Should we sell David De Gea?

[Kerry Donaghy]

Clearly I was talking about standing by him during his current deal, as you say the club have only just deemed him fit to be given such a contract, so to then ask for him to be sold on the back of Henderson looking half decent seems a bit far fetched to me.

It's not just because Henderson is playing well though is it, it's because De Gea has been woeful also.
I'm not even that bothered about Henderson, that's a bonus, I just think we should replace De Gea anyway.
When he was having a nightmare last season, everyone was saying it was because of the distraction of the contract negotiations (which by the way was the most hideous excuse I've ever heard).
Well that's sorted now and he's still woeful, so what next...?
Accept 5 more years of mediocrity out of loyalty?
We're not a charity, we're supposedly an elite level football club.

 

[OverratedOpinion]

We sell him, use the money to buy a new left back. The left back flops and Henderson is average. De Gea lifts the Champions League in 3 years and is in the European team of the season.

Or

We keep him and he performs okay but we end up having to let Henderson go who goes on to quickly surpass Dave's current level.

Or

We keep him and he finds top form again and Henderson goes onto have a decent Ben Fosteresque career.

Or

We sell him, he declines massively and Henderson becomes a top keeper, we also use the money from the sale and buy a brilliant young player who goes on to be vital for us.

Any of the above can happen. I reckon option 3 is probably the most likely.

 

[reddevilchennai]

Any offers above 25 million and we should sell. He's 29 years old and is playing well now but his form was shocking for a while. Henderson looks solid.

I hope he stays as he's an immense gk, but if we don't have CL football next season, then his heart is just not gonna be fully in it to stick around.

25 million for the one of the World class player in our squad & top 5 GK in the game now?
Going by your value, is Pogba worth 40m or 50m?

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

For sure, if there's a club willing to take his wage and offer 25m+. His best days are gone.

 

[Gary_Walsh_Nou_Camp_Hell]

100% yes but no top team would take him. PSG perhaps but other than that, can’t think of another team

Inter...

 

[Tiber]

Should we sell our best player?

Hmmm.....no? This thread is nuts.

 

[BeforeKeanetherewasRobson]

On his good days, he's great. On his bad days, tends to lose us a goal, sometimes directly but also has knock on effect on defence as doesn't come for crosses - defence needs to know what's theirs and what's the goalies. Distribution average too and in modern game (pass it out), need goalie who can pass it better.

If we could get £50m AND add to transfer pot, I'd take it.

(I get the concerns about whether Henderson would cut it at United but what's the alternative, let him go? We moan when other clubs buy players from so called 'smaller' clubs and say 'why didn't we take that chance?".

Also, Sheffield Uniteds defensive record is same as ours, goals conceded. He must play a part in that?)

 

[wolvored]

I would up Hendersons wage and loan him for another season, with the promise he becomes No 1 or we will agree to sell him. If hes the real deal then we can sell De Gea. Pitch the deal around £40 million and hope for at least £35 million. If hes a one season premier wonder and De Gea refinds his form then we sell Henderson and De Gea stays.

 

[soapythecat]

Should we sell our best player?

Hmmm.....no? This thread is nuts.

DDG hasn't been our best player for a few seasons. He is one of the highest earners and I don't feel he warrants such a wage. I'd swap him for Henderson in the summer, without question.

 

[CM]

If we can get a decent wedge for him, absolutely.

I don't think we'll be fielding many offers for de Gea with his current contract situation though. If PSG aren't interested I doubt anyone else would be while he's on 300 grand a week.

 

[AaronRedDevil]

Its mad how people flip instantly. Yeah I think we should sell him now, it would be good timing and give united an extra bit of money on top of it. Plus they have Dean who looks solid and Romero has proved himself plenty of times. But to say he hasnt been good for a Few seasons and think hes crap now. It's just funny. He's been saving our asses countless times!

 

[NotoriousISSY]

I think it would be a logical time to sell if a good offer came in.

But he remains one of the best keepers in the world, but he is well out of fashion. Not quite good enough with his distribution to be called the best, and many notable errors in the last 12 months.

That being said, only he can save some of the shots he regularly saves.

 

[padzilla]

How could we sell him? He's the highest paid player in the league with many years on his contract, if he doesn't want to go then we could be stuck with him. To be honest, there are many bigger problems than him at the moment but we used to excel at identifying when a player had just peaked and moving him on and then replacing him without it impacting on the squad. Now when a player has peaked and is just slightly past his best we reward him with a new lucrative long term deal.

