Gyökeres or Osimhen - who is your preferred #9?

[dubplate warrior]

Not sure on either to be honest, but I think Osimhen is more of a sure thing.

Given there's nothing we can be sure about on the market I'd rather we go for a player who has far more to their game than scoring given that we're going to have two goalscoring players behind them.

 

[Amity Survivor]

I’d be happy with either quite frankly, but i think Gyokores is probably a better fit maybe , we’ll see

 

[FrankDrebin]

I opted for Gyokeres but Osimhen's heading ability and leap is such a great weapon to have, at times its Ronaldo-esq.

 

[Raoul]

Almost as if Osimhen has a proven goalscoring record in leagues besides the Turkish one

He had one great season out of 4 in Italy and 1 in Turkey. If he had four great years in Italy sort like Kane would do every year when he was at Spurs, a lot more people would be sold on him.

 

[TsuWave]

Gyokeres.

Osimhen gives me vibes of the Woodward era when we were recklessly throwing money at mercenaries

Good point

Is Gyokeres coming to United to play for free or something? And how is this a “good point”? The suggestion is “merc” and the justification/reasoning is literally “vibes” for a player that has reportedly rejected an absurd payday in Saudi

What’s going on???

 

[Raoul]

Is Gyokeres coming to United to play for free or something? And how is this a “good point”? The suggestion is “merc” and the justification/reasoning is literally “vibes” for a player that has reportedly rejected an absurd payday in Saudi

What’s going on???

The subtext being that any player who considers going to Saudi in their mid 20s is probably more interested in money than anything else - hence the reference to mercenaries.

 

[TsuWave]

He had one great season out of 4 in Italy and 1 in Turkey. If he had four great years in Italy sort like Kane would do every year when he was at Spurs, a lot more people would be sold on him.

Putting aside people being sold on him - since that’s not what’s being argued.

A poster said Osimhen has proven himself in better quality leagues. Then another poster replied the Turkish league is not better than the Portuguese league. However, we know Osimhen has a goalscoring record outside of the Turkish league, no?

So why are you even trying to wrestle an argument of readily verifiable stuff by moving the conversation to people being sold on him? The assertion made was simple

 

[Gandalf]

Is Gyokeres coming to United to play for free or something? And how is this a “good point”? The suggestion is “merc” and the justification/reasoning is literally “vibes” for a player that has reportedly rejected an absurd payday in Saudi

What’s going on???

Well he also rejected Chelsea last season because he would not take a wage to fit into their salary structure. Information we have is that even without the Saudi deal he is looking for a deal that would make him our highest earner. To add to that, multiple clubs have attempted to negotiate a deal and nobody has been able to get anything done, the implication is that along with his own wages there are associated parties who are looking for a payment to facilitate the deal, kind of like Haaland's dad getting 20M out of the City move. It is a very murky picture but all signs point to it taking a huge sum of money to get anything done.

 

[TsuWave]

The subtext being that any player who considers going to Saudi in their mid 20s is probably more interested in money than anything else - hence the reference to mercenaries.

This is laughable. The whole argument and position is bizarre.

He was offered a ridiculous sum of money, it would be negligent of him and his camp not to consider it. Ultimately he rejected it - reportedly three times and in order to stay and compete in Europe.

“He might be a mercenary because he heard offers, I mean, he rejected them but he heard them”

Also “vibes”

 

[Pintu]

They are practically the same age and Osimhen's best year was in the Turkish league, so neither would be particularly convincing points on why one is definitely better than the other.

I’m not really worried about Gyökeres making the jump to the Premier League. He was already good enough when he was at Coventry in the Championship. He’s got the physicality and mindset to handle the PL.


Osimhen has already shown what he can do in both Serie A and Ligue 1. Serie A is probably the second-best league overall and definitely stronger than the Portuguese league. And Ligue 1, in my opinion, is the closest thing to the Premier League in terms of pace and physicality. Honestly, I think it’s the best league for EPL recruitment — maybe not as technical as the other top leagues, but it’s the only one with similar athletic demands.

