Christian Benteke | BBC: Liverpool Agree £32.5m Fee

[acnumber9]

I bet most people that would prefer Lacazette have never seen him play, just prefer him because he'd be a fancy foreign import.

I know I would. That way it'll be a surprise if he's not shite.

 

[finneh]

Hopeless, bit strong that mate?!

50 goals in 100 games for bottom half club is nothing to be sniffed at, what is it about him you don't like exactly?

My concern would be that everything is geared towards him at Villa, whereas it wouldn't be at United. I remember someone saying when we signed Young that he'd easily get 20 goals+assists a season for us on the basis that he got around 15 for Villa. I completely disagreed as for Villa the whole team was based around Ashley Young, whereas at United he'd be far more restricted.

I believe the same would be true of Benteke. He wouldn't be a great forward player in a possession based team: he's perfect to have the ball played to him from defence, drop it off with supporting attackers and then moving into the box against 1 or 2 defenders. In a possession based system he'd be much more isolated and be expected to work defenders much more.

I'd be much more open to the idea if Fergie was manager still, rather than LVG.

 

[Cnaiür urs Skiötha]

Thinking a bit more about him he might be a better option than most of the strikers linked to us with the exception of rumours regarding Lewandowski and Müller (which have been complete nonsense of course).

I would prefer him to Cavani, Higuain or even Benzema. But still, 32 Mio is too much.

 

[Thisistheone]

I like him and think he'd be a good addition to the squad. Big and strong, good in the air, quick, only 24 so room to improve his link-up play and tactical awareness. LvG could help him step up to the next level.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

If we get him is there any need having Fellaini?

 

[evra]

Sport Witness picked up on this straight away and decided to double check with Benteke's agent Kismet Eris, who said that any Manchester United interest was “not true at all”.

Thank Christ - I knew LVG had more sense than to sign James Beattie MKII.

 

[Catt]

Good. Now, if same could be done with Gaitans agent..

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

I don't know which player you have been watching but Benteke is not very limited, your description is rather generic and your comparison to Fellaini is infact lazy for someone who has "seen him play numerous times".... Yes, he is an aerial threat, yes, he is really physical, those are qualities you can tell just by looking at the guy, and those are the only things people mostly say about him, he isn't limited, people that haven't seen much of him just place him in that particular category... and you should know this since you have watched Villa on numerous occasions.

Benteke is a really skilful player, he knows how to dribble - infact he is sometimes seen in the midfield trying to beat multiple players, sometimes he is successful and other times he gets dispossessed - which is one of his flaws - he holds on to the ball a little too much, which isn't a skill you necessarily want a striker to have although he does tend to draw in defenders giving other players(ideally the ones with pace) enough room to get into the box unmarked. He is very unpredictable, he can shoot the ball from outside the box with great accuracy, he can take on the last defender and beat him, he can dance around defenders and get the ball into the net even as he is being marked(see Evans,Hangeland), he is one of the few players in the league who is great at flick ons , he is also really good at key passes in the final 3rd, set pieces - and I'm not just talking about being at the end of one, and build up play - meaning he would thrive in a team that plays possession football.

I dont think i need to talk about his awareness in the box,physical presence,finishing and speed, and in regards to the lumping the ball into the box comment, i think anyone who has seen Aston Villa play would know that unlike Stoke and United, Villa aren't exactly that kind of team, they obviously play to his strengths (in this case aerial ability), but reducing their whole attack to just lumping the ball to Benteke is yet another lazy attempt at criticising Benteke.

"too slow to be a runner", "has poor control to be a target man" - stop it, I'm sorry but you are making stuff up at this point, your criticisms dont even seem logical, i mean its not like he has ADM,Mata,Herrera and co behind him, this is a striker for Aston Villa we're talking about, where does a slow striker with poor control go about scoring 10+ goals in the EPL without the services of top players ?

You think he is average? fine, but you have to (at the very least) be able to back it up with facts and not fiction, a striker that has proven himself in the EPL should definitely be in our shortlist.... he is just 24 years old and he still has room for improvement - just like every other player on the planet.

