Centre back options

[salfordbluetrue]

Kompany otamendi stones tosin and kolarov when needed.......Fernandinho as a last resort.....sorted.

and that is what failed last year for a lot of different reasons, the main one is that none of them is a LCB , yes they can all play it badly, and every team in the premiership knows that.
on another note Acerbi is available for around 15 million he is not outstanding but better than any of the above at LCB

 

[JustAnotherCityFan]

sell Otamendi, use that money, add some 20+ million and buy Van Dijk.

We'd still be 20m short of their valuation.

 

[Dax777]

sell Otamendi, use that money, add some 20+ million and buy Van Dijk.

Otamendi is said to be around 20-30 million. VVD around 60 to 70 million... I'm really not liking your math skills right now capitan :)

 

[BimboBob]

Otamendi, Kompany and Stones all have the capability to be world class in their own little ways. Unfortunately only one of them does it regularly. This is why we need another.

 

[Dax777]

and that is what failed last year for a lot of different reasons, the main one is that none of them is a LCB , yes they can all play it badly, and every team in the premiership knows that.
on another note Acerbi is available for around 15 million he is not outstanding but better than any of the above at LCB

The Italian Vertonghen. Nah friend, he is not expensive enough... :)

My sense is he'll look poor here if he gets similar support to what Ota got, bit will look like a Vertoghen clone if he played for Spurs. As they protect their CBs from all angles.

Good player. But won't excite the Bonnuci crowd.

 

[Blue1880]

Aside from having the 2 Silvas, KDB, Sane, Jesus and Aguero (plus possibly Sanchez) with that lot would mean we have too many foreign players.

If one replaced Clichy, Kolarov, Sagna, Zabaleta and Otamendi in exchange for Mendy, Alaba, Walker, Bellerin*, Alderweireld and VVD, It would mean replacing 5 "Foreign Players" with 4 "Foreign Players" and 2 "Home Grown Players"*. Thus signing Mendy, Alaba, Bellerin, Alderweireld and VVD on alongside Walker on its own would reduce the number of "Foreign Players" within the squad.

However to be fair you are correct in stating that adding D.Silva, B.Silva, KDB, Sane, Jesus, Aguero and Sanchez alongisde Ederson, Lloris, Bravo, Mendy, Alaba, Alderweireld, VVD, Fabinho, Gündoğan, Fernandinho and Touré would indeed be above the 17 player limit of "Foreign Players" (if only by 1 player). However this can be addressed by selling/loaning either Bravo* or Toure to deal with issue, thus with this minor tweak it would indeed be possible to have such a backline and meet the quota.

*One of the reasons why I suggested Bellerin is that according to PL rules, he is Home Grown.

**It would however mean brining Hart or Gunn back from loan to cover the 3rd Goalkeeper slot.

 

[Blue1880]

Personally I feel Bonucci had made a step backwards; you see I am aware that the guy wants to remain in Italy, but surely he could understand that he cannot do that, leave Juventus and remain at the top of his game all at the same time. Simply because for better or worse Juventus are completely dominating Italian Domestic Football at the moment* and thus by moving to a club like AC Milan (a club who have struggled to to even qualify for the Europa League in the last few seasons or so) he has made gone backwards in his playing career when his playing quality has not exactly declined of late.

Likewise considering most of the transfers transfers they have done this season (compared to lets say City in the first few seasons after the takeover), I cannot see AC Milan winning either Serie A or the Champions League any time soon and thus get back to their former level. So it's not like they are going to make a huge amount of progress any time soon and that's before we even get to the owners of this club...

*What with 6 League Titles in a row, 3 League-Cup Doubles in a row and reaching the Champions League Final Twice in the last 5 years, something City should be aiming for in the next few years (while of course actually winning the CL a few times or so).

 

[blueparrot]

If one replaced Clichy, Kolarov, Sagna, Zabaleta and Otamendi in exchange for Mendy, Alaba, Walker, Bellerin*, Alderweireld and VVD, It would mean replacing 5 "Foreign Players" with 4 "Foreign Players" and 2 "Home Grown Players"*. Thus signing Mendy, Alaba, Bellerin, Alderweireld and VVD on alongside Walker on its own would reduce the number of "Foreign Players" within the squad.

However to be fair you are correct in stating that adding D.Silva, B.Silva, KDB, Sane, Jesus, Aguero and Sanchez alongisde Ederson, Lloris, Bravo, Mendy, Alaba, Alderweireld, VVD, Fabinho, Gündoğan, Fernandinho and Touré would indeed be above the 17 player limit of "Foreign Players" (if only by 1 player). However this can be addressed by selling/loaning either Bravo* or Toure to deal with issue, thus with this minor tweak it would indeed be possible to have such a backline and meet the quota.

*One of the reasons why I suggested Bellerin is that according to PL rules, he is Home Grown.

**It would however mean brining Hart or Gunn back from loan to cover the 3rd Goalkeeper slot.

So if I have it right, as well as the 17 non homegrown you have Bellerin, Hart, Stones, Sterling, Walker so still one too many. Plus you have lost Kompany somewhere.

 

[Blue1880]

So if I have it right, as well as the 17 non homegrown you have Bellerin, Hart, Stones, Sterling, Walker so still one too many. Plus you have lost Kompany somewhere.

Your are indeed correct, sorry about that mistake. Thus taking into that account you would need to get rid of both Bravo and Toure to meet the quota.

 

[Blue1880]

Apparently they are in talks with UEFA re giving them a 3 year period of grace. Funny how we never got that.

Let's not forget it was their (now former) owner Silvio "Bunga Bunga" Berlusconi who helped push for that boneheaded policy in the first place* and pioneered what our critics call "financial doping"** in its modern form, a policy which they themsevles have failed to follow despite their gradual decline in the last 10 years or so.

It is for this reasons why I come to completely despise them (and Inter Milan for equally pushing for FFP) in recent years.

*If UEFA actually wanted to bring about a policy of improving the financial performance of European Football Clubs, they should have set limitations on debts (held by a football club) instead.

**I call it investing in your football club and challinging the established clubs cozy monopoly on titles and trophies. Especially when the barriers for a even a mid-table club to end up among Europe's best are harder than it was even 30 years ago.