The Portuguese league, on the other hand, is one of the most unbalanced in Europe’s top 10. Out of 18 teams, only four or five are really competitive. The “big three” are miles ahead, which makes it hard to properly judge players week in, week out.

That said, if we’re talking strictly about goals and end product, Osimhen hasn’t delivered elite numbers across multiple seasons in the top leagues. He had one standout, world-class season at Napoli, but to be fair, his other seasons were still solid. He’s consistently been at least a 15-league-goals-per-season player, which is nothing to dismiss. He also had a strong year in Turkey, though the Süper Lig isn’t quite on the same level as Europe’s top leagues..

 

[Lash]

Between the two the obvious choice is a player that the Manager knows well. We should be getting players who want to be here, want play for the manager and get his tactics. Osimhen screams an expensive mistake, people will be complaining about his lack of technical ability in no time.

 

[Aretak]

A poster said Osimhen has proven himself in better quality leagues. Then another poster replied the Turkish league is not better than the Portuguese league. However, we know Osimhen has a goalscoring record outside of the Turkish league, no?

So why are you even trying to wrestle an argument of readily verifiable stuff by moving the conversation to people being sold on him? The assertion made was simple

The original post that started this tiresome chain stated that Osimhen "has already proven himself in far better quality leagues". LeagueS. Plural. Serie A is one league. What are the other leagues of a far higher standard than the Portuguese league that he's proven himself in?

 

[Raoul]

This is laughable. The whole argument and position is bizarre.

He was offered a ridiculous sum of money, it would be negligent of him and his camp not to consider it. Ultimately he rejected it - reportedly three times and in order to stay and compete in Europe.

“He might be a mercenary because he heard offers, I mean, he rejected them but he heard them”

Also “vibes”

Apparently the sum being offered wasn't enough to close the deal. Its not the end of the world if a footballer wants to privilege earning more money over all else (ie playing for trophies and credibility in Europe). But that's just not the sort of mindset United should be aspiring to sign, especially if the player is entertaining the thought at age 26, which should be his peak playing years.

 

[quadrant]

Well he also rejected Chelsea last season because he would not take a wage to fit into their salary structure. Information we have is that even without the Saudi deal he is looking for a deal that would make him our highest earner. To add to that, multiple clubs have attempted to negotiate a deal and nobody has been able to get anything done, the implication is that along with his own wages there are associated parties who are looking for a payment to facilitate the deal, kind of like Haaland's dad getting 20M out of the City move. It is a very murky picture but all signs point to it taking a huge sum of money to get anything done.

To be fair, Chelsea have a unique pay structure that isn't going to suit a lot of players, especially those performing at their peak.

 

[golden_blunder]

I keep flip flopping between both. VG is obviously well known by the coach so that’s an advantage. But so many times we have had to resort to Harry Maguire up front when we’re chasing a goal and he has threat of scoring a header (which none of our current strikers do) so VO could have an advantage there because he’s excellent in the air

 

[Raoul]

I’m not really worried about Gyökeres making the jump to the Premier League. He was already good enough when he was at Coventry in the Championship. He’s got the physicality and mindset to handle the PL.


Osimhen has already shown what he can do in both Serie A and Ligue 1. Serie A is probably the second-best league overall and definitely stronger than the Portuguese league. And Ligue 1, in my opinion, is the closest thing to the Premier League in terms of pace and physicality. Honestly, I think it’s the best league for EPL recruitment — maybe not as technical as the other top leagues, but it’s the only one with similar athletic demands.

The Portuguese league, on the other hand, is one of the most unbalanced in Europe’s top 10. Out of 18 teams, only four or five are really competitive. The “big three” are miles ahead, which makes it hard to properly judge players week in, week out.

That said, if we’re talking strictly about goals and end product, Osimhen hasn’t delivered elite numbers across multiple seasons in the top leagues. He had one standout, world-class season at Napoli, but to be fair, his other seasons were still solid. He’s consistently been at least a 15-league-goals-per-season player, which is nothing to dismiss. He also had a strong year in Turkey, though the Süper Lig isn’t quite on the same level as Europe’s top leagues..

