Gianluigi Donnarumma | Done deal according to Romano

[Goodlove]

Do people seriously think a player of this calibre will go to a team who have just been drawn away to fucking Grimsby because they don’t have European football?

 

[east2]

Do people seriously think a player of this calibre will go to a team who have just been drawn away to fucking Grimsby because they don’t have European football?

Talk shite and the rest, are running with the narrative that being out of Europe is now a good thing… And best placed for success!

 

[The Light Was Yellow Sir]

Guardiola is very likely to be gone in 18 months, possibly earlier if we don’t put up a proper title challenge this season.

At what point should the club stop signing players to fit a particular, very distinct system, and begin to sign top class players who can play and flourish under a variety of managers?

That sounds like the rags approach, which has been hugely successful…

 

[Brewster's millions]

That sounds like the rags approach, which has been hugely successful…

Only if we go out and spend 70 on a donkey like Hojlund or 90m on Antony.

Buying a world class goalkeeper for 30m is probably less of a risk.

 

[Silva&Silva]

Looks like we're going to be seeing an update with this potential deal in due course...

 

[SiMCFC]

I'd say he's already a City player if I was to take a Thursday Afternoon punt.

 

[jamielowndes]

Has Pep decided this?

Pep seems to have trouble directly saying "no" to a player and/or management. In interviews about Joe Hart, Pep consistently said that Hart could be first choice and that he could improve Hart's passing and so on.

Ibra at Barca was another situation in which Pep didn't come right out and say that he's moulding the team around Messi and Ibra had to deal with it.

There are other examples which don't come to mind at the moment - but Pep seems to be very adverse to direct confrontation.

So the director of football expresses keen interest in Donnarumma - is Pep going to say, "fuck no, he doesn't fit our system?" - or is he going to express doubt - but ultimately give his OK?

The above is of course 100% speculation - but that's my take on what might be going on.

Adding to this, should we sign Donnarumma we won't change our system much. We'll expect Donnarumma to mostly play out from the back and sweep - and yes, I get it that long balls over the top are more frequent now than in the past - but that's when the defense is vulnerable (Haaland or someone makes a run that's not covered well) or there's no other good option - for the most part. If the press is on top of us and we're consistently turning it over, we'll take the occasional long ball goal kick more often now than in the past too. Nonetheless, our current system is play out from the back, and utilize the keeper as an extra man on defense.

Joe Hart is on record saying Pep didn't have a problem with him personally but basically said he was about winning above anything else and it wasn't going to be with Hart in goal.

 

[celf]

maybe pep L ....Has had a big influence... Allison isnt clever with his feet either

 

[eyalluvitt]

Nah come on that's harsh. European Cup final Vs Inter he made some great saves

Very true, his best ever game for us was in Istanbul, our MOTM

 

[eyalluvitt]

maybe pep L ....Has had a big influence... Allison isnt clever with his feet either

He doesn’t need to be, McAllister made a great save for him at the weekend

 

[heslops barnet]

maybe pep L ....Has had a big influence... Allison isnt clever with his feet either

We’ve had a few forwards who weren’t clever with their feet either

 

[SiMCFC]

1/4 to City now, books nearly closed.

 

[bluemc]

I'd say he's already a City player if I was to take a Thursday Afternoon punt.

I hope your punting is better than Donnarumma's. Can we see a graph of your punting stats over the past 5 seasons?

 

[waspish]

People (mostly) arent framing it as a negative. They are simply pointing out the bloody obvious.

Why the hell is this so contentious, why does it seen to upset people so much?

It is a perfectly valid point of discussion, that every pundit, journalist, football supporter of other clubs, random in a pub and dick and harry seems to be having right now. That he is not a Pep type keeper and doesn't suit how Pep tupically plays. Yet mention it on a City forum where it is relevant, and fucking arms in disgust everywhere.

It is hardly a controversial thing to point out!

when it’s so obvious what we doing? Hey it’s a forum where a lot people want to tell everyone the obvious mad

 

[Gaz76]

I hope your punting is better than Donnarumma's. Can we see a graph of your punting stats over the past 5 seasons?

And expected punts please

 

[decmancity]

Has Pep decided this?

Pep seems to have trouble directly saying "no" to a player and/or management. In interviews about Joe Hart, Pep consistently said that Hart could be first choice and that he could improve Hart's passing and so on.

Ibra at Barca was another situation in which Pep didn't come right out and say that he's moulding the team around Messi and Ibra had to deal with it.

There are other examples which don't come to mind at the moment - but Pep seems to be very adverse to direct confrontation.

So the director of football expresses keen interest in Donnarumma - is Pep going to say, "fuck no, he doesn't fit our system?" - or is he going to express doubt - but ultimately give his OK?

The above is of course 100% speculation - but that's my take on what might be going on.

Adding to this, should we sign Donnarumma we won't change our system much. We'll expect Donnarumma to mostly play out from the back and sweep - and yes, I get it that long balls over the top are more frequent now than in the past - but that's when the defense is vulnerable (Haaland or someone makes a run that's not covered well) or there's no other good option - for the most part. If the press is on top of us and we're consistently turning it over, we'll take the occasional long ball goal kick more often now than in the past too. Nonetheless, our current system is play out from the back, and utilize the keeper as an extra man on defense.

Pep runs the club. I don’t care what anyone says.

Khaldoon and Soriano sign the checks but Pep has complete autonomy.

What he says or doesn’t say in public is irrelevant.

If we sign Donnarumma it’s for a reason

 

[axlgod]

Do people seriously think a player of this calibre will go to a team who have just been drawn away to fucking Grimsby because they don’t have European football?

My home town.
Best Haddock in the world.

 

[Quinny851]

Pep runs the club. I don’t care what anyone says.

Khaldoon and Soriano sign the checks but Pep has complete autonomy.

What he says or doesn’t say in public is irrelevant.

If we sign Donnarumma it’s for a reason

I don't doubt for a second that he has an enormous say in what goes on but he doesn't have full autonomy in my opinion.

If he did then Van Dijk & Maguire would both be playing for us

 

[Crooked_rain]

Yes but Enrique wants him out because of his kicking.

Just a concern for us given how Pep has set us up previously.

Let's see if they win another champions league with a better kicker

 

[Dax777]

Guardiola is very likely to be gone in 18 months, possibly earlier if we don’t put up a proper title challenge this season.

At what point should the club stop signing players to fit a particular, very distinct system, and begin to sign top class players who can play and flourish under a variety of managers?

I think that's exactly what Pep is doing. Preparing for the transfer of power. I think this is his last season.

He signed for 2 years just to make sure it doesn't become the distraction talk all season.

I believe once the season is over hed take a sabbatical. Go to the World Cup as a pundit and just chill until his national team job materializes..