Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Cavani a done deal
It seems just as I posted about the possibility of Cavani heading to Paris, it happened. This makes the Zlatan Ibrahimovich situation all the more real. What do you think will happen? Will Zlatan stay or leave? If he leaves where will he end up? Let me know in the comments.
It couldn't be, Zlatan?
Because of City's financial status, it seems that rumours are always swirling around that Khaldoon is about to shell out big bucks in order to land some hot new transfer target. This summer has been no different; Napoli's Edinson Cavani, Fiorentina's Stevan Jovetic, and P$G's infamous Zlatan Ibrahimovic have all been rumoured as big time goal scorers who are on their way to the Etihad. The train of thought, however, is that Jovetic is on his way to Chelsea (or Arsenal depending on the Higuain saga). Secondly, it appears that Cavani favours a move to the French capital over a move to Manchester. The question then becomes, how do P$G cope with two big money stars up front? Should Cavani prove the rumours and sign with the French side, how would newly appointed manager Laurent Blanc allot playing time to he and Zlatan. Would he split the time? Would he favor one over the other? Of course nobody knows the answer to this question, and that is exactly what has Ibrahimovic so riled up. Known for his massive ego, it is a definite that he would not enjoy sharing time with Cavani. If he were made to then the situation would surely end in another big money transfer for the Swede (it seems that the only person to move clubs more is Nicolas Anelka). The biggest problem with the rumour that he would end up at City is that he would be moving into the exact same situation he would have already tried to escape. In fact, he'd end up in an even worse situation than he was in in Paris. Aguero and Dzeko are proven scorers and pushing either completely out of the first team would be a difficult task for any striker, even Ibra. In conclusion, I just can't see Zlatan joining City at any point this summer or in the future. I don't think it makes sense logistically, and I think it would be irresponsible of City to pay so much for someone who will turn 32 in October. Even if he does come to Manchester, the problem for Pelligrini about distributing minutes to the strikers becomes even more difficult. That is a topic for another day though.
In the comments below let me know what you think about the potential for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to move from P$G to City.
In the comments below let me know what you think about the potential for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to move from P$G to City.
I have returned
Sorry for the lack of posts in the past days. I've been on holiday in the United States. For the next couple weeks I'll be more consistent with my posts.
Also I want to thank the very few of you who read this, whether you only read it once and never come back or you read each post, so THANK YOU and share this with your friends!
Also I want to thank the very few of you who read this, whether you only read it once and never come back or you read each post, so THANK YOU and share this with your friends!
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
The ideal (realistic) signings
Lewandowski. Draxler. Gundogan. Zouma. Di Maria.
I'm not suggesting that City go on a tare and sign all of these players, but two or three of them would be nice. As it stands, City is probably going to sell Joleon Lescott, which means that we will need another centre half. Even though Javi Garcia can play there, I think it would be best if we bought some young talent, similar to Nastasic, who could fill in well should he or Vinnie go down with injury, lose form, or leave the club. As solution to this potential problem, I suggest Kurt Zouma. At just 18 years of age, Zouma already has a monstrous body type and will continue to grow for probably another year or so. Not only that but the St. Entienne defender has stellar footwork for a player in his position. His passing is superb and most importantly, he has a good mental understanding of what to do and when to do it. I think that he would be a great addition to the squad and would give City an outstanding young defense of Nastisic, Zouma, and Rekik on the left. This is looking deep into the future of the Pelligrini era of course.
As I discussed in yesterday's post, City already have two top notch strikers in Aguero and Dzeko. If Dzeko is sold then this becomes a completely different ballgame, but if not, then it seems to me that City should only look to add to their attack if it comes at the right price. Fred could certainly be that player who is cheap but good; however, if that deal doesn't seem to fit an alternative would be the young, Polish sensation Robert Lewandowski. Obviously, his transfer fee would be massive, but especially if Dzeko is sold, then I believe Robert Lewandowski becomes absolutely worth his price. When I think about him playing with Aguero, I imagine Aguero playing behind in more of an attacking mid role, but we will see how and if Pelligrini will play that one.
