Solskjaer target 5 signings; 6 players could leave [BBC, Telegraph, Guardian]

Vadim

New Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2018
Messages
1,739
it's a 433.

i'd be very happy with that starting 11 if we could achieve it. i doubt we will manage to sign all those players, though.
I know, on my phone it’s all over the place :)
 

jamesjimmybyrondean

Full Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2019
Messages
7,052
We've been strongly linked to all of these players and for me it looks very attainable. While I believe this to be a good starting 11 is this good enough to challenge for the title next season or at least easily secure a top 4 spot
 

Borussin

Full Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
304
Supports
Borussia Dortmund
He was poor yesterday I admit. But young defenders are a bit difficult to predict especially an inexperienced young one as Zagadou. I think he should still stay back at Dortmund for another season.

Apparently, Zagadou had a poor performance yesterday against Bayern. The Central back role is a very delicate role and can be a bit difficult to predict quality defenders because the central back position is often subjected to constant pressures and waves of attacks from the opponent and only a defender with the least mistake made can say he's stood the test because no defender is devoid of mistakes at all.

I knew that Zagadou wasn't the finished article yet and that was why I suggested Toby Aldeweireid to brought in as well. However, I would admit that Zagadou was all over the place against Bayern yesterday and his inexperience was exploited in the game hence, I would like him to still stay back at Dortmund like you had suggested.

However, I'm quite positive of the likes of Maddison who has looked good so far for Leicester and even scored yesterday. Likewise Van De Beek who has been fantastic for Ajax this season. Ounas too.

I would like you to watch Ounas touches in each of his match clips and not just compilation clip that always tend to decorate players and make them look better than they are. For example, if you watched Mbappe's highlight touches against us, you would realise he didn't have a good performance based on the touches he had in the clip. Hence, I will suggest you watch each highlighted touches of Ounas in each game such as Sassuolo, Gambia, frosine, Espanyol, Benin etc, you would notice he's been actually good in every matches he's played. His stats on whoscored also suggest he's been good despite the few matches he has played.

It's been mostly more of Ancelotti preferring his high profile players that cost him a lot in the window to Ounas on the pitch because he's been good everytime he's played for Napoli and I don't see why he isn't starting except if he's still this trouble shooting kid he was at Bordeaux. I would say it's not far fetched considering he displayed his foul tempered attitude in most of the said clips I suggested above but that doesn't diminish his quality, passion and hardwork on the pitch which is glaring to the eyes. Rather than waste money on Sancho who I admit is also quality, I would rather we take a punt on Ounas. I doubt if Dortmund would even release Sancho this season.

Also, Grealish or Ceballos. Ceballos was the second best player after Benzema in their previous match but was back to the bench once again in Madrid's yesterday match. There's nothing he can do about the big names the coach often prefer in his team except to wait and bid his time. Grealish has been so good, just like Maddison and Neves were in the championship last season. I don't see why we can't take a punt on him rather than splash huge cash on popular names out there. I think we should go for either Ceballos or Grealish.

That said, I'm back to getting De Ligt at all cost as well as Aldeweireid.
He played fullback?

Can't pretend to have followed this thread closely, so no idea why you are going on about Zagadou. He's a 19 year old kid thrown into games he shouldn't be thrown into, often playing out of positon. Partly due to injury issues Dortmund have had for weeks now, and partly because Lucian Favre seems slightly obsessed with playing central defenders at full back.

But he's a player who hasn't even shown enough for us to see if he's at the level of playing for one of the better Bundesliga teams yet, so if there is any suggestion that he should be stepping up to the PL, then that's a big no from me. He needs to be eased into life at Dortmund a bit better than he has been this season first of all, and we'll see how that goes. Akanji and Diallo are far more developed players, and far better players (Akanji especially).
 

Dve

Full Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2019
Messages
2,897
Which United players do you think Crystal Palace could take in a swap deal for Zaha and Wan-Bissaka? Would they e.g. be interested in Young or any of the center backs?
 

jderbyshire

Has anybody seen my fleshlight?
Joined
May 2, 2007
Messages
4,171
Which United players do you think Crystal Palace could take in a swap deal for Zaha and Wan-Bissaka? Would they e.g. be interested in Young or any of the center backs?
I doubt Young is going anywhere because he's recently signed a new contract until Summer 2020, which he'll probably see out then go somewhere on a free.
 

jamesjimmybyrondean

Full Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2019
Messages
7,052
I want to go young, expand the British core, and look to the future:

IN:
De Ligt
Wan-Bissaka
Rice
Bruno Fernandes
Sancho

OUT:
Rojo
Darmian
Bailly
Valencia
Herrera
Matic
Mata
Sanchez

Rashford

Martial _______________________ Sancho

Pogba _____ Fernandes

Rice

Shaw ________________________________________ Wan-Bissaka

Lindelof ___________ De Ligt

De Gea



Subs: Romero, Dalot, Smalling, McTominay, Fred, Lingard, Lukaku

Reserves: Grant, Young, Jones, Pereira, Garner, Gomes, Chong, Greenwood


Talking points:

