Another quality midfield option, striker, and probably a winger unless Sancho and Antony come good. We may also find ourselves needing a CB when Maguire goes. Torn on RB but doesn’t seem priority right now. We may also need a backup striker.
Replace him with our other 80m winger Sancho?Dalot, Eriksen, Antony and Bruno. And of course, a striker.
Absolutely - the guy has been just as important as Casemiro in turning round our fortunes. He also gives us a chance to integrate Mebrij or Mainoo as another number 8.Surprised so many are on Eriksen. He's been brilliant hasn't he? Just that calm, creative passer we've needed in there for ages, and a huge contrast to Bruno's wild style.
Plus is a lot harder working than I for one realised.
If I never watched the actual football, ‘5 goals in 17 games’ would impress me. However, I do - and I am totally unimpressed.Replace him with our other 80m winger Sancho?
You've wrote a player off after a few months at the club and 5 goals in 17 games which isnt even bad
I think a player capable of covering of covering both positions will be useful for us.Another quality midfield option, striker, and probably a winger unless Sancho and Antony come good. We may also find ourselves needing a CB when Maguire goes. Torn on RB but doesn’t seem priority right now. We may also need a backup striker.
If I never watched the actual football, ‘5 goals in 17 games’ would impress me. However, I do - and I am totally unimpressed.
We can replace him with an improvement from himself for all I care, my response to the question is it is an area of the team that currently isn’t good enough. Any improvement to the requisite standard from Antony is totally hypothetical anyway, and likely based on little evidence of anything seen, just purely ‘well he will be better in his second season’. He might be, who knows.
And this isn’t me ‘writing off Mbappe after a few months’. There’s no indication at all that Antony even has the level we want in him. If Mbappe struggled, we can at least back him to return to a level we know he is capable of. I’m not sure we are sure Antony is good enough, and the evidence has suggested he isn’t. I think even I could do a job at LB against him.
If he improves then great. But as it stands, RW is currently a position of concern of mine. The only reason it wouldn’t be is ‘because it’s Antony’s first season’. There‘s literally no other argument IMO.
Ok, let's play this out. Who exactly, who is realistic (thus no Alisson or Neuer) and would be a vast upgrade on De Gea and would be worth the cost within a budget that would still allow us to bring what would likely be an 80m striker and an upgrade on Eriksen, such as De Jong?Martial, De Gea and Eriksen are the obvious ones. Antony and Bruno could also do with some serious competition for their spot.
Talk about loading a question. So you want a vast upgrade after spending 80m on a striker and 70/80 million on a midfielder. So you want a realistic amazing keeper option that costs 10m? 20m?Ok, let's play this out. Who exactly, who is realistic (thus no Alisson or Neuer) and would be a vast upgrade on De Gea and would be worth the cost within a budget that would still allow us to bring what would likely be an 80m striker and an upgrade on Eriksen, such as De Jong?
We live in the world of reality, not fantasy. If we had 300m to spend this summer there probably would be room in the budget to upgrade on De Gea after we upgrade on what are undeniably higher priorities. But even then there really aren’t any keepers who don’t play for Liverpool, Bayern or Real who would represent a significant upgrade on De Gea and even if we somehow could turn the head of Alisson et al, bringing one of them over would be a budget buster for a position that’s not only far from one of weakest, but is actually one of our strongest.Talk about loading a question. So you want a vast upgrade after spending 80m on a striker and 70/80 million on a midfielder. So you want a realistic amazing keeper option that costs 10m? 20m?
If we have around 150 million to spend then I would prioritize a striker and a keeper first and go for a younger/cheaper option for midfield. So take your pick of any top class keeper on the market.
How about CB cover too although think it's unlikely we are signing 5 players in one windowWe need -
This summer -
A top class Striker - One from Kane, Oshimen, Goncalo
A top class CM to replace Eriksen - One from Bellingham, Enzo Fernandes, De Jong
A Bruno back up - Aouar on a free?
A DM back up for Casemiro
Next season -
2 Right wingers need to step up from Sancho/Antony/Pellestri/Amad. A first teamer and a back up. Need to be near levels of Rashford/Garnaho combination on the LW.
