Barca never wanted him and Real Madrid were never gonna pay the fee and the wages. It's a huge deal which nobody else was ever gonna do.

Real need to shift some players before they make a huge signing.

So let's ask the big question. Are you happy with your mystery club's signings this summer?

I genuinely don't support any club anymore

I'm genuinely surprised at those predicting a City win - perhaps I've missed an influx of new CB's and midfielders?
It is basically the same squad as last year which was ageing and extremely fallible.

Is it the Pep factor that people are thinking will sway it?

Personally I think it's too tight to call a winner, so I'm bottling out and saying it could be one of 6 teams

When I asked you a while back you said you'd told Cantona7 back in the day but didn't tell anyone else.

Are they that rubbish that you've just abandoned them?

Guardiola factor for me. Think he will have a huge galvanising effect as I think Klopp still will. Have with Liverpool. That, added to the fact that apart from Man United, no one has really strengthen in all areas.

There will always be a draw for the big two in Spain but now it may be at the expense of the financial gain rather than that as an additional attraction.

It was Newcastle... Lots of reasons why I gave up on them. I know, not a proper fan etc etc..
(happy with their signings, very happy with their manager, happy that, Steven Taylor has gone)
Ps mentioned to cantona07 in a thread, not in a private chat or something

Exactly, and the talk he has come out with of perhaps playing a defensive midfielder at centre-back just shows how desperate they are for defenders.

That will I think cost them, as you really cannot be playing players out of position, in such a crucial area if you wish to achieve success in this league, we tried it with Carrick for a brief period, and that was not a good watch at all!


At least Klopp has sensibly signed a centre-back (Matip), all Pep has done is singed forward players, which was not their problem last season.


The draw I think is I think starting to get smaller, however marginally.
There is no doubt in my mind that Real wanted to sign Pogba, but were simply priced out of a move for him, that has never happened to them before (look at how often they have broken the world record previously), so this will be a shock to their system.

Guardiola will get defenders. Stones will sign this week. Full backs need improving but that's only if the full backs he wants are there to be purchased. If he cant find the right players this window then just have to wait.

City will defend better as a team this year. Collectively they will work a lot harder to get the ball back.

Absolute crap.

lol. Care to fill us all in when the choice to go somewhere else was on the table?

Be happy you have a player you want but please don't spout some unfounded rubbish about how he wouldn't go anywhere else in England.

Why so?

Oh I am very happy indeed with our transfer window, it has been a very, very successful one, and has addressed a fair few areas of concern that we have had in the previous few years.

There is no reason to suggest that he would have gone anywhere else, so why is it unfounded rubbish to suggest it?

We will never know for sure now, but that is my opinion, as I do not think he would have gone anywhere else, and there is not much to suggest otherwise is there?

Your opinion maybe but the words "so it has proven to be true" when by all accounts no other English side submitted a bid doesn't cut it.

He would have come to City or Chelsea like a shot if they had paid the money.

Man united paid Juve the fee that they wanted and Pogba the wages he wanted hence he signs for them.. There's no romantic rekindling of any love affair I'm afraid Batdude

Coin is what matters and 99% of footballers/athletes go where pays the most money. That's just the reality of the situation.

I believe Suarez would only come back to Liverpool but are under no illusion that if someone else offered him a great deal he could take it.

This is all pretty obvious stuff to adults. The only people who find this difficult are those who are a) massively biased one way or another, b) terminally stupid, or c) both of these things.

There are £290,000.000 reasons why he didnt want to go anywhere else, plus the £20,000,000 his agent received from brokering the deal.

He certainly didnt come because of CL football, or to link up with Fellaini

The point is we wouldn't be caring if it was Chelsea that paid the money and signed him up on a 6 year deal, we'd be very happy. I don't think we would be under the illusion that Chelsea was the only team he ever wanted to sign for though!

The fee is £89m, with less than £5m in possible add-ons, according to Juventus.

It's a 5-year contract.

I make that over £800,000 a week in wages, according to your maths.

Or maybe rather than priced out, perhaps they didn't actually think he was worth spending £89 million on.

They definitely wanted him im sure, every club did. but they just didnt think he was worth the £89,000,000 fee or the million a month wages.

I am 100% sure we will see pogba in spain relatively soon.

UEFA released City's CL squad this morning listing John Stones on it.

A full 2 hours before City announce their signing of John Stones for £47.5m. Red faces all round.

Barnsley on for around £9m of that.

Looks like money can buy you Stones after all.