OUTS:
- McTominay is already better than Matic IMO. Matic is a good player, but far too slow, and doesn't move the ball quickly enough. I would move him on while he still has a resale value. McTominay has a lot of potential, and is already performing to a good level.
- Herrera's time has passed. He is emblematic of the mediocrity that has come to typify the club in recent years. I don't care how lovely of a bloke he is. Ruthlessness is what is required here.
- Mata has not been good enough for two years at least. The odd good performance aside, he has another who embodies mediocrity. For a club that wants to play with pace, Mata is the anti-thesis of that approach. Thank you for your service, goodbye.
- Rojo, Darmian and Bailly, no explanation needed here. They never play, they've never been good enough, and they are just taking up valuable payroll at the club. If the club can get 40M for the trio, we should consider that a success.
- Valencia is being released. He's been a brilliant servant for the club, and should get the chance at a proper send off before he leaves. However, it's the right decision to let him go.
- Sanchez has been a unqualified disaster. Unlike the rest of the fan base, I don't really blame the club for this. There are a lot of hindsight experts who are talking massive amounts of shit about this transfer; but the reality is that there was a collective orgasm the size of greater Manchester when he signed. Myself, like many, thought he was being signed to play on the right wing. But inexplicably, he replaced the in form Martial. Which ultimately derailed our season. The biggest obstacle to his future here, are his wages. If the player was on half of what he is, I wouldn't be opposed to keeping him, and hoping he recovered form and was a role model for younger players. But his wages are debilitating to not only ongoing payroll, but also contract renegotiations with other players. The club needs to take the hit, and move him on elsewhere, by paying out a chunk of his contract to get him to move. Disastrous transfer.
- Matic. Is a good player but his style is far too slow and static for an attacking team. Probably a good time to move this Mourinho loyalist on, while he still has resale value.

SQUAD:
- Next season is a big season for Martial. With a consistent place in the team, and the belief of the manager behind him. He needs to take the next step up and start delivering consistently. He has all the tools in his locker, and I am a big believer of where he can go.
- Rashford has another 2-3 years to really go up to that next level, but you can see he is on the cusp. Hitting 20+ goals in the league should be a realistic target for him as our primary striker.
- Pogba. I have been vehemently dismissive of the Pogba haters; but even his most ardent fan has to admit that he is infuriatingly inconsistent. If he can't do it under Ole, a manager who knows him, believes in him and builds the team around him; then he just isn't going to do it here. He should knuckle down, and have the sort of season that puts him in contention for the PL POTY awards. After that he can name his contract/destination. He has the ability. The rest is up to him.
- Lindelof has been fantastic since Ole took over. Just fantastic. But he was already showing signs of being a quality player at the end of last season, and the beginnings of this under Mourinho. With the right partner next to him, has the potential to up another level. One of the first names on the team sheet right now.
- Smalling/Jones. One may as well toss a coin for who is better/worse. Neither are anywhere near as bad as their detractors would have you believe, but neither is as good as their supporters would have you believe either. For the time being both need to be kept as squad options, and that is fine, because they are capable against 85% of premiership sides. Over the next 2-3 years they will be phased out of the squad.
- The PL is a long campaign, and there are games across the board in various competitions. Having a solid and versatile squad is vital. Diogo Dalot is coming on leaps and bounds. And he should be the first choice deputy for both the RB and Lb positions. With Young being second in line. Dalot has the chance and talent to play well enough to make either of those positions his own.
- After a year of acclimatizing, I suspect that we will see a lot more from Fred. Too much has been made of his individual errors in recent matches; because his overall play, movement, energy, and ball use was excellent. Thought he was terrific at the Parc Du Prince. I think he offers a lot more to the squad than Matic. Deserves a second season.
- Lingard is this generations Ji-Sung Park. Works tirelessly, has grossly underrated technique, and is Manchester United through and through. He isn't good enough to be a regular starter, but his rotational squad role will be vital to a successful PL campaign. His movement off the ball, is as good as anybody in the Premier League.
- Lukaku....it is hard to replace a goalscorer's instinct. And Lukaku has that in abundance. If he is played correctly - running on to balls, looking for quick turns in the box, and feeding off crosses - he will score a lot of goals. If he is asked to come deep, or hold the ball up with his back to goal, we will see the ineffective lump we saw for most of this season. I would definitely keep him as part of a rotational role, but if a big offer comes in, it might be worth considering it. Only issue is that he would need to be replaced, and United have enough areas to worry about without creating more.

