Transfer etiquette in Spain leaves alot to be desired

Actually, we wouldn't be howling if people were making the same comments about Messi, because we know that he isn't going anywhere, and has no desire to go anywhere. So people could prattle on all they like.

And if he did want to go somewhere, what could we really do about it, except find agreeable terms that satisfy club and player (as we've done with Ronaldinho, Henry and Yaya Toure, to name a few) and move on.

Because this is a business built around a game. Players come, and players go. It's the club that's the thing.

A little off topic but I hope everyone realizes that this is an f-ing amazing website you've got running! Keep up the good work!

Viel spass!

And btw, i support neither leagues or clubs involved so i have no reason to defend or attack any1.

thats the point Ryan...ppl only complain wen they're the victims, as Arsenal is in this case. Hence its not a situation unique to any particular club or league, which is why the headline is unfair, unless it mentioned also mentioned that other leagues/clubs do the same.

And lastly, you Barca fans are the ones that act holier than thou, to justify such behavior on the part of your players. you would be swarming like vultures if players from another club made the same comments about Messi.

Barcelona has been the worst with Fabregas this summer. I am not sure if I even believe this report about Higuain... and I would rather see Real Madrid buy Cissokho or Sakho.

Also, the Fabregas case features a pretty unique set of circumstances.

I can´t remember players coming out and talking to the press when CRonaldo was transferred or other transfers, so judging from this one example the whole transfer etiquette in Spain is very questionable imho.

Sorry to aim insults at you, it was just my anger at some of the comments, I used to be a Barca fan too, check the old blog posts lol

First off, if a player kicks ass and takes names, does it really matter what or who he likes to sleep with?

Second, many of us concur with players damaging relationships by speaking out about transfers. Yes, there's a degree of arrogance about it. Absolutely. But the simple reality is that not everybody wants to come to a club at which the starting XI is etched in stone. Were I Fabregas, I'd be wanting to wait another year, even two, to move Xavi a bit closer to pasture before making the move, if he wants to make it.

As far as players having their "place," I would say that player comments about transfers should be greeted with the same "Yeah, right" as comments about politics, to Zito's post, which made a very eloquent point (notwithstanding the insults aimed at us).

But I think that a player's "place" depends upon your view of an athlete. The press asks, the player answers, the press prints. Simple as that. Yes, the players often say stupid things. That won't stop the press from asking, won't stop the players from asking, and won't stop fans from getting riled when players say the "wrong" thing.

I just don't think there is a systematic campaign by any club to destabilize a player. I don't believe that can happen, unless we're talking about a Championship side, where a player hears it enough and starts thinking "Hey, it would be cool to play for X or Y club."

But these are Premiership sides we're talking about, right? People who have been carping about l'affaire Fabregas have said things such as "We should talk about bringing Xavi or Messi to Arsenal." Go right ahead. They will smile, and so will we. If a player wants to leave, they will leave. Simple as that, no matter what a player says, stupid or not.

For the record, I don't agree with the "Well, so and so belongs here" talk. That's nonsense. Nor do I agree with the increasingly high mountain of dudgeon on the opposite side, that grows ever higher by the day. We lost Toure Yaya this transfer window. It happens, and will happen again. It's part of the business that this game of ours really is.

lol you know, with the hot pants, short shorts and flowers in his hair, you would think so, but he makes ashley cole look like mother theresa

LOL@ zito....but he's gay! :P

Lol You guys seriously have to be joking. Let me address a few things.
-If Fabregas wanted to leave and Barca made a formal bid, maybe something would have happened, but having the whole playing squad in the media acting like idiots has tarnished the nice relationship the two clubs had and have showed the world that Barca are like little babies, if they don't get what they want, they start to whine.
-Take the Chamkah transfer for example, Wenger went for him in January, his cloud said no, he waited till the season was over, and signed him on a free transfer.
-It's not about speaking your mind, don't be stupid, it's about knowing your place, unless those players are buying Fabregas with their own money and are talking to Wenger themselves, then they shouldn't be blabbing about it.

-example, celebrities have opinions on Politics right? do we take it seriously when they voice them? no because we don't see it as their place, players are there to play, not to mouth off about another player on a different team being "on loan".

-When you talk so much nonsense that even your own fans are apologizing for your behavior, clearly you're doing something wrong.

- Mimo, no one in this world is exempt from peer pressure, remember that. Sheva joined Chelsea because his wife liked London.

-Like I said, it's not about speaking your mind, it's about being professional, if it was about speaking your mind, I'm sure Ronaldo would be telling us nightly stories about how many supermodels his penis has paid visit to every time the media interviews him.

