Ducker: Jose Mourinho targeting £180m quartet across the next two transfer windows

With most here, don't know any of these guys apart from Griezmann. But reading the thread about Bakayoko and the type of player he is, I have a strong feeling we are going 4-2-3-1 for next season, with the expectation that Bakayoko's style will give Pogba the freedom to move forward. I feel loke we've been here before with van Gaal: look a good team in a 4-3-3 and then throwing all that work away to go with a two striker formation.

But I'll keep my pessimism aside for now. If we do sign Griezmann, I really hope it doesn't turn into a saga like the Pogba transfer. I hope we go in and get it done early. Pogba's upturn in form obviously has quite a bit to do with the balance of the midfield 3 and his relative comfort on the left of a midfield3, but I also reckon his fitness plays a part. He came back to training only 10 or so days before the Southampton game, so basically had no pre-season. I imagine that had at least a bit todo with his early struggles. If we can get Griezmann early, hopefully we won't have similar problems with him. I mean obviously the Euros also played art in Pogba's extended holiday, and Griezmann would probably be expected to return to training with Atletico, but I'd still rather he came in early and got a chance a to train with our team. Mourinho would then have more time to work on his desired formation in training, do his experiments in pre-season (especially considering Jose would have the freedom to schedule our pre-season games as he sees fit as opposed to trying to make van Gaal's schedule work) and hopefully hit the ground running for the new season.

Conte's Juventus were relentless in the league (unbeaten in the first season, broke the record for home wins in the second, got 102 points in the third), and looking at his Chelsea team you would fully expect them to follow suit. Guardiola will likely spend a lot of cash again and get this team looking more and more like his team, and start piling on the results. I imagine Klopp will also look to improve further next season. If we want to win the league, we need to start like all of Jose's title winners do and take an early lead, and early business is probably essential to that.
 
Chaky_Best said:
Bakayoko is not a Carrick type. He would be more dynamic defensive midfielder, operating more in an efficient 4-4-2. He's not that great technically and would struggle in Carrick's role. He would be very good if the whole team were more technical, if the two central defenders were clean with their passing. I imagine he would do great job like Casemiro does at Madrid, because he's surrounded by marvelous player.

Unfortunately, we're not so gifted, and we need a player here who can pass the ball out the likes of Smalling, Blind, Rojo and Bailly who can't
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Lindelof can though. And Bailly is certainly the best passer of the ball of that whole lot. Possible future pairing that Jose wants maybe? So it can allow destroyer type (Bakayoko) to play along Pogba and Herrera. Athletic destroyer with some decent skill, typical Jose player

Bakayoko is pretty good at driving the ball from the back, exploiting some space and releasing other players around him. That would be different kind of taking advantage to what we have now with Carrick, still effective though. With added pace and physicallity that Carrick lacks. It would arguably give even more space for Pogba to do his thing while making the back 4 even more protected. Apparently Chelsea is also heavily linked with Bakayoko, let's see what happens.

Semedo is my little muppet dream, potential world class and it would be a perfect fit on the right. He just only turned 23 as well. Valencia will be 32 soon and we could have them sharing a spot in the next season while Semedo gets adjusted and then we would have Valencia taking a back seat in his final years of his new contract.

Griezmann is one I am not sure about really. I share the sentiment with a lot of people here that we wouldn't be able to get the best out of him in our current system. Only way to get the best of both him and Pogba would probably be 4-4-2 and I don't think we'll ever play that under Jose. If Sanchez is on his way out of Arsenal cause of contract negotiations go the wrong way I would take him in a heartbeat over Griezmann.

Sanchez would fit in our current system perfectly. He would fit right in that LW cutting inside slot and instantly elevate us to a higher level. Him, Ibra, Mkhi with Pogba behind would be absolutely devastating combo. He just turned 28 few days ago and is entering his peak. Accustomed and PL proven and able to cover multiple forward positions. It would be an absolute dream and it would turn us into instant PL favorites and it would also, with other changes, make us contenders for CL as well.
 
