The case for Zirkzee as #9

Little goal threat, no pace running in behind, no dribbling threat 1v1.

Nice link up play alone is just not enough for either the 9 or 10 position. These are attacking players, you need to consistently hurt the opposition.

Sell.
 
I don't see where he fits in. He's not a good #9 and he's not a good #10. He's a weird hybrid of the two that's average at both.

Would sell if an offer came in.
 
I’m all for championing all round play but your CF can’t have final third phobia. Would be great if he takes big strides next season but as of now it’s hard to make a case for him even being good enough for the squad.
 
If we don’t go into next season with better options up top we are cooked. 3 PL goals? I must be missing something as every other post seems to love “his link up play.” Great but it’s our finishing that needs work not our link up play. We get lots of chances with no end product and he’s unreliable in front of goal.
 
Definitely could be used as he has been in the utility player role, filling in at striker or 10 when needs must. Good technical player but I wouldn't use him as the focal point, he needs a good season next year.
 
I like the idea on paper too and would like it to be tried next season, especially if we are buying Delap for the striker position. Mentioned the same in a few posts before. In fact, having seen his performances for Bologna, I thought that was the idea behind the signing : using Rashford and another goal scorer flanking Zirkzee, the provider. However, it didn't work out last season as Zirkzee looked clueless in a lot of the games. It took him a while to come to terms with the physicality of the league. He looked better before he got injured but without proper goal scorers in the team it was hard to assess his utility (the guy is never a goal scorer).

The proof of the pudding will be how it works on the pitch. I can see it working if we are able to to give him Cunha, Mbeumo and Amad as the goal scorers in the two #10 and the RWB position.
 
He was just finding his groove when he got injured. There is a player there and with Cunha and Mbuemo/Amad behind him we could break low block teams finally
 
Fooza said:
no no no

if Zirkzee is a 9, I'm bazalini with a warehouse full of kenwood juicers
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Hey mate, could I get one of them juicers?

Zirkzee doesn't seem to have a natural role in this team. His one trait appears to be giving the ball back in a 1-2 wall pass. If we get Cunha and a striker, I don't see where or when he'd be used. He was an odd buy and should probably be sold, but I'm sure he won't be.

His style of play mainly reminds me of the times when a youth team player gets a few minutes in a senior game and just can't come to grips with what's happening around them. He has some neat touches but he's not a 9 or a 10, so why would we shoehorn him in there?
 
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I think he’ll thrive with Cunha and Mbuemo or Amad behind him.
 
He has quality, and the idea of him starting in the no.9 position and using him to hold up the ball or drop in to collect it and bring others into/ progress the play suits him, but requires complimentary players around him.

That's not Cunha. Mbeumo would suit, he has a strong tendency to run in behind, Cunha can but really wants to play off a no.9 who consistently stretches the pitch. That's not Zirkzee. The two of them seem incompatible - Cunha being a goal threat doesn't make him a suitable partner as they largely want to operate in the same areas.
 
Gandalf said:
By virtue of the financials involved he remains the more likely of our current two starting strikers to move this summer. Regardless of whether it is he or Rasmus that goes, presuming we don’t or can’t sell both, neither should be starting for us next season. Zirkzee has 3 league goals for us, a tap in on his debut and that brace in the 4-0 game against Everton in the game where it became painfully obvious that the Everton team had downed tools with Dyche. The pretty flicks and occasional bit of sexy link up play have bamboozled some but the harsh reality is that there has been almost zero end product.
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Agree with this.
 
We’d be mad to sell him now as some are suggesting. He finally looked like he was getting used to the speed and physicality of the league and while he didn’t score enough goals, he did chip in with some big ones in key moments. I think with the right support cast he could be pretty effective. Obviously we would need another option but he could be much improved next season.
 
