Erling Haaland / signs for Dortmund

[Bondi77]

What an absolute trainwreck of a post. Swiss league....

This thread is a good indicator of whose opinions can be ignored. How anyone would say no to a talent like that is beyond me when we are one injury away from not scoring goals again.

My apologies,
The Austrian league which I obviously do not follow and I only really follow the Premier League as it is the best league and I am English.
Just as a matter of interest;
Where would you rate the quality of the league in comparison to the rest of Europe and what price tag would you put on Haaland?

 

[Machine Elements]

We should still go for him if he wants to come here because we need a squad & a good collection of different quality strikers - I reckon Ole is building towards a 352

Rashford/Martial - Haaland/Greenwood
--------------------Sancho/Martial--------------
Mcneil - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - James

I think that's manageable as a squad.

Most of the top teams play with only one striker now and have only two strikers in their squad. I don't think we have the personnel to play with a formation with wingbacks either. AWB already struggling in attacking as a RB and don't think would be a good RWB.

Do you not remember when Martial was injured? Greenwood is good but not ready for that kind of responsibility yet. And when we change Martial, the game dies.

We need another striker, whether it's Haaland or not. There's enough gametime to go around.

So if we get Haaland, which will probably be on a big money, what happens with our forward line? Push Martial to the wing again? Or Martial to sit on the bench? Or Haaland? Neither of them will want that and we have another striker conundrum on our hands. We must have a fixed 11 imo to build a team going forward so all the first choices must be clear in every position. The constant chop and change doesn't help.

I see Martial as the first choice striker and if we are to sign another striker it should be someone who's willing to accept not being first choice. A more experienced player who can also play as a wide forward like Cavani who has 6 months left on his contract would be much more logical option than Haaland imo. Greenwood is a great finisher and if we provide him the service he's more than enough to play the cover role for Martial imo. Not to mention Rashford can also play as a CF. Sort out the midfield, no 10 and right wing. That will add more balance to the team than getting another striker imo.

 

[Santoryo]

What some people haven't realised is that without fixing our midfield, therefore our creativity coming from there, this new flavour of the month won't amount to much here.

If people honestly believe that Haaland will come here and bang in goals with the same level of creativity demonstrated this season so far than they'll be in for a shocking awakening. Some kid banging goals in a third rate league won't come here and keep scoring in the PL especially when we are bereft of creativity. We ought to sort our midfield first then start worrying about other things. That's our main and direct concern right now.

And unlike most in this thread I'm not blinded by goal output in some farm league. We already have a talented teenager prolific goalscorer in our hand, I don't even see why we'd need another kid who would depend on services to score which we don't have much without first fixing our midfield. I'll be just adding bodies which will prove fruitless.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Buying another striker ahead of a midfielders/RW will be so typical of Man Utd that I half expect it will happen.

Comes down to availability, just because we sign a striker doesn’t mean we aren’t also interested in a midfielder or winger.

 

[Samid]

What some people haven't realised is that without fixing our midfield, therefore our creativity coming from there, this new flavour of the month won't amount to much here.

If people honest believe that Haaland will come here and bang in goals with the same level of creativity demonstrated this season so far than they'll be in for a shocking awakening. Some kid banging goals in a third rate league won't come here and keep scoring in the PL especially when we are beret of creativity. We ought to sort our midfield first that start worrying about other things. That's our main and direct concern right now.

And unlike most in this thread I'm not blinded by goal output in some farm league. We already have a talented teenager prolific goalscorer in our hand, I don't even see why we'd need another kid who would depend on services to score which we don't have much without first fixing our midfield. I'll be just adding bodies which will prove fruitless.

What some people haven't realised is that fixing the midfield and signing the next CF prodigy aren't mutually exclusive. It's not one or the other. Both can (and should) happen.

Embarrassing to keep harping on about 'third rate farm league' and conveniently leaving out his 8 Champions League goals in less than 400 minutes.

This is a kid who was disappointed after scoring 9 goals in one game at the U20 WC because he felt he should have had 2-3 more if he was more clinical. His appetite for goals is insane. Only a handfull players in the world have the determination to never be satisfied and keep gunning for more regardless of scoreline. Not signing such a player with a modest release clause because 'our midfield sucks' is an incredibly flawed logic.

 

[Lynty]

So if we get Haaland, which will probably be on a big money, what happens with our forward line? Push Martial to the wing again? Or Martial to sit on the bench? Or Haaland? Neither of them will want that and we have another striker conundrum on our hands. We must have a fixed 11 imo to build a team going forward so all the first choices must be clear in every position. The constant chop and change doesn't help.

