Your Hidden Gems or under the radar - Wanted Signings

He must have been going up almost directly against that young lad at Benfica that is hyped up a lot. Did you happen to watch it? Do you know how that battle went?
They're different players who would work well together in a midfield composition imo. Hjulmand is someone who is comfortable playing at the base of the midfield as the first receiver and Neves is someone who is very good at receiving the pass as the second receiver in midfield as the #8 and has the touch, technique and quick directional shifts, which make him a very press resistant player. We could really do with both types of players and a player like Hjulmand might not be first team ready straight away, but if we had him as a rotation player then it seems we would be better and more balanced as a team.

The game itself was won by SCP but there is a second leg to come where Benfica will be at home. The SCP CB, Ousmane Diomande and players like Hjulmand do look interesting as does Neves at Benfica. But I think it's important we look to sign at least one deeper lying midfielder if we're to sign young Neves.
 
Neil does look a good footballer. I know you’ve had your eye on him for a while now.

Any interesting links?
Sorry, links as in links to highlight videos of his or links as in transfers? If you meant transfers, I've heard Tottenham/Arsenal/Liverpool but no us :(

By the way, remember after the Sunderland-Newcastle game a couple of months ago where we talked about Jobe Bellingham, with you saying you weren't impressed? It's only gotten worse since then in regards to his form (bar one great goal). A lot of Sunderland fans want rid already, thinking he's getting by on his name alone.

Personally, I think they're being a bit too harsh. He's definitely not playing well, but I kinda liken it to Mainoo for us in that he's a kid playing in a team that's going through a difficult period as a whole so some leniency is required when they look to be struggling because you can see the talent. I don't think I'd say he's the type of talent like Mainoo (or his brother) that could come into our midfield as a teenager and improve it, though, so he wouldn't be a priority for me or anything right now.
 
Brian Brobbey is really starting to look like the player have been hoping/expecting him to be for a long time..
Quinten Timber has been developing himself really really well this season and is definitely worth keeping an eye on..
 
Brian Brobbey is really starting to look like the player have been hoping/expecting him to be for a long time..
Quinten Timber has been developing himself really really well this season and is definitely worth keeping an eye on..

I cannot get on board with us signing a Fonejacker character.
 
Any posters here who could shed some light on Mandela Keita Belgian prospect playing for Royal Antwerp . I did saw his name mentioned here earlier If I remember it correctly .

He was very good in combination with Vermeeren, who went to Atletico. Has been a bit underwhelming since he left, but the talent is definitely there.
 
A player I would love for us to bring in is Ronnie Edwards, he plays for Petersborough, and is only 20 years old. He is a modern centre back who looks like he is definitely made for the premier league. I think Palace enquired about him and were quoted 10m. He would come in and be one of our backups, but he has the potential to be a starter one day.

Watched him for England, his positioning in them games was excellent. Think he was captain as well.

He is playing regularly at 20, started at 18 played 34 matches so far this season - league one isn't easy.
 
He was very good in combination with Vermeeren, who went to Atletico. Has been a bit underwhelming since he left, but the talent is definitely there.

Thanks so wouldn't be ready to start straight away one for the future I guess .
 
He was very good in combination with Vermeeren, who went to Atletico. Has been a bit underwhelming since he left, but the talent is definitely there.

I just watched a couple of highlight reels of him on YT, one general one and one of a single match and he looked strong, energetic, crisp with his pass and progressive with what he wanted to do with the ball, however at times sometimes a little sloppy with his passing. Seems like he has potential though so can see him going to a middle table / stepping stone club and being really good in 2-3 years.

If we want a progressive ball winning DM ready now I still think Florentino Luis at Benfica is being slept on.
 
I like a lot Senesi quality on the ball and intelligence. He isn't too fast but might create a great partnership with Lisandro.

PD: Not under the radar and people here hating him, but trust me United would love a Romero-Lisandro 70's alike partnership in the back
 
I like a lot Senesi quality on the ball and intelligence. He isn't too fast but might create a great partnership with Lisandro.

PD: Not under the radar and people here hating him, but trust me United would love a Romero-Lisandro 70's alike partnership in the back

Senesi is left footed, just like Martínez, so they wouldn't really together, almost ever, unless Martínez starts playing left back as well and takes up that Zinchenko/Aké role.

