Pizy

I am genuinely not bothered in the slightest seeing these Delap to United advancing reports. This would probably sound like sour grapes to a United fan, but I think he will massively underwhelm there just like their last two striker signings Zirkzee and Hojlund. I think his work rate and tenacity will be an improvement for them but in terms of putting up actual numbers I don’t see it. I’d be very happy if they got him rather than Osimhen as was rumored.

For these two players in particular they feel much less risky. One looks like a generational talent and the other is now battle tested in a solid league and will come back to the club in a position where we’re well stocked. What I’m disliking about the clubs approach is that we’re ONLY targeting players like this and not supplementing the team with experienced buys.

If Huijsen was any other nationality I wonder if Real Madrid would even have known about him. Just doesn’t seem right seeing a guy go from tiny English side where he has been very promising but not elite straight to the biggest club in the world. I thought for sure he’d do a stopover for 3 years somewhere and then go to Madrid if he develops well. But I guess you can’t possibly turn this move down as a Spaniard when they really want you. Him already saying his ultimate dream is to play for Madrid months ago means that whichever PL club may have landed him would’ve been instantly on the countdown timer until they started tapping him up and he asked to go. So it’s a blessing in disguise that this didn’t happen. CB is one of the last positions in the team where you get a top player established for a couple of years and then he forces himself out. Too difficult to find top ones. As for Murillo who some keep mentioning, he literally just signed a new deal a couple of months ago, right? An ambitious club like Forest coming off their best season in decades wouldn’t even consider selling him for under £100m. No chance we can get him.

As infuriating as he is, selling Nico Jackson would be extremely stupid. Having him as a rotation option is the perfect role for him. Or as someone who comes on if we really need a goal and can play together with whichever new striker we sign. Or even used as an emergency wide player. He’s still very useful just not as the main guy. New #9, Jackson as the backup, and Guiu as the youngster who develops in the lesser competitions. This is the kind of depth we need.

True. It’s impossible for me to get excited about the profile of player our club is obsessed with now. Kids or players from smaller leagues that are pure development projects. Taking punts on cheaper talent in hopes that they explode into superstars down the road. I’m 10x more interested and excited about players we already have on our books coming in with Estevão & Andrey Santos than I am about new signings. Only way for this feeling to change is a demonstration by the club that they know something has to change. If they go out immediately and splash money on a ready made, finished article #9 like Osimhen or Gyokeres then there will be reason for optimism. If we instead go for yet another Nico Jackson (a raw, project striker) then we may as well resign ourselves to finishing 5th or 6th again and being miles off of City/Liverpool/Arse.

Both Eze & Roger’s are so integral and important to Palace and Villa that I just cannot picture them being available. Not for anything under an absurd sum like £80m+

Usually at this time of the year in the last we’d get super excited because we’d be linked with and end up signing some top players or at least ones most us us could get excited about. Almost everyone we’re linked with for this upcoming window not only doesn’t get me excited, they actually make me dread what this club is going to do. I predict right now that we’ll fuck around for way too long in the striker race and watch as all of the best ones go elsewhere. Then we’ll end up settling on a mediocre one and be briefed through the media that he was the main target all along. And if we end up going back in for Garnacho I’m going to lose it.

City going for ready made stars who will instantly step into their team and make a significant impact. Exactly what we should be doing but instead we will continue to target players who are still at the beginning of their development and could take multiple seasons to reach their potential. It’s why I expect City to be right back there at the top as title contenders next season whilst we will likely be fighting for 4th or 5th with Newcastle and Villa again. Nothing is going to change unless the people running this club wake up and start buying finished products.

Seems both of our “top” targets will be going elsewhere. Huijsen to Madrid and Delap to United. Thankfully, the quality of the targets were linked with these days are so unexciting that I’m not even bothered.

Not only put in a dog shit performance but also may have taken away any slim chance we had in the last two matches. If anything ever showed to our hierarchy that a new #9 is desperately needed it’s this.

Season over without some massive help/choke job by the others.

Yep, that’s him gone. Game over.

Get the ball in their half, slow the game to a crawl, cause no danger whatsoever. Literally all we’re doing is allowing them to recover their energy for later in the game where they can blitz us again.

We finally get possession a few times and what do we do with it? Play at absolute walking pace passing it side to side allowing them to comfortably sit deep and not even move.

We are absolutely shit in all facets of the biggest game of our season.

How do we show up to the biggest match of our season looking like terrified school children? HOW!? This looks like prime Man City against some cannon fodder.

Amazing as Caicedo is, that goal action started because he does not have the recovery pace and positional sense of a natural RB.

And as I said last night, I was confident if our defense held up. And it didn’t. Our entire defense in the box and we still allow a finish that fucking easy. Embarrassing.

Still kind of crazy/sad that a fully fit Reece James, our captain and someone who has been the best RB in the world, doesn’t even get in our best XI now. Maresca trusts Caicedo in this hybrid RB/midfielder role more.

Like I said a week or so ago in another thread, I could see us beating this lot tomorrow in a mega difficult match and then losing to the worst United side in PL history with nothing to play for next match. We’ve struggled against Man United for years now no matter their form. As long as the defense doesn’t panic and buckle under the immense pressure of the occasion I think we will win this.

Ideally, yes, but I think the club and Maresca genuinely really like Sancho. Tbf, I won’t be bothered either way. If he stays I’m fine with him as an often used squad player. His production could seriously improve playing with a proper CF for all we know. But if we decide to move on I’m fine with it too so long as we don’t replace him with someone not even as good as he’s been which is spotty. Or maybe the club does nothing in the market out wide and makes Tyrique George a bigger part.

Really don’t see what he changes for them. Midfield hasn’t been their issue. Great for depth I guess but he doesn’t really change their outlook or make them look any scarier.

Making history is making history, no matter how dogshit this competition is. So for that reason our players should be well up for this final. There is absolutely no way we should be losing to Betis. They shouldn’t be able to live with our best team if they’re all available in a few weeks. That’s not to say it will be a breeze but it would be completely inexcusable to lose this.

I well and truly forgot he existed.

I’d rather keep Sancho than sign Gittens. Another risk of a winger that we can’t afford to take. Tbh, it feels silly to even be thinking about more attacking midfielders until the keeper and striker issues are solved. CB as well.