Alternatives for Frenkie De Jong

redIndianDevil

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I'm concerned why Barcelona are selling De Jong. There have been a few Dutch players who looked like superstars and failed spectacularly in the PL(we have one of them already) and the fact that Barcelona are happy to sell him (I don't buy their finances bit, they are signing players left right and center and are looking at Bernardo Silva as well who plays CM).

So who are the alternatives? Tchouameni is off to Real Madrid or PSG. I'm not sure if Bissouma is creative or good enough for our problem. Am I living under a bridge and not looking at news sources or are we only looking at De Jong.
 

Kag

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Hopefully Neves. I’m not actually fully convinced by him, but he’s a hell of a lot better than McTominay.
 

FrankDrebin

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Neves would be my guess, though I think you can certainly argue for having both.
 

Mickson

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Hopefully Neves. I’m not actually fully convinced by him, but he’s a hell of a lot better than McTominay.
So Neves, who is terribly slow, is going to play in a high block where United tries to dominate the game and be on the front foot? United won't sign low block Neves.
 

Jezpeza

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So Neves, who is terribly slow, is going to play in a high block where United tries to dominate the game and be on the front foot? United won't sign low block Neves.
theres also that PL premium whereby you will pay well over the odds for what you get to factor into the equation. Look at HM and AWB and what it cost to get them out of their previous clubs
 

Lynty

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Pogba

But it's 100% finances. Forget the debt and any sort of transfer fee, it's the wages they need to get off the books - and Gavi, Pedri, Nico and Puig combined (are on less than De Jong). They're not signing players left right and center at all. They can't even register Kessie yet.
 
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didz

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Fabian Ruiz comes to mind - good short passer who can dribble well.
 

midou

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I like Neves a lot, "solid" is the word that comes to mind, a very good bottom level. He plays football "correctly" and seems to always choose the right option in front of him. With better players around, he should raise his level, because there will be better opportunities to choose from when he has the ball. Decent play strength as well when defending.
As negatives he is not very fast or agile. Him and Maguire together can be a little scarry.
Overall a very safe transfer in my opinion, potential not as high as FDJ but bottom level is decent. I would be very happy if we get both.
 

Trex

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Remember the summer of Vidal? :drool:
That was when the moron Woodward thought we could just buy anyone we wanted, wasting time try to make signings like Vidal, Bale, Fabregas, Ramos, Muller 100m bid.
We became a club everyone used to renegotiate contracts with their clubs.
 

NewYorkRed

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There’s not too many players like him in the world and the few comps that do exist are all pretty unattainable.
 

bosnian_red

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You don't buy their financial issues? They haven't been able to register players for multiple windows now. They sold the naming rights to their stadium to help them out. They can't make any new signings this year until they sell players. They are OK to sell him because Pedri is their star that they are building around, have Gavi also coming through, and Frenkie isn't the most natural partner to them. Frenkie likes being the deepest player who picks the ball up off the defenders and dictates games from deep, like Scholes (except in different ways of course). Pedri, more so like how Xavi and Iniesta from before, get the ball in more advanced areas and dictate from there. They aren't the first players to get the ball from the defence, Busquets is the guy for that. And you can't have a midfield of De Jong, Pedri and Gavi or someone like that, as it is way too weak defensively. So they need their #6 to be much stronger defensively to be able to provide the security and get the ball to Pedri and Gavi to be their playmakers. De Jong next to Pedri in a more advanced position isn't De Jongs natural game or how you get the best out of him... So pretty much, might as well make the money as he is a star who you just aren't using properly or getting the best out of. Sort of like how we used Pogba incorrectly for years, except we didn't have financial issues while they do.

To answer the question for alternatives to him... Well there is nobody who is remotely realistic who is fit to lace his boots really. But the ones we have been linked with are at most "decent" but nothing special, like Ruben Neves, while barely even being cheaper. So pretty much, if we don't get Frenkie, we'll likely get a midfielder who will become a squad player in a year or 2 when we upgrade on them.
 

Relevated

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An alternative for FDJ would be to go to Man City, Liverpool or even Real Madrid.
 

redIndianDevil

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You don't buy their financial issues? They haven't been able to register players for multiple windows now. They sold the naming rights to their stadium to help them out. They can't make any new signings this year until they sell players. They are OK to sell him because Pedri is their star that they are building around, have Gavi also coming through, and Frenkie isn't the most natural partner to them. Frenkie likes being the deepest player who picks the ball up off the defenders and dictates games from deep, like Scholes (except in different ways of course). Pedri, more so like how Xavi and Iniesta from before, get the ball in more advanced areas and dictate from there. They aren't the first players to get the ball from the defence, Busquets is the guy for that. And you can't have a midfield of De Jong, Pedri and Gavi or someone like that, as it is way too weak defensively. So they need their #6 to be much stronger defensively to be able to provide the security and get the ball to Pedri and Gavi to be their playmakers. De Jong next to Pedri in a more advanced position isn't De Jongs natural game or how you get the best out of him... So pretty much, might as well make the money as he is a star who you just aren't using properly or getting the best out of. Sort of like how we used Pogba incorrectly for years, except we didn't have financial issues while they do.

