Replacing Casemiro

Yes - your point is understandable. I think in the summer he will only have 1 year on his contract so if Saudi can offer him 2 years, it makes sense for him to go. Also - if he doesn’t play at all (like his current situation), then he willl struggle to find a club when his current deal expires in 2026. Alternatively, he may decide that the money he will get from Man Utd is good enough for him and be happy to sit on the bench till 2026 and then retire.

The trouble with old players isn't just about them running out of steam. It's also about them understanding their body inside out. That means knowing fully well their limitations, what makes it tick and what's more likely to get them injured. There's also that element of him being a football legend which means that clubs are expected to treat him with respect and would look bad if they don't. It happened to us with Bastian whom we were expected to treat him like some icon even though he was dog shit for us from almost game 1.

Casemiro is getting the best of both worlds. He's getting these cameos, he's staying out of the fans ire while being paid handsomely for them. That means huge money in a safe environment without no real controversy around it. On the other hand he's keeping himself away from injury. Once these 2 years are of then rest assured that some club will get him. There's the MLS, Saudi, the new rich (ex Como) or every Brazilian dream ie to retire back home even if he'll be on pocket money.
 
What did you expect? We spent 70m on a 30 year old DM and then we went on giving him a 4 year contract. DMs are heavily reliant on work rate and yet we foolishly believed that a 30 year old DM whose got more wear and tear then a Hawker Hurricane plane after WW2 will be our top player for 4 more years while playing in the most physical, fast paced and demanding league in the world. That's silly on so many levels.

We really need to go back to the basics. For example a DM that can't run, a goalkeeper that can't save a shot or a striker that is not cynical in front of goal are as useful as bull tits.

Well yeah think I said it in the post, I expected this.

And I don’t doubt his professionalism at all, it was just inevitable that he would find it difficult at United as he lost half a yard and the set-up of the team itself has been a complete joke.
 
Harsh.

Thought he was very good - and very committed - in his first season. From the outside he seems to have remained professional even though his legs can't do it like they could. Madrid are expert sellers, they'd have known he only had one more big season in him and cashed in at the right time.

Not questioning his professionalism at all,
 
Surely Casemiro's replacement would need to be £40m or less, we have too many holes to fill to spend any more?
I don't think we need a replacement. We aren't challenging for the league for a couple of years. We very likely won't be playing in Europe next season. We won't be playing the amount of games we did in '99 for instance so we don't need a huge squad. Ugarte, backed up by Collyer and some of the back-ups to other positions should be perfectly adequate.
 
Casemiro has been replaced, as seen yesterday what we need is an Eriksen replacement.
Not sure we even need to buy a replacement for Eriksen either. It looks like Fernandes will be playing in midfield now and Mainoo as a 10. Since Fernandes rarely ever misses a game I think we could back him up with a decent youngster like weve done with Ugarte and Collyer. Jack Fletcher or Moorhouse maybe. Plus we can move Mainoo around if need be.
 
I don't think we need a replacement. We aren't challenging for the league for a couple of years. We very likely won't be playing in Europe next season. We won't be playing the amount of games we did in '99 for instance so we don't need a huge squad. Ugarte, backed up by Collyer and some of the back-ups to other positions should be perfectly adequate.
Agree 100%, was surprised we have a thread about replacing Casemiro with all these expensive options, Collyer is looking like the in house option
 
Has to be Baleba for me. Can rotate with Ugarte or play next to him.
 
Maybe the young African midfielder we signed? Could he be trained and prepared for the CM role we have been crying my out for since Carrick and Scholes retired
 
His replacement needs to be a deep lying playmaker. A really good passer and someone who can dictate play. We’ve already got a destroyer and ball winner. We need someone who can pass a ball. A younger Eriksen.
 
Seeing Newcastle with B guimares (Brazil international) and S tonali (Italy international) makes me cry at how bad our midfield is.
 
Doubt we'll get Baleba. If he's available then there will be a bidding war with clubs that can offer CL football.

It will probably be someone like Hjulmand, but I'm more impressed by Mastantuono and Ederson.
 
May as well use him as a striker at this point, he would probably do a better job than the 2 who we have now. He can't be any worse and we don't have to worry about him not having legs to run back.

He is good in the air and will help in corners and free kicks, no point him sitting on the bench on his wages.
 
May as well use him as a striker at this point, he would probably do a better job than the 2 who we have now. He can't be any worse and we don't have to worry about him not having legs to run back.

