Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea | Confirmed

[Skills]

I've started looking into him more and everything I'm seeing from highlights, to stats to his underlying stats (xG, xA, progressive passes etc) seems to suggest this guy is something special.

Yet there is hardly that much hype around him? Everything seems to point him just tearing it up wherever he goes next, and apparently you can get him for about £60m?

 

[Lentwood]

I've started looking into him more and everything I'm seeing from highlights, to stats to his underlying stats (xG, xA, progressive passes etc) seems to suggest this guy is something special.

Yet there is hardly that much hype around him? Everything seems to point him just tearing it up wherever he goes next, and apparently you can get him for about £60m?

I've never seen the bloke play but it would concern me that Nkunku is 24, only has 2 caps for France and is still playing in the Bundesliga.

This forum is hyper-critical of our defenders, yet Maguire has 42 caps for England, Varane has 85 caps for France and three Champions League winners medals and Lindelof is the captain of the Swedish national team and has 52 caps.

We're talking about replacing highly-experienced, International calibre defenders here with players who haven't really consistently played at anywhere near that level. I say 'players' because I note this forum is now all of a sudden also obsessed with some 'Timber' bloke, who Ruud Gullit said earlier in the week 'couldn't defend'.

Of course, I'm not saying these players can't make the step-up, but people have to understand it's exactly that - it's a HUGE step-up in quality from playing as a CB in the Bundesliga or the Eredivisie to playing in the Premier League. The chances of someone like Timber or Nkunku coming in and instantly being better than the likes of Maguire, Varane and Lindelof in a progressive system (were they are more exposed) is very low in my opinion.

Personally, I don't think our defenders are our biggest problem. I think if we fix the pressing from the front and fix the midfield, the defenders we have would suddenly look so much more comfortable.

 

[pascell]

I've started looking into him more and everything I'm seeing from highlights, to stats to his underlying stats (xG, xA, progressive passes etc) seems to suggest this guy is something special.

Yet there is hardly that much hype around him? Everything seems to point him just tearing it up wherever he goes next, and apparently you can get him for about £60m?

I've said for a while that he's my dream signing this summer. If we can sign him, a DM, CM and a RW like Antony, I'd be very happy.

Although Id be happy if the likes of Mejbri were to get consistent as the CM, with van de Beek coming back into the fold, then I'd swap the CM for a CB.

 

[Trex]

I've never seen the bloke play but it would concern me that Nkunku is 24, only has 2 caps for France and is still playing in the Bundesliga.

This forum is hyper-critical of our defenders, yet Maguire has 42 caps for England, Varane has 85 caps for France and three Champions League winners medals and Lindelof is the captain of the Swedish national team and has 52 caps.

We're talking about replacing highly-experienced, International calibre defenders here with players who haven't really consistently played at anywhere near that level. I say 'players' because I note this forum is now all of a sudden also obsessed with some 'Timber' bloke, who Ruud Gullit said earlier in the week 'couldn't defend'.

Of course, I'm not saying these players can't make the step-up, but people have to understand it's exactly that - it's a HUGE step-up in quality from playing as a CB in the Bundesliga or the Eredivisie to playing in the Premier League. The chances of someone like Timber or Nkunku coming in and instantly being better than the likes of Maguire, Varane and Lindelof in a progressive system (were they are more exposed) is very low in my opinion.

Personally, I don't think our defenders are our biggest problem. I think if we fix the pressing from the front and fix the midfield, the defenders we have would suddenly look so much more comfortable.

You're aware Nkunku plays as a forward right?

 

[Scholsey2004]

I've never seen the bloke play but it would concern me that Nkunku is 24, only has 2 caps for France and is still playing in the Bundesliga.

This forum is hyper-critical of our defenders, yet Maguire has 42 caps for England, Varane has 85 caps for France and three Champions League winners medals and Lindelof is the captain of the Swedish national team and has 52 caps.

