The centre-forward market...

[sullydnl]

Toney is obviously a good CF and would improve us.

But given he's unlikely to be available at a value price, I don't see why our first choice would be opt for him over more elite level talents if any are obtainable.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

I like him but he's very much like Martial, in that respect. As you said, good link up, neat and tidy, etc. I think we need a different option, though. More of a target man like Haller was at Ajax.

Why does everyone think we need some lumbering target man? Only one top side in football has one of those, and he's the best goalscorer in football and a physical freak.

 

[ForeverRed1]

I’d like Ivan Toney, I think he could be really really good in a better team.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

I’d like Ivan Toney, I think he could be really really good in a better team.

I think so as well. He offers a great eye for link up play and is a quality finisher. Not a "top target" type but absolutely a good valuable option for the position. Don't think he'd cost too much either.

 

[ForeverRed1]

I think so as well. He offers a great eye for link up play and is a quality finisher. Not a "top target" type but absolutely a good valuable option for the position. Don't think he'd cost too much either.

It would be interesting to see what he could do at a club of this size. I can imagine he’s the type who would happily hand a transfer request too after his previous comments about the club. He strikes me as waiting for a big move.

 

[SparkedIntoLife]

We’re linked with Marcos Leonardo. Anyone know what he’s like? Very highly rated in Brazil and has come through the famed Santos academy.

I think the reality is that there’s no sure fire obvious option. I’d rather spend 50m on someone that will not be great for a year or two then be amazing as opposed to the same amount on an Ivan Toney type who I don’t believe will ever be the real deal. If we want a decent stop gap, we’re better off going for Dembele for free next year (or even Benzema whose contract is also expiring).

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

It would be interesting to see what he could do at a club of this size. I can imagine he’s the type who would happily hand a transfer request too after his previous comments about the club. He strikes me as waiting for a big move.

People are griping all around right now because our attack isn't producing a bunch of goals, but I really think they are underestimating what a quality link up striker would do for the side. We've seen it for a grand total of 90 minutes with AM, and in that time we look a completely different side.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

We’re linked with Marcos Leonardo. Anyone know what he’s like? Very highly rated in Brazil and has come through the famed Santos academy.

I think the reality is that there’s no sure fire obvious option. I’d rather spend 50m on someone that will not be great for a year or two then be amazing as opposed to the same amount on an Ivan Toney type who I don’t believe will ever be the real deal. If we want a decent stop gap, we’re better off going for Dembele for free next year (or even Benzema whose contract is also expiring).

I just don't know where you're going to find someone for 50m that has the type of potential we are looking for. Honestly at that point we'd be better off grabbing a real "unproven" prospect from a much smaller club/league. Similar to what City did with Alvarez, or what we might have been trying to do with Sesko this summer.

 

[SparkedIntoLife]

I just don't know where you're going to find someone for 50m that has the type of potential we are looking for. Honestly at that point we'd be better off grabbing a real "unproven" prospect from a much smaller club/league. Similar to what City did with Alvarez, or what we might have been trying to do with Sesko this summer.

Yeah agreed. Endrick, for instance, looks as sure fire of a talent as has been witnessed in years. If we slapped down 100m to Palmeiras now to secure him for 2024, for example, I’m not so sure it’d be a bad deal. Rather that than go for an average player for big fees. The market is crazy now… we might as well go good crazy than bad crazy.

 

[footballbite]

I just don't know where you're going to find someone for 50m that has the type of potential we are looking for. Honestly at that point we'd be better off grabbing a real "unproven" prospect from a much smaller club/league. Similar to what City did with Alvarez, or what we might have been trying to do with Sesko this summer.

Erm, you know Alvarez only cost £15mil, right?!

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

Yeah agreed. Endrick, for instance, looks as sure fire of a talent as has been witnessed in years. If we slapped down 100m to Palmeiras now to secure him for 2024, for example, I’m not so sure it’d be a bad deal. Rather that than go for an average player for big fees. The market is crazy now… we might as well go good crazy than bad crazy.

Exactly. As a club we seem to be too stuck in the old mindset of a player needing to be "ready for the step to a big club", but in modern football every time you do that you invite an extra 60m onto the fee as well as much more competition for his signature two years down the road. It's especially laughable considering we aren't even in a position within our squad where we have too much proven talent on the bench already. I remember people here thinking Camavinga and Tchoumeini needed to prove themselves before getting a big move, yet Madrid didn't hesitate to snap up both and ensure they have their midfield of the future without needing "further proof".

