Is a 30-year old high profile player too old to be worth the outlay in the PL?

[Fortitude]

Yes, generated because of the Casemiro thread where some are turning their noses up at him purely due to his age, but it’s a long-standing theme on the caf in and of itself that 30-years old is ancient and a big risk to take on a footballer In the PL.

Is that correct? Would you not want your club to sign an elite player who was 30-years old?

 

[Trequarista10]

Depends

 

[Rojofiam]

30 is fine, should probably still be in his peak...33-34 is more concerning imo if it's not a stop-gap signing.

 

[Chip]

I want us to build for the future instead of making desperate stop-gap signings and ruining our wage structure even more.

 

[McGrathsipan]

Yes, generated because of the Casemiro thread where some are turning their noses up at him purely due to his age, but it’s a long-standing theme on the caf in and of itself that 30-years old is ancient and a big risk to take on a footballer In the PL.

Is that correct? Would you not want your club to sign an elite player who was 30-years old?

2 year deal at reasonable fee and salary no problem.

Anything else is a no

 

[youngrell]

It really depends on the player. A player who has won all there is to win is likely to only be motivated to move for money, which has been a major problem for United over the last decade or so.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

I'd prefer going for someone younger on the cusp of greatness. With older players they're always on the edge of breaking down / struggling to adjust.

Rather get a Tchouameni or Camavinga than 30 year old Casemiero for example. Especially if we're talking big money.

Also it does depend on the player. 30 year old Modric is a no brainer big money or not. Casemiero could be great or could be alright like Varane.

 

[Teja]

IMO every transfer is a risk. Across leagues is even riskier even in the best of times. If you're signing a player above 30, you're basically expecting them to come in and perform straight away, there's no potential room for improvement there and you can't really expect any fee you can recoup by selling the player in a few years.

If it goes poorly, then you're really screwed because you can't sell and you have them playing golf for a bit. The risk is somewhat mitigated in cases like KdB / Salah because we already know what they're capable of in their specific team / manager / league setup. The only question mark is how long they can keep going.

 

[GazTheLegend]

How often did Ferguson sign 30 year olds? Feels to me like the only real times I can remember were Sheringham (which was a success, but ironically overshadowed hugely by the younger signing of Solskjaer) and a few goalkeepers, unless we count bringing Scholes out of retirement.

I felt like it was a death knell for any fading giant club once they started signing 30+ or even injury riddled late 20's players on reputation and giving them huge wages. Many cases I can point to but AC Milan feel like the major comparison with ourselves.

How many 30+ signings end up being success stories, really? Zlatan is the major one I can think of but even then, its relative success - he didn't smash 40 goals in like the mid 20's Rooney/Ronaldo did.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Considering Thiago Silva has been a great signing for Chelsea, aged 35, it would be ridiculous to have 30 as some sort of definitive limit.

 

[shamans]

Depends on the player. A 30 year old Ronaldo is not, a 30 year old Rooney might be.

 

[Gandalf]

I think if that player just won the coveted Man of the Match award at the prestigious European Super Cup it would not matter even if he was 40.

 

[Salford_Red83]

I want us to build for the future instead of making desperate stop-gap signings and ruining our wage structure even more.

We need to make stop gap signings while building for our future. It baffles me how people don't see this.

 

[Devil_forever]

Look at how well Varane/Matic has worked out. Ask yourself what other top club would be stupid enough to spend that big on a 30 year old in a position where he'll need stamina, how long before there's a huge drop off in performance and we're left with a guy who's on 400k per week, in his 30s, sitting on our bench. Why oh why do we not learn?

 

[HookedOnAPhelan]

Not necessarily. But giving a 30 year old a giant five year contract (as reported) seems.. risky. And the type of transfer I was hoping we'd moved away from.

But things are so bad at the moment that I'll take anything at this stage. And plenty of players seem able to play at a very high level well into their 30's these days.

 

[Chip]

Considering Thiago Silva has been a great signing for Chelsea, aged 35, it would be ridiculous to have 30 as some sort of definitive limit.

