Friday 10 July 2009

Eto'o decides to leave the club

Both main Catalan sports papers claim that Barcelona forward and Cameroonian international Samuel Eto'o has decided to leave the club this summer.

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that the player's agent Josep Maria Mesalles has yesterday informed Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain about the decision.

It is expected that Eto'o will next week come out and finally give his version of what has happened over the past years. A press conference would be held in Paris on Wednesday 15 July.

Catalan radio station RAC 1 meanwhile claims that the entourage of the player doubts that Barcelona president Joan Laporta has tried to get in contact with the Cameroonian by phone like he had stated earlier this week, since no phone call has been received.

Read more:
Manchester United strongly interested in Eto'o
Laporta commenting on the transfer season
The truth in the Eto'o case

62 comments:

suchy said...

To the last moment i'll be hoping that eto'o will sing a new contract with us.
I don't belive in that scenario but i hope that somehow it might happen:)

Eto'o is mi jugador favorito...

But still Barca is the most important. So the Barca interest is the most important to me. We cannot allow Eto'o to leave the club with contract on his hand so we need to sell him or sign with him a new deal.

One of those just have to happen. I hope that at the end it will be good for both parts cause Eto'o deserves a lot.

Anonymous said...

I thought Mesalles already gave Etoo's version. I hope this isn't just another excuse to insult the club.

Eto'o will choose between Milan, Manchester United and Manchester City. Manchester City will offer the most money but Eto'o prefers Milan or Manchester United. Milan & Manchester United won't offer a contract as big as the one Eto'o already has.

BamaCule said...

Oh no!!! what a surprise!!! no one saw this coming!!!

That must mean the Villa deal is done and will be announced shortly

Mahi said...

Now the relation between the board and Eto'o become more and more worse so it is better for him to leave.
I think board and Eto'o both have equal responsibility in this.

Anyway he is one of the Barca legend. Thanks Eto'o for everything you given to the club.

Anonymous said...

He'll go to Man United. Hope the board is happy now. Chasing the best striker in the modern history of the club out, it's just crazy. He'll be valued to his true worth when we see other forwards struggle. A shame.

All the best to Samu, all the worst to the board, all the best to Barça!!!

Anonymous said...

Valencia will keep hold on Villa and we'll be forced to buy Forlan for 36 million euro plus value added tax (6 per cent? or 15?). It's frustrating.

Anonymous said...

The board chased him out so we don't lose him for nothing. He's still holding a grudge about Pep & the club not wanting to keep him last year. It's not like the board just suddenly decided to hate on Eto'o.

Anonymous said...

Of course it's frustrating if you insist on acting dismissive and pessimistic about everything.

Ideally we could have kept Eto'o but it's really the best solution for the club and there are strikers out there for us to get. Forlan would also not cost 36 million.

Anonymous said...

Why they decided he had to leave next year, that's the question. That was the start of everything, don't turn things around.

And we'll also lose Villa or Forlan for nothing if we buy them and offer them a 4-year deal, so no difference there. You think someone we'll come and get them when they're over 30 and pay big for them? Even worse: we'll pay more for them than we paid for Eto'o, they get the same salary and they'll unlikely give us more trophies than Eto'o has done.

Valencia will up their asking price of course. If they want to sell anyway, which I doubt with everything going on there. We'll probably end up with Keirrison...

trez said...

Guess Rosell is smiling now: this strengthens his bid for the presidency. The Laporta board will be out next year.

Anonymous said...

Paris Wednesday 15 July

i'm so scared what he is gonna to say...

Anonymous said...

