Lukaku and Sanchez Replacements

[OohAahMartial]

As a follow on to the Poll on whether to sell one or both of the above, and Lukaku's agents recent comments, I think we need to look at what happens if we sell both.

There's also a lot of chat about how our attack isn't good enough, and whether Martial and Rashford are consistent enough to be first choice, regardless of your personal stance on this, it would seem that Jose and the club viewed this to be the case in signing Sanchez and Lukaku in the first place. That they haven't worked out as well as expected doesn't remove the underlying need for what we had hoped the two would provide ie. 20 league goals each, a target man and a top creator/left forward (and its clear now that Sanchez was never intended for the right or centre).

So supposing they were to be sold, how much do you think we would get and who should we buy to try to achieve those original objectives with the sale money?

For the sake of argument, assume Martial and Rashford get plenty of minutes as squad players depending on form, but the replacements are first team starters who could each bring in 20 goals from left wing and CF.

 

[Elliott Smith]

Sancho and Greenwood.

 

[#CR7]

Don't think it's feasible to get rid of both this summer given the number of signings we already need to make. Personally, I would keep Lukaku and rotate him with Rashford as I'm not sold on him either as our first choice number 9. It would also give Greenwood an opportunity to stake a claim next season and if he's not ready then we can always look to upgrade ST next summer.

Even if we were to offload both this summer I think signing Sancho (primarily as RW) plus a striker is sufficient as Sancho can also play LW.

LW - Martial/Rashford
New ST/Rashford
RW - Sancho/Lingard

 

[OohAahMartial]

That's not really answering the question.

 

[Valar Morghulis]

Mario Gomez and Franck Ribery if we want like for like.

Joao Felix and Sancho if we want to adopt a fluid system.

 

[neilv93]

Sancho/Felix and someone of the Jovic ilk please. Probably sounds crazy but I wouldn't mind someone of the Richarlison-mould as a squad option.

 

[Andycoleno9]

Sancho and Icardi.
Sancho-Icardi- Martial attack would be

 

[Trizy]

Jovic & Bruno Fernandes

Sancho for the RW to replace Mata, Tanguy to replace Herrera.

 

[Judas]

Sancho and Icardi.
Sancho-Icardi- Martial attack would be

Icardi is even more limited than Lukaku good finisher, better than Lukaku in that regard, but that’s all you get.

 

[Andycoleno9]

Icardi is even more limited than Lukaku good finisher, better than Lukaku in that regard, but that’s all you get.

He is not more limited. He is excellent finisher with good technique and ball control. Yes, he is not all round attacker like Lukaku. He is a poacher, and that is what i think that we need. With Sancho and Martial on wings and Pogba behind them, we need player who will be in the box and score half chances.

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

Joao Felix and Sancho

 

[OohAahMartial]

Joao Felix and Sancho

I am assuming Sanchez was bought for the left and that his replacement would be for the left too. Can Sancho also play left?

 

[Fosu-Mens]

Felix this season, and Sancho next.

 

[Ahsan_6386]

I am assuming Sanchez was bought for the left and that his replacement would be for the left too. Can Sancho also play left?

He was bought to walk his dogs, play the piano and shake his head after making wrong runs in the middle .

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

I am assuming Sanchez was bought for the left and that his replacement would be for the left too. Can Sancho also play left?

He can. But its not needed.

We actually don't need a direct replacement for Alexis on the left, nor Lukaku down the middle. Remember Martial is first choice on the left, Lingard is adequate cover and even a Rashford and the emerging Greenwood can operate there if need be. Down the right we have nobody. If we get in a Sancho, we solve the right wing attacker issue and whilst a Felix not only frees up Lingard to cover either flank, but gives us a genuinely natural high end talent who can operate in the hole and as a false 9, both in Solkjaer's favoured diamond and a 4-2-3-1. Yet also being rumored to be able to operate on the left flank, meaning yet even another option replacing an Alexis


Whilst Greenwood can then be groomed to eventually be Rashford's long term competition. Whilst he also holds the capability of covering a Sancho on the right

 

[Kidders]

Sancho & Jovic

 

[deadrevelz]

I don't think we should be 'replacing' anyone. Just get the most money possible then spend it in on attainable priorities. But anyway:

If Ole wants 4-3-3 then buy Sancho and Hudson-Odoi. I don't care that they are young, they are both class and we have no quality wingers.

