It's Quiet the £250m return

supercity88 said:
I think the club would be okay with signing him on big wages if we didn't have so many other players surplus to requirements. Unless we can push people out of the door and free up that money we just can't bring him in. Our wage bill is already huge and we've allowed a situation to occur where we've got plenty who are happy to sit on the money even if game time is reduced. For all the issues people had with Walker, at least he had the decency to prioritise playing football over getting paid a fortune.
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The issue is not just money but whether Rodrygo is so much better than both Savinho and Doku to earn double than them combined.

I was surprised to see that over the last two seasons, Doku was better in terms of goals/assists per 90 in league games... And he's 2 years younger, Savinho 4 years.
 
That January window looks more of a mess by the day. Only Marmoush out of the five players signed had any real impact in last season and all it's done is to bloat the squad size. Now Pep desperately wants players to go after another five signings so far this window. I'll leave it to the experts but I personally think it's been poor planning
 
Fordyboy46 said:
That January window looks more of a mess by the day. Only Marmoush out of the five players signed had any real impact in last season and all it's done is to bloat the squad size. Now Pep desperately wants players to go after another five signings so far this window. I'll leave it to the experts but I personally think it's been poor planning
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I don’t think so

Nico came in because we needed cover at 6 and got injured. He now starts going forward. Gundo/Kov still might go.

Reis could replace Stones when he’s done so he’s out on loan. He was there for cover and we didn’t need him too much last year.

Khusanov played, then didn’t. Looks like Akanji is off as Khusanov now is preferred.

Marmoush is Marmoush like you said.

Bah went straight out on loan in Jan, loan again now. He’s either getting experience and will play in the future or be sold.

I think once the squad is balanced again we’ll see how Khusanov, Nico G and Marmoush are important players. Bah and Reis we are yet to see but expect one of them to come in next year. Ake and Stones will eventually be replaced - Stones out of contract next season, Ake the year after. Obviously they are both great players and have been integral to our recent success so not a knock on them at all
 
Fordyboy46 said:
That January window looks more of a mess by the day. Only Marmoush out of the five players signed had any real impact in last season and all it's done is to bloat the squad size. Now Pep desperately wants players to go after another five signings so far this window. I'll leave it to the experts but I personally think it's been poor planning
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I think the opposite to be honest mate. Reis and Bah go and get a full season again of playing football regular and then come in next season to replace Stones and Ake. Nico Gonzalez is now a proper squad member and ahead of Gundoagn and Kovacic in the 6 role. Khusanov as well brought on ahead of Akanji and Ake i think was telling as well . Marmoush basically hit the ground running and pulled us to champions league football as well? Nypan is an opportunity signing and Trafford, Ait Nouri, Reijnders and Cherki are just brilliant pieces of business to enhance the squad, especially for the prices we paid? If Ederson and Savinho go and Donnarumma and Rodrygo come in what can we actually complain about besides a right back maybe?
 
Fordyboy46 said:
That January window looks more of a mess by the day. Only Marmoush out of the five players signed had any real impact in last season and all it's done is to bloat the squad size. Now Pep desperately wants players to go after another five signings so far this window. I'll leave it to the experts but I personally think it's been poor planning
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Looks like excellent short term and long term planning to me,3 that will start to make a difference this season 2 that will be proven in 26/27.
 
alexmcity said:
The issue is not just money but whether Rodrygo is so much better than both Savinho and Doku to earn double than them combined.

I was surprised to see that over the last two seasons, Doku was better in terms of goals/assists per 90 in league games... And he's 2 years younger, Savinho 4 years.
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I wasn't. Doku's a seriously underrated player imo. He's young & has a high ceiling. His perceived shortcomings are down to City's failure to play to his strengths & support him on the wing.

Admittedly his workrate & defending from the front left a lot to be desired when he first arrived, but he's made big strides in that respect toward the latter end of last season & the beginning of 2025-26.

Where I think people are getting Jeremy all wrong is that opposition teams are doubling/trebling up on him, & he has very little support from our left sided players & Haaland. Doku's never gonna be as effective under those circumstances.

I'd ask fans to consider the different Jeremy Doku we saw in the CWC, when RAN played his natural attacking wingback game. Teams could no longer double/treble up on Doku, because RAN could also cause as much damage from the left as Jeremy.

Teams can't afford to commit 4-6 players to negate both Doku & RAN, hence why they wreaked havoc at the CWC when RAN was allowed to play his natural attacking game.

For whatever reason, from the Al Hilal game onwards, RAN has inverted into midfield & played more conservatively, which again has left Doku isolated on the left.

By comparison, when Moose replaced Doku against Wolves, even though Omar should've logically had an easier time of it as Wolves pushed forward in search of goals, he didn't effect the game that much either. I don't recall many people getting on Moose's back as they did with Doku.

We have to be fair & balanced when assessing Jeremy Doku, & stop expecting him to produce miracles when he's left isolated facing 2-3 players every game.

