06 May 2023 11:54:49
Seeing the rumoured wages Bellingham is going to get at Madrid it's no wonder we walked away. £384k a week for a 19 year old? Absolutely bonkers. That's £120m in wages across the 6 year deal.

Salah had to break every record going for us and finish top scorer 5 seasons in a row, to still earn less than that in his prime. The games going mad. I would imagine that if we sign our two main targets, Mount and MacAllister, their combined salaries will be less than Jude's alone. Their combined transfer fees will probably be similar too just Jude's as well.

Just absolute insanity. So much for him be grounded and wanting to play for us. It was always going to be about the money.

1.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 12:08:27
He would have accepted less if we would have been willing to match Dortmund's asking price. Otherwise Liverpool would never have been in the conversation.

2.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 12:13:00
Maybe the FSG-Outters should take a seat on this one.

3.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 12:27:26
MK I think the “rumoured” part doesn’t guarantee that he would get those wages at Real but let’s be honest it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was going to get paid along those lines.

We chased the lad for 2 years and even we as fans new the price would be over 100 mill and it would take big wages.

The only ones who didn’t see it were the club and Stevie Wonder.

4.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 12:35:10
Sorry but you’ve no idea about Bellinghams personality, if he’s grounded or not. He is a generational talent apparently so why would he not be looking top dollar. Salah certainly wasn’t when he signed. I’m pretty certain Liverpool and Klopp would have had a fair idea what the would need to pay him.
Saying that I was never one clambering for his signature. As you say his fee and wages are enough for potentially 2 players and I think we certainly need more than one but let’s not character assassinate him because he isn’t coming, for all I know he could be a decent bloke or he could be a knob ?‍♂️?.

5.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 13:32:00
£384,000 a week for a 19 year old. Bizarre.
Is he really that good?
Or,
Potentially that good?
I would have liked to see Bellingham at Anfield. Only super rich oil states can afford that. A great squad with excellent team work is more important. Being man marked by a fast top defender can negate effectiveness.

6.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 13:35:51
Wouldn't exactly call "so much for him being grounded and wanting to play for us" character assassination but by all means roll out the over reaction ? you can by all means disagree but don't make a mountain out of a mole hill to try and discredit my opinion. I'm sure he's a nice bloke but it's evident he doesn't really want to play for us or he'd refuse to ho anywhere else or run down his contract. So ultimately it is about money and/ or winning trophies. At no point did i say that makes him a bad person or that i wouldn't do the same in his situation.

7.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 13:38:45
I do agree with your last few lines though btw Irish Rover ??.

8.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 13:55:43
He’s a professional footballer! Why would he sell himself short? Is it up to him to reduce his demands to make him affordable, maybe Dortmund should knock £50 million of the asking price ?, that would help? And one thing you’re missing in all this is that Liverpool never got to negotiate wages because they couldn’t afford the transfer fee. Maybe Jude might have signed for £100, 000 a week ?.

9.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 14:19:14
Dont think madrid have agreed a fee either Irish.

10.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 14:24:49
Rather pay Bellingham 380,000 than Mount 200,000.
Rather pay bellingham that than have been wasting the money we've been paying keita, ox and mello this season.

11.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 14:30:01
MKS, we don't really know if that was the reason we walked away. I think we were never going to pay that feed to begin with cos BVB were not willing to sell cos they did not need to except if a blow away fee was met and Madrid met it. We didn't or couldn't. The end.

As for wages and all that, I tae the mind set of players being able to get what they can get if the club is willing to give it to them. It is what it is.

12.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 14:34:33
To be fair Irish, i don't think that's how it works in the real world. I know on video games you have to agree a fee first then wages, but i think in real life for a lot of transfers they spend a good while getting an idea on personal terms through talks with the agent, long before even negotiating the final fee. The amount of times i've read that personal terms are agreed but the move broke down due to the clubs failing to agree a fee, i'm certain the video games aren't quite reality.

13.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 14:40:07
Good to see we have so many psychic interpreters on the site who can divine Bellingham's intentions. The will probably come in useful for the next couple of transfer windows.

14.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 14:45:56
Jude, I’m sure they haven’t, I never said they did tho but I think it’s fair to say at this stage that Liverpool can’t afford the transfer fee and without that we will never know what his wages at Liverpool might have been. Maybe they might have been slightly less because it’s Liverpool ?‍♂️. Which would have been very nice of him ?.

15.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 14:49:08
We were his first choice but FSG won’t pay the money it’s as plain and simple as that.

