Umtiti - Press starts linking him to United

[Ishdalar]

So, here in Spain Umtiti's situation was being talked sotto voce this week since Barcelona could have overbooking of CB's (Pique, Lenglet, Umtiti, De Ligt and Todibo) and now the speculation has started.

As anyone could imagine, United and Umtiti seem like a perfect match for the next summer, so the press has started talking about this link, and English sources are picking it up too.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...defender-Samuel-Umtiti-Manchester-United.html

https://as.com/futbol/2019/03/26/primera/1553586577_883403.html?autoplay=1

Even Catalan sportspapers reporting (or parading) the idea.

Personally, I'd love this move to happen for all parts, the only doubt about it is how well will Umtiti's knee be in the future, after he opted for a conservative treatment instead of an operation, something that has kept him out for six months.

 

[Paxi]

How reliable are Pete Jensen and Javier Miguel?

 

[BalanceUnAutreJoint]

Love him since his Lyon days. Would be a wonderful signing but Barca aren't stupid enough to sell him.

 

[passing-wind]

Don't know what to believe, I think it's obvious Barca are after De Ligt but Pique is getting on with age and I'm sure they would partner De Ligt and Umtiti ? Edit: barca forum reckon he's potentially off due to his continual knee problems

In recent weeks though I hear Lenglet has been doing well so who knows. But irrespective when fit, Umtiti is comfortably one of the best centre halfs in world football.

We missed a trick with him and Tolisso, another reason why we need a DOF, Lyon have always got a world class prospects under their sleeves only a matter of time before we've missed out yet again due to useless scouting.

 

[roonster09]

Umtiti is a quality CB but he looks injury prone player.

2016-17 - Missed 1.5 months because of injuries
2017-18 - Missed 2 months
2018-19 - Missed 4 months.

 

[ash_86]

Umtiti is a quality CB but he looks injury prone player.

2016-17 - Missed 1.5 months because of injuries
2017-18 - Missed 2 months
2018-19 - Missed 4 months.

Perfect partner for Jones!!

 

[Red_toad]

Umtiti is a quality CB but he looks injury prone player.

2016-17 - Missed 1.5 months because of injuries
2017-18 - Missed 2 months
2018-19 - Missed 4 months.

Sign him and Bale and that’s the treatment room sorted

 

[Bojan11]

Wasn’t he linked last year and then got a new contract.

He’s a good player, but wouldnt want him here with his injury issues. Big risk signing him in the summer for big money.

 

[SAFMUTD]

I don't know why we keep pursuing players that other top teams are getting rid of. We dream about getting Umtiti, Coutinho, Bale for example when Barca and Madrid want to get rid of them, has anyone stopped and think why their team wants to get rid of them?

Umtiti and Bale are injury prone and Coutinho is not up to Barca's level, all would cost above 80 million so we will be doing them a favor if we took them off their backs. Instead of taking other teams leftovers why can't we focus on getting the next developing world class players?

We should aim to compete against the top teams and we are acting as a lower team when we get our pants wet thinking about their left overs, would they come and get Alexis? NO. They would come and get De Gea or Pogba, we should do the same. Aim for their best players, not their "available" ones. If we can't get their top players, then we should look elsewhere, just like they do.

Only RVP has been a success, Ibra and Matic were acceptable. All the other available "great players" we've bought from top class clubs have been, at best not up to it, if not a complete failure. Schweinsteiger, Di Maria, Alexis, Falcao, Victor Valdes, Mata.

Will we ever learn?

 

[SplitzMagic]

One thing I don't understand about our club is why we can't obtain these players before they join the big clubs. We always seem to end up with the scraps, players the big teams don't want anymore.

Everyone has been banging on about us needing to sign De Ligt and yet Barcelona seem most likely to get him with us now being linked with their scraps.

Im not saying umtiti isn't a good player but I just wish we made those fast moves like Barcelona and the other big teams seem to.

