Mahrez to Man City shock

[brucey]

16 minutes ago, Shambles said:

Thank you for answering that question for me. Having seen very little of him over the past season, I wasn’t sure if he had the right attributes to be able to play in the “No.10” role or even be retrained to play in that position given some time and support. Was he deployed in Celtic’s team as a typical European style attacking winger whereby he was instructed to cut inside on to his stronger foot as opposed to a more orthodox, run to the touchline and put a cross in sort of winger? Any insight would be great. Thanks again. 

 

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/leicester-city-want-sign-patrick-1595229

 

What positions/roles can he play and where do you think he is best?

He plays exclusively on the right wing - I’ve never seen him, or heard of him, playing anywhere else. He is especially effective carving inside, as he can score goals with his left foot, even though his right is favoured - he scored a fine goal in this manner for Celtic against Man City in the Champions League at the Etihad last season.

 

What is it about him that has led to Man City valuing him at £15m?

I guess the success he has had at Celtic has inflated his value in Man City’s eyes - that and the fact that the whole market has taken a lurch upwards in the last 12 months. His deal on joining City was worth around £11-12m, and he has been a success at Celtic, more so in his injury-free first 18 months.

 

Why do they seem willing to let him go now?

Despite his success at Celtic, he is not close enough to the level Man City require - they have Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva fighting it out for that role and hope to add another (preferably Mahrez!) to give even more competition. The fact that 18-year-old Brahim Diaz is also emerging as a contender means that there is no opening for Roberts anytime soon.

 

What are his main attributes?

Quick feet, a turn of pace and the ability to go either way - he takes players on and has great dribbling ability, as well as a penchant for attractive goals.

 

What are his weaknesses/areas in need of development?

There have been question marks over his desire and his ability to stand up to the physical side of the game - that was one reason why Celtic was picked as a destination. He may have matured, bu there was a suspicion that he simply did not want it enough when he was at Man City.

 

What is his temperament like? Is he ready to step up at Premier League level?

Of course, he has not really been near Man City for the last two-and-a-half years, so today’s Patrick Roberts is probably very different to the one who first joined the club.

Edited 22 May 2018 by brucey

[KFS]

Mockery 'why Leicester City want to sign Patrick Roberts' and then explain every reason why we wouldn't... fantastic 

[Scotch]

29 minutes ago, Shambles said:

Thank you for answering that question for me. Having seen very little of him over the past season, I wasn’t sure if he had the right attributes to be able to play in the “No.10” role or even be retrained to play in that position given some time and support. Was he deployed in Celtic’s team as a typical European style attacking winger whereby he was instructed to cut inside on to his stronger foot as opposed to a more orthodox, run to the touchline and put a cross in sort of winger? Any insight would be great. Thanks again. 

 

He' left footed and was played on the left so more like an old school winger. He DID cut in quite a bit but usually to create space for Kieran Tierney's overlapping runs. He played very well with Tierney who is a very attacking minded LB because hes not shy in tracking back and covering when necessary. 

 

If I had to describe him, I would put him somewhere between Mahrez and Albrighton in terms of style. His delivery is decent, he has a good work rate and seems to read the game quite well for a youngster but he also likes to take players on and take on the shot when possible. 

 

There is every chance he could be a cracking player, wether he turns out to be..... we'll see I s'pose. 

[Vindaloo FOX]

Patrick Roberts coming here has a Tom Lawrence feel to it. 

 

and i don't like it. 

Edited 22 May 2018 by Vindaloo FOX

[Dan]

Seen a few videos, like the look of him really but hard to say if he'll cut this league. Definitely got a talent about him though. Does have a similar style of play to Mahrez.

[coolhandfox]

The Celtic fan love Paddy Roberts, he's had massive impact on them.

[funkyrobot]

Looks great on you tube but he’s playing for the best club Celtic and the teams he comes up against in that league veer from low end championship to League 2 in stature. Why he was sent up there fcuk knows. Man City probably saw something in him which meant the best way to maximise his value as a makeweight was to put him with a big fish in a little pond. 

[Scotch]

1 hour ago, brucey said:

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/leicester-city-want-sign-patrick-1595229

 

What positions/roles can he play and where do you think he is best?

