Was the Casemiro signing a mistake?

[Abraxas]

Definite mistake.

I take the argument he qualified us for the CL and recouped some money. It's some mitigation rather than being awful from start to finish. But that's really just one single aspect, the financial one.

The other side is we now have a player that is a worry going into every game. There's the opportunity cost of the fact we could have made a far better decision that we'd now be benefiting from, like we are with Hojlund. It's the usual stuff you miss when you go for these end of career signings. We went for the here and now hoping beyond hope he'd have longevity but now we have the not altogether unforeseeable outcome and the inconvenience of the fact we have to visit the market for the exact position we looked at a year ago.

 

[m1tch]

I'm trying to remain optimistic about him, that he'll fully adjust to the premier league and show his quality again consistently for many years. It's a fairly baseless optimism I know, but there's been many mid-30's centre midfielders well capable of excelling in this league. Admittedly they usually played here most of their careers.

 

[ThinkTank@Cafe]

It’s pretty much obvious. Another Schweinsteiger but £60m more expensive

 

[Jaae]

Endomorph? The concept is utter nonsense.

You must be an endomorph in denial.

 

[honirelandboy]

Just because someone is younger doesn’t mean they’ll be a top signing, it’s not Football Manager. That’s what has Chelsea in mid-table.

When was the last time City, Arsenal or Liverpool spent 70 million on a 30 year old? That’s why the club is where it is. Ratcliffe wouldn’t have allowed the signing.

 

[RuudTom83]

Anyone thinking it was a mistake needs to start McTom every match in the last 18 months that Casemiro has been here.

Hell No! Feck That!

I’m glad we have Casemiro.

 

[Teja]

When was the last time City, Arsenal or Liverpool spent 70 million on a 30 year old? That’s why the club is where it is.

When do proper clubs wait until the season starts, suffer two 4-0 defeats (or whatever) and then panic sign the best DM they can get after not even chasing anyone for that position the whole summer (or infact several summers before that)?

Remember the whole Pogba needs a DM to unlock him and surviving on McFred and then not even bothering to chase a DM?

Unserious club. It's amazing that the execs stayed in their job as long as they did.

 

[Ali Dia]

When do proper clubs wait until the season starts, suffer two 4-0 defeats (or whatever) and then panic sign the best DM they can get after not even chasing anyone for that position the whole summer (or infact several summers before that)?

Remember the whole Pogba needs a DM to unlock him and surviving on McFred and then not even bothering to chase a DM?

Unserious club. It's amazing that the execs stayed in their job as long as they did.

Or how we kept signing 10s and putting them on the RW.
Finished striker on loan…
Dropping the ball on so many obvious transfers and not caring about the culture at the club whatsoever.
The list is basically just goes on and on : how to run a great institution that was too big to fail but failed so badly that you need outside help to bail you out. the fans despise you and are just a punchline in the football world just hanging on in there for the biggest sale value possible. They couldn’t care less about football or Manchester

 

[Grande]

When do proper clubs wait until the season starts, suffer two 4-0 defeats (or whatever) and then panic sign the best DM they can get after not even chasing anyone for that position the whole summer (or infact several summers before that)?

Remember the whole Pogba needs a DM to unlock him and surviving on McFred and then not even bothering to chase a DM?

Unserious club. It's amazing that the execs stayed in their job as long as they did.

I think it’s well established in retrospect that Casemiro was an option they pursued and negotiated about since May already.

 

[Leftback99]

Anyone thinking it was a mistake needs to start McTom every match in the last 18 months that Casemiro has been here.

Hell No! Feck That!

I’m glad we have Casemiro.

Yes because it was a past it Casemiro for mega money or no one.

 

[Gordon Godot]

Yes because it was a past it Casemiro for mega money or no one.

Exactly, some of the views on here are beyond parody. We wasted a summer chasing FDJ and then panicked into signing Casimero. The first bit was on ETH, the second on our awful recruitment team. Rice was interested and would have sorted us for the rest of the decade. Hopefully INEOS are not stupid enough to ever buy RM cast off again.

 

[lilcurt]

In terms of a player like him in the squad no. The issue is the fee we paid Real Madrid and the length of contract we gave him.

 

[kkengvib]

As others have pointed out, it's not the player. He's been very useful and was a big contributor in his first season. It's the fee and length of contract. The wages are probably high but it would've been bearable if it was just a few years

 

[Mr Smith]

The thing that shits me is that we could have got Rice for 50mil less than we got Casemiro and Antony, and would be in a much better place. I'm a big fan of Cas but the fee we paid for him at the wages he is given the other players that were available in the market is ridiculous.

 

[Gordon Godot]

As others have pointed out, it's not the player. He's been very useful and was a big contributor in his first season. It's the fee and length of contract. The wages are probably high but it would've been bearable if it was just a few years

I tend to disagree. We just should not be in this short term, stop gap mentality. Its the lack of planning and scouting that hurts us. Sign him on a free for 2 seasons as back up and impart knowledge, maybe. Anything else, just no.

