22 | Vitor Reis - 2025/26 (on loan at Girona)

[oldius]

The misery was part of the joy :-)

And now the joy is part of the misery!
In the words of Radiohead, we do it to ourselves, we do, and that's what really hurts.

 

[TonyM]

We finished third in the most injury hit season in a decade, following a four-peat: perspective, in this case, is everything. Regardless, that season is done, and one look at our squad tells us that it has a blend of youth and experience. If you cannot be excited about a forward line of Haaland, Marmoush, Foden, Cherki, Savinho, Doku and Bobb, the return of Rodri, and the return to fitness of Stones, then I cannot share your thoughts. To add to that, we appear to have Khusanov staying with us. Gonzalez and Reijnders providing more energy in midfield, and a refreshed coaching set-up. Roll-on the 16th, IMO.

And I am disappointed that Reis appears not to be staying, but he is 19 and a year playing every game should serve him, and us, very well. I would like Echeverri to stay because I think he is a blazing talent. I hope that Rico shows his critics to be wrong, and Nunes the same. Being a supporter comes with positives and negatives, but after ten years of unbroken success, surely we can trust those making the decisions.

I agree with most of that but I don't have faith at the moment. Only hope.

To me last season was more than just an injury crisis, it was complacency too. Let's hope this year is a huge improvement and the players stay fit.

 

[blueparrot]

I agree with most of that but I don't have faith at the moment. Only hope.

To me last season was more than just an injury crisis, it was complacency too. Let's hope this year is a huge improvement and the players stay fit.

Compacency last season is a fair criticism, but since January we've seen anything but.Lots of changes on and off the pitch.

 

[oldius]

I agree with most of that but I don't have faith at the moment. Only hope.

To me last season was more than just an injury crisis, it was complacency too. Let's hope this year is a huge improvement and the players stay fit.

We had a psychological hit from the demands of breaking records, for sure, as well as the injury and illness issues. I imagine that the former created some of the latter too. Still, it is done, and all of us hope for better, of course.

 

[TonyM]

Compacency last season is a fair criticism, but since January we've seen anything but.Lots of changes on and off the pitch.

Fa cup final seemed pretty complacent to me though. But let's hope.

 

[blueparrot]

Fa cup final seemed pretty complacent to me though. But let's hope.

That was last season and one game, I'm talking about the club as a whole and the obvious changes and planning that's happened since the turn of the year.

 

[TonyM]

That was last season and one game, I'm talking about the club as a whole and the obvious changes and planning that's happened since the turn of the year.

Fair

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Very puzzled that we are said to have shelled out 30m euros (some sources say 35) for this lad and we're loaning him out, basically without having played him. I know he's very young but Christ, 30m is not 5 or 10m! What exactly is he going to learn at Girona, in a weak league and at a team that has become weak in recent seasons, that will be useful to us when he presumably comes back? Incidentally, I don't know how much he has really played there, but his secondary position is supposed to be right back.
I just don't get the thinking here.

 

[oldius]

Very puzzled that we are said to have shelled out 30m euros (some sources say 35) for this lad and we're loaning him out, basically without having played him. I know he's very young but Christ, 30m is not 5 or 10m! What exactly is he going to learn at Girona, in a weak league and at a team that has become weak in recent seasons, that will be useful to us when he presumably comes back? Incidentally, I don't know how much he has really played there, but his secondary position is supposed to be right back.
I just don't get the thinking here.

He's £6m a season over the five years of his contract, and we must believe he has serious potential.
At his age, if it doesn't work out, we get our money back.
I hope and suspect it will, and we will have one of the world's best young footballing centre-backs here in a season, ready to take over from John Stones in the hybrid CB/CDM role.

 

[Paul1970]

Compacency last season is a fair criticism, but since January we've seen anything but.Lots of changes on and off the pitch.

I was fine until the al hilal game when pep suddenly resorted back to he boring pass pass pass and that worries me . I hope I’m wrong

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

Very puzzled that we are said to have shelled out 30m euros (some sources say 35) for this lad and we're loaning him out, basically without having played him. I know he's very young but Christ, 30m is not 5 or 10m! What exactly is he going to learn at Girona, in a weak league and at a team that has become weak in recent seasons, that will be useful to us when he presumably comes back? Incidentally, I don't know how much he has really played there, but his secondary position is supposed to be right back.
I just don't get the thinking here.

I agree, it's baffling. My gut feeling says we won't see him again in a City shirt but I'd like him to return and see how good he is.

 

[Blue_Lightsaber]

Very puzzled that we are said to have shelled out 30m euros (some sources say 35) for this lad and we're loaning him out, basically without having played him. I know he's very young but Christ, 30m is not 5 or 10m! What exactly is he going to learn at Girona, in a weak league and at a team that has become weak in recent seasons, that will be useful to us when he presumably comes back? Incidentally, I don't know how much he has really played there, but his secondary position is supposed to be right back.
I just don't get the thinking here.