Alexrad said:
Lindelof can though. And Bailly is certainly the best passer of the ball of that whole lot. Possible future pairing that Jose wants maybe? So it can allow destroyer type (Bakayoko) to play along Pogba and Herrera. Athletic destroyer with some decent skill, typical Jose player

Bakayoko is pretty good at driving the ball from the back, exploiting some space and releasing other players around him. That would be different kind of taking advantage to what we have now with Carrick, still effective though. With added pace and physicallity that Carrick lacks. It would arguably give even more space for Pogba to do his thing while making the back 4 even more protected. Apparently Chelsea is also heavily linked with Bakayoko, let's see what happens.

Semedo is my little muppet dream, potential world class and it would be a perfect fit on the right. He just only turned 23 as well. Valencia will be 32 soon and we could have them sharing a spot in the next season while Semedo gets adjusted and then we would have Valencia taking a back seat in his final years of his new contract.

Griezmann is one I am not sure about really. I share the sentiment with a lot of people here that we wouldn't be able to get the best out of him in our current system. Only way to get the best of both him and Pogba would probably be 4-4-2 and I don't think we'll ever play that under Jose. If Sanchez is on his way out of Arsenal cause of contract negotiations go the wrong way I would take him in a heartbeat over Griezmann.

Sanchez would fit in our current system perfectly. He would fit right in that LW cutting inside slot and instantly elevate us to a higher level. Him, Ibra, Mkhi with Pogba behind would be absolutely devastating combo. He just turned 28 few days ago and is entering his peak. Accustomed and PL proven and able to cover multiple forward positions. It would be an absolute dream and it would turn us into instant PL favorites and it would also, with other changes, make us contenders for CL as well.
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Regarding Bailly, I can't disagree more with that. He's sure a tough defender, but he's very poor with the ball. He's very confident, that's why Jose played him right back, but his controls are poor as his passing. He scares me whenever he receive the ball in bad situations. I tough Vida wasn't that great with the ball when he came, but develop during his 8 years.

And on Bakayoko, maybe that's your view, but it's not mine. I've watched him a lot this year, and he needs to have one or two very gifted players to dictate the game next to him. I'm sorry, but to me he needs more a Kroos and Modric than Herrera and Pogba who are more in a dynamic way, more powerful and maybe more box to box than controllers. We need a regulator behind these two and I'm not sure Bakayoko can be the perfect fit, but maybe I'm wrong
 
Out of the 4 players I've only been aware of 3 Griezmann, Semedo and Lindelof with decreasing knowledge on each player respectively.

What little I have seen of Lindelof comes as a result of watching Semedo and so I cannot really pass judgement on the Swede but I do feel Semedo has the right sort of athleticism to do well in the PL. I wouldn't say he's particularly strong but he does use his pace effectively and I guess with coaching from Mourinho he has scope to get better positionally (so he doesn't have to rely too much on said speed).

I'm not quite sure how people can say he is potentially world class just yet as he has only ever struck me as fast, he hasn't IMO put in too many eyebrow raising performances. For example David Alaba had several dominating performances from LB and the likes of Dani Alves at RB also at a similar age. I would argue he certainly can improve but it's far too early to make those kinds of claims. I think this is more a case of he's a very decent age, price should be fair and he is already athletic so all that is needed is perhaps a bit of added strength and coaching.

Griezmann for me is a terrific player but I worry we don't have the system to suit him. I would be ecstatic if we signed him but IMO his best performances have come as a result of the 4-4-2 style of A.Madrid which is something I don't feel we will replicate at United. He's intelligent no doubt but I worry about his hold up play in the PL at least. He's very good at finding space etc but I feel with us playing Ibra as ST the difference in their playing styles is significant enough to cause doubt. Ibra can hold it up and lay it off to our advancing midfielders Pogba and Herrera, which brings the best out of Pogba IMO. I worry that someone like Griezmann may struggle to bring those players into the game without a strike partner to help pester the PL defences. One could argue that Martial/ Rashford out wide does this to a degree but I think a dedicated partner is what Griezmann appears to thrive off of. I also would hate to see him shifted out wide as I believe he operates best centrally where he can get on the ball facing opponents but that would require him to drop deeper in the PL. I think bringing him in would therefore mean significant changes to our approach play with the ball.

Bakayoko also seems quite surprising. From what I have read about him (admittedly only since yesterday) he strikes me as quite different to Carrick. I would have expected a Wiegel esque player (who tbh seems the closest thing to Carrick I can see in modern football).

