S-Clarke

I don't feel too at ease with the approach either, but by the same token I'm somewhat intrigued and excited by what could be achieved. I'd be a bit more comfortable with a tiny bit more proven quality in the side though, otherwise there is a fear that we could hang very talented young players out to dry. I remember when we bought Morgan in the Champ, that was considered at the time to be a 'massive' coup (and to be fair he turned out to be an excellent top level player), but he struggled to start with because of the lack of experience around him, and when the quality of the experience came in the mould of Paul Wotton. So I think think there are some similarities, but we're in a position of being able to aim for better quality because we're PL and not Champ. Either way though, if the young kids sink then we're heading one way rather quickly, the same as happened in the Champ.

If that's his role then just sign him up as a kitman or u18 coach or something.

I like the words 'significantly strengthening'. It's weird to be seeing all this happening, we've been crying out for it for years. Once we sign Lavia (We are going to get some unfortunate typos of that, I'm sure!) that's already £30m down on players without selling, and now there's talk of us then looking at the attack! (and attackers notoriously cost more)

No, not in height..But he's got a decent physique which makes him suited to that Wanyama type role. It'll be interesting to see how he develops into his 20's, as physically he will still change quite a bit I'd imagine. The raw attributes to work with are great.

Agreed, but you could argue that we need 2 10's and 2 Strikers (we need to replace both Long and Broja). I imagine the club will look for a striker in the Broja mold (an out and out number 9 as such) and another player like Amadou who can operate up front or out wide if required. We will need to shift one of Redmond or Moussa to get a complete number 10/wide player imo.

I get some of what you are saying, but what you have to remember regarding youth players is that they aren't signed to normal contracts as first team players - so we can't just stand our ground and rejeect bids, as it's not subject to a bid. Clubs can just approach youth players and then battle it out in tribunal. it's a flaw with the youth system and giving the club a little more power with their U16's etc would stop all this poaching. I think we were fairly active in bolstering our U23's and u18's last summer, Nico Lawrence came in and we also spent a fee on Will Armatige - they went into the U18 set up, so it's not fair to say we're not in the picture. I think ideally with us we prefer to get a player young and nurture them all the way through rather than concentrating on signing pre-made youth players from all over the country for our u18's. Some of our best players (Bale, Shaw, Chamberlain, Theo) were all at the club from a very, very young age.

This is a good appointment as he's highly rated with the growth of City's academy in recent years. Even if a lot don't make their first team, they make bucket loads on sales and said players go on to become a decent level in the main (Bazunu, Lavia, Sancho, Angelino, Denayer, Diaz, Luiz, Ihenacho to name a few) It's another somewhat ambitious move by us - attracting people already employed as per Selles, something we just didn't use to do.

He's more of a ball winning DM, tough tackling, powerful type. A decent passer but he's got the potential to be a Wanyama type (with better passing).

Worth reading too much into who isn't in the pics? Redmond, Moussa, Theo, Smallbone, Valery, Armstrong (A). They are the players I'd have expected to be there given they weren't involved in internationals, but equally they are apparently the players we've told can 'leave'. No Long there is potentially a sign that he's gone.

I know where you are coming from, but without massive sales I don't think our budget can stretch to established players coming into or in the prime of their careers. I'm not just on about transfer fee's, but wages on top of it. I'm fully accepting of our approach, even though it has a very high risk-high reward slant to it and I think we should just embrace it. A year ago we couldn't even dream of evolving the side like this, so even this feels incredibly refreshing. I think the club have been incredibly scared from the experience of signing more 'established' players over the last few years (Lemina, Hoedt, Vestergaard, Carillo, Boufal, Elyounoussi etc etc). They take on so much not just on transfer fee's but on wages and it then becomes tricky to do anything, in a financial sense what we are doing has less risk but in a football sense it arguably has a little more risk - but with risk comes reward so they say. It's not like we're signing young trash, these guys are rated across Europe as some of the best.

It's the contract situation which has seemingly driven the sale, so this was their last chance to get some sort of fee. This is how the big clubs work though isn't it, they prefer to buy the oven ready players as they can't be arsed to wait for 'potential'. If we had mega owners we could probably go and buy all the ready made players, but we don't, so this is the next best option for us. The most talented youth players, maturing together at similar ages could be a proper masterstroke. We do still need some experience though.

Probably $$$$. Even the big clubs aren't daft enough to offer mega sums to kids, I'd imagine Newcastle were prepared to go financially where no one else was. It is a strange one though. We're signing some of the best young players from other academies as we have a clear pathway, so it seems odd for one of our own best young players see a pathway elsewhere. I also can't see where that pathway is at Newcastle.

