Lucas Paqueta investigated by FA for alleged betting breaches

[balotelli's back pocket]

I’d take Eze personally for probably half the price. But hey ho Pep and Tiki no more than me.

If you think Eze is going for less than £100m, you're dreaming. Especially with Zaha going on a free and Olise's low release clause.

 

[Cobwebcat]

West Ham won’t get that sort of money off anyone else outside Saudi. They must really want to keep him and have nobody lined up as a replacement.

Buying from another PL club is the worst VFM you can get. If City are happy with that then fair enough but you would think for that money there would be plenty of players better outside the PL.

On a second point Brighton’s hit rate is phenomenal….we need that algorithm and cut out the middle man!

 

[Haaland94]

Really do suspect that city believe Bernardo is going to leave.

Either that or we’re definitely not signing a winger, with Phil and Bernardo banished to the right wing all season.

We’d have too many central players imo if Paqueta joined.

KDB
Phil
Bernardo
Kovacic
Rodri
Phillips

Phillips is gonna get 0 game time if he’s hell bent on staying. Foden isn’t gonna get the chances he wants in central midfield and Kovacic and Paqueta are gonna have to fight it out for a starting place.

Odd one for me, think Paqueta is brilliant though.

I disagree. Phil and Bernardo are going to take up winger roles. That leaves KDB (a year older and recovering from an injury), Kovacic, and Rodri. Phillips is not trusted. That's literally it, three trusted players. Of course, we have cover for Rodri in Johnny, Rico, or even Gvardiol. Moreover, we could potentially use Phil or even Bernardo for the two midfield roles ahead of Rodri. However, we need 2 out of Jack, Phil, and Bernardo for the winger roles. Nevertheless, it's a long season, with more games than last season and more extra time as well. Therefore, we absolutely need a midfielder, a creative one like Paqueta is perfect. I would say we need one much more than a winger since we don't really play with traditional wingers anymore.

 

[ManCitizens.]

Really do suspect that city believe Bernardo is going to leave.

Either that or we’re definitely not signing a winger, with Phil and Bernardo banished to the right wing all season.

We’d have too many central players imo if Paqueta joined.

KDB
Phil
Bernardo
Kovacic
Rodri
Phillips

Phillips is gonna get 0 game time if he’s hell bent on staying. Foden isn’t gonna get the chances he wants in central midfield and Kovacic and Paqueta are gonna have to fight it out for a starting place.

Odd one for me, think Paqueta is brilliant though.

Or the club have decided the right winger options aren’t good enough so Bernardo will go back to his Monaco position full time

 

[domalino]

I like him. He's a good player. A bit of Brazilian flair will be fun, I think he's got the kind of high risk high reward playmaking that only KDB gives us at the moment, with Bernardo, Kovacic, Phil, Grealish all prioritising ball retention over chance creation - which is great but you need someone with a bit more ambition sometimes which is why this is KDB's team.

However, we could have bought him for £75m in June. To pay £115m after the season has started would be a serious failure of management.

And people can say "not my money" etc and that's true, but it's childishly ignorant to pretend overpaying by something like £40m isn't going to have repercussions somewhere.

I also don't think he can do anything we've not already got. He's certainly not walking into the starting XI, so why commit so much of our great but not limitless resources on this player.

I don't see it. Trust in Pep etc. but it all feels very last minute, very reactionary to me.

 

[ShaunMCFC]

Zero chance this gets done at 110, I get West Ham don’t wanna sell but the player wants to move.

Look at Bernardo, we didn’t want to necessarily sell him but the player wanted to move and he would have been gone for far less if it was offered. Mental.

 

[balotelli's back pocket]

I like him. He's a good player. A bit of Brazilian flair will be fun, I think he's got the kind of high risk high reward playmaking that only KDB gives us at the moment, with Bernardo, Kovacic, Phil, Grealish all prioritising ball retention over chance creation - which is great but you need someone with a bit more ambition sometimes which is why this is KDB's team.

However, we could have bought him for £75m in June. To pay £115m after the season has started would be a serious failure of management.

And people can say "not my money" etc and that's true, but it's childishly ignorant to pretend overpaying by something like £40m isn't going to have repercussions somewhere.

I also don't think he can do anything we've not already got. He's certainly not walking into the starting XI, so why commit so much of our great but not limitless resources on this player.

I don't see it. Trust in Pep etc. but it all feels very last minute, very reactionary to me.

Where are you getting £115m from?

 

[p.taker]

Now it's up to 115 million pounds lol! We make fun of journalists making up numbers, but bluemooners do it just as well.

 

[DeBlueLou]

Just have it done. If the personal terms are done they wont leave him hanging...

 

[Mancini’s Pastilles]

110. Id tell westham to get fucked