That being said United has never really replaced CM/DM's like for like. When we lost Keane at CM for example we had to adapt our midfield completely. I feel that again might be about to happen (especially if the interest in Griezmann is true). All in all its exciting times ahead but I expect a marked change to our play if the 4 players linked are to be our next transfers.
 
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Chaky_Best said:
Regarding Bailly, I can't disagree more with that. He's sure a tough defender, but he's very poor with the ball. He's very confident, that's why Jose played him right back, but his controls are poor as his passing. He scares me whenever he receive the ball in bad situations. I tough Vida wasn't that great with the ball when he came, but develop during his 8 years.

And on Bakayoko, maybe that's your view, but it's not mine. I've watched him a lot this year, and he needs to have one or two very gifted players to dictate the game next to him. I'm sorry, but to me he needs more a Kroos and Modric than Herrera and Pogba who are more in a dynamic way, more powerful and maybe more box to box than controllers. We need a regulator behind these two and I'm not sure Bakayoko can be the perfect fit, but maybe I'm wrong
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How on earth can you regularly watch football and form that opinion? Eric Bailly is not "very poor" with the ball at his feet. It's nonsense to suggest that.
 
Kag said:
How on earth can you regularly watch football and form that opinion? Eric Bailly is not "very poor" with the ball at his feet. It's nonsense to suggest that.
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He's fairly average, but definitely not very poor. Saying that, we would need a CB who is comfortable on the ball to accompany him against the better teams imo and perhaps Lindelof is that.
 
Kag said:
How on earth can you regularly watch football and form that opinion? Eric Bailly is not "very poor" with the ball at his feet. It's nonsense to suggest that.
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To me he's not a good passer of the ball and that's why Mou played Blind with him at the beginning of the season.

A good passer to me is Hummels, Boateng, Bonnucci, Thiago Silva etc. Not in terms of defensive qualitied, but how a defender can break the first opposite line and beat the pressure.

Rio was terrific in that, his touch and controls were excellent, I'm not sure that with the ball Bailly is very good at that.

He's still very raw in everything he does. We saw potential for sure
 
Chaky_Best said:
Bakayoko is not a Carrick type. He would be more dynamic defensive midfielder, operating more in an efficient 4-4-2. He's not that great technically and would struggle in Carrick's role. He would be very good if the whole team were more technical, if the two central defenders were clean with their passing. I imagine he would do great job like Casemiro does at Madrid, because he's surrounded by marvelous player.

Unfortunately, we're not so gifted, and we need a player here who can pass the ball out the likes of Smalling, Blind, Rojo and Bailly who can't
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Well, you don't have to have the same midfielder to evolve or having class in your team. Carrick suffered with the comparisons about coming to replace Keane, and how he's not the same type of player.
They are very different and worked out amazingly. Bakayoko seems like a great player and if adds speed and strenght, freeing Pogba and Herrera, I'm all in.
 
lawliet354 said:
Genuine question, why does many think Griezmann cannot play as a lone striker?
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Has he played that role much in his career?

I think it's more that he is far from a typical Mourinho-type lone striker - Drogba, Benzema, Costa, etc. (was it Milito at Inter?).
 
Devil may care said:
Two defensive signings are good choices IMO, I'm still 50/50 on Griezmann, don't want Bakayoko, not what we need.
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We're pretty unlikely to get a new Carrick; obviously that's what we want, but top players of his ilk are pretty rare. An athletic defensive midfielder is much more likely, partly because it's much more Mourinho's type of player.
 
Not sure how good Bakayoko is as I've never seen him play, but if he's a midfield destroyer as people claim, we'd end up with a similar setup to Madrid's 3-man midfield (Bakayoko being analogous to Casemiro).
Pogba-Verratti-Bakayoko sounds tasty, not that it'd ever happen though.
 
Mr Smith said:
We're pretty unlikely to get a new Carrick; obviously that's what we want, but top players of his ilk are pretty rare. An athletic defensive midfielder is much more likely, partly because it's much more Mourinho's type of player.
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Bakayoko isn't even a DM though and without a proper playmaker Pogba and Ander's best qualities will be stunted. Jose has realized the need for such a player with the likes Alonso, Modric and Fabregas at his last 2 jobs, he can't underestimate it here, esepcially not if he has European amibitions.
 
kr0nix said:
Not sure why we're going for Bakayoko over Fosu-Mensah.
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Well to be fair, Bakayoko is further along the pipework than TFM. He's played a lot more football. The issue that TFM has is that he simply won't get game time at United because Jose simply won't use him. He'll bring in established players for squad cover than use young players. This is ultimately the issue with Jose and why all of our young players will struggle to break through.
 