 

[RedIan]

No it wasnt a mistake. Short memories, he was motm nearly every game in his first season. He needs a run in the team to get fully match fit and i believe he will be a big positive again. His influence is massive. Any coincidence we have won 4 tricky games on the bounce since his return.

 

[Prodigal7]

It’s pretty much obvious. Another Schweinsteiger but £60m more expensive

I cannot fathom how some people come to this conclusion. Last season he was the biggest reason we got top 4. This season he’s dropped off a little bit he’s still one of our best players and indespensable in the defensive midfield position. He’s asked to do way too much defensively in midfield. Last game aside, he still does it well for the most part. We win when he plays, we don’t when he doesn’t play, it’s really that simple.

 

[aganley]

I cannot fathom how some people come to this conclusion. Last season he was the biggest reason we got top 4. This season he’s dropped off a little bit he’s still one of our best players and indespensable in the defensive midfield position. He’s asked to do way too much defensively in midfield. Last game aside, he still does it well for the most part. We win when he plays, we don’t when he doesn’t play, it’s really that simple.

The issue is people saying casemiro was a mistake either don't understand football or have short memories.

 

[Leftback99]

I cannot fathom how some people come to this conclusion. Last season he was the biggest reason we got top 4. This season he’s dropped off a little bit he’s still one of our best players and indespensable in the defensive midfield position. He’s asked to do way too much defensively in midfield. Last game aside, he still does it well for the most part. We win when he plays, we don’t when he doesn’t play, it’s really that simple.

Rashford's purple patch was by far the biggest reason we got top 4.

 

[uwotm8]

No it wasnt a mistake. Short memories, he was motm nearly every game in his first season. He needs a run in the team to get fully match fit and i believe he will be a big positive again. His influence is massive. Any coincidence we have won 4 tricky games on the bounce since his return.

I want to be a leaf too . I would be genuinely thrilled if he picked up match sharpness and started dominating again. But it's not looking good. How can one stay hungry when he has that much money and success. Especially with that body type.

 

[Sir Erik ten Hag]

The thing that shits me is that we could have got Rice for 50mil less than we got Casemiro and Antony, and would be in a much better place. I'm a big fan of Cas but the fee we paid for him at the wages he is given the other players that were available in the market is ridiculous.

We had no way of getting Rice. No chance he would come here and destroy his career (From his POV at that time).

 

[Ikon]

The signing of Casemiro was NOT a mistake, albeit a panic signing.
The mistake was in the size of the fee, the size of the salary, and the length of contract.

 

[RedRocket9908]

I dont believe signing him was a mistake as he did well last season, I do believe that not accepting the €70m Saudi offer for him last summer was a mistake though.

 

[RedorDead21]

Exactly, some of the views on here are beyond parody. We wasted a summer chasing FDJ and then panicked into signing Casimero. The first bit was on ETH, the second on our awful recruitment team. Rice was interested and would have sorted us for the rest of the decade. Hopefully INEOS are not stupid enough to ever buy RM cast off again.

He’d slot right in at city and shine every time he was rotated in like the rest of them. It’s a pressure cooker here with mediocre partnerships and it shows.

 

[FrankWhite]

If we end up selling him to the Saudi league for the reported 60M, I won't think it's been a bad signing.

 

[BeltUp]

Pretty much every signing under Woodward/Arnold/Murtough are mistakes in different ways because there is no joined-up thinking. The primary mistake was not having competent people running the show because that causes a ton of secondary mistakes. Luckily, we now seem to be on the right track.

 

[Stadjer]

Exactly, some of the views on here are beyond parody. We wasted a summer chasing FDJ and then panicked into signing Casimero. The first bit was on ETH, the second on our awful recruitment team. Rice was interested and would have sorted us for the rest of the decade. Hopefully INEOS are not stupid enough to ever buy RM cast off again.

Nothing wrong with Real Madrid cast offs. Maybe just not buy old, expensive but still quality players unless those players could be the final piece to winning a title.

There really is bothing wrong with Real Madrid cast offs if they are the right csst offs. Im sure Arsenal is happy with their cast off, who turned captain. Bayern was happy to get a right wing legend off Madrid. I expect Inter was happy to purchase a player who was vital for their best season ever. Many quality players dont make it at Madrid or Madrid decides they want a new shiny player. That doesnt mean the player isnt good.

What if (more likely a when) Mbappe joins Madrid and Rodrygo considers leaving?

 

[Gordon S]

Big mistake. Just another one in a long line. These feelgood muppet signings are fun and all.
We all were buzzing (to some extent) when we were connected to players like Di Maria, Falcao, Mata, Schweinsteiger, Zlatan, Sanchez, Cavani, Ronaldo, Varane, Casemiro. So much fun and excitement. But the fun just never last longer than a few months spread over a season or maybe two where we get bits and pieces of the superstar we hoped for.
70m is still massive money for a club like ours.
I am sure Berrada and Ashworth doesn`t even entertain similar silly ideas so this era is probably gone.

