Angel Di Maria | £59.7M fee agreed I Maybe tomorrow...or the day after...

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Would this signing mean we're switching to our 4231? Di Maria and Januzaj out wide, Mata behind presumably Rooney (since he's captain now)

RVP plays where?

Maybe he plans to play him up front in Robben's world cup role in the 352? Either way you'd think our strikers are going to be shafted.

If we play him at wing back I think I'm gonna give up.
There are a few options, but he'd be a brilliant signing whatever the case.
Either a 4-2-3-1:
Carrick - Herrera
Januzaj/Mata - Mata/Rooney - Di Maria
Rooney/Van Persie
So either Mata starts wide and Rooney in the middle or Januzaj does and one of the strikers is on the bench.

Or a 4-3-1-2 diamond type thing, with Di Maria playing the same role he does for Madrid:

Rafael - Evans - Smalling - Shaw
Carrick
Herrera - Di Maria
Mata
Rooney - RVP
Either way, it gives us options, and he's the type of player we're crying out for in attack but personally I'd take the first because of the width it gives us.
 
Can we just offer £300 million for him and get this one done already so we can move on to other players? It's obvious we're going to have to overpay for any player that we want now so let's just accept that and get on with it.

Also, let's sign him first and worry about where he's going to play later. He's a world class player and world class players can play in more than one position / formation.
 
at this stage i would pay 50m as long as reus isnt available. and unfortunately he will probably end up at city next season if we dont have a place for him.
 
There are a few options, but he'd be a brilliant signing whatever the case.
Either a 4-2-3-1:
Carrick - Herrera
Januzaj/Mata - Mata/Rooney - Di Maria
Rooney/Van Persie
So either Mata starts wide and Rooney in the middle or Januzaj does and one of the strikers is on the bench.

Or a 4-3-1-2 diamond type thing, with Di Maria playing the same role he does for Madrid:

Rafael - Evans - Smalling - Shaw
Carrick
Herrera - Di Maria
Mata
Rooney - RVP
Either way, it gives us options, and he's the type of player we're crying out for in attack but personally I'd take the first because of the width it gives us.

It would be a waste of Di Maria's talents if we play him as a wing back. Moreover, lets not forget LVG himself has said he will revert to his favoured 4-3-3 if he gets a specialist winger as good as Di Maria. Naturally that would mean a 4-3-3 with 2 wingers flanking a forward (Rooney/RVP). However, that wouldn't be the optimal usage of our resources, thus I envisage a 4-3-3 like the latter formation of yours.

Think of how Milan used 4-3-1-2 or the diamond with the likes of Seedorf and Kaka providing enough penetration and ability to 'stretch defenses' without necessarily playing orthodox wingers. Di Maria would be perfect in the left sided midfield role, primarily staying in the middle but also capable of making those driving penetrative runs in the left handed channels when necessary to provide width. Imagine Herrera and Di Maria in our midfield, so much drive, energy, industry, tenacity and creativity. Carrick would be perfect at shielding the defence and being the outlet who can recycle and retain possession whilst also being capable of starting off moves from the deep. I know we lack pace and drive in our front three but with a much improved midfield behind them, they can truly shine and elevate their game up a notch with runners from the deep to support when neccessary. With our current first team, opposition teams have to target and nullify our relatively static front three to stifle our attacking game considerably. The threat from deep both creatively and penetrating drive wise is relatively non-existent barring Herrera who is still settling in. Swansea probably made it a point to target Herrera and prevent him from dictating the game with some harsh challenges to disrupt him.

If we really do lack the width we could sub off one of RVP or Rooney and put Januzaj in while pushing Di Maria forward into a wider role. Mata could be brought off to accommodate another central midfielder.

Its all just hypotheticals but Di Maria is a player who can genuinely transform our gameplay and our midfield completely.
 
Di Maria would be a brilliant signing. Wouldn't be bothered about how it would affect mata. He latter is more of an attacker for me whereas Di Maria is a proper midfielder. We need more players like do Maria and see overloaded with ones like mata.
 
It would be a waste of Di Maria's talents if we play him as a wing back. Moreover, lets not forget LVG himself has said he will revert to his favoured 4-3-3 if he gets a specialist winger as good as Di Maria. Naturally that would mean a 4-3-3 with 2 wingers flanking a forward (Rooney/RVP). However, that wouldn't be the optimal usage of our resources, thus I envisage a 4-3-3 like the latter formation of yours.

