Elliot Anderson | Athletic: United's main target

[Teja]

I think he's basically the best option if we decide that the other two in the line up are Mainoo and Bruno.

The only thing I worry about is the lack of a pure sitter and maybe a touch of extra pace and heading ability in the middle. Anderson's good but he isn't that Rice / Caicedo level presence in the midfield. The dual #8 situation has the same vibes as "Pogba needs a DM next to him" arguments of years past. There will be endless amounts of ink spilled about how best to "unlock" Anderson / Mainoo.

 

[gajender]

I think he's basically the best option if we decide that the other two in the line up are Mainoo and Bruno.

The only thing I worry about is the lack of a pure sitter and maybe a touch of extra pace and heading ability in the middle. Anderson's good but he isn't that Rice / Caicedo level presence in the midfield. The dual #8 situation has the same vibes as "Pogba needs a DM next to him" arguments of years past. There will be endless amounts of ink spilled about how best to "unlock" Anderson / Mainoo.

Unless United are planning their long terms future with Bruno then situation should pretty much resolve itself by 2027-28 at latest .

 

[devilish]

You're vastly underrating Anderson's ability on the ball and his passing range. He's not Scholes but he's an excellent passer and very progressive.

I rate him highly but he can't sort that CM on his own. I can't think of anyone who could tbh. That's what is expected from a 100m player.

 

[McLvnsMuse]

Privately sell him on romantic Keane comparisons. Offer him the No. 16* jersey.

Pray for a relegation & Pep resignation

Qualify to UCL

 

[Lennon7]

I rate him highly but he can't sort that CM on his own. I can't think of anyone who could tbh. That's what is expected from a 100m player.

Unfortunately that’s just the going rate for midfield talent with a high potential. Especially when there’s competition from other top clubs

 

[Lennon7]

I think he's basically the best option if we decide that the other two in the line up are Mainoo and Bruno.

The only thing I worry about is the lack of a pure sitter and maybe a touch of extra pace and heading ability in the middle. Anderson's good but he isn't that Rice / Caicedo level presence in the midfield. The dual #8 situation has the same vibes as "Pogba needs a DM next to him" arguments of years past. There will be endless amounts of ink spilled about how best to "unlock" Anderson / Mainoo.

Yeah I agree. We won’t just sign one midfielder though - perhaps big on Anderson and another young midfielder with a similar but more athletic profile to Mainoo so they can compete. Wouldn’t put it past us to sign more players than we have in a while this window, especially if we qualify for the UCL and especially if we have the manager lined up before the World Cup

 

[Hernandez - BFA]

Privately sell him on romantic Keane comparisons. Offer him the No. 4 jersey.

I thought this too.

 

[Hammondo]

Yeah I agree. We won’t just sign one midfielder though - perhaps big on Anderson and another young midfielder with a similar but more athletic profile to Mainoo so they can compete. Wouldn’t put it past us to sign more players than we have in a while this window, especially if we qualify for the UCL and especially if we have the manager lined up before the World Cup

Anderson is like a more athletic Mainoo, we would need a DM.

 

[JohnnyLaw]

I rate him highly but he can't sort that CM on his own. I can't think of anyone who could tbh. That's what is expected from a 100m player.

Seems like a strange argument to me, I mean why would he have to?

We’ve already got Mainoo and Fernandes. If Fernandes should leave that means plenty of funds to add to what we’re already going to be allowed from releasing Sancho, Casemiro, Højlund and Rashford. Same goes for Ugarte and Zirkzee who’s also likely to leave.

 

[devilish]

Unfortunately that’s just the going rate for midfield talent with a high potential. Especially when there’s competition from other top clubs

Anderson is a 23 year old CM with just 1 amazing season under his belt. He's basically this year's Baleba. Sure he's got immense potential but that potential must be developed. We can't buy potential at the same going rate of a seasoned WC player.

The budget is what it is and there's simply too many positions to fill to just spend 100m on 1 CM.

 

[devilish]

Seems like a strange argument to me, I mean why would he have to?

We’ve already got Mainoo and Fernandes. If Fernandes should leave that means plenty of funds to add to what we’re already going to be allowed from releasing Sancho, Casemiro, Højlund and Rashford. Same goes for Ugarte and Zirkzee who’s also likely to leave.

