Eric Bailly | BBC say signing is imminent

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Anyone else think they're holding off the announcement until Zlatan is done and dusted? They might want the first signing of the Mourinho era to be a player the fans and sponsors have heard of.
 
ManUchosenbosslvg said:
Anyone else think they're holding off the announcement until Zlatan is done and dusted? They might want the first signing of the Mourinho era to be a player the fans and sponsors have heard of.
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No will be announced first this one
 
ManUchosenbosslvg said:
Anyone else think they're holding off the announcement until Zlatan is done and dusted? They might want the first signing of the Mourinho era to be a player the fans and sponsors have heard of.
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Maybe we'll announce Bailly and suddenly Zlatan will turn up at Carrington along with him as it happened last year with Morgan and Schweini. :)
 
ChaddyP said:
It happened to me aswell. Legit thought that there is no way we are going to have a first choice pairing of 2 right footed center Backs... i mean how absurd :rolleyes: LvG i hate you :mad:
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Dont tell that to Dennis Irwin for christ sake! He was right footed and played on the left.... No wonder LVG couldn't work it out here.
 
I am praying for an announcement tomorrow morning! Although I remember we announced Romero really late so there still might be a chance tonight. I have no idea when we'll announce Zlatan. Hopefully before the Euros!
 
murphs_law said:
Dont tell that to Dennis Irwin for christ sake! He was right footed and played on the left.... No wonder LVG couldn't work it out here.
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You mean like he played Darmian, Young, McNair both as RB and LB?
 
murphs_law said:
Dont tell that to Dennis Irwin for christ sake! He was right footed and played on the left.... No wonder LVG couldn't work it out here.
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I actually found it more absurd that LVG was fine with playing right footed CBs like it was no issue, but Would move hell and earth to make sure he had a righty and a lefty at CB... Strange man
 
Regulus Arcturus Black said:
30m Euros (£23.5m) is pretty much going rate for any talent these days.
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True, not sure if it's smart with defenders though. The recent big money transfers for defenders (Mangala, Otamendi, Benatia, Danilo) have all been not worthy of the transfer sum. I also struggle to think of any top team playing a big money transfer defender. Maybe, just maybe money better spent on positions that make more of a difference individually rather than position most of the footballing world now treats as a team work.
 
Theonas said:
When will people stop bringing up Leicester
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As long as you say never or cant or wont. They prove you are wrong.
And they played 442 and made it work with "one dimentional" defenders, so that point is gone too
If you think Mascherano is a ball playing defender, let me tell you he wasn't even a ball playing midfeilder. Not having to defend is ok in the SPL in the sun but when you play in the EPL, where everyone is competive and can beat each other. You need defenders who can defend. It also helps if they are man mountains but as you said quality can get them a long way.

You may favour that boring tiki taka shite, i perfer power and pace. Bayern showed a few years back how effective it is against that barca nonsense. Even Pep hates it now.
 
murphs_law said:
As long as you say never or cant or wont. They prove you are wrong.
And they played 442 and made it work with "one dimentional" defenders, so that point is gone too
If you think Mascherano is a ball playing defender, let me tell you he wasn't even a ball playing midfeilder. Not having to defend is ok in the SPL in the sun but when you play in the EPL, where everyone is competive and can beat each other. You need defenders who can defend. It also helps if they are man mountains but as you said quality can get them a long way.

You may favour that boring tiki taka shite, i perfer power and pace. Bayern showed a few years back how effective it is against that barca nonsense. Even Pep hates it now.
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Oh dear. Leicester making it work is the equivalent of when Stoke came to Old Trafford and sneaked the occasional 1/0 through dogged defending. It can happen, it is nothing to build a platform though. If we are looking at a template for success, we might as well look at the majority not the 1% that is Leicester as I said before. Yes they played 442 but you are forgetting that no team will ever approach us the way they did to them. Teams were attacking them because it was "only" Leicester leaving plenty of room at the back for them to exploit. If you are a rich top team like us, teams are not going to play you like that. It is why even under Fergie we were controlling possession in the majority of our games. Big clubs simply cannot adopt a strategy like that. The 442 point is really strange. Why do you keep mentioning it? You can play any formation you want as long as there is a balance between defending and attacking. 442 can be done with inside winger à la Atlético or proper wide men and two forwards like us in 1999. Teams are more about their movement and positioning of their players not the simplified formation that Sky puts on TV before a game so the armchair fan can locate where every player is.

