Posted June 24, 201113 yr Apparently this kid said that if he doesn't get first team football at Barcelona he would prefer a move to Chelsea and London. If they sign Fabregas then it's looking very likely that he will leave. He's exactly what we need, young, creative and has pace to burn. Here is a quick video of him vs England U21's recently. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTbAvLvsx8s Article Link I have no idea how reliable El Mundo are but i thought it was worth posting. Edited June 24, 201113 yr by Sheva
June 24, 201113 yr Author I think Josh is a dead cert to be in the first team in the future to be fair no matter who we sign and you are right he is very similar to Josh and the way i see it he's the type of player Josh would benefit playing with. Edited June 24, 201113 yr by Sheva
June 24, 201113 yr It doesn't work that way. If we sign him this season, at 20 years old he will definitely take precedence over McEachran in playing time. Both Iniesta and Xavi played all over the field (Iniesta even replaced Gabri at RB once) into their mid-20s before they were allowed their own positions. I think it's futile signing two players and saying "you're the new Iniesta/Xavi, now copy them". That's stupidly naive, in my book. I'd rather we develop our own McEachran.
June 24, 201113 yr If he is talented then why not. Football, like life in general, is survival of the fittest. If he gives competition to Josh, and Josh takes it in the right spirit, we could have our own version of Xavi/Iniesta. If either of them cannot take the competition, one of them leaves with a big credit in the club's bank account.
June 24, 201113 yr If he is talented then why not. Football, like life in general, is survival of the fittest. If he gives competition to Josh, and Josh takes it in the right spirit, we could have our own version of Xavi/Iniesta. If either of them cannot take the competition, one of them leaves with a big credit in the club's bank account. Exactly. And I don't see why they both can't get playing time. Its not like in previous seasons when we had at least 2 absolute nailed on starters in midfield. Or as an alternative, whoever looks more ready could be kept here, with the other being loaned out.
June 25, 201113 yr Author If there is any chance of signing this guy we should do it, he was brilliant in the final of the u21's and his free kick from 40 yards out was genius. I would bite Barca's hand off if they offered Arsenal 30million + Thiago for Fabregas Edited June 25, 201113 yr by Sheva
June 25, 201113 yr Watched the last 20 or so minutes of the U21 final, though he was good and that goal was awesome, but perhaps a bit quiet, didn't see enough of the ball as he was clearly the best player on the pitch.
June 26, 201113 yr If there is any chance of signing this guy we should do it, he was brilliant in the final of the u21's and his free kick from 40 yards out was genius. I would bite Barca's hand off if they offered Arsenal 30million + Thiago for Fabregas Would possibly be worth offering Arsenal £50m for Fabregas so that we could pass him on to Barca via this deal
June 26, 201113 yr Barca would be stupid to let him go. Daily Star but oh well: THIAGO ALCANTARA has fired a ‘come and get me’ message to new Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas. Thiago Alcantara, labelled “Little Xavi†by his Nou Camp team-mates, is unhappy about of his lack of first-team opportunities with the Catalan giants and wants a fresh start. The La Liga and European Cup winners will allow him to leave if someone coughs up £10million – and Arsenal and Liverpool are both keen to sign him. But Thiago, 20, has made it clear that Stamford Bridge is his destination of choice if Barca boss Pep Guardiola can’t guarantee him regular first-team football. Thiago, born in Italy and the son of former Brazil international Mazinho, has been starring for Spain in the European Under-21 Championships in Denmark this month. He admitted: “I would be lying if I said that my dream is to succeed at Barca. “My dream is to succeed in football. I want to be a player who people remember for ever.†A source added: “Thiago is frustrated because his path to the first-team is blocked by Xavi and Andres Iniesta. “His minutes on the pitch are limited while they continue to pull the strings in midfield, and Chelsea is his favoured destination if he decides to leave. “He is also worried about the possible arrival of Cesc Fabregas, because that would put him further down the pecking order. “It is another factor that has caused him to think about his future. “Thiago believes that the style of football Villas-Boas will bring to Chelsea would suit him perfectly. “And he will be an attractive prospect for Villas-Boas, who will take note of Thiago’s desire to play for him.â€
June 27, 201113 yr Barca would be stupid to let him go. Daily Star but oh well: I think Arsenal have the best chance of signing him because of Fabregas. Man United need Midfielders, So will Inter Miilan if Sneijder leaves
June 27, 201113 yr Apparently Barca want a buy back clause in his deal which to be honest any self respecting top English club in the league would refuse. Maybe Spu*s can go for him if they want to replace Modric. Fits really! We'd get Modric and Barca would get their clause.
June 27, 201113 yr Or we could take a risk and bid £20m or so for him. Yes that to much for such a young unproven player, but we paid £50m for Torres who had a bad half season at Liverpool and I prefer Thiago over Modric, because I think he has more potential and will hopefully be a world class playmaker.
June 28, 201113 yr I would take a chance on thiago and buy a couple of quality wingers (sanchez+hulk), if thiago shines we would have a whole new dimension to our attacking play and simillar to what we had with robben and duff.
June 29, 201113 yr He's signed a new contract with Barcelona keeping him until 2015 with a release-clause of €90 million.
June 29, 201113 yr Surprised he did this when he's already struggling to get a place in the team and they're on about signing Sanchez who would just push him even further out...
June 29, 201113 yr He's signed a new contract with Barcelona keeping him until 2015 with a release-clause of €90 million. does this mean they wont be pursuing fabregas? or is thiago content with not being a regular for at least 2-3 seasons more
June 29, 201113 yr Well shock horror. I think it goes something like this:- player wants new contract on more money. Agent says Chelsea are looking at him. Player gets new contract on more money.... Cynical, me? Never.