I see Martial as the first choice striker and if we are to sign another striker it should be someone who's willing to accept not being first choice. A more experienced player who can also play as a wide forward like Cavani who has 6 months left on his contract would be much more logical option than Haaland imo. Greenwood is a great finisher and if we provide him the service he's more than enough to play the cover role for Martial imo. Not to mention Rashford can also play as a CF. Sort out the midfield, no 10 and right wing. That will add more balance to the team than getting another striker imo.

It's up to Haaland to push him out. That's only a good thing. Haaland can also play from the right in the system we use.

At the end of the day - this is a lad who has a proven goal scoring record, is available now, open to joining us at a very cut price and has world class potential.

How many midfielders or number 10s meet that same criteria? Or give me any names who you think we could get next week to improve our creativity?

 

[dwd]

Anything developed with this then? When are we likely to know what his decision is?

 

[Inigo Montoya]

If we do bring him to the club then all well and good but a player that has scored a lot of goals in the Norwegian and Swiss leagues hardly gets my pulse racing and I think Mame Diouf was prolific in Norway before we brought him in and that did not really work out.
I am all for bringing in potential but when we talk upwards of 50mil that is just crazy. Surely Dembele from Lyon is a better option as the league is a decent standard and he was good in the second tier in England and did well for Celtic and would be cheaper if reports are to be believed.

Is Salzburg in Switzerland now?

 

[Inigo Montoya]

Anything developed with this then? When are we likely to know what his decision is?

He’s still on holiday. Unlikely to hear anything for a few days yet.

 

[Bebestation]

Most of the top teams play with only one striker now and have only two strikers in their squad. I don't think we have the personnel to play with a formation with wingbacks either. AWB already struggling in attacking as a RB and don't think would be a good RWB.



So if we get Haaland, which will probably be on a big money, what happens with our forward line? Push Martial to the wing again? Or Martial to sit on the bench? Or Haaland? Neither of them will want that and we have another striker conundrum on our hands. We must have a fixed 11 imo to build a team going forward so all the first choices must be clear in every position. The constant chop and change doesn't help.

I see Martial as the first choice striker and if we are to sign another striker it should be someone who's willing to accept not being first choice. A more experienced player who can also play as a wide forward like Cavani who has 6 months left on his contract would be much more logical option than Haaland imo. Greenwood is a great finisher and if we provide him the service he's more than enough to play the cover role for Martial imo. Not to mention Rashford can also play as a CF. Sort out the midfield, no 10 and right wing. That will add more balance to the team than getting another striker imo.

Yesterday we played with 3 strikers and if Haaland comes here - I really don't think Ole is going to change the formation like Jose would as a second coming of Zlatan.

Haaland is an incredibly versatile player & is a complete player to the level that yesterday's tactic of 2 wider strikers in front of a support striker can hold Haaland playing in any of the wider striker roles because he is good at making runs in channels and switching lanes.

Rashford - Greenwood/Haaland
---------------Martial - - - - -

Is just a slightly more compact or narrow version that has the ability to drift in to channels of
Mane - Firmino - Salah

So I don't think playing 3 strikers is going to really end up being problem after all a 433 has 3 forwards in it.

I'd say that Haaland aerial ability and his 'predatory' instincts are some of his least style specialties - and its his ability to play with his other forwards, make passes and runs before taking a nice quick shot is better & I see him doing that with our other forwards.

The wing backs is purely on Ole calling Daniel James a great defensive wide midfielder & getting someone like Mcneil evens that out as two very attacking options. AWB is better as a full back and can get bet attacking wise & he can potentially play in the back 3 RCB.

 

[golden_blunder]

Who to say that our targeted midfielders are available in this window? Based on your logic we should ignore and give up on other players simply because we HAVE to wait until the priority CM / RW are bought in?

And can you remind me when the last time we bought a striker and still play for us?

Martial?

 

[Cantonagotmehere]

Look at a team like City, or older United teams. We need more top class attackers to close the huge gap. We are not close at this point. Get Haaland and someone like Sancho as soon as possible and let them compete.

Sane (when fit), Aguero, Jesus, Sterling, Mahrez, Foden, De Bruyne.

 

[ROFLUTION]

Martial is always out anyways, so Haaland is a no-brainer no matter what

 

[dwd]

He’s still on holiday. Unlikely to hear anything for a few days yet.

Cheers. Can't imagine he will be ready to start playing for his new club until the end of January then.

