James Maddison

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Craig Ward

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Exactly. While Maddison would be a decent signing, I can't help but feel we can get a far superior player for that amount of money. There are players moving from France and Germany for the 20 million mark who could make just as big a difference.
Like who?
 

Heinzesight

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He’s a quality player and would improve us a shit load. Crack open the warchest Woowar.

The only negative is he looks Scouse as feck.
 

VorZakone

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I've watched him a few times and he was nothing special. Perhaps I caught him on bad days.
 

Deery

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Why not pay £40m for Jack Grealish if your going to pay £60m for Maddison, better still pay £57m for Jovic and play two strikers instead.
 

Fox outside the box

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So under Woodward, who have we actually uncovered and taken a risk on? Compare that to the overpaid, underperforming big names he’s brought in.
I’m not trying to fit in by slating Woodward at all. I’m just highlighting what has happened and that is a downward spiral of the club for pretty much the whole period he’s been at the club. This spookily corresponds to spending £100s of millions on our current squad.
I do t need to look at other threads to see the meltdown because he’s not a big name. I’d be happy if we bought cheap emerging talent - always have been. Just doesn’t happen very often.
Players like Rojo, signed from Sporting, Lindelof from Benfica, Shaw, Bailly, Blind came from Ajax, Dalot, Depay.

All players who were from 'smaller' clubs and had potential to either come good or not. We pay higher fees than other clubs but that's hardly a list of Galactico signings. Even a player like Herrera came with the potential to go up a level.

There will likely be a team in place that may involve Woodward for sign off and scouts as well as the manager will have a say in targets. People act like he's sat on his own, laptop open on football manager and acting like some cowboy who goes around trying to buy up any big name he can. I'm sure the process involves far more people than its given credit for and players like Blind and Depay, you think he's gone out and decided to get them on his own?

Matic, Ibra and Lukaku? These are players that scream being wanted by the person in charge at the time. He's backed the managers and the signings either haven't worked out or the manager failed to get the best from them.

It makes me laugh that people will have the arrogance to state he hasn't a clue but pretend that they then do themselves. The guy will be involved with more football people than we ever will, he'll have talks about the game with people like Sir Alex Ferguson and gets bits of insights naturally through his involvement with people really experienced at various levels within football. He'll probably attend and watch more live games than 95% of our fans and in general is just far more heavily involved in the sport.

I honestly have no idea what experience the guy has, how much he likes football, what his opinions are and have never spoken to him. I'd need to know more before simply laying everything at his feet. Signings haven't worked out, they weren't all poor signings at the time. I recall people absolutely buzzing about Sanchez. He'd have been called incompetent if we hadn't tried to sign him but I'd love for someone to post an in depth article about the workings of the club etc because we're so in the dark about how it works.

Watching things like the Sunderland Netflix documentary were fascinating because it gives some real insight into a world that we have such little or zero experience of.

I'd like a Director of Football, hopefully with the view of having a club transfer strategy that isn't dictated by the manager in charge at the time because that coupled with constant managerial changes leave an unbalanced side, which is what we have at the moment. I'd rather us have a set strategy on the type of player we want to compliment the type of football we want. That's the bigger problem, we don't have a clear club identity and keep changing manager, with the incoming guy having his own brand and players he wanys. Poor signings land at multiple individuals feet but he at least appears to have trusted the manager and looked to back them with the profile of player they want.
 
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Cliche Guevara

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It's not only about scouting but the philosophy/structure of how the club will use it's own player development and transfer policy as it relates to the first team, which then trickles down to the academy.

That's why Leicester has been able to move managers in an out the past few years and still be competitive. Maddison was able to slot in relatively well because there was structure on and off the pitch for him to succeed. In addition to patience for him to develop at the club and in the first team. Compared to United, it's not the same and yet he'll still need to up his mentality and performances for any club above Leicester.
Well this doesn’t stand up to any sort of scrutiny does it.
 

JPRouve

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I’m not sure on that, there is a degree of natural ability in that surely?

He’s a really hard worker in training apparently. Always stays behind to work on his set pieces etc.
It's mainly about fitness conditioning and while he may be a "hard" worker staying behind to work on set pieces won't improve his cardio. There is no secret for that, it's about running, swimming, cycling and jumping ropes.
The only obvious limitation is for players with big frames and naturally muscular.
 

