Romeo Lavia | Chelsea bound?

amolbhatia50k

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Question - for the same fee this lad or Sabitzer? He’s more proven but for me Sabitzer isn’t showing enough. This kid plays deeper which is more what we need even if he’s very unproven
 

croadyman

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Question - for the same fee this lad or Sabitzer? He’s more proven but for me Sabitzer isn’t showing enough. This kid plays deeper which is more what we need even if he’s very unproven
Yeah for same fee then going this guy,however that only happens if Southampton end up being relegated which isn't certain
 

ClassOf'99

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Question - for the same fee this lad or Sabitzer? He’s more proven but for me Sabitzer isn’t showing enough. This kid plays deeper which is more what we need even if he’s very unproven
I wouldn't see it as a like for like in this regard, Lavia is better deeper where Sabitzer is better in the final 3rd.

Ideally I'd love us to get Sabitzer and move on McT & VDB

While also signing Lavia & FDJ, that would give us fantastic cover in all areas.

Lavia - 40m
Sabitzer - 20m (or loan again to save funds :drool:)
FDJ - 60m
Osimhen - 120m

This would be my ideal summer but not exactly realistic
 

croadyman

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I wouldn't see it as a like for like in this regard, Lavia is better deeper where Sabitzer is better in the final 3rd.

Ideally I'd love us to get Sabitzer and move on McT & VDB

While also signing Lavia & FDJ, that would give us fantastic cover in all areas.

Lavia - 40m
Sabitzer - 20m (or loan again to save funds :drool:)
FDJ - 60m
Osimhen - 120m

This would be my ideal summer but not exactly realistic
Yeah sadly not
 

amolbhatia50k

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I wouldn't see it as a like for like in this regard, Lavia is better deeper where Sabitzer is better in the final 3rd.

Ideally I'd love us to get Sabitzer and move on McT & VDB

While also signing Lavia & FDJ, that would give us fantastic cover in all areas.

Lavia - 40m
Sabitzer - 20m (or loan again to save funds :drool:)
FDJ - 60m
Osimhen - 120m

This would be my ideal summer but not exactly realistic
You wouldn’t want a keeper who doesn’t pass it to the opponent at every opportunity or a genuinely good RB?
 

surf

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Only just turned 19 and even younger than Hannibal. Are we sure he's ready for prime time? The last midfielder we signed from Soton underwhelmed.

Having said that, he's a better fit than Sabitzer.
 

ClassOf'99

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You wouldn’t want a keeper who doesn’t pass it to the opponent at every opportunity or a genuinely good RB?
I was trying to stay realistic with pending budget restraints but absolutely.

I would love to see Dalot moved on and either Frimpong/Dumfries signed.

And as much as I love Dave for pulling off the miracle saves I'd love us to sign Raya or Costa for the bolded exact reasoning.
 

Lash

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Question - for the same fee this lad or Sabitzer? He’s more proven but for me Sabitzer isn’t showing enough. This kid plays deeper which is more what we need even if he’s very unproven
Sabitzer isn't showing enough, as he regularly gets paired with someone who leaves him on his own to cover the whole midfield. When he is on the ball, he's positive and gets around the pitch well.

Lavia is a different type of player, we should be getting both.
 

Vapor trail

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Lavia would be a more important fit to the team than Sabitzer. Also it would be better to get in a younger player. That's Casemiro, Eriksen and Fernandes which is not far from an ageing team adding Sabitzer to that would be questionable. The profile of midfielder United need is a progressive ball carrier and a defensive orientated individual to cover Casemiro.

The next signing should be an improvement upon Eriksen which Sabitzer is not. The key should be to improve the overall quality of the team not just add depth. Because as we have seen this season the cut off from United's full fit first 11 to the rotation options is too significant. Sabitzer doesn't even play if the squad is fully fit, Eriksen is the one who needs a squad role to take the team to a higher level because his influence has been sorely missed.
 

Remember the geese

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I have no interest in us signing Sabitzer. I'd look to bring in Lavia and either De Jong, or someone very similar in style to him. I don't see the need for Sabitzer.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Sabitzer isn't showing enough, as he regularly gets paired with someone who leaves him on his own to cover the whole midfield. When he is on the ball, he's positive and gets around the pitch well.

Lavia is a different type of player, we should be getting both.
I think at least one of two needs to be great passer / playmaker. We can’t just keep adding midfielders for the sake of it
 

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Got his first callup for the Belgian NT, very much deserved. A more dynamic version of Witsel if you will. An absolute no-brainer for me to get him.
 

davidmichael

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I’d rather sign Lavia than Sabitzer as from what I’ve seen of Lavia he could be a perfect long term successor to Casemiro whereas Sabitzer is a varied version of our back ups in Fred and McTominay which makes Sabitzer far from a priority or even needed past this season.

If we brought in Lavia then an Eriksen upgrade (Bellingham, De Jong, Bennacer as examples) we could move McTominay and VDB both on and slowly bring Lavia and Mejbri along whilst having Fred and Eriksen as back up to Casemiro plus the Eriksen upgrade.
 