To answer the question for alternatives to him... Well there is nobody who is remotely realistic who is fit to lace his boots really. But the ones we have been linked with are at most "decent" but nothing special, like Ruben Neves, while barely even being cheaper. So pretty much, if we don't get Frenkie, we'll likely get a midfielder who will become a squad player in a year or 2 when we upgrade on them.
I understood their financial problems last summer, but I think it's a bit overstated now. They are signing more players than they are looking to sell. All those free transfers can't really be free either.

I don't watch Barca, from what you are saying we'd need a strong defensive midfielder as well if we do end up signing De Jong.
 

redIndianDevil

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How many of these Dutch flops played 100 games for Barcelona?
This is the not the same Barcelona of the old. Memphis Depay is playing for them now. The only saving grace for them has been that there is only one other financial competitor for them in Spain, if not they'd be in as much shit as we are in right now.
 

golden_blunder

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I'm concerned why Barcelona are selling De Jong. There have been a few Dutch players who looked like superstars and failed spectacularly in the PL(we have one of them already) and the fact that Barcelona are happy to sell him (I don't buy their finances bit, they are signing players left right and center and are looking at Bernardo Silva as well who plays CM).

So who are the alternatives? Tchouameni is off to Real Madrid or PSG. I'm not sure if Bissouma is creative or good enough for our problem. Am I living under a bridge and not looking at news sources or are we only looking at De Jong.
I think you’re wrong. Barca ARE broke. They have yet to register kessie and Christensen.
i agree though that it’s a strange policy going for more big names. I think they should be building young and cheap.
Anyway, they certainly do need to sell and cut their wage bill if they want to meet their debts and register new players

bissouma I think there’s a good reason no big clubs are linked with him yet. I think everyone is adopting wait and see policy.
 

bosnian_red

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I understood their financial problems last summer, but I think it's a bit overstated now. They are signing more players than they are looking to sell. All those free transfers can't really be free either.

I don't watch Barca, from what you are saying we'd need a strong defensive midfielder as well if we do end up signing De Jong.
It's more so how they act on the ball, De Jong just isn't a natural partner for the others Barcelona have, while his style of midfielder is what we've been crying out for for ages and what we tried to turn Pogba into. But regardless of him, we probably need a defensive midfielder anyway. Barcelona are signing all these players but can't register a single one. They sign them before they have the ability to register them. Don't assume they act out of logic.

Put it this way. You put Scholes or Modrić in our midfield... We'd still need a partner to them who is more solid positionally and defensively than Fred or Mctominay. You sign a solid defensive midfielder... Well you'll still need that deep lying playmaker who can't actually control games better than Fred or McTominay. There is probably more hope in making one of Fred or McTominay work as a partner to De Jong (who is decent defensively) than there is in turning one of them into a great deep playmaker, so it makes sense from that regard anyway.
 

golden_blunder

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I understood their financial problems last summer, but I think it's a bit overstated now. They are signing more players than they are looking to sell. All those free transfers can't really be free either.

I don't watch Barca, from what you are saying we'd need a strong defensive midfielder as well if we do end up signing De Jong.
You couldn’t be more wrong. They are in the shit. They’re having weddings at their ground now amongst other things. They are literally trying everything they can think off. Surprised they haven’t had a yard sale yet. Fans would go mad for all the old tat lying around
 

OpenIntrovert

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If we look at someone in De Jong's mould, the closest we have at this club is James Garner, though he tends to be a bit more hasty in his passing. The other alternatives are not really in his mould, unless we are going to do a raid of the Ajax academy or the Barcelona academy.
 

tidraKS

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Hopefully Neves. I’m not actually fully convinced by him, but he’s a hell of a lot better than McTominay.
I'm not really impressed by him. He rarely starts a game for Portugal and they don't have great options at CM/DM.
 

marktan

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Bissouma, who I think is a better player anyway. Better tackler, just as good on the ball.

A legal issue as has been mentioned before but looks like it's not a big deal given he's no longer on bail.

Tbh regardless of FDJ we need a DM, so signing Bissouma + De jong or say Bissouma + Neves would be a better way to go. You could probably get the latter two for around 80m vs 70m for De Jong alone. Both can sort of interchange in the DM role as both also like to get forward.
 

MadDogg

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I've only watched him about five times in the last two seasons, but Koopmeiners has looked an absolute stand-out every time. Very much the type of player I feel we need. Good passer who is a natural playmaker, good physically, leadership ability...I'd say he's more like De Jong than most of the players people have mentioned in here.

The fact he doesn't seem to be linked to any top teams makes me think maybe I've just happened to catch him on his really good days though. Atalanta bought him for only €12m last season, so not sure what he'd cost now.

In terms of who the club are actually linked to, Neves seems a possibility.