He is good in the air and will help in corners and free kicks, no point him sitting on the bench on his wages.

Yeah tell him to just stay in the box
 
If we manage to move Casemiro on and Eriksen leaves then I’d say promote Kone and bring Douglas Luiz in on loan for a season, with our financial situation we need to be clever with loans and promoting youth whilst I’d also bring Angel Gomes in on a free as he’s shown for England and the CL for Lille that he’d at least be a squad option here and we’re crying out for creativity.
 
If we manage to move Casemiro on and Eriksen leaves then I’d say promote Kone and bring Douglas Luiz in on loan for a season, with our financial situation we need to be clever with loans and promoting youth whilst I’d also bring Angel Gomes in on a free as he’s shown for England and the CL for Lille that he’d at least be a squad option here and we’re crying out for creativity.
Don't think Angel Gomes fits the physical requirements of what Anorim demands...but would love to see Angel back
 
Don't think Angel Gomes fits the physical requirements of what Anorim demands...but would love to see Angel back
You could say the same for Fernandes and Garnacho who are both easily muscled off of the ball but I think Gomes’ lack of physical strength is often exaggerated as I’ve seen Gomes play in a midfield two and be brilliant as he finds spaces so not easy to press or muscle off the ball.
 
You could say the same for Fernandes and Garnacho who are both easily muscled off of the ball but I think Gomes’ lack of physical strength is often exaggerated as I’ve seen Gomes play in a midfield two and be brilliant as he finds spaces so not easy to press or muscle off the ball.
I think he’s a no brainer. Would add some needed technical ability and creativity as well as cover at CM and AM. If he doesn’t work out we could easily sell him for 25-30m as profit after 1-2 seasons.
 
Ederson or Hjulmand should be the targets IMO. Both fit the profile that I think Amorim would be looking for in terms of technically proficient players that are tall, physical and can cover grass quickly. Obviously he had the latter at Sporting which would help. Both I'd imagine would be in the £50m-£60m range.

Outside of that - Baleba would maybe be the next option if he's in a similar price range. I'm still a bit less convinced by him than the other two but he is a little younger and obviously proven somewhat in the PL. Although I think given Brighton's pretty strong financial situation, astuteness in negotiation and the Caicedo deal being something they'll use as a barometer I think he might cost a bit more than that.

Cheaper option below that / more of a risk given recent form + fitness and with less overall potential would be Douglas Luiz.
 
Ederson or Hjulmand should be the targets IMO. Both fit the profile that I think Amorim would be looking for in terms of technically proficient players that are tall, physical and can cover grass quickly. Obviously he had the latter at Sporting which would help. Both I'd imagine would be in the £50m-£60m range.

Outside of that - Baleba would maybe be the next option if he's in a similar price range. I'm still a bit less convinced by him than the other two but he is a little younger and obviously proven somewhat in the PL. Although I think given Brighton's pretty strong financial situation, astuteness in negotiation and the Caicedo deal being something they'll use as a barometer I think he might cost a bit more than that.
Would Hjulmand alongside Ugarte be expansive enough. I like him as a player.
 
Would Hjulmand alongside Ugarte be expansive enough. I like him as a player.

Perhaps not although I feel like both are more capable passers than their stats suggest. But it would certainly give you great defensive solidity and energy in the middle.

It depends how much the midfield partnership is required to move the ball here, in Amorim's system you'd usually see this more in the wide areas and from the outside CB's. If Bruno can drop into the midfield at times to help with progression I think that could work as well.

But yeah maybe Hjulmand too close to Ugarte (he did after all replace him in that role at Sporting and instead you had Nunes and then Braganca alongside each to be a bit more capable on the ball). Ederson would be the one dream signing IMO.
 
Perhaps not although I feel like both are more capable passers than their stats suggest. But it would certainly give you great defensive solidity and energy in the middle.

It depends how much the midfield partnership is required to move the ball here, in Amorim's system you'd usually see this more in the wide areas and from the outside CB's. If Bruno can drop into the midfield at times to help with progression I think that could work as well.

