Squad building - 26/27

Bastian

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So it seems we're back to 4231, maybe a 433 depending on the next manager (head coach), but there's been a change regardless. We've had another season of realising who is definitely not up to the task and another year of seeing who cannot be depended on with regards to availability. Hardly any youngster has been given a chance to stake a claim and the younger first team players have not improved in any significant way on last season.

Our playing out from the back (when we do) is still slow, still dependent upon Martinez being available in order to pass through the lines and take the ball under pressure. Our defending as a collective still suffers from lack of pace and physicality. And our play in the attacking third is still not focused, more individual based.

The easy calls: Sell Rashford. Sancho, Casemiro, Malacia, Heaton all out of contract. Sell Hojlund.

The easy calls, but tricky: Sell Onana. Sell Bayindir. Sell Ugarte. Sell Zirkzee.

The tough calls: Sell Martinez with a year left on his deal. What would be an acceptable fee? He cost us 50m. I would say sell De Ligt, but he's obviously not going to be sought after when his footballing career is a question mark. What I would say is definitely not count on him. We've got Yoro who has not developed any further from last season, and Heaven who's had little chances to impress, and a 33 year old Maguire who has missed 10 matches this season through injury (we've got 40 matches overall). Then there's Mason Mount. He has missed 9 matches this season through injury, but those injuries are three separate injuries. He missed 23 matches last season and 26 the season before that. All in all he has been a disastrous signing, while he's a classy player and a workhorse. If possible, we should sell. He cost us 55m three years ago, if that payment was spread over 5 years, we've got 22m left. I can't see us recouping that, but I'd sell or loan with a mandatory buy-option if that facilitates a move (we might have to subsidise the wages too).

So what do we have to build on? Not too much.

GK
We've got a goalkeeper who looks and plays like a goalkeeper. The single biggest improvement in our team in the last three years. We do need an understudy. Do we go for another top professional senior player like Heaton or do we give Vitek a genuine chance here?

Defense
We've got two non-stellar right backs, one of whom is always available and the other of whom is the better player, but more injury prone. We've got one left back in Shaw who has amazingly stayed fit this season, but clearly should not be depended upon for a 50-60 match season. He's in his final year of contract. If there is interest, it would be very tempting to move him on. There is not a single defender one thinks is a starter for a top team, but de Ligt is closest to it if fit, and Martinez could do a job in a lesser league for a Real or Barca (fitness permitting).
There is a lot of work to be done here. And this is where we decide what kind of a team do we want to be. Do we want to be a team that can press high, use a high line and have players comfortable with defending vast areas? Do we continue to compromise on certain physical attributes in a season where the onus on set pieces is what it is?

Midfield
This is even more obvious than the defense. Casemiro leaving, Ugarte being shite, Mainoo being sort of good but still not looking like any sort of certainty for a top team's first XI. We only have three central midfielders. It's madness really. And reports are we'll sign two. If money wasn't the barrier, we should be signing three, but hopefully at least one of our academy products will make the step up to the senior side next season. Again, who we go after will signal what sort of a football team we want to be. We've not had a good level of press resistance, ball carrying, or passing range in possession, nor recovery pace and strength in duels out of possession. We cannot go for players who are only good in possession or out of possession.

Attack
As with the GK, this area is coming along better. We're still not really functional in the final third, collectively. We're still relying on individual magic. But we've got more players to produce said magic. Now if we get in a top coach who can actually coach the team in the final third, we've got some exciting tools for him to work with. Amad is way better than he's shown this season. Mbeumo and Cunha are both quality additions. And Dorgu, under Fletcher and then Carrick, was becoming a special part of the team. Hopefully that continues next season. We're still short in terms of players capable of taking players on, as it's really just Amad and Cunha, but this is probably the area of the team where there are more youngsters knocking on the door and it is a bit easier to give them chances, like Lacey and, next season possibly, JJ Gabriel.

The lesson we should most definitely be learning from the last few years is to not buy players without having a coherent vision and not make compromises on the required attributes players have to possess. It is better to build slower than it is to build poorly, as it will only lengthen the wait for us to emerge as a top team again. So I would rather draw on youth than to buy average players that are "good opportunities" in the market.

I'd love an outstanding left sided forward and a new first XI right back with one of the other two sold, while the other serves as backup, but I'd prioritise the spine of the team with three first XI players in two midfielders who tick all the boxes and a centre back who ticks all the boxes. If that takes up almost all of the budget, so be it. Hopefully we are being savvy with targeting 17-19 year old talents too, that potentially could soon-ish become squad players.
 
GK:
It's true that we could do with a better backup in case of injury or loss of form for Lammens. He's been good, but you never know if he'll catch the second season syndrome. Plus, a challenging backup would keep him on his toes. Sell Onana to fund a replacement.

RB:
The idea that Mazraoui is the better player compared to Dalot is highly debatable. They have the same floor, but Dalot has a higher ceiling when playing on the right. Maz has been quietly poor this season amid low playing time, and the Leeds performance was nothing unusual. I wouldn't mind him leaving to fund a direct swap like we did with AWB.

LB (Priority):
Shaw is not who he used to be and shouldn't be retained, even on lower wages. Sell and replace. Still unsure about Dorgu's performances there, so it would have been nice to be able to trial him in that position again before the end of the season, to see if we should buy experience there or someone to challenge him.

CB:
We're set with Maguire, Martínez, De Ligt, Yoro, and Heaven, even if one or two get injured. Yoro has been poor lately and should be below Heaven in the pecking order, but it's most likely a second season syndrome thing.

MF (Utmost priority):
With Casemiro gone, we cannot let Ugarte leave too, even if he's a liability on the field right now. We need to sign two midfielders so we have at least four with Mainoo.

AMF:
Bruno, Cunha, and Mount can all play there. Ideally, we would sell Mount if we could, but no one is under any illusions.

RW:
Mbeumo and Amad are enough.

LW (Priority):
Cunha doesn't feel natural there, so we really have no one for the position. Dorgu should only play there in matches where his energy is needed higher up the pitch. I wouldn't be against Rashford coming back, or selling him to fund a replacement. Another loan would be unacceptable.

CF (Priority):
Sesko has done better there in recent weeks, but we'll want someone else to rotate with. Zirkzee is no good in the position, and I'm not sure Hojlund would do better. Both should leave to fund a replacement.


So that’s at least five players we need for our next open heart surgery. With so many of them hinging on sales, I think we’ll only get two midfielders, since Casemiro is already leaving, a left winger because Rashford already has a foot out of the door, and a centre forward,since Hojlund is also on his way out.
 
If we do end up in the CL won’t that give us a great deal more cash to facilitate the transfers we need? We did well last summer without Europe this year, hopefully we can get a nice boost to make another 3-5 decent signings
 
....................................Sesko......................................
.....................................NEW.......................................
....................................................................................
Cunha.........................Bruno........................Mbeumo
NEW.............................NEW.............................Amad
....................................................................................
.......................NEW...................NEW..........................
.......................NEW.................Mainoo.......................
....................................................................................
Dorgu...................NEW..........NEW......................Maz
Shaw....................Heaven.......Maguire..............Dalot
.....................................................................................
..................................Lammens..................................
......................................NEW.......................................

