De Ligt | €45+5m agreement reached pending medical | Signed!

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Looks like one of those ones where we'll start talks and everything goes smoothly at the start the breaks down and he signs for someone else of stays at his club.

Don't know yet how I feel about the transfer, not usual that the CAF is this undecided about a player.

Like who?

It's also been reported by reliable journos that we want him, he wants United, is willing to take a pay cut, and Bayern's demands are not as high as we expected them to be.
 
Hopefully he'll be good for us (assuming transfer goes through) though it seems none of those Ajax players from 2019 did that much since then. Even Frenkie de Jong struggling at Barca for years now trying to be consistent.
 
I'm in . Call me old-school , but I think we are too nice , too many players who look like potential victims in the tunnel when the teams walk out .

You can't dominate the football if you cant win your fights
 
As reliable as Ornstein is I just can’t see that being the case myself. Even if we could get Branthwaite for £50m, we’re looking at £40m for de Ligt was well. That’s nearly £100m on 2 starting level CB’s and there’s still numerous other positions that still need addressing.

On paper you're right. However a closer look at things might suggest otherwise.

A successful EPL CB pairing is usually made up of an old school type of CB who win every aerial duel, does the tackling etc and the pacey and cultured CB who covers behind him and who pass the ball in the correct channels. Classic examples of that are Vidic and Rio or Terry and Cahill.

De Ligt is a sort of half way house. He's got the silky passing of a Rio but he lacks his pace. He's also decent in air but at 1.8 aerial duels won he's more of a Saliba (1.8) then a Branthwaite (2.6) let alone a Maguire (3.3). Same can be said about Martinez. He's got Vidic character but lacks his physicality and aerial prowess (0.4). He's got Rio's passing ability and he's relatively fast but he's also very aggressive. Thus what many critics are saying is the same. The De Ligt-Martinez duo doesn't really make sense.

And then it hit me. At Ajax ETH played with a converted CB as LB in Blind which in turned allowed Mazraoui to bomb forward on as RB. What if that's ETH's plan with us? Think about it. Jarrad clocks 35.1 km/h. In comparision the likes of Guehi (33.94km/h) look slow let alone De Ligt (32.81km/h). On top of that he offers excellent cover on air (2.6). On the other hand De Ligt's passing ability (93.1%) is off the charts and covers for Jarrad's biggest weakness (80%). The two combined (1.7 and 2.6) will provide a superior aerial prowess then the Varane and Martinez duo (1.2 and 0.4) which means that we won't be needing McT in midfield to cover.
 
I think both can be true, but I reckon we were going to get a cheaper RCB and spend the majority on Brantwaite. Now he's too expensive and De Ligt is available at a good price, we'll likely sign a much cheaper LCB. Not a chance we don't sign a left footed CB this summer, in my opinion.

Can only see a cheap LCB signed if Lindelof sold
 
i seen his dad doing laps of the kfc drive through in hulme. he said his son was joining.
 
Would have liked to watch him in the euros but Koeman prefers De Vrij
 
Because i read it again several times on the last pages: passing is certainly not one of De Ligts strengths. Its okay and save, but nothing special.

While i overall rate him as the best of our CBs his passing is maybe the worst.
But on the plus side he doesnt try crazy things and mostly just passes the ball to the FB, his CB partner or the DM.

He is generally more of an "old school" defender and doesnt try to solve any situation while keeping posession. If the solution is to clear the ball into the stands so be it.

Additionally he is a great character.
Im still hoping this deal fells through.
 
It really isn’t, if anything it’s more like for like. Varane was unbelievable in the air and clearing balls into the box and reading the game. This is pretty much the same with De Ligt with the addition of his aggression.

They are both average passers with average ability on the ball who need to be played alongside someone that’s better on the ball. The current Varane wasn’t really that fast anymore and neither is De Ligt though they have acceptable levels of speed for CBs.

What De Ligt adds is a better fitness record and the ability to be more physical but he isn’t as composed as Varane. Being more durable than Varane is certainly a huge benefit but I don’t see much of an upgrade if any on a fully fit Varane for us.

Agreed. As for Varane, what’s his status? Gone I know, but where is he going? If he’s willing to accept reduced wages — a big if — he would be magnificent to keep in the rotation.
 
Excited but very cautious based on Bayern’s previous sales to us, a bit like buying a sports car from a chop shop. Hargrveas and schweinsteiger were held together with tape and chewing gum. For once hopefully our medical team do a thorough medical instead of presumedly looking at him through a window and shrugging “seems fine”.
 
