The Mahrez Saga

[David Gwilliam]

The two. clubs involved have acted perfectly properly. Man City made a serious offer £60 million plus. It did not come close to Leicester's valuation and the offer was turned down. No blame on either side.

Mahrez friend claims the only way to leave Leicester is to go to war. This is not true. The way to leave Leicester is to not sign a contract.

I am not a lawyer but it seems to me that footballers contracts have obligations on both sides. A player should perform to the best of his ability even if he will miss out on a better offer. The club should continue to pay a player even through a long term injury. If it had been Mahrez instead of Matty James who had missed a season no doubt he would have expected the club to honour the contract and pay him.

We are told that the players are angry with Mahrez. The last thing that is needed is a "Clear the air" meeting. My experience is that things get said that make things worse - least said soonest mended. Mr Puyel should have a quiet word with Wes Morgan as captain to cool any tension and keep the squad busy with training.

It is highly unlikely that Mahrez will suffer the same fate as Ronaldo (Brazilian One). He had been injured for a long time with Inter and then left to join Real Madrid. I noticed in Italy a whole book dedicated to (in Italian) "Ronaldo monster of ingratitude!". .

 

[alex]

I get it all, and believe me I'm a Leicester City fan through and through, but I cannot help but feeling that something here isn't right....

Here’s the problem. We all try to judge complex situations without knowing any of the facts. Did we ever suggest we would let him join a top four club? Did we ask him to give another year when he signed his new deal in 2016? Or were there no strings attached.

Surprising if he didn’t seek some concessions given the interest in him then.

Denying him the chance to win 4 trophies will mean we have a seriously disgruntled player on our hands.

Especially when we paid so little for him.

It’s all very well to stand up to Man City, and I sympathise with that, but you have to be realistic about player’s genuine aspirations.

It’s the way you would expect Karren Brady to behave.

 

[Blue Maniac]

I’d disagree with the suggestion that Manchester City’s behaviour was in any way ‘proper’ or their offer ‘serious’. Are we to believe that, having never been mentioned in the same sentence as the player in the past, they were suddenly desperately interested in him on deadline day while a jillion points clear at the top of the league, but only so much so that they’d only want him on the cheap? I don’t have an alternate theory, and it seems unlikely they’d have any interest in sabotaging our season, but this seems a bit of a flimsy explanation for why they absolutely had to disrupt another club’s match preparations over a player they’ve done perfectly fine without all season.

 

[Rock Fox]

I’d disagree with the suggestion that Manchester City’s behaviour was in any way ‘proper’ or their offer ‘serious’. Are we to believe that, having never been mentioned in the same sentence as the player in the past, they were suddenly desperately interested in him on deadline day while a jillion points clear at the top of the league, but only so much so that they’d only want him on the cheap? I don’t have an alternate theory, and it seems unlikely they’d have any interest in sabotaging our season, but this seems a bit of a flimsy explanation for why they absolutely had to disrupt another club’s match preparations over a player they’ve done perfectly fine without all season.

Someone at Man City had a sizeable bet on Everton beating Leicester on deadline day and thought "I know what will really stuff up the Foxes' chances..."

 

[homer]

Denying him the chance to win 4 trophies will mean we have a seriously disgruntled player on our hands.

Especially when we paid so little for him.

We plucked from the arse end of nowhere and gave him the incredible opportunity to win the Premier League, FFS.

And what we paid for him is completely and utterly irrelevant. Spurs paid nothing for Harry Kane, as he came through their academy. Should they give him to Real Madrid for nothing when they come calling in the summer ?

 

[bloo]

I don’t have an alternate theory

That's a shame because I like theories! Seriously. There's nothing like someone else's spin on something to get me seeing possibilities.

 

[Blue Maniac]

That's a shame because I like theories! Seriously. There's nothing like someone else's spin on something to get me seeing possibilities.

I could make one up if you’d like. It would be nonsense though.

 

[City Fan]

I get it all, and believe me I'm a Leicester City fan through and through, but I cannot help but feeling that something here isn't right....

Here’s the problem. We all try to judge complex situations without knowing any of the facts. Did we ever suggest we would let him join a top four club? Did we ask him to give another year when he signed his new deal in 2016? Or were there no strings attached.

Surprising if he didn’t seek some concessions given the interest in him then.

Denying him the chance to win 4 trophies will mean we have a seriously disgruntled player on our hands.

Especially when we paid so little for him.

It’s all very well to stand up to Man City, and I sympathise with that, but you have to be realistic about player’s genuine aspirations.

It’s the way you would expect Karren Brady to behave.

I think we were open to letting him go as we are realistic about his aspirations and thankful for everything he has done for us.

But not on the cheap. Why the hell should we?

