Joshua King / signs for Watford

Walters_19_MuFc

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We have also bought Darmain, Blind, Rojo, Baily etc and that hasn't worked either, when you are starving everything looks tasty.
Difference is, Josh King plays in the EPL, and as I said, whenever I see him play, he always does a good job. It's not something i'm saying now. I have mentioned before today that I'd like King as a squad player.
 

Adnan

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So basically, the circumstances are all different. The prices for Origi and Shaqiri are no more a metric we need to be using than the price for Keita.

Personally, I can’t think of many rotation options that would be much better than King, unless they are super talented kids or oldies who may or may not still have it. I think he’s the right profile, minus his worrying injury record admittedly.
The difference with Keita was that he was seen as someone who was gonna step into the Liverpool first team and improve them. And his transfer fee was a reflection of the potential he had shown at RBL.
 

Sp00ks11

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This tweet did tickle me :lol:

“Looking forward to Ed Woodward interview explaining that King was one of 804 forwards in the Manchester United scouting system, filtered down to a level of 50-70 players. After extensive data + video analysis made it to top 10, repeatedly scouted into top 3; then OGS approved...”

Our scouting department is an absolute joke, if it even exists.
 

Rozay

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The difference with Keita was that he was seen as someone who was gonna step into the Liverpool first team and improve them. And his transfer fee was a reflection of the potential he had shown at RBL.
I know that. Which is why he cost £65m, and off the top of my head, was the second most expensive transfer out of Germany. I don’t think we buy 28 year old forwards for £27m in 2020 because they are expected to massively impact the first team. £127m would be more likely! Offering £27m for King is fair for his proposed impact and respectful to the importance he has at his current team I think.
 

Bebestation

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I think the reason Ole wants King is to cover Rashford's injury at LF but also have a back up at CF.

I think he still wants to use martial in the middle and Greenwood or James on the right.

King - Martial - Greenwood

I think he's not been happy with Lingard & James on the left & wants someone atleast half clinical again on the left channel.

It makes sense otherwise why not go for a player like Jarrod Bowen who plays as a forward and on the right wing too? (which I personally think we need more long term).
 

joso157

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He’s got the 2nd best goal scoring record of strikers outside the traditional top 6 clubs, the best is vardy. Playing for Bournemouth that says a fair bit about his ability.

Wouldn’t pay stupid money for him, but he was at the club when ole was reserve manager I believe so he obviously thinks he can do a job for us. There’s a lot worse we’ve been linked with!
 

Garethw

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What an awful signing this would have been. Signing Bournemouth's second best striker on deadline day on a permanent deal :lol:

King is not a very good striker. United reject for a very good reason. Had this gone through it would have been a case of Ole signing instant-deadwood based on desperation, lack of planning and nationality-blinkers.

Talk about the smashing of expectations and ambitions and unfathomable stupidity, when you go from Haaland at the start of the window to Josh King hours before then end, for probably double the fee. Shambles.


And no, you can't blame this purely on Woodward. Any clowns who disagree: do you think it's a coincidence we've only made actual approaches for two Norweigan strikers?
Totally agree.
 

Adnan

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I know that. Which is why he cost £65m, and off the top of my head, was the second most expensive transfer out of Germany. I don’t think we buy 28 year old forwards for £27m in 2020 because they are expected to massively impact the first team. £127m would be more likely! Offering £27m for King is fair for his proposed impact and respectful to the importance he has at his current team I think.
Squad players only cost in excess of £30m in the EPL. I can give you many examples of players at other big European clubs who are squad players who cost very little but have shown a much higher ceiling in comparison to Josh King. This narrow minded approach isn't just costly for a squad player but also very risky from a position of weakness.
 
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If this bid had been made five or ten days ago, giving Bournemouth time to find a replacement, they would probably have been a lot easier to negotiate with. Why leave it so late? Have we been working on some other target since the 15th (when Rash was injured), that fell through yesterday, and then panic mode: King?
 

Ødegaard

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This tweet did tickle me :lol:

“Looking forward to Ed Woodward interview explaining that King was one of 804 forwards in the Manchester United scouting system, filtered down to a level of 50-70 players. After extensive data + video analysis made it to top 10, repeatedly scouted into top 3; then OGS approved...”

Our scouting department is an absolute joke, if it even exists.
Especially funny seeing as Ighalo also has a Norwegian agent.
 

Kag

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I’m more than a little alarmed that we (allegedly) bid around £20-odd million for this lad. I mean, as a short-term loan I’d be all for it; but not for the kind of price.
 

RedRonaldo

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Surely the bit in my post where it says I want a backup forward but not King answers that?
With few more hours to go before the window is closed, who do you want for backup forward on the bench then?
 

RedRonaldo

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None of it says Greenwood is fast...

