Harry Maguire (Out): Chelsea eyeing a shock swoop for Harry Maguire | Utd say not for sale

[BeforeKeanetherewasRobson]

In terms of experience and ability Maguire is definitely worth keeping in our squad (and suddenly we seem to have gone from having too much depth at CB to potentially very little...) but from a mentality perspective the guy is absolutely shot and I can't see him having the character to come back from it - they guy looks like he is constantly on the cusp of an anxiety attack these days when playing in a United shirt.

It's crazy thinking back to not much more than 2 years ago when our fans were desperate for him to be fit for the Europa League final (which we may have won with him in the team) - now he's just seen as a meme footballer who is spoken about as though he's one of the worst defenders the league has ever seen. The price tag and captaincy weigh too heavily on him, especially when you factor in Ronaldo and potentially others acting like little cnuts about it rather than focusing on team unity.

There's clearly a desperation from our fanbase to sell him, but if it's because he's a shit footballer that's not really fair or accurate - it's more because the chances of him having the mental to strength to perform every week in a United shirt with all the pressure on him is minimal. If he was willing to stick around and have a spell on the sidelines and lose the captaincy (which is meaningless to me, but it fuels the rabid online hatred of him) I would keep him as we need some decent quality depth in defence.

There's a lot of crap talked about him, plus some well deserved comments. I'm not a fan at all.

Mentally, he does look shot you're right. But regardless, he's simply an average CH i.m.o. .... looks good for England as they have loads of easy possession (few games they're pressed), surrounded by City and Liverpool defenders and two good DMs in front.

Is he good enough to play for us in a back four where (in the PL), the CHs will need to be comfortable in possession/when pressed and show a mix of speed, strength and common sense? Absolutely not.

Hopefully the club ignore the £80m fee, it's irrelevant, it's spent, gone. If we could get £30m and chuck towards a better CH (even if next Summer), I'd take it.

 

[Wednesday at Stoke]

Seems not at all
Leicester Goals conceded
17-18 with Maguire: 56
18-19 with Maguire: 48
19-20 without Maguire: 41

Their defence has actually improved with their 80M CB Sold

Why stop there?

2020-21: 50
2021-22: 59

Moreover, your numbers are wrong in 2019-20, its 43 conceded.

 

[JeffFromHK]

Why stop there?

2020-21: 50
2021-22: 59

Moreover, your numbers are wrong in 2019-20, its 43 conceded.

The immediate next season shows the effect the most???

Would you use our defensive record last year to say "selling Vidic in 2014 hampered our defence"??

 

[TheGame]

The immediate next season shows the effect the most???

Would you use our defensive record last year to say "selling Vidic in 2014 hampered our defence"??

Yet you threw in 17/18 figures because they were higher. Had 20/21 and 21/22 been lower I'm sure you would have put them in as well.

 

[Blood Mage]

Maguire is just useless to us while we're playing with a high line. He'd be a good asset for a low block team but that's not what we are anymore. He needs to be moved on.

 

[Zlatattack]

Who? And why aren't Chelsea chasing them instead?
I watched Chelsea's and City's defences get torn apart yesterday. Must be that Dias 'can't play in a high line'.

Happens regularly does it? Maguire has been wank for over a year. Chelsea play with a back 3 - he suits a back 3.

 

[Wednesday at Stoke]

The immediate next season shows the effect the most???

Would you use our defensive record last year to say "selling Vidic in 2014 hampered our defence"??

By that account, goals conceded for United.

2018-19: 54
2019-20: 36.

So buying a 80M defender reduced our goals conceded by 18 and took us from the 10th to 3rd best defense in the league?

 

[Red Stone]

Yet you threw in 17/18 figures because they were higher. Had 20/21 and 21/22 been lower I'm sure you would have put them in as well.

The years chosen are the right ones. Are we a better team with Maguire than without? Are Leicester worse off defensively without Maguire? It could easily be argued that the answer to both questions at this moment in time is 'No'. For a world record fee for a CB you'd expect the opposite, and resoundingly so. Just look at Liverpool after signing van Dijk and City after signing Dias. Expensive - although both cheaper than Harry - but unquestionably world class.

 

[TheGame]

The years chosen are the right ones. Are we a better team with Maguire than without? Are Leicester worse off defensively without Maguire? It could easily be argued that the answer to both questions at this moment in time is 'No'. For a world record fee for a CB you'd expect the opposite, and resoundingly so. Just look at Liverpool after signing van Dijk and City after signing Dias. Expensive - although both cheaper than Harry - but unquestionably world class.