That's what we need if we're going to make a legitimate title push and reach the late rounds of the CL.

I have no doubt that the club are going to continue to rely on Martinez and de Ligt, who are both lost causes, and that's going to hinder us.
 
Todd said:
....................................Sesko......................................
.....................................NEW.......................................
....................................................................................
Cunha.........................Bruno........................Mbeumo
NEW.............................NEW.............................Amad
....................................................................................
.......................NEW...................NEW..........................
.......................NEW.................Mainoo.......................
....................................................................................
Dorgu...................NEW..........NEW......................Maz
Shaw....................Heaven.......Maguire..............Dalot
.....................................................................................
..................................Lammens..................................
......................................NEW.......................................

That's what we need if we're going to make a legitimate title push and reach the late rounds of the CL.

I have no doubt that the club are going to continue to rely on Martinez and de Ligt, who are both lost causes, and that's going to hinder us.
Click to expand...
All those new players and we stick with the same full backs? Our full backs are mediocre at best.
 
I think we need at least 5 signings.

Backup keeper
Starting left back
2 x starting CMs (ideally I’d prefer 3)
Backup Striker


Hopefully sell Onana, Bayindr, Rashford, Zirkzee, Ugarte to add funds
 
Todd said:
....................................Sesko......................................
.....................................NEW.......................................
....................................................................................
Cunha.........................Bruno........................Mbeumo
NEW.............................NEW.............................Amad
....................................................................................
.......................NEW...................NEW..........................
.......................NEW.................Mainoo.......................
....................................................................................
Dorgu...................NEW..........NEW......................Maz
Shaw....................Heaven.......Maguire..............Dalot
.....................................................................................
..................................Lammens..................................
......................................NEW.......................................

That's what we need if we're going to make a legitimate title push and reach the late rounds of the CL.

I have no doubt that the club are going to continue to rely on Martinez and de Ligt, who are both lost causes, and that's going to hinder us.
Click to expand...
I don’t think we will do much at the back this season transfer wise but agree on the rest. Dorgu will be back up for Cunha and perhaps Leon/ Amass will be added to the 1st team
 
Being realistic:

GK
Starter - Lammens
Depth - Altay
No big deal here. Replace altay if he wants to go, backup keeper doesn't matter much.

RB
Starter - Dalot
Depth - Mazraoui
I wouldn't change this. Not perfect, but not horrible. Have other priorities.

CB
Starters - De Ligt, Martinez
Depth - Maguire, Yoro, Heaven
Nothing will change this summer I don't think, probably a focus for 27/28. We'll limp through but really need De Ligt to come back. It's in a really bad state with him out.

LB
Starter - Shaw
Depth - Dorgu, Amass
Also a 2027 thing. We'll limp through next year with Shaw and Dorgu rotating. Maybe Dorgu becomes the long term guy, maybe Amass develops more

DM/CM/10
Starters - Bruno, Mainoo, New signing
Depth - Mount, New signing, youth player?
Sounds point towards 2 signings here. Needs a top starting DM and then another as competition to replace Ugarte who is probably leaving.

LW
Starter - Cunha
Depth - new signing, Dorgu*
Dorgu on occasion is fine, but I think he's more left back. Need a top winger to compete with Amad and Cunha, to actually have top potential to surpass them

RW
Starter - Amad
Depth - Mbeumo*, Lacey, the new left wing signing to be able to play on both wings
Mbeumo will be more depth for CF I think. Lacey hopefully some development and can play some easier minutes.

CF
Starter - Sesko
Depth - Mbeumo, new signing
I don't think we're in a bad state up top and I'd probably keep Zirkzee but I think he'll go. He'll do better with a more involved role, which he'll have with more games for rotation. If he wants to go, replace him with an experienced guy like Welbeck.

Summary:
Incoming/promote
  • Starting DM to replace Casemiro
  • Depth DM to replace Ugarte
  • Winger who can compete with Cunha & And and actually run with the ball
  • Depth CF to replace Zirkzee
  • A youth CM fringe minutes
  • Lacey for RW fringe minutes
  • Amass for LB fringe minutes
Outgoing
  • The loan players
  • Casemiro
  • Ugarte
  • Zirkzee
I don't think doing more than that is realistic tbh. The 3 main signings we'll have to make will easily total 200m alone. Squad is ok otherwise depth wise if this happens i think. Need to be aware of our current financial issues and take the opportunity for some stability, focus on staying in the CL next season and pay off transfer debts... Then build stronger in 2027/28 when we'll have to address the defence and upgrading others in midfield/attack.
 
acnumber9 said:
All those new players and we stick with the same full backs? Our full backs are mediocre at best.
Click to expand...

In reality, it's not reasonable to expect four new starters this summer, let alone six.

I see the centerback issue far more pressing right now. Licha is unreliable and the writing is on the wall that de Ligt, at best, will never be the same again and at worst is dealing with chronic, career-jeopardizing condition. Both shouldn't be seen as anything more than reserves for next season.

Maz and Dalot can do a good enough job for now, and I see Dorgu as having loads of potential. And then there's Shaw to consider...
 
Todd said:
....................................Sesko......................................
.....................................NEW.......................................
....................................................................................
Cunha.........................Bruno........................Mbeumo
NEW.............................NEW.............................Amad
....................................................................................
.......................NEW...................NEW..........................
.......................NEW.................Mainoo.......................
....................................................................................
Dorgu...................NEW..........NEW......................Maz
Shaw....................Heaven.......Maguire..............Dalot
.....................................................................................
..................................Lammens..................................
......................................NEW.......................................

That's what we need if we're going to make a legitimate title push and reach the late rounds of the CL.

I have no doubt that the club are going to continue to rely on Martinez and de Ligt, who are both lost causes, and that's going to hinder us.
Click to expand...
What are u doing with Yoro then?
 
sideshow_bob said:
What are u doing with Yoro then?
Click to expand...

I wasn't going to list 3 players for every position but I see Yoro as a squad rotation player. I very much have my doubts that he's ever going to be the world beater everyone expected him to become when we overpaid for him.
 
We have a lot of building to do, as long term a lot of these players are not good enough, or fit enough.

Bruno, Mainoo, Lammens, Amad, Mbuemo, Cunha, Sesko, Dorgu, Yoro, Heaven - those 10 players are at top form good enough for squad
Maguire, Shaw are good enough for a year or two to help
Licha, De Ligt, Mount - are not fit enough, and we can not count on them, but probably can help if we are lucky
Lacey - player we can hope that will be good enough to be squad player next year
Dalot, Mazz, Ugarte, Zirkzee should leave and are not good enough for us. Not sure that we can sell, just that they are not for us if we are building title winning team.

So, we need first of all midfielders. Three midfielders to hope that we got two good ones after adaptation. DM we can not afford to miss.
We need RB and LB that are upgrade to what we have.
So, 5 players on those position this summer, and hopefully one or two kids to explode, or add from scouting network that can help as backups in cups.
 
