Schneiderlin confirms Southampton reneged on agreement
Morgan Schneiderlin has been speaking to French Football about his desire to leave Southampton and confirmed that he informed the club he wanted to leave in February.
He has previously spoken about Southampton reneging on an agreement he had when he signed his last contract, inferring that he wouldn't have signed it if the promise they made him wasn't going to be honoured. The club merely said that was the previous chairman and obviously angered Schneiderlin.
It is inconceivable that discussions in February and March did not cover this ground and that Southampton did not tell him, at that point, he could not leave, so clearly they didn't. There have been suggestions that a deal was agreed in principle before the World Cup but that after the World Cup the price had suddenly shot up.
Considering the club had instructed him they are not selling him despite telling him they would, he had little choice but to try and build bridges. As he says he knew the officials would not let him leave. At least now he has a manager with higher standards that the moronic supporters chanting at White Hart Lane or the club hierarchy.
Well because they are not good enough Morgan, they don't have the budget that is required to finish in the top four but I understand the public relations speak for the fans. Football is about money, it dictates finishing positions, Southampton and Swansea won't be near the top four at the end of the season, their wage bill says so. Some fans won't like that but that's the harsh realities of football today, money is everything.
Not signing him has allowed Ryan Mason to force his way into the side which could well save us millions and whether Benjamin Stambouli has been signed to play that role as well is unclear at this stage. He seems at the moment to more employed as a holding midfielder rather than a box-to-box holding midfield player.
He has previously spoken about Southampton reneging on an agreement he had when he signed his last contract, inferring that he wouldn't have signed it if the promise they made him wasn't going to be honoured. The club merely said that was the previous chairman and obviously angered Schneiderlin.
It is inconceivable that discussions in February and March did not cover this ground and that Southampton did not tell him, at that point, he could not leave, so clearly they didn't. There have been suggestions that a deal was agreed in principle before the World Cup but that after the World Cup the price had suddenly shot up.
"There was interest from clubs – three clubs and Tottenham were among them. Since February/March, my agents and I had talked with Southampton about a possible departure. The club always told me they would sell for the right price.
“My agents and I went to that meeting on July 29 in a peaceful state of mind, with exciting propositions. To me, with my six years at Southampton and everything I had given to the club, everything should have been sorted that day.
“I told them I signed for a project that was supposed to keep the best elements in order to go higher. Before that meeting, (Adam) Lallana, (Dejan) Lovren, (Rickie) Lambert, Luke Shaw and (Calum) Chambers all left. I said to myself: ‘This is not the same situation, this is not possible. What are they doing?’ At that moment, Southampton hadn’t signed anyone.
“Chambers signed for Arsenal the day before our meeting and the club saw the fans getting mad. They thought: ‘If Morgan leaves the stadium will be burnt’. So they told us: ‘Morgan is not for sale, we won’t listen to anything. That is the decision and there is nothing more to say’.
“It was a real shock to me. Of course I was angry. I thought: ‘I just played in the World Cup after two good seasons in the Premier League. I never say anything, but I can’t stay in a team that plays for survival. I need to reach a new level’. So I told them: ‘You don’t respect me and you don’t respect your words, you treat me like cattle’. They defended their interests and I defended mine.
“After I refused to play the friendly against Leverkusen on August 9, the chairman came to speak to me and let me have the weekend to think about things.
“I talked to a lot of people. Some told me to go on strike, that the club will finally give up. My agents never said that, they just told me to make a decision.
“I felt that the officials wouldn’t let me leave, that they would rather leave me on the sidelines for six months. So I resumed training because I really needed to play football again.
“I played against Liverpool at Anfield and all the Southampton fans applauded me and chanted my name. It was so heart-warming. I knew then I would spend the whole season at Southampton."
Considering the club had instructed him they are not selling him despite telling him they would, he had little choice but to try and build bridges. As he says he knew the officials would not let him leave. At least now he has a manager with higher standards that the moronic supporters chanting at White Hart Lane or the club hierarchy.
“Maybe now we will achieve something amazing here. Champions League qualification would be fantastic. I hope to play in the Champions League one day, of course. I want to play every three days. But why not play in the Champions League with Southampton?”
Well because they are not good enough Morgan, they don't have the budget that is required to finish in the top four but I understand the public relations speak for the fans. Football is about money, it dictates finishing positions, Southampton and Swansea won't be near the top four at the end of the season, their wage bill says so. Some fans won't like that but that's the harsh realities of football today, money is everything.
Not signing him has allowed Ryan Mason to force his way into the side which could well save us millions and whether Benjamin Stambouli has been signed to play that role as well is unclear at this stage. He seems at the moment to more employed as a holding midfielder rather than a box-to-box holding midfield player.
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