Primex

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Lavia,rabiot and Frankie/barella.
Now that's a midfield for the price of Bellingham.
 

croadyman

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I’d rather sign Lavia than Sabitzer as from what I’ve seen of Lavia he could be a perfect long term successor to Casemiro whereas Sabitzer is a varied version of our back ups in Fred and McTominay which makes Sabitzer far from a priority or even needed past this season.

If we brought in Lavia then an Eriksen upgrade (Bellingham, De Jong, Bennacer as examples) we could move McTominay and VDB both on and slowly bring Lavia and Mejbri along whilst having Fred and Eriksen as back up to Casemiro plus the Eriksen upgrade.
Actually that's a very good plan,think Bennacer is the most realistic out of those options
 

ThatsGreat

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Lavia,rabiot and Frankie/barella.
Now that's a midfield for the price of Bellingham.
Are you going to stack them on top of one another? There's only one box to box midfield position available and if you have the opportunity to get a world class player in that position you do it.
 

croadyman

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Are you going to stack them on top of one another? There's only one box to box midfield position available and if you have the opportunity to get a world class player in that position you do it.
It's alright for you lot to go for him if you win league because your quality on the ball in midfield is superior to us. We are crying out for someone to use it better.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Are you going to stack them on top of one another? There's only one box to box midfield position available and if you have the opportunity to get a world class player in that position you do it.
Our issue more in the buildup phase rather than the attacking link up / hole. Isn’t Bellingham better at the latter than the former anyway?

De Jong, Lavia etc seem to be a better fit for what we neee.
 

Primex

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Can safely say we don't sign 3 midfielders even though I know Rabiot is a free transfer
City has : gunduogan,de bruyne,rodri,Philips, bernando.
Barca has: busquet,gavi,pedri,kessie, Frankie.
I picked rabiot to replace Fred ( if we got the chance),Romeo for mctominiay and de jong for the missing piece in midfield
 

ThatsGreat

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It's alright for you lot to go for him if you win league because your quality on the ball in midfield is superior to us. We are crying out for someone to use it better.
Our issue more in the buildup phase rather than the attacking link up / hole. Isn’t Bellingham better at the latter than the former anyway?

De Jong, Lavia etc seem to be a better fit for what we neee.

He's a 19 year old. If you get him you'll solve a problem for the next 15 years possibly even though he might not be what you need immediately. I think he's out of our price range, otherwise I'd have taken him over anyone else.
 

SAFMUTD

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He's definitely one to get if/when Southampton gets relegated. Top talent and would be a great understudy for Casemiro.

Not sure if he'll agree to just be a back up option though as he left City due to lack of playing time.
 

amolbhatia50k

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He's a 19 year old. If you get him you'll solve a problem for the next 15 years possibly even though he might not be what you need immediately. I think he's out of our price range, otherwise I'd have taken him over anyone else.
Or he may not solve a problem that could be solvable by a more suitable player. I don’t know, I just want to us sign a playmaker. Maybe I haven’t seen enough of Bellingham but he doesn’t strike me as a good fit for Bruno and Casemiero but someone who would replace Bruno which isn’t happening.
 

Mainoldo

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City has : gunduogan,de bruyne,rodri,Philips, bernando.
Barca has: busquet,gavi,pedri,kessie, Frankie.
I picked rabiot to replace Fred ( if we got the chance),Romeo for mctominiay and de jong for the missing piece in midfield
If this is a numbers game we have

Casemiro
Eriksen
Mctominay
Fred
Bruno
Sabitzer
Van De Beek.

We need to trim the fat and add first teamers. Not trim the fat and add more fat.

Rabiot works depending on who else we sign. Lavia works depending on who we sign.

Sabitzer just doesn’t work unless we sell everyone and are left with two midfielders.
 

2mufc0

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Not really impressed with this guy, he's good at running around and hacking players down but hasn't shown much on the ball.
 

amolbhatia50k

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He's a 19 year old. If you get him you'll solve a problem for the next 15 years possibly even though he might not be what you need immediately. I think he's out of our price range, otherwise I'd have taken him over anyone else.
I understand that he’d be this long term investment and everyone loves a position / role done and dusted for the foreseeable future. However personally I’m a lot more interested in elevating the collective with the right cogs that it needs than fixing a position with possibly not the best fit but a great player. The whole let’s add him and then well see has let to a lot of our issues.

When I look at Casmeiro who is defensively superb and a pretty good but not fully reliable passer under pressure, and Bruno who is an energiser bunny who is hyper creative and productive in the attacking third but sloppy / prone to turnovers in the buildup, it’s obvious to me that we need controllers in midfield who have that class in their weight of pass and playmaking - like a Lisandro Martinez of the midfield (gosh that would be lovely) to just slow things down have time on the ball and pop it about easing pressure. Maybe I’ve not seen enough of Bellingham and he’s capable of it but he seems a lot more box to box and guns blazing and I don’t think it’s the tonic our midfield needs. Personally, I’d rather add two players who can help us in the buildup phase.
 
