PSG have two midfielders who can play the Fletcher role very well and bring different things to it, Verratti and Matuidi. I wonder if we stand any chance of signing either. If the rumours that PSG are desperate to sign Di Maria but can't do it with FFP are true, then maybe they'll entertain selling one of them. Not sure if either of them would be interested but Woody could talk to their agents.
Centre Mid options other than Vidal..
- Thread starter Raees
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) are here to discuss Amad saving our blushes in a win against Southampton as well as our now annual loss at home to Brighton. They discuss Amorim's post-match comments, revisit how mid-table we may or may not be, and discuss some transfer news.
Absolutely, but in the context of this season, given that we are likely missing a winger and have an extra striker in LVGs eyes, the CM is less important. In 2 seasons maybe that will be different
I won't be surprised if VG gets Blind (great cover for LB but can play in CM) only to get Strootman in January.
I don't get this Strootman business, nobody wanted him when we were in for him last time, most rated him as very average or not good enough and yet now its him instead of Vidal.
We want him now yet we didnt when he was worth 15m. Now Roma want 79m..
We want him now yet we didnt when he was worth 15m. Now Roma want 79m..
I don't get this January stuff for Strootman. Roma could be in the last 16 of the CL by then and are also Juventus's biggest threat for the scudetto, selling him in January would be a little ridiculous even for an Italian club.
Not sure who we'll sign in midfield at the moment and that's if we sign another.
Roma are usually Italy's version of Tottenham (less rich though) while Juventus are Italy version of Manchester United. It would be easier to deal with them then Juventus.
Strootman will still cost us a lot. However he's easier to get then Vidal.
Because it's hard to judge players coming from the Eredivisie. He actually improved at Roma.
There is easily room for Strootman and Vidal. Cleverley, Anderson, Fellaini can all leave. Carrick may be past it now.
Majority of the alternatives listed aren't without them problems either... Carvalho would cost what 37m, that's big money and I wouldn't blame the club on holding back on that sort of price.
De Jong is available, for a very reasonable price.. But as a player he is very limited. Lars Bender supposedly would be very difficult, Leverkusen aren't willing to sell. McCarthy likewise would be like pulling teeth when dealing with Everton.
Strootman is currently injured, will that pose problems again in the future although if fit would be a cracking signing.
Khedira seems set for London, don't know why he isn't linked more to us. In my opinion he would be a good signing with the fee being reasonable rather than last summer..
Blind could be brought in, versatile so would provide cover for 2 positions although he wouldn't be first choice in either in my opinion.
I really think it's numbers at the back we need, but in the middle it's quality.. Number wise we will be fine with another addition even if Fellaini/Anderson leave.. We are out of the CL, we need to get back in, all this talk of war chest, etc this is the summer to go all out and sign a top drawer player.
De Jong is available, for a very reasonable price.. But as a player he is very limited. Lars Bender supposedly would be very difficult, Leverkusen aren't willing to sell. McCarthy likewise would be like pulling teeth when dealing with Everton.
Strootman is currently injured, will that pose problems again in the future although if fit would be a cracking signing.
Khedira seems set for London, don't know why he isn't linked more to us. In my opinion he would be a good signing with the fee being reasonable rather than last summer..
Blind could be brought in, versatile so would provide cover for 2 positions although he wouldn't be first choice in either in my opinion.
I really think it's numbers at the back we need, but in the middle it's quality.. Number wise we will be fine with another addition even if Fellaini/Anderson leave.. We are out of the CL, we need to get back in, all this talk of war chest, etc this is the summer to go all out and sign a top drawer player.
Isnt that what scouts are paid to do? Anybody can judge a player once he's come good.
Reality is beginning to set in for the muppets. Vidal and Herrera would have never worked in our system, unless we drop one of them or play the 1-2-3-2-1-2 formation. I never wanted him as first choice as I believe we need a number 6, not a number 8. Strootman, william Carvalho, and even Scheinerderlin are more ideal signings. I believe Van Gaal wants Strootman and as such, we may not get a number 6 until January.
Personally, I would be fine with either Kevin Strootman or William Carvalho as our number 6, while we add another number 8 in Mateo Kovacic to give Herrera some competition and not put an overeliance on Cleverley as his backup.
Personally, I would be fine with either Kevin Strootman or William Carvalho as our number 6, while we add another number 8 in Mateo Kovacic to give Herrera some competition and not put an overeliance on Cleverley as his backup.
That wasn't what you were asking for, was it?! Your point was why everyone on this forum seems to want him now, if he was available for less last year. Our scouts probably deemed him good enough, Moyes as it seems decided against him.
Roma will want crazy money for Strootman and we can't afford to wait, we should sign someone like Carvalho and monitor Strootman for next summer. Let's be honest even with Herrera we could still do with 2 more quality midfielders.
I prefer the 1-2-1-2-2-1-2!
