Elliot Anderson | Athletic: United's main target

I saw a lad who works in football over the weekend and he also seems to think that Anderson to City is virtually a done deal.
 
Could you not compare the rave reviews Anderson is getting this year to the same reviews Baleba was getting last year?

What is to say that Anderson can repeat his performances, or improve his performances next season at a club with higher demands?

Whoever United go for will have an element of risk, but if you can get 2 for the price of Anderson, then it might make more sense to shop elsewhere.
 
RuudTom83 said:
Could you not compare the rave reviews Anderson is getting this year to the same reviews Baleba was getting last year?

What is to say that Anderson can repeat his performances, or improve his performances next season at a club with higher demands?

Whoever United go for will have an element of risk, but if you can get 2 for the price of Anderson, then it might make more sense to shop elsewhere.
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I don’t think you can. Baleba’s was about his athleticism and presence, Anderson’s is purely about his footballing ability with his athleticism being the bonus.
 
goldenboy said:
Ha, you keep repeating this as if it actually means something. He might as well have just been linked to these clubs by his agent as he's desperate to get away from Newcastle. Without those clubs actually willing to make sizeable offers for him, which doesn't seem on the cards right now, it's hot air.
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They are called football rumours for a reason and when established journalists say it, I take notice. We're football fans we are going to discuss rumours.

I personally rate Tonali as a very good footballer. So do others. It's a forum to be able to discuss football related matters and people have different opinions.

This is a forum for football fans it's not "goldenboy personal forum". People can disagree with you on things.

I'm going to be polite here, maybe you don't realise how you come off in your replies to many people on here or you're on the spectrum and that's just the way you are. But people can have different opinions to yours. Your replies just aggravate people and I'm not the only one. I've seen one of the mods tell you that on a different thread.
 
dinostar77 said:
They are called football rumours for a reason and when established journalists say it, I take notice.
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Where has an established journalist said that United are actually keen enough that they will make a bid? All the recent talk has been pouring cold water on the idea - and rightly so as he's just not that great.

Romano is a charlatan by the way, before you try and claim him as an "established journalist" - agents will and do pay him to come out with stories.

dinostar77 said:
I'm going to be polite here, maybe you don't realise how you come off in your replies to many people on here or you're on the spectrum
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Claim to "be polite", then proceed to falsely try and label someone as being "on the spectrum"... interesting...

Well I'm not going to beat about the bush here - from reading your replies on here your takes are for the most part terrible, and do not suggest much with regards to your reasoning capacity.
 
tenpoless said:
Relying on your DM to score a header is not ideal anyway. We have a lanky striker in Sesko so I hope its him whos gonna head them in after Casemiro. Midfielders should do midfield stuffs
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But defensively they have to be able to cope.
We cannot have just Sesko.
Currently we have Maguire, Sesko and Casemiro.
Maguire is almost done here .. won't start every game.
DeLigt is always injured
So we need to buy players with this in mind..
Else we will be like how Liverpool have been this season..
They bought fripmong, Wirtz, and have lost Allison to injury for long periods , so they have conceded so many goals from set pieces...
Throw ins
 
goldenboy said:
Where has an established journalist said that United are actually keen enough that they will make a bid? All the recent talk has been pouring cold water on the idea - and rightly so as he's just not that great.

Romano is a charlatan by the way, before you try and claim him as an "established journalist" - agents will and do pay him to come out with stories.



Claim to "be polite", then proceed to falsely try and label someone as being "on the spectrum"... interesting...

Well I'm not going to beat about the bush here - from reading your replies on here your takes are for the most part terrible, and do not suggest much with regards to your reasoning capacity.
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There's many on here I don't agree with, many I do agree with. That's football we all have different opinions. It's about respecting other people's opinions, having a polite reply if you disagree and feel strongly enough to reply.

I mentioned "the spectrum" as I dont know. Some people are very black and white in how they see thinks and blunt with their replies. I speak from experience hence trying to be polite and understand.

You don't like my opinions, then ignore them. Or stick me on ignore. There are options.

I won't put you on ignore, cause I don't like to do that,we disagree, we disagree. It's just a football forum. It's all abit of fun and escapism from everyday life.
 
