Otamendi

[Matty]

I doubt the club would make any promises to anyone regarding play time, but going in to a season with a 35 year old and a 20 year old as third and fourth choice would be suicide.

Not sure I'd go as far as to say it would be suicide, however what it would do would be to open us up to potential risk that we'd rather avoid. At nearly 35 Demichelis' ability to play regularly is clearly going to be affected, plus older bodies break down easier so he's an injury risk. Denayer, at the other end of the scale, won't have the fitness issues, but he'll make more mistakes, bad decisions on the pitch, as he's very inexperienced. When you also factor in Kompany's recent injury history, and Mangala's less than stellar performances last season, and you'd have 4 centre halves, each with well known issues. If we lose Kompany for 6 weeks, or if Mangala's form is poor again, then you're relying on 1 of Demichelis/Denayer to step up and play regularly. Having Demichelis/Denayer as a 4th choice works as a strategy, having them as 3rd and 4th choices is something I always felt carried a higher than acceptable level of risk for a title challenging side with European ambitions.

 

[Gabriel]

Good job Demichelis has retired from internationals and that Sagna is in good nick. Big Wilfy will get his chance too.

Hadn't realised Demichelis had retired from internationals.

Always worry about half the team leaving to play international football in South/Central America, especially when there is so much extra flying once they reach their respective countries. Peril of attracting the very best I suppose.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

I feel bad for denayer, what more does he have to do to get a chance even in the squad. With kompany , mangala and this guy he isn't gonna get a chance. He's one of the best young players in Europe and we aren't gonna give him a chance it appears. No point in forever going I on loan IMO. Rather then spend all this money we could just use denayer and trust him

 

[paulchapo]

His agent has said they were told we'd be making no more CB signings of this calibre. They are clearly unhappy.

Opportunities arise and things change.We see these days how often agents and players hold clubs to ransom and fuck them about.City want to be the best club in the world and if this pushes a few noses out of joint as they achieve that so be it. Denayer is 20 and has had one good season in a league that made Samaras look like fucking Messi! Neither he nor his agent are big enough yet to start rocking the boat.If Otamendi stays for 4 years who is to say a better centre half than Denayer will not have come through the academy by then?

As for the chavs not fetching anybody through it has hardly done them any harm so far has it? How many players did Jim Cassell fetch through for City and how many actually made it to the very top level? By very top level i mean one that would get into any of the top four sides.....none! Shaun came close but fell by the wayside in the end. Nobody conquers the world without upsetting or hurting a few people along the way,thirty five years of being a nice club and everyone's favourites got us absolutely fucking nowhere,i for one welcome a more ruthless approach!

 

[schfc6]

Chelsea are a joke at developing players.

Tell me a title challenging side in Europe with a 20 year old centre half with one season of near amature football under his belt as their third choice?

Name me a 20 year old centre back playing regularly anywhere. Denayer is ahead of Jon Stones at the same age.

It's incredibly rare for centre backs to anywhere near a first team of our level at just turned 20.

To think a defender who turned 20 just 6 weeks ago is ready to play at level is simply wrong. History would back that up.

 

[blueinsa]

Really not surprised to see the kickback this has had with Denayer.

I thought we had the perfect balance going into the season, Kompany and Mangala first choice, Denayer and Demichelis on an even footing for backup. Both would be content with that role given their respective ages and stages of their careers.

Denayer had a breakthrough year last season, was playing for Belgium only recently.

He didn't have to sign that new contract, and there was clearly some deliberation with the club before he did sign it, now as his agent said, it seems they've been mislead.

I really hope signing Otamendi doesn't prove costly, can't let go of a youngster like Denayer. Sends out the wrong message to the academy lads this move, IMO.

What more could a young lad like Denayer do to earn his place in the squad and chance at first team football?

The message it sends is we are a world class club that will not settle for second best.

If you're good enough you will get the chance, simple and to help you we have invested over £200M in the best academy in football.

Too many on here think they should be given an easy ride into the first team.

 

[BlueRockape]

He won't, he's being used there for a few minutes here and there to shore things up because both Delph and Fernando are injured.

Sorry blue I meant Otamendi

 

[Timce]

Does the Negredo-money have any saying on the final fee?

 

[2sheikhs]

If hazard fell out with sardine breath, would there be people moaning that it means our young attacking midfielders would be forgotten if we bid for him?

 

[DHMCFC]

definately think denayer needs another full season elsewhere as the SPL has not convinced me and MDM has 1 season left with us at max so this move is ideal IMO

 

[Pam]

Does the Negredo-money have any saying on the final fee?

It must do, since it's still outstanding. Albeit nobody seems to know what the "final fee" is.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

Tell me a title challenging side in Europe with a 20 year old centre half with one season of near amature football under his belt as their third choice?

Name me a 20 year old centre back playing regularly anywhere. Denayer is ahead of Jon Stones at the same age.

It's incredibly rare for centre backs to anywhere near a first team of our level at just turned 20.

