SUMMER’S HERE
With no actual football to report on but plenty of sports pages to fill, the commendable endurance of one high-profile party-animal has served as useful fodder for sports editors in recent days. But even a man with such heroic levels of stamina has to get his downtime at some point, so chapeau to Kylian Mbappé for helping to fill the resulting void. The Paris Saint-Germain striker has enjoyed a fruitful if somewhat fractious relationship with the French champions in recent years and has never been slow in voicing his displeasure if he feels his employers are not treating him with due deference.
Around two months ago, the 24-year-old sent his rattle sailing out of the pram in a parabolic arc, upon deciding he had been gulled into starring in a video sent by PSG to their fans encouraging them to renew their season tickets. “At no time was I informed of the content of the interview with my interlocutor,” he moaned, having watched the clip in which he extolled the virtues of the club and its fans. “It looked like a basic interview at a club marketing day. I disagree with this posted video. That’s why I fight for individual image rights. PSG is a big club and a big family, but it is certainly not Kylian Saint-Germain. Cordially.” On Monday, Mbappé entered into more correspondence, informing his employer, Nasser al-Khelaifi, in writing that he would not be taking up the offer of an extension to his contract, which is due to expire in a little over 12 months’ time. His decision leaves PSG in something of a pickle over what to do with one of their more high-maintenance players; sell him this summer or keep him on board before being forced to release him for free.
His missive, the contents of which were reportedly leaked to a newspaper before it was pushed through the letterbox of PSG Towers, is believed to have caught the club hierarchy by surprise as they believed negotiations over a new deal were going well. Having spent the thick end of £400m on Mbappé in wages, transfer and sign-on fees since he joined from Monaco in 2017, they will be understandably reluctant to let him leave the club for nowt. Without agitating for a move, the player and his “people” have once again successfully agitated for a move, and it seems it will take more than a word in his shell-like from French president Emmanuel Macron to stop him high-tailing it elsewhere.
While Real Madrid seems like his most likely destination, given his previous attempts to join them before performing last-minute presidentially-prompted U-turns, Mbappé has now posted angrily on Social Media Disgrace Twitter by way of reply to a story from Le Parisien, which claimed he wants to join the Spaniards. “LIES … at the same time, the bigger it is, the more it passes,” he tooted. “I have already said that I will continue next season at PSG where I am very happy.” Having seemingly forced his employers over a barrel by ensuring it is they, rather than he, who will incur the wrath of fans if he is sold, Mbappé can now look forward to moving elsewhere or being offered an even more lucrative new deal to stay in Paris. It’s a saga that’s likely to run and run, and Football Daily will be huffing and puffing along every step of the way, even if we’d rather be out with a certain City midfielder.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“If he is playing in League Two and scoring goals, then we will look and consider him. But there is a massive gap from where he’s been up to League Two. If he keeps scoring goals as he goes up the levels he’ll prove himself” – Rob Page on why he is yet to call up Wrexham’s Paul Mullin for Wales. That’s Paul Mullin, 2020-21 League Two golden boot winner with Cambridge – whose 69 career goals in the fourth tier put him in the division’s top 20 scorers this century.
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FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
Re: Soccer School tales (yesterday’s Memory Lane, full email edition). Back in the Glory Days of Leeds United (1971, if I remember correctly), the Yorkshire Evening Post ran a competition for youngsters to win a training session with Jack Charlton and Eddie Gray. The pair ran two sessions, morning and afternoon, and I was thrilled to win a place on the latter. Fifty-plus years on, I still treasure that experience (I’m the mop-top behind No 8)” – Bernie Baldwin.
I have two tales, both from the (pre-Sir) Bobby Charlton soccer school. Charlton took a shot at the poor nine-year-old in goal to show how hard he could (even then) hit a football. The goalkeeper’s shorts didn’t stay white for long. And then one of the kids there asked Jimmy Sirrel how many times he played for England” – Alan Bull.
Re: yesterday’s Memory Lane and Martin Peters teaching kids at the holiday club. I think that is probably because he had finally found his managerial level, having just relegated Sheffield United to the fourth tier for the first and only time” – (still bitter) John Marshall.
Most fans, except those of Norwich City, forget that we signed Peters from Spurs for an absolute bargain fee – arguably the best value, pound-for-pound, that the top flight of English football has seen. Is that where the ‘Spursy’ adjective originated? He wasn’t good enough for them at that time, but made an unbelievable 207 appearances for Norwich between 1975 and 1980 when we were as established in the top division as we’ve ever been. Undoubtedly, had he been playing for a more fashionable club, he would have played many more times for England, and may well have helped them qualify for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. A true legend and gentleman” – John Scent.
Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our letter o’ the day is … Alan Bull, who wins a copy of Inverting the Pyramid, the 15th anniversary edition, by Jonathan Wilson. We’ve one more to give away, so get typing.
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