I still don't get all the excitement about Delap. He just strikes ne as being similar to Hojlund, and if he gets no service everyone on here will be giving him pelters. Gyokeres won't come now. We'll be in bargain basement mode now we've spent £60mill on Cunha.why not go for Moise Kean or Vlaihovic. Both goal scorers, proven and relatively cheap and hope Obi-Martin is the "wonderkid " who comes good
 
I like it as an idea because I'm always a sucker for a false 9 with a bit of flair and prefer it to spending on a striker with questionable technical ability.
 
trevor newnham said:
I still don't get all the excitement about Delap. He just strikes ne as being similar to Hojlund, and if he gets no service everyone on here will be giving him pelters. Gyokeres won't come now. We'll be in bargain basement mode now we've spent £60mill on Cunha.why not go for Moise Kean or Vlaihovic. Both goal scorers, proven and relatively cheap and hope Obi-Martin is the "wonderkid " who comes good
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Hasn't he been a really underwhelming signing for them? Only 10 goals this season.

Kean seems to have really turned it around this season after some barren runs at various clubs but how wouldn't he be more of a risk than Delap? Don't remember him lighting it up much at Everton, albiet he was very young back then.
 
He is looking a lot leaner since he first arrived and by all accounts he is a good trainer.
I wouldn't be surprised if he comes good next season.
 
Ultimately both Zirkzee and Hojlund should be available for sale this summer. I'd prefer Zirkzee as a nr. 9 for us next season over Hojlund, however I do believe that there is a higher likelyhood of us fetching a decent sum for Zirkzee though. I'm guessing that the most realistic outcome with Hojlund is a loan + option to buy.
Optimally sell them both, but realistically sell whichever gets us most money to reinvest in a better nr.9 this summer.
 
There’s a case for Zirkzee to be a player at a high level in the right position, but as a number 9 under Amorim I don’t think there is a case at all.
 
Not as a 9 as he doesn't have the instincts. He needs to improve his intensity because the technical game is there.
 
Raoul said:
We'd be better off selling Hojlund and Zirkzee and going with a combo of Delap and Jonathan David (on a free). That's £30m for two strikers which the sales of the previous two would easily cover.
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I agree with this. We're after Delap anyway, David might or might not work, but we know Hojlund definitely doesn't and Zirkee doesn't really work either.
 
amolbhatia50k said:
The guy can’t frickin score
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Yep, not sure what people are seeing to think he should be in the starting 11, he’s as bad as Hojlund at putting the ball in the net.

You could use him as a Firmino type player (I’ve said this before) and expect him to get what 10-12 goals a year but he’d have to become an assist king to make it worth our while.

But ultimately we need real goal scorers up top who’ll scare the defensive line and allow us space to create more In midfield.
 
TrustInJanuzaj said:
We’d be mad to sell him now as some are suggesting. He finally looked like he was getting used to the speed and physicality of the league and while he didn’t score enough goals, he did chip in with some big ones in key moments. I think with the right support cast he could be pretty effective. Obviously we would need another option but he could be much improved next season.
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What position will you play him if he stays ? He doesn't score enough goals as a #9 and difficult to see him start ahead of Cunha or Mbuemo or even Mount.
 
He wouldn’t be first on my list of players to sell.

Whilst he showed improvement, he’s so far below what is required, so will need to take some serious steps up to justify him staying longer term.

I would give him another season, but only because there will be so much turnover this summer. I hope he can step up and be a useful player, but I have serious doubts he’s got the right attributes to be successful here.
 
No. He’s not even suited as a no. 10 and adding Cunha pushes him further down the pecking order where we already have thread bare options.
 
Tallis said:
What position will you play him if he stays ? He doesn't score enough goals as a #9 and difficult to see him start ahead of Cunha or Mbuemo or even Mount.
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Back up number 9 for me. Plays in certain games and situations. With the right supporting cast (Cunha and Mubemo) I can see him being a great facilitator and contributing to more team goals, even if he’s not the one getting on the end of them all. I don’t think it’s a formality that he doesn’t take his form from the end the season and score more goals individually either, even if we don’t expect him to become a prolific scorer.
 