Rob, why do you think that "clubs are getting players to say these things in the media"? Do you believe that players are mindless robots with no thoughts and ideas of their own? Do you not believe that players are sentient beings, as are you and I, and therefore have the ability to form their own thoughts? And do you not believe that the ideal of free speech applies to players, and they are allowed to speak their minds? If you and I are allowed to write blogs, and write comments, about which players we want at our respective clubs, why do we deride the players so when they express their thoughts? In addition, though this is not always the case, what do you expect a player to say when a journalist asks him "Would you like to play with this player?" or "Do you think this player would be a good fit at your team?", etc.

"Xavi school of transfer etiquette"? Don't make me laugh. For one, do you think Xavi, and other Barcelona players, who are all very good friends with Fabregas, would go on about Fabregas's transfer if Cesc did not want them to? All it would take is a text, or a call, from Cesc to Xavi asking him to shut up.

All this talk of "tapping up" is nonsense. A case of tapping up only happens when a player breaks his contract due to undue influence from another party. Cesc has not broken his contract, and hopefully is professional enough never to do so, and unless this happens, Arsenal can not complain about tapping up.

""Arsenal fans hate what is going on because they know that Cesc wants to leave. If it was only Barca mouthing off and Cesc being loyal to Arsenal- no Arsenal fans would have any problem."""

EXACTLY.
thnx for not making me write it. :D

I'm not really arguing that the Premier League is perfect though am I? I can criticise one without defending the other.

As to whether footballers are infantas who are easily distracted because players are saying things in the media - if they aren't then why are clubs getting players to say these things in the media?

and why do we think that footballers are infants who will get distracted because their friend is making statements about them to the media? Arsenal fans hate what is going on because they know that Cesc wants to leave. If it was only Barca mouthing off and Cesc being loyal to Arsenal- no Arsenal fans would have any problem. EPL clubs have not had to lose their main *foreign* stars in the last few years because of various economic reasons- and now that its happening, they are throwing a hissy fit. Fergie could not accept for a long time that Cronaldo wanted to leave ManU and SAF. And every league has "questionable practices"- EPL poaching 16 year olds from other leagues & clubs that trained them is another such practice.

To everyone I suggested that Premier League clubs are holier than thou, I can assure this really is not the case, and I criticise Premier League clubs quite often.

I just meant in terms of players speaking out of turn to the press, that aspect doesn't really happen.

Well, I think this is simply difference in cultures. In England, players dont speak their mind while in Spain, they do. As with any fan, they speak lot of bullshit. Nothing special. Media is blowing it big because its their job but as fans, i think people should just shrug their shoulders and accept that players behave differently.

Pffft, Premier League clubs are not exactly better. The Berbatov transfer has already been mentioned, or what about Chelsea nearly getting a transfer ban for the Kakuta transfer? Or Premier League clubs generally raiding continental clubs academies because they can offer professional contracts sooner?

Or the whole Man City- Milner stuff.

I agree with Bumy, your're on the receiving end now of how Premier League clubs have acted for years.

Brits and british club lovers talk about transfer etiquette but seem to forget the ridiculousness that was the Berbatov transfer. Manchester United staff "kidnapped" him from the airport.

The Fabregas affair is becoming so boring now. It's almost as though he is a Barcelona player already. Will these same players be saying he should be in the starting eleven when he is sitting on the bench?

Actually, you will notice I didn't say they were doing you any favors. I said they were speaking their minds. Whether Arsenal fans can either handle that or throw a cry-baby hissy fit over what they say is another matter entirely ;)

Different cultures will similarly have different sporting cultures. This includes attitudes toward how players are allowed to deal with the media (i.e. allowed to express their thoughts, not handled like children).

That sound you hear is English supporters' minds being collectively expanded.

Wait.. English supporters believing they are holier than though? No... Never!

Dude, wtf...i'm SURE they're instances where EPL clubs (mainly ManU, Chelsea, Liverpool & Arsenal) have done the SAME thing, esp. towards fellow EPL clubs. We can see that with City's dealings in the past 2 seasons. Just a short season ago when the EPL was the league everybody wanted to play in nobody but the supporters from the smaller clubs said anything. Now supporters of the bigger EPL who are on the receiving end are behaving all holier than thou. ***** pleaaaaase...

"I have spoken with a couple of senior players who the club confide in and they are very confident that we will sign him in the next few weeks. The vibe around the training ground is that the deal will be done. All the players are very excited about his arrival."

Higuain isn't even back in the training ground. As always during silly season, news like this must be taken with more than a grain of salt. And I for one think English fans, particularly Arsenal ones, are overreacting. I mean, is tapping up even new at all? Rare?