Didn't see this anywhere and just spotted it on Sky.

Lets keep our fingers crossed.

Santos vice-president Odilio Rodrigues claims to have held 'informal talks' regarding a deal for Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda. The France international has been strongly linked with a move to Brazil, with Botafogo and Vasco da Gama also reportedly interested.

I thought the title meant that Malouda was better than Santos.

I don't see why Malouda would want to stay,he is going to get less probably this season then he did last season.

So what kind of money could we get for him?

So what kind of money could we get for him?

not much I doubt. 5-7mil???

Good riddance. Hopefully we can get £5 million. Had a brilliant 18 months for us, sandwiched between 4 years of being largely disinterested and ineffective.

So what kind of money could we get for him?

More his wages and place in the squad we will be looking to get rid of

I keep forgetting Malouda is half Brazilian.

I keep forgetting Malouda is half Brazilian.

Its his children that are half-brazilian, his wife is from Brazil

his wife is from Brazil

well done malouda

Malouda's from French Guyana I think, which shares a border with Brazil.

If we sell Malouda to a Brasilian team, I'd like for us to worry less about the transfer fee and more about trying to set up a deal where we have an option on future academy prospects. 5 or 7 MP is fine, but setting up a pipeline to a Brasilian academy is potentially worth far more.

Edited July 13, 201214 yr by That Boy Brandinho

We should give them money to take him off us.

Moreover, some prodigious talents have emerged from Santos over the past decade - Neymar, Ganso, Robinho, Elano, Diego and our own Alex. There's also Pele to consider. A link to their academy could be especially valuable. Actually, we should have set up such a link with Sao Paulo when we purchased Lucas Piazon from them. Tottenham have a link with Internacional, so we should have one with somebody, preferably a club in Belo Horizonte (Cruzeiro/Atletico Minieiro), Porto Alegre (Gremio), Sao Paulo (Palmeiras/Sao Paulo/Corinthians/Santos) or Rio (Fluminense/Flamengo).

As for Malouda, I'd be happy to get him and his wages off the books even if the transfer fee is relatively small - I'd be surprised if Santos paid over the odds for him.

If we sell Malouda to a Brasilian team, I'd like for us to worry less about the transfer fee and more about trying to set up a deal where we have an option on future academy prospects. 5 or 7 MP is fine, but setting up a pipeline to a Brasilian academy is potentially worth far more.

Agreed, if Spuds can have a deal going with Internacional, there's no reason we can't have one with Santos.

Then again, Spuds partnership hasn't really helped them with Oscar

While it's a solid idea in principal, considering our track record with youngsters we would be better off just selling him for the most we can get. If we can't even develop the youngsters we have/had properly then I have no hope for any brazilians.

Edited July 13, 201214 yr by Remodez

While it's a solid idea in principal, considering our track record with youngsters we would be better off just selling him for the most we can get. If we can't even develop the youngsters we have/had properly then I have no hope for any brazilians.

You have no hope for Piazon then?

Saying that we shouldn't bother with youngsters in the future because we have a dodgy track record seems very short-sighted to me. We're clearly headed in a direction where we've placed an emphasis on bringing in younger players, a strategy that's taken on much greater importance with FFP. Early returns aren't looking too shabby.

Depends on how the FFP gets enforced in the future and if it gets more strict. Assuming there won't be any major changes and it stays largely the same then no, I don't have much hope for Piazon. Not because of his ability but because he simply won't get chances.

And that's not really what I'm saying, I'm saying that if we can't develop the youngsters we have had and the ones we currently have then trying to tie up a deal to bring over brazilians in the future seems rather...pointless for a lack of a better word. Not suggesting we abolish developing youngsters all together.

Depends on how the FFP gets enforced in the future and if it gets more strict. Assuming there won't be any major changes and it stays largely the same then no, I don't have much hope for Piazon. Not because of his ability but because he simply won't get chances.

And that's not really what I'm saying, I'm saying that if we can't develop the youngsters we have had and the ones we currently have then trying to tie up a deal to bring over brazilians in the future seems rather...pointless for a lack of a better word. Not suggesting we abolish developing youngsters all together.

At the start of the year, what did you think of Ryan Bertrand's development? Now what do you think? The development of young footballers is a highly fluid process. You fail a lot, you succeed a little. Sometimes what you thought was a failure turns out to be a success. I'm not saying our youth development hasn't had its warts in the past, but there's nothing pointless about identifying and signing top young talent and no reason we shouldn't continue to do so.

At the start of the year, what did you think of Ryan Bertrand's development? Now what do you think? The development of young footballers is a highly fluid process. You fail a lot, you succeed a little. Sometimes what you thought was a failure turns out to be a success. I'm not saying our youth development hasn't had its warts in the past, but there's nothing pointless about identifying and signing top young talent and no reason we shouldn't continue to do so.

