Donny van de Beek | van de Beek's father: "[Moving to United] a dream come true."

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Gerald G said:
Good player but doesn't make sense unless Pogba leaves. I get that depth is good but this is not the signing you make to purely add depth when you've got other areas in the team that require strengthening. Plus, we should be making a DM signing and now a CM/AM. The only way I can see Bruno, Pogba and Van de Beek in the same team is if we play a diamond formation - but good luck to the defensive midfielder!
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Van de Beek can play as the DM too..
 
RedDevilRoshi said:
Where has this been mentioned about Pereira being shipped off to Real Sociedad? Great news if it’s true!
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Sorry to burst your bubble, but the "maybe" applies to every word following it, including the "Pereira to Real Sociedad" stuff. I was just speculating that he's another Januzaj whose future probably isn't at United.
 
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The rumours have been fairly incessant that we're after Grealish so this does make some sense as an alternative who would be cheaper and every time I've seen him he looks a really good player. I do agree though that it doesn't feel like the pressing area to improve unless Pogba leaves, I would have thought a right winger would be the main target and then a more defensive minded midfielder, a centre back or probably even a left back would be ahead of a more advanced midfielder in terms of needs (obviously acknowledging we can't fill all, if any, of those slots in the next window).
 
Throwing a crazy theory out there but could a midfield three of Bruno, Pogba and VDB work against the teams who sit 10 behind the ball and just soak up pressure?

Historically we have issues with these teams but if you have Pogba and VDB as deeper playmakers with Bruno ahead you’ve suddenly got a lot of creativity to unlock those defences...
 
I can see us signing him now just to get ready for the next summer. Matic, Mata, Lingard and Pereira will, most likely, all be leaving in the next 12 months.

Bruno, Pogba, McTominay, Fred, Van de Beek and the younglings (Garner, Levitt, Gomes?, Mejbri). We would be sorted for a few seasons.
 
I can't remember Mike Verweij ever being wrong on a transfer related to Ajax. One thing is for sure, if he's saying we're trying to sign him, then I do believe him. It all depends on the player and Real Madrid's intentions.
 
He has played DM for Ajax 6 times in his last 50 outings and has a average rating of 7.1 in the role.

Would've played more in the role but Frenkie de Jong was the obstacle so he was deployed in the #10 role where he was superb in some very big games.
 
Gerald G said:
I think it's severely unlikely we sign him and play him DM. A midfield 3 of Van de Beek, Pogba and Fernandes is madness to me.
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Van de Beek and Pogba in a pivot could easily hold their own in 80% of the games defensively. For the remaining 20% we could make concessions or carry on playing both if they're playing well.
 
Adnan said:
Van de Beek and Pogba in a pivot could easily hold their own in 80% of the games defensively. For the remaining 20% we could make concessions or carry on playing both if they're playing well.
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It's not utilising their best attributes and still think we'd get overrun with ease and concede many. As I stated earlier, I just don't see Ole signing him and playing him as a DM. If I'm wrong then fair enough. It would be strange also when there's a top, proper DM that seems attainable in terms of Partey
 


We’re not signing both. So I guess it’s DvB and Sancho. I guess we see better value in DvB. Really cannot see both coming, unless Pogba goes and I definitely cannot see that. I mean who’s going to stomp up 130+ million for him in the current climate?
 
It was only a few years ago we were begging for midfield recruitment, yet these days it's more where do we fit them all in!?

Pogba is the enigma here. I'd love him to look at the project, knuckle down and perform, but will he?
Having him and Bruno in a midfield two would be fantastic, but I'd love a strong ball winning midfield in behind them more than VDB.
On top of that we have to give Fred and Scott games, both playing very well of late.

I wouldn't be that disappointed if all of Mata, Matic, Lingard and Pereira left with a DM and VDB coming in. 6 players for 6 positions
 
MaxiPaxi said:


We’re not signing both. So I guess it’s DvB and Sancho. I guess we see better value in DvB. Really cannot see both coming, unless Pogba goes and I definitely cannot see that. I mean who’s going to stomp up 130+ million for him in the current climate?
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Moxley is one of the best journos for the Birmingham based clubs. So him saying we have Grealish as a priority does hold weight even if many on here will be unable to look past the newspaper he works for.

Not sure how he would be privy to our list of priority targets though.
 
Adnan said:
Moxley is one of the best journos for the Birmingham based clubs. So him saying we have Grealish as a priority does hold weight even if many on here will be unable to look past the newspaper he works for.

