Apart from the likes of the oldest person in the UK to recover from / survive Covid-19 who, at 106-years of age has now lived through the Spanish flu, WWI, WWII and now the Corona virus; there can’t be that many people on planet earth who can say that they recall similar to what we’re all going through at the moment.
It got my mum who passed away in the early hours of Tuesday 14th April and I know of a friend who lost both of his cousins (both brothers) within 48-hours of each other, as well as a close friend. I hope, as I write this, not too many of you have suffered loses and I hope you all manage to stay safe & well.
You might wanna get comfy for this one, it’s a little long…
Why not?
I’ve not really felt like blogging in the
last few weeks and, to be honest, there hasn’t been much to write about with
regards to all things Manchester City – there was no way I was gonna jump on
the merry-go-round of when / if the football season would resume and, if so, in
what format, as the picture kept - and keeps - changing almost daily.
And it might seem strange to want to-now
‘put pen to paper’ just 2 days (when I started writing this piece) after from
losing my mum to this horrible virus but with little to organise in comparison
to what a “normal” funeral would require organisation-wise; I thought, this
morning, why not?
Also, “why not”, I thought I’d produce
a blog-post based on an ongoing list that I keep of incoming transfer
possibilities; an inventory that I operate on a rolling, 12-month basis of ‘rumoured
signings’, which I don’t think are just totally unrealistic, wild-speculative
‘stabs in the proverbial dark’ from the various press sources. I like to think
that these names have some potential traction when it comes to us possibly
being interested in their signatures…and them being interested in us of course
too.
Weirdly,
if the season was still running there’d be a break in league fixtures now (F.A. Cup weekend I believe) with the last game
being on 11th April away to Southampton
and our next league fixture being on the south coast also, at Brighton & Hove Albion. If there HAD have been
any transfer talk during this reduction in top-flight fixtures then it probably
would-have-only irritated me a little (too soon before competitions were
finished) and I certainly wouldn’t have made mention of it.
But
seeing as the situation is what it is for now…
Goalkeepers
None. Nothing to see here transfer-in wise.
By all accounts - and as I very much expected - last season’s signing, Zack Steffen, who put pen to paper for us on 9th
July 2019 and was loaned to Fortuna Dusseldorf for
the season, will be returning to compete for the ‘Number 1’ jersey with Ederson. That’ll be Scott Carson leaving after his loan spell and Claudio Bravo either leaving too or, perhaps, staying on in a coaching role.
But, as I say, no incoming transfers in the
keeper department for the 1st team, at least, and if I’m correct
about both Scott & Claudio departing, I can imagine EDS stopper Gavin Bazunu
being elevated to first team cover on occasions; possible seeing the bench in
the League Cup during the 2020/21 season.
Defenders
Here we
go – the biggest topic of conversation throughout all of the current season, such
as it is.
Starting on the left and with Angeleno almost certain to be sold AGAIN in
the summer and with rumours also that Pep
isn’t happy with the fragility of Benjamin Mendy;
apparently the left-back slot is going to be considered as high-a-priority as
the central defensive position.
Oddly,
then, there haven’t been so many linked with us, who I considered viable at
least.
One player, however, that does seem to fit
the bill perfectly is Austrian David Alaba.
28 in June is a good, starting-prime-years age and this versatile defender, who
can play both at left-back as well as in the middle, comes with vast experience
both at international level as well as in the Bundesliga
with Bayern Munich. Want another enticing
reason to chuck a bid in? He’s only got just over 12-months left on his
contract! He pitches in with goals too, so he could well be a Pep-like,
attacking defender when on the left flank and, so, I’m sure assists are ‘in his
locker’ too.
Chances of making a bid: 9/10
That’s it for realistic links that I’ve
seen in the last 12 months with regards to left-backs BUT…there are a few
in the right-back links who-can-also play on the left as a secondary position.
Central defence
Where do we start? Well, I’ll just start at
the top of my list, as I put them down as the year ran on…
Milan Skriniar who, oddly, plays for (Inter) Milan,
is a player who keeps popping up on the ‘City link’ radar. At 25 he is at an
excellent age to bring in and with over 100 league & cup games in Italy’s
top division under his belt as well as plenty of international experience; the
6’ 2” Slovak could well be what we’re looking for to fill the void. He did sign
his last contract just less than 12 months ago and that takes him to June 2023.
