The Squad planning thread

[richards30]

Stones, Akanji and Ake will look great over this CWC. Khusanov and Reis will be sent on loan . Within 2 months all 3 will be injured .

thats the worry though isnt it? And Gundo getting game time over the younger players.

 

[Gabriel]

thats the worry though isnt it? And Gundo getting game time over the younger players.

Guardiola is not suddenly going to start prioritising inexperience over experience, no matter how much people wish change. If the club returns from the New World as Champions, it's also going to be much harder to make the case that the experienced players, all under contract, need to leave, though I guess it might make them more attractive to other clubs.

 

[King Jay]

It’s WC year if you tell certain players they not getting game time they might start considering it. Too many CM and CB. Akanji, Stones, Gundogan + maybe Kovacic alone would make it easier for Pep.

 

[Dribble]

Guardiola is not suddenly going to start prioritising inexperience over experience, no matter how much people wish change. If the club returns from the New World as Champions, it's also going to be much harder to make the case that the experienced players, all under contract, need to leave, though I guess it might make them more attractive to other clubs.

As KDB found out, ole father time waits for no one...

 

[117 M34]

6 homegrown?

How many do we need for EPL and CL

We have Foden, Bobb, O'Reilly, Lewis, Ake.

Is that enough?

We can have none if we want.
The rules set maximum not minimum players.
We'd have a very small squad though

 

[Gabriel]

As KDB found out, ole father time waits for no one...

Not really. Old Father Time had no hand in De Bruyne's contract expiring. Had his contract been expiring in 2027 and Gundogan's extension not kicked in, I imagine the roles would have been reversed.

 

[Cobwebcat]

The 4 extra NHG players are a problem as we can’t play them. Crazy really.

 

[Gareth Barry Conlon]

It’s WC year if you tell certain players they not getting game time they might start considering it. Too many CM and CB. Akanji, Stones, Gundogan + maybe Kovacic alone would make it easier for Pep.

Agree. We have too many players. And too many injury prone players.

Pep likes a small squad. Around 20 outfield players plus a few youth players.

Right now we have.

9 defenders
16 midfielders
2 strikers

27 total.

I'm not counting: Walker, W-Esbrand, Perrone, Phillips. (Ive counted Grealish above).

That's 31 if you do count the last 4.

We need to shift out the 4 + another 5 or 6. We've got 1 recognised FB in that ignoring Walker and assuming Gvardiol is now a CB.

So in my view. We need a RB in and 7 out. Probably 3 CBs and 3 or 4 mids.

 

[Xhavenjoe]

The 4 extra NHG players are a problem as we can’t play them. Crazy really.

It will all become clearer when we return from the CWC.
I'm guessing we won't be loaning to our PL rivals although the rags, chelsea, arsenal and villa had no problem doing it last season.
Because of the restrictions on loans, I can see those players on loan last season being sold.
At least it may free up loan spots for us

 

[robbieh]

17 non home grown are allowed
Ederson
Ortega
Nuñes
Dias
Akanji
Khusanov
Reis
Gvardiol
Alt Nouri
Rodri
Reinjders
Kovacic
Gonzalez
Cherki
Gundogan
Echeverri
Cherki
Doku
Savinho
Bernardo

That's 20

So 3 of these have got to go.

Given the following are homegrown

Stones
Ake
Bobb
Foden
Bettenelli
O'Reilly

and 3 of these are currently defenders

I would say
Reis, Khusanov and Echeverri could be loaned out.

Although I'd prefer to see
Akanji Kovacic and Gundogan leave

As if Stones and Ake get injured we'll need Reis and Khusanov

Unless someone from the academy can step up.

 

[Dribble]

Not really. Old Father Time had no hand in De Bruyne's contract expiring. Had his contract been expiring in 2027 and Gundogan's extension not kicked in, I imagine the roles would have been reversed.

We have until September, so there's time yet. It makes little sense to upset our squad unity by talking to players about their futures mid tournament. We can do this after our CWC participation has concluded.

We know we have to trim the squad, so my wish is to cut the fat from those who have no future with us, & those coming toward the end of their careers like KDB.

The one thing I sense most fans don't want to see is the likes of Bobb, Lewis, O'Reilly, Echeverri, Savinho, Doku, Khusanov or Reis being loaned out to accommodate the likes of Stones, Gundog, Kovacic & Grealish etc.

Quite evidently, the latter aren't going to be a part of our long-term plans, so if we're going for a rebuild, refresh & reset, we may as well go the whole hog with a view to the future, just as Champions League winners PSG did. We've nowt to lose & everything to gain imo.

 

[Gabriel]

We have until September, so there's time yet. It makes little sense to upset our squad unity by talking to players about their futures mid tournament. We can do this after our CWC participation has concluded.

We know we have to trim the squad, so my wish is to cut the fat from those who have no future with us, & those coming toward the end of their careers like KDB.

The one thing I sense most fans don't want to see is the likes of Bobb, Lewis, O'Reilly, Echeverri, Savinho, Doku, Khusanov or Reis being loaned out to accommodate the likes of Stones, Gundog, Kovacic & Grealish etc.

