No don’t believe I ever said that. He is not the only striker in the world. Like I said if the guy wasn’t born or goes elsewhere we would look elsewhere. There is a theme on here that we must get him and that’s it. People are setting themselves up for a dissapointment. Maybe the figures being banded about are over stated and we get him. Fingers crossed.What do you think we should do about our striker situation out of curiosity? Stick with the false 9?
Squad depth in all positions is important which is kind of my point. We need a left back, Dm and striker. We may need a midfielder and centre half too. This is all guesswork on our part. None of us can read the minds of Haaland Laporte Silva or any player.Not really, we have 3, non of who are alike in style and all do a decent job.
Don't forget next season is the Qatar WC in Nov/Dec, fuck knows how many of our players get through that unscathed. Squad depth will be more important than ever next season.
As for Haaland’s wage demands, it is all driven by media speculation.
I genuinely believe we have the talent in the EDS to cover all those areas as back up to our current first team options.Squad depth in all positions is important which is kind of my point. We need a left back, Dm and striker. We may need a midfielder and centre half too. This is all guesswork on our part. None of us can read the minds of Haaland Laporte Silva or any player.
Yeah Mendy can’t even get on the bench at the minute.Walker is our actual fullback I see Cancelo and zinc on the left as more doing a job because Mendy became a disaster.
Lavia isn’t ready enough for us not to sign a DM to replace Fernandinho who will almost certainly leave at the end of this seasonI genuinely believe we have the talent in the EDS to cover all those areas as back up to our current first team options.
Wilson Esbrand
Lavia
Delap
McAtee
Doyle/THB
All,and more,are Prem players in the making - an opportunity is all they are missing.
Lavia is a good enough backup to Rodri.Lavia isn’t ready enough for us not to sign a DM to replace Fernandinho who will almost certainly leave at the end of this season
This is too much drama for me. I wish I had this romanticized view of “trust and care” from the players, but they are all very well paid, more here than they would anywhere, with fat bonuses as well, and with a fortune being offered elsewhere, who knows if they would leave.I don't like the notion that we can easily break the wage structure just we have to, regardless the dressing room feeling about that.
It's just insulting to our player that have been loyal for us for years, they can at some point be tempted to leave the club for the club with better european pedigree and history aka a lot of bullshit compared to us. Yet most of them still stick with us eventhough the club still not getting the biggest trophy of them all, they trust and care for the club because the club is also caring them back and making a fair and justified wage structure to keep everyone happy.
And now the club want to stab them back and spit all the goodwill they have been building for over years for some kid that i admit is huge talent that can take us to the new height but at the cost of our dressing room?
This really a bad, bad idea if the rumor is true. I hope for everyone sake that Haaland or more specifially his father can convince him for not making outrageous demand for his wage.
You play for City as main man in the club as striker but that doesn't mean you are bigger than the club. We still have our pride and not bending ourselves easily to give in any demand from potential player that joining our club.
I have a hard time saying this when he has no first team experience at all. I certainly hope this is correct but a team like ours simply can’t take the risk, and Pep isn’t one to take risks. An Academy player that has no role in one season won’t suddenly be relied on for multiple games the next season. Assume Lavia gets virtually no game time this season, then Fernandinho is gone and Rodri gets injured the first game of the next season, there is no way Pep will rely on Lavia as a replacement. Maybe other managers in clubs of other stature would, but he won’tLavia is a good enough backup to Rodri.
There are some (not me) who consider him a higher talent than Palmer who I think most would agree is already good enough to be a backup, that's just to give you some perspective.
I think he is around Palmer level of talent, which is why it's fine. A backup only plays some games anyways, we are seeing how little Dinho has played this season already, Lavia can do the same.