Agreed overall, which is why I think Gyokeres is comfortably the better choice - both from the perspective of he knows Amorim, his formation/tactics, and has already proven he can excel in this system; and in Osimhen's case, it would be more of a wild card in that I'm not quite sure what we would be getting in the aforementioned, and I wouldn't feel confident he would stick around for long, especially if another offer from Saudi came along.

Ultimately, Amorim knows he himself won't be around much longer if he gets his #9 choice wrong, which is why I suspect he will default to the safest option.

 

[DJ_21]

The question should be whether we should spend 60/70m on a ST or on a CM? Zirkzee may turn out to be the perfect 9 to implement Cunha and Mbuemo

 

[TsuWave]

The original post that started this tiresome chain stated that Osimhen "has already proven himself in far better quality leagues". LeagueS. Plural. Serie A is one league. What are the other leagues of a far higher standard than the Portuguese league that he's proven himself in?

French league > Portuguese league

Nonetheless, I should not be questioned for the assertions of others. My participation in this exchange is very straightforward. Trying to boil down Osimhen has someone that’s only scoring in Turkey is disingenuous. He has a goalscoring record outside of Turkey.

Guy was scoring like 1 every 2 for Lille, then did the same or better for Napoli and the trend has just continued.

 

[Raoul]

The question should be whether we should spend 60/70m on a ST or on a CM? Zirkzee may turn out to be the perfect 9 to implement Cunha and Mbuemo

We have plenty of players to sell to get both the striker, CM, and a keeper.

 

[DJ_21]

We have plenty of players to sell to get both the striker, CM, and a keeper.

A world class CM costs over 60m. Unless we stick to the INEOS regime of signing young players and trying to make them world class. We probably won’t make over 100m in sales to be fair because although we’ve improved in buying we still lack the selling part

 

[Raoul]

The original post that started this tiresome chain stated that Osimhen "has already proven himself in far better quality leagues". LeagueS. Plural. Serie A is one league. What are the other leagues of a far higher standard than the Portuguese league that he's proven himself in?

Its a bit of a moot point since Osimhen's lone year in France was in 2019 and looking that far back isn't particularly informative of how he would play next year.

 

[TsuWave]

Apparently the sum being offered wasn't enough to close the deal. Its not the end of the world if a footballer wants to privilege earning more money over all else (ie playing for trophies and credibility in Europe). But that's just not the sort of mindset United should be aspiring to sign, especially if the player is entertaining the thought at age 26, which should be his peak playing years.

You’re legitimately making up a position about the sum not being enough to close the deal - with the suggestion being that greedy Osimhen wanted more. When in reality, the reports are that he wants to stay and compete in Europe. I mean, he’s currently on less money than was offered to him to move to Saudi. How you go about reconciling that with “merc” is genuinely puzzling.

Making up headcanon to paint a picture about a player’s character and motivations is very weird - especially so when his actual actions aren’t conducive nor corroborating of said fanfiction.

 

[Raoul]

A world class CM costs over 60m. Unless we stick to the INEOS regime of signing young players and trying to make them world class. We probably won’t make over 100m in sales to be fair because although we’ve improved in buying we still lack the selling part

We should have £250 or so to spend this summer. £115 is already spoken for with the two 10s. The remaining ones will be done by selling Garnacho and the others I would imagine.

 

[golden_blunder]

We should have £250 or so to spend this summer. £115 is already spoken for with the two 10s. The remaining ones will be done by selling Garnacho and the others I would imagine.

To be fair £250 is spent on a weeks shopping these days. Need to up the budget Jim!

 

[Raoul]

To be fair £250 is spent on a weeks shopping these days. Need to up the budget Jim!

Desperate times after sacking 90% of the office staff!

 

[DJ_21]

To be fair £250 is spent on a weeks shopping these days. Need to up the budget Jim!

Desperate times after sacking 90% of the office staff!

Very true although 250 pound probably buys the laces of the players boots.

