Because stats are the most deceiving things for a defender. If you are looking at stats alone then we do not need to upgrade on Jones and Smalling because they are the best central defender partnership in PL stats-wise.
Matteo Darmian | LVG confirms he's on his way here for a medical
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Sidenote but Jones and Smalling are actually a pretty good defensive pairing already. They just don't play with each other for a continous run due to Injuries. Also, aren't that good as a pairing on the ball as LVG ideally seems to want.
He ridiculed Clyne during the recent Italy vs England game + he can play in multiple roles
Yeah you're probably right. I just don't have anything else to base it on apart from the 4-5 games I've seen him play, which isn't enough to judge a player on.
Don't believe in the link. Just feel they're adding 2+2, given that we need a right back and Torino are currently auctioning Darmian.
He doesn't get injured. Avaraged 38 games per season, for the last 4 seasons (Torino was in Europa League only in the last season). On the league he avaraged more than 33 games per season in the last 4 seasons. Basically, he doesn't get injured.
Until he arrives here, of course. Then he'll get infected with the illness our entire defense have and so we see Valencia crossing show again.
Di Marzio hasn't been reliable these days IMO. Maybe he's better when it comes to Italian football, but to me he looks the typica bullshitter.
Would make a lot of sense if we were in for him.
That said the Coleman rumours seem a lot more persistent
That said the Coleman rumours seem a lot more persistent
Let us not forget, DiMarzio is full of excrement.
I can't think of a single Italian defender that was a success in the PL. United signing him would be such a Liverpool thing to do.
Is he even any good? I've never seen him play besides at the World Cup, but I didn't really take much notice of him.
I always thought he was a lot younger than he actually is too.
I always thought he was a lot younger than he actually is too.
He isn't the best right back in the world, however, he's a very decent one. As many have mentioned, he's a versatile player who can attack and defend competently. At 25, he still relatively young, meaning he can develop into an even better player.
I watched him during the world cup and he was very impressive; that, too, in a poorly performing Italy team. I haven't watched him play much for Torino, however, I have heard good things from a friend who's heavily invested in Serie A. At around £15m, you really can't go wrong.
A Torino fans' post on reddit about Darmian:
I can't think of many Italians in the PL period, certainly few that were national team mainstays. I'd say the classic Liverpool transfer is the overrated English option and they met that with Clyne.
Paolo Tramezzani; Alessandro Pistone; Christian Panucci; Marco Materazzi; Gianluca Festa; Matteo Ferrari; Andrea Dossena; Daniele Daino; Lorenzo Amoruso
Italian defenders to have graced the Premier League. Source: wiki
Italian defenders to have graced the Premier League. Source: wiki
If it means the end of having to watch Valencia play at RB please get it done today
Clyne is properly rated. I don't see many people saying he's world class or the next best thing. General consensus is that he's a good young player on the way to fulfilling his potential
My point exactly. None of them made a great impact on English soil. You could add Santon to that list even though he's just another Brazilian who chose to play for Italy.
Davide Santon?
He's a player with half a good top flight season under his belt that was less fancied at RB than Jones and Henderson for England's last qualifying game. Yet somehow he's a RB that teams with ambition should be looking at in the eyes of some. I think if he wasn't English then Liverpool wouldn't have bothered, I have complete confidence that we didn't because we realize that he's nothing special, no better than most RB's that have played for England since Nevs faded.
Panucci and Materazzi are the only 2 on the list I really recognize. Are these all players that were regular's for the Italian national team and did they play in the PL in their prime?
It was a list of all the Italian defenders to have played for a Premier League club - ranging from Blackburn to Chelsea.
@Loublaze Yes, you're correct, I missed Davide Santon.
The list illustrates how few Italian defenders have plied their trade in the PL. The best of the best - Maldini, Nesta, Cannavaro, Zambrotta etc. have stayed away from England, therefore, your initial statement of "I can't think of a single Italian defender that was a success in the PL" hasn't enough evidence to demonstrate it's validity.
No he isn't?
He got that wrong, born and raised in Italy.
That's what I was thinking, the top caliber Italian defenders never came here, now I am not saying Darmian is on the level of the ones you listed but he is certainly regarded highly and is the starting fullback for the National side, for the price he'd be worth trying for us IMO.
Id sign him just for his last name.. an armenian at United 
My bad mixed him up with someone else
Its still valid, none of the ones who came to England were successful. Thats a fact no? What do the others you mentioned have to do with it if they never played in England? We'll never know how they would've got on.
Liverpool already bought Clyne, that was a Liverpool thing to do.
First lad I don't remember
Panucci was only 1 season on loan at Chelsea.
Materazzi again only one season at Everton and was a late bloomer, picked for the NT after he was 27 years of age.
Pistone was never that highly rated and didn't do all too bad at Newcastle, he was a squad player basically, after that at Everton he was plagued by injuries.
Festa - played for Boro I think can't remember much about him, but doubt he was rated.
Ferrari - one year loan
Dossena was shite and continues to be shite
Daino - can't remember him.
Amoruso - wasn't he a striker?
I'd never even noticed him before that England-Italy game, but since then he's just looked brilliant every time I see him. It's a bit out of the blue to be plausible, but I'd love this.
Suppose coming to United could be quite a culture shock for an Italian. Not like being Spanish, coming to United and finding yourself in almost a linguistic majority.
Closest Italian footballer to chum about with would be Balotelli I guess? Haha.
Closest Italian footballer to chum about with would be Balotelli I guess? Haha.
Yeah, but what about his knowledge of the philosophy? Does he believe in the total human being principle? I don't care about his quality, I just want to know if he can listen to simple directions and perform a role. Come on guys.
Santon Brazilian? Not at all.
EDIT - Sorry, saw that someone had mentioned it already.
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Italian and Spanish are similar languages so he'll be all right.
Apart from Materazzi and Panucci none of them were great defenders in the first place. It would be like using David May or Titus Bramble as examples of what British defences can provide. Panucci came to Chelsea for a year in which his mate Vialli got sacked after few matches. Marco Materazzi was a first teamer at Everton. He left Everton because his wife hated Liverpool which kind of makes sense since its a shit place to live
http://toffeeweb.com/players/past/Materazzi.html
He is highly rated by anyone who watches Serie A or follows the Italian national team. Even Juve fans think he is the best full back in the league by far. An Italian first team RB is also in no way worse than an English RB that couldn't get into the national team ahead of Phil Jones being played out of position. He was even named as the best player of the national team for 2014.
At the price being touted around, I can't see how this signing could go wrong. Hopefully Bayern doesn't become interested again now that we are in...
At the price being touted around, I can't see how this signing could go wrong. Hopefully Bayern doesn't become interested again now that we are in...
Any RB signings we'll make now will be a bit out of the blue
I mean the obvious candidates are all gone unless we end up signing Coleman that is (but Everton will skin us on that one)
According to Torino fans he is a pretty good kid, never puts a foot wrong or speak up, a model professional and the kind of guy you want your daughter to marry. So I'm guessing he probably can.
Playing left back?
He ain't all that and he is 25, hardly a 'kid'.
I base these view on nothing concrete, except for his age, which is a legal fact.
I base these view on nothing concrete, except for his age, which is a legal fact.
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