 

[Red00012]

I hope we stay away and give more chances to Greenwood. Martial is a good enough ST and Greenwood is the future. We don't need another striker conundrum. Get a RW, CAM, CM or DM.

Just because we beat Newcastle doesn’t hide the fact we need a striker.

 

[Inigo Montoya]

Just because we beat Newcastle doesn’t hide the fact we need a striker.

Don’t understand some fans thinking that just because we might go for a striker, it restricts us signing a player for midfield.

 

[sherrinford]

Just because we beat Newcastle doesn’t hide the fact we need a striker.

You think we need a striker more than upgrades for any of those other positions mentioned?

 

[Redplane]

Look at a team like City, or older United teams. We need more top class attackers to close the huge gap. We are not close at this point. Get Haaland and someone like Sancho as soon as possible and let them compete.

Sane (when fit), Aguero, Jesus, Sterling, Mahrez, Foden, De Bruyne.

Yep. Top teams should have selection difficulties because of the plethora of options. We don't really have options because our bench isn't deep to begin with, and we battle injuries more than our opponents sometimes. Pool is just about as stacked in attacking options as City are. Imho the psychological impact of having a CF you can have confidence in is huge for any team. Especially when you know that you have someone on the bench who could very well do what your starting CF didn't do on a given day. Rashford seems to have found his spot, we can't rely on Greenwood without risking his development or increasing odds of injury (we don't have a good recent track record on young forwards out of our academy before this crop) , and Tony is a bit injury prone and can be quite hot or cold depending on where his head is at that day. Haaland or another solid CF is a necessary luxury for a club of this stature. Not excessive.

 

[Red00012]

You think we need a striker more than upgrades for any of those other positions mentioned?

The 1st point was we don’t need a striker , I didn’t comment on the rest of the post.

 

[Strelok]

A midfield actually nullifies all the issues we had with Martial being out because with proper creativity in midfield even Rashford would be able to play as a CF again and Greenwood would also have an easier task there.

Right now Martial role is elevated because he tends to drop deep in midfield thus helping our inept midfield creativity(Lingard and Perreira guilty of this) thus his role becoming even more essential because he's now tasked with making things happen for other forwards/attacking players.

But once you have a good and creative midfield we can play any type of striker there, not only one that can hold up play and drop deep to help create. Therfore Rashford becomes an option again as CF and Greenwood can also be trusted in there despite his young age.

Honestly, wanting a new striker shouldn't even be a topic when we technically have 3 strikers in the squad in Martial, Greenwood and Rashford. These talks have crept in only because our lack of creativity which led to lack of goals sometimes make it seems we don't have goalscorers which isn't actually the case. Creativity is what doing us in.

What some people haven't realised is that without fixing our midfield, therefore our creativity coming from there, this new flavour of the month won't amount to much here.

If people honestly believe that Haaland will come here and bang in goals with the same level of creativity demonstrated this season so far than they'll be in for a shocking awakening. Some kid banging goals in a third rate league won't come here and keep scoring in the PL especially when we are bereft of creativity. We ought to sort our midfield first then start worrying about other things. That's our main and direct concern right now.

And unlike most in this thread I'm not blinded by goal output in some farm league. We already have a talented teenager prolific goalscorer in our hand, I don't even see why we'd need another kid who would depend on services to score which we don't have much without first fixing our midfield. I'll be just adding bodies which will prove fruitless.

Can't agree more.

However it's really hard to buy a good AM these days especially in Jan. And Pogba is back and seems to with his head as well. Maybe he's the answer to our creativity issue.

I'll be more than happy just for us to sign a solid DM/CM.

we had Pereira, Mata, Lingard yesterday playing against Newcastle and few think we shouldn't sign CF (who is available for around 20 million).

So far the release clause seems legit, 20 £m is a steal imho. He'll give us cover and more options for sure.

I disagree that Rashford could do it, even with proper service. He just doesn't have the positioning, runs and consistent first touch to be a deadly CF. He's doing wonders out wide and has finally made that position his. No reason to move him.

You must have watched a different Rashford I guess.

His issue is he is unable to play with his back to the goal and to hold the ball like Martial. But never his runs and first touch.

Just look at his goals against Chelsea, Norwich or Spurs last season for example and you'd see.

The lad has a fantastic first touch even at a very high speed.

 

[AneRu]

Wouldn't say no to a very good goal scorer who could grow to become a great goal scorer. Whatever happens with Martial regarding his place as a starter is up to him and how he will react but the signing won't do much if we don't address the creative issues that hold us back against lower table teams, we need an AM more.

