Back up left back ie sessigon and a young player to challenge raz & sterling (should have been sancho he would of got game time this year). That's the squad complete with Gunn swapping for bravo and maffeo for danilo. Then we just buy potential gems as and when they come up.When Mendy is fit, I can see us playing 3 at the back with Mendy and Walker at wing back and Sane down the middle
Would that work? All about options.
If laporte works out, there aren't many obvious weaknesses left in this squad. We should be a formidable team. Jesus needs to step up when he gets fit. That is one area of the team that needs to improve. I am confident that Sane or Jesus will do so.
I think it is extremely unlikely that he would be on more than our current top earners.If the numbers on citywatch were correct, he would be on 270k per week. Highest earner then, no?
84m gross, 6 year contract, 14m per year, 270k p/w.
I really hate these absurd wages. Still the trend is going up. Rapidly.
He is pure quality! He will surprise many on this forum to how good he actually is. Look how much Otamendi has improved under Pep, this kid is already very talented and with Pep teaching him, I truly believe we are signing a defender of Kompany calibre.
Yeah, I get that and I don't particularly mind us being hated, it's inevitable if you're successful I think. It's the blatant bollocks, the lies that get peddled and stick that annoy me. Stuff like the emptihad bollocks and as someone else said, the idea that we are being funded by Mansour which hasn't been true for years. I was reading a couple of articles by Newcastle fans and both of them seemed to suggest that our support are a completely different set of people than it was 20 years ago. Now I think our support behaves differently these days (I think there are various reasons for that) but the idea that we had an average attendance of 40 odd thousand for years before the takeover and now they have all gone away and been replaced by tourists and "plastic" fans seems such a ludicrous idea that I assumed nobody would actually believe it and it was just said to annoy us. But reading this stuff, they definitely believed it. It's similar to the "where were you" chants we get. I always assumed fans knew it was an unfair accusation but sang it knowing it would really wind us up but I honestly think it has now become another "truth" amongst opposition fans, that we weren't there when we were shit. I think we are one of the few sets of supporters who really cannot be accused of that, unlike Newcastle fans who completely abandoned their club many years ago. Basically, I get annoyed by utter stupidity.
This.He was far from useless mate. Played a big part in our success.
Is he as good as lindehof?
The rag fans contradict themselves so frequently that it's laughable. I have to tolerate a particularly tedious one who in essence knows absolutely fuck all.
1. He likes to use the Emptyhaad, but them tells me our fan base is made up of plastic fans, who have turned up since 2008. I pointed out that you can't have it both ways and he's that numb he couldn't understand what I was getting at.
2. He also likes oil money and bank rolled by Abu Dhabi, so I asked him to differentiate between our initial outlay to get to a certain level, with them having official club tractor, mattress, noodle and tampon sponsors. Again didn't have an answer. All money comes from somewhere involving business, profit and sponsorship, but they make out like the make their money in the mystical Old Trafford cash tree orchards.
3. Another of his gems is how our owners fiddle the numbers to circumnavigate FFP. He ignores the fact that we are the fastest growing club in terms of revenue and turnover, instead harping on about Etihadd and their over inflated sponsorship deal. It was pointed out that this isn't even the most lucrative stadium deal, again no comebacks.
4. Finally the old favourite "We're ruining football" well in light of the recent events involving Sanchez he reverted back to the old fail safe of their magic money trees and how they are entitled to pay these wages as the generate their own money. Again it was pointed out that we are self sufficient with him scrambling back to point 3.
The other question he always finds difficult to answer is would he rather have owners who have invested heavily to steady the ship and now own the fastest growing club in Europe. Owners who have taken nothing out and only put in to give their supporters something to cheer about and a club to be proud of. Owners who have built the club up from all aspects and angles including the Academy that is second to none, whilst also creating jobs, or
Owners who took a club over and instantly lumbered it with a massive debt. A club that uses the fans money to pay the debt off, subsidise failing business interests outside of the UK, as opposed to reinvesting in to our economy, whilst also ensuring that they pay themselves a massive bonus.
When you actually disect the ethos of both clubs it's clear which is the better run in terms of business acumen, which is more financially stable long term and which actually has football at the heart of all its decisions.
He is pure quality! He will surprise many on this forum to how good he actually is. Look how much Otamendi has improved under Pep, this kid is already very talented and with Pep teaching him, I truly believe we are signing a defender of Kompany calibre.
To be fair, Athletic are world class exploiters of loyalty and really put pressure on people not to leaveYou can never be certain how things will work out, but as you say, this guy has much more ability & much fewer flaws to fix, than Otamendi & indeed Stones had when we signed them.
My only question would be as to why he isn't here already. If it's down to him being sensible about being 'ready' before he made a big move, then no problem, if it's down to ot liking pressure, then it might be one.
But I can't imagine a more perfectly suitable signing we could make than this,' in theory'.
The impression I got at the time was it was mainly loyalty to Bilbao having spent most of the previous season out injured and having a relatively low buy out, they persuaded him to stay a little bit longer and sign with a higher buy out.You can never be certain how things will work out, but as you say, this guy has much more ability & much fewer flaws to fix, than Otamendi & indeed Stones had when we signed them.
My only question would be as to why he isn't here already. If it's down to him being sensible about being 'ready' before he made a big move, then no problem, if it's down to him not liking pressure, then it might be one.
But I can't imagine a more perfectly suitable signing we could make than this,' in theory'.
In an ideal world. We are actually getting quite close to that ideal world. Gunn looks good. I think Bravo may go in the Summer and we recall Gunn. Would he settle to be Ederson's no. 2 though? I think he will get offers from a lot of top clubsBack up left back ie sessigon and a young player to challenge raz & sterling (should have been sancho he would of got game time this year). That's the squad complete with Gunn swapping for bravo and maffeo for danilo. Then we just buy potential gems as and when they come up.
Number 3 is particularly annoying because as far as I know it is pretty much accepted that the current Etihad deal is on the low side compared to what we could get. I expect it from united fans, they haven't a clue but the stuff from Newcastle fans recently did surprise me. I thought they would see us for what we are and, as naïve as it sounds, be happy that we have had some luck. I didn't think they would just be the same as the turds at united, Liverpool and Arsenal. I am confident that if the Sheikh had bought Newcastle instead of us and they were currently top, I would be pleased for them and wouldn't be bitter.
The impression I got at the time was it was mainly loyalty to Bilbao having spent most of the previous season out injured and having a relatively low buy out, they persuaded him to stay a little bit longer and sign with a higher buy out.
To be fair, Athletic are world class exploiters of loyalty and really put pressure on people not to leave
Right, but you can always add 'yeah' to fix it)Also the last letter is e not é meaning that his name is just two syllables, right?
Essentially meaning that the That's Amore song isn't going to work.
Not having seen Laporte, the one question mark I would ask is why is he not at Real Madrid or Barcelona.
We did this to Bayern with Sane and De Bruyne, but I do wonder why Real Madrid and barcelona have allowed us to do this. Both of those sides need overhauling and £57m is not that great a transfer fee when players like Van Dijk move for £75m.
I think it is pronounced Laport. But changing a foreign name to fit a song has never worried us before as Kelechi Iheanachio would tell you.I only speak a little French, but is his name actually Aymeric The Door?
Also the last letter is e not é meaning that his name is just two syllables, right?
Essentially meaning that the That's Amore song isn't going to work.