Reinforcements – Part 1

Worst thing you can do after a title-winning season is to sit back and go into the next season feeling chuffed with yourself and not properly refresh / strengthen the squad.

It’s something I think a lot of football fans have come to realise more and more over the last decade as ‘the standard’ seems to get higher & higher season on season; something that, perhaps, wasn’t quite recognised by those ex-pros of title-winning sides in the past who, when looking back now, often scratched their heads at the time wondering why ‘second seasons’, I’ll call ‘em, were so-particularly difficult.

I think it’s something we’ve been guilty of in our recently-successful years; seasons where we’ve just not quite strengthened enough or in the areas much needed while all around us were adding further high quality to their teams.

Surely not this time – I think we’re at the point now where if we get this summer right, we can truly consider ourselves as-having arrived at the very ‘top table’.

So, where do we and don’t we need to strengthen this summer?

Goalkeeper?

I’d say no. Ederson, Zack Steffen, Daniel Grimshaw, James Trafford and Gavin Bazunu should be enough quality to say the very least to see us though another long season ahead. Scott Carson may even sign up after being out of contract with his parent club, Derby County. I’ve not mentioned Mikki van Sas or Aro Muric there but I reckon the former will go out on loan again while the latter may well be moving on permanently this-coming season.

The only reason we might see incoming movement in this department is if Scott doesn’t sign up for another season and Pep insists on a veteran as 3^rd choice; something he appears to like.

Would I like to see us sign a keeper for the 1^st team? No, not really.

Chances of signing a new keeper for the 1^st team: 1/10

Any names?

Can’t think of any.

Left-wing back?

Erm…YEAH! We were recently informed in the local press that they understand Manchester City’s stance is that they have no intensions of signing a left-back in the summer (when I read up to that point my heart skipped a beat)…unless Benjamin Mendy is sold, the article continued. So, I appeal to all Manchester City fans for us to set up an account and plough money into it so that we can buy the player ASAP and then sell him on to whoever, on a non-profit basis. Anyone up for that?

We seriously need to get a specialist left-wing back in this summer and to-even contemplate the possibility of Benjamin Mendy still being with us next season and for us not to strengthen that area of the team next season makes me feel a little anxious to say the least.

Would I like to see us sign a left-wing back for the 1^st team? YES!

Chances of signing a new left-wing back for the 1^st team: 8/10

Any names?

The name mentioned most over the months and once again very recently is a Portuguese player who’s just about to turn 19. Despite his young age, Nuno Mendes is apparently highly sought after and having protected their asses by getting the youngster to extending his contract to June 2025 just 6 months ago, Sporting CP’s player comes with a very big price tag and minimum cost / buyout clause of £60.25M! I’m sure the Primeira Liga side will see that as a ‘starting bid’ too and would do all they can to start a bidding war between top-European clubs.

We’re no mugs, of course, and we’ve seen in the past that we won’t be held to ransom.

However, one thing in our favour is the amount of young talent that we’ve amassed over the last few seasons who are out on loan and what comes with that is the possibility of-us-using one of those players as a cash-swap bargaining tool. And here’s the thing on that, one of those young players is right-wing back Pedro Porro who is on loan at, yes, you’ve guessed it, Sporting CP…

“Sources” say that Pep has made the signing of Mendes his top priority and while it delights me to hear that about a position that’s been in desperate need of attention since the departure of Gael Clichy in 2017; that’s a lot of dosh in times of high scrutiny spending-wise for a teenager.

However, as is the case with wing-backs these days, he is, apparently, just as adept as a left winger as he in the left-wing back position and, therefore, depending on what happens otherwise with comings & goings, that could make for very shrewd business. He’s risen through the international ranks very rapidly – stone-skipping his way from the Under-16s to Portugal’s first team in just 3 years; gaining 4 international caps for ‘A Seleção’, which certainly adds weight to how much he is, indeed, highly rated.

