- Feb 13, 2004
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It's not that I have a fear, I just want some guarantees against us doing to them what we're doing to Internacional with Damiao. I don't particularly believe its smart to lose at your own game.
Which come down to whether you think Levy might have some idea of what he is doing or not. As I said, Ballague is very clear that this is a deal that will effect players at academy level.
And, would love to know what it is that we are doing to Internacional with Damiao other than having the goalposts moved constantly no matter what we offer them an extended period
Look, Boots, there really is nothing to stop us bidding for Inter's players, but, as we discovered over Oscar, any deal we have in place doesn't prevent them from accepting a higher bid from anyone else. I would imagine it is the same with us and Real.
Just, like I said, Levy has clearly been trying to do something in Spain for a while, and he took advantage of Real's desire for Modric to get them to go into it with us. As Ballague says, it seems like a no brainer that it is going to be massively advantageous for us. We are now giong to be privvy to marketing and coaching information and innovations from some of the biggest clubs on all the continents, now, and, we will get information and facilitation on academy players, as well. Levy is a prime mover in building this network of clubs.
My immediate reaction was that it was another link in a chain Levy is building that will give us all types of advantages over our domestic opposition, and that Levy would have been the one pushing for this because we will get benefits that are worth being a tad more reasonable on the asking price for Modric. That Levy was the one pushing for it came was later confirmed, though that he had been trying for a while to do a deal in Spain was news to me. I jsut don't get that your first thought would be that Bale will be off next year, now, and Real will get him cheap - it doesn't actually make any sense. And what Ballague says is that Levy is seen as an ogre in Spain - i.e. an incredibly difficult negotiator. In theory, there is nothing to prevent Real, or any other club coming in for Bale, if we fail to get CL and he wants to move, but when pushed on the matter, Ballague effectively laughed at the idea of Real using the relationship on Levy to get anything more than a hearing and, effectively, said well, they can try, good luck with that sheeeee-ite on Dan levy, Real