We're talking about replacing highly-experienced, International calibre defenders here with players who haven't really consistently played at anywhere near that level. I say 'players' because I note this forum is now all of a sudden also obsessed with some 'Timber' bloke, who Ruud Gullit said earlier in the week 'couldn't defend'.

Of course, I'm not saying these players can't make the step-up, but people have to understand it's exactly that - it's a HUGE step-up in quality from playing as a CB in the Bundesliga or the Eredivisie to playing in the Premier League. The chances of someone like Timber or Nkunku coming in and instantly being better than the likes of Maguire, Varane and Lindelof in a progressive system (were they are more exposed) is very low in my opinion.

Personally, I don't think our defenders are our biggest problem. I think if we fix the pressing from the front and fix the midfield, the defenders we have would suddenly look so much more comfortable.

Nkunku is a striker/forward so.you wouldnt be the only one concerned if he was Maguire's replacement.

 

[Scholsey2004]

Ive not seen a lot of him but in the clips ive seen theres a bit of a Sadio Mane vibe about him. He's very quick (in the Bundesliga anyway) and a very good finisher. He's not a big strong centre forwatd who can shield the ball with strength and good technique though. I tend to think our shape is a lot better with a Cavani type centre forward.

 

[Lentwood]

You're aware Nkunku plays as a forward right?

Clearly not

Point still stands though...we're talking about this bloke and I keep seeing this 'Antony' bloke talked about constantly on this forum....how many players have come directly from the Bundesliga or the Eredivisie in recent years and made an impact at a top club? It's not many and those that have tend to have played regularly in their National team and the Champions League (i.e. Gundogan)

I'm concerned that ETH might be tempted to fill the squad with mediocre Dutch/German players and address too many positions at once. I also keep hearing talk of him bringing DvdB back...it would be a huge mistake, he's just nowhere near good enough.

Again, I (clearly) haven't seen the bloke play, but if he's good enough to lead the line for Manchester United, then why does he only have two caps for France? Anthony Martial has 30!

 

[BenitoSTARR]

Clearly not

Point still stands though...we're talking about this bloke and I keep seeing this 'Antony' bloke talked about constantly on this forum....how many players have come directly from the Bundesliga or the Eredivisie in recent years and made an impact at a top club? It's not many and those that have tend to have played regularly in their National team and the Champions League (i.e. Gundogan)

I'm concerned that ETH might be tempted to fill the squad with mediocre Dutch/German players and address too many positions at once. I also keep hearing talk of him bringing DvdB back...it would be a huge mistake, he's just nowhere near good enough.

Again, I (clearly) haven't seen the bloke play, but if he's good enough to lead the line for Manchester United, then why does he only have two caps for France? Anthony Martial has 30!

I have no concerns about Ten Hag trying to fill the squad with mediocrity. It’s already full of it.

He’s said before that the quality of players influence the system. And that player quality is the most important thing. I dont think hell be wanting average players. Whether he gets the players he wants is the thing that concerns me.

 

[Trex]

Clearly not

Point still stands though...we're talking about this bloke and I keep seeing this 'Antony' bloke talked about constantly on this forum....how many players have come directly from the Bundesliga or the Eredivisie in recent years and made an impact at a top club? It's not many and those that have tend to have played regularly in their National team and the Champions League (i.e. Gundogan)

I'm concerned that ETH might be tempted to fill the squad with mediocre Dutch/German players and address too many positions at once. I also keep hearing talk of him bringing DvdB back...it would be a huge mistake, he's just nowhere near good enough.

Again, I (clearly) haven't seen the bloke play, but if he's good enough to lead the line for Manchester United, then why does he only have two caps for France? Anthony Martial has 30!

I think what we need now are players who will come in and play to the managers demands, that's what you see at Man city and Liverpool, Nkunku and Anthony are Internationals for France and Brazil respectively, two very huge football nations with a lot of competition for places, we want players who are on the up, players who aren't fully establish who are willing to put the necessary work to take the step up, not Galacticos who will come here on their own terms and become an obstacle to the managers philosophy and tactics. This is the way to go if we want to build a team that plays as a cohesive unit and not just line up names who don't complement each other and aren't willing to put in the work.

