Michael Kayode

[Ken_Hom's_Wok]

Hugely enjoying the football so far this January but not the transfer window associated rumour mill:

Man City lead race to sign Brentford right-back Michael Kayode

‘Maintained a longstanding admiration for the player’ is a new one. Hilarious to see Newcastle and of course Tottenham in there too.

 

[djheavens]

Hugely enjoying the football so far this January but not the transfer window associated rumour mill:

Man City lead race to sign Brentford right-back Michael Kayode

£35 million? Seriously? They can F**king do one

 

[Beelated]

Michael came on yesterday against Sheffield Wednesday on the 89th minute and got the BBC’s MOM.

I wasn’t at the game yesterday, so I’m assuming that either he performed spectacularly well in the few minutes he was on the pitch…

…or is it that he has now achieved a large fan base of fans from other clubs keen on getting him noticed to try and voting to try and influence their clubs to buy him?

Or maybe it could be a very small pool of voters, perhaps?

Nonetheless, a very peculiar result.

 

[TOXIC BEE]

Michael came on yesterday against Sheffield Wednesday on the 89th minute and got the BBC’s MOM.

I wasn’t at the game yesterday, so I’m assuming that either he performed spectacularly well in the few minutes he was on the pitch…

…or is it that he has now achieved a large fan base of fans from other clubs keen on getting him noticed to try and voting to try and influence their clubs to buy him?

Or maybe it could be a very small pool of voters, perhaps?

Nonetheless, a very peculiar result.

He did have one amazing run right at the end that led to an offside goal for Romelle, but definitely not enough for MOTM

 

[alikat]

£35 million? Seriously? They can F**king do one

No, the article actually mentions 35 million EUROS (currently approximately £ 30,400,000!).

 

[Gee Bee]

‘Maintained a longstanding admiration for the player’ is a new one. Hilarious to see Newcastle and of course Tottenham in there too.

Not surprised at Newcastle as it looks like Livermento might be poached too

 

[A Real Mysteron]

‘Maintained a longstanding admiration for the player’ is a new one. Hilarious to see Newcastle and of course Tottenham in there too.

Is the new “closely monitoring”?

I think these football gossip people are bigger parasites than agents.

 

[kaebess]

I’m sure that I heard or read somewhere from Phil Giles, that we monitor about 10,000 players at any given time.. Constantly looking for changes improvements in their matrixes. Then he went on to say yes there is a prioritised list of anything up to about a possible 200 players but still everyone is monitoring everyone else, all the time.

It’s about reading and seeing these changes improvements in all this that makes all the difference.

Just lazy reporting in my mind re MK

 

[Cobbett]

View: https://x.com/footballplace_/status/2011812702654452084?s=48&t=wta3iUGteHh2gAVgTDZE-A


Clickbait crap I hope. (Which I realise I'm only feeding if so.) I do fear we'll struggle to keep him in the summer though. Really special player.

 

[TOXIC BEE]

View: https://x.com/footballplace_/status/2011812702654452084?s=48&t=wta3iUGteHh2gAVgTDZE-A


Clickbait crap I hope. (Which I realise I'm only feeding if so.) I do fear we'll struggle to keep him in the summer though. Really special player.

The article is just someone from his camp saying he’s very happy here and a return to Italy is not being considered at all

 

[Untouchable]

I do fear we'll struggle to keep him in the summer though. Really special player

He won’t be leaving in the summer. 5 years still on his contract and the list of clubs that could afford what we’d want would be very small.

 

[JANORAK]

View: https://x.com/footballplace_/status/2011812702654452084?s=48&t=wta3iUGteHh2gAVgTDZE-A


Clickbait crap I hope. (Which I realise I'm only feeding if so.) I do fear we'll struggle to keep him in the summer though. Really special player.

