anything can jeopardize a journalist's flow of information, no matter how little, its about trust, and when the story has to do with two parties bumping heads, regardless of the issue at hand, that's not considered a "little" story. the issue isn't even about your story, but rather that you make it seem like its the primary reason for not being in for pogba, when the price tag is as high as it is

It's not a secret that Zidane wants Pogba... and that Flo isn't convinced.  The only angle I'm adding is that Flo isn't convinced because his transfer executive, Jose Angel Sanchez, isn't on board causing Zidane to be frustrated.  It's not really a scoop.  

Whatever.  I'm done with this.  I'm not sharing anything anymore.

Sanchez is a lawyer, finance guy, a more humble guy, you can't find anywhere. He puts the contracts together, based on what parameters are given to him by Flo, coach and board. It's a big stretch to call him an advisor. First Sports started this off with unnamed advisors / confidants on the board, then it was a couple of unnamed advisors outside of board and then yesterday it was revealed as Sanchez as the advisor and that he and Zidane don't get along. If Sports was a journalist, we would have junked this story days ago. Maybe Nick is right, stop reading these fans fantasies.

He may be right about Zidane's interest of Pogba vs Flo / board concern about costs, but to claim all these political conflicts is pure nonsense.

And shame on me for using my socio status to put forth my own agenda. I'm still waiting for you Nick to put out your continued agenda with the Nacho inspired plot with more spagetti quotes.

Sports, you get rustled way too easily. top kek!

Damn the board. tis the same board that decided James was a good idea. when we were already saturated with mids and we didnt even play with an am.

I do not understand just leaving everything to Zidane bar finance.

Bill... you need to get more info on how the club is working presently.  Seriously.  If that's what you think Sanchez is then I don't know what to tell you.  He is in charge of transfers.  But he doesn't have the ego that Valdano had.  There are stories everywhere (for those who only believe the media who really get the stories from the same sources) that he was open to leaving Real Madrid.  I heard that was a warning shot to Flo:  He was telling him to either let him do his job without inappropriate interference from the manager or he will leave.  Flo, however, needs him (thank god he recognizes that) and finding someone who is as competent as Sanchez without the crazy ego is quasi impossible.  Mourinho wants him for the same reason imo... he'll do the job and Mou has a scapegoat if it fails and can take credit if it succeeds.  

I think there is an easy compromise with Zidane and Sanchez.  But Sanchez needs to throw Zizou a bone by purchasing at least one of his suggestions and it hasn't happened yet.  Still have a month of mercato to go.  We'll see.

Why is Zidane playing his cards this hard?  He just won the CL.  His influence is probably at a high.  Also, he knows Real Madrid.  If he allows himself to be a doormat in the transfers...  he will be responsible for a team that he may or may not be ok with.  Finally, we have a transfer ban coming.  It's not like he will have an opportunity to get the players he wants in the next mercato.  He's looking at 2 years before getting another opportunity.

Anyhow, these are heresay.  But not third or fourth hand... it's second hand.

sportsczy wrote:There are stories everywhere (for those who only believe the media who really get the stories from the same sources)

its not our fault that we do not have "sources", or inside info with the club, and i don't think anyone here is a  football-related journalist, so where else would we get our information from besides the media? hell, a lot of times we hear stories from media outlets and refuse to believe them, based on that alone, it shouldn't come as a surprise that we'll have doubts about unorthodox sources or people claiming they have inside access....it comes with the territory

Roma want Vermealen who has been made available by Barca. I think that officially spells the end of their pursuit of Nacho

sportsczy wrote:Bill... you need to get more info on how the club is working presently.  Seriously.  If that's what you think Sanchez is then I don't know what to tell you.  He is in charge of transfers.  But he doesn't have the ego that Valdano had.  There are stories everywhere (for those who only believe the media who really get the stories from the same sources) that he was open to leaving Real Madrid.  I heard that was a warning shot to Flo:  He was telling him to either let him do his job without inappropriate interference from the manager or he will leave.  Flo, however, needs him (thank god he recognizes that) and finding someone who is as competent as Sanchez without the crazy ego is quasi impossible.  Mourinho wants him for the same reason imo... he'll do the job and Mou has a scapegoat if it fails and can take credit if it succeeds.  

