Summer 2023 Transfer Window - [Excluding Transfers to Saudi Arabia 25.07.23]

Hope he picks Arsenal over City but thats wishful thinking

Yes it's a disgrace. You would probably need new owners to come in to a club and spend 650m over two transfer windows to be able to catch them. Only seven teams could have a higher net spend over the last five years

City pulling the ladder behind themselves is the key bit really.

their net spend won't be massive the last couple of years, and that fact is endlessly thrown back as an argument. but the damage has obviously been done. and the fact that their chairman can tell everyone, with a straight face, that Manchester City is the number one brand in the world, makes a mockery of any sense of fairness. he didn't say 'team', which would be true. he said 'brand'. which to anyone with a modicum of common sense is a barefaced lie, unless you're doing something insanely dodgy between all the companies you own or have a stake in.

Rice to City getting closer.

I know Gundogan is gone, and likely Bernardo, but my God.

Kovacic is an 8.

Rice gives them the option of 2 DMs with Foden further ahead, or Rice can also be coached to do the current Stones role.

Rice seemingly prefers the Arsenal move.

You can see why - he’d be an instant upgrade to their midfield, a guaranteed starter in the PL and CL, gets to stay in London.

For City, it would just be another luxury player to throw on the pile of luxury players they have to come on for some minutes here and there.

City are buying him twice really. Once to have him, once to throw Arsenal's long term plan out the window. It doesn't matter if City need Rice or not, they will try to hurt Arsenal either way before they build up more steam. They got burny once with Liverpool and VVD and won't let it happen again.

Xhaka is leaving and Partey about to be sold. They need Rice to come in.

Yes, but its two cheeks of the same sportswashing arse, one a bit dirtier than the other.

Carragher has come out saying much the same as well, they're as bad as each other. Suddenly sportswashing is the new big bad, after the super league was a year or 2 back. Must protect "Best league in the world"(tm) at all costs

Arsenal trying to rush Thomas Partey out of the door for less than €20m. Shows how much they want to wash their hands of him, and know what happened off of the pitch.

I cant get my head round this if it happens. The word on the street is his missus hates manchester and wants out, which maybe I can get for Barcelona or Madrid but anything other than those 2 doesnt make sense. Throwing away the peak of your career cos your missus cant do a couple of years in manchester with private jets at their finger tips is mental. He has the rest of his life to do whatever he wants, in addition to city already paying him a massive wage it’s not like he is a pauper.

I lived in Manchester for 3 months once and it was grim, I couldn't wait to leave. However bad it was though I'd never subject my missus to live in Saudi.

I like Manchester - but I suppose the difference is coming from a small town in Ireland and not the beaches of Portugal

Also your experience of Manchester and multi millionaire footballer's experience of Manchester are not going to be the same :D

It would still be a very comfortable lifestyle and they can hop on a private jet any time they need to. It's hardly a prison

Agreed on Saudi

Way to burst my bubble - I once ate in the same restaurant as Nemanja Vidic. He sat just 3 tables (and a security team) away from me.

I stand by it being a dreary damp dump though. There's less to do there than here but the 41p pints made it tolerable.

Re Mrs Silva and foreigners in Saudi though.... They won't be exposed or asked to live like normal Saudi plebs though, and the rules imposed on Saudi women for instance won't apply to the Silvas or others.

The son of a neighbour was based in Saudi for a number of years, him and his family. They lived in Western compounds, or compounds for western people, and they could live the same as here, no head coverings, alcohol available, Hollywood movies etc. You were living separate lives to the normal Saudi.

I'd imagine it will be this x100 for these multimillionaire players. I'd say both places the families would live restricted enough lifestyles, but the money and the weather would be a hell of a lot nicer in the land of Saud

to be fair to City on this one, leaving aside the position of strength they're in because of what they've done over the last decade or more, they actually do need a midfielder or two.

Gundogan gone. Silva very likely gone. KDB gone for a lengthy period of time and he's 32.

They don't trust Phillips (and yes, that an example of how City can carry a bad signing and it not matter for future dealings, but still, they don't trust him).

So they'll need someone, and if Arsenal can continue to spend like crazy, City have every right to make a big signing in midfield this summer. Also, it's gotten to the point where Arsenal can't really complain about anyone else spending money. they've been insane in windows for a good 18 months now.

Yea, me too to be honest. Maybe 10 million per year extra or whatever makes it all go away, I dunno.

I’d say that’s pretty much what it is, but it’s also a pretty futile gesture if Caicedo’s people also know that.

Who says your wife has to live there though. 10 mil a year tax free in your pocket. My misses would pack the bag for me.

From the bits and pieces I have seen, I think Laporte is actually better. He is older than Gvardiol though so maybe Gvardiols ceiling is higher. I dont think city look at this deal if laporte was happy to stay but apparently he wants out.

Well presumably you also aren't already a multi millionaire. You and I would obviously move for that money because it would change everything.

The question is more along the lines of would you make the move for possibly double your current wage? No tax.

It's not as enticing at that level is it?

It's good but it's not change everything about my life and live in a county that sees my wife/girlfriend as a 2nd class citizen good.

Also when you already have that level of income from playing top level football for years then it's unlikely to be your only source of income anymore.

I imagine most will have got their money in other investments already making sure their future family is safe. You'd have to have your head in the sand to have that level of money and your only income to be football. A half decent accountant will get your money pulling in some very nice passive income.

I just really don't think it's the no brainer it's being made out to be..

I understand it a bit more for someone at the end of their career who has won the big stuff.

But Neves for example has essentially thrown his career out the window for some extra cash when he's already very rich and will never win anything of note now. It's sad.

I think Caicedo is perfect for us. He can play with and he can replace Casemiro in the starting lineup.

We just had to assume that ETH is not looking for that profile of player once the rumors of Mount came out.

Mount makes me think we'll look to invert wing backs and stretch play with our wingers instead. Which will allow more room in the middle for 2 no.8/10 style players in Bruno and Mount.

If we get Caicedo I think we'll have to try to overlap the full backs again and use Casemiro and Caicedo as a double pivot in the middle with Bruno or Eriksen ahead.

Very different profiles of players so interesting to see if we do actually go after Caicedo seriously