It depends on what we want to achieve this season, isn't it?
Fabinho
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If we end up with a defensive LB/Perisic combo on one flank, and a Valencia/Mhkitaryan (or whatever, but no new player there) combo on the right, I would say it makes the most sense to give Pogba plenty of freedom as an AM. He is potentially our best card, and should be used accordingly.
Which means fielding a pure holder + Herrera.
That pure holder can be Carrick in easier games/for rotation, but we'll need a starter for that role.
Which means fielding a pure holder + Herrera.
That pure holder can be Carrick in easier games/for rotation, but we'll need a starter for that role.
This is why I'm not completely aghast at the idea of Dier. There's a certain logic there (not that we've been firmly linked with him either). You'd wonder if such a thought would hinge on a midfield three becoming default for the coming season though. It's possible that;
Been trying to acclimatize myself to this possibility for a little while. We were in for Griezmann after all. A lot of people here will be miffed if this happens though! Pogba in a two, for one. There's also that it leaves Herrera as our DM, but I think hes underrated there. A little bit Carrick, a little bit Gattuso. It's the whole 'one attacking, one defensive' fullback thing that makes it a llittle like a compromise, for me. Dante's post ^^ explains why pretty well.
We most certainly want to at least challenge for the title. Maybe we have someone else in mind?
I wouldn't say hundreds but there is a few of them around. We have a very similar player in Herrera.
We won't do that with Dier or Matic, so I hope so.
I suppose the obvious response is they both played in the teams who came first and second in the league last year: so I'll just do that.
Playing with an attack far superior to ours. Regardless, we should be aiming higher than current Tottenham ffs, not looking to emulate their nearly men finishes by buying their benchwarmers.
It's really no surprise Chelsea are reportedly looking to upgrade on Matic either. He was hardly incredible for them last season, they won the league because of Hazard, Kante and Costa being effective when it mattered.
Where is the source to confirm this is over? Looks to me BBC just quoting themselves from earlier in the week and they had no credible sorce then either.
I have argued is there any evidence to say this is on but the fact is, as i see of this moment, there is as much evidence to say its on as there is to say its off.
Because we all know a centre mid is on the way in. But who is it? There is as much movement here as anywhere else. I am still not 100% convinced we are signing this lad but unless some one can show this source(which IIRC mounted up to little more than speculation) to confirm its off... Then we are, as we were, nothing has changed.
Its not like the BBC have never been wrong before now is it
I have argued is there any evidence to say this is on but the fact is, as i see of this moment, there is as much evidence to say its on as there is to say its off.
Because we all know a centre mid is on the way in. But who is it? There is as much movement here as anywhere else. I am still not 100% convinced we are signing this lad but unless some one can show this source(which IIRC mounted up to little more than speculation) to confirm its off... Then we are, as we were, nothing has changed.
Its not like the BBC have never been wrong before now is it
We don't. Also the BBC is as reliable as it gets.
cool... so just show me the source of this "understanding" and i'll move on
As I said, BBC is as reliable as it gets. As you yourself said, there's hardly any noise for a midfielder, so if anything it's your hunch that we are supposedly guaranteed to be in for one which is out of place.
I hope we are in for a midfielder, but there's been nothing to suggest we are undeniably in for one as you claimed, let alone Fabinho.
It's not the BBC though it's Simon Stone who up until recently was a free lance Journalist
It's pretty obvious that Jose's priority is to strengthen the starting XI first. He's pretty much confident with both Herrera and Pogba as our 2 men midfield (and they both always fit and CL has better schedule than EL) with Carrick and Pereira as the backup. And if Jose wants to switch to 3 men midfield, he will use Fellaini in 3 men midfield or even both Mata and Mkhy can also be the no 10 option. I have no problem with that and it makes sense, given that we still need to sign a winger, another striker or two strikers and possibility a left back and these cost a lot of money and we aren't trying to solve everything in one summer.
Long term injuries can happen anytime. If it happens then the backup has to step up their level but for now I agree with Jose to strengthen the starting XI first.
Long term injuries can happen anytime. If it happens then the backup has to step up their level but for now I agree with Jose to strengthen the starting XI first.
It's true United isn't interested in the full-back Fabinho. It's the other defensive midfielder Fabinho we're interested in.
I' sorry, that doesn't make sense. As good as Herrera's shown, and even if we go for a midfield two, just with him and Pogba, it is clearly possible to be strengthened. And in 4-3-3, Fellaini being useful in advanced midfield, he's a limited defensive option.
Let's all hope that Jose thinks Fosu or Tuanzebe are the future holding mids in a potential 4-3-3. Obviously their playmaking won't exceed what we'd get from Fabinho, but maybe the idea is simply to have the holding mid free up Hererra and Pogba for playmaking with Perisic, Morata and Mki?
He doesn't.
Well this is disappointing if true. Fabinho was the one monaco player I really wanted us to get in 
That bold sentence doesn't make any sense though. You want us to strengthen the position that we have good enough options for starting XI of two men midfield (Herrera & pogba).
Why can't we try to strengthened other position or roles that weaker than Herrera being as our first choice midfielder such as left back, centre back (which we already did), winger and striker??
