#9 The Priority For Jose

Invictus said:
Cavani signing a new contract with PSG was an unfortunate development from United's perspective, IMO. Given the paucity of good striker options (in, or close to their peak productivity years) in the market, he would have been an exceptional Bosman acquisition in 2018 (considering that someone like Higuaín - who's at a comparable level, went €90 million). Cavani works hard, has a clean fitness record with only 12 games missed since 2011 because of injury related issues, scored 49 goals in 50 games (including 1 GPG in the Champions League), is technically decent with good physicality, and quite seasoned at this stage of his career - kind of the ideal Mourinho striker. You could then hold off on another striker transfer for a couple years, or maybe sign someone like Dolberg (more complete than Belotti) or Silva (comparable to Morata in terms of skillset) and loan them out (or back to Ajax/Porto) for experience, or employ a wait and observe approach with our own Rashford - who would be 22/23 when Cavani's 34 - so you'd have a better idea of his standing as a long term #9. Mourinho looks for specific traits in his striker, and there aren't a lot of good options in a market that's already shallow in terms of realistic quality.
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Agreed. I also thought that Cavani could be the right choice for now, if we can't get Kane. But according to Caf france resident, he's extremely valuable for (the rich) PSG and United have no hope to get him.
 
The more these player prices rise, the more stupid our decision to sell chicharito for peanuts looks.
Anyways, I still believe that we haven't heard the end of Griezmann's transfer saga. As per tweets from journos, we have been tracking him for months and apparantly everything was almost done. Doubt his sense of loyalty will come to the forefront now after he publicly indicated that he'd be joining united and he'd reject a club where his icon started his career.
 
Just bring in Bas Dost, the Fellaini of strikers. He has scored 34 goals in 30 league games for Sporting this season, and Mourinho would love to have a tower like him up front. Some might argue that the Portugese league isn't top level, but then again people seem to get carried away by a defender that has been putting in half-decent performances for Benfica. Am I Serious? No, but I would rather have him for 10 mill pounds than making Morata one of the most expensive players in history (hypothetically).
 
Wallez said:
Just bring in Bas Dost, the Fellaini of strikers. He has scored 34 goals in 30 league games for Sporting this season, and Mourinho would love to have a tower like him up front. Some might argue that the Portugese league isn't top level, but then again people seem to get carried away by a defender that has been putting in half-decent performances for Benfica. Am I Serious? No, but I would rather have him for 10 mill pounds than making Morata one of the most expensive players in history (hypothetically).
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I do find it funny how we're the richest club in the world but we have people wanting us to shop in the bargain bin.
 
RedMachine03 said:
This article probably belong here

To rebuild Man Utd's attack, Mourinho must focus on ability, not position

It's funny how quickly things change in football. One moment Antoine Griezmann was specifically rating his chances of joining Manchester United, the next the transfer seemed off entirely, thanks to the upholding of a transfer ban that means Atletico Madrid wouldn't be able to sign a replacement for their best player.

United quickly reacted by briefing that they were instead looking for a No. 9, rather than a deeper or wider forward like Griezmann. Beyond that sounding suspiciously like sour grapes after they were unable to get their main target, it does make some degree of sense given the uncertainty over the future of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

But the problem with acquiring a direct replacement is that United would play in exactly the same way. Ibrahimovic scored 28 goals in all competitions but United's overall Premier League tally of 55 -- one fewer than Bournemouth -- was dreadful and showed far too much reliance on their leading scorer.

Given how other forwards failed to shine, bringing someone in specifically to play Ibrahimovic's role would be counter-productive. In that respect, it might make more sense for United to restructure their attack completely, even if that means incorporating a different type of player.

For example, if United were to acquire Griezmann -- things change quickly, remember, so we can't be sure the deal is entirely dead -- they could deploy him as a second striker just off Marcus Rashford, or wide in a three-man attack.

That would improve their side significantly more than upgrading on Rashford with a No. 9, who might not be genuinely top-class. Romelu Lukaku seems to be the obvious choice if United do sign such a player but, while he's banged in the goals for Everton and West Brom, there are question marks about his all-round game and suitability to play for the biggest clubs.

