Daley Blind - Deal Confirmed

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This window should be about improving the starting 11. Will a utility player do that? Not for me.

He looks like a decent squad option just like O'Shea and Phil Neville was.

If he's the only defender we bring in that is frankly poor. If we're buying for the future, then fair enough, but we need a CB.
 
Red Shorts said:
I don't really see the need of him when we have just spent £30 million on our new LB/LWB, we have Young as cover who looks to be moulding into the role well from seeing him in pre-season, and Reece James who is part of a promising bunch of United academy players coming through.
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He's not just a left back, as is clear from several posts just above yours. At the moment he'd go straight into the side beside Herrera in midfield and is an ideal long term successor for Carrick, as well as covering LCB and LWB.
 
Juan't Mata said:
He's not just a left back, as is clear from several posts just above yours. At the moment he'd go straight into the side beside Herrera in midfield and is an ideal long term successor for Carrick, as well as covering LCB and LWB.
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I know he's not just a left back, but from the way van Gaal talks about getting wide players , it sounds as though he would intend to play him wide more than in the centre. van Gaal playing Blind on the left for most of the World Cup could be also be an indicator that it would be the position he would want him in, but I am fully aware that he plays in the middle of midfield too. I'm only making judgement of what I have seen him in the World Cup, which he was a good player for the Netherlands, but is he really a player who could be a mainstay in our CM? Or should we be aiming higher ?
 
Red Shorts said:
I know he's not just a left back, but from the way van Gaal talks about getting wide players , it sounds as though he would intend to play him wide more than in the centre. van Gaal playing Blind on the left for most of the World Cup could be also be an indicator that it would be the position he would want him in, but I am fully aware that he plays in the middle of midfield too. I'm only making judgement of what I have seen him in the World Cup, which he was a good player for the Netherlands, but is he really a player who could be a mainstay in our CM? Or should we be aiming higher ?
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LVG has never and will never buy the biggest names, he'll buy the type and profile of player that'll fit his system best.
 
Came off the bench as Ajax beat Vitesse 4-1. Looked good.

I'd take him here. Can play in a variety of positions, intelligent footballer, trusted by LvG, still relatively young. £17m is a bit higher than he's probably worth but not by much, and if Woodward is going to boast about how rich we are what can we expect.
 
Juan't Mata said:
He slotted in there nicely for the Dutch a few times during the world cup. Wouldn't trust him as one of the two CB's in a back four, but his experience as a left back and deep lying midfielder means he's ideally equipped to playing the left side of a back three - especially with LVG in charge, a coach who knows him well and specializes in developing payers in different positions.
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Ah right..

one thing about him, sure is versatile isn't he. 3 different positions he could start in\provide cover. Very valuable indeed for a squad.
 
I now believe Blind will be our only signing and that too on deadline day.
 
Irish-Red-7 said:
Ah right..

one thing about him, sure is versatile isn't he. 3 different positions he could start in\provide cover. Very valuable indeed for a squad.
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I think his best position is the role fletcher played during the pre season.
 
Hed Zitin said:
This window should be about improving the starting 11. Will a utility player do that? Not for me.

He looks like a decent squad option just like O'Shea and Phil Neville was.

If he's the only defender we bring in that is frankly poor. If we're buying for the future, then fair enough, but we need a CB.
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The first XI isn't really the problem any more though. Maybe a cb to replace Jones in the first team, but depth is definitely more important right now. De Gea, Evans, Smalling (on this form), Young (on this form), Shaw, Carrick, Herrera, Mata, Rooney, Van Persie, Januzaj and Welbeck are definitely strong starters.
 
Dazzmondo said:
The first XI isn't really the problem any more though. Maybe a cb to replace Jones in the first team, but depth is definitely more important right now. De Gea, Evans, Smalling (on this form), Young (on this form), Shaw, Carrick, Herrera, Mata, Rooney, Van Persie, Januzaj and Welbeck are definitely strong starters.
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Totally disagree. We're playing three at the back because the starting 11 isn't good enough to play 4-3-3 in the managers eyes.

I'm not comfortable with the CB's we've got. I think it needs one quality player. The CM is still what it is, average, so we need a couple of players there and the manager thinks we need wide players.
 
Irish-Red-7 said:
Ah right..

one thing about him, sure is versatile isn't he. 3 different positions he could start in\provide cover. Very valuable indeed for a squad.
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I would rather play 3 youngsters in those 3 positions if this guy only come to provide cover.Won't rule him out though but I find it's strange that people are that desperate for this guy only for him to be some sort of utility player.
 
AR87 said:
Of course. Managers always tell the truth to the press.
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I'd agree with you if there was any other news on this to go by. All we have is Blind saying it's flattering to be linked to United and Barcelona. That's all. Nothing else.
 
Forgive me for my ignorance, I know that he is a capable leftback cover but how he is he in DM and can he play CB to a reasonable standard (highly doubt this) ? What exactly will we be getting if we sign him ?
 
Hed Zitin said:
Totally disagree. We're playing three at the back because the starting 11 isn't good enough to play 4-3-3 in the managers eyes.