We can't seem to get elite players and when we do it's usually when the team wants to get rid or they're running contracts down.

For example, we should have gone for Sanchez when Barcelona sold him to arsenal but we ended up with another Rooney on stupid wages.

We also ended up with Di Maria who was linked to PSG, we break our record and paid 60m and then he leaves for PSG a year later for 45m after a diabolical season.

There is also the Lozano case. He was wanting to join us and publicly said so as he supports us and we end up letting him join PSV for peanuts and now we're wanting to buy him for 35-40m. (still a bargain).

Now we're also linked with Kroos for 50m after Madrid have had their fair usage and it just seems like we're happy to have the scraps.

Juve are the best at getting scrap players but they at least build a good team first and then those players who join aren't under crazy pressure to perform although they do walk the league.

I'm sure you all know what I'm on about though, we just can't tempt players entering their prime and they would rather join us for a retirement package.

Ibra was great, but why couldn't we get him when he went to PSG initially.

Rant over

 

[SAFMUTD]

One thing I don't understand about our club is why we can't obtain these players before they join the big clubs. We always seem to end up with the scraps, players the big teams don't want anymore.

Everyone has been banging on about us needing to sign De Ligt and yet Barcelona seem most likely to get him with us now being linked with their scraps.

Im not saying umtiti isn't a good player but I just wish we made those fast moves like Barcelona and the other big teams seem to.

We can't seem to get elite players and when we do it's usually when the team wants to get rid or they're running contracts down.

For example, we should have gone for Sanchez when Barcelona sold him to arsenal but we ended up with another Rooney on stupid wages.

We also ended up with Di Maria who was linked to PSG, we break our record and paid 60m and then he leaves for PSG a year later for 45m after a diabolical season.

There is also the Lozano case. He was wanting to join us and publicly said so as he supports us and we end up letting him join PSV for peanuts and now we're wanting to buy him for 35-40m. (still a bargain).

Now we're also linked with Kroos for 50m after Madrid have had their fair usage and it just seems like we're happy to have the scraps.

Juve are the best at getting scrap players but they at least build a good team first and then those players who join aren't under crazy pressure to perform although they do walk the league.

I'm sure you all know what I'm on about though, we just can't tempt players entering their prime and they would rather join us for a retirement package.

Ibra was great, but why couldn't we get him when he went to PSG initially.

Rant over

THIS.

 

[mu4c_20le]

One thing I don't understand about our club is why we can't obtain these players before they join the big clubs. We always seem to end up with the scraps, players the big teams don't want anymore.

Everyone has been banging on about us needing to sign De Ligt and yet Barcelona seem most likely to get him with us now being linked with their scraps.

Who are 'these' players? All of our defenders were signed before they were 24. Jones and Smalling were signed before they were 20. Bailly 21, Lindelof 22. We do go for the best young talent around but not all of them want to come here, and the ones that do, don't always turn out the way you expect. Have you seen any quotes from the De Ligt camp, saying he looks forward to the sunny skies of Manchester? Woodward is well aware of him and there was talk in the press that he wants him back in january. After Fergie retired, our pulling power took a hit, though financially i believe we can still compete with the best.

 

[Skills]

What's wrong with his knee?

He's actually perfect for us, just didn't think he was attainable. We need a LCB because both Smalling and Lindelof prefer the right.

 

[macheda14]

I don't know why we keep pursuing players that other top teams are getting rid of. We dream about getting Umtiti, Coutinho, Bale for example when Barca and Madrid want to get rid of them, has anyone stopped and think why their team wants to get rid of them?

Yeah, really would have hated to get, Robben, Yaya Toure, Sneijder, Ozil, Zlatan at a younger age, Sanchez at a younger age etc. sometimes players don't work out for the top teams, other times they wrongly think they're getting an upgrade. All of these players were fantastic when they were let go by Real and Barca, so why not snap them up at a bit of a reduced price. Obviously it can work the other way and they don't turn out great, but to not want them because they're leaving a top club doesn't make sense.