 

[-Supreme-]

Its mad how people flip instantly. Yeah I think we should sell him now, it would be good timing and give united an extra bit of money on top of it. Plus they have Dean who looks solid and Romero has proved himself plenty of times. But to say he hasnt been good for a Few seasons and think hes crap now. It's just funny. He's been saving our asses countless times!

So you are mad how people flip instantly but you think we should sell him now?

And to say Dave has gone downhill over the past few seasons shouldn't be a surprise either

 

[meamth]

De Gea being woeful..ffs.

It's not at Calamity James level isn't he?

8 out 10 times he is consistent enough. Maybe this agenda of De Gea being woeful is because his distribution isn't as good as Alisson. Simply put, you're wet over Liverpool's goalkeeper.

Henderson would he lucky if he can be half as good as De Gea.

 

[AaronRedDevil]

So you are mad how people flip instantly but you think we should sell him now?

And to say Dave has gone downhill over the past few seasons shouldn't be a surprise either

It’s a shame you couldn’t grasp what I meant in the first sentence. Since he’s still one of the best gk in the world, Dean can’t wait on the bench for next season, he’ll need first team games soon and we’ll probably lose him if he doesn’t sign a new contract. It’s what’s best for longevity and money wise. So now would be a good time to sell De Gea. So I’ll try and explain it again. It’s aimed at people who think he’s gone downhill and yet he performs brilliantly most of the time. Still makes saves no one else does. Fan base is toxic as hell lately.

 

[-Supreme-]

It’s a shame you couldn’t grasp what I meant in the first sentence. Since he’s still one of the best gk in the world, Dean can’t wait on the bench for next season, he’ll need first team games soon and we’ll probably lose him if he doesn’t sign a new contract. It’s what’s best for longevity and money wise. So now would be a good time to sell De Gea. So I’ll try and explain it again. It’s aimed at people who think he’s gone downhill and yet he performs brilliantly most of the time. Still makes saves no one else does. Fan base is toxic as hell lately.

Well it's even more illogical to sell Dave if you firmly believe he is still the player like he was a few years ago and been performing consistently at a high level, who at 29 can still provide at least 4-5 years at the top level. and to replace him with a young GK when he has only had 1 decent season in the PL?

 

[billybee99]

25 million for the one of the World class player in our squad & top 5 GK in the game now?
Going by your value, is Pogba worth 40m or 50m?

This really needs to stop. He is nowhere near world class right now. The inability of people on the Caf to give honest assessments of our players is truly staggering. He has been an average keeper for almost 2 years now.

 

[AaronRedDevil]

This really needs to stop. He is nowhere near world class right now. The inability of people on the Caf to give honest assessments of our players is truly staggering. He has been an average keeper for almost 2 years now.

 

[seegoblu]

Sell Dean with a buyback clause that expires in 2023 (the year that DDG's contract ends). That way you do the right thing for Dean by giving him first team football elsewhere and preserve the option to have him succeed DDG when his time is up.

 

[billybee99]

Oh, you think Dave has had a good couple of seasons since the world cup? You are one of the delusional fanboys in this thread that still think DDG is playing at a high level. I think I was being generous in calling his play average.

 

[Aarron Swift]

Could be controversial for some and understandably so. De Gea is a club legend and been a fantastic player for the club, he’s our highest base salary earner and looking at contributions from each ,ember of the squad over their United career he deserves that.

I think summer could be right time to sell based on both on and off the pitch reasons

De Gea will be 30 next season (not old for a goalkeeper I know). However we will need to start thinking about a replacement in the next few years regardless. What is a real possibility is that Dean Henderson leaves permanently in that time and we’ve missed out on a credible next Number 1 and would them have to pay a fee for a replacement, likely £70m+ after Man Utd Tax is added on and that seems the rate for Top Goalkeepers now.

De Gea is still fantastic but errors have slipped into his game, what we have seen is with the improved defenders in front of him, he hasn’t had to pull the 10+ save games to keep us in games for a long time now. I’m not suggesting Henderson is as good a goalkeeper as De Gea, just that Henderson being in goal wouldn’t be an issue.

It’s possible I think to the right club (Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, PSG, Bayern) to command maybe £60m for De Gea still, this value will obviously drop rapidly every year 30+ years of age. Added to the fact that Dean Henderson as a replacement would cost £0. Would also be replacing a Goalkeeper earning £375,000 base salary a week with one currently on £25,000, however I’d assume he’d get an improved contract taking him to around £75,000.. thats £15,600,000 off the wage bill.

