Hopefully two signings, where one is a boring signing that will get some backlash but offers a reliable option there as a perpetual 3rd of 4th CM/DM, suited well enough to Amorim's CM image and adaptable enough to not by an empty shell if this period turned out to be a purple patch. Could also be someone like Kante or something, but I honestly have no idea about how realistic that would be. Saudi ball and some international appearances is possibly easier than back to BPL, let alone if come season European football (and the League Cup) return. But if rotating with Casemiro works for him, that'd be cool - in theory.
Which midfielder will we sign January 2026?
- Thread starter IrishRedDevil
- Start date
Yes, lots left in that engine of his.
Probably another useless stop gap that doesn't improve our midfield.
I agree with the bolded. People run past Casemiro all the time. Its just that in this instance, it resulted in a goal and people are blaming him.
So we are down to one liners and goal post shifting. So weird. Its like you are in love with ugarte.Nice story. Still doesn't change the fact that not every manager has the exact same role description for his defensive players as you do. Some approaches require them to contain, others require them to be aggressive. It is fine if you think that Ugarte somehow made a mistake in that first goal, I personally don't see it. He secures the centre, yes, he could have done more to get the ball from Odobert but this guy is a dribbler so I don't think it was a mistake not too overcommit. The issue in that goal is not dealing with the cross when you are in numerical advantage.
Just look at your first screenshot - for what should he delay anything? The back line consisted of 5 players that were distanced well.
ok... Well I guess there is no point in debating, when you are so deadcertain about who the culprit is. So be it.
Again - I think, you fall for the same issue the club has as well - that Ugarte was a sitting holding midfielder. When he seems to be a mobile, steely ball winner. I would agree with much you said in this paragraph. I still don't see why to be overly harsh in evaluating his performances. If Casemiro were a few years younger we wouldn't have to talk about Ugarte - but he isn't. And I think, it wouldn't be too hard to make a case that Casemiro doesn't get the nod because of his defensive discipline but for his willingness to pass it forwards - something thats a bigger issue for us as a team than not holding a position.
So you think, Ugarte had to leave PSG because he wasn't a good enough presser?Not sure how many people will agree to this mate. Because the way more plausible explanation for wanting to get rid of him were his limitations on the ball.
He needs to delay so as to more help can come, cause you delay to make probability of the other team scoring lower, this is why teams sit in 10 man behind the ball to prevent goals and dont think 7 are enough cause other team is attacking with 6. Me having to explain this shows you are arguing just for the sake and not cause you have an actual point.
Ugarte has shit positional discipline and a huge flaw that makes him get caught out on wrong side of man. You can make up all the FM positions you like for him and he may work in that for you, in real world if you are caught wrong side and dont have high pace to recover, then you are done. Even if you have great pace, some attackers will simply burn you.
You literally talked abouthim being a great pressing midfielder and i asked why a manager who uses the press wont keep him ? He was let go cause he is poor on ball and not good enough of a " mobile , steely ball winner, teraquartista shoved up a regista" or whatever name you wanna make up.
Scoreline before and after ugarte came on this season. Surely not a coincidence all the time.
ARS 0-1 to 0-1 L
FUL 0-1 W to 1-1 D
BUR unused
MCI 3-0 L (start)
CHE 2-0 W to 2-1 W
BRE 3-1 L (start, sub at 2-1)
SUN 2-0 W (sub at 85')
LIV 0-1 to 1-2 W
BHA 3-1 to 4-2 W
NFO unused
TOT 0-1 W to 2-2 D
Forget this for a moment, You are right people run past casemiro as well, this happens to the best players as well. Its about not making it easy for attackers to do this and minimising risk behind yourself, ensuring enough help is there that you dont let your team concede on every ocassion.
I can't see us getting anyone until the ridiculous wage we are paying Casemiro is off the books and possibly a potential buyer for Ugarte is lined up.
We are stronger in the first half of games and weaker in the second half. Ugarte has been coming in as a sub in the second half.
If only Ugarte is responsible for the poor scorelines in the second half, then how do we explain NFO where we went from 1-0 up to 1-2 down or in the Burnley game when we went from 1-0up to 2-2 before equalizing. We conceded 2 goals in the 2nd half in both those matches.
Yes, he has not been great but I don't think these results are all down to him.
I never said its all down to him, but there is a clear correlation to him coming on as a defnsive mid and us conceding goals . His job is to secure the defense and he has failed in most of his outings .
He could have worked had he improved upon himself but that hasnt happened yet .
He is simply the poorest out of 4 mids and considering we have only space for 4/5 + academy lads in this formation, its best to move him on and buy 2 . No point getting attached to him or “hoping” he comes good .