Like I said before. We aren't trying to solve everything in one windows here. There are other positions or roles that we must strengthen first in our starting XI. After that, we can upgrade our backup options.
No no, im saying he is not going to rely on Carrick and Fellaini. Herrera and Pogs and Carrick can do a lot but its not enough for a full season plus CL. There is knocks and rotation and suspentions. We just about coped last season with the help of the kids. I suppose there is Pereira, but its not like Jose to be thinking about kids. Although he will get game time.
He will be thinking about winning the league this season and if he is he will need to buy a centre mid. Thats judging by his own comment that he has seen our weaknesses and will address them.
Its logical to me
But yea, i have always looked for stronger proof we were in for this guy... But by the same token, i need better he is not on the wanted list. Mainly because we are one short on the target of 4.
Yeah, I don't agree. A powerful defensive midfielder like Fabinho might not bench Herrera in every game at 4-2-3-1 but would, for me, improve a midfield two with Pogba. Basically, Herrera is improvable.
Look, if we are going to play 2 men midfield. From that XI (I pick players who played the most) which role in pecking order we need to strengthen first?
DDG
Valencia Bailly Rojo Darmian
Herrera Pogba
Mata Mkhy Rashford
Zlatan
Mine will be:
1) Striker - because Zlatan is out
2) Winger - because Mata and Rashford aren't wingers
3) Left back - because Shaw can't stay fit and Darmian as a left back is worse than Herrera as a midfielder
4) a centre back - we already did buy a new centre back
Does this not make sense to you that there are other positions/roles that we need to strengthen first before midfield?
BBC knows feck all...
If we brief them it is over for this summer, since Woody is the main man that seems to be our strategy. Normally we get "rejected", but here i could see us really not being interested. We have very good chances to snap him up if we actually would want him
Just adds to the Mendes conundrum. Is Mourinho blocking his players?
Hence why I put back up to Herrera.
I would much prefer the 433 too, but I do think Jose will want to bring in a number 10 and winger and play a 4231.
Morata
Persic Number 10 Mkhitaryan
Fabinho->City
Mendy&Mbappe->Utd ?
Mendy&Mbappe->Utd ?
My god, if we don't go for a defensive midfielder, is Blind there going to happen?
I love transfer season, the meltdown in here is joy to behold.
Do you think it could be Monaco dragging their feet on the transfer? Probably don't want their entire squad stripped. Fabinho has said he is interested, and you'd think United would be interested.
With the news about our interest for Andre Gomes or Talisca, it seems the 4-2-3-1 scenario with Herrera as the DM/holding mid, plus maybe TFM as a backup, is becoming more likely. Like I noted before, the interest in Griezmann pointed toward this, as he would've slotted in as the #10, while Pogba would operate in a midfield 2. A workhorse winger like Perisic would help cover the defense better than a bombing forward winger like Costa, allowing Pogba a bit more freedom to create up top. I think our muppet fantasies for a new age DM like Fabinho are toast.
Weird thing to say, given that Chelsea have won the title twice with Matic as a permanent fixture in the team, while Tottenham have run the last two title winners closest with Dier as their holding midfielder. Neither are my first choice for this position, but the extent to which people disparage the abilities of these two players is beyond belief.
Matic has been average for two seasons now. As I said, they won the league off the performances of Hazard, Kante and Costa. If reports are to be believed, they are actively looking to improve on him, which is hardly a surprise. Dier has hardly been a factor since Wanyama has become a mainstay in their team. Besides, I'd hope we look higher than a player who sits on the bench for a team of nearly men.
You can't just make that statement and expect people to take it as gospel without evidence. There are rarely ever passengers in title winning teams, certainly not if they're regular starters.
As for Dier, he made 34 starts this season, so your argument that he hasn't been a factor and mostly a bench player holds no water whatsoever. And the nearly men you're talking about finished four places ahead of us in the most competitive league in the world. Aside from Fabinho, who do you see as a candidate for this position that plays at a competitively higher level?
Never said he was a water carrier, simply said Chelsea are looking to improve on him. He's 28, has already peaked and won't be improving anymore. He's coming off the back of two seasons, one in which he was woeful and one in which he was at best solid. Playing alongside Kante with 3 defenders behind you is hardly the same situation he'll be in here, as well.
Where Spurs finished means feck all to me. They've won feck all and we've been shite for years. Buying overrated Englishmen is hardly going to fix that issue. The EPL is the most competitive league in the world, maybe, but it's far away from being the best in the world. The fact that English teams have been so shite in Europe for the past decade is proof of this. Buying technically limited, overrated Englishmen isn't the remedy for that. On who alternatives are, I don't know. I'm not a scout. Nzonzi looks a top player, though.
This is all pretty pointless anyway, I don't see us signing Matic or Dier.
We won our last league title with Cleverley in midfield, still didn't mean he wasn't shit. What a team achieves doesn't tell you much about a player's individual quality and by going for players like Dier and Matic we are simply setting ourselves up to getting robbed blind by the likes of Levy for marginal improvements or in Matic's case for a player that could be at the start of a slow but sustained decline.
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