Vesper

that's a fucking lot of money of you are talking pounds €90m is £76.7m more reasonable

we could help out Barca with the cash by them selling us one (or more if we could swing it!) of the following Pedri Gavi Frenkie de Jong Ronald Araújo Ousmane Dembélé 🤣

Fabrizio Romano's Daily Briefing 🚨 Christian Falk's Fact Files - Daniel Levy's Harry Kane FURY, THREE clubs keen on Diaby, brutal Sancho transfer truth, Gravenberch latest & more Today's exclusive transfer round-up from Bundesliga insider Christian Falk, featuring Manchester United, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and more https://caughtoffside.substack.com/p/christian-falks-fact-files-daniel Today’s top stories: The next coach of Real Madrid? Two names to battle it out to replace Carlo Ancelotti… How Daniel Levy could scupper Bayern’s hopes of signing Harry Kane this summer And further updates on Moussa Diaby, Jadon Sancho, Randal Kolo Muani and more! BAYERN MUNICH I recently shared the news that Thomas Tuchel visited Harry Kane’s home to discuss the possibility of a transfer to Bayern Munich. It is very normal that the clubs are talking to the player they want before they get them but it's indeed not allowed. So we heard that Daniel Levy was very, very angry about that. It doesn’t make it easier for Bayern Munich to get Harry Kane, because, of course, Levy doesn’t want to see Spurs’ captain sitting with another team’s coach. So now things are getting complicated. You saw Tottenham made a new contract offer, reminding Bayern of a similar situation back in 2021 when Kane wanted to go to Manchester City and it was the same tactic from Tottenham in terms of offering more money. He ended up staying then but we heard that the Bayern Munich bosses are still confident about getting him and that Kane won’t accept the offer until the end of the transfer window. He wants to see if the clubs can come to an agreement. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) We heard that the talks with Thomas Tuchel were very positive. Money is not the main consideration for Harry Kane in these talks - he wants to win the Champions League and he sees his biggest chance at achieving that with Bayern Munich rather than Tottenham, so I'm not sure if more money can change his mind. But we have to see now how Tottenham will react because I heard rumours that Daniel Levy is so angry that he could perhaps go to UEFA and ask them to penalise Bayern. I asked Tottenham about this and they ‘won’t be offering any comment on this speculation’. 📢 Jonathan Johnson’s column: Personally, I don’t see PSG as being the best fit for Kane, and I’m not sure that their project will really be attractive enough to convince him. If he is to move abroad, I think the cultural change might be a bigger factor in France than it would be in Germany. I also still think Kane’s most likely destination will be somewhere else in the Premier League, or staying at Tottenham. But it doesn’t hide the fact that PSG have been looking at similar target men for their attack, such as Victor Osimhen and Randal Kolo Muani. READ JOHNSON'S FULL COLUMN Everyone knows that such talks are normal. I think Tottenham have already done something like this. One reason why Daniel Levy is taking such a strong stance here is because he tried to bring in Victor Osimhen and was told ‘no’. Osimhen, I think, has the same idea about winning titles and doesn’t see there being a high chance of that at Tottenham. I revealed in our last podcast, Bayern Insider, that Yann Sommer has a release clause, which is roughly the same figure as what they paid to Gladbach to sign him. Another key consideration for Bayern is whether Manuel Neuer will be fit in the near future and starting in goal for the club. Now, Sommer has the option to leave Bayern, so the club has to do something if he does use the release clause. Sommer can imagine playing for Stuttgart, so everyone is waiting for his next move. This is why Bayern are talking to Giorgi Mamardashvili but it’s not so concrete that they’ll make a deal with Valencia really soon. He’s an option, as Bayern know they won’t go with Sven Ulreich as the No.2. It’s not clear how strong Neuer is and whether there might be further injuries down the line. Alexander Nubel is coming back in the summer after his loan with Monaco but has signalled his intention to leave again next season as he can’t see himself being picked ahead of Neuer. Sommer is also not young (34). So he’s not the option for the next 10 years. Mamardashvili is 22 so he can be a solution for the long-term. So that's the idea behind these talks. Bayern are not interested in Khephren Thuram. There are still concrete talks with Kyle Walker, they are waiting for a signal from the player to enter into talks with Manchester City. He needs to decide his future: City or Bayern? He’s target number three. Target number two was Kim Min-jae. Kim is doing his medical checks over the next few days. It’s not done yet - they are doing it now. The doctors are there in South Korea. Target number one is Harry Kane. The ideal addition in midfield would be a 6 and Thuram isn’t a 6; he's playing a little bit further forward in the midfield and that’s why Bayern was thinking about Moises Caicedo instead. However, they heard he is clear with Chelsea himself and now Chelsea and Brighton are talking. So they’re too late for this player and he's too expensive for Bayern because they have to spend a lot of money on other players. So Bayern can’t spend an extra €70-80m on this kind of player. Edson Alvarez is an option Bayern Munich are thinking about. It can be an option for later in the window but first of all, they land their other targets and signing a player for the 6 role is fourth on the list. So Alvarez, perhaps, in future but first of all, they want to clarify the situation with Walker and Kane. Bayern Munich previously told Ryan Gravenberch’s management that he has to stay but that was before Hasan Salihamidzic was fired. Now, Munich is starting on 13th July and then they will see how it works in training. Now they are open to talks about Gravenberch, whereas before it was clear that they weren’t, but they want to see him back in training with Konrad Laimer and how everything works. Perhaps Tuchel would be open to the option of giving him away. We heard he was offered to AC Milan by his management (Team Raiola). They are testing the options at the moment. They did the same with Noussair Mazraoui (he's also in the same agency). He was offered to Juventus, but then Mazraoui would only be allowed to go if Walker works out. So you see Bayern Munich and Thomas Tuchel want to see who stands out in training but everybody knows that they have to sell players. Benjamin Pavard is still a topic for leaving the club, so I think one of Mazraoui or Pavard will be sold. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images) There are no offers on the table yet for Pavard but it’s clear that the club will sell him because he’s already said to the club that he won’t sign a new contract. He’ll be a free agent next year, so the club would be happy to receive a good offer. BAYER LEVERKUSEN Jonas Hoffman had a release clause that make it possible to leave Gladbach for €10m and it's interesting what's happening now. We have to see what's happening now in Leverkusen because it shows that the club is aware that they are going to have to sell Moussa Diaby. Newcastle, Arsenal and PSG are still interested. He's the one who Leverkusen could lose along with Jeremie Frimpong. There is also a new development. He was always very close to United. But now Arsenal is in the race also. I heard that United have a lot of positions in the squad they need to address and the right-back spot is not the number one priority. So Frimpong also has to go and talk to Arsenal. Benjamin Henrichs is also on the shortlist of Arsenal alongside Joao Cancelo. There were already talks with Henrichs. One interesting point in all of this is the fact that Henrich’s agent, Christian Nerlinger, previously played for Bayern Munich and Glasgow Rangers. And when he played for Rangers, Mikel Arteta was a teammate. So both know each other and I heard they talked already about the player Arsenal is interested in but he's still one on the list. It's not clear if he's the main solution but there were talks and there is interest from Arsenal. Granit Xhaka also arrived on Thursday in Cologne for his medical ahead of completing his exit from Arsenal. He’s set to join Leverkusen this summer. BORUSSIA DORTMUND There were always rumours about Dortmund’s interest in Weston Mckennie but nothing happened in the end. The club see Julien Duranville as having a brighter future than Jadon Sancho, which is why they won’t try and re-sign Sancho. Duranville is stronger than Sancho was at his age and so they want to count on him. They already think that next season can be his season, a breakthrough season. So that's why they are not interested. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images) The other reason why they won’t get involved in the transfer poker for Sancho is that he’s too expensive; he’s earning too much money at United. A player who doesn’t perform won’t find a club willing to pay the money, so I think he’ll have to stay put. There are many talks behind the scenes, with the fans, over the signing of Felix Nmecha. They don't expect any action from the fans now - no protests. Dortmund chiefs want him to be given the benefit of the doubt. He said that he didn't mean it [his transphobic and anti-LGBT social media activity] like that. So we hope they’re right. There were also one-on-one talks with the player himself to explain to him that this is a no-go. Also, the German national association wanted to talk with him because he is risking his future in the national team if something like this happens again. So the message to him was very clear, and he better accept that that's not okay. Nmecha also has a clause in his contract: if he violates the club’s core values on social media, he will be fined millions of Euros. FRANKFURT Frankfurt doesn’t have to sell Jesper Lindstrom, he has a long-term contract. He doesn't think he has to leave. So it depends already on the offer and €25m is not enough. If there was a crazy offer on the table they might then rethink their position but it hasn’t arrived yet. Frankfurt haven’t had a club come knocking for Randal Kolo Muani. Internally, they’ve analysed the player and looked at how they can make him better next season. So you see, they’re still hoping that he's going to stay. They analysed his runs and speed and think they can make him much better if he's staying and perhaps earn a lot more money, also with a view to the European Championship in 2024, which they believe will raise his transfer value. But they know PSG are interested, as the French club knows that Kane wants to go to Bayern Munich and Osimhen is too expensive. So Paris is an option still but Manchester United are also on the table. Liverpool Dominik Szoboszlai held a lot of promise in the Bundesliga but it was harder for the league to lose Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea as he was already a star in the Bundesliga, whereas Szoboszlai was on the way to this point. I think he brought some good money for RB Leipzig. They will reinvest the Nkunku money into a deal for Lois Openda of Lens and they are searching for a Szoboszlai replacement. Szoboszlai is a really good player but he’s not a superstar already; how good he will be we will see in the future. (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images) 📢 Jonathan Johnson’s column: As has been widely reported, Liverpool have now ended their interest in signing Khephren Thuram from Nice, and to be honest I’m not entirely surprised. While I rate Thuram as a phenomenal talent, I do think that a move up to the Premier League might not have come that easily to him at this stage of his career. READ JOHNSON'S FULL COLUMN REAL MADRID We believe Xabi Alonso is the number one option to replace Carlo Ancelotti in 2024 (at which point the Italian will become the next manager of Brazil). There were also ideas this summer but he’s very clear in this position. He told Leverkusen he won’t leave this summer because he knows that he's still new and he won't put the club in this situation. But in 2024, there would be no excuse if Real Madrid is asking for him. Of course, he's interested and Leverkusen knows that there will be the possibility of Real Madrid coming in for him. I think at the moment he is one of the biggest solutions and has the best chance to get this job. Julian Nagelsmann is hoping to get this job too. When he was Leipzig coach there was a little bit of contact. He has the same management as Toni Kroos and he would love to work for Real Madrid. At Leipzig, he made a career plan with his agents and the last step of his career was moving to Real Madrid. So he thought about making a step in between and Tottenham was one of the clubs in this plan. Then Bayern Munich came and changed the plans. He's very interested and if he gets the sign that he could be the coach of Real Madrid in 2024, he would wait, but this sign has yet to arrive. I think Alonso knows the club so well and has a good relationship with everybody in the club. He is in front of this race. Everybody knows that Leverkusen could just be a step in between. They don't know if it will be Real Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, one of his former clubs, but everyone knows that one of these clubs will be the next step. And at the moment, there’s just one club which is searching for a new manager in the near future and this is Real Madrid. This is his club and I think that Alonso wouldn’t say no if an offer came next year.