Firstly, you tell me to talk in facts and not fiction and yet you go on to gush about Benteke as if you are talking about a world class striker in the mould of Benzema or Lewandowski. If this is high highly you rate him then I really do question your judgement as he is absolutely nowhere near that level. From the times I have watched Villa games over the last few years I will admit that Benteke has been their greatest threat, he is very strong both physically and in the air and I don't doubt that he has an eye for goal, but as far as I'm concerned that's where the qualities stop and the limitations as a player emerge.

I have never been privy to seeing this 'fine dribbling ability' that you claim to have seen and I have instead seen a striker that takes far to many touches of the ball and holds onto it for to long because he is unable to control the ball to the top quality ala Berba, RVP even Rooney (after all we are after the best, not the second rate). I have very often seen the ball bounce off and possession be surrendered which is not at all perfect for our style. This leaves us with the problem that Benteke is not able to accurately give sharp and short passes with accuracy that will be required to elevate us to the top level because he never quite has the ball under his full contro and as a result it will be harder to unlock tight defences if he is our main man.

For his size Benteke is no slouch and I would go as far as saying he has a decent turn of pace (but he is not fast), however, in an interchanging front 3 in a 4-3-3 system, the strikers need to be able to move and interchange with the wide forwards as is seen in Madrids, Barcas and Bayerns front lines. The days of having a typical number 9 are dying and instead players like Aguero, Lewandowski and Benzema (to name a few) have changed what is expected by offering brilliant movement alongside dynamic playmaking coupled with clinical finishing and energy to create the near complete forwards that have very few weaknesses in their games. Benteke is just not mobile enough and not good enough with the ball to effect the game in such a manor. You used examples against Evans and Hangerland and in doing so once again proved my point that he can be a problem for poor defenders and nothing more. Evans has as history of getting physically dominated and in that particular incidence was far to tight to Benteke, it was a quite marvellous goal at the end of it but every player scores great goals in their careers, its those that can do it consistently that are the real world class players.

People can say that his goal record is impressive and I cant really dispute that because the man knows how to find the net, but its a very different pressure being the main man at Utd where you are expected to find the net near enough every time you step out on the pitch or at the very least put in a good performance. People also seem to be qui You also said that last season he didn't have top players like mata, ADM and Herrera in behind him but I don't see any point in just naming good players because that doesn't mean that they will provide him with more opportunities. Last season we produced some of the fewest amount of chances in the league which shows that don't actually produce any better than that Villa team. While I expect this to dramatically improve next year, there are no guarantees and we may be relying on a striker to convert the few chances they get and im not sure if Benteke is clinical enough to take all of those big chances. This is further evidenced by the fact that Benteke is generally poor in the biggest games which doesn't bode well at a bigger club. Last season he was largely anonymous against Utd in both games and in the FA cup final defeat to Arsenal he couldn't even get in the game.

Overall, I don't think that Benteke is a bad player and perhaps I did do him a disservice in my previous post, but in my opinion its perfectly evident that he has too many weaknesses in his game to make him a Utd quality player, particularly at the £30+ million that will be needed to prise him away. I personally think you are overrating his ability and are getting sucked into media hype rather than actually just watching him play. He would be the perfect example of a panic buy and I would instantly question Woodward and LVG for sanctioning this deal while there may still be the chance that top strikers can be attained. If they cannot be attained then I guess I will have to admit defeat and pray that you are right and I am wrong, but I just don't see any chance of the world class striker in Benteke.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

My concern would be that everything is geared towards him at Villa, whereas it wouldn't be at United. I remember someone saying when we signed Young that he'd easily get 20 goals+assists a season for us on the basis that he got around 15 for Villa. I completely disagreed as for Villa the whole team was based around Ashley Young, whereas at United he'd be far more restricted.

