If we don't buy anyone in

OohAahMartial

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If we don't buy anyone in this January, despite lying in 6th place and presumably our competitors strengthening, would you class that a missed opportunity?

For me, I think we can't know who is actually buyable so can't really say, except for players that do indeed move clubs. I think Jose only wants to buy the very best so he can compete against the likes of Real, and those aren't normally available in the Winter. But one wonders if some squad players or young gems can be found.

Anyway, what do you think? Would it be a missed opportunity or not?
 
Depends, are there any decent options available? Or should we just buy for the sake of it?
 
I couldn't tell you anybody I think we should (realistically) buy this month.
 
I'd take another centre mid if Mourinho felt there was one of the right standard available. Other than that we're fine.

Zlatan isn't human, neither is Pogba.
Martial, Mata, Mkhitaryan, Lingard, Rashford and Rooney is ample for the two positions next to Zlat.
Our defense is in great shape and Bailly coming back in a month or so will be a huge boost at a good time.
Shaw coming back will also be a huge boost.

Just someone to choose instead of Fellaini would be great.
 
We don't actually need anyone in this window.
Unless Carrick's replacement suddenly reveals himself to us.

Buying for the sake of buying rarely works out. Better to save our money for a rainy day.
Or the British summer as some people like to call it.
 
Pexbo said:
I'd take another centre mid if Mourinho felt there was one of the right standard available. Other than that we're fine.

Zlatan isn't human, neither is Pogba.
Martial, Mata, Mkhitaryan, Lingard, Rashford and Rooney is ample for the two positions next to Zlat.
Our defense is in great shape and Bailly coming back in a month or so will be a huge boost at a good time.
Shaw coming back will also be a huge boost.

Just someone to choose instead of Fellaini would be great.
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Our fullbacks are mostly a mess. If not first choice we definitely need backup fullback, or at least one to compete woth Valencia/Shaw.
 
Amar__ said:
Our fullbacks are mostly a mess. If not first choice we definitely need backup fullback, or at least one to compete woth Valencia/Shaw.
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Valencia is a mess?
 
I'd take Rose but no way Spurs are selling. And Semedo would have to wait until the Summer. If Jose wants Bakayoko and Chelsea look to open Monaco's minds to selling now then we could try and enter that auction too. I'm in two minds about him but he would be an improvement on our reserve midfielders.
 
Valencia hasbeen good but I still get frustrated by his crossing hitting the defenders shins so often. I'm sure he thinks corners are better than good crosses. But, he has been consistently very good this season. But Shaw, Darmian and Blind can all be improved upon.
 
I'd say grab a CM to replace Schneiderlin and to use instead of Fellaini/Bastian - but, i'm all for Jose using TFM there instead. Same goes with RB, it would be nice to have some competition for Valencia, but again we can just use TFM there if needed. If all of our CBs are fit, I could see Bailly getting a game there if needed, but I think the days of Jones and Smalling playing RB are (hopefully) behind us.
 
Getting in Semedo and playing him at left back, bringing in Lass Diarra for competition at DM would for me be astute signings, the squad doesn't really need a shakeup right now because there isn't anyone stand out to buy and it is the summer where we need to come into our own.

Having said that, we do need to be careful of injuries and lacking cover.

For me if I had to pick one position which I am very unhappy with atm, it is our left back position.
 
Raees said:
Getting in Semedo and playing him at left back, bringing in Lass Diarra for competition at DM would for me be astute signings, the squad doesn't really need a shakeup right now because there isn't anyone stand out to buy and it is the summer where we need to come into our own.

Having said that, we do need to be careful of injuries and lacking cover.

For me if I had to pick one position which I am very unhappy with atm, it is our left back position.
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Has Semedo played LB at all? As effective as on the right?
 
Pexbo said:
Our defense is in great shape
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This is a fallacy. They look good on occasion, but how many times have we absolutely dominated games to then concede or come very close to conceding with one attack from the opposition? One minute they'll look pretty good, the next they'll be getting pulled around and leaving big gaps and people in space.

