Man City to bid for Rice....

Nano said:
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.
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Arsenal are in the Champions League next season, not Europa League, and although it will be difficult to win the league, they'll be up there again.
 
Nano said:
I'd say Arsenal is the easy route.
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Hardly easy trying to compete with the petrodollar no expense spared Man City. Arsenal are pushing hard have recruited excellently in the last couple of seasons.

Besides, it's almost accepted that Guardiola will move on soon. With De Bruyne getting on there is no guarantee Man City will remain the team they are.
 
I don't get why people make these bold assertions about how much someone definitively will or won't play. If City are willing to part with that much money for him, of course he'd play.

is a prime example of a big club getting a player off the market, as opposed to wanting the player.
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Just saying stuff like this so confidently is wild to me. Since when has this been City's M.O? Especially under Guardiola. And it's not like they're scared of making Arsenal stronger considering they sold Zinchenko and Jesus to them last season.

Guardiola's success rate at City in the transfer market is pretty top tier, and there's basically no waste there other than players like Nolito, Danilo, and, so far, Kalvin Phillips, and there's certainly no history of signing players just so others can't.

They should try and include Phillips as part of the deal really, surely favours all parties. West Ham get a replacement that's probably suitable for them, Phillips gets to play, Rice gets a big move, City get rid of Phillip and pay slightly less for Rice.
 
Nero said:
Rice would compete with Rodri. I doubt Guardiola is about to adopt a double pivot like England have done with Rice and Philips either.
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Absolutely - no chance they will sacrifice what Gundogan brought to the team for a more defensive player like Rice.
 
Jonathan said:
I don't get why people make these bold assertions about how much someone definitively will or won't play. If City are willing to part with that much money for him, of course he'd play.



Just saying stuff like this so confidently is wild to me. Since when has this been City's M.O? Especially under Guardiola. And it's not like they're scared of making Arsenal stronger considering they sold Zinchenko and Jesus to them last season.

Guardiola's success rate at City in the transfer market is pretty top tier, and there's basically no waste there other than players like Nolito, Danilo, and, so far, Kalvin Phillips, and there's certainly no history of signing players just so others can't.

They should try and include Phillips as part of the deal really, surely favours all parties. West Ham get a replacement that's probably suitable for them, Phillips gets to play, Rice gets a big move, City get rid of Phillip and pay slightly less for Rice.
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What can I say, I am a wildly confident man.
 
Marvanelli said:
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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If Chelsea hadn't spent one penny on transfers in the last ten years, but simply kept the players they had in 2013 , there current team would be about a million times better.....and saved about a billion pounds.
Cortoius
James
Ake
Tomori
Christensen
Rice
De Bruyne
Mount
Salah
Hudson Odoi
Abraham
 
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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Stones has been good there though, that might just be his new position and City have enough good CB's.

I was going to say they might sell Rodri, as I thought he was old, but he's only 27 :LOL:

Phillips will be out the door at City though, and good for West Ham if they can get cash for Rice, and get Phillips in return, who they otherwise would have no chance of getting.
 
uncle_rico said:
Arsenal are in the Champions League next season, not Europa League, and although it will be difficult to win the league, they'll be up there again.
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I know, which is why I said might. It could be a one season thing. This is the 1st season since 15/16 where they've qualified for the CL though. It wouldn't be unfathomable that they miss out next season. You'd expect Liverpool to be stronger, Newcastle have a £1trn to spend, Utd, Chelsea and even Spurs could be up there again. Brighton and Villa are pushing on etc. Other than City I'd say there is no guarantee who else will qualify for the CL next season.

Nero said:
Hardly easy trying to compete with the petrodollar no expense spared Man City. Arsenal are pushing hard have recruited excellently in the last couple of seasons.

Besides, it's almost accepted that Guardiola will move on soon. With De Bruyne getting on there is no guarantee Man City will remain the team they are.
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I didn't say it is easy to succeed with Arsenal. Quite the opposite. I said Arsenal is the easy route for him because it'll get him the exposure of being at a big club without the pressure of having to win. If Arsenal don't win a trophy in the next 5 years it wouldn't be a massive shock.
 
I fancy Arsenal next season.. with the right players (Mbappe) they might just make it.

Chelsea are in the bin.

Man Utd and Liverpool are wasters.

Newcastle.. shyte.. they’re gonna be stronger.. like they have a plan. Neves will be great for them.
 
Nano said:
I know, which is why I said might. It could be a one season thing. This is the 1st season since 15/16 where they've qualified for the CL though. It wouldn't be unfathomable that they miss out next season. You'd expect Liverpool to be stronger, Newcastle have a £1trn to spend, Utd, Chelsea and even Spurs could be up there again. Brighton and Villa are pushing on etc. Other than City I'd say there is no guarantee who else will qualify for the CL next season.


I didn't say it is easy to succeed with Arsenal. Quite the opposite. I said Arsenal is the easy route for him because it'll get him the exposure of being at a big club without the pressure of having to win. If Arsenal don't win a trophy in the next 5 years it wouldn't be a massive shock.
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I do get the point you're making, but going to Man City right now is the easier option. A team guaranteed to dominate games and win at least one trophy in each of the next two seasons. Or go to Arsenal and aim to break the hold Man City have, while playing in the same team as Odegaard, Saka, Jesus and Co.

Rice might take the view of Bellingham and think the whole Man City super club project isn't for him. Who knows.
 
Nero said:
playing in the same team as Odegaard, Saka, Jesus and Co.
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Rather than Haaland & KDB, alongside his England team mates Grealish, Foden, Stones maybe Walker if he's still there?

I think the only real pull Arsenal have are they're in London, and he's quite involved in some youth football thing with his dad isn't he? And obviously he's guaranteed more game time you'd think. For money, trophies quality of team mates it's got to be City?

If he backs himself as one of the best, who can grow under one of the best managers in the world, he's got to push for City surely?
 
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