How much of a priority is upgrading our goalkeeper?

sullydnl

Ross Kemp's caf ID
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Sep 13, 2012
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Interested to see where people currently sit on this.

On the one hand, De Gea will likely end up being our POTY this season having statistically been one of the best shot-stoppers in Europe this season. And in the process has seen off Dean Henderson as a challenger for the #1 spot.

On the other hand, this hasn't stopped him from being dropped from the Spain squad, where his lack of ability on the ball is too much of a problem for that side. This allied with his poor sweeping and cross claiming ability makes him a very one dimensional goalkeeper, only really suited to teams that will face a lot of shots regardless of which goalkeeper they have. He certainly wouldn't be an option for City or Liverpool given the way they play and (based on ETH's current Ajax set-up) wouldn't suit the caf's current favourite to be our next manager either.

So, relative to all the other problems in our side, how much of a priority do you think upgrading our goalkeeper is? Is it an essential first step for any manager looking to play progressive football, just as bombing Joe Hart out was for Pep at City? Is it a problem but one that will have to wait another season or two to fix due to more pressing issues elsewhere such as midfield and attack? Or do you fundamentally reject the idea that it's a problem at all and think De Gea should be signed to a new contract?
 
DDG really needs upgrading but our squad is such a mess it's still far down the priority list, below every position bar LW and CAM probably.
 
I think sweeping is a bit overrated, but just having 11 players who are comfortable with the ball at their feet is extremely important these days. DDG's distribution and short passing could be better but he's got decent technique and he's not the weak point when we're trying to play out from the back (our captain sticks out like a sore thumb in that regard).

He's in the wait and watch bucket for me.

CF, DM, CM, RW are much higher priorities for me this year.
 
To get to a position where we are back legitimately challenging Liverpool and City for the title, then we likely will need to upgrade DDG - look at the difference Ederson and Allison have made to their respective teams.

However we need to walk before we can run; there are massive gaping deficiencies in our squad which we need to address to assure we establish a consistent presence in the top 4 and CL, and DDG is definitely good enough for that.
 
He literally only excels at one aspect of being a keeper. Everything else aside from being comfortable on the ball are not about being a modern keeper but have always been required.

If you want to keep having to defend the on 18 yard line, have him kick long balls to no one, have defenders scrambling headers away on the 6 yard box while he stands on his line awaiting a save. Then yeah, he should be kept.

For me, the need is to play a higher line, have a more organised defence and be able to keep posession and play out from the back more. For this to happen he needs to go.
 
The only way we can make De Gea work as our no.1 going forward is if we upgrade our CB (Maguire) and DM options (McFred).
 
He lacks authority in his box, is terrible with the ball at his feet and his sweeping is average at best.

It's a high priority to move him on, and it needs to happen next summer.
 
Highest priority alongside DM and a Striker, Please no more CB's before we replace him and it has nothing to do with intent to play progressive football , just the fact that his lack of basics can't be ignored anymore his insistence to stick to goal line and lack of even basic command of his box creates uncertainty and chaos amongst the back line which makes them look poorer than they actually are .
 
It's not a priority at all. Put a decent team in front of him and there'd barely be a whisper of this. Put Allison in our net and everyone would be desperate to move him on too.
 
I think we'd have to pay a lot to get someone to take him and I just can't see the money men at the club greenlighting that.
 
Ddg isnt comanding enough in his 5 yard box and it shows. But there are a lot of holes in this squad so the GK position isnt a priority
 
gajender said:
Highest priority alongside DM and a Striker, Please no more CB's before we replace him and it has nothing to do with intent to play progressive football , just the fact that his lack of basics can't be ignored anymore his insistence to stick to goal line and lack of even basic command of his box creates uncertainty and chaos amongst the back line which makes them look poorer than they actually are .
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Mendy is the best example here. He isn't exactly a modern keeper but could command his box, so Chelsea can afford some of his limitations.
 
DOTA said:
I think we'd have to pay a lot to get someone to take him and I just can't see the money men at the club greenlighting that.
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Actually we don't his contract expires in 2023 if we don't take the option for further one year extension . Just tell him he would no longer be considered as first choice going forward and he has Club's blessings to find a new Club most probably he would take Pay cut to move away for longer contract .
 
