City are set to sign Mangala and Fernando in the Summer. Fernando will be £20m and Mangla £30m. Porto apparently own 90% of Fernando but only 50% of Mangala so we have agreed to overpay for Fernando and in return they will sell us Magala for less than their valuation.
Where will our rivals look to strengthen?
- Thread starter Rowem
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) are here to discuss Amad saving our blushes in a win against Southampton as well as our now annual loss at home to Brighton. They discuss Amorim's post-match comments, revisit how mid-table we may or may not be, and discuss some transfer news.
--Aguero-9--Silva
--Toure--Fernandinho
------Fernando
Clichy----------Zabaleta
--Mangala-Kompany
Will make them better against tougher teams and if Mangala or Nastasic have a good season that could really help in the league.
Nasri or Navas to play instead of the limited Fernando in most games, I`d guess. He`ll basically be a better Javi Garcia.
--Toure--Fernandinho
------Fernando
Clichy----------Zabaleta
--Mangala-Kompany
Will make them better against tougher teams and if Mangala or Nastasic have a good season that could really help in the league.
Nasri or Navas to play instead of the limited Fernando in most games, I`d guess. He`ll basically be a better Javi Garcia.
Why the f aren't we in for Mangala?
Are the Zuculini rumours true?
I think people are wrong if they think we will sign a lot of defenders. I think we'll sign two at most and likely only one for the first team.
Seems so, it was the Racing president who announced he would sign for City in the summer.
City should probably focus on getting new defenders. I have a feeling though that they will end up buying strikers and midfielders that they don't need and wont get into the starting eleven. For all the money they spent I don't hink they really improved the first team that much, they just added some depth as far as I can see. But fernandinho was a good buy. Negredo was good too but not world class in my eyes. Its obvious where Chelsea will be looking to strengthen.
Other Liverpool forums seem to think Caulker, Shaw, Bender, Lallana, Konoplyanka and Lacazzette are our six primary targets. That would basically be our entire bench. 
Some of the more reliable sources on these forums also think Enrique and Lucas both are likely to leave.
Some of the more reliable sources on these forums also think Enrique and Lucas both are likely to leave.Players I'm sure our rivals will get. They may obviously replace other players or further strengthen other positions.
City - centre back and central midfielder.
Chelsea - striker (s) and central midfielder (s)
Arsenal - striker and the others depend on how much they spend here.
Liverpool - tough one to judge because they've played above themselves. On paper, of say they need a wide attacker, central midfielder and a centre back, but if they can replicate this seasons form then it's a different story.
Everton - they need a winger IMO. Miralleous and a 19 year old loanee isnt ideal (unless someone has slipped my mind?), but the priority will be right uptop.
City - centre back and central midfielder.
Chelsea - striker (s) and central midfielder (s)
Arsenal - striker and the others depend on how much they spend here.
Liverpool - tough one to judge because they've played above themselves. On paper, of say they need a wide attacker, central midfielder and a centre back, but if they can replicate this seasons form then it's a different story.
Everton - they need a winger IMO. Miralleous and a 19 year old loanee isnt ideal (unless someone has slipped my mind?), but the priority will be right uptop.
Lucas is a bad fit for your team now. Why would Enrique leave? You won't sign that many of course.Other Liverpool forums seem to think Caulker, Shaw, Bender, Lallana, Konoplyanka and Lacazzette are our six primary targets. That would basically be our entire bench.
They need one quality centre back. But I do think they need a midfielder too. Toure is obviously brilliant and I think fernandhino is quality too, but they need a third of a good level to keep the quality up. Javi Garcia isn't at their level.
With a bit of tweeting their squad really is special.
Right, I'm not editing that
Rodgers has come out yesterday and said he wants five or six for the first team squad. James Pearce (Echo) has said seven.
That's surprising. I'm not sure who they'd replace. I know it's a squad game but "first team" players aren't going to be happy sitting on the bench for Henderson and co.
Arsenal
- Striker
- They need to fix their defense. The fact that they conceded a lot of goals against Liverpool and Everton
Chelsea
- Striker
- Centre midfield to replace Lampard
- I don't think a left back is their priority next season. They have Azpi played really well. Cole could be their backup.
Liverpool
- Centre midfield to replace Gerrard. He's getting too old.
- A winger. They will play in Champion League. Having only Sterling and Coutinho as their attacking midfield aren't enough.
- A left back or Centre back. I don't know. Didn't pay attention too much on Liverpool defense
City:
- A centre back obviously.