Not sure how he would be privy to our list of priority targets though.
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So we’ve got reliable journalists reporting that were after VdB and Grealish, can you see us buying both and Sancho?
 
I quite like him but this doesn't make a lot of sense. He's an all-round midfielder, definitely not a DM. As a Pogba replacement, he'd be a bit of a disappointment (and it really doesn't seem like Pogba's going anywhere anyway.) As a Pereira/Lingard replacement, he'd certainly be a step up, but he's really too high profile a signing to get such a low-profile position in our squad. That said, he's not really so good that he automatically gets in ahead of McT or Fred, both of whom have been excellent this season.

If Ole has convinced him to come as an effective Pereira replacement and if he'd be happy to really have to fight for his place like that, and if we're not paying over the odds for that kind of squad-improving signing, then I'm all for it! Title challengers have players like him on the bench. But it seems like a lot of ifs.
 
Brightonian said:
I quite like him but this doesn't make a lot of sense. He's an all-round midfielder, definitely not a DM. As a Pogba replacement, he'd be a bit of a disappointment (and it really doesn't seem like Pogba's going anywhere anyway.) As a Pereira/Lingard replacement, he'd certainly be a step up, but he's really too high profile a signing to get such a low-profile position in our squad. That said, he's not really so good that he automatically gets in ahead of McT or Fred, both of whom have been excellent this season.

If Ole has convinced him to come as an effective Pereira replacement and if he'd be happy to really have to fight for his place like that, and if we're not paying over the odds for that kind of squad-improving signing, then I'm all for it! Title challengers have players like him on the bench. But it seems like a lot of ifs.
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I think Andreas has 37 games this season so I think he’d be more than happy to be playing that much.
 
Brightonian said:
I quite like him but this doesn't make a lot of sense. He's an all-round midfielder, definitely not a DM. As a Pogba replacement, he'd be a bit of a disappointment (and it really doesn't seem like Pogba's going anywhere anyway.) As a Pereira/Lingard replacement, he'd certainly be a step up, but he's really too high profile a signing to get such a low-profile position in our squad. That said, he's not really so good that he automatically gets in ahead of McT or Fred, both of whom have been excellent this season.

If Ole has convinced him to come as an effective Pereira replacement and if he'd be happy to really have to fight for his place like that, and if we're not paying over the odds for that kind of squad-improving signing, then I'm all for it! But that seems like a lot of ifs.
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Or maybe Pogbas replacement signed for us in January by the name of Bruno and DVB might be Herrera replacement or just another midfield option.

Ultimately Pogba is going to have to sign a new deal with us or leave fairly soon anyway. If not this summer it has to be next as there's no way we can let a 90m player leave for nothing in 2 years. The backlash would be horrendous.

If hes told us that he's not signing a new deal final answer then the best thing to do is let him go.
 
Nou_Camp99 said:
Or maybe Pogbas replacement signed for us in January by the name of Bruno and DVB might be Herrera replacement or just another midfield option.
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Fred has now belatedly replaced Herrera. As for 'another midfield option', that's what I've addressed in my last post. I would love it if that was true, as being able to have that kind of quality on the bench would be a real step forward. I just find it unlikely he'd leave Ajax for that role, or that we'd spend the money for it.

And as I say, if Pogba is leaving, VdB is a really underwhelming replacement, all due respect to him.
 
Brightonian said:
Fred has now belatedly replaced Herrera. As for 'another midfield option', that's what I've addressed in my last post. I would love it if that was true, as being able to have that kind of quality on the bench would be a real step forward. I just find it unlikely he'd leave Ajax for that role, or that we'd spend the money for it.

And as I say, if Pogba is leaving, VdB is a really underwhelming replacement, all due respect to him.
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Bruno signed in January mate. Who did he replace?

I said it back then when we signed him. Had a feeling we knew Pogba was off this summer. Then covid 19 came along and that went out the window. But maybe it didn't.

If we sign DVB then I think he will leave. We all know he's tried to for last 18 months. His brother and agent never shut up.
 
MaxiPaxi said:
So we’ve got reliable journalists reporting that were after VdB and Grealish, can you see us buying both and Sancho?
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From what Moxley is reporting, it seems like Bellingham could be heading to Dortmund due to his Father wanting him to go abroad ala Jadon Sancho. So that could mean we switch to bringing Van de Beek in.