 

[sifi36]

Clearly not

Point still stands though...we're talking about this bloke and I keep seeing this 'Antony' bloke talked about constantly on this forum....how many players have come directly from the Bundesliga or the Eredivisie in recent years and made an impact at a top club? It's not many and those that have tend to have played regularly in their National team and the Champions League (i.e. Gundogan)

I'm concerned that ETH might be tempted to fill the squad with mediocre Dutch/German players and address too many positions at once. I also keep hearing talk of him bringing DvdB back...it would be a huge mistake, he's just nowhere near good enough.

Again, I (clearly) haven't seen the bloke play, but if he's good enough to lead the line for Manchester United, then why does he only have two caps for France? Anthony Martial has 30!

The point about the transition from Eredivisie or Bundesliga to the Premier League is an interesting one. Rather than them being overrated and failing here, I think it comes more down to systems. Liverpool, City, Chelsea (under Tuchel at least) and to some extent Southampton have very clearly defined systems coached by idealistic and well-regarded coaches. Gundogan, de Bruyne, Mane, Firmino, Havertz, Ziyech, Matip, van Dijk and Thiago are example of success stories. A lot of the failures are players who’ve gone to sides without a clearly coached system, like us (until next season at least).

Maybe it’s the systematic nature of coaching in the Bundesliga and Eredivisie and the relative dearth of it in England that causes some players to struggle, rather than the leagues being poor from a quality standpoint.

 

[Lentwood]

I think what we need now are players who will come in and play to the managers demands, that's what you see at Man city and Liverpool, Nkunku and Anthony are Internationals for France and Brazil respectively, two very huge football nations with a lot of competition for places, we want players who are on the up, players who aren't fully establish who are willing to put the necessary work to take the step up, not Galacticos who will come here on their own terms and become an obstacle to the managers philosophy and tactics. This is the way to go if we want to build a team that plays as a cohesive unit and not just line up names who don't complement each other and aren't willing to put in the work.

I agree with the bolded part but we need to be careful - there's a fine line between having a more progressive transfer policy and just filling the squad with a load of dross.

I think if you're 24/25 and you're not yet established at least in the squad of your National team, I have to say personally I find it difficult to believe you're good enough to go up against some of the best CBs in the World week-in, week out.

 

[Bestietom]

Really hope we sign Nkunku, I think he would be perfect for us.

 

[Trex]

I agree with the bolded part but we need to be careful - there's a fine line between having a more progressive transfer policy and just filling the squad with a load of dross.

I think if you're 24/25 and you're not yet established at least in the squad of your National team, I have to say personally I find it difficult to believe you're good enough to go up against some of the best CBs in the World week-in, week out.

Do you think Mane and Salah would have been established regulars at the time of signing for Liverpool if they represented Brazil or France, Nkunku and Anthony are clearly full of potential at the age of 21 or 24.

 

[Bestietom]

I agree with the bolded part but we need to be careful - there's a fine line between having a more progressive transfer policy and just filling the squad with a load of dross.

I think if you're 24/25 and you're not yet established at least in the squad of your National team, I have to say personally I find it difficult to believe you're good enough to go up against some of the best CBs in the World week-in, week out.

We signed Martial who never hit the heights, and was supposed to be a future Balon dor winner.
Many teams have signed players who they expected to be stars but failed. You have to take chances in football. Every team have signed flops, as well as some turning out to be very good.

 

[Lentwood]

Do you think Mane and Salah would have been established regulars at the time of signing for Liverpool if they represented Brazil or France, Nkunku and Anthony are clearly full of potential at the age of 21 or 24.