However, that could just be Inter protecting their investment and although the
defender would cost a fair ol’ whack; Milan seem to be a side quite willing to
cash in on their assets if the price is right.
Chances of making a bid: 7/10
Going back to Germany, Borussia Dortmund have a player on their books
with the name Dan-Axel Zagadou (there’s gotta be a song or two
about him there somewhere) who could be of interest to
Mr Guardiola and who, of course, has been linked with us at some point in the
last 12 months. Now this guy reads the game like Vincent Kompany and, in many other ways, plays similar to our ol’ skip too, in
my opinion. At a whopping 6’ 5”, he’s remarkably good with his feet, although
the Premier League would provide a bigger
test, I’m sure, as he’d be under much more, intense pressure from pacey
forwards. He’ll turn 21 in June and although that sounds very young when you
consider that we have defenders both in our EDS
and out on loan who are screaming for Peps’ attention; he’s got a couple of seasons of Bundesliga
under his belt as well as representing France from Under 16s right through to
Under 21s. A massive plus is that, for now, he is running down his contract,
which will expire in 2 years’ time in June, so there’d be room for negotiating
a reasonable price. However,
it’s recently been reported that the French defender has suffered left-knee
ligament damage when training with his club for a potential restart of the
season and is currently being assessed. I Hope the youngster is okay.
Chances of making a bid if the injury is
not a long-term one: 6/10
Chances of making a bid if it is serious:
0/10
By all accounts, Samuel Umtiti is being practically shoved out of the door at Barcelona, having slowly but surely slipped down
the pecking order following a couple of injuries followed by a loss of form.
Prior to this recent downturn, he was a very much respected regular at Barca.
Apparently – and despite being contracted to June 2023 – rumour has it that the
Spanish club won’t exactly ask the earth for the 6’ 0” French-Cameroon central
defender either and there’s sure to be a clamour for the 26-year old. Clubs are
currently lining up for the scrap for his signature and I recon we’ll be one of
‘em. Powerful, calm & commanding at the back with a good passing game ticks
all of Pep’s and the Premier League’s boxes.
Chances of making a bid: 9/10
Unai Nunez is a lesser known central defender who plays for Athletic Bilbao. The 6’ 1” Spaniard has only just turned
21 in January but has bags of La Liga experience
already as well as a full, international Spanish cap to his name! Still has just
over 3 years left on his contract but I’m sure our manager will have had a look
at him.
Chances of making a bid: 5/10
Bayern Munich’s David Alaba, who I’ve
already mention, can play, apparently, just as good in central defence
as well as at left-back. But another player from the same division is RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano, a surname that I think sounds great when said in a Mancunian accent! Tonnes of Bundesliga experience
as well as loads of French international youth games for a defender who doesn’t
turn 22 until October! And, like David Alaba, his contract runs out in
12-months’ time from June! Whisper
it but do you know what I think? I can see a double Bundesliga raid on both
Alaba & Upamecano. We’d be daft not to for such talent with years of play
left in both players; with just 12 or so months left on each of their contracts
AND with a recent good relationship with the Leipzig club, at least.
Chances of making a bid: 8/10
Ruben Dias is a player very recently linked with us but Jose Mourinho / Spurs
are, apparently, desperate to sign the soon-to-be 23-year old. This one
is gonna cost a lot, as he only put pen to paper on a new contract in June
2018, which extended his stay at Benfica
until June 2024! Apparently, he’s ‘the next big thing’ and already well
respected, with plenty of Portuguese top-flight experience as well as 16,
full-international caps for Portugal. I don’t think City will be willing to pay
what, is sure to be, a very, very high price tag when we have other areas of
the pitch to consider also…and with UEFA
watching us closely. Still, he’s a very good, good-age defender that I was
impressed with when watching clips recently so I’ve stuck him in there as a
‘not ridiculous’ rumour.