Mainoo is potential mate. No one knows exactly how and if he'll develop to the level we need him to become. Bruno is a no 10.

Sancho and Casemiro are leaving on a free, the money for Rashford will probably be spent on a LW and there's question marks on how much we'll recoup for Ugarte and Zirkzee.

 

[OsloRed]

I rate him highly but he can't sort that CM on his own. I can't think of anyone who could tbh. That's what is expected from a 100m player.

If there is no one who can do that, we shouldn't expect it regardless of what it costs.

 

[stepic]

Hope Forest go down so we can haggle a bit off the price

Relegation would be irrelevant if there’s multiple big clubs competing for a signature.

 

[Jeffthered]

Just how good is he? If he just good... occasionally v good, then why break the bank for him?

Maybe I need to see more of him. Seems a decent player, but not quite sure, yet.

I prefer Adam Wharton.

 

[JohnnyLaw]

Mainoo is potential mate. No one knows exactly how and if he'll develop to the level we need him to become. Bruno is a no 10.

Sancho and Casemiro are leaving on a free, the money for Rashford will probably be spent on a LW and there's question marks on how much we'll recoup for Ugarte and Zirkzee.

Mainoo is an established premier league midfielder and Bruno wether he plays as a 10 or 8 is a part of the midfield structure.

Yes, Sancho and Casemiro are leaving without fees, but if Rashford leaves with them that’s still around £50m off our yearly wage bill. Of course that will also affect our ability to spend.

 

[Jericholyte2]

What's to stop us from contacting Forest now and negotiating a deal for the summer, if he's meant to be our top priority?

 

[JohnnyLaw]

What's to stop us from contacting Forest now and negotiating a deal for the summer, if he's meant to be our top priority?

Nothing I suppose.

Doubt they’d welcome it now though, they’re in a relegation battle and need to keep everyone focused. Also they’ll welcome the competition for him in the summer, especially after the world cup I’m sure. If he makes a good impression there, there could be even bigger interest for him.

 

[OsloRed]

Just how good is he? If he just good... occasionally v good, then why break the bank for him?

Maybe I need to see more of him. Seems a decent player, but not quite sure, yet.

I prefer Adam Wharton.

To me he has been the second best CM this season, behind Caicedo. I would certainly have him above Wharton this season from what I've seen (which is about 5 games from both of them, so not a lot).

 

[devilish]

If there is no one who can do that, we shouldn't expect it regardless of what it costs.

In my opinion United's biggest problem post SAF was that we seem fixated in finding a cheat code to success, ie that player who can paper the cracks and bring in success on his own. It sort of worked with RVP for one season but it never worked again ever since (Matic, Di Maria, Pogba, Bruno, Casemiro, Ibra etc). Unfortunately that's not how we can be successful in football. Football is a squad effort were a player's strength must compensate for another player's weakness and viceversa. SAF won the treble with the Nevilles at the rear flanks while he won his last league title with frigging Cleverley in CM. Despite their clear weaknesses they had skills that helped the team at the time.

before we even contemplate tackling CM we need to confirm 4 key issues

a- are we going to be in the CL, Europa league or out of Europe altogether. That's key because the budget and the players we can attract/we can keep will change accordingly. There will be players who will be interested in us if we make CL qualification and others who would remain for the very same reason

b- whether Bruno is staying or not. If he leaves then that's 55m in the bank but there will be huge question marks on the creativity in CM and how many CM we can squeeze in, in 1 summer. If not then we need to embrace the risk of a fantastic player but who will be in decline and the thought of him leaving on very cheap the year after or simply sticking around till the end to leave on a free irrespective of form.

c- what sort of manager we're bringing in.

d- If we've got decent buyers for the likes of Ugarte

Some of the things mentioned will need to work but most work must start now. With the WC summer looming we must have most ducks in line

Mainoo is an established premier league midfielder and Bruno wether he plays as a 10 or 8 is a part of the midfield structure.

Yes, Sancho and Casemiro are leaving without fees, but if Rashford leaves with them that’s still around £50m off our yearly wage bill. Of course that will also affect our ability to spend.

Mainoo has given us 1 great season and that was quite a long ago. We can't even establish if he's better as a no 6 or an 8. Some even speculate that he might be best as a no 10. Bruno is a 10. Only some semi amateur manager from Casa Pia suggest otherwise.

