…might be coming in?
It just doesn’t stop, does
it? It’s
relentless! I know a lot of it is down
to the big gap in domestic play last season due to the World Cup but…JEEEZE!
Not only were the 2023/24
fixtures out less than 72 hours after our trophy parade but the transfer window
opened the day before THAT and, right now as I begin this piece on Thursday
15th June, we’ve got all sorts of international fixtures being
played too!
I supposed I’d better
‘crack on’, then, by looking forward to this-coming season myself; with a
blog-posting examining areas of the team where we might need to look at
strengthening, as well as who might be joining us in the summer
Goalkeeping department
No additions needed. Of course, it wouldn’t be ideal if we
lost both Ederson AND Stefan at the same time (no
side in the world can-ever really plan for the possibility of losing both their
first and second-choice goalies) but we would still have veteran Scott
Carson and going even deeper into our reserves; James Trafford, at the very least, sounds like, from the reports I’ve
occasionally heard on local radio, a very promising stopper; with 67 league
appearances for on-loan club, Bolton Wanderers,
plus however many cups matches he’s competed in too. That’s some serious
gametime, albeit at a lower level of course, for someone who isn’t turning 21
until October!
Need out 10? 0
Defence
Starting on the left and I have seriously lost count of the
amount of seasons / close seasons where I, along with so many other
City fans, have been saying the same thing. Yes, Pep has delivered a masterclass in converting several players
into temporary left-wing backs / left-sided defenders - central defenders,
right-wing backs and even attacking central midfielders / right wingers have
all done their part in that berth! We need a specialist AND, as I’ve bored
myself saying, not just one who can attack / overlap / “invert” and get assists
etc. but one who knows how to defend too; as other sides increase their arsenal
of attacking weapons against us.
Need out 10? Bearing in mind how well other players did
in that position for us last season, I’m not going for a ‘desperate 10’…but ‘an 8’ I
will not drop below in my assessment.
In the middle? ‘On paper’, it might appear like
having John Stones, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake & Ruben Dias is enough (I’ve
assumed that Aymeric Laporte will be leaving us) but with an injury record three of those
four have; I feel this is a must in terms of summer recruiting whilst
competing for SIX trophies next
season (don’t forget, we have the UEFA Super Cup
and the FIFA Club World Cup to come this season
too!).
Need out 10? 10
Here’s a bit of a weird one – the right-hand side of the
back-line. Kyle Walker has just turned 33 and, similar to the central
defenders, has some injury ‘flare ups’ from time to time; as well as fluctuating
form it has to be said also. Do we have a natural back-up replacement? Well, we
do have soon-to-be 19-year-old, Rico Lewis; a fine-looking player and one who,
I believe, has a good future at City.
And then, of course, we have a similar situation to the
left-hand side where Pep seems to be able to adapt certain players to slot into
that position; as well as adjusting formations accordingly. But is that enough?
I believe that this is an area that needs looking at too and
with Sheffield United apparently ‘sniffing
around’ for the England international’s services, if rumours are to be believed
as I type this; then perhaps the need is even greater if Kyle fancies returning
to ‘his roots’.
Need out 10? 7
Midfielders & wingers
Midfield:
A lot of this comes with the “D” word – depends.
-
Will Bernardo Silva be leaving in the summer?
-
Will Ilkay Gundogan be saying farewell this
transfer window also?
-
Will the club – or indeed the player himself,
Kalvin Phillips – decide that a quick ‘hello & goodbye’ is the right thing
to do?
-
Will, as I’ve recently heard, Cole Palmer go on
a season-long loan next season and…
-
…will, as I heard also, James McAtee be primed for some first-team starts this coming season?
If we do lose 4 and gain just one, soon-to-be 21-year-old
academy player, then my answer is a most-definite…YES – at least two; preferably three
new ‘bods’, please City!
