Nathan Ake

[JewelZee]

Huh, I didn't say that.

There are legitimately posters saying we will be fine with 3 CBs and that last seasons injury problems aren't likely. Literally with 3 CBs, if 1 gets injured then the other 2 have to play every single game. Our CBs tend to get injured every season.

Also, I think people have this incorrect idea of "Oh Rodri or Phillips can play there", then forgetting we have lost a player in midfield, so a player is lost somewhere else.

Even those who say he should be sold and we buy a replacement, then I say why?

We're gonna make decent money on Jesus and likely Sterling, and Ake improved rapidly last season to the point I am comfortable with him starting in any big game, there aren't that many names right now to bring in, and nor do I see any reason to.

I re read your post...my bad...I thought you were saying we were going to sell Ake and not replace him...I agree 100% 4 CBs is vital...need to be at least 2 deep in every position...You can put a DM back there but that doesn't mean it will work...we dodged a bullet with Dinho back there in those last two matches and had to make a move at halftime of the Villa game or we were cooked...Rodri and Dinho played a ton back there in 2019-20 out of necessity and it was a disaster, plain and simple...

 

[David Silva]

I hope we are making it as difficult as possible for Chelsea with this one and at least get a big fee if he goes.

Not wanting to keep an unhappy player but I don’t see how we can replace him with a player of the same level, given how few minutes he’s got so far.

Even when we signed Ake himself it looked like Stones was heading out the door & Ake would be backup to Dias/Laporte. Maybe city will surprise me.

 

[decmancity]

Sign an actual LB, free up Cancelo to play more RB if we need to use Walker as an emergency CB (we already have Phillips to allow Rodri to fill in if need be as well). A top level 4th CB is not a priority for any team, it is a luxury. Sure you need a 4th choice CB, but they don't need to be a £40m player, I've no idea why anyone thinks they do. It's a position you realistically need maybe a handful of times a year, if that. (I genuinely don't think I could name any other teams 4th choice CB)

Top level backups has allowed us to win the trophies we have. Look at the dippers in 20/21 when Van Dijk got injured and they were playing Fabinho and even Henderson at one point as well as a load of other partnerships, we won the title because of our strength in depth.

The chance of finding a bargain CB that could come in and do what Pep wants is very unlikely. If we get a good fee for Ake, then we will reinvest it in another good CB. No point spending 10m and saving the rest, we have plenty of cash in the bank and we aren't going to penny pinch one of the key positions.

Much like how we have gone and spent 40m on Phillips to replace Fernandinho, we could have bought Marc Roca for 10m, but hes nowhere near the same level.

 

[Bluster]

We don’t. Last seasons injury crisis is a one off.

Laporte missed most of a season a couple of years back.
if that happened again to one of the three then we would have half a season of scrambling until the transfer window opened.

 

[kun]

We don’t. Last seasons injury crisis is a one off.

Happens often

 

[eyalluvitt]

I think the choices available in the market right now are:

Kimpembe
Pau Torres

Kimpembe will never settle for 4th choice and hes leaving PSG because they couldnt agree on a salary so he wants a high salary ..

Pau Torres is the obvious choice

imagine Kalvin talking to Torres ,,, hey T'Pau, put theart and soul into eet lad

 

[Father Paul]

I re read your post...my bad...I thought you were saying we were going to sell Ake and not replace him...I agree 100% 4 CBs is vital...need to be at least 2 deep in every position...You can put a DM back there but that doesn't mean it will work...we dodged a bullet with Dinho back there in those last two matches and had to make a move at halftime of the Villa game or we were cooked...Rodri and Dinho played a ton back there in 2019-20 out of necessity and it was a disaster, plain and simple...

I felt sorry for Dinho in those games he was totally out of his depth and hardly surprising given the shitshow that was the 2019-20 season. One of the young lads would have done a much better job. While we may not need two in every position on the pitch we do need 4CB's or a surplus of players elsewhere who can do a job.

 

[Cobwebcat]

I hope we are making it as difficult as possible for Chelsea with this one and at least get a big fee if he goes.

Not wanting to keep an unhappy player but I don’t see how we can replace him with a player of the same level, given how few minutes he’s got so far.

Even when we signed Ake himself it looked like Stones was heading out the door & Ake would be backup to Dias/Laporte. Maybe city will surprise me.

Where does this unhappy player thing come from?
Just because Chelsea are in for him and he would be prepared to move if City wanted to sell him in no way makes him unhappy.

Unhappy is what is going on at Old Trafford and posters should see the difference.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Where does this unhappy player thing come from?
Just because Chelsea are in for him and he would be prepared to move if City wanted to sell him in no way makes him unhappy.

Unhappy is what is going on at Old Trafford and posters should see the difference.

A better way of putting it, perhaps, is that he wants more game time. Which would be legitimate. I'd say that he proved towards the end of last season that he's good enough to feature in league games. Not, certainly, as an automatic starter. But then, if it were down to me, the only automatic starter of the four of them would be an entirely fit Diaz. Based on the past five seasons or so, we can reasonably expect to go deep into three cup competitions as well.
We need four genuine central defenders, whoever they are. It's not a luxury. Unless City have someone quality lined up, I'd say it would be downright stupid to let Aké go to Chelsea, the more so if Sterling is off there as well. You're strengthening a direct rival considerably.
Oh, incidentally: Rudiger left on a free. Chelsea are linked with Raheem and Raphinha. I know it's all rumour, rumour, rumour (including this one involving Aké), but if those two were to happen, you're looking at a cool £100 million right there, realistically, possibly more. Where do they get the money? Yes, they've got Lukaku off their wage bill. That helps. You'd expect Werner and Ziyech to be out the door, but they're not going to get a lot for them.
I admit that I hope this transfer doesn't happen. But I also believe, rationally, that it won't.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

Hood City have a left footed CB replacement sorted if Ake to Chelsea is something they’re willing to allow.

Stones & Dias are RCBs and Laporte & Ake are our LCBs, hence the need for a fill-in.