Starting XI definitely lacks a progressive CM,however that's the only other big issue there after a top class strikerNot really any players in the starting XI, aside from the obvious gaping hole at CF. But we need an alternative option in midfield for when we play games like Arsenal away, Eriksen and Bruno are great together against weaker opposition, but neither provides enough defensively, and Eriksen gases himself trying most games. And beyond that, we just need depth in the squad, and quality depth, that can be proper utilized in EtH's system.
Please give some objective metrics by which De Gea is better than all but three keepers in the world. He is poor with the ball at his feet and is amongst the worst in the world at commanding his area and claiming crosses.We live in the world of reality, not fantasy. If we had 300m to spend this summer there probably would be room in the budget to upgrade on De Gea after we upgrade on what are undeniably higher priorities. But even then there really aren’t any keepers who don’t play for Liverpool, Bayern or Real who would represent a significant upgrade on De Gea and even if we somehow could turn the head of Alisson et al, bringing one of them over would be a budget buster for a position that’s not only far from one of weakest, but is actually one of our strongest.
The word “priority” has a specific meaning that needs to be better understood on this forum. In terms of strengthening the squad, the obvious priority is CF and that’s not a random opinion. That’s a fact. We probably need an upgrade on Eriksen, which could be considered a debatable opinion but is a widely shared one, and we all know ETH wants De Jong. And unless our new owners (I’m assuming the same will get done.) have an unlimited checkbook, they’re going to focus on our actual priorities.
Would rather spend bigger on a CM than GKPlease give some objective metrics by which De Gea is better than all but three keepers in the world. He is poor with the ball at his feet and is amongst the worst in the world at commanding his area and claiming crosses.
Our actual priorities like I said are striker and goalkeeper. Those two positions will affect our team the most because they will most likely be guaranteed starters for almost all our matches. An Eriksen replacement though needed isn't a priority because we still have Eriksen who is good enough at the highest level. All this weird talk about fantasy and priorities but you keep mentioning FDJ like that is a realistic option after what happened last summer.
Even with 150 million or whatever you imagine the summer budget to be you can get a top striker for 80 million, a top keeper for 50 million and spend 20 million on a promising CM. If the striker and keeper take up our whole budget that's fine too, ETH will just have to use some youth players as Eriksen cover of which we have plenty ( Hannibal, Zidane, Mainoo, Savage)
We obviously don't and folk are free ro talk about whatever they want but I doubt any conclusions reached from this would hold any value.I love comments like this; as if we have some kind of role in the decision-making! It's clearly a topic for discussion, so nothing 'too soon' about it.
This thread isn't asking what we still need. It's asking which good players aren't quite good enough. That's not the same thing.There is already a thread exactly the same as this titled something like 'what we still need'
FFS!
If the players aren't good enough then we need to replace them...what is hard to understand?This thread isn't asking what we still need. It's asking which good players aren't quite good enough. That's not the same thing.
It's hard for me to say, as the lack of understanding is on your end.If the players aren't good enough then we need to replace them...what is hard to understand?
Geez...you need to find a hobby.It's hard for me to say, as the lack of understanding is on your end.
This thread is asking you which players you think are good but nonetheless need to be upgraded. Which players you rate, but don't quite rate enough for their current standing in the team.
That isn't the same as asking "what do we still need?" Because "what we still need" also includes upgrading players who aren't good and who you don't rate. It also includes filling already-existing gaps in the squad, like centre-forward. I wasn't interested in any of that, where the other thread obviously is.
Agree with you on the three most urgent needs but I think both Varane and Dalot are perfectly fine.De Gea, Eriksen, and Martial. I would replace them with new starters. All 3 are good players, but can be upgraded with players that have a wider skillset, and are actually available to play. On a lesser and probably controversial scale, Varane could be improved on with a player that is better on the ball and less injury prone. Dalot is borderline. It depends on whether he can keep playing like he has this season. I'm not 100% convinced yet.
I agree with this and would add a RB into the mix if possible. And if we can upgrade on those four positions as far as raising the technical level of the first 11, especially in the build up phase, then we will improve exponentially as far as being a more dominant team.De Gea, Eriksen, and Martial. I would replace them with new starters. All 3 are good players, but can be upgraded with players that have a wider skillset, and are actually available to play. On a lesser and probably controversial scale, Varane could be improved on with a player that is better on the ball and less injury prone. Dalot is borderline. It depends on whether he can keep playing like he has this season. I'm not 100% convinced yet.