Excited but very cautious based on Bayern’s previous sales to us, a bit like buying a sports car from a chop shop. Hargrveas and schweinsteiger were held together with tape and chewing gum. For once hopefully our medical team do a thorough medical instead of presumedly looking at him through a window and shrugging “seems fine”.

Yeah, man, if he can't beat a lion with his bare hands, we should send him back
 
United and Bayern get on don’t they? Call it 15m and we’ll say no more about Hargreaves or Schweinsteiger
 
If we had signed him two years ago, there would have been muppetry with planes and times and everyone going crazy.

Absolutely nothing egregious has happened in that time, he is still only 24 and has won titles in both Italy and Germany.

What is not to love about this if we get him for 30 million less than what Everton want for Branthwaite?
 
United and Bayern get on don’t they? Call it 15m and we’ll say no more about Hargreaves or Schweinsteiger
It’s amazing how you guys manage to blame us for Hargreaves. You aggressively pushed to sign him for years, until we basically faltered. Yet somehow this place got itself convinced we somehow mugged you.
 
I'm in . Call me old-school , but I think we are too nice , too many players who look like potential victims in the tunnel when the teams walk out .

You can't dominate the football if you cant win your fights
Yeah, we need a team of savage warriors. Licha x 22

My main concern is De Ligt's salaries, the kind we shouldn't be paying anybody, anymore and whether De Ligt is going to be Licha #2, or Donny #2. While there are plenty of excuses, him not working out both at Juve and Bayern is hard to ignore
 
That would be a fair deal for both parties, I believe.
What’s your thoughts on him? In terms of injuries… will he be fit enough to play over 20 games next season. Also what are his strengths and weaknesses?
 
If we had signed him two years ago, there would have been muppetry with planes and times and everyone going crazy.

Absolutely nothing egregious has happened in that time, he is still only 24 and has won titles in both Italy and Germany.

What is not to love about this if we get him for 30 million less than what Everton want for Branthwaite?

It's a good signing for that price. I know people have their suspicions when Bayern sell a player but they've got a bid of a hodge podge squad themselves at the moment. They're getting a good fee and big wages off the books for a player they seem to see as a good opportunity for revenue, rather than not being good enough for their team.

If the fees were the same I'd probably prefer Branthwaite just because he's a bit younger and I think, on paper, he looks a better fit alongside Martinez. De Ligt is a very good CB though, so if you can get him in then it's a good deal, and that extra £30m can go a long way elsewhere.

Also, there are rumours we're still trying to find a way to sign Todibo. If you kept negotiating for Branthwaite you could be there all summer, whereas this looks like it could be done by next week. Gives you a bit of breathing room to try and get Todibo in as well as a replacement for Maguire/Lindelof. Not saying it'll happen, but it at least gives you room to manoeuvre.
 
It’s amazing how you guys manage to blame us for Hargreaves. You aggressively pushed to sign him for years, until we basically faltered. Yet somehow this place got itself convinced we somehow mugged you.
You're looking at it all wrong
 
Agreed. As for Varane, what’s his status? Gone I know, but where is he going? If he’s willing to accept reduced wages — a big if — he would be magnificent to keep in the rotation.
Varane is going to Como.
But I think it's to say "a fully fit Varane" when he rarely fully fit is no use.
The reason we played Maguire til he breaks down is because he is the only one who can stay fit
 
It’s amazing how you guys manage to blame us for Hargreaves. You aggressively pushed to sign him for years, until we basically faltered. Yet somehow this place got itself convinced we somehow mugged you.

oh you piece of shit. trying to make out it’s our fault for the way you treat us. you’re nothing more than an abusive spouse, trying to convince us that we’re the reason you beat us and treat us so poorly.
 
I'm absolutely down for a de Ligt/Martinez pairing when they are healthy. Just have to keep them bubble-wrapped.

still feels fishy though. Bayern wanting to sell? De Ligt wanting to join, maybe even with a paycut? Where's the catch? Natural to be a bit paranoid after Hargreaves and Schweinsteiger ...
 
What’s your thoughts on him? In terms of injuries… will he be fit enough to play over 20 games next season. Also what are his strengths and weaknesses?
I’d expect him to be fit for about 80% of your games, judging by his time with us.
His strengths are basically those of classic defenders. Great physicality, good composure and he makes few mistakes. I also like his personality and think he’s a good leader.
His main weaknesses are his build up play which is save, but very uninspired and I think he sometimes gets a little too eager and leaves some space behind him, which he can’t cover with his average pace.
All in all I think he’s a very good defender, but not a great one.
 
