It's Quiet the £250m return

[Mancini’s Pastilles]

There are too many players who cannot be sold.

This rebuilding process will take at least another two years.

Yep because of our fucking around past 2 years

 

[Blue tiger]

I am a little concerned that the latest brief is the young players being loaned out. Last season we suffered due to an ageing midfield and injury prone defence. Adding Reijnders helps the former and Ait Nouri helps the balance at the back.

Can’t read the mail article but I would far prefer to see Reis being kept and Akanji moved on. Looks as though the likes of Stones and Ake are a concern in terms of the ability to keep fit.

The Reiss situation baffles me. Was reported at the time we paid extra to get him when we did as Palmeiras wanted to keep him for the CWC and we've hardly seem him. Now he's off on loan. Just as gutted about the two young lads going on loan as I am about the RB situation. I personally think winning the big prizes will be a struggle in the next season and not because we are shit, but because we are in transition. That said how are we supposed to transition these young lads into the team if we loan them out?

 

[Dribble]

Name me someone who didn’t make a mistake last year and the main culprits didn’t spend there season shunted in various positions and thrown on the bench for weeks on end. For some reason Nunes gets all the blame

Livramento is not available, alternative options deemed not good enough. What do you want the club to do exactly?

As for Pep picking his old crew, well he’s signed several players already but I still saw them sat on the bench at the CWC as Pep trotted out Gundogan. You think this lads joining this late and starting against Wolves, no chance.

We need a specialist right back mate. Nunes may have earned himself a reprieve with his improvement in the latter stages of last season, but I can't see him being relied on as a RB starter for any top team across Europe, so why should we?

We need to stop messing around with Pep's love of versatile square pegs in round holes & settle the RB position for the next decade. £60m, £70m or £80m is small change in the big scheme of things if Livramento makes the RB position his own for the next decade.

Everyone accused City of distorting the market & ruining football for spending £50m+ on Walker 9 years ago. Where are those detractors now? We essentially turned Kyle into the best RB in the world (imo), & definitely one of, if not the best the PL has ever seen. I see Livramento having a similar effect & high ceiling.

We just need to get this done & settled, so we can concentrate on shipping out those who're surplus to requirements.

 

[waspish]

Let’s see our squad when the window shuts hey! Our squad is stacked with quality Cherki Air-Nouri Reijinders Marmoush Trafford Khosovnov on top of the established players who have won it all!

 

[Gumzy97]

Probably go into the season , see how Nunes and Rico do if we get exposed constantly on the right by teams, which ends up in us dropping points or losing games. The club will probably sign a right back in January.

 

[Zenmanc]

The club will probably sign a right back in January.

Phew!

 

[Gaz76]

Rico is too small and weak to play full back.

So what's the point of him being in the squad then? Whilst I and many others agree with you, it seems pep doesn't and obviously sees something in him that not many others do

 

[oldius]

Fair enough but hes not a fullback and made countless mistakes last season in that position? Penalty against the rags at home, goals conceded from sloppy passes and plenty that we didnt get punished for? Not his fault in a sense as he gets caught up field too much as he is by nature a midfielder that went forward but going to Arsenal or the dippers as our RB is asking for more than trouble! Just an unnecessary risk that will cost us at the end of the season. When the team was being transitioned on to death last season and conceding so many goals, Pep also went into his shell a bit and picked the old crew which is something most of us want to avoid next season?

Every full back we have had with Pep has played a non-traditional role. What you are asking is for us to break with the strategy that has won us everything. I urge you to look a little deeper at what happened last season and ask of you really want to change what we have done because of one year. In fact, not even one year - a part of it - where injuries took a huge toll on the team.
This year we start afresh, with a new coaching set up, a new DOF, and many new players. Just enjoy the ride because I am very doubtful that a peak RB in the traditional sense would have made any real difference to our transitions - we had big issues in central midfield and central defence all at the same time and teams sat and took advantage.

 

[Pollock's Deft Backheader]

So what's the point of him being in the squad then? Whilst I and many others agree with you, it seems pep doesn't and obviously sees something in him that not many others do

He likes his pockets.

 

[Berti No Show]

Rico is too small and weak to play full back.

Think he's we need to give time. He's only a kid. Get him in the gym and put some muscle on him.

 

[Gabriel]

Every full back we have had with Pep has played a non-traditional role. What you are asking is for us to break with the strategy that has won us everything. I urge you to look a little deeper at what happened last season and ask of you really want to change what we have done because of one year. In fact, not even one year - a part of it - where injuries took a huge toll on the team.
This year we start afresh, with a new coaching set up, a new DOF, and many new players. Just enjoy the ride because I am very doubtful that a peak RB in the traditional sense would have made any real difference to our transitions - we had big issues in central midfield and central defence all at the same time and teams sat and took advantage.

True, but it also overlooks what happened in the spring of 2024. The warning signs were already flashing then in respect to our reliance on a small and aging squad. We were struggling to beat anyone of merit then, and injuries in 24-25 only worsened that situation.
We’ve strengthened, to be sure, but when Rodri breaks down again, as he inevitably will, right back will be the least of our concerns.

 

[Sibierskii]

Not the steam off my piss

 

[Ken92]

The depressingly predictable offloading of Reis, Echeverri and Bobb due to being unable to shift unwanted older players on huge wages is frustrating.

Once they go on loan, they never come back.

I think Reis should stay and sell or move on one of Ake, Akanji and Stones.Reis seems to have all the ingredients to be a very good cb.

 

[richards30]

So what's the point of him being in the squad then? Whilst I and many others agree with you, it seems pep doesn't and obviously sees something in him that not many others do

He`s technically good mate as i`m sure he was midfielder in the EDS but Pep saw him as his Kimmich project?

 

[Zenmanc]

So what's the point of him being in the squad then?

Do you have a buyer?

 

[Goater=Legend]

What available RBs (apart from Livramento) that are out there that would walk straight into the first ix?

 

[youngbob]

Fine by me if we're done.

Ederson
Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, Ait-Nouri
Rodri
Foden, Reijnders
Cherki, Haaland, Marmoush

Trafford (Bettinelli)
Lewis, Stones, Khusanov, O'Reilly (Ake)
Kovacic
Bernardo, Nico G
Savinho, Bobb, Doku

Ortega, Akanji, Wilson-Esbrand, Gundogan, and McAtee all sold.
Grealish, Reis, Nypan, Phillips, Echeverri all loaned.

Time to get a wriggle on.

 

[richards30]

What available RBs (apart from Livramento) that are out there that would walk straight into the first ix?

Over a midfielder who Pep thinks isnt intelligent enough to play his natural position?

 

[Delphinho]

What available RBs (apart from Livramento) that are out there that would walk straight into the first ix?

No one

 

[blueparrot]

He`s technically good mate as i`m sure he was midfielder in the EDS but Pep saw him as his Kimmich project?

Think everyone is thinking about last season next to a rotaing cast of DMs. They forget just how good he looked playing inverted next to Rodri in his first season.I she the answer don't know, is Nunes going to kick on again, don't know, will Khusonov play as right back , don't know. I do know the coaches will have a plan and I do know whoever plays right back will look better with a more stable defence a, midfield and Rodri. We've done it before with left backs so I'm certainly not going to be panicking about next season.