King Kante

Disasi is a joke of a CB. How many times this season has a ball come in and he is standing watching it?

Sterling needs to come off. Don't even care if he is not replaced.

Dippers aren't that good. As per usual the media are making them out to be the most #superduperbrilliantsexistteamofalltime🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 I guarantee City will reel them in and I suspect Le Arsé will too if Lego Pep doesn't lose the plot. However, it is hard for me to say what will happen today as we are essentially an unreliable mid-table team. We may get battered, but equally we may be better than them all game and nick it.

Will not buy anything with Air Jordon on it. Find it absolutely moronic to have a basketball player/brand on another sports shirts/gear.

Yeah, because Bundesliga proven has counted so much better 🤣. I mean just look at the highlights and the amount of space he gets over there.

Because for the past three seasons Wilson has been putting up 1 in 2 figures in the PL and also knows how to hold the ball up in this league vs. Some random guy who everyone who hasn't had a good season until he is 26 and has played exclusively in farmer leagues?

Just seen this. Hope it is a piss take. I'd rather take Batsh*t back.

It is because Pep values two things highly - a players ability to read the game off the ball and a players efficency on the ball. The thing that impresses me most with Palmer is his lack of mistakes, rarely does he take the wrong option and if he does, he doesn't do it again.

I think with Maatsen it was principally the case that he had to be sold/put in the window for FFP.

His technical abilities aren't great. Could easily turn into a dud.

Who is that? I seriously cannot think of anyone, outside of Benz that fits the profile. I do understand he is a bit of a idiot, but sometimes you to accept things in order to improve. Additionally, I am not that certain he is actually complettly washed. His game wasn't based on his physical traits and he won the Ballon in 2022. Madrid also would've kept him if he hadn't wanted the money - which I can even understand, would you turn down 15× your wage?

Surely he cannot do that. If he does that he is literally asking for a sacking once Sanchez makes a few more mistakes. His only out at that point would be if he is being told from above to pick him.

Gruissey (who I suspect you're referring to here) has zero experience at the top end of European football and only has been putting up good stats in Germany where the football is wide open - barring Häland, who is an absolute elite player - I cannot think of many attackers who have come from Germany and have been able to adjust to the PL in the past 5 years, probably longer. For me, January is a time to sell but not buy. I say this as except from the odd example - Suarez is the one that stands out - Jan buys are normally overpriced and struggle. For me, Jan is the time to get loans in to cover as best as you can if you do need something. As for Karim, I am not thinking he will come in play 90 mins week in, week out and bang in 15 goals. Instead I think he is the type of player the young boys can learn from and he could help us out with 60 mins / from off the bench. Additionally, while his age is a concern, it isn't something that worries me so much owing to his profile. I say this as he relies on his intelligence, off the ball movement and technical qualities in tight areas. He isn't someone we need to make lung busting runs to get on the end of things and/or run his socks off trying to win the ball back - as we have enough players that do that. All we need from him is to find/open up space and finish well. That I think he can still do - ok, not as great as when he was 27-33 - as his game is one that doesn't rely completely on his physical attributes. For sure, he would be a risk. However, I prefer a short loan to guide us through the rest of the season, than going out and spending/commiting seriously to a player that isn't elite and/or looks like they are guranteed to become elite. The CF market is simply too bereft of options to get that, especially in January.

Karim is a different type of player than the others you mention. Essentially, Pato, Falcao and Saul were broken by the time we got them. Higuain was never in the class of Karim and he was already gone in terms of his body. At this moment, the thing we need more than anything else is experience and a bit of quality. Buying another young player or a player with little experience/delivery in big environments is absolutely not the answer. For me, this window should have us signing two players (CM and CF) on loan that have been there and done it, in order to guide the young boys and help on on the pitch when we start to lose confidence. Karim is probably the only player available I trust to do that, so long has he hasn't been hammering the Shisha since going to Saudi.

Todd Boehly really is like the Bill Clinton of the football world. By gosh, he does love them young.

I am wary of transfers, but A.Silva is the type of player you've got to go and get if available. My only concern with him is his aerial ability/adjustment he would need and his lack of progressive passing. However, the rest of his game is pretty high for someone so young.

Alonso has always seemed like he is switched on. Cannot see him thinking, 'yeah, let's go to Chelsea and get sacked in six months on the whim of a cowboy'

Don't try and figure out what the board are thinking. It will just do your head in.

His awareness is the most shocking aspect for me. I have mentioned elsewhere in the thread that he is all over the place when it comes to positioning, which I get a great view of owing to where I have my season ticket.

I haven't been keeping up with him, so if you're watching him when he plays then fair enough. However, just reading stats like this is pointless. As another poster mentions, he is a loan player so he may not be getting starts due to the being a loan player. Santos had exactly the same problem at Notts Forest. Of course, he may not be good enough, but we need to look beyond his starts and have a bit of a break down of his game before that can be judged/inferred properly.

I think this makes sense. VO is a good CF but he won't fit here. The reason I say this is because he is a bit of a throw back forward in that he is at his best when he is constantly being crossed balls to the back post. His hold up play is also OK, if not quite elite. However, he is poor with the ball at his feet outside of striking the ball towards goal with his favoured foot. He isn't the type of player that you can play one twos with or take on CB's with dribbling skills. For sure, if we decided to go long ball football and teams start stepping up against us he would fit. However, I don't see that happening anytime soon - although I appriciate if goes to a West Ham or someone similar he will likely put up good stats. Our problem at CF is that we need a Pipo/Crespo/Villa type of forward that can link play and has really good off the ball movement to find the space in the box (as well as can finish.) To me, my if I could pick anyone (outside of Häland) it would be Alvarez however City won't be selling him anytime soon. Maybe there is some forward in South America who fits the bill, but we literally need a forward like that or a unicorn like Häland. Spending serious dosh on VO imo leads to banter memes three months in because he doesn't fit the system. Which or the foreign lone players are coming back? My money is on Ziyech.

Do we just bring him back now? Hardly stacked in CM with all the injuries.

True. However, Jorgi's experience and ability to calm down situations would've been handy. How many times this season have the CM's disappeared and teams have just ran/played straight through us and/or there hasn't been a ball on for the defence/GK to play into the centre of the park. Tbf, Jorgi may not have helped much with the former, but the latter he would've done as he always dropped into the holes to provide an easy pass the the defensive line.

Depending on his wages and not being completely broken, I reckon Spuds take that option. £13-17m for a player off the bench is pretty cheap these days.

Tbf to PNE, they played the classic go all out to try and nick a goal, then park the bus. Not a bad idea against us, as we are easily bullied and cannot score against teams that park the bus. However, they didn't get their goal and were shagged out by the 55th minute, after which we dismantled them. Score could've easily have been 5 or 6 in the second half.