16.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 15:12:52
Lots of comments here seem to be people stating 'facts' as opposed to the reality of 'none of us really knows what has or hasn't happened' in relation to Bellingham.

17.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 15:29:39
So because you’ve seen a newspaper article MK, are you assuming Liverpool pulled the plug because of his “supposed” wage demands or the transfer fee, maybe both? I’m confused! I can only guess you think it was because of his wages because you now know his wages are £380k a week and clearly he is signing for Madrid because Liverpool won’t agree to them, hence your “not grounded’ quote?

Was never much of a video gamer myself. I prefer the fresh air, keeps the head clear ?.

18.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 15:31:49
Didn't Madrid recently come out and say they weren't signing him and were puling out of the race? And didn't Liverpool also come out and say the same? Nothing is public knowledge yet and is just speculation. I do know that if i was a footballer who was also a die hard LFC fan, and both LFC and Madrid were looking to sign me, with Madrid offering much more, i would sign for LFC no question.

19.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 15:31:58
I think people are missing a massive point here no one has ever been on record saying he wanted to play for Liverpool . He’s a Liverpool fan and so are his family apparently.
Play in Spain on more money
Or in England for less

Come on lads it’s a job to these people and they are going to pick the employer and surroundings that reward them the most .

As would 99.9% of people

Don’t start slagging the lad off for picking a better option if that’s who he picks good luck to him .

Genuinely seems a good lad Bellingham from what I’ve seen and because he’s not going to be a red doesn’t make me not like him . I’d just like him more if he was a red that’s the difference.

20.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 15:39:33
If Bellingham was a 'money man' he wouldn't have signed a contract with Birmingham at start of his pro career. He signed for Birmingham to ensure they got a large fee ( £26m I think) which in turn kept Birmingham afloat. He could've v well refused the contract and moved on to a big club and pocketed the transfer fee r part of it for himself. Like many young lads have.

21.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 15:39:50
But if Madrid have apparently agreed wages does that not imply that they can afford the fee? Even though it seems there not willing to pay the €150m that was supposed to be the fee Dortmund wanted either?

22.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 15:47:19
The point is that his agent will get whatever the going rate for a “generational talent” is. Hasland is on similar wages albeit a massive 2 years older, Mbappe is on god knows what a week and has been for a fair while. For the life of me I don’t understand how that makes a player grounded or not ?‍♂️. If he’s as good as most people think then it will be value for money for Madrid.

23.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 16:19:02
Yes and No. I think it's outrageous that a 19 year old is being offered such a salary; if all these rumours are true. But then an offer is what someone is willing to pay. Casemiro is on 350K per week, Iniesta is on 400K per week (Japan), Alaba is on 400k per week and Neymar is on 950K per week. It's all madness, but then it's not my money and I have no say in the matter.

No, Bellingham has every right to seek out and secure the best financial deal for himself. We all search for financial security; why should he be different? He has a 10-15 year career and if he's smart then he'll make the most financial games out from it. I don't get this mumbo jumbo about being a fan of the club and therefore having an allegiance that makes you sacrifice your financial security. The day you announce yourself to be a "professional footballer" it becomes clear that that is where you make your living and livelihood. And if you're smart you'll make as much money as is possible given your set of football skills and luck; given the short timeline you have for a career. Being a fan pays you nothing. Save it for the weekends.

{Ed077's Note - I know that's not the point of the post but I read that Casemiro was on 300k a week.

Bellingham is going to move for something like 100m or more so no wonder the salary is going to be huge as well.

24.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 16:39:37
Irish, Mbappe is on 1.6 Million per week. Do you know a word beyond obscene, because I can't think of one?

{Ed077's Note - no he's not. It is huge, what Mbappe, and many others at PSG tbh, is getting paid but not exactly 1.6m a week for KM from what I read (I could be wrong)

25.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 16:44:32
What happened to the club being sold/ investment arriving in time to allow the JB deal to happen? After two years courting the player, and many ex-players saying that its happening, how did we end up here?

I.

26.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 17:07:23
Hi Ed 077. I got those figures online from a site called radiotimes. No idea who they are but it was the first site google spit out, on my search for "highest paid footballers in the World". They even said these salaries (that I quoted) did not include bonuses. I know there are people who know the real numbers, but I guess it won't be you or me; I certainly have no way of knowing.

{Ed077's Note - if you ever listened to the podcast then you would know that I never get things wrong, NEVER?

27.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 18:04:19
So if FSG had bought Bellingham, Gvardiol and Caceido, as many on here wanted, for around £300M combined, FSG would also have to spend another £200M+ of their wages over a six year contract, so a cool half a billion pounds on three players!

