It’s the hope that does you in
Franco Mastantuono
- Thread starter Samid
- Start date
I hope we are quick for once
If PSG are in for him, they will be much faster. We won’t have enough time to prepare a bid unfortunately.
They dont need another winger at all. We can offer game time similar to Yoro
River Plate want him around for another season. I'm sure Chelsea and PSG would be fine with that model but don't think we'd be interested in that given the state of our squad. We can't spend 50M on a player and just say, alright join us in the future it's fine.
We can’t compete with an oil club. He’d have to explicitly choose us over them, otherwise whatever we offer they can top trump.
They can spend big and loan him back to River Plate which we couldn’t, similar to what Chelsea did with Quenda.
According to Reddit, the source is very reliable for transfers in Argentina.
He has a release clause so that doesn’t really matter.
Of course they have.
I reckon it'll be him or Dibling.
Yeah onto the next transfer. No chance he would turn down PSG for us, not in the current state we are in
But we can offer him playing time, fight relegation
I would ordinarily be very sceptical about this one, especially with PSG interested as they're putting together an excellent young squad under Luis Campos (who we should've appointed years ago BTW). However, looking at all the supposedly interested teams, Mastantuono quite clearly has the better development track with us. Especially as Amad can play RWB too, and we're unlikely to sign a RWB with Quenda choosing Chelsea.
Looking at the competitors -
PSG: Doue, Dembele, Kang-In, Barcola, Kvaratskhelia can all play in those AM/winger roles
Chelsea: Palmer, Estevao, Paez, Sancho?, Madueko, Neto, George, Nkunku, Kellyman and about a million players out on loan currently
Real Madrid: Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vini Jr, Guler, Brahim Diaz
I'd say Madrid is where he can probably find more space but he's likely to come to us and start a hell of a lot of games immediately. If we win the Europa League, then we'll instantly be more attractive to players like this as CL football ensures more games and thus more opportunities for promising talents like this guy.
The difficulty would come if a team like one of the above promised to loan him back to River Plate for a season or two. At this point, game time will make all the difference IMHO.
Looking at the competitors -
PSG: Doue, Dembele, Kang-In, Barcola, Kvaratskhelia can all play in those AM/winger roles
Chelsea: Palmer, Estevao, Paez, Sancho?, Madueko, Neto, George, Nkunku, Kellyman and about a million players out on loan currently
Real Madrid: Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vini Jr, Guler, Brahim Diaz
I'd say Madrid is where he can probably find more space but he's likely to come to us and start a hell of a lot of games immediately. If we win the Europa League, then we'll instantly be more attractive to players like this as CL football ensures more games and thus more opportunities for promising talents like this guy.
The difficulty would come if a team like one of the above promised to loan him back to River Plate for a season or two. At this point, game time will make all the difference IMHO.
Definitely skeptical now reddit has confirmed that the PSG talks stuff is coming from a reliable Argentinian source. Yes we definitely should have appointed Luis Campos as our DOF, could have worked with Vivell but clearly Wilcox is INEOS choice so guess we have to put faith in them
Have a feeling Liverpool are going to swoop in for him last minute
Will only gain hope if that other journo who is quoted above actually referenced interest from us but seems not
Bollocks.
Can’t say we have that same pulling power as we did even five years ago. We can but dream nowadays.
Knew after that stunning free kick he ends up elsewhere
PSG would be the saddest of all the big club choices he could make.
I know that he has a release clause at €45m. I’m saying he is worth what someone will pay, that’s how markets work. If no one will pay the release clause, but want to negotiate with River instead, I would expect a deal could be done at a value somewhere lower than the release clause based on the value of other recent transactions in the market.
But to be fair, I don’t know Rivers financial situation nearly as well as I’m guessing you do.
Noises of interest from multiple clubs would anyway indicate a higher likelihood that the sales price will be at least close to the release clause. Would be great for United if we could start making deals for this caliber of talent from South America, but he’s just so young that it’s hard to justify. Would probably be better for him to stay in Argentina for a few more years. What do you think he would go for in 2-3 years if he continues his development along the expected trajectory?
Doesn’t make sense for him to go to PSG at this stage of his career.
If
Our success in this endeavor, if we’re really pursuing it, depends entirely on our management and recruitments teams ability to convince him, his family and his agent that coming here is in the best interest of his career (and possibly his wallet). Berrada & co seem quite good at doing that but who knows how hard they’re even trying.
