Two seasons in, how do you rate the Varane signing?

[sullydnl]

Curious to see how people rate this signing at this point?

On the one hand, he's an obviously class defender who has clearly improved the team.

On the other hand, he has had more than his fair share of injury issues over that time, with him making fewer appearances in either season here than he did in any of his five previous seasons for Madrid.

With him starting the third season off with another injury, I've seen a fair few posters discussing the need for us to sign another CB and/or the possibility of Varane leaving the club at some point, even as early as next summer (in reference to rumours of interest in him from the Saudi league). Which ideally isn't the sort of conversation you'd have around a player after two seasons, even if they're quite arguably your best defender when they play.

With all that considered, how do you rate the signing at this point? Have we just been unlucky with his injuries or is that something we could have anticipated? If you think he will only last another season or two, do you wish we'd identified a more long term option instead or do you think his quality in the games he'll have played over that shorter period fully justifies the signing? Or do you think the concerns are overblown and he'll be here for many seasons yet?

 

[Raw]

I was concerned about the injury issues but I didn't think he'd be this bad.

He's a very good CB and I'm glad we have him but overall I'm slightly disappointed he hasn't had a bigger impact.

 

[Escobar]

He is very good, injuries are the only downside. Hence I would love the club to buy a young talent

 

[redcucumber]

He was reasonably priced but we're paying him a shed load and he's dreadfully unreliable. It's difficult to build momentum and consistency when your key players are regularly injured and/or out of fitness.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Very good signing.

 

[Skills]

We signed him on a 4 year deal as a 28 year old. If you judge him by that metric, looking to replace him after 3 seasons should've been in your continuity plan all along. Anything beyond the 4 seasons should be looked at as a bonus.

But have we maximised having someone like that at this stage of his career, for that sort of wage and fee? I'd say no. Players of that age, profile and shelf life should be there as the very occasional final pieces of the puzzle to help you win the CL. We're signing these players to help us compete for the top 4. The same goes for Casemiro.

 

[Judas]

My initial worries about his injuries are the major issue for me. Don't trust him to stay fit, and on that note, having him as our first choice probably isn't the wisest. He's reasonably solid and shows plenty of quality when he's fit though.

 

[limerickcitykid]

Poor. He was dreadful in the 21/22 season. Misses half the matches. And even though he was better last season his mistakes are often brushed over due to his name.

 

[Sandikan]

He hasn't actually been poor has he?
The only issue with him is he misses a number of games. But that was always the risk.

 

[Infra-red]

A solid signing. He's generally been very good when available, but is unreliable (which is why Madrid were willing to dispense with him). Martinez really needs a physically dominant CB partner and Varane is not that anymore. I expect we'll be in the market for long-term replacements for him and Casemiro next summer.

 

[Chief123]

Sometimes may be good, sometimes may be shit.

 

[saivet]

Generally good, even if I feel he limits us progressing the ball out from the back at times. His fitness has been an issue though, but if we sell him next summer for a decent fee to Saudi all in all you'd have to consider him to be a good but not great signing.

 

[Ted Lasso]

Good player. Injuries have been problematic. Being one of the top earners at the club likewise

 

[HookedOnAPhelan]

Excellent defender, but his injury issues and ability on the ball are a problem, especially since we have AWB/Dalot at right back.

He'll be replaced next summer.

 

[Superunknown]

The right calibre of player for this club with the right mindset, quality on the pitch, and awesome leadership. However, his injury record is frustrating and can't be ignored.

 

[sullydnl]

A key point to my mind is that (wages aside) the €40m fee we paid was relatively fine, I think? Especially in comparison to some other less than wonderful transfers we made like VDB (who cost around the same a season before) or the obvious Maguire example.

Whereas there would be more of an issue if, say, Casemiro looked to have declined as we were going into his third season, as we'd have paid a much more substantial €70m fee for a short-tem signing. Given the cost of top class DMs these days, if that happened you might argue there was more of an opportunity cost to pursuing that transfer than there was to Varane's.

 

[Offside]

He’s been alright but constantly injured. There’s a reason Real Madrid get rid of these players.

The club doesn’t think about building something and that players they get in may need replacing soon, it’s just a reactive gung-ho approach in the hope that it will be enough for top 4 in that season.