If we are using a diamond or similar, buy Joao Felix + Sancho.

 

[Fosu-Mens]

As a follow on to the Poll on whether to sell one or both of the above, and Lukaku's agents recent comments, I think we need to look at what happens if we sell both.

There's also a lot of chat about how our attack isn't good enough, and whether Martial and Rashford are consistent enough to be first choice, regardless of your personal stance on this, it would seem that Jose and the club viewed this to be the case in signing Sanchez and Lukaku in the first place. That they haven't worked out as well as expected doesn't remove the underlying need for what we had hoped the two would provide ie. 20 league goals each, a target man and a top creator/left forward (and its clear now that Sanchez was never intended for the right or centre).

So supposing they were to be sold, how much do you think we would get and who should we buy to try to achieve those original objectives with the sale money?

For the sake of argument, assume Martial and Rashford get plenty of minutes as squad players depending on form, but the replacements are first team starters who could each bring in 20 goals from left wing and CF.

Our attack is not good enough because we have 1 creator and x number of end product players, two fullbacks that are not good in attack, and most of our attacking play is dependent on one player (PP) that does not always show up.

Sanchez: We will not get anything for him, lucky if we do not have to pay him to leave.
Lukaku: Current wage and ability makes him not that desireable. If the likes of Inter or Milan thinks he is still good, we might get £40m. Regarding his agents comments, i think this might be an indication that OGS does not see him as a part of the squad in the long term and the agent is fishing for clubs.

Replacement:
Sanchez: Does not need replacing as he does not play much, and when he does play it is not that impressive.
Lukaku: With Rashford and Martials prefered position being ST, and this is where they are best suited to play, we do not need to replace him directly. What we need is creators. So instead of buying a striker we should look for players that can play wide and able to create chances
(Sancho and Felix are the best, but most expensive alternatives. With Sancho almost guaranteed to stay at Westfalen next season we should go for Felix this summer(£100m) and Sancho next summer.)

 

[MikeKing]

Sancho & Jovic

Sounds good to me. Get that Felix kid in too to replace Mata and we should be in great shape again offensively. Hard to get value for our players though while these youngsters is going to cost. Will be a costly affair thats for sure, but its possible. These players are the right players but they are not impossible to get yet like the Bale's and Ronaldo's from earlier windows.

 

[gulli_G]

Sanchez does need to go as for his wage we could split against 3 players incoming.

 

[JJ12]

Piatek and Greenwood (not hard to replace Sanchez)

RW though I'd like to see Sancho or Lozano

 

[JPRouve]

I have seen Piatek mentioned several times which to me is weird since he only moved this winter. Am I missing something?

 

[devilish]

I have seen Piatek mentioned several times which to me is weird since he only moved this winter. Am I missing something?

this

tbh this place is getting weird. For example many are suggesting we should use Greenwood as Rashford's only cover. That's crazy considering that Rashford is hardly the definite product yet + we can't have some kid with no experience as his only cover. Can you imagine if Rashford gets injured for 3-4 months?

Anyway my list would be Jovic/Joao Felix and Bergwijn

 

[devilish]

He can. But its not needed.

We actually don't need a direct replacement for Alexis on the left, nor Lukaku down the middle. Remember Martial is first choice on the left, Lingard is adequate cover and even a Rashford and the emerging Greenwood can operate there if need be. Down the right we have nobody. If we get in a Sancho, we solve the right wing attacker issue and whilst a Felix not only frees up Lingard to cover either flank, but gives us a genuinely natural high end talent who can operate in the hole and as a false 9, both in Solkjaer's favoured diamond and a 4-2-3-1. Yet also being rumored to be able to operate on the left flank, meaning yet even another option replacing an Alexis


Whilst Greenwood can then be groomed to eventually be Rashford's long term competition. Whilst he also holds the capability of covering a Sancho on the right

Id let Mata, Sanchez and Lukaku go and then replace them with Joao Felix, Lozano and Bergwijn. They are young, they have talent, they wouldn't mind the bench, they wouldn't cost us a bomb salary wise and they are extremely versatile.