Maybe we ought to play like Inter does: 3-5-2

————— Yoro —— De Ligt —— Martinez* —————

Amad — Fernandes — Ugarte — Wharton — Dorgu

——————Mbeumo ————— Cunha ———————

1. Get Mbeumo over the line to pair up with Cunha up front,
2. Go after a ball-winning, progressive passer like Wharton,
3. Stick Ugarte in the middle to do what he does best,
4. Focus on a striker for 2026.

What’s the issue with this?

* Heaven in all likelihood.
 
I'd rather start Maguire upfront than Zirkzee..... and I don't know if that's a joke or not. Says it all really.

Zirkzee needs moving on asap whole he has some value. Put the funds towards A new striker or Mbeumo
 
The Mbuemo, Cunha idea is nice but almost exclusively because of Mbeumo and Cunha.
Zirkzee might kick on and add enough to his game to make sense as a #10 or #9 but it would take a pretty big jump to make sense in a united team that isn't historically bad. I'm kind of skeptical of false #9's in general so might be a bit biased.
 
I like him, but not a hope in hell he should be a starting striker at this club.
 
Using Zirkzee is heavily reliant if we want our goals to come through centrally or out wide.

If we want our goals to come centrally then Zirkzee has to finish chances that our attacking midfielders create. He isn't that kind of striker.

If we want the goals coming from outwide then Zirkzee creates chances centrally to players outwide and players like Amad becomes our main goalscorers.

Firminho would look just as rubbish playing as our leading striker in front of Mount & Bruno because he isn't a striker that should lead the line as our main goalscorer. However Firminho in the middle of Mane & Salah is balanced and has the main goalscorers outwide.

I think Zirkzee is one of the best False 9's in the world and could be very useful for a manager who can adapt his tactics depending on the game. If we are able to get one of the best traditional Number 9's in the world then we will end up with a strike force that is tactically versatile and of high quality.

It would be a shame to sell him just because Amorim seems to have no tactical versatility or understanding of how to play a False 9.
 
I think Zirkzee could be our Firmino. If we can get goalscorers in the two number 10 positions I think he could be a valuable asset to the team in getting the best output out of those around him. We need a more natural goal scorer in the squad too though to give us options.
 
Thing is, his finishing is ok (bit like Rasmus), it's his movement/aggression in the box that are the issue. And obviously he's not quick but he's a really good dribbler with superb technique and good strength. I do think movement and aggression are a lot easier to sort than poor technical ability like Rasmus has though, and if there are two powerful runners alongside him who also have experience of playing up top then you'd think that would be the ideal fit for him where they can all rotate positions and run off each other.

Basically we need Mbeumo to supplement Cunha in my view. There are other options of course but he'd be my realistic first choice I think. Bowen would be an outside shout if Danni Dyer would let him go!
 
TwoSheds said:
Thing is, his finishing is ok (bit like Rasmus), it's his movement/aggression in the box that are the issue. And obviously he's not quick but he's a really good dribbler with superb technique and good strength. I do think movement and aggression are a lot easier to sort than poor technical ability like Rasmus has though, and if there are two powerful runners alongside him who also have experience of playing up top then you'd think that would be the ideal fit for him where they can all rotate positions and run off each other.

Basically we need Mbeumo to supplement Cunha in my view. There are other options of course but he'd be my realistic first choice I think. Bowen would be an outside shout if Danni Dyer would let him go!
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I agree. Not really hopeful about Mbuemo though. We’d have to sell where as Newcastle can sign him now
 
Zirkzee is not a Premier League striker. Far too slow, not particularly strong and doesn't score goals - an quite terrible combination of attributes.

I was stunned the first time i saw him play in the flesh at OT. He looks like he is moving through treacle. It doesn't look right to see a PL player move so slowly.

Im not sure what the plan that ETH/Ashworth/INEOS had for him? And the fact he is better than Hojlund is faint praise.

I wouldn't be surprised if he gets sold back to Italy.
 
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