When Leicester needed to pay 40M for the "unproven" and "flop from Monaco" Tielemans, I just can't see why would Leicester sell either Ndidi or Maddison for for anything less than 80m, unless both are in the final year of their contracts.
Wilfred Ndidi - Leicester Player
- Thread starter IrishRedDevil
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Leicester & Man Utd are in two different categories when it comes to buying players. LCFC are looking for younger players who they feel have a big upside while Man Utd tend to look for players that are already proven. The exception to this has been James who is coming on nicely & looks like a winner. Leicester have money but not Man Utd money, they won't be in the Pogba type market anytime soon
The bump wasn't me advocating Man Utd should sign him. I was looking purely at his performances for Leicester. Indeed, Ndidi is a serious candidate for Leicester's player of the season, and fans player of the season with R. Pereira being his biggest competition for both
Buying the best young players from Championship, Belgium, Austria etc. wouldn’t be a terrible transfer strategy. Paying five times a price after two years in PL is.
Just moved the I from the front to the back. Much better.
Big club soon surely.
If Ed's not poised to prepare a bid soon I’ll want to know why.
Monster today. Liverpool just couldn't go past him. He does need a passing companion near him though.
I like him. Can hold his ground in two man midfield. Should be our one of our main targets.
Good to see him back playing regularly. Very solid player, United should be in for him.
He was the only Leicester outfield player who turned up for the first 75 minutes. Won the ball back so many times only for one of his team-mates to instantly give it away again.
Cracking player. Would be a far better option than Rice.
One man midfield when Tielemans goes up to support Vardy and Maddison. He has this quality of stretching really far when needed to tackle, can intercept flawlessly and consistently and has the vision to pick a progressive pass.
Buy. £60m will do I think.
He’s a tackling/defensive monster, but I don’t know if that alone is worth getting swindled by Leicester for again.
If you look at his stats on the Caf’s new favourite site: https://fbref.com/en/players/6b47c5db/Wilfred-Ndidi he appears just that — a defensive freak with average to poor passing and ball carrying stats.
I think I’ve made the comparison before but he reminds me a bit of a defensive midfield Wan-Bissaka equivalent. Between him and Ndidi, you’d absolutely hate getting in one-on-ones down that side of the field.
If you look at his stats on the Caf’s new favourite site: https://fbref.com/en/players/6b47c5db/Wilfred-Ndidi he appears just that — a defensive freak with average to poor passing and ball carrying stats.
I think I’ve made the comparison before but he reminds me a bit of a defensive midfield Wan-Bissaka equivalent. Between him and Ndidi, you’d absolutely hate getting in one-on-ones down that side of the field.
Although it's not what I'd do, I know a lot of people want us to play with just the one pure DM with two fairly attacking players (Bruno and Pogba?). Ndidi is the one player in the league that might be able to pull that off.
Like I said it's not what I'd do though. I'd prefer two more balanced players playing behind Bruno, who both share the defensive and creative burdens rather than two players of opposite extremes.
Would be a sensible signing if Pogba stays to balance the midfield. Not as much if he goes.
What price do Leicester fans on here think you guys would sell at?
What price do Leicester fans on here think you guys would sell at?
Yeah, I don’t think Ole will ever do that either. He’s never showed signs of moving away from a 4231/midfield two with just one holding midfielder and two ahead of him.
in the Covid Market no idea, in normal times I think we'd want more than we got for Chilwell as Ndidi is truly a key player
It would be typical of recent years for you guys to leverage us into a £65 million deal for Ndidi after 2 months of hardball.
And then use that money to go and get Bissouma from Brighton for 1/2 the price who turns out to be an even better player.
Bissouma is too well known it'd be someone we've never heard of or Choudhury suddenly becoming Kante and Ndidi rolled into one
We robbed you with £80m for Maguire.
You'd be robbing us if you got N'didi for £60m.
As for what a sensible price would be, I have no idea. He's nearly priceless. Think about how much money we've spent trying to find players to replace Mahrez and Vardy - easily over £100m, would hazard closer to £200m - and we still haven't managed it. We were lucky with N'didi - it only took two attempts to replace Kante (Mendy being the first), but it's a huge gamble that we could find a replacement.
If he's happy at the club, then unless we're being offered absolutely ridiculous money (i'd say north of the Maguire money) than I'd say it's a no-brainer to do everything in our power to keep him. Though if his head gets turned and he wants away, then obviously that's slightly different.
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Great ball-winning midfielder but if Pogba leaves and he's supposed to fit in to a 4-2-3-1 alongside Fred you lack distribution and passing range in that duo.
Then bend over and sell Maddison to Chelsea for pennies.
if you had Wilf you wouldn't need Fred next to him
Kante had a release clause, we robbed them twice since
Was absolutely immense today.
As others have said, he is a defensive monster but if you look at what we have at our disposal already - in terms of midfielders, bringing in a ball-winning midfielder wouldn't really compliment the players we currently have.
What we need to think about, is a player who can compliment Fred or McTominay, and to me, that wouldn't be Ndidi, in my opinion. They just wouldn't be much balance to our midfield.
We even see for Leciester that the balance is made by having a good ball-playing midfielder in Tielemans next to Ndidi, which also worked pretty well when playing Medy in there, too.
Some would argue that Pogba is that player for us, and I agree but I'm not convinced Pogba is staying beyond this season.
Therefore, emphasis should be even more on trying to acquire a ball-playing midfielder, who is defensively astute, whilst having the likes of Fred/McTominay to do the 'dirty work', so to speak.
