Let's just be clear here: If we wind up with Alba and Suarez fucking up our plays for yet another season, there will be only one man to blame, and it isn't Koeman or Bartomeu.

You do not survive at a superclub playing as fucking appallingly as those two do without major support from a key man. Koeman has already backed Griezmann for the centre, Bartomeu has declared everyone over 30 and not named Messi for sale.

And that just leaves Messi himself.

No-one else has that kind of power, because no-one wants to be the coach or chairman who didn't manage to keep Messi.

This then raises the question of which is better: A Barcelona with Suarez and Alba alongside Messi, or a Barcelona without any of them.

Obviously the best of all worlds would be Alba and Suarez gone, with Messi staying, but if that can't happen then the first should not either.

You can't completely fuck up the centre of your attack and one whole side of your defence in order to appease one star player, no matter how good he is. If he won't stay without them then all three should go.

Somewhere along the way, a lot of people lost sight of how football works and bought into the lie that without Messi there is no Barcelona. Well, I've seen Barca win a double the season after losing Ronaldo, and a treble the season after losing Ronaldinho.

I've also seen Barcelona blow a lead at the top of the table this season, crash out of the cup and suffer an historic humiliation in the Champions League, all with Messi (plus Alba and Suarez) on the pitch.

It's not fair to expect him to win titles by himself, but it also isn't fair to expect the club to pay half a million a week to his two best friends, all while they're fucking up the team, to keep him 'happy'.

Here's the funny part though: In the event of Suarez and Albe being forced out, Messi can insist upon leaving if he wants. However, he still won't get to play with them again elsewhere, because no superclub would ever consider signing those two, even with Messi attached.

Obviously I get the Messi FC brainlets in my mentions, saying I'm falling for some big board conspiracy. Oh yeah, makes absolute sense. I mean, we can see all the superhuman 4D chess moves those guys pull off, amirite?

Messi is one of about five players who they immediately came out and ruled 'not for sale', because NO BARCELONA PRESIDENT WANTS TO GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS THE ONE WHO LOST LIONEL MESSI. They rightly want Suarez and Alba gone (at least three years too late).

And both my ideal and theirs is that Messi stays after they go. My point is that if those two are still around next season, it will only be because the board were too afraid of upsetting/losing Messi. And the whole club, including Messi himself, will suffer for that.

I've been following this club since 1998. I saw Messi's debut and everything since. I love the guy, but not at all costs. The club must always come first and he needs to fit in with that.