- Another midfield probably
Spurs:
- A winger and A centre back
Everton:
- A striker
- A centre midfield
- May be one more winger. Pienaar is getting too old as well. May be another keeper? Howard isn't young anymore. As for centre back I think John Stone has a future.
Nothing really, their transfer won't affect us that much. Obvious getting a left back would be hard since Liverpool is also targeting a left back. While Chelsea is targeting Shaw. We shouldn't worry too much on centre back because obvioulsy City is targeting a centre back as well, we should use our time to target midfield and left back first. We don't have to worry too much on Everton, Spurs or may be Arsenal. Their target won't affect us.
As for how much they will be become. Who knows. We shouldn't worry too much about it. Just look at Liverpool last season and this season as an example.
I don't care how strong they will become. We should focus more on us I think.
- Striker
- They need to fix their defense. The fact that they conceded a lot of goals against Liverpool and Everton
Chelsea
- Striker
- Centre midfield to replace Lampard
- I don't think a left back is their priority next season. They have Azpi played really well. Cole could be their backup.
Liverpool
- Centre midfield to replace Gerrard. He's getting too old.
- A winger. They will play in Champion League. Having only Sterling and Coutinho as their attacking midfield aren't enough.
- A left back or Centre back. I don't know. Didn't pay attention too much on Liverpool defense
City:
- A centre back obviously.
- Another midfield probably
Spurs:
- A winger and A centre back
Everton:
- A striker
- A centre midfield
- May be one more winger. Pienaar is getting too old as well. May be another keeper? Howard isn't young anymore. As for centre back I think John Stone has a future.
Nothing really, their transfer won't affect us that much. Obvious getting a left back would be hard since Liverpool is also targeting a left back. While Chelsea is targeting Shaw. We shouldn't worry too much on centre back because obvioulsy City is targeting a centre back as well, we should use our time to target midfield and left back first. We don't have to worry too much on Everton, Spurs or may be Arsenal. Their target won't affect us.
As for how much they will be become. Who knows. We shouldn't worry too much about it. Just look at Liverpool last season and this season as an example.
I don't care how strong they will become. We should focus more on us I think.
Other Liverpool forums seem to think Caulker, Shaw, Bender, Lallana, Konoplyanka and Lacazzette are our six primary targets. That would basically be our entire bench.
Lars? There are no sources in Germany linking him with you guys. There are only some loose rumours linking him with Arsenal but thats it.
I also don´t see him coming to your lot without the clear thought of becoming a starter. Gerrard has by the looks of it at least one more season on top level in him. Henderson has developed nicely and then there are Lucas and Allen. L. Bender would also be quite costly given his standing in Leverkusen and his contract situation.
Aye. A few of the more reliable forum "ITKs" seem to think we're interested him and another lad from Bayer, Brandt is it?
No way in hell you are getting their biggest gem Julian Brandt. He just signed until 2019 last summer, no known release clause. Would also make no sense for the lad to suddenly leave the country and risk his development as a player.
We certainly need another quality striker, or attacking midfielder, to take the pressure off Suarez & Sturridge. Would like to see us upgrade on our current full-back positions too. Flannagan's done a great job for us, & would be a terrific back-up. Glen Johnson's bad games now far outweigh his good ones. Not looking forward to seeing him up against Europe's elite.
Wouldn't be surprised if Chelsea's first target would be someone with the speed of Usain Bolt but half the ability and football brain of Hazard to replace Hazard 
Having failed that, they will probably buy two more defenders so next time in an important CL game they can start with 8 of them
On a more serious note they will probably sign Costa.
Liverpool: no idea!
Arsenal: Some striker but I don't think it will be someone world class, rather someone slightly better than Giroud
City: They'll probably sign a midfielder again.
Having failed that, they will probably buy two more defenders so next time in an important CL game they can start with 8 of them
On a more serious note they will probably sign Costa.
Liverpool: no idea!
Arsenal: Some striker but I don't think it will be someone world class, rather someone slightly better than Giroud
City: They'll probably sign a midfielder again.
Right, I'm not editing that
I expect City and Chelski to get two top draw players each.
Liverpool will buy a bunch of decent and shit players.
We will buy 5, of which 3 will be big buys
Liverpool will buy a bunch of decent and shit players.
We will buy 5, of which 3 will be big buys
City will probably get Fernando and Mangala and Chelsea will probably get Costa. The rest I'm unsure about.
