Man City's Crisis Could Be Barcelona's Opportunity
Manchester City has been found guilty of over 100+ charges, and while no sanctions have come down yet, Barcelona and other clubs must be circling. Which player would you try to sign if Barcelona could? 0:00 Manchester City Charges 0:49 Erling Haaland 3:13 Josko Gvardiol 5:31 Nico O'Reilly 7:21 Cavan Sullivan 🎧 Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you listen. 💬 Comment with your favorite goal from the match and a nickname for podcast supporters 🔔 Subscribe for more Barcelona breakdowns every matchday Listen to the full podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast ... 📲 Join the BigUp Watchalongs every matchday + play our free fantasy lineup game! 🔵🔴 Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Patreon for ad-free episodes. BlueWireVideo
Transcript
What if Manchester City's biggest crisis were to become Barcelona's biggest transfer opportunity? Per the Premier League, Manchester City has been found guilty on all 115 charges. I have seen 114 as well, but I'm going to say here total 115 charges for financial issues, but sanctions haven't been decided just yet. And they do have the option of appealing. So, let's not count our chickens before they hatch. That said, depending on what happens next, the entire future of their squad could very much change in the next few seasons. And Barcelona along with all the other big giants who could potentially afford those wages. So maybe not that many teams, but at least Barcelona are watching very very closely as to what happens next. For me, I'd say there are four city players in particular who I think Barcelona need to be looking to grab. No preamble today. We're diving right in because Erland Holland waits for no man. You know that Erland Holland in terms of these four players, I'm calling him the dream and he's the one player on this list that I think needs no introduction, needs no breakdown. You know who Erland Holland is and he's an obvious one, too. His contract to City is through 2034 and reports are that there is no automatic relegation related release clause. He also makes 27.3 million plus 18.2 million in bonuses. That equals 45.5 mil per season for eight more years. That's kind of the bad news that Erland Holland is the kind of player that absolutely destroys your wage bill. And in Spain, not in the Premier League, but in Spain FFP, I don't even know if this is financially and fiscally possible, let alone responsible, but possible for RC Barcelona to bring in Arland Holland. There is also no player that would be more affected by these sanctions though. So I wonder if he would have to restructure his contract or what might happen with that. So again, I really don't know what happens next. And that all starts with Holland. He was always going to be a dream for Barcelona, but unfortunately now I'm kind of bringing you on the hook here. He was always a dream. He was always not going to happen. As much as his name was floated out there, including by me, I'm so sorry, but he was always never going to happen. But now with these sanctions, I think there is just unfortunately a tiny sliver of hope. And why would Barcelona want him? I'm asking that for everybody, even though most of us already know the answer, but in case you don't, he is the elite number nine in world football. Mbappe and Harry Kane are probably the other two, but that's not actually Mbappé's best position, and Kane is 33, but he still is going to be awesome for a bit. He might even win the Ballindor over Lamin. I think he's the favorite as of this week. So with Holland and Lamin though I think Barcelona it's not just me I think most of us would admit they would have them the best goal creator not named Messi and the best goal finisher flat full stop in world football also the massive commercial appeal and upside for Erland Holland will definitely keep the money flowing alongside Lammani Maul and the other stars from Barcelona but as I quiet the inner nerd in myself I'll say that Erin Holland that's the kind of guy that if he's available you go and get him and you worry about the rest of it and you almost restructure your squad in the subsequent months and years or whatever afterwards because you make that happen. Our second player is Jasco Gavardial and I would call him here the realistic fit and the real argument here comes whether or not Barcelona are set at left back. Obviously at left center back I think he would be a huge upgrade but the fact that he plays left back for both Man City and for the Croatia national team it feels like he is just a left back. And this does feel like a very similar case of a Kundai where now Kundai also plays right back for France because that's where he plays for club. And if Gavardio like Kundai would have make the permanent switch at club level where that means that they would be switching for international level as well. If he's a left back I'm a little more cautious to say this would be a realistic 10 of 10 go get him. But if there's a belief with the Barca scouting department that that guy's going to come in and be your left center back starter from day one who can also play at left back then he is an immediate go get him. He might even be an immediate go get him even without this Man City sanctions. But the fact that the sanctions might be coming into play definitely he's the one guy that you got to go get as a realistic fit for Hanzi Flick system. He's really everything I feel like Bars want to need at the moment. He is a left- footed center back. He can play at center back and left back. He's comfortable building up out of the back. He's physical. He's still just 24 and entering his prime. and he's already quite experienced at the top level, including a man of the match showing at the 2022 World Cup when he was still a really young player in the third place game when the lights were brightest. He's been there before. He's done it and he's more than ready to take in a huge responsibility at Barcelona. His wages as well of 17.6 per year is about fair if he is your starting left center back and you're getting him from Man City. So, wage wise doesn't actually break the bank too much. He actually makes le he actually makes less than he actually makes just slightly less than kundai this year. And just last week I did a whole conversation. I talked about Kaliba which enough people yelled at me. You're right is actually naturally right footed but he's very very good on the left. And yet there are other places where I say that he's actually left footed and he's just really good with his right. So I don't know maybe His Gribba needs to tell us but we at this point I'll say yeah it was on me. He's right footed just very very good with his left. But for Gardio, that's a left-footed guy and you can go back to watch that video and just kind of say, well, what if this problem is completely answered with Gardio? Because that's what he would be the answer. Our third