Lukaku - transfer speculation | Gone

[Bastian]

I'd much rather we sold now and got someone more conducive to a high intensity technical game.

 

[Mingus]

https:// twitter.com/nocontextfooty/status/1149752238442786816?s=21

I wonder why he’s looking tired 20 minutes into a match ...

Excellent. Still early days but already moving more than last season !

 

[Acquire Me]

It’s obviously not true

It’s media making shit up to sell stories and make fun of us.

 

[C'est Moi Cantona]

Is that really true? Because working that way makes zero sense when you're looking to overhaul a squad like we need to.

Like always, actions speak louder than words, so just 2 players in so far, both separately dragged out, then talk of us wanting Longstaff on the tour, belatedly followed by stories of an inflated asking price, and more recently some half hearted reports that we're after Maguire, with very little else in between, would suggest it's not too far fetched, and like I say I'm sure we've openly admitted it a while back.

 

[Shane88]

https:// twitter.com/nocontextfooty/status/1149752238442786816?s=21

I wonder why he’s looking tired 20 minutes into a match ...

Woah Rom, save some of that intensity for when the real football starts.

 

[roseguy64]

He was fairly good for the first half of 17/18. Had a good scoring spree early on, and after that even though he wasn't scoring many he was arguably our best player for a month or so while pretty much every one else was playing poorly. Was mostly poor in the second half of that season though.

Of course, 18/19 was another matter entirely. Incredibly unbelievably shit for the first half of that season to the extent that I truly believe he was the worst regular starter in the entire league. Improved a bit under Ole and did have a few games where he actually did quite well, but overall he had a terrible second season.

Fair assessment this. Good first season though would have liked more league goals but he contributed to the team's play even when he wasn't scoring. Was woeful until Ole came in yeah for the second season. Partially because he followed some bad advice and became unfit over the world cup.

If he stays and our attack functions then he'll score at least 25 in all competitions this coming season.

 

[Bullhitter]

I don't understand selling Lukaku and then looking for a replacement to play second fiddle to Rashford, it seems like a completely unnecessary and risky sideways move at best.

I could understand it if there was an available and achievable target who would be seen as an improvement on Rashford but buying players who are not deemed better than your current starter (it's fine if your current starter is an Aguero or Kane) is the quickest path to ending up with a very mediocre squad very quickly (look at Wenger's latter years at Arsenal as the best example and players like Fred at United, Drinkwater at Chelsea)

Say Ben Yedder who has been linked. He will want a 5 year deal on something like £120,000 a week and Rashford will be the starter. All that means is if and when an elite forward becomes available United would be stuck with trying to offload Ben Yedder who won't be willing to take a cut in salary and that limits the options to move him on. Like Drinkwater, Chelsea actively tried to sell him last summer but nobody would match his wages and he was happy to sit out a year basically rather than take a paycut (fully entitled to do so)

So basically, a club looking to improve should only ever sign three categories of players :

1. Young players with plenty of room for development (in ability and value)
2. Established players who are going to be a backup to your elite starter
3. A player that is better than your current starter

I've not seen a single touted Lukaku replacement that fits any of those categories so in my eyes it makes zero sense to sell (even more so considering in my opinion any belief that Solskjaer has a playing identity or style is fanciful at best so to sell a reliable goal scorer, more reliable than Rashford, because he doesn't fit said mythical identity or style makes even less sense)

 

[UNITED ACADEMY]

I don't understand selling Lukaku and then looking for a replacement to play second fiddle to Rashford, it seems like a completely unnecessary and risky sideways move at best.

I could understand it if there was an available and achievable target who would be seen as an improvement on Rashford but buying players who are not deemed better than your current starter (it's fine if your current starter is an Aguero or Kane) is the quickest path to ending up with a very mediocre squad very quickly (look at Wenger's latter years at Arsenal as the best example and players like Fred at United, Drinkwater at Chelsea)

Say Ben Yedder who has been linked. He will want a 5 year deal on something like £120,000 a week and Rashford will be the starter. All that means is if and when an elite forward becomes available United would be stuck with trying to offload Ben Yedder who won't be willing to take a cut in salary and that limits the options to move him on. Like Drinkwater, Chelsea actively tried to sell him last summer but nobody would match his wages and he was happy to sit out a year basically rather than take a paycut (fully entitled to do so)