Varane is fine but an example of the type of signing we should be avoiding once we become a football club again, if that ever happens.

 

[Tom Van Persie]

He's brilliant. Frustrating injury record though.

 

[MDFC Manager]

The only one who can be reasonably trusted in aerial situations.

 

[Tom Van Persie]

He’s been alright but constantly injured. There’s a reason Real Madrid get rid of these players.

The club doesn’t think about building something and that players they get in may need replacing soon, it’s just a reactive gung-ho approach in the hope that it will be enough for top 4 in that season.

Varane is fine but an example of the type of signing we should be avoiding once we become a football club again, if that ever happens.

Madrid wanted to keep him. Varane wanted to leave.

 

[Selbourne]

I love him. An elite defender that just seems to be a normal respectful guy that appreciates us

 

[Mr Pigeon]

When he's fit he's amazing - one of the world's best. I just wish he was fit more often.

 

[Dan_F]

He’s been fine. The Casemiro one might turn out to haunt us more financially, although I can’t see us having a problem shifting either to Saudi due to the careers they’ve had.

 

[bringbackbebe]

Excellent defender and a great personality. Huge upgrade over Maguire when he's fit. My only concern, and I hope I'm wrong, is that he seems to have lost a yard or so of pace over the last year - happened a couple of times in pre-season but also noticed it in our game against Wolves. Thankfully, he depends more on reading of the game than athleticism.

 

[Dion]

Pretty poor all things considered. He'll have cost the club £110m over his contract and we'll likely get two seasons worth of matches out of him.

At his best he's brilliant but he makes mistakes more often than he used to now. I said at the time I'd rather have bought Botman and I stand by that. More poor short term thinking from the club.

 

[Scottynaldinho]

French Smalling.

 

[We need an rvn]

We basically bought a second hand rolls royce. One of the best in the world when it's running reliably but cracks are forming and they're only going to get worse.

Need to upgrade to a younger and more reliably rolls royce.

 

[BluesJr]

Overall bad. Not reliable.

 

[2cents]

Really like him and he’s generally class on the pitch, that said I wouldn’t necessarily turn down a good offer for an injury prone , aging centre-back.

 

[Scottynaldinho]

We basically bought a second hand rolls royce. One of the best in the world when it's running reliably but cracks are forming and they're only going to get worse.

Need to upgrade to a younger and more reliably rolls Royce.

Do you know that Rolls Royce is not known for its performance?

 

[Himannv]

Top defender but he’s made of glass. We need to find a younger alternative who we think can eventually replace him.

 

[Shakesy]

Sometimes may be good, sometimes may be shit.

Life

 

[Idxomer]

He has been good when he's fit, needs to be replaced next summer or maybe even in January.

 

[Chief123]

Top defender but he’s made of glass.

World Glass defender.

 

[The Mitcher]

Underwhelming

 

[theballisround]

World class defender but hey, in what world would Madrid sell without knowing about the injury issues?

 

[RedUnited86]

Brilliant defender, terrible reliability.

He can be prime Baresi, but if he's unavailable then he's no good to us. He can't build partnerships on the pitch from the treatment table, and he's certainly not going to get less injury prone as he ages.

A short sighted signing that hasn't paid off.

 

[Rossa]

Interesting thread.

One the one hand, he is clearly a brilliant defender. He's different than I expected. He can still be rapid when he wants to, but he is calmer and much better at positioning than I expected. He's also better in the air than I thought. It's also great that he can bully big, strong attackers when he wants to, but that's not where he shines. Have you noticed how absolutely brilliant he is in two on one situations? Against Wolves and Tottenham he was in two on one situations, and he dealth with both with relative ease. And he does this without sliding into tackles or showcasing his speed. He's clever and positions himself perfectly.

On the other hand, his injuries are a concern for him and his longevity and for the team. Having a defense that play week in and week out is so beneficial to the team.

 

[Ceteris]

It's always difficult to judge player success especially in a team that seem to always have shortfalls.

He has been here for 4 transfer windows but here is the case we are now a mess in midfield, not enough full backs and in the striking position.

This team is never fully stacked at any point to even allow players to revel in their roles.

 

[Neil_Buchanan]

Poor first season and too many injuries. Better last season but never spectacular. Kinda hoping that Saudi offers us a big bag for him next summer.