Regarding Romero, he's pretty good, though somewhat overrated, but there's going to be are a good number of centre backs on the market in the next few windows that have a higher ceiling than him, anyway. We need to be looking at the likes of Branthwaite, Diomande, Tapsoba, Yoro, Todibo and a few others out there as well.
 
Last edited:
Senesi is left footed, just like Martínez, so they wouldn't really together, almost ever, unless Martínez starts playing left back as well and takes up that Zinchenko/Aké role.

Regarding Romero, he's pretty good, though somewhat overrated, but there's going to be are a good number of centre backs on the market in the next few windows that have a higher ceiling than him, anyway. We need to be looking at the likes of Branthwaite, Diomande, Tapsoba, Yoro, Todibo and a few others out there as well.

That's true, I forgot about him being lefty, my bad.
Yet I do not think that's en excessive issue when both have quality, even if in a traditional sense it's better to avoid it

I don't agree at all regarding Romero, he has all the traits of vintage generational defenders (including some that are not that suited to this period of the game that must be adjust).
 
There's a few positions where I think we need more depth and competition. I also think we'll need to be mindful of the home grown rules. We develop a lot of players, which is great, but we'll also need to be careful if we sell the likes of Maguire and Wan-Bissaka. Therefore, I'm suggesting four reasonably affordable players that should all qualify as home grown. I doubt any of them will cost more than £15m/£20m and all have shown massive improvement in the last year or so. Interestingly, 3 of the 4 are from Derby's academy (all bar Greaves).

Jacob Greaves (Hull): Heralded as the best centre back in the Championship this season. He's 23, left footed, very athletic and a great tackler. With Martinez's injury issues looking increasingly alarming, another left footed centre back would seem a wise addition to the squad. Especially if we appoint the likes of Nagelsmann/Alonso/Amorim who at least sometimes play with 3 CDs. Hull fans say he's a revelation ala Robertson and will surprise many when he finally moves to the Premier League.

Festy Ebosele (Udinese): Known to be the fastest player in Serie A. An aggressive right back, Irish international, only 21. If AWB is sold, we could do worse than look at this guy.

Archie Brown (Gent): 21 year old English left back doing well for Gent in Belgium. Chelsea have scouted him recently. With Shaw also injury prone, maybe we need a more reliable left back competitor than Malacia.

Morgan Whittaker (Plymouth): Has developed fantastically in the last couple of years. Usually plays right wing or number 10 but has scored 18 goals this season for a mediocre Plymouth side, is very tall and is beginning to fill out more. I can very much see him having an Ivan Toney-esque late bloom as a striker. Just watching him, he seems as though he has everything to play further forward and I think we could do worse than looking at him to be Hojlund's competitor. Lazio were allegedly close to signing him in January and PL clubs have been keen.

Honestly, I feel that getting these guys in for £80m combined would be smart business and we could sign more ready made players for CD, CM and RW potentially.
 
There's a few positions where I think we need more depth and competition. I also think we'll need to be mindful of the home grown rules. We develop a lot of players, which is great, but we'll also need to be careful if we sell the likes of Maguire and Wan-Bissaka. Therefore, I'm suggesting four reasonably affordable players that should all qualify as home grown. I doubt any of them will cost more than £15m/£20m and all have shown massive improvement in the last year or so. Interestingly, 3 of the 4 are from Derby's academy (all bar Greaves).

Jacob Greaves (Hull): Heralded as the best centre back in the Championship this season. He's 23, left footed, very athletic and a great tackler. With Martinez's injury issues looking increasingly alarming, another left footed centre back would seem a wise addition to the squad. Especially if we appoint the likes of Nagelsmann/Alonso/Amorim who at least sometimes play with 3 CDs. Hull fans say he's a revelation ala Robertson and will surprise many when he finally moves to the Premier League.

Festy Ebosele (Udinese): Known to be the fastest player in Serie A. An aggressive right back, Irish international, only 21. If AWB is sold, we could do worse than look at this guy.

Archie Brown (Gent): 21 year old English left back doing well for Gent in Belgium. Chelsea have scouted him recently. With Shaw also injury prone, maybe we need a more reliable left back competitor than Malacia.