Quite evidently, the latter aren't going to be a part of our long-term plans, so if we're going for a rebuild, refresh & reset, we may as well go the whole hog with a view to the future, just as Champions League winners PSG did. We've nowt to lose & everything to gain imo.

I don’t disagree, but I suspect the reality will be somewhere in the middle, with some older hands surprisingly staying and some younger ‘foreign’ players surprisingly loaned out. People might get upset at the idea, but a season playing at say Fulham or Bournemouth may see them develop faster and have them ready to return in summer 2026, when more contracts expire.

 

[Mr HJ]

I would guess that Hugo & Pep will be looking very closely at how certain players do at the CWC and then make a big call from that. For instance it is looking like Rodri (thank goodness) is recovering well and perhaps this tournament will get him up to speed for the season ahead. If God forbid he didn't look good or struggled to recover I think that would influence who they can afford to let go - in other words his fitness impacts if they think about selling a Gundo/Kovacic or loaning out younger players. It will probably be a combination of the two.

Same with the new signings - they all look as though they have settled well and are so far adding exactly what the team needed. Bedding new players in a Pep system has always taken a bit of time but for me this group seem to be a cut above - I know it's early but their performances have shown a lot of promise for the season ahead.

If the above continues I can see 1 or 2 of the experienced guys out in the states being let go and that would be the best outcome for me. I would look to move on 1 of either Ake or Akanji and 1 of Kovacic or Gundo - that plus maybe Ortega will resolve the foreign spot dilemma without flipping Nico or loaning the young defenders or Echeverri. Of course loans may still happen but that can be a last minute call once fitness of others has been established - Stones etc. As others have said it is better to get a player game time and that may have to be elsewhere until season 2027.

Of course there maybe a surprise departure but move three and find deals for Jack, Walker & McAtee & we should be in good shape. Either way Hugo has his work cut out to cut this squad without us risking imbalance if a big injury occurs.

 

[Dribble]

I don’t disagree, but I suspect the reality will be somewhere in the middle, with some older hands surprisingly staying and some younger ‘foreign’ players surprisingly loaned out. People might get upset at the idea, but a season playing at say Fulham or Bournemouth may see them develop faster and have them ready to return in summer 2026, when more contracts expire.

Tbh, none of us will know the outcome until September. But it's my wish that we ruthlessly cull the past & herald the future.

With a deeper squad, we've more than enough headroom to achieve this, whilst resting & rotating the squad, as the younger players gain vital experience at Manchester City.

 

[Gabriel]

If the above continues I can see 1 or 2 of the experienced guys out in the states being let go and that would be the best outcome for me. I would look to move on 1 of either Ake or Akanji and 1 of Kovacic or Gundo - that plus maybe Ortega will resolve the foreign spot dilemma without flipping Nico or loaning the young defenders or Echeverri. Of course loans may still happen but that can be a last minute call once fitness of others has been established - Stones etc. As others have said it is better to get a player game time and that may have to be elsewhere until season 2027.

Someone wiser than me will know for sure, but for all of the newer additions to remain, I think you would have to wave goodbye to all 4.

 

[robbieh]

I don’t disagree, but I suspect the reality will be somewhere in the middle, with some older hands surprisingly staying and some younger ‘foreign’ players surprisingly loaned out. People might get upset at the idea, but a season playing at say Fulham or Bournemouth may see them develop faster and have them ready to return in summer 2026, when more contracts expire.

I'd agree with that re Reis and Khusanov and indeed Echeverri.

But as I said. Highly likely 2 from Stones, Ake and Akanji will be injured at the same time.

Which would mean Dias and Gvardiol playing and Akanji say on the bench.

I'd feel more comfortable having at least one of Khusanov/Reis around. Probably the former as he's proven against decent opposition.

 

[Dribble]

Someone wiser than me will know for sure, but for all of the newer additions to remain, I think you would have to wave goodbye to all 4.

There's more than 4 who can be culled.

Out:
KDB (done)
Philips
Walker
Stones
Gundog
Nunes (reprieved)
Grealish
McAtee
Kovacic

In:
Livramento
Gibbs-white

Job done.

 

[robbieh]

Someone wiser than me will know for sure, but for all of the newer additions to remain, I think you would have to wave goodbye to all 4.

Ake is homegrown

 

[Dribble]

I'd agree with that re Reis and Khusanov and indeed Echeverri.

But as I said. Highly likely 2 from Stones, Ake and Akanji will be injured at the same time.

Which would mean Dias and Gvardiol playing and Akanji say on the bench.

I'd feel more comfortable having at least one of Khusanov/Reis around. Probably the former as he's proven against decent opposition.

It's not been lost on me that Stones is yet to see a second of this tournament so far. It seems City may want to keep him fit, ready for a potential free or nominal fee transfer.

 

[Gabriel]

Tbh, none of us will know the outcome until September. But it's my wish that we ruthlessly cull the past & herald the future.

With a deeper squad, we've more than enough headroom to achieve this, whilst resting & rotating the squad, as the younger players gain vital experience at Manchester City.

With the singular omission of Grealish, we’ve shown that we can be ruthless, but the future of a number of players is at best opaque. I just want the best players for season 2025-26, but I’ve a suspicion that some of the January signings are going to have to bide their time.