As an example, I'd say Jones had a reasonable game last night on the face of things, but we also almost went down twice(?) whilst having about 80% possession. As was the case under LVG, I'd say the defence seemingly being pretty good is down to our midfield. I'd rather have the defence actually be very good myself.

There is promise now with Jones, but I can't see him being CL quality. Hopefully Shaw sorts himself out, but judging by that very honest interview about his broken leg and his performances since, he's struggling mentally. Looking forward to Bailly being back too. As performances stand I'd say we need a class LB and an upgrade for the other CB spot next to Bailly.

Happy to wait til summer though and see how those I've mentioned fare til the end of the season.
 
We have more depth than most our rivals, definitely Liverpool and City anyway.
 
OohAahMartial said:
Has Semedo played LB at all? As effective as on the right?
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I read somewhere that he had. Based on what I have seen of him, he doesn't seem the type who would struggle if played on the other flank, far too comfortable on the ball to be found wanting there and anyone half decent could do a better job than Darmian.
 
A midfielder would be the obvious choice if we can get one. I dread the day Schweinsteiger has to play more than 15 minutes for us.

Of course that could be remedied to some extent if Fosu-Mensah is given more minutes in midfield but I wouldn't hold my breath.
 
Mourinho has just said that he's not looking to buy in January, and they are going to spend the money in the summer in order to "attack the market" in the same fashion as last year :drool:
 
We already have more than enough players anyway.
No point in buying players to sit them in the stands.
 
We don't necessarily need someone. If we miss out on 4th it's because we haven't done as well with this present squad as we should have.

Of course if we find the right player for our weak areas we should sign someone.

Central midfield is possibly one area we could use a stop gap even if the player isn't the perfect fit.
 
amolbhatia50k said:
We don't necessarily need someone. If we miss out on 4th it's because we haven't done as well with this present squad as we should have.

Of course if we find the right player for our weak areas we should sign someone.

Central midfield is possibly one area we could use a stop gap even if the player isn't the perfect fit.
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This is right, Mourinho has all the players he needs to get the job he's supposed to do done. If we fail to make Top 4 it's because he's cocked up somewhere along the line.
 
VeevaVee said:
This is a fallacy. They look good on occasion, but how many times have we absolutely dominated games to then concede or come very close to conceding with one attack from the opposition? One minute they'll look pretty good, the next they'll be getting pulled around and leaving big gaps and people in space.

As an example, I'd say Jones had a reasonable game last night on the face of things, but we also almost went down twice(?) whilst having about 80% possession. As was the case under LVG, I'd say the defence seemingly being pretty good is down to our midfield. I'd rather have the defence actually be very good myself.

There is promise now with Jones, but I can't see him being CL quality. Hopefully Shaw sorts himself out, but judging by that very honest interview about his broken leg and his performances since, he's struggling mentally. Looking forward to Bailly being back too. As performances stand I'd say we need a class LB and an upgrade for the other CB spot next to Bailly.

Happy to wait til summer though and see how those I've mentioned fare til the end of the season.
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The same could be said about pretty much every team in the planet bar maybe Atlético. You can't play on the front foot the way we do nowadays which is a very welcome development and not expect that you will occasionally look fragile. What's more relevant here is there are no defenders in the world who can ensure look as solid as you want without playing a deep defensive line. When we do that like we did against Spurs, we also look solid. Defending is more and more about positioning than any single individuals.
 
OohAahMartial said:
If we don't buy anyone in this January, despite lying in 6th place and presumably our competitors strengthening, would you class that a missed opportunity?

For me, I think we can't know who is actually buyable so can't really say, except for players that do indeed move clubs. I think Jose only wants to buy the very best so he can compete against the likes of Real, and those aren't normally available in the Winter. But one wonders if some squad players or young gems can be found.

Anyway, what do you think? Would it be a missed opportunity or not?
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As you point out, it really depends on if the players we want are available or not. There is no point signing a player in January just to have activity, especially if come the summer the player you really want at that position is going to be available and you are confident you can sign him. Of course sometimes you can make a player become available by offering enough cash, but then that leads to pissing and moaning about paying over the odds to sign a player, panic buys, etc.