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daba

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I understand that he’d be this long term investment and everyone loves a position / role done and dusted for the foreseeable future. However personally I’m a lot more interested in elevating the collective with the right cogs that it needs than fixing a position with possibly not the best fit but a great player. The whole let’s add him and then well see has let to a lot of our issues.

When I look at Casmeiro who is defensively superb and a pretty good but not fully reliable passer under pressure, and Bruno who is an energiser bunny who is hyper creative and productive in the attacking third but sloppy / prone to turnovers in the buildup, it’s obvious to me that we need controllers in midfield who have that class in their weight of pass and playmaking - like a Lisandro Martinez of the midfield (gosh that would be lovely) to just slow things down have time on the ball and pop it about easing pressure. Maybe I’ve not seen enough of Bellingham and he’s capable of it but he seems a lot more box to box and guns blazing and I don’t think it’s the tonic our midfield needs. Personally, I’d rather add two players who can help us in the buildup phase.
Agree. We need Lavia to back-up Casemiro and a De Jong-esque midfielder to help control games and retain the ball.

IMO if we add that we don’t need to buy a Bruno back up, as we’ll have Eriksen and Sancho who can fill in when needed.
 

adkb

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If ETH wants him then its a no brainer, but ETH does not want him then I wish him a good injury free career as he looks extremely promising!
 

avgp_1

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Not really impressed with this guy, he's good at running around and hacking players down but hasn't shown much on the ball.
He doesn't run around and hack players, he is a proper #6. Gets fouled more often than he commits them ffs.

Takes up good positions when covering the defence, uses his strength to win the ball and doesn't go diving into challenges, pretty composed on the ball, hardly hurried and can play passes through the lines as well. Just like most young players can have lapses of concentration which are to be expected ofcourse.
 

SAFMUTD

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Number one target from Southampton when they get relegated.

Hopefully were interested.
 

croadyman

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Agree. We need Lavia to back-up Casemiro and a De Jong-esque midfielder to help control games and retain the ball.

IMO if we add that we don’t need to buy a Bruno back up, as we’ll have Eriksen and Sancho who can fill in when needed.
Yeah that's exactly what we need,however Luckhurst seems to suggest we are only buying one. Obviously that significantly changes if the Qatari deal is sorted by the summer.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Agree. We need Lavia to back-up Casemiro and a De Jong-esque midfielder to help control games and retain the ball.

IMO if we add that we don’t need to buy a Bruno back up, as we’ll have Eriksen and Sancho who can fill in when needed.
That should be the aim. This kids mix of tenacity, athleticism and quick feet would in addition to a playmaker take us up several notches. Really hope we are interested - he looks class. He has time on the ball which is something we need more of.
 

bosnian_red

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Question - for the same fee this lad or Sabitzer? He’s more proven but for me Sabitzer isn’t showing enough. This kid plays deeper which is more what we need even if he’s very unproven
Sabitzer is likely around 15m, Lavia will be 35-45m even if they get relegated I'd bet. Still Lavia anyway.
 

ClassOf'99

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If this is a numbers game we have

Casemiro
Eriksen
Mctominay
Fred
Bruno
Sabitzer
Van De Beek.

We need to trim the fat and add first teamers. Not trim the fat and add more fat.

Rabiot works depending on who else we sign. Lavia works depending on who we sign.

Sabitzer just doesn’t work unless we sell everyone and are left with two midfielders.
I honestly don't understand this love/want of Rabiot, we have already approached the player and it was becoming a sh*tshow so we pulled out.

That hasn't changed, him and his mum will most likely bring a circus and disruption to what seems to be a settled dressing room.

That bolded statement is hyperbole at it's finest, from what I've seen from Sabitzer both at club & national is he's a forward thinking midfielder who we are playing deeper, he hasn't played beside Case for any real length of time to see what he can do, which he recently showed what he's capable of for Austria.

If we are going by your example of trimming the fat.

VDB & McT out that leaves 5 midfielders for 3 positions.

Sign Lavia & FDJ for example we're back to 7.

With 45-65 games a season, potential for lengthy injuries and suspensions 7 is perfect cover.

Casemiro/Lavia
FDJ or Bellingham or*New 8*/Eriksen/Fred
Bruno/Sabitzer/Eriksen
 

Sparky Rhiwabon

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If this is a numbers game we have

Casemiro
Eriksen
Mctominay
Fred
Bruno
Sabitzer
Van De Beek.

We need to trim the fat and add first teamers. Not trim the fat and add more fat.

Rabiot works depending on who else we sign. Lavia works depending on who we sign.

Sabitzer just doesn’t work unless we sell everyone and are left with two midfielders.
The good thing about Sabitzer is that he can play lots of positions so is a good squad player if he’s cheap enough

McTominay and Van de Beek should be the first to go out of that lot.

Casemiro, Eriksen and Bruno should obviously stay.

Fred and Sabitzer are maybes