Sarni

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My concern is the usual one - he cost Leicester £25m a year ago, and suddenly his price has more than doubled. It’s not my money, so I don’t overly care, but why weren’t we looking at him when he was at Norwich? Why do we always seem to wait an extra year and then have to pay tens of millions more?
Well for every Maddison that comes from Championship to Premier League and succeeds there are 3-4 players who don’t. Leicester get the benefit for being the ones to have taken the initial risk, £25m for a lower division player was hell of a price to pay in the first place. We don’t really have the time to pick players from lower divisions and give them time to get settled in Premier League.

£60m is a steep price but he’s probably one of the best young British players around.
 

Cliche Guevara

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Well for every Maddison that comes from Championship to Premier League and succeeds there are 3-4 players who don’t. Leicester get the benefit for being the ones to have taken the initial risk, £25m for a lower division player was hell of a price to pay in the first place. We don’t really have the time to pick players from lower divisions and give them time to get settled in Premier League.
Absolutely.

Maybe we should also have forked out the £28m on Slimani too.
 

Devil may care

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Leicester only signed him last summer, I can't see them selling and in truth he could probably do with another season where he's at.
 

Canagel

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No point to complain when there's players like Lingard and Mata starting week in week out.
 

northender

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It was clear the previous season when he played in the Championship at Norwich that he had something special. One of the big clubs should've been in for him then. He'd be excellent at United.
 

SambaBoy

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I don't think this would be a good signing for United. It would be another case of trying to shoehorn players into random positions or upsetting the balance of the team. From what I have seen of Maddison, he operates best as a number 10. No top teams these days operate with a number 10, including Leicester at times as I have seen Maddison drop back as the 3rd CM.

United won't line up or shouldn't line up with Pogba and Maddison in a 3 man midfield, no matter who the 3rd midfielder is as it would be too unbalanced as both Pogba and Maddison aren't defensive minded players and can be lazy tracking players.

Playing Maddison on the wings would be a waste, he hasn't got great pace or natural dribbling ability. He's got quick feet in tight spaces as a number 10 but out wide, he won't be able to beat his full-back consistently.

In hindsight, he would have been a great option for £25m as he would have added depth to the squad and a different option who can feature in different positions, but now with the price tag rumoured to be £60-70m, we need to be buying guaranteed starters who can have a good impact and a set position rather than putting square pegs in round holes. For that price and considering the profile of the player, we are better of going for someone different. I would rather splash £100m on Sancho who is an out and out winger than £70m for Maddison.
 

UNITED ACADEMY

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He impressed every time I watch him. Very good with set pieces & very creative midfielder with a lot of flair. I think he can use both feet, I remember saw him using left foot and I thought he was a left foot player.

£60m can be increased to £100m in today’s market for his talent. Knowing how much we spent on Fred, I think we should go for him if Leicester set £60m for the price.

He’s played on the left before but he’s a midfielder all day long. Wasted out wide.
He plays out wide a few time with Leicester. I think if he joins us he will likely to play outwide in 433 formation. Giving him the fredom to create & score.

But if we go diamond 4312 then Ole will put him as no 10.
 

The Boy

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So under Woodward, who have we actually uncovered and taken a risk on? Compare that to the overpaid, underperforming big names he’s brought in.
I’m not trying to fit in by slating Woodward at all. I’m just highlighting what has happened and that is a downward spiral of the club for pretty much the whole period he’s been at the club. This spookily corresponds to spending £100s of millions on our current squad.
I do t need to look at other threads to see the meltdown because he’s not a big name. I’d be happy if we bought cheap emerging talent - always have been. Just doesn’t happen very often.
Actually you buy young emerging talent quite a lot, people just don't pay attention as some don't go straight into 1st team and the ones that do don't always work out. Not condoning Woodward the but the narrative that he only buys old/big name/past it/overpaid/underperforming talent etc is not true, you've bought a good mixture over the years and continue to do so.
.
All of the below were highly rated and emerging when bought (most still are highly rated!) there are plenty of others as well. I dont think anyone on this list was older than 22 when bought, I'm sure someone will correct me if wrong :D

Zaha 2012
Powell 2012
Henderson 2013
Shaw 2014
Fosu Mensa 2014
Poole 2015
Depay 2015
Martial 2015 (maybe not cheap!)
Bailly 2016
Chong 2016
Lindelof 2017
Dalot 2018
Hoogewerf 2019

Could also include Pogba as he was only 23, but tjhink he was pretty established already!!
 

amolbhatia50k

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Looks a good player but does he have the quality to make it to the top considering Leicester will take us to the cleaners?
 