I'm not comfortable with the CB's we've got. I think it needs one quality player. The CM is still what it is, average, so we need a couple of players there and the manager thinks we need wide players.
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Louis tell you this himself? We're playing three at the back to accommodate our three best players in Robin, Rooney and Mata.
 
limerickcitykid said:
Louis tell you this himself? We're playing three at the back to accommodate our three best players in Robin, Rooney and Mata.
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This plus the fact we have no good wingers. The defence is pretty inexperienced but it is actually the last reason we are playing three at back.
 
After successful season in Ajax and surprisingly solid display of versatility on World Cup I would probably have nothing against that deal despite him not being Vidal or Pirlo.

He's a clean tackler and knows how to provide attacking players with decisive pass. I know Louie is aiming a bit higher but he could add solid squad depth and dimensions in at least two formations.

Okay signing if it's happening.
 
Stretch said:
I'd agree with you if there was any other news on this to go by. All we have is Blind saying it's flattering to be linked to United and Barcelona. That's all. Nothing else.
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How much news did we have of Herrera before his transfer? I think it's fine to be wary of any potential transfers since the club have been linked with anybody this summer capable of kicking a ball, but a manager claiming a player is unlikely to move and that there's been no official contact, just rumors, isn't that convincing to me.

I think Blind would be a great signing for us. Obviously not the greatest player in the world, but he provides depth at multiple positions where we need help at LWB, CM and LCB in a pinch.
 
limerickcitykid said:
Louis tell you this himself? We're playing three at the back to accommodate our three best players in Robin, Rooney and Mata.
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He wants to play 4-3-3, but he can't do it. I don't think he cares about accommodating players. He didn't accommodate Huntelaar. We're not a national team, we can buy players to fit his favorite system.
 
AR87 said:
How much news did we have of Herrera before his transfer? I think it's fine to be wary of any potential transfers since the club have been linked with anybody this summer capable of kicking a ball, but a manager claiming a player is unlikely to move and that there's been no official contact, just rumors, isn't that convincing to me.

I think Blind would be a great signing for us. Obviously not the greatest player in the world, but he provides depth at multiple positions where we need help at LWB, CM and LCB in a pinch.
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I agree he'd be a solid signing no doubt. However my issue is people speaking as if he's nailed on to be our only signing or that were more likely get him than other targets. There's nothing to suggest that other than he's Dutch. Us signing him is as likely as us signing Vidal for example
 
Stretch said:
I agree he'd be a solid signing no doubt. However my issue is people speaking as if he's nailed on to be our only signing or that were more likely get him than other targets. There's nothing to suggest that other than he's Dutch. Us signing him is as likely as us signing Vidal for example
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Well if he's as likely to sign for us as Vidal then he's already in the bag!!

In all seriousness though I agree with you. I always find talking of any player as if they are already at the club before a transfer has been agreed or reported by worthwhile sources is a bit silly.

Blind, Vidal, Di Maria/Cuadrado would be a fantastic finish to the summer. Obviously I think we'd still be a bit short at CB if all of that were to occur, but I think (hope?) that we'd be solid enough to start the season and then perhaps strengthen more during the January transfer window. Still have another 3 weeks to go, so hopefully we're able to address some of the issues with the squad that we currently have.
 
khoazany said:
I would rather play 3 youngsters in those 3 positions if this guy only come to provide cover.Won't rule him out though but I find it's strange that people are that desperate for this guy only for him to be some sort of utility player.
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Hardly..

Not strange at all.. If Shaw was injured I like others who much prefer to bring in Blind than James say for example. Utility players as you put it are very important for a squad, see o Shea in the past.

Two birds with the one stone and all that
 
Irish-Red-7 said:
Hardly..

Not strange at all.. If Shaw was injured I like others who much prefer to bring in Blind than James say for example. Utility players as you put it are very important for a squad, see o Shea in the past.

Two birds with the one stone and all that
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I would bring James though.I guess it's a difference in personal preference.And James is actually not less versatile than Blind.Blind has more experience obviously but I don't think LVG cares about that.

Still I think we need to have another real quality CM than this guy if we're going to sign only 1 player more.We're not short of left back cover in Young and James and we're not short of number in CM either (adding one more "okayish" option won't really improve it to the level we aim for).If we need another option for CB,let's buy a CB.
 
Hed Zitin said:
Totally disagree. We're playing three at the back because the starting 11 isn't good enough to play 4-3-3 in the managers eyes.