We do have Barca covering all of Rashford's salary, Villa covering 80% of Sancho's salary. Probably close to £600k p/w saved there.
We made a move for baleba post our three forward signings, also per rumours tried for gallagher/stiller late on. So its likely the money is there, specially for a functional signing. I think club will take a look at next 8-10 fixtures and then decide if we make a move and how big of a move it is.
We're being linked with Adeyemi, he'll probably play as wingback. He's really fast but has a bad ass temper. But, would you want another Dortmund player after Sancho?
I think we will be in for Baleba again in January, for a more reasonable fee this time. Still feel there is a player in him that our midfield is crying out for despite his poor season thus far.
Feels like Mainoo will go on loan, so maybe we could make a deal with Brighton for that.
Maybe Anderson in the summer which will give us a nice midfield pair for next season.
Feels like Mainoo will go on loan, so maybe we could make a deal with Brighton for that.
Maybe Anderson in the summer which will give us a nice midfield pair for next season.
I’m not sure we’ve got the funds to do a big money deal for Baleba in Jan, but given his form for Brighton, would they consider a loan with an obligation? Would come out of next year’s kitty and we could possibly send Kobbie on loan to them. Alternatively, a swap deal?
I know he doesn’t fit what we’re doing and his athleticism is an issue with how things are going in English football, but I’d still be gutted if he left.
I don't think an embargo on a club for that is sound transfer policy
LWB is by far the most obvious gap in the starting XI. It's way too early in Dorgu's career to flog him as he's still a project, but Dalot just doesn't have the attacking nous to be a left wingback capable of making an impact. Squad man fine, but first option no way. It's rare breed of a footballer who can execute the job of a wingback effect -- after all, what young player ever grows up in his academy dreaming of a becoming a wingback? -- but there must be someone out there we can find to plug the gaping hole at the position to help us muddle through the rest of the season and claw our way into the top four.
I think we will go for Baleba again and possibly involve Kobbie in the deal.
It could be a great move if we can integrate him in the side so we see no more of Ugarte and then we could look at another midfielder in the summer once Casemiro is gone.
It could be a great move if we can integrate him in the side so we see no more of Ugarte and then we could look at another midfielder in the summer once Casemiro is gone.
None of Baleba, Anderson or Wharton will be available in January. Joao Gomes or bust.
Yeah. Ogden reckons we will hold out for the summer for a huge fall in the wage bill (Casemiro, Maguire, Rashford and Sancho) then go for our targets with full force.
Not sure if that's a briefing or just his opinion.
Would James Garner be a worse option than Ugarte for backup DM?
Don't hate me, I'm just asking a question.
Don't hate me, I'm just asking a question.
Ugarte has been in really poor form. Garner might struggle in a 2 next to Bruno but would probably do well next to Casemiro
Does the fact there's quite an obvious option of at least 3 (Baleba, Wharton & Anderson) actually work in our favour a little as we can't be held hostage too badly over the price of one without the threat of us walking away and signing one of the others? Really hoping we aggressively go for one of them in January albeit it may cost around £80-100m. I've usually strong opinions on transfers but my brain is telling me Anderson the best option out of the 3 for us but I can't help but really want Baleba.
If Baleba continues with his bad form then Brighton. might want to cash in on him in January before his price plummets!
Doubt it.
I'd say all 3 would see us walking away as the best case scenario. They dont need money and theres a lot of wealthy alternatives if we dont want to pay.
We have no real leverage, its probably best to try be professional. We'll probably look to brighton and palace for players in the future. Any kind of win we get now will probably cost us in the future. Marinakis seems like he could be hard work at the best of times and annoying him would just torpedo any deal.
Right now, you or me will not be much worse than ugarte, but that shouldnt be standard to sign players.
That’s what I heard too. Only deal I could see happening is some kind of a Sabitzer type loan if, inexplicably, someone came in for Ugarte.
Ugarte with an absolute shitshow vs USA. The need for a defensive midfielder couldnt be more clear.
How often have we ever signed a player from any of the clubs mentioned though? The only one I can think of is Wan Bissaka and we paid healthily for him. If anything we've helped them out with players and deals in the past. I do think Forest would be most stubborn though out of the 3 and to be honest and annoyingly so as I think the number 1 target should be Anderson.
I would be okay with a midfielder on loan for the remainder of the season, an Amrobat type of player who can see out games for us when Casemiro has to be subbed off. The summer is when the checkbook must be broken out.
Neves got be our best chance to sign in January, he would love to return to European football, has PL experience and is willing to cut is £400k wager - if we could get it down to 200-250, and the fee would be like reported somewhere around £18-20m then he would be a fantastic signing for us in January.
