The British Transfer Thread

You've got to think that there are players better than Stones and English available in the Champo. The fear with City is that they are purchasing to make sure they stay up the top of the EPL at the moment...but once their academy kicks in (as in starts to bear fruit from the investment) they will start to churn out World Class players. 

I don't think that the Academy of City or Chelsea will ever bear fruit in the traditional way, as the kids will never get a chance. They'll be loaned out then sold for loadsamoney, all to make the bottom line look better

Rob Holding is better than Stones ffs.

No defender made more errors in the PL last season than Stones. But hey, he can faff about on the ball so he must be good right?

I honestly don't know why quite a few people are backing City for the title. Pep's style will take a while to sink in (if it even can with half those players) and with Kompany constantly injured the back line looks porous. Plus Hart will cost them a few games a season.

Based on current transfers and team needs, how does your top 6 places look this season?

Guardiola has never managed like this before, the jury really is out on how he will go. 

He's basically building a brand new squad because the one he's inherited does not suit his style at all.

We all know he grew up with Barca through all the levels, and had a world class team at his disposal, who were used to playing out from the back.

When he went to Bayern, in Neuer, Boateng, Alonso and the likes he had the perfect starting point for his style of football.

But with Hart, and the comedy collection of CBs and midfielders at City, he just doesn't have a good template to start with. Watching them try to play out from the back against Arsenal last weekend was pretty funny. 

Definitely a re-building year for them, and their purchases all mostly look like ones for the future. I think Guardiola might be happy with top 4, but if they do challenge or win it, then WOW, that really would be the cherry on top of Guardiola's career so far for me.

89 mill for Pogba takes me back to when Veron was awesome for Argentina and yet not that great at United and was sold after a couple of seasons.

https://www.whoscored.com/Regions/108/Tournaments/...

whoscored did have them as their best player in Serie A.

Alonso was signed at the beginning of Pep's 2nd season at Bayern. 

Except Pogba is shark for France.

Fair call. Think the point still stands though. 

He was pretty good for France at the 2014 WC - got the best young player award. One tournament is a very small sample to judge a player.

Yeah, he inherited a team that beat Barca 7-0 in the UCL semis and only brought in a couple of players, one being Thiago. That team also had just done the German quadruple and had broken the record points tally for the Bundesliga. The team under Heynckes was able to play possession football and, as shown of their dismantling of Barca, good physical counter attacking football.

So, yes it will be more revolution at City than evolution at Bayern. Though, he is bit more pragmatic than many give him credit for - he does have a favoured way of playing but the system does changes a lot - inverted full backs, inverted wingers, false nines, real nines, real wingers - even relying on long passes to bypass pressing 

That could need it's own thread...just sayin' 

Here's my top six as things stand:

1. ???

2. ???

3. ???

4. Arsenal

5. Tottenham

6. ???

You've also judged him on one tournament tbf.

He was alright for France at the World Cup. Two years later in more favorable conditions in his home country, having matured several years as a footballer, he was terrible. Went missing and was continually found wanting when the pressure was on.

Why would you care? Another club has paid a huge amount for him, so it is no skin off your nose.

Can't say I think he is great but he will only get better. Will still be better than 80%c of  other EPL midfield players.

• Liverpool have decided to keep Lucas, at least for the short term thanks to injuries to Milner and Grujic.
• Palace sale of Bolaise expected to fund a more for Benteke to Selhurst Park. CP have offered 29m, LFC holding out for 32m
• Jonas Hector still on the LFC radar as they desperately seek a LB due to Moreno being less useful in that position than a lampost.  

The Dutch influence on him is huge and at Barca and Bayern he inherited teams which had recently been coached by Van Gaal, who has a very similar approach. Look at how difficult it was for LVG to bring that approach to an English club whose players weren't familiar with that "Philosophy". When it clicks it's mesmerizing like Pep's Barca was. When it doesn't click it seems stilted and stifled and cumbersome, like LVG's Utd.

I just don't think that Pep will be able to make that click inside a season with players who are either unfamiliar with being asked to play that way or who are brand new to the club and country.

Mahrez staying at LCFC apparently 

Pep has still shown to be more pragmatic than Van Gaal, but you are right with his influence at both clubs. There are certain players at City that will be able to adapt more quickly/already have a background schooled in a style similar to what Pep plays like Gundogan (if he stays fit), Silva, Aguero, De Bruyne, Nolito etc.

