Transfer Rumours Summer Transfer window

KDB leaving City at the end of the season. Presume he'll go to Saudi.

 

He's about to become Kevin al-Bruyne

 

He’s been incredible for City and the PL. One of the very best

 

Saudi or MLS?

or SR?

 

he going to Saudi

 

I’d be gutted tbh …

… it’s like taking ages, baking the perfect cake and having some big bully scoff it when your back’s turned.

 

How much of that is down to the coaches and not Watson himself though? Granted they’ll obviously work with him and make him a better player but he’s being bought because of his ability or potential they see in him anyway. Good job all round from the club imo but makes that sound as if he’s been dragged to where he is by great coaching rather than his own ability.

 

surely the staff will proud that because of their coaching a player is being sold a decent profit and that will help them produce the next Hendo, Patto or Watson.

 

100% agree with you. Their job is to develop brilliant players. They've developed a player so brilliant he's been sold for 8 figures before he's even played a game. They'll be delighted.

 

Of course you dont become a professional footballer unless you have a level of talent. But equally without top class coaching you dont become a £10m footballer at 18. You need also praise the scouts who find the young players with the right level of talent and bring them into the academy. There is a lot of effort, from a lot of people, goes into a player before they make any first team appearances. Ability alone does not get you into a championship chasing first team.

 

If it costs £2m a year to run the Academy, we have about £45- £50m from Henderson, Pickford and Watson plus anything between £35m to £75m to come from Neil, Patterson and Rigg.
About 50 years paid for from Academy lads alone and then there’s the ones coming through now, some looking very promising.

Our management is doing a brilliant job.
When you think about our deals (Hume, Jobe, Mundle, Wilson, Cirkin and the others such as Stewart) we must be the best run Club in the division.
Speakman deserves a huge amount of praise and there’s plenty of others all doing top quality work here.
KLD is doing something right.

 

Wish I could like this 46544646346 times

 

Fair one mate. Did you watch Watson much for the 21s? Mentioned it on here well before interest was even mentioned in January but lad who gets in the gym goes to most of the games and he’s always maintained Watson isn’t as good as he’s hyped up to be. Reckons he goes missing for large parts of games and doesn’t do much defensively whereas I’m a filthy casual so I just see the highlights which are normally him scoring and looking a cut above!

 

Academy should be the forefront of our club, every academy should have a good percentage put back into it and funding the next Neil, rigg, patto. Few days sitting on it and it’s good deal for someone who doesn’t want to be here and barely played much. Don’t get some of the outrage with KLD/KS over this transfer I’m seeing online.

 

He’s been a standout at that level for some time and the u18s long before that. He would have more England recognition if he’d not had injuries at key points. I’d agree he needs to work on the defensive side of things I think that’s evident from his first team appearances.

 

Some people’s agenda is so rigid they think seeing any good in them is a sign of weakness …

… our transfer dealings are being handled very well in my opinion .

Donald would have driven Watson to Brighton and come back with £5m.

 

Probably would have sold him at 15 for £50k and some bibs

 

To a club we owed money too anyway so we would've seen £0 reinvested.

 

I've had a few days to think about this properly without the red and white specs on and I'm basically off the same opinion. The deal itself is good for the club and you have to commend Speakman for getting it. £10 million and a 20% sell on is good business for a kid who's only played a handful of first team games. Which brings me onto Watson - and this is the fan in me first and foremost. I'm seriously disappointed that he's going and it's the fact that he refused to sign a new contract is the bit that disappointed me. He's 18 year old, it's his breakout season playing proper football and he doesn't see what kind of position the club is in and how he could play a big part of that. Mind you with an agent like Danny Graham and with Ian Harte also whispering in his ear you can see why he reached the decision he did.

It's good that he that confident in his ability that he thinks he should deserve a starting spot each week but for me, you need to prove you deserve it in training as well as games. Personally I think he had been given the wrong advice, yes Brighton can pay him more but he's 18, he's got enough time to make that. Personally, I think Rigg's parents have got the right idea. They must've turned down all sorts before he signed last summer and if the rumours are true, they don't want him to go anywhere any time soon and he would be offered better wages than Watson will have received at Brighton.

But it's over and done with now and the club have got the best deal but it sticks in the throat a bit for me. I know Reggie says he'll play if required but would be put himself about on the pitch in case he got injured? I'm not convinced but then again he doesn't get past Mundle for me

 

I think there are some fair observations there. He is what I would call a typical young winger. Loves the ball, loved taking players and cutting inside for a shot. He has all of that in abundance. When he has to go the other way it isnt natural. Reaction time to losing possession can be a problem too. The best way to learn those is mens football. In my experience in age group football there is nobody digging each other out. Massive difference in mens football. He will getting that learning now. What I like about him is he does look a fast learner. In the handful of first team games he looked to be making adjustments to me, particularly around when to play the backwards pass. He is a strong looking lad and will grow more in terms of his upper body. I would back him to improve his defensivs work. He will need to at Brighton, those buggers run all day long.