Tinker on.

[Chompy]

Very impressive Diabete. D.Gray too.

Your lot beat a bunch of trees today though. Maddison's limitations well and truly exposed and he'll now realise why he hasn't had his dream move yet.

[T8MML]

I thought Gray was head and shoulders M.O.M today but liked what I saw with Diabaté. At least I can go back to Peterborough at Easter without a blanket over the head!

[TightEnd]

Riyad Mahrez (31 goals, 21 assists) is one of only three players to have scored 20+ goals and assisted 20+ more in the Premier League since August 2015, alongside Dele Alli & Christian Eriksen.

Back to his best this season,he's been superb since the end of the last transfer window and will be missed if he goes but good luck to him. Wonderful player to watch

As for Man C yesterday they buy an uncapped defender with no Premier League experience for £57 Million. Then on the same day - if reported numbers are to be believed - bid less for a former PFA player of the year,

in an inflated transfer market i hope we hold out for well north of £60m. £55m isn't going to cut it.

Of course there comes a point where the end of a contract is an issue a la Sanchez but he's under contract to end of 2019 woth no release clause so, post-Sane panicky buyers aside, really the summer is the optimum time to cash in,but maybe if we refuse all bids we'll have a sulker on our hands when we are pushing for 6th-7th and a Europa league place, so maybe this is the occasion he can force his move through

Next Saturday, Man C v Leicester would be very tasty indeed. 

[T8MML]

It will be sad if he does go but understandable from his viewpoint, certainly in the short term. Where he fits into a Man City team with a fully fit Sane and and inform Silva is difficult to see so he will have 5-6 weeks to make his mark or become a very expensive bench warmer.

Hopefully any deal will be done 14 secs after the deadline

[pleno1]

How good is Slimani?

[TightEnd]

He scores goals. Often derided because it doesn't "look good" if he gets the service then he will bang them in

he won't run the channels, or hold the ball up and link play but he is a good striker in the "mini box" from 12 yards or less out

we play one up with a support striker and that one up is always Vardy so his opportunities have been limited

however at sporting he scored 60 goals in 113 games.



p.s the sig line is 5 years old, please change it!

[pleno1]

sure

And yeah he seems to be good in the box in the air. We don't usually get that far forward, but let's see.

[TightEnd]

So City's final offer was £50m plus a player, assumed to be Mangala, valued at £15m. We stuck to £80m which I think is fair given an inflating market, the impossibility of replacing that late in the window and contract left.

Only problem is that Mahrez now has a massive cob on (obviously wanted the move, don't blame him) and it is not known when he will play again, so the whole thing has been destabilising.

Still, no buckling under to the blandshments of the mega rich cliubs, so long term all good. We are a rich club, Q4th highest revenue in Europe last year so can't be persuaded to sell on the cheap nowadays.

[T8MML]

Not an ideal situation tbh. He wants to go and should have gone but when nobody was prepared to pay the asking price he sticks in a written transfer request on the day before deadline - not fair on the club that discovered him and brought him to prominence. No idea how going on strike works but can’t see how that would inspire a new club.

Well played to the owners though for holding out for what they believe is right

[TheDazzler]

Not an ideal situation tbh. He wants to go and should have gone but when nobody was prepared to pay the asking price he sticks in a written transfer request on the day before deadline - not fair on the club that discovered him and brought him to prominence. No idea how going on strike works but can’t see how that would inspire a new club.

Well played to the owners though for holding out for what they believe is right

How much were Leicester holding out for in the summer? £50m? I can understand that the current market has moved on and his value goes up but I do feel sorry for him. He may feel he's done his part by playing so well after not getting the summer move and now the club are being offered more than what they wanted back in the summer but again, they won't sell.
As for the £15m Mangala add on, that's only good if Leicester wanted him. If they did, he seems pretty cheap although his wages may be very high meaning the total outlay might be a lot higher.
Regarding the transfer request that Mahrez put in, my understanding is that players that are sold are usually due a 'loyalty' bonus and when you request the transfer, you forfeit that. So Mahrez handing in a transfer request meant Leicester would have recieved a higher fee in effect.
I thought Leicester made a mistake not taking what they could get for him in the summer as I thought he would likely give the club nothing on the pitch. But fair play, he raised his game. Now Leicester have to hope he can do that again.
Presumably he MUST go in the summer now?

[TightEnd]

There comes a point where the contract running down means you have to sell. Cant leave it too long. To my kind this summer is the last time you can get anything like a maximum value. That assumes the relationship is repaired enough such that he performs in the second half of this season. If not the potential value is already impinged and that is the risk you take by not selling now.

£65m cash would have been aclose one. £50m plus a player you don't want (I assume) I don't think was that close. Mahrez's problem is his worth to us exceeds anything anyone has bid, to date, in three transfer windows in a rapidly inflating market.

[Karabiner]

Ross Barkley ended up going for £15M although six months previously he was valued at £50M+.

Just sayin' like..

[TightEnd]

Mahrez has two years left on his contract. Barkley was injured. Think it's reasonable to hold out for top whack though of course that decision needs a) him to keep performing (which appears to be a major sulk risk) and b) avoid injury before we reach contract run down stage

[TightEnd]

Dear Man C

Click to see full-size image.

the player was Patrick Roberts by the way. we wanted him, Man C said no (bit odd with him being on loan)

[flushthemout]

Correct it was Patrick Roberts as Mangala wanted to go to Everton.  You coming the Ethiad?