Devil may care said:
Bakayoko isn't even a DM though and without a proper playmaker Pogba and Ander's best qualities will be stunted. Jose has realized the need for such a player with the likes Alonso, Modric and Fabregas at his last 2 jobs, he can't underestimate it here, esepcially not if he has European amibitions.
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I doubt Bakayoko or somebody else is going the be the only CM signing. Mourinho seemingly wants to move on Schweinsteiger, Fellaini and Schneiderlin, which would leave us with Carrick, Pogba, Herrera and Fosu-Mensah. I'm fairly sure that 4 player for 3 positions isn't enough for him, especially with Carrick being close to the end of his career.
 
2cents said:
Has he played that role much in his career?

I think it's more that he is far from a typical Mourinho-type lone striker - Drogba, Benzema, Costa, etc. (was it Milito at Inter?).
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kr0nix said:
He hardly plays there, and the success he's had so far has come from playing in a SS position. While that's not to say he CAN'T play as a lone striker, we'd be buying him on the back of his performances as a second striker.
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Fair enough, he probably doesn't seem like Mourinho type of striker and he always play in a team with two upfront, but I think a player of his quality will have no problem with playing as lone striker, he transitions well from wide player into one of the best forward after all

Has there been any player that is comfortable playing as duo upfront in but then fails miserably when playing as lone striker or vice versa??
 
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Footyislife said:
Where would Griezmann play? Mkhi is better than Martial, so unless we can loan Martial for a couple years until he's ready to replace Zlatan, we should sell if we are buying Griezmann
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What?
 
bucky said:
I doubt Bakayoko or somebody else is going the be the only CM signing. Mourinho seemingly wants to move on Schweinsteiger, Fellaini and Schneiderlin, which would leave us with Carrick, Pogba, Herrera and Fosu-Mensah. I'm fairly sure that 4 player for 3 positions isn't enough for him, especially with Carrick being close to the end of his career.
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I agree mate, Personally I'd rather see both TFM and Pereira added to the mix than buy 2 CM's but if Jose does opt for Bakayoko it is surely to put in contention/rotation with Ander for that box to box role in the midfield 3.
 
Spending doesn't solve anything. Haven't the last few seasons proved that to people yet? The way to improvement is time and a good manager. We have lots of quality players. Our performances recently demonstrate that much. Now we should primarily stick with what we've got, and only buy to replace an old player or fill an actual hole in the squad (not just a position where impatient fans think there's greener grass to be had elsewhere.)

If Jose's not willing to start blooding a youngster, we can look for a quality replacement for Carrick. As for Ibra, it's ridiculous to have both Martial and Rashford in the squad and be too cowardly to give one of them a proper go as his eventual replacement. They're two of the best young talents in world football. But they'll never fulfil their potential until someone actually gambles on them. You want a 20-a-season striker? Try actually playing one of them as our striker.
 
Devil may care said:
I agree mate, Personally I'd rather see both TFM and Pereira added to the mix than buy 2 CM's but if Jose does opt for Bakayoko it is surely to put in contention/rotation with Ander for that box to box role in the midfield 3.
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I'm not convinced by Pereira to be honest. Either way there's room for 2 signings with Carrick retiring and the others moving on.
 
bucky said:
I'm not convinced by Pereira to be honest. Either way there's room for 2 signings with Carrick retiring and the others moving on.
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I'd like to see Pereira at least get a few run outs for us in a midfield 3, just to give him the full test, y'know? If Jose wants 6 for the 3 positions I could see him buying 2 CM's, I think your guy Tolisso would be a better option than Bakayoko though, or ultimately Saul.
 
lawliet354 said:
Fair enough, he probably doesn't seem like Mourinho type of striker and he always play in a team with two upfront, but I think a player of his quality will have no problem with playing as lone striker, he transitions well from wide player into one of the best forward after all

Has there been any player that is comfortable playing as duo upfront in but then fails miserably when playing as lone striker?? Or vice versa
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It depends what you want from your CF really. If you want a Sanchez-like false 9, I reckon he'd be able to do it. If you want a more traditional no. 9 the way Zlatan has been used this season, I reckon he won't do well.
His strengths are his pace, movement, anticipation and solid technique. He's a good finisher and a strong aerial threat despite not being especially tall.
 