I think there is an easy compromise with Zidane and Sanchez.  But Sanchez needs to throw Zizou a bone by purchasing at least one of his suggestions and it hasn't happened yet.  Still have a month of mercato to go.  We'll see.

Why is Zidane playing his cards this hard?  He just won the CL.  His influence is probably at a high.  Also, he knows Real Madrid.  If he allows himself to be a doormat in the transfers...  he will be responsible for a team that he may or may not be ok with.  Finally, we have a transfer ban coming.  It's not like he will have an opportunity to get the players he wants in the next mercato.  He's looking at 2 years before getting another opportunity.

Anyhow, these are heresay.  But not third or fourth hand... it's second hand.

Sports, I have no doubt your story about Zidane wanting Pogba, nor do I have any doubts about the Flo (and likely board) resistance is from a cost vs budget point of view. That is corporate governance not any political showdown. No manager in recent history other than Mourinho has had full control of transfers and even when a coach does have control they still need board approval for extravagant purchases like this one.

You are just making this up re the politics. Christ look at the sequence of your posts. It changes in every post as to who these so called advisors are.

sportsczy wrote:There's a point I'd like to bring up because I heard it from someone very close to the whole thing:  There's a power struggle between Zidane and traditional advisors of Flo.  Namely, those advisors fear that Flo would push them aside if Zidane gets his way too much.  They're using Pogba as their battleground.

sportsczy wrote:
The point is things aren't so rosy with Zidane.  He's involved in a battle for power with the traditional Flo cronies.  The only difference from the past is that Zidane has enough political capital and influence to get his way while the other managers at Madrid couldn't

sportsczy wrote:I've heard that Flo gets an idea and then builds consensus with Real Madrid board before executing.

sportsczy wrote:DoC...  you do realize that Flo has several people who are his senior advisors on football matters.  Namely, they're in charge of scouting and suggesting transfers.  
Those who inherited the responsibility after Mourinho left are resisting Zidane.  

sportsczy wrote:The man in charge of transfers for Flo is Jose Angel Sanchez.  Everyone knows it.  He and Zidane do not see eye to eye at all from what I heard.  

I do know of Sanchez. He is a contract guy and very humble I might add. He doesn't decide on the transfers, he's the guy that makes them happen.

I get that Zidane wants more influence, but you making this out to be a political war is just ludicrous.

So Zidane just confirmed our interest for Pogba.

guest7 wrote:So Zidane just confirmed our interest for Pogba.

He didn't confirm it, he was dodgy about it and was only content to  say"everyone is interested in Pogba " and then added "when you are Real Madrid you always want the best "

This is by the way a carbon copy of David Moyes' response when Real Madrid was a few days away from signing Bale and rumors of that "mysterious club" (which later turned out to be United) joining the race in the last minute broke out. He gave the journalist the same response. I believe it was "When you're United, you're always linked to the best players in the world".

United outbid us for Bale, in case you didn't know, but Bale chose to join Madrid nonetheless.

However, when you have a mercenary loyal to nothing but gold, him and his agent will choose the highest bidder.

http://rmcsport.bfmtv.com/football/mercato-le-real-madrid-fonce-sur-moussa-sissoko-1022008.html

Real Madrid moving in on Moussa Sissoko according to RMC.

Better be an impact player in RM than a starter in championship . Where is he going to play tho ? He's not really a CM nor a DM nor a winger. In england it works but at RM don't think so.

Just be careful with the sources, you have RMC quoting AS themselves quoting The Sun which is a pretty shat source

Mole has confirmed it too though... and he reads the proper sources.

I read multiple sources saying you was going to make a bid.

Some british sources better than The Sun Like Independent and Guardian and our own local ones. I'm pretty sure i have seen some Spanish sources somewhere but can't remember who lol.

I think it's real interest anyway, we have no real reason to push him out the door and leak wrong information. So if people are making things up it's not because we told them to or anything.