 

[Heinzesight]

Can’t see us signing him...midfield will be the priority in January if we sign anyone. We can upgrade our options up front in the summer.

He’ll likely end up at Leipzig and that slimeball agent or advisor to Haaland or whatever he’s doing will get another payday when he moves up a level in a few years.

I’m putting it back in my trousers for this one.

 

[dev1l]

I m getting a nasty feeling that he might end up in Turin. But anything is possible at this stage.

 

[711]

We want to be successful in all competitions and play twice a week. Five forwards for three positions seems the minimum for that to me, considering the need also to rotate for rest and cover minor injuries, illness and loss of form as well.

 

[sherrinford]

The 1st point was we don’t need a striker , I didn’t comment on the rest of the post.

The rest of the post is relative to the ‘not needing a striker’ part. If the poster felt that the right wing, attacking midfield and central midfield positions were filled with more quality than Martial provides then they wouldn’t be advocating the strengthening of those positions while objecting to the idea of another striker coming in.

 

[Red00012]

The rest of the post is relative to the ‘not needing a striker’ part. If the poster felt that the right wing, attacking midfield and central midfield positions were filled with more quality than Martial provides then they wouldn’t be advocating the strengthening of those positions while objecting to the idea of another striker coming in.

As another poster added above , people seem to think because we need other positions filled more than a striker , we don’t need a striker

 

[BeforeKeanetherewasRobson]

I don't know much about Juve but how can they afford Haaland (after Ronaldo and De Ligt)?

 

[Bondi77]

Does anyone here watch the Austrian league on a regular basis?
I assume there must be for Haaland to be so highly rated and am just wondering where it stands in comparison to France, Holland and even Switzerland

 

[onetwo3oclock4oclockrock]

just wondering where it stands in comparison to France, Holland and even Switzerland

UEFA Country Ranking (a ranking of the different countries performances in EL/CL last 5 years): France: 5, Netherlands: 9, Austria: 11, Switzerland: 20
So, way behind France, on pair with Holland, well in front of Switzerland.

 

[Bondi77]

UEFA Country Ranking (a ranking of the different countries performances in EL/CL last 5 years): France: 5, Netherlands: 9, Austria: 11, Switzerland: 20
So, way behind France, on pair with Holland, well in front of Switzerland.

Thank you
The main reason I wanted to know was the quality of the opposition Haaland had played against while scoring all his goals and why there was so much attention being put on him.
I think the media jump on anything these days especially if there is a link to Utd but I would say anyone with an idea about football would need a bit more convincing before paying out big money on a youngster who has done all his damage in the second tier leagues in Europe.

 

[onetwo3oclock4oclockrock]

who has done all his damage in the second tier leagues in Europe.

Well, not all his damage. He has scored 8 in 5 games in the toughest league in the world- the Champions League.

 

[sherrinford]

As another poster added above , people seem to think because we need other positions filled more than a striker , we don’t need a striker

W

As another poster added above , people seem to think because we need other positions filled more than a striker , we don’t need a striker

Because, basically, that is the case.

If your starting forward is the second weakest player in your team, then yes it would be reasonable and correct to say you need a player for that position. If, however, you need to replace half a team before arriving at centre forward as a priority in the transfer market then it would be ridiculous to describe it as a position of ‘need’. Folk are merely opining on the areas they feel the club should prioritise.

 

[andersj]

Buying another striker ahead of a midfielders/RW will be so typical of Man Utd that I half expect it will happen.

If we plan to play like we did against NUFC Haaland would be perfect as an option to Greenwood. Alot of teams play with two wide forwards rather than two wingers. Including Liverpool. I think that setup makes sense for us. Buying a left foot striker like Haaland would make sense then.

 

[theklr]

W


Because, basically, that is the case.

If your starting forward is the second weakest player in your team, then yes it would be reasonable and correct to say you need a player for that position. If, however, you need to replace half a team before arriving at centre forward as a priority in the transfer market then it would be ridiculous to describe it as a position of ‘need’. Folk are merely opining on the areas they feel the club should prioritise.

It is basically because he have broken 2 CL scoring records (and on par with Benzema for another) , scored 17 goals in 16 apps in Austria, has a real low release clause, is different to all our current strikers and is only 19.

And by chance we have a real strong connection with him so he could possibly join.

It is not because we are horrible in the striker apartment or NEED a striker right now.

It is because we have a chance to sign him , and he is Europes hottest young talent at the moment.

It is a opportunity that presents itself, nothing else. And it would be stupid to turn it down since we can easily afford him without it interfering with other purchases.