Think of how Milan used 4-3-1-2 or the diamond with the likes of Seedorf and Kaka providing enough penetration and ability to 'stretch defenses' without necessarily playing orthodox wingers. Di Maria would be perfect in the left sided midfield role, primarily staying in the middle but also capable of making those driving penetrative runs in the left handed channels when necessary to provide width. Imagine Herrera and Di Maria in our midfield, so much drive, energy, industry, tenacity and creativity. Carrick would be perfect at shielding the defence and being the outlet who can recycle and retain possession whilst also being capable of starting off moves from the deep. I know we lack pace and drive in our front three but with a much improved midfield behind them, they can truly shine and elevate their game up a notch with runners from the deep to support when neccessary. With our current first team, opposition teams have to target and nullify our relatively static front three to stifle our attacking game considerably. The threat from deep both creatively and penetrating drive wise is relatively non-existent barring Herrera who is still settling in. Swansea probably made it a point to target Herrera and prevent him from dictating the game with some harsh challenges to disrupt him.

If we really do lack the width we could sub off one of RVP or Rooney and put Januzaj in while pushing Di Maria forward into a wider role. Mata could be brought off to accommodate another central midfielder.

Its all just hypotheticals but Di Maria is a player who can genuinely transform our gameplay and our midfield completely.
In the first it's a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 but I just wasn't bothered putting the defenders. Probably should have. Anyways, I know, that's what I was thinking with the second formation. It's a very similar midfield to Madrids trio of last season, but up front instead it is different. Instead of Ronaldo and Bale on the wings with Benzema in the middle, it'd be Mata at the tip of the diamond, behind Rooney and RVP who drift to one side when Di Maria goes wide going forward, and the fullbacks overlapping.
 
If we sign Di Maria I can see it making a huge huge impact on our attack.

Of course we'd still have to sign a defender and central midfielder, but I think a midfielder like him is rare and you have to sign him if you can especially given we lack pace and running in midfield. He's be pretty much perfect for that.
 
Herrera - Carrick
Januzaj - Mata - Di Maria
Rooney/RVP
Would be the obvious set up. Rooney, RVP and Januzaj would probably end up rotating about 2 positions, given Januzaj's youth and the inevitability of Rooney and RVP being injured at some point, it shouldn't matter too much.
 
--------Roo/vanp----------
Mata---------------Januzaj
----diMaria--Herrera----
----------Carrick---------
Shaw----------------Raf
-----Benatia--Jones-----
-----------deGea---------

Love to see us move to that system,with the rigt signings of course,given our pretty exposed flws at the back,a quality cb is essential.

Has a bit of everything in theory,width,pace,creativity,reliant goalscorers.

Id still want a crafted defensive midfielder as well,even a stop gap like Blind<bolster midfield numbers> untill Carricks fully fit and back to his best hopefully.

Hed be a serious signing to be fair,given how versatile he is,ghosting wide and centrally,hed free a lot upfor all those around him,ontop of his underrated workrate.
 
--------Roo/vanp----------
Mata---------------Januzaj
----diMaria--Herrera----
----------Carrick---------
Shaw----------------Raf
-----Benatia--Jones-----
-----------deGea---------

Love to see us move to that system,with the rigt signings of course,given our pretty exposed flws at the back,a quality cb is essential.

Has a bit of everything in theory,width,pace,creativity,reliant goalscorers.

Id still want a crafted defensive midfielder as well,even a stop gap like Blind<bolster midfield numbers> untill Carricks fully fit and back to his best hopefully.

Hed be a serious signing to be fair,given how versatile he is,ghosting wide and centrally,hed free a lot upfor all those around him,ontop of his underrated workrate.
With Herrera and Di Maria's workrate, that formation (or similar) will work really well.
 
Di Maria could be our Ozil if nothing else, though I don't know why Real Madrid is willing to sell in the first place. (I haven't followed this "saga" so I don't really know anything about this)
 
Di Maria could be our Ozil if nothing else, though I don't know why Real Madrid is willing to sell in the first place. (I haven't followed this "saga" so I don't really know anything about this)
Oh I don't know when you spend more than 100m Euros to buy a certain James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos, who happen to play the positions Di Maria play, where does Di Maria fit in?
 
When you've got Ronaldo and Bale and Rodriguez, and want to get Falcao, Di Maria is just a spare part.

Never mind that he's a technically superior player to Bale and Rodriguez right now. He's not a recent big money buy, so his ability is rendered irrelevant.

Can't wait for Madrid's empire to come crashing down as Spain's economy goes further into ruin and tv deals are finally made fair across Europe.
 
If we are going to spend 100 million on Di Maria we might want to ask for Kehderia to be thrown into that deal.
 
It's not £100 million for transfer fee alone.

Like Mata cost £37 million in terms of transfer fee but if you include his wages - £7.8 million x 4.5 yrs = £35.1, so the net outlay is probably £72.1 million.
Van Persie cost £24 million in transfer fee + £12.2 million x 4 + £10 million loyalty bonus if he stays for the duration of his contact = £82.8 million.

