Bye bye Sadio

[Judge Jules]

I'm as unable to get it as you are, but some folks do get ants in their pants and want to move on when they've been in a particular place/situation for a certain length of time, whether or not the change seems objectively likely to improve things. Might he simply be in that category?

 

[Frogfish]

I really don't understand this.

I mean, where's the challenge?

And I don't think he'll earn more.

Well he gets to add a BL title to his PL & CL. He'll also be a guaranteed starter which he likely wouldn't have been had he stayed here (assuming Darwin still came in). Almost certainly his salary will be higher and length of contract will be longer too. Overall I guess it makes sense if adding another PL and CL is not longer your prerogative.

 

[Red Astaire]

Well I have mixed feelings really. He can be a right mardy twat sometimes. It’s fairly clear (to me anyway) he’s no fan of Salah. I always had this niggling feeling he might be a smidge disruptive. He was also prone to theatrics and the late daft challenges. That said….. What a player. Good business all round. He’ll be great at Bayern and I wish him well. Liverpool legend.

 

[Fabio]

If he earned 50k more a week than we're offering him, it's worth it for him, solely for all his charity work back home

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Agree 99%. The 1% being if Bayern pull City in the Champs League, when I want him to score a hat trick and then nut Haaland on 90 mins.

Agree 99%. The 1% being I want him to nut Bernado and Haaland, and preferably within 5 mintues after he scores the CL's quickest hattrick.

 

[StevieM]

Agree 99%. The 1% being I want him to nut Bernado and Haaland, and preferably within 5 mintues after he scores the CL's quickest hattrick.

“Nut”!!!!! “Nut”!!!!!

I think you’ll find, that as far as Haaland is concerned, I’d be expecting a full reenactment of the Roy Keane tackle on his dad.

 

[peterhague]

I've read plenty of reports that it basically just came down to money, right? It's probably no more than that.

He wanted a huge new deal on like 400k a week, and like with Salah we weren't remotely willing to pay it. All the reports are that he's getting about 360k at Bayern so that's a huge rise.

I suppose the only slight puzzle is why we decided to cash in on him but let Salah run his deal down. Although that could just be down to the players I suppose.

 

[Richey]

Well I have mixed feelings really. He can be a right mardy twat sometimes. It’s fairly clear (to me anyway) he’s no fan of Salah. I always had this niggling feeling he might be a smidge disruptive. He was also prone to theatrics and the late daft challenges. That said….. What a player. Good business all round. He’ll be great at Bayern and I wish him well. Liverpool legend.

Do you think so? I always got the impression he is an exceptionally nice guy! Agree about the Salah part though, and his reasonably fair frustrations are probably down to that.

It does look like good business though. I mean, we had a player entering the last year of his contract, now in his 30s, wanting to leave and we had already signed his replacement, yet we still didn't give in on our asking price!

 

[Squiggles]

I've read plenty of reports that it basically just came down to money, right? It's probably no more than that.

He wanted a huge new deal on like 400k a week, and like with Salah we weren't remotely willing to pay it. All the reports are that he's getting about 360k at Bayern so that's a huge rise.

I suppose the only slight puzzle is why we decided to cash in on him but let Salah run his deal down. Although that could just be down to the players I suppose.

The interested clubs, too. Madrid and PSG have been hellbent on signing/keeping Mbappe for the last 12 months, so two very clear destinations for Salah have had other priorities for their forward line. In contrast, Munich have had a clear run at a charm offensive for Mane.

 

[peekay]

I really don't understand this.

I mean, where's the challenge?

And I don't think he'll earn more.

More money. Bavaria is not a bad place to live. If he signs a five-year contract, then he is guaranteed five Bundesliga medals, probably two to four German cups also. Might also add to his CL medal. If Timo Werner scored more than 25 goals, then Mane on crutches will probably hit 30 goals per season.

 

[Red Astaire]

Do you think so? I always got the impression he is an exceptionally nice guy! Agree about the Salah part though, and his reasonably fair frustrations are probably down to that.

It does look like good business though. I mean, we had a player entering the last year of his contract, now in his 30s, wanting to leave and we had already signed his replacement, yet we still didn't give in on our asking price!

Yeah I do - Based on nothing but an observation. There was a time mid way through the title winning season that he was throwing his hands up in the air every-time Salah didn't pass but then went onto score. He then pointedly refused to join in the celebrations. Almost totally in relation to Salah. If Trent or Robbo set him up it was all pointing fingers, smiles and claps for the assist. Not so with Salah who assisted him loads of times. It chilled a bit towards the end of this season but still I could tell there was something going on there. In mind that can only be disruptive. Just a feeling though.

 

[Holle]

More money. Bavaria is not a bad place to live. If he signs a five-year contract, then he is guaranteed five Bundesliga medals, probably two to four German cups also. Might also add to his CL medal. If Timo Werner scored more than 25 goals, then Mane on crutches will probably hit 30 goals per season.

Erm, have you ever been to Bavaria?

 

[peekay]

Erm, have you ever been to Bavaria?

Nope. Heard good things about Munich from several folks.

 

[Holle]

Nope. Heard good things about Munich from several folks.

Germans, I suppose.

 

[The Nomad]

Germans, I suppose.

Come Holle. Munich is lovely.

 

[Red Astaire]

Come Holle. Munich is lovely.