Third on the list is another Dortmund standout, Ilkay Gundogan. Playing in the shadows of Goetze for most of his young but prosperous career, because of his lack of total stardom, City may be able to snatch him up this summer for a smaller fee than it could be in a years time. In my opinion, Gundogan is a better option than Fernandinho. However, with Barry aging rapidly and Yaya surely to go down in ability eventually, Gundogan at 21 seems a fine replacement. High work rate, defensive strength, and attacking genius are what characterize Gundogan's game. He and Yaya in the middle with Fernandinho playing as a utility subsititute and occasional starter seems an ideal situation to me.
Lastly, we have Draxler and Di Maria. Draxler is a young German who I would describe as similar to Thomas Muller of Bayern Munich. This left and central midfielder of Schalke is full of ball skill, has decent physical ability, and an eye for goal. Much like Gundogan, he has tons of flair and an incredible attacking imagination. If entertaining football is what Pelligrini wants to play, then this wonderkid is exactly what City may be looking for to play on the left wing now, and certainly he can only be better as he ages into his prime. Because the German is only 19, this would be a bold move by the club, but one that I think would pay off. On the other hand, there have been rumours that City are after Real Madrid winger Di Maria. This would be a more conservative move than going after Draxler, but there is less potential upside. Di Maria is a proven assist machine and has a pretty powerful shot on him as well. Usually taking stock on the right side of the pitch, he would have to switch to the left side in order to compensate for Jesus Navas. I don't think this would be a difficult switch for the Argentine, nor do I think he would mind it. As well, I think Di Maria would relish the chance to play alongside his compatriot and good friend Sergio Aguero. This may be something which separates City from the host of other clubs that are after him. Although I think his transfer fee will be higher than Draxler's since he is less of a risk, I think that he too would be well worth the money.
In the comments tell me how you feel about these five potential signings, and tell me who you think City should be after and why!
I'm not suggesting that City go on a tare and sign all of these players, but two or three of them would be nice. As it stands, City is probably going to sell Joleon Lescott, which means that we will need another centre half. Even though Javi Garcia can play there, I think it would be best if we bought some young talent, similar to Nastasic, who could fill in well should he or Vinnie go down with injury, lose form, or leave the club. As solution to this potential problem, I suggest Kurt Zouma. At just 18 years of age, Zouma already has a monstrous body type and will continue to grow for probably another year or so. Not only that but the St. Entienne defender has stellar footwork for a player in his position. His passing is superb and most importantly, he has a good mental understanding of what to do and when to do it. I think that he would be a great addition to the squad and would give City an outstanding young defense of Nastisic, Zouma, and Rekik on the left. This is looking deep into the future of the Pelligrini era of course.
As I discussed in yesterday's post, City already have two top notch strikers in Aguero and Dzeko. If Dzeko is sold then this becomes a completely different ballgame, but if not, then it seems to me that City should only look to add to their attack if it comes at the right price. Fred could certainly be that player who is cheap but good; however, if that deal doesn't seem to fit an alternative would be the young, Polish sensation Robert Lewandowski. Obviously, his transfer fee would be massive, but especially if Dzeko is sold, then I believe Robert Lewandowski becomes absolutely worth his price. When I think about him playing with Aguero, I imagine Aguero playing behind in more of an attacking mid role, but we will see how and if Pelligrini will play that one.
Third on the list is another Dortmund standout, Ilkay Gundogan. Playing in the shadows of Goetze for most of his young but prosperous career, because of his lack of total stardom, City may be able to snatch him up this summer for a smaller fee than it could be in a years time. In my opinion, Gundogan is a better option than Fernandinho. However, with Barry aging rapidly and Yaya surely to go down in ability eventually, Gundogan at 21 seems a fine replacement. High work rate, defensive strength, and attacking genius are what characterize Gundogan's game. He and Yaya in the middle with Fernandinho playing as a utility subsititute and occasional starter seems an ideal situation to me.