The fee was ridiculous but that was more down to the club than him. Leicester's defence is awful, they have Amartey playing at CB. Maguire would improve them straight away and they would be better.

 

[Ted Lasso]

Can we send him to therapy? A psychiatrist might help get him back to his best. Not just defending - he gets his head on an awful lot of corners that could and really should be turning into goals.

He's a very good player deep down. His mentality is completely shot and that's the problem. Selling him to Chelsea could do wonders for him.

 

[JanK]

Sell him. Sell everyone who is a part of this weak mentality United. We don't need anyone from this era.

We need only the ones who have the mentality worth wearing the shirt and not being destroyed by the pressure. Sorry, it's just the way it is. No more 3rd chances - team Mou and Ole has only Bruno (who seems to have a primadonna mentality, but delivered a lot a while ago), Fred (whose mentality I truly like because he is not vanishing when pressure piles up), Van de Beek (he was a part of ETH team, so he gets a final chance as he is a total system player and jury is still out for him). Varane and Sancho as well, as they have been here only for a year and one has won more than whole team combined; other is a system player and has potential becoming a great playmaker under ETH.

That's it.

No more talking about Rashford, or Shaw or Maguire. They are meant to be shipped out.

/thread

 

[saik]

Sell him and go all in on N'Dicka.

 

[Kostov]

By that account, goals conceded for United.

2018-19: 54
2019-20: 36.

So buying a 80M defender reduced our goals conceded by 18 and took us from the 10th to 3rd best defense in the league?

It does not suit his narrative so it didn't happen.

 

[Leftback99]

Happens regularly does it? Maguire has been wank for over a year. Chelsea play with a back 3 - he suits a back 3.

Just interesting what happens when they get exposed and have to actually do some defending like our back 4.

 

[saik]

Just interesting what happens when they get exposed and have to actually do some defending like our back 4.

Well we saw some of it yesterday. They shipped 3 goals and Koulibaly got sent off.

 

[MiracleInMadrid]

Sell him. Sell everyone who is a part of this weak mentality United. We don't need anyone from this era.

100% agree.

Enough of this long-gone dream of these players being our core for years to come. They have failed, and we as a club must move on. We will never get back to the top by sticking to these overpayed underperforming players.

And I'd add De Gea. He has been fantastic for us, but right now we need something with other qualities and a stronger presence.

 

[Counterfactual]

Can we send him to therapy? A psychiatrist might help get him back to his best. Not just defending - he gets his head on an awful lot of corners that could and really should be turning into goals.

He's a very good player deep down. His mentality is completely shot and that's the problem. Selling him to Chelsea could do wonders for him.

This is exactly what I thought about Rashford when reading his thread earlier. Our players look traumatised playing for us.

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

Why have we said he’s not for sale? It’s too late in the window to be playing games. We can’t afford to have an £80m asset sitting on the bench

 

[duffer]

Why have we said he’s not for sale? It’s too late in the window to be playing games. We can’t afford to have an £80m asset sitting on the bench

Because he's not for sale.

 

[Gupz]

Don't know which is the better joke. Chelsea really in the market for Maguire or we say he is not for sale.

 

[Classnordic]

Why have we said he’s not for sale? It’s too late in the window to be playing games. We can’t afford to have an £80m liability sitting on the bench

Fixed

 

[Kush]

By that account, goals conceded for United.

2018-19: 54
2019-20: 36.

So buying a 80M defender reduced our goals conceded by 18 and took us from the 10th to 3rd best defense in the league?

Season after that the number went up to 44 (6th best), year after that 57 (13th) best

Point is, anytime we’ve tried to play a positive or a progressive brand of football Maguires deficiencies have been exposed badly. There’s a reason why ETH has already dropped him after 2 games. He’s simply not suited to a modern style of football due to his lack of pace, agility and in general low footballing IQ

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

Fixed

Not under International Financial Reporting Standards unfortunately

 

[Wednesday at Stoke]

Season after that the number went up to 44 (6th best), year after that 57 (13th) best

Point is, anytime we’ve tried to play a positive or a progressive brand of football Maguires deficiencies have been exposed badly. There’s a reason why ETH has already dropped him after 2 games. He’s simply not suited to a modern style of football due to his lack of pace, agility and in general low footballing IQ

The context of that post was that guy arguing that the effect of that transfer was only truly felt the following season as Leicester conceded fewer goals than the season before. Yes, Maguire has deficiencies when he has to play in a higher block in a back 4. So does pretty much the entire team and Ole got sacked for trying to evolve with the same set of players.