You could have put "if he stays fit" after Aguero too!

Oh yeah, there are players who can do it, just not enough of them, and the new ones will have to gel with their new teammates too in order to execute it.

I'm not convinced that Pep is more pragmatic than LVG, but I also don't think pragmatism captures what I'm trying to get at. It's not about passing styles or formation or anything like that, although those are factors of course, but about the underlying way in which he wants his players to understand the game. Like a symphony as opposed to the garage band ethos of much of English football.

Not saying one approach is right and the other wrong either, just that they are different and that because of that it's unreasonable to expect instant success for Pep. He got instant success with that approach at Barca and Bayern because the players already largely understood what he was trying to do. Man City, not so much.

You explained it very eloquently here CT, this is pretty much what I was originally trying to say;

"Not saying one approach is right and the other wrong either, just that they are different and that because of that it's unreasonable to expect instant success for Pep. He got instant success with that approach at Barca and Bayern because the players already largely understood what he was trying to do. Man City, not so much."

I been following this one intently and I don't think anyone really knows yet. 

Last night alone I saw the following claims;

- Arsenal had 2x bids knocked back

- Mahrez pictured in Chelsea team hotel

- LCFC saying there is no release clause, and that he'll stay

- ManU linked with a late bid

I think it's far from clear at the moment, but Mahrez' silence does suggest there is something to it - either he does want to leave, or he is using this to get a big new contract from LCFC (like Vardy did). 

Henry gave some good insights to Pep's management at Barca, basically Henry said that Pep sets the team to get the ball into the attacking third and gives his players a lot of freedom once they are in the attacking third - and the many ways he has setup his teams, and even differing style of play when needed does show that he is more pragmatic than LVG who was very rigid on players roles and style of play and tactics - even at Bayern. The argument being made could be transposed to any club with a new manager, so could be used for Mourinho and Conte too; Mourinho has an said as much that it will take time at Utd http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/08/06/jos...

I think Pep should be given the same amount of time/leeway as either Conte or Mourinho.

And I'm not a Pep sycophant, he has not exactly chosen the most difficult job.

Here's Xavi's take on Pep:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/aug/10/p...

Anyway, I stand by my statement that I don't understand why Man City would be favourites. $3.50 they are paying to win it at the TAB. Those odds seem way too short for me.

"He has matured and he has the experience from Bayern. He evolves too; he learns, he’s always looking to advance, seeking new solutions. There were tactical shifts there. Bringing the full-backs inside to open a pass to the wingers, for example. We hadn’t done that before at Barcelona. Intelligence is often expressed in terms of how you adapt and Pep is very intelligent. He would adapt to any football anywhere and be successful anywhere, I’m sure of that."

http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/how-pep-has-ev...

"Three years after agreeing to take charge of Bayern Munich, Guardiola has proven to be more pragmatic than first assumed. The focus on possession remains – over the last five years, his sides have never averaged less than 65% in the league – but he has deployed a catalogue of radical formations, systems and roles. If some ever portrayed him as a coach that squeezes teams into an ideological straitjacket, that image has long been shattered."

I can't believe Lucas is still at 'Pool.

Why? 

Yes, sure every manager that looks to be proactive - it is tougher to instil those systems than it is for a team that looks to be reactive.

And City weren't that bad last season, just for some reason struggled without De Bruyne 

"Following his injury, City won just two of their next seven Premier League games -- losing crucial home games to title rivals Leicester and Tottenham at the Etihad. City were three points behind the Foxes when De Bruyne was injured and 15 points adrift when he returned."

When he came back they only lost once in the league - a game De Bruyne didn't play, and once in the UCL semis - a result of a City o.g.

Interesting about KDB. For me the defense is the big issue. Kompany is always injured, neither Mangala or Otamendi is technically suited to playing out from the back really, Stones can't defend, the fullbacks are getting long in the tooth, and I don't rate Hart and definitely don't think he's got the temperament to play the sweeper keeper role Pep likes to employ

Yeah, not sure on Hart (reserve 'keeper played a bit of the game against Arsenal) and FBs. Pep could try see if one of City's current midfielders can perform a role in defence as Mascherano, Alonso and Martinez have done. 

Wouldn't surprise me to see Fernandinho back there TBH

Has Joe Hart become the "new" Rob Green of goalkeepers whom in turn had replaced Calamity James??

This might enlighten a few people.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/37045474