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

Going to be controversial here and say I think the best thing for his development would be another loan, preferably to a Prem side. We don't really need him back yet, although he'd be nice to have as another option. But a year as 5th choice won't really do much for him.

If we could put a clause in any loan deal allowing us to bring him back in January if we have injuries, that would be ideal.

Come 2027, you'd imagine that a centre back will leave - either Dias or Gvardiol if the latter doesn't renew this year.
 
Going to be controversial here and say I think the best thing for his development would be another loan, preferably to a Prem side. We don't really need him back yet, although he'd be nice to have as another option. But a year as 5th choice won't really do much for him.

If we could put a clause in any loan deal allowing us to bring him back in January if we have injuries, that would be ideal.

Come 2027, you'd imagine that a centre back will leave - either Dias or Gvardiol if the latter doesn't renew this year.
It's not controversial at all, how on earth do the 'give him a chance/run of games' brigade, think football works? .....Dias/Gvardiol/Kushanov/Guehi are all currently a level above (at least). So when exactly is he going to play.
 
Going to be controversial here and say I think the best thing for his development would be another loan, preferably to a Prem side. We don't really need him back yet, although he'd be nice to have as another option. But a year as 5th choice won't really do much for him.

If we could put a clause in any loan deal allowing us to bring him back in January if we have injuries, that would be ideal.

Come 2027, you'd imagine that a centre back will leave - either Dias or Gvardiol if the latter doesn't renew this year.
Not controversial

Hes had a phenomenal year, but he comes in as 5th choice CB if not 6th if Ake stays

He joined us too late to be classed as Homegrown, think its better he has another year on loan

Maybe convince Bournemouth and say he can replace Senesi, good team who play good football and have europe

He doesnt get many or any minutes at CB iwth Dias, Gvardiol, Guehi and Khusnaov ahead of him
 
Just the kind of signing that excites me a great deal. Unfortunately, the elite level has little patience for player-development, and we see it here often.

Reis is a major talent, and I would not be surprised if we view him as a potential Stones/Rodri: the defender/CDM who sits, wins it on the ground or in the air and gives it - the initiator. The one thing we do not have is a potential Rodri in the squad. I believe that Reis could be that. Dada-Mascoll is another of huge potential but on the back of serious injury and in need of playing time in a first-team.

A player with that remit to sit needs physical runners alongside them. And this is where the likes of Anderson comes in.
 
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Going to be controversial here and say I think the best thing for his development would be another loan, preferably to a Prem side. We don't really need him back yet, although he'd be nice to have as another option. But a year as 5th choice won't really do much for him.
Not controversial, in fact the opposite.
Sounds sensible on the assumption that we still have Gvardiol, Dias, Guehi and Khusanov.
Once these 4 are confirmed, then loan him out.
He will have a further year to develop along with some, or all, of Mfuni, Bah, Alleyne and Simpson Pusey.
A year further down the line it will become even clearer who will be our centre backs.
What we need to do is avoid the situation last year where we loaned out all our youngsters plus Akanji, knowing the previous injury records of Stones and Ake. Bringing back Alleyne interrupted his progress at Watford.
 
Going to be controversial here and say I think the best thing for his development would be another loan, preferably to a Prem side. We don't really need him back yet, although he'd be nice to have as another option. But a year as 5th choice won't really do much for him.

If we could put a clause in any loan deal allowing us to bring him back in January if we have injuries, that would be ideal.

Come 2027, you'd imagine that a centre back will leave - either Dias or Gvardiol if the latter doesn't renew this year.
Think he was one of the highest rated young centre backs in La Liga, so we need to be careful. He would have stayed last year but we couldn’t budge Stones or Ake for want of trying, and Reis heeded the advice of the club and served Girona admirably (cf Echeverri). Stones has now gone and Ake knows he can expect fewer than the 1,644 minutes he received last season, when uninjured.

Khusanov has thrived staying within the club and I think Reis will, too. It’s not necessarily about masses of games now, more about being in the right environment and being around better players, so that he’s pushing others out from 27-28 onwards.
 
Think he was one of the highest rated young centre backs in La Liga, so we need to be careful. He would have stayed last year but we couldn’t budge Stones or Ake for want of trying, and Reis heeded the advice of the club and served Girona admirably (cf Echeverri). Stones has now gone and Ake knows he can expect fewer than the 1,644 minutes he received last season, when uninjured.

Khusanov has thrived staying within the club and I think Reis will, too. It’s not necessarily about masses of games now, more about being in the right environment and being around better players, so that he’s pushing others out from 27-28 onwards.
I read that Ake wants Bournemouth, though I do not know if that is fact. If Reis comes in, one will have to go, realistically, unless Reis does come in as backup to Rodri/JS replacement.
 
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I read that Ake wants Bournemouth, though I do not know if that is fact. If Reis comes in, one will have to go, realistically, unless Reis does come in as backup to Rodri.
He only needs to go if we’re seeing like for like. I think Reis would more than adequately deputise at right back, in certain situations, and maybe even moving into the midfield is an option. I guess it all depends on the available squad spaces and how well Maresca rotates the squad. We cannot continue to flog some into the ground while others stagnate.
 
He only needs to go if we’re seeing like for like. I think Reis would more than adequately deputise at right back, in certain situations, and maybe even moving into the midfield is an option. I guess it all depends on the available squad spaces and how well Maresca rotates the squad. We cannot continue to flog some into the ground while others stagnate.
I think Pep found what worked and kept playing it.
I would like to see a little more rotation to maintain the hunger and fitness moving forward. There is a chance to do it too with a younger playing staff and fewer 'legends'.
 
I think Pep found what worked and kept playing it.
I would like to see a little more rotation to maintain the hunger and fitness moving forward. There is a chance to do it too with a younger playing staff and fewer 'legends'.
I think Guardiola managed a small squad within a larger squad, sometimes in response to injury but sometimes down to stubbornness. He’d earned that right.

Maresca will have the challenge of getting more from more, so I’m hoping to see a cultural change in rotation and the use of substitutions, so players, all players, will just have to suck it up. Killing ourselves from August to February is killing our chances of regular Leage/Champions League doubles.
 
I think Guardiola managed a small squad within a larger squad, sometimes in response to injury but sometimes down to stubbornness. He’d earned that right.

Maresca will have the challenge of getting more from more, so I’m hoping to see a cultural change in rotation and the use of substitutions, so players, all players, will just have to suck it up. Killing ourselves from August to February is killing our chances of regular Leage/Champions League doubles.
I think it’s the result of a shift in quality from the top to the middle of the league starting last season. Teams aren’t conceding defeat and doing damage limitation after going down two or three anymore and Pep couldn’t trust the bench to see games out.

I do hope the summer transfers give Maresca a bench he can trust so we aren’t running the same XI into the ground.
 
I think it’s the result of a shift in quality from the top to the middle of the league starting last season. Teams aren’t conceding defeat and doing damage limitation after going down two or three anymore and Pep couldn’t trust the bench to see games out.

I do hope the summer transfers give Maresca a bench he can trust so we aren’t running the same XI into the ground.
I don't think 'managing a squad' is going to be that difficult for Maresca......he had a squad of 413 at Chelsea!
 
I don't think 'managing a squad' is going to be that difficult for Maresca......he had a squad of 413 at Chelsea!
He didn't.
He had the same squad as every other manager.
What he also had was a " bomb squad"
Those he didn't want he he just ignored and sent them off training on their own.
 

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