Elliot Anderson | Athletic: United's main target

[Trigestis]

One of the best CM my arse. Decent prospect. Yes 50 mill would be fair.

He has objectively been one of the best for two seasons straight, both to the eye, and statistically. You watching one game by him where he doesn't perform doesn't change that.

 

[Godfather]

He has objectively been one of the best for two seasons straight, both to the eye, and statistically.

"Objectively to the eye". Nice way to contradict yourself in one sentence. 2 decent seasons don't make you a 100 mill footballer

 

[Baxquux]

Quenda was him not wanting to be a fecking wing back, by all accounts.

He seemed happy enough playing there when he made his name under Amorim, for what it's worth. More likely the agent (and Sporting; the deferred deal terms etc).

Doesn't matter much now, since he's not coming to United. However, more broadly you'd hope the club become consistently smarter and play the medium-term game, as Chelsea have done, with securing some of these guys before they potentially go for 80m+, even if that means loaning them back for a few months

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

100m would be the joint 8th biggest fee EVER, how is that not a huge fee? It maybe doesn't feel huge because every standard PL player gets quoted at a minimum of 50m, but it is still huge. The PL fees are absurd, Strand-Larsen for 50m, what are we doing here?!

Money in general is crazy these days. Everything is seemingly twice as expensive as it was 10 years ago and footballers aren't an exception sadly.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

"Objectively to the eye". Nice way to contradict yourself in one sentence. 2 decent seasons don't make you a 100 mill footballer

He's better than Rice was at West Ham when he also was quoted at 100mil.

 

[Trigestis]

"Objectively to the eye". Nice way to contradict yourself in one sentence. 2 decent seasons don't make you a 100 mill footballer

Yeah, just ignore the statistically part. That helps your case. When you're the only poster in here who thinks he is a 50m player, you may consider that you're wrong.

 

[goldenboy]

I can see a world where Forrest go down and he’s much cheaper.

West Ham beat Burnley tomorrow and it’s only 3 pts.

Cheaper for Man City maybe if those rumours are true.

If West Ham go down then it would make Mateus Fernandes cheaper, who I'd also be keen on signing for United (though for more of an 8 or 10 role), and who should definitely be attainable.

No way a 100 mill footballer. Not even close. Make that half and it might be fair value. Neither him nor Baleba or that Wharton guy are good enough to replace Case.

Half would be too little. But he's not got more of an x-factor than say Mbeumo or Cunha, and he's not quite got the x-factor of Rice, Caicedo or Casemiro.

Really even in this climate he should cost £70-80mil. Even then I'm also not convinced he should expect to be a nailed-on starter at a club like United.

He's better than Rice was at West Ham when he also was quoted at 100mil.

No he's really not. Rice was West Ham's captain and led them to the Europa Conference League win, plus he had loads of England caps including playing every game in the 2020 Euros when England reached the Final.

 

[Zumbi]

Strand Larsen fee just shows a poor deal. You can’t (and we shouldn’t) base other players on that.

He’s just one of many examples. The point is the Strand Larsen fee isn’t abnormal for such a player in the current market. Look at the fees for all sorts of players over the last year and you can say none of them are worth it. When £50 million gets you no more than an ok player or a player with potential, £100 million for one of the PL’s best midfielder who will either be with you for a decade or have significant sell on value is not out of whack. The whole entire market is just out of whack with past expectations.

 

[Who's Kissing Cameras?]

He’s a top talent. Another standout display on the losing side.

Get him off corners though.

 

[goldenboy]

Get him off corners though.

Yeah I've posted this before.

The few games I've watched him recently his corners have indeed been utterly rancid. Rice-esque they are not.

I'm amazed Sean Dyche puts up with them tbh considering how reliant his teams have often been on them. Do they really have no one better at them eg Gibbs-White?

Another standout display on the losing side.

I didn't think he was really standout today though. Gave the ball away for the 3rd goal. Seemed to lose an above average amount of ground duels. His forward passing along the ground was very good, as always, but that was mostly it.

 

[croadyman]

Gerrard could score

He is still young enough to improve goalscoring ability

 

[Bondi77]

He is still young enough to improve goalscoring ability

You are not comparing him to Gerard?
Seriously!

 

[Bondi77]

Tactic I would be using if we really want him;
Wait to see which clubs are interested and see what those clubs are offering for him and then we trump them at the last minute.....simples!