I believe the same would be true of Benteke. He wouldn't be a great forward player in a possession based team: he's perfect to have the ball played to him from defence, drop it off with supporting attackers and then moving into the box against 1 or 2 defenders. In a possession based system he'd be much more isolated and be expected to work defenders much more.

I'd be much more open to the idea if Fergie was manager still, rather than LVG.

yeh I agree with this fully

 

[suheilsworld]

Rumors of Bayern quoting £35m for Lewandowski. I would definitely have Lewandowski at that price than Benteke at £32m.

Mind you, he is a good option if Lewandowski does not fall through. Consistent in PL and young.

 

[Godfather]

Rumors of Bayern quoting £35m for Lewandowski. I would definitely have Lewandowski at that price than Benteke at £32m.

Mind you, he is a good option if Lewandowski does not fall through. Consistent in PL and young.

Bayern won't sell Lewa to us, or to anyone else for that matter. Where do you get those figures from?

 

[suheilsworld]

Bayern won't sell Lewa to us, or to anyone else for that matter. Where do you get those figures from?

Skysports. However it says over 35m.

But you are right, we might not get anything out of Bayern this year.

 

[m1y2]

If we get him is there any need having Fellaini?

yeah he's like more attacking version of Fellaini, for that reason, I don't see Van Gaal being in for him, if we excluded Fellaini from the team than I think Luis would fancy him a lot for the balance right now Fellaini can play there if wee need big fella to cope with crosses..

however not many options in the market left and we definitely need one..

 

[Ole90+3]

I really can't see Van Gaal being interested in a striker with such limited technical ability.

I think Wilson would be more suited to our current possession style.

Who knows, maybe even those rumours about Januzaj being played at the 9 spot have some truth to them.

 

[Moonred]

Skysports. However it says over 35m.

But you are right, we might not get anything out of Bayern this year.

It's just his agent spouting rubbish. Very little chance of lewandowski leaving.

 

[Brophs]

It's just his agent spouting rubbish. Very little chance of lewandowski leaving.

Indeed. He's just using us to have a little punt for a new deal, as almost every agent does nowadays.

 

[2 man midfield]

Skysports. However it says over 35m.

But you are right, we might not get anything out of Bayern this year.

That same article also quotes his agent as saying Lewandowski "guarantees you 30 goals a season", weeks after finishing with 25. Still a great return, it just made me laugh.

 

[Striker10]

I really can't see Van Gaal being interested in a striker with such limited technical ability.

I think Wilson would be more suited to our current possession style.

Who knows, maybe even those rumours about Januzaj being played at the 9 spot have some truth to them.

Adnan doesn't have the goals we'd need.

 

[Ole90+3]

Adnan doesn't have the goals we'd need.

Possibly not as the main striker, but I rdckon he could grab around 7/8 as the 2nd or 3rd string. I think it would be an interesting pre-season experiment if nothing else. However I would much prefer him to play the more creative role in midfield, but this is look very unlikely considering our current options there.

He will most likely be integrated as a winger.

 

[Mciahel Goodman]

Wouldn't mind Benteke here tbh. Lewandowski is world class, which is why we won't get him. We want a backup striker to play second fiddle to Rooney and be happy about doing it, Lewandowski isn't going to do that.

 

[Wumminator]

Think Benteke would be a quality signing. Would be a great option in our squad!

 

[devilish]

We can do much better than spending 32m on Benteke

 

[Cal?]

We can do much better than spending 32m on Benteke

Agreed, with the EUR at its current level, that fee should get us a top player like Benzema, Reus or the likes

 

[Roman Bellic]

Firstly, you tell me to talk in facts and not fiction and yet you go on to gush about Benteke as if you are talking about a world class striker in the mould of Benzema or Lewandowski. If this is high highly you rate him then I really do question your judgement as he is absolutely nowhere near that level. From the times I have watched Villa games over the last few years I will admit that Benteke has been their greatest threat, he is very strong both physically and in the air and I don't doubt that he has an eye for goal, but as far as I'm concerned that's where the qualities stop and the limitations as a player emerge.

