SPECULATION : Milner to City/Utd/Chelsea/Spurs

[Damocles]

I really don't think I have missed the point. It's absolutely Man City's fault if they don't end up with the player.

You can't have it both ways. You can't both claim that you haven't unsettled the player and claim that we're risking keeping an unhappy player who was not unhappy until you started making noise about signing him. You've unsettled him; there are no two ways about it. You have Mancini, Shay Given, and Patrick Viera all on television talking about how they would love to have him at Manchester City in addition to talk from whomever about some impending second bid. I realize that this is part and parcel of the transfer game these days, as our players have also responded to questions about other teams' players, but you can't publicly conduct this business, trying to pressure us into a deal, and then imply that we are somehow holding him back.

Good point, well made. I don't particularly agree with the TV stuff, as it's the nature of the media. If you were Mancini or Viera and were asked "Would you like James Milner at Manchester City?", what exactly are they to say? If they no comment it, they'll get asked it 300 times in every press conference, if they say yes they're tapping up and if they say no, they're creating problems with a player that they may have to work with in the future, which may lead to consequences in the transfer deal. I think if you asked Viera if he'd like Roy Keane at City he'd say yes.

It's no different from Dunny the other day saying that Milner shouldn't leave Villa, if you get asked the quesiton, you answer it in the least offensive way possible.

I don't know what our asking price is exactly, but I want to be clear - I don't think James Milner is worth 30 million pounds in this or any universe. I wouldn't blame Man City in the slightest for not paying it. On the other hand, we have the right to demand whatever price we want for him because we are not willing participants in this particular transaction. If we were holding out for a ridiculous sum for a player like Steve Sidwell, whom we are pretty clearly open to selling, then I would take your point; however, this is a player we would have had no intention of selling until we were dragged into a negotiation against our will by Manchester City.

You see, this is the problem though. You do have the right to demand any price, so if you weren't open to selling him at all, you'd have slapped a £1bn price tag on him. You must be open to selling him purely because oyu've created a somewhat realisitc price tag. For a youngish player, especially an English one, who has just come off of the best season of his life, £30m isn't really completely out of reach of City and I presuming that Lerner and MON know that. However, it is obvious that City feel that he isn't worth that to us at present so we are negotiating down, as every club in the world does. Just because we do have lots of money doesn't mean that we're willing to get ripped off all the time.

One of the problems we now face is down to the Lescott transfer. Hughes told the board that Lescott is a player who was absolutely vital to his plans, and we should pay whatever price we could to get him. Due to this, Everton soon realised that we coveted him, and slapped a £30m price tag on him, which eventually came down once Lescott stuck in a transfer request.

I just think your postings on the Milner topic seem to have a touch of the arrogance that can come with being able to afford to buy anyone you want.

To be honest, I try not to come across as arrogant and as on a forum it's extremely easy to read words that aren't there and get the wrong impression. I did it not two days ago with an exchange with TrentVilla. The reality of the situation is hard to ignore though, and I don't believe it's arrogance to say that if we are determined not to go to £30m, then we won't and will move on to the next target on the list.

[sir_gary_cahill]

I'd bite their arms off for £24m, just get it done MON

[briny_ear]

I'd bite their arms off for £24m, just get it done MON

I would be amazed if The actual negotiation of the details of the deal would have anything to do with O'Neill.

He's already said Milner can go if the price is right.

It's presumably down now to Man City's famous bloody-mindedness in finalising deals, in particular with premiership clubs (remember the Dunne saga?)

[villabromsgrove]

A message for Damocles:

James Milner is a very good player who adds something unique to any team he plays for. He is the ultimate team dynamo. That makes £30 million cheap imo. If there is another James Milner out there that I don't know about, then Man city can start to haggle about the price, as they will then have a genuine option. Arteta and Ireland are both excellent players but they wont give you what you get in the "Milner package."

[sir_gary_cahill]

I'd bite their arms off for £24m, just get it done MON

I would be amazed if The actual negotiation of the details of the deal would have anything to do with O'Neill.

He's already said Milner can go if the price is right.