Salary cuts are great but players come with a fee and top players will still ask for important salaries.

 

[golden_blunder]

Privately sell him on romantic Keane comparisons. Offer him the No. 4 jersey.

Pray for a relegation & Pep resignation

Qualify to UCL

Why the #4 jersey? That’s traditionally a CB number?

 

[Lennon7]

Anderson is like a more athletic Mainoo, we would need a DM.

Wouldn't say so personally. Anderson has a much better passing range and attacking ability. If Mainoo could cover more ground and was faster, they'd be a perfect pairing

 

[JohnnyLaw]

Mainoo has given us 1 great season and that was quite a long ago. We can't even establish if he's better as a no 6 or an 8. Some even speculate that he might be best as a no 10. Bruno is a 10. Only some semi amateur manager from Casa Pia suggest otherwise.

Salary cuts are great but players come with a fee and top players will still ask for important salaries.

Even if I concede that Mainoo is an uncertainty at this point, and we for some reason I don’t understand remove Bruno from the equation, that only highlights that we have no dependable options in midfield. Is it not then imperative that we go out and find at least one midfielder who’s as close to a sure thing as we can?

Anderson is not 2019 Longstaff. He’s got 4 seasons in the premier league, is a full england international and clearly one of the brightest shining midfielders in the league playing for a club from which he can be aquired.

Besides, what are the alternatives?

From what I’ve seen there’s been mentions of Scott, Stiller, Baleba, Wharton- players who still won’t come cheap and come with their own caveats.

The only real budget alternative (not that I think we need one) i’ve seen mentioned is Fernandes at West Ham. There’s a real dearth of talented and available midfielders in europe at the moment.

 

[Lennon7]

Anderson is a 23 year old CM with just 1 amazing season under his belt. He's basically this year's Baleba. Sure he's got immense potential but that potential must be developed. We can't buy potential at the same going rate of a seasoned WC player.

The budget is what it is and there's simply too many positions to fill to just spend 100m on 1 CM.

Anderson was class last season and all of this season so far. That's more than we can say for Baleba. Agreed on the seasoned WC player comparison, but I genuinely don't know who we'd go for - Anderson ticks too many boxes to pass up on.

 

[Hammondo]

Wouldn't say so personally. Anderson has a much better passing range and attacking ability. If Mainoo could cover more ground and was faster, they'd be a perfect pairing

Neither are a DM, both play with and need a DM.

 

[Lennon7]

Neither are a DM, both play with and need a DM.

Potentially aye, but they're also both defensively strong enough to mean that we don't need one a true DM like Case

 

[McLvnsMuse]

Why the #4 jersey? That’s traditionally a CB number?

Sorry I meant 16. Weird memory glitch from typing while drifting off

 

[devilish]

Anderson was class last season and all of this season so far. That's more than we can say for Baleba. Agreed on the seasoned WC player comparison, but I genuinely don't know who we'd go for - Anderson ticks too many boxes to pass up on.

He wasn't as good as this season else Newcastle wouldn't have sold him

I don't know of any viable alternatives either, there again, neither of us are scouts employed by this club. It's time our scouts and for our negotiators to start earning their bacon. If all they come up with is Mbuemo, Cunha, Anderson and Sesko then they might as well sack the lot and put some 14 year old FM enthusiast instead. Seriously we can't sort all our problems at 60m-100m a pop.

And for the record I would happy if we sign Anderson. However as said, he can't sort CM on his own.

 

[JohnnyLaw]

He wasn't as good as this season else Newcastle wouldn't have sold him

I don't know of any viable alternatives either, there again, neither of us are scouts employed by this club. It's time our scouts and for our negotiators to start earning their bacon. If all they come up with is Mbuemo, Cunha, Anderson and Sesko then they might as well sack the lot and put some 14 year old FM enthusiast instead. Seriously we can't sort all our problems at 60m-100m a pop.

And for the record I would happy if we sign Anderson. However as said, he can't sort CM on his own.

What about Heaven, Lammens, Kone, Leon, Orozco et al?

 

[Lennon7]

He wasn't as good as this season else Newcastle wouldn't have sold him

I don't know of any viable alternatives either, there again, neither of us are scouts employed by this club. It's time our scouts and for our negotiators to start earning their bacon. If all they come up with is Mbuemo, Cunha, Anderson and Sesko then they might as well sack the lot and put some 14 year old FM enthusiast instead. Seriously we can't sort all our problems at 60m-100m a pop.