 

[bloo]

Someone at Man City had a sizeable bet on Everton beating Leicester on deadline day and thought "I know what will really stuff up the Foxes' chances..."

Now that's what I'm talking about! Alternative theory!!

 

[bloo]

I could make one up if you’d like. It would be nonsense though.

Doesn't matter, you know as much as any of us does! Go wild. Include alien abduction if you like.

 

[camberwell fox]

Yes, your house is worth £50 million last summer but due to market forces and the building of the Elizabeth Line your property is now worth £85 million.

Someone in your house (a child) doesn't like the Elizabeth Line and would like to live in Cockfosters. He says we should sell our house 'just to get rid' for last Summers' valuation.

The owner of the house says, no way Jose (or Pep in thsi case), and insists on the house staying on teh market until the owners valuation is met.

Child throws toys out of pram and says he has done all his homework and washed the car every Saturday as requirted, why then can't he move immediately as Cockfosters is much better?

 

[Blue Maniac]

Doesn't matter, you know as much as any of us does! Go wild. Include alien abduction if you like.

Not that far off what I was thinking. Ok, here goes.

NASA has been secretly carrying out aptitude tests on thousands of people, including Premier League footballers. Mahrez scores highly on skills related to engineering and biochemistry, as well as emotional intelligence. His results therefore make him an ideal candidate for colonisation of space. Manchester City have their own observatory and have spotted a large object about the size of Pakistan heading towards Earth at about one hundredth the speed of light, which will unquestionably wipe out all life on the planet when it collides in 114 days. They intend to leave the planet in 102 days at the latest, and plan to take Mahrez with them in order to establish their new colony, the New Republic of Maine Road. Because their targeted planet is so far away, he and 15 others will be put into cryogenic stasis (not unlike that seen in many works of science fiction) for about 800 years, to ensure they are still in peak physical condition when they arrive.

They’re still taking him anyway, but signing him would’ve made it easier to round him up in the days leading up to departure.

 

[bloo]

Cool.

Mahrez's agent wants to know if he can come too and can he use twitter when he's in cryogenic stasis.

 

[alex]

I simply do not trust that Mr Rudkin has acted honourably. I guess that's what's in my mind... I think he promised Riyad something which he has now rescinded or at least hidden behind an 'unacceptable' offer from Man City.

 

[City Fan]

I simply do not trust that Mr Rudkin has acted honourably. I guess that's what's in my mind... I think he promised Riyad something which he has now rescinded or at least hidden behind an 'unacceptable' offer from Man City.

He could well have promised him that if they get an appropriate offer for him they’ll let him go. I would like to think we wouldn’t stand in his way at all.

But no way would he have promised him that they’ll let him go for any pathetic amount.

 

[Redditch Fox]

It may be that Mahrez is prepared to go on strike until he is transferred in the summer. That's up to him. We will get the market value that applies at the time. I'm not sure that we can do anything else but sit tight. There is bound to be a price to pay and I think it's worth it. I realise its a truism but no player really is more important than the club.

 

[alex]

That wasn't a pathetic amount.

I am not sure we win here at all. And I think (my own personal opinion) that we may have been disingenuous to the player.

 

[City Fan]

That wasn't a pathetic amount.

I am not sure we win here at all. And I think (my own personal opinion) that we may have been disingenuous to the player.

Man City had just spent a similar amount on a defender with no experience of English football, who has won **** all, and has never been the Spanish equivalent of the PFA Player of the Year.

Like I said, pathetic amount.

Just because we’re little old Leicester we should just bend over and get royally shafted? Absolutely not.

 

[Durham Fox]

Whilst I don't necessarily agree I suspect Mahrez's frustration comes from the fact we said he could go for £50M in the summer and have now seemingly upped that to £90M. Clearly market forces dictate a players valuation, so his frustration should really be aimed at either the market or Man City who don't seem to rate him as a top midfielder.

 

[Graz]

Whilst I don't necessarily agree I suspect Mahrez's frustration comes from the fact we said he could go for £50M in the summer and have now seemingly upped that to £90M. Clearly market forces dictate a players valuation, so his frustration should really be aimed at either the market or Man City who don't seem to rate him as a top midfielder.

This is what I'm assuming too, and in line with what alex was suggesting too - I suspect his gentleman's agreement named at least a rough price, which we've now upped because of the size of transfer fees going around, particularly VVD and Coutinho.

I can understand both the club's and Mahrez's viewpoints here and don't think anyone comes out of it looking great, but neither has anyone done anything particularly evil that deserves a torrent of hate thrown at them.

Like most things, there's 2 sides to a story and both have their merits. But obviously that doesn't sell newspapers or write headlines.

The best thing for everyone's benefit is to get Mahrez in the right frame of mind and back into the team asap.