Chances of making a bid: 3/10
Finally, in this category, a player, who,
it-feels-like-has-been linked with us before he was even born! Nathan Ake is his name. I like him…and I think Pep
does, or would, too. I cannot believe the Dutch international has only just
turned 25-year of age in February – he seems to have been playing for 5 years
longer than that! Has spent his entire domestic career in England (tick).
Has spent the majority of that time in the Premier League (tick). Has
13-full, international caps for the Netherlands (tick). He’s 25 (tick).
His contract has only 2 years to run in June (tick). He can – and
often has done – play at left-back as well as central defence (tick).
He’s very calm and assured and also, just like Dan-Axel Zagadou, reminds me a
little of Vincent Kompany (tick). Now he is only 5’ 11” but, from what
I’ve seen, he does ‘get up there’ when needed. Perhaps it’s not his biggest (no pun intended) quality but, then again, I don’t think it’s Pep’s number 1
priority in his central defenders either. Besides, for that side of the
defending or attacking corners we have Laporte,
Rodders & Fernandinho
at least. Nathan is a player, though, I have seen Bournemouth
throw into the opposition box whenever they have a corner themselves, so he
can’t be too ineffective in the air, can he? I would be shocked if we didn’t
put in a bid for the dreadlocked defender and, as it’s my last central defender
entry; I’ll now say that I believe that we’ll attempt to sign 2
centre-halves in the summer and that Ake will be one attempt, at least. Why 2?
Well, we already need to fill the gap left by Vinny and I can honestly see both
Nicolas Otamendi & John Stones leaving us in a few months’ time.
Chances of making a bid: 10/10
Do you wanna make yourself
a brew at this point?
Right-backs
Again, in date order as the rumours came
in, I’ll start with AS Monaco’s, Benjamin Henrichs. He’s a player that we’ve been
linked with for quite some time; more than a year ago in fact and his name keeps
popping back up in the same sentence as “Manchester City”. I really like the
look of this guy and with Joao Cancelo almost
certain to end his brief time with us soon, I think we’ll definitely be in the
market for a replacement. And not only is it a club who we’ve done business
with before in a cordial manner; you don’t ignore a defender who might be
available for negotiation who is only 23 and has managed to break into the
German first team! He does everything clean & simple – well timed tackles,
a professional, good team player with, apparently, a lot of stamina. Seems to get a few assists too. He is
contracted to June 2023 so he wouldn’t come cheap but, then again, whoever wants
to buy Cancelo will be prising a player out of a contract that isn’t due to end
until June 2025! Apparently, Benjamin has also had spells playing as a
left-wing back as well as in the centre of defence too, which would be another
bonus.
Chances of making a bid: 8/10
I’m sure, as a Spaniard himself, our
Manager will be more than familiar with Spanish international, Mario Gaspar…and perhaps that’s the only reason he
was linked with us. I say that because he’s on my list but on his next
birthday, which is in November, he’ll be 30. Of course, 30 is certainly not
‘past it’ for a footballer these days with the fitness levels maintained by
their respective clubs but it’s not an age City tend to target these days; not
unless they’re desperate to fill a slot. Perhaps this one appeared on my
list before we signed Cancelo. He’s a one-club man, having played 100s of
games for Villarreal! If he was to move for
‘one big payday’ then the time is now! If he doesn’t, then I think he’ll retire
at the club that has the nickname, The Yellow Submarine. Contracted to June
2023 and clearly, as an ever-present in the La Liga, is talented / well
respected.
Chances of making a bid: 5/10
A very recent link has been Barcelona’s
Nelson Semedo who, apparently, is stalling
on extending his current contract, which is due to run out in June 2022.
Clearly, he is still wanted by the Spanish giants and having played over 70
league games for them; clearly the 13-capped, Portuguese international is
decent too. Despite the fact that his contact is about to move into that 2-year
‘twitchy’ zone, rumours are that Barca would still want around £40M for the 5’
10” right-back. However, there’s also a rumour that they may be interested in
Cancelo and, therefore, a swap may well be ‘on the cards’. And seeing as we’ve
been linked with other Barcelona stars; we could see a very interesting swap deal
take place…and
as Covid-19 continues to ebb away player’s values, swap-deals could well be
more ‘the norm’ in the coming months and quite possibly longer too.