Unfortunately, I now have a mental picture of Michael backing up Semenyo on Citeh’s right side…

 

[Cobbett]

I love him. I remember in the pre-season at QPR, after about ten minutes people were looking at each other and mouthing 'wtf?', he was so obviously special. It's not just those marauding diagonal runs - "he's off again! where's he going now?!" - he's just so good at getting his body into the right shapes to block and defend, has excellent anticipation, and a 95-minute engine.

 

[badgerbee]

I love him. I remember in the pre-season at QPR, after about ten minutes people were looking at each other and mouthing 'wtf?', he was so obviously special. It's not just those marauding diagonal runs - "he's off again! where's he going now?!" - he's just so good at getting his body into the right shapes to block and defend, has excellent anticipation, and a 95-minute engine.

Had they really not noticed that about him in the games he played at the end of last season like the rest of us then....??

 

[cliffbee]

Michael came on yesterday against Sheffield Wednesday on the 89th minute and got the BBC’s MOM.

I wasn’t at the game yesterday, so I’m assuming that either he performed spectacularly well in the few minutes he was on the pitch…

…or is it that he has now achieved a large fan base of fans from other clubs keen on getting him noticed to try and voting to try and influence their clubs to buy him?

Or maybe it could be a very small pool of voters, perhaps?

Nonetheless, a very peculiar result.

This happens all the time with BBC Sport MOTM. Meaningless. When a team wins and someone comes on as a late sub, they're always at or near the top of the voting. The exact same thing happens in reverse when a team suffers a bad loss.
The results of the BBC poll in our games are always hilariously off the mark, whereas the GPG poll is always completely on the money as it's serious fans who watch the whole match. It's Wisdom of the Crowd theory in action. I'm pleased to say it's very rare for my MOTM choice to be different to the GPG choice.

 

[Cobbett]

Had they really not noticed that about him in the games he played at the end of last season like the rest of us then....??

(Yes sorry. I dippily relocated his debut games.)

 

[detours]

Love the guy, but that defending for the 2nd Forest goal was pretty bad.

Sepp's error originally, but Kayode does really well to sprint back to cover then goes for the sliding block... and just slides right past him. If he stays on his feet he's in the right place to make the tackle.

Not that it affected the result, but it looked horrendous.

 

[Isleworth_Bee]

Love the guy, but that defending for the 2nd Forest goal was pretty bad.

Sepp's error originally, but Kayode does really well to sprint back to cover then goes for the sliding block... and just slides right past him. If he stays on his feet he's in the right place to make the tackle.

Not that it affected the result, but it looked horrendous.

Was a dreadful piece kf defending.

 

[mundee4england]

Love the guy, but that defending for the 2nd Forest goal was pretty bad.

Sepp's error originally, but Kayode does really well to sprint back to cover then goes for the sliding block... and just slides right past him. If he stays on his feet he's in the right place to make the tackle.

Not that it affected the result, but it looked horrendous.

Yep, did the hard work then had a head rush. He’d been all over the pitch in the minutes before so was probably f**ked. Part of his learning!

 

[Sunbury Bee]

Yep Sep takes a lot of the blame for the 2nd goal but was was MK doing?

 

[Balders Bee]

Yep Sep takes a lot of the blame for the 2nd goal but was was MK doing?

At the speed at which Kayode was travelling I think he entered a fifth dimension as it certainly didn't look like he was in this one as he slid in to tackle an invisible Awoniyi....

 

[jlove]

The question is: who was supposed to to be the last man defending? It seemed to me at the time, as Awoniyi broke forward, there was no-one actually ‘holding the fort’ which is normally Henry’s role.

 

[stomalomalus]

The thing is, this guy is 21. His final delivery is sometimes not quite there. He makes some mistakes. BUT...

I have never seen a player so utterly unfazed in duels. He just wins every one of them. He has telescopic legs that just nick in, and he has the agility and acceleration to then somehow run away with the ball. And then he has the composure to simply lay off the pass.

