Summer Transfers

We haven't actually sold someone in ages, almost two years. It'll be a weird summer.
 
Bravo
Gunn
Foster (Yes Ben).

Bernat
Angelino

Kompany
Otamendi
Stones
Kolarov
Adarabioyo

Sidibe
Maffeo

Fernandinho
Touré
Fernando
Delph

Silva
De Bruyne
Gundogan
Aleix García

Sané
Nolito

Sterling
Roberts

Aguero
Jesus
Iheanacho

9 HG players by my count.
 
I think there will be a few shocks on who stays/ leaves in the summer

I would imagine all the out of contract players will leave with a possibility that Yaya will be offered a new deal, depending on what offers he has already had. I cant see him getting more than another year with us so he could leave if offered more somewhere decent

I think Aguero will be sold, with it being painted as a mutual decision based on not being able to offer him a guaranteed starting spot. We need to make sure we get the maximum we can for him , which is why we are making all the right noises about not wanting him to leave etc

I also dont think Kompany will be here next year unless he gets a decent run of games between now and the end of the season. We cant afford to have our best centre half not being able to play for 75% of the season. We need to buy a new first choice to play alongside Stones

Based on that we would potentially need

  • 1 New Centre Half - Probably Laporte for around £50/£60m - This could be a risk, as at that price we would want guaranteed world class quality. I would prefer us going back in for Bonucci but he will be hard to get as Juventus are hard to deal with as they dont need to sell.
  • 2 New Full Backs - goes without saying but our fullback options have cost us numerous points this season. The way Pep sets us up , we dont necessarily need attacking full backs who overlap. The width is generally provided by the wingers with the fullback dropping into midfield to protect against the counters. I would love us to go all out in this area and finally get some real talent. Ideally we should be looking at Alaba and Fabinho as both can play numerous position and are good all round players. We would be looking at around £70m- £80m potentially
  • 1 new Defensive midfield - Could we afford for Garcia to come in and fullfill a bigger role next season ? I would imagine that we wont take that risk seeing as Yaya will be another year older and will have to have a very good player to share this role. I would imagine Weigl would be the best bet given his age and the fact there were serious noises last year about us signing him. He would cost more that £30m?
  • 1 New all purpose forward - If Aguero goes we will need to replace him with proven quality but also a player that isn't just a man who plays exclusively through the middle. I'm convince that man is Sanchez, he fits with Peps style, can play in any of the front three positions and is in the last year of his contract. He would cost around £60m. I dont think Aubamayang will be the answer , I reckon he'll end up at Athletico Madrid, replacing Griezman who will go to the rags. Also Dybala, whilst being a great player is also a man who plays mainly through the middle.
  • 1 New keeper, Bravo hasnt settled and cant hold his place against the limited competition of Willy. It looks like the benfica keeper is the favourite, around £30m
We could be looking at a very big summer perhaps £250m ? I think Pep will be backed to hilt though so it wouldn't suprise me


First team next Season

Ederson

Fabinho Stones Laporte Alaba

Weigl

De Bruyne Silva (Gundogan)

Sane Jesus Sanchez
 
Last edited:
I don't see us going for another striker, unless Aguero goes. Jesus, Kelechi, Sané, Sterling could all play up top.
If Yaya stays, I don't think we'll get a DMF either. If he goes, I'd love us to get Weigl.
But a new goalie - Yes
2 FBs - Yes
1 CB, unless Kompany beaks down permanently, in which case 2.
 
BlueDeadHead said:
CM? I personally don't think Yaya will get an extension.
Click to expand...
I've argued I wouldn't give him one if I was GM, but that's just me. If he doesn't, then a CM starter is required. Coz I think but might be time to transition Dihno into a backup utility role. (CM, DM, RB)
 
I think the one thing we can be assured of is that no matter who City sign this summer, they will either be young (18-24) or already considered world class, in which case 24-28 might be considered reasonable. Pep is here to BUILD A TEAM, and for that he needs quality technicians who are not unwilling to learn his methods.

We are not about to completely overturn the apple cart of 30+ year olds, because the likes of Fernandinho are too valuable to him. Possibly even another year out of Yaya, now that he has buckled down, lost the weight, and is willing to put in a shift, even if he has lost a step. However, it seems clear that the average age of the squad is going to be reduced by 4-6 years, so that Pep has a squad to work with for the next few years (hopefully, at least 4 or 5).

In Txiki, Pep has someone he can trust, and in Mansour, he has an owner who has the patience and wherewithal to allow him to build a squad for the next decade. Once built, it will be the Barca model of one or two YOUNG world class players to keep the squad fresh, plus a pipeline of talented youth to add another one or two to the squad over time. However, often the Academy only produces one or two first team players every few years, so the bulk of activity there is the selling of inexpensively nurtured talent, and the savings associated with NOT having to buy every world class player for every position.

Personally, I feel like an Academy's job is to turn out the squad players who can fit into the team in the less "high profile" positions. A full back, a hard working midfielder, a fourth forward, etc, with the HOPE that it will also produce a few players who do fit into those high profile positions. I think Angus Gunn is one that is ready. I also think Garcia is ready to step up. Kelechi has laready stepped up, but needs to improve his game from poacher to better all around team forward, just like Tosin has the basics down but now needs to up his physical attributes to be able to dominate a player. TBH, I also think the same of Stones, who has all the attributes Pep adores, but is usually weak and stand offish in the challenge. If only we could meld him and Ota into one world class talent!