Morgan Whittaker (Plymouth): Has developed fantastically in the last couple of years. Usually plays right wing or number 10 but has scored 18 goals this season for a mediocre Plymouth side, is very tall and is beginning to fill out more. I can very much see him having an Ivan Toney-esque late bloom as a striker. Just watching him, he seems as though he has everything to play further forward and I think we could do worse than looking at him to be Hojlund's competitor. Lazio were allegedly close to signing him in January and PL clubs have been keen.

Honestly, I feel that getting these guys in for £80m combined would be smart business and we could sign more ready made players for CD, CM and RW potentially.
Mentioned Whittaker earlier, think he'll be a good buy for someone, he reminds me of Gakpo a bit in his versatility and build.

Greaves is a funny one, because honestly if you said he would be one of the best CBs in the league a year ago, I'd be laughing my arse off. He's come on massively.

Will have a look at the other guys, I've not seen anything of them, but would love some more Irish players at United.
 
Mentioned Whittaker earlier, think he'll be a good buy for someone, he reminds me of Gakpo a bit in his versatility and build.

Greaves is a funny one, because honestly if you said he would be one of the best CBs in the league a year ago, I'd be laughing my arse off. He's come on massively.

Will have a look at the other guys, I've not seen anything of them, but would love some more Irish players at United.

Gakpo is a very good comparison. He looks like him physically too. I don't see a lot of reasonably priced quality strikers on the market who would be good candidates to compete with Hojlund so Whittaker makes so much sense as we'll definitely need someone with Martial hopefully leaving. Sesko, with his release clause, is a decent option as I believe he will become very good in a year or two despite looking a bit raw still now. However, I can't see him coming as essentially a second choice. Whittaker makes more sense as he can also play in other positions and would likely accept being a rotation player.

Yeah, agreed on Greaves. I think Liam Rosenior's had a big impact on his game and will be a top manager one day. Philogene too - I suspect Villa will resign him, assuming they have a buy back.

There's some very interesting prospects in the Championship and it's obviously a decent place for players to show whether they can adapt to the PL (albeit the leap up is still very high). If we can unearth the next Vardy, Toney or Watkins types, we'll have done very well indeed.
 
Gakpo is a very good comparison. He looks like him physically too. I don't see a lot of reasonably priced quality strikers on the market who would be good candidates to compete with Hojlund so Whittaker makes so much sense as we'll definitely need someone with Martial hopefully leaving. Sesko, with his release clause, is a decent option as I believe he will become very good in a year or two despite looking a bit raw still now. However, I can't see him coming as essentially a second choice. Whittaker makes more sense as he can also play in other positions and would likely accept being a rotation player.

Yeah, agreed on Greaves. I think Liam Rosenior's had a big impact on his game and will be a top manager one day. Philogene too - I suspect Villa will resign him, assuming they have a buy back.

There's some very interesting prospects in the Championship and it's obviously a decent place for players to show whether they can adapt to the PL (albeit the leap up is still very high). If we can unearth the next Vardy, Toney or Watkins types, we'll have done very well indeed.
Agreed, the whole league can now buy well on the promise of potential path to Prem. If you look at Coventry and who they've brought in and sold, these clubs are picking up gems.

Fellows at West Brom is another interesting one to keep an eye on too.
 
Sorry, links as in links to highlight videos of his or links as in transfers? If you meant transfers, I've heard Tottenham/Arsenal/Liverpool but no us :(

By the way, remember after the Sunderland-Newcastle game a couple of months ago where we talked about Jobe Bellingham, with you saying you weren't impressed? It's only gotten worse since then in regards to his form (bar one great goal). A lot of Sunderland fans want rid already, thinking he's getting by on his name alone.

Personally, I think they're being a bit too harsh. He's definitely not playing well, but I kinda liken it to Mainoo for us in that he's a kid playing in a team that's going through a difficult period as a whole so some leniency is required when they look to be struggling because you can see the talent. I don't think I'd say he's the type of talent like Mainoo (or his brother) that could come into our midfield as a teenager and improve it, though, so he wouldn't be a priority for me or anything right now.

I think Jobe will always have a really tough time based on his name and how he will be judged. Expectations from casual fans and the media will be sky high and comparisons constant. He is very young though so certainly worth remembering despite me not being overly impressed in that match. I’ve not paid much attention since.