THE YOUNG'UNS:
- Pereira faces a make or break year. He's gained valuable experience this year, but has yet to find his best position. His best work was done either in pre-season as a DM, or against Southampton as a number 10, where he scored a wonderful long range goal, and provided a match winning assist. I don't think he has the tenacity to play as a 6, and his passing is surprisingly inconsistent for a player of his technical ability. I don't see him playing much, except as the 6th choice midfielder. Which means he will have to hope for good cup runs, and an injury crisis. From our limited viewing of him, I would say that he has potentially the best delivery from wide areas of anyone in the squad. Not fast enough to play wide in a three, but could well work in a four. Think he either needs to take a loan, or be prepared to work very hard and be very patient. For what it's worth I am still a fan.
- Garner is too young to play any meaningful role next season, but we'll watch his development with interest as the club seems to rate him VERY highly.
- Gomes is a player I have high hopes for. His small stature is a prominent concern, but previous cases of small but talented players should offer plenty of hope. Think his future lies either as a regista or 10. Can't decide which. Should spend the season training with the first team, hoping to get minutes. Would not send him out on loan just yet. Wouldn't expect any impact next season.
- Chong plays in a position where we are inherently weak. If the club signs Sancho, that will solve the issue, and I don't see that Chong is ready to be a starter yet. Nevertheless, he is getting to that age where, it is time to give him more minutes if you think he's good enough. Next season he either needs to get regular game time, and take the squad place of Mata or sanchez - or he needs to go out on loan.
- I have no idea how good of a judge I am of young players. If you had asked me to pick out nailed on certs over the last 10-15 years, I'd have told you James Wilson, Guiseppe Rossi, Ravel Morrison, Adnan Januzaj for sure. So what the feck do I know? But I have that funny feeling again (hopefully it's not a curse!) about Mason Greenwood. He's as good a player as I have seen in our academy since Giggs. I think he needs to be be a regular part of the first team squad next season, and get some real minutes. Think he is ripe to surprise a lot of pundits.

INS:
- De Ligt speaks great English, and is the complete CB package. Is great on the ball, is also a big strong unit, and can actually defend. Should be our top target. I'd drop 100M on him (including add-ons).
- Wan-Bassaka. Is extremely solid defensively, and looks set to have a great career if he can get the right move. Fits our profile perfectly.
- Rice. Again, young, English and available. Is strong, quick, and excellent on the ball. His reading of the game is very good. Good passer. At the forefront of this new super generation of English talent. Fills a vital hole in our squad.
- Bruno Fernandes. Is as good as any available midfield player I have seen this season. Is highly available too, and perhaps more realistic than slugging it out over more high profile targets. His eye for goal is truly exceptional, and his work rate is phenomenal. Portuguese posters are absolutely raving about him. Would add a new dynamic, forward thinking impetus to our midfield. A massive upgrade on Herrera.
- Sancho ticks every box. Young, English, exciting, and plays right wing. Do we even need to debate this one?

CONTROVERSIAL OPINION ALERT:
- Without being knee jerk about it. If we could sell Pogba for 175M, and replace him with a metronomic, game controlling midfielder in the mold of Verratti, or a younger Modric, I would sell him in a heart beat. Anything shy of 175M, and without a top class replacement (and not a has been Kroos, or aged Modric), I'm thinking more a prime Koke or Verratti - he stays here and we continue to build the team around him.
We've been strongly linked to all of these players and for me it looks very attainable. While I believe this to be a good starting 11 is this good enough to challenge for the title next season or at least easily secure a top 4 spot
 

stepic

Full Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Messages
8,660
Location
London
Which United players do you think Crystal Palace could take in a swap deal for Zaha and Wan-Bissaka? Would they e.g. be interested in Young or any of the center backs?
they're not giving us their two best players for a bunch of shit cast offs.

we should just pay what it takes for Wan-Bissaka. Zaha i don't think is good enough for us, especially on the right wing which isn't his ideal position.
 

Champagne Football

New Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2015
Messages
4,187
Location
El Beatle
Something doesn't quite feel right with giving Pogba £500,000 a week when he hasn't showed he will sweat blood in every game to deserve that, despite being world class when he wants to be.
If we were to go for players that are either British or realistic targets with PL experience then would this team have a hope?

De Gea
Wan-Bissaka Alderweield Lindelof Shaw
Rice
Doucoure Maddison
Sancho Rashford Martial​
 

stepic

Full Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Messages
8,660
Location
London
can Rashford really lead the line as a lone striker in a 433? i've not seen it.
 

Godfather

Full Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2007
Messages
29,803
Location
Austria
Something doesn't quite feel right with giving Pogba £500,000 a week when he hasn't showed he will sweat blood in every game to deserve that, despite being world class when he wants to be.
If we were to go for players that are either British or realistic targets with PL experience then would this team have a hope?

De Gea
Wan-Bissaka Alderweield Lindelof Shaw
Rice
Doucoure Maddison
Sancho Rashford Martial​

Jesus Christ. Some of these line ups thrown around. That is not even top 6 material.
 