If I had to write a list of United's squad problems it would be the following

a- a lack of a permanent manager. We need to sort that ASAP because we need consistency.
b- a non existent CM. Ugarte is not good enough while Casemiro is leaving which leave us with just Mainoo
c- lack of width. Most of our wingers love cutting inside rather then cross. Selling our wingers would be stupid so it must come from our FBs
d- Our first team CBs are made up of glass
e- We lack physicality and we're crap in aerial duels especially now that Casemiro is leaving.
f- lack of strength in depth
g- lack of leaders

We have to try and sort all those issues with a big but still realistic budget.

GK: Lammens as no 1 and Vitek as no 2. Sell Bayindir and Onana.

RB: Dalot and Mazraoui will have to make due.
LB: We have potential there (Dorgu, Amass, Leon) but I still think we need to inject some experience there. David Raum would be my choice. He's experienced, he's an amazing crosser of the ball and on top of that his contract expires next season which means we can get him on a more reasonable price.
CB: Our first team CBs are made up of glass and out of the lot only Maguire is great in air. We won't be able to get rid of De Ligt but Martinez is currently fit (though injury prone) and he's got 1 year left in his contract. I'd say selling him makes sense. Cristian Romero might do the trick. He's Spurs captain whose great in air, he's relatively mobile and who has that aggressive style in his game. I am aware of his craziness which he'll need to tone down a bit but there aren't many decent CBs with leadership out there who are EPL proven and wouldn't cost an arm. If De Ligt can't recover from his injury then we might need another CB or we keep Martinez but we only cross that bridge if we need to.

DM: Casemiro will leave a huge void in our CM in terms of experience and aerial prowess. We need a DM that is tall, fast, experienced and EPL proven to bring enough stability and build a CM around him while concurrently not spending too much money on the player. My choice would be Sander Berge. A 6ft5 giant Berge brings aerial prowess, experience, top quality passing range and a level of mobility which is rare for a player of his size. At age 28 he shouldn't cost too much either. With Berge in CM we can focus on younger/less high profile CMs which we can develop to the next level. As cover I'd go for Shea Charles from Southampton.Age 22, a 6ft2 powerhouse whose also comfortable with the ball, Shae can act as cover/competition for both Berge and Mainoo. Hopefully he'll reach his peak around the time Berge starts his decline.

MC: Mainoo is both an opportunity and a problem. There's no doubt about his talent. However he's not mobile enough to be B2B and he hasn't yet developed into an elite ball passer to become United no 1 deep lying playmaker. In such scenario Berge would provide experience while Shae C and Berge (combined) would provide mobility, height and physicality. Both can compliment Mainoo well. I think the 4 CM must be a no 6/no 8 hybrid which would allow him to cover for Berge if Shae takes time to develop while still being able to play as cover/competition for Mainoo. The dream signing is Anderson or Barrios. However I doubt that's even possible. Man Utd Kone would be an excellent addition to the team but he's getting injured a lot lately. Sangare (Lens) seems an interesting prospect. He covers a lot of inches of pitch, he wins a lot of ball possession and he's quite comfortable with the ball though he's not that great in ball progression. Camavigna could be a steal but I'd want Real to loan him to us with an option to buy.. I've yet to understand why so many see Wharton as a copy/paste version of Mainoo. The eye test (as confirmed by Butt and Wes) and the stats do not support that. Sure they might not be the quickest and they'll need time to adapt but we'd have Berge and Shae to help out. What I do know is that Wharton provide amazing passing ability which will miss once Bruno is gone. Also let's face it. On paper the Carrick-Scholes duo shouldn't have worked. SAF himself thought so hence why he added Hargreaves to the mix. Guess what? It was amazing. I haven't lost hope on Baleba. However if we go through that path then Brighton must slap a realistic fee to him (35m-40m with some addons)

LW: All our wingers tend to love cutting inside and do the damage there which is hilarious considering that we probably got two of the tallest STKs in the EPL with Sesko (6ft5), Zirkzee (6ft4) and Obi (6ft2). I think we need someone in the left wing whom while comfortable accepting the bench would still provide something very different to what Cunha and the rest provide. My choice would be Bazoumana Touré. The guy is fast, very fast and he can whip some mean cross. Someone like that could cause huge damage in a counter attack and would finally exploit the inches we've got upfront.

AM: Bruno will hopefully remain and Mount will be his cover with Zirkzee covering the no 10 role if needed. Its far from ideal but Rome wasn't built in a day.

STK: Sesko will be our main guy and I have huge doubt that we'll find a viable buyer for Zirkzee for reasonable money. Maybe we can get Lewandowski for a year as a Larsson type of signing. After all we'd be losing loads of players on huge salary. But I doubt it.

First team

GK: Lammens

DR: Dalot
DL: Raum
DC: Romero
DC: De Ligt

RW: Mbuemo
DM: Berge
MC: Wharton
LW: Cunha
AMC: Bruno

Stk: Sesko

Res

GK: Vitek

DR: Mazraoui
DL: Dorgu
DC: Yoro
DC: Martinez/new guy and Shaw (Heaven on loan)

RW: Diallo
DM: Shae Charles
MC: Mainoo
LW: Toure

AM: Mount/Zirkzee

Stk: Zirkzee/Lewandowski with Chido on loan
 
devilish said:
If I had to write a list of United's squad problems it would be the following

a- a lack of a permanent manager. We need to sort that ASAP because we need consistency.
b- a non existent CM. Ugarte is not good enough while Casemiro is leaving which leave us with just Mainoo
c- lack of width. Most of our wingers love cutting inside rather then cross. Selling our wingers would be stupid so it must come from our FBs
d- Our first team CBs are made up of glass
e- We lack physicality and we're crap in aerial duels especially now that Casemiro is leaving.
f- lack of strength in depth
g- lack of leaders

We have to try and sort all those issues with a big but still realistic budget.

GK: Lammens as no 1 and Vitek as no 2. Sell Bayindir and Onana.

RB: Dalot and Mazraoui will have to make due.
LB: We have potential there (Dorgu, Amass, Leon) but I still think we need to inject some experience there. David Raum would be my choice. He's experienced, he's an amazing crosser of the ball and on top of that his contract expires next season which means we can get him on a more reasonable price.
CB: Our first team CBs are made up of glass and out of the lot only Maguire is great in air. We won't be able to get rid of De Ligt but Martinez is currently fit (though injury prone) and he's got 1 year left in his contract. I'd say selling him makes sense. Cristian Romero might do the trick. He's Spurs captain whose great in air, he's relatively mobile and who has that aggressive style in his game. I am aware of his craziness which he'll need to tone down a bit but there aren't many decent CBs with leadership out there who are EPL proven and wouldn't cost an arm. If De Ligt can't recover from his injury then we might need another CB or we keep Martinez but we only cross that bridge if we need to.