So basically, a club looking to improve should only ever sign three categories of players :

1. Young players with plenty of room for development (in ability and value)
2. Established players who are going to be a backup to your elite starter
3. A player that is better than your current starter

I've not seen a single touted Lukaku replacement that fits any of those categories so in my eyes it makes zero sense to sell (even more so considering in my opinion any belief that Solskjaer has a playing identity or style is fanciful at best so to sell a reliable goal scorer, more reliable than Rashford, because he doesn't fit said mythical identity or style makes even less sense)

I don’t understand either. Why taking a risk by spending huge money to replace Lukaku with someone at level that might not be higher than Rashford & Martial. If we want to buy striker then buy someone who is top striker not someone like Ben Yedder. Buy a top striker or have faith in Rashford, Martial & Greenwood. That should be the reasonable two choices.

 

[Devil81]

I don't understand selling Lukaku and then looking for a replacement to play second fiddle to Rashford, it seems like a completely unnecessary and risky sideways move at best.

I could understand it if there was an available and achievable target who would be seen as an improvement on Rashford but buying players who are not deemed better than your current starter (it's fine if your current starter is an Aguero or Kane) is the quickest path to ending up with a very mediocre squad very quickly (look at Wenger's latter years at Arsenal as the best example and players like Fred at United, Drinkwater at Chelsea)

Say Ben Yedder who has been linked. He will want a 5 year deal on something like £120,000 a week and Rashford will be the starter. All that means is if and when an elite forward becomes available United would be stuck with trying to offload Ben Yedder who won't be willing to take a cut in salary and that limits the options to move him on. Like Drinkwater, Chelsea actively tried to sell him last summer but nobody would match his wages and he was happy to sit out a year basically rather than take a paycut (fully entitled to do so)

So basically, a club looking to improve should only ever sign three categories of players :

1. Young players with plenty of room for development (in ability and value)
2. Established players who are going to be a backup to your elite starter
3. A player that is better than your current starter

I've not seen a single touted Lukaku replacement that fits any of those categories so in my eyes it makes zero sense to sell (even more so considering in my opinion any belief that Solskjaer has a playing identity or style is fanciful at best so to sell a reliable goal scorer, more reliable than Rashford, because he doesn't fit said mythical identity or style makes even less sense)

Not really understanding what you are on about, Sir Alex built a team of four strikers back in 1998. He signed Yorke knowing he had Cole, Sherigham and Ole already, he knew his first choice line up would be Yorke and Cole but that didn't mean he needed to let one go. You're free to fill the squad how you see fit, Lukaku has expressed his hunger to move to Italy, let him go as he's not shown enough to suggest he's worth keeping.

Ben Yedder is a decent player and who knows he's maybe more capable than Rashford in that position. It's more competition for places and I don't think Lukaku is competition in Ole' s frame of mind.

As for the other examples, maybe they were more managers dislikes than inferior players, I've seen nothing in Jorginho to suggest he's any better than Drinkwater, he can do all The pointless side passes as well, in fact he was known for it. He also does a brilliant throughball as he shown at his time at Leicester.

I think Lampard might use him more.

 

[devilish]

it was his debut and was our best player . Rashford was doing the same half the season

I am not saying he was shit. However we can't rely on a kid who needs time to bed in to take the role of a proven scorer. It's unfair on him and it has a huge change of backfiring on us

 

[eltigreFalcao]

I don't understand selling Lukaku and then looking for a replacement to play second fiddle to Rashford, it seems like a completely unnecessary and risky sideways move at best.

