It's Quiet 32 - enter at own risk

ninjamonkey said:
Spot on. Whenever a team wins the league, their fans don’t see the need for much improvement and why would they when they’ve just proven to be the best team in the league, twice in a row in our case, but if you stand still, you get caught and overtaken relatively quickly.

In two years time we could very possibly be without silva Kompany Fernandinho Aguero and indeed Pep, that’s our entire core If were not thinking ahead now, it’s going to be a very costly, busy and volatile period that will take some time to transition through.
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Stones 25, Laporte 25, Bernardo Silva 24, Leroy Sané 23, Gabriel Jesus 22, Mendy 24, Ederson 25, that's 7 players 25 & under.

KDB has at least 4 or 5 years at the very top. Most of the older players have several years left & we have some great kids coming through. Mahrez only started to settle in at the end of the season. He should be much better next season & has several years left along with Walker.

We are set up nicely, to just bring in one or two players each season.

Fern & Sergio are the most difficult ones to replace.
 
Larry Stranger said:
In a sense I do tend to agree with you. We do need good players, but we have to be realistic and know it's hard to compete with the likes of Real and Barca at times even if you throw money at players. The thing is that nobody is close to Pep on a managerial level. However, I think it will be equally important to hire a manager who follows the same philosophy (Cruyff, Ajax, Barca mold) like Erik Ten Hag for example. Bayern hired Ancelotti after Pep and it didn't work out. Now with Kovač they are a question mark. You don't see the same philosophy and are going to have to rely on buying good players. At least when you have a manager that has the same philosophy you aren't flip flopping from one managers approach to another. This is part of the reason United are neither here nor there. Going from LGV who wanted possession to Mourinho who couldn't care less about it take sa long time to adjust as well as the type of players the team needs to buy are completely different making the team a total mish mash of players.
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Bottom line is we don't chuck money at players now,they have to earn it,that is not going to change,the rest is immaterial really
 
Larry Stranger said:
In a sense I do tend to agree with you. We do need good players, but we have to be realistic and know it's hard to compete with the likes of Real and Barca at times even if you throw money at players. The thing is that nobody is close to Pep on a managerial level. However, I think it will be equally important to hire a manager who follows the same philosophy (Cruyff, Ajax, Barca mold) like Erik Ten Hag for example. Bayern hired Ancelotti after Pep and it didn't work out. Now with Kovač they are a question mark. You don't see the same philosophy and are going to have to rely on buying good players. At least when you have a manager that has the same philosophy you aren't flip flopping from one managers approach to another. This is part of the reason United are neither here nor there. Going from LGV who wanted possession to Mourinho who couldn't care less about it take sa long time to adjust as well as the type of players the team needs to buy are completely different making the team a total mish mash of players.
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Madrid have done most of their shopping this summer, Barcelona possibly only want De Ligt and Griezmann.

That leaves a whole list of players for City to try and snap up. If a top young prospect is exciting us, let's not hold back, let's just strike whilst the iron is hot.
 
citizens_1976 said:
I have been nothing, but positive about the club the last few years. Pep is absolutely immense, the players we have are immense and we are a brilliant, brilliant team... BUT... if we only sign Rodri and Maguire, are we really improving the team?

Considering David Silva will be leaving next season, Aguero the season after, Sane and Gundogan's futures in doubts, will those two signings be enough to kick us on and eventually win the CL? After all, if Rodri comes in and Gundogan leaves, are we weakening the midfield? I personally think Kompany is/was better than Maguire so we will be weaker in that department.

Now is the time for City to strike when the iron is hot and bring in the right players that we need. We will be going through a rebuilding job very soon, so we need to start now and start early. Rodri i am fine with, but Maguire isn't the answer for me. We need players who will come into the team and INSTANTLY make us better.
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It’s far easier said than done.

It’s all great saying we should strike while the iron is hot but if the players we want aren’t available or are only available at a price that we don’t consider value for money, then we walk away. There isn’t a single player in the world (including Messi) who can come in and make a guaranteed IMPACT, not a single one.

You mention Kompany, Gundogan, Silva and Aguero leaving in the next few years but we already have the next generation of players in Ederson, Laporte, De Bruyne, Bernardo and Sterling you are ready to step up into leadership roles.

The players we buy now don’t need to be ready made superstars, they should be players who are good/very good now but also ready to make the step up themselves to prove their worth in preparation for that next cycle. For example with Rodri (if he comes) he’s still got Fernandinho, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Bernardo etc. to learn from and improve his own game.
 
ctid1894 said:
It’s far easier said than done.