DM: Casemiro will leave a huge void in our CM in terms of experience and aerial prowess. We need a DM that is tall, fast, experienced and EPL proven to bring enough stability and build a CM around him while concurrently not spending too much money on the player. My choice would be Sander Berge. A 6ft5 giant Berge brings aerial prowess, experience, top quality passing range and a level of mobility which is rare for a player of his size. At age 28 he shouldn't cost too much either. With Berge in CM we can focus on younger/less high profile CMs which we can develop to the next level. As cover I'd go for Shea Charles from Southampton.Age 22, a 6ft2 powerhouse whose also comfortable with the ball, Shae can act as cover/competition for both Berge and Mainoo. Hopefully he'll reach his peak around the time Berge starts his decline.

MC: Mainoo is both an opportunity and a problem. There's no doubt about his talent. However he's not mobile enough to be B2B and he hasn't yet developed into an elite ball passer to become United no 1 deep lying playmaker. In such scenario Berge would provide experience while Shae C and Berge (combined) would provide mobility, height and physicality. Both can compliment Mainoo well. I think the 4 CM must be a no 6/no 8 hybrid which would allow him to cover for Berge if Shae takes time to develop while still being able to play as cover/competition for Mainoo. The dream signing is Anderson or Barrios. However I doubt that's even possible. Man Utd Kone would be an excellent addition to the team but he's getting injured a lot lately. Sangare (Lens) seems an interesting prospect. He covers a lot of inches of pitch, he wins a lot of ball possession and he's quite comfortable with the ball though he's not that great in ball progression. Camavigna could be a steal but I'd want Real to loan him to us with an option to buy.. I've yet to understand why so many see Wharton as a copy/paste version of Mainoo. The eye test (as confirmed by Butt and Wes) and the stats do not support that. Sure they might not be the quickest and they'll need time to adapt but we'd have Berge and Shae to help out. What I do know is that Wharton provide amazing passing ability which will miss once Bruno is gone. Also let's face it. On paper the Carrick-Scholes duo shouldn't have worked. SAF himself thought so hence why he added Hargreaves to the mix. Guess what? It was amazing. I haven't lost hope on Baleba. However if we go through that path then Brighton must slap a realistic fee to him (35m-40m with some addons)

LW: All our wingers tend to love cutting inside and do the damage there which is hilarious considering that we probably got two of the tallest STKs in the EPL with Sesko (6ft5), Zirkzee (6ft4) and Obi (6ft2). I think we need someone in the left wing whom while comfortable accepting the bench would still provide something very different to what Cunha and the rest provide. My choice would be Bazoumana Touré. The guy is fast, very fast and he can whip some mean cross. Someone like that could cause huge damage in a counter attack and would finally exploit the inches we've got upfront.

AM: Bruno will hopefully remain and Mount will be his cover with Zirkzee covering the no 10 role if needed. Its far from ideal but Rome wasn't built in a day.

STK: Sesko will be our main guy and I have huge doubt that we'll find a viable buyer for Zirkzee for reasonable money. Maybe we can get Lewandowski for a year as a Larsson type of signing. After all we'd be losing loads of players on huge salary. But I doubt it.

First team

GK: Lammens

DR: Dalot
DL: Raum
DC: Romero
DC: De Ligt

RW: Mbuemo
DM: Berge
MC: Wharton
LW: Cunha
AMC: Bruno

Stk: Sesko

Res

GK: Vitek

DR: Mazraoui
DL: Dorgu
DC: Yoro
DC: Martinez/new guy and Shaw (Heaven on loan)

RW: Diallo
DM: Shae Charles
MC: Mainoo
LW: Toure

AM: Mount/Zirkzee

Stk: Zirkzee/Lewandowski with Chido on loan
Click to expand...

I want to attempt to challenge for the league. Not be another Chelsea experiment.

LB. Lewis Hall (Best case)
CB. Van Hecke
CM. Anderson
CM. Camavinga
LW. Fofana

I secretly do like the thought of Romero though.
 
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Uncle Mainoo said:
I want to attempt to challenge for the league. Not be another Chelsea experiment.

LB. Lewis Hall (Best case)
CB. Van Hecke
CM. Anderson
CM. Camavinga
LW. Fofana

I secretly do like the thought of Romero though
Click to expand...

I think in terms of saving costs, you could buy Senesi instead of Van Hecke. Fofana I have not seen enough, but all others are very doable. Maybe could try for Barcola instead of Fofana. We really need somebody with his dribbling ability to give us a different dimension in attack. But overall this is what we need. Maybe a rotating striker in place of Josh once he leaves.
 
Uncle Mainoo said:
I want to attempt to challenge for the league. Not be another Chelsea experiment.

LB. Lewis Hall (Best case)
CB. Van Hecke
CM. Anderson
CM. Camavinga
LW. Fofana

I secretly do like the thought of Romero though.
Click to expand...
That wasn't another Chelsea experiment at all. It added experienced nodes to positions were experience is needed. I am referring to the likes of Spurs/Argentina captain Romero, 27 year old Raum, EPL proven Berge and Wharton. These players weren't chosen at random either. Romero has the skillset to both cover and compliment De Ligt, Raum add width on the left back role, Berge (alongside Romero) would add height which would mitigate to the loss we'll be suffering soon through Casemiro (leaving) and Maguire (1 year contract left), while that central duo would provide ample experience in CM with a skillset that compliment one another and the players around them. United's first team would be experienced and competitive. Then it added younger players to feed off that experience and which brought a different skillset to what we have. For example Toure is a speedster who can whip an amazing cross. That provides a different approach to what Cunha brings to the table. Shae Charles brings energy and physicality to CM . OK he's not EPL proven but the Championship is no joke either and in many ways its more similar to the EPL (physicality, pace etc) compared to let's say the Serie A. A competitive squad takes in account what we've got. For example we've got two promising CBs who have great pace but aren't exactly great in air. Romero would help that. Berge provides height, pace, physicality and calmness that the like Wharton and Mainoo would need. It was made up of realistic targets that within our budget and which also takes in account our limited budget when compared to our evident lack of strength in depth. Would that squad win the EPL in year 1? Probably not. Would it be competitive and a huge step forward to that? I bet it would.
 
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devilish said:
That wasn't another Chelsea experiment at all. It added experienced nodes to positions were experience is needed. I am referring to the likes of Spurs/Argentina captain Romero, 27 year old Raum, EPL proven Berge and Wharton. These players weren't chosen at random either. Romero has the skillset to both cover and compliment De Ligt, Raum add width on the left back role, Berge (alongside Romero) would add height which would mitigate to the loss we'll be suffering soon through Casemiro (leaving) and Maguire (1 year contract left), while that central duo would provide ample experience in CM with a skillset that compliment one another and the players around them. United's first team would be experienced and competitive. Then it added younger players to feed off that experience and which brought a different skillset to what we have. For example Toure is a speedster who can whip an amazing cross. That provides a different approach to what Cunha brings to the table. Shae Charles brings energy and physicality to CM . OK he's not EPL proven but the Championship is no joke either and in many ways its more similar to the EPL (physicality, pace etc) compared to let's say the Serie A. A competitive squad takes in account what we've got. For example we've got two promising CBs who have great pace but aren't exactly great in air. Romero would help that. Berge provides height, pace, physicality and calmness that the like Wharton and Mainoo would need. It was made up of realistic targets that within our budget and which also takes in account our limited budget when compared to our evident lack of strength in depth. Would that squad win the EPL in year 1? Probably not. Would it be competitive and a huge step forward to that? I bet it would.
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Saying Chelsea was probably confusing. What I was trying to say is the level of quality you listed isn’t going to push us forward. You’re just adding squad depth.

