Centre Back... Who do we go for?

DomesticTadpole said:
Good old Daily Star.

08:31KEY EVENT
Solskjaer 'gives green light' to Maguire deal
United are confident of landing Harry Maguire in a £65million transfer this summer, according to reports.

It is claimed by the Daily Star that OIe Gunnar Solskjaer wants to build his defence around the England centre-back.

United were interested in signing Maguire last summer but he ended up staying at Leicester having only joined the club from Hull a year earlier.

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Most probably know but still
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Sea-Cow said:
Agreed. Will be very disappointed with this if its true.

Surely our scouts can do better.
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The last 6 years would indicate not.

Player recruitment needs a massive overhaul. Unfortunately, the oft-mentioned director of football seems no longer to be happening.
 
Adnan said:
Couldn't agree more..

Milenkovic has mostly been used at RB at Fiorentina due to how strong they're at CB. With Mourinho not at the helm anymore, I don't think the young Serb is as big of a priority for Ole. I can see Mourinho buying him for the club he eventually ends up at.

I'd take Milenkovic over Maguire due to what you posted regarding their attributes. Milenkovic would cost less and has a higher ceiling than Maguire
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To be honest with de Ligt almost certainly off to Barca and Napoli wanting stupid money for Koulibaly I'm not overly bothered about CB, I aknowledge it's still a weak spot but I'm not a fan of less stupid but still stupidly priced options like Maguire, or cheapos like Manolas or Alderweireld, none of whom will solve anything IMO. Milenkovic was the best middle ground IMO in terms of skillset and price with the room to improve.
 
Inevitably when Manchester United are mentioned, the price tends to go up. If all these CB's mentioned are available at such ridiculous prices, then let's give our own guys a chance, TFM, Tuanzebe, and even Garner has played in that position. My own opinion is that De Ligt looks the best prospect, and Tuanzebe will be a class player in time, TFM I'm not sure about, but as a defensive midfielder he could be useful. Garner appears to be groomed for that midfield spot, but I suppose could drop back into a CB position if needed during a match.
 
Devil may care said:
To be honest with de Ligt almost certainly off to Barca and Napoli wanting stupid money for Koulibaly I'm not overly bothered about CB, I aknowledge it's still a weak spot but I'm not a fan of less stupid but still stupidly priced options like Maguire, or cheapos like Manolas or Alderweireld, none of whom will solve anything IMO. Milenkovic was the best middle ground IMO in terms of skillset and price with the room to improve.
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I dont think koulibaly will coast 130m to be honest, and Barcelona won't break transfer record for a defender for de ligt as well. They already have pique who is not finished and umtiti and Lenglet as well and if they still want to land him they will have to get rid of one of them.
 
At best we should go for a young prospect like De Ligt maybe, but otherwise, why not partner Lindelof with one of the young guys in the academy? I really can't see Maguire with the English premium cost + the Manchester United premium cost being a center piece of our defense.
 
It has to be De Ligt. As mentioned above, Barcelona have what they need. Smalling and Jones have had almost a decade to prove themselves and there’s no question that De Ligt is a special talent. At some point the asking price may be too high but if we can get him for what Liverpool got Virgil he’d be a bargain.
 
First choice must be De ligt.Young,strong, already very good centre back, potential to be world class. Second choice would be Maguire.Proven premier league centre back with international experience, great header of the ball which we miss with Lindelof and Bailly who are very poor in that segment of the game and an upgrade on Smalling. Others like Milenkovic who is a replica of Smalling, just slower or Koulibaly who is already 28 and relies too much on the pace, not that great header and because of that wouldn't compliment lindelof for example and hasnt play in premier league doesnt fit like two mentioned before.
 
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We are being linked a little with Ben Godfrey from Norwich, anyone seen much of him?
 
Adnan said:
Barcelona also have the 19 year old Todibo who looks a brilliant prospect.
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Yes I don't understand their pursuit of De Ligt but they seem serious about it
 
Andycoleno9 said:
I still don't understand that contract. Based on what?! Really strange
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That deal will cost us £12.5m at a minimum. Now imagine reading in the summer that we miss out on the best centre backs out there because of the price. The reason why teams get into a cycle of clearing dead wood is because dead wood takes up the budget.
 
I think maguire wouldn’t be a bad buy. He’s good in the air which we need, and is good with the ball which is always helpful against teams who sit deep. I know he lacks a bit of pace but I’ve rarely seen him get exposed by it.
 
Patrick08 said:
I dont think koulibaly will coast 130m to be honest, and Barcelona won't break transfer record for a defender for de ligt as well. They already have pique who is not finished and umtiti and Lenglet as well and if they still want to land him they will have to get rid of one of them.
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Barcelona going for de Ligt seems linked to the de Jong buy, they are the only team being seriously linked with him suggesting the rest of the clubs know there is no point in even trying. You could be right about Koulibaly but they'll want more than Liverpool paid for van Dijk IMO.
 
If Barca are loading up on expensive CBs, would we have any chance at getting Samuel Umiti?

He is 25 and I would definitely prefer him over Maguire.
 
