Why don’t you buy another house that’s shiny & new? :)
Winger will probably take the longest. Gvardiol is hopefully done today and Pavard by next week.Thank go no Raphina! Get the players in we need and give them 2-3 weeks with Pep before the season starts
Mate, if you just stopped posting on here, with all the time you'd accrue, it would allow you to live abroad for about 9 months a year!!! ;)Nah mate, this one is fine for a loooooooooonnnnnnnnnnggggggg time now. I wanted to buy something abroad to be honest but we dont travel often enough to use it due to my work hours and time and the family cant be bothered with just renting it out?
Mate, if you just stopped posting on here, with all the time you'd accrue, it would allow you to live abroad for about 9 months a year!!! ;)
I think people forget that the past two seasons the Bernardo soap opera has well gone into the start of the season. He was on honey moon until recently. You have had players like Mahrez and Walker only deciding now. And this is a more complicated transfer as it demands a more significant fee. The Saudi aren’t in a rush given their transfer window goes until September 20, willing to wait, and PSG’s window always goes until the last minute. He knows Luis Campos, the director there, very well. We don’t know how much pushing or not is going on behind the scenes, but my guess hasn’t changed that he will find a way to leave sooner or later this window because I just don’t think he has decided to commit his future to us in the long term or that Mendes, the king of arranging bizarre deals, can fail a third time.Things can change in the window, but imo if he was going to take the Saudi offer, he would have by now. The big expectation, aftet last summer's quite public courting of him, was that Barcelona would somehow find some money for him this year and do what they said theynwould last year. But they are in an even worse position, and are signing joao felix on loan, having signed gundogan for free. Leaves PSG. Which, again, could change but I don't see him wanting. If he did, his agent would be pushing it more and we'd be hearing more. As it stands, there doesn't seem to be much open to him, and he is not that desperate to leave that he would go to saudi as a last resort.
I think if he sees out his contract here then he might go back to Benfica.I think it’s obvious that he’ll see out his contract here then go to BankaLoana on a free
The numbers aren’t there for Walker and Mahrez not to be replaced. You are giving significant roles to players who won’t be taking them. And Palmer still to leave on loan on top of that. I’m not “fretting”, to use the word you mentioned, but this isn’t a situation of “we can let things be if we don’t find someone”. It’s more of a “buy Akanji desperately in the last day or we will be in trouble”Just watched the latest Inside City episode. We really don't need to fret at all. The squad is superb as it is. Walker looked happy, Bernardo looked happy, Laporte looked happy. The only one who looked miserable was Cancelo - but I think that's just his general persona and is the most likely to go.
If the squad stayed the same with Gvardiol coming in, just look at the options
Ederson (Ortega)
Stones (Walker, Lewis, Akanji) Dias (Akanji, Laporte, Ake) Gvardiol (Ake, Laporte, Lewis)
Rodri (Kovotic, Phillips, Stones, Lewis)
De Bruyne Foden (Bernardo, Kovotic, Palmer, Alverez, McAtee)
Bernardo (Foden, Palmer, Alverez) Haaland (Alverez) Grealish (Palmer, Foden, Alverez, McAtee)
That's 21 quality players. More than enough. Obviously if anyone leaves we'll need to, and almost definitely will, replace them with quality. That defensive unit is the the best I've ever seen. If I was to sign anyone it'd be a creative Mid or winger, but I wouldn't be going for someone who isn't on the same level as the others just for the sake of it eg. Raphinah, Olmo. If a DeJong, Kimmich, Sane became available then happy days but if not, then we still have the best squad in the world
Seeing his contract out here makes it unrealistic to go back to Benfica sooner. Going to Saudi Arabia to make many years worth of wages in two or three would make a return to Benfica plausible. Not that I believe he actually wants to return to BenficaI think if he sees out his contract here then he might go back to Benfica.
Why don't you believe that he's said it multiple times over the years? His dream was to benfica at 32 which is why he saw this move to Barca as his last big contract. Hopefully he now sees city's offer as his last big one before benfica!Seeing his contract out here makes it unrealistic to go back to Benfica sooner. Going to Saudi Arabia to make many years worth of wages in two or three would make a return to Benfica plausible. Not that I believe he actually wants to return to Benfica
The way players say things to the media are not always in direct sincerity, let alone in an international break to national media. Where did you get this 32 number?Why don't you believe that he's said it multiple times over the years? His dream was to benfica at 32 which is why he saw this move to Barca as his last big contract. Hopefully he now sees city's offer as his last big one before benfica!
I think people forget that the past two seasons the Bernardo soap opera has well gone into the start of the season. He was on honey moon until recently. You have had players like Mahrez and Walker only deciding now. And this is a more complicated transfer as it demands a more significant fee. The Saudi aren’t in a rush given their transfer window goes until September 20, willing to wait, and PSG’s window always goes until the last minute. He knows Luis Campos, the director there, very well. We don’t know how much pushing or not is going on behind the scenes, but my guess hasn’t changed that he will find a way to leave sooner or later this window because I just don’t think he has decided to commit his future to us in the long term or that Mendes, the king of arranging bizarre deals, can fail a third time.
To be fair, Walker used to say he wanted to retire at Sheffield United, but with the way his career has progressed that seems unrealistic now.Why don't you believe that he's said it multiple times over the years? His dream was to benfica at 32 which is why he saw this move to Barca as his last big contract. Hopefully he now sees city's offer as his last big one before benfica!
You think that because it’s one name that an ITK poster here dropped. And you don’t hear many other names leaked in the media. But that means nothing, unless you think we operate in the open. Going by Sam Lee’s info, for instance, we’ve always known who our RW replacement options would be.I think Cherki is the only realistic option.
He’s said many times that he wants to play for Benfica againSeeing his contract out here makes it unrealistic to go back to Benfica sooner. Going to Saudi Arabia to make many years worth of wages in two or three would make a return to Benfica plausible. Not that I believe he actually wants to return to Benfica
If Bernardo decides or has decided for Saud Arabia, we don’t need to “be hearing more” or read into “things going quiet”, all he needs is to communicate the club. May be a case of waiting just a bit more to see if/when/how PSG or another will make a move before a decision. I guess our difference is that I think it’s completely irrelevant that we haven’t heard updates recently.So at best, it is 50-50 then. As it stands, looks like he is staying, but things could change. There aren't any real obvious options, but doesn't mean there won't be. That's where I am with it.
Can we make one thing clear though. There was no 'Bernardo Sopa Opera' the last two seasons. There was a lot of impatient short-tempered Bluemooners, Barcelona endlessly talking shite as usual, and one or two honest interviews where he claimed he was open to moving if the right move came up, but commited while here. And Pep acknowledging this, saying if an offer comes they won't stand in any player's way, but also stating he sees the commitment and is happy with Bernardo's role. As far as soap operas go, that's about as professional as it gets, and I think it is unfair of this forum to dramatise that.
I think we can rule out Barcelona. Maybe if they find a buyer for DeJong, but that has been quiet and he doesn't look like he wants to leave. PSG, maybe if they get mbappe money. Saudi, I personally would rule out. I think if that was an option he wanted to take, it would be far more advanced by now. Doesn't really matter when their window shuts if he doesn't want to go there, and even if he did after our window shut, the club would simply refuse any offers from there and he would not be the type to kick up a fuss either.
So a 'maybe psg' with ifs and buts, is probably as good a hope at this stage of him staying as you can get.
A TREBLE winning side, the best team in all of EUROPE, best manager and we only have one option, do you actually believe that? If you do and by some chance its true then thats disappointing.I think Cherki is the only realistic option.