Romero - I said I liked the idea of. Even though I know it would be unpopular. He’s a leader and in the right environment I think his influence will shine more.

Raum - might aswell be Telles as in he’s not going to shift Luke Shaw.

Berge - great skillset but he’s not the level we require to push the needle.

Wharton - should be a top 3/4 main target for us this summer.

Shea Charles - Come on. What are we doing here. Alex Scott, Baleba, Matheus Fernandes. I could list more who should be well above this kid in the pecking order of signings.

Troure - not going to lie to you. Never heard of him. He’ll probably be a top talent in 12-24 months and I’ll say good spot. But again… too much risk.

We don’t know what our budget will be. Under the new financial rules we are very well placed to spend like Manchester City - plus add into this we are losing very high paid players. Rashford, Casemiro, Jadon Sancho. Our only issue is we probably don’t have a lot of “cash” to do these deals, so you’re talking about the credit card again.
 
Uncle Mainoo said:
I want to attempt to challenge for the league. Not be another Chelsea experiment.

LB. Lewis Hall (Best case)
CB. Van Hecke
CM. Anderson
CM. Camavinga
LW. Fofana

I secretly do like the thought of Romero though.
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Hall looks good on the ball, but defensively he is rather suspect imo.
Might be young enough to improve there but not sure.
Romero has his strengths but seems a bit nuts, like Rojo -Bailly levels of anything can happen nuts.
 
We can just sell Onana and Bayindir as we already have Vitek on our books.
He can play all the domestic Cup games next season and challenge Senne in the process.
We need all players fighting for their place if we want to get back where we want to be.
 
Its truly insane to me that people are happy with Dalot has the starting RB. The only reason he should remain the starting RB next season is because we have to essentially rebuild our entire midfield.

If we make CL, and it looks like we will, we need to improve our starting quality and depth and midfield is a gaping hole. We know Cas is gone and Ugarte should be as well. That leaves us with only Bruno and Mainoo...thats it...with maybe Mount filling in as a backup for Bruno. We probably need two starting quality CMs and a third for depth unless an academy player is ready to make the jump or we think we can lean on someone like Collyer (we shouldn't). A midfield rebuild of 3 players in one window is no small feat and will be tough to pull off without spending 200 mil.

After midfield the focus needs to be on:
  • 1B striker to compete with Sesko - we cant rely on him as the solo striker for an entire season again
  • LB - Shaw cant be relied upon as much as we have this season. We've made that mistake before. The big question mark here is Dorgu. Now that we're done with the 3-5-2, do we see him as a winger or fullback.
  • RB - Dalot is trash and Maz cant stay healthy or maintain form. But I doubt we have funds to address this in this window.
  • CB - This shouldnt still be a problem and if we buy another LB, I dont think it is. I would invest in a starting LB, move Shaw to CB. That would leave us with Maguire, the ghost of MDL, Yoro, Martinez, Heaven, and Shaw. Surely even with their patchy injury records that should be enough cover.
I'd love if we ended up with something like:
  • Anderson/Wharton
  • Baleba/M Fernandes
  • Depth CM
  • Vlahovic - Nah, this is probably a bad idea, but I just put him because hes free (wage ask would be crazy). But a more proven forward like this to compete with Sesko.
 
Uncle Mainoo said:
Saying Chelsea was probably confusing. What I was trying to say is the level of quality you listed isn’t going to push us forward. You’re just adding squad depth.

Romero - I said I liked the idea of. Even though I know it would be unpopular. He’s a leader and in the right environment I think his influence will shine more.

Raum - might aswell be Telles as in he’s not going to shift Luke Shaw.

Berge - great skillset but he’s not the level we require to push the needle.

Wharton - should be a top 3/4 main target for us this summer.

Shea Charles - Come on. What are we doing here. Alex Scott, Baleba, Matheus Fernandes. I could list more who should be well above this kid in the pecking order of signings.

Troure - not going to lie to you. Never heard of him. He’ll probably be a top talent in 12-24 months and I’ll say good spot. But again… too much risk.

We don’t know what our budget will be. Under the new financial rules we are very well placed to spend like Manchester City - plus add into this we are losing very high paid players. Rashford, Casemiro, Jadon Sancho. Our only issue is we probably don’t have a lot of “cash” to do these deals, so you’re talking about the credit card again.
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I followed SAF through all his reign at United and I admit that I didn't fully appreciate the guy up until he retired. Some of SAF's decisions felt absolutely bonkers. Take for example the 96-97 transfer window. We went for a cheap goalkeeper from Vitesse, a winger from Barcelona B, two Norwegian nobodies one of which was playing at Molde while the other was a 27 year old CB who was playing in Besiktas,) an old Teddy Sheringham who came in to replace Cantona (which was the equivalent of trying to replace Bruno with Mason Mount) and Karel Poborsky. That was a mid table club type of window. Earlier to that we went on replacing Paul Ince, Kanchelskis and Hughes with Cole and a couple of kids. Nowadays we laugh at Hansen for his 'you can't win anything with kids' jibe but guess what? That line of thought was pretty mainstream back in the day. United's shares plummeted by 25 percent, the fans (including myself) grew restless and even the most optimist of fans felt that a top 4 finish would be a decent result given the circumstances we were in.

Then once he retired I realized something. Football isn't about players. If that was the case then SAF's last side should have never won the EPL title so comfortably. It wasn't about systems either. SAF's earliest take to football was completely different to how he ended at United. It was all about building a balanced side that is built around the rigors of the EPL and which was made up of properly motivated players who were happy with their role. It was ok to have extraordinary players with flaws as long as someone else covered for those flaws. Hence why we won CLs and EPL titles with a CM who couldn't tackle, we had a balon d'or winner as a winger who wouldn't bother tracking back, we had very average players like Phil Neville, John O'Shea, Cleverley and Fortune winning titles, time bombs as stars (Cantona, Keane) who might end the game killing someone on the pitch and we ended this extraordinary reign with great players at the twilight of their career which included a 38 year old something CM fresh from retirement. Meanwhile we tanked despite having two of the finest no 10s of their generation (Bruno and Pogba), big names etc.