Sea-Cow said:
If Barca are loading up on expensive CBs, would we have any chance at getting Samuel Umiti?

He is 25 and I would definitely prefer him over Maguire.
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M.E.N. reporting that we are going to scout him tonight for France v. Iceland. Daily Mail their source.
 
We broke the record for a defender when we signed Stam, and then again with Rio. Since then our Premiership rivals have bought 9 of the 11 most expensive defenders in history. I know that transfer fees have inflated greatly... but the idea that there are even 3 defenders currently worth more than the 2nd most expensive defender ever is just ridiculous. Yet, we only hear about close to world record fees for Skriniar, De Ligt, Koulibally, Varane... and even Harry Maguire.

I could sort of accept it for De Ligt, although I forsee he'll end up at Barca for an uncontested £50m. Skriniar looks a great young defender, but the most expensive ever? Koulibally looks great, but apparently we'd almost have to double the WR for him (and nobody on here wants defenders over 22 years of age). Varane has been poor this season, but the signing would still excite me... I'd hate to play next to Ramos. Harry Maguire isn't even England's best defender imho.
 
Cassidy said:
We are being linked a little with Ben Godfrey from Norwich, anyone seen much of him?
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I've not see him play except for YouTube videos but I have to say one thing -

I'm pretty sure that if we buy either Ben Godfrey or Declan Rice - they are playing for their ability to play as CB's that drift in to CM & back or forth.

Having that type of player is the only way we can have Pogba play in a midfield 2 due to having a midfielder behind him that provides him the ability to get forward whilst the the latter like declan rice or Ben Godfrey ends up shielding the back 2 as a CDM/CB.

Basically - Godfrey or Rice are CDM's that may be bought to play as tertiary CB when the rest of our team attack - however they are not bought to be our main LCB.
 
I think we should stay far away from Raiola and De Ligt.

I'd like to see us go for a young 6'4 monster we can develop such as Joachim Andersen
 
Aloysius's Back 3 said:
I've not see him play except for YouTube videos but I have to say one thing -

I'm pretty sure that if we buy either Ben Godfrey or Declan Rice - they are playing for their ability to play as CB's that drift in to CM & back or forth.

Having that type of player is the only way we can have Pogba play in a midfield 2 due to having a midfielder behind him that provides him the ability to get forward whilst the the latter like declan rice or Ben Godfrey ends up shielding the back 2 as a CDM/CB.

Basically - Godfrey or Rice are CDM's that may be bought to play as tertiary CB when the rest of our team attack - however they are not bought to be our main LCB.
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Did you think it through before you wrote this just asking .
 
gajender said:
Did you think it through before you wrote this just asking .
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Yes because you think of the diamond formation - it consists of 2 CM with a CDM behind them and a AM behind them. The problem with the diamond formation is that we end up lacking width across the pitch.

I'm sure Ole wants to use a false 9 instead of a traditional AM in front of the CM & doing so allows our 2 central strikers to drift wide.
Likewise having a CDM that drops and shields the 2 middle CB's allows our CB's to drift wide whilst our full backs provide width further forward.

We have been playing with Diamond formation but with players like Pogba playing wide as LM to provide width. What having a false 9 and a false CDM does is allow us to have a midfield 4 whilst also having 3 attackers on the attack and 3 defenders on the defence. Its a fluid diamond formation that puts quantitive pressure both attackingly and defensively. This also gives pogba the complete freedom to play in a central 2 because he has a defensive minded CM next to him with a CDM behind him that guards the defences as he makes runs forward.

I'd be suprised if Ole uses Herrera as a CDM instead of buying someone like Rice or Godfrey.
 
Aloysius's Back 3 said:
Yes because you think of the diamond formation - it consists of 2 CM with a CDM behind them and a AM behind them. The problem with the diamond formation is that we end up lacking width across the pitch.

I'm sure Ole wants to use a false 9 instead of a traditional AM in front of the CM & doing so allows our 2 central strikers to drift wide.
Likewise having a CDM that drops and shields the 2 middle CB's allows our CB's to drift wide whilst our full backs provide width further forward.

We have been playing with Diamond formation but with players like Pogba playing wide as LM to provide width. What having a false 9 and a false CDM does is allow us to have a midfield 4 whilst also having 3 attackers on the attack and 3 defenders on the defence. Its a fluid diamond formation that puts quantitive pressure both attackingly and defensively. This also gives pogba the complete freedom to play in a central 2 because he has a defensive minded CM next to him with a CDM behind him that guards the defences as he makes runs forward.

I'd be suprised if Ole uses Herrera as a CDM instead of buying someone like Rice or Godfrey.
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Why are you sure about this? If any conclusions are to be drawn about OGS´preferred formation so far is that there is none.
He has been very flexible so far depending on players available and opposition.
I personally think that the discussion about formations is so overrated in forums like this. I certainly hope that we will never settle on a formation first and then start to recruit players from this. In modern football you need to be able to be flexible about the formation, just as OGS has been so far.
There are many things in todays game that are much more important than the formation played: how high the team presses, how high you stand with the back four, how many players you commit in front of the ball in possession, how you act as a team when dispossessed of the ball and maybe most of all how players should act in possession depending on where on the pitch the ball is.
All of these things are much more important than what formation you choose to play for a particular game. Tbf its most important for Sky, BT and their graphics.
 
