01 Sep 2026 17:17:08
Fernandez a great sale. Never warmed to him. Glad he has gone.
01 Sep 2026 17:59:04
I have to say I agree, Seymns. He looked decent when he first arrived in that terrible Potter season (and at the last World Cup), scored a few goals as well, but for a player whose skill was meant to be attacking midfield, he misplaced a huge number of what looked like fairly simple through-balls on counter attacks over the last few years, and he was slow, slow, slow. I also found his personality annoying, before even getting to the racism.
All that performative chest-beating and pointless aggro, without ever really being strong in the tackle (apart from on Cubarsi!).
Though we look a bit short in midfield now, considering Lavia and James's injury history - City have really screwed us by bidding this late in the window. Perhaps that was the point, which makes me feel they see us as a genuine threat this season.
01 Sep 2026 18:14:24
I think it was City's plan, EdW, and unless we can bring in at least one top quality midfielder to replace him, our midfield - given injury histories you mentioned, plus now the worrying Caicedo one - will struggle to have control in many games.
01 Sep 2026 18:57:15
JBS, there is blame on our side as well for letting it go to the wire. Even if Lavia and Moises stay fit, we are still thin in midfield. I don't want to see James playing there or Gusto (in any position).
01 Sep 2026 19:19:27
I may well be wrong, but I think the deadline day thing was always just noise. As much as I never wanted EF to play for us ever again after his and his agents' comments, and I would have been happy for the club to tell City to swivel, I have to accept that was never practical.
The club didn't want a player who was unhappy staying at the club. My guess is the transfer fee involved will probably be more than the reported £125m.
I can't remember being so happy to see a player leave our club since Lukaku. Good riddance.
01 Sep 2026 19:34:43
Can see where you're coming from, Tom, but as Jimbo says, we look very thin in midfield, and EF's defection could just stop us qualifying for Champions League. But, yes, he and City are now villains in my eyes.
01 Sep 2026 20:26:37
JBS, re-taking Fernandez wasn't the answer. In my opinion, keeping an unhappy player is just too risky. If he made a mistake, fingers would have been pointed at him and the club.
We are light on midfielders, but, in my opinion, we are better off being short of a player than keeping a player who doesn't want to play for the club, as a preference.