I honestly don't know if we can sign all 3 but I'd be happy with 2 out of 3 with Sancho being in the two.
 
Adnan said:
From what Moxley is reporting, it seems like Bellingham could be heading to Dortmund due to his Father wanting him to go abroad ala Jadon Sancho. So that could mean we switch to bringing Van de Beek in.

I honestly don't know if we can sign all 3 but I'd be happy with 2 out of 3 with Sancho being in the two.
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Are Bellingham and Van de beer same type of player? I thought we were only after Bellingham because he was a generational talent?
 
We could grab a bargain here, this is exactly the sort of bargain I’ve been hoping we could manufacture from the current financial situation worldwide.

However I don’t want him or any other player instead of Sancho! As far as I’m concerned Sancho should be the absolute priority.

We could be boxing clever here and getting a signing under our belt to slightly take the pressure out of the Sancho deal, although they play separate positions if a club goes ahead and spends a chunk in this window it affects the possibility of additional signings more so than before.

Might make Dortmund blink when it comes to crunch time on the numbers for Sancho.
 
What I will say about DVB though is..... Last time we signed a player who had his heart set on joining another club (PSG) but came to us as a second choice was Di Maria. It didn't go too well.

If the only reason he's coming to us is because Madrid have financial issues then how much does he really want the move? Again if the story is true which it appears it might be.

I do think he's a very good player though. Just would be worried we aren't really his desired destination.
 
MaxiPaxi said:
Are Bellingham and Van de beer same type of player? I thought we were only after Bellingham because he was a generational talent?
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Van de Beek is better for the immediate future but with Bellingham the long-term looks potentially at a much higher level. We also have Mejbri who I think is just as big of a talent as Bellingham so signing Van de Beek may prove to be better for us due to Mejbri getting more game time. Just my opinion mate.
 
Brightonian said:
Fred has now belatedly replaced Herrera. As for 'another midfield option', that's what I've addressed in my last post. I would love it if that was true, as being able to have that kind of quality on the bench would be a real step forward. I just find it unlikely he'd leave Ajax for that role, or that we'd spend the money for it.

And as I say, if Pogba is leaving, VdB is a really underwhelming replacement, all due respect to him.
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If we were replacing Pogba though it wouldn't just be about whoever directly takes his place in the team. It's also about replacing the qualities he brings to the side, even if that's by improving other positions to compensate. In that sense the Bruno signing would have been part of replacing Pogba as he'd be the one bringing a lot of the qualities Pogba previously brought, not VDB. Hell, for all we know Bruno was signed with the possibility of Pogba leaving in mind.

Put it this way: if we see VDB + Bruno replacing Pogba + Perreira/Lingard in our first eleven over the space of two transfer windows then I would personally say that is a net improvement, even though it involves our most talented player being sold. So I'd be less concerned about how VDB compares directly to Pogba (a comparison that hardly any midfielders we could actually sign would fare well in on paper) and more concerned about how the overall team we'd be left with looks.
 
Nou_Camp99 said:
What I will say about DVB though is..... Last time we signed a player who had his heart set on joining another club (PSG) but came to us as a second choice was Di Maria. It didn't go too well.

If the only reason he's coming to us is because Madrid have financial issues then how much does he really want the move? Again if the story is true which it appears it might be.

I do think he's a very good player though. Just would be worried we aren't really his desired destination.
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The trouble is, that would be the case for the majority of players.

The difference being in this case that supposedly he has been in contact with Madrid so he could have set his heart on Madrid.

However the Dutch respect the PL and moving here to the biggest club in the land is still a massive move for him and one in which he will likely get a lot more game time, so I don’t think it’s an issue to be too overly concerned with.
 
Nou_Camp99 said:
What I will say about DVB though is..... Last time we signed a player who had his heart set on joining another club (PSG) but came to us as a second choice was Di Maria. It didn't go too well.

If the only reason he's coming to us is because Madrid have financial issues then how much does he really want the move? Again if the story is true which it appears it might be.

I do think he's a very good player though. Just would be worried we aren't really his desired destination.
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Most players desired destination is Real Madrid or Barca. Especially players from abroad.
 
Adnan said:
Van de Beek is better for the immediate future but with Bellingham the long-term looks potentially at a much higher level. We also have Mejbri who I think is just as big of a talent as Bellingham so signing Van de Beek may prove to be better for us due to Mejbri getting more game time. Just my opinion mate.
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Cheers for that mate. I just hope we get Sancho in, that’s all I care about.
 
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