Man City to bid for Rice....

MichaelDebeve

MichaelDebeve

Well-known member
... is a prime example of a big club getting a player off the market, as opposed to wanting the player.

He is never going to displace Rodri (not on last seasons form anyway), and isnt technically good enough to replace Gundogan.

However, he is certainly good enough to beat Phillips to the subs bench in that squad


Expensive tactic - football is nuts.
 
MichaelDebeve said:
... is a prime example of a big club getting a player off the market, as opposed to wanting the player.

He is never going to displace Rodri (not on last seasons form anyway), and isnt technically good enough to replace Gundogan.

However, he is certainly good enough to beat Phillips to the subs bench in that squad


Expensive tactic - football is nuts.
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They're signing Kovacic too.
 
Why would Rice go there then? Surely he wants to play and progress his career, he would of had a talk with Pep if he was going to be a starter
 
Think Phillips is part of the deal to West Ham?

It seems they are losing Silva, and Gundogan so need two midfielders in, but they're not replacing like for like!
 
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Why would Rice go there then? Surely he wants to play and progress his career, he would of had a talk with Pep if he was going to be a starter

Same could be said of Phillips this time last year
 
Man City play with Stones next to Rodri. Rice would take that place and Stones can move back into defence.

Also, Guardiola changes his tactics regularly so he might have something in mind.

Man City sign good players if they can and Rice is a good player. Their recruitment is generally very good Phillips is really an exception for them. He hasn't lived up to what they wanted from him. They don't have many players that have such little impact.

Another fact is that playing semi-regularly for City, winning trophies and getting in the England squad is progress. All this talk of progressing a career doesn't make sense when you are talking about rejecting the pinnacle for a team that might not be able to sustain a title challenge again and could be back out of the top 4 next season.
 
GibbosEmpire said:
Why would Rice go there then? Surely he wants to play and progress his career, he would of had a talk with Pep if he was going to be a starter
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Medals, simple.

Well, that and the £200k week (declared) salary........and the rest bunged offshore through several shell companies.......

🙄
 
Nano said:
Man City play with Stones next to Rodri. Rice would take that place and Stones can move back into defence.

Also, Guardiola changes his tactics regularly so he might have something in mind.

Man City sign good players if they can and Rice is a good player. Their recruitment is generally very good Phillips is really an exception for them. He hasn't lived up to what they wanted from him. They don't have many players that have such little impact.

Another fact is that playing semi-regularly for City, winning trophies and getting in the England squad is progress. All this talk of progressing a career doesn't make sense when you are talking about rejecting the pinnacle for a team that might not be able to sustain a title challenge again and could be back out of the top 4 next season.
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Bloody sick of sensible and well thought out replies.
 
Signing for Man City is arguably the biggest move any player could make right now.

They're the best football team in the world.

Not the biggest club in the world, but arguably the one that can most guarantee you're going to win prestigious trophies.
Barring potentially Real Madrid, there's not a better club to sign for right now.
 
True - but do you do that to sacrifice game time? (potentially)

Everyone's opinion will be different on this.

Doesn't make sense to me.
 
At this moment in time, Rice wouldn't get in Man City's first 11.

Rodri and Stones as the #6's are arguably the best in their position in world football, currently.

However, we've seen how long a season is and how huge the drop off is from Rodri to Phillips, so it wouldn't shock me if Phillips was moved on, to pave the way for Rice to be 2nd behind Rodri, and get minutes.

A big injury to Rodri and that could be huge for City. He's arguably their most important player (even more so than Haaland!) as no one else in that team can do what he does, so effectively.

I think this is all a smokescreen though so West Ham can get what they want, from Arsenal. Arsenal have been front runners for Rice for the last month or so and all the noise has been that Rice wants to stay in London and move to Arsenal.
 
Marvanelli said:
I think this is all a smokescreen though so West Ham can get what they want, from Arsenal. Arsenal have been front runners for Rice for the last month or so and all the noise has been that Rice wants to stay in London and move to Arsenal.
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So Arsenal have been first choice, or top if you would for 240 days, and in the last four weeks Man City are just going to steam past them and sign him?

:unsure:
 
If Rice goes to Man City he'll go backwards like Philips. He has to go to Arsenal, play every game and continue to develop his game. He will play Champions League and most likely compete at the top end of the table again.

His game will thrive alongside Odegaard and those two will make Arsenal contenders again.
 
Nero said:
If Rice goes to Man City he'll go backwards like Philips. He has to go to Arsenal, play every game and continue to develop his game. He will play Champions League and most likely compete at the top end of the table again.

His game will thrive alongside Odegaard and those two will make Arsenal contenders again.
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Arsenal might be back in the Europa League next season. There's no guarantee there will be a repeat of last season. If he can't get into Man City's team then it's because he isn't good enough but I don't think City would buy him if they didn't think he was good enough. They paid £100m for Grealish two years ago and he didn't do much in his first season and wasn't first choice but he improved massively and he's now the 1st choice in the big games.

Phillips didn't go backwards. He wasn't good enough for City when he was at Leeds and he still isn't. He'll go back to a top half PL team with a load of trophies and medals. That's just standing still but he's probably at the peak of his ability. Rice is better than him. If Rice goes to City or Arsenal he will develop in a similar way but one of those teams will guarantee him trophies and the other won't. In one of those teams he could become the best midfielder in the world and the other he won't (reputationaly nobody will say he is the best in the world if he isn't winning major trophies even if he's the same player). He's 24 and played 40+ times for England and is now 1st choice. It's not like he's not going to develop at either club.

I'd say Arsenal is the easy route. It's comfortable, staying in London, no pressure to prove himself or even win anything. He'll be guaranteed games and he'll keep his place in the England team. City is the more ambitious option. Chance to be the best and a far better chance to win trophies.
 
Football is a 25 man game now, Great sides rotate players so ‘game time’ is a thing of the past……if you are good enough.
Just look at Foden - I bet he isn’t hacked off at being at City.

And for those saying Rice will go backwards at City - he will if he doesn’t take his chance to step up.

Chance in a lifetime and well worth a punt by both parties.
 
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Yet another top player let slip by Chelsea.

It is remarkable how many top players Chelsea have let go when they were young and ended up regretting it.

KDB
Salah
Lukaku (then paid obscene amount to get him back)
Rice
Ake

I've no doubt forgot a few as well.
 
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