Let's understand our situation. We have a limited budget and many boots to fill. Inability to fill those boots will mean running out of steam towards the end of the season and possibly end up were Newcastle are. Now let's analyse each suggested signing

Romero. He's experienced, a leader and he's good in air something our defense lack. He can play both as a stopper and as a ball playing CB and he shouldn't cost loads especially if Spurs get relegated. Romero-De ligt/Maguire is a top class partnership while Romero-Yoro or Romero-Heaven isn't something to scoff at either
David Raum - The LB has two issues a- lack of experience and our LBs inability to whip a cross which is made worse by Cunha preferring to cut inside instead which in turn make the team look narrow. Raum provides both. Raum's cross rate is 34.6 percent which is even better to that of the gold standard ie Dimarco with a 33.7 percent. All our fbs are below the 30 percent threshold with the exception of Mazraoui who produced just 4 crosses. That suggest a player who wouldn't cross a ball unless he's 100 percent sure it will reach the destination. Raum produced 6 assists this season in the Bundesliga and 2 with Germany. He's a hardworking LB who brings versatility (he can play as LB, LW and CM) and experience to the side (36 caps with Germany). Nagelsmann describes Raum as the chewing gum of Germany's nation side ie he gels the squad together. That something we really need in an inexperienced side which will have to face loads of new players coming in. On top of that his contract runs out in 2027.

Berge- Casemiro is a freak of nature who has helped papering loads of cracks. He's great in air which is amazing in a squad that is horrible on that regard. He's also hardworking, he's a great leader and a great passer of the ball. Berge is a downgrade but the same can be said about almost anyone. However he's got a skillset that is quite fascinating. First of all he's 6ft5. Few players can go toe to toe against him in aerial duels. But that's not all. He's a surprisingly good player. He's deceivingly fast for a player of his size, his passing success rate in nearly 90 percent with a 63.7 percent accurate long ball rate. That's almost Rodri like (90 percent and 69.9 percent) and he wins quite a number of duels as well. Berge can play as a DM or as a b2b which gives us options. He can play alongside Mainoo who lacks height and movement, he can play alongside Wharton who is not the most physical player, Baleba whose physical but sometimes struggle with the headless chicken complex and he'll ground Anderson whose amazing but will need someone to tell him when to run. Is Berge WC? No he is not. However if we think we'll win the league with two 22 year olds in CM who has almost no experience playing side by side then we're deluded. We'll need experience there and Berge can easily be our CM answer to what Teddy Sheringham was back then ie an experience/respected head who could ease the pressure in an experienced CM base.

Shae Charles - with Berge in the team we'll need someone to come in and accept the bench while being talented enough to step in and do well when we need him. Shae has the talent but lacks the reputation. At 6ft2 he certainly got the size and the physicality to compliment Mainoo and Anderson. He wins duels (57.3 normal duels and 54.8 aerial duels), his passing can improve but is not shabby either. There's a great talent there. On top of that its done at the Championship which technically is inferior to the EPL but is the closest to it in terms of physicality and intensity. His contract runs out next season so he shouldn't cost a lot. There had been loads of excellent players from the Championship from Bale to John Stones right to the likes of Wharton, Cahill, Vardy and Toney. As said before technically its inferior to the EPL but its a gruesome league to play in in terms of physicality and intensity.

I think United's main issue forward wise is that we're too narrow. Our fullbacks aren't great in crossing the ball while our wingers are inside forward ie they love to cut inside and cause damage. That's a shame considering that we possibly have one of the tallest forward lines in the EPL with Sesko (6ft5), Zirkzee (6ft4) and Chido (6ft2 and still growing). Bazoumana would help alleviate that. He is considered alongside the more expensive Yan Diomande as the most talent promising winger in the Bundesliga. He's 20 years old, he's currently 5th in terms of assists in the Bundesliga, 5th in terms of top speed (though first in terms of sprints) and 4th in terms of successful crosses from open play. If we sub Cunha with Toure then the game changes radically. The guy could run from one penalty box to the other at a blink of an eye which would panic any defense in transition and he can whip a mean cross. Put Toure alongside Raum and suddenly United gains plenty of width on the left side that we lack. He's currently valued at around 40m. That's hardly a huge price either.

Wharton - I would rather sign Anderson but Wharton isn't a bad signing either. First of all he's not a Mainoo's copy. His strengths (duels, possession won, progressive passing etc) are Mainoo's weakness and viceversa. Secondly we need someone who can dictate tempo something Wharton can do. Finally there's something about his style that reminds me of a young Carrick.
 
I just wish United would go about squad building the obvious and sensible way. There are signs this is starting to happen but we seem to try and build a squad in the most complicated fashion. Like there are bonus points for doing it in a alternative manner.

France routinely produces the best talent. So naturally we completely ignore that market for a decade.

If we want to target young forward talent just do a simple search of who is scoring/assisting around Europe.

Kroupi is on 10 goals in the EPL at 20 years of age.

Touré at Hoffenheim on 11 assists at 20.

Don't sign attackers with poor stats. It's wishful thinking to believe they'll suddenly step up.

Don't go for young players at CB or CM. They need to be in or close to the prime years.

Simple stuff.
 
European football be a huge strain on this squad, the lack of depth and how injury prone the likes of De Ligt, Mazraoui, Martinez, Shaw and Mount are man’s it’s going to be tough to get back into those Champions League spots.

5-6 signings is the bare minimum required, good chance we don’t even get that many, but I’d have a backup keeper, the best fullback available, 2-3 midfielders and a winger as the biggest priorities.
 
devilish said:
I followed SAF through all his reign at United and I admit that I didn't fully appreciate the guy up until he retired. Some of SAF's decisions felt absolutely bonkers. Take for example the 96-97 transfer window. We went for a cheap goalkeeper from Vitesse, a winger from Barcelona B, two Norwegian nobodies one of which was playing at Molde while the other was a 27 year old CB who was playing in Besiktas,) an old Teddy Sheringham who came in to replace Cantona (which was the equivalent of trying to replace Bruno with Mason Mount) and Karel Poborsky. That was a mid table club type of window. Earlier to that we went on replacing Paul Ince, Kanchelskis and Hughes with Cole and a couple of kids. Nowadays we laugh at Hansen for his 'you can't win anything with kids' jibe but guess what? That line of thought was pretty mainstream back in the day. United's shares plummeted by 25 percent, the fans (including myself) grew restless and even the most optimist of fans felt that a top 4 finish would be a decent result given the circumstances we were in.

Then once he retired I realized something. Football isn't about players. If that was the case then SAF's last side should have never won the EPL title so comfortably. It wasn't about systems either. SAF's earliest take to football was completely different to how he ended at United. It was all about building a balanced side that is built around the rigors of the EPL and which was made up of properly motivated players who were happy with their role. It was ok to have extraordinary players with flaws as long as someone else covered for those flaws. Hence why we won CLs and EPL titles with a CM who couldn't tackle, we had a balon d'or winner as a winger who wouldn't bother tracking back, we had very average players like Phil Neville, John O'Shea, Cleverley and Fortune winning titles, time bombs as stars (Cantona, Keane) who might end the game killing someone on the pitch and we ended this extraordinary reign with great players at the twilight of their career which included a 38 year old something CM fresh from retirement. Meanwhile we tanked despite having two of the finest no 10s of their generation (Bruno and Pogba), big names etc.

