No reason why Kovacic can’t be one, in fact my guess quite likely along with Gundogan.It’s the other 2 I’m unsure of, my preference would be Akanji then depending on Echeverri injury loan one of Echeverri, Reis, Khusonov. If Echeverri is out for a while then don’t loan any of them as Echeverri wouldn’t need registering.Akanji, Gundo, Kovacic (doubtful with the recent surgery), Savinho (loan) and maybe Reis (loan) would be my picks.
Full article - Is the bit about Rodri in the contract discussions or is it just a seperate side note?
I’m assuming no one is coming for Kovacic given his surgery and a recovery period that could take him out until October/November. The rest besides Kova and Gundo makes sense.No reason why Kovacic can’t be one, in fact my guess quite likely along with Gundogan.It’s the other 2 I’m unsure of, my preference would be Akanji then depending on Echeverri injury loan one of Echeverri, Reis, Khusonov. If Echeverri is out for a while then don’t loan any of them as Echeverri wouldn’t need registering.
He's balls deep in Maya Jama every night.Apart from recouping money for Lewis and Dias, neither deserve an extension on their current performances. I am mostly shocked about how Dias went from a leader to an error prone liability in our defence.
A lot more PL games but I know it’s not idealYes but it’s unlikely we’d do that because we would be back to leaving players at home.
Contract talks for dias needs to be put on hold dammitApart from recouping money for Lewis and Dias, neither deserve an extension on their current performances. I am mostly shocked about how Dias went from a leader to an error prone liability in our defence.
Lost interest or doesn’t believe Peps tacticsApart from recouping money for Lewis and Dias, neither deserve an extension on their current performances. I am mostly shocked about how Dias went from a leader to an error prone liability in our defence.
That injury was horribly timed as there was genuine Saudi interest in him and a decent book profit to be hadI’m assuming no one is coming for Kovacic given his surgery and a recovery period that could take him out until October/November. The rest besides Kova and Gundo makes sense.
Less than 50% of that fever dream is happeningOut :
Walker
Stones
Ake
Akanji
Gundogan
Mcatee
Grealish
Doyle
Phillips
Wilson Esbrand
Reis (loan)
Echeverri (loan)
In:
Livramento
Gibbs White
Guehi
Spot on with the outs and needs to happen big time or Pep will pick themOut :
Walker
Stones
Ake
Akanji
Gundogan
Mcatee
Grealish
Doyle
Phillips
Wilson Esbrand
Reis (loan)
Echeverri (loan)
In:
Livramento
Gibbs White
Guehi
Don’t necessarily disagree, but, applying the same metric, do you extend the contracts of Foden and Rodri? These all expire in summer 2027.Apart from recouping money for Lewis and Dias, neither deserve an extension on their current performances. I am mostly shocked about how Dias went from a leader to an error prone liability in our defence.
Maybe he should have stuck with the girlfriend he had, or at least split from that one first. Needs to get his head/life/fitness in orderHe's balls deep in Maya Jama every night.
I challenge anyone on here to do that and then try and function day-to-day.
You'd be away with the fairies 24/7.
again people banking on rodri being the player he was and also not getting injured again (he laready has picked up another injury)- this is going to take another 6 months before he is back to anywhere near his best IF that happens.It's a big month for us.
The break gives an opportunity to move players on and for those remaining to cement their position.
Our level of consistent excellence is so difficult to maintain, and we had a difficult season plagued by injury, illness, and a natural come-down from record-breaking achievements.
I am excited by the new players - Cherki, Reijnders, Ait-Nouri, Marmoush, Khusanov, Reis, and Gonzalez.
They have shown some serious potential and I hope that they will all now be integrated fully into the first-team.
There are players who will probably move on. They have brought us so much but some cannot be relied upon to deliver 40+ appearances at a consistently high level. I understand Pep's loyalty, and have no doubt that it is reciprocal. Anyone thinking that a team can deliver what we have without loyalty is deluded. Believing in someone and them knowing that they are believed in is what inspires great performance.
Some of those players that are being criticised here will remain in the squad. They will probably also return to something like their best form. They are human. Pep is human. But remember that our worst performance in a decade saw us finish in third place despite the worst injury list in 10 years. The return of Rodri, a season without such difficulties, and the inclusion of a more direct style of play added to our possession game will ensure some great football - I am very confident in that.
Some of our frustrations are understandable. We have teams that we are better than turning us over because of a simplistic but effective style of football that counters what we do. They seem to find it far easier to score against us than we do against them, but would I EVER want to see us sitting ten-men behind the ball and waiting for the odd counter attack - no way. The odd player is not generally at fault for this. It is a matter of our approach and how we develop it to cut out those counter-attacks. We need some pace at the back, definitely, but we also need everyone to understand how we play and to deliver it, and that will take some time for all of the new players to find their way.
I wish all blues the very best for the 2025-2026 season. We all want the same thing, but some of the condemnation here is, for me, way over the top compared to the reality of our position. It isn't about living in the past. It is about recognising that our worst season in a decade saw us in third place. Surely we can accept that, kick it into the weeds, and move on without condemning those players that have delivered absolute greatness to our club.
That's why I don't ONLY mention Rodri's return. You are correct that he will take time.again people banking on rodri being the player he was and also not getting injured again (he laready has picked up another injury)- this is going to take another 6 months before he is back to anywhere near his best IF that happens.
We have an inbalanced group of players now. The assurance and power of Stones, Walker and Rodri are missing and it means that we can't cover counter-attacks. This has been a problem for a year now and we have not addressed this directly. We bought very young defenders in but they are so young they have only played a handful of games.It's a big month for us.
The break gives an opportunity to move players on and for those remaining to cement their position.
Our level of consistent excellence is so difficult to maintain, and we had a difficult season plagued by injury, illness, and a natural come-down from record-breaking achievements.
I am excited by the new players - Cherki, Reijnders, Ait-Nouri, Marmoush, Khusanov, Reis, and Gonzalez.
They have shown some serious potential and I hope that they will all now be integrated fully into the first-team.
There are players who will probably move on. They have brought us so much but some cannot be relied upon to deliver 40+ appearances at a consistently high level. I understand Pep's loyalty, and have no doubt that it is reciprocal. Anyone thinking that a team can deliver what we have without loyalty is deluded. Believing in someone and them knowing that they are believed in is what inspires great performance.
Some of those players that are being criticised here will remain in the squad. They will probably also return to something like their best form. They are human. Pep is human. But remember that our worst performance in a decade saw us finish in third place despite the worst injury list in 10 years. The return of Rodri, a season without such difficulties, and the inclusion of a more direct style of play added to our possession game will ensure some great football - I am very confident in that.
Some of our frustrations are understandable. We have teams that we are better than turning us over because of a simplistic but effective style of football that counters what we do. They seem to find it far easier to score against us than we do against them, but would I EVER want to see us sitting ten-men behind the ball and waiting for the odd counter attack - no way. The odd player is not generally at fault for this. It is a matter of our approach and how we develop it to cut out those counter-attacks. We need some pace at the back, definitely, but we also need everyone to understand how we play and to deliver it, and that will take some time for all of the new players to find their way.
I wish all blues the very best for the 2025-2026 season. We all want the same thing, but some of the condemnation here is, for me, way over the top compared to the reality of our position. It isn't about living in the past. It is about recognising that our worst season in a decade saw us in third place. Surely we can accept that, kick it into the weeds, and move on without condemning those players that have delivered absolute greatness to our club.