Silas

Full Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2016
Messages
4,688
Location
UK
Something doesn't quite feel right with giving Pogba £500,000 a week when he hasn't showed he will sweat blood in every game to deserve that, despite being world class when he wants to be.
If we were to go for players that are either British or realistic targets with PL experience then would this team have a hope?

De Gea
Wan-Bissaka Alderweield Lindelof Shaw
Rice
Doucoure Maddison
Sancho Rashford Martial​
That's a Europa League midfield.
 

Champagne Football

New Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2015
Messages
4,187
Location
El Beatle
Jesus Christ. Some of these line ups thrown around. That is not even top 6 material.
Well last year everyone on here was putting Greizmann, Bale and Alderweield as the 3 players they were sure we would buy in the summer and we ended up with Fred! So plenty of fans need to get real. Dortmund have already said no way to Sancho so that's possibly already a non starter.
Tanguy Ndombele 100% will not come if there is no top 4. Is Rabiot more a guy who'll only give you 20 solid minutes each game like Ozil, despite looking like Zidane on youtube?
I wouldn't be surprised if Ole took a punt on some up and coming Premier league players who look ready for bigger things such as David Brooks or Maddison. No one cared much for Richarlison a year ago and now all the big clubs are looking. Similar with Harry Maguire a year before when Leicester first bought him.
 

Jeffthered

Full Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2015
Messages
2,667
Herrera aside, there are few surprises here.

I am more interested in who we sign. I would like to see two real top players. Toni Kroos. Modric if he needs a change for a couple of years. I (personally) would love Gareth Bale etc. Lewandoski fancies it, we'll have him.

We need players to take us up a level, and get the current squad thinking completely differently about playing for United.
 

Kaglish10

Full Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2019
Messages
976
He played fullback?

Can't pretend to have followed this thread closely, so no idea why you are going on about Zagadou. He's a 19 year old kid thrown into games he shouldn't be thrown into, often playing out of positon. Partly due to injury issues Dortmund have had for weeks now, and partly because Lucian Favre seems slightly obsessed with playing central defenders at full back.

But he's a player who hasn't even shown enough for us to see if he's at the level of playing for one of the better Bundesliga teams yet, so if there is any suggestion that he should be stepping up to the PL, then that's a big no from me. He needs to be eased into life at Dortmund a bit better than he has been this season first of all, and we'll see how that goes. Akanji and Diallo are far more developed players, and far better players (Akanji especially).
I don't think he's good as a fullback. He's a bit languid and doesn't have the agility to operate as a fullback. I have even learnt that he's done a lot better in the central back role than as a fullback.

And I don't think Diallo is better than him albeit he's more experienced than Zagadou. Diallo is poor in the air and has had problem against big striker. I don't think Diallo would have done better against the combo of Lewy and Muller on that night because both players are players who are fantastic in the air and were the focal point of Bayern's long ball in the match. The whole Dortmund's defence looked all over the place and couldn't deal with the long ball from Thiago, Alaba and Coman.

I admit Zagadou is still quite an unfinished article and that was why I had suggested Aldeweireid with him. I have been looking for a top young defender that we can mould and not wait until when he becomes popular and the big sharks will start to circle around him like they are doing with de Ligt now. I had previously suggested de Ligt last season on a forum I was then although I knew there was no way Mourinho would sign a young player. The fact that Zagadou is left footed, good in the air, and comfortable on the ball was what drew my attention to him but I think he's too far green and need another season before we can see if he can make the step up.
 

Leftback99

Might have a bedwetting fetish.
Joined
Jan 11, 2015
Messages
13,955
Something doesn't quite feel right with giving Pogba £500,000 a week when he hasn't showed he will sweat blood in every game to deserve that, despite being world class when he wants to be.
If we were to go for players that are either British or realistic targets with PL experience then would this team have a hope?

De Gea
Wan-Bissaka Alderweield Lindelof Shaw
Rice
Doucoure Maddison
Sancho Rashford Martial​
That's barely better than Leicester's line up, defence and midfield in particular:

Schmeichel - De Gea
Pereira - Wan Bissaka
Evans - Lindelof
Maguire - Alderweireld
Chilwell - Shaw
NDidi - Rice
Tielemans - Doucoure
Maddison - Maddison
Gray - Sancho
Barnes - Martial
Vardy - Rashford

We're miles away. One transfer window isn't going to turn us into title challengers even if we get 2/3 signings spot on (unlikely).
 

Kaglish10

Full Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2019
Messages
976
@Champagne Football
Lindelof looks to do better on the right sife of the central defence than on the left and that is why I have been looking for a defender that can operate on the left side hence why I suggested de Ligt and Zagadou (Zagadou is still quite green though). de Ligt isn't yet a sure bet for Barca. He could still be persuaded, especially if he sees his Dutch friends here (Memphis and Van De Beek), maybe he could be persuaded.

While Aldeweireid isn't getting any younger, he's still got a lot to offer with his experience and still has at least 3 top years to give any team. He would be a steal at 25mil.