 

[Trex]

Tactic I would be using if we really want him;
Wait to see which clubs are interested and see what those clubs are offering for him and then we trump them at the last minute.....simples!

Would make perfect sense if the clubs you refer to are the likes to Tottenham and Newcastle. If we're talking about City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal then bad strategy.

 

[Bondi77]

Would make perfect sense if the clubs you refer to are the likes to Tottenham and Newcastle. If we're talking about City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal then bad strategy.

Chelsea Liverpool or Arsenal will not be after him.

 

[Ole'sgunnarwin]

He's better than Rice was at West Ham when he also was quoted at 100mil.

He's not even close tbh. Rice was far better even at West Ham

 

[IrwinwasbetterthanCarlos]

He's better than Rice was at West Ham when he also was quoted at 100mil.

I like Anderson, he’d be my first pick, but that’s utter bibble. Rice had way more experience, both at West Ham and for England at the same age. Can’t believe we didn’t move heaven and earth to sign him. One of those players (like Kane) that I just know Fergie would’ve demanded the board sign whatever the cost.

 

[Trex]

Chelsea Liverpool or Arsenal will not be after him.

We don't know that, and even so if we employ that strategy with City going for him it's a bad idea. Players choose them over us (see Semenyo), so giving them a headstart isn't the best method.

 

[CallyRed]

As he had a bad game, is he now overrated and someone we should stay away from?

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

I like Anderson, he’d be my first pick, but that’s utter bibble. Rice had way more experience, both at West Ham and for England at the same age. Can’t believe we didn’t move heaven and earth to sign him. One of those players (like Kane) that I just know Fergie would’ve demanded the board sign whatever the cost.

Rice had played 40 times for England and at international tournaments. He was their club captain, and stayed at West Ham at least a year too long.

Would like Anderson as well, but as you say Rice was far ahead of Anderson when he left West Ham. Baffling to suggest otherwise.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

Tactic I would be using if we really want him;
Wait to see which clubs are interested and see what those clubs are offering for him and then we trump them at the last minute.....simples!

simples indeed.

 

[Borys]

I agree he might not be 100m player if we're speaking context-agnostic.

But if we're entering with the summer with no midfielders apart from Mainoo, he very well might be 100m midfielder for us.

This is a question of potential and alternatives on the market, not what's his worth now.

Just a reminder how many people thought Rice at 100m was a ridiculous fee.

 

[Bondi77]

As he had a bad game, is he now overrated and someone we should stay away from?

That seems to be the train of thought on here

 

[Marwood]

I agree he might not be 100m player if we're speaking context-agnostic.

But if we're entering with the summer with no midfielders apart from Mainoo, he very well might be 100m midfielder for us.

This is a question of potential and alternatives on the market, not what's his worth now.

Just a reminder how many people thought Rice at 100m was a ridiculous fee.

It was an overpayment. Arsenal are no better since he arrived. They've probably got worse. They're about to win a league purely because everyone else is poor. They've had to buy another CM to do the job they thought Rice could. So was he actually worth £100 million. No.

Anderson by any metric isn't worth near £100 million.

 

[JohnnyLaw]

It was an overpayment. Arsenal are no better since he arrived. They've probably got worse. They're about to win a league purely because everyone else is poor. They've had to buy another CM to do the job they thought Rice could. So was he actually worth £100 million. No.

Anderson by any metric isn't worth near £100 million.

If Arsenal are worse, it’s because of their attack. Not Rice.

Their highest scorer is Gyökeres on 6 goals this year.

 

[Reds Under The Bed]

He's not even close tbh. Rice was far better even at West Ham

Being Irish I can’t stand Rice but he was outstanding at West Ham and immediately improved Arsenal.
We should have been all over that, Anderson looks fantastic but Rice at West Ham was at a much higher level than he has achieved yet.

 

[Lu Tze]

The "is he worth £100m" debate feels quite futile. He may be, he may not be. Obviously in isolation you'd want to pay 60-70m which is basically the going rate for PL-proven talent like Mbuemo or Cunha. But then you add the English and CM tax on.

Regardless, he's to my mind clearly the best and most well rounded CM on the market right now, by a small but noticeable distance. He's going to be a linchpin at CM for the next decade for somebody and for England, and is clearly a "make it happen" level talent, rather than one you try to extract value from the market on.