 

[DJ_21]

Don’t think it was a mistake. Maybe the price and wages was. He’s been vital in some games for us

 

[noodlehair]

He was literally great for a majority of last season and has been unavailable for most of this. His return has coincided directly with us starting to actually play football and win games consistently. Maybe this is a coincidence, but unless you're delusional, it actually isn't.

So of course he has become one of redcafe's main targets to criticise. Give it a year or two and it'll be Mainoo and Hojlund.


For those who think signing Casemiro was a mistake, this means you would rather not have Casemiro. I'm curious as to what midfield you would line up with for the remainder of this season. Mctominay? Amrabat?

If some of you had any say in things we'd be a conference team within 5 years, because you'd constantly target and throw sh*t at our best players until you got rid of them and replaced them with someone too average to criticise, and would in the process continuously have to lower the bar for what "too average" meant, until it got to the point it literally meant picking yourself in midfield for the Sunday morning trip to play King Jonny FC in the Manchester Sunday league, because you didn't like that your clearly more skillful mate Darren failed to score a hat trick the previous week

 

[berbasloth4]

No so much the signing a mistake more just the big contract.

it was always gamble giving his age. With Father Time catching him he needs help in the middle and has that in mainoo.

Majority of the time he plays he plays well and we look more solid. If he can stay fit he can be the perfect mentor for mainoo and as we start a rebuild and new era could be key in possibly leading and setting the right mentality’s in new players we possibly sign.

 

[Utd heap]

He was literally great for a majority of last season and has been unavailable for most of this. His return has coincided directly with us starting to actually play football and win games consistently. Maybe this is a coincidence, but unless you're delusional, it actually isn't.

So of course he has become one of redcafe's main targets to criticise. Give it a year or two and it'll be Mainoo and Hojlund.


For those who think signing Casemiro was a mistake, this means you would rather not have Casemiro. I'm curious as to what midfield you would line up with for the remainder of this season. Mctominay? Amrabat?

If some of you had any say in things we'd be a conference team within 5 years, because you'd constantly target and throw sh*t at our best players until you got rid of them and replaced them with someone too average to criticise, and would in the process continuously have to lower the bar for what "too average" meant, until it got to the point it literally meant picking yourself in midfield for the Sunday morning trip to play King Jonny FC in the Manchester Sunday league, because you didn't like that your clearly more skillful mate Darren failed to score a hat trick the previous week

Inclined to agree with this.

 

[Red00012]

Ya he needs moving on in the summer .
Still thinks he’s playing for Madrid where he doesn’t get tackled or pressed

 

[SAFMUTD]

100%.

Can't blame management though, who would have thought spending 70M on a player for the premier league who's 30 and declining fast would've been a mistake? No one could had predicted it, it's just one of those bad luck cases.

 

[Bobski]

Of course it was, as many predicted, fans don't learn though, there were people hoping for Benzema in the transfer window. Aye, lets just put that Real legends team back together while Madrid are picking up the best young players in the world.

 

[Ballache]

Whilst I agree with the overall sentiment in this thread and I do believe he needs to be sold this summer, the way we set-up would make prime Roy Keane look like Djemba Djemba...the amount of space we leave in midfield is staggering...You can't play with a single pivot if you don't know how to keep the ball and have enough pace in the team to transition back...it's simply not sustainable. We need to drop Mainoo deep next to Casemiro and we'll look much better.

 

[BorisManUtd]

I don't think it was a mistake. He was vital for us last season in finishing 3rd and winning a trophy. But I do think it was a mistake giving him a 4 year contract when he was already 30 years old player. Makes it more difficult to sell him this summer (if we are to sell him in the summer), unless Saudis decide to go for him.

 

[jeff gurr]

The issue is people saying casemiro was a mistake either don't understand football or have short memories.

Well apparently I have a short memory and don't understand football. Too much money for a player in decline !!

 

[Dec9003]

I think he can still be useful with a different tactical direction. Since his return he seems to go for the same style of passes Bruno does, high risk high reward which lead to too many turnovers. I don’t know if he ever played that way at Real Madrid, but I think for a side more concerned about controlling the game and keeping the ball he can still be an asset. Worst comes to worst we may be able to sell him and get a big part of our investment back anyway.

 

[ROFLUTION]

The signing of Casemiro was NOT a mistake, albeit a panic signing.
The mistake was in the size of the fee, the size of the salary, and the length of contract.

That's what comes with it - We probably wouldn't have got him for peanuts or a normal salary.

You gotta remind yourself too that we were in total panic. We had just lost our two first games of the season and it looked like we'd have a nightmare of a season. Takes something to convince a player to onboard a sinking ship. It was definitely a "give ourselves some time" buy from the Glazers who were getting slaughtered at the time.