I think they would have been in the squad and would probably have 5-10 caps. It's impossible to say though isn't it. What I would say is that Mane was playing really well for Southampton in the Premier League and I said this in October 2015

I do think if we could get Mane at the right price he would be an excellent addition. Obviously in today's market we would be looking at £25m+ but he is young, tricky and most importantly absolutely lightning quick. I would say at the moment he is better than any of the wingers we have and given we probably need 7+ players to cover that front 4 in 4 competitions (and with Rooney looking finished) we could do a lot worse

And also this...

I would say we still need,

* 2 x Attackers

Solution - Griezmann is a no-brainer, Utd fan, reasonable release clause and can play anywhere across the front. The second attacker I am not so sure about but for me I would say Mane would be a good option. Absolutely rapid, strong and very direct, should be available for around £25m. Neither of these players are "9's", but both are versatile enough to play anywhere across the front 4.

* 1 x CM - Carrick is 35, Schweinsteiger 31, Herrera is better deployed further forward imo. I would say we should be looking to sign a CM now rather than being forced into potentially making panic buys in a season or two when we realise we have left it to late.

Solution - I would like Gundogan, would appear to fit in very well with "the philosophy" but would he leave Dortmund? I also like Koke at Atletico, every time I have seen him he has been unbelievably good.

With regard Salah, he was also playing in Serie A and regularly in Europe. I think there's still, even now, a big difference between the quality of defences in Serie A and the Bundesliga/Eredivisie.

 

[Trex]

We signed Martial who never hit the heights, and was supposed to be a future Balon dor winner.
Many teams have signed players who they expected to be stars but failed. You have to take chances in football. Every team have signed flops, as well as some turning out to be very good.

The players we've signed never get proper coaching, I feel Rashford, Pogba, Martial would have all turned out better, their initial promise wasn't just hype, they just didn't get good enough football education here, and in that regard we let them down.
Good thing for Sancho we hired Ten Hag.

 

[JPRouve]

With regard Salah, he was also playing in Serie A and regularly in Europe. I think there's still, even now, a big difference between the quality of defences in Serie A and the Bundesliga/Eredivisie.

Serie A has no defense and are without a doubt a worse league than the Bundesliga on all fronts. Also Bundesliga and Eredivisie have no business being lumped together.

 

[JPRouve]

The players we've signed never get proper coaching, I feel Rashford, Pogba, Martial would have all turned out better, their initial promise wasn't just hype, they just didn't get good enough football education here, and in that regard we let them down.
Good thing for Sancho we hired Ten Hag.

In case of Pogba it was greatly hype. Pogba is a very good player and has played like a very good player for a large part of his career at United, the issue is that the hype turned him into something more than that, some people were claiming that he was the best all around midfielder in the world when he was never a well rounded player.
Otherwise I agree with you, not only our players haven't been coached well but some of them have also been signed to play in ways that weren't in line with the actual identity of the players.

 

[Bestietom]

The players we've signed never get proper coaching, I feel Rashford, Pogba, Martial would have all turned out better, their initial promise wasn't just hype, they just didn't get good enough football education here, and in that regard we let them down.
Good thing for Sancho we hired Ten Hag.

Don't think we would have seen Pogba or Martial here if Fergie was still manager. I am looking forward to seeing what Ten Hag does in the next few years.

 

[Trex]

I think they would have been in the squad and would probably have 5-10 caps. It's impossible to say though isn't it. What I would say is that Mane was playing really well for Southampton in the Premier League and I said this in October 2015



And also this...



With regard Salah, he was also playing in Serie A and regularly in Europe. I think there's still, even now, a big difference between the quality of defences in Serie A and the Bundesliga/Eredivisie.

But Anthony has 9 caps for Brazil, while Nkunku hasn't gotten more has to do with the fact his competition are the likes of Benzema, Mbappe and Griezmann, Deschamps have mainly stayed loyal with the individuals who won the world cup, Nkunku currently has 30+ goals and double figures in assist, no guarantee they'll work out here but you don't think they're the kind of players we should look at?

