It's Quiet - a new dawn

[BillyShears]

I'm assuming Tolmie's posts meant Rose, which means that a move for Gaya isn't happening. Going off pure speculation and what's been touted in the media, I'm guessing this will be our squad for next season.

Ederson
Willy
Henrichs
Maffeo
Stones
Otamendi
Kolarov
Laporte/Bonucci
Rose
Fernando
Fabinho
Dinho
Silva
KDB
Isco
Gundogan
Sterling
Sane
Coman
Roberts
Aguero
Jesus.

Perfect in terms of HG quota and foreign players.

We're going to sign a striker. My educated guess is that Tolmie's talking about Mbappe and that we've got a bid either in or we have at least asked to be let know if they plan on selling this summer. City aren't going to want to lose out on him but it'll be tough to prize him from Real Madrid.

I do wonder whether for Perez/Madrid Aguero represents a bigger coup than Mbappe would. Would probably suit everyone if they gave us 70 million for Kun, and we paid that amount for Mbappe.

 

[_OVO_]

We're going to sign a striker. My educated guess is that Tolmie's talking about Mbappe and that we've got a bid either in or we have at least asked to be let know if they plan on selling this summer. City aren't going to want to lose out on him but it'll be tough to prize him from Real Madrid.

I do wonder whether for Perez/Madrid Aguero represents a bigger coup than Mbappe would. Would probably suit everyone if they gave us 70 million for Kun, and we paid that amount for Mbappe.

I understand your logic here, it makes sense to move on to a younger, hungrier option. But the romantic in me doesn't allow me to even think about parting ways with Serg. I just cannot, sorry.

 

[City_Sean]

We're going to sign a striker. My educated guess is that Tolmie's talking about Mbappe and that we've got a bid either in or we have at least asked to be let know if they plan on selling this summer. City aren't going to want to lose out on him but it'll be tough to prize him from Real Madrid.

I do wonder whether for Perez/Madrid Aguero represents a bigger coup than Mbappe would. Would probably suit everyone if they gave us 70 million for Kun, and we paid that amount for Mbappe.

That's a decent shout, If Aguero does move then I also wonder if we'll get Isco as part of the deal, apparently Real have offered him a new contract, but I doubt he'll accept.

Mbappe is going to cost us serious cash if we push for him, but having a potential front five of Mbappe, Sterling, Jesus, Sane and Coman is frightening.

 

[BillyShears]

I understand your logic here, it makes sense to move on to a younger, hungrier option. But the romantic in me doesn't allow me to even think about parting ways with Serg. I just cannot, sorry.

Ha. I understand totally. I feel as though I'm pretty alone in feeling like the time has come to wave our 11/12 title winners off into the sunset en masse (with the obvious exception of Silva).

 

[BillyShears]

That's a decent shout, If Aguero does move then I also wonder if we'll get Isco as part of the deal, apparently Real have offered him a new contract, but I doubt he'll accept.

Mbappe is going to cost us serious cash if we push for him, but having a potential front five of Mbappe, Sterling, Jesus, Sane and Coman is frightening.

Exactly. And because we bid for Mbappe last summer too it's hard to see us just giving someone else a free run at him. Financially for it to work we'd have to sell Kun as I believe that Monaco want a world record fee this summer.

 

[Akiva]

We're going to sign a striker. My educated guess is that Tolmie's talking about Mbappe and that we've got a bid either in or we have at least asked to be let know if they plan on selling this summer. City aren't going to want to lose out on him but it'll be tough to prize him from Real Madrid.

I do wonder whether for Perez/Madrid Aguero represents a bigger coup than Mbappe would. Would probably suit everyone if they gave us 70 million for Kun, and we paid that amount for Mbappe.

I also think we'll sign a striker, but who we get in depends on whether Aguero moves on or not. We won't be in on Mbappe and Dybala, or even a Sanchez, with Kun and Jesus around, indeed Pep has alluded to that being as much the case. A bench striker would then be a more realistic target, likely one who can provide a different/alternative danger to allow Pep more flexibility (a Llorente type, for example)

That said, I do believe Sergio is likely to be off in the summer, for a number of factors. All the focus at present is about the back five, but, quite silently, City have been vastly improved at the back of late and almost every disappointing result is attributable (and Pep certainly does) to missed chances and lack of striking threat. His system is built on defending from the opponents half, from out-scoring rather than under-conceding. This is why Isco would be such an important acquisition this summer and the club won't throw all their eggs in the Sane-Jesus-Sterling basket either.

 

[BillyShears]

I also think we'll sign a striker, but who we get in depends on whether Aguero moves on or not. We won't be in on Mbappe and Dybala, or even a Sanchez, with Kun and Jesus around, indeed Pep has alluded to that being as much the case. A bench striker would then be a more realistic target, likely one who can provide a different/alternative danger to allow Pep more flexibility (a Llorente type, for example)

That said, I do believe Sergio is likely to be off in the summer, for a number of factors. All the focus at present is about the back five, but, quite silently, City have been vastly improved at the back of late and almost every disappointing result is attributable (and Pep certainly does) to missed chances and lack of striking threat. His system is built on defending from the opponents half, from out-scoring rather than under-conceding. This is why Isco would be such an important acquisition this summer and the club won't throw all their eggs in the Sane-Jesus-Sterling basket either.

TBH I don't think we can sign Dybala or Sanchez even if Kun leaves. Removing one forward who expects to play every week and replacing him with another with the same expectation isn't going to work. Mbappe is just young enough to be prepared to fight with Jesus for the 9 spot. If we're going to start talking about signing Aubamayang or Sanchez or Dybala then these guys will 100% expect a guaranteed starting spot so the headache remains the same and we may as well keep Kun.