Chances of making a bid: 8/10
Yan Couto is a player a lot of City fans might think sounds familiar. Why?
Well he was on my list of realistically-linked players and…we’ve now signed him! He’ll be joining us in July, having signed him from Brazilian side,
Coritiba FC for £5.4M. He’s classed as a
right-back / right-wing back but having seen this lad play using on-line clips,
I can tell you that he could do that job on the left too and has done so on
occasions. I’ve rarely seen such a good, young, 2-footed player as Yan.
Bags of skill and, apparently, could run all day…and then into the night too!
Seems to have good positional awareness, for such a young lad, and times his
tackles very well. Of course, being blessed with such skill and being
Brazilian, he likes to get further up the pitch as a secondary winger and he
does that with exciting results too. Now…will he be used this coming season?
He’ll be 18 in June and using the old adage, “If you’re good enough, you’re old
enough”, then why not? Of course, the Premier League is a WORLD away from the
league he’s played in but I wouldn’t be so quick to fire him out on loan
straight away. I think, however, that is very much likely to be the plan for a
player who, perhaps, needs ‘bulking up’ a little. Perhaps, after a little
time acclimatising in the EDS, we’ll see Jan moved on somewhere that suits his
progression. If that’s the case, the right-back links may continue for a
little longer…
Chances of making a bid: N/A – Signed!
Midfielders / Wingers
Now, some of this depends on whether we
are going to lose, at least, Leroy Sane in
addition to the retiring David Silva. And,
to complicate matters, there have been fairly strong signals in recent weeks
that Riyad Mahrez might be put up for sale
in the summer…and
EVEN rumours also that Raheem Stirling wants
a new challenge elsewhere! Not sure I believe the last one…
Hufff…so, with all that to consider, I’m going to attempt to put a
‘chances of’ estimate based on 2 of those 3 leaving (in addition to
David).
First up in my list of written down in date
order, a player who, at one stage, looked a ‘dead cert’ to sign…and then
didn’t. Instead, young Argentine Thiago Almada
signed a 5-year contract in September 2019 tying him to Velez Sarsfield to June 2023. That could, however, be his club
protecting their assets so they get a decent fee and not necessarily a ‘hands
off’. It did ensure that the 19-year old spent this season in South America and
he may well spend next season there too. But I can see us revisiting this
attacking midfielder / winger / ‘false number 9’ in the future. He looks a REAL
talent!
Chances of making a bid (this summer):
3/10
When the vultures began to circle of which
we, at some point more recently, may have become one of them; Real Sociedad got Mikel Oyarzabal to sit down and sign a contract in June 2018 keeping him ‘locked
in’ until June 2024. Predominantly a left-winger; the Spaniard can play more
central; can play on / ‘come in off’ the right-flank and play as a forward too.
His stats in La Liga are impressive and there are a lot who pay closer
attention to the player who can’t believe he doesn’t get more
full-international caps. He is a special player. If rumours are correct about
us demanding £140 / £150M for Leroy Sane then we should have the funds to get
Mikel if Pep wants him…and I can’t see why he wouldn’t at least be interested. As I say, based on 2 of those 3
players I mentioned leaving in the summer and, in this case, despite still
having 4-years left on his contract…
Chances of making a bid: 7/10
However, want a much cheaper option?
There’s a player linked with us a few weeks ago that I had a look at and, who,
only has a contract to June 2022. He’d be a LOT cheaper! Florinel Coman looks a little raw and needs
some work but he has only just turned 22 and clearly has talent. And, although
noted to be a left-winger, he seems just as comfortable on the right, in the
middle and receives the ball well striker-like when further ‘up top’. I’m not
sure what the standard is like in Romania’s top division but he has an
impressive-sounding 25 league goals in 80 appearance for FCSB over the last 2 seasons. I also like the fact that his
name reminds me a little of left-winger, Tony Coleman…
Chances of making a bid: 5/10
A player who, by all accounts, is comfortable
/ just as dangerous on either attacking flank is Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele. And his current employers are,
for whatever reason, trying to off-load the French attacker. However, despite
only having 2-years left on his contract, any club who has come knocking have
all turned away at Barca’s asking price, which is a varied figure depending on
where you read it from. What could be in our favour, however, is of course our
officials’ relationship with the Spanish club and, in addition, we could
even try to entice them with a double swoop for both Dembele and defender
Samuel Umtiti.
