Why did Ole prioritise a CB over a DM?

the_cliff

Full Member
Joined
Sep 4, 2013
Messages
5,327
Varane was available, you don't turn down that kind of player.

We did try to sign Camavinga from all reports, but his heart was set on Real. Outside of that the options were limited, unless you wanted to over pay for Rice.
I agree in regards to Varane. Like I said it's a no brainer. My main problem is with last years business DVB and Diallo is a combined 70 mill which could have got us a decent cdm. Even a Bissouma/Neves would improve us in that area.
 

Leftback99

Might have a bedwetting fetish.
Joined
Jan 11, 2015
Messages
13,966
It's should have been first priority before centre back and Sancho.
 

2 man midfield

Last Man Standing finalist 2021/22
Joined
Sep 4, 2012
Messages
45,669
Location
?
Everyone on this forum wanted a centre back before the window opened. Those voices were louder than the ones wanting a DM. If you ask me, it’s a little revisionist to act like it was a dumb choice.
 

Gandalf

Full Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
4,759
Location
Alabama but always Wales in my heart
I think the bottom line here is that we bought the players that were value for money in positions of need. I am sure OGS signed off on a list of targets and we set about negotiating with the respective clubs to see what could be done. It does appear that our primary target for DM was Rice and he was priced out of a move by West Ham slapping a 100M price tag on him, Camavinga was also clearly considered but he only had eyes for Real. I don't think it was a question of priority so much as no realistic deals being available in this window for our targets.
 

Scholsey2004

Full Member
Joined
May 12, 2016
Messages
3,600
Well, the best CB available to us was Rafa Varane. The best DM available (to us anyway) was either Declan Rice or Ruben Neves and both would have cost more than Varane. You'd have to be mental to skip Varane when he's available.
 

croadyman

Full Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2018
Messages
34,330
It was an opportunity he couldn't miss. Varane on sale, a CB that would walk right into the team and strengthen us. Weird to question that as everyone has screamed over Lindelof for years now. That was absolutely nothing wrong with that. The biggest problem is that he prioritized a winger (maybe also too good to say no to Sancho?) but also bought Ronaldo instead of a DM, that was a mistake. But obviously, the biggest mistake was signing VdB earlier, money that should've gone to a DM.
Yeah should have passed on Donny in hindsight and perhaps also Jadon too for that DM this team so badly needs
 

croadyman

Full Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2018
Messages
34,330
Too many reactionary threads opened when we lose, that OP can be in one of many threads discussing transfers or Ole...
Some of us have been feeling this way ever since he got the job on a permanent basis and aren't afraid to challenge TOP REDS
 

croadyman

Full Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2018
Messages
34,330
I am more inclined to ask why we prioritized a RW over a DM when we have Rashford, Martial and Greenwood.
Yeah it's not looking a good choice right now but it's also a complete farce we have to sacrifice one of those positions at all
 

SirScholes

Full Member
Joined
Jan 26, 2014
Messages
6,183
Yeah it's not looking a good choice right now but it's also a complete farce we have to sacrifice one of those positions at all
Personally I think the midfield is more than good enough to win something
A window with cr7 sancho and varane and we are complaining, mental

pogba mctom fred matic with a great defence behind them and spoilt riches ahead of them in attack, if you can’t win something with that then you’re a very poor manager
 

croadyman

Full Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2018
Messages
34,330
Varane was the best but of business the club has done in a long time. Sancho for me wasn’t anywhere near as important as a DM. If we don’t win anything this season I can’t see how Ole keeps he’s job!
Personally I think the midfield is more than good enough to win something
A window with cr7 sancho and varane and we are complaining, mental

pogba mctom fred matic with a great defence behind them and spoilt riches ahead of them in attack, if you can’t win something with that then you’re a very poor manager
Well we all knew that about Ole anyway so not really a surprise
 

Kush

Hyperbolic and will post where they like!!
Joined
Mar 30, 2010
Messages
3,440
Because it isn't a priority for him. Not as big as other position, it's as simple as that. Folks are trying to find reasons which simply aren't there.

To the outsiders, our midfield looks a pile of mess. But, Ole starts Fred 50 times a season and McTominay about the same. He sees something in them, that's why he still persists after SIX transfer windows and hasn't upgraded them. Only signing to go into our central midfield is Bruno, who is an attacking midfielder. Plus, van de Beek, who Ole rates so little that likes of Matic/Lingard have seen more gametime than him this season. Not to mention the fact, he doesn't see him as a central midfielder anyway.