I am not a fan of tiki-taka or "pace power" or whatever you call it. I am a fan of dominating and attacking in the final third as I think it is how big clubs like us should play. This can be done through hogging possession à la Pep or quick transitions à la Klopp. I don't really care all that much how it is done as long as whatever is being worked on is executed well. My issue though is whatever way you look at it, you need good technical players and this kid seems to be anything but which gives me this impression that Mourinho is trying to get us to "kick it and rush". I hope I am wrong.
 
So Mourinho signs a defender who can actually defend and people saying he is trying to get us to kick and rush.

How the feck have you jumped to that conclusion? Should we spend £40m on Stones who can't defend as well as Bailley?
 
Theonas said:
Oh dear. Leicester making it work is the equivalent of when Stoke came to Old Trafford and sneaked
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I stopped reading at this point...
In a league of 38 games they were the best team by a long way(10 points) At sometime in March if they took it over that 12 months, they would already be 16 points clear. You need to accept it, get over it and stop being so bitter about it.

The best team always wins the league.

Please dont reply I dont want to read it!
 
Bojan11 said:
So Mourinho signs a defender who can actually defend and people saying he is trying to get us to kick and rush.

How the feck have you jumped to that conclusion? Should we spend £40m on Stones who can't defend as well as Bailley?
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How on earth do you know he can defend? Is that why the cream of European football has been fighting over him? What does it mean "can defend" anyway? You mean like Otamendi and Mangala should have been purchased by us because they can defend?
 
I dont see the point of buying a stones when we have jones..though injured. One fan was telling me that Manutd will get from Bailly what city got from mangala. Hope he is wrong.
 
murphs_law said:
I stopped reading at this point...
In a league of 38 games they were the best team by a long way(10 points) At sometime in March if they took it over that 12 months, they would already be 16 points clear. You need to accept it, get over it and stop being so bitter about it.

The best team always wins the league.

Please dont reply I dont want to read it!
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Calm down man. We are talking about defenders for goodness sake, not the nuclear crisis. Of course they deserved to win, the comparison was meant to illustrate that it's an exceptional feat, albeit deserved. You should relax a bit, being too emotional can make easy things very difficult to understand.
 
Theonas said:
How on earth do you know he can defend? Is that why the cream of European football has been fighting over him? What does it mean "can defend" anyway? You mean like Otamendi and Mangala should have been purchased by us because they can defend?
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Because I watched him play.

So we shouldn't sign any foreign players? There is always a risk attached to any player coming from a foreign league.

So you would say no to Godin, Laporte, Giminez and Varane because they from La Liga too?

I also trust Mourinhos judgement on defenders.

So stop jumping to silly conclusions like Mourinho is going to get us to kick and rush. Bet you were a delight when we signed Vidic and Evra.
 
Bojan11 said:
Because I watched him play.

So we shouldn't sign any foreign players? There is always a risk attached to any player coming from a foreign league.

So you would say no to Godin, Laporte, Giminez and Varane because they from La Liga too?

I also trust Mourinhos judgement on defenders.

So stop jumping to silly conclusions like Mourinho is going to get us to kick and rush. Bet you were a delight when we signed Vidic and Evra.
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You mean like concluding that my reservations about Bailly are based on his La Liga past? How exactly did you conclude that? Or that he is a foreigner? Are you reading things?

I'll try to explain to you my point so that hopefully you can stop making up baseless interpretations. There is a lack of top defenders à la Vidic in the modern game. In fact I would say only Gódin is left that can be considered as part of that breed. This in my view is not because top defenders ceased to exist but more due to the game developing that it is better to rely on the structure of the whole team, whereas it is pressing or possession, to protect your goal. The top, top teams no longer want to be left exposed to that point and instead try to win the ball back higher up the pitch or keep possession. City is a good example of a team that tried to do it the traditional way whilst still maintaining their attacking ethos and the result was not satisfactory was it? I do not believe that this is because Mangala and Otamendi are not good enough but simply that this style does not work any more unless you sit deep like Leicester or Atlético Madrid do. You might then argue that those two provide a good example for why it works. To which I would say that teams will never approach us the way they approach those two. Teams will always sit off us because of our name and status which makes the situations very different. Do you understand now why I think that buying a defender who isn't strong technically and therefore incapable of building from the back and dominating is a worrisome sign?
 
Bojan11 said:
So Mourinho signs a defender who can actually defend and people saying he is trying to get us to kick and rush.