Ceballos is gettable if Pogba goes to Madrid. Another thing I love about him is the fact that he doesn't like the Catalans hence Barca is out of the way in the future because I know Barca loves to claim to have their DNA in any Spanish midfielders in his prime who plays for another club.

Maddison also. Leicester is a selling club and will release him if we go in for him.

Ounas plays for Algeria team, not France. He's a player who's done well albeit his little game times at Napoli. It's more of the coach preferring his high profile players on the pitch and also, Ancelotti isn't known as a coach who put trust in young players but Ounas has been good when called upon for both the Algeria team and Napoli. He could be our own gem of player signed for little fees like Liverpool did with Coutinho despite having little playing time at Inter then. We really need a direct player who can force play for us like Mane, Hazard and Sane does for Liverpool, Chelsea and City respectively. Martial is a bit laid back who often prefers the play to come to him rather than force it. From what I've seen with Ounas, he can do quite a lot better than what Lingard has offered so far on the right wing.

As for Memphis, I won't judge his game nor his mentality while he was here because he was often depoyed as a winger despite being a wing forward/inverted forward whose operation is mostly based on his off the ball movement to drift inside to score. Such players only work in tandem with a creative midfielder who can constantly release them on the wing in acres of space and save them the stress of having to combat a defender and in Memphis case, he doesn't have the agility nor the close control to beat a defender on the wing. It's either these players play as a striker, second striker or wing forward on the wing if their coach is to get the best out of them. I bet Pogba would have loved Memphis on the wing. Evenwhile he is at Lyon, he's mostly been deployed as a false 9 or second striker and that is his best position. I would love us to trigger his buy back clause if Lukaku leaves to wherever he wants to go.

I really don't see what the fuss about Declan Rice. We have got our own potential in MCTominay who's of similar mould. Hence, I don't see why we are hovering over another similar young player like him.

As for Aron Bisaaka, he's a solid fullback but lacking the productiveness of attacking fullbacks. I would still wait till we see how O'Connor or Laird perform during our preseason matches before I will think of a fullback.

Also, I don't fancy Bruno Fernandez. He's more of a second striker which we don't need right now in the team. I would love a situation where we dominate the midfield hence there is little room for a second striker in the team. Personally, I would want something like this:

? - Aldeweireid - De Ligt - Shaw;
Maddison - Van De Beek - Ceballos;
Ounas - Memphis - Martial.

Bench: MCTominay, Matic, Dalot, Lingard, Rashford, Romero, Lindelof.
 
Last edited:

Ali Dia

Full Member
Joined
May 10, 2013
Messages
14,093
Location
Souness's Super Sub/George Weahs Talented Cousin
What usually happens is only about 50% of transfers are successful for whatever reason. Players in their prime should be given 2/3 seasons and moved on if not good enough. Our youth setup should be enough to pad the squad and spend the big money on improving the first 11 and absolute top tier youth players. Nothing in between anymore. We have plenty of players in the youth setup who can take squad places and will have pride in playing for the club. It would also show potential youth signings we really will give them a shot. We should also be looking more at signings personalities and how they would fit in. It feels like a decent amount of the recent signings have been quite weak mentally.
 

Kaglish10

Full Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2019
Messages
976
You must really dislike United.
Why say that? Maddison, De Ligt, Aldeweireid, Van De Beek, Ceballos are all known quality players. Likewise Memphis who's been fantastic as a false 9 for the Netherland and Lyon side.

The only one who's a bit unknown is Ounas but from what I have seen he's been quality. His technique, pace and vision are quite terrific and I bet he would do better than Lingard on the right wing for us. Even his stat on whoscored suggest that he's been terrific as a right wing.

These are far better than the likes of Declan Rice, Joan Felix some are suggesting here.
 

Inigo Montoya

Leave Wayne Rooney alone!!
Joined
Oct 1, 2008
Messages
38,543
Why say that? Maddison, De Ligt, Aldeweireid, Van De Beek, Ceballos are all known quality players. Likewise Memphis who's been fantastic as a false 9 for the Netherland and Lyon side.

The only one who's a bit unknown is Ounas but from what I have seen he's been quality. His technique, pace and vision are quite terrific and I bet he would do better than Lingard on the right wing for us. Even his stat on whoscored suggest that he's been terrific as a right wing.

These are far better than the likes of Declan Rice, Joan Felix some are suggesting here.
I’d like her but she might be exposed
 

purgethefallen

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Mar 7, 2019
Messages
506
Location
Basingstoke
...................................DDG/Romero..............................

Wan Bissaka..........
Lindelof..........Alderweireld..........Shaw

...................................Van de Beek..............................


...............Bruno F.....................................Pogba/?.........

........................................Felix....................................

.........................Rashford.................Martial...................
 

An Irish Red

New Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2009
Messages
6,294
Location
Ros Earcáin/Tuaim/an Baile Meánach
Likewise Memphis who's been fantastic as a false 9 for the Netherland and Lyon side.