All this talk about being unable to control the tempo, not taking care of possession due to lack of this elusive DM is a waste of time. We don't do those things, because those things aren't important to Ole. For some reason Caf doesn't accept this, or isn't ready to have this conversation.
 

Crashoutcassius

Full Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2013
Messages
10,295
Location
playa del carmen
My guess is he didn't but he did prioritise signing varane for that fee over whatever centre kids were available for similar money. I can stand over that
 

babablue

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Oct 12, 2020
Messages
207
What are the odds that if we’d signed a DM instead of Varane someone would have made a “why did Ole prioritise a DM over a CB” the first time Lindelof got beaten in the air this season?
100%
 

OmarUnited4ever

Full Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2021
Messages
3,425
Some of us have been feeling this way ever since he got the job on a permanent basis and aren't afraid to challenge TOP REDS
Hey... I don't mind the criticism, all I'm saying is this thread is totally unnecessary, the OP could've posted their opinion in any of the Transfer/Ole related threads.

And chill with the dramatic stuff like top reds or ain't afraid to challenge and whatnot
 

The Boy

Full Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2014
Messages
4,317
Supports
Brighton and Hove Albion
Some of you are mad, any club in the world that had just had a transfer window of Varane, Sancho and fecking Ronaldo would be over the moon and last season lots of people were shouting for a new CB. Hindsight is a very easy and cheap way to bash.

Some of us have been feeling this way ever since he got the job on a permanent basis and aren't afraid to challenge TOP REDS
Also this kind of posting is just ridiculous, especially in response to someone who isn't challenging or arguing with you, but just suggesting there are already quite a few anti Ole thread. It's just needless aggro.
 

mu4c_20le

Full Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2013
Messages
42,729
There's been an obsession over a DM for years, it's no surprise. Once Mctominay comes back then things will be rosy again.
 

HailtotheKing

Full Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2018
Messages
1,015
Location
NYC
I think you’re asking the wrong question. Varane will end up being one of the buys of the season. We needed a CB desperately and Varane was a snip. I think you should be asking why we bought Sancho over a CDM with Greenwood currently doing nicely there. The need was far less. Much as I like Sancho and have faith we will be a good signing, I think a CDM would have been far more transformative to how we play and would have allowed us to play so many different combinations in midfield and enabled Pogba and Bruno to do what they do best.
 

Dante

Average bang
Joined
Oct 22, 2010
Messages
25,280
Location
My wit's end
We lost more points due to our defenders than due to our midfielders last season.

And we'll gain more points with better attackers than better midfielders this season.

Midfield is still a big problem. But fixing it will get us fewer points than fixing the other areas of the team first.

The downside is that we'll continue to look disjointed at time, and the Caf will continue to complain about messy 2-1 wins. But at least we'll be winning.
 

DavelinaJolie

Full Member
Joined
May 8, 2013
Messages
3,388
I think it's a lot to do with who was available and for what figures. Maybe it's better to ask why we diverted 70 million to the right wing before DM.

We got Varane for a relatively small fee considering his stature in the game, I think that is logic enough for why we pursued that one.
This. Wasn't it reported a week or two ago that there wasn't a DM that they wanted at a price point they felt was good?
 

Ikon

Correctly predicted France to win World Cup 2018
Joined
Jun 29, 2017
Messages
2,390
Simple question really. We all knew the Glazers wouldn’t open the purse strings enough to get a RW, CB and a DM, so why did Ole prioritise a CB over a DM?
I think it comes down to timing and opportunity.
Sancho was always going to be #1 target simply because we have wanted him for 4 years and completed much of the deal last year, so that one just had to be finalized.
CB was also going to be a high priority, and to have the opportunity to land Varane for that type of fee, was terrific business.

It does baffle me why the club is so reluctant to push player sales, when we have a 'policy of 'sell to buy' though
We have so many forward players that James, Lingard, Donny and Martial could have been made available, and we would still have ample cover.
There has to be £100m in sales there, more than enough to buy any DM that you wanted, but there just doesn't seem to be the desire to trim this squad.
We saw James go for a fee reaching £30m, so it goes to show that there was a market there.