How the feck have you jumped to that conclusion? Should we spend £40m on Stones who can't defend as well as Bailley?
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I'm happy with Bailly, even he is not a ball playing CB, he is fast and strong. I can see a lot of potential in him... However, do you prefer Bailly over Laporte, Marquinhos, Mustafi, Manolas or Koulibaly?
 
Theonas said:
You mean like concluding that my reservations about Bailly are based on his La Liga past? How exactly did you conclude that? Or that he is a foreigner? Are you reading things?

I'll try to explain to you my point so that hopefully you can stop making up baseless interpretations. There is a lack of top defenders à la Vidic in the modern game. In fact I would say only Gódin is left that can be considered as part of that breed. This in my view is not because top defenders ceased to exist but more due to the game developing that it is better to rely on the structure of the whole team, whereas it is pressing or possession, to protect your goal. The top, top teams no longer want to be left exposed to that point and instead try to win the ball back higher up the pitch or keep possession. City is a good example of a team that tried to do it the traditional way whilst still maintaining their attacking ethos and the result was not satisfactory was it? I do not believe that this is because Mangala and Otamendi are not good enough but simply that this style does not work any more unless you sit deep like Leicester or Atlético Madrid do. You might then argue that those two provide a good example for why it works. To which I would say that teams will never approach us the way they approach those two. Teams will always sit off us because of our name and status which makes the situations very different. Do you understand now why I think that buying a defender who isn't strong technically and therefore incapable of building from the back and dominating is a worrisome sign?
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He is 22.

Do you think Godin and Vidic were world class at that age? Godin was not great when he first arrived at Atletico. It's only when Simeone came in that he improved.

So stop jumping to conclusions that Mourinho is going to play kick and rush. I suppose he wanted to kick and rush with John Stones last season too.

Mendes mouthpiece has said Mourinho wants two central backs. Jones is unreliable and Blind is not a CB for Mourinho.
 
Bojan11 said:
He is 22.

Do you think Godin and Vidic were world class at that age? Godin was not great when he first arrived at Atletico. It's only when Simeone came in that he improved.

So stop jumping to conclusions that Mourinho is going to play kick and rush. I suppose he wanted to kick and rush with John Stones last season too.

Mendes mouthpiece has said Mourinho wants two central backs. Jones is unreliable and Blind is not a CB for Mourinho.
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Mike is far from world class and should not be a definite starter either.
 
Fer said:
I'm happy with Bailly, even he is not a ball playing CB, he is fast and strong. I can see a lot of potential in him... However, do you prefer Bailly over Laporte, Marquinhos, Mustafi, Manolas or Koulibaly?
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Laporte is off to City or Barca. He also had a serious injury and we don't know how he will be after that.

Marquinhos is unattainable.

The other trio would be good options. But like I said there have been rumours Mourinho wants two CBs and get rid of Blind.
 
Fer said:
I'm happy with Bailly, even he is not a ball playing CB, he is fast and strong. I can see a lot of potential in him... However, do you prefer Bailly over Laporte, Marquinhos, Mustafi, Manolas or Koulibaly?
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Thats a little unfair. No one knew about Bailly until this week. What happens if he turns out to be a better player than the above mentioned? He may not be as good as them right now but scouts say he has potential to be very good. Look every transfer is a gamble. If it pays off great, if it doesn't, Oh well try again.
 
There was interest from Barcelona. That alone should confirm the lad has something special. Although I am not a fan of the Spanish league, I got friends that watch the Spanish league. They all said he has real pace and body strength. Also his tackling is always well timed. We will have to wait and see to if all this is true.
 
f_to_z said:
There was interest from Barcelona. That alone should confirm the lad has something special. Although I am not a fan of the Spanish league, I got friends that watch the Spanish league. They all said he has real pace and body strength. Also his tackling is always well timed. We will have to wait and see to if all this is true.
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Just because they were interested in a CB doesn't mean they're good. They've bought Vermaelen and Mathieu in recent years and they still play a midfielder in defence.
That's not to say Bailly isn't good, I think he will be good.
 
Regulus Arcturus Black said:
30m Euros (£23.5m) is pretty much going rate for any talent these days.
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Gerald G said:
I thought it was £30m? £23.5m sounds much better and I just get annoyed because I think clubs are trying to rip us off. I see Dortmund + Barcelona etc get good deals and it annoys me.
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It is £30m alright or just under €40m. Can't imagine he's on huge wages or anything yet so that's a positive about signing a relatively unknown compared to the likes of Ramos last Summer.
 