DomesticTadpole said:
Think it down to them want De Ligt and they want to recoup some money and he might be expendable.
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I like your positivity.

If its even a possibility I think we would be wise to explore it. I don't think he would cost as much as the top tier but he could be a great signing. He plays as the left-sided CB, is young for a CB but still has loads of experience, and he would be an instant upgrade on our current options. And, most importantly, he is miles better than Maguire.

Barca will probably not want to lose him though, and it will never happen. We will panic the last week of the window and sign some suckass at twice their market value.
 
Jones is now on 120k. If we manage to loan out or sell Rojo that will leave us with Smalling, Jones, Lindelof and Bailly with Tuanzebe coming back from loan. 5 Centerbacks. Woodward hands out stupid contracts time and time again, I do not trust him to sign a proper CB. Come summer we might just hear the 'Solksjaer is trusting his current CBs' story. De Ligt is the one we need. If we miss out on him now, we will regret it. He is on the same level as Mbappe, just a different position.
 
Florence based La Nazione are still reporting our intetest in the young Serb.
 
Honestly if we are to choose between gutting the most of our transfer budget to get an overpriced CB or stick with Smalling & Lindelof, I prefer we stick with them 2 and spend big on RW, RB and another MF.
 
Fracture90 said:
Honestly if we are to choose between gutting the most of our transfer budget to get an overpriced CB or stick with Smalling & Lindelof, I prefer we stick with them 2 and spend big on RW, RB and another MF.
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Agree with spending big on RW and MF but need a quality CB more than RB in my opinion
 
Fracture90 said:
Options for RB position are a converted 34y old winger and very attacking minded 20y old kid…
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Obviously it's best that we have the best in the world in every position... but that's not realistic. Young will be 34, and although he always gives his all, so did Valencia, and form can fall off a cliff with a few injuries at that age. That just leaves Dalot, which is where we start to get into bother. I'd love it if we could add Rafael (on a free) to the squad. He knows the club, is still playing at a good level, but if Dalot starts to really develope, he won't stand in the way. Renewing Herrera and De Gea would be my first priorities.... after that we look at another forward who can play from the right, or in that false 9 role. Thing is there's no point in having someone ordinary there... so why not Greizmann, Felix or Sancho? Go big or go home. We need someone in CM and someone in CD.

So back to the topic at hand: Varane & Umtiti will be stronger this season without a World Cup this Summer, but have had their issues... in my mind De Ligt is the top prospect, but I've never seen Milenkovic play centre back, and I haven't seen much of Anderson either. The only competition I've really seen is Skriniar. Koulibally may want out after all the racism issues. I really think we should stay as far away as possible from Maguire. Rice might be a good option for both midfield and CD.
 
Fracture90 said:
Options for RB position are a converted 34y old winger and very attacking minded 20y old kid…
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Its funny when people still refer to Valencia as "a converted winger" and mean this in a deragotory way.
One: is this like a bad thing for some reason? There are a lot of really competent fullbacks that did not start out their careers as fullbacks.
Two: Tony has soon been a fullback longer than he ever was a winger or even a CM, where he played quite a lot for Ecuador. When are people going to stop hitting him with a stick that is not a stick to begin with?
Same with Young. He has been a fullback for quite awhile now.
These digs are nonsense IMO.
Just realised I went quite off topic. Apologies.
 
sam147 said:
Jones is now on 120k. If we manage to loan out or sell Rojo that will leave us with Smalling, Jones, Lindelof and Bailly with Tuanzebe coming back from loan. 5 Centerbacks. Woodward hands out stupid contracts time and time again, I do not trust him to sign a proper CB. Come summer we might just hear the 'Solksjaer is trusting his current CBs' story. De Ligt is the one we need. If we miss out on him now, we will regret it. He is on the same level as Mbappe, just a different position.
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This is what I'm fully expecting. As others have pointed out, our transfer strategy seems to be 'spend big if we haven't got CL football'. We finished 2nd last season so I genuinely believe the Glazers/Woodward's take on that was "we need to spend bare minimum this summer, as its not likely that things will go so badly that we'll go from 2nd to 5th".

IF Ole finishes 4th, I expect another threadbare summer in terms of signings. This isn't a manager with the pedigree or personality to flat-out demand big signings or major backing in the market, in their eyes. They will think that spending about £60-80m on two signings for him will keep him happy and they trot out the narrative of "this squad's potential was shown last season, a full season with Ole in charge is deserved for everyone".

As others have said, its cheaper to renew with Phil Jones than to sell him and upgrade him.

If the owners' ambition was to win the title, upgrading Jones/Rojo with a world-class CB would be paramount; but if they are indeed happy with simply finishing in the top 4 somewhere, then gambling on another season of Phil Jones makes good business sense.
 
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