Unless a player we wants is available and we don't make a bid at all, then no it is not a missed opportunity.
 
OohAahMartial said:
If we don't buy anyone in this January, despite lying in 6th place and presumably our competitors strengthening, would you class that a missed opportunity?

For me, I think we can't know who is actually buyable so can't really say, except for players that do indeed move clubs. I think Jose only wants to buy the very best so he can compete against the likes of Real, and those aren't normally available in the Winter. But one wonders if some squad players or young gems can be found.

Anyway, what do you think? Would it be a missed opportunity or not?
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I think that not buying another midfield player will hurt us pretty much in the second part of the season. We simply need one more proper option in the midfield right now. Just look at our schedule after that Stoke game on 21st and through February and beyond...From the very next game after that we'll be constantly playing every 3-4 days, with only pauses being during international breaks. Schweinsteiger and Fellaini are not 'proper' options from the bench and now they are all we have really. We can't expect from Pogba, Herrera and especially Carrick to possibly carry us through that schedule without burning out/getting injured. Getting Bakayoko now (for example) would give us more options now along with snatching potentially world class 22 year old midfield player for the future. Even getting someone as a backup option would be good (Lassana Diarra for example), we don't have to aim for the 'very best' in this window (if no one is 'buyable') but we do need to get more depth either way.


Ian Reus said:
We don't actually need anyone in this window.
Unless Carrick's replacement suddenly reveals himself to us.

Buying for the sake of buying rarely works out. Better to save our money for a rainy day.
Or the British summer as some people like to call it.
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You do realize that our only midfield backups now are Schweinsteiger and Fellaini? What happens if one of our midfield 3 gets injured/suspended? We will also play every 3-4 days till season ends more or less, starting in 10-15 days. We simply need another proper midfield option.
 
Alexrad said:
I think that not buying another midfield player will hurt us pretty much in the second part of the season. We simply need one more proper option in the midfield right now. Just look at our schedule after that Stoke game on 21st and through February and beyond...From the very next game after that we'll be constantly playing every 3-4 days, with only pauses being during international breaks. Schweinsteiger and Fellaini are not 'proper' options from the bench and now they are all we have really. We can't expect from Pogba, Herrera and especially Carrick to possibly carry us through that schedule without burning out/getting injured. Getting Bakayoko now (for example) would give us more options now along with snatching potentially world class 22 year old midfield player for the future. Even getting someone as a backup option would be good (Lassana Diarra for example), we don't have to aim for the 'very best' in this window (if no one is 'buyable') but we do need to get more depth either way.




You do realize that our only midfield backups now are Schweinsteiger and Fellaini? What happens if one of our midfield 3 gets injured/suspended? We will also play every 3-4 days till season ends more or less, starting in 10-15 days. We simply need another proper midfield option.
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We can also draw from the youth pool although i doubt we would need to.

We can and likely will switch to a 4231 against lesser opposition throughout the season too.

Unless that young CM at Monaco becomes available but i doubt they want to sell considering they're still in the CL and competing for the French league title.

This is my last post in here so catch ya tomorrow. :cool:
 
Our left back is the weakest point at the moment. And what if Zlatan injured? We can play Martial there but his form is still on and off. We can also play Rashford but we shouldn't put pressure on him too much too soon.

That said, it's the right call not to buy now. It shows the intention of the club to do only the right and perfect deal to improve the squad to the maximum, and I support that.
 
CM10 said:
A midfielder would be the obvious choice if we can get one. I dread the day Schweinsteiger has to play more than 15 minutes for us.

Of course that could be remedied to some extent if Fosu-Mensah is given more minutes in midfield but I wouldn't hold my breath.
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Given that Schneiderlin is leaving, unless TFM is given minutes at CM, we will be short of good depth at that position. Yeah, he did rate Morgan, but at least that was a security blanket for the fans. I wish Jose would break from his tendencies, but i'm afraid we'll go into the 2nd half of the season overworking Carrick and to a certain extent Herrera. Maybe he rethinks his view of using Rooney further back?
 