Using Bertrand as an example is poor because I've been saying for the past 2 years that he should be in the first team squad on the bench at the very least, he clearly had fantastic potential. I do get what you are saying though.

There's nothing wrong with it, I can imagine a link with a Brazilian club would make most fans happy. I'm just looking at it from another angle, no point having something if you can't utilise it properly.

Using Bertrand as an example is poor because I've been saying for the past 2 years that he should be in the first team squad on the bench at the very least, he clearly had fantastic potential. I do get what you are saying though.

There's nothing wrong with it, I can imagine a link with a Brazilian club would make most fans happy. I'm just looking at it from another angle, no point having something if you can't utilise it properly.

Bertrand is a perfectly valid example. You claimed we can't develop the youngsters we have. While our youth development over the years has certainly deserved criticism, Bertrand proves that we can. Josh McEachran's been here since he was 8 years old and he was certainly developing well until AVB decided he was part of his first team plans and then abruptly changed his mind, leading to the debacle that was his 2011-2012 season. The success of our FA Youth Cup champions is another positive sign. I just think you're making things out to be more dire than they are. The argument you're making would have had more weight a few years ago.

Best thing that could happen for youth development is for RDM to be given his 2 years! How many times have we seen players like Sinclair, Stoch, Kakuta, Mceachran begin to get games under one manager only for him to be replaced and then they have to start all over again! I really believe Bertrand will benefit from his appointment whereas a new manager may not have been willing to put faith in him straightaway

Bertrand is a perfectly valid example. You claimed we can't develop the youngsters we have. While our youth development over the years has certainly deserved criticism, Bertrand proves that we can. Josh McEachran's been here since he was 8 years old and he was certainly developing well until AVB decided he was part of his first team plans and then abruptly changed his mind, leading to the debacle that was his 2011-2012 season. The success of our FA Youth Cup champions is another positive sign. I just think you're making things out to be more dire than they are. The argument you're making would have had more weight a few years ago.

You're taking what I said too literal, there's always going to be an exception to the rule. If you think Bertrand makes up for all the others we have failed to develop and then let go for next to nothing (Which makes it even worse) then that's your business. I however don't think it does.

Also I didn't say we can't develop our current youngsters (How would I know? I can't predict the future), I said if we can't develop our current youngsters (despite all evidence pointing to the fact that we can't), which is probably the most talanted bunch we have had in a while, then there's no hope and trying to get tie up a deal to get Brazilians over here is pointless. They would be better off staying at home and playing first team football in their respective division.

I hope things will change in the coming years obviously and I agree with the whole FA youth cup thing but I think we've all earned the right to be sceptical.

Edited July 14, 201214 yr by Remodez

If we sell Malouda to a Brasilian team, I'd like for us to worry less about the transfer fee and more about trying to set up a deal where we have an option on future academy prospects. 5 or 7 MP is fine, but setting up a pipeline to a Brasilian academy is potentially worth far more.

Spot on... Money isn't an issue... And didn't we get Piazon when we shipped Deco to Brazil? Be nice to get first crack at some others in the future...

You're taking what I said too literal, there's always going to be an exception to the rule. If you think Bertrand makes up for all the others we have failed to develop and then let go for next to nothing (Which makes it even worse) then that's your business. I however don't think it does.

I'm not particularly concerned about the prospects that failed to develop here in the past. There are a variety of reasons for that, but my point is that there's been a recent emphasis placed on developing youth from within along with targeting younger players in the transfer market and the early results are encouraging. Whether they'll ultimately pan out is anybody's guess, but I like what Emanelo's done to this point.

Also I didn't say we can't develop our current youngsters (How would I know? I can't predict the future), I said if we can't develop our current youngsters (despite all evidence pointing to the fact that we can't), which is probably the most talanted bunch we have had in a while, then there's no hope and trying to get tie up a deal to get Brazilians over here is pointless. They would be better off staying at home and playing first team football in their respective division.

Brasilian players are getting more and more expensive with every passing year. It's no longer as easy as it once was to find bargains over there unless you happen to hit on an under-scouted player or get them when they're young. There is no possible harm in establishing a relationship with one of the better Brasilian academies and the potential benefits are enormous. You can be as cynical about our youth development as you want (it's not unwarranted) but suggesting that we shouldn't try makes no sense to me. As I said, it's a numbers game. You don't quit the game because you haven't had success. The cost of establishing a relationship and creating a pipeline, even if it only occasionally bears fruit, pales in comparison to the cost of waiting and paying 7 figure transfer fees once players are well enough known to attract serious bidding wars.

I hope things will change in the coming years obviously and I agree with the whole FA youth cup thing but I think we've all earned the right to be sceptical.

Sure, I don't fault you for being sceptical. I merely object to the notion that we shouldn't bother because you're sceptical.

Edited July 14, 201214 yr by That Boy Brandinho