To find a direct replacement, yes, but he still can only be replaced by one player, so with a new manager playing a Barca Bayern like 433 then the whole midfield will need to be rebalanced without Toure, and all 3 midfielders doing a bit if what Toure does / did.Yaya doesn't really have a replacement in a midfield 3. In a three you can get better 10's, defensive midfielders, and box to box midfielders than Yaya ever was.
What made him so brilliant was his ability to combine all three roles and play in a midfield 2. He basically gave us a man advantage during his best years.
There no player on the planet who can do what he did, so trying to find a Yaya replacement is a wild goose chase.
Dortmund midfielder Julian Weigl dismisses Manchester City links
http://www.espnfc.com/story/2789290/dortmund-midfielder-julian-weigl-dismisses-man-city-links
"I really don't plan on leaving Borussia. It's just not an issue for me."
"I can only stress that I am under contract at BVB until 2019, and I still want to achieve a lot with this club."
Another one bites the dust
We will need some very good arguments to sign that very intelligent and hugely talented young player.
I think he is not focussed on money and well, he won't really starve at Dortmund anyway.
The place to live is not a big difference.
Pep could be a trigger, but BvB's Tuchel is an outstanding young manager as well.
Weigl's career will be designed to play for the German squad. Therefore he needs game time, which will likely be easier to get where he is now.
His national squad managers quite certainly will recommend him to stay in Germany.
The home crowds are impressive at Dortmund, some of you may know. Maybe incomparable. A galaxy ahead of the Etihad I'm afraid.
He is 6 feet 2, body weight only 71 kg. He needs to get a bit more athletic for the PL.
I suppose he really will stay there for a while. Dortmund don't need money, they know Weigl's potential as a player and in terms of market value.
Time is clearly running in favour of Dortmund.
But since Dortmund is publically listed at the stock exchange with a 60% freefloat, MCFC might have an option here... ;-)
Problem is, German clubs are not allowed to give away more than 50% of their voting rights. :-(
Sanè is a similar case. But Schalke is in need to reduce their debt of about 160m EUR.
I would expect both of them to stay in the bundesliga for the next 2 years. Let's see what money can do.
You may be right but KdB was saying similar things just before he packed his bags for England.Well it certainly seems that interest of doing a deal this window has cooled. His statement really confirms that we're unlikely to do anything for him this window atleast.
You may be right but KdB was saying similar things just before he packed his bags for England.
It's the game.
But that really had more substance and our interest in concluding a deal that window was serious. This one seems like we are just enquiring about a potential deal rather than making this guy a clear target this window.
Haven't a fair few of our recent deals been similar to "Interest begins to leak in January, deal wrapped up in the summer" ?
KdB was similar too I believeMangala & Fernando instantly springs to mind.
What is it with Germans who believe that people only ever leave Germany for money?
Do you lot have a script or something because every German fan who comes on here spouts the exact same thing about every player who plays in Germany?
Sorry lad, but I am not able to answer those questions in general as I don't know 'the Germans', not even those being here on BM. But isn't it similar the other way round? Not too many british players ever have played in the bundesliga. Maybe there just was no benefit?? Or a script, too?
This would need a separate thread. I won't start it though...
Back to the topic. I just put down my individual thoughts about Weigl's individual situation and I tried to answer his question: "Why should I leave?"
It seems you didn't like my points. So what would you do in his place?
That, sir, is an excellent, well thought out post.You're quite right, in that you can't answer for all Germans.
But you can answer for yourself.
You said in your original post "Let's see what money can do" as if the only possible reason he would leave Dortmund for City would be for money.
The better question is "Let's see how ambitious he is".
The reason no one leaves the Premier League for the Bundesliga is because it's a step down. It might not sit comfortably with you, but the German league is inferior to the English one.
City signed the best player in Germany last summer and he's not even the best player in our squad. The manager of the biggest team in Germany is quitting to come and manage a team whose stadium is "light years" behind. Are the best player and the best manager in Germany solely driven by money? If so, how did they end up in Germany in the first place, and why are they both jumping ship at the first opportunity?
The Premier League is the most competitive top league in Europe, as Jurgen Klopp is finding out. It's the most valuable sports league in the world. The most watched sports league in the world. Bigger than the NFL, bigger than the NBA, bigger than the Champions League. It is a global phenemenom. By contrast, the Bundesliga is one team regional league that no one outside of Germany really cares too much about.
The question shouldn't be "Why would anyone leave the Bundesliga for the Premier League" the question is "Why wouldn't they."