Miralem Pjanic.

[Matt.D]

Throw the cheque book at Kante and we're good to go....

Kante nowhere near good enough on the ball to be the pivot in a Guardiola side

 

[foggy1974]

Is signing Mahrez not streghening our squad. Dont think we need a left winger. Ferny is the wrong side of 30 and is there anyone out there who is world class and can play the fire fighting position. Think we could do with signing a leftback as cover.

 

[Silva2021]

Totally agree...we have Mahrez, another signing would be great. But we have Mendy back which will be like a new signing after his bad luck last season

Cant wait for it all to start : )

Laporte was certainly a summer signing, we just got him early due to the space in the squad due to Sanchez and to get him ready for this season.

So we actually have 3 potential new first team players, if you can call them that.

I do think the frustration comes with us not needing that much this market and Jorginho was not silly money in this market.

I do see the clubs view but when we have wasted so much money over the years, it seems a small amount to solve a problem that is now proving problematic. We have also gained a lot of money from academy this year. It was not like Sanchez where the amount was obviously too much and the wages could have caused issues with the squad.

It’s compounded by most of our competitors signing CM’s we have certainly considered. We have seemed to go from having our pick to now scrambling around for a replacement.

I think fans see it as a potential to kick on that might have been missed.

I’m unsure last season I thought we looked short of cover at LB and whilst Delph did an excellent job, it did have it’s issues at times.

Now we look short in CDM, I don’t think Delph is good enough but Gundogan most definitely could be. First season before he got injured Pep started him in this position and actually moved Fern to full back. So I think Pep believes he can do play this position. However it is obvious we have looked to improve this position so there must be a concern there.

 

[Dribble]

When you've built a team that achieves a record result you build on it with one or two judicious signings. We don't need 3 full backs etc this season. We need to get the maximum out of this group and sustain it in a way that we didn't do with Mancini's side.

Exactly! A mistake is only a mistake if we don't learn by it. We fucked up with Mancini in the summer of 2012, let's not do it again please for a few million quid.

 

[IBlue]

In truth, this is the season I'd have gone for broke & completed the building of our squad just as we should have done after those title wins. We didn't & we saw exactly what happened, so we can't afford to stand still with a squad containing Silva, Fernandinho, Kompany & Aguero who are an injury away from creating a disaster for us.

We know we desperately need cover for Dinho. Delph may have saved us from buying a specialist LB, but we need another LW player to adequately cover & challenge Sane, just as Mahrez will challenge Sterling.

We're not too far off in truth, but just as I said last season, our injuries & fatigue will define this current season & that's why I went a bit leftfield & called Delph as my PoTS.

Yes Gundog did admirably well when covering for Dinho, but his injury record & lack of physicality worry me. However injuries aside, is Jorginho any better than Gundog? I'm not so sure because Jorginho has never stood out as anything special when I've seen him play & our interest in him frankly surprised me somewhat.

In terms of CM we have 2 of the best in KDB & Silva, but after them, the who? Bernardo I believe will be groomed to play more centrally & Foden can't be relied on as a mainstay to challenge & cover for David Silva, & Gundog has never done it there for me, so again we need proper cover there too.

I'd even test the water with Chelsea for Fabregas as someone who knows the Barca way & the PL, & is at an age where Foden, Diaz & hopefully Manu can shadow & learn from him over the next 2-3 seasons.

So I believe we need 3 world class additions at LW, CDM & CM. That would put the shits up the rest & show some seriously bad intentions for the coming season. From then on the squad would take care of itself.

To sign these world class players as cover would cause an imbalance in the squad, they would want to play, part of the beauty of last season was the harmony amongst the players. We have brought one in and maybe one more would be enough.
Look at Madrid or Barca, their 2nd string players are not at the level of the starting eleven, bar one or two. That's all we need in my opinion

 

[IBlue]

Exactly! A mistake is only a mistake if we don't learn by it. We fucked up with Mancini in the summer of 2012, let's not do it again please for a few million quid.

The mistake that season was the replacements for De Jong, Tevez, Balotelli were not good enough, we are not losing that calibre of players this season. Same in 2014 losing Negredo and Demichelis being 35, plus the shambles of our CB recruitment. We've a young hungry squad with good enough short term cover for injuries and fatigue. Mendy, Mahrez, older Foden plus full season of Laporte are addition

 

[Danamy]

Kante nowhere near good enough on the ball to be the pivot in a Guardiola side

Really?......everyone said the same about Dinho when he first played there after he had a nightmare of a World Cup in Brazil

Kante would give us energy in that position and we'd be quicker in transition at turning the ball over and attacking from the back, we also wouldn't be as vulnerable to the counter attack with Kante.

It's wont happen anyway but always healthy to debate

 

[Dribble]

So by your reckoning we need to bring 3 in, i'll give you Zinchenko, but which other 2 players are you getting rid of, and which better players are you bringing in ?

Not getting rid, adding to the squad & moving on those who aren't up to the new higher level.

Question:
Do you disagree that we need a LW, CM & a CDM?

Who is our back up for Sane?

Who is our back up for Dinho?

Were you impressed with Gundog stepping in for Silva & KDB?

If so you must believe a potential midfield of Bernardo, Gundog & Delph will be enough to supplement KDB, Silva & Dinho at the highest level. I can just see that midfield at Anfield next season!

Our squad was small last season & supplemented with youth. We did brilliantly, but to maintain our title run, but fatigue was clearly showing by February which is why Pep gave the squad a mid season holiday.

We were brilliant for the next 2 games, but the fatigue started to show again. With a below par KDB, Silva dealing with personal problems & Yaya not being fit for purpose, it's obvious we're in dire need of reinforcements.

We've not replaced Yaya & have no cover for Sane or KDB or Silva or Dinho. I'm struggling to understand why our fans can't see this.

 

[Rammy Blue]

Really?......everyone said the same about Dinho when he first played there after he had a nightmare of a World Cup in Brazil

Kante would give us energy in that position and we'd be quicker in transition at turning the ball over and attacking from the back, we also wouldn't be as vulnerable to the counter attack with Kante.

It's wont happen anyway but always healthy to debate

He’d be perfect mate, better with the ball than people give him credit for. As you say though, no chance we will get him, lol.

 

[Rammy Blue]

Just read that Juve want that Savic geezer from Lazio - he would cost €90/100mil - so maybe that’s why they would be prepared to let Pjanic go?