The only one who's a bit unknown is Ounas but from what I have seen he's been quality. His technique, pace and vision are quite terrific and I bet he would do better than Lingard on the right wing for us. Even his stat on whoscored suggest that he's been terrific as a right wing.
I haven't seen much of Memphis since he left here, but six goals in twenty-seven league games, while playing as a striker, and in a poor league at that, is far from fantastic.

Likewise with Ounas, who is a run of the mill player who can't get in the Napoli team. A front three with Ounas and Depay would be poor. The midfield options you suggested aren't great either.
 

oz insomniac

Full Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2016
Messages
412
Perhaps the biggest obstacle is whether the person charged with negotiations is up to the task in this very fluid market.

Hope to be proved wrong and Woody hits the ground running and reinvigorates the roster, which is critical or we fall further behind. A crucial summer period for the hired gun and the club, it really sets out the future, so fingers crossed etc .
 

quackattack

Full Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2014
Messages
896
I want to go young, expand the British core, and look to the future:

IN:
De Ligt
Wan-Bissaka
Rice
Bruno Fernandes
Sancho
Thanks for an excellent post. Not quoting more of it, but I pretty much agree with all of it.
As for the transfers, if these players are attained I would consider it a massive success. Even if only De ligt and one additional player out of those mentioned I would be pleased.
 

Champagne Football

New Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2015
Messages
4,187
Location
El Beatle
Hence, I don't see why we

? - Aldeweireid - De Ligt - Shaw;
Maddison - Van De Beek - Ceballos;
Ounas - Memphis - Martial.

Bench: MCTominay, Matic, Dalot, Lingard, Rashford, Romero, Lindelof.
Rashford and Lindelof 100% will be starters next season. Possibly Lingard also. De Ligt is 100% going to Barca. We will get Rice instead of Van De Beek. We tried the Dutch project already and bought the finest from their league and they all failed badly. But De Jong should succeed at Barca.

There will definitely be 1 or 2 surprise names coming. Getting top 4 or not will alter who we can bring in. Hopefully a marque signing like Saul Niguez or Koulibaly arrives also.
 

Eendracht maakt macht

Correctly predicted Italy to win Euro 2020
Joined
Feb 13, 2019
Messages
1,501
Supports
PSV Eindhoven
...................................DDG/Romero..............................

Wan Bissaka..........
Lindelof..........Alderweireld..........Shaw

...................................Van de Beek..............................


...............Bruno F.....................................Pogba/?.........

........................................Felix....................................

.........................Rashford.................Martial...................
What's up with the Van de Beek hype all of a sudden. Definately not good enough to be a United starter yet. Probably never will be.
 

NJM78

New Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2014
Messages
6,345
Location
Cardiff
...................................DDG/Romero..............................

Wan Bissaka..........
Lindelof..........Alderweireld..........Shaw

...................................Van de Beek..............................


...............Bruno F.....................................Pogba/?.........

........................................Felix....................................

.........................Rashford.................Martial...................
The guy who played Dawson is going to protect our back four?

Apart from that I like it.
 

Kaglish10

Full Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2019
Messages
976
Rashford and Lindelof 100% will be starters next season. Possibly Lingard also. De Ligt is 100% going to Barca. We will get Rice instead of Van De Beek. We tried the Dutch project already and bought the finest from their league and they all failed badly. But De Jong should succeed at Barca.

There will definitely be 1 or 2 surprise names coming. Getting top 4 or not will alter who we can bring in. Hopefully a marque signing like Saul Niguez or Koulibaly arrives also.
The likes of Eriksen, Van Djik, Aldeweireid, Vertoghen etc were all from the Dutch league. I don't see the quality in Rice as we speak and besides, we have MCTominay of similar mould who didn't look out of place against a world-class midfielder such as Verratti whereas Declan Rice is still just a local champion. I don't see the need to go for Declan when we have our very own potential in MCTominay that we should be developing.

Also, it's no sure bet that de Ligt is going to Barca. He hasn't signed for them yet. While Lindelof has been good at times, his flaws are still quite glaring. He's poor in the air, loose his cool against pacy or huge strikers. Even his passing skills isn't that incisive enough to claim he's a ball playing defender. He isn't comfortable on the left side too. Hence, I would want the whole central back role to be revamped.

I haven't seen much of Memphis since he left here, but six goals in twenty-seven league games, while playing as a striker, and in a poor league at that, is far from fantastic.

Likewise with Ounas, who is a run of the mill player who can't get in the Napoli team. A front three with Ounas and Depay would be poor. The midfield options you suggested aren't great either.
Memphis have been wonderful as a false 9 striker. One thing we have to realise is he isn't a lead striker like Lyon seems to be deploying him these days, especially not with a second striker such as Fekir behind him. Depay should either be deployed as a SS behind a lead striker or as a false 9 striker in a 433 setup like Netherland have been using him so far and he's been terrific for them. Did you watch his game against the Germans the last time? Also last season, he had 19 goals and 13 assists. That was when he was mostly deployed as either as a false 9 or LW in a 433/442 diamond setup with at least a creative midfielder in a 3-man midfield behind him and not the second striker such as Fekir that Lyon seems to play behind him these days.