One thing I feel may be good for the likes of you and I is Freedman potentially coming in. He has a good record with Championship young players and seems to have tapped in to that market well at Palace.
 
I think Jobe will always have a really tough time based on his name and how he will be judged. Expectations from casual fans and the media will be sky high and comparisons constant. He is very young though so certainly worth remembering despite me not being overly impressed in that match. I’ve not paid much attention since.

One thing I feel may be good for the likes of you and I is Freedman potentially coming in. He has a good record with Championship young players and seems to have tapped in to that market well at Palace.

Yeah if we do go for Freedman it will be interesting if we delve into that market at all. There are some gems to be had, like Archie Gray this year. I also think we missed a trick on Alex Scott last summer too.
 
I think Jobe will always have a really tough time based on his name and how he will be judged. Expectations from casual fans and the media will be sky high and comparisons constant. He is very young though so certainly worth remembering despite me not being overly impressed in that match. I’ve not paid much attention since.

One thing I feel may be good for the likes of you and I is Freedman potentially coming in. He has a good record with Championship young players and seems to have tapped in to that market well at Palace.
Apparently Real Madrid have people watching every Sunderland match now which I'm sure adds a lot of pressure in and of itself. Jude comes back over to watch him whenever he can, too.

On your Freedman point, it is nice to see that we're seemingly starting to update our whole approach to football under INEOS. We can only hope everything pans out as well as the powers that be envision!
 
There's a few positions where I think we need more depth and competition. I also think we'll need to be mindful of the home grown rules. We develop a lot of players, which is great, but we'll also need to be careful if we sell the likes of Maguire and Wan-Bissaka. Therefore, I'm suggesting four reasonably affordable players that should all qualify as home grown. I doubt any of them will cost more than £15m/£20m and all have shown massive improvement in the last year or so. Interestingly, 3 of the 4 are from Derby's academy (all bar Greaves).

Jacob Greaves (Hull): Heralded as the best centre back in the Championship this season. He's 23, left footed, very athletic and a great tackler. With Martinez's injury issues looking increasingly alarming, another left footed centre back would seem a wise addition to the squad. Especially if we appoint the likes of Nagelsmann/Alonso/Amorim who at least sometimes play with 3 CDs. Hull fans say he's a revelation ala Robertson and will surprise many when he finally moves to the Premier League.

Festy Ebosele (Udinese): Known to be the fastest player in Serie A. An aggressive right back, Irish international, only 21. If AWB is sold, we could do worse than look at this guy.

Archie Brown (Gent): 21 year old English left back doing well for Gent in Belgium. Chelsea have scouted him recently. With Shaw also injury prone, maybe we need a more reliable left back competitor than Malacia.

Morgan Whittaker (Plymouth): Has developed fantastically in the last couple of years. Usually plays right wing or number 10 but has scored 18 goals this season for a mediocre Plymouth side, is very tall and is beginning to fill out more. I can very much see him having an Ivan Toney-esque late bloom as a striker. Just watching him, he seems as though he has everything to play further forward and I think we could do worse than looking at him to be Hojlund's competitor. Lazio were allegedly close to signing him in January and PL clubs have been keen.

Honestly, I feel that getting these guys in for £80m combined would be smart business and we could sign more ready made players for CD, CM and RW potentially.
I always think this is an interesting almost sub tactic in the transfer market. There’s definitely players that can make the step up and as you say can provide back up without creating instability in the dressing room. These kind of players create winning squads as they come in and hopefully help maintain consistency.

It’s interesting also you mention Derby as I think they have a somewhat un hyped youth system which always produces a player or two. We have a few in our academy system and a player I always liked from the England youth teams for them was Bucanhan. Left back with a wicked left foot.

I can see a lot of players leaving in the summer and if the youngsters in line don’t make the step up yet, these types of signings could save money as you say and players that know the culture thus should find it easier to integrate.
 
Morgan Whittaker (Plymouth): Has developed fantastically in the last couple of years. Usually plays right wing or number 10 but has scored 18 goals this season for a mediocre Plymouth side, is very tall and is beginning to fill out more. I can very much see him having an Ivan Toney-esque late bloom as a striker. Just watching him, he seems as though he has everything to play further forward and I think we could do worse than looking at him to be Hojlund's competitor. Lazio were allegedly close to signing him in January and PL clubs have been keen.

