Lavia looks superb,a fantastic player that can seriously make a bid for the CDM role,but he isn't on Bellingham's level IMO.Fair enough. While I believe Grealish can be the successor to Kev, there is also acceptance that sometimes players can't be fully replaced, so yoy buy the next best thing.
Re a defensive midfielder. Bellingham really impressed me but quite a few people in the academy are adamant that Romeo Lavia will be knocking on the door very soon and has world class attributes.
Sounds incredible and only 17!!
This place is really funny btw. We have those saying Grealish would play as a holding midfielder and those saying kevin would play as holding midfielder in 18 months just because they want us to sign Grealish and believe he would take us to the “next level”. Grealish is a ball carrier and dribbler like Mahrez, not a better finisher so what exactly does he bring that takes us to the “next level”. We saw in the match against Everton how a runner can be important because Kdb made some good through balls that raheem wasted.
I don’t think anyone doubts his abilities but the reality is we can’t keep adding talent to the squad, I personally don’t think it is even worth replacing Sterling with Grealish. You guys have to remember we have had 9 substitutes this season and there have been some matches where pep left some players at home and said the reason is tactical reasons or they were not fully fit. Normal subs is 7 so people are not going to be happy, yes I know we have been lucky this season with injuries.
He does bring something different.He has a unique blend of balance,strength,acceleration and technical ability that our current players only have in part.
His ability to hold the ball in tight space and/or take pressure off our defence/midfield while bringing others into play is also something we currently need to improve on.
He rarely loses possession and he rarely chooses the wrong ball,add that to his dead ball and set piece brilliance,and he makes for the perfect addition for our team.
The fact he pushes someone down the pecking order bothers me not one bit,as he improves our first 11....and progression is what keeps us Champions..
I agree there are good comparisons with Mahrez. Mahrez is world-class. Grealish would have been POTY had he not been injured. You can't have enough players like Mahrez, Bernardo, and Sterling in your squad. if we play without a striker, we can add Grealish to the squad, and it would mean that we could rotate and always have quality players in midfield.This place is really funny btw. We have those saying Grealish would play as a holding midfielder and those saying kevin would play as holding midfielder in 18 months just because they want us to sign Grealish and believe he would take us to the “next level”. Grealish is a ball carrier and dribbler like Mahrez, not a better finisher so what exactly does he bring that takes us to the “next level”. We saw in the match against Everton how a runner can be important because Kdb made some good through balls that raheem wasted.
I don’t think anyone doubts his abilities but the reality is we can’t keep adding talent to the squad, I personally don’t think it is even worth replacing Sterling with Grealish. You guys have to remember we have had 9 substitutes this season and there have been some matches where pep left some players at home and said the reason is tactical reasons or they were not fully fit. Normal subs is 7 so people are not going to be happy, yes I know we have been lucky this season with injuries.
He was very impressive against City, especially given his age. He impressed me much more than Haaland in that tie.Lavia looks superb,a fantastic player that can seriously make a bid for the CDM role,but he isn't on Bellingham's level IMO.
That kid has everything,a mixture of Yaya and Dinho....and is probably the best midfield prospect in world football.
Hang on a minute, "Grealish would be POTY if not injured" from who? He has a good season but player of the year in a mid table team? Not for me.I agree there are good comparisons with Mahrez. Mahrez is world-class. Grealish would have been POTY had he not been injured. You can't have enough players like Mahrez, Bernardo, and Sterling in your squad. if we play without a striker, we can add Grealish to the squad, and it would mean that we could rotate and always have quality players in midfield.
THis season the Quadruple was impossible because when it came to the crunch period the CL semi-final bracketed the FA Cup semi-final and te squad players weren't good enough to beat Chelsea.
Grealish or not to Grealish really depends on how you want City to play. If you want us to improve the false 9 system then Grealish is the signing to make, if you want City to play with a traditional out and out striker, then you go down the Kane/Haaland route, or a left-field signing like Ings/Calum Wilson.
Fucking yawn.We will sell Raheem for a bag of revels, it is just whether we can get a family sized bag. ;)
But might be Dortmund playing him too much? Foden's been eased in and physically it's worked for him.Lavia looks superb,a fantastic player that can seriously make a bid for the CDM role,but he isn't on Bellingham's level IMO.
That kid has everything,a mixture of Yaya and Dinho....and is probably the best midfield prospect in world football.
Yeah,maybe,as i don't suspect Dortmund care much for his longevity.....their business model is clearly to pick up the best youth talent,show case it to the world,and then sell for huge profit.But might be Dortmund playing him too much? Foden's been eased in and physically it's worked for him.