It's either Lyon goes back to the 442 diamond setup with a 3-man midfield while Fekir gets deployed at the cusp of the diamond behind Depay and a lead striker or Depay should be deployed as a false 9 in 433 setup without Fekir anywhere in the team like Lyon utilized him last season. Better still, Depay should be deployed as a SS behind a lead striker. These are the only ways to utilise him and get the best out of him and not as a lead striker with a second striker behind him because Depay plays as a false 9 who tends to drop deep and moves around but having Fekir already taking such role behind him would hinder his movement greatly. Despite having another non creative striker such as Fekir mostly operating behind him this season, he's done well so far and has been a beast for the Dutch national team so far as a false 9 striker in a 433 setup. That was why I suggested a 433 setup with him as the false 9 striker. Truth is I would take him over Lukaku anyday.

Ounas has a good stats for Napoli despite his little game times. He has 4 goals and 1 assist in 7 starts for Napoli which is quite good. And if you check all his individual highlights in each games such as Sassuolo, Frosinone, Espanyol, Gambia, Benin, AC Milan etc, he's shown he can offer much more than Lingard on the right wing for us. I suggest you watch the individual highlights of him in the games I suggested above rather than compilation clips which tend to deceive viewers and paint a player more than what he actually is. For example if you watched Mbappe's individual highlights against us, you would notice he had a poor performance based on his touches in the clip.

That said, Ancelotti isn't known to be a coach who trust kids especially when he had to cater to the needs of his high profile players that cost him a lot in the transfer window hence Ounas had seen little game times but despite this, his stats looks good as well as his rating on whoscored, especially when he was deployed in his best role, which is the right wing. I believe he would do better than Lingard for us. We don't even have a left footed attacker like him in our team. Let's not forget that Coutinho wasn't starting for Inter Milan also before Liverpool decided to take a punt on him because his talent was quite visible to the eyes. Likewise Ounas who's been fantastic whenever he's played for Napoli and the thing is, he would come to us cheap than the likes of Sancho. It's all about being shrewd in the market.

As for the midfield, Maddison has been terrific for Leicester this season. Haven't you been watching him? He was the best player on the pitch in the two times we encountered Leicester. Why did you have the notion that he's not good enough? Likewise Van De Beek who's been part of Ajax midfield that has been doing well in the champion league. Van De Beek even looked great as a no 6 against us during the europa final match. So how is he not good?

Ceballos on the other hand was the golden player of the last euro u21 tournament. He was head and shoulders above everyone, including Saul Niguez who has gone on to carve his own niche at Atletico. It's a shame that Ceballos signed for Madrid to go sit on their bench because there was no way he would displace popular names such as Kroos, Modric and Isco from the pecking order. Despite his little game times and lack of match fitness, he's been good for Madrid whenever he has played for them. Take for example, he was Madrid's best midfielder against Huesca but in the next game, he was dumped back to the bench for no reason just to accommodate the popular names in the team.

Let me also say Ceballos has been a regular for the Spanish national team despite his little game times at Madrid. He's deservedly above Thiago, Koke in the pecking order for the Spanish national team because he has performed far better than the latter players. He was fantastic against England when he came on and almost decided the game for Spain if you could remember. Hence, Ceballos isn't just some player without a good reputation. Personally, I haven't seen a midfielder who did well in the euro u21 tournament and hasn't gone on to have a good career for himself. Players such as Ozil, Lampard, Mata, Xavi, Bernardo Silva, Thiago etc. I wouldn't mind Ceballos + 120 mil for Pogba if Madrid comes calling. Liverpool even went in for Ceballos last summer but Madrid stopped the move. If he had gone to Liverpool, we would probably have been gnashing our teeth and asking how Liverpool always seems to get quality player on the cheap.

I'm still of the belief that this team below would do better than our current side presently.

? - Aldeweireid - de Ligt - Shaw;
Maddison - Van De Beek - Ceballos;
Ounas - Memphis - Martial.
 
Last edited:

jamesjimmybyrondean

Full Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2019
Messages
7,052
...................................DDG/Romero..............................

Wan Bissaka..........
Lindelof..........Alderweireld..........Shaw

...................................Van de Beek..............................


...............Bruno F.....................................Pogba/?.........

........................................Felix....................................

.........................Rashford.................Martial...................
For me if we are going for the diamond this season it should be because we can’t get Sancho. Players we should go all out for are Fernandes(60m) Rabiot(free) Neves(80m) Meunier(30m) and Koulibaly(80m). 250m in total minus the players being sold.

If we are returning to the be the best then we should be willing to spend a lot of money. Get these players and play a 4-4-2 diamond

.................................DDG................................