Brightonian said:
Spending doesn't solve anything. Haven't the last few seasons proved that to people yet? The way to improvement is time and a good manager. We have lots of quality players. Our performances recently demonstrate that much. Now we should primarily stick with what we've got, and only buy to replace an old player or fill an actual hole in the squad (not just a position where impatient fans think there's greener grass to be had elsewhere.)

If Jose's not willing to start blooding a youngster, we can look for a quality replacement for Carrick. As for Ibra, it's ridiculous to have both Martial and Rashford in the squad and be too cowardly to give one of them a proper go as his eventual replacement. They're two of the best young talents in world football. But they'll never fulfil their potential until someone actually gambles on them. You want a 20-a-season striker? Try actually playing one of them as our striker.
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All the last few seasons proves that spending doesn't solve anything if you buy the wrong players. Persist with players who aren't good enough to perform to the required standard consistently enough and you find your level over a season. A decent run of games proves nothing in terms of how those players will perform going forward - especially when they've struggled in the past.

It's got nothing to do with what the fans think. Mourinho has been given the be and should be backed to build success long term. If he feels we lack quality in key areas, and addresses those issues and moves on the players that aren't good enough to perform to the standard he requires then I'm all for that.

As for the likes of Martial and Rashford I think it's evident they won't be forwards in his system which relies heavily on a strong centre forward who can hold the ball up - like Drogba and Ibrahimovic. Both are young players and patience is required and they're getting chances to impress.
 
RedSky said:
Well to be fair, Bakayoko is further along the pipework than TFM. He's played a lot more football. The issue that TFM has is that he simply won't get game time at United because Jose simply won't use him. He'll bring in established players for squad cover than use young players. This is ultimately the issue with Jose and why all of our young players will struggle to break through.
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I just don't understand how a "destroyer" is supposed to replace Carrick. Moreover, we already have a couple of them at the club, one whose transfer to Everton(?) is imminent, and an 18-year old whose best talent is "destroying", but is on the fringes of the team at the moment.
 
Devil may care said:
I'd like to see Pereira at least get a few run outs for us in a midfield 3, just to give him the full test, y'know? If Jose wants 6 for the 3 positions I could see him buying 2 CM's, I think your guy Tolisso would be a better option than Bakayoko though, or ultimately Saul.
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That's completely fair, I just think there are more talented players around compared to Pereira and in his case I'm not really fussed, if he eventually moves on. Tuanzebe, Fosu-Mensah and Rashford are more important IMO. I'd definitely prefer Tolisso to Bakayoko. There are also several players from Monaco, I'd rather see at United than Bakayoko. IMO Lemar, Mbappe, Sidibe and Fabinho would offer us more, but Bakayoko could be a good signing as well, I hope.
 
Devil may care said:
Bakayoko isn't even a DM though and without a proper playmaker Pogba and Ander's best qualities will be stunted. Jose has realized the need for such a player with the likes Alonso, Modric and Fabregas at his last 2 jobs, he can't underestimate it here, esepcially not if he has European amibitions.
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How dyou figure that? Pogba's best qualities are his playmaking ones, and Herrera is no creative slouch himself. Yes Carrick starts attacks and links defence and midfield, but with Pogba and Herrera beside him, he doesn't necessarily need to do that (especially given that Ander has looked really good when dropping deep this season). Don't get me wrong, if we could get a Carrick-like player I'd be thrilled, I just don't think there's an obvious one on the market right now, and there's no guarantee there will be in the future.
By the way, Fabregas had Matic beside him, Alonso usually had Khedira or Diarra, and Modric struggled under Mourinho.
 