I can see that it's difficult to imagine, and I'm not certain the club will rely on it also. They could buy another player.I have a hard time saying this when he has no first team experience at all. I certainly hope this is correct but a team like ours simply can’t take the risk, and Pep isn’t one to take risks. An Academy player that has no role in one season won’t suddenly be relied on for multiple games the next season. Assume Lavia gets virtually no game time this season, then Fernandinho is gone and Rodri gets injured the first game of the next season, there is no way Pep will rely on Lavia as a replacement. Maybe other managers in clubs of other stature would, but he won’t
This is too much drama for me. I wish I had this romanticized view of “trust and care” from the players, but they are all very well paid, more here than they would anywhere, with fat bonuses as well, and with a fortune being offered elsewhere, who knows if they would leave.
Grealish walked in the door yesterday and is already earning wages bigger than anyone but one of our players, KdB. We did this because that’s what it took to secure the player and because this is the new reality. We have to adequate ourselves to the reality of the market constantly, the Grealish case was one of those situations. We constantly renew contracts updating the players’ wages therefore also influencing the larger market. The Ronaldo transfer to United, whether we want or not, will be playing a major role for years to come as having set a standard.
We do not have a single player in our squad being paid to be our topscorer or our poster boy. When you sign someone like Haaland, you are signing someone who will score the most goals for you and win matches for you, as well as eventually win titles and raise your profile. United pays Ronaldo an obscene lot because he is superstar, yes, but also because even at 36, he will still win many matches for them like yesterday. Players love having players that have that power of decision inside a game in the squad to help them out, or bail them out every now and then. The idea that these international players in our squad don’t understand the profile of a player, the way the market works, and will be driven by jealousy, is extremely simplistic. They know it better than us
Rodri with inexperienced Lavia as the backup is a problem waiting to happen. Just like I am not comfortable with a player like Fernandinho that you can’t rely twice a week nowadays being a Rodri injury away from that exact scenario. When Pep complains that we should have the B team competing in a lower division like in countries such as Spain, it is a window into his mind showing that he doesn’t believe the Academy experience is anywhere near enough. Take someone like Zakaria who could come in for free next summer and would be perfect to fill this holeI can see that it's difficult to imagine, and I'm not certain the club will rely on it also. They could buy another player.
But to me, if people think Palmer is a good backup, then Lavia is too, he is extremely highly rated at the club.
I also like the idea because Rodri is still so young, we don't need to buy another experienced player to compete with him, instead, a young promising player to keep him on his toes sounds great.
Unlike the older players (Kdb, Gundogan, Mahrez) who know there is clearly an academy player to naturally take over for them in time. There is no competition there, they will be the starter until they get too old.
I didn’t do that. Ronaldo is a legendary player. I wouldn’t put Mbappe in that category either, but the wage demand for him would work the same way. I compared what Ronaldo is to the squad: the guy expected to score the most goals and win matches for you and be your poster boy. In that sense, comparing Haaland to him is perfectly okay, that is the expectation wherever he goes next. Same for Mbappe. And that was the expectation around Messi when he was a young player as well, when everyone knew he was bound to rule the decade.Interesting you put Haaland in the same category as ronaldo
I didn’t do that. Ronaldo is a legendary player. I wouldn’t put Mbappe in that category either, but the wage demand for him would work the same way. I compared what Ronaldo is to the squad: the guy expected to score the most goals and win matches for you and be your poster boy. In that sense, comparing Haaland to him is perfectly okay, that is the expectation wherever he goes next. Same for Mbappe. And that was the expectation around Messi when he was a young player as well, when everyone knew he was bound to rule the decade.
A lot of people in this forum like to play the game of moral superiority when it comes to the market. We are not above other clubs in dealings and it shouldn’t be expected that us or any club with our ambitions be. We affect the market with our choices constantly as well. Big news, we have money. You blink and in five years a Newcastle or even a Villa is taking advantage.
I’m not sure you understand how Barcelona got to where they are. But I will reassure you, there is no way we will end up like that — not just us, but any major PL club for that matterI can see the club in financial ruin in the future just like Barcelona does.
I’m not sure you understand how Barcelona got to where they are. But I will reassure you, there is no way we will end up like that — not just us, but any major PL club for that matter