 

[JeffFromHK]

By that account, goals conceded for United.

2018-19: 54
2019-20: 36.

So buying a 80M defender reduced our goals conceded by 18 and took us from the 10th to 3rd best defense in the league?

The key issue is whether Leicester missed Maguire (and the answer is obviously no even if you ignore all the stats), not whether Man Utd's defence boosted by Maguire's buy.

Learn the difference bro.

 

[Wednesday at Stoke]

The key issue is whether Leicester missed Maguire (and the answer is obviously no even if you ignore all the stats), not whether Man Utd's defence boosted by Maguire's buy.

Learn the difference bro.

No newbie.

 

[JeffFromHK]

No newbie.

being an oldie here doesn't give you a piece of biscuit

 

[Rocksy]

Yet you threw in 17/18 figures because they were higher. Had 20/21 and 21/22 been lower I'm sure you would have put them in as well.

I think the point Jeff was making is that Maguire’s shite, which is a good point…

 

[Ted Lasso]

This is exactly what I thought about Rashford when reading his thread earlier. Our players look traumatised playing for us.

Rashford could definitely use it! Maybe he already is? One could hope. How I see the situation for him:

He has the weight of a lot more than football on his shoulders, and if we're being realistic the football is the least important.

He took on some amazing philanthropic work which instead of being lauded has been scrutinized, even by Ole at the time.

Then there is a very painful and emotional flare up with recognizing that civil rights hasn't come as far as we thought. The BLM movement and racial inequality transcends the US borders. The sickening reaction after those penalty misses was searing salt on wounds.

His day job of entertaining fans that are already on edge and for a club in disarray is hardly going to help with any of that. It would be great to see us play better and in turn be a positive outlet for many of the other stresses I could envision him dealing with. A shrink really could help.

 

[TheGame]

I think the point Jeff was making is that Maguire’s shite, which is a good point…

Well I disagree with that.

 

[Witchking]

being an oldie here doesn't give you a piece of biscuit

You don't need agendas and stats like the one you provided to know that maguire doesn't fit at United.

There a decent player in there somewhere but this United team including Maguire have no strong mentality.

 

[Wednesday at Stoke]

being an oldie here doesn't give you a piece of biscuit

It does give you unlimited posts per day though.

 

[Remad7]

Why are we so inept when it comes to selling players? We have had so many missed opportunities to cash in on players and we've just downright refused to do so.

We'll regret this in years to come when we can't shift him the same as lingard, Jones, Mctominay etc.

 

[Pogba's Barber]

Regarding Maguire's captaincy, do we think any of more senior the players e.g. Ronaldo, De Gea, Varane, Matic, Mata (and to a lesser extent Pogba, Bruno, Lingard) would have had a conversation with the Manager if they had serious concerns about his leadership capabilities?

 

[FujiVice]

Maguire has to join Chelsea. He's always been a Chelsea player in red colours. He looks like a fecking Chelsea player. That's enough for them to sign him if you ask me.

 

[Red Star One]

Maguire has to join Chelsea. He's always been a Chelsea player in red colours. He looks like a fecking Chelsea player. That's enough for them to sign him if you ask me.

And one would think we save such strong words only for the scousers

 

[luke511]

This has to be a “if the offer’s right” situation. If the club is genuinely sending the message out that he’s not the sale then John Murtough needs sacking. He’s cost the club too many points and his weaknesses will only get worse with age.

 

[jeff gurr]

The fee was ridiculous but that was more down to the club than him. Leicester's defence is awful, they have Amartey playing at CB. Maguire would improve them straight away and they would be better.

You are right !! Leicester's defence is awful.
Brendan Rodgers has no idea how to organize a defence and Maguire's lack of mobility probably wouldn't improve it.
Probably couldn't make it any worse though !!!

 

[crossy1686]

Just tell Chelsea that Barcelona have made a bid, he’ll be a Chelsea player tomorrow morning.

 

[TheGame]

Regarding Maguire's captaincy, do we think any of more senior the players e.g. Ronaldo, De Gea, Varane, Matic, Mata (and to a lesser extent Pogba, Bruno, Lingard) would have had a conversation with the Manager if they had serious concerns about his leadership capabilities?

Ronaldo is the last person who should be having a conversation with anyone about such matters.