The Gago Saga

This transfer window has seen Valencia, once again, at the center of drawn out and painful transfer saga. Seemingly, this is becoming a habit for Valencia. This time last season it was Ever Banega who was on the chopping block, in his case for disciplinary reasons. The season before that it was moves of Mata, Isco, and Joaquin that frustrated VCF fans, and who could forget the 2010 offseason that saw two of the best players in Valencia history depart the club: David Villa and David Silva. For the third season in a row it would appear that Valencia fans will have to suffer through the painful media speculation and frustrating silence from the club as yet another star is tipped to leave the club. In this case it is Fernando Gago who finds himself the focus of the transfer speculation.

 

Gago only arrived over the summer, but already the media is suggesting he is looking for a way out of the club. His sporadic playing time and poor performances have the media, who maintain that Gago is a quality player, saying that if he is playing this bad and this inconsistently it must be because he is on the outs with the Valencia management. Only a week ago the buzz was that Gago requested he be yielded to Boca Juniors, where he started his career in Argentina. While Boca confirmed the rumors, both Gago and Valencia denied them, with Gago stating that at this point in his career moving back to Argentina would be a step down, and Valencia maintaining that Gago is an important part of the first team and would not be yielded. Soon after Valencia and Gago’s statements, Boca retracted their original statement and changed their tune to having made an offer to the club that was rejected; that the player’s valuation was too high for them. But just as Valencia fans may have been breathing easy, a new rumor has reared its ugly head. Now both the Italian and Spanish media are reporting that Inter are looking to Gago for a season loan with an option to buy. The question now is does the club really want to yield Gago? Manager Ernesto Valverde announced at the start of the transfer window that Valencia was closed for business, stating that the club would not be making any new acquisition or sales. Valencia president Manuel Llorente and Gago’s earlier statements in regard to the Boca transfer are reassuring, but Inter can be viewed as a step up for Gago’s career and if Gago is truly unhappy at Valencia then he may be looking for an exit sooner rather than later. Many in the media are pointing to the fact that in Tuesday’s match against Real Madrid Gago’s name didn’t appear on the team sheet. Whether it was a technical decision or not, it is expected that any player in the first team not called to play would watch from the stands as moral support and a sign of solidarity in the dressing room. Gago was reported to have missed the game; a sign to many of his displeasure with the club. It was a widely known fact that Gago was very close to ex-coach Mauricio Pellegrino and that he, in particular, took his departure to heart. Rumors are buzzing that the player is fed up with inconsistent playing time and the club’s attitude towards him. Perhaps not being selected for the game against Real Madrid was the final straw.

Despite all these rumors, however, there is cause to be positive about the Gago situation. As with Banega, transfer rumors that arise from disciplinary issues tend to be over exaggerated. With Banega, his inability to get in shape, his lackadaisical attitude towards practice, his work-rate in games, his love of junk food, and his Facebook faux-pas where he put as his profile picture a photo of him in a Real Madrid jersey had the media swarming over his possible departure. Back then rumors were flying of his return to Argentina, a stint in England or Italy, and, of course, a possible move to Real Madrid. Yet, out of all the marquee names to leave Valencia over the last three years, only Banega has remained. Why? Because he wasn’t worth selling. Valencia got astronomical value from the sales of Villa, Silva, Mata, and Joaquin. The loss of Isco was more due to a young player wanting to return to his hometown, and had Isco not been so incredibly gifted, no one really would have paid attention to his transfer.  Banega, on the other hand, would have brought in a pretty penny, but the young playmaker is simply worth more on the pitch. In the end the rumors turned out to be false, Banega cleaned up his act, is now one of the premier playmakers in La Liga, and, most importantly, is still a Valencia player. How does this apply to Gago, you might ask. Simply put, his price tag: 3.5 million Euros. The Italian media is reporting that Inter is only looking at Gago because Coutinho is too expensive and are not willing to pay more much more than 3.5 million Euros. Gago was signed for 3.5 million from Real Madrid, who signed him from Boca Juniors for just over 20 million Euros. This depreciation in value is expected as players age or don’t perform as expected, but Gago is certainly worth more than 3.5 million, and Valencia know that. Boca claimed they couldn’t afford Gago, and Llorente acknowledged a transfer offer was made and rejected. Boca can certainly afford that price tag, especially for a player the caliber of Gago, but Valencia had to have been looking for a higher price. Sources say Inter is looking for a loan with an option to buy, but if they can’t put up a large enough offer then Valencia will most likely not accept the deal.

The simple truth is that Gago is worth more on the pitch than he is on the market, so, barring a surprise mega-offer, Valencia will not be selling. Whether or not Gago is happy at Valencia is another story. He very well could be at odds with the management, especially considering Valencia is considering a fine for his no-show at the Real Madrid game. This could all be a phase, being that Gago was always treated like royalty at successful clubs, having gone from Boca to Real Madrid to Roma. Now he is at a club that demands he earn his place in the squad against players he might perceive as beneath him. He is also at a club that is currently struggling, something he has yet to experience. These disciplinary problems might all just be a part of a learning curb for Gago, as a move to a big club in Europe was for Banega. The club is being strict with Gago, but hopefully Banega can tell him from experience that it will turn him into a better player, and if he sticks it out with the club he will find the success he craves.  Hopefully Valencia won’t yield the player and, hopefully, Gago will get over whatever issue he is struggling and will get back to playing football. Amunt!

written by David Wall