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Monaco complete record transfer for Rodriguez and Moutinho

JoaoMoutinhoJamesRodriguezPorto (Gazetta)

By DAN KARELL

AS Monaco is serious about competing next season in Ligue.

The recently promoted side finalized the transfer of two of the best midfielders in the world from FC Porto, paying a price of $90.5 million for James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho. Both clubs confirmed the transfer on Friday, which according to Porto is the largest transfer fee in the history of Portuguese soccer.

Rodriguez, 21, and Moutinho, 26, both moved to Porto in 2010 and have helped lead the team to three straight Portuguese league titles. The most recent rumors have Rodriguez’s  fellow countryman Radamel Falcao and Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes also joining Monaco.

What do you make of this move? Do you see Monaco challenging for the Ligue 1 title next season? Do you believe that Monaco is running afoul of Financial Fair Play?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. As a Spurs fan I am soooo disappointed that this happened. Moutinho was the player I wanted most in the squad for next year.

    Reply
    • He didn’t really fit anymore though, unless they got rid of some of their other central attacking midfielder types. Spurs have bigger needs elsewhere.

      Reply
  2. “Do you believe that Monaco is running afoul of Financial Fair Play?”

    I’m all for the free market but that was my immediate thought, initially. However, there’s always ways to circumvent the rule that many “big” clubs are already implementing (Obvious inflation of kit sponsorship’s, selling of practice grounds, etc).

    It’ll be interesting if this collecting of talents is a permanent trend of Monaco (ala Man City) or they go the way of Malaga.

    Reply
    • I could be wrong, but isn’t FFP only an issue for UEFA competitions? So even if they are going to be in violation of FFP (seemingly a guarantee), wouldn’t it only result in possible exclusion from European competitions?

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      • I believe you’re correct, David.

        However, given the money Monaco is likely on course to spend and given they’re (only) in Ligue 1, it’s not hard to project the likelyhood of them entering the CL the following year.

      • That’s true. I think FFP enforcement will be a crock though. The only reason Malaga got hit with a ban IMO is because they aren’t high profile enough for UEFA to need them. Once their Qatari owner stopped pumping money in, they became just another CL team so UEFA wasn’t scared of punishing them within the rules. If Monaco emulate PSG (adding high profile players ala Ibra & Thiago Silva) and win the French league, it would be a big deal for UEFA to take a stand against them, which is why they probably wouldn’t.

        I’d say it’s similar to the way UEFA handled Liverpool finishing 5th in 2005 but getting a special exemption to the next season’s CL. Contrast that to the recent rule change that won’t go into effect until 2015 to allow a 5th team from the same country to qualify for the CL, obviously a reaction to Tottenham finishing 4th but being left out after Chelsea won the final last season. The similarity being that UEFA felt they needed Liverpool at the time, so they made an immediate exemption for them, not just a rule change that didn’t go into effect for 2 more years. If it had been Man Utd (or any other club UEFA feels is invaluable) that had finished 4th last season, rather than Spurs, I think you’d have seen another “special exemption” granted. That’s just how UEFA works.

      • Trust me when I say this, as a life long PSG fan, Platini would LOVE to SLAM PSG with Financial Fair Play as an example. However, the way the club is currently addressing Financial Fair Play is definitely Impressive. Keep in mind that Financial Fair Play is still being phased in, so this is the perfect time to spend lots of money if you have it. Kinda like getting in on the action early.

      • Yeah, I guess my comments were more about UEFA’s mentality in general rather than Platini… They know that the big European clubs hold all the power so they won’t antagonize them. They’re much too scared they would just ditch UEFA and create a European Super League with the biggest teams on the continent. Hell, it was those clubs who wrote FFP as a way of slamming the glass ceiling on any more Chelsea/City/PSG types from joining them at the big boys table. You’re definitely right that it’s now or never to spend like there’s no tomorrow.

    • They’re both top quality and young. For most teams, they probably wouldn’t be worth that price, but for Monaco they probably are because the cost isn’t an issue for them and this increases the possibilities of other top players now taking them seriously.

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      • I get why Monaco did it, if you want to join the ranks of big boys you have to spend and spend big (PSG, city, chelsea). I just am not sure that they are worth that on the market, I don’t think a single other club would have paid that much for them.

      • You can actually make a player better just by paying more. Your billionaire friends will be jealous and the players step up their game. See example 1: Torres, Fernando.

      • HAHAHHAHAHAHH oh andy caroll, if liver pool paid 50 mill for him then they should buy Jozy for like a cool 90 at least

  3. I love this move because Joao and James were my favorite two Porto players and now they get to play in Ligue 1 and hopefully slap PSG around.

    I hate this move because I will no longer want to use FC Porto in FIFA 14.

    Reply
    • Slap around PSG?
      What are you a Marseille supporter?
      Monaco returning to Ligue 1 is GREAT and I’m happy to have them back along with Nantes but one thing you need to know about French Ligue is that few teams get slapped around.
      Teams enjoy collecting wins over the super clubs and just like my PSG last season, it won’t be an easy campaign not to mention that Ligue 1 is ALOT tougher than the Portugese league.

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      • Don’t pay much attention to the French league. With that kind of funding, how did they get relegated in the first place? New owners with deeper pockets?

      • they were bought by a russian businessman after they got relegated, starting this season he is giving them 200m each season to do signings

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