I have never been privy to seeing this 'fine dribbling ability' that you claim to have seen and I have instead seen a striker that takes far to many touches of the ball and holds onto it for to long because he is unable to control the ball to the top quality ala Berba, RVP even Rooney (after all we are after the best, not the second rate). I have very often seen the ball bounce off and possession be surrendered which is not at all perfect for our style. This leaves us with the problem that Benteke is not able to accurately give sharp and short passes with accuracy that will be required to elevate us to the top level because he never quite has the ball under his full contro and as a result it will be harder to unlock tight defences if he is our main man.

For his size Benteke is no slouch and I would go as far as saying he has a decent turn of pace (but he is not fast), however, in an interchanging front 3 in a 4-3-3 system, the strikers need to be able to move and interchange with the wide forwards as is seen in Madrids, Barcas and Bayerns front lines. The days of having a typical number 9 are dying and instead players like Aguero, Lewandowski and Benzema (to name a few) have changed what is expected by offering brilliant movement alongside dynamic playmaking coupled with clinical finishing and energy to create the near complete forwards that have very few weaknesses in their games. Benteke is just not mobile enough and not good enough with the ball to effect the game in such a manor. You used examples against Evans and Hangerland and in doing so once again proved my point that he can be a problem for poor defenders and nothing more. Evans has as history of getting physically dominated and in that particular incidence was far to tight to Benteke, it was a quite marvellous goal at the end of it but every player scores great goals in their careers, its those that can do it consistently that are the real world class players.

People can say that his goal record is impressive and I cant really dispute that because the man knows how to find the net, but its a very different pressure being the main man at Utd where you are expected to find the net near enough every time you step out on the pitch or at the very least put in a good performance. People also seem to be qui You also said that last season he didn't have top players like mata, ADM and Herrera in behind him but I don't see any point in just naming good players because that doesn't mean that they will provide him with more opportunities. Last season we produced some of the fewest amount of chances in the league which shows that don't actually produce any better than that Villa team. While I expect this to dramatically improve next year, there are no guarantees and we may be relying on a striker to convert the few chances they get and im not sure if Benteke is clinical enough to take all of those big chances. This is further evidenced by the fact that Benteke is generally poor in the biggest games which doesn't bode well at a bigger club. Last season he was largely anonymous against Utd in both games and in the FA cup final defeat to Arsenal he couldn't even get in the game.

Overall, I don't think that Benteke is a bad player and perhaps I did do him a disservice in my previous post, but in my opinion its perfectly evident that he has too many weaknesses in his game to make him a Utd quality player, particularly at the £30+ million that will be needed to prise him away. I personally think you are overrating his ability and are getting sucked into media hype rather than actually just watching him play

. He would be the perfect example of a panic buy and I would instantly question Woodward and LVG for sanctioning this deal while there may still be the chance that top strikers can be attained. If they cannot be attained then I guess I will have to admit defeat and pray that you are right and I am wrong, but I just don't see any chance of the world class striker in Benteke.

If you have actually watched Benteke (as you claim) then you'd know that i wasnt just "gushing" and his performances can back up everything i said about him, i haven't compared him to Benzema or Lewandowski - i never even mentioned them in my post- since you brought them into the conversation i took the liberty of comparing their stats to the "oh so inferior,not good enough for United" Benteke...i must confess i really expected their stats to blow Benteke's out of the park http

://www.squawka.com/comparison-matrix#premier_league/2014/2015/christian_benteke/165/126/3738/0/p|la_liga/2014/2015/karim_benzema/136/136/99/0/p|champions_league/2014/2015/robert_lewandowski/142/142/216/99/p#total_score/attack_score/total_forward_passes/key_passes/goals_scored/shot_accuracy/assists/goals_from_set_pieces/chances_created/shots_outside_area/shots_inside_area/avg_pass_length/successful_passes/goals_-_headed#total

You called him a limited player (which makes absolutely no sense as the comparison matrix will show you) and i highlighted his abilities and broke down his game for you (since during the course of this argument, all the negatives you have given me are really generic and you dont seem to know what you are talking about, at least not from watching him anyways)

I have watched Villa games over the last few years I will admit that Benteke has been their greatest threat, he is very strong both physically and in the air and I don't doubt that he has an eye for goal, but as far as I'm concerned that's where the qualities stop and the limitations as a player emerge.