Chances of making a bid: 9/10
As I mentioned earlier, with rumours that
Riyad’s brief time with us could be coming to an end, rumours also came in
about players who do, or can, play on the right wing. Samu (Samuel) Chukwueze is a seemingly much sort after youngster who, at just
20, has plenty of La Liga experience with Villarreal. 5’ 8” Shaun Wright-Phillips-like in stature; the
Nigerian already has 13-full international caps and 2 goals to his name too.
Contracted to June 2023.
Chances of making a bid: 5/10
Need another break? Not
too much more…
It took time for this next player to
mature, aside
from a recent lockdown blip in recent weeks, but it
looks like he eventually has. And when I see Jack Grealish play, I make no excuses about saying that I can see traits of
one Kevin De Bruyne in him. Under Pep
Guardiola, that’s exactly what I can see the 24-year old becoming. Adaptable
too and although he prefers to go ‘down the middle’; I have seen accomplished performances
from Jack on either flank, particularly the left. He’s English and, as such,
he’s gonna cost a fair bit. He’s contracted until June 2023 too and I’m quite
sure he’d attract a bidding war that I can definitely easily see us joining…but
then not necessarily staying the course if / when prices starts to get silly. There
could, however, be some room for negotiating with a club we’ve recently done good business with…
Chances of making a bid: 7/10
I’m leaving this next player ‘in there’ but
I was very tempted to remove / dismiss it completely as unrealistic. The reason
is that both Fabian Ruiz’s agent is doing
his best impression of a football agent and appears to be touting his
player as-being linked with any big club he can think of AND
the players current employer, SSC Napoli,
have apparently said that it will take an “indecent offer” for them to even
consider letting the Spanish midfielder talk to another club. Contracted until
June 2023, the 6’ 2” is a different animal to David Silva, if the idea is that
this would be a replacement for the City legend. He likes to get involved with
quick pass & moves in attacking play but the big difference [to David] is
that he doesn’t have the intricate ball-work of our little midfield genius; rather
he backs up good passing & movement with bursts of powerful, long-striding
runs. He also looks just as comfortable on the left-side as he does in the
middle. Although
I think we’ll need to replace both retiring and otherwise departing players in
our attacking midfield / wing department in the summer; I don’t think well be
willing to overspend in this area with other options available to us and where-also
other departments are crying out for far bigger improvements.
Chances of making a bid: 2/10
The start of my final 3 midfield / wing
links begins with a young lad who looks to have real talent and a bright
future. Ianis Hagi is son of ‘the’ Hagi and at just 21, he looks both
well accomplished already but also remarkably calm & decisive in ‘one-on-one’
situations. The attacking midfielder, who can also operate on both wings, is gonna
cost – he’s not only contracted to June 2024 but as time passes, more &
more big teams from across Europe seem to be taking notice. Belgium club KRC Genk hold his current contract but he’s
currently on loan at Rangers and their fans just
LOVE the player who has scored 3 league goals in 7 league appearances
since joining them on 31st January.
Chances of making a bid: 5/10
Another young player (22 in June) who
almost-already looks the finished article is Lyon’s,
French midfielder, Houssem Aouar. And this
player has already attracted comments from a seemingly admiring Pep Guardiola.
Very comfortable with the ball, technically excellent, good passing range and
unleashes one HELL of a shot. He’s pretty much got the lot really. Highly respected
already, young, much sort after and contracted to June 2023; the 5’ 9”
attacking midfielder surely has a big price tag attached. But this one might be
worth it.
Chances of making a bid: 7/10
And finally, for this section, the most recently-linked
midfielder / winger with Manchester City might be a surprising one to many. It
comes in the form of Norwich City’s,
Argentine winger, Emiliano Buendia. Predominantly
a right-winger; Emiliano can operate in the middle and on the left-flank too.
