Alexis Sanchez

[Cityfan]

Does anyone know what our transfer budget really is?

Txiki, Khaldoon, Guardiola, Sorano will know it.
The press will guess but there is no way they are going to let commercially sensitive information out.

 

[Saddleworth2]

I see you point, but if not Sanchez then who ?, we can't go into a 60 game season with only Sterling as back up for those 3 and a long injury to just one would leave us stuffed.

Roberts may well be a good option.

 

[blueparrot]

Roberts may well be a good option.

He's an option, yes, but think we need to be able to rotate, Jesus, Sane Aguero withpout dropping quality, and I don't think they would go into the season as important as the next with only Roberts and Sterling, to back those 3 up., over 60 games, could you imagine going into the back end of next season with only Sane Roberts Sterling available ?

 

[Saddleworth2]

He's an option, yes, but think we need to be able to rotate, Jesus, Sane Aguero withpout dropping quality, and I don't think they would go into the season as important as the next with only Roberts and Sterling, to back those 3 up., over 60 games, could you imagine going into the back end of next season with only Sane Roberts Sterling available ?

I don't know mate, Roberts might surprise us. Sane will be older and wiser as will Raheem. Who knows how they will continue to develop. If we can get Sanchez fine, but I do think we have more pressing priorities. I also would like to see us have a plan B striker. Someone better in the air. I hear that lad at Roma is quite tidy;-). Maybe Unal will fit the bill at some stage although next season wil be too early for him yet.

 

[blueparrot]

I don't know mate, Roberts might surprise us. Sane will be older and wiser as will Raheem. Who knows how they will continue to develop. If we can get Sanchez fine, but I do think we have more pressing priorities. I also would like to see us have a plan B striker. Someone better in the air. I hear that lad at Roma is quite tidy;-). Maybe Unal will fit the bill at some stage although next season wil be too early for him yet.

Unal looks very promising, I wouldn't be too surprised if Sergio looks to leave for Argentina next summer and Unal could well be back to support Jesus, A season on loan somewhere like Germany could be the making of him

 

[Marvin]

No mate, if Sanchez is signed, he'd be a replacement for Nolito.

Nolito was part of our forwards in the beginning when Jesus was also signed, the season was planned with him and the the rest because they were supposed to rotate so that they wouldn't have to play every 3 days like Sane and Sterling did every match and drop in form.

But Nolito doesn't even get on the bench and would be even further away from the team next season assuming Roberts is involved. In short, Nolito doesn't have a role in our squad and doesn't need replacing

We need a goalkeeper, defenders and maybe a deep midfielder. I can't see where Sanchez fits in unless Aguero goes, and I don't see that happening. Jesus is best playing down the middle I think or as part of a fluid front 3, but we're told that Guardiola likes his wide players to stay very wide. I don't think that really suits Jesus. he needs to be down the middle. Our forward line is not 100% sorted but it's close. But the defensive side of our team needs to be totally overhauled and I think that's where we'll see the ins and outs.

 

[BillyShears]

Roberts may well be a good option.

Roberts will be fine as 4th/5th choice as long as we sign another world class forward. But, i think it's almost impossible we start the season with Navas/Nolito leaving and the only incoming forward/attacker being Roberts. Pep ain't taking that risk and nor should he.

 

[domalino]

Roberts will be fine as 4th/5th choice as long as we sign another world class forward. But, i think it's almost impossible we start the season with Navas/Nolito leaving and the only incoming forward/attacker being Roberts. Pep ain't taking that risk and nor should he.

Can't see Roberts being happy as a last resort. He's got the taste for football now, I think he'll be like Denayer and want to play every week.

If we get Sanchez, and start the season with Sterling, Sané, Roberts, Sanchez, Aguero, Jesus then I think he'll realise he's got no chance of playing and push for a loan.

If we don't get Sanchez and start the season with Sterling, Sané, Roberts, Aguero, Jesus than Roberts will end up playing a lot, 30-40 games a season and Pep will need to trust him.

 

[Marvin]

6 into 3 only works if the remainder are young players.

 

[BillyShears]

Can't see Roberts being happy as a last resort. He's got the taste for football now, I think he'll be like Denayer and want to play every week.

If we get Sanchez, and start the season with Sterling, Sané, Roberts, Sanchez, Aguero, Jesus then I think he'll realise he's got no chance of playing and push for a loan.

If we don't get Sanchez and start the season with Sterling, Sané, Roberts, Aguero, Jesus than Roberts will end up playing a lot, 30-40 games a season and Pep will need to trust him.

That's not happening IMO. We'll sell Roberts (or loan him) if he wants to play 30/40 games. He won't get them at City next season. I appreciate that there's a lot of excitement at the loan spell that he's had, but I can only reiterate that with Nolito and Navas leaving (and Kelechi), and Pep's comments about buying goals, it's almost impossible that Roberts is the only attacking addition we make.

