The season might have finished nearly a month ago and the World Cup might be in full swing but that doesn’t mean life is quiet at Manchester City.
From transfers and contracts to pre-season and the fixtures, there has been plenty going on at the Etihad. We have every base covered and as part of our coverage we are holding regular Q&A sessions with our chief City writer Simon Bajkowski. The day of the week it comes out on may change depending on what City’s schedule looks like, but essentially this is your chance to get an answer on anything you want – simply pop your question here at any time of the week and Simon will pick them all up and wrap everything up in one place.
With Simon having been on holiday for the past two weeks after a hectic season following the Blues, Alex James is stepping into his shoes for this week’s Q&A. This week has questions on Enzo Maresca, Elliot Anderson, transfer targets and City expectations.
Is Elliot – Tonali both on summer signing list? Does City plan to move for both not one as back up? Sam
Hi Sam. Before I get into the questions I’ll just start with a disclaimer! While I cover City here at the MEN, I am very much the support act to Simon – think of me as more of a Scott Carson vibes man – so I’ll do my best to answer what I can but it may not be to the same level of depth and detail!
Anyway, now that’s out of the way, this is one question I can answer. Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali are both of interest to City this summer. As we all know the Blues have had two offers for Anderson knocked back and are now weighing up whether to return with another bid or bide their time in the negotiation process. There remains a belief that a deal for the Nottingham Forest man can be done.
As for Tonali, City view him as an additional option rather than a Plan B if Anderson doesn’t come off. Any prospective move for the Newcastle man is not dependent on what happens with Anderson so there is a chance City could land both this summer, although that would likely cost them upwards of £200million.
What’s the latest on Elliot Anderson deal and Enzo Maresca announcement? Sami
When is the here we go for Maresca? Anas Aminu Ismail
When is our new coachcoming? Chigozie orisakwe
So I have grouped these together. We’ve wrapped Anderson up above but in terms of Maresca the short answer is there is no update. The talks between City and Chelsea have taken far longer to resolve than anyone anticipated, certainly City hoped to have things wrapped up by now. But there is no suggestion that it won’t happen. It remains very much a when rather than an if and hopefully an official announcement comes in the next week or two. But given the delay over the past few weeks I would be reluctant to put a timescale on it!
Hi, With Savinho seemingly close to leaving, are there any concrete winger targets City are working on? Could strong World Cup performances influence the club’s shortlist? Also, is one winger signing enough when Doku and Semenyo appear to be the only specialist wingers in the squad? TJ
Hi TJ. City want a winger this summer. That position, along with central midfield and right back are the areas of the squad the Blues are seeking to strengthen. Things have gone a bit quiet on the Savinho front but Spurs remain very much interested and feel there is a deal to be done, while City will sell the Brazilian at the right place with around £60million expected to be the agreed fee. City will look to replace Savinho should he depart. In terms of names of who might come in. . . I don’t have any! If and when the Savinho deal is done, then expect the state of play on who could replace him to become clearer.
Any news on why it’s taking so long to announce our new manager/head coach? Looking forward to your you tube content at talking city next season? Is the team optimistic about city’s charge or teams like spurs Liverpool and man utd would be an issue for our rise due to their unpredictability? What’s your team’s view on the latest hikes of player prices . It all started with neymar a long time ago but adam wharton is now also valued at 100mil i had a talk worth my mates this is going to criple finances and clubs because football doesn’t make too much profit for such bizarre investments in transfers and wages .in my opinion PSR rules should have also included a strict guideline or law for players price and salary inflation i think thats all in my mind for now. Kwanele Habana
Thanks Kwanele! A lot to unpick here, we’ve answered the Maresca one already and we’re looking forward to offering more You Tube content next season as well – it’s something we are hoping will provide an extra layer to our coverage.
In terms of City’s optimism. . . the Blues expect to challenge for the title. The departure of Pep Guardiola is obviously a huge change but it’s one City have known would have been coming at some point and behind the scenes they have actively tried to ensure that this moment is as seamless as possible. The Blues do not want, or expect, a dramatic drop off like Manchester United experienced when Sir Alex Ferguson retired. Whether City hit the ground running under Maresca remains to be seen but the powers that be will want to be competing for the title. Arsenal will rightly begin as favourites but with Liverpool under a new manager, Spurs having a lot of work to do and United now having the added burden of Champions League football, there is nothing for the Blues to fear.
Onto the transfer fees, unfortunately that is the way football is now. The £100m player seemed fanciful not too long ago (or is that just me showing my age) but now there’s a whole host of players who move for that amount. You are right in saying it is mad money, and you reference Adam Wharton, who is one of English football’s brightest talents and, when you factor in his ability, his age, his proven Premier League quality, his contract length and his potential, it is easy to see why Palace rate him in that £100m bracket. That is just the going rate and I can’t see it dropping any time soon, particularly while the Premier League continues to generate huge and clubs are able to deliver record revenues as a result.
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