Are Arsenal really in for Mohamed Simakan? https://caughtoffside.substack.com/i/133408024/are-arsenal-really-in-for-mohamed-simakan Mohamed Simakan is continuing to impress at RB Leipzig and I’m aware there have been some reports of interest from Arsenal. I’m not personally aware of anything concrete from them in particular, and they seem to have moved on and gone for Jurrien Timber as their priority in that position anyway. Still, it’s no surprise that top clubs are starting to pay serious attention to Simakan, though what I will say is that I don’t see Leipzig selling him and Josko Gvardiol in the same summer. Given that Gvardiol seems to be closing in on a move away and is of great interest to Manchester City, I think we should probably expect Simakan to stay in Germany for at least one more year. And as much as I’m a big fan of Simakan, it’s probably fair to say that Gvardiol is closer to being ready to fly the nest than Simakan is. Even if Simakan doesn’t move this summer, he’s been on the radar in France for quite some time and I think we can expect to keep seeing those calibre of clubs showing an interest in him. The next step for him is surely to break into the senior French national set-up, and then I expect a move to a big European giant will follow. Leipzig have once again shown themselves to be an excellent springboard for players like this and I think Simakan will probably be another high-profile sale of theirs, even if he ends up initially being in a similar situation to Christopher Nkunku, where he needs to stay one more year with the expectation that he’ll move on in 12 months’ time.