That would work as both Herrera and Vidal will have a protective shield behind them, which sort of resembles a three to four man central midfield. So, none of them will be limited to a restrictive role. However, our defensive will not be as solid with three in the back, unless the cdm/cb can transition between both role efficiently
Gk
rcb - lcb
Valencia(Rafael) - Carrick(Jones) - Young(Shaw)
Vidal(Fletcher) - Herrera(Kovacic)
Mata(Kagawa)
St - st
When i see these "2-3-2-1-2" formations i always remember Mike Basset and his Christmas pudding schemes.
William Carvalho, Song, Strootman, Khedira, Martinez, Sneijder... and to a lesser extent, guys like Tiote and Sandro would be good.
Funny the only dutch midfielder we havent been linked with is de Guzman, and I wouldnt mind him
Carvalho might be good, but is really expensive for what he brings at this moment. Song is very average I don't think he would be much of an improvment over Fletcher/Carrick. Strootman is injured and could be impossible to get in January and Roma have no need to sell him. Khedira maybe, but is he really good enough? Martinez would be an awesome signing and from what I've heard he prefers playing in DM to CB where pep seems to be using him, but he is extremely unlikely and has no reason to want to leave Bayern. Sneijder is more a nr. 10, really old and past it and we have absolutely no need for him so please no. Tiote, Sandro please dear god no. One option I would like us to look at is the Bender boys, Lars especially. Carvalho is another player I'd like to see us sign, but if the rumors of his escape clause and the fact that sporting won't sell him for cheaper than that are true than he would be really overpriced.
tioteI don't get how this relates to my post.
Being easier than Vidal isn't my point and whether Roma are the Italian Spurs.
What sense does it make for Roma who are in the Champions league and now firmly along with Napoli as Juventus's biggest threats for the scudetto in offloading Strootman in January?
Realistic or not
Strootman, Ramsey, Eriksen, Marchisio,
Strootman, Ramsey, Eriksen, Marchisio,
Aranguiz, Song, Schneiderlin.
All fit and would probably be available now without us having to splash out a ridiculous amount of money.
All fit and would probably be available now without us having to splash out a ridiculous amount of money.
Isn't the whole point of this thread to look for realistic "options"? ....
Also only two of them would play in the right position and none of them are realistic now.
What about that Hector Herrera fellow? He was good for mexico at the world cup.
Another number 10? Please, no.
He was, but in Porto he struggles a bit for games. It remains to bee seen whether he can really hit it off in Europe. Right now it's more like in balance.
From this league? Schneiderlin would be a good addition, but no one else sticks out.
From elsewhere, Strootman, Lars Bender, Carvalho, Iturraspe and Witsel could be good options.
From elsewhere, Strootman, Lars Bender, Carvalho, Iturraspe and Witsel could be good options.
Yea lets buy a player that will not be ready until christmas time, and may cost us just has much as vidal. Like I say, august to November December time, is a long ass time in football. In the mean time lets play herrera and cleverly in midfield, which is also going to be extremely weak
We'll regret not signing Schneiderlin.
How has he developed? Heard so much about him a year or so ago and still never seen him play or heard much the last year?
Disagree. never liked Khedira but he is a top midfielder and very over rated by so many it seems....Witsel the total opposite, very average and over rated, he isnt much better than Fellaini....as a central midfielder at that, no thanks!
Totally agree. Have to confess not seen him for Roma but I saw him a handful of times for Holland and PSV and I was one of those that didnt want him. He also is recoverign from a serious injury, might not be as bad as it was 10 years ago but all the same he seems to have become an amazing player in 3/4 months?? Roma will want I would expect a similar fee to what Vidal, LVG obviously knows him very well but nobody knows how good he will be when he comes back anyway.
This is a bit of an OT post but I've been contemplating United's transfer plan for a while and IMO our whole scheme needs a bit of an overhaul in the sense that chucking money on massive wages and fees may not be the most progressive option going forward. Firstly looking around at the business Chelsea, Madrid, Barcelona pull in terms of selling players, I'm a bit dismayed that apart from Cristiano Ronaldo most of our purchases from the last odd decade has bee moved on for a significant loss in discord with the general principle of buying low and selling high. So much so that some of them are now seemingly unsellable and we'll have to largely subsidize any future moves. For all the talk of value IMO we've missed on some spectacularly cheap deals while splurging on rather average players.
This is kind of the opposite of what we did in 2006 signing Vidic, Evra, Van der Sar for less than a combined € 20 million - players that were the bedrock for perhaps the most successful period in our history. Looking around Europe there's something to be admired with some of the most effective midfields and the moneyball-esque transfer dealings by those clubs. Whether by design, sheer coincidence or opportunism they've found really cost effective deals for young talents, misfits and outcasts in equal measure all the while building a midfield quite stronger than ours on a budget lesser than or around one Fellaini (no offence).
Juventus :
Andrea Pirlo - Bosman
Arturo Vidal - Even back when transfrerred from Leverkusen, Vidal was an excellent midfielder. So the € 11 million was excellent in hindsight.
Paul Pogba - Bosman
Borussia Dortmund :
Sven Bender - One of the finest defensive midfielders around. Signed for an undisclosed fee thought to be around € 4 million.