If they agree a deal where he spend another year at River, why not? Sure there is competition, but PSG are pretty good at nurturing youth and bringing them into the first team. I’m sure he’s thinking long-term about things.
Our success in this endeavor, if we’re really pursuing it, depends entirely on our management and recruitments teams ability to convince him, his family and his agent that coming here is in the best interest of his career (and possibly his wallet). Berrada & co seem quite good at doing that but who knows how hard they’re even trying.
Why? Look at their team this season and they look like the best team on the continent at the moment. Add to that they are regularly giving minutes to young players, they pay well and he's coming straight from Argentina. Ligue 1 is a fantastic first move to Europe.
My thoughts exactly. Of the 3 clubs rumoured to have bid, I’d say PSG would have the best prospects of landing him on the face of it. Unless he «dreams of Madrid». Not uncommon, but so overplayed I’m frankly sick of it.
Would love him to pick us, purely for the excitement factor of unknown top-level potential and beating out Europes current elite for his signature. Not entirely sensible reasons I admit..
We do have a lot going for us. We pay well, we play youngsters, our football is a bit faltering though at the moment. That being said, if we get to a final this year, we're still an attractive prospect - I don't care what anyone says, a final is a final. Europa league or not and the big days like finals, is what you play football for.
Sure. But when you compare it to teams that offer the semis or the finals of the champions league its going to be second best.
He would never choose us over PSG. We are at different levels at the moment and ours is near the bottom
PSG they have a great team currently and a world class manager who most players would want to play for. Its also not like we would outbid them in both transfer or salary either
PSG they have a great team currently and a world class manager who most players would want to play for. Its also not like we would outbid them in both transfer or salary either
I really don't like talking in absolutes like this. He absolutely could choose us over PSG, but I completely agree that they are an attractive proposition right now. But it's not like you're comparing PSG with someone like Wolves. We might be in 15th place, but we can still attract very good players.
If we don't get Mastantuono, Andrija Maksimović is a similar player with unbelievable talent. Already has 6 Serbian caps at 17 and has scored 10 and assisted 9 this season.
Really like the look of Maksimovic but he also highly coveted by the top clubs.
Why? They're building a great squad of younger, hungry talents having moved away from the whole galactico model. Have a great coach that looks to improve players and moving forward will be a mainstay in European competitions.
Great shout. I think him or Kontantinos Karetsas (Genk) would be great alternatives for the no.10 spot.
Yep, also a prodigy and left footed. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we signed one of these three. Seems sensible to have a challenger to Amad but also someone who can play with Amad when he’s filling in at RWB. This player can expect a lot of game time next season which they wouldn’t necessarily receive at PSG or Madrid.
Shite league, they're fun to watch now, and are taking a different approach to their squad building, but it's a poor league to go to.
If he goes to PSG he’ll end up like Verratti - a top class player wasting his career in a dead end league hoping to strike lucky in the CL.
The way they're going I'd be surprised if they don't bag a CL in the next couple of years. They've really stepped it up a notch and for the first time look like a team that can do something big. It's a young team too, Fabian Ruiz (29yo) and Dembele (27yo) where the oldest players on the pitch for them against Villa. Considering the age profiles of the players they should only get better from here. They have some defensive frailties however, especially on set-pieces it seems. Will be interesting to see how they fare against Arsenal today, who are more physically dominant than most teams they've played.
well he's in AS newspaper front page now
https://img.asmedia.epimg.net/resiz...5dce92649ab5a4f1674ba24b77376658dbf&width=976
It's said Solari wants him one he takes over the club. Honestly getting rid of Rodrigo and Adding Mastantuono + Nico Paz + Guler would do magics to their team. I think if they add Mac Allister to combine with Jude they would be a terrifying force.
They've got almost too many young talents in his position though. You can keep hyped young players happy for a while with the whole 'glitz and trophies' whilst not playing, but even Madrid have been forced to let the likes of Odegaard go because he wasn't getting 1st team football.
And PSG are glitzy but they're not Madrid: for a South American, Paris barely has better weather than, say, London (and not That much better than Manchester) , they've never won the CL (this year isn't a gimme either, between Arsenal then, presuming they get through, likely Barcelona in their way), Ligue 1 is probably 5th at best in the list of European leagues etc.