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Saturday Ticker: Chelsea to offer record deal to Guardiola, Gerrard at odds with Rodgers policy, and more

BY DAN KARELL

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, known for his lavish spending on the club’s players, as well as his quick trigger-finger when something goes wrong, has made an offer to Pep Guardiola that would make him the richest manager in the world, according to reports in the Spanish publication Marca.

The report states that Abramovich is presenting the former Barcelona man with a three-year contract worth €66 million total, or €22 million a season.

In contrast, Guardiola’s former rival Jose Mourinho gets paid €15.3 million per season at Real Madrid, which is currently the highest managerial salary in the world.

Guardiola announced his intention to return to coaching next season while speaking to reporters in Zurich at the FIFA Ballon D’or award ceremony, but was coy on what destinations he was favoring.

Here are some other stories to get your Saturday started:

GERRARD UP IN ARMS WITH MANAGER’S YOUTH POLICY

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers spoke this week about his desire to focus on developing local talent in the Liverpool youth academy, as opposed to paying massive fees to bring in foreigners.

Today, club captain Steven Gerrard spoke out on Rodgers policy, creating a PR mess for Liverpool, and in the meantime wedging an ocean between the manager and his coach on the field.

Gerrard stated that he didn’t believe it was right to only focus on youth players when there are plenty of talented players available, even if they are approaching or past the age of 30, when most footballers talents begin to decline.

Liverpool last August rejected a chance to acquire American midfielder Clint Dempsey, reportedly because of liabilities about his age.

COLOCCINI REQUESTS TO LEAVE NEWCASTLE

Newcastle look set to lose yet another key cog in their starting XI, as center back Fabricio Coloccini has rocked the club with a request to return to his native Argentina, reportedly for personal reasons.

Rumors of the move have been traveling around the last few weeks, but it seems now more than ever that the 30-year-old is going to leave Tyneside before the end of the January transfer window.

Coloccini has played in 18 matches in all competitions for Newcastle this season, suffering at times with a hamstring injury, as well as a three-match ban for a sending off.

HOSTS ARGENTINA DROP SECOND MATCH IN A ROW IN SOUTH AMERICAN YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP

One of the favorites to hoist the title in the South American Youth Championship have just dug themselves a deep hole.

Argentina, hosting the tournament that features the best U-20 talent in CONMEBOL, lost their second match in a row, this time a 2-1 defeat to Paraguay. Argentina took the lead in the 37th minute with a goal from Luciano Vietto, but two second half goals from Paraguay gave the Guarani a win and sent Argentina to the bottom of their group, with just two games left to play.

Argentina must now beat Bolivia and Colombia, and hope that those two, as well as Paraguay, drop points, or else they will not progress into the final round of the tournament for the first time since 1992, when they were banned from the tournament by FIFA.

QUICK KICKS

Liverpool terminates loan contract of midfielder Nuri Sahin, who returns to former club Borussia Dortmund on 18-month loan from Real Madrid (REPORT)

Lyon is rumored to sell either forward Bafetembi Gomis or his strike partner Lisandro Lopez in a wage-cutting measure. (REPORT)

Arsene Wenger doesn’t earn himself any praise, defending ticket hikes as only way for club to stay competitive. (REPORT)

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What do you think of these reports? Do you see Guardiola actually getting the kind of money Abramovich is offering, regardless of where he goes? Surprised to see Gerrard contradict Rodgers so publicly?

Please leave your comments below

Comments

  1. I hope Pep doesn’t take it. Even if it’s just to make a statement against Abromovich and all he represents. Let’s hope Pep is better than that. He can get any salary he wants at any club with the exception of Man U and funny enough, probably Barce. I bet all others are his for the asking.

    Reply
  2. Guardiola isnt exactly hurting for money, i would think he wants to go somewhere he would have more control than he would at chelsea. smart coaches dont just rush to money constantly, they go to the best situations.

    Reply
      • Yeah, but a couple of bad months there and he’s gone, then he’s damaged his reputation. All of the sudden he’s not as in demand and he has to take a job with Tottenham or the like, no offense to Tottenham but it’s not Barcelona.

      • Or he can live the rest of his life on a villa on his own personal island in the south of France with.

      • Getting sacked at Chelsea doesn’t ruin anyone’s reputation. It’s is expected to happen. Besides as said before, you’d be an idiot to turn down that kind of money for 6 months worth of work. Chelsea manager is the best gig on the planet. There is a reason coaches keep taking Roman’s money. Get rich quick, and keep your reputation by pinning it on crazy Roman? Where do I sign the contract is the only question needed.

      • Damage his reputation? How, exactly? Everyone in the soccer world knows that Abramovich is nuts.

        As a Fulham fan I am not a fan of Chelsea or Spurs (actually they’re probably my two least-favorite teams). But Tottenham is a young team on the rise, Chelsea an old team in decline. Spurs finished two spots ahead of Chelsea in the league last year, and currently trail them by a single point (and both are in Champions League places). Your dismissal of Tottenham simply doesn’t make sense. No team is Barca right now, and only Madrid and ManU come close. Are you saying he should only accept an offer from one of those clubs?

      • But why put up with the stress of dealing with that lunatic when you can cherry pick a job with a stable owner where you can build something great?

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