Who now then?...

[simon23]

I recon we would have seen Jorginho playing alongside Fern in some games.

He wasn't Fernandinho's replacement imo & we would still probably have to find one eventually even if he'd signed. Jorginho would have allowed is to experiment with something different there. But I feel we will end up looking for a Fern type player irrespective, just because of the nature of the league.

And if v.a.r. comes in, we will have to win headers without too much blocking/ holding etc which would leave us heavily outnumbered without Fernandinho.

I know he wasn't a direct replacement for ferna...thats why I'm not overly bothered about missing out on him

 

[salfordbluetrue]

From what I've seen of him playing for Palace and England I wouldn't mind Loftus-Cheek.

very slow as a kid he was huge and used as a bulldozer he has good skill but that pace, for England he lost the ball nearly every time, not a Pep player

 

[Tevez City]

It will be nice if Douglas Luiz can do a Zinchenko and turn out a reliable DM.

 

[yankblue]

I still like Weigl and would hope under Pep he could bounce back. He's so young and I think people are overrating 1 subpar year.

Mo Dahoud, also on Dortmund, has similar qualities? More growing to do but I haven't seen him mentioned

 

[Jimbob]

What's peoples thoughts on Ndombele? I know we've been very loosely linked with him preciously, has enough seen enough of him to form a proper opinion? Does he have the necessary tools to rotate with and eventually replace Fernandinho? Just been having a read up on him and he seems to have a lot going for him

https://clockendtalk.blog/2018/04/03/scout-report-tanguy-ndombele-is-he-heir-to-vieiras-throne/

 

[abu13]

Whatever happened to David Luiz at Chelsea?

He would be a great short term option.

 

[argyle]

With just 4 weeks to go and little time for other teams to get a replacement, any other top midfielder we try to get will now cost more than Jorginho.

If the press rumours are true that we aren't looking at anyone else then I hope Fernandinho doesn't get injured as Gunodgan and Danilo aren't at his level.

 

[Delphinho]

What's peoples thoughts on Ndombele? I know we've been very loosely linked with him preciously, has enough seen enough of him to form a proper opinion? Does he have the necessary tools to rotate with and eventually replace Fernandinho? Just been having a read up on him and he seems to have a lot going for him

https://clockendtalk.blog/2018/04/03/scout-report-tanguy-ndombele-is-he-heir-to-vieiras-throne/

First time I saw him was against PSG, and it has been a long time since I've been so impressed by a midfielder. He completely outclassed PSGs midfield. Very quick, a great dribbler, put in some nice tackles and very strong. Looks a lot like Fernandinho at Shakhtar, and he's only 21. Could become world class under Peps management. Easily my dream DM signing this summer

 

[citizens_1976]

Leandro Paredes.

I like the look of him. Great first touch, picks his head up and sees a picture. Good distributor of the ball, has a bit of bite about him and sits in the pivot role orchestrating the play from deep.

Reminds me of a young Ever Banega and that is exactly what we need.

 

[Andrew___K]

What's peoples thoughts on Ndombele? I know we've been very loosely linked with him preciously, has enough seen enough of him to form a proper opinion? Does he have the necessary tools to rotate with and eventually replace Fernandinho? Just been having a read up on him and he seems to have a lot going for him

https://clockendtalk.blog/2018/04/03/scout-report-tanguy-ndombele-is-he-heir-to-vieiras-throne/

Ferna was one of the weakest links during CL knockouts. I think after the Liverpool defeat it became obvious that City need a press-resistant 'regista' with good one-touch passing and vision, not another energetic midfielder. Of all elite players only 3 fit this description - Busquets, Weigl and Jorginho. Busquets isn't gettable, Weigl had a very poor season after the ankle injury. So, Jorginho's readymade high-class alternatives simply don't exist. Other 'compromise' solutions (Nzonzi, Seri, Paredes, Pellegrini etc.) aren't much better than Delph/Gundogan in DM position.

De Jong has a skillset of a 8 and is probably Barca-bound. Can't see him playing as a DM in a proper league.

Fred, Kovacic, Ndombele, Lemina are basically another 'Dinhos', doubt that Pep is interested in such player anymore. Ndombele is talented but quite raw from what I've seen and would cost too much.

It actually makes sense to postpone the decision for a year, scout upcoming youngsters and give a chance to our own young players. Claudio Gomes has a reputation of a huge talent, who knows - he could be seen as a viable solution next summer.