Guys i love Eto as well, but we will just have to live without him. Besides it is proven that after every major success some changes will need to happen in prder to refresh the squad and keep motivation in high levels. Villa is a fantastic striker, equally as good as Eto' and most importantly he is thirsty as he has not been able to win trophies on club level. The team remains as strong as last year.
Its good to get this issue out of our way in order to focuss in other transfers. Pephas requested 4 players that is villa and onother 4. Its time to start moving in the transfer market.

skanjos said...

there isnt a chance eto will stay at the club this summer... tha makes me sad,times change though and i think it is best not talk about fault here.we all know both eto and the board have disagreements and it doesnt matter who has the bigger fault .let the player be happy in the team he goes and let the board find a good replacement (villa/ibrahimovic i wont take anyone else).

eto has offered alot to this club and should be able to leave from the front door like ronaldinho.we shouldnt re-do the rivaldo case.

sadly eto is another superstar of the team that is pushed out.but the team needs new blood and as trophie hungry eto is he has 2 cl in his palmare.if we get villa the player will have more motivation for a cl trophie.

thank you eto for the goals you scored and the great moments with the team and good luck...

yuti said...

Laporta can start practising his best colgate smile for the presentation of Luca Toni...

We'll deal one more year with this board, then we vote thier new candidate out. In the end the players are remmbered, not the presidents.

Many thanks to Eto'o, an incredible goal average and two crucial goals in the Champions league finals.

Gruff said...

I for one am not sad to hear this news. He never really impressed me last season, in the way that Messi and Iniesta did, or indeed, the way Villa, Forlan and El Kun did. He missed out on the Pichichi because he was largely wasteful, and his goalscoring record came from good setups.

woo sah said...

none of you guys know how the next season will be like. if we succeed..you will all be swallowing your words.
of course there's a chance we'll fail too..but just give whoever we get next a chance before you start complaining.

Anonymous said...

woo sah: most of people who comment on the internet aren't life long fans of the project, they are attracted to the team because of certain players. kind of glory hunters.
I know a lot of members who are grateful to this board more than they are to Eto'o, he was our best striker for some time for sure, but we had better strikers in the past and none of our previous teams achieved as much success as under this board. I really liked their attitude in the end of their period too, towards whoever comes next, declaring that they don't want to leave the club in debt, and we remember how debt affected us before and no one would want that again I assume.

yuti said...

We'll see how Villa's record will be if he'll have to work like a beast to put pressure, Gruff... That affects your goalscoring.

And he missed the pichichi because our league season was already over four games before the end. And who cares about the pichichi if you score 30. I prefer a non-pichichi with 30 goals than a pichichi with 25. 30 goals, his best season ever, he's on top of his physical strenth now, his experience is unmatched for a striker.

Villa got 28 (8 penalties!) with less assisting maybe but also with less work and less parked busses... I think most of us are blinded by his Spain performances. And no, Spain doesn't play the same system as Barcelona. Far from it! And international football is anyhow weaker than team football because there's too little time to practice.

yuti said...

"we had better strikers in the past"


Yeah, back when teams played 2-3-5. You cannot compare that. Ronaldo and Romario had one great season. One. Samu had three great seasons, and was injured in the other two (while this didn't affect his goal average). He scores the opening goal in two CL finals, which no Barcelona striker did before. But sure: we had better strikers in the past. Eto'o maybe makes the top-ten, right behind Julio Salinas but ahead of Maxi Lopez.


And the truth about the debt will come out after they're gone. They're now desperately negotiating for new credit lines because we don't have money to spend on transfers.

Iniesta Goooooaaaaal !!!!! said...

We can always puth Henry on his place. And dont forget we have signed Keirrison, and ofcourse we still have Bojan.

Anonymous said...

we had better strikers technically and they were better in front of goal than Eto'o, but the teams weren't functioning as a whole as the two teams which won the CLs were doing. and those teams including players like Ronaldinho, Giuly, Deco and Eto'o himself were signed by this board. if Eto'o was playing in any other team in Europe with one opportunity per game he would have scored 15 goals, while Villa scored 28 with a weaker team, and penalties and freekicks are very important, something Eto'o is certainly missing.
we have never been stronger financially even after selling Figo, at least debtors aren't breathing down our necks, and as you say we will see about debts after this 2 CL and tricampeoni board leaves. and cash is not relevant to debts. they might have 0 debt and 300 m euro t ospend or the opposite. you need cash to fulfil short-term due payments only.

yuti said...