And thats not the point too, he wasn't fast at all in all the matches he has played for us so far. For example, I've never or rarely seen him outpaced an opponents. While James or Rashford always outpaced opponents every time I've watched them play.
 

R'hllor

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Only good thing about this thread is that one day you can show it as example.
 

Dve

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That talkshite one reckons Koscielny is faster than the likes of Yedlin and Bellerin :lol:

Not even if you chucked him off a cliff.
One of these is based on stats of Opta. Go argue with them.
 

Cassidy

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With few more hours to go before the window is closed, who do you want for backup forward on the bench then?
I personally would have signed Jarad Bowen and would have done it a week ago
 

lysglimt

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Totally agree.
You are absolutely wrong - over the last 2 years he has been brilliant for Norway against very good defences like Spain and Sweden. He doesn't score enough yes - but his work ethics is brilliant, he has turned into a leader and he is Lightning quick
 

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I personally would have signed Jarad Bowen and would have done it a week ago
I think shopping in the Championship is under valued / appreciated.

As soon a Rashford got injured I'd have gone for him or Watkins or even Karlan Grant.
 

Dve

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None of it says Greenwood is fast...

And thats not the point too, he wasn't fast at all in all the matches he has played for us so far. For example, I've never or rarely seen him outpaced an opponents. While James or Rashford always outpaced opponents every time I've watched them play.
These stats are a couple of years old, but he´s only 28 years old, so it cannot possible have chanced that much. I´ve been a lot of games with King as well, and my impression of him is that he´s very fast. So based on that - supported by stats - I suggest you need new glasses.

Well, he doesn´t seem to be coming anyway, so sort of irrelevant discussion.
 

edgar allan

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Difference is, Josh King plays in the EPL, and as I said, whenever I see him play, he always does a good job. It's not something i'm saying now. I have mentioned before today that I'd like King as a squad player.
It is nothing more than a desperation move. If we can get a short term loan but no point buying someone way below the standard required
 

meninred

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I dont know why but we never manage to do loans and free transfers..maybe it is not the Manchester United way.
 

charlenefan

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I'd of been up for this tbh, bringing back an academy player as an impact sub

Actually probably would have taken Welbeck back under those terms as well
 

Hoof the ball

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What about a striker with physical aerial presence? It's literally the one thing we're missing right now. King is a cut-price-Walmart-special-deal-on-black-friday Marcus Rashford. It's all about the counter attack from deep, but he won't do much in terms of helping us vs. those deep siege mentality defences.
 

Garethw

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You are absolutely wrong - over the last 2 years he has been brilliant for Norway against very good defences like Spain and Sweden. He doesn't score enough yes - but his work ethics is brilliant, he has turned into a leader and he is Lightning quick
I’d agree with you, if we were West Ham or Norwich.
 

RedRonaldo

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These stats are a couple of years old, but he´s only 28 years old, so it cannot possible have chanced that much. I´ve been a lot of games with King as well, and my impression of him is that he´s very fast. So based on that - supported by stats - I suggest you need new glasses.

Well, he doesn´t seem to be coming anyway, so sort of irrelevant discussion.
Are we discussing the same player here? I meant to say Greenwood isn't fast but you seems talking about King?
 

Dve

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Are we discussing the same player here? I meant to say Greenwood isn't fast but you seems talking about King?
Then obviously we are not, I was talking about King. If you meant Greenwood, then I agree. Sorry for the confusion.
 

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I think shopping in the Championship is under valued / appreciated.

As soon a Rashford got injured I'd have gone for him or Watkins or even Karlan Grant.
I kept hovering over making a post in this very guard - typed up and everything, then deleted a few times (browser stores posts) before just moving on. That is to say, I agree and am quite surprised we didn't go into that market for a myriad of reasons.
 

GledTheRed

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We'll probably pick him up in the summer if we don't sign Ighalo. Will he have just 12 months left on his deal? Probably grab him for 15 million.
 

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I kept hovering over making a post in this very guard - typed up and everything, then deleted a few times (browser stores posts) before just moving on. That is to say, I agree and am quite surprised we didn't go into that market for a myriad of reasons.
The proof is in all the players who are making the step up these days... Grealish, McGinn, Mings, Maddison, Abraham, Pukki, Sheffield United... Though granted that last one is probably down to coaching, fact is the gap between the leagues is nowhere near as great anymore.
 

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The proof is in all the players who are making the step up these days... Grealish, McGinn, Mings, Maddison, Abraham, Pukki, Sheffield United... Though granted that last one is probably down to coaching, fact is the gap between the leagues is nowhere near as great anymore.
Agree. Especially when talking about taking subs and under studies off the PL teams.

Added bonus is the wages are a fraction of what we would otherwise have to pay.