 

[Camilo]

Between the two the obvious choice is a player that the Manager knows well. We should be getting players who want to be here, want play for the manager and get his tactics. Osimhen screams an expensive mistake, people will be complaining about his lack of technical ability in no time.

ETH style! Surely it won't all go tits up twice!

 

[surf]

Gyokeres.
As others have said, Osimhen feels like a Woody signing.

 

[GlazersHater]

Either would be a huge jump in quality for us.

Both are fairly the same age 26-27 and physically similar, tall, strong, and quick but their playing styles differ significantly.

Gyokeres is a well-rounded forward known for his work rate, pressing intensity, and ability to carry the ball, link up play, and create space for teammates. He thrives in a high intensity, pressing system. He also has a great injury record which is always a big plus.

In contrast, Osimhen is a more explosive, clinical striker who relies on quick service and vertical play. However, his game is more limited to finishing rather than all around involvement. He presses less, is less involved in buildup, and has a concerning injury record, with repeated muscular over the past few seasons.

Osimhen would be a Haaland type of striker, great when he scores but invisible when he doesn't. A big plus is that he's absolutely worldclass in the air which we have lacked forever. Worrying thing is he's had those injuries and has reports about poor attitude.

Gyokeres would offer way more in the build up but he's not a proven striker, not in a top league at least. But the fact that he worked under Amorim's system and thrived and his impeccable injury record it's what makes me choose him over Osimhen.

 

[golden_blunder]

Not gonna lie, nervous about signing any more Victors (no matter how you spell it)

 

[Laurencio]

Either will do. They both massively improve our attack. Both Gyokeres target man play and Osimhen's aerial ability would be a fantastic addition.

 

[Fortitude]

Not gonna lie, nervous about signing any more Victors (no matter how you spell it)

 

[red.knight]

In the good old days, we had Cole, Yorke, Ole and Sheringham leading our line. If only we had the resources now to sign both Osimhen and Gyokeres to compete for that CF position.

 

[Aretak]

French league > Portuguese league

Nonetheless, I should not be questioned for the assertions of others. My participation in this exchange is very straightforward. Trying to boil down Osimhen has someone that’s only scoring in Turkey is disingenuous. He has a goalscoring record outside of Turkey.

Guy was scoring like 1 every 2 for Lille, then did the same or better for Napoli and the trend has just continued.

I do not agree that the French league is "far better" than the Portuguese one (PSG aside), but it's not an argument I care to get into. You got upset based on a misunderstanding. You thought someone was claiming he had only scored goals in Turkey, when they were actually rebuking the idea that the Turkish league is stronger than the Portuguese one. This will be obvious to you if you actually go back and carefully read the posts preceding yours. Nobody ever claimed that he had no goalscoring record outside of Turkey. Just that he'd only proven himself in Serie A as far as top leagues go.

 

[red.knight]

I am surprised why Jonathan David isnt being discussed as a potential signing for us. The man is available on a free transfer at just 25 years old, 25 goal and 12 assists in all competitions this season. Hes proven consistently in ligue 1 and European football. This isnt just a bargain. Its the definition of a sensible transfer.

 

[Bertie Wooster]

I've voted for Gyokeres, but I'd be happy with either.

Ability wise, both could go either way given that both have done well elsewhere but neither are PL proven yet.

I think Osimhen has the potential to be a bigger success, but I also think, if it doesn't go well, he has the potential to be a bigger problem and on higher wages.

Gyokeres, even if it doesn't go well in terms of goals, I think he'd be a solid professional like Hojlund or Antony and still put in a shift and give his all. Osimhen, if it goes wrong, I could see being more of a Ronaldo (2nd time around), Rashford, Sancho situation. Which is why I opted for Gyokeres in the vote.

All that said, I'd be happy if we signed either and then just, fingers crossed, they prove the answer to the long standing #9 situation.

 

[The Sad Clown]

I've voted for Gyokeres, but I'd be happy with either.

Ability wise, both could go either way given that both have done well elsewhere but neither are PL proven yet.