Mr Smith said:
How dyou figure that? Pogba's best qualities are his playmaking ones, and Herrera is no creative slouch himself. Yes Carrick starts attacks and links defence and midfield, but with Pogba and Herrera beside him, he doesn't necessarily need to do that (especially given that Ander has looked really good when dropping deep this season). Don't get me wrong, if we could get a Carrick-like player I'd be thrilled, I just don't think there's an obvious one on the market right now, and there's no guarantee there will be in the future.
By the way, Fabregas had Matic beside him, Alonso usually had Khedira or Diarra, and Modric struggled under Mourinho.
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Pogba and Ander are good final 3rd creators, but neither of them can marshall a midfield, they have impact moments on the ball and do this in the oppositions third, we need a player that can accurately and consistently feed the ball through the lines to them, allowing both to stay in their most effective zones and also maintain a press on the opposition, If we put a destroyer in we'd lose the shape of our midfield that has been so dominant. For Matic/Khedira we have Herrera, the all rounder with workhorse qualities, I know Fanregas/Matic was slightly different as the playmaker half of the duo was the more advanced, but the point was that you need a proper playmaker that can control a game in one of the midfield roles. Modric didn't find his best form under Jose I agree, but it took him time to settle and Jose got sacked before that happened, but the fact he bought him showed he understands the importance of that type of CM.
 
bucky said:
That's completely fair, I just think there are more talented players around compared to Pereira and in his case I'm not really fussed, if he eventually moves on. Tuanzebe, Fosu-Mensah and Rashford are more important IMO. I'd definitely prefer Tolisso to Bakayoko. There are also several players from Monaco, I'd rather see at United than Bakayoko. IMO Lemar, Mbappe, Sidibe and Fabinho would offer us more, but Bakayoko could be a good signing as well, I hope.
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The most important one I feel is TFM, he's the one with the widest range of qualities, but I guess we shall see, I'd just like to see the other 3 mentioned here get the kind of minutes Rashford is getting so we can better gauge where they are at in their development. Lemar is the standout at Monaco for me, he's really stepping up a level this season, he's added some genuine wing play to his repetoire and it's making him much harder to deal with IMO.
 
As exciting a signing Griezmann would be, I am not sure he would be a good fit with the players we have if we are buying him to play as the second striker. He would hinder the playing styles of both Pogba and Martial. France have built the team around Griezmann playing a 4-4-1-1 formation which gets the best out of Griezmann but restricts Pogba to make the surging runs with the ball from deep and late arrivals to take shots at goal. Pogba had given an interview a few weeks ago where he stated that he plays like Pirlo while playing for France and doesn't get the freedom he wants which he gets at United. If we play him in that manner, it would be a huge waste of his talent. As far as Martial is considered, he is an inside forward rather than a winger and if we play him on the left with Ibra as 9 and Griezmann as 10, we would basically be asking him to play like Ashley Young and provide service to the two forwards which is not his natural game. I really don't think there is a system which can accommodate two forwards and an inside forward without it affecting the balance of the team or affecting the natural game of one of the forwards.

I have watched Monaco a few times this season when they played against PSG and Spurs. Bakayoko did impress in those matches. The closest player Bakayoko resembles to in my opinion is Matic. He is a destroyer with the ability to keep the ball under pressure and he can carry the ball out of midfield to initiate attacks. His passing range however leaves much to be desired. Passing in between the lines, switching the play and spotting the runners who makes movements into space has what made Carrick a mainstay in the United team for a decade and Bakayoko unfortunately wouldn't be providing those qualities from what I have seen.

I haven't watched Benfica this season and the compilation videos can be a bit misleading but I hope Lindelof is a calm and composed presence in the defence which is the impression I got from watching him as opposed to the gung-ho style defending of Bailly to compliment him. We have been conceding an awful lot of goals from crosses and set-pieces since Vidic's departure who was like a magnet to any ball into the box. From what I have read, Lindelof is good at winning aerial duels and should help in solving that problem and hopefully Mourinho doesn't have to sub Fellaini late on to head the ball away.

Semedo is a very good athlete with excellent technical abilities. He looks like an exciting prospect and reminds me a bit of Maicon during Jose's Inter days.

All in all, if we do get these signings over the line, you can see exactly what Mourinho is trying to do. The squad eventually would have a perfect blend of youth and experience. Pace, power, athleticism and technique are the qualities in different postions which Mourinho looks in the profile of his typical players to win the Premier League and he will have that in abundance spread throughout the squad.
 