He plays exclusively on the right wing - I’ve never seen him, or heard of him, playing anywhere else. He is especially effective carving inside, as he can score goals with his left foot, even though his right is favoured - he scored a fine goal in this manner for Celtic against Man City in the Champions League at the Etihad last season.

 

What is it about him that has led to Man City valuing him at £15m?

I guess the success he has had at Celtic has inflated his value in Man City’s eyes - that and the fact that the whole market has taken a lurch upwards in the last 12 months. His deal on joining City was worth around £11-12m, and he has been a success at Celtic, more so in his injury-free first 18 months.

 

Why do they seem willing to let him go now?

Despite his success at Celtic, he is not close enough to the level Man City require - they have Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva fighting it out for that role and hope to add another (preferably Mahrez!) to give even more competition. The fact that 18-year-old Brahim Diaz is also emerging as a contender means that there is no opening for Roberts anytime soon.

 

What are his main attributes?

Quick feet, a turn of pace and the ability to go either way - he takes players on and has great dribbling ability, as well as a penchant for attractive goals.

 

What are his weaknesses/areas in need of development?

There have been question marks over his desire and his ability to stand up to the physical side of the game - that was one reason why Celtic was picked as a destination. He may have matured, bu there was a suspicion that he simply did not want it enough when he was at Man City.

 

What is his temperament like? Is he ready to step up at Premier League level?

Of course, he has not really been near Man City for the last two-and-a-half years, so today’s Patrick Roberts is probably very different to the one who first joined the club.

 

He not only played on the left for Celtic on numerous occasions but he also played up front when Grithiths and Dembele where injured. He DID go to the right when Sinclair was at his best but most certainly wasn' "exclusively right wing"

[Guest]

24 minutes ago, coolhandfox said:

The Celtic fan love Paddy Roberts, he's had massive impact on them.

So did Gary Hooper.

[coolhandfox]

1 minute ago, toddybad said:

So did Gary Hooper.

So did Van Dijk......  

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, coolhandfox said:

So did Van Dijk......  

Ah, I see what you've done there. But unfortunately you're mistaken. 

 

No doubt, a quality player like Gazza, Larsson, Van Dijk etc will have a huge impact on Scotland. But having a huge impact in Scotland does not make you a great player as Rod Wallace and Gary Hooper show.

 

So my Gary Hooper point tells a truth about the fact you can't look to performances in Scotland as any form of litmus test.

 

Your Van Dijk point is sadly pointless.

[coolhandfox]

20 minutes ago, toddybad said:

Ah, I see what you've done there. But unfortunately you're mistaken. 

 

No doubt, a quality player like Gazza, Larsson, Van Dijk etc will have a huge impact on Scotland. But having a huge impact in Scotland does not make you a great player as Rod Wallace and Gary Hooper show.

 

So my Gary Hooper point tells a truth about the fact you can't look to performances in Scotland as any form of litmus test.

 

Your Van Dijk point is sadly pointless.

 

I mentioned nothing of it being a litmus test of Roberts ability, just like Ligue 2 was never a test of Mahrez's or Kante's ability or the North Premier League of Vardy's. 

 

I simply stated he was highly thought of be Celtic fans......

 

So you are simply mistaken.

Edited 22 May 2018 by coolhandfox

[Scotch]

2 minutes ago, coolhandfox said:

 

I mentioned nothing of it being a litmus test of Roberts ability, just like Ligue 2 was never a test of Mahrez or Kante's ability or the North Premier League of Vardy's. 

 

I simply stated he was highly thought of be Celtic fans......

Paddy McCourt was highly thought of by Celtic fans too. For no other reason than he was an Irish gambler who had the same fitness levels as they did and smoked more......

 

Rangers fans loved Vladimir Weiss simply because he loved winding up Celtic fans....

 

Old Firm fans are pretty much the worst example of football fans that there is. Not good for examples, unfortunately. 

[coolhandfox]

3 minutes ago, Foxy_Bear said:

Paddy McCourt was highly thought of by Celtic fans too. For no other reason than he was an Irish gambler who had the same fitness levels as they did and smoked more......

 

Rangers fans loved Vladimir Weiss simply because he loved winding up Celtic fans....

 

Old Firm fans are pretty much the worst example of football fans that there is. Not good for examples, unfortunately. 

People love stereotypes, I'm have some very good friends who are Celtic fans, I also have some very good friends who are Rangers fans! 