Khephren Thuram is a phenomenal talent, so why have Liverpool left the race? https://caughtoffside.substack.com/i/133408024/khephren-thuram-is-a-phenomenal-talent-so-why-have-liverpool-left-the-race As has been widely reported, Liverpool have now ended their interest in signing Khephren Thuram from Nice, and to be honest I’m not entirely surprised. While I rate Thuram as a phenomenal talent, I do think that a move up to the Premier League might not have come that easily to him at this stage of his career. Romeo Lavia, by contrast, has experience in the Premier League and that makes him more of an obvious fit, while I also think the fact that the opportunity for Dominik Szoboszlai presented itself has also been a bit of a hit to Thuram’s chances of making that move. Still, it’s not necessarily the worst thing for his development. I’ve felt for some time that Thuram might be better served by staying in Ligue 1 for a bit longer, maybe for one or two more years. It’s unfortunate for him that the Nice project isn’t really living up to expectations at this moment in time, though it could be the start of something more promising under the exciting new appointment of Francesco Farioli. But with no European football this season, it’s difficult to see where Thuram gets that major development he needs to really push him on. I think he’s definitely a name that will be of interest to a number of European clubs, we now know that probably won’t be Liverpool, but I do think going to the Premier League would’ve required a significant adaptation period for him, so that’s perhaps what led Liverpool to cool their interest and place a greater important on getting Lavia this summer, because he’s someone more likely to be able to hit the ground running.

Bradley Barcola and Rayan Cherki worth watching as clubs chase Lyon talents https://caughtoffside.substack.com/i/133408024/bradley-barcola-and-rayan-cherki-worth-watching-as-clubs-chase-lyon-talents There’s growing speculation about Bradley Barcola after a really good season with Lyon. He’s a fantastic talent and is being linked with PSG and RB Leipzig. It doesn’t surprise me at all that a club that specialises in identifying young talent like Leipzig are among those interested in him, while he’d also be a good fit for PSG and the direction they’re trying to move in with younger French talents. I think the thing that makes Lyon players interesting at this moment in time is the club’s financial situation. They’ve had some limitations set on them by the French football financial watchdog, so if they are to make any significant moves they will have to sell to buy, and not over-spend on salaries. I think we can therefore expect one or maybe two significant departures from Lyon this summer. That doesn’t necessarily mean Barcola will be the one who ends up going, because I’m sure OL would love to keep hold of him and build around him. I think there are other players that are more likely to leave at this moment in time, but while that financial situation remains an issue, there will likely be clubs looking to use that to their advantage and snare top talents like Barcola. Rayan Cherki could be one to watch. There have been reports linking him with Chelsea. He made his breakthrough a bit further in the past than Barcola, and he’s another promising young player who’s been catching the eye for a while now. He’s somebody firmly on the radar of top European clubs, as we saw when PSG tried for him last year. I do think Cherki is someone worth watching as I wouldn’t be surprised if other big clubs were to come in for him as well. Lyon are generally not short of talent that would be of interest across Europe. If I were to pick two players likely to be on the move from Lyon this summer, I would probably put Cherki and Castello Lukeba ahead of Barcola at this moment in time, but it depends on the most attractive offers put in front of Lyon while they have these financial issues hanging over them. Once these issues are resolved I think it’ll be harder to get Lyon to sell, so it’s really about whichever club gets in there first with a proposal that is attractive to Lyon.

What Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s outburst means for Kylian Mbappe https://caughtoffside.substack.com/i/133408024/what-nasser-al-khelaifis-outburst-means-for-kylian-mbappe It turned out to be a pretty intriguing press conference at PSG yesterday as they unveiled Luis Enrique as their new manager, with Nasser Al-Khelaifi not holding back as he discussed the tense Kylian Mbappe situation. To be honest, I’m not too surprised by the tone Al-Khelaifi took, because it pretty much sums up the weak position PSG have put themselves in. While I can understand PSG not wanting to lose Mbappe on a free transfer - no one would want to lose a player of his quality for nothing - but, equally, it reflects how desperate PSG were to tie Mbappe down and keep him out of Real Madrid’s clutches just over 12 months ago. I still stand by what I’ve said before - I see Mbappe seeing out this season at PSG and leaving after the Olympics in 2024, that’s always seemed the logical finishing point for his story in France. It’s now just a question of which side caves in first. We know Luis Enrique has set a date of the 10th of July for a return to training, so that gives some scope for there to be meetings before then or just afterwards. There’s also the question of this loyalty bonus that Mbappe is due to receive at the end of July, which has shades of the situation of Neymar at Barcelona just before he left for PSG. What could this mean in terms of links with someone like Harry Kane? When a player of his quality is potentially on the market, you’re going to get a lot of clubs interested, including Bayern Munich, so it will be interesting to see if PSG really consider Kane as being the right profile for them. Personally, I don’t see PSG as being the best fit for Kane, and I’m not sure that their project will really be attractive enough to convince him. If he is to move abroad, I think the cultural change might be a bigger factor in France than it would be in Germany. I also still think Kane’s most likely destination will be somewhere else in the Premier League, or staying at Tottenham. But it doesn’t hide the fact that PSG have been looking at similar target men for their attack, such as Victor Osimhen and Randal Kolo Muani. It’s difficult to call at this moment in time what will happen with Mbappe, but I think if he was going to move to Real Madrid this summer then I’m not sure they’d have already spent as much as they have on someone like Jude Bellingham. I still see Mbappe playing out the next season with PSG and then Real coming back to the table for him in summer 2024, whether he’s a free agent by then or not. For PSG to find themselves in this situation was really of their own making. This is what they accepted when Mbappe agreed to extend his contract, so I don’t foresee there being an easy solution to Mbappe’s future. Let’s see what happens once pre-season gets started. Can we completely rule out Mbappe signing a new deal as PSG want? I think the key difference is that last time round PSG were very convincing in their message to Mbappe that there would be an overhaul of the project. But now Mbappe, justifiably, feels that nothing has changed since he signed his contract. Of course there also needs to be some self-awareness on Mbappe’s part, because PSG made such a massive effort to keep him, that meant that a lot of the changes they wanted to make could no longer be made. Then again, you could also argue that PSG could’ve done things differently instead of persisting with signings like Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos. I think the project PSG sold to Mbappe is maybe one year behind schedule, and it might be easier for them to make the changes they want to their squad now. I think the moves PSG make this summer, and under a new manager, could be more meaningful. We also know that if PSG really want to keep Mbappe, they’re not afraid to make that huge financial effort to do so - so one compromise for both parties could be improving his financial situation for the next 12 months with an agreement to move him on next summer. We know that release clauses don’t exist in France, it’s not an option, so it does mean some degree of compromise is required from both sides. Despite Al-Khelaifi’s protestations, it’s hard to feel sorry for PSG in all this, because unless you have these agreements written down on paper it’s hard to hold someone accountable, however much bleating you might do to the press.