Lastly, we have Draxler and Di Maria. Draxler is a young German who I would describe as similar to Thomas Muller of Bayern Munich. This left and central midfielder of Schalke is full of ball skill, has decent physical ability, and an eye for goal. Much like Gundogan, he has tons of flair and an incredible attacking imagination. If entertaining football is what Pelligrini wants to play, then this wonderkid is exactly what City may be looking for to play on the left wing now, and certainly he can only be better as he ages into his prime. Because the German is only 19, this would be a bold move by the club, but one that I think would pay off. On the other hand, there have been rumours that City are after Real Madrid winger Di Maria. This would be a more conservative move than going after Draxler, but there is less potential upside. Di Maria is a proven assist machine and has a pretty powerful shot on him as well. Usually taking stock on the right side of the pitch, he would have to switch to the left side in order to compensate for Jesus Navas. I don't think this would be a difficult switch for the Argentine, nor do I think he would mind it. As well, I think Di Maria would relish the chance to play alongside his compatriot and good friend Sergio Aguero. This may be something which separates City from the host of other clubs that are after him. Although I think his transfer fee will be higher than Draxler's since he is less of a risk, I think that he too would be well worth the money.
In the comments tell me how you feel about these five potential signings, and tell me who you think City should be after and why!
Monday, July 1, 2013
Confeds Cup Final, Fred, and the Brazilian style
Today marks the first day of the transfer market opening. This means that now, Fernandinho and Jesus Navas are officially MCFC players. But the person I want to talk about today is neither Dinho nor Navas, instead it is Fred!
What a fantastic game yesterday's Confederations Cup final was. Brazil played electrifying football, scorching Spain in a 3-0 victory which saw 'player of the tournament' Neymar score a thunderous finish. The player of the game, however, was Fred. Scoring just 90 seconds after kick off for either half, his finishing was clever, his movement was superb, and his work rate was consistently high. In the days leading up to the match he was identified as a target of Manchester City. Considering his buy-out clause is only 1.7M pounds, signing Fred would be a steal. If it works out that City are able to capture him for such a low price then I have no qualms with bringing the Brazilian to Manchester. But, if his recent performances inspire competition from other clubs and the price is jacked up closer to 10M pounds then I think the deal should be a "no go" for City. Let's think about it. By the look of things, Pelligrini's go-to formation next season will be a 4-3-3. For the attacking line we really only need a left winger. Unless you would say Fred is better than Aguero, we don't really NEED another striker since we have Dzeko as a super sub. If Dzeko leaves then Fred is a great buy at any non-ridiculous price, but unless he is less than 5M pounds, I don't think that Fred is worth buying on top of Aguero and Dzeko.
Never the less, the Brazilians played a ferocious type of football with the same formation that
Man City looks to use next season. Other than City v QPR on the final day in 2012, I can't think of another game that was so exciting just because of the football being played. I hope that Pelligrini was watching yesterday because Brazil's physicality matched that of an elite Premiership game, and their style was dominant, fast, and exciting. I'm not sure what he has planned but hopefully it is along the lines of the way Brazil played yesterday.
What a fantastic game yesterday's Confederations Cup final was. Brazil played electrifying football, scorching Spain in a 3-0 victory which saw 'player of the tournament' Neymar score a thunderous finish. The player of the game, however, was Fred. Scoring just 90 seconds after kick off for either half, his finishing was clever, his movement was superb, and his work rate was consistently high. In the days leading up to the match he was identified as a target of Manchester City. Considering his buy-out clause is only 1.7M pounds, signing Fred would be a steal. If it works out that City are able to capture him for such a low price then I have no qualms with bringing the Brazilian to Manchester. But, if his recent performances inspire competition from other clubs and the price is jacked up closer to 10M pounds then I think the deal should be a "no go" for City. Let's think about it. By the look of things, Pelligrini's go-to formation next season will be a 4-3-3. For the attacking line we really only need a left winger. Unless you would say Fred is better than Aguero, we don't really NEED another striker since we have Dzeko as a super sub. If Dzeko leaves then Fred is a great buy at any non-ridiculous price, but unless he is less than 5M pounds, I don't think that Fred is worth buying on top of Aguero and Dzeko.
Never the less, the Brazilians played a ferocious type of football with the same formation that
Man City looks to use next season. Other than City v QPR on the final day in 2012, I can't think of another game that was so exciting just because of the football being played. I hope that Pelligrini was watching yesterday because Brazil's physicality matched that of an elite Premiership game, and their style was dominant, fast, and exciting. I'm not sure what he has planned but hopefully it is along the lines of the way Brazil played yesterday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)