Let's also remember that: Barcelona doesn't have the funds, Madrid is going to get Mbappe, Bayern has a tight wage structure (as does Liverpool) and if Haaland is smart (and I think he is) he wouldn't have even talked to PSG.

If you really look at it, Haaland didn't have a lot of options.

Manchester United is a bit of a dumpster fire right now. Juve would have been interesting. But they took Vlahovic (who knows whether there was serious consideration re Haaland on either side).

The only real wild card was whether Mbappe took a u-turn and stayed with PSG. Things definitely would have gotten interesting in the market.

like that. Their league is increasingly uncompetitive in Europe.

I don't think there was any chance of him playing in Ligue 1.

Juve had been in the top 5 of coefficient for several years until last. And again, City weren't in the top 5 until last year. City was probably the easy choice. But if you take away that option, Juve is probably in the conversation. The premier league is just so competitive. There's an argument for taking the guaranteed chance for Champions League versus grinding it out in England.

Serie A is falling behind in the television revenue game by a significant margin. I think that is why Juve was such a proponent of the super league.

Last season Juve pocket 62 million in tv revenue while Shefield United who finished dead last in the Premier League pocketed 105 million.

There's no doubt that EPL is receiving a disproportionate amount of TV revenue. But I do think there are considerations to offset the advantages.

First, it seems that most clubs in the world look for a premium when selling to EPL clubs. The market adjusted some during the height of the pandemic, but transfer fees are certainly inflated (100M for Grealish!).

Speaking of Grealish, English football certainly makes things harder for themselves. The premium on homegrown players is ridiculous. Plus you have a crazy domestic schedule with multiple cup competitions that require the big clubs to have much deeper rosters. While Madrid are coasting to the UCL final, Liverpool and City are about to be held together by duct tape at this point. Plus, wouldn't players rather be resting on a beach during Christmas and New Years?

Finally, there's the race for top four. Last year Chelsea were strong enough to win Champions League, but almost dropped out of top four. They might have money to sign a Haaland, but does he want to risk missing out on Champions League. Juve can all but guarantee Champions League (and the $$ bonus they receive) without the grueling schedule.

Think about it...if you're Bruno Fernandez, would you rather be at Juve or ManU right now?

Yes Juve is pretty much guaranteed Champions League but do they have a shot to win? I think elite athletes want a genuine shot to win it. The Italian league really feels like it is a class below La Liga and the Premier League. I thought Inter was shocking against Liverpool. They looked old and slow. Juve will have to demonstrate that they still can compete.

"Plus, wouldn't players rather be resting on a beach during Christmas and New Years?" I think it depends on the player. Paul Pogba probably rather be on the beach, but I think Kevin De Bruyne likes the competition.

I agree that some of the financial advantage is taken away by having to pay crazy premiums for English players. That said 180 versus 62 million is a pretty big gap.

"if you're Bruno Fernandez, would you rather be at Juve or ManU right now?"

The correct answer is I rather be anywhere else than at the swamp.

There's more money in the SEC. The best teams are in the SEC. College football is haves vs. the have nots. The SEC have everything right now. And there are 2-3 teams that dominate the SEC and essentially college football.

Lots of elite players will jump on the bandwagon. Other conferences like the Big 10 and Pac 10 are trying to keep up. They are a step behind of course. Then there's the ACC which sucks. But if you go to Clemson you're almost guaranteed a shot at the national championship.

That's how I see it anyway.

Not sure if that is what you are referring to?

That includes transfer fee, bonuses, and agency fees