RuudTom83 said:
Could you not compare the rave reviews Anderson is getting this year to the same reviews Baleba was getting last year?

What is to say that Anderson can repeat his performances, or improve his performances next season at a club with higher demands?

Whoever United go for will have an element of risk, but if you can get 2 for the price of Anderson, then it might make more sense to shop elsewhere.
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It's the same with nearly all footballers now.
People go completely overboard after one good season!

The trouble is there's a shortage of talent, and five or six clubs in England plus PSG, Bayern and the big two in Spain all competing for the same sort of players.
 
MaMa given red said:
It's the same with nearly all footballers now.
People go completely overboard after one good season!

The trouble is there's a shortage of talent, and five or six clubs in England plus PSG, Bayern and the big two in Spain all competing for the same sort of players.
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Anderson is on his second impressive season, not first.
 
RuudTom83 said:
Could you not compare the rave reviews Anderson is getting this year to the same reviews Baleba was getting last year?

What is to say that Anderson can repeat his performances, or improve his performances next season at a club with higher demands?
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MaMa given red said:
It's the same with nearly all footballers now.
People go completely overboard after one good season!
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Anderson was very good last season as well.

There were a few of the more astute observers on here (*cough*) who said in the summer already that he should have been considered.
 
goldenboy said:
Anderson was very good last season as well.

There were a few of the more astute observers on here (*cough*) who said in the summer already that he should have been considered.
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He even looked good at Newcastle to be honest, noise of him still being our number 1 target. Probably not true hes agreed to go to City, lets see
 
Zed is not dead said:
Maybe that’s where our views differ. While I think Anderson is a very good midfielder, to me he doesn’t stand above everyone else in his team, let alone the other midfielders in the league.

120m is world record fee. That’s Zidane fee, that’s Cristiano Ronaldo kind of fee after winning the UCL and Ballon d’Or.

It’s not a dig at Anderson at all, I’d love to have him at United. But for the prices quoted, Id expect him to rule the midfield and be a key player in UCL final stages, not simply giving his team more solidity against other PL teams. Things i havent seen Enzo, Caicedo or Rice do yet which makes me a bit skeptical about those big money transfers for players unproven at the biggest stages
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Those three are the reason that Marinakis believes he's well within his rights to ask £120m for him
 
dinostar77 said:
In regards to Tonali. I some on the forum don't rate him. However he's been linked with City, Arsenal and Utd. So clearly there is a player there who is of interest to the big clubs. Maybe its his adaptability to play in a no6 or no8 role. Or his endless energy to get around the pitch. Or a combination of many different aspects.

I think if he left Newcastle and played with better players around him, we'd see his qualities shine more.

My personal preference is for Baleba and Scott as our two midfield reinforcements this summer, I.e. more realistic targets. However I can see why the club would be inyin a experienced player like Tonali.

To get it back on track, I don't think Anderson will leave Forest this summer if they get CL football. He will be priced out of a move. Also he'd be mental to go to City if Guardiola left. There will be an inevitable downturn for a few seasons. Always is after a legendary manager leaves.
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The caf is the only place on the internet or in real life where you'll slagging of Tonali. Yes of course he's no prime Casemiro, but nor will Anderson be at the level Casemiro once was. We also need to think about how we allocate what presumably will be a budget and not galactico acquisitions. We can't afford 120m for one player and there are some players whom we would love to have but won't leave their clubs. If Declan Rice told Arsenal he's had enough of London I'd be all over the 100m spend for him, but that's not going to happen. And some players look tasty but really are unproven on a consistency basis, such as Baleba. I like Baleba, but he's more of a punt that a nailed on starter IMO.

I'm ok with punts like Baleba so long as we bring in 2 and maybe even three other promising but unproven central midfielders. We're not going to go 3 for 3 on central defenders, as one of them is likely to be a useless Ugarte and the other two coming in as advertised. I really don't want to see us go all in at 120m or even 90m on a single central midfielder, regardless of how great his resume may be. Do 3 highly regarded but unproven types, where I would put Baleba, or at least one sure thing such as Tonali (the caf is insane quite often) and two younger but promising or at least less heralded mids.
 
lex talionis said:
The caf is the only place on the internet or in real life where you'll slagging of Tonali. Yes of course he's no prime Casemiro, but nor will Anderson be at the level Casemiro once was. We also need to think about how we allocate what presumably will be a budget and not galactico acquisitions. We can't afford 120m for one player and there are some players whom we would love to have but won't leave their clubs. If Declan Rice told Arsenal he's had enough of London I'd be all over the 100m spend for him, but that's not going to happen. And some players look tasty but really are unproven on a consistency basis, such as Baleba. I like Baleba, but he's more of a punt that a nailed on starter IMO.