Chelsea signed Thiago Silva on a free transfer on a 1 + 1 year deal at around £100,000 per week. We're reportedly offering €80 million and £400,000 per week. And Thiago Silva is the exception that proves the rule.

 

[Devil_forever]

Chelsea signed Thiago Silva on a free transfer on a 1 + 1 year deal at around £100,000 per week. We're reportedly offering €80 million and £400,000 per week. And Thiago Silva is the exception, not the rule.

Exactly this.

 

[DJ_21]

Depends… some work out some don’t. I’d much rather us focus on younger signings though and build a team that can stay together for years and challenge for titles rather then get players that are gonna retire shortly and then us having to replace them again. We need players that can stay for years and then target other positions in the market.

 

[Relevated]

It's so funny because when we were a good team everyone used to hate these deals where we sign anybody close to 30, and anything above 30 was the start of a rapid decline

Now suddenly, based on modric age is just a number

 

[Thom Merrilin]

Does anyone have a list of big transfers for 30+ year olds? I'd imagine it's very much a case by case thing.

If a club had spent big money on Rooney at 30, it probably would have ended up being a poor decision.

On the other hand signing Cavani at 30 probably would have ended up as a good decision.

Then there are more extreme examples like Ibra, Ronaldo and Thiago Silva who performed at a high level well into their mid/late 30s.

 

[Chip]

We need to make stop gap signings while building for our future. It baffles me how people don't see this.

Yeah, so far it's worked out perfectly fine, right?

 

[Stadjer]

It's so funny because when we were a good team everyone used to hate these deals where we sign anybody close to 30, and anything above 30 was the start of a rapid decline

Now suddenly, based on modric age is just a number

When was Manchester United last a good team? That is a long time ago. Players stay fit longer now because better sport science and most players are more professional these days. Besides that, Scholes and Giggs were playing for Manchester United till a ripe age and did fine. Nobody was against playing old players.

Dont know why people would be against it. Buying van Persie was buying the title for that year.

 

[Devil_forever]

We need to make stop gap signings while building for our future. It baffles me how people don't see this.

stop gaps are worth it if they're cheap on short term contracts, not 80m on 400k per week 5 year contracts. Apart from Fernandinho, I can't recall many Brazilians doing well in their 30s.

 

[Big Ben Foster]

2 year deal at reasonable fee and salary no problem.

Anything else is a no

stop gaps are worth it if they're cheap on short term contracts, not 80m on 400k per week 5 year contracts. Apart from Fernandinho, I can't recall many Brazilians doing well in their 30s.

This. A long-term contract on high wages is just setting us up for having more expensive deadwood we can't shift.

 

[tomaldinho1]

For a team who need one or two class additions in specific areas, it makes sense, for a team who have just been beaten 0-4 by Brentford, we need to start building from scratch.

 

[Njord]

Considering where we are as a team I don't think we should be targeting younger players.

Let's say we average 4 signings a season. If we improve our recruitment, then maybe three of those four are good enough to be part of a core squad of 15 that can challenge for titles. Then we need 5 years to build if we start from scratch.

I don't know how many of the current squad that can potentially play a part, but I don't feel that there are any positions where we have a nailed on long term option.

So that means we are four or five years (with good recruitment) away from challenging, and any 30 years olds that we sign now will need to be replaced again before we realistically can challenge.

 

[B. Munich]

Also it does depend on the player. 30 year old Modric is a no brainer big money or not. Casemiero could be great or could be alright like Varane.

In hindsight yes. But I'm sure the doubters would have been vocal also, if 7 years ago United have tried to sign a 30 year old Modric.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Not necessarily. But giving a 30 year old a giant five year contract (as reported) seems.. risky. And the type of transfer I was hoping we'd moved away from.

But things are so bad at the moment that I'll take anything at this stage. And plenty of players seem able to play at a very high level well into their 30's these days.

I steer well clear of transfer rumours so had no idea what sort of contract we’re talking about here. 5 years for a 30 year old does seem excessive. Contract stuff aside I stand by my comment re having exact age cut-off being dumb. We don’t even need to look at other clubs for examples. Scholes was 30 when it looked like he might need to retire because of problems with his vision, then played the best football of his career over the next 6 or 7 years.

