Transfer Rumours transfer thread fact and fiction

yeah if only Pep had bought a few defenders during his time at City

 

All in all it’s probably a good thing that we’re fairly well off for CBs - if/when Jan goes we need a fourth (as Foyth seems to be persona non grata with Mou) but Toby, Dave and JT + 1 isn’t a bad showing. A Gallas-style signing would be perfect, bit more experience but not expecting to play every game. If Jan stays and picks his game up again we probably don’t even need one, our issues lie at FB and DM, and we obviously need a striker too unless Parrott proves a miracle hit.

 

CM should be sorted now we have Fernandes, we have no problem at all at LB, CB would be sorted if Bailly wasn't made of crystal but unfortunately he is so we do need one there. Not sure what the striker plan is, Sancho isn't a striker though. Maybe we will stick with Rashford, Martial and Greenwood now we have someone who might actually feed whichever plays striker.

 

I mean they’ve certainly spent but not always wisely. I don’t think they realised how much they’d miss Kompany’s influence on and off the pitch either

 

thats the rub though -would you trust Pep to get the right players in since he seems at times to buy them then decide after a few training sessions that they are crap and just ignore them i.e. Danilo , Cancelo .
I dread to think how much he has spent on CB's and FB's yet quite oftenends up with midfielders playing in those positions .

 

It’s not just Pep doing the transfers to be fair, they have a sporting director (who was at Barca with him, I think). But you’re right, he does just seem to drop them and they’re never heard of again.

 

He doesn't get half the amount of criticism he deserves on that front.

£135m alone spent on RBs - Walker, Danilo and Cancelo. **** knows what he's spent at CB. Binned Bravo off after a season too with Ederson.

Easy to be successful when you can instantly discard and replace players like that. He plays a brilliant brand of football, won't knock him for that but with the amount he's spent, it's hard not too.

 

When people think City have struggled this year due to not making signings i'm confused as to when they think Rodri & Cancelo were signed .

 

The thing with CBs is we're in a weird place: Toby's the senior CB (as is Verts, for the time being...) and Tanganga is the long-term prospect, but we need a couple of CBs in the middle of those two and, while Sanchez is that, Foyth is closer to Tanganga

Upemacano's been linked recently, but honestly I see him going one of two ways: subject to a transfer auction that inflates his price and we back away from it (which would also benefit The Sheikh Mansour Team) or Bayern are currently chuckling to themselves knowing what's going to happen eighteen months from now

Ruben Dias is a more realistic option of those linked with us recently, and even though he's actually younger than Sanchez he does feel a more polished player, but with him signing a new contract in November he's also the basis of Benfica's squad rebuild next summer (in much the same way Bruno Fernandes is for Sporting's)

This is why I'm not 100% convinced by either Ben Godfrey or Jack O'Connell: both of them are good players, and both would certainly fill a role if we signed them, but Godfrey's status is closer to Foyth's than it is Sanchez while O'Connell's reputation is based on Sheffield United's form this season and this season alone which means that while he could feasibly be another Michael Dawson for us he could just as feasibly be Dean Richards

 

Yeah it’s a tricky one and a lot of teams in our position or above will be in the market in the summer. It’s why I think we’re best off going for an old head if we can find the right fit, or keeping Jan if he picks up again and wants to commit.

The potential emergence of JT is exciting though and saves us a headache when it comes to scouting about for the next generation.

 

Think I said it at the start of the season or even beforehand but Nathan Ake would be someone I'd personally want at Spurs. We've been linked with him of late too. So many benefits to getting him, left footer so takes over from Jan, HG due to his Chelsea upbringing, knows the Premier League, good ball playing attributes, is experienced yet still young enough to considerably improve and someone like Jose should be able to get the best out him.

 

Eyoma might yet get his chance too

Not for Lincoln, obviously, They seem to have forgotten that they loaned him in...

The thing with Ake is that the Chavs have a buyback clause, so while he would certainly be a good addition to the squad the fact he'd be a good addition to the squad is the reason I expect any move to be sunk the second Uncle Roman clicks his fingers

On the subject of buyback clauses, isn't it funny how we're supposed to forget there's one in the deal that took Jadon Sancho to Dortmund?

 

Kessie Watch
Back to the classics, I see...

CalcioMercato report that we're willing to offer cash + Juan Foyth & What Remains of Victor Wanyama to Milan to sign Franck Kessie this summer

Given how long he's been linked with us, to the point he was linked with us back when Wanyama could play whole matches while Sissoko was the lightning rod of fan's fury, it's interesting to see how he's changed: when he was first linked with us, back when he was at Atalanta, he played more as a traditional DM so you'd think we'd look at him - but at Milan he's a box-to-box midfielder, so if we continue with a midfield three that would mean he's seen either as the long-term replacement for Sissoko or in a similar role to Gedson where sometimes he's a DM and sometimes a CM

 

Exodus Watch
There's been a few stories doing the rounds in the last day or so saying that, if Eric Dier doesn't sign a new contract by the end of the season, we'll be selling him in the summer

In other words, a few hacks have noticed that Dier has eighteen months on his contract and remember the Eriksen bollocks we had to put up with

Oh yeah, can somebody tell @remembercolinlee to add Luis Binks joining Montreal Impact to the outgoings list?

 

What's that, Lionel?

Good point...well made.

 

The Mail seem to think that Man Utd would be interested, as they wanted to buy him a few years ago

...in other words, the Mail forgot who happened to be managing Man Utd three years ago. I'll give them a hint: it's the bloke who's been playing Dier even though he's clearly unfit this season

 

Eric's got a Danny Rose size problem coming his way.

He's not playing regularly because, despite being Mourinho's love child, he's not fit enough to play for a mid-table PL side. He's not on his own at the moment. Rose, Vertonghen and Ndombele are similarly unfit. I'm not sure what went on this summer but it sure as **** didn't work for a number of players.

The only solutions to their problems are either to get properly fit or play in the NFL, where you can be a top player and regularly go off the pitch for a breather....or sign for West Ham.

 

In Dier's case he has a reason due to missing half of last season with various illnesses, and IIRC he said in an interview that the medication he was taking when he was recovering from having his appendix removed had some kind of side effect that affected him in training - but while that certainly gave him a pass at the start of the season, the fact he continues to look unfit now in spite several months of training essentially means his options are to be a bit part player this season in the hope he actually gets fully-fit for next season or he accepts his time at the club's coming to an end as we need players who are capable of being match fit

 

I might not disagree with this...but prior to the illnesses, he didn't look like a professional athlete either. However, now his passing has completely gone to **** and he goes wandering all over the pitch without being able to recover his position.

It's time to start getting ruthless. Erik Lamela should have been allowed to leave at the end of his initial contract. Equally, the DoF, Eriksen and Wanyama should have been marginalised or appropriately motivated to incentivise their departure... and if Eric Dier is chucking his considerable weight about, he can join them.

The club's looking like a respite care home.

 

Jose's already marginalising Dier anyway so I don't think we have to worry too much. Hasn't started a league game since the loss to Chelsea and he got hauled off after 45 minutes there. I imagine he'll continue to get the FA cup starts but then depending on how he does in them and appearances off the bench, I wouldn't be completely surprised if Dier leaves in the summer. Gio and Tanguy are the likely nailed on starters at CM when fit, whilst Gedson, Winks and Sissoko are also ahead of him, even if we do likely play with a three man midfield, his game time is still gonna be limited.