 

[Bondi77]

Well, not all his damage. He has scored 8 in 5 games in the toughest league in the world- the Champions League.

The lad has potential, no doubt about it and if we get him at the right price then all well and good.
I just cannot stand how as soon as a player gets linked to our club then the price triples and then come the high wages and if he loses his scoring touch most fans will say the young man cannot cut it at the top level and I have seen it all before.
I hope the young man does great things in football and it would be great if he does it for us.

 

[Giggsyking]

What some people haven't realised is that without fixing our midfield, therefore our creativity coming from there, this new flavour of the month won't amount to much here.

If people honestly believe that Haaland will come here and bang in goals with the same level of creativity demonstrated this season so far than they'll be in for a shocking awakening. Some kid banging goals in a third rate league won't come here and keep scoring in the PL especially when we are bereft of creativity. We ought to sort our midfield first then start worrying about other things. That's our main and direct concern right now.

And unlike most in this thread I'm not blinded by goal output in some farm league. We already have a talented teenager prolific goalscorer in our hand, I don't even see why we'd need another kid who would depend on services to score which we don't have much without first fixing our midfield. I'll be just adding bodies which will prove fruitless.

He is available for 20 m, you cant just close your eyes because we need to sign players in other positions, not to forget he is a player in a position we do actually need now, we sold our main striker without replacing.

 

[Nou_Camp99]

we had Pereira, Mata, Lingard yesterday playing against Newcastle and few think we shouldn't sign CF (who is available for around 20 million).

Don't even know where to start with this but I will give it a go.

1. He's not available for 20m to us. I'm sure it's just Leipzig who are a sister company.

2. We have Mason who looks as good if not better.

3. Periera Mata n Lingard aren't strikers so not sure the point you're making their bud. If anything that further emphasizes it's the midfield that's lacking.

 

[Gasolin]

So is this guy choosing to go to Juventus or something? I was hoping Ole could convince him, but maybe our current results doesn't interest him...

 

[sherrinford]

It is basically because he have broken 2 CL scoring records (and on par with Benzema for another) , scored 17 goals in 16 apps in Austria, has a real low release clause, is different to all our current strikers and is only 19.

And by chance we have a real strong connection with him so he could possibly join.

It is not because we are horrible in the striker apartment or NEED a striker right now.

It is because we have a chance to sign him , and he is Europes hottest young talent at the moment.

It is a opportunity that presents itself, nothing else. And it would be stupid to turn it down since we can easily afford him without it interfering with other purchases.

This is all completely irrelevant to my post.


I think we should buy Haaland if we can, particularly if he is available for as little as is reported. And replace Lingard/ Pereira in the lineup with him - it would only require a slight change in the role played by the ‘hole player’ and Rashford. That would likely be a bigger improvement than getting a ‘normal’ no.10 type as a player like that will traditionally come towards the ball and look to receive it into feet. Martial already does that (as has Rashford predominantly this season, infuriatingly). The ideal player to play off of him is someone who looks to go the other way and utilises space in a complimentary fashion. A Griezmann, Thomas Muller, Ludovic Giuly, Robbie Keane or Dries Mertens. Van De Beek or Werner are two others who I think would be a particularly good fit, for example. Haaland is a bundle of energy, perpetually moving, extremely direct and with a tremendous desire and instinct for getting on the end of chances. Playing together, I would expect Haaland and Martial to form a harmonious partnership.

 

[Santoryo]

He is available for 20 m, you cant just close your eyes because we need to sign players in other positions, not to forget he is a player in a position we do actually need now, we sold our main striker without replacing.

Striker is the least of our worries right now despite what people want to believe. There is no NEED for a striker to come in asap. Our front players have goals in them and have already scored plenty this season especially given the circumstances.

What's actually impeding them and circumventing their output to be even better is an inept midfield. The lack of creativity coming from the midfield is WHAT actually getting us in trouble.

Haa land will get here and struggle badly. Not only he has no experience in the PL and not used and would need to cope with the fast pace and physicality of the league, he won't be getting much support from midfield and not getting enough services. All this coupled with the pressure of playing for United would mean that we've just added another body which doesn't help much.

However if the midfield is fixed first, bringing in more strikers would actually make sense, especially ones who would rely on services. People expecting some kid coming from a far lower league and banging goals for us in the PL with our creativity issues have got this entire situation all wrong.

Fair enough if he's gettable on the cheap as quoted with his release clause(20 millions) and actually is as immensely talented as some keep claiming. But he isn't a priority nor someone that'll fix our immediate issues without fixing our midfield first.