I think he should be a great fit. The way I see it, the main thing for us is to fill out the attack with players who complement Isak and Wirtz. I think Munoz looks like a player who does that, and I think Barcola does as well. He can stretch the pitch, get on the end of through balls, create his own shot, set up others.
Hopefully we get it done in the end. I’m not sure what to expect, in terms of how quickly it gets sorted after PSG finalize the signings of Torres and Godts. Seems it’s about getting the fee down to where we want it.
I’ve said in another thread that I’d rather we sign a player in the £60-80 million range who we know will fit the system (I mentioned Minteh at the time as an example), and then use the remaining money to improve depth at center forward, right back, center midfield, or another area of need, rather than spending huge money on Barcola.
That said, I do think Barcola is a heck of a talent, and I ultimately think this gets done. If he comes, I’ll be excited about it because he brings real quality. He scores goals (and has consistently outperformed his xG throughout his career), gets off a ton of shots, and creates chances for others. He’s a proper threat and has worked in a high-press system under Enrique, which should translate well under Iraola.
We’ve left this really late, but I understand it if it helps bring the price down.
This feels like a season that may be rough at the start but one that we grow into. If we can grind out a few early wins, I have high hopes for the season.
Lack of depth is still a big concern (we’re fucked if Isak gets hurt or we lose a defender right now), but if we have some luck in those areas, I think we could challenge
Pre-season signs have been good, though. 3 goals between them in 90 minutes of play and some good interplay as well. I think Wirtz, in particular, is going to have a great season. Barcola is also used to interchanging positions, as he does this regularly with PSG. That could be good for both Wirtz and Isak, as both like to drift into wide areas at times.
I think Barcola is one of the top 3 wide players we could sign and maybe even top 1. He´s probably the only one out there that has had more than 1 good season.
If we sign him we might overpay, but we will be getting a very good player still about to enter his best years.
Just a query about the flight trackers, would it not be a case of the plane flight being sent to white city airport first? As hughes apparently is based south coast?
He’s in the last year of his contract and they’ll owe Man City €8 if they renew him, he’ll also be worth f*ck all at the end of any contract. Good for PSG though as he was really productive this past season.
He´s basically a failed winger they ended up using centrally because they had no options and he lacks a bit of pace.
Good move to get him off the books. Had a decent enough season - you´re always likely to score as CF for Barca - but I think they know he´s not good enough to be the main man they want.
Thing is the minority stake doesn’t flush the club with cash but it does allow the club to spend that money without concern as they have several millions to play with due to our setup anyhow. Think it was still around £200m last summer even after those guys.
Barcola looks likely now, I think if we do another winger then it will be down to Gakpo. Jones may force our hand on more reinforcements but we will see.
Even his time at City it was difficult to describe him as a central striker. he got there at the end of the Aguero era where they had started to drift into false 9 sort of role that was often filled by Jesus, but often by someone else you would normally think of as a winger (Raheem and Mahrez). So he played there a bit but also in other attacking roles, but critically even when he was “through the middle” it wasnt as a “striker” anyway.
He was young there so it’s perfectly normal to think in the time since he evolved into a player with a more clear role in the side. That may well be how sides view him moving forward, but I agree with you that he gravitated to that at Barca not because it was his role, but because they were short on alternatives and decently strong where he had played most of his football before.