 

[Thaksinssoldier]

That's not happening IMO. We'll sell Roberts (or loan him) if he wants to play 30/40 games. He won't get them at City next season. I appreciate that there's a lot of excitement at the loan spell that he's had, but I can only reiterate that with Nolito and Navas leaving (and Kelechi), and Pep's comments about buying goals, it's almost impossible that Roberts is the only attacking addition we make.

I think we'd be daft to sell him. There's far too much ceiling there, and we could really regret in in a year or two.

I think we should rotate him in and if the football isn't there, loan him to a prem team in Jan. But I'd be fuming if he is sold.

 

[domalino]

That's not happening IMO. We'll sell Roberts (or loan him) if he wants to play 30/40 games. He won't get them at City next season. I appreciate that there's a lot of excitement at the loan spell that he's had, but I can only reiterate that with Nolito and Navas leaving (and Kelechi), and Pep's comments about buying goals, it's almost impossible that Roberts is the only attacking addition we make.

For what it's worth I don't think it will happen either, I just think he's in a really awkward position where if we bring in a great player like Sanchez he's not going to play at all, and if we don't get a big name attacking signing he'll play too much (or rather we'll be forced to rely on him too much) and it makes it almost impossible to see him in the side next season.

 

[BillyShears]

I think we'd be daft to sell him. There's far too much ceiling there, and we could really regret in in a year or two.

I think we should rotate him in and if the football isn't there, loan him to a prem team in Jan. But I'd be fuming if he is sold.

Personally I think he needs to play at a slightly lower level to ours to prove himself. In an ideal world we'd send him to somewhere like Girona now they're a La Liga side to get first team experience in a more competitive league than Scotland. Failing that I'd be looking to sides like Southampton/Everton if they were interested in a loan.

The Scotland experience has been good and he's obviously got talent, but it's not enough IMO to bring him back to our first team.

 

[Thaksinssoldier]

Personally I think he needs to play at a slightly lower level to ours to prove himself. In an ideal world we'd send him to somewhere like Girona now they're a La Liga side to get first team experience in a more competitive league than Scotland. Failing that I'd be looking to sides like Southampton/Everton if they were interested in a loan.

The Scotland experience has been good and he's obviously got talent, but it's not enough IMO to bring him back to our first team.

Yeah Everton & Southampton are good shouts. I still wouldn't be against holding on to him until the Jan window and getting him some sub appearances/carling cup games etc.

 

[Marvin]

Personally I think he needs to play at a slightly lower level to ours to prove himself. In an ideal world we'd send him to somewhere like Girona now they're a La Liga side to get first team experience in a more competitive league than Scotland. Failing that I'd be looking to sides like Southampton/Everton if they were interested in a loan.

The Scotland experience has been good and he's obviously got talent, but it's not enough IMO to bring him back to our first team.

If we're not going to give a chance to a player like Roberts we might as well scrap the Academy.

 

[Akiva]

If we're not going to give a chance to a player like Roberts we might as well scrap the Academy.

That's just it, he's likely to be offered a chance as squad depth and a bench player, but that's likely not enough for him and not exactly conducive to his development into a player who could walk into our starting XI.

 

[BillyShears]

If we're not going to give a chance to a player like Roberts we might as well scrap the Academy.

That old chestnut. Haha. Rest assured that the purpose of the academy is as much about revenue generation as it is about generating players for the first team. Notwithstanding that Roberts is ABSOLUTELY NOT a product of our academy which makes your post even less relevant.

 

[blueparrot]

If we're not going to give a chance to a player like Roberts we might as well scrap the Academy.

Any academy player is going to need to prove themselves we aren't going to go into a season relying on whether a player can make that jump. Most will need to improve, and prove themselves on loan probably at a better level than Scotland. Very few will be good enough to get into the first team direct from the academy or their first season loan. How may loans did Kane need ?

 

[Don Karleone]

Personally I think he needs to play at a slightly lower level to ours to prove himself. In an ideal world we'd send him to somewhere like Girona now they're a La Liga side to get first team experience in a more competitive league than Scotland. Failing that I'd be looking to sides like Southampton/Everton if they were interested in a loan.

The Scotland experience has been good and he's obviously got talent, but it's not enough IMO to bring him back to our first team.

Wouldn't mind him playing under Eddie Howe.

 

[Thaksinssoldier]

That old chestnut. Haha. Rest assured that the purpose of the academy is as much about revenue generation as it is about generating players for the first team. Notwithstanding that Roberts is ABSOLUTELY NOT a product of our academy which makes your post even less relevant.

My big fear with Roberts(and I'm a fan) is that he's looked great under Rodgers. If there's one thing Rodgers is famous for, it's making wide players look amazing in his system. Scott Sinclair consistently looks good in his set ups. Raheem looked far, far better in it than he did under Pellers. There were others at Swansea too. So with that evidence in mind I'm fearful he's looking better in a system than he truly is right now. But the quality is definitely there.