Jude Bellingham

[Tokyo32]

Transfers that cost this much don't really excite me because it feels like the fee removes any headroom for the player to exceed expectations.

Bellingham will arrive for £130-150m and if he's not a 10/10 every single game, people will complain. And if he's the best midfielder of all time people will say "he better be, he cost more than most football clubs". etc.


I've always liked the signings in that £40-60m range where we get the player on the way up, then enjoy the journey as they develop and grow under Pep to become one of the very best in the world in their positions.

Yup, it’s just hard for me to get excited about the transfer really. The amounts are really absurd and hopefully for his sake it works out because that would also bring joy to us the fans as he would be scoring goals and winning us trophies.

As I have said before if this is what Pep and the board wants, we have to trust them and support the team.

 

[Manc123]

I couldnt give a crap what the fee is for him personally. Get him in win some trophies. Were always going to be made out as the club that 'ruins football' its just media narratives as weve seen liverpool breaking world record fees for a goal keep and a defender was what they needed. Were never going to be the media darlings.

Just sign the players who we want and fit our squad and improve us fuck the outside and lets boil some piss

 

[Dobsy]

If people didn't care about what people thought of the club, the media thread wouldn't have 2500 pages every season.

I'm less bothered about external voices and more what spending 150m on a player does internally, how we maintain the balance of a squad when 1 player has to start every game, how are players going to react. Mahrez arriving as a record signing is what pushed Sané out and Grealish arriving pushed Jesus and Sterling out. How is the wage bill going to cope, are we moving towards a Zidanes and Pavones situation where we'll have to start relying on unproven kids to balance out galactico signings and have a weaker 25 man squad.


There's a lot of baggage that comes with signing someone for £150m - look at the list of 100m+ transfers:

Neymar - Decent return for PSG but not what they'd have hoped and non-stop off pitch issues.
Mbappé - Constant drama about leaving, holding them over a barrell, seems to have turned into a bellend.
Coutinho - Complete disaster.
Hazard - Complete disaster.
Joao Felix - Atletico can't shift him, don't want to play him. Pretty close to a disaster.
Enzo Fernandez - TBC.
Griezmann - Disaster signing, back at Atletico 2 years later for 1/3 the price.
Grealish - Playing about as well as our existing options in his position after 18 months not performing.
Lukaku - Complete disaster.
Dembele - Complete disaster.

I look at that list of players and it doesn't make me excitied about putting another entry in there, even if the player is amazing. That would hold true for Bellingham or Kvaratskhelia or Gvardiol or anyone else we might get linked to.

Normally I'm one of those people who doesn't care about how much someone costs, it's not my money etc, but for some reason these top 10 in history, 100m+ fees almost always end in disaster and disappointment, no matter how good the player is or how good the team they're joining is. Obviously something about costing that much money effects things.

You've left out Bale and Ronaldo who both did quite well iirc.

 

[Tugay One Cup]

Transfers that cost this much don't really excite me because it feels like the fee removes any headroom for the player to exceed expectations.

Bellingham will arrive for £130-150m and if he's not a 10/10 every single game, people will complain. And if he's the best midfielder of all time people will say "he better be, he cost more than most football clubs". etc.


I've always liked the signings in that £40-60m range where we get the player on the way up, then enjoy the journey as they develop and grow under Pep to become one of the very best in the world in their positions.

I get the sentiment and agree with most of what you say but I'm definitely still excited about this one.

He's already a top quality player and he'd be coming to the best club and the best manager he could hope for if he wants to take his game to the next level. Has Pep failed to improve any of them?

 

[sirrmattmoo]

The Grealish tweet was the indication. Maybe internally the players know. Last year the Kev celebration against wolves also had the same vibe.

What Kev celebration? I’m forgetting which.

 

[Tugay One Cup]

What Kev celebration? I’m forgetting which.

He scored a hat trick against Wolves (maybe) and made a hand gesture popular in the NBA when someone gets a three pointer. People misconstrued this as him doing the Haaland meditation celebration.

 

[RayCTID]

Still not fully against signing Bellingham. He is very good player and does have bags of potential but his performance vs Chelsea makes me feel he isn't quite a value for money signing. I am the same with the Gvardiol one too.

 

[Manchester_lalala]

Milner rumoured to be offered a contract extension makes todays news even sweeter. FSG have their fans on strings.

 

[decmancity]

There's a lot of baggage that comes with signing someone for £150m - look at the list of 100m+ transfers:

Neymar - Decent return for PSG but not what they'd have hoped and non-stop off pitch issues.
Mbappé - Constant drama about leaving, holding them over a barrell, seems to have turned into a bellend.
Coutinho - Complete disaster.
Hazard - Complete disaster.
Joao Felix - Atletico can't shift him, don't want to play him. Pretty close to a disaster.
Enzo Fernandez - TBC.
Griezmann - Disaster signing, back at Atletico 2 years later for 1/3 the price.
Grealish - Playing about as well as our existing options in his position after 18 months not performing.
Lukaku - Complete disaster.
Dembele - Complete disaster.

I look at that list of players and it doesn't make me excitied about putting another entry in there, even if the player is amazing. That would hold true for Bellingham or Kvaratskhelia or Gvardiol or anyone else we might get linked to.

Normally I'm one of those people who doesn't care about how much someone costs, it's not my money etc, but for some reason these top 10 in history, 100m+ fees almost always end in disaster and disappointment, no matter how good the player is or how good the team they're joining is. Obviously something about costing that much money effects things.

I can't deny those transfers haven't been successful but I dont think its quite that straight forward.

Neymar, won everything in the game. Impossible to be motivated to play for PSG who implode every season in the CL.

Mbappe, see above.

Coutinho, injury prone and joined a team all over the place on the pitch and off it.

Hazard, injury prone and lazy. His talent was never in question.

Felix, joined the worst possible team for his football. Showing his ability now hes away from Simeone.

Enzo, never worth that fee but it was his release clause.

Greiz, injury prone and joined a team all over the place on the pitch and off it.

Grealish, never worth that fee but it was his release clause. Is delivering for the team now but will never repay 100m.

Lukaku, has a very good record if you look at the stats but just never suited what Chelsea were trying to do.

Dembele, injury prone and lazy. His talent was never in question.


I don't have any concerns about Bellingham. He will never be able to "repay" his fee but if he comes in and gives us a decade of service like those before him e.g. Fernandinho and is part of a team that wins several titles, then that is good enough for me.

Bellingham, like Grealish before him is joining a team that is on and off the pitch a million miles away from the likes of PSG and Barca and that is proven in the performances each season.

It may take him 12mths to settle but its an almost guarantee that anyone joining City these days will be a success. Its just in the City DNA now.

 

[skillman]

He scored a hat trick against Wolves (maybe) and made a hand gesture popular in the NBA when someone gets a three pointer. People misconstrued this as him doing the Haaland meditation celebration.

The Wolves game was after (1 day later) we’d announced an agreement with Dortmund for Haaland so not particularly the same and was almost certainly aimed at the news I imagine.