I could understand it if there was an available and achievable target who would be seen as an improvement on Rashford but buying players who are not deemed better than your current starter (it's fine if your current starter is an Aguero or Kane) is the quickest path to ending up with a very mediocre squad very quickly (look at Wenger's latter years at Arsenal as the best example and players like Fred at United, Drinkwater at Chelsea)

Say Ben Yedder who has been linked. He will want a 5 year deal on something like £120,000 a week and Rashford will be the starter. All that means is if and when an elite forward becomes available United would be stuck with trying to offload Ben Yedder who won't be willing to take a cut in salary and that limits the options to move him on. Like Drinkwater, Chelsea actively tried to sell him last summer but nobody would match his wages and he was happy to sit out a year basically rather than take a paycut (fully entitled to do so)

So basically, a club looking to improve should only ever sign three categories of players :

1. Young players with plenty of room for development (in ability and value)
2. Established players who are going to be a backup to your elite starter
3. A player that is better than your current starter

I've not seen a single touted Lukaku replacement that fits any of those categories so in my eyes it makes zero sense to sell (even more so considering in my opinion any belief that Solskjaer has a playing identity or style is fanciful at best so to sell a reliable goal scorer, more reliable than Rashford, because he doesn't fit said mythical identity or style makes even less sense)

I don’t understand either. Why taking a risk by spending huge money to replace Lukaku with someone at level that might not be higher than Rashford & Martial. If we want to buy striker then buy someone who is top striker not someone like Ben Yedder. Buy a top striker or have faith in Rashford, Martial & Greenwood. That should be the reasonable two choices.

Seems like the club is ponting on this same direction: "give us a lot of money or else we'll be fine with keping him" and not riskin shortening our squad numbers-wise and quiality-wise

 

[Mark Pawelek]

Seems like the club is ponting on this same direction: "give us a lot of money or else we'll be fine with keping him" and not riskin shortening our squad numbers-wise and quiality-wise

This is nonsense. If Lukaku wasn't at United but was available for £65m would we be in for him? Answer is clearly no. So sell him. At the market rate please.

 

[RD94]

We should not buy anyone if Lukaku goes.Just give faith to Rashford,Martial,Greenwood or even can try Sanchez as a false nine if he doesnt leave.

 

[ravi2]

We should not buy anyone if Lukaku goes.Just give faith to Rashford,Martial,Greenwood or even can try Sanchez as a false nine if he doesnt leave.

Sure and when pogba goes let's just not buy anyone to replace him with either.

 

[AmanNits04]

I don't understand selling Lukaku and then looking for a replacement to play second fiddle to Rashford, it seems like a completely unnecessary and risky sideways move at best.

I could understand it if there was an available and achievable target who would be seen as an improvement on Rashford but buying players who are not deemed better than your current starter (it's fine if your current starter is an Aguero or Kane) is the quickest path to ending up with a very mediocre squad very quickly (look at Wenger's latter years at Arsenal as the best example and players like Fred at United, Drinkwater at Chelsea)

Say Ben Yedder who has been linked. He will want a 5 year deal on something like £120,000 a week and Rashford will be the starter. All that means is if and when an elite forward becomes available United would be stuck with trying to offload Ben Yedder who won't be willing to take a cut in salary and that limits the options to move him on. Like Drinkwater, Chelsea actively tried to sell him last summer but nobody would match his wages and he was happy to sit out a year basically rather than take a paycut (fully entitled to do so)

So basically, a club looking to improve should only ever sign three categories of players :

1. Young players with plenty of room for development (in ability and value)
2. Established players who are going to be a backup to your elite starter
3. A player that is better than your current starter

I've not seen a single touted Lukaku replacement that fits any of those categories so in my eyes it makes zero sense to sell (even more so considering in my opinion any belief that Solskjaer has a playing identity or style is fanciful at best so to sell a reliable goal scorer, more reliable than Rashford, because he doesn't fit said mythical identity or style makes even less sense)

This is an really good post and I agree with all of it.
When has Rashford showed that he can be the main striker for our club. He might come out to be very good this season or next season, but selling Lukaku and going in with Rashford as our main striker is a dangerous thing to play with seeing how impotent we are Infront of the goal. We should only sell Lukaku if Rashford gets better than him or we sign someone better than Lukaku

 

[Mainoldo]

This is nonsense. If Lukaku wasn't at United but was available for £65m would we be in for him? Answer is clearly no. So sell him. At the market rate please.

Well he was available and we paid £75 plus add ons for him. So that logic doesn’t add up. He’s also a more popular player world wide now too.

 

[JPRouve]

Well he was available and we paid £75 plus add ons for him. So that logic doesn’t add up. He’s also a more popular player world wide now too.

This may be the issue Mainoldo.

