Is Eto'o Going To Leave Barça?
Tuesday, 17 February 09, 12:53 AM · Comments (24)
Once again, declarations from Samuel Eto'o have led to talk about the player's future. In an interview with French magazine Sportsweek Eto'o is quoted as saying he has made up his mind about his future but did not reveal whether that would be at Camp Nou or elsewhwere. However, the interview continues with Eto'o criticising players who kiss the badge of the shirt while reportedly refusing to be photographed with the Barça shirt. This obviously sent the local press into a fury of speculation and Barça have also apparently reacted with Pep Guardiola and Txiki Beguristain meeting with the player to agree to leave any negotiations until the end of the season.
So, could Eto'o be on the way out? We should remember that he has always been a player to speak his mind and he had problems in the past particularly with Ronaldinho and Frank Rijkaard, I also understand that he did not get on with Deco. These three have all since left Barça, but Eto'o could still be displeased about the way he was treated last summer when the club were looking to sell him. As we know Eto'o ended up staying, but that was largely due to the fact that no other club wanted to pay the high wages that Eto'o was demanding; this could all change in the summer after Eto'o has once again proved to be the most lethal striker in the world. This season Pep Guardiola has treated him just like any other player but Eto'o will not have forgotten what was said last year. He is in a better position to negotiate now if Inter Milan or Chelsea come knocking at his door.
Of course, it could all be a strategy to get a better deal from Barça. Eto'o comes to the end of his contract in 2010, so the club would be looking to offer him a new contract this summer or sell him to the highest bidder. Eto'o may be using his strong position to get a better deal from the club, while Barça will be hoping to keep the player but not at any price; for this we will probably continue to hear much speculation about Benzema, Villa or Torres as possible replacements as Barça will want Eto'o to know that he is not irreplaceable.
There are probably some at the club who would not be sorry to see Eto'o leave. He is seen as a loose cannon who could at any time disrupt dressing room harmony, and this latest interview will not have pleased Guardiola. As we know Pep is very strong in keeping the right mentality and focus amongst the players, I imagine it was he who rushed to put an end to the story by getting the player to agree to leave the talking until summer. Guardiola, quite rightly, puts the team first, and he does not want any other issues to interfere. I'm sure that if there are any more Eto'o declarations between now and the end of the season we will see a strong reaction from the coach.
I hope this all ends happily with Eto'o signing a new contract, for me he is irreplaceable as a striker. However, the team has to be the most important, we have all seen how well the same players who under-performed last season have reacted this season with a better team spirit. Losing Ronaldinho and Deco has had only positive effects in the club, and if Eto'o is causing disruption then he too will have to leave. At the end of the day it is impossible for us to know what the relationship between Eto'o and the club is really like. That relationship may well be very good and this story may all just be something to keep the press (and us) entertained. However, if Eto'o does end up leaving, I am sure it will be because the relationship is not good, in which case it would probably be the best option for the club in the long run.
Like this blog? Help spread the word: 
24 Comments · Add yours
Spot on Nic.
1) Team
2) Eto'o.
Simple as that. He is a class player and I would be sad to see him go, but at the end of the day, NO PLAYER is bigger than the club, period.
While the rest of Barça players conducted themselves admirably in interniews and press releases, Etoó seems to stick out as a sore thumb with his daily admiration for some Mickey Mouse clubs that have no chances of winning anything.I don't agree that Etoó is using this as a ploy to get a better deal from Barça.I don't think he is that smart. He is known to run his mouth with one objective in mind:himself.
Having said that, yes he is still a great player and a valuable member of the club BUT no player is bigger than the club.Etoó makes people nervous about his overall mental stability.Don't be surprised if Barça start looking for an alternatve or a replacement for Etoó sometime in the near future !!
i would be quite against him leaving. at times sure he may be a bit of a hot head, but in reality he is actually a very humble and modest person. i watched an interview with him on tve (spanish), and he is very religious and honestly i was shocked at his humility just like u are mostly shocked now.
beyond that, this guy knows how to score goals, he just does. he has a great work ethic, and great passion. the fans love him, so do the players (i remember xavi supporting him strongly in the summer) and he is only 27, prime age. he loves the club and u can see the passion he has for it in his celebrations this season (remember him hugging pep, lol). to be honest i think he has always had the club first in his mind, him speaking out about roni/deco last year was the right thing to do and he was totally correct to slander their behavior.
that brings me to the fact, that yes he may be a hurt from what pep and laporta did to him in the summer, and if he is, i wouldnt blame him. he did nothing to merit that sort of treatment. maybe pep did it all as a mind game to motivate him, and if he did, its up to pep to explain that to him when the time comes.
but, if he does want to leave, then we must let him go. villa would be an awesome replacement, and truthfully i believe villa could slot in quite easily and score just as much. torres wouldn’t be close to bad either. benzema would be my last choice, simply because i haven’t seen him as much, his young age, the fact he is only proven in a weak french league, and his stupid antics of first professing his love for barca then real madrid (and i read an article btw saying barca are over him since those statements).
personally i would want sami to stay. and frankly i dont think what he said in the interview is that terrible anyway, ive heard a lot worse. and in his interest, i dont see chelsea or inter as good choices. however, i wouldn’t mind seeing david villa in a barca shirt either.