It’s all great saying we should strike while the iron is hot but if the players we want aren’t available or are only available at a price that we don’t consider value for money, then we walk away. There isn’t a single player in the world (including Messi) who can come in and make a guaranteed IMPACT, not a single one.

You mention Kompany, Gundogan, Silva and Aguero leaving in the next few years but we already have the next generation of players in Ederson, Laporte, De Bruyne, Bernardo and Sterling you are ready to step up into leadership roles.

The players we buy now don’t need to be ready made superstars, they should be players who are good/very good now but also ready to make the step up themselves to prove their worth in preparation for that next cycle. For example with Rodri (if he comes) he’s still got Fernandinho, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Bernardo etc. to learn from and improve his own game.
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You are banging your head on the wall mate
 
This report might be accurate... we deffo need a CB and we need a DM - so contingent on other stuff we probably are in for only 2 signings. Anything else will depend upon someone else leaving like Otamendi or Danilo. As for Felix - I do actually think we might do that deal at the right price... but it’s not a priority and I did wonder if we’d sign him and either let him stay at a Benfica or given the Mendez connection loan him to Wolves.
 
If Sane and Danilo move on and are not replaced its problematic. The centre back issue needs resolving and if we incur a ban whilst not replacing or strengthing the season ahead will be difficult. The fans favourites or what Dan he regarded as a first pick 11 cant be expected to play a 60, 70 game season. City have work to do in this window and the prospect of a ban increases that urgency.
 
asahartford1 said:
Have you wondered if the club tell the scouts who are scouting thoße players who we are not interested in, that actually we are not interested in them, or do you think that the scouts actually think we are interested in those players, though we are not?
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I was thinking more like we identify 5 targets for a position, keep our primary target as quiet as possible but allow leaks for the 4th and 5th options.
 
ctid1894 said:
It’s far easier said than done.

It’s all great saying we should strike while the iron is hot but if the players we want aren’t available or are only available at a price that we don’t consider value for money, then we walk away. There isn’t a single player in the world (including Messi) who can come in and make a guaranteed IMPACT, not a single one.

You mention Kompany, Gundogan, Silva and Aguero leaving in the next few years but we already have the next generation of players in Ederson, Laporte, De Bruyne, Bernardo and Sterling you are ready to step up into leadership roles.

The players we buy now don’t need to be ready made superstars, they should be players who are good/very good now but also ready to make the step up themselves to prove their worth in preparation for that next cycle. For example with Rodri (if he comes) he’s still got Fernandinho, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Bernardo etc. to learn from and improve his own game.
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ctid1894 said:
It’s far easier said than done.

It’s all great saying we should strike while the iron is hot but if the players we want aren’t available or are only available at a price that we don’t consider value for money, then we walk away. There isn’t a single player in the world (including Messi) who can come in and make a guaranteed IMPACT, not a single one.

You mention Kompany, Gundogan, Silva and Aguero leaving in the next few years but we already have the next generation of players in Ederson, Laporte, De Bruyne, Bernardo and Sterling you are ready to step up into leadership roles.

The players we buy now don’t need to be ready made superstars, they should be players who are good/very good now but also ready to make the step up themselves to prove their worth in preparation for that next cycle. For example with Rodri (if he comes) he’s still got Fernandinho, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Bernardo etc. to learn from and improve his own game.
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It is far easier said than done, I completely agree. I do think we are in a good position at the moment, but the point I am making is, if Pep desperately wants João Felix and genuinely thinks he's going to be a superstar, just pay the money. There is always a risk with paying big money for players, but if Pep believes he will be a superstar, let's not hold back. If the kid stays at Benfica, has another absolutely immense season, then every club on the planet will be chasing him. Then the issue we have is, not only will the transfer fee increase, but the player can them demand silly wages which will price us out of the move. If I was Txiki, I'd let Pep have complete autonomy of transfers, if Pep thinks it's worth paying that bit extra to secure what could be a generational talent, then go for it. It's time to make a change to our strict transfer strategy and let's stick two fingers up at Uefa and everybody else for that matter.

The transfer fees don't bother me one bit, it's the wages. I completely understand City walking away from a deal where players are coming in earning more than the likes of De Bruyne, Aguero etc. That can't happen at all.

I just feel that, this is our time to be dining at the top table now. This is our time to forget about the B list and the C list targets like Harry Maguire and let's go for the ones that will make a difference. Players who can walk into most teams in the world and stand out.

Let's forget about budgeting and only signing two players, if Pep wants 4 or 5, let's just do it.
 
citizens_1976 said:
Madrid have done most of their shopping this summer, Barcelona possibly only want De Ligt and Griezmann.