I don’t really want De Gea to leave as he’s been brilliant for United over the past 9 years, everyone has a right time though

Positives to replacing De Gea with Henderson in Summer 2020
- £60m Transfer Fee in / £0m Transfer Fee Out: Net Spend -£60m
- De Gea Leaving is say 3 years £20m Transfer Fee in / £70m Tansfer Fee Out for Replacement: Net Spend £50m (Figures estimates based on Man Utd Tax, Inflation of Transfer Fees and Fees for other Top Goalkeepers recently)
- Premier League Proven Goalkeeper as replacement
- £15,600,000 a year off the wage bill (We disgustingly have the highest wage bill in the league and that has to be addressed)
- Henderson registered as a home grown player
- United have a good core of English players so the over chemistry in the background could improve (not implying De Gea has any issues there at all) but would have a core of club and international team mates
- Replaced an ageing Goalkeeper with a younger one
- If Henderson flopped we can buy a new goal keeper the summer or 2 after, we’d have had to spend money replacing De Gea if we kept him any way

Negatives to replacing De Gea with Henderson in Summer 2020
- Henderson not proven at a club with pressure and scrutiny of Man Utd
- Drop in ability between Goalkeepers (who knows if that proves a significant drop)
- Would be saying goodbye to a Club Legend

 

[2 man midfield]

Keep Romero for another year, send Henderson back to Sheffield with the promise that he’ll take over if he keeps up his good form. I’d be very surprised if De Gea retires here.

 

[Scholsey2004]

If Henderson doesn't get to start for us next season he'll get an offer he can't refuse from somewhere. There are some big names being linked with him. PSG have been looking for a top class keeper for a while now. I'd be inclined to drop a few hints that de Gea might be available.

 

[diarm]

I'd be inclined to agree. De Gea is the best shot stopper I've ever seen but is average enough in other areas of his game and I wouldn't like to see him being the reason Henderson goes elsewhere. I always want more in terms of leadership from a keeper and I think we've struggled in that respect with De Gea here, even if his miraculous saves have got us out of the fire on numerous occasions. Perhaps a better leader and organiser wouldn't have had to so often.

Romero is a quality back up and could rotate with Henderson while he is settling at the club. The team is crying out for more personality and character - Henderson seems to fit the mould we're looking for and he'll be hungry to succeed at United, rather than flirting with Madrid or someone else every summer.

 

[RedDevilRoshi]

I'd be inclined to agree. De Gea is the best shot stopper I've ever seen but is average enough in other areas of his game and I wouldn't like to see him being the reason Henderson goes elsewhere. I always want more in terms of leadership from a keeper and I think we've struggled in that respect with De Gea here, even if his miraculous saves have got us out of the fire on numerous occasions. Perhaps a better leader and organiser wouldn't have had to so often.

Romero is a quality back up and could rotate with Henderson while he is settling at the club. The team is crying out for more personality and character - Henderson seems to fit the mould we're looking for and he'll be hungry to succeed at United, rather than flirting with Madrid or someone else every summer.

Agree with this.

 

[Welbeckham]

We should’ve sold him a long time ago, but now it’s too late.

 

[Mark Pawelek]

I think De Gea's wages are a symptom of United's big club envy. For some reason, we feel obsessed with meeting wages paid by Real, Barca, or PSG to their top players. Even when a player doesn't merit it. Rooney, De Gea, Sanchez and Pogba are examples. De Gea got his super contract even after his form began to dip. Sanchez's form at Arsenal, in his final season, was nothing like as good as the season before he left. It's as if United's management are marks for crafty agents. Please stop buying mercenaries. There are only 2 superhuman players in the world. They are both aging. World class player is a mostly a myth. There may be seasons or tournaments when a player is 'world class', but only 2 players managed world class careers in recent years.

We should definitely replace De Gea if we can. Rather than keep a few 'world class' stars I'd rather we cut all the dead wood and just aimed for a whole squad of premier league winning class.

 

[André Dominguez]

Pretty much like everyone said: unless PSG opens the wallet and pays his massive wage, can't see him leaving the club.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

How good is Henderson?

