And so it begins...

[sam-caddick]

If Liverpool is out of the race for Isco's signature, wouldn't it make sense to try the loan + buy option in January? We could avoid having to leave out a high profile player from the PL.

Even if we loan him - which is looking the likely deal if it was to happen - he would still have to take up somebody's place in the squad already.

I am not ruling out a Jovetic or Negredo sale, even if he is injured.

I think Pellegrini will want to get his man in, he got Demichelis and Caballero, now I think he will try for Isco again.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Problem then is he could not be able to play football (except FA and League Cup) in October, November or December despite being fit. Wouldn't that be pretty much unprecedented and a PR disaster?

I meant with regards Champs League registration only?

He would get plenty of games in the Prem and the League Cup.

If we progress in Europe, we can maybe look at business in January which will create the wiggle room to register him.

Check my post above.

We'd have 18 non-homegrown (not including Nastasic who is exempt for 1 more year) even with Garcia gone but only allowed to register 17 in the Premier League and 16 in the Champions League. Champions League exclusion isn't the big problem (because we aren't in it every week), it'd be forcing a big name player out of Premier League football. That's why I can't see how Isco can come in unless we sell a big name besides Garcia.

Then it can only be Negredo, unless Jovetic or Dzeko want out?

 

[Wrighty Wrexham]

Dzeko signed his contract yet?????

 

[bumbleblue]

I like the idea of getting isco but not at the expense of jovetic, if any other than Garcia has to go then its negredo for me, but I hope the club can negotiate with him to not be registered for CL that way we can assess what and who we need for Jan.

 

[ForzaMancini]

I'd take Isco over Jovetic.

 

[SebastianBlue]

Navas has to stay, we can not afford to lose his pace as it stretches the field.

I think it will be Jovetic who is sacrificed if Pelli really wants Isco.

Jovetic would command the largest fee, that's for sure.

Jovetic and Iso are pretty like for like though, no?

Not really. Jovetic can play as a striker and scored plenty of goals for Fiorentina in that role. Unless Pellegrini commits to a permanent switch to 1 forward then we need 4 of them, especially with Aguero's hamstrings...

If we sold Jovetic, we could start the season with just one fully fit striker (Dzeko), depending on Aguero. I'm not counting Guidetti because unless he does a 180 in preseason he looks miles off being good enough.

Given a straight choice, I'd have Jovetic over Isco. Jovetic is more versatile and less like Silva and Nasri than Isco is.

I don't think Jovetic will ever consistently play the lone/main striker role, nor do we really need him to do so in our best system, and Aguero rarely does, either. So ultimately selling Jovetic and bringing in Isco would absolutely be a tactical decision by Pellegrini, but would not really affect our out-and-out "strikers".

Negredo's injury was a blow, as he and Dzeko are the only two viable strikers on our books right now. We could change the system to play more of a false nine, but I'm not sure that is the direction they wish to go.

 

[NQCitizen]

I'd take Isco over Jovetic.

Would much prefer to keep Jovetic myself.

 

[LoveCity]

Jovetic would command the largest fee, that's for sure.

Jovetic and Iso are pretty like for like though, no?

Not really. Jovetic can play as a striker and scored plenty of goals for Fiorentina in that role. Unless Pellegrini commits to a permanent switch to 1 forward then we need 4 of them, especially with Aguero's hamstrings...

If we sold Jovetic, we could start the season with just one fully fit striker (Dzeko), depending on Aguero. I'm not counting Guidetti because unless he does a 180 in preseason he looks miles off being good enough.

Given a straight choice, I'd have Jovetic over Isco. Jovetic is more versatile and less like Silva and Nasri than Isco is.

I don't think Jovetic will ever consistently play the lone/main striker or role, nor do we really need him to do so in our best system, and Aguero rarely does, either. So ultimately selling Jovetic and bringing in Isco would absolutely be a tactical decision by Pellegrini, but would not really affect our "strikers".

Negredo's injury was a blow, as he and Dzeko are the only two viable strikers on our books right now. We could change the system to play more of a false nine, but I'm not sure that is the direction they wish to go.

But Pellegrini likes two 'forwards' even if one plays behind the other. And Jovetic's best role is behind a main forward. However, he is also good as a striker and scored a fair few goals for Fiorentina in the 12/13 season as the main striker. Wenger apparently felt he could turn Jovetic into the new Van Persie and was going to use him as a striker if Arsenal could have signed him. It's options and Jovetic offers so many of them, including being that fourth striker while at the same time being a support striker or able to play out wide. In the entire squad, I think only Silva is more technically gifted.

I also think it'd make us look uncomfortably like Real Madrid and their "grass is greener" syndrome. Isco snubs us, we sign Jovetic instead who is happy to join. A year later we discard Jovetic like rubbish to sign Isco, treating our players like assets more than humans - which seems to go in the face of everything City is trying to be.

Isco is a talented player but we have two better playmakers at the moment. It'd be a lot of hard work and loss in profits (since Italian clubs will pay nothing close to what we'd want for Jovetic) for a questionable switch.

Edit: If we had no stresses over the foreign quota, I'd be all for Isco on loan. He'd add depth but more of what we already have than something really new and explosive like a di Maria or Reus. But I don't see the need for so much overhaul to bring him in, just like I didn't when people said sell Yaya to bring in Fabregas.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Dzeko signed his contract yet?????

I expect him to sign a new deal.

If he drags his heels, though, then he makes the decision a lot easier for City.

We could not afford to let him go for nowt.

As someone said to me earlier, the ongoing problem seems to stem from wanting four top quality strikers?

Aguero, Negredo, Jovetic and Dzeko.

That's one top class forward too many IMO to sustain and keep happy?

Especially so, when you have Toure, Nasri and Silva chipping in an additional 40 goals between them?

Last season showed even without Jovetic, a player I really like, the goals flowed.

 

[kupest]

Didn't we go for Jovetic only after Isco rejected us?

Also TH, have we extended an "invitation" to Isco?