Teams are only double/treble marking Doku because they know the damage he'll cause if he's left one on one against a right back, especially if he has support from an equally effective player in RAN.
 
Dribble said:
I wasn't. Doku's a seriously underrated player imo. He's young & has a high ceiling. His perceived shortcomings are down to City's failure to play to his strengths & support him on the wing.

Admittedly his workrate & defending from the front left a lot to be desired when he first arrived, but he's made big strides in that respect toward the latter end of last season & the beginning of 2025-26.

Where I think people are getting Jeremy all wrong is that opposition teams are doubling/trebling up on him, & he has very little support from our left sided players & Haaland. Doku's never gonna be as effective under those circumstances.

I'd ask fans to consider the different Jeremy Doku we saw in the CWC, when RAN played his natural attacking wingback game. Teams could no longer double/treble up on Doku, because RAN could also cause as much damage from the left as Jeremy.

Teams can't afford to commit 4-6 players to negate both Doku & RAN, hence why they wreaked havoc at the CWC when RAN was allowed to play his natural attacking game.

For whatever reason, from the Al Hilal game onwards, RAN has inverted into midfield & played more conservatively, which again has left Doku isolated on the left.

By comparison, when Moose replaced Doku against Wolves, even though Omar should've logically had an easier time of it as Wolves pushed forward in search of goals, he didn't effect the game that much either. I don't recall many people getting on Moose's back as they did with Doku.

We have to be fair & balanced when assessing Jeremy Doku, & stop expecting him to produce miracles when he's left isolated facing 2-3 players every game.

Teams are only double/treble marking Doku because they know the damage he'll cause if he's left one on one against a right back, especially if he has support from an equally effective player in RAN.
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Agree completely. Pep needs to unlock Doku's qualities for the betterment of the team. Last season I was very disappointed with Pep's performance. This is one of the things I'll judge him on this season.

(Disclaimer: I obviously appreciate Pep for everything he has done for the club etc etc etc)
 
TonyM said:
Agree completely. Pep needs to unlock Doku's qualities for the betterment of the team. Last season I was very disappointed with Pep's performance. This is one of the things I'll judge him on this season.

(Disclaimer: I obviously appreciate Pep for everything he has done for the club etc etc etc)
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Mate, I concur 100%. Last season was the first time I was seriously concerned about Guardiola's season-long tactics & squad decisions.

We should've started our succession planning immediately after the treble, & even though it was blatantly obvious evolution was needed last summer, Pep admitted it was he who blocked the squad rebuild.

Injuries to our ageing stars decimated us. Having no adequate cover & competition for the all important Rodri, ended our hopes of title success.

To make matters worse, Pep continued with his inverted FB tactic, even though other teams had figured it out, & we didn't have the players to execute it effectively.

We should've gone back to basics with a 4-3-3 imo, to steady the ship until our injured players returned fully fit. We didn't, & we suffered as a consequence.

Several players were unfairly picked on imo, primarily Doku, Savinho & Lewis. WTF were they supposed to do with a formation that wasn't playing to the strengths of the players we had available, & tactics which even relegation threatened teams had figured out?

The gaps between our frontline & midfield were a joke, & when Gundog, Bernardo, KDB & Kovavic dared venture forward to offer support, the opposition kept hitting long balls into the channels & countering us.

With an ageing, injury riddled midfield wheezing their way back to defend at snails pace, it comes as no surprise we went over 2 months winning 1 game in 13.

Our season was effectively over from that point & we handed the title to the Dippers without a meaningful challenge. This was all on Pep because of a serious lack of squad planning.

We've made moves to correct those issues, but a few remain. We still need a specialist RB imo, & we still haven't figured out how to support our left wing, especially because of the lack of defensive over/underlapping support that RAN can offer, but is tactically being restricted from doing.

RAN can easily alleviate the left sided issues, but it's noticeable that his attacking instincts have been tactically throttled which has a direct effect on the effectiveness of Doku in particular. We can't expect Doku to produce miracles when facing 2-3 players every time he receives the ball, with zero support.

We've made great improvements, but we still have a way to go, to get back to the heady levels we reached previously. The signs are encouraging, but we need a couple of positional (RB) & tactical adjustments (support for the LW), before we're back to our blazing best.

We're very, very close & just need to clear these final two hurdles.
 
@Coatigan - this was your list that I bookmarked so not taking credit for it! I’ve amended, hopefully I’m right…

Can obviously tweak to clean it up, but assuming 1 keeper will definitely go than added to Reis and Akanji I think I’m right in saying that would have us at the 17 NHG limit bang on, then if the other keeper and/or Savio go then that creates a one in one out potential scenario with Donnarumma and/or Rodrygo being the current likely subjects?