You're not alone.

I can't see how Akanji or Stones are better than him now. 2 years ago sure, today.. no!

 

[franksinatra]

I’m normally the first to complain if a kid doesn’t get a chance but I do see the logic in a loan move.

Pep is a bit risk averse with the youngsters anyway and as centre half is such a key position, we already have Khusanov in the squad with little playing experience, Reis has only 18 first team games in his career, no experience of European football I don’t see him getting any meaningful game time.

Letting him develop at Girona, get used to living away from home, become more self-sufficient as an individual will aid his development.

The strange thing for me is why they didn’t let him stay at Palmeiras or loan him elsewhere in Jan so he would be further along the curve now.

 

[Ken92]

I agree, it's baffling. My gut feeling says we won't see him again in a City shirt but I'd like him to return and see how good he is.

I think we will and he will be a great cb.

 

[mattcity5]

I’m normally the first to complain if a kid doesn’t get a chance but I do see the logic in a loan move.

Pep is a bit risk averse with the youngsters anyway and as centre half is such a key position, we already have Khusanov in the squad with little playing experience, Reis has only 18 first team games in his career, no experience of European football I don’t see him getting any meaningful game time.

Letting him develop at Girona, get used to living away from home, become more self-sufficient as an individual will aid his development.

The strange thing for me is why they didn’t let him stay at Palmeiras or loan him elsewhere in Jan so he would be further along the curve now.

I think we were that unsure over the fitness of a few defenders that the decision to sign him then, and keep him then, was 'just in case'. If we'd lost Dias or Gvardiol then we'd have seen more of him.

 

[franksinatra]

I think we were that unsure over the fitness of a few defenders that the decision to sign him then, and keep him then, was 'just in case'. If we'd lost Dias or Gvardiol then we'd have seen more of him.

I agree that must be the reason but at the time of him signing Dias, Akanji, Stones were all fit, we had Gvardiol playing left back and had signed Khusanov who was going to be above him in the pecking order. The likelihood of any meaningful minutes were remote.

 

[mattcity5]

I agree that must be the reason but at the time of him signing Dias, Akanji, Stones were all fit, we had Gvardiol playing left back and had signed Khusanov who was going to be above him in the pecking order. The likelihood of any meaningful minutes were remote.

Agree, but I think only Gvardiol was genuinely fit at that point, the rest were picked based on who was least injured. It does seem a bit unnecessary now, but that's partly the benefit of hindsight.

Think he needs to play a lot of games somewhere this season, it's that's at Girona that's okay. I'm not sure they're the best fit stylistically, but a year's physical development and experience of a tough league could see him ready next year.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

I agree, it's baffling. My gut feeling says we won't see him again in a City shirt but I'd like him to return and see how good he is.

You're not alone.

I can't see how Akanji or Stones are better than him now. 2 years ago sure, today.. no!

My point, really, is that a) we are banking on Stones and Aké remaining fit. They may, and it would be great if they did (and there's no reason why Reis would get a look-in as a starter, certainly in PL matches, what with Días and Gvardiol, not to mention Khusanov, waiting in the wings). However, the history of recent seasons for both of them — and actually Aké's had injury problems since his very first season — give grounds for misgivings. And that's putting it very mildly. And b) he could stay and be given useful games in the early rounds of the League Cup, the F.A. Cup, and ten- to fifteen-minute replacements in the occasional PL matches, train on a daily basis with the first-team squad, and that, in my view, would be a better training for him to get up to speed for say next season or the season after than the destination of Girona, and a league that firstly plays a very different style to the English game, and secondly is decidedly weak outside of basically two clubs.
We are still allowed, I suppose, to dissent from certain decisions by Pep and the club, while thoroughly supporting them in the vast majority, since they've been proven so very right so often (but not always)? Otherwise, close this forum — because it just becomes a cheerleading exercise.
I remain puzzled by this aspect of club policy. Anyway, it's happening, so that's that. That'll be my last word on this particular subject.

 

[franksinatra]

Agree, but I think only Gvardiol was genuinely fit at that point, the rest were picked based on who was least injured. It does seem a bit unnecessary now, but that's partly the benefit of hindsight.

Think he needs to play a lot of games somewhere this season, it's that's at Girona that's okay. I'm not sure they're the best fit stylistically, but a year's physical development and experience of a tough league could see him ready next year.

Yes agree with all that. I do wonder though with the injury records of Ake, Stones, Akanji it’s not beyond the realms of likelihood we might face a similar situation this year. If that was the clubs thinking last year, it would be interesting to know why they think next year might be different.

Personally I think a loan might be a good move.

 

[Rodri’s ACL]