And for the record I would happy if we sign Anderson. However as said, he can't sort CM on his own.

He was at Forest all of last season. In a very good season for Forest too, and he was great.

 

[Trigestis]

Anderson is a 23 year old CM with just 1 amazing season under his belt. He's basically this year's Baleba. Sure he's got immense potential but that potential must be developed. We can't buy potential at the same going rate of a seasoned WC player.

The budget is what it is and there's simply too many positions to fill to just spend 100m on 1 CM.

What? He played for Forest last season and was one of the best midfielders in the PL, as he is this year. So, two seasons straight.

 

[devilish]

What about Heaven, Lammens, Kone, Leon, Orozco et al?

Lammens was a great signing. Heaven was an amazing punt but I think that signing came more from the youth coaches suggestion then the scouts. There's nothing about the rest that merely suggest that they are even academy level players.

The CM project is daunting. Out of the lot I believe that only Mainoo will still be there in 2-3 years time and there's question about what sort of player he is (no 6 or no 8). Bruno will eventually leave (I won't be surprised if he leaves next summer), Ugarte makes Robbie Savage look like a mix of prime Diego Armando Maradona and prime Rijkaard. I've seen husky puppies with more composure and discipline then he does. Casemiro will be leaving and Mount is probably the second biggest waste of money in recent club's history (after Sancho). We're looking to 2-3 CM next summer and we seriously can't sort it out with 100m a pop.

 

[OverratedOpinion]

Lammens was a great signing. Heaven was an amazing punt but I think that signing came more from the youth coaches suggestion then the scouts. There's nothing about the rest that merely suggest that they are even academy level players.

The CM project is daunting. Out of the lot I believe that only Mainoo will still be there in 2-3 years time and there's question about what sort of player he is (no 6 or no 8). Bruno will eventually leave (I won't be surprised if he leaves next summer), Ugarte makes Robbie Savage look like a mix of prime Diego Armando Maradona and prime Rijkaard. I've seen husky puppies with more composure and discipline then he does. Casemiro will be leaving and Mount is probably the second biggest waste of money in recent club's history (after Sancho). We're looking to 2-3 CM next summer and we seriously can't sort it out with 100m a pop.

We can and probably intend to.

I think the club fully plan to sign both Anderson and Baleba in the summer (Baleba they will probably hope they can get a better deal on) assuming we can convince Anderson to join.

I don't think it's a great reflection on either our scouts or our hierarchies trust in them. But that's what they seem to want.

I reckon they probably budgeted for a bit over 200m in the summer with Hojlund, Rashford and Casemiro's wages supplementing it to a degree.

Probably Anderson, Baleba and Semenyo (which they tried to bring forward to January).

I think the questions going into the summer will be..

Who will be our manager?
Does Anderson choose us?
Do Brighton accept a more sensible fee for Baleba?
Which left winger do we go for now Semenyo is gone?
Does Bruno stay?
Does Maguire stay?
What to do about players like Ugarte and Zirkzee?

A lot to do!

 

[devilish]

He was at Forest all of last season. In a very good season for Forest too, and he was great.

Forest bought him in 2024 and while he was good in the 2024-2025 season he wasn't as good as he is this season

 

[jamesjimmybyrondean]

Pep was getting chatty with Tonali so maybe they leave Anderson for us

 

[JohnnyLaw]

Lammens was a great signing. Heaven was an amazing punt but I think that signing came more from the youth coaches suggestion then the scouts. There's nothing about the rest that merely suggest that they are even academy level players.

The CM project is daunting. Out of the lot I believe that only Mainoo will still be there in 2-3 years time and there's question about what sort of player he is (no 6 or no 8). Bruno will eventually leave (I won't be surprised if he leaves next summer), Ugarte makes Robbie Savage look like a mix of prime Diego Armando Maradona and prime Rijkaard. I've seen husky puppies with more composure and discipline then he does. Casemiro will be leaving and Mount is probably the second biggest waste of money in recent club's history (after Sancho). We're looking to 2-3 CM next summer and we seriously can't sort it out with 100m a pop.

