Nobody at the beginning of the 2019/20 season would have predicted that the campaign would last until August 23rd a year later but that was this season in a nutshell. A sweeping pandemic took hold of the world, and well of course you know the rest.
It seems churlish to think that sport was delayed when people were and are dying but football is the game on these pages and as observers and fans this season is something that we hopefully won't have to experience again. It doesn't mean it didn't have its highlights of course but the staggering and delay did nobody any good.
Having said that maybe European football found its answer to the 2 legged game and away goal rule. Many enjoyed the one off knock out system from the quarterfinals and the games genuinely felt like watching World Cup or European Championship football. It was startling tuning in to these games knowing that the winner would take all on the night. Now UEFA has suggested that even a world without covid-19 could still have this new format take place. However was UEFA president Gianni Infantino getting ahead of himself? TV is king remember and the current format on how the competition is played has a contract up until the 2024/25 edition.
Messi going?
The end of season, be it finishes in May or August still means all attention turns to the Emirates Cup and Arsenal. No, on a serious note it means TRANSFER time, and we all love a good transfer story. The 2020 one could well top off all transfer dramas of all time, ever! That's because the one and only Lionel Messi the player who was supposed to end his career at Barcelona has handed in a transfer request. That's right, Barcelona have fallen so low that Messi, perhaps their greatest player ever is leaving.
No matter how you size it up even with Messi recently celebrating his 33rd birthday this is a bombshell. True Messi would have left perhaps in the next 3 years, but he was supposed to either retire at the Nou Camp or get his standing ovation as a legend, a statue planted outside the stadium and perhaps a special one off game against the club of his choosing. The tears were supposed to flow, a montage of the great mans goals shown on the screens and 'we love you' Messi shirts filling the ground before he departed into the sun set to boy hood club Newell's Old Boys. Instead he could be leaving by the back door. His last season ending without any silverware, his last league games without any fans and his final game a haunting, bruising and down right embarassing 8-2 thrashing from Bayern Munich. How football knows how to play your emotions like a Saturday afternoon theme park and then twist the knife in when everything is going wrong.
The English press of course have said that Messi is coming to the Premier League and that the only club he would consider is Manchester City- and let's face it with their money, ambition and Pep Guardiola in charge that makes sense. Messi in the Premier League even at 33 will get everyone excited for the coming season ahead, ok perhaps not Manchester United fans but everyone else.
Messi does remain the favourite to join City and he is odds of 1.91 you can back him at 2.10 to stay at Barcelona. The next club is unsurprisngly PSG but they are priced up at 17.00. Of course Barcelona say that their star player can not leave for nothing. It is stipulated in Messi's contract that he can but the end of the season is usually in May, Barca say he had to tell them then. However maybe someone at Barcelona has not been paying attention to how this season ended. This will roll on and we could have weeks of rumours and talks going back and forth since the window does not close until October 5th.
Transfer Roundup
In other transfer news Chelsea have been busy having secured Timo Werner and Thiago Silva earlier on they have purchased Kai Havertz for £72m from Bayer Leverkusen. Could they be a force next season, it is very possible. Manchester United have bought Donny van de Beek from Ajax for a cool £35m. Arsenal have signed Willian on a free plus Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes for £27m. Everton are closing in on Allan from Napoli and a possible swoop for Real Madrid star James Rodriguez. Manchester City have sold Leroy Sane for £50m to Bayern Munich to balance the books. Tottenham have been quiet and signed Matt Doherty for £14m and Jose Mourinho is set to give Joe Hart yet another Premier League chance by signing the goalkeeper on a free.
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