I’m not sure we will sign an expensive star striker the next year. I think we will sign Gakpo in january (maybe financed by selling Elanga/Pellistri) and use Rashford/Martial up front. In addition we will go for a punt with different qualities to them. A bit like when we tried signing Arnautovic. Maybe Marcus Thuram who is available on Bosman? Then we will try to sign Kane in 2024 on a free.
Instead, I think we will try to sign a good midfielder (Bellingham, FdJ, Enzo?), a goalkeeper and Timber (if we manage to sell Maguire or Lindelof).
A right back probably depends on selling AWB, Laird and Williams.
Honestly, this is my take as well. First year of ETH's rebuild is 2022/23. Second year is 23/24. Realistically -- it will not be until 24/25 when we field our first complete competetive team under ETH.
Pep did win the PL his 2nd year with City, but he got
215m back in 2016 -- which had much less inflated prices than we see today -- and could make 7 bigger signings (
Stones, Sané, Jesus, Gundogan, Bravo, Nolito and Zinchenko).
In the summer of 2017 -- Pep got
317m to work with, and could make another 7 big signings (
Laporte, Mendy, Walker, Berando Silva, Ederson, Danilo and
Douglas Luiz).
So before Pep could win -- anything -- with City, he needed 14 new signings and when he came there, he was given a team that already had players like
Raheem Sterling, Nicolas Otamendi, Fernandinho, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Yaya Toure and
Sergio Aguero. That is 7 players that fitted his style of play really well, and I am surely forgetting 1-2 names here.
In addition -- remember that it was much much easier for City to recruit players. Pep had cult status, players definitly were prepared to take less to play with him. They were in the CL.
What has ETH been given? Its 5 signings, Malacia, Martinez, Eriksen, Casemiro and Antony, for like what 230-240m. He has a team with Rashford, Bruno, Shaw, Varane and Darlot as players that I would say fit what he is trying to build fairly well and could be labeled as true 1st team players for a contender, that is 5 players. Pep inherited a team with 7 players who could be labeled as first team players for a contender, and needed 530m and 14 new signings to win anything.
For the coming 3 transfer windows -- January 2023, the Summer of 2023 and January 2024 -- ETH will be given less than 230m. We know that for a fact, right? We are not in the CL yet.
From my POV, we must look at this as a project that also must include the summer of 2024. We started something in the summer of 2022 that will be finished in August 2024. To get where we want to be in August 2024, we must add a number of players.
The order of which we add those players, should from my POV solely be based on what is most advantageous for the finished product we aim to have in August 2024.
When would it be best for us to try to land that one big world class striker? The summer of 2023 or the summer of 2024?
I think that its much easier to add depth at the state the team is in now. We are not a CL team. To get top players -- we must overpay tremendously. We cannot afford that. Give ETH a squad and players that fits what he is trying to build. Get back into the CL. Then go out and get the final last piece of the puzzle or two with a couple of major signings, and especially a world class striker.