MBS is pretty tight with the Israelis at some levels

££££££££££££££££ talks

fucking LOVE that!!!!

he had turned 24 less than 3 months before I joined this board

Halle Berry at 45 years old which is 10 or so years older than when women start to be called MILFs (hell, I have seen 30 year olds called MILFs) (she turns 57 next month)

12m euros, only £10m

Onana is another option as well Caicedo and one of the 3 (Thuram, Zubi or A Onana) would be great business de Jong, Barrella, and Tchou are probably all pipe dreams

they need to show the last year and a half then the tarnish on the goblet comes a bit to the fore bottom line for me, all money aside how would this board be taking it IF we kept him and he still continued his slide down? about 10, 15 games games into Potter I (for the first time since Roman bought us) had lost hope when we walked out onto the pitch for most games, almost expected to lose not a nice feeling, and Mount played a big role in that he went to shit right before all our eyes and showed no signs of a rebound he no longer looked like he even wanted to be out on the pitch, warring for the badge something had to give at least that is how I saw it never saw that from Azpi, despite all his age-related flaws never saw that from Thiago and he has only been here a few years the young lads usually gave it all as well Mudryk, with no confidence in his offensive game, still hustled his ass off on defence hell, even RLC tried his best when he played, same for Gallagher Mount, not so much, same for plenty of others, some of whom clearly downed tools

read my mind

Riyad Mahrez reaches agreement over potential Manchester City exit with decision to be made https://cityxtra.co.uk/4914/riyad-mahrez-reaches-agreement-over-potential-manchester-city-exit-with-decision-to-be-made/ Manchester City have been left with a decision to make on the future of Riyad Mahrez, after the Algerian reportedly reached an agreement over a potential exit. The 32-year-old has been at the centre of various levels of transfer speculation this summer, with Manchester City understood to be in the market for a new wide-forward and looking to refresh their squad across the board ahead of the new season. With Mateo Kovacic already in the squad after completing a move from Chelsea last month, and the club now focussing on a deal for RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol, the prospect of signing a winger may yet have to wait a few more weeks. However, in the meantime, reports continue to suggest that Riyad Mahrez could bring an end to his illustrious time at the Etihad Stadium, which started in the summer of 2018 after he swapped former Premier League winners and now Championship outfit Leicester City for the north-west of England. The latest information claims that Mahrez has reached a level of agreement with the middle-east, but a deal is not as straight forward as it may sound. That is according to the information of Sports Zone, as translated and relayed by Get French Football News, who state that Riyad Mahrez has now found an agreement with the Saudi Arabian investment fund, PIF over a possible move to the Saudi Pro League this summer. It is claimed that the Algeria international is now waiting to find out whether or not Etihad Stadium officials will allow for a move from Manchester City to occur, with the 32-year-old open to making a move to the middle-east. Detailing the deal that has supposedly been reached, Sports Zone states that Riyad Mahrez has found a ‘provisional salary agreement’ with PIF worth close to €25 million a year, and he has informed Manchester City officials of this. Whilst also being open to the idea of a move to Saudi Arabia, Mahrez reportedly believes that now is the moment to make a change in his career. However, and perhaps crucially from the viewpoint of the treble winners, the winger will not attempt to force the move due to the strong relationship in place with the club. From the viewpoint of Manchester City, Sports Zone states that the Premier League champions planned to retain Mahrez this summer, with manager Pep Guardiola refusing to accept a situation where both the Algeria international and Bernardo Silva leave this summer. Links to possible wide-forward replacements at Manchester City this summer have been few and far between, but in the last week, the club have been mooted as being a potential suitor for Spain under-21 international Rodrigo Riquelme. While sources in Spain have suggested that Manchester City have already lodged an offer to Atletico Madrid in excess of €15 million, the official word from the club themselves is that such suggestions are wide of the mark. City have also been linked with interest in Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and AC Milan’s Rafael Leao, however both deals are deemed to be close to impossible to complete due to transfer valuations slapped on both names, as well as their respective contractual positions with their current clubs.