I think Osimhen has the potential to be a bigger success, but I also think, if it doesn't go well, he has the potential to be a bigger problem and on higher wages.

Gyokeres, even if it doesn't go well in terms of goals, I think he'd be a solid professional like Hojlund or Antony and still put in a shift and give his all. Osimhen, if it goes wrong, I could see being more of a Ronaldo (2nd time around), Rashford, Sancho situation. Which is why I opted for Gyokeres in the vote.

All that said, I'd be happy if we signed either and then just, fingers crossed, they prove the answer to the long standing #9 situation.

This is serious worst case scenario thinking. Dark times.

 

[ti vu]

I am surprised why Jonathan David isnt being discussed as a potential signing for us. The man is available on a free transfer at just 25 years old, 25 goal and 12 assists in all competitions this season. Hes proven consistently in ligue 1 and European football. This isnt just a bargain. It’s the definition of a sensible transfer.

He consistently put out decent and good number, but you don’t feel like he has been making the step up to next level. I think he’s the type of bonus signing if his demand in wage is reasonable. Our situation right now is that beside CF, Mbeumo deals, we have other priorities. We would have to make sale too. If not we just use Hojlund as rotational player since he’s already here. Not the time to entertain these bonus signings.

 

[IsoJoe]

Hearing comments regarding Osimhens " could be" attitude if things go downhill is baffling, we just bought Cunha who I'm willing to bet has had more problems when it comes to conducting himself when things don't turn out how he would like.

 

[TsuWave]

I do not agree that the French league is "far better" than the Portuguese one (PSG aside), but it's not an argument I care to get into. You got upset based on a misunderstanding. You thought someone was claiming he had only scored goals in Turkey, when they were actually rebuking the idea that the Turkish league is stronger than the Portuguese one. This will be obvious to you if you actually go back and carefully read the posts preceding yours. Nobody ever claimed that he had no goalscoring record outside of Turkey. Just that he'd only proven himself in Serie A as far as top leagues go.

Where you or I stand on the qualifier used is of no consequence to the exchange - there will always be disparity there. Anecdotally, most people I speak football with rate the French league above the Portuguese one - UEFA coefficient rankings seemingly do the same.

For clarification - I have at no point in these posts been upset. I have been shocked, dazzled and confused, however. Rather than ascribing emotional states to me, and asking me to re-read the exchange - I believe it would be best you did so, as I don't believe your framing of the exchange is an accurate reflection of what happened.

Here, to help:

Spoiler

I find it baffling that anyone would pick Gyokeres over him. Osimhen is slightly younger and has already proven himself in far better quality leagues.

Turkish league isn’t better than the Portuguese league.

Almost as if Osimhen has a proven goalscoring record in leagues besides the Turkish one

He had one great season out of 4 in Italy and 1 in Turkey. If he had four great years in Italy sort like Kane would do every year when he was at Spurs, a lot more people would be sold on him.

Putting aside people being sold on him - since that’s not what’s being argued.

A poster said Osimhen has proven himself in better quality leagues. Then another poster replied the Turkish league is not better than the Portuguese league. However, we know Osimhen has a goalscoring record outside of the Turkish league, no?

So why are you even trying to wrestle an argument of readily verifiable stuff by moving the conversation to people being sold on him? The assertion made was simple

Initial assertion "Osimhen has proven himself in far better quality leagues than Gyokeres"

Reply: "Turkish league isn't better than Portuguese"

My addition: "He has a goalscoring record outside of Turkey"

Nobody ever claimed that he had no goalscoring record outside of Turkey. Just that he'd only proven himself in Serie A as far as top leagues go.

Both Ligue 1 and Serie A are better quality leagues than the Portuguese league - and this is in harmony with the sentiment expressed in the initial statement. Harsh realities that people have to accept.

Trying to jostle the conversation to "top leagues" is an exercise you can engage in, sure, but again we'll most likely land in different places regarding qualifiers such as "top". For conversational purposes - when I use it - I'm referring to the top 5 leagues in the Uefa coefficient rankings.