17 Aug 2026 15:19:16
Man City seeking Bouaddi and Enzo. We're miles away from Arsenal and City with what we have centrally. Miles away. Macca and Grab aren't it by a long way.
17 Aug 2026 15:42:18
Didn't we win the league with those to Ronnie?
Everyone had a very poor season last time under Slot.
So I don't understand all the 'doom & gloom' negativity.
17 Aug 2026 15:50:17
Is Man City midfield really "miles" better than ours?
Man City: Kovacic, Lewis, Anderson, Nico, Foden.
Liverpool: Macca, Szobozlai, Wirtz, Gravenberch, Jones.
Now, Rodri and Bernardo have left, I wouldn’t say there’s much in it, to be honest.
17 Aug 2026 15:45:36
PS: Enzo is a **** bag and Bouaddi, is very good, but to all intents & purposes, has only recently stopped being classed as a child.
17 Aug 2026 15:51:17
I for one am delighted we are not anything like 115fc.
17 Aug 2026 15:57:28
That was 15 months ago, that midfield started to show its shortcomings in the February of the season we won the league, and a combination of those individual shortcomings and complete tactical inadequacies on the part of Slot saw to last season. Not one of our midfielders is competent defensively nor has any physicality, just a bunch of weak, tackle shy soft lads who are easily bullied and played through. To simply say "bUt ThAt MiDfIeLd WoN tHe LeAgUe" is no better than the rubbish spouted before the 20/21 season that we didn't need to replace Lovren (when clearly a 4th choice centre back was needed) or before the 22/23 season when it was clear our midfield needed a refresh and we ended up signing the useless Arthur Melo in desperation, when idiots we're spouting rubbish like "we don't need to sign a midfielder".
It's very clear that we don't have any balance and it's even clearer that we don't have any competent defensively minded midfielders.
17 Aug 2026 16:13:07
Thanks for your most respected opinion, Victor.
I do think the midfield could do with new defensive unit, however, it remains that midfield did win the league.
Which, incidentally, is a statement of fact rather than an opinion.
17 Aug 2026 16:32:38
Well said, VV. Agreed fully. Our midfield requires a couple of top level players if we're to compete and win the big ones. Things change very quickly in football, and those who keep deflecting to the league winning scenario are not cognisant to our current players' shortcomings.
The club may not purchase 2 but they most certainly need to purchase one! We require a couple of proper battlers! That's my opinion anyway.
17 Aug 2026 16:51:42
I watched Arsenal City yesterday and if we are miles behind City we are in trouble because they looked awful. Very weak all over the pitch. Haaland does nothing but score, so it's like having 10 men for most of the game. As for their wide players, glad we missed out on Semenyo who looks half the player he was. Doko, another one that looks a lot better than he is, end product not really part of his game.
As for the midfield, now they are losing Rodri Silva, gone bang average, but hopefully they sign that useless dick from Chelsea for £120m. Only a friendly, but if you ask me, Jacquet and Araujo both look better than Guehi. So I could not disagree anymore. Arsenal, I think wants we finish our business there will not be a great deal in it.
17 Aug 2026 16:54:43
If Jones, Macca, Elliott and Endo go, we need to be signing two MF's if we want any serious hope of winning things.
17 Aug 2026 16:55:44
Shankly, I do think both yourself and the charming Viktor have gone off at some sort of tangent. At no point did I suggest that a new defensive midfielder was not needed.
I merely mentioned that both Mac Allister & Gravenberch were part of a midfield that won the league, when they were unfavourably compared to Bouaddi & Enzo.
I also think that Viktor quoting me thus: "bUt ThAt MiDfIeLd WoN tHe LeAgUe" is both disparaging and disrespectful.
17 Aug 2026 17:16:46
I don't believe that you need take any offence, Clay, regarding any posts here, be it VVs or mine or anyone else's. There just opinions after all. I just happen to agree with VV on what he has said about our midfield situation and I also agree with you regarding the requirements for a proper CM too in order to progress.
So we're all saying the same thing really after all. Keep smiling, keep her lit and enjoy the season ahead. ?
17 Aug 2026 17:53:55
We need 3 players, 2 of them need to be upgrades on Endo and Jones. We are stuffed without that in my opinion. If we got 3 in and somehow got Leoni, Bradley and Ekitike back relatively soon, then we would have a chance of really competing against the Gunners but it's a big wish list and the 3 injured players unlikely to be back soon enough.
?♂️
17 Aug 2026 18:39:27
@Shanks. ?
17 Aug 2026 20:33:54
Who said that we didn't need a fourth centre half in 20/21 and that the midfield didn't need a refresh in 22/23, Vik?
Have you any names or examples, please, mate?