 

[Fosu-Mens]

this

tbh this place is getting weird. For example many are suggesting we should use Greenwood as Rashford's only cover. That's crazy considering that Rashford is hardly the definite product yet + we can't have some kid with no experience as his only cover. Can you imagine if Rashford gets injured for 3-4 months?

Anyway my list would be Jovic/Joao Felix and Bergwijn

Martial best position is arguably striker, so he would be the cover/starter.

 

[devilish]

Martial best position is arguably striker, so he would be the cover/starter.

I used to think so myself but its not the case. He's way more comfortable on the left then as a striker. No wonder why both Mou and Ole prefers him as a left sided forward. Rashford has great talent but he's not a natural scorer.

If I was the gaffer Id get rid of Sanchez, Mata and Lukaku then sign Lozano, Bergwijn and Joao Felix. As said they are young, they are extremely talented, they wouldn't mind the bench and on top of that they are extremely versatile which would give us options + make us unpredictable

With such a forward line we shouldn't be worrying too much about goals as each of those players is able to tap it in if needed. Also they'll be exchanging roles making it almost impossible for defenders to mark them out.

 

[Chillosophy]

Joao Felix and Sancho

 

[Fosu-Mens]

I used to think so myself but its not the case. He's way more comfortable on the left then as a striker. No wonder why both Mou and Ole prefers him as a left sided forward. Rashford has great talent but he's not a natural scorer.

If I was the gaffer Id get rid of Sanchez, Mata and Lukaku then sign Lozano, Bergwijn and Joao Felix. As said they are young, they are extremely talented, they wouldn't mind the bench and on top of that they are extremely versatile which would give us options + make us unpredictable

With such a forward line we shouldn't be worrying too much about goals as each of those players is able to tap it in if needed. Also they'll be exchanging roles making it almost impossible for defenders to mark them out.

Both Martial and Rashford got some elements to improve in their game.

Sanchez, Mata and Lukaku should not be at the club next season. If Felix is open to the move, we should buy him. Bergwijn is promising and dependent of fee could be a good deal. Lozano is someone we should only buy as a cover/rotational player.

Having Bergwijn, Rashford, Martial and Rashford as our attacking options would not give us much tactical flexibility. All are primarily end product players, all right footed and they are not that different in style of play (best with a lot of space, good 1v1, not that involved in the build up etc). Could work if our primary style of play was counter attacking, or some version of how Liverpool currently plays.

 

[Aloysius's Back 3]

Bale.

 

[Bastian]

I have seen Piatek mentioned several times which to me is weird since he only moved this winter. Am I missing something?

No, you're spot on. No way Milan will sell him immediately after buying him.

I'd take Sancho and Felix. They'd probably cost a little over the rumoured 200m Ed is giving Ole to challenge for the top 4 though.

 

[Pughnichi]

If we buy another left wing/forward this summer I’ll eat my own head.

 

[sideshow_bob]

Experienced Target Man: Cavani / Lewy
+
Young Hungry Support Striker: Felix / Sancho / Pepe

Or...

2nd rate Target Man: Milik / Mitrovic
+
1 of Pogba's Besties: Griezmann / Dybala


Someone already mentioned why Piatek is not feasible. I agree.
In fact, by that same logic, Jovic is unlikely too. Frankfurt will in all likelihood, pay the €7m or so to Benfica & won't flip him so soon. Especially if they get a UCL spot.

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

Id let Mata, Sanchez and Lukaku go and then replace them with Joao Felix, Lozano and Bergwijn. They are young, they have talent, they wouldn't mind the bench, they wouldn't cost us a bomb salary wise and they are extremely versatile.

Its not bad idea. Ideally t would work just as well as mine. But after Depay, personally I'm a bit wary of attackers who are kings of the Dutch league

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

If we buy another left wing/forward this summer I’ll eat my own head.

How? Will you clone yourself?

 

[devilish]

Both Martial and Rashford got some elements to improve in their game.

Sanchez, Mata and Lukaku should not be at the club next season. If Felix is open to the move, we should buy him. Bergwijn is promising and dependent of fee could be a good deal. Lozano is someone we should only buy as a cover/rotational player.