Henry has FAILED as centre-forward both during this pre-season as last season when Eto'o was injured.

Gudjohnsen, who was bought as his back-up, also FAILED the season before when Eto'o was injured.

All that DESPITE the team functioning. So saying that it all comes down to team functioning is just ridiculous. You'll wake up next season.

I don't know if Anny has ever played football at a certain level, but when you work harder, you're miss more chances. If Villa can only score 20 field goals at Valencia, you shouldn't expect him to score 40 with us, believe me.

Anonymous said...

Spain doesn't play the same formation but a very similar tactics. but Valencia plays the same formation and Villa excels as a lone striker. further more, Yaya never played in our system before and has been exceptional, that's what teams have coaches for. Eto'o wasn't playing in this role before and was magnificent in it.
some people make it sound like if Eto'o is running the whole game defending, he only pressures in the opponents half. I have seen attacking players like Iniesta and Messi retreat more than him during games and they are physically weaker than Villa and they aren't affected by pressuring that much really. actually they had their best season and healthier as they were never before. and Henry is 31 and has been defending and committing fouls more than Eto'o and wasn't all that affected although he is ending his career.

woo sah said...

all i want to say to all you people is to quit complaining and being so pessimistic...be constructive.
none of what you say bears any merit in what actually happens in reality besides freaking pissing other people off.

Anonymous said...

yeah I remember the Valencia game when Henry failed miserably and we had to sub him with Guddy.
I played football but not at that level thanks for enlighten me.
by the way Henry has scored more this season and he has been running more..quite a coincidence.
and we won 2-6 while Eto'o was playing at the flank. so yeah it is all down to team work.

Anonymous said...

woo sah: people keeps on saying that this board isn't grateful to Eto'o then go on and curse them. this is hypocrisy. we should be more grateful to the board which made this success available more than to a single player. players come and go but clubs don't.

yuti said...

Boards come and go. Players and coaches are remebered, they're the soul of the club. Valdes, Puyol and Eto'o will be remembered as the players who started two CL finals we've won. History will do justice.



"some people make it sound like if Eto'o is running the whole game defending, he only pressures in the opponents half. I have seen attacking players like Iniesta and Messi retreat more than him"

Centre forwards shouldn't pressure on their own half, what are you talking about??!! Maybe first go and learn some basics about the game, seriously.

Anonymous said...

i am not talking about what he should or shouldn't do, I am talking from a physical point of view. that other players in our team pressure the opponent more than him and they aren't affected in doing what they do in attacking duties, and some of them make more effort in constructing the attack than Eto'o and yet they aren't affected by running more than him. take Iniesta/Hnery and Messi for example, whose their roles in the formation require them to open the game and build the attack from the midfield while also open spaces on the flanks and passing accurat assists in the space of seconds and also scoring, physically they make more effort than Eto'o and collectively their effort has a stronger impact on the team than Eto'o who was lucky enough in many times this season to do the simple job of tapping the ball into the net and missing 30 ones on ones with the keepers while no one is screaming in his face for causing us to lose a game, because we were able to supply him with many other chances.
what I am saying is basically more coherent than saying that tactics comes second to players quality.
and please don't take it personally.

jordy said...

probably for the best. But i'm a bit sad that he goes and the way he goes..
one of the best strikers in barça. maybe the best. I doubt villa will have this much impact.

yuti said...

In your anti-Eto'o madness, you cannot think clear, I'm afraid. Next season, on the pitch, there will be proven how important Eto'o is for the whole system. Certainly if they buy Villa instead.

I remember last year people screaming here that with Eto'o we would never get passed the EPL teams, that we needed a strong guy like Adebayor. Where are we now? And where's Adebayor now?

