Deal agreed with Bayern Munich for Leroy Sane - €60m (including add-ons)

[Dobsy]

Not sure if you’re on the wind up now.

Sterling has never been as good at LW as Sane and likely never will be. As for skill, trickery and pace, Sane is the full package, far more so than Sterling who relies heavily on speed and has barely beaten a full back all season on the left.

I think it centres on how we're defining 'LW'. My point is that in Pep's system with inverted wingers he prefers Sterling. Maybe you are calling that an inside forward? Under this system Sane had essentially been reduced to being used tactically: impact sub for counter attacks, occasional starts against teams that actually attack us like Liverpool, and starting in lower profile games.

If you'd argue he's a better player than Raheem in our usual setup then I'd point you to their stats for 17/18 and 18/19. Raheem comfortably scored and set up more goals. Would you start Sane over Sterling?

 

[denislawsbackheel]

The point is he’s taken a step back career wise.
He is going to a club where he is clearly going to be the main man from a club where he was and would deservedly remain a squad player.

 

[kaz7]

What are you even on about about, I'm obviously not comparing them this season . Overall figures, mahrez is more productive so I don't see the loss of sane being a major factor in our decline this year, it's been a defensive clusterfuck.

Since they have both played for us I don't believe mahrez is better,so you have mins played and stats ?

 

[OrigamiNinja]

I think it centres on how we're defining 'LW'. My point is that in Pep's system with inverted wingers he prefers Sterling. Maybe you are calling that an inside forward? Under this system Sane had essentially been reduced to being used tactically: impact sub for counter attacks, occasional starts against teams that actually attack us like Liverpool, and starting in lower profile games.

If you'd argue he's a better player than Raheem in our usual setup then I'd point you to their stats for 17/18 and 18/19. Raheem comfortably scored and set up more goals. Would you start Sane over Sterling?

In 17/18 we were at our absolute best, I’ve never seen us at that level and maybe never will again. That season, more often than not, we played a left footed winger on the left and a right footed winger on the right. We were largely unstoppable. With Sanes injury and Mahrezs apparent inability to play on the left, we have been forced to play with inverted wingers (fine if your full backs are any good going forward, ours aren’t) and we have suffered because we have become far too predictable. Sterling gets the ball and it’s always cut inside, Mahrez gets the ball and it’s more of the same. That’s why we rely so heavily on KDB because Sterling creates nothing from the left and Mahrez not too much more from the right.

As for stats, they only tell you so much, or maybe you think Danny Ings is better than Aguero?

I would always start Sane on the left over Sterling. I think Sane is a better player than Sterling.

 

[kaz7]

Yes, I said he scored some big goals for us and was a good player, no doubt about that at all. The context (to borrow a CAS reference) is one poster saying the major reason we have dipped this year has been Sanes injury, that's not the case imo.

He was an option we didn't have when we ran out of ideas and raz was knackered having a player who would have run at and cause havoc and score was sorely missed

 

[Jesus H Gabz]

This is a ridiculously over the top comment, actually made me lol.

In what position does Sterling start? The same position in which he played more games, scored more goals and set up more assists than Sane in 17/18 and 18/19. He's better than him as a left winger in our system. He plays the position differently, sure, but my point was we need skill and trickery over raw pace down the outside.

Sane doesn’t score the goal Raz got at Newcastle, that’s the benefit of having him on that side

 

[kaz7]

How good he was, let's not forget that..

He's unproven since recovering from a bad injury. A gamble other big clubs weren't prepared to gamble on, hence Bayern getting him cheaper than if other clubs got involved. Not too bad a deal from City's perspective. If he gets another bad injury or doesn't fully recover this we'll feel as though we got decent money for him. Time will tell how his career goes.

I wish Sane well but I'm glad he's about to leave as his heart isn't here and hasn't been for about 18 months.

He only wanted bayern lovely,he wanted to go home not to Spain etc and we would not have sold him here

 

[kaz7]

Sane doesn’t score the goal Raz got at Newcastle, that’s the benefit of having him on that side

Erm the goal v the dippers

 

[OrigamiNinja]

Sane doesn’t score the goal Raz got at Newcastle, that’s the benefit of having him on that side

If he was doing it week in, week out I would agree with you. When was the last time Sterling did that prior to the Newcastle game?

Remember the all important winner that Sane got against Liverpool last year? Sterling doesn’t score that, instead he tries to finish with his left foot, kicks his right foot, falls over and it’s a goal kick to Liverpool and we lose the title. :-)

 

[mccity]

Erm the goal v the dippers

Am I the only person who saw the deflection on that goal?