Noone argue about etoo's abilities. He is the best striker ever.But , we know Etoo is sometimes acting in a weird way .
For me, Barça is first over all, then Etoo.I was so glad last summer when they said that he would stay .Besides, he is doing great this year .
Etoo was touched badly wy the club's desicion on getting rid of him.So he is thinking about the best way to react .
B.P : I think Etoo has already desided about his future.HE WANNA SHOW BARçA WHAT HE CAN DO.
BY THE END OF JUNE, HE WILL HAVE TOLD US: U WANT ME ????? PAY MILLIONS OF EUROS §§§§§§§
OR I LEAVE THE CLUB AND U WON4T GET
OR U WILL NOT GET A PENNY FROM MY DEPARTUE.
Saying that Mallorca is within him is the hint for us .He is saying bye to Barça.
Anyway, dear Etoo . U mean alot for us .If u stay, that's what we long for. If u wanna go, Barça is first and over ANYBODY.
Itri
it's easy guys.
no one can make urgue for Eto'o ability.
so we want him, if he wants us.
if he doesn't want to stay, he is free from
the club.
no one bigger than the club.
we are fc barca and every player of this world
wants for us.so don't warry.
my oppinoin :
the best replacement is DAVID VILLA.
he absolutly incridable striker, and i am sure
he would become the best of this globle.
soooooooo......... you guys.. what do you
expect?????????????.
mikyman Leuven, Belgium
A selfish man always thinks he is all when he has what he needs but when he loses it he begin crying and cursing.It is true any good stricker will score with the barca team at present,why not then use Bojan and the other young players,do we know part of this scoring depends on how you position yourself?I think Eto'o should be given the respect he deserves,He was humiliated last year,he humbled himself until proving he can still do something,why not ask barca at one moment to apologise to him?Eto'o for now deserves what he is asking,let barca forget about race and comply with him.He is probably the best stricker in the world now.
I hope not!...
Eto'o for me is the best striker in the world at the moment, and he's on his way to becomming an all time great!, he must just remain humble and calm.
By the way he is performing this season, I'd encourage Barca to renew his contract, he loves Barca, and we love him.
His work rate and ability is top class.
I think Eto'o used the interview to stoke the fire for speeding up his renewal, although it will only happen in the summer.
If Eto'o wants to join a second rate team, then that's his perrogative, he must just understand that he won't be loved there like he is here...
Please, guys, i mean, Barcelona press serves one purpose only, and that is not the club. They have hopelessly tried to kick Eto'o out of the team for the last 3 years. Because that will hurt Laporta and strenght his opponent, Rossell.. that's all. Eto'o will do whatever he likes to do, and he has earned the right. I don't think we can really comment on him being selfish or anything like that, he has proved he is not and has been working incredibly hard this season (a little temperamental, but i do like a temperamental player scoring 30 goals per season).
So, my advice will be.. give him the benefit of the doubt, he has done more for our club this season that all those crap newspaper and reporters will do in ther entire lives.
Eto'o is without a shadow of doubt the best striker in the world right now...Nobody even comes close to him...He is just born to score goals, and he has proven that time and time again..He missed almost half a season last year, but still he turned out to be the club's highest goal scorer in La Liga..and we don't need to talk abt what he has done this season...
I read Txiki sayin today that any top striker would score as many goals in this team, but I disagree with that statement...To score goals, you need to have some telepathic understanding with ur teammates...and Etoo shares great chemistry with Messi, Xavi, and co...I don't think any other striker would fit so seamlessly in this team...VIlla, Torres, and BEnzema could be great players, but they will not fit into our team like Etoo...His work rate is second to none..He can run all day...He even tracks back to defend...and he isn't a selfish player...Having said that, I don't think he would score this many goals in any other team...so the bottomline is Barca needs Etoo and Etoo needs Barca...Barca and Etoo have a symbiotic relationship...so just give him a raise for god's sake...Club comes before the player, so think about the betterment of the club, and give Etoo a raise that he deserves..
But..if we were to loose Etoo, I would like to have Villa more than anybody..Torres could be a better player than Villa, but he never did score that many goals in La Liga...Even he himself admits that EPL is more to his style...so if Etoo were to leave us, Villa would be the most apt choice...Just like Etoo, that man is born to score...He is the only one that can come close to Etoo in goal scoring records...