Let's understand our situation. We have a limited budget and many boots to fill. Inability to fill those boots will mean running out of steam towards the end of the season and possibly end up were Newcastle are. Now let's analyse each suggested signing

Romero. He's experienced, a leader and he's good in air something our defense lack. He can play both as a stopper and as a ball playing CB and he shouldn't cost loads especially if Spurs get relegated. Romero-De ligt/Maguire is a top class partnership while Romero-Yoro or Romero-Heaven isn't something to scoff at either
David Raum - The LB has two issues a- lack of experience and our LBs inability to whip a cross which is made worse by Cunha preferring to cut inside instead which in turn make the team look narrow. Raum provides both. Raum's cross rate is 34.6 percent which is even better to that of the gold standard ie Dimarco with a 33.7 percent. All our fbs are below the 30 percent threshold with the exception of Mazraoui who produced just 4 crosses. That suggest a player who wouldn't cross a ball unless he's 100 percent sure it will reach the destination. Raum produced 6 assists this season in the Bundesliga and 2 with Germany. He's a hardworking LB who brings versatility (he can play as LB, LW and CM) and experience to the side (36 caps with Germany). Nagelsmann describes Raum as the chewing gum of Germany's nation side ie he gels the squad together. That something we really need in an inexperienced side which will have to face loads of new players coming in. On top of that his contract runs out in 2027.

Berge- Casemiro is a freak of nature who has helped papering loads of cracks. He's great in air which is amazing in a squad that is horrible on that regard. He's also hardworking, he's a great leader and a great passer of the ball. Berge is a downgrade but the same can be said about almost anyone. However he's got a skillset that is quite fascinating. First of all he's 6ft5. Few players can go toe to toe against him in aerial duels. But that's not all. He's a surprisingly good player. He's deceivingly fast for a player of his size, his passing success rate in nearly 90 percent with a 63.7 percent accurate long ball rate. That's almost Rodri like (90 percent and 69.9 percent) and he wins quite a number of duels as well. Berge can play as a DM or as a b2b which gives us options. He can play alongside Mainoo who lacks height and movement, he can play alongside Wharton who is not the most physical player, Baleba whose physical but sometimes struggle with the headless chicken complex and he'll ground Anderson whose amazing but will need someone to tell him when to run. Is Berge WC? No he is not. However if we think we'll win the league with two 22 year olds in CM who has almost no experience playing side by side then we're deluded. We'll need experience there and Berge can easily be our CM answer to what Teddy Sheringham was back then ie an experience/respected head who could ease the pressure in an experienced CM base.

Shae Charles - with Berge in the team we'll need someone to come in and accept the bench while being talented enough to step in and do well when we need him. Shae has the talent but lacks the reputation. At 6ft2 he certainly got the size and the physicality to compliment Mainoo and Anderson. He wins duels (57.3 normal duels and 54.8 aerial duels), his passing can improve but is not shabby either. There's a great talent there. On top of that its done at the Championship which technically is inferior to the EPL but is the closest to it in terms of physicality and intensity. His contract runs out next season so he shouldn't cost a lot. There had been loads of excellent players from the Championship from Bale to John Stones right to the likes of Wharton, Cahill, Vardy and Toney. As said before technically its inferior to the EPL but its a gruesome league to play in in terms of physicality and intensity.

I think United's main issue forward wise is that we're too narrow. Our fullbacks aren't great in crossing the ball while our wingers are inside forward ie they love to cut inside and cause damage. That's a shame considering that we possibly have one of the tallest forward lines in the EPL with Sesko (6ft5), Zirkzee (6ft4) and Chido (6ft2 and still growing). Bazoumana would help alleviate that. He is considered alongside the more expensive Yan Diomande as the most talent promising winger in the Bundesliga. He's 20 years old, he's currently 5th in terms of assists in the Bundesliga, 5th in terms of top speed (though first in terms of sprints) and 4th in terms of successful crosses from open play. If we sub Cunha with Toure then the game changes radically. The guy could run from one penalty box to the other at a blink of an eye which would panic any defense in transition and he can whip a mean cross. Put Toure alongside Raum and suddenly United gains plenty of width on the left side that we lack. He's currently valued at around 40m. That's hardly a huge price either.

Wharton - I would rather sign Anderson but Wharton isn't a bad signing either. First of all he's not a Mainoo's copy. His strengths (duels, possession won, progressive passing etc) are Mainoo's weakness and viceversa. Secondly we need someone who can dictate tempo something Wharton can do. Finally there's something about his style that reminds me of a young Carrick.
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I’m not really disagreeing, but a few things to add.

Back then the league was different and we had a team with a strong title winning core. You could get away with those signings. When Chelsea started playing Champ manager we didn’t really get back into the mix until we started buying top-end players like - Carrick- Hargreaves, Tevez. Plus top prospects like Nani and Anderson.

You can learn from the past, but you have to adapt to the current context and what success looks like today. I get working within a budget, but players like Berge, Raum, and Shea Charles don’t close the gap to City, they don’t improve our starting XI.

(You’re pick) Romero — yes. Similar profile to De Ligt, arguably better on the ball.

(My pick) Lewis Hall — clear upgrade on Shaw at this stage. Shaw’s still technically good, but he’s lost that attacking edge.

(My pick)Anderson — we agree. Adds physicality we’ve lacked for years and is close to being among the league’s top midfielders.

(You’re pick)Wharton — also agree. Different to Mainoo, but better range and more creative. I’d take him over most midfielders we’ve been linked with.

(My pick)Camavinga — included because he’s a natural 6 with elite-level experience, even if he hasn’t fully hit expectations yet.
 
Saturday showed what excellent depth we have in the centre of defence.
 
I really like Marco Palestra as our long term RB.

Really good defender, great physique at 6’1, both footed and a great athlete. Gets up and down like an old school full back. Barca and Liverpool after him so I’d imagine we’d have to move fast.
 
Any team that competes for top honours, has a core of world class players. In our current formation, in my opinion, those positions are 2xCB, 2xCM, 1GK and a striker.

It's not often you see a championship winning side without a settled CB pair. Yoro and Heaven aren't there yet, and Maguire, De Ligt and Martinez are either to old and/or prone to injury. We need two players here. Lammens is a fine goalkeeper, and I think he has shown a very good level so far. Should he get injured however, we're in deep trouble. Onana and Bayindir has already shown us that we can't rely on them.

On to the CM positions. Well... Two players are needed here - at least. Kobbie has a good top level, but he's the only one I dare call United quality. The drop in level when he and Casemiro is out/unavailable is just ridiculous. And that's in a season with a very low amount of games.

On to the final core position that we need to strengthen - the striker position. I know people want someone to compete with Sesko. But the fact is, a club like ours should have a striker that has an incredible scoring record. A player in the same mould as Haaland, Lewandowski, Kane or van Nistelrooy. Just to name a few.

Those are five positions that I feel we have to strengthen before talking about any sort of title challenge.

Is it realistic? No.