I'm ok with punts like Baleba so long as we bring in 2 and maybe even three other promising but unproven central midfielders. We're not going to go 3 for 3 on central defenders, as one of them is likely to be a useless Ugarte and the other two coming in as advertised. I really don't want to see us go all in at 120m or even 90m on a single central midfielder, regardless of how great his resume may be. Do 3 highly regarded but unproven types, where I would put Baleba, or at least one sure thing such as Tonali (the caf is insane quite often) and two younger but promising or at least less heralded mids.
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It's alot to ask a young midfield to replace Casemiro and the comparison will be there for the entire season, especially when they make mistakes. Hence a Tonali or Tchaumeni would be a sense addition, to bring that game experience, which will be vital in CL. Whether the club can make that happen, who knows.

Whitwell said yesterday on Athletic podcast, that the first CM signing would define the other one in terms of compatibility and how much money they could spend on CM number 2. There maybe room for another i.e. CM number 3, but that depends on selling Ugarte. It seems to be in a state of flux.

He also said Anderson at £100mil + would be too expensive for Utd.

 
Makes sense not going into bidding war with City for him, when we're looking at 2 midfielders, possibly 3, among other recruits.

It'll have to be Cunha and Mbeumo case to happen - if he wants to come here over anywhere else, we'll make it happen.
 
lex talionis said:
The caf is the only place on the internet or in real life where you'll slagging of Tonali. Yes of course he's no prime Casemiro, but nor will Anderson be at the level Casemiro once was. We also need to think about how we allocate what presumably will be a budget and not galactico acquisitions. We can't afford 120m for one player and there are some players whom we would love to have but won't leave their clubs. If Declan Rice told Arsenal he's had enough of London I'd be all over the 100m spend for him, but that's not going to happen. And some players look tasty but really are unproven on a consistency basis, such as Baleba. I like Baleba, but he's more of a punt that a nailed on starter IMO.

I'm ok with punts like Baleba so long as we bring in 2 and maybe even three other promising but unproven central midfielders. We're not going to go 3 for 3 on central defenders, as one of them is likely to be a useless Ugarte and the other two coming in as advertised. I really don't want to see us go all in at 120m or even 90m on a single central midfielder, regardless of how great his resume may be. Do 3 highly regarded but unproven types, where I would put Baleba, or at least one sure thing such as Tonali (the caf is insane quite often) and two younger but promising or at least less heralded mids.
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Please don’t make things up or make broad, sweeping statements that are easily disproven in his very own thread:

Silas said:
Some quotes from a Newcastle forum:

Saw posts giving some context that he's recently had a kid (on top of a gruelling schedule). Either way, seems like there's reason to be cautious. The tools may be there, but similar to Ugarte, his best position may not be as a holding CM right now.
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“
This may be controversial. But I think Tonali is overrated big time on here. His stamina and athleticism is elite and he reads and disrupts counterattacks really well. But the rest of his game is so average.
He is often at fault due to his poor positioning or ball watching. His passing is poor and often gives the ball away and puts us under pressure. He doesn't provide anything in an attacking sense.
Maybe his form has been poor for so long, I have forgotten how good he was last season.”

That was page 2, I’m sure more could be dug up without much effort.

———


It actually weakens, not strengthens your position, especially when made for impact.

People have differing views; Tonali is far from universally rated as you’re trying to make out. There are plenty more “places on the internet” that don’t rate him. It is not some collective blindness reserved for redcafe.
 
Fortitude said:
I don’t think you can. Baleba’s was about his athleticism and presence, Anderson’s is purely about his footballing ability with his athleticism being the bonus.
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He is the golden egg of midfield targets. He progresses the ball; his close control under the press is top tier; stats show he makes a large amount of passes per game (with a very high percentile being progressive); and he’s very good aerially.