Meunier..........Linedlof............Koulibaly..........Shaw

................................Neves...............................

....................Rabiot..................Pogba.................

..............................Fernandes.............................

..........Rashford/Lukaku............. Martial/Lukaku.................

I think this squad can compete for the title next season and seasons after. If Pogba decides to leave in let’s say summer 2020 we sell him and use the money to get Sancho and go back to a 4-3-3
 

croadyman

Full Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2018
Messages
34,293
For me if we are going for the diamond this season it should be because we can’t get Sancho. Players we should go all out for are Fernandes(60m) Rabiot(free) Neves(80m) Meunier(30m) and Koulibaly(80m). 250m in total minus the players being sold.

If we are returning to the be the best then we should be willing to spend a lot of money. Get these players and play a 4-4-2 diamond

.................................DDG................................

Meunier..........Linedlof............Koulibaly..........Shaw

................................Neves...............................

....................Rabiot..................Pogba.................

..............................Fernandes.............................

..........Rashford/Lukaku............. Martial/Lukaku.................

I think this squad can compete for the title next season and seasons after. If Pogba decides to leave in let’s say summer 2020 we sell him and use the money to get Sancho and go back to a 4-3-3
Like the look of that
 

GaryLifo

Liverpool's Secret Weapon.
Joined
Feb 26, 2001
Messages
10,730
Location
From here to there
My ideal muppet team if Pogba and De Gea leave.

.............Romero

W.Bissaka Skriniar Lindelof Shaw

........Neves..........Partey

............Fernandes

...Sancho Rashford Martial
 

frookydinho

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Jun 7, 2013
Messages
154
Thinking long term and bringing in players who have a great chance of developing into top level players;

CM

Nicolò Barella - for that box to box Herrera role
Sandro Tonali - Matic replacement with a air of Pirlo about him.

Both Italian can see both as fixtures in Italys midfield for a long time.

I would also bring in one more player here if Mata Herrera are both gone. Either Partey or Fernandes as both the Italians are young and would give them a few years to grow.

RW

Sancho - really exciting player, got the world at his feet.
As an alternative I am really impressed with Neres of Ajax. Boy has a lot of flair about him and is still young.

RB - AWB/Max Aarons. Both young, english. AWB in the running for young player of the year and Aarons was in the team of the year for the Championship.

CB - This is where we need to spend big. Toby Alderweireld has to be signed at 25mil. Then i do believe we need a second world class signing here and it has to be either players ready now - Koulibaly/Varane or De Ligt who everyone knows will be one of the best in a a few years.
 

Jezpeza

Full Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2018
Messages
1,997
If we have 250-300 million to spend:

Wan Bissaka
Skriniar
Rabiot (free)
Sancho
Bruno Fernandes
Sessegnon (knock down price now fulham relegated, can cover both left sided positions)

Would transform us in my opinion and they are players that will hold resale value and improve. Players like Matic for example are very expensive considering we are never going to get a sell on, they are only going to decline and they arent going to improve. I see people saying Alderweireld is a bargain - i disagree as he falls in above category. Will quickly become another mediocre centre back.
People say VVD was expensive - but we paid the same money for Bailly, Lindelof and Rojo. We need to start paying the right money for the right players, trying to get these bargain bin buys is why the squads full of mediocre dross.
 

Tibs

Full Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2007
Messages
13,736
Location
UK
We don't need to go mental in the summer....what we do need to do is this summer is stop being nostalgic and soft, and make some hard decisions

3 players would make us title challengers IMO...heck even this season, even 3 of our draws converted to wins would have us comfortable in 3rd right now.

1. We create chances but don't take enough of them - we need a LETHAL striker. Rom or Rashford not up to it...fecking Vardy would is more lethal

2. Defence: Both SAF buys, but one of Jones or Smalling (pref Jones tbh) need to go. Kouli is the man needed.

3. Right wing is dead. Play Dalot, and get in a winger who yes works hard, but is creative and can score. Needs to be minimum 15 goals a season...Lingard benched or goes.

Valencia, Darmian, Rojo, Sanchez (sad but has to go) Mata (slows us down way too much now), Jones can go.

Just my opinion
 

Eleven-Eighteen

Full Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2015
Messages
841
Reports saying that Woodward got a woody hearing Ole talk about his United strategy for the next few years, and has therefore agreed to spend 200m this summer on transfers.

But with the current market, and with how much we lack in quality, I don't think 200m is going to cut it. What will it get us - 2 world class and 2 so-so players?

Unless De Gea and Sanchez actually leave, and fetch us decent money, I don't see us signing 5 players.
 

JJ12

Predicted Portugal, Italy to win Euro 2016, 2020
Joined
Mar 30, 2016
Messages
10,828
Location
Wales
200m would mean no Sancho id assume. That's half of that budget.

You'd be looking at something like

AWB
Alderweireld
Rice
Lozano