player is Nico O'Reilly, and I'm going to call him the luxury fit. I do wish, and this is going to be sounding crazy, but I do wish that Nico O'Reilly was right footed. With the left back market being so shallow, I still think he would be the perfect right back fit at Barcelona, but alas, he is left footed. That said, this guy named Shavei Spar, you could just move him over to right back and keep Nico Riley at left back and it actually just works and it inverses it. So, I've kind of already talked myself out of that. [laughter] But for Barcelona's sake, if they're getting rid of a player, which it looks like they're going to in Alejandro Balde that has been Barca through and through, it's not a bad idea to go after a player Nico Riley who is Manchester born and Man City through and through. But as far as what he is capable of, I think whether on the left side with moving Shave Spar over to the right side or in a hypothetical universe if he was right footed, which he's not, I think he'd still be a perfect stylistic fit for Hanzu Flick system. He makes 4 mil per year because he's academy player for Man City awaiting on a contract extension, which at this point may now never come. So Barca could easily just offer him a pay raise that I think would be a simple piece of business. He's 6'4 or 1.93 meters with terrific closing speed. He's also really comfortable inverting and under overlapping. That's why they also say that he's kind of the pseudo defensive midfielder/pivot because he's under Pep Gordiola in the past been so comfortable moving into that spot. He isn't the best defender, but because he's just 21 years old as Lamini Maul against England kind of showed you that he's not completely ready for that kind of level. He is still I said 21. So it is not really fair to call him a finished product and he could very much improve here. So if you're going to move Shavepar over to right back and add him to left back if you're going to ship out Alejandra Balde and Canelo not getting any younger. So the question I'll ask you is would you take Nico O'Reilly at FC Barcelona? Our fourth player and I know I'm going to come off as a homer but I'm going to try to convince you here shortly that I'm not just being a homer. This is actually a realistic possibility in Calvin Sullivan and I'm going to call him the wild card. The American teenager signed a pre-aggreement with Manchester City for joining them when he turns 18 in just about one year. He just turned 17 earlier this week. But all this uncertainty has other clubs in the mix now and that has been widely reported to be accurate. Reports are that Barcelona and Real Madrid plus PSG have made inquiries about his situation. With those possible sanctions, I think that he is most likely of this list at all to have his situation change. But of course, the answer you're going to ask me, I know, do Barcelona need another attacking midfielder? Dan, you're being greedy. I know I'm being a bit greedy because I've also been on the hype train for Gibberto Mora out of Tijana. I did that months ago and I continue to say I'm sorry, Danny Almo. He's a very good player in his prime. And for Spanish national team's sake and being a Catalin born player, I can't see him leaving. But for Danny Almo, if Bayern Munich wants you and comes with a huge huge number, then maybe very much like when he was a youngster with Damo Zagreb, Danny Almo will be willing to take on a new challenge. And Barcelona, I think for the future, look for a spot for a combination of whichever of Gabberto Moro or Cavan Sullivan wants to come. Plus, Ibraim Kumar is in the mix as well. And what have I also said? If you're going to win the Champions League, if you're going to do things like that, and with the number 10 position in Honda flick system, especially being required to press as much as it is, you're going to need depth at that position. So, having a number of young players all at the same time competing for minutes and pushing for a spot and getting those opportunities, that's all good stuff. Also, still adding Fermy Lopez, as he's not going anywhere, to the mix there. I know that's too many players, but I just indulge me here for a moment on individual talent because I don't just say this about every player. I watch more than most of Calvin Sullivan through MLS and Gottomoro through Lameky's and Ibraimment Tukara through the academy and those are three guys maybe the three attacking midfielders under the age of 18 who in world football I absolutely rubber stamp they are going to be can't miss prospects. I very rarely put my neck out, but for those three, I'm putting my neck out because they are just can't miss dudes. Calvin Sullivan, maybe even more so than Mora and Dukara. Sullivan in MLS, and you could disparage the league that MLS is, but already in MLS, Calvin Sullivan is looking like an absolute star. Something that he will not have to do at that same level with Barcelona or a team like that in Europe. This season he has done everything though for the Philadelphia Union. Scoring goals, creating goals and every single match he has that one or two moments where his impact is felt which is what you know when I talk about young attacking talents is kind of my marker. Can you leave an impact in a positive way at least once in every single match? That is something that Lamini Maul who is the best young talent in world football. That is something that Lamini Maul does. And those young special special players find a way that even when they're having off games have those one or two moments where you go, "Wow, if that had been on or if that happened, then this game flipped on its head because of that one dude doing one thing for like seven seconds in this game." And Calvin Sullivan, I believe, is that kind of talent. As we wrap it up, here's the other big big question, and that is what is actually going to happen to City and how soon will any punishments come down? Possible consequences could be financial penalties, points deductions, transfer restrictions, or other penalties, but with city appealing, it could still be a bit before any punishments actually come down to affect the players that we just mentioned. That's a bit of the bummer, but as you know, hope is currency when it comes to world football. So, I will ask you if you have to pick one and just one of the four players I named and maybe even give me another Man City player. I wouldn't think, you know, if you're a big fan of Enzo Fernandez, but boy is he going to be expensive. I don't want to put water on that either way. So, one Man City player, let me know who's it going to be. Who would you like to see at FC Barcelona? Until I talk to you next time. Still got stuff going on in an international break. Subscribe to the YouTube channel. All that good stuff on the podcast apps on Patreon. I've got exclusive content over there for the month about history lesson that you're going to want to see. And until next time, where's the bar?