Di Maria's £100 million (slightly exaggerated) must include transfer fee, wages of 4/5 seasons, signing bonus, performance escalators, loyalty bonus, agent fee for Mendes all inclusive. Not the worst piece of business has to be said for one of the best players in the world.
 
--------Roo/vanp----------
Mata---------------Januzaj
----diMaria--Herrera----
----------Carrick---------
Shaw----------------Raf
-----Benatia--Jones-----
-----------deGea---------

Love to see us move to that system,with the rigt signings of course,given our pretty exposed flws at the back,a quality cb is essential.

Has a bit of everything in theory,width,pace,creativity,reliant goalscorers.

Id still want a crafted defensive midfielder as well,even a stop gap like Blind<bolster midfield numbers> untill Carricks fully fit and back to his best hopefully.

Hed be a serious signing to be fair,given how versatile he is,ghosting wide and centrally,hed free a lot upfor all those around him,ontop of his underrated workrate.

Really solid lineup if we count the workrate parameters of Di Maria and Herrera. It could work very well.
 
That 100 mil includes wages, which is mentioned in the article. I think it's a 40 mil deal + 5 years at 10 mil per year for salary + bonuses.
 
Interesting snippet from the piece by Ladyman...

Di Maria is aware of United’s capacity to pay big wages and has told his family of his surprise that the English club’s offer outstrips anything made by other suitors, including mega-rich Paris Saint-Germain of France
 
Interesting snippet from the piece by Ladyman...

Di Maria is aware of United’s capacity to pay big wages and has told his family of his surprise that the English club’s offer outstrips anything made by other suitors, including mega-rich Paris Saint-Germain of France
That's bullshit. How would Ladyman know what Di Maria told his family?

I refuse to get sucked in.
 
Interesting snippet from the piece by Ladyman...

Di Maria is aware of United’s capacity to pay big wages and has told his family of his surprise that the English club’s offer outstrips anything made by other suitors, including mega-rich Paris Saint-Germain of France
:lol: what silly news.
 
tbh the total outlay in terms of FFP is what really matters these days.

Di Maria will cost about £20m per season in total. To put that into context Herrera costs about £9m/season, and Shaw £10m/season.
 
--------Roo/vanp----------
Mata---------------Januzaj
----diMaria--Herrera----
----------Carrick---------
Shaw----------------Raf
-----Benatia--Jones-----
-----------deGea---------

Love to see us move to that system,with the rigt signings of course,given our pretty exposed flws at the back,a quality cb is essential.

Has a bit of everything in theory,width,pace,creativity,reliant goalscorers.

Id still want a crafted defensive midfielder as well,even a stop gap like Blind<bolster midfield numbers> untill Carricks fully fit and back to his best hopefully.

Hed be a serious signing to be fair,given how versatile he is,ghosting wide and centrally,hed free a lot upfor all those around him,ontop of his underrated workrate.

Mata out wide is a disaster. I think Mata needs to be dropped personally.

DDG
Rafael Smalling Benatia Shaw
Strootman
Herrera Januzaj
Cuadrado Rooney Di Maria
That would be the long term plan in my opinion (no chance of it happening mind.).
 
Eww Januzaj in a midfield 3..
 
I don't mind the heavy price tag Di Maria will improve this squad by miles. He is the kind of player we should be having in our squad if we are to challenge for the top 4. Signing him would boost LvG plans for us this season.
 
If we paid this alleged 50m for Di Maria, I think that's crazy considering that he doesn't really fit the 3-5-2. The only place he could really play would be in centre midfield. He's not going to drop Rooney or RVP and he can't play wing back. He probably won't drop Mata either.

I highly doubt the system will be changed after teaching it and waffling about it for the past month.

Personally I would prefer if we spent the money on Vidal. He is needed far more and would be an outstanding but for that system.

I love Di Maria though. He was brilliant for Real last season.
 
No one is paying 100 million for him. More like 40-50.

It is understood United have told the Argentine that, with performance-based incentives, they will pay him around £200,000 a week. Over a five-year deal that would take United’s investment to £100m when a transfer fee of around £50m is included. A

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...ngel-Di-Maria-Old-Trafford.html#ixzz3AitOVjhD
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
 
I'm sure Van Gaal knows how to deploy Di Maria in his system, whether that be 3-5-2/4-3-3 etc.
 
It's crazy how much wages contribute now. We use to look at transfer fees alone, and it's only recently we've started to take notice of the wage cost. It's crazy to think how much just a handful of players must cost teams over the course of their career.

That 100m sounds ridiculous, but when you break that down between the transfer fee and wages over x years then it's not even a groundbreaking deal or anything.
 
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