United have versatile players, with Ander Herrera, Paul Pogba, Juan Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan -- the type around whom Jose Mourinho should be building -- all able to play multiple roles. Rashford and Anthony Martial, meanwhile, can both play upfront as well as in a wide position.

Despite winning two cup competitions in 2016-17, there was hardly a defined, cohesive and successful attacking style of play you'd be reluctant to disturb. The defensive shape of the side was largely excellent, as it was under Louis van Gaal. But going forward? You'd be tempted to rip it up and start again.

Building an attack is different to building a defence. At the back, you need to plug your biggest hole; if you've got a problem at left-back, there's no problem improving on the other side and hoping this will improve the backline as a whole, because opponents will target your vulnerabilities. Defending is inherently reactive, defined more by your weakest link than your strongest.

Up front, however, you define yourself and can play to the strengths of your strongest link; therefore, it's more about getting the best attacker you can find. That doesn't mean you should completely ignore glaring problems and leave yourself with a surplus at one particular position. But with adaptable young players, the best approach is simply to sign the best player you can.

Therefore, United shouldn't be overwhelmingly concerned with the different roles played by the names with whom they have been linked, which include Griezmann, Lukaku, Lyon's Alexandre Lacazette and Alvaro Morata of Real Madrid.

The amount of money they'll be spending suggests they'll be building for the long-term and that this player is a key part of their plans. Given that, they should simply focus upon acquiring the best available, and the rest might simply fall into place.

United have had a mixed experience with proper No. 9s over the years. Ruud van Nistelrooy boasts the best goals-per-game ratio of any of Old Trafford player in the Premier League era, but his five years in England coincided with the club's worst league run since Sir Alex Ferguson began winning titles in 1993.

Van Nistelrooy's departure saw Cristiano Ronaldo become United's main man and he developed into the best player in Europe. Meanwhile, after people initially said that playing Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney together wouldn't work because they were too similar, the young, versatile trio figured things out themselves, dovetailed and rotated.

There's no reason a similar thing couldn't happen with a front four of Griezmann, Martial and Rashford, or a quartet that also featured Mkhitaryan. Mourinho has generally played with a proper No. 9, but he would surely consider a different system with a top-class, deeper forward.

It's also worth remembering that, when United signed their most transformative forward of the Premier League era, Eric Cantona in 1992, Ferguson had been completely open-minded about what type of player he was after.

As well as Cantona and another deep-lying forward, Peter Beardsley, more advanced types on his radar included David Hirst and even Brian Deane, a proper target man. Mark Hughes wasn't a prolific goalscorer, so Ferguson considered signing a No. 9 to play alongside him.

Ultimately, though, Ferguson simply went for the best player: Cantona. 25 years on, United are in a similar situation and, be it a No. 9, No. 10 or a wide forward, Mourinho's squad simply needs raw quality. Talent, rather than a specific type, must be the main consideration.

http://www.espnfc.com.au/english-pr...lable-as-he-rebuilds-manchester-united-attack
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Really interesting, but I very much doubt Mourinho is flexible enough for this, to pick just by talent instead of ascribed position. Griezmann would have been perfect, though, since his talent and position in the team were a fine fit.
 
Diego Costa might be in play and wont be a bad option to fill in the gap but seems he wants Atletico, possibly move in January
 
Reckon we should be all over Cavani considering it doesn't look like we can get Mbappe. Our youngsters would learn so much about movement that it would be worth it just for that. On top of that he's old enough to move out of the way as Rashford advances. If not, I really wouldn't mind a Vardy or a Josh King. what would be frustrating is if we bought Morata or Belloti for the prices being quoted. They are middle of the road strikers being sold for outrageous fees. Rather use that money on an aggressive approach on Sanchez.
 
It looks as though our two big targets are Morata and Belotti

Let's say though that Madrid and Torino hold firm on £70m+ fees that we won't touch, who would you like to then see us go for, within reason?
 
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