Would that depend on how long they've been at City, if signing say at age 9 by the time they get to the eds & looking at 1st team opportunity then just being with the 1st team squad could make them feel as thou they've made it & thats forgetting the likes of Tosin & Harwood Bellis who's dreams were to play for CityJust on that, if the thinking (not yours alone, a few have mooted that) is that players wouldn't accept limited minutes, then why would our academy kids accept that too? Surely it is just as important if not more so for them to play more and they would rather seek guaranteed experience elsewhere than be a back-up back-up here. Which would only leave close to retirement payers on their last paycheck shot at glory.
Ake was never good enough to displace the other 3 if they were fit.Ake got 1700 minutes last season I don't know why people are pretending like whoever is coming is going to be happy with that. Look how many players want to leave us now because they are not getting minutes, players with elite mentality, winners like jesus and sterling. if you're a good player and you have a choice between being a guaranteed starter for idk, chelsea or a 4th choice for city, I'd argue more players would choose chelsea.
Ake was never good enough to displace the other 3 if they were fit.
And at the end he was second choice to Fern.
Exactly what I have been worried about. We should have 4 CB and 4 LB to manage a long season. If we sell Ake and only get one Gvardiol we will still be one man short (because Mendy left).Heard he's a good left back too, doesn't look it from his build but maybe if cucurrlla is stalling at £40m and with Ake going and bringing in a similar fee, someone at city has thought 'sod it get gvardiol at £70m' and he covers both Ake going and left back?
I’d prefer two myself. Then on the other hand we haven’t really had Mendy for 4 years and we’ve managed so I could live with it.Exactly what I have been worried about. We should have 4 CB and 4 LB to manage a long season. If we sell Ake and only get one Gvardiol we will still be one man short (because Mendy left).
A lad who can cover 2 positions is handy but it means less security in injuries and fewer options regarding yellow cards in CL. Images if he gets yellows and needs to suspend a game (like Cancelo did facing Madrid), then it means we have one fewer option in both LB and CB. The opposite will target it and expose the weakness.
I have nothing against Gvardiol. Good player but we should have 2 bodies coming in if Ake leaves.
If he signs we'll have 4 CB's (him, Stones, Laporte and Dias) 3 LB's (Zinch, him and Cancelo) and 2 RB's (Cancelo, Walker) with Stones also able to fit in well at RB. So 7 players for 4 positions. I think that's enough personally. If we have 4 injuries then that would be a freak event and would need to shuffle Rodri and Phillips in there or use the academy lads like every other team in the world would have to do. I don't think you can plan for that amount of injuries due to players not getting enough game time if they are all fit, or having to play players that aren't as good or out of form just to appease them - as has been the case for Raz over the last two yearsExactly what I have been worried about. We should have 4 CB and 4 LB to manage a long season. If we sell Ake and only get one Gvardiol we will still be one man short (because Mendy left).
A lad who can cover 2 positions is handy but it means less security in injuries and fewer options regarding yellow cards in CL. Images if he gets yellows and needs to suspend a game (like Cancelo did facing Madrid), then it means we have one fewer option in both LB and CB. The opposite will target it and expose the weakness.
I have nothing against Gvardiol. Good player but we should have 2 bodies coming in if Ake leaves.