I think Eto'o has already made up his mind to leave at the end of the season. He knows it. He was on the verge of being an outcast until his pre-season performance changed some minds. He hasn't forgotten. He's working harder this season to a) stick it to those that doubted him and b) get a big phat paycheck from the next team he joins. If he leaves I would really like to see Villa join. I think he would be phenomenal.
i hope he doesn't leave barca. if he does i don't know how many goals we can score. People might say villa is amazing and he is but he probably doesnt have the great goal per game ratio that eto'o has(i'm not sure)
I don't know about you guys but i think he is irreplaceable at this time for BARCA!!!
so to sum it all up i really really hope that barca give him the big raise he wants beacause it's been well deserved!!!
I dont think Eto will leave, he is a year older, his temperment is suspect so I dont think anyone will want to offer him this year if they didnt last year. And I just think Barca is the perfect team for him.
Alot of Eto's goals have been the result of the teams work and he is an integral part to that team. His work rate cant be matched and his quality, despite missing some sitters lol, is proven time and time again in La Liga.
I dont want him to leave, but if he does, Villa might be a good replacement however he is is not getting any younger. Torres is impossible to get as he is too loyal in my opinion to leave, Benzema is a risk as the French league is dire so he would be untested. The coaches would have a big problem getting a replacement for cheap. A swap deal may be the best option if he is leaving for sure.
The team MUST come first. Deco got too big for his boots. He failed. Ronaldinho did the same. He failed. No one is bigger then FCBarcelona. It is proven. Be careful Eto, even if you are a top class player
interesting ......although i have to say this isn't d'first time this has happened .......i few months ago , there were reports of AC MILAN being interested in signing ETO ....realistically , i think that is the club that would suit him ......although he's fiery character , there's no denying he's the most reliable n' hard working of the BARCA players alongside XAVI , PUYOL ....proper man management is what seems t'be the answer ......ironically , it was the home game against BETIS when we saw ETO come out from the dugout n' shove PEP GUARDIOLA only to hug him immediately afterwards .....it goes to show that we BARCA fans n' coach alike should get used to the LOVE - HATE relationship that ETO so publicly brings .....lets face it , outta the 3 troubled players of last season ...RONALDINHO , DECO , ETO ,,, who would u have wanted t'stay ....ETO ofcourse , cos he brings less theatrics , more commitment , although in a very enigmatic manner ..........whether he stays or not ?? thats another story , if he leaves , which i think he will in the summer , DAVID VILLA should be the replacement like for like ..........
i dont think he can live. because of his debute in the club,and the record he has made for the club and himself. if at all he is leaving which club can he continue his career like barcelona
It would be a great loss if we lose Etoó .I have to agree with most people that David Villa could be the best possible candidate to replace him. Villa is about nine months younger than Etoó.Their stats are almost identical.
Etoó:192 goals in 376 games(51%).In Europe:15 goals in 34 games(44%).
Villa:169 goals in 328 games(52%).In Europe:12 goals in 29 games(41%).
However, when it comes to stats no one can touch Germany's Gerd Muller's mind boggling numbers.These figures include his career in Germany. 398 goals in 453(88%).Europe:66 goals in 74 games(89%).National team:68 goals in 62 games(110%)!!
As far as Benzema and Torres are concerned,I don't think either of them can compare to either Etoó or Villa.Benzema is still young and unproven.League 1 is nowhere at the level of La Liga or the EPL.Torres had a good year last year scoring 33 goals.However,he could only average about 15 goals a season while in La Liga.So what gives? Besides,I would NOT like the embarrasing diving theatrics of Torres anyway !!
ATTN GUYS: Iniesta will be out for 15 days due to a thigh injury during training.
LINK
I said it last year and I will say it again: IT WAS SO STUPID FOR PEP TO COME OUT WITH THE " I am not counting on Eto'o statement". He did not feel respected, still does not feel respected and you I do not blame him at all. I put forth this very "possibility" last year...and boom here we are!!!
As much as I want us to keep him...I wouldn't blame him if he decided to leave. In the end, I think that he will stay because Laporta likes him very much and will likely do everything in his power to keep him.
Guys,
please cut the crap with the Benzema-Villa replacement for Eto'o...neither can replace Eto'o...!!!ridiculous...Benzema? the lad can't even break into France's starting 11...Villa? a player who does not defend!!!bullshit!?
no Eto'o
all hail the best striker in the world and my second fav player in barca, the man obsessed with goals who has to score to live
about the contract issue and previous issues, its really hard for us to make judgements from way over here when we hardly know the real truth,this media outlets are just like having babies giving adults information, they write anything they will. like blaugranaboy said guardiola might have done that to motivate him.
i hope he stays cos he's perfect for us, villa might be a nice replacement but eto's physical presence is a factor that's important to lead a 4-3-3 attack supported by lightweights like iniesta and messi
'It depends on what he wants. He has a contract with us and we want him to continue, but at the club, we love players who are committed. If he is uncomfortable here, then we have no intention of retaining him'Imagine what stuffs can come from this man Laporta in the public say what you like that there is nothing wrong with that but i think it's pathtic
I wish he stays, he's amazing! If he leaves we'll never find a better striker!