Wow, I knew Morgan when he was at Derby. Didn't keep track of his career but great to see him doing so well.
 
I always think this is an interesting almost sub tactic in the transfer market. There’s definitely players that can make the step up and as you say can provide back up without creating instability in the dressing room. These kind of players create winning squads as they come in and hopefully help maintain consistency.

It’s interesting also you mention Derby as I think they have a somewhat un hyped youth system which always produces a player or two. We have a few in our academy system and a player I always liked from the England youth teams for them was Bucanhan. Left back with a wicked left foot.

I can see a lot of players leaving in the summer and if the youngsters in line don’t make the step up yet, these types of signings could save money as you say and players that know the culture thus should find it easier to integrate.

Buchanan was talked about quite a bit and still has a chance to be great, though is at Birmingham now and is 22. Fair play for him going off to Werder Bremen and challenging himself in Germany, even if he didn't really break through there. Ebosele and Brown have done likewise in Udinese and Gent respectively, and it gives them a different dimension. You're right about Derby's youth system being underrated. Darren Wassall used to head it up but became the EFL's Head of Youth Development last year.

In the past, these types of players would've gone to the likes of Brentford, Villa and Brighton and ended up being great PL players. I think INEOS will ensure that we tap into the hidden gem markets more and the Championship is a great place to find them.

Wow, I knew Morgan when he was at Derby. Didn't keep track of his career but great to see him doing so well.

Oh nice. I really like seeing these type of players who seem to fail at other clubs, build their way back up and go past the level they failed before. Whittaker will defo be playing in a top league next season.
 
With all this talk about how good Bologna and Thiago Motta are, they have a fantastic little known Colombian centre half, Jhon Lucumí. Haven't seen him play with Bologna, but the Italians seems to love him, and he is fantastic for a very good Colombian national side. He can do it all. According to Colombian sources, United have been sniffing around.
 
With all this talk about how good Bologna and Thiago Motta are, they have a fantastic little known Colombian centre half, Jhon Lucumí. Haven't seen him play with Bologna, but the Italians seems to love him, and he is fantastic for a very good Colombian national side. He can do it all. According to Colombian sources, United have been sniffing around.

Yep, we were linked a week or two ago with him. He looks like a perfect Martinez back-up and has all the right attributes to be a great CB option for us. Hopefully some truth in the rumours.
 
Yep, we were linked a week or two ago with him. He looks like a perfect Martinez back-up and has all the right attributes to be a great CB option for us. Hopefully some truth in the rumours.


I quite like him. Very similar to Martinez, aggressive and has good ability to be progressive in his passing. He's also athletic and I think he would be cheaper than Branthwaite as well as a left footed player.
 
I really would like to see a player like Bilal al Khannouss at United. Wonderful ball playing midfielder to dominate games with. I see him play quite often as i visit his team (RC Genk in Belgium) half of their home games. He is really the standout player for the past season and is still only 19 years of age.

He's great at making himself available, is great under pressure/press and has an unbelievable passing range. The fact that Genk have lost all quality in their team in the past few transfer periods makes it harder for him to perform, but I believe he will play for a top, dominating team in the future. He'd work well at City/Arsenal like set-ups against smaller teams as an 8, where he'd recycle the ball, dictate the tempo and slice open defenses.
 
Buchanan was talked about quite a bit and still has a chance to be great, though is at Birmingham now and is 22. Fair play for him going off to Werder Bremen and challenging himself in Germany, even if he didn't really break through there. Ebosele and Brown have done likewise in Udinese and Gent respectively, and it gives them a different dimension. You're right about Derby's youth system being underrated. Darren Wassall used to head it up but became the EFL's Head of Youth Development last year.

In the past, these types of players would've gone to the likes of Brentford, Villa and Brighton and ended up being great PL players. I think INEOS will ensure that we tap into the hidden gem markets more and the Championship is a great place to find them.