This guy is an enormous talent, City just don't have space for him and now they've gone and signed Phillips. By all accounts they didn't want to sell him, but it seems as if the player now feels he's ready to make his mark at a club. I thought this would only ever be a loan, but to be getting him permanently is very, very impressive.

Think it's just lighting, as there's light blue behind. Probably an eye trick!

I like it, but only concern is the Sponsor and how that looks, but you can't win it all. Most sponsors spoil decent shirts to be honest!

I guess the importance to fans knowing who is going to put the cones out is quite low on list I'd say. Let's just let the club do what they see fit in that area it's not really going to upset me either way, they did actually indicate in one of the athletic articles that the club may not replace like for like (watson/davis/fleming) and may not have as many coaches next season. The McCarthy and Stephens contracts are odd though, with no reference to this from the club. It 'may' be something as innocent in that the club activated clauses in their existing contracts to extend the years and they didn't actually sign new contracts in the fuller sense? God knows.

What does more flexibility mean? Umm....signing players before you have to sell to generate the funds? We had to hang around for months trying to sell target so we had enough cash flow to sign Adams. We were in dire straights with zero flexibility in the market, we couldn't be proactive with our plans and we had to be reactive to everything. I didn't say experienced players were out of our reach, I said proven players. Proven PL players. We have to work in different areas to sign players who have the potential to become proven PL players. Awoniyi is one in the remit of someone we look to sign, I think the fee is a bit too high though in this instance. Awoniyi is not proven at the top level at all, so you've just agreed with what I said. We do sign players who will improve the team on the pitch. I think it's safe to say KWP, Tino, Salisu improved us on the pitch. I'd expect Bazunu and ABK to do the same too, then the same people will be jumping up and down in a few years time when they get linked away for mega money. But if that happens, we've been a success and the model has been a success. Under Gao was pointless, we had no money for improvements we had to generate everything. It's clear that there is a bit more positive cash flow to play with this summer and it's not just because Lemina and Hoedt aren't here.

Why use Ben Mee as an example? You know what I mean. Signing a proven 10-15 goal a season PL striker, or a proven PL midfielder like Tiliemans or Soucek, Bisoumma etc. Out of our reach. That's what I mean.

Baffling response. Have a look at the date. It's not even July and we've signed 3 players without having to sell anyone to do so. That didn't happen under Gao, we immediately have more flexibility in the market. In terms of our model and who we scout, where do you expect us to go? We can't buy proven because they're too expensive and out of our reach. The up-and-coming talent not yet poached by a big club is absolutely the right way for us to go, there's no other way we can really go. Do it right and it'll work. Selling and looking at future profit is also the way clubs like us work, Dortmund, RB, Monaco etc. They spend fee's with an eye on what they'll get on a resale, it's just how football works for the clubs that aren't run by state countries. I really don't know what you expect.

If you're expecting a transfer window akin to 2014 then you need to re-address your expectations, as they're completely unrealistic.

Yeah, the Lyanco ones are weird. If that happens we should try and get Levi Colwill in as 3rd CB.

Don't forget ABK

We need a CM, someone in the Romeu mould as we have no alternative. Ideally someone better than Romeu to come in and take his place. Not sure Svanberg is that player, but the guy at Lens certainly is. (Dacoure I think he's called). Sambi-Lakomba at Arsenal isn't a bad shout either, potential loan so saving some pennies there. Lavia is another shout down the cheap loan route. 2x new 10's (well, wide players in the old fashioned terms). We need direct players who can break the line, confident enough to beat a man and not pass backwards. Someone like Sinisterra at Feyenoord. 2x Strikers. Assume long is gone and Broja has already gone, so that's two spots to fill. Potentially the second 'number 10' could also play as a striker so Amadu could be that guy. For our starting striker signing - someone like Sesko from Salzburg, Delap from City or the fella from Stuttgart. All powerful front men, although Sesko has a higher ceeling imo. For 'cheapness' purposes a loan for Delap is probably the route we'll go once the U19's Euros are over. On paper there is still a hell of a lot to do. Luckily we've made a decent start.

Daka is a good player, just used very poorly by the manager in a really disjointed Leicester season. He'll come good.

I guess if you like a player who plays like he's committed, emotionally engaged etc then he will get some fans who think he's brilliant. But at the same token, by being so emotionally charged in games he is rash as hell. I'm not a fan because he will give up goals due to his stupid decisions. Can't deny his passion and all of that stuff, but you need more. It would be a strange loan though, but this is the second link I've seen for Lyanco in the space of a couple of days - so makes you wonder if he's been told to look for a new club and his agent is at work.