It's presumably down now to Man City's famous bloody-mindedness in finalising deals, in particular with premiership clubs (remember the Dunne saga?)

you're probably right but I don't care who it is, just get it done! I have no idea why we've waited this long

[villianusa]

A message for Damocles:

James Milner is a very good player who adds something unique to any team he plays for. He is the ultimate team dynamo. That makes £30 million cheap imo. If there is another James Milner out there that I don't know about, then Man city can start to haggle about the price, as they will then have a genuine option. Arteta and Ireland are both excellent players but they wont give you what you get in the "Milner package."

That's why I always thought Man Utd would try to sign him. I think they are missing that sort of player. I just like most on here want this resolved one way or the other.

[snowychap]

If you were Mancini or Viera and were asked "Would you like James Milner at Manchester City?", what exactly are they to say?

Something along the lines of, "We make a point of not speculating on the future of a player contracted to another club."

[fran_villa]

18 and Ireland would be a great deal IMO.

[hobbo]

millbrook85 wrote:

I really don't think I have missed the point. It's absolutely Man City's fault if they don't end up with the player.

You can't have it both ways. You can't both claim that you haven't unsettled the player and claim that we're risking keeping an unhappy player who was not unhappy until you started making noise about signing him. You've unsettled him; there are no two ways about it. You have Mancini, Shay Given, and Patrick Viera all on television talking about how they would love to have him at Manchester City in addition to talk from whomever about some impending second bid. I realize that this is part and parcel of the transfer game these days, as our players have also responded to questions about other teams' players, but you can't publicly conduct this business, trying to pressure us into a deal, and then imply that we are somehow holding him back.

Good point, well made. I don't particularly agree with the TV stuff, as it's the nature of the media. If you were Mancini or Viera and were asked "Would you like James Milner at Manchester City?", what exactly are they to say? If they no comment it, they'll get asked it 300 times in every press conference, if they say yes they're tapping up and if they say no, they're creating problems with a player that they may have to work with in the future, which may lead to consequences in the transfer deal. I think if you asked Viera if he'd like Roy Keane at City he'd say yes.

It's no different from Dunny the other day saying that Milner shouldn't leave Villa, if you get asked the quesiton, you answer it in the least offensive way possible.

Quote:

I don't know what our asking price is exactly, but I want to be clear - I don't think James Milner is worth 30 million pounds in this or any universe. I wouldn't blame Man City in the slightest for not paying it. On the other hand, we have the right to demand whatever price we want for him because we are not willing participants in this particular transaction. If we were holding out for a ridiculous sum for a player like Steve Sidwell, whom we are pretty clearly open to selling, then I would take your point; however, this is a player we would have had no intention of selling until we were dragged into a negotiation against our will by Manchester City.

You see, this is the problem though. You do have the right to demand any price, so if you weren't open to selling him at all, you'd have slapped a £1bn price tag on him. You must be open to selling him purely because oyu've created a somewhat realisitc price tag. For a youngish player, especially an English one, who has just come off of the best season of his life, £30m isn't really completely out of reach of City and I presuming that Lerner and MON know that. However, it is obvious that City feel that he isn't worth that to us at present so we are negotiating down, as every club in the world does. Just because we do have lots of money doesn't mean that we're willing to get ripped off all the time.

One of the problems we now face is down to the Lescott transfer. Hughes told the board that Lescott is a player who was absolutely vital to his plans, and we should pay whatever price we could to get him. Due to this, Everton soon realised that we coveted him, and slapped a £30m price tag on him, which eventually came down once Lescott stuck in a transfer request.

Quote:

I just think your postings on the Milner topic seem to have a touch of the arrogance that can come with being able to afford to buy anyone you want.

To be honest, I try not to come across as arrogant and as on a forum it's extremely easy to read words that aren't there and get the wrong impression. I did it not two days ago with an exchange with TrentVilla. The reality of the situation is hard to ignore though, and I don't believe it's arrogance to say that if we are determined not to go to £30m, then we won't and will move on to the next target on the list.

Why don't you piss off? You've overstayed your welcome.