Oh nice. I really like seeing these type of players who seem to fail at other clubs, build their way back up and go past the level they failed before. Whittaker will defo be playing in a top league next season.
There’s definitely a more rounded approach we can take to identifying and pursuing players who still have potential but as you have highlighted travel a different route to most young British youngsters. I always think it shows a players character when they challenge themselves and go abroad. Obviously it’s not always a sign for success but shows an ability to adapt.

It’ll be nice if we can get the players in before we have to pay double from mid table clubs for them later on.

Some players just need the right environment to succeed.
 
David Oduro, a 17-year-old Ghanaian left-back, is training with Barcelona's Juvenil B team after having already trained with Chelsea and perhaps Bayern: he belongs to Ghana's Accra Lions.

To define him, Matthäus himself, who in a conversation with Bild journalist Christian Falk compared him to Alphonso Davies, the Canadian left-back from Bayern who has been strongly tipped for Real Madrid. "Lottar compared the player to Alphonso Davies and described him as a very fast player with very interesting attacking qualities," he said.

Video
 
Don't know if he fits the definition of a hidden gem but I'm surprised clubs haven't been after Koudio Kone at Gladbach. A technically strong number 8, though not the best passer, who can help push the ball forward and help out in defense. Would be a perfect player to have alongside a number 6 and a more attacking midfielder.
 
David Oduro, a 17-year-old Ghanaian left-back, is training with Barcelona's Juvenil B team after having already trained with Chelsea and perhaps Bayern: he belongs to Ghana's Accra Lions.

To define him, Matthäus himself, who in a conversation with Bild journalist Christian Falk compared him to Alphonso Davies, the Canadian left-back from Bayern who has been strongly tipped for Real Madrid. "Lottar compared the player to Alphonso Davies and described him as a very fast player with very interesting attacking qualities," he said.

Video
Interesting player, but "Matthäus in conversation with Falk" is about the least reliable assessment you will ever get in football :lol:
 
Don't know if he fits the definition of a hidden gem but I'm surprised clubs haven't been after Koudio Kone at Gladbach. A technically strong number 8, though not the best passer, who can help push the ball forward and help out in defense. Would be a perfect player to have alongside a number 6 and a more attacking midfielder.
He was heavily linked with Liverpool last summer if I remember right.
 
I mentioned this lad, Adam Phillips, a couple of weeks ago. He's on fire now - Sky Bet EFL League One player of the month, and winner of Barnsley's Player of the month and Goal of the month awards for February.

 
Alfie Doughty from Luton looks a capable understudy to Shaw. Not sure Malacia is the man
 
Mbuemo has always impressed and think he could provide cover across the front line.
With Brentford seeming to stagnate a bit this season he might be itching for a move
 
He was heavily linked with Liverpool last summer if I remember right.

Yea that's true but I thought he would make a move because Gladbach are in a horrible state right now. I suppose he didn't fit their need for a number 6.
 
Alfie Doughty from Luton looks a capable understudy to Shaw. Not sure Malacia is the man

He's great working down the left and his crossing is amongst the best in the league but he's a wingback not a leftback. We'd need to change our system and play 3 at the back and we never do that. If United or England want to play with wingbacks he's a really good option
 
James Hill was on loan from Bournemouth to Blackburn this season and played as both a CB and RB in the championship and he was very good. Got himself 4 assists and a goal from 20 appearances then he returned in Jan. Also played quite well at CB against Chelsea in the cup though Blackburn lost 2-0. Bournemouth are my local club now and I'm expecting to see Hill compete for CB and fullback spots going forward. He did a job for them at leftback against Liverpool in Jan although they were thrashed

Old vid from when Bournemouth originally signed him for about £1 million :




I expect at this point you could get him for less than £10 million and he'd be better cover than most of our CBs (Lindelof especially) as well as being only 22 and versatile able to play down the sides.

Zabarnyi is a year younger too but Bournemouth paid over £18.7 million for him and he's had a decent season for a youngster but theres still plenty to improve on and im sure he will over time. And Senesi has been mentioned on here but he's been top 10-15 CBs in the league this season so I can't see them letting him go for less than £30 million
 
He's great working down the left and his crossing is amongst the best in the league but he's a wingback not a leftback. We'd need to change our system and play 3 at the back and we never do that. If United or England want to play with wingbacks he's a really good option
Perhaps he can be converted like Robertson was at Liverpool...