A deep playing, ball winning and carrying CM with extremely good vision and a master of dictating the tempo. He is also very good for set pieces, which is one area we have approved a lot, he can also provide goals from free kicks but also from long distance shoots (we can need one CM that takes some distance shoots) and he also provides assists.
His vision and creativity from deep range is fantastic and he can easily cut through the oppositions lines with his world class passing ability and composure. He is also very effective in pressured situations because of his great first touch and excellent ball control.
He likes to play very harsh and is often close on picking up a card and one of the reasons is that he is not fastest guy, but he often makes it up with his high IQ.
He is 28 years old, but if we can reduce his salary and get him for around £20m, then he would be dream signing in January for us. He would definitely gives us another dimension in our CM and because he is not depended on his pace, we could at least have him playing for us for the next 4-5 years (if he can stay healthy).
The main issue would be that we would have very slow CM combo if he was to play with Bruno or Casemiro. But that issue is something we can worry about when we go for the "next" big CM signing in the summer.
A deep playing, ball winning and carrying CM with extremely good vision and a master of dictating the tempo. He is also very good for set pieces, which is one area we have approved a lot, he can also provide goals from free kicks but also from long distance shoots (we can need one CM that takes some distance shoots) and he also provides assists.
His vision and creativity from deep range is fantastic and he can easily cut through the oppositions lines with his world class passing ability and composure. He is also very effective in pressured situations because of his great first touch and excellent ball control.
He likes to play very harsh and is often close on picking up a card and one of the reasons is that he is not fastest guy, but he often makes it up with his high IQ.
He is 28 years old, but if we can reduce his salary and get him for around £20m, then he would be dream signing in January for us. He would definitely gives us another dimension in our CM and because he is not depended on his pace, we could at least have him playing for us for the next 4-5 years (if he can stay healthy).
The main issue would be that we would have very slow CM combo if he was to play with Bruno or Casemiro. But that issue is something we can worry about when we go for the "next" big CM signing in the summer.
Connor Gallagher on loan.
I agree- unless it’s a Semenyo-type homerun, no half assed buys, no reclamation projects or swap for somebody else’s surplus to requirements, only a loan with no obligations.
Sorry, but I think he’d be absolutely dreadful in this system. Think he’s a good player, but he’s short and slow. We need mobility in the midfield and height/power in the team generally. He’d make us slower and shorter.
Would still be better than Ugarte, though.
I think someone’s already mentioned but we went in for Baleba late in the summer window even after all our signings were done. We must still have enough funds to do a big move for a midfielder. Getting one in January would help us push for top 4 and then we could focus on getting rid of Casemiro, Ugarte in the summer and then signing another CM/DM
We don't have to focus on getting rid of Casemiro in the summer...he is out of contract so the job is already done.
I listened to a discussion with Mark Ogden and Rob Dawson; they said Berrada had squeezed every last drop out of the summer budget. Lammens signed late because we had to bank Garnacho first. That doesn’t scream “transfer war chest”.
As I said, I’d be surprised if we did much, or anything, unless there was some kind of significant departure. Kobbie, Ugarte and Zirkzee are the only plausible ones.
At this point if we can shift those three and buy one elite CDM....
I get and like the fact that we are actually being prudent, given where we have been, but you just can't penny pinch yourself out of trouble. We have a chance to make CL football, looking at how inconsistent Chelsea and Newcastle are and it would be a shame if we miss out because we couldn't fashion another Dorgusque signing.
Making CL football next season will accelerate our rebuild. We have a chance to do it and everyone who watches us play can see that with this midfield we aren't going anyway. Hopefully the rumours of Atletico being interested in Ugarte have a grain of truth in them because he is the one not pulling his weight. He should be challenging and occasionally benching Casemiro but he doesn't even do the things he was supposedly good at when we brought him in.
The term the club has used is “thinking in eras, not seasons”, which we have needed. We all know midfield is our weakest position, but I’d rather we acted like a grown up, mature club and brought in the man that’ll see us through the next 5 seasons or more, rather than one who might get us up a couple of places this season, but will be yet another piece of deadwood down the line.
We’ve been an absolute mess, we have to have patience. Next summer we have Cas, Maguire, Sancho and hopefully Rashford all gone. That’s over £1m a week in wages. We’ll start to have financial room to manoeuvre, CL or not.
I’ve been saying we should go for Garner as a backup. He can do better than Ugarte and he’s homegrown and will help with our academy record.
His contract is running out too so he will either be cheap or move on a free in the summer. Ineos should be all over this move.
Get him on a cheap deal in January and offer them Mainoo on a loan till the end of the season with no option to buy.