..Yeah, okay more generic nonsense... his unique dribbling ability for a big striker was highlighted against the likes of spurs,Liverpool,QPR,Everton etc last season but you should know that having "watched" Villa last season, yeah... i mentioned his goals when Evans and Hangeland were marking him and i can see you opted to criticise those defenders instead of actually talking about Benteke, i was highlighting his unpredictability and ability to run at defenders(Hangeland) and score, and also his ability to create something out of nothing (Evans), again, trying to criticise the defenders as opposed to actually addressing the skills i highlighted is yet another lazy attempt at criticising Benteke.

People can say that his goal record is impressive and I cant really dispute that because the man knows how to find the net, but its a very different pressure being the main man at Utd where you are expected to find the net near enough every time you step out on the pitch or at the very least put in a good performance..... Last season we produced some of the fewest amount of chances in the league which shows that don't actually produce any better than that Villa team. While I expect this to dramatically improve next year, there are no guarantees and we may be relying on a striker to convert the few chances they get and im not sure if Benteke is clinical enough to take all of those big chances. This is further evidenced by the fact that Benteke is generally poor in the biggest games which doesn't bode well at a bigger club. Last season he was largely anonymous against Utd in both games and in the FA cup final defeat to Arsenal he couldn't even get in the game.

This bit is another head scratcher, you're not sure he will deliver for us based on the fiction (which you created) that he isn't clinical and he is "generally poor" in the biggest games - this is a comment about a player who scored twice against United and Everton,scored against Tottenham and Liverpool with the former being the winner and the latter coming in the semi final of the FA cup, he also scored a brace against fellow relegation strugglers Sunderland and a hatrick against QPR - i just want to highlight the fact that he plays for Villa (who were involved in a relegation dogfight) and that these are the type of games where pressure kicks in, which I'm guessing your point is about - all those examples were from last season, i should also mention goals against Arsenal(brace), Chelsea and City 2 seasons ago.

"Perfectly evident that he has too many weaknesses" you mean your generic description of him or the ones you made up? the only legitimate thing you have said (or alluded to) is he is kind of expensive, other than that all you have just done is tell me a player (you clearly haven't seen play) isn't a Utd quality player and gone on to talk about how you dont think he is a top player ( based on your assumptions) without adequately providing any legitimate criticisms not based on opinions which you have clearly formed without watching him play.

 

[hebegebe]

He may be on the list, but I imagine if we really wanted him, he would be in America by now.

 

[Wumminator]

Oh feck off with squawka. Makes everyone an expert that site. I know Benteke is good because I've seen him play. Big lad up front to knock in headers.

 

[Loublaze]

What do you believe his qualities to be? Because I'm intrigued as to how you view him and I'm a huge football fan so whenever villa are on TV or any team for that matter I'll watch. Of course against UTD I would pay closer attention than others but that's probably normal for all fans. When I have watched Benteke play he doesn't strike any fear in me at all in the way that other top strikers can and I believe he would be the equivalent of our Andy Carroll signing of we were to get him for such huge money.