 

[pocco]

This is his performance against Atalanta just a few days ago, a team we know first hand are tricky to overcome. I prefer these sort of highlights videos as they give you a better reflection of his all round game. But you can see what a constant thorn in their side he is and he finishes with 2 goals and could have had a couple of assists to go with it.

 

[L1nk]

So people in this thread seem to believe we should only sign players from the Premier League then? Every other league is complete trash apparently and its rare for players to come from other leagues and do well? Christ

 

[JPRouve]

So people in this thread seem to believe we should only sign players from the Premier League then? Every other league is complete trash apparently and its rare for players to come from other leagues and do well? Christ

Pretty much, it's as if PL transfers aren't generally also a failure. One would think that the signings of Fellaini, AWB, Shaw, Mata, Schneiderlin, Maguire, Lukaku, Matic or Sanchez would kill that narrative but nope.

 

[Lentwood]

But Anthony has 9 caps for Brazil, while Nkunku hasn't gotten more has to do with the fact his competition are the likes of Benzema, Mbappe and Griezmann, Deschamps have mainly stayed loyal with the individuals who won the world cup, Nkunku currently has 30+ goals and double figures in assist, no guarantee they'll work out here but you don't think they're the kind of players we should look at?

I just want to take a step back here because I'm not being critical of these two individuals per se. As I said in my original post, I have never seen either of them play, so it would be very unfair of me to categorically say 'they're not good enough'.

What I am saying is that 'levels' in football is very important to consider. How many posters have mentioned 'Timber' in the last month? Going back to my earlier point, we have five International CBs at the club right now, and posters are so sure that a young kid from the Eredivisie can come in and make an instant impact? I'm not sure.

In attack and midfield, I'm more open to the idea of trying things because we need so many player, in my opinion. However, again, we talk about Antony and Nkunku but they're competing with Rashford (46 England caps), Martial (30 France caps), Cristiano Ronaldo (don't even need to list his CV) and Bruno Fernandes (42 Portugal caps).

Jadon Sancho has 23 England caps and grew up in English football and we have seen how he struggled with the transition.

Just to repeat, it's not a personal attack because of course there are plenty of relatively unknown players who could improve this United side, I just don't think we should completely write-off every player we have and believe anybody with half-decent stats from a lesser European league will come in and improve the situation.

The two I would be hugely interested in now personally would be Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice. If I spent my entire budget on those two, I'd be happy. I also like Pedro Neto at Wolves for one of the wide positions, if we can shift Martial and Rashford.

I don't watch much European football now but what I would say is that 'relatively unknown' is fine, but they have to be regulars in their National team squad and playing European football by 23/24 if I am to be convinced they can come in and really deliver as a United player.

 

[JPRouve]

National caps are probably the dumbest metric anyone could use because it depends entirely on your nation and how deep your position is.

 

[Trex]

I just want to take a step back here because I'm not being critical of these two individuals per se. As I said in my original post, I have never seen either of them play, so it would be very unfair of me to categorically say 'they're not good enough'.

What I am saying is that 'levels' in football is very important to consider. How many posters have mentioned 'Timber' in the last month? Going back to my earlier point, we have five International CBs at the club right now, and posters are so sure that a young kid from the Eredivisie can come in and make an instant impact? I'm not sure.

In attack and midfield, I'm more open to the idea of trying things because we need so many player, in my opinion. However, again, we talk about Antony and Nkunku but they're competing with Rashford (46 England caps), Martial (30 France caps), Cristiano Ronaldo (don't even need to list his CV) and Bruno Fernandes (42 Portugal caps).

Jadon Sancho has 23 England caps and grew up in English football and we have seen how he struggled with the transition.

Just to repeat, it's not a personal attack because of course there are plenty of relatively unknown players who could improve this United side, I just don't think we should completely write-off every player we have and believe anybody with half-decent stats from a lesser European league will come in and improve the situation.

The two I would be hugely interested in now personally would be Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice. If I spent my entire budget on those two, I'd be happy. I also like Pedro Neto at Wolves for one of the wide positions, if we can shift Martial and Rashford.

