kazza » Fri Aug 28, 2020 3:05 am wrote:Doesn’t Messi have a revolving one year contract at Barca? I understood that is the case so he can hold his club to ransom whenever he was not happy with personnel, management or even the weather. He probably ends up staying with all new coaches, promises to buy the best players and more money.
Barcelona may actually want him to leave, he’s been a very powerful figure at the club for a long time, far more powerful than any manager (5 years ago if Messi would have went to the board and said it’s either him or me there would have been only one winner) but now he’s 33 and his powers are on the wane they may feel the best thing would be to draw a line under the whole Messi era and completely start again.
Because of what he has done for that club in the past even if he was 38 and only a bit part player his opinion would still carry a hell of a lot of weight, he’d hang over managers like the proverbial sword of damocles, they’d be wary of upsetting him in case he went to the press or the board.
When you have someone of his profile at the club you either make them manager or move them out, he’s far too influential and powerful to have just floating around behind the scene’s.
Wouldn’t surprise me if Koeman wants him gone, of course if he was 23 instead of 33 he’d be on his hands and knees begging him to stay but he’s not. If Messi stays Koeman will pretty much find himself in a de-facto Houllier/Evans type situation.