If Kun stays, then I expect Kelechi to go on loan and yeah then we'd see maybe a different type of striker brought in with different attributes. Maybe Dembele from Celtic or as you say Llorente type.

 

[City_Sean]

Exactly. And because we bid for Mbappe last summer too it's hard to see us just giving someone else a free run at him. Financially for it to work we'd have to sell Kun as I believe that Monaco want a world record fee this summer.

I'm quite surprised we didn't get Mbappe, particularly after we bid £35m.

The other day I had a look at the players out of contract, and some of the players likely to be booted by Pep; the numbers are staggering, it's roughly around £1.4m a week off the wage bill. It leaves us with so much room to manoeuvre, and these new potential signings such as Coman, Isco, Fabinho etc will earn half of what the likes of Yaya, Vinny and Kun are on.

I've got a big feeling we'll break the record for Mbappe, and we'll spend north of £250m this summer.

 

[Akiva]

TBH I don't think we can sign Dybala or Sanchez even if Kun leaves. Removing one forward who expects to play every week and replacing him with another with the same expectation isn't going to work. Mbappe is just young enough to be prepared to fight with Jesus for the 9 spot. If we're going to start talking about signing Aubamayang or Sanchez or Dybala then these guys will 100% expect a guaranteed starting spot so the headache remains the same and we may as well keep Kun.

While that's true, and I agree with you, it's a headache no matter who is involved because even Mbappe will favor going to a club with a guarantee of a starting position.

Further, when it comes to Mbappe, you have the additional problem of Monaco similar being obstinate and not letting him go. This is likely because:
1. A number of Monaco stars are already shaping up to exit this summer. Bakayoko has all but asked to leave. Fabinho is talking about other clubs and also expressed a desire to exit. Sidibe, Lemar and Mendy have all been linked to other clubs, City included.
2. Monaco won't sell half their team even in a standard season, let alone one that has been successful. Even an average side likely wouldn't part with 2-3 of their best players in one window, but a team successful domestically and abroad will be unlikely to shed more than 1-2.
3. Mbappe is the jewel in the crown, their most popular player and with the highest upside by a measure. He's worth a massive payout now and a massive payout next season too. Losing Bakayoko and Fabinho would sting, but keeping Mbappe would be seen as a victory and would be retailed as such, without any decrease in his value.

Aubameyang, Sanchez and Dybala are all proven, top-tier goal scorers. So is Sergio Aguero. The problem with Kun is that he's lost the plot a bit this season and hasn't been doing the business. He missed another tap in on 87 minutes against Liverpool and even regular punters in the stands that I spoke to admitted we couldn't rely on him any more. Would Auba, Sanchez or Dybala have the same problems? Maybe, but there's always Jesus anyway.

If Kun stays, then I expect Kelechi to go on loan and yeah then we'd see maybe a different type of striker brought in with different attributes. Maybe Dembele from Celtic or as you say Llorente type.

Agreed 100%, though I do think that potentially Kelechi is out one way or another. He just hasn't seemed to find Pep's favor and he'll be desperate for the game time to impress.

 

[BillyShears]

While that's true, and I agree with you, it's a headache no matter who is involved because even Mbappe will favor going to a club with a guarantee of a starting position.

Further, when it comes to Mbappe, you have the additional problem of Monaco similar being obstinate and not letting him go. This is likely because:
1. A number of Monaco stars are already shaping up to exit this summer. Bakayoko has all but asked to leave. Fabinho is talking about other clubs and also expressed a desire to exit. Sidibe, Lemar and Mendy have all been linked to other clubs, City included.
2. Monaco won't sell half their team even in a standard season, let alone one that has been successful. Even an average side likely wouldn't part with 2-3 of their best players in one window, but a team successful domestically and abroad will be unlikely to shed more than 1-2.
3. Mbappe is the jewel in the crown, their most popular player and with the highest upside by a measure. He's worth a massive payout now and a massive payout next season too. Losing Bakayoko and Fabinho would sting, but keeping Mbappe would be seen as a victory and would be retailed as such, without any decrease in his value.

Aubameyang, Sanchez and Dybala are all proven, top-tier goal scorers. So is Sergio Aguero. The problem with Kun is that he's lost the plot a bit this season and hasn't been doing the business. He missed another tap in on 87 minutes against Liverpool and even regular punters in the stands that I spoke to admitted we couldn't rely on him any more. Would Auba, Sanchez or Dybala have the same problems? Maybe, but there's always Jesus anyway.



Agreed 100%, though I do think that potentially Kelechi is out one way or another. He just hasn't seemed to find Pep's favor and he'll be desperate for the game time to impress.

The key thing for me is balance in the forward line. I'm not interested in a situation where we have headlines every week because Sanchez/Kun/Auba are on the bench and Jesus is playing. Both for the sake of the squad and for Jesus's development we need to avoid that situation. I think that Mbappe would avoid that because he could be rotated more naturally without headlines. Of course he'd want some guarantee of playing time but at 18 and having not even been a starter at Monaco in the first half of the season, I don't see him demanding that in the way that the more experienced players I've mentioned would.

On what Monaco do - it's really very hard to call. The reality is their business model in the last few years has been to do exactly what's happening, buy low, develop, sell high. I appreciate that they won't want to sell all their top players in one window but I would expect 2/3 to go which would could include Kylian. Rumour has it that underneath the first XI there's another crop of exciting youngsters there ready to push through.

Personally I think that he would cost a word record fee and I suspect that's what Monaco will take this summer. Bare in mind they're still in the CL so his value will only go up if he scores more big goals in that tournament in the next round.