Theonas said:
The same could be said about pretty much every team in the planet bar maybe Atlético. You can't play on the front foot the way we do nowadays which is a very welcome development and not expect that you will occasionally look fragile. What's more relevant here is there are no defenders in the world who can ensure look as solid as you want without playing a deep defensive line. When we do that like we did against Spurs, we also look solid. Defending is more and more about positioning than any single individuals.
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I get that we'll occasionally look fragile, but we should be a better standard imo. I don't see why we shouldn't aim for the rock we once had (I know we often played a bit deeper under Fergie but they would obviously still deal with everything better), or at least as close as we can get. Time will tell though, Jones might impress me more.
 
OohAahMartial said:
If we don't buy anyone in this January, despite lying in 6th place and presumably our competitors strengthening, would you class that a missed opportunity?

For me, I think we can't know who is actually buyable so can't really say, except for players that do indeed move clubs. I think Jose only wants to buy the very best so he can compete against the likes of Real, and those aren't normally available in the Winter. But one wonders if some squad players or young gems can be found.

Anyway, what do you think? Would it be a missed opportunity or not?
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I definitely wouldn't view it as a missed opportunity. I'd rather we wait til the correct player becomes available, and that's generally not until summer time.
 
I think we're dying for a proper left back. Darmian can't really cut it although he's fine as a reserve, Blind I like but I don't think Mourinho fancies playing him out at left back.
Shaw is just too injury prone at the moment. I appreciate he's done well to come back from that broken leg but the season before that he was constantly injured as well. We need a proper dependable left back that can get forward.
As said above we could do with a cm squad player, although I'd give one of the kids that spot. Replacing Carrick is essential in the summer, Herrera can't play that role.
 
I wouldn't be disappointed if we didn't sign anyone this month and I don't really expect us to. There are obviously players that we could do with, but nothing so urgent that it can't wait until the summer.

If #1 target for a left back position or midfield position are available this month then go for it but you only need to look at alternatives when you're desperate, and we aren't.
 
This seems like a knee jerk reaction thinking we need to strengthen our squad in some certain aspects of the team but we are on a good run of form, players are putting in good performances.

The biggest issue buying in January window is there is usually little value about for your money and you end up breaking the bank for an average player. I think its more important we get rid of the deadwood this window to add some money to the vast pot we already have to raid Europe for the best players available in the summer.
 
SirAF said:
Mourinho has just said that he's not looking to buy in January, and they are going to spend the money in the summer in order to "attack the market" in the same fashion as last year :drool:
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Jose also said he would rather play the kids over playing Bastian fecking Schweinsteiger yet that hasn't exactly been the case. So to be honest I won't take too much into what Jose said.
 
I dont think we need to buy anyone right now really, just get rid of memphis, schneiderlin and schweinsteiger (not gonna happen for him though) to get a more concise squad. Leave the bigger changes for the summer where we'll see us bring in 3-4 players along with hopefully players like fosu mensah, borthwick jackson and andreas pereira get bigger roles in the squad. Can't see anyone we sign now have any impact until next season because of the size of the squad though, so no point in doing it.
 
I don't think we need anyone in January.

Wait till the summer. Trim some of the dross from the squad, and re-evaluate who we need.

I don't see many players available who'd improve our starting 11 moving clubs in January.
 
Hard to talk about missed opportunities if we're not 100% sure who do we scout and planning to sign for real. Three weeks is a lot of time for speculation and Jose making his mind about players but one thing for sure: players are leaving and this little January clearout can transform into motivational stimulant.

Memphis' possible departure for players like Januzaj will mean only opportunity and if he'll improve to required level it's an opportunity created and taken by the club with both financial and pure football matter profit.

The only problem I see is the injury plague risk which occuring every feckin season from few good years. The more you progress in the table and cups the more you'll encounter difficult opponents. Players like Carrick will need a good cover to rest. One proper player in January won't damage us but again January is fickle and risky time from one perspective and glorious one from another (Vidic, Evra, Mata).

I just hope we'll take opportunities if they exist this time of a year.
 
Think it would be actually good to not buy anyone. Especially since the players we need are more first team players than back ups. Give them a pre-season. A Carrick replacement; even Verratti would not make us win the league by joining in January.
 
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