 

[Patrick08]

Don't think we are selling him for that poor offer.

 

[roonster09]

This may be the issue Mainoldo.

But he has a point. Lukaku was on market and we paid big money, Chelsea were also bidding for him. Then they had to sign Morata after missing out on Lukaku.

Now he is available again and Inter made 62 million as their first bid. That's very good starting point. So it would be silly to sell him for just 65 million when we can get more from them.

 

[Mainoldo]

This may be the issue Mainoldo.

It is but if we keep making the same daft decisions when will it change.

We sell him for £50m and buy Maguire for £80m we’ll still look like the same mugs next summer, whilst us fans continue to moan over our dumb decisions.

So get maximum money is what I say.

 

[Patrick08]

It is but if we keep making the same daft decisions when will it change.

We sell him for £50m and buy Maguire for £80m we’ll still look like the same mugs next summer, whilst us fans continue to moan over our dumb decisions.

So get maximum money is what I say.

Maximum money and a replacement this summer, if there is no replacement then too there is no point in selling a player.

 

[Leftback99]

This is nonsense. If Lukaku wasn't at United but was available for £65m would we be in for him? Answer is clearly no. So sell him. At the market rate please.

The market rate for one the best strikers in the PL isn't £65m.

 

[JPRouve]

But he has a point. Lukaku was on market and we paid big money, Chelsea were also bidding for him. Then they had to sign Morata after missing out on Lukaku.

Now he is available again and Inter made 62 million as their first bid. That's very good starting point. So it would be silly to sell him for just 65 million when we can get more from them.

I was joking, not making a point.

But since I also thought about what you just wrote, I decided to look at Giroud and Lukaku records for Arsenal and Everton. Surprisingly, in all competitions Giroud scored a goal every 153 minutes while Lukaku scored one every 160 minutes.

 

[roonster09]

I was joking, not making a point.

But since I also thought about what you just wrote, I decided to look at Giroud and Lukaku records for Arsenal and Everton. Surprisingly, in all competitions Giroud scored a goal every 153 minutes while Lukaku scored one every 160 minutes.

Yeah. Lukaku is goal scoring machine is a myth. He is decent goal scorer.

 

[BlueHaze]

We should not buy anyone if Lukaku goes.Just give faith to Rashford,Martial,Greenwood or even can try Sanchez as a false nine if he doesnt leave.

Rashford and Martial have so far proven they are far away from being capable of scoring 20 a season. Greenwood is only 17 and is a future prospect we can't put pressure on him at this age to come in and take on that role he is still in his development stage.

As for Sanchez with the amount of injuries he's picked up the last year the man is practically handicapped. He was supposed to spend this summer regaining his fitness and work on his injuries and instead went to Copa America and had a dig against us in interviews then injured himself again. The guy is a disgrace to our shirt and I would rather rely on bringing back Heskey from retirement and make him our striker than play that unprofessional clown Alexis.

 

[finneh]

Starting to worry that we have another Darmian situation whereby we're being penny smart and pound foolish.

No-one is going to pay £80m for Lukaku and if we hold firm we end up with an unhappy player who struggled to keep fit and perform well when he was fully motivated. That's before even considering firstly that a salary of £10m for a backup striker is ridiculous and secondly his value as second fiddle will drop between now and next Summer.

Take the £65-70m and get the £200k a week off the books. Otherwise it could well be a £20m lower fee and the possibility of having to subsidise his salary if we sell next Summer.

 

[robinrooney]

Starting to worry that we have another Darmian situation whereby we're being penny smart and pound foolish.

No-one is going to pay £80m for Lukaku and if we hold firm we end up with an unhappy player who struggled to keep fit and perform well when he was fully motivated. That's before even considering firstly that a salary of £10m for a backup striker is ridiculous and secondly his value as second fiddle will drop between now and next Summer.

Take the £65-70m and get the £200k a week off the books. Otherwise it could well be a £20m lower fee and the possibility of having to subsidise his salary if we sell next Summer.

This is Woodwards modus operandi.

He never seems to do the right thing

 

[JPRouve]

Starting to worry that we have another Darmian situation whereby we're being penny smart and pound foolish.

