Monaco are doing it big.
No surprise there, guys.
Today the mega-rich club from the Principality of Monaco announced they’ve signed FC Porto stars Joao Moutinho and James Rodriguez in a deal worth $90 million.
$90 million for just two players. They have just won promotion from the second-tier in French soccer.
I truly believe manager Claudio Ranieri when he was quoted as saying this earlier this morning, “Monaco will become the new Chelsea. The president wants to do big things here. We won Ligue 2 and our goal now is to finish third in the top flight to qualify for the Champions League.”
Fair enough Claudio put your money where your mouth.... oh wait, you’ve already done that. Carry on.
And Monaco will certainly do that, and then some.
Already linked with a huge bid for Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao, Monaco will be chasing every top player in Europe as they aim to get back into European soccer’s elite.
But just how will they do all this under the new Financial Fair Play Act? I have no idea.
(More: Falcao and the specter of AS Monaco)
Their stadium, Stade Louis II, is perhaps one of the most iconic in Europe. Incredible, considering it only holds 18,523.
That’s right, it is that small. How they are going to balance the books for a charge to the Champions League trophy with miniscule budgets coming from attendances? I don’t know. But Monaco have already rallied to reach the Champions League final in 2004 where, ironically, they lost to FC Porto.
They have won titles and cups in France, but their last was over 13 years ago. Now they are aiming to win everything with owner Dmitry Rybolovlev’s billions bankrolling their success, as they aim to challenge Paris Saint-Germain for the Ligue 1 title.
Falcao, Jackson Martínez, and Victor Valdes have all been linked with a move to the tax-free haven and so will plenty of others.
This summer, every day a new rumor surrounding a player going to Monaco will crop up. Whether or not they do challenge Europe’s elite for the biggest titles, it seems as if they’re going to have a really good go at it.
It seems as if Monaco will try to throw money at every player for years to come.
Well, at least until the money dries up or Rybolovlev gets bored. But that hasn’t happened at Chelsea, yet. So until then, let’s sit back and enjoy the ride.
