Ake will be qualified as a league player.
What makes you believe Stones will come good this particular season?This all day long, denayer is a great shout to bring back and is a solid defender. Keep stones who is a class player and will come good.
Keep the money, hope one the youth come through strong this year to support and as the kids say ‘yeet Garcia’
Are we looking at any alternatives to Messi do you know? Or is that a year down the line? Think Martinez as the only likely one who might be available this summer.
Denayer and Stones would be the perfect mix of competition and the right age profile, with, as you say, Harwood Bellis in reserve.
We have faced Denayer three times now and he has proved more than capable against our attack.
I don't want us blowing £70m plus on a central defender - that calibre of player just isn't out there at present IMO.
Use the money for a world class midfielder who can run and tackle.
the numbers are 17+8 domestically, or 17+4+4 in CL.
We currently have 16+5.
+3 we can also include. (at least till garcia and angelino leave) and the 3 is not really relevant as they'd are category b.
So ake being home grown doesn't help much, one nhg slot is still down. We have no space as it is for another foreign signing, unless we lose either a hg or nhg player (excluding garcia and angelino who don't count towards that).
The bit that confuses me is we apparently had 2 targets plus Messi. One was obviously a centre back, Assuming Messi would cover any attacking options I can't see what the 2nd player would be. Makes more sense to me if the second player was a Messi alternative being worked on in parallel to the Messi stuff as an alternative rather than as well as.Are we looking at any alternatives to Messi do you know? Or is that a year down the line? Think Martinez as the only likely one who might be available this summer.
I would love to see a new CDM in the Fern mould but I doubt that is happening. We spent a huge amount on Rodri, he was Peps new midfield guy, he isn't binning him off anytime soon.
This leaves us with filling the gaping hole we have at CB, so why not pay the money to get the best that is available? We made the mistake of not replacing Vinny last summer. To do the same again this summer would be gross negligence.
We have a midfielder at Villa who might not be world class yet but ticks those boxes, be good to get him back here whilst we still have Ferna too.Denayer and Stones would be the perfect mix of competition and the right age profile, with, as you say, Harwood Bellis in reserve.
We have faced Denayer three times now and he has proved more than capable against our attack.
I don't want us blowing £70m plus on a central defender - that calibre of player just isn't out there at present IMO.
Use the money for a world class midfielder who can run and tackle.
What makes you believe Stones will come good this particular season?
Our Lahm, perhaps.Of course City know their own requirements, bloody hell!
I'd rather sign a fit Stones to a new long-term deal than sign Koulibaly - and blow the fucking lot on a world-class defensive midfielder - Flanaghan's Law - Cocktails and Dreams.
It could have missed a lot of people by the other day, but Ake's comments last week were also interesting - Pep has asked him to prepare to be played in three positions this season - centre-back, left-back and holding midfield.
Don't be surprised if Carson just isn't in the CL squad. Worst case scenario we can emergency recall Bazunu or Muric for a few CL games if Steffan and Ederson got hurt, they'd be at least as good as Carson.
If everything we read in the media is true (I know), Koulibaly is our number 1, preferred CB option. If this is the case, I would love to understand the reasoning for dropping £40m on a back up CB and then potentially backing out of a deal for Koulibaly, over a few £m.
Here's an idea, don't spend £40m on the guy from the relegated side, who conceded goals for fun and instead use a portion of that £40m to get the deal for your number 1 target over the line.
How many times are we going to take the cheaper option and get our fingers burnt before we realise that buying X amount of £40m CBs and hoping they come good, instead of dropping £80m+ on the real deal, is a false economy?
We first need to protect out initial investment. He is on big wages and has entered the final two years of his deal.
Giving him a new deal works two-fold, it protects the above, in a marketplace where offers will be low-ball at best, coupled with a massive confidence boost to the player.
He needs to stay fit, but that's the risk for most players. He also needs to stay in the North West because of continuing access arrangements with his little girl.
I genuinely believe he is one of the best central defenders in the world at what he does and showing patience now could see us reap the dividends for years to come.
I think Stones is an excellent player, ideally suited to the way we need to play - people buy into narrative - he has his mistakes highlighted simply because he is at one of the best teams in the world and he repeats them.
There isn't a central defender in the world who doesn't commit regular errors.
His biggest issue is his inability to stay fit and avoid knocks. He is also the England whipping boy.
Where were all these people in the media telling us what a worldy Van Dijk was before he moved to Liverpool?
I form my own opinions on players. Let me tell you, sitting in press boxes for 30 years, these people churning out supposed informed critique, know less than jack shit.
Stones is a two-time Premier League champion and will be hitting his peak in the next two years - we paid a premium for that privilege.
Now is not the time to throw the baby out with the bath water when we would have our pants pulled down on price.
Pep needs to grab him by the bollocks and give him a confidence boost.
Nobody is going to tell me that Eric fucking Garcia is a better player.
the numbers are 17+8 domestically, or 17+4+4 in CL.
We currently have 16+5.
+3 we can also include. (at least till garcia and angelino leave) and the 3 is not really relevant as they'd are category b.
So ake being home grown doesn't help much, one nhg slot is still down. We have no space as it is for another foreign signing, unless we lose either a hg or nhg player (excluding garcia and angelino who don't count towards that).
Denayer and Stones would be the perfect mix of competition and the right age profile, with, as you say, Harwood Bellis in reserve.
We have faced Denayer three times now and he has proved more than capable against our attack.
I don't want us blowing £70m plus on a central defender - that calibre of player just isn't out there at present IMO.
Use the money for a world class midfielder who can run and tackle.
I don't think Pep trusts Stones too much,I have witnessed him ripping into him on more than one occasion during the game,even once after about 5 mins in,we have all said round us he don't like him.
Stones has answered him back as well at times with arm waving gestures,I just don't see a harmonious situation between those two at present