No-one is going to pay £80m for Lukaku and if we hold firm we end up with an unhappy player who struggled to keep fit and perform well when he was fully motivated. That's before even considering firstly that a salary of £10m for a backup striker is ridiculous and secondly his value as second fiddle will drop between now and next Summer.

Take the £65-70m and get the £200k a week off the books. Otherwise it could well be a £20m lower fee and the possibility of having to subsidise his salary if we sell next Summer.

I share that worry, I'm totally behind the idea of haggling and taking as much as we can from Inter but it can't be at the cost of the sale. Like you said we have done it with Darmian, Rojo, Fellaini and others in the last 6 years. If anything we should reduce the initial fee and put reachable bonuses.

 

[Revaulx]

But since I also thought about what you just wrote, I decided to look at Giroud and Lukaku records for Arsenal and Everton. Surprisingly, in all competitions Giroud scored a goal every 153 minutes while Lukaku scored one every 160 minutes.

I’m not surprised. The near universal underrating of Giroud in the UK, especially but not just on the Caf, is something I’ve always struggled to understand.

 

[Garebo]

I would be happy having Rashford as the main striker, with Martial and Greenwood the two other options. So we could sell Lukaku and Pogba because their stock will never be higher than now and invest part of the money in Sancho. We are in no desperate need for a no.9 as we are for a right winger, a midfielder and a defender.

 

[devilish]

Starting to worry that we have another Darmian situation whereby we're being penny smart and pound foolish.

No-one is going to pay £80m for Lukaku and if we hold firm we end up with an unhappy player who struggled to keep fit and perform well when he was fully motivated. That's before even considering firstly that a salary of £10m for a backup striker is ridiculous and secondly his value as second fiddle will drop between now and next Summer.

Take the £65-70m and get the £200k a week off the books. Otherwise it could well be a £20m lower fee and the possibility of having to subsidise his salary if we sell next Summer.

Inter has a fantastic youth academy so I was hoping that we do a deal similar to what Roma did for nainggolan were they included zaniolo. 50m + bastoni would be perfect

 

[finneh]

I share that worry, I'm totally behind the idea of haggling and taking as much as we can from Inter but it can't be at the cost of the sale. Like you said we have done it with Darmian, Rojo, Fellaini and others in the last 6 years. If anything we should reduce the initial fee and put reachable bonuses.

Smart idea. Possibly on top of the current €70m offer we request for example €5m when he hits 50 goals and another €5m at 100 goals.

I personally don't understand why the loan structure currently offends United.

Inter has a fantastic youth academy so I was hoping that we do a deal similar to what Roma did for nainggolan were they included zaniolo. 50m + bastoni would be perfect

Can't say I've seen much of him but if we're somewhat interested at a minimum we should ask for a clause stating if we match any other clubs offer there's an obligation to accept. That'd save the United tax at least.

 

[devilish]

Smart idea. Possibly on top of the current €70m offer we request for example €5m when he hits 50 goals and another €5m at 100 goals.

I personally don't understand why the loan structure currently offends United.


Can't say I've seen much of him but if we're somewhat interested at a minimum we should ask for a clause stating if we match any other clubs offer there's an obligation to accept. That'd save the United tax at least.

He’s a 20 Yr old ball playing left sided CB. At 6ft3 he's quite imposing as well. Last year he played with Parma and did fairly well. Inter might be persuaded to let him go considering they are well stocked in defence

 

[mariachi-19]

Not in the team... reckon he's gone

 

[Adisa]

Sell him and build a squad the manager has faith in.

 

[Bwuk]

Him not being on the bench makes me think a deal must be close.

 

[Adisa]

The fact that we say we want a profit ahows the person making these decisions doesn't understand football.

 

[pocco]

Him not being on the bench makes me think a deal must be close.

Didn't even notice that! Hope you're right.

 

[Patrick08]

Sell him and build a squad the manager has faith in.

The manager can make mistakes as we have found all these years post Fergie. Rashford and Martial And Sanchez ain't reliable too, i they fail we need an option who can replace them as well, if we sell lukaku we better find a replacement and also the full money his market worth is, as we are in crucial top4 and Europa league fight which can decide our future.

 

[Bestietom]

75million up front or he stays.