Agent Eto'o Press Conference: Live Coverage

Josep Maria Mesalles, the agent of Barcelona forward and Cameroon international Samuel Eto'o, has said at a press conference that the player didn't yet talk about figures with Manchester City an that all figures put forward by the media are as a consecuence false.

The club has been spreading figures that aren't true and has leaked to the press that they were about to offer a renewal, while the player nor the agent had heard anything from the club.

The agent has been told that Guardiola and the club don't want Eto'o anymore. The player had told the club he wouldn't have any problem to continue at Barcelona earning the same wages. Barcelona had offered the player to renew with a lower salry. Last night, a new offer came.

Core of the message: the club has been speaking with a double tongue and has been misleading the fans, using the media and twisting facts.

The agent is now showing sms messages he received from club officials. This means war, baby!

e-mail and sms from Sanllehí, 29 June, 11:34 and 11:36 pm: "the Club has decided to offer you the renewal of Eto'o for two more years, keeping the current salary of the player"

If this offer is true, we'll look at it because Eto'o wants to stay and doesn't understand the whole situation.

The club would have been acting like this because someone don't want Eto'o anymore at the club and Mesalles would be surprised if that person would be Guardiola.

Barcelona doesn't want the player and has been spreading lies to the press making Eto'o look greedy, that's why Eto'o doesn't want to renew at this point.

Messales points at Manel Estiarte, confident of Guardiola, as the person who has been constantly leaking to the press.

Eto'o went on holiday thinking that he would be able to continue because he had the suport of the coach and the squad.

There's no offer by Manchester City, this information has been leaked to the press to put pressure on Eto'o to leave.

Eto'o wants to stay but he won't boycott the club if they are looking for another club. The economic part won't be the problem for Eto'o.

In a first meeting, the club told that they wanted to work on the best solution for all parties. Later, they said they didn't want him anymore and started to look at the offers.

The club wanted to sell Eto'o for 30-35 million euro, which the agent thinks is too much for a player with only one year left, that no club will pay that. That's why Barcelona hasn't been able to find a deal with City.

The agent said that if Barcelona would reach an agreement with City, he was willing to start negotiations with the English club.

Mesalles didn't yet talk with City, so if the president talks about a supposed record offer, he's not telling the truth. It's also false that Eto'o has asked half the transfer fee, like media have been suggesting. The talk about a bonus of 15 million euro is absolutely false.

Eto'o wouldn't mind staying, he feels he could still be useful for the club.

The agent doesn't think the coach has made the decision that casused all this. Eto'o didn't hear anything of Guardiola since the end of the season, while Guardiola is someone who always comes out.

Barcelona played a double game by using the media to damage the image of Eto'o and to come out as the good ones.

The player might have made some unclear statements, but it's easy to take words and put them in the wrong context. Eto'o has always felt love for the club. He wants to stay and if that wasn't the case and he wanted to leave, he would be the first to come out asking for a transfer.

Laporta, Txiki and Sanllehí have told the agent that the coach didn't want Eto'o anymore.

The club shouldn't have used the press, they could have said it openly when they wanted the player to leave.

Our mistake could have been not to check if it was true that Guardiola wanted Eto'o out, certainly taking into account the good feeling between the coach and the player during the celebrations and Guardiola saying "see you on 20 July".

If the club doesn't want Eto'o, they should come out and say it. Eto'o would accept that decision and then will look for the best option for the player to continue his sporting career.

We never cared about the money, we are only working for the player to have succes as a football player. It's not about negotiations, it's not about the money.

As things stand now, Eto'o will be at the club the 19th for the medical tests and the 20th for the first training session. He will give everything he has, like he did last year, to do better than the treble.

Eto'o plans to talk with Guardiola in the coming days to hear about his plans first-hand.


ok, boys and girls, let's call it a wrap. stay tuned cause i'm sure there's some more to come in the coming hours and days. and behave in the comments section!