Dean Ashton for United

Alex

That means shit in all honesty United screwed the pooch and fucked up the Dinho deal, he was never a United just as is Benzema now. That said looked what happened in the summer of 2003 instead of Dinho we got Ronaldo, wonder if something like that happens with Benzema this summer, that said I rate Benzema to be a great great player and he is still very young

Sam#1

Top

That's a pretty old article, Sam.
Old in relation to transfer news that is.

Sam#1

True, just thought I'd post it, as I haven't seen it posted before.

giggs-beckham

Benzema may think again if a genuine offer comes in with all it entails.The lifestyle the wealth, and the chance to become a great player with one of the best, if not the best team in the world. to be honest hed be a fool to turn us down.

Dont think we need a right back really. ive got faith in neville to return to his best. then theres brown who has proved more than capable-then in back-up theres: o'shea/simpson/pique/(rafael/fabio?) who can play there if injuries take out brown and neville (which is unlikely)

I do rate ashton, but i want benzema (stomps feet)

And ben arfa too (one can dream)

devilish

Id love to see Benzema to OT but he is determined not to come to England. Even if we do manage to outbid Barca, Real and all other clubs I cant see why we should get a player who clearly hate EPL football. I mean what we are risking here is

• the boy say no to our bid and we would have wasted precious negotiating time
• the boy does sign with us and then he would see out his contract to join Barca, Milan or Real.

Skholesy

Spot on. we want true united players who bleed for the club, or even if they don't bleed red, have the professional desire to play for us.

What we don't want is someone who just hangs his head when the chips are down, and its likely to happen when you sign someone who doesn't want to come in the first place.

In terms of the ronaldinho deal, didn't fergie say that one of the contributory factors was that we spoke to him but weren't really convinced that he wanted to come?

Fortitude

Ashton is rarely 100% fit. Maybe saying he was 'prone' was too much, but the point remains that the fella always has something or other wrong with him.

He's got a lot of ability, in fact, I think he'd fit in here quite comfortably, but to date he has done nothing, nothing whatsoever, to be worth over £10m.

You compared him to Bent, who was prolific before Spurs got him and benched him, which suggested you were bracketing them together when they are poles apart to date in their careers and goal returns.

Ashton may have more talent, but the name of the game is productivity either through goals or assists.

The way Ashton is built and with how he's nearly always unfit, I wonder what kind of career he will have and how long he will be a top flight performer. That's my only concern with him.

CockneyHammer

Ashton has not long come back after being out injured for over a year, it was always going to be a struggle for him to regain full fitness, he has done that now and he will keep injury free. The only injury problems he will possibly have will be impact injuries which are completely unavoidable.

Ashton is a proven Premiership striker, English which always attracts a higher fee, he is in demand and oozes skill. He is also a very versatile striker and can offer so much in any team.

When required he can be an absoloute brute yet the next mnute twist and turn his way around the defenders. He is able to head the ball well aswell as taking decent long shots. His positioining is second to none and he can draw defenders away easily, he can be used as a target man. I could continue but I wont. There aren't many players like him, he falls into the Sherringham and Shearer bracket.

In terms of Bent they have both achieved pretty much the same, he hasn't played for England yet but thats down to Wright Phillips. Come the Summer though that will change. Anyone who has seen enough of both Bent and Ashton will agree that Ashton is by far the better player. Here's a comparison

Bent Age 23

219 appearances, 86 Goals = 1 goal every 2.54 Games

Total transfer fee including possible add ons = 19.5 Million

Ashton Age 24

243 Apperances 91 Goals = 1 Goal every 2.67 Games

Total transfer fee including possible add ons = 10.25 Million

So Bent has been slightly higher but you have to consiuder the fact that Ashton was out injured for a long time and that most of this season will always going to be a recovery preiod for him.

Another fact to consider is that Darren Bent has a recuring knee injury which also causes him to have problems with his leg muscles. Ashton on the other hand has no recuring injuries.

Just to say it again Ashton has no injury problems, now he is back at full fitness after such a lengthy absence from the game he will keep his fitness levels up. Hehas done well enough to get back into the England squad and next season will be his best yet.

Just a quaestion who would you rather spend 17-18 million on Bent or Ashton? If you could sign either which would you prefer at Man United?

Floyd

Neither.

Fortitude

Are you being disingenuous on purpose?

Bent scored 18 and 14 goals for Charlton in successive Premiership seasons, which is what earned him his move and had a club like Liverpool also looking at him. Digging in the crates back to when they were both starting off doesn't lend itself to reasoned response beings as this is a 'what have you done lately' business.

Bent looked to be naturally progressing as a striker and had proved, in two consecutive seasons, that he could rack up a very impressive amount of goals for a shite team in the top flight.