 

[SAFMUTD]

Yeah, really would have hated to get, Robben, Yaya Toure, Sneijder, Ozil, Zlatan at a younger age, Sanchez at a younger age etc. sometimes players don't work out for the top teams, other times they wrongly think they're getting an upgrade. All of these players were fantastic when they were let go by Real and Barca, so why not snap them up at a bit of a reduced price. Obviously it can work the other way and they don't turn out great, but to not want them because they're leaving a top club doesn't make sense.

I'm not saying it’s impossible for some to turn out good, but the vast majority won’t. If the odds of them turning better were in their favor then the clubs wouldn’t let them go, if we buy we are betting against the odds, its simple as that.

Its one thing to buy from top clubs and another thing to buy the scrap from top clubs.

 

[roonster09]

I'm not saying it’s impossible for some to turn out good, but the vast majority won’t. If the odds of them turning better were in their favor then the clubs wouldn’t let them go, if we buy we are betting against the odds, its simple as that.

Its one thing to buy from top clubs and another thing to buy the scrap from top clubs.

It's not always the case. There are so many reasons why clubs want to get rid of players. For example players like Sanchez, Fabregas looks technically superb players in PL but they looked like technically inferior players playing alongside Messi, Xavi, Iniesta. They didn't suit the way Barca played but Fabregas was superb for Arsenal and Chelsea. Same with Sanchez, he was superb for Arsenal.

 

[SATA]

Is it contract renewal time again? These players don't leave Spain to go to the PL until near retirement time

 

[tieunhilang]

One thing I don't understand about our club is why we can't obtain these players before they join the big clubs. We always seem to end up with the scraps, players the big teams don't want anymore.

Everyone has been banging on about us needing to sign De Ligt and yet Barcelona seem most likely to get him with us now being linked with their scraps.

Im not saying umtiti isn't a good player but I just wish we made those fast moves like Barcelona and the other big teams seem to.

We can't seem to get elite players and when we do it's usually when the team wants to get rid or they're running contracts down.

For example, we should have gone for Sanchez when Barcelona sold him to arsenal but we ended up with another Rooney on stupid wages.

We also ended up with Di Maria who was linked to PSG, we break our record and paid 60m and then he leaves for PSG a year later for 45m after a diabolical season.

There is also the Lozano case. He was wanting to join us and publicly said so as he supports us and we end up letting him join PSV for peanuts and now we're wanting to buy him for 35-40m. (still a bargain).

Now we're also linked with Kroos for 50m after Madrid have had their fair usage and it just seems like we're happy to have the scraps.

Juve are the best at getting scrap players but they at least build a good team first and then those players who join aren't under crazy pressure to perform although they do walk the league.

I'm sure you all know what I'm on about though, we just can't tempt players entering their prime and they would rather join us for a retirement package.

Ibra was great, but why couldn't we get him when he went to PSG initially.

Rant over

Look at the Sancho thread to see even after the young player moved to Dortmund, there would still be doubters of him. Even Mbappe got people laughed at the idea of signing him for 100 millions because he could be a "one season wonder". We used to do it with Mamphis Depay and Anthony Martial. Only one turned out "okay" (Still inconsistent).

So it's not a simple thing like you stated it. And I seriously doubt the capacity of our scouting department anyway.

 

[ErranMorad]

Barca want to upgrade on a player with a dodgy knee with a world class potential. Of course, we are linked.

 

[Adisa]

I saw an article saying Todibo might go on loan.

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

Contract gimmick

 

[sherrinford]

I'm not saying it’s impossible for some to turn out good, but the vast majority won’t. If the odds of them turning better were in their favor then the clubs wouldn’t let them go, if we buy we are betting against the odds, its simple as that.

That’s not true at all, generally. The vast majority of the time you would be getting someone who has proven their quality, hence why they have been signed by an elite team.

 

[SAFMUTD]

That’s not true at all, generally. The vast majority of the time you would be getting someone who has proven their quality, hence why they have been signed by an elite team.

