The cheek of the man! Okay we know there are lots of shenanigans going on behind closed doors between agents and players that are never reported, but for the manager of another team make a direct plea to a player to leave Arsenal and join his club, in a national newspaper, is downright disrespectful.
The ex-Man City manager Manuel Pelligrini has done just that, and he has basically told Alexis Sanchez that he would sign him right now, and is also openly hinting that the Chilean could earn as much as £500,000 ($620,000, 595,000 euros) a week at Hebei China Fortune, which is what the Argentine star Ezequiel Lavezzi is nearly earning at the ambitious Chinese club. This sort of money will certainly give Alexis some food for thought in a negative way for Arsenal during our contract discussions, and is certain to anger Arsene Wenger.
Pelligrini is reported as saying in the Sun: “If Alexis wants to come, we have a club for him right now. He can come to join us in China immediately.”
“Step by step Alexis has led a career with a lot of intelligence.
“He started in South America, always playing for big clubs.
“After that he played in Italy, Spain and now in the Premier League, which is the most powerful in the world.
“Alexis has always done things the right way. Chinese football is growing every day and the interest in going there is increasing all the time.
“Maybe at this moment it is difficult to get elite players to leave Europe for China.
“But once they understand the environment and the great project that is building there I am sure many will come over.”
If this is true, then there should be widespread condemnation of the Spaniard. To try and openly destabilise a player knowing that his present club is currently in contract negotiations is totally out of order. Obviously it appears that these FFP regulations only apply to European clubs and Chinese clubs can spend what they like.
But what about the charge of ‘bringing the game into disrepute’? Personally I think it is disgusting behavious!
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