Fair enough, Ashton is a different kind of player and more of an all-rounder, but again, with his injuries he's never shown he can do the business for anywhere near the amount of time Bent did to earn his move.

The price was over the top, but only by about £4m or so. Any PL striker who scores 14 and then 18 goals in a season at a tiny club like Charlton is going to raise eyebrows quite sharpish.

I wouldn't spend £18m on either of them in answer to your question. But if you're talking about whom I'd take if they were both injury free and I had the choice, I'd say I'm not fussed either way.

Reason being is that Bent reminded me of a young Andy Cole and at his age Fergie would have turned him into something different than he will turn out being wasted at Spurs, and Ashton is a talented lad who I think could also do a job here.

It's not a clear cut answer beings as they offer extremely different but beneficial things to a team - Bent's pace over the top is what we are crying out for, but Ashton's ability to hold up the ball and play others in is also needed. See one Benzema for what we would ultimately want all in one player.

Sean_RedDevil

10 more and probably Benzema is a Man Utd player

MrMarcello

Not a fucking chance WHU will get 18m for an injury-prone, show up once every five matches Ashton. Bent scored regularly at Charlton and Spurs paid OTT.

CockneyHammer

Explain to me how Ashton is injury prone?

You obviously have not seen enough of him to have an opinion anyway judging by your comments so I take it you didn't know he was out with a broken ankle for over a year and this season was a recovery one?

Redlambs

I wouldn't even rate him at £10million right now. He still has a lot to prove, both in terms of fitness and productivity.

That doesn't mean he isn't a decent player though, and maybe next season surrounded by better players (i.e a full WHU squad for example) then maybe we'll see the true potential.

MrMarcello

So he's not "injury-prone" like Saha... Is he worth 18m in your humble, un-biased opinion?

And do you honestly think a club would pay that kind of dosh for him?

I see him as a tidy player but not someone worth 18m and probably not a player of the caliber for a place at United or Arsenal or Chelsea, etc.

CockneyHammer

I don't think Bent was worth that, I think Ashton is better than Bent and should go for a higher fee, though Bent went for a ridicolous fee and it can only be classed as Tottenham were robbed.

Usually I rate Ashton anywhere between 8-12 million depending on how many clubs are interested and how desperate the buying club is. I think 12 million to Newcastle will be a good fee, 8 Million if he goes to a top 4 club sounds fair. 20 million if he goes to Spurs. Though players are going for stupid money now days so I wouldn't like to guess what he will go for. 15 million if the fees are anywhere near what they were last season

Ashton can easily play for a top 4 club, he wont play every game and will probably be used a sub as he can provide something different. He will be happy to be a bench player and will have low wages (maybe 30-40k pw for a top 4 club)

GlastonSpur

Try comparing the number of league goals scored in the Prem that Ashton and Bent have each got. Then you'll be getting somewhere.

You might also wish to know that, despite only mainly being used as a sub so far, with intermittent appearances, Bent has a higher ratio than Berbatov in terms of both goals-and-assists-per-minutes-played for Spurs this season.

Ashton is OK. Bent is self-evidently better.

crappycraperson

Bent's not better than Ashton. Stats mean fuck all and it's proven by the fact that his are better than Berbatov when he is not even one fourth of the player Berbatov is.

Dippersripper

crappycraperson

Don't think we will play more than 12m for Ashton.

GlastonSpur

Obviously Berbatov is better than Bent - did I say otherwise?

But to say that stats mean nothing is ridiculous: goals and assists do matter you know. Or should I dismiss Ronaldo's goal tally this season?

Erictheking7

I'd take Ashton over Bent. Be good as a 4th striker. Wouldn't pay more than 8-10M though.
He doesn't look fit to me at the moment and needs to lose a bit of bulk to get back to the player he was before the injury.

CockneyHammer

Ashton is having a recovery season after being out for over a year, Ashton will also be up front with Rooney for England this Summer something which Bent will not be doing

Ashton - 7 Million
Bent - 16 Million

Who would I rather have?

Bent has also failed to score against any decent teams this season, thats a good way of proving that you are not good enough for the big games. Ashton has scored against Manchester United, Everton and Blackburn.

Ashton> Bent and you will find it hard to to find anyone to disagree with that (Anyone who doesn't support Spurs anyway).

Also Ashton is being linked with Manchester United, Bent isn't.

Bilal

I dont think we should go for Ashton. He is injury prone and over-rated.

CockneyHammer

Ashton is not injury prone, please explain to me why you think he is

GlastonSpur

You can compare their respective Prem league goals ratio per minutes played if you like - it won't make any difference to showing that Bent's record is superior.