Im sure there are way more failures than success in those situations, most players that are released by the big clubs don’t make it elsewhere. Sure there are some exceptions like Robben and Sneijder but the majority won’t deliver to the expectations.

 

[Fracture90]

Very good CB, but very injury prone. Barcelona aren't dumb, they're looking to offload him in order to raise funds for De Ligt. We shouldn't be the idiots they're about to fleece. His knee is another issue on itself.

 

[Fracture90]

Everyone has been banging on about us needing to sign De Ligt and yet Barcelona seem most likely to get him with us now being linked with their scraps

I get from where you're coming from but all reports suggest that De Ligt wants to play for Barca and there's not much you can do when the player has his mind set on another club.

 

[Wallez]

He is an extremely good CB, that might actually be available due to Barcelonas interest in De Ligt. However, he is short for a CB (1.82 m according to Transfermarkt) and is not very good in aerial duels. I can’t see him as an ideal partner to Lindelöf, since the trio of De Gea, Lindelöf and Umtiti would be extremely vulnerable to crosses.

 

[devilish]

He is injury prone. That is all that matters

 

[JPRouve]

He is injury prone. That is all that matters

That's a bit of stretch. He had one knee injury at the end of last season, played through it during the World cup and then had to fix it at the beginning of this season.

 

[Sanche7]

One thing I don't understand about our club is why we can't obtain these players before they join the big clubs. We always seem to end up with the scraps, players the big teams don't want anymore.

Everyone has been banging on about us needing to sign De Ligt and yet Barcelona seem most likely to get him with us now being linked with their scraps.

Im not saying umtiti isn't a good player but I just wish we made those fast moves like Barcelona and the other big teams seem to.

We can't seem to get elite players and when we do it's usually when the team wants to get rid or they're running contracts down.

For example, we should have gone for Sanchez when Barcelona sold him to arsenal but we ended up with another Rooney on stupid wages.

We also ended up with Di Maria who was linked to PSG, we break our record and paid 60m and then he leaves for PSG a year later for 45m after a diabolical season.

There is also the Lozano case. He was wanting to join us and publicly said so as he supports us and we end up letting him join PSV for peanuts and now we're wanting to buy him for 35-40m. (still a bargain).

Now we're also linked with Kroos for 50m after Madrid have had their fair usage and it just seems like we're happy to have the scraps.

Juve are the best at getting scrap players but they at least build a good team first and then those players who join aren't under crazy pressure to perform although they do walk the league.

I'm sure you all know what I'm on about though, we just can't tempt players entering their prime and they would rather join us for a retirement package.

Ibra was great, but why couldn't we get him when he went to PSG initially.

Rant over

People love blaming the club for everything don't they!
It seems like De Ligt wants to join Barca, which is why no other club has been linked to him and if that's the case there's nothing United can do about it

We did try for Sanchez but IIRC we didn't have CL football plus he wanted to move to London. And why on earth are you blaming the club for Di Maria's attitude? He was the MotM in the UCL final that year and we needed quality in our attack. Yes, we overpaid and LVG didn't use him properly but they doesn't mean he was a bad player or didn't have the talent

Lozano was pretty unproven, he had done well in the Mexican league or something and he wasn't ready for the step up. Also regarding Kroos, we weren't in the CL and if Moyes us to be believed, we had a deal with him, only for LVG to say no.

See, no club has the pull on players like Barca and Madrid have. This is especially true regarding South American players and Ajax players. Also we are not in the best of conditions as a club and are not very attractive to players right now. But saying we attract only people looking for a retirement package is just ridiculous when we have bought mostly young players with Sanzhez and Ibra as exceptions. Also Sanchez was 28/29 when we signed him, that's not retirement age

 

[devilish]

That's a bit of stretch. He had one knee injury at the end of last season, played through it during the World cup and then had to fix it at the beginning of this season.

