11 Jun 2025 15:51:27
Things seems to be getting a little heated with Gyokeres. Reports that sporting are denying any agreement to let him leave for a lower fee. And also reports that the player is refusing to play for them again and won't return for preseason.
Interesting. Not sure I like it when a player threatens going on strike.
Have to wait and see what happens next.
11 Jun 2025 16:55:44
A 'gentleman's agreement' always seems silly, especially in a situation involving tens of millions of £. They're going to accept less just to be nice? What's the point in a release clause if there's a sidenote saying you might be allowed to go for less? I suspect the agent has realised he's not going to get as much out of it as he first thought.
11 Jun 2025 17:35:03
I think Gyokeres will end up staying at Sporting.
The club, player and agent are likely to price him out of a move.
Any move is likely to be the last big move for the player, so he and his agent will likely want to milk every penny from it. Add that to the higher transfer fee Sporting now want, it could all mean the deal will be too expensive for the few clubs that are interested.
I read that United have a list of targets for striker, wonder who else is on the list?
11 Jun 2025 18:50:42
He maybe had the agreement verbally which both sides were happy with, so he worked his socks off and had a great season to try and get the best move possible. Now he turned into one of the best strikers in Europe last season, they have gone back on the agreement and now want more as they think he’s worth more.
11 Jun 2025 19:34:38
Is he really one of the best strikers in Europe! Yes he doing great there but is Portuguese league a measuring stick for best in EU….
I don’t see a queue knocking the door down for him, no Barca, no Madrid, no Bayern, No PSG, No City even Arsenal seemed to have backed away.
11 Jun 2025 20:46:02
Is he the best? No. Is he one of the best? Yes.
11 Jun 2025 22:12:00
Spenno, players get sold for less than their release fee all the time. In Spain and Portugal having a release clause is a legal requirement for all footballers contracts. To try and get around that clubs often have insanely high release clauses in place knowing that no one would ever pay that much.
It's not uncommon for clubs to agree with players and agents that they would sell for a set fee in some kind of gentlemen's agreement, which of course is not legally binding.
On one hand I understand the perspective of the Sporting chairman, if he's agreed to sell him for a certain fee, only for him to do very well and suddenly that fee looks very reasonable, possibly below market value. He won't want to sell a player that will be almost impossible not replace for a below market value price.
On the other hand refusing to do so is not a smart move if he wants to continue running the club without issues. If he's seen as a man who does not keep to his word then he'll find himself in a difficult position when trying to sign new players or negotiate new contracts for existing players. Why would they believe anything he said.
It all seems very strange and a uncomfortable situation. Clubs generally have a rough idea about how much a player will likely cost in terms of fees, agents fees and wages before they start making serious moves and start speaking directly to the club.
The fact United have had direct meetings with Sporting suggests that they were under the impression that they would accept a figure that they are comfortable with paying.
If that isn't the case then either they've been lied to by the players agent or Sporting are moving the goalposts. Looking at the way the player has reacted it seems more like the latter than the former.
I wonder why that is. Could it be that they believe they initially undervalued the player? Or have they found out that their potential replacements are more expensive than they thought? Or could it be that they have been annoyed when dealing with Manchester United, either by the way the club have negotiated or by the fact that the club seems to have plenty of money to spend on Cunha and Mbeumo, but have plead poverty to Sporting?
For some reason the Lisbon club seen to have moved the goalposts, and it will take some savvy negotiating by United and some backpedaling from Sporting to resolve this situation and get a deal in place, which looks like the best case scenario for both the clubs and the player right now.
11 Jun 2025 23:19:43
He did very well in the very physical end to end english championship. Which in theory would point to a high chance of being able to hack it in the EPL.
However so did mitrovic but he was never able to replicate his form in the championship when in the PL. So I get the doubt in some fans minds.
12 Jun 2025 08:52:19
I know Shappy lol. I was referring more to the notion of a 'gentleman's agreement' in anything.