Manchester City

[G]

I really, really hope Guardiola fails badly at City.

All hype managing far and away the best teams in walk-over leagues.

As long as it's us who benefits then great. If it's the other Mancs or Chelsea, not so much!

[The_weatherman]

Stones is absolutely nowhere near Pogba's level.



It is absolutely unbelievable. I can't be arsed to tot it up but it has been thrown away on muck.

I feel I have to clarify I meant the amount City are paying for Stones (being a very ordinary defender) makes the amount United are paying for Pogba look normal.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Did they not trigger Laporte's release clause and he turned them down?

Did he? For some reason I thought that they offered just shy of the release clause and were knocked back.

Fair play to Laporte if he knocked them back though. Not often you see a player turn down the massive wages that would have no doubt been on offer and it is not as though his current club could come close to matching the sort of wages City could give him.


He looks a real Rolls Royce of a player though. Just appears to have everything needed to become a top class centre back, and at only 22 he is only going to get better with experience.

Sakho will have some real competition for that LCB slot in the French national team going forward what with Laporte and Umtiti (who is also only 22) on the scene

[wiw]

If Stones is playing in a Guardiola team he's going to be camped on the half way line for the most part, not ****ing about in his own box doing Cruyff turns. For that sort of role I think he's suited. Obviously not worth £50m but I can see him beefing up a bit and him becoming Guardiola's Pique type player. Makes sense in that way but the money is still insane

[Irishnev]

Did he? For some reason I thought that they offered just shy of the release clause and were knocked back.

Fair play to Laporte if he knocked them back though. Not often you see a player turn down the massive wages that would have no doubt been on offer and it is not as though his current club could come close to matching the sort of wages City could give him.


He looks a real Rolls Royce of a player though. Just appears to have everything needed to become a top class centre back, and at only 22 he is only going to get better with experience.

Sakho will have some real competition for that LCB slot in the French national team going forward what with Laporte and Umtiti (who is also only 22) on the scene

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/...s-move-to-man/

If Rolls Royce made tanks! He's a tough ******* also.

[Fosterbloke]

I'd love to have Laporte at our club. What a signing that would be. I'd ****ing cry if he went to Man Utd.

[Doc_Piptorious]

I'd love to have Laporte at our club. What a signing that would be. I'd ****ing cry if he went to Man Utd.

Nuts that at 22 he could probably step into the first team of a good number of the top clubs in Europe and be an immediate improvement to those teams.


Would hate if he ended up at City, Man U, Chelsea etc.

The way his release clause is structured though there are going to be only a tiny number of clubs that will be able to afford to meet it in the coming seasons as it was reported that under the terms of his most recent contract the release figure went up again this summer (from €50m to €65m) and is due to go up yet again (supposedly to €70m) in the summer if 2018.

[G]

Deal close for Claudio Bravo instead of Ter Stegen. Surprising. Makes more sense for Barca though.

[Irishnev]

Deal close for Claudio Bravo instead of Ter Stegen. Surprising. Makes more sense for Barca though.

£18m for a 33 year old - looks like City don't follow the FSG play book

[redmike65]

Goalkeeper are like dogs, you have to measure them by a different length of year!

[G]

Interesting that Bravo started tonight and Stegen isn't even on the bench.

[RichC]

Out with an injury I think

[Doc_Piptorious]

Out with an injury I think

Yep is carrying an injury.

I see that Rui Patricio has been linked with a move to City.

[dww]

If Stones is playing in a Guardiola team he's going to be camped on the half way line for the most part, not ****ing about in his own box doing Cruyff turns. For that sort of role I think he's suited. Obviously not worth £50m but I can see him beefing up a bit and him becoming Guardiola's Pique type player. Makes sense in that way but the money is still insane

I actually think it both makes sense and that in the market we are in he is worth that money. He is more or less unique in terms of his style of coming out from the back, certainly for a PL experienced CB. He is young and can be moulded by Pep. For the style of play they want to implement someone like him is vital. Given they have the money it is exactly the right deal fro them.

I'm more surprised that we haven't seen a move to bring in a more appropriate fullback, one capable of going into the middle of midfield.

[rudedog]

Watched the city game on Saturday - thought they were awful considering how much they've spent