It's a good signing for that price. I know people have their suspicions when Bayern sell a player but they've got a bid of a hodge podge squad themselves at the moment. They're getting a good fee and big wages off the books for a player they seem to see as a good opportunity for revenue, rather than not being good enough for their team.

If the fees were the same I'd probably prefer Branthwaite just because he's a bit younger and I think, on paper, he looks a better fit alongside Martinez. De Ligt is a very good CB though, so if you can get him in then it's a good deal, and that extra £30m can go a long way elsewhere.

Also, there are rumours we're still trying to find a way to sign Todibo. If you kept negotiating for Branthwaite you could be there all summer, whereas this looks like it could be done by next week. Gives you a bit of breathing room to try and get Todibo in as well as a replacement for Maguire/Lindelof. Not saying it'll happen, but it at least gives you room to manoeuvre.

Yeah, I actually really like Branthwaite too, but this is a great opportunity for a player that could still be worth twice this value in a few years and it takes the pressure off negotiations for the second CB completely.

I would be delighted if we started the summer with de Ligt, Ugarte and Zirkzee, especially for the fees discussed. It makes me feel much more optimistic about the new setup.
 
What’s your thoughts on him? In terms of injuries… will he be fit enough to play over 20 games next season. Also what are his strengths and weaknesses?
Easily

23/24: 30 matches for Bayern
22/23: 43 matches for Bayern
21/22: 42 matches for Juventus
20/21: 36 matches for Juventus
19/20: 39 matches for Juventus
18/19: 54 matches for Ajax (!)
17/18: 39 matches for Ajax (his first full senior season)

He never played less than the 30 matches last season, and it could have been around 40 matches again hadn't Bayern tried (but failed) to upgrade on him with Kim
 
Agreed, the label injury prone and the use on this board in the last few years is incredible.

Nearly every player will have an injury at some point in their career where they miss multiple games in a season.
Exactly. It's completely fair to be cautious but people love going overboard. Always the extremes on social media.
 
oh you piece of shit. trying to make out it’s our fault for the way you treat us. you’re nothing more than an abusive spouse, trying to convince us that we’re the reason you beat us and treat us so poorly.
you didn’t leave me any choice. you know i love you. but sometimes you make me do things that end up hurting you.
 
i seen his dad doing laps of the kfc drive through in hulme. he said his son was joining.
That might have been my dad. Was he clutching a bottle of rum and calling the moon a bastard?

If so I'm pretty decent on the wings.
 
It really isn’t, if anything it’s more like for like. Varane was unbelievable in the air and clearing balls into the box and reading the game. This is pretty much the same with De Ligt with the addition of his aggression.

They are both average passers with average ability on the ball who need to be played alongside someone that’s better on the ball. The current Varane wasn’t really that fast anymore and neither is De Ligt though they have acceptable levels of speed for CBs.

What De Ligt adds is a better fitness record and the ability to be more physical but he isn’t as composed as Varane. Being more durable than Varane is certainly a huge benefit but I don’t see much of an upgrade if any on a fully fit Varane for us.
De Ligt is far from an average passer.

 
It really isn’t, if anything it’s more like for like. Varane was unbelievable in the air and clearing balls into the box and reading the game. This is pretty much the same with De Ligt with the addition of his aggression.

They are both average passers with average ability on the ball who need to be played alongside someone that’s better on the ball. The current Varane wasn’t really that fast anymore and neither is De Ligt though they have acceptable levels of speed for CBs.

What De Ligt adds is a better fitness record and the ability to be more physical but he isn’t as composed as Varane. Being more durable than Varane is certainly a huge benefit but I don’t see much of an upgrade if any on a fully fit Varane for us.
how have you watched De Ligt and came to the conclusion that he's an average passer :confused::confused::lol:
 
I mean when you have multiple Bayern fans telling you just a page ago that he’s average as a passer, it’s pretty stupid to bring up FBref percentiles (which can often paint false stories of players if you don’t actually watch them within their team)
Also, @HTG has been pointing out that De Ligt is fine in terms of the successfulness of his passes, but too conservative with them. So you'd expect his passes to look good in standard stats, but you'd probably see a big difference in more advanced stats, like ground covered or players bypassed, when compared with someone like Martínez.
 
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