Yeah @Holle - You surprise me. I always thought Germans and Austrians got on famously.... 😉

 

[dee]

Yeah @Holle - You surprise me. I always thought Germans and Austrians got on famously.... 😉

Lolz

I learnt German in Basel and then moved to a village near Frankfurt. Everyone laughed at my German until an Austrian joined the lab!

 

[Holle]

Come Holle. Munich is lovely.

It's not bad, aye.

The rest of Bavaria, is, well, 'existing'.

 

[Holle]

Yeah @Holle - You surprise me. I always thought Germans and Austrians got on famously.... 😉

Cheeky fucker!

 

[Holle]

Lolz

I learnt German in Basel and then moved to a village near Frankfurt. Everyone laughed at my German until an Austrian joined the lab!

It depends on where the Austrian came from. There are some who sound like they had their tongue removed.

 

[Irishanfield]

Do we know that though?

I mean, it seems clear that he wants to leave for a new challenge, which is fair enough, but he might have decided that ages ago and never really considered a new deal at all.

Salah and his agent at least seem(ed) open to a new deal, or we’re at least saying that they were.

Going to B. Munich, a team that win the league every year isn't really much of a challenge, that is no difference than goin to psg.

 

[Richey]

Going to B. Munich, a team that win the league every year isn't really much of a challenge, that is no difference than goin to psg.

Perhaps he wants a very, very easy challenge. One that comes with an awful lot of money.

 

[Red rose]

 

[Red Astaire]

Perhaps he wants a very, very easy challenge. One that comes with an awful lot of money.

Maybe, but to be fair to him - He's a mahoosive philanthropist. He gives away an astonishing amount of money to causes that matter to him. Maybe he's not after the cash for himself particularly... I think you mentioned that earlier. I wouldnt at all be surprised if that's his motivation.

 

[tomasjj]

I'd rather Salah left. I love Mane.

 

[Beamrider]

I wonder if there's also an element of "easy street" about it - Klopp works our players hard, the style of our game is very intensive, as is the league. He might just be thinking that he could prolong his career at Bayern (and if a 33 year-old Lewandowski can top score there, then there's probably something in that). Bayern dropped 20 points in a 34 game season and won the league by 8 points. We dropped 22 in a 38-game season and lost the league by a point. There's more margin for error there, they don't have to be on it every game. There's also probably a sense that having worked for Klopp for so long that he's put his body through a lot of mileage in the last few years.
Same with Benzema in Spain. Madrid dropped 20 points and still won the league by 13 points. With Farcelona being in such a mess there's virtually no pressure there, and Ancelotti is happy to play Houllier-style football in the big games as we know to our cost.
Champions League aside, those guys don't play many tough games in a season and they can save their best for when it really counts (whereas last year our lads were running on fumes from mid-April onwards).
More money, less pressure, possibility of adding a year or two to your playing career. Guaranteed domestic trophies and a fair tilt at the CL. Sounds good to me.

 

[reuque]

Wonder how long back he decided to leave. He did seem a bit too respectful towards Salah after beating his country twice, like asking for the stadium to not announce him as AFCON winner etc. Unless it was all just for PR of course, but maybe he felt that the club and fans gravitated more towards Salah for many different reasons. Not sure how guaranteed his star status in Bayern will be when there's also Sane there to contend with, though he'd be the shiny new thing so that's something.

 

[Frogfish]

It depends on where the Austrian came from. There are some who sound like they had their tongue removed.

Haha I lived down in the South, near Villach, for 3 years. When I traveled to Germany they would always say ... Austrian. Just took one sentence. They would recognise the English side of me after a few more sentences (yeah my German was that 'great') err umm.

 

[rurikbird]

I wonder if there's also an element of "easy street" about it - Klopp works our players hard, the style of our game is very intensive, as is the league. He might just be thinking that he could prolong his career at Bayern (and if a 33 year-old Lewandowski can top score there, then there's probably something in that). Bayern dropped 20 points in a 34 game season and won the league by 8 points. We dropped 22 in a 38-game season and lost the league by a point. There's more margin for error there, they don't have to be on it every game. There's also probably a sense that having worked for Klopp for so long that he's put his body through a lot of mileage in the last few years.
Same with Benzema in Spain. Madrid dropped 20 points and still won the league by 13 points. With Farcelona being in such a mess there's virtually no pressure there, and Ancelotti is happy to play Houllier-style football in the big games as we know to our cost.
Champions League aside, those guys don't play many tough games in a season and they can save their best for when it really counts (whereas last year our lads were running on fumes from mid-April onwards).
More money, less pressure, possibility of adding a year or two to your playing career. Guaranteed domestic trophies and a fair tilt at the CL. Sounds good to me.

My thoughts exactly. People say Bayern offers no challenge - but for an aging player remaining relevant at the top level of the game for as long as possible is a challenge and a huge one. Mane already had to change his position to centre-forward because his loss of explosiveness meant he wasn’t nearly as effective on the wing - but that change of position was not a viable long-term solution for LFC because it created problems in other areas, by making the likes of Salah and Jota less effective. I think he picked the right time to leave and the right club and league to move to. Wishing Sadio all the best and I’ll always love and respect him for the kind of selfless and transformative player he was for us - and by the way that won’t change after the inevitable interview about “feeling undervalued and disrespected at LFC” will come out. Just ignore the noise and focus on the good times.

 

[StevieM]

To be fair if he’s saying d he doesn’t want to sign a new contract and would prefer to leave this summer rather than on a free - he’s given his all while he’s been here and I wish him well.

Its’s as good a parting of ways as we’re likely to get - he can be applauded if he ever comes back with BM.