 

[SWE-Chucky]

IF we can get Toney for around 50m, then go for it, more then that it's to big of a risk, we have seen many strikers scoring for smaller clubs in the PL and then totally flop joining one the biggest in the world (not saying best). But the the expectations would be huge on him. And i don't think it would be easy to get him for decent fee, specially if he gets selected for the WC and scores another 8-10 goals in the league. We will probably have to pay somewhere around 70-80m for him. Another thing is that out of his 8 goals this season, 3 came against Leeds, 2 against Brighton and 3 has been on penalties. I would rather have a guy that scores 3 goals in 3 matches then 3 in one and then not scoring for 3-4 matches. He is also older then David, he is born 1996, så turns 27 in march next year. But still, his PL records a pretty impressing playing for smaller team, in 45 matches he has scored 20 goals and has 7 asists.

Jonathan David is the one i would go for, he is proven to be a reliable scorer for a couple of seasons now and the fee that is mentioned is often around 40m euros which would be a good investment and probably money we easily could get back if he doesn't live up to our expectations since he is only 22 years old, bord 2000. He is scoring about 1 goal every 2 games since coming to Europe, Gent first and now Lille. Even though he is only 1.77cm he is pretty good in the aerial duels, he has scored 100 goals total for Canada, Genk and Lille in 224 matches and 26 assist. He biggest strengths is his pace, pressing the defenders, timing runs good behind the defenders, his finishing and he is known for his tactical intelligence, defensive work-rate, and ability to read the game, as well as his willingness to press opposing players off the ball. He is also able to play short passes and combine with teammates to attack the goal area, he is able to play best with his tight control and sharp interplay between teammates.

Other alternatives:
Osimhen:
+ Proven scorer, strong, young
- Expensive, first touch

J Felix:
+ Big talent,
- Would probably cost more then the 130m A. Madrid paid for him, small, not been playing much last 18 months and is not longer that young, should have taken a place in A. Madrid at the age of soon 24

To be honest, no would read if i keep naming players here.

We should go all in for Bellingham, probably 120m euros and try to get David for around 40-50m + a back up RB for Dalot. And then if we have the big GK question, give De Gea a new 3 years contract or let him go, save in huge money on his wager and buy a new goalkeeper that fits the style of play that ETH wants to play, but who? Oblak? Not even he is that good with his feets. Ter Stegen maybe, probably is that he will cost a lot and is not that young and Barcelona will only sell him if they are in need of money.

Go all in for David and Bellingham, get a cheap young back up RB and stick with De Gea.

Or:

Dont really know.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

IF we can get Toney for around 50m, then go for it, more then that it's to big of a risk, we have seen many strikers scoring for smaller clubs in the PL and then totally flop joining one the biggest in the world (not saying best). But the the expectations would be huge on him. And i don't think it would be easy to get him for decent fee, specially if he gets selected for the WC and scores another 8-10 goals in the league. We will probably have to pay somewhere around 70-80m for him. Another thing is that out of his 8 goals this season, 3 came against Leeds, 2 against Brighton and 3 has been on penalties. I would rather have a guy that scores 3 goals in 3 matches then 3 in one and then not scoring for 3-4 matches. He is also older then David, he is born 1996, så turns 27 in march next year. But still, his PL records a pretty impressing playing for smaller team, in 45 matches he has scored 20 goals and has 7 asists.

Jonathan David is the one i would go for, he is proven to be a reliable scorer for a couple of seasons now and the fee that is mentioned is often around 40m euros which would be a good investment and probably money we easily could get back if he doesn't live up to our expectations since he is only 22 years old, bord 2000. He is scoring about 1 goal every 2 games since coming to Europe, Gent first and now Lille. Even though he is only 1.77cm he is pretty good in the aerial duels, he has scored 100 goals total for Canada, Genk and Lille in 224 matches and 26 assist. He biggest strengths is his pace, pressing the defenders, timing runs good behind the defenders, his finishing and he is known for his tactical intelligence, defensive work-rate, and ability to read the game, as well as his willingness to press opposing players off the ball. He is also able to play short passes and combine with teammates to attack the goal area, he is able to play best with his tight control and sharp interplay between teammates.

Other alternatives:
Osimhen:
+ Proven scorer, strong, young
- Expensive, first touch

J Felix:
+ Big talent,
- Would probably cost more then the 130m A. Madrid paid for him, small, not been playing much last 18 months and is not longer that young, should have taken a place in A. Madrid at the age of soon 24

To be honest, no would read if i keep naming players here.

We should go all in for Bellingham, probably 120m euros and try to get David for around 40-50m + a back up RB for Dalot. And then if we have the big GK question, give De Gea a new 3 years contract or let him go, save in huge money on his wager and buy a new goalkeeper that fits the style of play that ETH wants to play, but who? Oblak? Not even he is that good with his feets. Ter Stegen maybe, probably is that he will cost a lot and is not that young and Barcelona will only sell him if they are in need of money.

Go all in for David and Bellingham, get a cheap young back up RB and stick with De Gea.