I'm not comfortable with the CB's we've got. I think it needs one quality player. The CM is still what it is, average, so we need a couple of players there and the manager thinks we need wide players.
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A midfield of Carrick, Herrera and Mata is definitely not "average", in fact it's definitely among the best in the league. I also don't agree that we're playing 3-5-2 because the starting 11 isn't good enough. It seems pretty clear that Van Gaal wants to play all of Mata, Rooney and Van Persie so switching to a 4-3-3 wouldn't make much sense in that regard as both/either Rooney and Mata would be played out of their preferred position if they were to play at all or else Van Persie would need to be dropped and that's still omitting the likes of Welbeck and Kagawa. When Van Gaal says that the side is unbalanced and has too many attackers and no 10s, I don't see how people come to the conclusion that he will change the system to a 4-3-3 when he gets the players. It just wouldn't make sense unless he's planning on selling one/two of our most important players, which I doubt he would do just to revert to his preferred formation. What I've gathered from what he's said is he'll try 4-3-3 if results go badly or we get a lot of injuries to our forwards. I still think he intends to build our team around the 3-5-2/3-4-3 if he possibly can.

I'd agree that a top cb would certainly help and I'd imagine we're trying to achieve that. Benatia would be my first choice, but I haven't heard anything reliable on that yet. However, I have no idea why we wouldn't be interested considering he's one of the best cbs in the world.

In terms of the rest of our starting 11 though, I think we're pretty much set. Another backup in the defensive cm role (unless we get Vidal that is) and another cb (whether that's a starter or not we could survive imo. Van Gaal took a Dutch defence that was inferior to our current one to 3rd position in the World Cup and had them looking a formidable defensive unit so I'm sure he could do something similar with our current defence.) and we're pretty much ready to challenge for the league. We could probably try for another backup cm for Herrera's role or another option at wing back, but neither is really necessary imo, would just help strengthen our squad.
 
Irish-Red-7 said:
Hardly..

Not strange at all.. If Shaw was injured I like others who much prefer to bring in Blind than James say for example. Utility players as you put it are very important for a squad, see o Shea in the past.

Two birds with the one stone and all that
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But we could always play Young there also. The way I see it, we have Shaw and James to play lwb, Valencia and Rafael to play rwb and then Young to play either wing back position with the chance of Lingard playing rwb or possibly Januzaj to play lwb (I would like to see how he handles the role first though, I doubt he's be able to play there). Looking at the players in our squad, I don't know that Blind is really necessary, especially not for the price being quoted. I think we have enough backup for the wing back positions honestly, but if we were to sign someone new, I think quality might be the better way to go for that position and just get other option/s for cm and cb. There's always the possibility of Shaw, James and Blackett interchanging between left back and cb too.
 
khoazany said:
I would bring James though.I guess it's a difference in personal preference.And James is actually not less versatile than Blind.Blind has more experience obviously but I don't think LVG cares about that.

Still I think we need to have another real quality CM than this guy if we're going to sign only 1 player more.We're not short of left back cover in Young and James and we're not short of number in CM either (adding one more "okayish" option won't really improve it to the level we aim for).If we need another option for CB,let's buy a CB.
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I think to be fair now Blind is better, in terms of quality and experience.

See that's where we different, I reckon Young will revert back to type soon enough and on the cb part "if" in my opinion it should be a priority another body back there.
 
Dazzmondo said:
But we could always play Young there also. The way I see it, we have Shaw and James to play lwb, Valencia and Rafael to play rwb and then Young to play either wing back position with the chance of Lingard playing rwb or possibly Januzaj to play lwb (I would like to see how he handles the role first though, I doubt he's be able to play there). Looking at the players in our squad, I don't know that Blind is really necessary, especially not for the price being quoted. I think we have enough backup for the wing back positions honestly, but if we were to sign someone new, I think quality might be the better way to go for that position and just get other option/s for cm and cb. There's always the possibility of Shaw, James and Blackett interchanging between left back and cb too.
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Na I'm not sold on Young after the pre season.. Sure he hit a purple patch but in my opinion he will revert back to type soon enough.

Januzai as a wing back , no chance pal.. Just a waste of his talent. He will provide cover for Mata I reckon this season in a 3-5-2 or if LvG goes 4-3-3 pending on signings.. Then he will pay out wide.
 
Irish-Red-7 said:
Na I'm not sold on Young after the pre season.. Sure he hit a purple patch but in my opinion he will revert back to type soon enough.

Januzai as a wing back , no chance pal.. Just a waste of his talent. He will provide cover for Mata I reckon this season in a 3-5-2 or if LvG goes 4-3-3 pending on signings.. Then he will pay out wide.
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Ya, I'd probably agree on Januzaj unfortunately. We can't be sure Young will continue his form, but he at least deserves the chance to show he can.
 
Irish-Red-7 said:
Hypothetical question.. If a club say QPR come in tommorow and offered abita cash for him. Would you sell?

Cause I certainly would.
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No. We don't need to sell anyone and considering he looked like he could be one of our best players in the pre-season, I'd give him the chance to prove himself. There are plenty others I'd sell before Young after the pre-season, Nani being the most obvious.
 
Dazzmondo said:
No. We don't need to sell anyone and considering he looked like he could be one of our best players in the pre-season, I'd give him the chance to prove himself. There are plenty others I'd sell before Young after the pre-season, Nani being the most obvious.
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Would disagree on that.. Nani for me is the better player regardless of what happened on the tour. A purple patch in July doesn't balance Youngs previous seasons of being average.
 
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