Mohammed Salisu

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Is AS actually reporting this? Can't find it anywhere apart from that RedReveal twitter account.
 

Ali Dia

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Based only on YouTube he looks like a good prospect for 12 million. If he doesnt become a nailed on first team player watch the fans complain we only signed him because of the Mata link. Bebe 2.0 hahaa.

On a more serious noted he can obviously be developed. Left footed is good. Very strong in 50/50s and isn’t afraid to move the ball forward fast if it’s on. It’s a Dortmund/ RB type signing that fans (Like me!) complain we don’t make enough of. If he doesn’t work out we will get our money back. Good deal that would go in the unearthed gem bracket if it works out.
 

Champagne Football

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Is AS actually reporting this? Can't find it anywhere apart from that RedReveal twitter account.
So it seems gutter source Teamtalk put a spin on the original story.
In the original story yesterday, AS say Juan Mata's dad, his agent, thinks Salisu will leave next window, that his buyout is just 12 million, and that loads of clubs want him with Man Utd, Real Madrid, Atletico all interested.
A nothing story so...
https://as.com/futbol/2020/04/26/primera/1587925204_371762.html
 

dev1l

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Based only on YouTube he looks like a good prospect for 12 million. If he doesnt become a nailed on first team player watch the fans complain we only signed him because of the Mata link. Bebe 2.0 hahaa.

On a more serious noted he can obviously be developed. Left footed is good. Very strong in 50/50s and isn’t afraid to move the ball forward fast if it’s on. It’s a Dortmund/ RB type signing that fans (Like me!) complain we don’t make enough of. If he doesn’t work out we will get our money back. Good deal that would go in the unearthed gem bracket if it works out.
Thanks. Very Interesting.
What are his weaknesses? Can they hamper his development further? Or are they something which can be worked upon?
 

Craig Ward

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I get that but why keep the poorer 2 players and ship out the better squad player? Just don't play Bailly and Jones
Out of Smalling, Jones & Bailly, i'd say only Bailly is on any use plus he was injured during the window so no chance he'd be loaned or sold.

Smalling and Jones we're offered around and only Smalling had an offer

Not that difficult to grasp really. We have lots of CB's, none of whom are particularly good and no buyers. Years of poor transfer dealing and squad management has put us at this point.

Even lindelof (our starting CB alongside maguire) doesnt fill us with confidence and could easily be upgraded.
 

Craig Ward

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Why? I think maybe Solskjaer should eat humble pie and just ask Smalling back. Admit the mistake and move forward.
It wasnt a mistake.

Smalling is average, and doesnt feature long term. Simple

Shall we call Young back while we're at it? Darmin too? Blind, Fellaini?

We are transitioning the squad. You dont do that by keeping players who have been bang average for years and will not improve.

Wake up to change
 

Adnan

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For €12m he could be a very good signing potentially in the current climate. He's been linked to us several times since last year and even the local Valladolid press have reported United being the front runners for his signature.
 

MyOnlySolskjaer

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It wasnt a mistake.

Smalling is average, and doesnt feature long term. Simple

Shall we call Young back while we're at it? Darmin too? Blind, Fellaini?

We are transitioning the squad. You dont do that by keeping players who have been bang average for years and will not improve.

Wake up to change
I don't rate Smalling that highly but he's a lot better than Lindelof.
 

Craig Ward

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I don't rate Smalling that highly but he's a lot better than Lindelof.
Lindelof would also shine in Serie A. It's a poorer league.

And Smalling has been decent, not anything that would warrant the huge praise.

For example, based on his performances for Roma, our fans want him to become a starting CB for us. Yet, no other big clubs want him? That tells you enough. He's had about 10 years here, offers little.

For the better of our squad Smalling has no purpose here anymore
 

dev1l

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Lindelof would also shine in Serie A. It's a poorer league.

And Smalling has been decent, not anything that would warrant the huge praise.

For example, based on his performances for Roma, our fans want him to become a starting CB for us. Yet, no other big clubs want him? That tells you enough. He's had about 10 years here, offers little.

For the better of our squad Smalling has no purpose here anymore
Tbf Lindelof is more suited to the Serie A and Spanish Liga. His biggest issues are coping with physicality of EPL. I can see him excelling at Barcelona for example - a team with lots of possession.
 

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Ali Dia

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Thanks. Very Interesting.
What are his weaknesses? Can they hamper his development further? Or are they something which can be worked upon?
I’m no expert and I haven’t seen him live.Based on highlights he looks physically blessed. Rash and strong in the challenge with good recovery pace. He obviously not close to the finished article on the ball. As a project player he reminds meof a left footed Bailly if that isn’t too lazy of a comparison..He seems an aggressive player. Talent aside with the links to matas agency and our recent upturn in recruitment I assume we know if he’s got a good personality that would fit in with our group and the clubs goals. Couple that with the low price you’d think if we go for him it’s because we think he can still improve a lot or he can be sold for a profit if it doesn’t work out.
 