Chelsea set to complete the signing of leftback Ishé Samuels-Smith from Everton https://theathletic.com/4668807/2023/07/05/Chelsea-samuels-smith-everton/ Chelsea are set to complete the signing of Ishe Samuels-Smith from Everton for a fee close to £4m. The 17-year-old defender has agreed a three-year deal with the London club. The highly-rated teenager featured prominently for Everton’s youth sides this season and was named on the first team bench for the 4-1 Carabao Cup defeat to Bournemouth on November 22 as well as the 3-1 defeat to Fulham on April 15. Samuels-Smith, who was born in Manchester, first began to represent Everton as a nine-year-old and featured for the under-18 and under-21 sides this campaign. He has also represented England at Under-15, Under-16, and Under-17 level, and was the only Englishman named in the UEFA team of the tournament at the UEFA under-17 European Championships earlier this summer. GO DEEPER No signings, a thinner squad and the wait for investment drags on - the state of play at Everton Samuels-Smith has a twin brother, Odin, who also plays for Everton.

yes, I can so see him going to the Saudis for insane cash

Call me naive, but I have huge hopes for Muddy, Jackson, and Santos (hopefully Malo too) under Poch

I rate Bernardo and he certainly would help is creatively and he is a left-footer who can play RW unpopular opinion (perhaps) IF Citeh lose both Gündoğan and Bernardo and do not adequately replace them, it will deffo sting, maybe hard those two were massive keys to that team last year Kova is not not a goal scorer, nor really an assists machine if Mahrez (who turns 33yo this season) has a similar drop-off that he had from 2021/22 to 2022/23 and then you remove Bernardo, they are down to only two great wingers (and only 3 overall, counting Mahrez) and both Grealish and Foden prefer the LW. Pep will simply have to (if they buy no RWer and Mahrez does continue to deteriorate) likely force Foden to play on the RW, (I see no reason why the lad insists on the LW, as he is a left footer and should make a great RWer) they REALLY (if they buy no one to replace Bernardo) need Cole Palmer, the youth to step up (big plus, he is a left footer and can perhaps fill in at RW) BUT they are tlking about loaning him out they also (as I have said for ages) have real fullback issues (they are for sure dumping Cancelo, and Walker is both ageing and likely leaving) if they do not get Gvardiol and they lose Laporte, then the fill-in fullbacks (the erstwhile CBs Ake and Akanji) will forced to play CB enough that they (at least one) cannot be considered a full-time FB. If Ake is not the LB, then they are down to the dire Sergio Gómez, and if Walker and Cancelo leave, then Citeh had best hope the 18yo Rico Lewis is indeed the real deal, as their only other RB option is the CB Akanji. If Cancelo and Walker leave, and they do not pull Gvardiol (or another CB) and add no fullbacks and Laporte also leaves (another IF: they do not use the young, non topflight-proven Taylor Harwood-Bellis at CB, they loan him out again or sell him) then this is their entire set of defensive backs: CB Rúben Dias CB Nathan Aké (often was the starting LB) CB John Stones (and often played in a hybrid DMF/sweeper role, as Kalvin Phillips was a major bust and Máximo Perrone, the Argie youth, was not ready. perhaps this is where Kova goes) CB Manuel Akanji (often was the starting RB) LB Sergio Gómez (shite IMHO) RB Rico Lewis only 18yo (and small, 1.69m, and vulnerable in the air) Yan Couto (RB) is back from loan but he is so not top quality (was not even remotely a full timer at the meh Girona) and is a dwarf

oi! don't hate on a good chippy! 🤣

Not for a cheap, non main buy. Not at all. I do not normally deal with targeting for players I do not see as long term additions, but I am very open to low cost verteran add-ins IF they are of a certain mould, whuch Dybala deffo is. I just do not bring those types up much. We have so much youth that an older player who has only two or 3 years left in the tank will hardly be a massive roadblock, and may damn well aid us in the here and now for a cheap price. Look at Thiago. Look at Citeh with a soon (this coming season in spring) to be 30yo (almost same age as Dybala, 5 months younger) Kova. And Dybala will cost 20m less or so, plus a lower wage.