 

[flappyjay]

Yes, generated because of the Casemiro thread where some are turning their noses up at him purely due to his age, but it’s a long-standing theme on the caf in and of itself that 30-years old is ancient and a big risk to take on a footballer In the PL.

Is that correct? Would you not want your club to sign an elite player who was 30-years old?

Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool recently, Manchester City well run clubs which one of them have you seen put down that kind of outlay on players of that age profile? It's bad squad management Rangnick who has experience in these things criticised us for this in of his press conferences. He is good player no doubt but these types of signings are probably best as a last piece of the jigsaw rather than for a team at the beginning of the rebuild.

 

[Bobski]

Madrid fans have told of Casemiro's general level dropping but high levels of performance in big names. That is not what Utd need right now, someone cruising through the season tuning up for the big games in the spring. Utd need game in, game out players, who will set a standard for the rest. For that I think you need a younger core of leadership who still play with hunger and the urge to prove themselves every game.

You don't tend to get that with these type of signings, and the likelihood of Utd being in big games in the spring is not great in the immediate future.

 

[Bwuk]

Depends on the player.

Casemiro is a winner. He brings a winning mentality to the side. We've got a team of wimps & losers.

It's all very well and good wanting to bring young players in, but you need players who can step up when the going gets tough.

 

[Olmer]

The significance of the "no resale value" risk is overrated I think.

When you sign a 30+ years old footballer for 40m and he doesn't perform, there's no resale value - true.
But when you buy 22 years old for 100m and he flops, you lose the premium he had for being super young (as he's now 25-26) and some value due to him not being this super shiny toy anymore (he failed at one club already after all). So his value will easily drop to 60m.

So after all you still lose 40m. And youngsters probably flop more often than established footballers. Especially with the trend of poaching young talent after they had just one good season in a second tier league...

 

[Ekeke]

Depends on A) Current performance levels and B) How well their style suits the premier league

a 30 year old+ big signing for big money at worst needs 1 season to settle and then be one of the best in the league in their position. Even Varane doesnt look like paying off at the moment and he was 28

 

[Flying_Heckfish]

For a reasonable fee, there is no issue. You should get 3-4 years out of most players, although it will vary. But any fee should be commensurate with that. 80m is out of whack.

 

[DWelbz19]

Answering the Casemiro side of things rather than the actual question: For me, I think the problem with Casemiro is more that he’s won everything in club football, and if he arrives here he’d be joining a massively disjointed side in huge transition. A run of poor games (either as an individual or the whole team) in the most competitive league with all the fan and media scrutiny might just cause him to say feck it and just go on autopilot. Especially when winter comes around and him and his family hate it here.

That worries me more than the fact he’s been on this Earth for over 30 years.

 

[Blackwidow]

I like teams that are mixed in the age groups and in my eyes for success that is best. So if you have a lot young players it is fine to get an established old player (if you know that he invests a lot time into being in shape and he did not have injuries the recent 2 years).

Bayern who were mentioned above because of probably Mane only has Müller and Neuer above the 30s - and they really are in shape. The main age is about 26 - with some young ones like Musiala and Davies in it.

 

[TheReligion]

2 year deal at reasonable fee and salary no problem.

Anything else is a no

What top player is going to agree to that?

 

[TheReligion]

Madrid fans have told of Casemiro's general level dropping but high levels of performance in big names. That is not what Utd need right now, someone cruising through the season tuning up for the big games in the spring. Utd need game in, game out players, who will set a standard for the rest. For that I think you need a younger core of leadership who still play with hunger and the urge to prove themselves every game.

You don't tend to get that with these type of signings, and the likelihood of Utd being in big games in the spring is not great in the immediate future.

have they? They all seem desperate for him not to leave and love him

 

[Ayush_reddevil]

It depends on other factors tbh. 30 year old RVP who wants to win something is a good idea but a 30 year old Brazilian who has won loads & in a World Cup year is a terrible idea imo

 

[Castia]

It’s not the age as a single factor. I’d be ok signing an older player to a reasonable deal.

The Casamiro 5 year deal is beyond madness though.