I don't watch much European football now but what I would say is that 'relatively unknown' is fine, but they have to be regulars in their National team squad and playing European football by 23/24 if I am to be convinced they can come in and really deliver as a United player.

I don't think we should right off the current squad either, just about every one of them is performing below their usual level, all the talks of bringing I'm 10 players I feel its unlikely, ETH would have to work with the majority of them, and getting them to play up to their usual level or even above that if he could create more synergy would be the first step, the team finished 2nd last season and 3rd the previous one so they can't be all bad, but we have multiple contracts expiring so we need to add as well.

 

[GoonerBear]

Not sure if the Leipzig chiefs play the transfer game but not sure how easy it will be to get Nkunku this summer for anyone.

This has led to suggestions that he could pursue a bigger challenge, but CEO Oliver Mintzlaff has ruled out a summer departure.

Speaking to Sky Germany, the Leipzig chief reiterated that Nkunku will be with the Bundesliga outfit for another season at least.

He said: "I have said it before, and I will say it again here: Nkunku will be our player again next season. Our goal is to keep the team together for next season."

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

This is his performance against Atalanta just a few days ago, a team we know first hand are tricky to overcome. I prefer these sort of highlights videos as they give you a better reflection of his all round game. But you can see what a constant thorn in their side he is and he finishes with 2 goals and could have had a couple of assists to go with it.

Looks fantastic.

 

[Josep Dowling]

Just think we don’t need a CAM. We have Bruno and we can’t fit him into a system right now. Personally I think it’s the last position we need to think about.

 

[Trex]

Not sure if the Leipzig chiefs play the transfer game but not sure how easy it will be to get Nkunku this summer for anyone.

This has led to suggestions that he could pursue a bigger challenge, but CEO Oliver Mintzlaff has ruled out a summer departure.

Speaking to Sky Germany, the Leipzig chief reiterated that Nkunku will be with the Bundesliga outfit for another season at least.

He said: "I have said it before, and I will say it again here: Nkunku will be our player again next season. Our goal is to keep the team together for next season."

Negotiation tactics, Leipzig are a selling club.

 

[JPRouve]

Just think we don’t need a CAM. We have Bruno and we can’t fit him into a system right now. Personally I think it’s the last position we need to think about.

There is a case for selling Bruno. Should we really stick with a CAM that doesn't dribble and doesn't really make us more dynamic. Someone like Nkunku could be a better fit.

Negotiation tactics, Leipzig are a selling club.

Being a "selling" club doesn't mean that every player is available at all time, it simply means that selling players is part of your plans.

 

[Mickeza]

He has two years left on his deal. Of course they’ll sell if he wants to leave. He may fancy staying an extra year though.

 

[Lentwood]

So people in this thread seem to believe we should only sign players from the Premier League then? Every other league is complete trash apparently and its rare for players to come from other leagues and do well? Christ

Clearly not the point that's being made. If you're referring to my posts, I am talking generally about the fact that I keep seeing these huge in/out lists posted by forum members and they're so recklessly naive it's frightening.

I am talking about the people who want Shaw, Maguire, Rashford, Martial, McTominay, Fred and AWB out and then list eight players from the Eredivisie/Bundesliga as their replacements.

My point being....I think we're all in agreement that we need a new 'profile' of player in the squad, but if people think it's going to be easy to just replace 7/8 International footballers then I believe they are sorely mistaken.

Personally, I do believe the Bundesliga and Eredivisie are very weak. Does that mean we can't possibly find anybody half-decent there? No, but it means we need to tread with extreme caution.

I would also question, as is the case with the bloke we're discussing in this thread, why a forward we're talking about signing for Manchester United has managed just two caps for France?