Ilkay Gundogan - Was one of the best midfielders in Europe in 2012-2013. Signed in 2011 for just € 6 million from Nurnberg, a value that grew over five times in a single season.
Milos Jojic - Signed from Partizan for € 3 million.
AS Roma :
Miralem Pjanic - 11 million Lyon.
Kevin Strootman - 17 million.
Radja Naingollan - 3 million fee rising by 9 million Cagliari.
Atletico Madrid -
Gabi - Came through Atletico's ranks but was sold to Zaragoza. Later bought for € 3 million and was arguably one of the best central midfielders in Europe these past couple of seasons.
Tiago - Had a dramatic loss of form at consecutive clubs - Chelsea, Lyon and Juventus. Was loaned in from Juventus and later signed on a Bosman transfer.
Paris Saint Germain -
Thiago Motta - Was unhappy at Internazionale and felt undermined by Claudio Ranieri. Signed for € 10million.
Mlaise Matuidi - Bought from Saint Etienne for € 7.5 million when he was a relatively unknown player.
Marco Verratti - One of the brightest young talents in world football. Bought from Pescara for just € 12 million.
Adrien Rabiot - Had a terrible stint at city and after a loan spell at Pau was signed on a Bosman.
While I do think we need and crave a marquee signing maybe over a longer time frame the club needs to develop the nose for a bargain and actively scout extensively for undervalued/ young but promising players ready to explode and put together a competitive side relatively cheaply. That's probably the most sustainable model in the long term and also ties in with the philosophy that United makes stars, not buy them off the shelf.
This is kind of the opposite of what we did in 2006 signing Vidic, Evra, Van der Sar for less than a combined € 20 million - players that were the bedrock for perhaps the most successful period in our history. Looking around Europe there's something to be admired with some of the most effective midfields and the moneyball-esque transfer dealings by those clubs. Whether by design, sheer coincidence or opportunism they've found really cost effective deals for young talents, misfits and outcasts in equal measure all the while building a midfield quite stronger than ours on a budget lesser than or around one Fellaini (no offence).
Juventus :
Andrea Pirlo - Bosman
Arturo Vidal - Even back when transfrerred from Leverkusen, Vidal was an excellent midfielder. So the € 11 million was excellent in hindsight.
Paul Pogba - Bosman
Borussia Dortmund :
Sven Bender - One of the finest defensive midfielders around. Signed for an undisclosed fee thought to be around € 4 million.
Ilkay Gundogan - Was one of the best midfielders in Europe in 2012-2013. Signed in 2011 for just € 6 million from Nurnberg, a value that grew over five times in a single season.
Milos Jojic - Signed from Partizan for € 3 million.
AS Roma :
Miralem Pjanic - 11 million Lyon.
Kevin Strootman - 17 million.
Radja Naingollan - 3 million fee rising by 9 million Cagliari.
Atletico Madrid -
Gabi - Came through Atletico's ranks but was sold to Zaragoza. Later bought for € 3 million and was arguably one of the best central midfielders in Europe these past couple of seasons.
Tiago - Had a dramatic loss of form at consecutive clubs - Chelsea, Lyon and Juventus. Was loaned in from Juventus and later signed on a Bosman transfer.
Paris Saint Germain -
Thiago Motta - Was unhappy at Internazionale and felt undermined by Claudio Ranieri. Signed for € 10million.
Mlaise Matuidi - Bought from Saint Etienne for € 7.5 million when he was a relatively unknown player.
Marco Verratti - One of the brightest young talents in world football. Bought from Pescara for just € 12 million.
Adrien Rabiot - Had a terrible stint at city and after a loan spell at Pau was signed on a Bosman.
While I do think we need and crave a marquee signing maybe over a longer time frame the club needs to develop the nose for a bargain and actively scout extensively for undervalued/ young but promising players ready to explode and put together a competitive side relatively cheaply. That's probably the most sustainable model in the long term and also ties in with the philosophy that United makes stars, not buy them off the shelf.
I wonder if Wenger would sell us Flamini. Could be a good option as the more defensive player next to Herrera
Might as well get de Jong if we're in the market for a lumberjack.
Carvalho that is all.
Watch much of City's U14 team do you?
Actually not that worried about who we'll sign in midfield as there are quite a few options depending on what LvG wants. This is especially the case if we're willing to overpay for players as we did with Herrera and Shaw. Vidal, Strootman, Schneiderlin, Carvahlo, Bender, De Jong, McCarthy etc etc. All would improve us to some extent and at least get midfield functioning again.
Potential CB signings are starting to worry me more as we probably need to sign more than one player in that position. There really aren't that many options there once you go beyond Hummels (near unsignable) and Vermaelen (injury prone and apparently wanted by Barca).
Potential CB signings are starting to worry me more as we probably need to sign more than one player in that position. There really aren't that many options there once you go beyond Hummels (near unsignable) and Vermaelen (injury prone and apparently wanted by Barca).