Looking for value in the market is (part of) why we've not had a good CM since Carrick.

 

[Berbasbullet]

The "is he worth £100m" debate feels quite futile. He may be, he may not be. Obviously in isolation you'd want to pay 60-70m which is basically the going rate for PL-proven talent like Mbuemo or Cunha. But then you add the English and CM tax on.

Regardless, he's to my mind clearly the best and most well rounded CM on the market right now, by a small but noticeable distance. He's going to be a linchpin at CM for the next decade for somebody and for England, and is clearly a "make it happen" level talent, rather than one you try to extract value from the market on.

Looking for value in the market is why we've not had a good CM since Carrick.

I think this is probably the case, like you said no point trying to go for value. If we think he’s going to be our CM and for England too it’s important that we bring him here.

 

[Oranges038]

We've seen this before, Forest struggle with relegation, Utd sign their best midfielder, 10 years of domestic dominance followed.

Sign him up.

 

[golden_blunder]

I love the notion that top players cannot have even one game where they are outplayed

 

[mbapps]

Bang average form player.

Avoid.

 

[Jeffthered]

It was an overpayment. Arsenal are no better since he arrived. They've probably got worse. They're about to win a league purely because everyone else is poor. They've had to buy another CM to do the job they thought Rice could. So was he actually worth £100 million. No.

Anderson by any metric isn't worth near £100 million.

This is an excellent post.

Many people seem to overlook this. I told an Arsenal fan that their midfield is no better than when Party and Zhaka played alongside Odegard.

 

[Hammondo]

If Arsenal are worse, it’s because of their attack. Not Rice.

Their highest scorer is Gyökeres on 6 goals this year.

They have midfield problems which makes it difficult for the attackers.

 

[Hammondo]

This is an excellent post.

Many people seem to overlook this. I told an Arsenal fan that their midfield is no better than when Party and Zhaka played alongside Odegard.

I would say it's worse, they have failed to replace Xhaka.

 

[JohnnyLaw]

This is an excellent post.

Many people seem to overlook this. I told an Arsenal fan that their midfield is no better than when Party and Zhaka played alongside Odegard.

Partey, Xhaka and Jorginho were all in their 30s and needed to be replaced anyways so that seems like a completely redundant point?

 

[JohnnyLaw]

They have midfield problems which makes it difficult for the attackers.

More an issue of Ødegaard/Saka having poor seasons and Eze hasn’t bedded in yet.

I don’t think the general tactical approach helps much either.

 

[Hammondo]

More an issue of Ødegaard/Saka having poor seasons and Eze hasn’t bedded in yet.

I don’t think the general tactical approach helps much either.

Arsenal depends on saka because nothing comes through the middle, they lack creativity from the central area and are 1 dimensional because of it. Rice is part of that problem.

 

[Zed is not dead]

More an issue of Ødegaard/Saka having poor seasons and Eze hasn’t bedded in yet.

I don’t think the general tactical approach helps much either.

A point can be made that a 100m+ player would be able to compensate for his teammates.

Get prime Makelele or Vieira in that team and you would see the difference.

Rice is a great cog in that team, but nowhere near what I would perisnally expect of the most expensive midfielder in the world

 

[JohnnyLaw]

Arsenal depends on saka because nothing comes through the middle, they lack creativity from the central area and are 1 dimensional because of it. Rice is part of that problem.

I really don’t want to be fighting Rices corner here, but that’s not his job.

It’s Ødegaards and Ezes, It’s also Martinelli and Trossard who are just not good enough for the level Arsenal aspire toward.

Rice much due to his set-piece delivery is still second to only Saka in expected assists for Arsenal. That’s an issue in of itself.

 

[Hammondo]

I really don’t want to be fighting Rices corner here, but that’s not his job.

It’s Ødegaards and Ezes, It’s also Martinelli and Trossard who are just not good enough for the level Arsenal aspire toward.

Rice much due to his set-piece delivery is still second to only Saka in expected assists for Arsenal. That’s an issue in of itself.

So only one of Ødegaards or Ezes plays, you cannot say it's 1 players job to do that, that's insane.

You also can't have a midfielder who's just there for set pieces and basic midfield stuff. He's not adding enough. Xhaka brought more.