It's not a coincidence that the players convinced the board last season that Eto'o should stay. Especially a player like Xavi, the passing master, grabs every chance to stress that Eto'o should stay, even knowing the board thinks otherwise. He knows that Eto'o is crucial for the success of the team with all his pressure and movement.

TengkuAmir10 said...

look at the picture.Messi really doesn't want eto'o to leave.

Iniesta Goooooaaaaal !!!!! said...

Yuti you are right when you tell Eto'o is better than Villa.

I dont like Villa and he surelly isnt better than Eto'o.

If Villa is the only option we have for Eto'o than we must try to convince Eto'o to stay!

Iniesta Goooooaaaaal !!!!! said...

I think he is going to Man U.

TengkuAmir10 said...

Man,eto will leave guys.We will either get Villa or Maradona to play for us.Let's pay Maradona 100million per year and get crazy!

Anonymous said...

Xavi, the passing master also stresses that he would love to see Villa joining him in Barcelona.
Iniesta Goooooaaaaal !!!!! I think otherwise, I think that Villa will be unstoppable in Barca.
I hate the big striker talk. we don't need slow big strikers to score against EPL clubs. we just need players like Eto'o, fast and can grab chances by the balls, which I believe Villa is better at doing. we scored against Chelsea and Manchester by the heads of Eto'o and Messi respectively.

Xaviniesta said...

we can be overdramatic about the whole thing or learn to accept that great players come and go and in the end only Club remains.

having said that, i'm thankful to sami for the privilege of watching him bring honor to barca. there've been a few unpleasant times but those things are ultimately forgiven and forgotten, as i'm sure he will learn for himself. he remains an amazing player even if he plays for a different club. i wish him all the best.

yuti said...

He wants Villa to play from the left...

Xaviniesta said...

*overly dramatic

Anonymous said...

TengkuAmir10 give me the 100 m and put me in front of Xavi, Iniesta & Messi and I assure you that I will score 30 goals a season for 5 seasons. and if I wasn't accidentally injured in mysterious ways before the Madrid's game in the shit hole they call the Bernabeu I may score 40 goals.

TengkuAmir10 said...

Villa will be better than eto'o although signing him for crazy prices isn't going to help.Plus,we can finnaly get someone who can score from freekicks since Ronaldinho.That would be good.Messi,Villa and Henry.wow!

Anonymous said...

He wasn't injured, he got a yellow.

Anonymous said...

We still lack back-up. Henry is injury prone (and aging and tired), Villa is injury prone, Messi is injury prone, Iniesta is injury prone. Let's hope for Bojan's break through...

TengkuAmir10 said...

Good one anony but i unfortunately don't have a 100million in my pockets dude.Seriously.Although i could give you 10 bucks for every goal scored.

Anonymous said...

a stupid totally unnecessary yellow card. unnecessary unless you don't want to play the next fixture.

sashi said...

guys, its over. lets just thank Eto for all that he has given to the club. but noone has the right to take the crdit away from the board nor the player. both have to work in unison if we had to succeed and tat was wat had happened. so no blame games at Laporta or to. sad to see him go but cant help it. lets join together and welcome Villa. i feel he can surely be a great success with us. lets all hope so.

Anonymous said...

TengkuAmir10 if 400 bucks annualy is all you can afford for the next 5 years then I kindly suggest that you go and play instead and get paid 9 million for taping the ball 30 times in the net, then ask for a pay rise and act like a total prick against the people who saved you from an eternity of playing to mediocre teams like Mallorca. its a win-win situation. and the fans will love you too.

NouBarca said...

Calling a legen a prick? hmm .. thats very nice and shows so much appreciation!! Pele didnt not play for Barca and he is s legend!!! So playing for Mallorca wouldnt have doomed his career. Is Esquero, Maxi or Oleguer Legend? or greater than someone like Tamudo? Dont get childish mate

NouBarca said...

and if was just tapping it in 30X/season, Larpota would do it himself.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, that CL-winning goal was definitely a tap-in...