That leaves a whole list of players for City to try and snap up. If a top young prospect is exciting us, let's not hold back, let's just strike whilst the iron is hot.
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The thing is that we really don't know what young exciting prospect will pan out. I have confidence in Pep to make it work while he's here, but like I said the manager and philosophy is important. Look at Barca who spent a fortune on Coutinho and can't make it work with him in the team. I do agree we need good players, but not at all costs (paying huge fees and wages). We don't want to be stuck with paying a player a lot ala the rags and Sanchez.
 
karen7 said:
You want us to change our business model and it 'ain't happening,relax
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How many more players do we need to miss out on because we are penny pinching? In some ways I agree I'd walk away on the deal but when it's players who you know are genuine top talents you won't get these players unless you cough up, because they are wanted by every top club in Europe. You run the risk of letting other top European sides strengthen even more, and therefore pushing us back in the CL. Clubs like Madrid and Barcelona are the benchmark for us and we will never win the CL if we think in this way.
From what I can gather De Jong was nailed on for City, praised Pep and then decided to sign for Barcelona who had offered him a much better financial package. He will be a world class midfielder for them for the next decade in the Xavi and Iniesta mould.
Yet, we'd be happy to spend 40+ million and wages on Mangala, 30 on Bony and 20 on Rodwell and struggle to get rid of them because they are being paid massive amounts of money.

If you don't cough up, you don't get the player who's wanted by every club in Europe, that's the point I'm making. Deals like Bernardo and Sane don't happen all the time, and especially with social media, YouTube and the likes these days it's very rare that you will get a top young player for those prices. The realisation is that if Ousmane Dembele who's not that special of a prospect costs Barca 100m+, we probably won't get a player of the same ilk for a lot less. That's modern day football and eventually whether we like it or not if we want a good young player who's touted as the next big thing we are going to have to pay the premium or else we will never get the player.
 
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I’d like to see City sign Rodri, Felix & De Ligt.
Will it happen, probably not.

From a position of strength the Club should be looking to the future and recruit top talent, arguably world class, certainly with the potential to be.

We have to replace Fernandinho, Aguero & of course Kompany has already gone.

Of course Pep knows best & is aware of the quality & promise of our youngsters.

Be an interesting summer transfer window.
 
citizens_1976 said:
How many more players do we need to miss out on because we are penny pinching? In some ways I agree I'd walk away on the deal but when it's players who you know are genuine top talents you won't get these players unless you cough up, because they are wanted by every top club in Europe. You run the risk of letting other top European sides strengthen even more, and therefore pushing us back in the CL. Clubs like Madrid and Barcelona are the benchmark for us and we will never win the CL if we think in this way.
De Jong was nailed on for City and because the money wasn't right he decided to sign for Barcelona. He will be a world class midfielder for them for the next decade in the Xavi and Iniesta mould.
Yet, we'd be happy to spend 40+ million and wages on Mangala, 30 on Bony and 20 on Rodwell and struggle to get rid of them because they are being paid massive amounts of money.

If you don't cough up, you don't get the player who's wanted by every club in Europe, that's the point I'm making. Deals like Bernardo and Sane don't happen all the time, and especially with social media, YouTube and the likes these days it's very rare that you will get a top young player for those prices. The realisation is that if Dembele who's not that good of a prospect costs Barca 100m+, we won't get a player of the same ilk for anything less. That's modern day football and eventually whether we like it or not if we want a good young player we have to pay the premium or else we will never improve.
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Don't know how many have we missed out on penny pinching. Has it mattered ? Deals like Sane and Bernardo might not happen all the time, seem to happen enough for 4 trophies and 198 points though. So why change now to the united way of paying whatever it takes.
 
blueparrot said:
Don't know how many have we missed out on penny pinching. Has it mattered ? Deals like Sane and Bernardo might not happen all the time, seem to happen enough for 4 trophies and 198 points though. So why change now to the united way of paying whatever it takes.
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It isn't necessarily the transfer fees that have been the problem for United, it's the wages.

As I've stated previously, we don't need to break the wage structure to acquire top talent, but what I am saying is, it's better to pay a premium now for touted "special" talents like João Felix, acquiring him on cheaper wages than what he would be on if he stayed at Benfica and then tore it up again. He will then demand the wages he wants because every club will want him, quite like Mbappe when PSG bought him and De Ligt now. The more exposure the player gets in Europe, the more he can showcase his talents, the more he will cost and the more he will demand.

The market is already broken. City didn't break it, other clubs such as Barcelona, PSG, Real Madrid and Juventus have paid astronomical transfer fees for individual players, what difference does it make if City were to do it? As I have mentioned so many times, I couldn't give a flying one about the transfer fees, what I do care about is the wages because of squad harmony.
 
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