Within our ranks in the EDS left-wing back-wise is Oscar Tarensi & Joshua Wilson-Esbrand but only better informed than me, including Guardiola and his staff of course, will know whether either of ‘em are ready to step up and compete with Oleksandr Zinckenko for a place...

One player who HASN’T been linked with us recently but I’ve included him because he has been strongly linked in the past, is Argentine Nicolas Tagliafico. Described as an intelligent player with good technical ability; the footage that I’ve seen of him around a year ago and again more recently shows him to have a tireless doggedness too. A good combo!

After been strongly linked with us last summer, he then ‘put pen to paper’ on an extended contract at Ajax but only to 3 years, which now sees him with just 2 years left again. At 29 in August, he is both 10 years older than Nuno Mendes but also at the beginning of his ‘prime footballing age’, as a lot of experts continue to say.

A whole host of Premier League sides have been linked with him as well as some top European clubs and recent reports state that he wants to move in the summer with one report suggesting that the Ajax boss is almost resigned to seeing his left-wing back leave in the summer.

Personally, I think that if any move for Mendes – talks for which won’t be happening until Portugal’s participation in the Euros is over, we are told - is unsuccessful or ‘drags on’; this would be a far-cheaper option and a very experienced upgrade for a very needy position in our side.

Right-wing back?

If Joao Cancelo stays then no, we have both the Portuguese international as well as Kyle Walker and there would be no room for a 3^rd purchase. However, if that WAS the case, personally I’d still like to see us keep a young, up & coming right-wing back close to the 1^st team; nurturing a future first-team player and popping him into the side in certain domestic competitions when appropriate this-coming season. Alpha Dionkou or Yan Couto are two youngster who could play that role. There’s Pedro Porro too but we agreed for him to stay at Sporting CP until May 2022 when we sent him on loan last year.

If, for some reason - and I say that because I still get the feeling that Joao is still not completely sure of himself since his move from Juventus – Cancelo pushes for a move, then I’d say that if we’re not going to bring in Yan Couto, for example, then we most certainly need to strengthen this area as much as we need to do so on the opposite flank.

Over to you Joao & Pep…

Would I like to see us sign a right-wing back for the 1^st team? I’d certainly like to see better than Joao competing with Kyle this-coming season, unless Cancelo himself steps up to a level I think is in him, deep down somewhere. If he does ‘step up’ then no, I’m fine with what we have for now.

Chances of signing a new right-wing back for the 1^st team: 2/10

Any names?

Can’t think of any non-silly / reasonable shouts…

Central defence?

I would say almost certainly, no; not needed.

Why only “almost” certainly? Well, there’s a small chance that Aymeric might come back from the Euros and put in a transfer request to rock the foundations at Manchester City Football Club – there have been whispered rumours that he wasn't too happy with the amount of game time he got last season.

Even if that horrible situation should occur and he does move; there’s always the option of adding Taylor Harwood-Bellis to the first team and together with John Stones, Nathan Ake & Ruben Dias; those 4 should see us fine for the coming campaign, I would say. I’m sure already-respected Harwood-Bellis comes back to us an even-slightly better player after his 4-month loan at Blackburn Rovers.

But if Aymeric does leave and the coaching staff at Manchester City see another loan move a better option for 19-year-old Taylor, then Pep might just go looking for an experienced veteran defender to add to the ranks.

Would I like to see us sign a central defender for the 1^st team? No, not unless absolutely necessary.

Chances of signing a new central defender for the 1^st team: 1/10

Any names?

Well, in the scenario painted where Laporte leaves and Harwood-Bellis goes out on loan again, there is a certain Sergio Ramos who is about to be out of contract at Real Madrid and apparently isn’t interested in signing a new deal. That has, apparently, alerted Manyoo as well as many others, I’m sure, and I’m fairly confident that we might be…“monitoring” the situation. I think it’s unlikely but not totally outrageous if the situation arises and suits both parties.

That’s the end of part 1.

Part 2 to be released either later today or, possibly, tomorrow morning and looks at positions higher up the pitch.

Thank you, as always, for taking the time…