Fernando
Fernandinho - Toure
Imagine going against that midfield
Fernando
Fernandinho - Toure
Imagine going against that midfield
Really hasn't been many rumours coming out of City for the summer, apart from the Mangala and Fernando interest in January. I hope we don't sign Fernando personally, as he's not really an improvement on anything we already have. Mangala would be addressing a real issue in the side, but at his age and for the price it's a big risk, it's not a position we can afford to keep taking risks - we need to just bring in a top drawer defender and be done with messing around with different CB's each year.
I suspect we'll have a relatively quiet summer for the first team with a centre back, left back, midfielder and striker (with Kolarov and Dzeko leaving). 4 in 2 out. The rest will be trimmings - we might go for some young english talent if any leavers put our squad below the homegrown line of 8 players in the 25 man squad - I'm not sure where we currently sit with that, but Richards could well be out, along with Lescott. The squad is good enough to challenge next year as it stands I feel, if we bring in a centre back we are already a much better side.
I suspect we'll have a relatively quiet summer for the first team with a centre back, left back, midfielder and striker (with Kolarov and Dzeko leaving). 4 in 2 out. The rest will be trimmings - we might go for some young english talent if any leavers put our squad below the homegrown line of 8 players in the 25 man squad - I'm not sure where we currently sit with that, but Richards could well be out, along with Lescott. The squad is good enough to challenge next year as it stands I feel, if we bring in a centre back we are already a much better side.
Depends how much you believe the papers.
They say 6 signings, while most papers say you will spend 60m this summer.
Averages out at 10m per player. Don't get me wrong, with 10m, you can get some good players, but you could also end up with some bad.
To me, if you do get 6 players, and you do spend around 60-70m, I would fully expect maybe 1 or 2 free players, a 20m player and a few 15m players
They say 6 signings, while most papers say you will spend 60m this summer.
Averages out at 10m per player. Don't get me wrong, with 10m, you can get some good players, but you could also end up with some bad.
To me, if you do get 6 players, and you do spend around 60-70m, I would fully expect maybe 1 or 2 free players, a 20m player and a few 15m players
We'll also likely be selling players.
But who, and for how much do you expect to get for them?
Your squad needs depth. If you start selling players, surely you will need more than 6 coming in
Agger, Reina, Aspas, Borini maybe, Enrique maybe, Alberto, Kelly and Assaidi. Even Lucas could go. That group probably fetches us £35m if not slightly more and only Agger and Lucas have really played any kind of part this season.
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City play 4222 most of the time so it won't be looking like that.
It wouldn't surprise me if they set up against the bigger teams like that.
Pellegrini plays 4231 if he thinks they could have a problem in CM
With Toure in the hole perhaps.
I can't see us selling many, there's always this talk of our squad depth but we're not exactly making it bigger if we're letting 7-8 go out and bring in 5-6. One or two injuries to key players mid season and were talking about our 'depth' again.
If we do sell I think we could get good fees from Sunderland for Borini and stoke for Assaidi. Rafa might feel generous and buy Reina. Enrique ,Lucas & Kelly will stay. Alberto May be loaned out and Cisshoko won't be signing. If we are looking to sell Agger to someone like Barcelona we should make them pay a big fee.
It is getting bigger. Of the players I've mentioned only Agger and Lucas really have played any part this season. The rest have either been unused or on loan.
Agger will leave for first team football. I can see him going to Napoli or Barcelona. Big wages too.
Reina is nailed on to go.
Aspas will likely want to play more and he has no chance of doing that here.
Borini could go either way. I'd sell him, but Brendan may want to give him a chance. I don't see where he plays though. He doesn't fit in with our style.
Enrique will go if we get a bid in for him I think.
Lucas has dropped off from his previously high standards.
Alberto will probably either be loaned or sold. He'll want games.
Kelly needs to move on for the sake of his career. Where do you see him ever playing?
Assaidi is another Brendan clearly doesn't rate.
Last night might be the thing that pushes Brendan over the edge. That defending was abysmal. Kelly and Agger are both done.
I expect Arsenal will sign Remy as he's at least as good as Giroud, available and is... well French
He's Spurs bound in their annual spending spree that includes buying random decent PL players then never building anything decent with them.
Apparently he was at the Arsenal Vs. West Brom match. Not sure Timmay Sherwood will be happy about that
Not quite good enough for Arsenal, Giroud should become a back-up and they should aim to sign someone top quality or at least with potential to improve significantly if they are going for the middle tier. Remy won't improve, he's 27, and not that good either. Mind you they'd be better to play on FIFA.
If I was an Arsenal fan I'd want Remy as competition and another first choice striker. Then between Remy, Giroud and the new number 1 man you'd have the position sorted.
Top clubs look to have 3 or 4 good strikers. Arsenal have 1 at most.