28.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 19:42:23
Dont know what the outrage is, Bellingham was never going to be going ANYWHERE this summer for less than 300k a week including LFC.

29.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 20:02:06
Two things - first, does anybody have any specific documentary evidence that is actual fact rather than opinion, guesswork or speculation about any of the numbers being chucked around?

Second - and this is the big one - ‘should have’, ‘could have’, ‘if only’ and the resultant recriminations and apportioning blame based on uninformed opinion aren’t going to change anything. The good ship Bellingham has sailed lads, wave farewell, dry your eyes and move on.

Let’s focus on who we have and what they are doing until the end of the season (71 pts and all that - you have to admit it’s getting a bit exciting with 6 wins on the bounce) and then see what happens in July.

30.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 20:24:19
Lots of replies and to be honest I can't be bothered to get to them all individually with any detail ? i'll summarise!

1. I don't think Bellingham is a bad person at all, but we have heard a lot how he would pick Liverpool over clubs that pay more because he is "grounded"
2. Yes it is my opinion that money has played a part in his decision, not fact (I never said it was fact? )
3. Yes i think this proves he didn't want to play for us THAT much. Players hold all the power now
4. I'm not outraged. I honestly couldn't care less. It's a good move for him and if we get MacAllister ?? i think he greatly improves our team anyway
5. I'm not saying Jude's not worth that salary in football context (i just think it would have caused problems down the line for us when negotiating new deals for the current players and for example Trent starts asking for mega bucks too)
6. I also wouldn't want to pay Mount £200k a week (his forms been awful for a full year and he's just had hip surgery)
7. No i don't know if it is definitely £384k hence why i wrote "rumoured" in the OP. Is it really that unbelievable? Either way i think that kind of money should be reserved for player with minimum 5 years of evidence they're world class and multiple winners medals
8. I don't think he can be called a generational talent (he's had 2 good seasons and has won 1 German League Cup) . Messi and Ronaldo are the only generational talents i've seen in my life. Haaland might be knocking on the door. Modric and Maldini are maybes.

Think that covers it all. I did enjoy reading the discussion though. Was mostly civil and lots of good points ??.

31.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 20:33:38
All that from a rumour about a player's supposed wage demands.

32.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 20:39:31
Move on.

33.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 20:46:14
I listen to the podcast a lot but I can neither confirm nor deny that Ed77 is never wrong, lol.

34.) 06 May 2023
06 May 2023 22:16:54
@Flash, we’re talking master class over thinking here mate.

In the background the club has won 6 on the bounce and, apparently, Mac Alister is very close to signing. The last I heard was that Ward was searching the drawers in his office for a pen.

35.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 01:02:34
Flash, read the website link. "Rumours" is the key word. I'm discussing a rumour which I'm pretty sure is the literal purpose of this page. I did not state anything as fact.

There's no overthinking here and obviously this isn't just from a rumoured salary. The saga has been going on for well over a year. What is a fact, is that Liverpool were priced out of a move and the player did have the power to engineer his departure in such a way that the move to Liverpool still happened (by either running down his contract, handing in a request, refusing to go elsewhere or simply reducing his demands) . He clearly didn't do any that. That doesn't make him a bad person and I never said it did. In his situation I would literally have done the same. He's not a Liverpool fan and he'll go and pick up more money and trophies at Madrid. This shouldn't come as a shock. Ed002 was clear for months that Madrid were best placed.

The last few lines of my post were a tongue in cheek comment aimed towards all the people who kept acting like we'd still sign him because he wanted to come here. Bellingham never even said he wanted to. I have nothing against him. He's just a kid taking advantage of fools with too much money.

36.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 01:55:48
What do people mean when they say FSG didn’t know the costs involved with Bellingham?

Are you seriously suggesting that FSG thought they’d be getting a bargain?

Some of the critique towards FSG is a bit of a head scratcher.

37.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 08:17:03
Bellingham is clearly a very talented footballer but he’s not coming here so I’m really not interested in what wages he’ll get.
I’m only interested in who we sign and I’m hoping it’s Mac Alister plus one.
Anyway, come on West Ham today.

38.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 11:10:28
Faith, you must be new here. Haven't you heard that everything wrong with the club is FSG's fault and everything right with the Klopp is to Jurgen Klopp's credit? That's how football (and probably life in general) can be binary to certain people.

39.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 13:44:54
Well we agree on the Rumours part MK ?.

40.) 07 May 2023
07 May 2023 15:51:29
I learnt the phrase "twisted knickers" here, from this website. Seems like there's a lot of them on today. Lol. ??.