I have to admire what Chelsea did, and I only wish that United could be so proactive..
£34m - Tammy Abrahams
£30m - Kurt Zouma
£26m - Fikayo Tomori
£20m - Marc Guehi
£8m - Kenedy
£5m - Tino Liveramento
They also sold a number of players for under £5m.
Chelsea have managed to sell about 10 players and have incoming fees of about £130m, operating the the same market as United...?!?!?

Lets be honest, United would never have made fringe players such as Abraham, Zouma & Tomori available for transfer, we'd have offered them each a new contract to stay.. :lol: :lol:
 

rooney2009

Full Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2009
Messages
2,593
Location
London
We just need to keep Scot and Fred fit this season and we will be fine
We don’t lose a lot of games when they both start
We can then sign a new CM in January
Pogba,Matic and VDB May all leave in the summer so the midfield will need proper reinvestments
 

OJKernow

Full Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2011
Messages
1,025
Location
Kernowfornia
It may have been the top priority going into the summer, but these things are not set in stone and it's a dynamic situation. The club reacted to a top class CB becoming available at a brilliant price that improved the 11 massively, plus the unexpected availability of Ronaldo forcing our hand. Sancho has been a long term target for a while and (initial performances aside) has been considered one of the brightest young talents in Europe for a number of years. Considering also the limited number of truly top class defensive midfielders available in the market and it kind of makes sense.

I'm sure it's clear to everyone that is now the only real gap in our 11, and will be our priority next summer.
 

NotoriousISSY

$10mil and I fecked it up!
Joined
Mar 20, 2012
Messages
16,277
Location
up north
The short answer is, if Raphael Varane is available and wants to join, you sign him.

Same with Ronaldo.

I'm sure Sancho will come good, but he obviously will need the full season to settle and get used to the PL. You could argue that's where money wasn't spent well given our desire for immediate success after a dry spell without (but I won't argue that because I'm sure he will come good and at the very least will eat all of the minutes James and Mata previously had at the very least).
 

MattofManchester

Full Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2018
Messages
3,748
How is this even an argument????

We needed a CB, but we also need a DM.

Logically, you could question why we chose to sign Sancho over a DM, given the prominence of Greenwood and potential of Diallo, but what's done is done. Time to move on.
 

alexthelion

Full Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2019
Messages
3,601
He had an opportunity to sell VDB and Lingard. The former is a player he refuses to play like its a virus and the second continues to be at the club for no apparent reason whatsoever. There is your money for a CDM right there.
Except Lingard didn't want to leave, so that's your plan up in flames.
 

Tallis

Full Member
Joined
Dec 23, 2020
Messages
982
CB is clearly more important than DM. I think people forget how many soft goals we let in last season from corners or because Lindelof was too weak and got shrugged off by an attacker.

Having a top quality CB like Varane will also give us the flexibility to play a higher defensive line and press the opposition high.

Don’t disagree that we should have signed a DM this summer. In an ideal world, we should have sold Martial and bought a DM. Having said that I think we overly fixate on the DM. There were plenty of mistakes during the YB game so unfair to blame it all on the DM.
 

jem

Full Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Messages
9,257
Location
Toronto
Well, the best CB available to us was Rafa Varane. The best DM available (to us anyway) was either Declan Rice or Ruben Neves and both would have cost more than Varane. You'd have to be mental to skip Varane when he's available.
We should’ve sold Lingard and used that money along with the James money to buy a CDM.
 

Bebestation

Im a doctor btw, my IQ destroys yours
Joined
Oct 9, 2019
Messages
11,862
You don’t think the likes of Fergie or even Mourinho and Van Gaal wouldn’t have found a way to get Jesse out the door?
Weren't two of them Jessie's main users?

Oles the one who atleast loaned him out.
 

Bebestation

Im a doctor btw, my IQ destroys yours
Joined
Oct 9, 2019
Messages
11,862
My point is that if one of those managers wanted a player gone, the player would be gone
But nearly 40+players have either been sold or left under Ole.

Fellaini, Herrera, darmian, young, Smalling, Sanchez, Lukaku, TFM, ROJo, Romero etc
 

alexthelion

Full Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2019
Messages
3,601
We should’ve sold Lingard and used that money along with the James money to buy a CDM.
How many more idiotic posts are there going to be about "should have sold Lingard".

He didn't want to move, it was made clear during the window. Do posters not pay ny attention?