Ekeke

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He's okay with potential to be very good since he's only 21. Defensively he'd be an upgrade on Lindelof as he wins the ball twice as often, although anybody we signed would probably do the same. Probably not quite as good on the ball as him though
 

Kingslayer18

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For €12m he could be a very good signing potentially in the current climate. He's been linked to us several times since last year and even the local Valladolid press have reported United being the front runners for his signature.
Based on this story coming up again, would be safe to assume the club is looking at getting rid of Smalling, Jones and Rojo and bring in a young centreback into the squad who they can develop. As a left footed centreback, he holds appeal and he seems to have the necessary physicality to cope with PL. My only concern would be, how does he stack up as a passer? Another young centreback who would come in cheap but is also highly rated is Marah Kumbulla of Hellas Verona. A lot of big clubs have been linked with him, he's had a really good season in Serie A.
 

Alabaster Codify7

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Wouldn't be against that for such a 'low' fee, might be a gamble that pays off. If not, no biggy, we'd easily make our money back I reckon.
 

Ekeke

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Based on this story coming up again, would be safe to assume the club is looking at getting rid of Smalling, Jones and Rojo and bring in a young centreback into the squad who they can develop. As a left footed centreback, he holds appeal and he seems to have the necessary physicality to cope with PL. My only concern would be, how does he stack up as a passer? Another young centreback who would come in cheap but is also highly rated is Marah Kumbulla of Hellas Verona. A lot of big clubs have been linked with him, he's had a really good season in Serie A.
Our young CBs who we bought in to develop are currently Bailly, Lindelof and Tuanzebe (promoted). They havent become vastly experienced pros, thats still Smalling etc. So if we are to bring in a young CB project we're probably looking at offloading one of the other ones and keeping a bit of experience around. Obviously we dont need Smalling, Jones and Rojo, maybe just 1 in the squad at all.
 

Kingslayer18

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Our young CBs who we bought in to develop are currently Bailly, Lindelof and Tuanzebe (promoted). They havent become vastly experienced pros, thats still Smalling etc. So if we are to bring in a young CB project we're probably looking at offloading one of the other ones and keeping a bit of experience around. Obviously we dont need Smalling, Jones and Rojo, maybe just 1 in the squad at all.
Good point but you can't say they have developed as much as they should've. Tuanzebe still has time on his side out of the 3. Bailly's erratic decision making and poor passing is still an issue while Lindelof's aerial deficiencies and lack of physicality isn't going to disappear. Smalling will not want to be on the bench as he wants to be a starter, Rojo will also leave as he wants to play for Argentina. Jones the most likely to stay, but if we get any offer above 15m, he's also likely to go as he's on quite hefty wages. What the squad actually needs is another world class type centre back alongside Maguire but if not, bringing in another developmental CB would be the way to go especially since we don't have a massive budget this year.
 

Ekeke

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Good point but you can't say they have developed as much as they should've. Tuanzebe still has time on his side out of the 3. Bailly's erratic decision making and poor passing is still an issue while Lindelof's aerial deficiencies and lack of physicality isn't going to disappear. Smalling will not want to be on the bench as he wants to be a starter, Rojo will also leave as he wants to play for Argentina. Jones the most likely to stay, but if we get any offer above 15m, he's also likely to go as he's on quite hefty wages. What the squad actually needs is another world class type centre back alongside Maguire but if not, bringing in another developmental CB would be the way to go especially since we don't have a massive budget this year.
Yeah or potentially all 3 experienced CBs could go and we sign another one who can be counted on when he plays. Doesnt have to be a starter either. We wanted Godin a while ago, even someone like that at 34 years old could be the kind of option you'd want over the course of the season in case we have another sticky period at the back and we'd know we could put him next to Maguire and have a decent defense. While the younger players are more likely to blow hot and cold and have months of really good play and then play poorly for a bit
 

Based Adnan

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Yeah or potentially all 3 experienced CBs could go and we sign another one who can be counted on when he plays. Doesnt have to be a starter either. We wanted Godin a while ago, even someone like that at 34 years old could be the kind of option you'd want over the course of the season in case we have another sticky period at the back and we'd know we could put him next to Maguire and have a decent defense. While the younger players are more likely to blow hot and cold and have months of really good play and then play poorly for a bit
Godin is apparently set to leave Inter as well after struggling to fit into a back 3. Not sure he'd accept coming here as a rotation option though nor do I think he's the kind of profile Ole is looking for. I think it was under Jose we went hard for him.
 

jesperjaap

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Had never heard of him until the last 24hours and only seen youtube footage so cant make any judgement of him individually.

In the current climate, having a successful transfer window, I do think we need to make one or two signings like this though, cheap young gambles with potential.

I think without the virus we could have looked at moving on any or all of Rojo, Smalling, Jones, Dalot, Pogba, Perreira, Sanchez and bringing in upwards of £200m, plus other deadwood like Fosuh Mensah, Grant and even potential huge moves like DeGea sold and Henderson in to compete with Romero.