 

[davidmichael]

To be honest I’d be all for selling De Gea and Pogba in the summer as we could pull in around £170 million for the pair if there were serious takers (PSG, Juve, Real) and both men’s replacements in Henderson and Fernandes are already at the club.

I get both De Gea and Pogba are arguably our best two players and on their day are world class but as seen with Coutinho/Liverpool selling your best player and using the money well can be best for the team as a whole.

We need Sancho, Grealish and a quality defensive midfielder which revamps our starting 11 so we’re looking at between £200-£250 million and if most of that can be made by selling De Gea and Pogba then I’m all for it, I think Henderson has less to do than De Gea if we sign a quality defensive midfielder who’s job is to protect the defence and we have a balanced starting 11 so De Gea wouldn’t be as missed as maybe some think.

 

[Zed 101]

People seem to forget that DeGea (a bit Pogba-esque although with more dignity) has repeatedly agitated for a move back to Spain, I am not sure his wage is the biggest stumbling block TBH, he would not go somewhere and play for peanuts but would need a lower equivalent wage for Spain to keep as much and it is not like his other half is not worth a fair bit either, they are hardly going to be begging charity.

I am happy if DeGea goes, but selling a player is different, I think it would be wrong to actively tout him to other clubs, but say Real came sniffing with a decent offer, he would be off in a heartbeat and I think we should let him out of respect for his service to the club, and out of the long term interest of the club.... IMO Henderson is our future no.1 and we need to ensure that he is able to become that, rather than holding on to a player whose form has definitely declined over the last couple of seasons, or moreover, losing Henderson and having to look for a DeGea replacement..... Top class goalkeepers are not that easy to come by

 

[Devil81]

If Henderson doesn't get to start for us next season he'll get an offer he can't refuse from somewhere. There are some big names being linked with him. PSG have been looking for a top class keeper for a while now. I'd be inclined to drop a few hints that de Gea might be available.

Chelsea are on the look out for a new keeper so wouldn't be surprised if they were tempted by Henderson.

 

[El Zoido]

Sell Dean with a buyback clause that expires in 2023 (the year that DDG's contract ends). That way you do the right thing for Dean by giving him first team football elsewhere and preserve the option to have him succeed DDG when his time is up.

No way, he’s good enough now. Been the best goalkeeper in the league this season and would be an upgrade on De Gea imo. DDG has been phenomenal for us but he’s regressed. He’s a good goalkeeper on a massive salary, but he does have some big deficiencies to his game.

 

[RedBanker]

The number of people baying for De Gea to be sold is very high on here. Sad because I thought he has been fantastic for us throughout our piss poor campaigns. Last year's victory against Tottenham where he faced and saved how many shots? Wasn't that the match which showed a lot of people how good a tactician our caretaker manager was? I feel pity for those who want him sold honestly. Yes he has dipped and he seems more rooted to his line than ever. But that's nothing that cannot be improved or ironed out still. He saved us from utter humiliation time and again with the chuckle brothers in front of him. And now we want him decked off. And buy who exactly? Allisson or a prime Neuer? It seems everyone has already decided that Henderson is a better keeper than DDG. What are the grounds for such a wild assumption?

 

[Vault Dweller]

Not for me. Bring Henderson back and let them compete for the jersey, let's see who deserves it. Competition is never a bad thing, those who prove they can handle it deserve to stay.

 

[ManchesterYoda]

If we get a big offer, 100% YES.

 

[Dante]

We've shored up the defence in the last season or two.

Back when DDG was at his most valuable, he was saving impossible shot comings in from stupidly defended positions.

These days, we don't concede such easy chances, so there's not as big a need for a supernatural shotstopper.

The last season or so, most of our goals conceded are from counters and setpieces. In the current team, a sweeper-keeper and commanding aerial presence in goal would be the best option. DDG is neither. Henderson is at least the latter. With decent DM to help with the sweeping, we'd almost certainly be a better team with Henderson between the sticks.

I'd sell De Gea whilst his saleable value is still high. He seems to be declining in reaction times, which is frankly all he has. He could become a white elephant if we're not careful.

 

[darko]

Nonsense. Do not sell him.

 

[Lastwolf]

As soon as we agreed to pay him +300k a week, there was no way we can sell, he simply will not get that anywhere else, so he won't want to move.

If we were interested in selling, we would have done it last summer, there's zero chance a 29 year old goalkeeper "on the decline" will have people biting our hand off to the tune of £40-50mil. Real at the height of their hardon for him didn't want to pay us that much.