Well, it seems like we have managed to tie down WIlliam Saliba till 2027 for now. Ornstein broke the news about the agreement and it’s going to be a 4 year deal. Saliba has moved on from the one of the best talents to one of the best defenders in the world, and it was very important to not let him go.
So, Edu and the club has managed to tie down Ramsdale, Saka, Martinelli, Gabriel and Saliba, and we are sure Odegaard is not going anywhere too. That’s 6 of the important players from our playing XI. Good job from whoever is involved. We don’t let go the best of our players.
Criticize Edu and Mikel for everything but they have managed to keep the important players. You may argue that we are paying over the odds for likes of 21-year olds, but I am looking to win things even if it means we overpay.
Rice will cost us a whooping 80m+ and will demand a salary of 200k+/week at minimum. He plays for a mid-table team who was fighting a relegation battle for the whole season. Do you expect the likes of Saka and Martinelli, who are probably the best in their places in premier league satisfied with anything less than that? It’s not like we are paying huge money for the has-beens and retiring people (like Willian?).
Credit where it’s due. We have 4 years of no worries in 6 places. We have the RB and LB sorted already. Jesus came in last season and we tied down Nketiah too. It’s the midfield which is a worry, but if we are bringing players, we would have a very stable team, where you don’t have to think for at least next 2 years (that’s when these players have 2 years left on the contract and you decide whether to cash out or offer them some more money).
We are in good place. Hopefully we will sort out the midfield this season, pick ourselves up for the fights at two fronts and win something. I’m going to very specific with my demand as a fan – win Premier League and have a good run in Champions League and I will be happy.
It’s not too much of a ask when we stayed on top of the table for like 90% of the season. It’s not too much when it wasn’t City who won it from us, but we gave it to them. It’s not much when Arteta is in his 4th full season, having spent in the north of half a billion and have a team of his own.
Short one today, hope you are having a nice weekend!
in the highly anticipated race for midfielder replacements for those within the top7, we’re now trailing Pool, City and now Villa…fortunately the only one of the fresh recuits I would want in our side is MacAllister, who was purchsed for what appears to be a relative steal
Ambarish-“will praise him for putting us in that position where we are sorry that we missed it”
I get the sentiments, but it’s a little too beggars can’t be choosers for my liking….that said, I don’t harbur any ill-will towards those who support the manager, so long as it’s not reminiscent of the full-on blinders variety that prevaded during the post-Highbury Wenger era…as such, kudos to you for at least acknowledging some of his failings, but it doesn’t quite cover it for me…I land a bit more on Marc’s side of the ledger, albeit only in regards to his last two points, as the first one presupposes that we only needed a retool and not a rebuild, which I never agreed with considering our hiring choice
no “now” before trailing
if DeBruyne needs to be subbed that could change everything…Pep must have been shitting himself before he got the player’s thumbs up
I spoke too soon…looks like it’s Foden for DeBruyne…certainly that must mean some tactcial finagling now
tactical
Deja vu for De Bruyne, albeit he wasn’t assaulted by that thug Rudiger this time. TRVL,you could be right about the game hinging on that. The city system is heavily reliant on him. Foden is a lovely player,but he can’t play that role. Time for Haaland to step up and justify his wages.
Inter must be beginning to believe, Neo style.
KDB subbed, can it be the spark Inter needs?
TRVL, yes in short. It’s perfectly fine if any of us in inclined towards or against Arteta and co.
Almunia-Pep might be desperately hoping for some more Gundogan late season magic…I would suspect that Mahrez wil be coming in shortly, which will allow Silva to drop into the midfield…the big question being who will Pep sacrifice to get Mahrez on the pitch…it’s clear that Inter are taking a more wait and see approach, in the hopes that they can snatch victory in the latter minutes, which might be a savvy decision in light of City’s past late match disappointments
TRVL,
Mahrez,Alvarez and Walker are all likely to make appearances and tbh a number of city players are way off the mark but I would imagine Bernardo Silva and Grealish are the two most likely to pay the price if things don’t improve.