 

I tend not to judge people by the team they support, you should try it.

[urban.spaceman]

... Is it just me who's not sure why Man City want Mahrez? 

 

I'd rather one of the big clubs in Europe came in for him.

[Bert]

Classic Foxestalk. Potential new signing slated before he's even signed. 

[Scotch]

13 minutes ago, coolhandfox said:

People love stereotypes, I'm have some very good friends who are Celtic fans, I also have some very good friends who are Rangers fans! 

 

I tend not to judge people by the team they support, you should try it.

You may have good friends that are old firm fans but I'm assuming they are your friends because they are good people. Well, MASSIVE sections of their support are NOT good people. 

 

How do I know This? Well not only am I Scottish and live in Scotland were in constantly surrounded in hatred and bigotry evolving around these two clubs, not only do I see them use the sexual abuse of children and derogatory religious insults on a daily basis but up until the age of 14, I was a season ticket holder at Ibrox. Not only did I see and hear grown men physically and verbally abuse supporters of the opposite team and religion, I sat next to them. I sang the same songs. 

 

...... Then I grew up! Then I realised what I was singing and who I was associated with. Then in 1999/2000 I was taken to my first Leicester game and I realised for the first time that this wasn't normal behaviour. 

 

So Yeah, you may know one or two old firm fans but you know nothing about the culture that surrouds them. You'e not saw mum's refuse to buy their children their teams tops in ase they get jumped or your Catholic pal tuck in his crucifix whilst walking past a rangers club. 

[Bluearmyfox28]

3 minutes ago, Bert said:

Classic Foxestalk. Potential new signing slated before he's even signed. 

There’s a shock!

[VLC86]

6 hours ago, hackneyfox said:

If you seriously think he's better than Pogba then why would you let him go for less?

Salah went for £37m, he’s not as good as him so should we sell for less?

[Old Fox]

24 minutes ago, urban.spaceman said:

... Is it just me who's not sure why Man City want Mahrez? 

 

I'd rather one of the big clubs in Europe came in for him.

Just you ......Riyad is top drawer and any doubters will see it on two counts when he is gone .

 

One - the bloody big hole he will leave behind as he creates so much especially for Vards and at times has two or three covering him.

Two- how good he would be in City’s team - wait till he starts getting quality passes in the last third consistently and breaks at pace with more than one man keeping up......he will be frightening 

 

Kante is the best player to have played and left us in my time (40 years+) but sadly I think Riyad could come very close for different qualities but similar impact

[the fox]

Pep's team is built around creating 1v1s all the time. KDB spamming long balls to Riyad getting him 1v1 with the LB is a mismatch every time down the field. I said it before, The Man City team allows the players to have an inflation in numbers. If Mahrez plays on the regular and keeps away from injuries, I can easily see 15+ goals and 15+ assists next season.

 

He will have a lot less pressure to carry the playmaking of the team which gonna help his off-ball movement a lot. The fast 1-2s is a criminally underutilized aspect of his game, and with players like Silva and KDB, he will have the time of his life.

 

If he goes there, he will finally have players better than him to help make him better. Pep will polish his game. If he can make Raheem that good, i can't imagine how good Riyad would be.

 

Anyways, Paddy has potential and can make for a great CAM/SS in the future. I don't think he has the ability to make a huge impact on this team as a RM if the system is still the same. He will take some time to come good but he can become a very serviceable PL starter

[sylofox]

4 hours ago, murphy said:

Hi

 

Would be interested to hear your views on Mahrez and of Man City fans generally toward him? 

 

Congrats on the title by the way.  I'm just glad that Pep was not around in 15/16!

 

Just check Bluemoon out he has a 100 page thread.

[HankMarvin]

2 hours ago, coolhandfox said:

The Celtic fan love Paddy Roberts, he's had massive impact on them.

so does any player that does well there and there has been a lot, yet flopped in the Top flight 

[murphy]

28 minutes ago, sylofox said:

Just check Bluemoon out he has a 100 page thread.

Well I did just that.  Scrolled through the first four pages and not a peep about Mahrez, got bored and forked off.

 

They can't be that bothered.

[Ian Nacho]

3 hours ago, Vindaloo FOX said:

Patrick Roberts coming here has a Tom Lawrence feel to it. 

 

and i don't like it.