Yes, he got caught offside stupidly. Yes, he's got a mistake in him. But he's 21 and the levels he is showing right now...bloody hell, he's going to be the best RB in the world, ffs!

At Brentford!

 

[Bumbling fool]

The thing is, this guy is 21. His final delivery is sometimes not quite there. He makes some mistakes. BUT...

I have never seen a player so utterly unfazed in duels. He just wins every one of them. He has telescopic legs that just nick in, and he has the agility and acceleration to then somehow run away with the ball. And then he has the composure to simply lay off the pass.

Yes, he got caught offside stupidly. Yes, he's got a mistake in him. But he's 21 and the levels he is showing right now...bloody hell, he's going to be the best RB in the world, ffs!

At Brentford!

He's so good at duels that he "dribbles" people by just driving the ball straight at their feet then nicking it off them again, which somehow works consistently! Big part of why he's accused of playing "ugly" footballer and not being technical, but I think it's got a sort of drunken wushu quality about it where he looks like he's scrambling around and getting lucky using his strength but it's actually extremely technical, which I think lulls defenders into a false sense of security or they just generally don't know how to deal with it

 

[Ashford Bees]

Love this fella. Bees legend already and only 21 ! Wait until he starts adding goals !

 

[Garybaldbee]

Is it my imagination or are we using his long throws more selectively now? It seems as though he's being going short quite often in the last few weeks.

 

[Ashford Bees]

Is it my imagination or are we using his long throws more selectively now? It seems as though he's being going short quite often in the last few weeks.

Love the chaos this fella causes

 

[Untouchable]

It seems as though he's being going short quite often in the last few weeks.

I thought this against Villa at the weekend.

 

[BuzzingBee95]

Is it my imagination or are we using his long throws more selectively now? It seems as though he's being going short quite often in the last few weeks.

I suppose you’re always working towards variety of attack. And so playing a short throw when they’ve set up to defend a long may open up room

 

[brentford born & bred]

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/IIAWXIzf4aU?si=Xq9PaJ5X_5NiLTg9

 

[nick logan]

Is it my imagination or are we using his long throws more selectively now? It seems as though he's being going short quite often in the last few weeks.

Yeah more short than long now . Typical Brentford , move on while people are still crying about it

 

[JANORAK]

I suppose you’re always working towards variety of attack. And so playing a short throw when they’ve set up to defend a long may open up room

I also think the opposition are aware of him now, and try not to give us so many throw in opportunities.

 

[wibs]

I love him. I remember in the pre-season at QPR, after about ten minutes people were looking at each other and mouthing 'wtf?', he was so obviously special. It's not just those marauding diagonal runs - "he's off again! where's he going now?!" - he's just so good at getting his body into the right shapes to block and defend, has excellent anticipation, and a 95-minute engine.

 

[jlove]

I also think the opposition are aware of him now, and try not to give us so many throw in opportunities.

That’s the challenge with long throws – everyone knows where they’re coming from and there’s only a few places they’re going to, there’s only so much distraction we can create making it relatively easy to set a defence to negate them.

A throw to a player who can deliver from a different location, like Jensen, Janelt and Henderson, can be an advantage if our players know where it’s going and the opposition have overloaded the near post. We just need a set-piece coach to explore the possibilities…

 

[tinman]

Does he vary where his long throws go, near post, far post? Do the players get a signal from him as to where he is aiming or is just wait and see?

 

[andyrew]

Does he vary where his long throws go, near post, far post? Do the players get a signal from him as to where he is aiming or is just wait and see?

There is no communication between Michael and the rest of the team when he is about to take a throw in the attacking half. The players apply an algorithm to the number of minutes played and derive a code which corresponds to the type of throw-in to be attempted.
We're a stats based team so it makes perfect sense to me.

 

[Beelated]

There is no communication between Michael and the rest of the team when he is about to take a throw in the attacking half. The players apply an algorithm to the number of minutes played and derive a code which corresponds to the type of throw-in to be attempted.
We're a stats based team so it makes perfect sense to me.

