It's Quiet the £250m return

More experienced pros would be suffice.
Like Foden & Haaland?

As someone posited earlier, the term "uncs" encapsulates quite a lot with what went wrong for us last season. Ageing, injury-prone players, who have lost the edge of physicality & the legs they possessed in their prime.

I'm not saying a better term couldn't have been found, but what the term relates to is far more important (imo), than the term itself, whoch in many cultures is a term of endearment.
 
He's played a single competitive game for us and they want a shot at having him for cheap if he succeeds there?

Struggling to understand how we've not already given them a definitive no.
Squad spaces... rinse & repeat.

It seems, we either press ahead with our transition, or we won't. We can't have both those deemed surplus to requirements & the new recruits.

My guess is City are trying to strike a balance by getting rid of some & retaining others, BUT if those asked to leave say no, what then?

Echeverri hasn't come out & said he's against being sold to Roma, with a buy back & sell on clause. Let's say he develops into the player we hope & Real or Barça step up to buy him, whose to say he'll even want to return to the Etihad anyway?
 
Last edited:
It's not surprising we're struggling to shift players, who is seriously going to take Jack off our hands on 300k a week, and the likes of Gundo, Stones etc will be very hard to move on. Really surprised Mcatee is still here though, I thought there would be several suitors
Yeah, they're all on big money and have no real prospect of an exciting move (Stones, Gundo and Akanji etc would all be taking a hefty step down). I do think the club could have been more brutal with certain players like Chelsea are occasionally, ie freeze players out and not register them etc, but its not our style I guess. anything short of that isnt gonna work
 
For the record both Echeverri and Reis were signed with the express intention of them being loaned in the 25/26 season. Obviously Pep has really liked what he's seen from the kid, but the project wasn't sold to them as "you're going straight into the squad for next season".

I know that there's a lot of cynicism around whether loaned players ever return to City, but Viana has a different view on using the loan pathway before integration into the first team for players he scouts/targets. My guess is we'll see more gems signed who are loaned with the intention of them returning to City.
 
For the record both Echeverri and Reis were signed with the express intention of them being loaned in the 25/26 season. Obviously Pep has really liked what he's seen from the kid, but the project wasn't sold to them as "you're going straight into the squad for next season".

I know that there's a lot of cynicism around whether loaned players ever return to City, but Viana has a different view on using the loan pathway before integration into the first team for players he scouts/targets. My guess is we'll see more gems signed who are loaned with the intention of them returning to City.
It's different any way , 2 years ago we had an established squad winning everything, there were no spaces and young players didn't want constant loans waiting on the off chance. Now we can see where the spaces are going to open up in the squad over the next 2 or 3 windows ,they can see a pathway into the squad.
 
For the record both Echeverri and Reis were signed with the express intention of them being loaned in the 25/26 season. Obviously Pep has really liked what he's seen from the kid, but the project wasn't sold to them as "you're going straight into the squad for next season".

I know that there's a lot of cynicism around whether loaned players ever return to City, but Viana has a different view on using the loan pathway before integration into the first team for players he scouts/targets. My guess is we'll see more gems signed who are loaned with the intention of them returning to City.
That's not how it was reported on at the time, whatever truth there may have been in that. And while it is in part logical, sure, I can also see why Pep would have actually wanted them in the first team too.

Fair maybe on Viana and loans, time will tell.
 
Yeah, they're all on big money and have no real prospect of an exciting move (Stones, Gundo and Akanji etc would all be taking a hefty step down). I do think the club could have been more brutal with certain players like Chelsea are occasionally, ie freeze players out and not register them etc, but its not our style I guess. anything short of that isnt gonna work
I'd hope it wouldn't come to that, but yesterday, Stones was emphatic that he was staying. Gundog & Ederson before him too, & now Grealish thinks he'd be better off at the Etihad. At some point, something's gotta give & pretty soon too.
 
No continued smoke without fire. Reis’s Girona move today has been leaked as ‘the last City/Girona deal this Summer’ too.
Which could easily suggest that Echeverri is going nowhere, and that would not surprise me.
What would surprise me, A LOT, is that he would EVER be loaned with an option to buy. Unless he has shown that he is a PITA, there is no way you pass up the chance of an absolute gem like him.
 
It's different any way , 2 years ago we had an established squad winning everything, there were no spaces and young players didn't want constant loans waiting on the off chance. Now we can see where the spaces are going to open up in the squad over the next 2 or 3 windows ,they can see a pathway into the squad.
They could see that pathway in January, when they signed. It is still there as well.
 