You’ll baulk at the £120m which is straight up a mentalist amount of money, but then you’ll watch him in your team and be like “ah, that makes sense”.

If we didn’t have so many other priority positions (including another CM) I’d want us going all in for him, but I just don’t think we have the facilities for it this year.
 
DWelbz19 said:
He is the golden egg of midfield targets. He progresses the ball; his close control under the press is top tier; stats show he makes a large amount of passes per game (with a very high percentile being progressive); and he’s very good aerially.

You’ll baulk at the £120m which is straight up a mentalist amount of money, but then you’ll watch him in your team and be like “ah, that makes sense”.

If we didn’t have so many other priority positions (including another CM) I’d want us going all in for him, but I just don’t think we have the facilities for it this year.
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Yep. He’s an obvious talent, with talent being the operative word. Everything else with him: stamina, athleticism, combativeness is the bonus.

You can see why we’d be in for him until it’s a certainty that he’s not coming here.
 
My only concern is with Mainoo’s obvious talent and future at this club is around whether a different profile should be the priority. A more physical presence and a direct replacement of Case
 
Lennon7 said:
My only concern is with Mainoo’s obvious talent and future at this club is around whether a different profile should be the priority. A more physical presence and a direct replacement of Case
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Anderson is plenty physical. Very rounded.
 
cpresc said:
So you say Bellingham was a "world class talent" and therefore his price was justified?

What had Bellingham done to justify that label pre transfer to Madrid?

IIRC he'd done well in the England team and performed to a high level in the Bundesliga as an all round midfielder

Meanwhile, Anderson has done well in the England team and performed to a high level in the Premier League as an all round midfielder.

Real Madrid reaped the benefit of aggressively bringing him in at a high price, as did Arsenal with Rice, as should we with Anderson
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Bellingham at Dortmund was one of the best midfielders in Germany and Europe. His performances were oustanding both in the Bundesliga and champions league. He'd easily done enough to justify his price tag. In fact, Madrid thought they done really well by getting him for under 100m. All the top clubs wanted him with Real and City pushing the hardest.

You can push Anderson as much as you want but to put down Bellingham's performances is laughable. Does Real chase after Anderson at any point in his career? I'd put money down, they would not. Either way, I'm not saying he isn't a good player, I just think he's not a great player or worth the value that Forest want for him. Rice, Bellingham; those are midfielders that would grace any top club in Europe. I don't think Anderson is the same.
 
Kingslayer18 said:
Bellingham at Dortmund was one of the best midfielders in Germany and Europe. His performances were oustanding both in the Bundesliga and champions league. He'd easily done enough to justify his price tag. In fact, Madrid thought they done really well by getting him for under 100m. All the top clubs wanted him with Real and City pushing the hardest.

You can push Anderson as much as you want but to put down Bellingham's performances is laughable. Does Real chase after Anderson at any point in his career? I'd put money down, they would not. Either way, I'm not saying he isn't a good player, I just think he's not a great player or worth the value that Forest want for him. Rice, Bellingham; those are midfielders that would grace any top club in Europe. I don't think Anderson is the same.
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This echos my feelings on Anderson. If he is comparable to Rice, we should break the bank for him. I am not sure he is comparable to Rice.
 
Fortitude said:
Anderson is plenty physical. Very rounded.
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Not the profile I'm thinking of. Sure he's physical in many ways, but having won around a third of the aerial duels that Casemiro has I think we e just need that presence

I've been posting about wanting Anderson even when the Caf was set on Baleba, but I do feel if we're to sign a more technical player like Anderson or Fernandes, we need to also consider a more physical DM or holding mid to bring something different. Liverpool are suffering with that at the moment despite their world class midfield options.
 
lex talionis said:
If Anderson is the Casemiro replacement then count me in, though it seems to me Tonali is the better fit for us as a pure 6. But if Anderson is seen as the upgrade on Mainoo it's a hard no for me. And I don't see Anderson coming to United to slot into the rotation behind Mainoo and our Casemiro replacement...certainly not at the cost of 100m+ it's probably going to require to pry Anderson loose from Forest.
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Tonali is closer to a Ugarte type who runs around chasing car tires barking a lot rather than the head dog who keeps his own yard locked down
 
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