Is it the same guy who was playing yesterday? Looked pretty good tbh.
Luckhurst: United prepared to move for a holding midfielder in January
- Thread starter Valar Morghulis
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Yeah. He just plays it simple. Big fella. Great midfield marshall. Loves a good switch of play.
Rice and Haaland next summer with an instalment deal would actually not be the end of the world, and United might generate good revenue this season again with fans in the stadium.
Yeah Pahlinha looks a unit. Want him at the base of our midfield
[2020] Anyone out of Partey or Zakaria [/2020]
It's funny how all these 'guaranteed' future stars turn out to be duds only a few months later.
Thankfully, Ole is judging them by something more substantial than FIFA. The last thing we need is another squad level player on massive wages.
It's funny how all these 'guaranteed' future stars turn out to be duds only a few months later.
Thankfully, Ole is judging them by something more substantial than FIFA. The last thing we need is another squad level player on massive wages.
Yeh. With hindsight, Ole should get that Ajax dude.
Judging from the reports that United wants a pure holding midfielder, I think we're gonna try to get Declan Rice next summer.
He fits the player profile that Ole likes to bring to the squad: pure DM with room for improvement in his passing range, English and still quite young. He didn't want to extend and if he sticks to his gun, next summer he only have 2 years left on his contract, West Ham may want to negotiate by that time
He fits the player profile that Ole likes to bring to the squad: pure DM with room for improvement in his passing range, English and still quite young. He didn't want to extend and if he sticks to his gun, next summer he only have 2 years left on his contract, West Ham may want to negotiate by that time
He'll make a rice addition to our midfield
I think West Ham have already accepted that they're going to lose Rice soon, given their acquisition of Alex Kral this summer. Whether Rice ends up with us or Chelsea next summer is anyone's guess though.
We can offer them JLingz plus cash, hopefully they still remember his purple patch from last season.
Rice is not the answer to our midfield problems.
We need an Elite ball player in there. We don't need a defensive midfielder, we need a Deep lying playmaker.
We cannot find line breaking passes at the moment which is making it difficult to progress the ball. We need someone of the quality of De Jong, Veratti, Fabinho
We need an Elite ball player in there. We don't need a defensive midfielder, we need a Deep lying playmaker.
We cannot find line breaking passes at the moment which is making it difficult to progress the ball. We need someone of the quality of De Jong, Veratti, Fabinho
In starch contrast to Zakaria.
I agree 100%. However I kinda think we need both, but a DLP is a higher priority. A DLP usually plays with a ballwinner(box to box or DM). Fred/McT are decent ballwinners, but eventually we should replace one of them with an elite one. Rice might end up being that player tbh.
That ship has sailed, we needed to cash in on Lingard whilst the iron was hot.
Lingard will either stay here on a new bumper contract or he will leave on a freebie.
Either way, the opportunity to use Lingard as PX in a deal for Rice looks to have passed.
All true that option is no more now, my money is him getting a contract extension now I don't think the board will allow him to leave on a free with looking like Pogba will do.
Why do I fear Lingard will sign a new contract…my gut says he will!
Does anyone else see a situation next Summer where....Pogba leaves on a Freebie, Donny leaves, Matic & Mata retire, and we are left with McFred as the only MF options?
Just wondering how many MFs we'd actually go into the market for, especially if we plan on spending big bucks for Rice & Haaland...
Just wondering how many MFs we'd actually go into the market for, especially if we plan on spending big bucks for Rice & Haaland...
Could go for Bissouma in January.
If Ole is still in charge he'll go for Rice...
Going on reports he likes him a lot.
Rice and Halaand next summer would be a good window tbf...
Going on reports he likes him a lot.
Rice and Halaand next summer would be a good window tbf...
Genuine question for you. Let's say Tuchel took over Utd after Jose.
What do you think the BEST we could have likely achieved is, in that time?
I absolutely, 100% guarantee, that if Tuchel had taken over THAT Utd squad, you and the rest of this forum would be absolutely over the moon at a 3rd-placed finish and a 2nd-placed finish.
The ONLY reason people criticise Ole is because it's a popular opinion amongst the know-nothings in the MSM who are paid to generate clicks and headlines by whipping fans into a hysteria over nothing
If you think me stating that I can subtract one number from an other is 'condescending' then I think that tells us everything we need to know about the state of this forum right now.
You talk about buying and selling players like they are football stickers. What if Lingard didn't want to go to West Ham? What if no club made a serious enquiry about DvdB? We sold James for £25m, what complaints can you possibly have about that? You talk about 're-investing' that money, whilst conveniently forgetting that we have spent £130m this window.
I think it sums it all up really when you suggest buying Tchouameni. Now, I've never heard of him, he might be the 2nd-coming of Zinedine Zidane and Gennaro Gattuso, however, if I had £1 for every absolute no-hoper fans on this forum had berated the Board for not signing, I would be on a superyacht in the Caribbean right now.
Surely a far better plan is to give it our best crack this season with what we have, and then go all out for a real world-class DM/CM next Summer? Despite what the media will have you believe, it's not a 'crisis', or a 'disaster' or a 'disgrace' if a team doesn't win the league. Only one team CAN win the league, and this league happens to be a) very competitive and b) home to two clubs who are pumped full of oil money
You gotta stop saying 100% guarantee when you know sweet feck all.
If Tuchel took over after Mourinho and has had the time and money Ole has had and the same results he should already be sacked or this should be his final season to win a big trophy or else get sacked.
No other manager at a top club gets a 4/5 year project with no pressure to win the league or champions league.