Or:

Dont really know.

Bellingham would be ideal to replace Bruno in our midfield as a more attack minded 8, but I don't see the club being ruthless enough to do that.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

Erm, you know Alvarez only cost £15mil, right?!

Yeah? That was my point, spending 15-20m on an "unproven" top youngster is in my eyes better business than waiting for Alvarez (or a similar caliber of player) to sign for Dortmun/Ajax/etc. and having to spend 70m on him amidst a host of competing clubs a couple of years later.

 

[Lost bear]

One of our next key areas to address.

The market is not great at present, not only for us, but in general. Chelsea struggled and the best they could come up with to guarantee some goals was a 33 year old. Barcelona could only find a 34 year old. Liverpool gambled very big very early on Nunez. Haaland was a standout striker, but he could only join one team.

Seems the market has suffered somewhat from a transitioning of the role. Every candidate has some question marks. Ideally, you want a striker who can first score 20+ goals. Then you want them to be able to hold the ball up and have good technical ability to link with the rest of the team. You also want speed and intensity and ability to defend from the front. Nobody seems to have all of these things, and teams have to make trade-offs in what they prioritise. Guardiola, for instance, sacrificed the silk and hold-up/link-up ability for the guarantee of 20+ goals from Haaland. I'm sure he'd have rather Haaland had a bit more Kane to his game. But you can't get everything. Klopp made the same trade-off. Nunez is no Firmino.

Who are the best candidates of the next gen, and what are their respective strengths and weaknesses? To get all of the qualities we want - we may need to go big for a young player and try to develop one.

I think Gakpo has potential - he has the size, speed and power, he has link play and can finish - but he's a bit rough still and doesn't necessarily have the killer instinct for 30 goals.

Osimhen is interesting. He has little silk to his game, will struggle with hold up and link play as a result, but he does the most similarities to Haaland in that he is physically a beast with speed, strength and intensity in addition to a good size. He is a good finisher, and can probably excel as one of these 'only had 8 touches but scored twice' type of strikers. Can bully centre-halves.

Sesko potentially has everything you want, although a bit undercooked now. Likely to only become a serious option in two years at least.

I think there's a 20 goal striker in Joao Felix, although he doesn't have the explosive speed.

Osimhen is brilliantly skillful at times. He is a bit erratic though, I'll admit.

 

[croadyman]

Osimhen is brilliantly skillful at times. He is a bit erratic though, I'll admit.

Who would you sign

 

[croadyman]

Arnautovic anyone?

We wouldn't have ended our interest if he hadn't got a history of saying daft things

 

[Primex]

Who would you sign

Sesko
Osimhen
Vlahovic
.
.
.
Martinez
Mitrovic
Dembele
David
In that order,and the gap in-between the top three and the rest is a serious drop in quality.

 

[mav_9me]

What's the status of Moussa Dembele? Any chance of a Jan signing or loan?

 

[Rozay]

What's the status of Moussa Dembele? Any chance of a Jan signing or loan?

This guy is not good enough.

 

[JohnnyLaw]

Seeing as we’re already exceeded our budget for this year, we’ll probably need to look for cheap options in january i.e players on expiring contracts.

-Firmino
-Depay
-Belotti (club option to extend)
-Dembele
-Brereton Diaz
-Thuram

Not a great set of options but Marcus Thuram seems a possible candidate to me.
He’s a big and powerful but also skillful forward who’s transitioned from playing as an inverted forward into a CF.
Seems to be having a promising season so far having managed 13 g/a in 11 games.

 

[R0nald0]

I like Toney a lot, he reminds me of Dwight Yorke!

 

[Sea-Cow]

Go to Naples for some pizza and please pick Osimhen along the way.

If it were as easy as going shopping in Naples then we should 100% grab that Georgian Maradona lad instead!

 

[RopersReturn]

Young Danish striker, Jens Odgaard sounds like a sensible punt. He’s 23 and currently playing for AZ Alkmaar. He’s valued at only £3.15m and has so far netted 7 goals in the Dutch Eridivisie.

 

[Sea-Cow]

A striker is an absolute must. A proper out and out number 9 but that market is tiny. There's a handful of them in existence and 3 of them are completely unattainable.

The current top scorers in Europe right now. If we move in January, I'd probably look at Toney or Mitrovic.

