What is the right number of players for a team with a front 3 and 50-60 games per season?
This is the question I keep coming back to when people throw around Sanchez or Mbappé hints or rumours because to me, 4 with a youth player or veteran who don't mind just being involved as back up makes sense. The 4 main guys start roughly 75% of games each, and the kid or veteran starts maybe 10 games and mostly comes off the bench. Everyone is happy, everyone plays, there's good cover for injuries and even potential to bring through some very talented academy players through as/when needed.
So given we already have 3 nailed on - Sterling, Sané, Jesus - we would only looking for a veteran (Nolito? Llorente?) or a kid (Kelechi, Unal, Roberts?) and one more front line player - Aguero, Sanchez or Mbappé.
Now it's entirely possible Pep doens't share my theory of 4.5 players being the optimal amount for 3 positions, but I am worried that if he brings in a 5th main player, ie Aguero+Sanchez or Aguero+Mbappé or Mbappé+Sanchez, then it will actually be to the detriment of everyone as someone will be wasting away on the bench, getting unhappy and generally causing disharmony in the squad.
Not to mention the undue investment in that end of the squad can only take away from our Goalkeeper, fullback and centre-back budget.