What Pep might like about this player is not only does he create aplenty but
his work-rate is said to be exceptional; a trait very-much highly regarded by
our Spanish boss. And he loves to ‘get involved’ and trackback too, with a
seemingly impressive, successful tacking rate that any right-wing back would gratefully
accept the assistance of. It sounds to me like he ticks a lot of Pep’s boxes.
If Riyad Mahrez IS to leave in the summer and Norwich, as most expect, do get
relegated; I wouldn’t be surprised if we lined up the Canaries 5-foot 8’er as a
replacement for the Algerian. And even though Buendia is contracted to June
2024, I can see us making a profit on our ‘in & out’ dealings on this one;
with Mahrez surely to start a bidding war for his services.
Chances of making a bid: 7/10
Forwards / Strikers
Just
two here, you may be relieved to know…
Young, English, Premier League experienced,
full-international caps to his name along with bags of England under 18, 19
& 21 experience and approaching the last 2 years of his contract; Tammy Abraham ticks so many boxes that when he was
linked with a summer move to our wonderful football club, I didn’t hesitate to
put him on the ‘realistic link’ list. The only two things that go against a possible
approach from City are, A. He’s 6’ 3” and that goes against Pep’s ‘low
centre of gravity’, shorter forwards he tends to prefer and, B. Tammy
does seem to have a few underlining injury niggles, which have been surfacing
of late. Weighing
up all of those factors…
Chances of making a bid: 6/10
Annnnnd
finally…a striker who most certainly fits the Pep
Guardiola style and is considered by many to be Sergio Aguero’s future successor; and
with the possibly plan being to bring him in for a cross-over season
with our all-time, top scorer - it’s Inter Milan’s, Argentine, Lautaro Martinez! Now this one comes with a clear
message from his current employers, which is that the bidding starts at his
release clause figure of £97.3M. And, if we wanted him, I actually don’t see many
other teams wanting to join in a bidding war starting at that price, to be
honest. Contracted to June 2023; Lautaro stands just 1” taller than our Serg
and has a similar playing style. Perhaps, so I’ve heard, the Inter star doesn’t
quite have the silky, close-control ball skills of Aguero but what he may lack
there he MORE than makes up for in hard-working, team interplay; something many say
that our star striker sometimes lacks. And, crucially, just like
Sergio, Lautaro ‘can finish’! He’s a class forward – simple as that.
Chances of making a bid: 9/10
So,
there you have it!
I did say at the beginning of the midfielder
/ wingers section that we might have to consider losing 1 or 2 of Leroy, Raheem
& Riyad when considering new arrivals but what I will add is that we
do still have the option of using Gabriel Jesus on
the left-flank and I get the feeling we’ll see more of that next season, should
we not bid for an out & out, specialist left-winger. That too [utilising
Gabriel on the left] would accommodate any incoming, additional striker.
And, of course, there’s a whole HOST of
clubs from both the Premier League and across Europe that I haven’t mentioned who
have also been linked with all of the above – of course they have!
But there’s no doubting that our team /
squad does need a tweak / refresh and most certainly ‘bulking out’ in some
areas in the summer – anyone who watched us “struggle” at times in comparison
with our own, very high standards should have been able to see that. Some
areas are more important than others, I would strongly suggest…but I don’t
think we can afford not to review every department within our squad before the
start of next season, whenever that may be. There are sure to be names I’ve not
mentioned that will get linked and may even end up signing for us…but I’m quite
confident at least one of those names above - possibly 2 or more - will be
playing in a Manchester City shirt next season.
I’ll end as I started (if you managed to get to the end
of this piece and are still with me) by wishing you all
good health during this frightening time and will sign off by saying that
should the season resume, we go into it as the only English club with a domestic trophy tucked in our 2019/20 locker;
we’re in a good position to finish Premier League runners up, we’re in the
quarter finals of the F.A. Cup and
have the advantage over Real Madrid in the
Round of 16 of the Champions League. Not
bad, hey?
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