Erling Haaland (Man City) 15
Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) 9
Neymar (PSG) 8
Kylian Mbappe (PSG) 8
Terem Moffi (Lorient) 8
Harry Kane (Tottenham) 8
Niclas Fullkrug (Werder Bremen) 8
Jonathan David (Lille) 7
Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig) 7
Florian Sotoca (Lens) 6
Folarin Balogun (Reims) 6
Ivan Toney (Brentford) 6
Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham) 6
Marko Arnautovic (Bologna) 6
Borja Iglesias (Betis) 6
Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) 6
Phil Foden (Man City) 6
Joselu (Espanyol) 6
Sheraldo Becker (Union Berlin) 6
Lionel Messi (PSG) 5
Jamal Musiala (Bayern) 5

They are currently 11th but I would still bet that Fulham are strong relegation candidates, and if so we would be wise to pick up Mitrovic. Can lead the line as a focal point target man, and will also add some balls.

 

[ThinkTank@Cafe]

ETH have and excellent eye for players and our scouting dept seems to be cooperation with him. I hope we will have a nice January signing in Fergie style. Sick and tired of those PRporn, Hollywood, meaningless, old and costly attackers. With sky high expectations and misery in reality. We failed to emulate van Persie deal. Period. Accept it.

I would be on seventh heaven if we just make a Chicharito type bargain.

 

[RopersReturn]

They are currently 11th but I would still bet that Fulham are strong relegation candidates, and if so we would be wise to pick up Mitrovic. Can lead the line as a focal point target man, and will also add some balls.

Mitrovic sounds a safe bet.

 

[mav_9me]

This guy is not good enough.

Not even as a stop gap for half a season? I mean the bar is low.

 

[Rozay]

Not even as a stop gap for half a season? I mean the bar is low.

Well for sure, he can be cover for 6 months if that’s the job spec.

 

[DWelbz19]

Not even as a stop gap for half a season? I mean the bar is low.

Well for sure, he can be cover for 6 months if that’s the job spec.

Atletico tried him for that and it didn’t work. Agree with Rozay’s initial point.

 

[RopersReturn]

Ideally we should just promote a promising youth player from within.
Mitrovic sounds like a safe bet if we’re ready to splurge another £50-60m, but success in the past has largely depended on a blend of journeymen, stars and youth.

 

[userman]

Judging by the previous window and recent financial reports I highly doubt that we will or can spend big on a striker in January. We can perhaps spend big in the summer IF we reach CL in the league or through EL.

With that in mind I think we should go for Moussa Dembele at Lyon. Free agent in the summer so should be attainable at a very reasonable price. More of a target man and a poacher than Martial but still mobile, quick, and good in the link up play with decent technique. Would be a good rotational option as well as a viable starter for us.

 

[Rozay]

Ideally we should just promote a promising youth player from within.
Mitrovic sounds like a safe bet if we’re ready to splurge another £50-60m, but success in the past has largely depended on a blend of journeymen, stars and youth.

Like who? We have no centre forward with first team potential at all.

 

[Garethw]

How has Cavani been this season? Would he have been worth keeping on as a stop gap?

 

[Lost bear]

Who would you sign

Hmm, it's a tough one. I have my doubts about Benzema, even if available. Obviously he's been a great player, but surely the club must be able to find someone young and hungry- other clubs manage it, while we always seem to end up with 'last big gig' players here to fund their retirement.

I like Osimhen, but as above, I am uncertain. Maybe go for Mitrovich a a stop gap? The club's scouting team really does need to locate someone new, I feel.

 

[Rolaholic]

Bring me David next summer, ETH would turn him into a monster for us

 

[ThierryHenry14]

Brian Brobbey is doing extremely well for Ajax at the moment. It is a good business for Ajax to bring him back for 18m even though they lost him for free before.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

How has Cavani been this season? Would he have been worth keeping on as a stop gap?

feck him. He was awful last year and literally never fit/wanting to play. Most undeserved beloved player in United history

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

Hmm, it's a tough one. I have my doubts about Benzema, even if available. Obviously he's been a great player, but surely the club must be able to find someone young and hungry- other clubs manage it, while we always seem to end up with 'last big gig' players here to fund their retirement.

I like Osimhen, but as above, I am uncertain. Maybe go for Mitrovich a a stop gap? The club's scouting team really does need to locate someone new, I feel.

I think the masterstroke would be grabbing Benzema and Sesko. Sesko can be given the time he needs to develop/be our new Greenwood as an understudy, and Benzema can link back up with Rapha and Casemiro for a couple more years while still at a top level. The main key here is getting Sesko though, as the strategy only works if you purchase a top striking prospect to replace Benz when he's gone.

Other than that, it's sort of take your pick of 100m signings. Osimen, Vlahovic, maybe Felix. All are going to cost a shit load.

 

[Rolaholic]

Benzema confirmed he's going to retire at Real Madrid, he's not going to come to England for a farewell season or 2

There's also a few decent options that won't cost 100m like David, Thuram, Shtick, Diaby, Goncalo Ramos or Nkunku if Chelsea haven't wrapped it up yet.

Out of the 100m options, I'd prefer Vlahovic over anyone personally