I mean, we could?

Liverpool did it with Ekitike and Isak. Seems a much more viable strategy for the midfield.

Not that I’m suggesting that’s what we need to do of course, I just don’t see the issue with it considering the state of our midfield.

Anderson is just the best option out there at the moment and while that makes him expensive, that shouldn’t be prohibitive for a club like us. Especially if we make the champions league.

 

[devilish]

I mean, we could?

Liverpool did it with Ekitike and Isak. Seems a much more viable strategy for the midfield.

Not that I’m suggesting that’s what we need to do of course, I just don’t see the issue with it considering the state of our midfield.

Anderson is just the best option out there at the moment and while that makes him expensive, that shouldn’t be prohibitive for a club like us. Especially if we make the champions league.

Liverpool are in a way better financial state, they just won the EPL title and they barely spent anything the previous summer.


Now Casemiro needs to be replaced. That's 1 CM. We'd be foolish not to sell Ugarte considering that he shaves 5m off his value whenever he plays. That's 2 CM. Mainoo needs cover/competition. That's probably 3CM while if Bruno leaves then that's another player we need to replace. That's 4 CM. Then we need a LB cover (2 if Dorgu plays as winger), a LW (unless we play Dorgu there) and if we sell Zirkzee we'll need a backup striker. I am not suggesting that we close the door on the Anderson deal. However 100m for a player is a lot and if there's competition I do wonder if he'll come to United.

 

[JohnnyLaw]

Liverpool are in a way better financial state, they just won the EPL title and they barely spent anything the previous summer.


Now Casemiro needs to be replaced. That's 1 CM. We'd be foolish not to sell Ugarte considering that he shaves 5m off his value whenever he plays. That's 2 CM. Mainoo needs cover/competition. That's probably 3CM while if Bruno leaves then that's another player we need to replace. That's 4 CM. Then we need a LB cover (2 if Dorgu plays as winger), a LW (unless we play Dorgu there) and if we sell Zirkzee we'll need a backup striker. I am not suggesting that we close the door on the Anderson deal. However 100m for a player is a lot and if there's competition I do wonder if he'll come to United.

We won’t eviscerate our entire midfield by selling both of Ugarte and Fernandes in the summer.
Honestly, as bad as he’s been I probably wouldn’t sell Ugarte unless we can get close to our money back for him.
That leaves us with two senior CMs in Ugarte and Mainoo and we should be able to get another two that can compete with Mainoo and keep Ugarte out of the team for the majority of games. Couple that with a few youth punts like Kone, Gore, Collyer, maybe Orozco and Thwaites for a select few games and we should be good.

If we sign a new LW we won’t need a LB or striker as we’ll have 2 LB options in Shaw and Dorgu, aswell as 5 options for our front three with Lacey also being an option.

 

[Gordon S]

Honestly surprised by the Carrick comparisons. I wish Elliot had some of that vision, passing accuracy and ridiculous quick reading of his surroundings as Carrick had.
If we stay in the United legends bubble i think Nicky Butt or Phil Neville comes closer. Really gritty, energetic allround central mids with mostly good passing and good decision making.

 

[Hammondo]

Potentially aye, but they're also both defensively strong enough to mean that we don't need one a true DM like Case

That is nonsense, neither have ever proven that or really shown it.

 

[devilish]

We won’t eviscerate our entire midfield by selling both of Ugarte and Fernandes in the summer.
Honestly, as bad as he’s been I probably wouldn’t sell Ugarte unless we can get close to our money back for him.
That leaves us with two senior CMs in Ugarte and Mainoo and we should be able to get another two that can compete with Mainoo and keep Ugarte out of the team for the majority of games. Couple that with a few youth punts like Kone, Gore, Collyer, maybe Orozco and Thwaites for a select few games and we should be good.

If we sign a new LW we won’t need a LB or striker as we’ll have 2 LB options in Shaw and Dorgu, aswell as 5 options for our front three with Lacey also being an option.

On Bruno we don't really have a choice as he can leave once someone pays the minimum clause deal. Ugarte should leave as he's painful to watch and keeps on reducing his value every time he touches a ball. That leaves us with Mainoo, a perma crock (Mount) and maybe Bruno. Kone, Gore, Collyer, Orozco and Thwaites are hardly Championship level let alone CL level mate.