Surely it must be determined by;

• how he approaches and retrieves the extra ball on its cone
• how he picks up the towel
• how he dries the ball with towel
• what involuntarily movement he makes prior to raising his hand
• the final position of his hand prior to him throwing the ball

where all these variants are matched to an example in the Set Piece coach’s manual that the other players on the pitch have to remember.

Simples!

 

[tinman]

There is no communication between Michael and the rest of the team when he is about to take a throw in the attacking half. The players apply an algorithm to the number of minutes played and derive a code which corresponds to the type of throw-in to be attempted.
We're a stats based team so it makes perfect sense to me.

Hell didn’t appreciate it was that simple.

 

[JANORAK]

Surely it must be determined by;

• how he approaches and retrieves the extra ball on its cone
• how he picks up the towel
• how he dries the ball with towel
• what involuntarily movement he makes prior to raising his hand
• the final position of his hand prior to him throwing the ball

where all these variants are matched to an example in the Set Piece coach’s manual that the other players on the pitch have to remember.

Simples!

Reminds me of the dissection of the intricacies of Odegaard’s sock adjustments, before Arsenal’s set pieces (last season?). He hasn’t played much since, so one wonders what’s going on instead?

 

[malkay]

Pep's Man City career is far from over with three transfer targets lined up

The Italian Stallion being mentioned as a City target again


For those without a subscription:


Pep's Man City career is far from over with three transfer targets lined up

With City insiders increasingly hopeful Guardiola will stay for one more year, Enzo Maresca and Xabi Alonso can stand down for now

Pep Guardiola is closer to leaving Manchester City than ever. It is now a matter of when, not if. He may, however, be sticking around longer than many think.

Guardiola’s astonishingly sombre monologue about conflicts around the world led many to believe the end is nigh, potentially at the end of this season.

His actions in the match that followed, against Galatasaray in the Champions League, typified a manager who didn’t have much time left to cement his trophy-laden legacy.

Goals were celebrated with extra vigour from the Catalan. As early as the 18th minute, he tried to rouse a sleepy, half-empty Etihad, waving his hands around like a traffic controller in rush hour, while exaggerating every other reaction, making sure supporters behind him – or the cameras – were in view.

Several sources have indicated to The i Paper that while even Guardiola has not decided when he will leave, there are numerous reasons why he could in fact stay on one more year and see his contract out.

The reaction to Guardiola’s comments on Palestine, Ukraine and other conflicts has been mixed, but there is no doubting they have had the desired effect in reaching audiences far and wide.

Guardiola clearly feels passionate about this and will not back down. And it is being able to use this platform to get his message across – he would not have the same opportunity to express his forthright opinions if out of work – that has led some to believe it could play a part in persuading him to stay.

“[Being] involved in football, we don’t talk about that or that or that,” Guardiola said on Friday. “That’s why the world remains silent, that is what the world wants, right? Be silent, don’t say anything. I think it is completely the opposite.”

On his contract situation and whether he is considering leaving, he added: “No because I have one more year contract.” Asked if he has decided what he’s going to do: “It’s the same answer that I answered two months ago.” Back in December he was insistent that he was staying.

City are the ultimate succession planners. They announced Guardiola would succeed Manuel Pellegrini in February 2016 well before he actually took the reins. If he were to depart, several sources have cast doubt over claims he would wait until the end of the season to decide, thus leaving City scrambling to get a replacement in.

An announcement could well be imminent, if he were to be heading for the hills in the summer. There is no indication whatsoever that could happen anytime soon this time around.

Guardiola is also loathe to not see out a project. At Barcelona and Bayern Munich, he had done all he can. City are in the middle of another rebuild, one which is in its infancy. Several insiders believe he would want one more year to see that out.