1. He has great hold up play and can easily bring others into the game
2. He's a beast in the air
3. Great with both feet. I honestly thought he's left footed because he's scored a lot with his left, but he's right footed.
4. He's a potential dead ball threat, he can hit a good freekick.
5. Powerful
6. Natural finisher. He knows where the goal is and his composure in the box is scary
7. Big game player. The big stage doesn't phase him and he's scored against all the big teams in England except Man Shitty. His goal against Liverpool and his contribution towards the second put Villa in the FA cup final
8. Good link up play. @lem8sh know this. This is something i've seen you and a few others like @evra @DWelbz19 say he doesn't possess. You're all wrong. You seem to be punishing Benteke for the style Lambert instilled at Villa. If you watched Villa under Sherwood you'll see they are a completely different side who play more short intricate passes and you can see more buildup in their attacks. Benteke has taken very well to this and buildup play is one of his strengths. Just look at this example from the FA cup semi final against Liverpool just three months ago

Go to 0:12 seconds in go to 2:57 mins in and see his clever contribution in 2 buildups. One led to a goal and the other almost led to one. Also go to 4:00 mins in and see how his throughball slices through the Liverpool defence and almost sets up his teammate for a third.



Also, for those who say he can't control a ball for nothing, look at these goals and hang your heads in shame. The first two are great examples of good ball control.



Freekick threat potential, needs to take more

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

If you have actually watched Benteke (as you claim) then you'd know that i wasnt just "gushing" and his performances can back up everything i said about him, i haven't compared him to Benzema or Lewandowski - i never even mentioned them in my post- since you brought them into the conversation i took the liberty of comparing their stats to the "oh so inferior,not good enough for United" Benteke...i must confess i really expected their stats to blow Benteke's out of the park http

://www.squawka.com/comparison-matrix#premier_league/2014/2015/christian_benteke/165/126/3738/0/p|la_liga/2014/2015/karim_benzema/136/136/99/0/p|champions_league/2014/2015/robert_lewandowski/142/142/216/99/p#total_score/attack_score/total_forward_passes/key_passes/goals_scored/shot_accuracy/assists/goals_from_set_pieces/chances_created/shots_outside_area/shots_inside_area/avg_pass_length/successful_passes/goals_-_headed#total

You called him a limited player (which makes absolutely no sense as the comparison matrix will show you) and i highlighted his abilities and broke down his game for you (since during the course of this argument, all the negatives you have given me are really generic and you dont seem to know what you are talking about, at least not from watching him anyways)



..Yeah, okay more generic nonsense... his unique dribbling ability for a big striker was highlighted against the likes of spurs,Liverpool,QPR,Everton etc last season but you should know that having "watched" Villa last season, yeah... i mentioned his goals when Evans and Hangeland were marking him and i can see you opted to criticise those defenders instead of actually talking about Benteke, i was highlighting his unpredictability and ability to run at defenders(Hangeland) and score, and also his ability to create something out of nothing (Evans), again, trying to criticise the defenders as opposed to actually addressing the skills i highlighted is yet another lazy attempt at criticising Benteke.



This bit is another head scratcher, you're not sure he will deliver for us based on the fiction (which you created) that he isn't clinical and he is "generally poor" in the biggest games - this is a comment about a player who scored twice against United and Everton,scored against Tottenham and Liverpool with the former being the winner and the latter coming in the semi final of the FA cup, he also scored a brace against fellow relegation strugglers Sunderland and a hatrick against QPR - i just want to highlight the fact that he plays for Villa (who were involved in a relegation dogfight) and that these are the type of games where pressure kicks in, which I'm guessing your point is about - all those examples were from last season, i should also mention goals against Arsenal(brace), Chelsea and City 2 seasons ago.

"Perfectly evident that he has too many weaknesses" you mean your generic description of him or the ones you made up? the only legitimate thing you have said (or alluded to) is he is kind of expensive, other than that all you have just done is tell me a player (you clearly haven't seen play) isn't a Utd quality player and gone on to talk about how you dont think he is a top player ( based on your assumptions) without adequately providing any legitimate criticisms not based on opinions which you have clearly formed without watching him play.

Not sure there is any point in arguing with anyone that thinks that Benteke is a good as Benzema and Lewandowski based on stats. I've clearly seen him play as I watch the premier league every week so I know exactly what I'm talking about and I'm not sure it's up to you to tell me that your view is better than mine based on the idea that you see things that just aren't there. I'd kind of understand if you felt he had the potential to reach great heights but for you to make him out to be the perfect player on a level with the best strikers in the world is frankly and joke.

