supercity88 said:
With the transfer cap and other factors you have to think more than just about an instant impact. The main issue we have is the balance between success now and success in the future. We need to make sure stars in our academy realistically can make an impact if good enough, but we also need players who can make an impact now. Someone like Rekik or Nastasic will want to get game time and prove themselves. Do you bring in Mangala who is more highly rated than them but not much more experienced, and a similar age... or do you bring in a proven defender who is a bit older and can be a role model for the likes of Nastasic?
For me this is why it is key to have a director of football and a settled board/management structure in place. We don't want the situation to arise where we follow Chelsea's suit and have 5 players in every position and you have 23 yr olds who have been at the club for 5 years but never played a game.
With the transfer cap I think the club will look at players who can go up in value and get even better. Mangala ticks that box. There is time for him to become a star and to be worth a fortune. With Benatia his price will only go down from joining us most likely. Defenders are going for huge money at a young age and there aren't many seasoned pro centre backs fetching huge prices anymore.
The problem we have at CB are not in ability, but in experience. With Kompany in the team, whoever played with him was quality, but when Kompany was out, the authority was missing. As the season progressed, MDM stepped up his game and became that figure of authority, but he's at an age whereby he can't go on much longer. It's this potential for a lack of authority if Komps is missing, and for that reason I would go for the more experienced Benatia rather than a player who may have huge potential but is still in the process of learning the game.
