Cr7 hardly stretches play yet Sancho is thriving.....
Potential striker signings (who aren't named Højlund)
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Would you say he is thriving as much as he did with Haaland or Paco?
There's a really interesting thread on the subreddit r/soccer called Wunderkind Watch. I've been really curious about Charles De Ketelaere recently as a potential option for us as a deep lying striker with physicality (think a cross between Firmino and Havertz). I asked about him here -
Notable reply - ' Yeah he’s fecking amazing, best player in Pro League imo'. Elsewhere in the thread, he and Doku are mentioned extremely positively.
I'm sold. CDK is the one people. I'm calling itHe'll be around £30m as opposed to probably overpriced alternatives like Isak (£70m quoted to Arsenal apparently), Nunez (Benfica don't sell cheap) and David (see Lille and Nicolas Pepe etc.).
That's a pretty good comparison. He can play several positions, is young, scores easily. I'd be happy with him.
Decent striker but that’s it. Trust me on him. Never ever managed to score 20 goals in a season and he is settled there for 4 years and there is a reason for it. Not one outstanding aspect about his game. Don’t know why people rate him. I think people just see his name linked to many top clubs, see some highlights here and there him scoring goals and think he is excellent. He is not. I watch a lot of serie a. He would be eaten up in premier league. Lukaku outshone him in serie A. Isn’t strong, isn’t quick, isn’t even a good finisher. Start watching him regularly and you would understand where I am coming from.
He has the face and name of a deadly striker
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I’d avoid him like the plague. Doesn’t do anything we’d want him to do for us. He’s a perfect Italian league player.
Cheeky bid for Jovic. He is behind Benzema, but is really a great striker.
Thanks. I think the Belgian league is somewhere very much worth looking at for United. We need good value and hungry players. Belgian players do tend to adapt well to the PL too.
Your comment on CDK is in line with what many other Belgian fans on Reddit and suchlike say. I'm increasingly excited about him. I've also seen a little of Maarten Vandevoordt and I think he'll be a top class keeper. If Henderson goes, I would love him to shadow DDG for a season or two with a view to succeeding him.
Anyway, I'm going off topic.
Would you say the team is thriving?
Sancho can mix it up and go outside or look to run in behind the full back, but ultimately he's a playmaker and looks to take the ball into feet and create from there as standard. Overall, United lacks energy and penetrative movement, and could really do with a player who naturally looks to stretch the play - a purposeful runner who's first thought is to get in behind. Look at Elanga's impact in comparison to Rashford's - I saw Marcus as being important for the team as he was the only established player who provided a direct threat, but for a long while now he has refused to consistently play to his strengths, while Elanga has shown what we've been missing.
Kane would exacerbate the problem. He's been dropping off the front line for about four years now - it's simply his game. We need to avoid that.
Darwin Nunez looks an absolute handful last night in a Benfica team that were dominated in the game
He ran the channels well
Dribbled through the Ajax press easily
Always making a movement to the backpost to lose his marker
Looks a great prospect whether we sign him is another thing
He ran the channels well
Dribbled through the Ajax press easily
Always making a movement to the backpost to lose his marker
Looks a great prospect whether we sign him is another thing
Yeah, but there are few talents in the line of Courtois, De Bruyne, Vertonghen, Kompany etc... now in Belgium. They stayed at their club for couple of years, played CL and won titles. Most young players leave before they are 18 now. Koni De Winter for instance can be a top class CB, but he's at Juve. At 18 he's played for them in the CL... Doku is at Rennes, Vranckx at Wolfsburg, Lavia at City...
De Ketelaere is one. Vandevoordt can be very good, but I think he should play for now, not sit on the bench at a big club.
This is why I was confused as to why Martial was sent on loan. In my opinion, he is the best striker we have with his back to goal.
He was sent on loan because he wanted to play and its difficult because Ronaldo is our starter no matter what.
I remember after lockdown when we played our best football I've seen in a long while. That consisted of a front four of Martial (ST) Bruno (CAM) and Rashford and Greenwood (LW and RW).
Martial did a lot of the knitting together, whilst the other three ran in behind. It was an absolute joy to watch.
Barely been true of United at any time since Ronaldo left and certainly never during the post-Ferguson years.
There's a really interesting thread on the subreddit r/soccer called Wunderkind Watch. I've been really curious about Charles De Ketelaere recently as a potential option for us as a deep lying striker with physicality (think a cross between Firmino and Havertz). I asked about him here -
Notable reply - ' Yeah he’s fecking amazing, best player in Pro League imo'. Elsewhere in the thread, he and Doku are mentioned extremely positively.