VeevaVee said:
It's not a priority at all. Put a decent team in front of him and there'd barely be a whisper of this. Put Allison in our net and everyone would be desperate to move him on too.
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This.
People are going to be begging for a DDG once he’s gone and we haven’t been able to get an even half decent keeper in return.
 
I want him gone, not least because of his wages. We need a complete revamp of the wage bill.
 
In my own opinion, I think he'd be a crippling weakness in any side looking to match up to Liverpool and City. It simply won't happen with him in the side. He needs to be replaced.

However there are other problem positions outfield that would cripple us to a comparable degree and they're posed by players I don't have 400+ games of built up affection for and who have even contributed less than De Gea this season. So for that reason I'd prioritise those other areas first. In a lot of cases our hand is forced in that regard anyway as there are imminent departures that will hurt the squad composition.

If it were up to me the plan would be to let De Gea leave when his current contract runs out in either 2023 or 2024 (if we trigger the year extension). That would give us a season or two to fix other problems first and indentify the best long-term replacement for him. It would also give a graceful exit to the long-serving De Gea.

But if a manager like Enrique or ETH immediately dropped him, I would appreciate their decisiveness in commiting immediately to the way they want to play.
 
Do we know for a fact that there are any other keepers out there that can truly communicate with Maguire?
 
gajender said:
Actually we don't his contract expires in 2023 if we don't take the option for further one year extension . Just tell him he would no longer be considered as first choice going forward and he has Club's blessings to find a new Club most probably he would take Pay cut to move away for longer contract .
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I thought a year more than that. That's considerably more realistic then.
 
Idxomer said:
Mendy is the best example here. He isn't exactly a modern keeper but could command his box, so Chelsea can afford some of his limitations.
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Agreed DeGea limitations has nothing to do with Modern Football his weaknesses would have been problem in any Era and Unlike some I don't believe we actually need extraordinary keeper to replace him just a well rounded keeper who excels at basics would be an upgrade . As you stated Mendy is quite a good example of this.
 
If we're expecting a significant change in style with a high line then it will definitely not work with De Gea.

He's been a constant in our worst sides. Time for a change.
 
How people on here still believe DDG is a top keeper is baffling. He is only rated by Utd fans but it not rated by Spain so much is sure. He has one good trade the rest of his game is mediocre to poor. I would take any keeper with a solid shot stopping but is solid in all the other attributes as well over TV save DDG any day of the week. Weak mentality and probably the captain of nice Utd.
 
VeevaVee said:
It's not a priority at all. Put a decent team in front of him and there'd barely be a whisper of this. Put Allison in our net and everyone would be desperate to move him on too.
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The issue is less how Allison would look in our current side (because we'd have been shite this season regardless of who the goalkeeper was) and more how De Gea would look in this Liverpool or City side, because that's where we're aiming to be.

And the reality is that he would be awful in those sides. Because they're the teams that put most emphasis on the areas De Gea is weak and least emphasis on the area he's strong. That's why they've both ended up with the type of goalkeeper they have.
 
I kind of equate De Gea to be the goalkeeping version of Fernandes, tbh. Both thrive in chaotic, uncoached environments.

De Gea will have a great individual season making endless saves and some audacious reaction stops, but it’ll normally come in a season where the entire defence is lost at sea because the guy behind them radiates an aura of nervousness and a lack of control.

Having a ‘keeper with a semblance of modern play about him would be nice. I don’t think Henderson is that answer, unfortunately.
 
sullydnl said:
The issue is less how Allison would look in our current side (because we'd have been shite this season regardless of who the goalkeeper was) and more how De Gea would look in this Liverpool or City side, because that's where we're aiming to be.

And the reality is that he would be awful in those sides. Because they're the teams that put most emphasis on the areas De Gea is weak and least emphasis on the area he's strong. That's why they've both ended up with the type of goalkeeper they have.
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Fair point. Although I'd suggest in terms of priority, as per the Q in the op, he's still way down the list, behind RB, CB, DM, RW, and possibly even LB. And replacing Ronaldo as well.
 
This summer? Not a priority at all.