Like someone said before: history will put everything in the right context.

groga said...

Tapping-in, sigh.

And indeed, a money-hungry guy like Laporta has to look for more dirty ways to earn his money. Luckily for him, he has the club to use and abuse for his own benefit... Thanks to Rijkaard, Guardiola and the players, he comes out as a born winner.

barca nike said...

groga, laporta is the man who appointed pep and raijkard so lets thank him for that

barca4life said...

What I will miss most are his goals like the ones he scored against Lyon in the CL Sevilla away and athletic bilbao away. Those who say etoo only scores tap ins dont watch barca football.

In the end though etoo was a victim of his own personality. Had he not been such a problem before this would not have happened. I just hope David Villa lives up to the hype that everybody is placing on him. Only etoo scored in 2 CL finals for barca and i know ppl say he doesnt score in crucial CL semi-final games but there was always something electrifying about his goals for me.

In the end the rant from his agent and the moronic actions of the board have led to this point. I just hope laporta knows what he is doing.

ochtane7 said...

I really want to save my farewell until its official,but, may you succeed where ever you go bro.Thanks for all you have done,and some of us do appreciate you,from a big,big fan.Not happy at all.

Unknown said...

Regardless of what happens Eto'o is a Barca Legend no doubts, scorer in two winning Champions Cup Finals while in past we had just won one, consistently scoring 20 plus goals despite injuries and African Nations cup duties. All I say to all fellow cules is don't diss the man, remember what he has done for us...and yes of course we gave him the opportunity but not all players can take them the way he has. When we look back to hisory the goals of Eto'o in those two finals will surely come to mind. We might have Villa or someone else but that does not mean we should have ago at him. I trust in Laporta, his guidence has lead the clubs name be mentioned all over the world more than ever before, the world lives on Barca fever and a new complete total football. No matter what Madrid do they will not for damn sure win titles in the manner and style that Barca have!!. Forca Barca, Forca Laporta, Forca Eto'o Forca Blaugrana!!

Nico said...

If Laporta sell out Eto and bring Forlan instead he'd better find a place to hide.....

lawrenzo loves Barca said...

eto'o out/forlan in? senseless board with no vision.

Aussie Barca Fan said...

Sad. Just sad. There are no winners in this situation. I love Eto'o and wish him well. He is my fav Barca player and I think he is just a brilliant player. He is a Barca legend!

NouBarca said...

Filipe would call a press confrence, would some people try to kill him now? since Eto has done what nobody has ever done before.

woo sah said...

noubarca
i bet that quite a few fans from depor don't feel too pleased about it.
just how we weren't too pleased with samu's. why would we want to kill him when he wants to join us. put it into context before you start spewing out nonsense.

NouBarca said...

who the F are you to tell me am sweeping out nonsense? Dont mess about son!! All am saying is why are we taking some1 who is holding his current club to ransome? since we know it not the best thing to do, and hes about to do it to join us, who says he wouldnt do it to leave us?

Scott said...

Man City have officially ended their interest in signing him - they posted a statement on theor website

www.footballnewsHQ.com

Anonymous said...

Folks reading all your reaction on the Eto saga lets look at his resume in details...why replace the best striker Barca has ever hard..there us is common saying the devil you know is better than an angel( villa or Forlan) you dont know.....
Eto's Resume
African Cup of Nations Top Scorer: 2006, 2008
African Player of the Year: 2003, 2004, 2005
FIFPro World XI: 2004-05, 2005-06
UEFA Champions League Best Forward: 2006
UEFA Team of the Year: 2005, 2006
Spanish La Liga Top Scorer: 2006
World XI Striker: 2004-2005, 2005-2006
Most Goals Scored In Domestic League RCD Mallorca: 54 Goals
African Cup of Nations Top Scorer Of All Times: With 16 Goals
Most Goals Scored In History Of Cameroon National Team
FIFA World Player of the Year: Third Place: 2005

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