The fact that you think the only reason people criticise Ole is because of the MSM is beyond laughable. People criticise Ole because he has admitted he doesn't coach the team and just "manages" , compared to his competitors who have a footballing philosophy and have coached their team to major honors. At the top level of sports every advantage counts and people feel that Ole's advantages ( good vibes, good pr, keeping the players happy) are less vital to our success than advantages other coaches might provide ( tactical flexibility, pressing, passing patterns) especially since we already have one of the best squads in the world.
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Thing is, he'll sign a new contract on higher wages (because why not, balls in his court) and then he'll be even more difficult to shift.
So why did Klopp get 4-5 years?
Liverpool were not a top club when Klopp took over. He has made them what they are now. 2 champions league finals with one victory, 2 90 plus point league seasons with one title in his 4/5 years. It's not comparable to Ole.
If a top striker and CM come in next summer I'd say we are in top shape. I'd take a RB if the opportunity presented.
I have news for you...
It won't hurt to start bidding in January. Protracted sagas are how we do things.
I absolutely 100% guarantee that saying you absolutely 100% guarantee me of everything convinces me an extra 0%.
If Tuchel took over instead of Ole and spent £140m in his first summer everyone with any sanity would demand a top four finish. And lets not forget Ole only got a top four finish that year because of covid, and we could just as easily have been 5th by full time on the last day of the season. And then after spending another £100m the next summer we would be demanding an improvement on that by finishing closer to the title winners.
But I don't see what that has to do with what I said anyway. If you dont think we should be properly competing for the league title this year it can only be because you think Ole isn't good enough, whether you consciously accept that or not. It can't have anything to do with the squads because our squad and best eleven should easily be able to fight it out up there. We finished second and improved more, theoretically, than the teams below us and more than City.
It's exactly what Ole's friends in the media are doing - trying to downplay expectations, because Neville and co all secretly dont rate his ability to compete for titles and want to instill this narrative early that somehow we should be finishing further from the top this season than last because...... reasons....
Got Liverpool to a CL final at the end of his second full season in charge.....????? Then 97 points, 1 point off the title, the season after.....???? Come on it's hardly rocket science. If Ole does either of those things this season he can have another 4 year contract by all accounts.
If it was a CL final and not a EL final we lost last May no one would have a bad word to say about Ole. But it wasn't. We humiliated ourselves in the group stage.
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Liverpool stopped being a top club as soon as Karius left, in my opinion.
I just hope the reason is financial and not because we we are waiting for Rice, I think if he goes to Chelsea Tuchel will use him in the back 3.
Well that's the beauty of a public forum isn't it. If I am wrong, you can come back and show me in May. I won't be though.
So, just to clarify, ANY manager who doesn't win the league in his first two full seasons should be sacked? Just checking that is exactly what you are saying, because if so you would have sacked Sir Alex Ferguson and Jurgen Klopp, amongst others.
On your point about Ole not coaching the team...you know that it's 100% normal for a manager NOT to coach the team, right? Watch the 'Overlap' interview with Roy Keane and Gary Neville. Keane says that the first question they ask when you take your Pro License is "do you want to be a coach or a manager?". Clearly, Ole is a manager. Sir Alex Ferguson was a manager. There's nothing wrong with this approach at all, it's not some kind of problem, as you insinuate.
The fact is, and many people don't appreciate this, the job of the manager at a top club like United is to do exactly that - manage. It's not to watch video analysis of players or opponents. It's not to stand on the training pitch, taking technical coaching sessions. It's not to sit on the phone with other managers/chairmen, haggling over transfer fees. It's not to sit with players negotiating their goal bonus or image rights or whatever. It's to MANAGE the TEAM of people responsible for doing those things.
The improvement across every department at Manchester United has been immeasurable since Ole took over. I can't fathom the attitude of someone who wants him sacked because he hasn't taken an average (and very young) squad from 6th to 1st in two season!
If you're wrong about a hypothetical someone can come back and show you? That's not how hypotheticals work mate.
Any manager at a top club who doesn't win anything in his first three full seasons should be sacked. After two years depending on certain factors they can also be sacked.
Stop comparing Ole and Fergie. Fergie was also a great coach and only became a manager later in his career. He also had great coaches around him not complete noobs like Carrick and Mckenna. I want a manager who's able to do all those things you listed AND manage the group of people responsible for the micro day to day stuff.
So if Ole finishes 4th this year , you will say what? I can't believe someone wants a manager sacked who has taken an average squad from 6th to 4th in three years?!
All this reeks of setting expectations low to absolve Ole. So if he doesn't win anything again you can say of course, I 100% guarantee predicted it and any reasonable fan would know we couldn't have won this year.
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I really hope by "Next year" he meant january transfer window.
Anyway, I think we will be forced to shop and overpay in january as our central midfield options are mid table at best.
Hell, I get the feeling we are even less balanced now, although our signings are class on paper.
Anyway, I think we will be forced to shop and overpay in january as our central midfield options are mid table at best.
Hell, I get the feeling we are even less balanced now, although our signings are class on paper.
I quite like Rice but do get the feeling he wants to do a Lampard and go and be a "chelsea legend"
well, I think we'd have won the Europa for starters!
Nail on the head. Neville is a prime example of it.
If you don't think we should be in a title fight come next May, then it's because you don't rate Ole as good enough. There's no other reason.
He’s free to talk to other clubs in January out of contract in June 22. I’d imagine he’d have no trouble getting a new club.
Am I the only one would prefer Ndidi to Rice?
So, out of interest, if we win the league this year, should Tuchel, Pep and Klopp be sacked?