He can be had for relatively cheap... and he's best as an energy backup guy anyhow. For 35 mil, you're not going to get much better. At least that's how much I think he's worth anyhow.

I hope he gets benched at Madrid and never plays so he doesn't called up to NT anymore tbh. He's blocking Rabiot and Rabiot is a much better player.

sportsczy wrote:He can be had for relatively cheap... and he's best as an energy backup guy anyhow. For 35 mil, you're not going to get much better. At least that's how much I think he's worth anyhow.

I hope he gets benched at Madrid and never plays so he doesn't called up to NT anymore tbh. He's blocking Rabiot and Rabiot is a much better player.

Deschamps like this kind of player tho so he'll find new ones if Sissoko never play. I'm surprised that he's not staying in EPL.

Kante is the new one... Assuming everyone is healthy, Pogba, Lass, Matuidi, Rabiot, Cabaye and Kante should be the 6 CMs.

They better enjoy it too because Amine Harrit from Nantes is about to break through and become and absolute superstar CM. This kid has Martial level talent in the midfield.

sportsczy wrote:He can be had for relatively cheap... and he's best as an energy backup guy anyhow.  For 35 mil, you're not going to get much better.  At least that's how much I think he's worth anyhow.

I hope he gets benched at Madrid and never plays so he doesn't called up to NT anymore tbh.  He's blocking Rabiot and Rabiot is a much better player.

So let me get this straight: you want Real Madrid to squander 35 mil on a talentless scrub, who has just been relegated to England's second division football because you think by doing so he'd be glued to the bench, and consequently, lose his place in your NT?

This is wrong on so many levels. On the one hand, you want to push the poor guy out of your NT through a devious, and borderline unethical way. On the other, you couldn't care less about Real Madrid throwing away 35 mil on a guy who's likely never going to play.

He's a good sub for Madrid in the sense that we have no B2B players and nobody with physical presence other than Casemiro.  But on France, we already have better guys than him with similar enough profiles... namely Matuidi and Kante.  No need for a 3rd one and he's blocking more talented players on France that are technical.  He wouldn't be blocking anyone at Madrid.

It's about the pieced fitting together and circumstances.

umm no, he's not a good sub for madrid. yet another expensive sub? i reckon there are more decent players out there. you want us to sign him, yet you don't want france to have anything to do with him. 35 million for someone who's just experienced relegation to come and be a back up; when did relegation guys start going for 35 mill? i agree, 'wrong on so many levels'. he'll also be blocking talented players we may be interested in.

If the answer is we intend on signing nobody... i'd rather have Sissoko as an expensive backup tito.  We're really really really not in a good position in terms of strength and physicality other than Casemiro.  Imagine if the kid gets injured or regresses.  We have no answer.

For anyone who says Kroos can play in front of the defense... please wash your mouth and watch the first half of last season ffs.

Sissoko is the only guy that fits the profile whom we've been linked with. I'm hoping we jump on Lass, who is free. But i don't think Flo's ego will allow it.

35 million for championship scrub .... No thanks.

He is just a glorified athlet nothing more. Just chose the wrong sport. He isn't even a DM so just useless all around.

Fingers crossed for Alaba

i'm not saying we don't need a backup dm. we do, but sissoko? 35 million for someone who's just experienced relegation? i mean this is unheard of, its bad enough to suggest a player who has just experienced relegation, but 35 million on top of that? that's just plain extortion, i expect madrid not to go for that. we might as well start looking at relegation fodders and bringing them here as backups....no thanks, let him stay in newcastle. if our scouts do their job right, i'm very sure they can find some reasonable defensive mids elsewhere at reasonable prices, and not a relegation guy for 35 million. an ultimate slap in the face from rafa

Once upon a time... Roy Keane was on a relegation team in 1993 despite him winning player of the year in EPL. Juninho Paulista was also a very good player in the Middlesbrough team of 1997.

You can't just say "he was on a relegation team so he's not worth it". That's dismissive.

Heck, Baresi, Bierhoff, Batistuta, Podolski and even Ibra (Malmo got relegated in his first season) suffered through it... Baresi, Bierhoff and Batistuta were in their prime years too. Baresi twice was on a relegation team .