To be fair if you ruled out players that played for teams we’d scored 4 or 5 against we be looking in a small pool.I think Barcalay would be a decent squad player in a Kovacic kind of way,Is he what we need,not sure he is. Then again I’m not sure what the answer to the Rodri problem is.Take it you missed the 5-1 game a fortnight back.
He’s a good player but not the answer to our problems, nor is Kovacic. It could be that it takes an established partnership (Guimaraes/Paqueta) to rest Rodri, or we groom Neves for the single role.To be fair if you ruled out players that played for teams we’d scored 4 or 5 against we be looking in a small pool.I think Barcalay would be a decent squad player in a Kovacic kind of way,Is he what we need,not sure he is. Then again I’m not sure what the answer to the Rodri problem is.
I always liken it to Busquets really, he played all the time and I don’t’really remember any player barcelona had as a back up for him.
Busquets wasn't being rinsed every three days in English football. Makes a huge difference...To be fair if you ruled out players that played for teams we’d scored 4 or 5 against we be looking in a small pool.I think Barcalay would be a decent squad player in a Kovacic kind of way,Is he what we need,not sure he is. Then again I’m not sure what the answer to the Rodri problem is.
I always liken it to Busquets really, he played all the time and I don’t’really remember any player barcelona had as a back up for him.
Class player but looks spent. Be funny to take him off the Dippers but I reckon he'll go to SaudiSalah looking out of dips. Would you take him for a couple of seasons?
Seen him when I was 16/17 at a festival … pilled off his nut . Not the guy we take nowadays . I was off my nut too so no judgement from me .He's thirty with one good season, just because he's better than Phillips doesn't make him a City player.
Undoubtedly talented but Id question his application if he's only just stepped up now.
Noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!With Kalvin Phillips being absolute dogshit I'd seriously be looking at Ross Barkley. He's 30 now but every game i've seen him in the season he has been the best player on the pitch. Looks like he has finally reached his potential, albeit a bit later than he would have hoped. He bosses the games, pure class
I would. It would be like taking Frank Lampard all over again :).Salah looking out of dips. Would you take him for a couple of seasons?
Maybe so, doesn’t make it any easier to get backup in a position where we play one ,and the one we have is the best in the world.Difficult to get somebody that knows they are second choice without a big drop off.In that way the problem is the same.Busquets wasn't being rinsed every three days in English football. Makes a huge difference...
If told we have a potential 60 matches per season & you'll play in ⅔ of them at the highest level of football, or you can go elsewhere & play 45 matches at a lower level, I know exactly where I'm going.Maybe so, doesn’t make it any easier to get backup in a position where we play one ,and the one we have is the best in the world.Difficult to get somebody that knows they are second choice without a big drop off.In that way the problem is the same.
Similar to the difficulty we might have holding on to Ortega.
I don’t think whoever we buy will play 2/3 games and certainly not the bigger games plus if he’s that good we don’t see a drop off it will be somebody that could easily be first choice at another C/L team.If told we have a potential 60 matches per season & you'll play in ⅔ of them at the highest level of football, or you can go elsewhere & play 45 matches at a lower level, I know exactly where I'm going.
Rodri's exhausted & needs help. There's nothing to say in the tougher away matches that two equally gifted No 6's can't start together.I don’t think whoever we buy will play 2/3 games and certainly not the bigger games plus if he’s that good we don’t see a drop off it will be somebody that could easily be first choice at another C/L team.
Only option that makes sense to me is Kimmich who can play as an inverted full back or as a 6. Or somebody at the back end of their career.
Can’t see Pep starting 2 DMs, he’s has always used 1 and had a defender stepping in, at least since his Bayern days.Guess we’ll see what we do, for me ideally Kimmich, if not somebody older and experienced that is happy to be a squad player, don’t know who though.Either way can’t see anyone like Guimaraes, unless it’s instead of Paqueta.Rodri's exhausted & needs help. There's nothing to say in the tougher away matches that two equally gifted No 6's can't start together.
The big fear is having no Rodri replacement, then if we do, adequate game time. It's a bridge we have to cross once we've found a solution & solved the CDM puzzle & if I was confident in my ability, the competition for places wouldn't phase me one iota.
Being scared of competition shows a weakness of character, which hopefully City will sift out during our due diligence.
With Kalvin Phillips being absolute dogshit I'd seriously be looking at Ross Barkley. He's 30 now but every game i've seen him in the season he has been the best player on the pitch. Looks like he has finally reached his potential, albeit a bit later than he would have hoped. He bosses the games, pure class
Yes.Salah looking out of dips. Would you take him for a couple of seasons?
Ill have some of what your smoking!We need a proper refresh this summer as it’s all become a bit too predictable now? Some of the guys have been together 6 plus years and we need an injection of hungry younger players who want to emulate what has been achieved over the last 6 years. It’ll also cost a fair whack but imo the time has come to do a big refresh on the squad.
Out:
Bernardo @ £50m
Walker @ £40m ( Saudi)
Phillips @ £20m
Gomez @ £20m
Callum Doyle @ £15-20m
Harwood-Bellis @ £20m
Tommy Doyle @ £5m ( agreed option it seems)
Mcatee @ £25m
Kabore @ £15-20m
£215m ish there alone in sales, probably a few more as well that could boost the coffers.
In:
Bruno G @ £100m
Paqueta @ £85m ( investigation pending)
Branthwaite @ £60m
Savio @ £25m (loan back to Girona)
Frimpong @ £35m
Depending on sales and some luck Musiala on top! Just don’t think Bayern will sell to be honest.
You should have been a football agent!We need a proper refresh this summer as it’s all become a bit too predictable now? Some of the guys have been together 6 plus years and we need an injection of hungry younger players who want to emulate what has been achieved over the last 6 years. It’ll also cost a fair whack but imo the time has come to do a big refresh on the squad.
Out:
Bernardo @ £50m
Walker @ £40m ( Saudi)
Phillips @ £20m
Gomez @ £20m
Callum Doyle @ £15-20m
Harwood-Bellis @ £20m
Tommy Doyle @ £5m ( agreed option it seems)
Mcatee @ £25m
Kabore @ £15-20m
£215m ish there alone in sales, probably a few more as well that could boost the coffers.
In:
Bruno G @ £100m
Paqueta @ £85m ( investigation pending)
Branthwaite @ £60m
Savio @ £25m (loan back to Girona)
Frimpong @ £35m
Depending on sales and some luck Musiala on top! Just don’t think Bayern will sell to be honest.
We’d be lucky to get half of that for Kabore. Branthwaite is United boundWe need a proper refresh this summer as it’s all become a bit too predictable now? Some of the guys have been together 6 plus years and we need an injection of hungry younger players who want to emulate what has been achieved over the last 6 years. It’ll also cost a fair whack but imo the time has come to do a big refresh on the squad.
Out:
Bernardo @ £50m
Walker @ £40m ( Saudi)
Phillips @ £20m
Gomez @ £20m
Callum Doyle @ £15-20m
Harwood-Bellis @ £20m
Tommy Doyle @ £5m ( agreed option it seems)
Mcatee @ £25m
Kabore @ £15-20m
£215m ish there alone in sales, probably a few more as well that could boost the coffers.
In:
Bruno G @ £100m
Paqueta @ £85m ( investigation pending)
Branthwaite @ £60m
Savio @ £25m (loan back to Girona)
Frimpong @ £35m
Depending on sales and some luck Musiala on top! Just don’t think Bayern will sell to be honest.