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Flytan said:
Yeah, but it's not United's fault British talent is failing
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This. There are barely any English or even British players available who deserve a place in a team capable of seriously challenging for the PL and CL.
 
Never heard of Bakayoko but I like his name which makes him sound like a hard fcuker!

If he is a tough nut, then with Bailly behind him and Pogba in front, we'd have a very solid and hard and nails centre to our team which would be great.
 
This may sound silly, but am I the only one a little worried about our squad having too strong a French connection? Newcastle had some serious problems a few years back with the French contingent getting a bit groupy. Obviously there's a massive amount of talent in French football right now, but there's got to be some concern about whether having too many players of a particular nationality could influence the dressing room.
 
People need to stop with the direct Carrick replacements. Before Carrick, we had Keano who was a completely different player. Yes he had a Paul Scholes beside him but it wasn't a playmaking Paul Scholes, it was a box to box attacking Paul Scholes like how Pogba is right now. You can put a destroyer/box to box midfielder next to an attacking one and it can work. Examples:

Scholes - Keane
Zidane - Makelele
Vieira - Gilberto Silva
Vieira - Petit

Midfields don't have to be so rigid as to always need a deep lying playmaker. The important thing is the balance.
 
Freak said:
People need to stop with the direct Carrick replacements. Before Carrick, we had Keano who was a completely different player. Yes he had a Paul Scholes beside him but it wasn't a playmaking Paul Scholes, it was a box to box attacking Paul Scholes like how Pogba is right now. You can put a destroyer/box to box midfielder next to an attacking one and it can work. Examples:

Scholes - Keane
Zidane - Makelele
Vieira - Gilberto Silva
Vieira - Petit

Midfields don't have to be so rigid as to always need a deep lying playmaker. The important thing is the balance.
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People need to stop acting like we have to go for the complete opposite of Carrick with some DM lug as if Carrick is a mythical Unicorn. The move to Carrick and Scholes playing deeper was because football changed, the type of midfield you are describing has no control over a game, it's why you don't see top sides going with that type of combination these days, and Zidane didn't play in a 2 man with Makelele, he played from the left for Real Madrid. However the biggest point is balance and you'll never get that if you force Pogba to play as part of any kind of 2, he thrives when he has the freedom in a 3 man midfield that requires a box to box and a playmaker to achieve balance, this isn't impossible to achieve and is loigical as what is the point of changing something that has just started to work for us? People aren't just wanting to get a player in Carrick's mold for the shits and giggles, it's because he is the type of player we need to fit with our other 2 CM's.

We spent £89M on a unique talent and right now we have Carrick still performing at a high level in the best balanced midfield in the PL. Pogba and Herrera are excelling as they can focus on playing to their strengths. When building a team you look for the right parts, we will get another season from Carrick so we can bring in an understudy with similar attributes and coach them into the role, rather than competely throwing out what is working and neutering our world record signing.
 
why Bakayoko when we have TFM? I udnerstand he's more ready now but if we give a chance to Timbo we will soon find out how good he is and is for free, if we need someone we should try to aim to get someone who can pass the ball from the back while break up the play. Those players are rare though. Sean Goss could be the answer long term but he will probably never gets his chance, he's not the youngest either, now or never
 
Brightonian said:
Spending doesn't solve anything. Haven't the last few seasons proved that to people yet? The way to improvement is time and a good manager. We have lots of quality players. Our performances recently demonstrate that much. Now we should primarily stick with what we've got, and only buy to replace an old player or fill an actual hole in the squad (not just a position where impatient fans think there's greener grass to be had elsewhere.)

If Jose's not willing to start blooding a youngster, we can look for a quality replacement for Carrick. As for Ibra, it's ridiculous to have both Martial and Rashford in the squad and be too cowardly to give one of them a proper go as his eventual replacement. They're two of the best young talents in world football. But they'll never fulfil their potential until someone actually gambles on them. You want a 20-a-season striker? Try actually playing one of them as our striker.
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Whilst I echo some of your post we do have gaping holes in the squad. Carricks replacement being one of them. When Depay Morgan Bastian and Darmain get moved on suitable replacements need bought but in the mean time we must make sure we get in the top 4 and we need a midfielder plus someone to help ease the goal scoring burden from deep on Zlatan imo.
 
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