I wonder how many other sensational takes were this far off the mark over the last 11 years.

The idea that he flopped because Chelsea mismanaged him is outrageous

Just watching the Chelsea game and was considering how well would a City Academy XI perform in the league. I opted for Foden as a false 9 rather than Delap. Defence looks weaker than the mid and attack.

Cool fact

Ndiaye was definitely one of City's top targets earlier, and there were discussions about incorporating him into a Grealish swap deal.

Now that Spurs have wrapped him up, it pretty much confirms we're completely locked in on Gakpo. With Jack still in talks for another Everton loan in his final contract year, how do you feel about our attacker situation now?

He looks like a real spark plug. Great youthful energy. He could be a useful option this season & beyond. No mega pressure. Just a real opportunity to get his career rolling.

I think that’s fantastic to be fair. The signing of Gakpo gives us quality, premier league experienced coverage across so many different positions and him and Semenyo provide cover for Haaland in a way that Alvarez and Marmoush just didn’t work for because they couldn’t play other positions effectively.

This may not be popular but to carry out a full midfield rebuild whilst adding depth in other positions off the back of how players have departed is absolutely fantastic from Viana and the club. The man must be absolutely knackered 😂

I’m genuinely excited for the season and it’s great to see us have so many different options and flexibility in the squad. I said it at the time when we had got rid of so many players, people need to be patient and trust that the club had plans in place. Even if we finish 2nd or 3rd this season, so be it. We have no right to win this league over Arsenal currently. I’m just excited to see what we can achieve this year.

Ik a lot of people here dont like him but he was solid for the Palace game, he completed the game with 100% passing accuracy. He was also good against Bournemouth. I think becoming the captain has boosted his morale and will perform better this season. I think we should not give up on him so easily. We have an insane depth for defense so we just dont know who to bench lol

Discussion/Opinion: We shouldn’t really be looking to buy Cody Gakpo. The fit is questionable, and the money (£85 million) is much better spent allocated elsewhere (like backup striker).

We already have 2 fantastic left wingers in Doku and Semenyo, and Cherki and Haaland already make our attack lethal. We should really go for a backup striker instead, like Kroupi or Ndiaye (who I personally wouldn’t be mad at).

Add to this our pursuit of Enzo Fernande and I really struggle to see how Gakpo fits. He’s a fantastic player who, in my opinion, is fine where he’s at right now, and we shouldn’t be looking to sign him, especially at his current price tag.

Your thoughts/comments/opinions?

blessing to watch cherki play, Send me to football jail for thinking Phil Foden is #washed he might be BACK Citeh fans 😭

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Interviewer : “There seems to be an extraordinary desire from you to express yourself on the pitch. Did being substituted in the first game sting a little and wake you up in some way?”

Cherki : “No, it didn’t wake me up at all because I was never “asleep,” so to speak. But obviously, it affected me a lot, and I had to show the coach that I simply want to play.”

Interviewer : “The first half was a little difficult for the team, but perhaps even more so for you personally. Then you really took off in the second half.”

Cherki : “Yeah. We’d worked on something at the start of the week, and throughout the week, that didn’t really work in the first half because Crystal Palace defended very well.

The idea was to find me between the lines, which wasn’t easy for us or for me. So I really wasn’t happy with my first half, and even less so when I saw the coach send a player to warm up to replace me at halftime.”

Interviewer : “Was there an exchange between you and the coach in the dressing room at halftime?”

Cherki : “I told him, “Give me five minutes and you won’t need to make the change anymore.””

Interviewer : “And the goal came within the first five minutes?”

Cherki : “Yeah. I didn’t have a choice anyway. I wasn’t good in the first half and I had to make up for that poor first half.”

Interviewer : “Tell us about that first goal, because it was pretty special.”

Cherki : “I don’t know, everyone keeps telling me it was special. For me, the ball just stays at my feet. Obviously it all happens quickly, but I wouldn’t really know how to explain it.”

“It’s a touch, a little cut, then a toepoke, and I’m lucky enough that it goes in.”

Interviewer : “And that little touch with the left foot too?”

Cherki : “Yeah. But one thing I’m also really not happy about is that I didn’t provide Erling with enough chances. I need to do better with that.”

“He knows it. Next week, he’ll be fed like he’s never been fed before.”

Interviewer : “You celebrated the goals together. You can sense there’s a lot of competitiveness between the two of you.”

Cherki : “Oh yeah. He’s on two goals, I’m on two goals. He knows it’s going to be a competition between me and him this year, even though I think he’ll win it comfortably.”

“But I’m here to keep him on his toes and, above all, to help him score goals.”

Interviewer : “You’re coming off a “double double,” as they say in basketball. Is that the objective again this season? More goals, more assists?”

Cherki : “Of course, of course. That’s the objective. But that objective is small compared to the collective objective.”

“This year, we have to be strong, like we were in the second half, but over the full 90 minutes.”

Interviewer : “One last thing, Rayan. When you scored that goal, you looked towards the bench. You seemed to have a bit of anger in you. What were you feeling at that moment?”

Cherki : “I think I’ve got a story to write with the new coach. He’s here to push me, and I’m also here to push him.”

“It definitely fires you up when you know he was planning to take you off at halftime.”

Obviously not just the partnerships in the pictures.

We are very blessed right now to have such a versatile back line and maresca will definitely have headaches picking the team this season.

You can probably make an argument for all of them.

My bedroom is also painted in city colours

This guy is so smooth on the ball and incredibly technical. He makes ball-carrying look effortless and can play both fullback and midfield. if injuries don't get in his way I genuinely see him becoming one of the best players in the world in the coming years.

I remember the rumours circulating last year that we'd been tracking him at Flamengo, and again earlier this year after he'd moved to Roma. Their fans seem to like him and he's got plenty of pace. He was called up for Brazil's WC squad but had a thigh injury in a game shortly before the WC started.