But yeah maybe Hjulmand too close to Ugarte (he did after all replace him in that role at Sporting and instead you had Nunes and then Braganca alongside each to be a bit more capable on the ball). Ederson would be the one dream signing IMO.
That would be my worry as well.
As for an expansive/progressive player to replace Casemiro, and I believe we should go for the young and reasonable, I would suggest Hayden Hackney at Middlesbrough. He offers plenty on the ball through both passing and carries, great vision/creativity, has the work-rate and agility, and has proven himself over several seasons in very physical league as the Championship. Only 22 so there should also be potential for improving further, but he looks more than ready to make the step up to the PL.
I'd say that he would supplement our other options very well next season (Ugarte, Mainoo, Collyer) - and could be a steal for say £20-30m if Boro don't achieve promotion.
 
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What about Douglas Luiz? Juve bought him for £42.3m, so I expect that he could be available for around that price.
 
You could say the same for Fernandes and Garnacho who are both easily muscled off of the ball but I think Gomes’ lack of physical strength is often exaggerated as I’ve seen Gomes play in a midfield two and be brilliant as he finds spaces so not easy to press or muscle off the ball.

True. Let's hope Ineos have him under consideration. Angel will have loads of interest though
 
That would be my worry as well.
As for an expansive/progressive player to replace Casemiro, and I believe we should go for the young and reasonable, I would suggest Hayden Hackney at Middlesbrough. He offers plenty on the ball through both passing and carries, great vision/creativity, has the work-rate and agility, and has proven himself over several seasons in very physical league as the Championship. Only 22 so there should also be potential for improving further, but he looks more than ready to make the step up to the PL.
I'd say that he would supplement our other options very well next season (Ugarte, Mainoo, Collyer) - and could be a steal for say £20-30m if Boro don't achieve promotion.
I haven't watched him but I like this story of suggestion. There's a lot of talent in the Championship
 
That would be my worry as well.
As for an expansive/progressive player to replace Casemiro, and I believe we should go for the young and reasonable, I would suggest Hayden Hackney at Middlesbrough. He offers plenty on the ball through both passing and carries, great vision/creativity, has the work-rate and agility, and has proven himself over several seasons in very physical league as the Championship. Only 22 so there should also be potential for improving further, but he looks more than ready to make the step up to the PL.
I'd say that he would supplement our other options very well next season (Ugarte, Mainoo, Collyer) - and could be a steal for say £20-30m if Boro don't achieve promotion.

I haven't seen him but would be up for someone if that profile.

The problem is this club and a big chunk of its fanbase are transfer snobs.

It's either a big name or an overseas player they've never heard of. Something that sounds interesting.

But good players, proven in our own leagues, it's too straightforward, too boring for the club and fans.
 
His replacement needs to be a deep lying playmaker. A really good passer and someone who can dictate play. We’ve already got a destroyer and ball winner. We need someone who can pass a ball. A younger Eriksen.

Chelsea used Jorginho + Kante / Kovacic quite successfully with a 5 ATB system. I assume this is what you mean by a younger Eriksen. We'll play a playmaker + runner / destroyer combination in the midfield with Ugarte and the new CM. But Ugarte isn't a Kovacic / Kante style ball carrier. I know people think of Kante as a DM but his ability to drive forward with the ball was insane and he was a lot more well rounded than people give him credit for. I think Ugarte + a young Jorginho for example, will not have the same results as a Kante + Jorginho.

I'd prefer a Matic / Rodri / Carrick myself to replace Casemiro and an younger Eriksen to replace Eriksen's role in the squad. I'm not sure where that leaves Ugarte. He's also a bit of a specialist player like Fred .. he's not good enough to change the whole structure of your midfield to accommodate him but also he's good enough that we don't really need to replace him.
 
I haven't watched him but I like this story of suggestion. There's a lot of talent in the Championship
I haven't seen him but would be up for someone if that profile.

The problem is this club and a big chunk of its fanbase are transfer snobs.

It's either a big name or an overseas player they've never heard of. Something that sounds interesting.

But good players, proven in our own leagues, it's too straightforward, too boring for the club and fans.
Yeah, I definitely agree. We should explore it more actively. Plenty of very good players has come through the Championship in the previous years; Olise, Wharton, Watkins, Bowen, Gyokeres, Eze, Joao Pedro, Bellingham (we did try with him to be fair) and theres probably someone I'm forgetting.. Even our very own Daniel James proved to be a profitable piece of business for us.
I think that buying from the championship represents a lower risk but not necessarily a lower reward.

Regaring Hackney I'd say that he could do Wharton-like trajectory and adapt to the PL like a duck to water. Optimally he could've been a better aerial player, as we're lacking in that department, but other than that I believe he would be a very good fit for us.
 