I'm sold. CDK is the one people. I'm calling it
He is very much a false 9 in the Firmino/Havertz style, yeah. I don't know whether we'll end up with that type of forward. It really depends on what our new manager wants (Ten Hag seems to prefer target-man no.9; and Pochettino seems to prefer a conventional one too)
I watched the Benfica - Ajax game and I’m convinced by Darwin Nunez. Looks a really powerful striker with good technique. Reminded me slightly of Rooney in a way.
Didn't ten Hag use Tadic as a false 9 for a season or was that a different manager?
Good point, actually. That was the season they made the semi finals of the CL - I think it was a mix between false 9 Tadic + Dolberg upfront
Yeah. Either way, I think we'd be getting someone who is good with their back to goal.
Apparently Rangnick is a big admirer of Patrik Schick, who is currently the second highest goalscorer in Europe, with 20 goals.
Anyone know much about him? Playing style, etc.
No. Yet that has no relevance to what we are discussing. Our team isn't thriving because we don't have a gelled compatible first team starting cb pairing. We still don't have a starting natural defensive midfielder to help balance the midfield. Plus our attack is comprised of players who not only haven't played together for long. Have had Sancho settling in, Rashford in the worst form of his life and a returning Cr7 trying to hold it together. Whilst Cavani is awol with injury and fate has robbed us of greenwood who could have comfortable addressed Rashford's shocking slump..
As for what we are disccussing. Sancho is flying along side a 37 year old CR7 dropping deep. No ifs buts or maybes. So it makes no sense to claim he'd suddenly be worse of with a Kane type aged 25-29 doing the same things.
Second, its Rashford's awful form that's the issue here. Not having a 9 that drops deep. Sancho will always be the creative wideman who can strethch play with pace if need be. Meaning the winger/wide attacker on the opposite flank should be more direct. Elanga shows what Rashford simply no longer does any more. Greenwood would have shown it better but fate has him out the lime light. It has absolutely nothing to do with needing a speedy, bulldozing 9. Having one would still not compensate for Rashford's awful performances. Nor make us as a team play any better that our squad does now
Not forgetting our biggest problem in attack for years has been not being able to consistently stretch teams on both flanks. We though buying Sancho would address that. But he has just proved another left side attacker. Leaving us still with a mostly dead right flank. Save for when Elanga or Greenwood start with a Dalot.
Rather What we actually need to do is get this current useless Rashford as far away from the team as possible. Sancho has found his niche on the left. Now we need a direct attacker on the opposite wing to him doing the business. Now that we have lost greenwood. We can as well go and sign a Raphinha type as elanga develops
One of the main criteria in my head over the next manager is if they are available to use a false 9 as a tactic.
That doesn't mean that I don't want them to use a normal striker, it's just that I want him to be able to use false 9 as a tactic tactic if we do have that player in our squad or is bought in the future.
There's certain managers who show that and some managers who don't.
It gives a good indication to what type of strikers they might buy and the type of football we play in the future too. For example Jose Mourinho can't use false 9 so bought Zlatan and Lukaku. Conte is similar. Ive hardly seen Pochettino use false 9 either (only after injuries) so I feel like I know what type of strikers he would bringing too at his next club.
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He looks quality, top goalscorer in his league aswell quite comfortably, doesn’t really say much in the Portuguese division but he’s only 22 and can improve still massively. If we got him we’d have a front 3 for years… sancho, Nunez and elanga.
Who's that massive lad for Burnley? Weghorst?
Him. Love a massive lad up top
Him. Love a massive lad up top
There's a really interesting thread on the subreddit r/soccer called Wunderkind Watch. I've been really curious about Charles De Ketelaere recently as a potential option for us as a deep lying striker with physicality (think a cross between Firmino and Havertz). I asked about him here -
Notable reply - ' Yeah he’s fecking amazing, best player in Pro League imo'. Elsewhere in the thread, he and Doku are mentioned extremely positively.
I'm sold. CDK is the one people. I'm calling it
Never actualy heard of him. Doku would be my first choice signing for the right wing though. He and Sulemana who we were linked with before his move at Rennes both look hugely talented and love how they both like to run at players too, something we havent really had for a while out wide
If you remember the Euros, it was him that scorede the goal v Scotland from the half way line pretty much.
I really liek him, think he has been under rated for a while.Tall, strong, good at holding the ball up and he has really good technique too, his goal scoring record is poor though which is quite surprisign with his technique.
Really good and unde rated striker but shouldnt be a target for us in my opinion
Surprised he went to Burnley. Few months back he was linked to much bigger clubs.
Strange move although he fits their style of play like a glove!
Yeah, how could I forget? An amazing goal!
If you don't think he should be a target, then who, apart from Haaland, would you say should be?
He was brilliant against us.
This is where all the scouting + RR experience has come together to find us someone who is ready to hit the ground running.
