's committee and sips from the glass of beer provided.

There is both hilarity and necessary diplomacy when, during a question and answer session, he is asked: "There are rumours everywhere about you signing for Manchester United and following Schweini [Bastian Schweinsteiger] to the Premier League ... but we all know that Schweini can't run anymore and that's the reason he had to go!"

It is a fast-moving, excitable two and a half hours but at the end of it Muller shares a few thoughts with visiting media. Those Premier League rumours -- he has been linked heavily with United and his old manager, Louis van Gaal -- are put to bed first of all.

"You can never say never, but let's see," he says when asked about a Premier League move. "I don't think the chances are very big."

http://www.espnfc.us/club/bayern-mun...rn-munich-fans

[Senator Clay Davis]

"You can never say never, but let's see," he says when asked about a Premier League move. "I don't think the chances are very big."

Translation: Up the offer and I'll think about it.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Translation: Up the offer and I'll think about it.

Ha! In terms of Muller its more like: Up the offer and Bayern will Match or Beat it.

United's perseverance just puts more money in his pocket without him having to lift a finger.

[M*A*S*H 4077]

There is always a chance of Mueller leaving (of any player leaving) but I think Mueller will be a lifelong Bayern player. It's his boyhood team, he is the heartbeat of the team now that Schweini left. I would be surprised if he does eventually leave

[Locke]

Originally Posted by M*A*S*H 4077

There is always a chance of Mueller leaving (of any player leaving) but I think Mueller will be a lifelong Bayern player. It's his boyhood team, he is the heartbeat of the team now that Schweini left. I would be surprised if he does eventually leave

Very true, but also the only thing United can offer him is money. In terms of straight cash theres nothing that United can offer that Bayern cant match.

Hes winning trophies regularly, they're CL contenders regularly, he gets big money and he gets to stay at the home and at the club he loves.

At some point the amount of money United can offer him that Bayern becomes unwilling to match isnt worth it to them.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by Locke

he gets big money and he gets to stay at the home and at the club he loves.

What about the part where he gets bored playing in a one team league?

[Slava]

^ that's the thing with a number of the European leagues though. They can make a strong case for CL because they have the big game during the week and then play a team that is far worse on the weekend. The Premier League means hard games during the week (assuming its CL), and then much more parity 48 hours later.

[browna]

Originally Posted by Bagor

What about the part where he gets bored playing in a one team league?

Yeah, maybe, but I think there many many players, especially foreign players, that would be perfectly content to play on 4th place League teams perpetually if it means they get to play in CL/Europe every year; and fine with domestic league and Cup trophy cases remaining bare.

Bayern is a bit of a different beast; once you're in that system and show the commitment that they require, they'll take more then good care of you, develop you into an efficient soccer machine, all while keeping you from outside distractions and shield you from undue criticism from crackpot journalists and the rag sheets.

Exhibit a) Hargreaves - from a very good soccer player in Calgary, among many here at that time, but gets a great tryout with Bayern, and makes the absolute most of it. 3 years under the Bayern system he's in the main squad for the next 7 years, and after only a year in the full squad, he's selected to the full England squad, where he remains for 7 years as well.

No way he gets to that ultimate stage in his career to be a man of the match in a WC game (no matter it was Greece) or have that longevity for club and country if he heads to the bright light media spotlight at any big English clubs as a foreigner at 17 years old (he got criticized for being the first English National team player not to have ever lived in England when he got first selected, IIRC), or thrown into any of the larger clubs in Spain or Italy, which are just lion's dens of politics and corruption and probably discrimination for foreign young players.

With Muller growing up in Munich, and part of that machine for as long as he has, there is no reason to go anywhere else at this point, he's got nothing else to gain or prove.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Bagor

What about the part where he gets bored playing in a one team league?

So what? Maybe he wants to win some other domestic league that he doesnt care about?

He playing CL games, hes playing games for Germany to win World Cups and the Euros, some random domestic league title and some cups hes never heard of are okay but thats mercenary stuff.

If he wants to win the big important titles then he doesnt leave Bayern.

Thats no guarantee that he wont leave Bayern, but what are United in the running for in the near future?

Bayern are among the top teams in the world right now and want him to stay, why would he leave?

[devo22]

so tired of those unrealistic Müller links. Honestly, who cares? It's just a reminder that we're less than 3 weeks away from a transfer window and the big steaming load of horsecrap that is going to be published every day.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by Locke

Very true, but also the only thing United can offer him is money. In terms of straight cash theres nothing that United can offer that Bayern cant match.

Hes winning trophies regularly, they're CL contenders regularly, he gets big money and he gets to stay at the home and at the club he loves.

At some point the amount of money United can offer him that Bayern becomes unwilling to match isnt worth it to them.

But it's gonna be a lot easier for United to convince him to join when Pep is their manager next year right?

I do think Bayern, amazing as it sounds, can afford to lose him and not have it adversely affect them. If you can get £150 million for Muller, I gotta think it's gonna be very difficult to say no. But obviously if Muller doesn't want to go, he won't go. But at some point every athlete wants a new challenge, so maybe it doesn't happen this year but I think he eventually wants to test himself in the EPL.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by Locke

So what? Maybe he wants to win some other domestic league that he doesnt care about?

He playing CL games, hes playing games for Germany to win World Cups and the Euros, some random domestic league title and some cups hes never heard of are okay but thats mercenary stuff.

If he wants to win the big important titles then he doesnt leave Bayern.

Thats no guarantee that he wont leave Bayern, but what are United in the running for in the near future?

Bayern are among the top teams in the world right now and want him to stay, why would he leave?

Who's talking about United? If he was to come to England, he'd be more suited to the likes of Chelsea.

Actually, if he wants to win big important titles then he goes to Spain.

It's strange to hear you advocating for a footballer to stay in a noncompetitive league when for years you would harp on about how boring La Liga was because it was always a two horse race.