By Sam Lee 5h ago 15
Transfer season is almost upon us. Or not, in Manchester City’s case, because they are traditionally quiet in January. That’s not been for a lack of trying, though, and they have always been open to improving their squad in the winter if the opportunity arises.
And there’s one thing we can be certain of right now: Pep Guardiola and others at the club believe they need to sign a striker just as much as most outside observers do.
With Ferran Torres close to a move to Barcelona it’s tempting to believe that City will do business next month, but it’s still unlikely.
Here’s a round-up of what some of our readers would like to see happen, and some relevant snippets of information that might be of interest…
Is it remotely feasible that they could test the water with Haaland for a figure in advance of his summer release clause? Clarke C
I don’t think Haaland in January is a possibility but the most interesting thing I can add to the striker debate is that Guardiola basically shares the common opinion, which is a rare thing! Normally we think one thing (make a sub, attack faster, etc) and Guardiola will have very different ideas. But with the striker situation, he’s the same as everybody else: when things go wrong he believes a clinical No 9 would fix things. It’s quite reassuring to know that, although of course he will continue to push back against these questions after matches.
I did wonder whether Guardiola would have grown to prefer the level of control offered by a false nine since not signing Harry Kane/Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer, because City have been pretty good without them. I thought he might be happy to carry on without a striker, or at least strongly considering it. But from what I hear, if it’s a choice between a lot of control or Haaland, he would pick Haaland every time.
Haaland is admired by Guardiola and most of Europe (Photo: Joosep Martinson/Getty Images)
Kane is also still of interest too, but despite the desire within City to get a striker, and the likelihood of Torres leaving, neither of the top two targets are likely to move in January and Guardiola et al would be happy enough to wait for the right man.
Potentially Vlahovic if the asking price is not ridiculous, obviously would love to get Haaland in the summer, but the competition for him will be fierce. I think potentially a cheap signing for midfield depth could be warranted, an injury crisis could leave us exposed with the brutal run of fixtures to come. Shiven S
Something about the Vlahovic links are fishy to me. The first we heard about him and City in the summer was that a deal was completed…
He fits the Kane/Haaland profile but City prefer those two, are far as I know. That doesn’t mean it’s not an option but, for what it’s worth, it’s not been on my radar. I guess we’ll see what that is worth!
As for cheap depth signings, that’s not really how City operate and I think with Cole Palmer and James McAtee knocking on the door, City would be better off using them in an injury crisis. And don’t forget that Kevin De Bruyne can’t always get into the midfield at the moment, so he’s not a bad alternative!
Sign a big bloke to play up front when we start putting 72 crosses in against Burnley etc. Jamie T
Any old-fashioned No 9 would do the goods. Is Joe Royle available….? Robert M
Funnily enough, I know there are at least a couple of City players who think a new striker wouldn’t necessarily have to be Kane or Haaland, they think somebody like Olivier Giroud would fit the style. That’s both in terms of his skill set as a target man but also as somebody who wouldn’t expect to play every game.
And Joe Royle is 72 years old.
I would scream in ecstasy if we got a left-back. I love Zinny and Cancelo but it’s an area that needs filling. Maybe Jose Gaya? Matthias AFR
This is funny because I’ve been saying City need a left-back for about two or three years and I thought it was a joke last summer (2020) when they didn’t get one. And to be fair they probably should have signed one then.
But right now I’m not sure who they could get, where they would fit in and if City even need one. There are already too many defenders to keep happy, when you consider that Nathan Ake and either John Stones or Aymeric Laporte will be left out most weekends, and we’ve already seen Zinchenko being linked with a move away this season. Cancelo’s not been the happiest when he misses out, and Walker plays the vast majority of games (forget the recent blip!), so there’s big competition when everybody is fit.
Cancelo is obviously first-choice left-back at the moment and can play on the right but Ake can play left-back in the same way that Zinchenko does, and there’s Walker on the right. I really think that adding an extra player (let’s face it, probably an experienced international with playing expectations) wouldn’t be ideal for the squad. Obviously, some injuries would make things a bit complicated but I think a new face could make things complicated, too.
Keeping Bernardo would be a rousing success. Lorenzo M
I think even if he were still very keen to leave City, he wouldn’t do it in January, but from what I’ve heard he’s not thinking about that at the moment anyway and is just focused on having a good season. He’s happy now. So I hope that’s good news for you!
It would be interesting to know where the conglomerate of those who wanted to leave now stand. The likes of Bernardo I can’t see leaving but Sterling could and Torres clearly wants to go from what’s been put out there. James P
Sterling is the most interesting one right now and that’s because his contract (expiring in 2023) adds an element of urgency.
It’s fascinating because he was up for leaving in the summer and City would have let it happen had a big offer arrived (like others) and for a while it might have suited all parties, but now he’s in good form and looks dangerous again, and if that continues then he could be back in the XI and therefore happy.
But the better he plays, the more interest there could be from other clubs, and at this point City would either be losing him for relatively cheap, or shelling out for a huge contract. Obviously the latter isn’t the end of the world if they want to keep him.
Torres is closing in on a move to Barcelona (Photo: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
As for Laporte and Bernardo they are just focused on playing every game and doing well — I presume that is the case with them all, but I can only say that with certainty for those two. They’re not thinking about leaving right now. I could easily imagine that to be the case with Gabriel Jesus, too. I don’t think Cancelo wanted to go and I never reported that either, but as somebody who is a bit grumpy when not playing, he is at least playing a lot!
As for Torres, I don’t think he’s desperately unhappy at City by any stretch, but he sees Barca as an exciting project (don’t shoot the messenger) and believes he would get more game time. He was already a bit unhappy about not playing enough even before his injury (don’t shoot the messenger).
by Outcast » Thu Dec 23, 2021 7:38 am 
Brilliant