You work your way through the weakest areas of your team first and the keeper is towards the bottom of that list atm.

We can't be complaining about our goalkeeper not being able to play with the ball when you have players like Scott McTominay and Aaron Wan Bissaka hanging around the first team.
 
5 or 6th for me, a top goalie might mitigate some issues but wouldn't solve the general shiteness of the team.
 
He will need to be replaced in the coming seasons, which makes sense as his contract will be running down then and we shouldn’t try to renew.

Replaced this summer? Not unless a good offer comes in, I wouldn’t go out our way to sell him. There won’t be a massive transfer budget this summer and there will be far more pressing matters to address.
 
sullydnl said:
The issue is less how Allison would look in our current side (because we'd have been shite this season regardless of who the goalkeeper was) and more how De Gea would look in this Liverpool or City side, because that's where we're aiming to be.

And the reality is that he would be awful in those sides. Because they're the teams that put most emphasis on the areas De Gea is weak and least emphasis on the area he's strong. That's why they've both ended up with the type of goalkeeper they have.
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We haven't got anything to worry about for a while then. Allison was literally one of the last pieces of the puzzle for Klopp. He made a CL final with Karius and Mignolet so up until the rest of the team gets to that sort of level or De Gea's level drops again, I think we can wait.
 
Probably like 8th on my list of priorities

DM
RW
CM Pogba replacement
Striker (I'd rotate both Rashford and Martial up top if we can't find anyone great)
RB

And then you can look at CB, GK etc
 
marktan said:
Probably like 8th on my list of priorities

DM
RW
CM Pogba replacement
Striker (I'd rotate both Rashford and Martial up top if we can't find anyone great)
RB

And then you can look at CB, GK etc
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This is kind to our left backs.
 
Skills said:
We haven't got anything to worry about for a while then. Allison was literally one of the last pieces of the puzzle for Klopp. He made a CL final with Karius and Mignolet so up until the rest of the team gets to that sort of level or De Gea's level drops again, I think we can wait.
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True but the flip example would be Pep at City, who looked to upgrade his goalkeeper's on-the-ball abillity immediately upon arriving at City. And that was in favour of the likes of Bravo/Caballero, never mind a more legit keeper like Ederson.
 
VeevaVee said:
It's not a priority at all. Put a decent team in front of him and there'd barely be a whisper of this. Put Allison in our net and everyone would be desperate to move him on too.
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Agreed. Dave has his ups and downs, but not having a great team ahead of him over the past 7-8 years has been a problem, particularly since Maguire arrived. Most other keepers, including Allison and Oblak would underperform a bit under those circumstances.
 
sullydnl said:
True but the flip example would be Pep at City, who looked to upgrade his goalkeeper's on-the-ball abillity immediately upon arriving at City. And that was in favour of the likes of Bravo/Caballero, never mind a more legit keeper like Ederson.
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Hart was a poor keeper at the time who needed to be moved on regardless.

Keeper for me is one of the last positions you want to start fecking around with. Its disastrous if you recruit incorrectly and you'll end up sinking 10s of millions down the sink trying to actually "fix it". It's so hard to recruit the right keeper and the Bravo saga should be a massive red flag.

I'd be grateful that we're not in the fix it phase at the moment, because it would then easily be P1. On the other hand, if there is an Allison on the market who's a sure thing I'd be open to getting them. Is there is a sure thing keeper on the market at the moment?
 
Nowhere near the top of the list of priorities in our transfer dealings this summer. You could be the best sweeper keeper in the world but if you’re passing out to Maguire or AWB it’ll mean nothing.
 
Change the keeper and I think we wouod look a far more assured in defence, he cause so much panic , hesitation and problems with pushing up because of how he is glued to the line and you can see defenders when they try to pass their way out think twice to pass back to him and end up getting caught on the ball
 
Henderson will get his opportunity and wouldnt be surprised if he‘s starting next season.
 
Definitely secondary. There are far bigger holes in the team which needs filling up asap i.e. DM, ST, and RW/RB/CB, etc. Maybe next summer.
 
we should give Henderson an opportunity before discussing other options.
 
So far down on my list of priorities and even then I’d want a better keeper than Henderson to replace him.
 
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