So, in short, the template is in place, and now it is just a matter of filling it in with world class quality today, whilst cultivating the rising talent needed to fill in once that quality starts to age and wane.
 
Charlesfarsbar said:
I think there will be a few shocks on who stays/ leaves in the summer

I would imagine all the out of contract players will leave with a possibility that Yaya will be offered a new deal, depending on what offers he has already had. I cant see him getting more than another year with us so he could leave if offered more somewhere decent

I think Aguero will be sold, with it being painted as a mutual decision based on not being able to offer him a guaranteed starting spot. We need to make sure we get the maximum we can for him , which is why we are making all the right noises about not wanting him to leave etc

I also dont think Kompany will be here next year unless he gets a decent run of games between now and the end of the season. We cant afford to have our best centre half not being able to play for 75% of the season. We need to buy a new first choice to play alongside Stones

Based on that we would potentially need

  • 1 New Centre Half - Probably Laporte for around £50/£60m - This could be a risk, as at that price we would want guaranteed world class quality. I would prefer us going back in for Bonucci but he will be hard to get as Juventus are hard to deal with as they dont need to sell.
  • 2 New Full Backs - goes without saying but our fullback options have cost us numerous points this season. The way Pep sets us up , we dont necessarily need attacking full backs who overlap. The width is generally provided by the wingers with the fullback dropping into midfield to protect against the counters. I would love us to go all out in this area and finally get some real talent. Ideally we should be looking at Alaba and Fabinho as both can play numerous position and are good all round players. We would be looking at around £70m- £80m potentially
  • 1 new Defensive midfield - Could we afford for Garcia to come in and fullfill a bigger role next season ? I would imagine that we wont take that risk seeing as Yaya will be another year older and will have to have a very good player to share this role. I would imagine Weigl would be the best bet given his age and the fact there were serious noises last year about us signing him. He would cost more that £30m?
  • 1 New all purpose forward - If Aguero goes we will need to replace him with proven quality but also a player that isn't just a man who plays exclusively through the middle. I'm convince that man is Sanchez, he fits with Peps style, can play in any of the front three positions and is in the last year of his contract. He would cost around £60m. I dont think Aubamayang will be the answer , I reckon he'll end up at Athletico Madrid, replacing Griezman who will go to the rags. Also Dybala, whilst being a great player is also a man who plays mainly through the middle.
  • 1 New keeper, Bravo hasnt settled and cant hold his place against the limited competition of Willy. It looks like the benfica keeper is the favourite, around £30m
We could be looking at a very big summer perhaps £250m ? I think Pep will be backed to hilt though so it wouldn't suprise me


First team next Season

Ederson

Fabinho Stones Laporte Alaba

Weigl

De Bruyne Silva (Gundogan)

Sane Jesus Sanchez
Click to expand...
This is in line with what I think will happen.

I don't think we will get the fullbacks you've outlined though. My sense is well be looking for deals on young up and comers.

Yes to Keeper: Don't know who but hopefully someone who can challenge Bravo. My personal favorite is Donnarumma. Young, talented, experienced and can be molded. As of right now though I don't think we'll sign anyone major. I think Gunn simply becomes the #2 and Bravo steps up.

Leftback: Bernat. We are not going to get another top team's starter. It's like Arsenal thinking they can get DeBryune. It's silly. It only happens when the player has an issue with his role. Now Bernat is gettable and fits Peps system.

RB: Semedo. The reason why I am not as high on Moreas or Grimaldo is because if we were to get just 1 Benfica player, I'd rather that player be Semedo. I doubt we'll double dip, talkless triple dip. So if it's just one option Semedo is my choice of those 3. Even though he is the one we've least been linked to :(

CM: Rakitic. Garcia has shown some promise and Yaya is aging and won't be resigned. Rakitic fits the profile of an established CM who is getable (because Barca will have issues keeping him) and will help. A 3 years K and let's see if Garcia can beat him out over the next 2 years.

FW: Yes, as of right now my sense is that Aguero is leaving. This might change over the rest of the season. But if the season ended today, I'd say it's more likely than less likely. That said, I honestly don't have a good replacement option in mind. Dybala being the closest but not just quite. Sanchez and Auba don't work for me, they are both about Aguero's age. If we do this it's should be for a player closer to early mid 20s. Late 20s isn't the way to go. Right now Dybala seems the only option, but maybe others will emerge. Has to be a forward and not a striker. Free form front 3 is key.

CB: I'm not as big on going to pay 65 million for Laporte. That's just poor scouting. Find the next Larpote, or VVD or Kompany. Stop trying to dislodge other teams best players with excess money. No defender is value at 45 million, talk less 60. I like the idea of looking at the Turkish kid. There are others who might fit at a fair price. But sadly I think that's what we'll do.
And yes, at this Juncture, it is more likely than less likely Kompany would not be here next season. He has the rest of the season to show health and consistency.

I know I'll get slated for saying it, but if history suggests he is less likely han more likely to show either.

So in a sense our views are simply, but the players we want or expect are different. Here is what my team looks like

GK: Bravo/Gunn/
LB: Bernat/Zinchenko
RB: Semedo/Dihno
RCB: Otamendi/Stones
LCB: Laporte/Kolarov
DM: Rakitic/Dihno/Garcia
RCM: DeBryune/Gundogan
LCM: Silva/Delph
RW: Dybala/Sterling
LW: Sane/Nolito
FW: GJ/Sterling

Doesn't look as strong on paper. But might be good on the field.
 
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