I only really see Smalling sold, Rojo and Sanchez potentially loaned again or even released and possibly/hopefully Pogba sold, probably under £100m. If that is the case it is unlikely we will even sign a centre back sadly, as we do need a partner for Maguire. Lindelof is bang average, Bailly/JOnes appear injury plagued and erratic and we are yet to see if Tuanzabe can make the step up.

Sadly I think with the virus, we may be unable to move on the number of players we could for the prices we could expect and that will hamper us. I think we will just see two big signings such as Grealish and Sancho which would still be a very good window and definately improve us in terms of finishing in the top four, still think it would leave us short of challening for the title though
 

Rozay

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Had never heard of him until the last 24hours and only seen youtube footage so cant make any judgement of him individually.

In the current climate, having a successful transfer window, I do think we need to make one or two signings like this though, cheap young gambles with potential.

I think without the virus we could have looked at moving on any or all of Rojo, Smalling, Jones, Dalot, Pogba, Perreira, Sanchez and bringing in upwards of £200m, plus other deadwood like Fosuh Mensah, Grant and even potential huge moves like DeGea sold and Henderson in to compete with Romero.

I only really see Smalling sold, Rojo and Sanchez potentially loaned again or even released and possibly/hopefully Pogba sold, probably under £100m. If that is the case it is unlikely we will even sign a centre back sadly, as we do need a partner for Maguire. Lindelof is bang average, Bailly/JOnes appear injury plagued and erratic and we are yet to see if Tuanzabe can make the step up.

Sadly I think with the virus, we may be unable to move on the number of players we could for the prices we could expect and that will hamper us. I think we will just see two big signings such as Grealish and Sancho which would still be a very good window and definately improve us in terms of finishing in the top four, still think it would leave us short of challening for the title though
While I agree that we probably need to make a few signings of this profile, I don’t agree that any centre half purchase should be amongst those. We have a number of centre halves already, all except one fairly unimpressive or unproven to some degree. IF we are going to go into the market for a centre half, he must be of a different profile I think. Even if he is young, he needs to be from the very top shelf of young player.
 

TwoSheds

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I've no idea if he's any good but that video makes him look like Aaron Wan Centre-backa! Certainly seems to stay really tight to his man one on one and love a meaty sliding challenge but can't say I learned much else from watching (some of) that video.
 

davidmichael

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If we’re selling/releasing Smalling, Jones and Rojo then it’s not a bad shout to sign a highly rated young prospect for €12 million. Obviously centre back is far from a priority with us having Maguire, Lindelof, Bailly and Tuanzebe even if we do sell the three I mentioned but we’d probably pull in £25-£30 million selling those three as well so we don’t lose anything.
 

ehsanul

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If we’re selling/releasing Smalling, Jones and Rojo then it’s not a bad shout to sign a highly rated young prospect for €12 million. Obviously centre back is far from a priority with us having Maguire, Lindelof, Bailly and Tuanzebe even if we do sell the three I mentioned but we’d probably pull in £25-£30 million selling those three as well so we don’t lose anything.
Who will take those 3 clowns?
 

RUCK4444

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I've no idea if he's any good but that video makes him look like Aaron Wan Centre-backa! Certainly seems to stay really tight to his man one on one and love a meaty sliding challenge but can't say I learned much else from watching (some of) that video.
Never trust a CB that relies on a sliding tackle I always say!

Edit; Just watched that highlights video and he doesn't do anything that Bailly isn't capable of when in form. He looks a bit of a bully without much technical quality, wins his fair share of headers but if that's his 'highlights' then he must be quite a limited player.

I would consider taking Smalling back over spending big on this guy.
 
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Cliche Guevara

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For €12 just buy him. If he turns out shit get him to fix the leaky roof or drive Pogba about or something.
 

jesperjaap

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While I agree that we probably need to make a few signings of this profile, I don’t agree that any centre half purchase should be amongst those. We have a number of centre halves already, all except one fairly unimpressive or unproven to some degree. IF we are going to go into the market for a centre half, he must be of a different profile I think. Even if he is young, he needs to be from the very top shelf of young player.
I completely agree, dont know if he is or not as had never heard of him.
 

JJ12

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Jones and Rojo are difficult because of their wages (and injury woes), but why include Smalling with them? It's always strange that some fans include him with them when he's a far better player. We'll easily get a minimum of 10m for him.
Always done my head in when he was lumped in with Jones as the chuckle brothers. Samlling is a very good defender but lacks quality on the ball which has always held him back.
 

RooneyLegend

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He's quality, at that price an absolute steal. A Van Djik/Rio type defender in terms of his cover work and reading of play. As dominant a defender in the air as your likely to find.
 

croadyman

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He's quality, at that price an absolute steal. A Van Djik/Rio type defender in terms of his cover work and reading of play. As dominant a defender in the air as your likely to find.
Yeah if he really is available for a bargain price then signing him is an absolute no brainer.