Having Bergwijn, Rashford, Martial and Rashford as our attacking options would not give us much tactical flexibility. All are primarily end product players, all right footed and they are not that different in style of play (best with a lot of space, good 1v1, not that involved in the build up etc). Could work if our primary style of play was counter attacking, or some version of how Liverpool currently plays.

I disagree. Bergwijn, Rashford, Martial and Lozano can easily play in 2-3 roles. That means that at on point we'll be having Rashford upfront, Martial on the left and Bergwijn on the right only Rashford to switch right, Bergwijn to switch left and Martial to go upfront. That would drive defenders nuts.

I was never a big fan of defensive wingers. They might make sense when you've got a top top winger like Ronaldo or Messi on the flank but not in normal circumstances. For the rest all you need is a balanced team with a solid defence, fullbacks capable of both defending and attacking (Dalot and Shaw can do it), a top notch DM whose aided by decent box to box players (Fred & Mctominay could do the trick) and an advanced playmaker to link midfield and attack (Pogba can do it)

 

[devilish]

Its not bad idea. Ideally t would work just as well as mine. But after Depay, personally I'm a bit wary of attackers who are kings of the Dutch league

Many years ago AC Milan got obsessed with one Yugoslavian player. Darko Pancev was scoring goals for fun in a league that was littered with stars. AC Milan were filthy rich at the time, they had a fantastic squad, they bought the best players and were winning trophies for fun. That of course brought jealousy to Inter who decided to make this player their maginot line (a bit what we did with Sanchez). Thus Inter went all in to get this player and they managed to get him.

AC Milan had no choice but to go for plan B. So they went for another Yugoslav player a certain Dejan Savicevic. Guess what the former failed big time while the latter did extremely well there.

Bottom line of the story, players from smaller leagues can be unpredictable. Some might have the talent but not the attitude or they might have made the big step up too early. I still think Depay could have made it with United. Unfortunately the style of play we played at the time and our circumstances made it impossible for him to succeed. He wasn't the only player whose fingers got burnt back then. Zaha could have made it with United as well but the club was in too much chaos to actually help him develop to the player he is now.

 

[Fosu-Mens]

I disagree. Bergwijn, Rashford, Martial and Lozano can easily play in 2-3 roles. That means that at on point we'll be having Rashford upfront, Martial on the left and Bergwijn on the right only Rashford to switch right, Bergwijn to switch left and Martial to go upfront. That would drive defenders nuts.

I was never a big fan of defensive wingers. They might make sense when you've got a top top winger like Ronaldo or Messi on the flank but not in normal circumstances. For the rest all you need is a balanced team with a solid defence, fullbacks capable of both defending and attacking (Dalot and Shaw can do it), a top notch DM whose aided by decent box to box players (Fred & Mctominay could do the trick) and an advanced playmaker to link midfield and attack (Pogba can do it)

So x number of finishers, one creator(Pogba), and two other midfielders. Counter - attacking set up. Not that i have the statistics on this, but i would guess that the majority of the goals scored by Lozano, Bergwijn, Martial and Rashford have been on counters or against teams not in balance.

 

[Crashoutcassius]

whoever we sign, firesaling our 70m striker that has 100+ prem goals is a great idea that a premiership level professional will definitely carry out

 

[Adnan]

this

tbh this place is getting weird. For example many are suggesting we should use Greenwood as Rashford's only cover. That's crazy considering that Rashford is hardly the definite product yet + we can't have some kid with no experience as his only cover. Can you imagine if Rashford gets injured for 3-4 months?

Anyway my list would be Jovic/Joao Felix and Bergwijn

Martial is also a option as the CF, so we wouldn't be as limited as you're claiming for depth. And Lukaku too, if he's still at the club.

 

[ROFLUTION]

I would delegate this to our DoF who'd have thought about this for months and had numerous scout-reports on who would be the best fit in terms of long and short term planning and style of play. The DoF that would have much greater experience and know-how than me, the armchair Einstein who's watched about 5 youtube compilations the last 3 months on which I base most of my knowledge.

Oh wait.. What about that guy on FM I just signed?