Yes - the likes of Doue, Barcola, Neves. That’s elite talent. Doing it on the biggest stages under the brightest lights.Aren’t we? Lets see, January signings haven't settled in yet,don’t know who we will bring in this summer, we also have our own young talent that may well become elite.
Possibly, who knows depends who is leaving though and if we know who’s leaving and the clubs we are selling to probably can’t buy in that window.any chance 2-3 incoming transfers for summer to be here by the start of CWC around mid June? wouldnt mind to try them out early get a taste of it vs join only sometime early August.
there was some change on transfer window dates to accomodate exactly this chance to get in some players earlier than usual isnt it...
surely make more sense than play the likes of Ederson, KDB, Stones, Grealish etc in CWC who might not be here by end of August.
Absolutely.Yes. Are you questioning it?
Good player, disappears in the big games.Id throw £100m at Arsenal for Odegard
You mean morgan gibbs white isn't coming?People need to manage their expectations. I don't see us signing any players you would consider truly elite.
We need to sign a wirtz, rodrygo etc just to make a pointPeople need to manage their expectations. I don't see us signing any players you would consider truly elite.
It's that ludicrous, i don't actually know of you're being serious or if it's a Clarkie.Yes. Are you questioning it?
Difference is though is that PSG are buying elite young talent. We aren’t
You mean morgan gibbs white isn't coming?
Yes, and maybe except for Kvara, none of those would be seen as elite and our level if we’d gone for them when PSG bought them.Hence, my point.
Hakimi, Mendes, Neves, Ruiz, Kvara. All available at the time.
Id throw £100m at Arsenal for Odegard
We royally messed up—no two ways about it. I said it at the time, and I said it again afterward. All of those players were there for the taking, and we stood by while PSG had a free run at them. We hesitated. We overthought. And we paid the price.Hence, my point.
Hakimi, Mendes, Neves, Ruiz, Kvara. All available at the time.
We royally messed up—no two ways about it. I said it at the time, and I said it again afterward. All of those players were there for the taking, and we stood by while PSG had a free run at them. We hesitated. We overthought. And we paid the price.
I banged the drum for Neves—repeatedly—and what was I told? "He’s not at our level." Then, five months later, we turned around and went after Nico González, a clearly inferior player, I like Gonazalez but Neves is so clear of him and it is not even a debate. The logic? Nowhere to be found.
I pushed hard for Kvaratskhelia, and the response? "We already have a better player in Grealish." Seriously? Saying Grealish is better than Kvara is pure nonsense—delusion at its finest. There’s no comparison in impact, creativity, or raw talent.
I pleaded for Hakimi—a perfect fit for our system. Blistering pace, defensive solidity, technical brilliance, and attacking presence. He was made for us. We ignored it.
I screamed for Nuno Mendes when our left-back situation was crumbling. The kid was miles ahead of his peers at his age, and we still didn’t move. Why? Because apparently, we don’t buy left-backs. Unreal.
We made a push for Fabián Ruiz, but Napoli slapped a €100M price tag on him several years ago. Fair enough, that one was out of reach—but what about the rest?
Time and again, I warned: keep buying average, and you’ll get average. And what did I hear? "The board knows what it’s doing and are smarter." Like—what does that even mean? This isn’t about ego or intelligence—it’s about plainly seeing the flaws in the players we’re signing versus the quality of the ones we should’ve gone after.
It’s not hindsight. It’s pattern recognition—and we kept missing sitters.
Well saidWe royally messed up—no two ways about it. I said it at the time, and I said it again afterward. All of those players were there for the taking, and we stood by while PSG had a free run at them. We hesitated. We overthought. And we paid the price.
I banged the drum for Neves—repeatedly—and what was I told? "He’s not at our level." Then, five months later, we turned around and went after Nico González, a clearly inferior player, I like Gonazalez but Neves is so clear of him and it is not even a debate. The logic? Nowhere to be found.
I pushed hard for Kvaratskhelia, and the response? "We already have a better player in Grealish." Seriously? Saying Grealish is better than Kvara is pure nonsense—delusion at its finest. There’s no comparison in impact, creativity, or raw talent.
I pleaded for Hakimi—a perfect fit for our system. Blistering pace, defensive solidity, technical brilliance, and attacking presence. He was made for us. We ignored it.
I screamed for Nuno Mendes when our left-back situation was crumbling. The kid was miles ahead of his peers at his age, and we still didn’t move. Why? Because apparently, we don’t buy left-backs. Unreal.
We made a push for Fabián Ruiz, but Napoli slapped a €100M price tag on him several years ago. Fair enough, that one was out of reach—but what about the rest?
Time and again, I warned: keep buying average, and you’ll get average. And what did I hear? "The board knows what it’s doing and are smarter." Like—what does that even mean? This isn’t about ego or intelligence—it’s about plainly seeing the flaws in the players we’re signing versus the quality of the ones we should’ve gone after.
It’s not hindsight. It’s pattern recognition—and we kept missing sitters. Players that could have been acquired with ease!
We became too cocky and complacent—plain and simple. When you reach the top, that’s not the time to relax or get arrogant. That’s when the real fight begins. Staying at the top takes even more hunger, discipline, and self-awareness than getting there in the first place.
But instead of digging in and pushing forward, we acted like the work was done. We got to the summit—and then we completely shit the bed. The focus faded, the sharpness dulled, and the decisions started slipping. We stopped evolving and started believing our own hype. That’s how dynasties crumble—not because others rise, but because the kings get lazy.
We need to sign a wirtz, rodrygo etc just to make a point
It’s a bit Raggy. But you have to show intent
It’s also about timing and having spots in the squad when they are available, getting players to leave is harder when you aren’t just typing on the internet.You have no idea if we asked agents about these players or not. Pep also doesn't just bring people in on talent alone. It's also about temperament and if they will have the personality to fit in the squad, be ok with not starting every week, etc.
So let me get this straight—all the players mentioned above didn’t have the right temperament for City?You have no idea if we asked agents about these players or not. Pep also doesn't just bring people in on talent alone. It's also about temperament and if they will have the personality to fit in the squad, be ok with not starting every week, etc.
Not sure what that means, but we have won many titles.So let me get this straight—all the players mentioned above didn’t have the right temperament for City?
Alright then—congratulations. We signed players who supposedly have the “right temperament.” Let’s take our L proudly, because what we’ve ended up with players who might tick the attitude box, but clearly aren’t good enough to pull us through when it really matters.
What’s the point of having the perfect mindset if the quality on the pitch doesn’t match? We passed on top-tier talent in favor of “safe” personalities, and now we’re stuck with a squad that looks composed while falling short.
Temperament without talent and talent without temperament doesn’t win titles.