If only it were that easy selling 8 players who are currently contracted to the club this window.
A different story next summer with the players we have out of contact. MGW might be an option then but no chance and not needed for this coming season.
I agree. Which is the reason we pay professionals good, actually very good money, to do a job, as it's not easy. Because it will indeed be an entirely different story next summer with the players in question out of contract, as you say: They will leave for free. Convenient perhaps, also lazy. Probably not the best solution for the club...
Regarding the RB: I am not going to debate on the issue. And I won't comment on the "arguments" regarding the well known limitations we had to deal with in recent years. You see, Guardiola is an alien. He is not human. The man has delivered under whatever circumstances. Without a SC, without fullbacks, with a criminally thin squad, and so on, and so on. It would have been mission impossible for everybody else, not for him. And? We have all witnessed this journey, we know how delicate balances were (don't we?), how tight it has been. The team has suffered for years, the boys gave everything, literally everything. Guardiola's work is unmatched, absolutely, but it was also down to sacrifice, Kevin, Bernardo, Rodrigo and the rest almost died on the pitch in order to deliver. Exactly because of the squad's limitations. And let's not pretend that we forget that rivals fucked up in the process, unable to handle the psychological pressure. Otherwise it could have been different...
Decision makers are there to protect Guardiola (also from himself), they are there to support him. Does that concept seem to be clear in some people's mind? They are there to help him. To help him, not to make things difficult for him. It doesn't fucking matter whether / what he asks or not. Because he doesn't, that's his "weakness". Which means, there is no debate regarding the RB, a quality RB that is, as I've already said. Whoever that will be, however, he cannot and will not play every 3-4 days. So somebody like Matheus will be needed to provide cover. Finally, looking at that list, I would be reluctant letting Mateo leave. Provided that everything goes smoothly with his recovery, of course. Very good player, reliable, useful. But if somebody like MGW arrives, it's a different discussion perhaps...