I don't believe the club will be able to put together a team good enough to challenge. Hope i'm wrong though.
 
Uncle Mainoo said:
I’m not really disagreeing, but a few things to add.

Back then the league was different and we had a team with a strong title winning core. You could get away with those signings. When Chelsea started playing Champ manager we didn’t really get back into the mix until we started buying top-end players like - Carrick- Hargreaves, Tevez. Plus top prospects like Nani and Anderson.

You can learn from the past, but you have to adapt to the current context and what success looks like today. I get working within a budget, but players like Berge, Raum, and Shea Charles don’t close the gap to City, they don’t improve our starting XI.

(You’re pick) Romero — yes. Similar profile to De Ligt, arguably better on the ball.

(My pick) Lewis Hall — clear upgrade on Shaw at this stage. Shaw’s still technically good, but he’s lost that attacking edge.

(My pick)Anderson — we agree. Adds physicality we’ve lacked for years and is close to being among the league’s top midfielders.

(You’re pick)Wharton — also agree. Different to Mainoo, but better range and more creative. I’d take him over most midfielders we’ve been linked with.

(My pick)Camavinga — included because he’s a natural 6 with elite-level experience, even if he hasn’t fully hit expectations yet.
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I am not against your picks. The issue here is about availability and budget. Hall for example is an amazing talent. Would the club burn 100m for him? Cause that's what Newcastle would ask from us. Anderson is another huge talent. I prefer him to Wharton. However everything seem to be pointing at him joining City. Finally there's the issue of experience (or lack off) in CM. We simply can't have two 22-24 years old there cause if they things start shaking there then the whole building goes down.
 
devilish said:
I am not against your picks. The issue here is about availability and budget. Hall for example is an amazing talent. Would the club burn 100m for him? Cause that's what Newcastle would ask from us. Anderson is another huge talent. I prefer him to Wharton. However everything seem to be pointing at him joining City. Finally there's the issue of experience (or lack off) in CM. We simply can't have two 22-24 years old there cause if they things start shaking there then the whole building goes down.
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Well let’s hope the Tchouameni rumours are true. I’ve been banging that drum for ages and it covers off every concern. Probably more in wages but he won’t cost £100m.
 
Uncle Mainoo said:
Well let’s hope the Tchouameni rumours are true. I’ve been banging that drum for ages and it covers off every concern. Probably more in wages but he won’t cost £100m.
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Tchouameni is within the Berge type of signing (though a better player). He's tall, he's experienced, he's very physical and he's a no 6 whose passing is superb. I would like to see him at United
 
i think our priorities are 2 cm. possibly three.... an up an coming LW. and a possible back up striker. (could do with out one as we can play sesko and mbuemo)...

CM
- Anderson/Tonali/Guimaraes/ tchouameni marquee signings, lots of money.
- M. Fernandes, A. Scott, Garner, Camavinga good players, hopefully good value.
- J. Gomes, Berge. (possible 3rd option if we sell Ugarte)

LW.
- dont know who as i think the names mentioned would cost too much. Diomande and Ndiaye and they would probably come and sit behind Cunha so would prefer a young unproven option. in our wings we would have... Cunha, mbuemo, Amad, Mounnt, lacey .... and JJ Gabriel for cup games.

back up striker.

- keep thinking i would love welbeck as an experienced option, 2nd or third stricker... if we sell Zirkzee (who i believe we have to sell)

LB or CB.

i think we can prioritize other positions as we should be well covered. with Shaw, Dorgu, Dalot, Mazroui, Amass should have enough a LB although we cant expect another season of L. Shaw staying fit (specially if he makes it to the world cup)
 
JohnyBuckets said:
LW.
- dont know who as i think the names mentioned would cost too much. Diomande and Ndiaye and they would probably come and sit behind Cunha so would prefer a young unproven option. in our wings we would have... Cunha, mbuemo, Amad, Mounnt, lacey .... and JJ Gabriel for cup games.
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As I said in the other thread: Mitoma.

28, contract runs out next year. Had a bad time with injuries recently. Probably would be fine with not being a guaranteed starter all the time. Would most likely love to come here for CL football alone, but also the prestige of playing for the club.

I would assume his price could be down quite a bit this summer. Maybe somewhere around £40-50m. It's about the going rate for a player of his quality and from within the Premier League. Left wing we'd have him, Dorgu and Cunha. On the right Amad and Mbeumo. That's a good set with different profiles.
 
Being realistic, given there is never an unlimited budget, centre midfield(s) and a striker have to be the priorities.

I don't understand the GK comments as Radek Vitek has by all accounts been excellent on loan at Bristol City so it's a no-brainer for him to return as no.2 to Lammens, with plenty of matches for him next season (cup games at least).

We have numbers at centre back and also options at LB/RB, albeit not as high quality as the CBs. Amass was going well on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, despite Amorim's weird comments, and surely has to be in the picture alongside Shaw and Dorgu. We can manage with the current crop if need be here too.

CM is key with Case departing, Ugarte still underwhelming and way more games next season. That is where big money must be spent. Two in at least, plus return of Toby Collyer (though he does seem injury prone this season). Ideally we're in BIG for Anderson, Guimares, Wharton etc.

After CM, a striker is where we'll get the most bang for our buck - if we covert some of our draws this season where we struggled to break teams down into wins then we're closing the current 12 point gap between us and Arse/Citeh at the top of the table. We need to spend big on a proven goal scorer - Vlahovic or Mateta for me.
 
sp_cgb said:
As I said in the other thread: Mitoma.

28, contract runs out next year. Had a bad time with injuries recently. Probably would be fine with not being a guaranteed starter all the time. Would most likely love to come here for CL football alone, but also the prestige of playing for the club.

I would assume his price could be down quite a bit this summer. Maybe somewhere around £40-50m. It's about the going rate for a player of his quality and from within the Premier League. Left wing we'd have him, Dorgu and Cunha. On the right Amad and Mbeumo. That's a good set with different profiles.
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For all that the Glazers or INEOS wanting sales and merchandising to explode thru the roof, bringing in Mitoma would trigger that for sure. He is mighty popular.
 
sp_cgb said:
As I said in the other thread: Mitoma.

28, contract runs out next year. Had a bad time with injuries recently. Probably would be fine with not being a guaranteed starter all the time. Would most likely love to come here for CL football alone, but also the prestige of playing for the club.

I would assume his price could be down quite a bit this summer. Maybe somewhere around £40-50m. It's about the going rate for a player of his quality and from within the Premier League. Left wing we'd have him, Dorgu and Cunha. On the right Amad and Mbeumo. That's a good set with different profiles.
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Would love Mitoma! I was thinking that it could be a possibility this summer, specially if his contact ends soon. Great for marketing and sales in asia too. not that i care but helps with PSR i guess
 
sideshow_bob said:
What are u doing with Yoro then?
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Not just Yoro. Add Mount, Zirkee, De Ligt, Martinez, Ugarte, Rashford, Onana.

Without selling all of these, don't think we can afford to buy any player other than 2xMF. Completely unrealistic list.
 
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