If we really are one of the top teams in the world

[New York Red]

And Ronaldinho is available next year for 14 million. What's to stop us actually going hard after him and insuring that we sign him to really give us a quantum leap forward possibly?

 

Are we of sufficient stature for us to be competitive for getting players like this?

[Nebraska Red]

I reckon we are competitive enough to go after players like him. What might stop us is the wages he will be looking for and the fact that he hates paying taxes.

 

I don't see him coming to England to play as the game here is way too physical for a player like him, and the weather is lousy.

 

If he does leave Barca, he'll head off to Italy.

[Koller49]

I'd rather have Yossi, Harry and 'big SEB' to play 'in the hole'... we need more strikers who can only hold the ball up and can't score goals!111!111!

 

(If we sign Ronaldinho AND start him you can ridicule this post)

[fyds]

Playing Devil's advocate here - but, although Ronaldinho is still a great player, I wonder if he isn't just on the other side of the slope now, and someone more suited to our game and up and coming may not be a better move.

[CaptainXabi]

Playing Devil's advocate here - but, although Ronaldinho is still a great player, I wonder if he isn't just on the other side of the slope now, and someone more suited to our game and up and coming may not be a better move.

Maybe, but for 14M you can't help but sign Ronaldinho. We'd be guaranteed 2 or 3 years of good form because he'd want to prove himself in a new league. Whatever good form we get after that is gravy, not to mention he'll pay for his wages in marketing. Won't happen, but I'd agree the deal yesterday if I were in charge.

[fyds]

Maybe, but for 14M you can't help but sign Ronaldinho. We'd be guaranteed 2 or 3 years of good form because he'd want to prove himself in a new league. Whatever good form we get after that is gravy, not to mention he'll pay for his wages in marketing. Won't happen, but I'd agree the deal yesterday if I were in charge.

Has £14m been seriously mentioned anywhere?

[hideNseek]

At a guess our press.

[CaptainXabi]

Has £14m been seriously mentioned anywhere?

Well, the original post, but I haven't the slightly clue where NYR got it from.

[chrisbonnie]

Playing Devil's advocate here - but, although Ronaldinho is still a great player, I wonder if he isn't just on the other side of the slope now, and someone more suited to our game and up and coming may not be a better move.

 

i agree with that 100%

 

i think the premiership has seen the advantages of getting good foreign players in, but at a younger age, they adapt better when their young, torres, ronaldo, fabregas,

 

compared to the likes of veron, morientes and Baptista,

 

i think he`s a little too old to adapt to the rigours of the premiership now

[Rimbeux]

What's this £14m about, some loose interpretation of the often used buy out the remaining years of the contract under FIFA rules thing. Surely the release clause in his contract is prime, being there to address notice periods under Spanish law

[Will]

Can you imagine the weekly soap opera in the press when he was made to fit into Rafa's rotation policy?

[Guest]

You'd have to shut down all the nightclubs in the city and within 200 miles of the city - just to be sure that he'd turn up for training.

 

Then there's the brothels and escort agencies...

[Guest Kaizer]

Are people suggesting Ronaldinho would struggle with the pace and the physical aspect of the PL and that he at the age of 27 is too old?

[Stevie H]

can't imagine rafa would touch him with a forty foot pole to be honest.

[mercury]

14m was mentioned in Daily Mail claiming Abramovich has convinced Ronaldino / his brother to buy out the contract (which is possible under FIFA rule for players over 28 and have played for the same club for over 5 years) and join Chelsea next season.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/arti...in_page_id=1779

[Rimbeux]

14m was mentioned in Daily Mail claiming Abramovich has convinced Ronaldino / his brother to buy out the contract (which is possible under FIFA rule for players over 28 and have played for the same club for over 5 years) and join Chelsea next season.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/arti...in_page_id=1779

 

 

Ah article 17. Thing his, his contract already has an agreed buy out fee written into it, and runs to 2011

[Leo No.8]

Two reasons he won't come here, the weather and the city. Chelsea have more chance being based in London.

 

Doubt it'll even come to him buying out his contract anyway though, or that he'll leave Barca; it's just a contrived story to make people pick up that awful paper.

 

Would I have him if available? That goes without saying he's still brilliant but it's never going to happen.

[Guest Kaizer]

Well Chelsea needs to hurry up and buy him then before they get included into the G-14 since the G-14 clubs have an agreement about not taking advantage of this rule about buying out players contracts.

Edited September 28, 2007 by Kaizer

[mercury]

Ah article 17. Thing his, his contract already has an agreed buy out fee written into it, and runs to 2011

 

So that is it and wisely for Barca.

 

If 14m was true then definitely a cut out price even with questions on his focus and will nowadays.

[carrafan]

I'd plunk in a few more million and see if Dos Santos is available.

[Guest Anders Honoré]

Playing Devil's advocate here - but, although Ronaldinho is still a great player, I wonder if he isn't just on the other side of the slope now, and someone more suited to our game and up and coming may not be a better move.

 

no! He's just so good, such concerns are irrelevant. 'more suited to our game' and 'up and coming' simply doesn't apply to the most talented player of his generation.

[Mike]

he will leave barca - but not for us.

barca is messis' team now.

[MFletcher]

You realise that Ronaldinho hasn't played the last two games for Barca because of "injury"? He was substituted in the Lyon CL game and a section of the crowd jeered him. He has "refused to play" in the last couple of games and has been doing "personal work" in the gym.

 

He also broke a curfew imposed by the club by going out to a club.

 

I'm not sure Rafa would buy him. His raw talent alone would justify taking a chance at that price, but I really doubt he'd come here given the weather etc. Two of the reasons he cited for moving to Barca were the weather and the culture.

[MFletcher]

he will leave barca - but not for us.

barca is messis' team now.

 

I would break the bank to sign Messi. The kid is already one of the best players in the world.

[Huyton_Red]

He would be great in the premiership but only if he was played off a striker, same for kaka

 

If you played rohhaldhino left wing or kaka central midfield in the premiership they would not be nearly as effective as they currently are for barca or milan

 

Kaka is the one I would have, he is mustard. Imagine him playing off torres