But if we keep Bernardo, Ilkay & Kalvin and simply swap
Cole for James, then I’m still gonna say “Yes” to-me-wanting a new, additional
midfielder but I think I’d be happy with just one new addition; although I’m
guessing some Blues would still like to see two and I could fully understand
that with the aging legs / injury proneness we have in our ranks.
Need out 10? 10 for me in
both scenarios…and then it’s all about “how many”.
Left wing:
I don’t believe we have an issue here. Jack appears to have
“arrived” in a City shirt in the last 6 months or so and then we not-only have
Phil Foden but others who both can, and have, done a good job in that
position.
Need out 10? 0
Right wing:
Here’s an area I believe we need some ‘new blood’. We have Mr
‘Up & Down’, Riyad; Phil, who has played there before and done well, along
with a possibly-departing Bernardo…and then a sprinkling of players who
have played there too and done okay. Is that good enough if we are to defend
titles? I say, categorically, no it’s not.
I’d LOVE to see a talented “flyer” down that flank…and one
who has the right attitude & energy as well.
Need out 10? 9
Forwards / Strikers
No additions needed. Even if we were unlucky enough to lose
both Erling and Julian for a time, our manger is more than adept to set the
side up with a “false 9” or no direct, central forward player whatsoever. We’ve
done it before under Pep…and very successfully.
Need out 10? 0
SO…
…who then?
Starting
on the left of defence…
A player who
has been linked with us in the distant past cropped up in the rumours-media
once again this season and I stuck him on my transfer possibilities list to
keep him in mind. Alphonso Davies certainly ‘ticks a lot of boxes’ –
he’s 22; apparently very athletic, pacy, skilful and as well as being a left
wing-back; he’s very comfortable on the left-wing (one recent report suggest
that’s his preferred position) as well as inside midfield-left, so that’s the ‘inverted’
box ticked also. Nothing I’ve read seems to refer to his actual tackling
ability (that one again 🙄) and from the footage I’ve watched;
I’ve not witnessed much of that myself either.
Another bonus
is that he’s in the last 2-years of his contract a Bayern.
I’ve referred
to putting the player on my ‘transfer possibilities list’ and it’s a document that
I keep for a ‘sliding calendar year’, or there abouts. It was quite early on in
that last 12 months that he was last mentioned in connection to our club but,
as I say, there is enough there for me to suggest that it’s not just a crazy link.
I’m not sure Thomas Tuchel would like to see the Ghanaian-born, Canadian international leave and,
therefore, unless we’re REALLY determined to take him and the player is keen for
the move also; I think this might be an unlikely one…but not impossible.
A left-sided
defender ‘closer to home’ with whom we’ve been linked with more recently is
Scottish international, Aaron Hickey. Once again, this is another young
(just-turned 21) player who, according to reports, is very versatile; with the
addition that he can-also, and has, played on the right-side of defence
as well as in midfield. Once again, there’s the ‘inverted option’. At 6’
1”, he’s also been known to play in central defence.
Additionally,
not only has Aaron got international experience with his national side with 10
caps but he-also racked up 47-league appearances for Bologna, as well as-having 26 Premier League
appearance for his
current club, Brentford. That is quite considerable
experience for a just-turned 21-year-old.
When the
question was once put to him that he had been likened to both Scotland & Liverpool’s-established left-back, Andy Robertson, he
was-apparently keen to play down the comparison so that - along with the
fact that he chose to test himself abroad at such a young age - appears, to
me at least, that he has a ‘good head on his shoulders’. 👍
With 3-years
left on his current deal; according to one report the asking fee would be
around £30M which, these days, appears to be a fair one, I think.
The right?
I can’t quite
recall when-exactly Benjamin Pavard was linked with us but the fact that
his contract is up in just 12-months-time – along with the fact that he’s 27
and a well-established France international – I clearly thought that it was
worth monitoring.
An excellent
anticipator and ‘link-up man’, apparently, but perhaps another one Thomas
Tuchel wouldn’t like to see leave his Bayern side.