The lad will be 25 in 5-months. He is roughly one year younger than Martial (30 caps, 56 PL goals) and one year older than Marcus Rashford (42 caps, 59 PL goals). At 24, he should be about as good as he is ever likely to be, just think about my point for a second....I am not knocking the lad but is he ever likely to be the next Ronaldo/Rooney/Lewnadoski/Benzema/Aguero/Kane etc....etc....with that profile at that age?

So again, I repeat, sure, by all means I am on-board with going for a new profile of player, and they don't all need to be superstars. However, we need to be realistic about the fact that if we want to challenge for major honours, we'll still need a huge amount of talent as well as physical attributes.

For me, as a general rule, if you're not making an impact at International level, in the PL, La Liga or Serie A or in Europe by the time you're 22/23, I do question how good you can really be at that point. Not to say that there aren't exceptions that prove the rule

 

[L1nk]

Clearly not the point that's being made. If you're referring to my posts, I am talking generally about the fact that I keep seeing these huge in/out lists posted by forum members and they're so recklessly naive it's frightening.

I am talking about the people who want Shaw, Maguire, Rashford, Martial, McTominay, Fred and AWB out and then list eight players from the Eredivisie/Bundesliga as their replacements.

My point being....I think we're all in agreement that we need a new 'profile' of player in the squad, but if people think it's going to be easy to just replace 7/8 International footballers then I believe they are sorely mistaken.

Personally, I do believe the Bundesliga and Eredivisie are very weak. Does that mean we can't possibly find anybody half-decent there? No, but it means we need to tread with extreme caution.

I would also question, as is the case with the bloke we're discussing in this thread, why a forward we're talking about signing for Manchester United has managed just two caps for France?

The lad will be 25 in 5-months. He is roughly one year younger than Martial (30 caps, 56 PL goals) and one year older than Marcus Rashford (42 caps, 59 PL goals). At 24, he should be about as good as he is ever likely to be, just think about my point for a second....I am not knocking the lad but is he ever likely to be the next Ronaldo/Rooney/Lewnadoski/Benzema/Aguero/Kane etc....etc....with that profile at that age?

So again, I repeat, sure, by all means I am on-board with going for a new profile of player, and they don't all need to be superstars. However, we need to be realistic about the fact that if we want to challenge for major honours, we'll still need a huge amount of talent as well as physical attributes.

I think caution needs to be used no matter what player we sign and no matter which league its from. I actually agree with you on Nkunku, the reason I believe he has only got 2 caps for France is because before this season he wasn't that great, a very average player, 7 was actually his highest goal contribution for a season, it's only this season he's kicked on so maybe from now on he'll get more caps, I don't know. But he is a risk because this could be a one season wonder kind of deal

 

[JPRouve]

I think caution needs to be used no matter what player we sign and no matter which league its from. I actually agree with you on Nkunku, the reason I believe he has only got 2 caps for France is because before this season he wasn't that great, a very average player, 7 was actually his highest goal contribution for a season, it's only this season he's kicked on so maybe from now on he'll get more caps, I don't know. But he is a risk because this could be a one season wonder kind of deal

He wasn't playing a similar role. Nkunku has been excellent during all his seasons for Leipzig including a high assists count during his first season.

 

[Zehner]

Personally, I do believe the Bundesliga and Eredivisie are very weak. Does that mean we can't possibly find anybody half-decent there? No, but it means we need to tread with extreme caution.

I'm sure you watch lots of Bundesliga and Eredivisie considering that you thought Nkunku was a fecking defender.

 

[roonster09]

Clearly not the point that's being made. If you're referring to my posts, I am talking generally about the fact that I keep seeing these huge in/out lists posted by forum members and they're so recklessly naive it's frightening.

I am talking about the people who want Shaw, Maguire, Rashford, Martial, McTominay, Fred and AWB out and then list eight players from the Eredivisie/Bundesliga as their replacements.

My point being....I think we're all in agreement that we need a new 'profile' of player in the squad, but if people think it's going to be easy to just replace 7/8 International footballers then I believe they are sorely mistaken.