17 NHG:
1. Ederson - may go
2. Ortega - may go
3. Akanji - likely gone
4. Dias
5. Gvardiol
6. Kush
7. Reis - loaned
8. Doku
9. Gundo
10. Kovacic
11. Nico G
12. Nunes
13. Rodri
14. Savinho - may go
15. Bernardo
16. Marmoush
17. Haaland
18. Reijnders
19. Cherki
20. Ait Nouri

4 HG:
1. Carson - gone
2. Grealish - loaned
3. Stones
4. Ake

Key CT (or b-list):
1. Foden
2. Nico O
3. Lewis
4. Bobb
5. McAtee - gone
6. Trafford

On Loan
1. Walker - gone
2. Perrone - gone
3. Phillips - won’t be in squad regardless of here or not, lol.
4. Wilson Esbrand
5. Jumah Bah - loaned
6. Echeverri - loaned
 
Rammy Blue said:
@Coatigan - this was your list that I bookmarked so not taking credit for it! I’ve amended, hopefully I’m right…

Can obviously tweak to clean it up, but assuming 1 keeper will definitely go than added to Reis and Akanji I think I’m right in saying that would have us at the 17 NHG limit bang on, then if the other keeper and/or Savio go then that creates a one in one out potential scenario with Donnarumma and/or Rodrygo being the current likely subjects?

17 NHG:
1. Ederson - may go
2. Ortega - may go
3. Akanji - likely gone
4. Dias
5. Gvardiol
6. Kush
7. Reis - loaned
8. Doku
9. Gundo
10. Kovacic
11. Nico G
12. Nunes
13. Rodri
14. Savinho - may go
15. Bernardo
16. Marmoush
17. Haaland
18. Reijnders
19. Cherki
20. Ait Nouri

4 HG:
1. Carson - gone
2. Grealish - loaned
3. Stones
4. Ake

Key CT (or b-list):
1. Foden
2. Nico O
3. Lewis
4. Bobb
5. McAtee - gone
6. Trafford

On Loan
1. Walker - gone
2. Perrone - gone
3. Phillips - won’t be in squad regardless of here or not, lol.
4. Wilson Esbrand
5. Jumah Bah - loaned
6. Echeverri - loaned
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Spot on mate - our NHG squad list currently sits at 18, assuming the Akanji deal goes through.

But that includes Ortega, who you’d have to assume would be omitted in the unlikely scenario that he can’t find a deal by September 1st - so we’re pretty much there.

Eddie/Savinho would clearly be one in/one out if either of them leave as suggested.

List looks like this:

Non-Homegrown

1. Ederson
2. Ruben
3. Reijnders
4. Marmoush
5. Kova
6. Erling
7. Cherki
8. Doku
9. Nico G
10. Rodri
11. Stefan
12. Gundo
13. Bernie
14. RAN
15. Josko
16. Savinio
17. Nunes
18. Khusanov

Homegrown

1. Stones
2. Ake
3. Bettinelli
4.

Club Trained

1. Trafford
2. Phil
3. Oscar
4.

Rico and Nico O are both on the under 21 list.

I’m also assuming Phillips and JWE aren’t in the picture, but we do have a spot for both if needed.
 
akanji knows nothing about it.... so be back on in 10 mins then off again b4 we go home
 
Strangest window for a long time this one. Does anyone have any idea what the fuck is happening? I have cramp so can’t stand by my bed at present only sort half standing , tears in my eyes. Give me a shout if I am needed.. I have put new batteries in my hearing aids-FOC!
 
TonyM said:
I used copilot to generate this.

View attachment 166670
Obviously more business to be done but ....
  • Liverpool, Sunderland, City, Newcastle and Spurs all in the same region.
  • United and Arsenal splurging.
  • Chelsea surprising low
  • Bournemouth with a lot to spend yet.
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Well what is it measuring? You haven't put a title on it, or a legend so the reader has to guess. I assume that it's a measure of net spending given the range of values. The Guardian Transfer interactive gives City's net spending this window as £74m, which differs to this plot.
 
Nicholas van Whatsisface said:
Spot on mate - our NHG squad list currently sits at 18, assuming the Akanji deal goes through.

But that includes Ortega, who you’d have to assume would be omitted in the unlikely scenario that he can’t find a deal by September 1st - so we’re pretty much there.

Eddie/Savinho would clearly be one in/one out if either of them leave as suggested.

List looks like this:

Non-Homegrown

1. Ederson
2. Ruben
3. Reijnders
4. Marmoush
5. Kova
6. Erling
7. Cherki
8. Doku
9. Nico G
10. Rodri
11. Stefan
12. Gundo
13. Bernie
14. RAN
15. Josko
16. Savinio
17. Nunes
18. Khusanov

Homegrown

1. Stones
2. Ake
3. Bettinelli
4.

Club Trained

1. Trafford
2. Phil
3. Oscar
4.

Rico and Nico O are both on the under 21 list.

I’m also assuming Phillips and JWE aren’t in the picture, but we do have a spot for both if needed.
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I'm a little confused as at the start of the window we had 4 too many non HG players.
Reis has gone on loan and echeverri to follow soon (not seen official announcement) so by my maths we have 2 too many non HG. Presumably akanji and ortega to go to make it right.
Your list also is different to the one above and nkt sure who has been missed off where.
 
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