I would expect him to struggle to adapt initially, at least a season or two before we can see his true class. Center back position requires consistency and maturity and those are attributes that can only come with time, surely JM also realizes that when he went ahead with the transfer.
 
I'm just glad we seem to be getting our transfer business done early for once. The past two summers have been very frustrating.
 
Xign said:
I'm just glad we seem to be getting our transfer business done early for once. The past two summers have been very frustrating.
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Last summer was good business. We got everyone in before we left for pre-season in the first week of July.
 
Bojan11 said:
Laporte is off to City or Barca. He also had a serious injury and we don't know how he will be after that.

Marquinhos is unattainable.

The other trio would be good options. But like I said there have been rumours Mourinho wants two CBs and get rid of Blind.
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RDCR07 said:
Thats a little unfair. No one knew about Bailly until this week. What happens if he turns out to be a better player than the above mentioned? He may not be as good as them right now but scouts say he has potential to be very good. Look every transfer is a gamble. If it pays off great, if it doesn't, Oh well try again.
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Yes, players like Laporte and Marquinhos are going to stay in their clubs or go to City/Barca. Also, I think they are not Mourinho's type of defenders (strong, fast, tall).

That's why we are buying Bailly, he has the attributes and potential to be a top defender. if we don't sign another CB is okay for me because we have Fosu-Mensah as a cover. But If we sign another CB, I hope it's someone between Koulibaly, Manolas and Mustafi, because at the end, we could have two CBs for the price of Stones.
 
You gotta love the fact that Bailly was born in Bingerville.
 
RDCR07 said:
Last summer was good business. We got everyone in before we left for pre-season in the first week of July.
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Aye, and we had the previous year's star signing going missing and then leaving. If anything, it was a very exciting summer in many ways. I remember the preseason tournament, didn't we win all our matches except for the PSG one? I'm glad we're back to the United way of signing players that gave us trouble if we indeed do sign Zlatan. :devil:
 
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Lets face it,United badly need another central defender.
Blind is OK as a stopgap and did better than expected last season but he shouldn't be a regular centre back for a side that has title aspirations.He's a good utility man to have,though,with him also being able to play defensive midfielder and left back.
Smalling was excellent in the first half of the season but went completely off the boil in the last couple of months.His performance in the Cup Final summed up his last few weeks of the season.
Phil Jones.....how many appearances did he make last season.....was it 7 ??
Heres his injury record since he signed for United......

Phil Jones Injury History
Injury Club Date Injury Reported
Ankle/Foot Injury Manchester United Injuries 2016 February 8th
Ankle/Foot Injury Manchester United Injuries 2016 January 2nd
Ankle/Foot Injury Manchester United Injuries 2015 November 21st
Illness Manchester United Injuries 2015 August 6th
Ankle/Foot Injury Manchester United Injuries 2015 June 14th
Ankle/Foot Injury Manchester United Injuries 2015 April 12th
Illness Manchester United Injuries 2015 February 27th
Ankle/Foot Injury Manchester United Injuries 2015 February 11th
Calf/Shin Injury Manchester United Injuries 2014 October 22nd
Hamstring Injury Manchester United Injuries 2014 September 8th
Shoulder Injury Manchester United Injuries 2014 May 6th
Hip/Thigh Injury Manchester United Injuries 2014 February 12th
Concussion Manchester United Injuries 2014 February 1st
Knee Injury Manchester United Injuries 2013 December 21st
Groin/Pelvis Injury Manchester United Injuries 2013 November 15th
Ankle/Foot Injury Manchester United Injuries 2013 September 1st
Ankle/Foot Injury Manchester United Injuries 2013 February 18th
Calf/Shin Injury Manchester United Injuries 2013 February 10th
Illness Manchester United Injuries 2013 February 1st
Knock Manchester United Injuries 2012 December 23rd
Cartilage Knee Injury Manchester United Injuries 2012 September 6th
Back Injury Manchester United Injuries 2012 August 4th
Illness Manchester United Injuries 2012 March 13th
Ankle/Foot Injury Manchester United Injuries 2012 January 22nd
Knock Manchester United Injuries 2012 January 8th
Illness Manchester United Injuries 2011 December 25th
Facial Injury Manchester United Injuries 2011 December 21st

Time for Phil to move on or,at least,go out on loan,I think.


Fosu-Mensah could develop into an excellent centre back but very early days for him yet.
 
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