Agreed. We need a beast and someone that can bully defenders. We’ve seen enough of our ST being bullied by defences.
Jean-Philippe Mateta
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) are here to discuss three 1-1 draws.
The first got us knocked out of the FA Cup, the next puts us in a good position in our Round of 16 Europa League game, and the latest was an actual decent performance against Arsenal at Old Trafford.
All hopes for the season now rest on the Europa League - does Amorim have the squad to win it?
I can understand that. It's a tricky situation. You have to elite strikers in their prime who are realistic/semi realistic to sign. After that, you either pay top dollar for the highest potential striker you can find, or you spend relatively modesty on an underwhelming Premier League player. Pick your poison, I guess.
Why should we limit ourselves? We should sign the best player we possibly can. I understand the logic behind Mateta. He's a guy who is supposedly in his prime, just like Osimhen and Gyökeres, plus he is cheaper. Ultimately though, I don't believe he is good enough. If he was signed to play second fiddle to someone, I'd consider it, but even then, I'd prefer we looked elsewhere.
I see the £40M price tag that is being mentioned for Mateta, but what do you guys think is the realistic price for him considering that he is out of contract next year?
Expires 2027.
Didn't know that since transfermarkt says 2026. Now I googled it and you are right.
Ye I’d prefer a Gyokeres or Osimhen too but not at the cost of just signing them and no one els. We don’t know what our budget is but I highly doubt we can spend 70m+ on single players.
I think we could sell Garnacho to fund someone like Osimhen, depending on the latter settling for something in the region of £200-250k a week.
He'd be a very sensible signing in a difficult market for Strikers. Ideally I'd like to see us gamble on a young striker with potential, ala Chicharito, at the same time. Hojlund has regressed massively, Zirkzee isn't a #9, so we need two really. Whether that's possible I doubt.
I think Garnacho is our only valuable asset so he’s probably going to be sold no doubt.
No please we need to stop this. Just get a striker who can score goals with experience. We don't have the luxury of spending money on more punts. Even in other positions it feels like a punt, like Dorgu.
Yes. We need a proven goalscorer. None of this potential shite
He’s also 28 soon. Doesn’t fit the Ineos/Berrada tfr model? which seems to be 25 and under so we get a contract renewal OR sell before too old. Which makes sense
He’s been playing in front of Eze and Olise who are miles ahead of our number 10s. Even Sarr is better than our current options
He tucks his shirt in sometimes. Im sorry but not for me.
The model isn't to have 100% of our targets below 25 though. It's clearly heavily weighted toward this but bringing a player of experience on good wages and in a position where we need something established is likely in sync with the strategy.
Oh yeah, I know they’ll have the exception to the rule… I’m just not sure Mateta is it. Unless he’s under £40m (maybe nearer £30m) and don’t see Palace letting him go for that, which I can understand.
But then I never saw most of Ineos buys coming … and I was 100% sure they had no chance of Yoro. And I was 100% wrong.
Yeah I'm working under the assumption he'll be cheaper. He's entering final year of contract if I'm not mistaken, and would probably considered if he's almost half the release of say, Osimhen.
A signing without imagination. 28 soon, a midtable striker at best. Not quality enough to solve the striking issue, not with the potential to grow into the role.
Well the Simon Stone article linked earlier says 2027. Social media says 2026
A transfer story a day before the protest….hmmm
They could have came up with a better one.
Hmm Athletic say 2027 too.
I believe it is 2027. They took up the option in December to extend it until 2027.
As others have said, it depends entirely on price. And it seems unlikely that Palace would sell him for the sort of fee I'd be comfortable with.
Looking at Liverpool's recruitment for example, I can only think of four 27+ year old outfield players they've signed in the last decade or so. Namely Endo (€20M), Thiago (€22m), Klavan (€5m) and Milner (free).
And that's broadly the approach I'd like to see us take too. Sign older players sure, but only if they're cheap enough to justify it.
Whereas the price quoted for Mateta on the previous page was 40m. That's way too much for a relatively average 28 year old striker, even if he would improve our meagre options in the short term. Because even if he translates what he's doing for Palace to United (and that's a big if), he's still only ever going to be a stopgap solution. And what he's doing at Palace isn't that amazing to begin with.
Looking at Liverpool's recruitment for example, I can only think of four 27+ year old outfield players they've signed in the last decade or so. Namely Endo (€20M), Thiago (€22m), Klavan (€5m) and Milner (free).
And that's broadly the approach I'd like to see us take too. Sign older players sure, but only if they're cheap enough to justify it.
Whereas the price quoted for Mateta on the previous page was 40m. That's way too much for a relatively average 28 year old striker, even if he would improve our meagre options in the short term. Because even if he translates what he's doing for Palace to United (and that's a big if), he's still only ever going to be a stopgap solution. And what he's doing at Palace isn't that amazing to begin with.
He’s certainly the right type of profile to play the lone ST in a 3-4-3 system. If we get him thought we’d need to sort the RWB position and the number 10 positions
Fair enough, you're not wrong.
I'd only like a youngster in assuming we had an experienced guy like Mateta beforehand. I think of how the likes of Alvarez enhanced that City team for example, though of course you could point to endless failures when it comes to this kind of signings.
Not a hill I'll die on though. I agree of course that an experienced, proven #9 is far and away the biggest signing we need this summer. If the choice was Gyokeres or 3 Ugarte type functional signings across the team (which are badly needed), I'd go Gyokeres all day everyday.
I couldn’t help but think, when watching him play against us, how transformative a player like that would be to our attack. He makes everything a dangerous situation because he’s powerful yet runs hard and is obviously a goal threat. As a CB you can probably never settle, and in our system this would probably open up a lot of space for the 10s.
I’d probably let Hojlund go as our “young and learning” CF if we could get in somebody like Samu at Porto. Have him and somebody like Mateta competing for that place and I think we’ve suddenly got a powerful and dangerous set of CFs.
I just can’t see us having the sort of money to spend so much on CFs though, unless we got decent money for Hojlund.
At that price you'd be fecking stupid not to be all over him.
Id expect Liverpool to be in for him too though.
Id expect Liverpool to be in for him too though.
Agreed all round.
Had Hojlund been handled correctly I think he could have fit that role really well. As things stand though his confidence is in absolute tatters, and I'm not sure he can come back from it without a fresh start somewhere.
Hopefully we're wrong, we get someone like Mateta in to lead the line while he sorts himself out and he finally starts developing as a player.
Why bother. He'd look like prime Jozy Altidore within a month. Clubs cursed. Burn the lot.
I'm really down on this news. I should probably stop coming into this thread. My head is spinning 
Nothing weird unless we all want to live in delulu land. I hope you are correct and we get back to top 4 next season but I don't think it is that easy. We won't have unlimited budget to go and make whole sale changes to the squad.
They need to be more flexible with this not signing any player over 25, however you are probably right
So you're saying we should sign them instead?
He’s solid tbh
He's got a really good technical level and his hold up play is among the best in the league based upon the eye test.
Even if he is 'mid-table' we are not even that right now.
Even if he is 'mid-table' we are not even that right now.
The new Ighalo / Weghorst