Potential long-term replacements
The market-leaders in succession planning are always doing their thing. Talks with Enzo Maresca last year confirm as much. It’s not too much of a stretch to add in Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola, who have admirers at City. But it also misses the point that City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak’s preference is for Guardiola to stay beyond the 2026-27 season.

Those who know new sporting director Hugo Viana have been impressed. He is helping to build something Guardiola would be reluctant to let go.

Stepping into the shoes of Txiki Begiristain, the godfather of sporting directors, was never going to be easy but in successive transfer windows, Viana has built on the legacy of his highly respected predecessor.

“A great guy to work with – open, honest, very humble,” says one rival who has negotiated with him on a big transfer recently. But what has struck many in the transfer game is City’s new-found recruitment ruthlessness.

City’s transfer plans
Antoine Semenyo was originally seen as a summer in signing, with City investigating the terms of his close-season release clause. But as soon as they got a whiff of a bidding war, they moved with surgical precision.

It was similar with Marc Guehi. Josko Gvardiol’s serious injury prompted a move that might, on a previous watch, have waited.

The club want Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson to fill the critical central midfield vacancy they have and believe they can beat Manchester United to his signature. And they are also investigating right-back targets, with Brentford’s Michael Kayode and Feyenoord’s Givairo Read among those of interest.

A slick system will not leave anything to chance with the manager either. City are ready for every eventuality. Only one man will decide which coach gets to see the latest rebuild through.

 

[stomalomalus]

Was a super harsh penalty, but let's not pretend it wasn't clumsy from Michael. Honestly, I feel he's looking a little leggy and tired. Think he could do with a bit of a rest, tbh.

 

[shaun]

Was a super harsh penalty, but let's not pretend it wasn't clumsy from Michael. Honestly, I feel he's looking a little leggy and tired. Think he could do with a bit of a rest, tbh.

He’s only 21. Gonna be poor decisions.

 

[Wooburn Bee]

Was a super harsh penalty, but let's not pretend it wasn't clumsy from Michael. Honestly, I feel he's looking a little leggy and tired. Think he could do with a bit of a rest, tbh.

Will be rested against Macclesfield but will play against Arsenal.

 

[Chomp]

Manchester United and Newcastle United are apparently now tracking him too.

What with, Apple AirTags?

 

[Les Beeavinu]

We talk about Igor making the Brazil squad and I know Italy haven't got there yet but is there a chance MK makes the Italy squad? I don't know who his competition is.

 

[Justheretoread]

We talk about Igor making the Brazil squad and I know Italy haven't got there yet but is there a chance MK makes the Italy squad? I don't know who his competition is.

If Kayode doesn’t make the WC squad (if there is one), Italy must have one hell of a pool of right backs.

 

[hanworthbee]

We talk about Igor making the Brazil squad and I know Italy haven't got there yet but is there a chance MK makes the Italy squad? I don't know who his competition is.

If he was playing week in week for a sh*t Fiorentina he'd be in imo! Italy last game was a thrashing Vs Norway and 32 year old Di Lorenzo of Napoli played as part of a back three judging by trnsfmkt.

Probably a reason why Italy are nowhere these days

 

[hobbsy]

We talk about Igor making the Brazil squad and I know Italy haven't got there yet but is there a chance MK makes the Italy squad? I don't know who his competition is.

Italy can't cope with he unpredictability, they like a steady right back who doesn't go out of his own half.

 

[jlove]

He’s only 21. Gonna be poor decisions.

He’s certainly a player who will get to the right place as quickly as possible (Forest at home, too) but without having thought through what to do once he’s there. That’s going to come with experience – the moment of calm once he’s arrived.

 

[BuzzingBee95]

We talk about Igor making the Brazil squad and I know Italy haven't got there yet but is there a chance MK makes the Italy squad? I don't know who his competition is.

His luck might be in.

Di Lorenzo is their go to RB, but a quick google shows he’s having surgery on ACL. May still be back for WC, but won’t have done Michaels hopes any harm