To think a defender who turned 20 just 6 weeks ago is ready to play at level is simply wrong. History would back that up.

It doesn't matter how old your are if you are good enough.

 

[Neville Kneville]

It has always been our policy to have 2 players for each position, which obviously equates to 4 centre halves. With Otamendi we'd have 5, however 1 of those is Demichelis, who is heading towards 35 years of age, and has actually been utilised as a substitute defensive midfielder in his 2 games this season. Denayer will get his chances, whether that be this season as 4th choice centre half (a role he may have to share for the time being with Demichelis) or next season as the out-and-out 4th choice (once Demicheslis moves on). If he wants more regular football straight away then there's the loan option, with the understanding he'll be back for next season with the first team. As I said, he's 20, and he's never played any first team football outside of Scotland (save for a couple of International appearances), maybe him, and his agent, are being a little unrealistic regarding his first team opportunities at such a young age, for one of Europe's top sides. I doubt City intended on signing Otamendi earlier in the window, however when the opportunity arrived to add someone of that calibre, and the financials worked out so well given the Negredo issues, did they really expect us to walk away from it because "we told Jason we wouldn't buy a decent centre half"? This is a business, he needs to realise circumstances change.

It's funny that everyone is wanking themselves silly over DeBruyne for 50 mil, still people lament us not signing Hazard, our captain is Belgium's cb, Spurs have two of their cbs, & the best player on their team by a fucking street, in two of their last 3 internationals, is being talked about like he is fuck all & can't even be trusted to fill in any position at City.

Joke.

 

[Stephenhakin]

It must do, since it's still outstanding. Albeit nobody seems to know what the "final fee" is.

Quite show Negredo's fee will be included in last season not this.

 

[Blue hatter]

I think MD will end up at NYCFC this window he as always said he would like to Finnish his career in the usa. he said so in that documentary of him not long after he joined city.

 

[blue5ter]

A classic from the caf. PMSL.

I find it hilarious just how utterly delusional they are now

I've been a blue for 40 years, a ST holder for 25. There's no question, when we were uncompetitive, we clutched at straws, like boasting about the height of our floodlights.

Conversely, it's united clutching at straws now. It started with 'the owner will get bored and walk away' - the building of the new complex seems to have made the penny finally drop for most reds now. Then it was 'you're buying the title' but after what they have spent under LVG, you rarely hear them using that one anymore. They still use the 'emptihad' despite the fact that most league games sell out and the only reason they get so many to the cups is it's compulsory for many ST holders there to buy cup tickets. Plus of course they've lost 10k ST holders a year for several years now and the waiting list has shrunk to almost nothing, compared to our growing waiting list

So now, they are suggesting that given equality everywhere else, a player would always choose them over us. Based on 'history'. They simply don't get it - apart from the fact players are more interested in making history than past history, if you were a player in Europe, with no particular affinity to either Manchester club, even if you call Utd 'Manchester' (I'm not remotely embarrassed about that but it seems rags get a huge rise out of that), why on earth would you choose them over us ?!? We are seen internationally as the club in the ascendancy, with 2 PL wins out of the last 4 years, a really harmonious dressing room, far more attractive football, far better facilities - on what basis is Utd more attractive ?

What's really amusing is the match thread on 'caf' when we beat Chelski. I was pleasantly staggered by the sheer number of their fans saying we play much more attractive football that they only dream of their own club playing, that we play football 'the right way', that they dream of having aguero & silva over any of their own players ......... if utd fans see that, why don't they get it's also what the overseas players see and it's what many of them want to be a part of ?

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

The message it sends is we are a world class club that will not settle for second best.

If you're good enough you will get the chance, simple and to help you we have invested over £200M in the best academy in football.

Too many on here think they should be given an easy ride into the first team.

So unless every 20 year old is world class, which barely any players ever have been they won't get a chance ?? May aswell close the academy now then. It take time for young players to get world class and if we had say sterling at a young age he would have never played if your opinion was right

 

[George Hannah]

This is the sort of deal that seems born out of opportunity rather than necessity. The club obviously had doubts about mangala with the intention of loaning him out. The start he has made to the season makes this signing unnecessary given we have four very good centre backs....

But we went ahead anyway....
As you elegantly say a signing 'born out of opportunity and not necessity' but it will provide a lot of competition in those positions as well as cover.

 

[Shaelumstash]

It doesn't matter how old your are if you are good enough.

It also doesn't matter how old you are if you're not good enough. Yet.

 

[Neville Kneville]

Tell me a title challenging side in Europe with a 20 year old centre half with one season of near amature football under his belt as their third choice?

Name me a 20 year old centre back playing regularly anywhere. Denayer is ahead of Jon Stones at the same age.

It's incredibly rare for centre backs to anywhere near a first team of our level at just turned 20.

To think a defender who turned 20 just 6 weeks ago is ready to play at level is simply wrong. History would back that up.

No it isn't.

It's just City & Chelsea who won't give kids a chance. Everybody else does.