revolution saint

If I recall correctly you were one of the people saying the West wouldn't be able to stop Putin and his war machine, effectively it was pointless trying to intervene in Ukraine. Now that military assistance appears to be working you've changed your tune and Russia apparently isn't all that great. As I understood it the warnings about further Russian expansion were based on the West doing nothing - obviously military and economic actions means that's unlikely now. You don't stop doing something if it's working.

Fuck off

To be fair, they'll have a bigger target to aim at if he signed. That might help them. Agree though, we don't really cross the ball much and certainly not from the 10s.

Can't argue with his scoring record - he's, what, 1 in 3 games at least each season in the Bundesliga for a side that struggles most of the time. Probably the "safest" option we've been linked with.

Mara has at least equivalent if not better stats than Sesko especially considering he played in a better league and his club was pretty poor. TBH all I’ve seen is YouTube videos but Sesko didn’t stand out massively. Could be great of course but not seeing what the attraction is with him particularly.

"Chance for us to grab the one or the other" - what do we reckon he means by that? Broja or Delap? Or just a figure of speech?

He wasn't terrible but people seem to get blindsided by confirmation bias..........

I think you could make an argument for some areas if genuine competition exists. Things like railways and water there’s no competition so market forces don’t really work and you’re left with an argument based on the inherent efficiency of private enterprise which is an argument I don’t really believe in.

Advantages and disadvantages to both approaches and a lot will probably depend on the player themselves. Delap has had a complete year with the first team now - how many years does he need and at what point does it become just going through the motions? Training is to prepare yourself for the real thing and if that prospect looks as remote as it ever did then that's also got be demotivating. I reckon that a decent competitive game is as good if not better than training. The level of quality in training must be phenomenal but I doubt it has that competitive edge that all players want. If you're a striker you want to score with a crowd watching you, against players giving it everything and to know it's a goal that matters. Football is still a relatively short career and, personally, I'd want to make the most of it.

I think the issue with Foden is a bit more complex. Suspect one of the reasons he wasn't really used much initially was that physically it was more of a struggle to compete in the premier league at a young age; he's not exactly a big lad. The other thing, and this is more of a general big club thing, is that the bar for a young player to break into the team is that much higher. Simply put they're not better than the experienced internationals City already have. Arguably Foden would have progressed quicker and be better if he had more regular gametime. We'll never know but the fact that he's a very good player now doesn't necessarily mean he wouldn't also be if he had taken a different route. With regard to Delap - physically he probably won't have any problems, I don't know about talent wise but there's definitely a spot for him here whereas there isn't anything more than substitute and cup appearances at City. If I were Delap (or any other similar player) then I'd be backing myself and want to play as much and as quickly as possible. For every Foden there's a Jude Bellingham, Sancho, Rashford etc etc.

On a slightly related note, does Pep actually have a record of playing kids from the academy? Apart from Foden I can’t think of any. Appreciate why he wouldn’t as they play at a higher stakes game but kind of undermines a stance on keeping players you’re unlikely to use.

Agree with this. Shields knows the lad, he knows his parents, agent and the Man City hierarchy. I can’t see us submitting two or more bids without getting some encouragement. Wonder when we start getting the reports of Delap wanting more regular game time?

Maybe we are? Well, that would be fantasy land but never know. That 23M bid probably contains a shedload of add-ons so might not be an entirely accurate figure. Definitely a risk but at the same time it’s good seeing the club backing itself and philosophy.

Athletic reported we had a bid for Delap turned down last month so this is either a rehash of that, or it’s a second bid. If it’s a second bid then we must feel it’s feasible to do a deal and I guess having Shields in place is informing that decision.

Well you might have to pay the player more but the selling club wouldn’t give a toss.

It’s worth remembering that prices for players are based on the potential value of the player, the length of contract remaining and also the finances of the selling club as well as the desperation of the buying club. In that context it’s hard to compare the differences between what players go for. Carillo was obviously over priced but we bought him in January when we were staring at relegation. Basically Monaco saw us coming and Les Read got mugged off. I would say using Carillo as a comparison for any other transfer is flawed.

West Ham played Chelsea brilliantly. They managed to use Broja to get a decent deal on Scamacca and now Chelsea are left hanging. Chelsea are obviously open to selling Broja otherwise they wouldn’t have let him fly back from the pre season tour, and despite what Tuchel might say, they view Broja as a saleable asset. Way I see it is Chelsea now have to re-evaluate their asking price cos I don’t see anyone matching the West Ham bid unless Newcastle step in (which I think they would have done if they were serious). All slightly more positive for us I reckon.

He does. Looks like the player you hope Broja becomes.

Yeah, would depend on the price and I don’t think it’ll happen but, playing devils advocate, I wonder if Villa still owe us money on him. I guess possibly do a deal around that but honestly can’t see it.

No, but we do have a thread discussing Forest and Lingard. Maybe try that instead?

We also need a fullback. I know it's completely irrelevant to the discussion but you started it.

He's been on his way for the last week but is stuck in Dover. Club is hopeful he'll make it for start of the season.

Athletic reporting that James McAtee could be allowed to leave on loan. We're one of a few clubs said to be interested.

That seems a bit harsh on a lad who was only just 18 when the season started last year. I'd be concerned if he was all we brought in up front but doesn't sound like that's the case. Arguably he's got better stats than Liam Delap and at least equivalent to Sesko, both of which have been mooted as decent signings.

When Smallbone first made his debut I had my doubts - looked a little lightweight but he seems to have improved in that regard and shows a good deal of talent and vision. Definitely needs to be playing regularly so I think a loan to the right club would be a good thing. Really hope it works out cos the lad hasn't had it easy over the last couple of years and think he could be a decent player for us.