Yeah, I definitely agree. We should explore it more actively. Plenty of very good players has come through the Championship in the previous years; Olise, Wharton, Watkins, Bowen, Gyokeres, Eze, Joao Pedro, Bellingham (we did try with him to be fair) and theres probably someone I'm forgetting.. Even our very own Daniel James proved to be a profitable piece of business for us.
I think that buying from the championship represents a lower risk but not necessarily a lower reward.

Regaring Hackney I'd say that he could do Wharton-like trajectory and adapt to the PL like a duck to water. Optimally he could've been a better aerial player, as we're lacking in that department, but other than that I believe he would be a very good fit for us.
Hackney would be a good player. Also maybe we could look at Chelsea who don't seem to care about their players and loan either Lavia or Ugochukwu (with buy option)?
 
Yeah, I definitely agree. We should explore it more actively. Plenty of very good players has come through the Championship in the previous years; Olise, Wharton, Watkins, Bowen, Gyokeres, Eze, Joao Pedro, Bellingham (we did try with him to be fair) and theres probably someone I'm forgetting.. Even our very own Daniel James proved to be a profitable piece of business for us.
I think that buying from the championship represents a lower risk but not necessarily a lower reward.

Regaring Hackney I'd say that he could do Wharton-like trajectory and adapt to the PL like a duck to water. Optimally he could've been a better aerial player, as we're lacking in that department, but other than that I believe he would be a very good fit for us.
Some truly fantastic talents in the championship, Wharton looks a top player shame about his injury, would definitely keep an eye on him.

There’s also Bellinghams Brother and even Chris Rigg, both of these or Hackney would add to our squad.
 
Has to be a progressive passer next. Ugarte offers almost nothing with his passing, and other than Bruno we have no one that can threaten teams from deeper or quicken the pace of build up.

Good news is there are a huge amount of players we can find out there that fit the mold if the team scouts well enough. Doesn’t have to be an obvious name.
 
Hackney would be a good player. Also maybe we could look at Chelsea who don't seem to care about their players and loan either Lavia or Ugochukwu (with buy option)?
Yeah, we need two new CMs I think. If Chelsea would do a reasonable loan+option deal for Lavia (highly doubt that though) I wouldn't be against it. Personally not that impressed with Ugochukwu, yet. If only a loan deal it should be for someone more "proven" than Ugochukwu.
Some truly fantastic talents in the championship, Wharton looks a top player shame about his injury, would definitely keep an eye on him.

There’s also Bellinghams Brother and even Chris Rigg, both of these or Hackney would add to our squad.
Absolutely. I think Wharton would be a very good player for us, provided he has overcome that injury and comes back as the player he was. Would probably be to expensive now though.
Yeah for sure, very interesting players them to, I just think that Hackney will fill a deeper hole and give us a more imidiate impact - but they are surely destined to bigger things than the Championship I would say, and I wouldn't minnd signing them as well.

Has to be a progressive passer next. Ugarte offers almost nothing with his passing, and other than Bruno we have no one that can threaten teams from deeper or quicken the pace of build up.

Good news is there are a huge amount of players we can find out there that fit the mold if the team scouts well enough. Doesn’t have to be an obvious name.
I agree. And I do think Hackney will offer exactly that. In the Championship he ranks as having the most Progressive Passes, most progressive passes in to the Penalty area, second most progressive passes into the final 1/3, second longest progressive passing distance among midfielders, second most through balls.
 
Absolutely. I think Wharton would be a very good player for us, provided he has overcome that injury and comes back as the player he was. Would probably be to expensive now though.
Yeah for sure, very interestin

Yeah probably, but I would keep him on the list as could always add another quality CM, think him and Ugarte would be a stonewall partnership.

Think we need to be sneaky, hopefully with this new look INEOS approach and Wilcox experience in the Championship with Southampton and Citys HOYD we will see more of these type signings.
 
IMO, and with the current PSR/economic situation we're in, i think we're in for a period where we focus on youth and young prospects. A CM covered by Ugarte, Mainoo, Bruno, Collyer is what we'll see, and any purchases will be in the u24 bracket. I'm thinking players like Chris Rigg, or even promoting our own youth in time, with players like the Fletchers, Sékou Koné etc. I'd be surprised if we spent big money on any close to prime age player here. We need a functioning striker, anything else would be based on future potential imo.