Give CDK a look. He's increasingly looking like a smart option to me. Shouldn't be much more than £30m and can play ST/AM/CM and on the wings very solidly indeed. I'm advocating buying him AND another striker as I think Ronaldo will want to (and should) leave this Summer. Let's get De Ketelaere AND Nunez/David/Ekitike/Schick.
I love Sulemana. He just looks ready made for the Prem too. Doku is exciting but I'm slightly less sure of him than Sulemana (maybe due to the injuries). Either would be incredibly exciting though. Rennes are superb on the recruitment side.
Schick has some RVP thing going on. He looks really good both in terms of scoring and his all around play.
I've always been a big fan of João Felix, would love him here but think he's more suited to City (unless we get the right manager and style of play). His likely fee would make it difficult though. He's also not a big goalscorer, hence why he's suit City where his skill brings out more from players around him. Still young though and may develop that side of things.
I also was really impressed by Correa against us the other night. For such a small guy he was a menace and is the type of player that is useful to any team.
Gouiri looks interesting too from the limited times I've seen him.
I've always been a big fan of João Felix, would love him here but think he's more suited to City (unless we get the right manager and style of play). His likely fee would make it difficult though. He's also not a big goalscorer, hence why he's suit City where his skill brings out more from players around him. Still young though and may develop that side of things.
I also was really impressed by Correa against us the other night. For such a small guy he was a menace and is the type of player that is useful to any team.
Gouiri looks interesting too from the limited times I've seen him.
Depending on how we want to set up, I'd be quite up for Richarlison. I'm not entirely sure what striker we want though.
So glad I read this thread, I didn’t know many of these names… my best idea was trying to buy Werner cheap and seeing if he could revive him
Thought about him as well. For a tall guy, he's incredibly rapid.
However, still very inconsistent and a lot to improve on.
On the other side, he's scored against the likes of Bayern and Barca, so he can do it against the some of the best already.
Would like to see how the rest of the season pans out for him.
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Joao Felix will be too expensive for any club in EPL other than City, United and Chelsea.
TBH Im struggling, I really dont think there are many beyond the obvious Haaland that isnt happening and Kane who would be more a waste of transfer resources than Rice in my opinion as cost a similar fee which is ridiculous considering his age.
Personally it would be Giouri of Nice. Prolific youth player, followed him since a youth tournament think it was Euros years ago where he looked superb. He had a big injury very early on at Lyon breaking through but has come back at Nice and looks ready for a big move. Seen a few links with Liverpool annoyingly. £35-45m I would guess.
I actually think we should be looking very strongly at the French league. Been some relative flops such as Soumare so far but Maxim and Fofana have been superb in the premiership. I was gutted Camavinga went to Madrid and gutted Nuno Mendes went to France to PSG (especially with how poor Shaw is this season so far) as I think they are two players already at a godo level with the potential to be huge, but Doku, SUlemana, Ugochuckwu, Caqueret, Kamara, Giouri all look like realy good young players, Tchuanemi strangely barely seen, but he seems highly rated, same with Cherki. Apart from centre back I think we could literally rebuild our problem positions from Ligue 1 and on paper at least, every one of those players looks like good value for the expected fees unlike the vast majority of talente English players at the moment
Im probably very much on my own, but with the Greenwood situation and Cavani going, unless we are throwin ghuge money at the likes of Kane, I wouldnt mind Ronaldo for another season to help bed in a new young striker.
Yes I love both, Sulemana we really missed a trick on. Never heard of him with the links but I have watched Rennes a fair amount since following Camavinga and the games I have seen this season, he really does look to have huge potential. With Gashford, Elanga and also Sancho looking better on the left, sadly cant see it happening but I think he will be at a huge club within the next couple of years.
If Henderson goes, I think with only Heaton as back up we should be all in for Vandervoordt as opposed to some of the young English keepers including an ool done of ours (forgot his name). Not certain but I reckon £10m odd would get him and he looks very promising, with good feet and a great assuring presence already
If Ronaldo, Martial, Cavani, Greenwood all go this summer, we will probably need two strikers just as we need two central midfielders in my opinion. I think SHick would be a prudent second choice striker but as our number one I am not so sure, the goal scoring record is just too weak.
Felix is so talented but fee wise he would probably cost more than anyone considering the Haaland/Mbappe situations.
Gouiri is to a degree a gamble, but definately my choice. I remember starting a thread a few years back of the ideal summer and named him then when he was just starting out for Lyon. Was also Upamecano, Bissaka in his first season at Palace, Sancho and ALan Guimaraes. Remember getting slaughtered for making the names up haha...no there reall yis an Alan Guimaraes, wonder what happened to him as not heard of him for an eternity (I do think I named a couple more really iffy ones looking back though)
Would love a striker in Tevez's profile.