Foden might be in one of those weird situations where he enters the match as a sub then ultimately gets subbed off…they clearly need some width on at least one side of the pitch, so as to stretch this Inter backline, which is why I think Mahrez would be the best option…you’re right though, City’s been off the mark thus far
Lukaku ON.
it’s so weird to see City Arsenal things up…just goes to shows you what can happen when you continually cock things up…boy did that Real CL Final ever plant a nasty seed in their collective heads…maybe Pep should lean on someone who wasn’t there at that time, like getting some service to fucking Haaland
Just when we thought City is struggling, they score one. Damn.
quite the seeing-eye shot….of course helped by the head turning Inter defenders
meanwhile in City’s end right after absolute chaos ensues which somehow doesn’t lead to an equalizer
Pep could crack a fucking chestnut with his ass cheeks right now because he can no doubt see the obvious openings in his present scheme
beautiful maneuver but horrendous finish by Foden…will that come back to haunt??
some interesting tactical tweaking both both managers…Inter clearly did their homework regarding how City have had a tough time dealing with large bodied Strikers coming deeper for link-up play purposes, like Kane
I bet Pep would give his left nut for a time machine that could only travel 2 minutes into the future
isn’t that just the way it can happen on occasion, as Pep finally gets what has eluded him for more than a decade on the backs of one of their worst ever CL performances
OK now time for FFP to kick them out of the league structure.
Morning all
Some good verbal intercourse last night; LIR is becoming more loquacious and maybe we’ll just be in for the window we need.
Ambarish & Hoopah et al no offense meant, but junior showed me something that had me almost suffocating with laughter.
How is this guy still alive? He’s a star!
https://youtu.be/kSOvjYBtNZ4
Marc
Can’t wait to see how the FA tackles City with the FFP infractions.
Finally from me with the image below, I ask why? Kudos to the trombonist who kept playing on the floor. Should get a medal for that!
71984685-0-image-m-29_1686401294636.jpg
Tony-buddy is the Basil Fawlty of DIY fails…he deserves an Oscar for the way in which he acts surprised each and every time shit happens to him…perfect timing as I just had a late night bake session
Not sure exactly what to takeaway from that rather lacklustre final other than Inter mostly got their tactics and ultimately lost due to a rather fortuitous deflection, which Rodri smashed home, and some rather unfortunate bounces in City’s final third…I can’t remember the last time I saw such a nervous City performance, as they were sloppy as fuck, minus a few individual moments…Inter’s preferred 3-5-2 formation has always created problems for this City side, just ask Brentford, who took all 6 points from them this season, which is why I can’t figure out why we never deployed a similar formational tactic against our PL rivals…maybe once we properly shore up our midfield we can be a bit more tactically adventurous when it’s required
TRVL
No baking just the obscure way I see things sometimes. Supposedly, outtakes from the guy’s attempt at science that he gets right in the end.
KP
Pumpkin has competition:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12164607/Hilarious-moment-dramatic-flying-squirrel-fakes-death.html
TRVL
I can’t stand to watch City knowing that, until the FA steps up and deals with the the club for their lack of FFP adherence, anything they win they do by way of unfair advantages.
Manure had the same when they were winning trebles with old red nose.
It makes a mockery out of the game and I don’t know how their players can look people in the eyes knowing financial doping is the real winner. I couldn’t because, for me, it wouldn’t be real.
Currently, I’m getting my France ducks in a row ready to be green lit; hopefully, very soon. The TW is something I just have a quick scan on the Internet and take nothing serious.
Morning Tony,
Small point but it’s the PL not the FA who are considering City’s offences or to be precise, it has appointed an ‘independent commission’ to look into the charges. I understand the lawyer chairing the commission is an Arsenal ST holder!
Tony-you’ve misunderstood my “baking” lingo, as it’s a drug related reference….Cheers