The heart
of our defence
I can’t help
feeling that this one is far more certain than another other defensive players
we’ve been linked with.
Once again,
this is a fella, Josko Gvardiol, who we’ve been linked with on a
number of occasions and he WAS on my list quite some time ago, before being removed
when he extended his contract in September 2022; just over a year after joining
his current side, RB Leipzig. However, the rumours gained momentum
once again and have intensified further recently; most certainly in the last
few weeks as the summer transfer window approached.
He looks like
a good’n to say the least and according to his profile; he’s another central
defender who can-also operate on the left-flank when required to.
Central
midfield
A player
heavily-linked with us just in the last few weeks has been Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic. Following the first initial links I,
of course, did the “YouTube thing”; having not really followed the Croatian
international’s performances and knowing little about his main attributes.
I think this
would be a top signing and a very shrewd one. Just-turned 29 and, therefore,
just in his ‘early prime years’ along with international, European and Premier
League experience aplenty. I see him as a Gundogan-like player; a very
professional individual, a workhorse and a good passer who likes to build from
deep to aid his side / teammates.
With the 5’
10” midfielder in the last year of his contract, the reported fee is around the
£34M mark which, once again these days, would make for another very
astute signing by our club.
Here’s one
that I can’t rule out…but I just wonder where he’d fit in with current,
established personnel. Declan Rice.
The initial
bid from Arsenal of £80M for the West Ham United and England defensive midfielder was apparently turned
down and although there’s the ‘add-on thing’ that I think might come into play for
whoever manages to grab the 24-year-old’s signature; I believe The Hammers will
be looking for at least a £100M overall package.
There’s no
way Declan would be happy to come to City and ‘do a Kalvin’ (sorry
Kalvin) and especially after a season such as
he’s just had; there’s no way also that Rodders would sit out large parts of
this season coming. So what would happen if we did grab the services of the London-born
player? Well, simply put, Pep would have to ‘do his thing’ on the young England
man.
Declan has
been known to play for both club & country in a slightly more advanced
midfield position OR, should I perhaps say instead, hasn’t always been completely
anchored to that defensive role 100% of the time. Those who have watched him
more than I have say that he looked very comfortable “risking nose bleeds”
higher up the pitch.
So, that
would appear to be the solutions then. I think it would be a slightly extravagant,
perhaps even indulgent signing but it would be a good’n; a workable one…and
most definitely a statement that we’re here to defend our many titles.
If we were
looking to get a Pep-type player; one who has shown his previous managers that
he’s keen to learn and get better / has a great attitude generally, who is strong
in possession, plays on the ‘front foot’ and-who-can split defences open with killer
passes; then we should not hesitate in snapping up James Maddison, in my opinion (there have been no links to City for this
one, I need to point out – this is a ‘wish list’ player).
Want a couple
of bonuses? He’s in the last year of his contract with just-relegated Leicester City and he’s English which, of course, matters squad wise.
I know that
in addition to Phil Foden we have the likes of Cole Palmer, James McAtee and Tommy Doyle etc. and we must allow those players the opportunity to work their way
into the first team. However, this signing would be, for me at least, an
absolute ‘no brainer’.
The Vultures
are circling in the form of both Newcastle United & Spurs,
apparently…I think we should, at the very least, take flight and joined the
formation.
The right
wing?
I’ll be
honest here, I have absolutely no idea who would be a good, realistic
target to go for. I believe, as I’ve already said, that we need far better on
the right of our attack but there’s no-one out there that we’ve been linked with
in the last 12 months.
Well…there was
one and I wanted him. However, Bukayo Saka then ‘put pen to paper’ on a new contract
on 23rd May to dash may summer transfer hopes.
I dunno who? I’m happy to take suggestions from anyone…
Thank you, as always, for taking the
time.
As soon as possible, I’ll start on - and
then release - last season’s predictions results.