Hawks2008

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No point signing a FK specialist, whoever comes in will have to watch 'Rashy' blast into row Z anyway.
 

Cloud7

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I’m not sure on that, there is a degree of natural ability in that surely?

He’s a really hard worker in training apparently. Always stays behind to work on his set pieces etc.
Stamina levels like Kante have a degree of natural ability, but past that kind of level, pretty much any player can improve their stamina given the proper coaching and application on their part. Not every player that’s played under Pep was always known as a hard working, high energy player, but after a while of training with him they all fall into line. Similarly with Klopp, Liverpool weren’t as energetic when he just arrived as they were after he trained them for a while.
 

ayushreddevil9

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I guess Leicester will brief the media tomorrow that their asking price for Maddison is £75m.
Yeah. Then we will see headlines saying 'Utd preparing bid', 'Utd to launch a bid in 48 fecking hours', 'Utd baulk at 80m asking price' and blah blah
 

minh_loc_xoay

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Sorry folks. This one isn't happening. Off to City/PSG/Barca.
This is quickly becoming an amusing meme on here. Kudos for the laugh, mate! :D
But who would have thought Trent Arnold and Robertson would turn to be the best pair of fullbacks in the world after last season? So who knows if we are actually talking about the next Luka Modric on here...
 

RyRoc

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Has the potential to be a very good player but even at 60m, which IMO is at least 15m over his price range , it wouldn't be guaranteed that Leicester would approve the sale and in there lies what is a potential problem for all the top six this summer.
 

f_to_z

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The thing that keeps surprising me is this type of scouting that so many teams are successful with, yet we tend to be very bad at. They keep finding rough gems cheaply all the time. Why isnt our scouting system doing the same if not even better?
 

ThierryHenry14

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I don't think this would be a good signing for United. It would be another case of trying to shoehorn players into random positions or upsetting the balance of the team. From what I have seen of Maddison, he operates best as a number 10. No top teams these days operate with a number 10, including Leicester at times as I have seen Maddison drop back as the 3rd CM.

United won't line up or shouldn't line up with Pogba and Maddison in a 3 man midfield, no matter who the 3rd midfielder is as it would be too unbalanced as both Pogba and Maddison aren't defensive minded players and can be lazy tracking players.

Playing Maddison on the wings would be a waste, he hasn't got great pace or natural dribbling ability. He's got quick feet in tight spaces as a number 10 but out wide, he won't be able to beat his full-back consistently.

In hindsight, he would have been a great option for £25m as he would have added depth to the squad and a different option who can feature in different positions, but now with the price tag rumoured to be £60-70m, we need to be buying guaranteed starters who can have a good impact and a set position rather than putting square pegs in round holes. For that price and considering the profile of the player, we are better of going for someone different. I would rather splash £100m on Sancho who is an out and out winger than £70m for Maddison.
Brendan Rogers made Maddison play as #8 beside with Tielemans, and with Ndidi as CDM in behind. There is no chance Man Utd will buy him for £25m last year because he was "not good enough" for Man Utd. Leicester has no reason to sell unless Maddison put in a transfer request. Leicester owner doesn't need the money. It is best for all parties he stays where he is, and wait for the offer from Man City or Liverpool in the future. Who knows how long OGS will stay as manager, and what if the next manager doesn't rate him?

I can't wait to see if Jarrod Bowen will do a Maddison for Leicester next season. Another championship player targeted by Leicester.
 
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Dahnsouff

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He is a good player. Can he be a great player? Not sure and I would agree that another year at Leicester would probably best serve his development. I do not understand why 60m is overpriced? (Not that I think Leicester would sell for 60m)
You spent close to that on Fred, would happily spend 100m on Joao Felix (cue ‘generational talent" quote).
Maddison is proven at the required level, albeit for a single season, but that’s still one more than someone like Felix.
(No comparing them as players, but as commodities)
Transfer prices are just dumb, but we are where we are, and it’s not just clubs such as united that suffer, it’s all levels, as replacing Maddison for Leicester would cost a smaller fortune for Leicester and they would also carry the risk of the replacement not progressing.
 
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