It's different any way , 2 years ago we had an established squad winning everything, there were no spaces and young players didn't want constant loans waiting on the off chance. Now we can see where the spaces are going to open up in the squad over the next 2 or 3 windows ,they can see a pathway into the squad.

Definitely. There's a sense of future proofing in the balance of age profiles we've targeted. The likes of Reis, Ech, and Nypan will know that the squad spaces are opening up next summer and beyond.
 
That's not how it was reported on at the time, whatever truth there may have been in that. And while it is in part logical, sure, I can also see why Pep would have actually wanted them in the first team too.

Fair maybe on Viana and loans, time will tell.

The injuries were key to how/what business was done. Not sure if you've seen the interview with Cambiasso's agent but he says they spoke to City, but then City had an injury crisis at CB and decided to focus their business there.

Also just for clarity, am talking very much about Reis and Echeverri. The rest were bought for the here and now.
 
Definitely. There's a sense of future proofing in the balance of age profiles we've targeted. The likes of Reis, Ech, and Nypan will know that the squad spaces are opening up next summer and beyond.
That is true, and a bit of patience and maturity and they could well end up in our first team hopefully.

But I'm not buying that was the plan all along, not for all of them. Nypan and Bah, sure. Eventhough the reports claimed Bah was promised first team football this season. Reis, Kush and Ech, I think they were brought in with the expectation of being here this year. But we did need to add key established players, with or without shifting ones in the final stretch of their contract. So the club and the young players both need to react and adapt.
 
I'd hope it wouldn't come to that, but yesterday, Stones was emphatic that he was staying. Gundog & Ederson before him too, & now Grealish thinks he'd be better off at the Etihad. At some point, something's gotta give & pretty soon too.
I think all the experienced players just think they can convince pep to pick them, even if the club is telling them otherwise. Reasonable stance given what happened last season. Stones has 1 year left and knows his next contract is going to be abysmal in comparison to his current one, wherever he goes. He'll probably be on pay as you play incentives with a much lower base salary. So he's gonna get another year of 200k thank you very much.
 
They could see that pathway in January, when they signed. It is still there as well.
Yes they could, and when you say to Reis for example, we are looking to replace Stones, Akanji, Ake over the next 2 years or less go on loan work hard and make one of those spaces your own.He can see that and believe it.Where even 2 years ago a player in that position probably couldn't.Same with the midfeilders loaned, with Bernardo, Gundogan and Kovacic.
 
The injuries were key to how/what business was done. Not sure if you've seen the interview with Cambiasso's agent but he says they spoke to City, but then City had an injury crisis at CB and decided to focus their business there.

Also just for clarity, am talking very much about Reis and Echeverri. The rest were bought for the here and now.
I get that. Responded above, and the two tie in.

I think (or rather believe the reports) that the club would have wanted both as part of the squad. But we did also need to improve in other areas and did, and if it means they have to wait, so be it. Doesn't mean that was the plan all along, is all I'm saying. And doesn't also mean it is a bad plan either, or a poor compromise.
 
I get that. Responded above, and the two tie in.

I think (or rather believe the reports) that the club would have wanted both as part of the squad. But we did also need to improve in other areas and did, and if it means they have to wait, so be it. Doesn't mean that was the plan all along, is all I'm saying. And doesn't also mean it is a bad plan either, or a poor compromise.

The documentary on last season will be able to shed light on the plans around January and the incoming players. But yes, in the main I think we agree that it's not necessarily a bad plan whether it was planned in advance or just the way things transpired.
 
If you go by online discourse and articles in Argentina. Echeverri is looked at as the future of Argentina national team the gem . He’s also according to river fans had special treatment since 15, due to his talent. Multiple clubs were looking at him so if you go by that we’ve got a special talent.

The only problem river fans say is his brother and agent. The way he left river as well he destroyed all relationships and pissed off many behind the scenes , including fans. Which shocked people as he comes from one of the poorest places in Argentina.
The first snippet in bold likely explains the second snippet in bold type.
 
Yes they could, and when you say to Reis for example, we are looking to replace Stones, Akanji, Ake over the next 2 years or less go on loan work hard and make one of those spaces your own.He can see that and believe it.Where even 2 years ago a player in that position probably couldn't.Same with the midfeilders loaned, with Bernardo, Gundogan and Kovacic.
Of course. Agree fully. All I was saying was that I didn't think they were bought with the specific intention of loaning them out straight away.

Think the 6 months from January was a bit of a bonus to see how they fared in the squad or whether they would need to be loaned out. Depending on who left.

Think both have shown enough that they could indeed stay and be eased into a role, but with no space now but space next year, loaning them is the obvious thing.

That's my take.
 

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top