Kyle Walker

[TravisBickle]

Sessegnon is a left back mate :)

So he is. My mistake :)

 

[FantasyIreland]

I thought it was a done deal and he's ours.

Why would you think that if the club hasn't announced it?

 

[sky_blue]

You should tell Pep about all these players mate, he seems to be missing the boat big time.

Nah, I'm sure I'm a proper retarded, braindead cnut . I don't see how Pep (and his coaching staff), even if they are humans, can ever be wrong or overly-optimistic about their ability to train a player to play their style. You just have to see last summer signings and how successful every one of them have been. Not one failure. Pretty amazing record, right? Even more amazing was our coaching staff's belief that they could train our now released ageing FBs to get the job done. They sure did a great job there and I'm proud that their belief reaped such great results and all City fans were proven to be wrong about their clamour for new FBs. Again, I just don't see how the manager can ever be wrong. It's not possible.

 

[johnmc]

Disagree with this so much. Semedo, Cancelo and Ricardo Pereira are so much better if you're looking for established RBs. And if you want to experiment and try your luck with slightly younger players, then there's Passlack and Karsdorp.

They are hardly established right backs as you say though. None have made more than 50 top flight league games in a top league. I wouldn't class Portugal as a top league. Not saying they aren't or won't be better players than Walker but they are bigger gambles and would likely take time to bed in and get used to the league.

Walker is closing in on 200 premier league appearances and a lot of them playing for a top 4 team in one of the best league defences.

I think it's all well and good saying Benficas left back is a better option but you've no idea how he will perform in this league.

 

[sky_blue]

They are hardly established right backs as you say though. None have made more than 50 top flight league games in a top league. I wouldn't class Portugal as a top league. Not saying they aren't or won't be better players than Walker but they are bigger gambles and would likely take time to bed in and get used to the league.

Walker is closing in on 200 premier league appearances and a lot of them playing for a top 4 team in one of the best league defences.

I think it's all well and good saying Benficas left back is a better option but you've know idea how he will perform in this league.

We sure did buy their GK though. Bit of a gamble, eh? Especially considering that Ederson has made only 74 appearances for Benfica in the league. Not that far from the magic number of 50, which you deem to be not enough. Never mind though cause we all can justify absolutely anything based on stats. There's a stat for everything these days.

P.S. If you didn't get the sarcasm, I think Ederson is a fantastic buy and I think Semedo would be too (or any of the other names I suggested) even though they don't have as many top flight appearances as Walker, just like Ederson doesn't.

 

[Roachy]

Why would you think that if the club hasn't announced it?

Possibly because it has been posted by well informed members that it is "done". Just a guess...

 

[johnmc]

We sure did buy their GK though. Bit of a gamble, eh? Especially considering that Ederson has made only 74 appearances for Benfica in the league. Not that far from the magic number of 50, which you deem to be not enough. Never mind though cause we all can justify absolutely anything based on stats. There's a stat for everything these days.

P.S. If you didn't get the sarcasm, I think Ederson is a fantastic buy and I think Semedo would be too (or any of the other names I suggested) even though they don't have as many top flight appearances as Walker, just like Ederson doesn't.

Do you think Ederson is a guaranteed success then because I don't. I hope he is but I don't take it for granted. Also a goalkeeper doesn't really need to get used to the pace of the league. It's a different proposition entirely.

 

[Akiva]

Nah, I'm sure I'm a proper retarded, braindead cnut . I don't see how Pep (and his coaching staff), even if they are humans, can ever be wrong or overly-optimistic about their ability to train a player to play their style. You just have to see last summer signings and how successful every one of them have been. Not one failure. Pretty amazing record, right? Even more amazing was our coaching staff's belief that they could train our now released ageing FBs to get the job done. They sure did a great job there and I'm proud that their belief reaped such great results and all City fans were proven to be wrong about their clamour for new FBs. Again, I just don't see how the manager can ever be wrong. It's not possible.

Let's say, hypothetically, you get the chance to tell Pep about these players you discovered on FIFA/YouTube and rate higher than Walker. Do you think his response, assuming he randomly decides to be candid about it, would be:

A - Great Johan Cruyff's mullet! You're right! Hang on, getting Levy on the blower to tell him this deal's off.

Or

B - Those are good players, but I prefer Kyle Walker.

Sure, Pep can be wrong too, but that's not the point. He's allowed to pick the squad the way he wants. Maybe he wants Walker because he's English? Maybe he wants Walker because he's proven in the League? Maybe he wants Walker because he likes crisps? It's impossible to tell, but this is for certain, Pep is targeting Kyle Walker for RB and he has literally the resources and pull to get almost any option he wants.

 

[sky_blue]

Let's say, hypothetically, you get the chance to tell Pep about these players you discovered on FIFA/YouTube and rate higher than Walker. Do you think his response, assuming he randomly decides to be candid about it, would be:

A - Great Johan Cruyff's mullet! You're right! Hang on, getting Levy on the blower to tell him this deal's off.

Or

B - Those are good players, but I prefer Kyle Walker.

Sure, Pep can be wrong too, but that's not the point. He's allowed to pick the squad the way he wants. Maybe he wants Walker because he's English? Maybe he wants Walker because he's proven in the League? Maybe he wants Walker because he likes crisps? It's impossible to tell, but this is for certain, Pep is targeting Kyle Walker for RB and he has literally the resources and pull to get almost any option he wants.

100% agree with you on every point. Let's not kid ourselves, Pep really is a genius and I trust him to do the right thing. But sometimes, humans can be stubborn in their beliefs, which is why we all occasionally fail. I don't know why he prefers Walker over others and I hope that it's a good enough reason. I'm aware that Pep has infinitely more resources available to make these transfer decisions - scouting reports to detailed statistical analysis, you name it. I'm only saying that as of now, I'm unable to see how Walker is a better RB than the ones I suggested. Maybe he fits into Pep's plans the way others would not and I've no way of knowing that. I'm as excited as you to see how this transfer window unfolds and how our season pans out. Walker might be POTY next season, who knows. Till then, all we can do is discuss based on historical data. I guess that's the entire purpose of a discussion forum.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

There is a lack of decent available rbs out there.

In England, definitely, but not elsewhere...and they're often cheaper and more technically gifted. Younger would just be an added bonus!

The only reason I see us pushing out the boat for Walker is because City have looked at their squad and decided RB has to be English due to the foreign players elsewhere. Personally, I was surprised City let Angus Gunn go out on loan, as I thought he was going to be the third keeper. Are they thinking they are going to keep Hart as #2/3 with Bravo? If not, then who is keeper #3?

It'll be interesting to see what the Final 25 looks like, because I don't see much British talent out there.

I'm actually wondering if we are going to even play with "real" full backs next season and think that based on the way other teams set up against us, we may simply play 3-5-1, with the outside midfielders on the opposite side of defending play having to drop in on the back post to cover the possible runner?!