 

[JPRouve]

It's interesting to see that other posters thinks like me that he is deceptively quick, has a good hold up play, good technique, good left foot, good in the air and is powerful. He would be a good signing and the end of Fellaini, which is a bonus.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

1. He has great hold up play and can easily bring others into the game
2. He's a beast in the air
3. Great with both feet. I honestly thought he's left footed because he's scored a lot with his left, but he's right footed.
4. He's a potential dead ball threat, he can hit a good freekick.
5. Powerful
6. Natural finisher. He knows where the goal is and his composure in the box is scary
7. Good link up play. @lem8sh know this. This is something i've seen you and a few others like @evra @DWelbz19 say he doesn't possess. You're all wrong. You seem to be punishing Benteke for the style Lambert instilled at Villa. If you watched Villa under Sherwood you'll see they are a completely different side who play more short intricate passes and you can see more buildup in their attacks. Benteke has taken very well to this and buildup play is one of his strengths. Just look at this example from the FA cup semi final against Liverpool just three months ago

Go to 0:12 seconds in go to 2:57 mins in and see his clever contribution in 2 buildups. One led to a goal and the other almost led to one. Also go to 4:00 mins in and see how his throughball slices through the Liverpool defence and almost sets up his teammate for a third.



Also, for those who say he can't control a ball for nothing, look at these goals and hang your heads in shame. The first two are great examples of good ball control.



Freekick threat potential, needs to take more

You can make a good compilation of anyone on YouTube, not convinced that makes you a great player but fair points on the first part of your post. Your clearly just after a different type of striker and therefore style of play to what I want Utd to do. I want us to have a fluid front 3 in the same way that has brought Barca, Real and Bayern to prominence where the wide forwards can interchange with a dynamic striker to produce goals all across the front line. Benteke just doesn't have the movement and pace to operate in that manor and would instead bring about a slower more rigid system that I ultimately think will be weaker for us.

 

[RedSky]

We can do much better than spending 32m on Benteke

Agreed.

 

[Moonred]

Not the striker to lead your lineup but good backup behind Rooney. The price being quoted is ridiculous though.

 

[Anderson18]

Whoever ends up paying that much for Benteke needs to get their heads checked. Not that he is a bad player, but for that price (that's nearly 50m€ ...) I expect someone on the level of Lewandowski/Lacazette.

This whole PL proven thing is such a bullshit. Would hate that transfer.

 

[Stobzilla]

Can you imagine this place if we were going for Dwight Yorke circa '98 ?

 

[El Zoido]

I honestly think he's underrated. Going by the impressions here at any rate. He has a goal every other game for Villa for christssake. Villa! He's a better striker than Rooney is these days and in fact scored more goals in fewer appearances than Rooney last season. He would be a fantastic buy and if we got him I think a lot of United fans would be eating their words very quickly.

 

[devilish]

Agreed, with the EUR at its current level, that fee should get us a top player like Benzema, Reus or the likes

Reus, Lacazette, Griezmann, Lewandowski, Berardi,

 

[ThanksBoss26]

Van Gall thought we weren't physical enough last season. Can see why he'd be interested at least.

 

[Red Stone]

Please no. We already have an overgrown, overpriced, overrated Belgian.

 

[An Irish Red]

Can you imagine this place if we were going for Dwight Yorke circa '98 ?

Dwight Yorke was a much better player than Benteke.

 

[ChaddyP]

I keep on changing my mind with this potential signing. Yesterday I thought this was an awful idea. Not good enough all that jazz. Now I'm beginning to warm up to the idea. Maybe with a midfield that can actually give him service he could actually score more goals and become even better. He's a big lad young, he can finish and he has pace. Would be on small wages and probably happy to backup Rooney. He would also stop scoring against us and Liverpool wouldn't sign him.

Tomorrow I'm gonna think hes a big oaf not good enough for our club and is Heskey mkII and Liverpool should spunk their Sterling money on this injury prone Andy Carroll'esc striker.