He is been out for long stretches at a time because of it. Do we really want to risk it?

 

[JPRouve]

He is been out for long stretches at a time because of it. Do we really want to risk it?

He has been out for one long stretch not several and I personally don't know if there is a medical risk, I'm not a doctor. But let's not make up things, he isn't injury prone, he had one injury that needed serious attention and he is back at a good level.

 

[devilish]

He has been out for one long stretch not several and I personally don't know if there is a medical risk, I'm not a doctor. But let's not make up things, he isn't injury prone, he had one injury that needed serious attention and he is back at a good level.

His knee is a concern which kept him for long stretches at a time. Now it's rumoured that Barca wants him out. Those doesn't inspire confidence

 

[Siorac]

Umtiti is a quality CB but he looks injury prone player.

2016-17 - Missed 1.5 months because of injuries
2017-18 - Missed 2 months
2018-19 - Missed 4 months.

Yeah, that's a firm 'no thanks' then.

 

[el3mel]

Doesn't make any kind of sense for Barca to let him leave, and if the news are true about him being injury prone so that's why they want him out, then that's more of a reason to stay away, so overall, doesn't make sense either way.

 

[Cliche Guevara]

Don't know what to believe, I think it's obvious Barca are after De Ligt but Pique is getting on with age and I'm sure they would partner De Ligt and Umtiti ? Edit: barca forum reckon he's potentially off due to his continual knee problems

In recent weeks though I hear Lenglet has been doing well so who knows. But irrespective when fit, Umtiti is comfortably one of the best centre halfs in world football.

We missed a trick with him and Tolisso, another reason why we need a DOF, Lyon have always got a world class prospects under their sleeves only a matter of time before we've missed out yet again due to useless scouting.

Why do people always relate missing these kind of players to not having a DoF?

We do have international scouts but we can’t buy everyone. Not having a DoF has nothing to do with it. I have seen some people continually make lists of their favourite players and say we’ve missed out on them because we don’t have one.

 

[Jay_VC]

I quite like him, he's a fantastic defender. But injuries aside, like others have mentioned: he is not that tall for a CB and we do need an aerial threat, don't we?

 

[settembrini]

Barcelona gave him an expensive new contract last summer and now his knee has been busted and they want to get rid. Easy to see why we should steer clear and not help Barcelona out by giving them squad space and money to buy de Ligt.

It's a similar situation to Bale in that the player himself is a big name and plays in a position where we need a new signing (left sided centre back, right wing) but the reason their current club want the player to leave is exactly why United should stay away.

 

[The Cat]

I don't know why we keep pursuing players that other top teams are getting rid of. We dream about getting Umtiti, Coutinho, Bale for example when Barca and Madrid want to get rid of them, has anyone stopped and think why their team wants to get rid of them?

Umtiti and Bale are injury prone and Coutinho is not up to Barca's level, all would cost above 80 million so we will be doing them a favor if we took them off their backs. Instead of taking other teams leftovers why can't we focus on getting the next developing world class players?

We should aim to compete against the top teams and we are acting as a lower team when we get our pants wet thinking about their left overs, would they come and get Alexis? NO. They would come and get De Gea or Pogba, we should do the same. Aim for their best players, not their "available" ones. If we can't get their top players, then we should look elsewhere, just like they do.

Only RVP has been a success, Ibra and Matic were acceptable. All the other available "great players" we've bought from top class clubs have been, at best not up to it, if not a complete failure. Schweinsteiger, Di Maria, Alexis, Falcao, Victor Valdes, Mata.

Will we ever learn?

We didn't buy Falcao for the record.

 

[GledTheRed]

Doubt they would want tied unless he's fecked. Which indicates we are about to sign him for 70 million on 300k a week.

 

[Shinjch]

Shame he can't seem to stay consistently fit recently, as I think he is a better and more consistent player than Varane.

If Barca are going in for De Ligt as it seems, then you would think Umtiti would be the one to make way as he is far too good to be a reserve.