[juantastic9]

Damocles - I'm afraid £30 million comes with territory. You've blown other clubs out of the water with your wages and general wealth and of course this will turn players heads, after all they are only human. But you cannot expect a team to just bow down because you don't want to pay the price? You've splashed the cash and there's a price that comes with that, unfortunately for you. You can't in a month of sundays really think that Martin O'Neills going to let you take one of his most precious assets for anything less than he values him at? The next problem you have is that James Milner isn't like Lescott - he will play on like a model pro if it doesn't work out. So either you pay what we're asking after your manager and players commenting on our player and turning his head or go on to your next overpaid player, and I agree that you come across as a generally level headed guy, but again, rubbing rival fans up the other way is something that comes with territory. I wish you and Man City good luck in your quest, but for me it's a bit like winning the lottery and questioning whether the players are at your club because they like you, or they just like your money? It will make for an interesting season either way. Genuine question for you though - who do you think will get the better end of the deal if we get Ireland in a swap deal plus cash?

[bickster]

Well done to all the people who've been throwing the insults around you've got this topic locked whilst the mess is sorted out, and we decide on who has abused the privilege granted to them in order to post on VT

EDIT: Reopened uncleaned, but any repeat performance of what went on in here and we will have no option but to take action

[claretandblue77]

the trouble is does anyone think that if they don't meet our valuation he would then sign a new contract, obviously they have come to an agreement today, would this be part of it or has he burnt all his bridges.

for me if man city dont match the valuation then surely that says to a player that they dont want him that badly.

[kurtsimonw]

Why this down to us? We've said how much we'll pay, and it's a good, fair price for Milner. You guys can either drop the price to be more realistic (unless you seem to think that Milner is worth £30m) or can keep an unhappy player and we'll turn our attentions towards Arteta or Ramires?

Fair price?

You needed money and sold Wright-Phillips to Chelsea for £24m. We aren't so desperate for cash as you were back then and prices have generally gone up since you sold SWP. So why on Earth, given the above (not to mention Milner being better than SWP) should we accept £24m? He's also a far better player at his position than Lescott is at his - another player that moved for £24m.

You've bought this upon yourself really. You knew Chelsea had money and got greedy over SWP, yet you expect teams not to do the same for you?

You're talking about something you obviously don't remember very well.

SWP was sold for £21m for a start. Secondly, Chelsea bid £20m which we rejected, SWP came forward with a transfer request and we sold for £21m to save a bit of face.

No I don't remember it very well. It's also somewhat irrelevant, whether it's £21m or £24m. You've still failed to give me a reason why we should budge from £30m given 1) the prices that Lescott and SWP moved for 2) prices going up since SWP moving to Chelsea and 3) Milner being far better than either of them.

For arguements sake, you could also add that given our respective clubs finishes last season, you are seen as a rival of ours, therefore making us less happy about selling to you, which would jack up the price even more.

[JPAngel]

If the talks went well enough today and (as reported by a few places) we have rejected another bid, then there's no reason why he shouldn't stay in all honesty.

[kidlewis]

give him £90k a week, captains armband and make him get a tattoo of AVFC

[fran_villa]

i hope he goes now,id rather have Ireland and the money.**** him,if our club isn't good enough for him,he's not good enough for us..

[villadude]

Milner is contracted to us, now that Shitty have turned his head they're gonna have to pay us what we want for him, not what they think they should pay us.

Either pay up, or **** off and piss some other club about, bunch of words removed...

[steve-67]

I'm fairly certain he's told Villa that he wants to go. I'm confident that he's been told that he shouldn't rock the boat and demand a transfer as he owes Villa for making him an England international and Villa may lose the money they feel their owed. I'm fairly confident he's been told that he can go but it's Villa who control the haggling, not Milner and not City. He'll have been told that he can go if they match Villa's price. All nicey nicey until Villa start demanding silly money or Milner gets impatient. Amicable, my arse. Why have the club not come out and said that they've offered him a new contract today? He's off. We all know it.

[Reality]

The sooner the word removed is out the door the better. Square jawed prick.

[fran_villa]

the ball is in there court imo,they have turned Milners head he's asked to leave,Man shitty know we need the money thanks to our manager mouthing off.so i think there is only one option at this stage and thats to sell up..