If we want a solid base, I think, for now, McTominay and Fred are enough. If we want to play on the front foot more often, especially against the top six, then it's crucial we get a ball-playing midfielder.
If Pogba does stay beyond this season, then a young player who shares similar attributes to the aforementioned player would be a clever signing. This is possibly what Ole was going to do with Caicedo.
What we need to think about, is a player who can compliment Fred or McTominay, and to me, that wouldn't be Ndidi, in my opinion. They just wouldn't be much balance to our midfield.
We even see for Leciester that the balance is made by having a good ball-playing midfielder in Tielemans next to Ndidi, which also worked pretty well when playing Medy in there, too.
Some would argue that Pogba is that player for us, and I agree but I'm not convinced Pogba is staying beyond this season.
Therefore, emphasis should be even more on trying to acquire a ball-playing midfielder, who is defensively astute, whilst having the likes of Fred/McTominay to do the 'dirty work', so to speak.
If we want a solid base, I think, for now, McTominay and Fred are enough. If we want to play on the front foot more often, especially against the top six, then it's crucial we get a ball-playing midfielder.
If Pogba does stay beyond this season, then a young player who shares similar attributes to the aforementioned player would be a clever signing. This is possibly what Ole was going to do with Caicedo.
I'm sure they paid more for Chilwell then we did for Ricardo, James Justin and Timmy Chestnuts combined
£35 million for Danny Drinkwater makes Maguire look like a bargain.
I was going more on the assumption that Fred would probably be a fixture in the midfield two if Pogba left, as he seems to be one of the first names on the Utd teamsheet at the moment.
Think Ndidi is great at what he does, but based on the personnel Utd have at the moment they arguably need a Matic replacement more so than a dedicated ball-winning midfielder.
When Rodgers plays a 4231, he has Tielemans getting forward, almost becoming a 4141 most of the time.
Slightly different with Ole. He has two sitters, who simply distribute to the front four/full backs. Therefore, if we did buy Ndidi, which I personally don't think we should, then it'd be him sitting next to one of Fred/McTominay (assuming Pogba leaves). Whilst it'd most likely be defensively solid, as @DannyCAFC said, we'd lack the passing contribution from them.
Would be a brilliant signing, but is someone who for a while I've felt would be too expensive. Leicester don't need to well, they rinsed us for Maguire who is important for us, isn't a perfect CB who transforms you completely. Though Ndidi might completely transform our midfield. It would just be a very different composition to what we're doing now.
I guess in order to really complete the midfield I don't see either of Fred or McTominay as long term instant starters. Both long term squad player level maybe, but the 2 behind Bruno would likely be better served being someone like Ndidi next to a Thiago type, a refined playmaker who can open up the pitch for us. Someone like Pogba!
I guess in order to really complete the midfield I don't see either of Fred or McTominay as long term instant starters. Both long term squad player level maybe, but the 2 behind Bruno would likely be better served being someone like Ndidi next to a Thiago type, a refined playmaker who can open up the pitch for us. Someone like Pogba!
Bought him for my FM mobile team and won the league. Just saying.
Not a penny under 80m!
Ndidi would be the Matic replacement and then allow a more progressive player such as Van der Beek to play alongside ala Tielemans with us, that said United can feck off he's ours!!!
he does that at United as they don't have anyone good enough to do what Ndidi does, if he did he probably wouldn't have 2 sitting, by the way this season Tielemans, whilst allowed to go forward sits a lot deeper then people realise
a brilliant defensive midfielder
Yeah, I still think he'd be a brilliant signing but it'd be a different look midfield. McTominay and Fred would be the rotation pair while Ndidi and Van de Beek or a new signing would be the starting pair. Right now we have 2 box to box all round midfielders who aren't masters at anything but solid with most things, but there isn't really any midfielder that would 'complete' the midfield, as the other would either be lacking on the ball or defensively. So either way for the next step we will probably look to replace both of our starting mids (more just making them squad players, not getting rid).
It's not even really "scouting" is it when you are highlighting players like Grealish, Maddison & Ndidi. Scouting for me is finding developing talent from the lower leagues, buying cheaply & turning them into assets.
Leicester have had their fair share of failures but overall are ahead of the transfers game.
Highest passing accuracy for both Long and Medium type of passes from all of Pogba, Rice, McTominay and Fred according to this site -is that correct?
I found one more interesting stat, showing team success with/without particular player:
He's exactly what we need, a player who plays defensive part of the midfield duo. We can play him with whoever we want, he fits all. He would probably fit midfield 3 if asked to stay deep.
We need to drop those dreams of replacing Matic. Firstly because he's not even an important part of the team, and secondly because even if he plays, he's a part of midfield two with Pogba.
Secondly because we never ever play midfield 3 so there is no point in bringing deep lying playmaker. I suppose as long as Bruno is the man for us, we will stick to 4-2-3-1 where Ndidi fits in perfectly.
I am surprised people moan about him being too defensive actually, I thought we have no problem with scoring goals even with Fred and McTominay in the squad.
Seems like defensive part of the game is our issue?
Exactly, having Ndidi would allow the second midfielder to be more brave offensively, whether that is Fred, McTominay, van de Beek or someone new- and we would still be better off defensively than we are now. I don't think our midfield duo has that much to do offensively anyway, not when we play 4 attackers and fullbacks pushing high.
Tbf, I was just going between the Maguire and Chilwell prices. What with covid and Ndidi not being English, I thought £60m was fine but yeah, it could be closer to £80m no doubt.
Did you think Chelsea robbed you with Chilwell, you robbed them or it was a fair price?