Personally, I do believe the Bundesliga and Eredivisie are very weak. Does that mean we can't possibly find anybody half-decent there? No, but it means we need to tread with extreme caution.

I would also question, as is the case with the bloke we're discussing in this thread, why a forward we're talking about signing for Manchester United has managed just two caps for France?

The lad will be 25 in 5-months. He is roughly one year younger than Martial (30 caps, 56 PL goals) and one year older than Marcus Rashford (42 caps, 59 PL goals). At 24, he should be about as good as he is ever likely to be, just think about my point for a second....I am not knocking the lad but is he ever likely to be the next Ronaldo/Rooney/Lewnadoski/Benzema/Aguero/Kane etc....etc....with that profile at that age?

So again, I repeat, sure, by all means I am on-board with going for a new profile of player, and they don't all need to be superstars. However, we need to be realistic about the fact that if we want to challenge for major honours, we'll still need a huge amount of talent as well as physical attributes.

Of if we had this discussion in 2015 or 2017, you would have said same thing on VVD?

At the age of 24, he had 0 caps. When Liverpool signed him for record deal, he had just 13 caps for Netherlands and we are talking about a NT with shit CBs. On the other hand, Rojo had 30 caps for NT when we signed him and made some unofficial world cup best squad.

Not every player is complete by 24, lot of players improve after 24 too and this is probably his best season and the season he is showing his potential.

Bernardo Silva was playing in French league when he was 23, KdB was a flop at Chelsea and was in Bundesliga when he was 24 and then there are so many examples, where players didn't play much for NT but were very good players. Our own Carrick was 25 when we signed him and he had 4 caps. He ended up as one of our most important signings in last 15-20 years. On the other hand, we signed players like Rojo, Jones who had lot of NT caps when they were young enough and ended up as trash signings.

Only thing that matters is, whether the player has right attributes and whether his profile suits what we need.

 

[Lentwood]

Of if we had this discussion in 2015 or 2017, you would have said same thing on VVD?

At the age of 24, he had 0 caps. When Liverpool signed him for record deal, he had just 13 caps for Netherlands and we are talking about a NT with shit CBs. On the other hand, Rojo had 30 caps for NT when we signed him and made some unofficial world cup best squad.

Not every player is complete by 24, lot of players improve after 24 too and this is probably his best season and the season he is showing his potential.

Bernardo Silva was playing in French league when he was 23, KdB was a flop at Chelsea and was in Bundesliga when he was 24 and then there are so many examples, where players didn't play much for NT but were very good players. Our own Carrick was 25 when we signed him and he had 4 caps. He ended up as one of our most important signings in last 15-20 years. On the other hand, we signed players like Rojo, Jones who had lot of NT caps when they were young enough and ended up as trash signings.

Only thing that matters is, whether the player has right attributes and whether his profile suits what we need.

But the key and crucial point is that VVD had been a success in the Premier League at Southampton, so Liverpool were getting a known quantity for their money.

Likewise, Carrick had been a success at Spurs.

Again, I'm sure there are going to be some exceptions that prove the rule....but you must see my general point - if Nkunku is elite, why can't he get in the French squad in his prime years?

 

[Mainoldo]

This is his performance against Atalanta just a few days ago, a team we know first hand are tricky to overcome. I prefer these sort of highlights videos as they give you a better reflection of his all round game. But you can see what a constant thorn in their side he is and he finishes with 2 goals and could have had a couple of assists to go with it.

Great Video. Always prefer these.

He’ll be perfect for us. Scope to get better, whilst having all the right attributes we need from an attacker. Also I think CR7 will love him.

 

[Red the Bear]

Reports of Ralf loving him and him being from Leipzig does give some credence to those rumors .
Honestly I don't know much about him but am looking forward to seeing him play in el final.
One thing I'm hoping for is his ball retention qualities, we already have a wasteful player in that regard so I don't feel we could accommodate another so I'm positively hoping that he's adroit at keeping the ball and not misplacing simple passes.