He's a 1 in 4 goalscorer who's best playing as a number 10.
If we lose Martial who should we buy as a backup striker?
- Thread starter Zlatattack
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He's a 1 in 4 goalscorer who's best playing as a number 10.
I know but it seems to be worth the gamble with rashford ability to play there as well, we gotta take those punts. Ten Hag is the right manager for the job. Get a 21 year old Weghorst or Harry Kane and we’ll see a real player built
Martial is not going to leave. He spent 3/4 of last season out injured and earns £250k a week. Why would any club be dumb enough to buy him? He will leave next summer on a free.
If we somehow do sell him, I don't think we'll bring in a replacement. I expect us to use Hojlund, Rashford and Sancho there. The club may also be looking at using #11.
If we somehow do sell him, I don't think we'll bring in a replacement. I expect us to use Hojlund, Rashford and Sancho there. The club may also be looking at using #11.
We still need an actual backup 9 to Hojlund
21 year old Weghorst,jeez that's scary
We aren't getting one. We will buy Amrabat and a replacement for Maguire. We'll be done after that.
I think Hojlund was the Martial replacement, and not the final answer to our CF problem. Rashford and perhaps Sancho will play there when he doesn't. Eventually, Hojlund must be the backup to fight for the starting spot with hopefully a more established signing in the years to come. I don't people register that Hojlund is over a year younger than Greenwood. Man's just a promising youth prospect.
Toney in January maybe?
Big pressure on Hojlund from September then,like O Neill said on their podcast earlier we are short without a loan backup ST and totally agree
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To be fair we don’t really know what Højlund can do yet. Yes his numbers haven’t been fantastic thus far but he’s super young and has bags of potential. Who knows? He might come in and click straight away with the midfield. He might take direction from ETH incredibly well. He might even bang in 25 goals this season.
I don’t think many of us saw Rashford doing what he did last season. So right now the sky is the limit for Højlund.
I don’t think many of us saw Rashford doing what he did last season. So right now the sky is the limit for Højlund.
Nobody is taking Martial, his contract is up next summer (thank fecking heavens) . A loan out isn’t viable because nobody would pay even 20% of his wages so we may as well keep him for emergencies.
Depends how you want to replace him, with a long term contributor or a stop-gap pending another big move next season. Also the profile and the budget goes without saying.
I think for long term options there are a few talents in the French league who might fit the bill - Diallo, Wahi are standouts, but still relatively young. Gouiri is rated but moved relatively recently. Still think David would be good, but seems he has committed to Lille this season. Nobody of note seems to be available in Spain, Germany you have Sesko, Muani who we've been linked with, I actually liked the look of Dodi Lukebakio after watching him in the grand total of 1 game
In Italy I think we've already taken their best young talent in Hojland. Arguable how many of the mentioned players are No 9s.
For a final hurrah would the likes of Immobile, or Morata be worthwhile, in a mentor role while offering something in front of goal. Would Choupo-Moting be available after Kane signs? Fullkrug could be available, seems he is in contract discussions with Bremen, he's a bit of a throwback.
Wildcard picks - Furuhashi from Celtic, Douvikas from Utrecht looks like a battering ram option who is good in front of goal, Kramaric has always looked reasonable.
*for most of these picks I've tried to suggest forwards who won't cost the earth, since it is likely we are bargain basement shopping.
I think for long term options there are a few talents in the French league who might fit the bill - Diallo, Wahi are standouts, but still relatively young. Gouiri is rated but moved relatively recently. Still think David would be good, but seems he has committed to Lille this season. Nobody of note seems to be available in Spain, Germany you have Sesko, Muani who we've been linked with, I actually liked the look of Dodi Lukebakio after watching him in the grand total of 1 game
In Italy I think we've already taken their best young talent in Hojland. Arguable how many of the mentioned players are No 9s.For a final hurrah would the likes of Immobile, or Morata be worthwhile, in a mentor role while offering something in front of goal. Would Choupo-Moting be available after Kane signs? Fullkrug could be available, seems he is in contract discussions with Bremen, he's a bit of a throwback.
Wildcard picks - Furuhashi from Celtic, Douvikas from Utrecht looks like a battering ram option who is good in front of goal, Kramaric has always looked reasonable.
*for most of these picks I've tried to suggest forwards who won't cost the earth, since it is likely we are bargain basement shopping.
Hojlund is the archetype. Who else is like him? Oshimen? Can't think of any cheap options. Don''t think he will just get a completely different type of striker. Sure he will play Rashford there but that's forced
Nobody is going to buy Martial so this debate is irrelevant
Depends what happens with MG
True
Orban please
Sticking head above the parapet but here goes....
If Greenwood had been accused by a "party girl" of beating and raping her but there were no witnesses or any other evidence beyond he said/she said and the CPS decided there was no prospect of a conviction so therefor decided against proceeding with it then him coming back into the squad after a period of club suspension would have been expected and accepted.
But that wasn't the case was it. We are lead to believe that it was his partner at the time (still?) who released those disgusting visual and audio files for the whole world to see and hear of what this individual has been up to.
The terms innocent and guilty are legal terms and have no bearing on whether an individual actually committed the act/s in question, they have no relevance when we are able to see and hear the "evidence" ourselves.
The very thought that this individual might wear the shirt and represent this great club of ours ever again is reprehensible and why people here are including him in possible attacking formations I have no idea.
If Greenwood had been accused by a "party girl" of beating and raping her but there were no witnesses or any other evidence beyond he said/she said and the CPS decided there was no prospect of a conviction so therefor decided against proceeding with it then him coming back into the squad after a period of club suspension would have been expected and accepted.
But that wasn't the case was it. We are lead to believe that it was his partner at the time (still?) who released those disgusting visual and audio files for the whole world to see and hear of what this individual has been up to.
The terms innocent and guilty are legal terms and have no bearing on whether an individual actually committed the act/s in question, they have no relevance when we are able to see and hear the "evidence" ourselves.
The very thought that this individual might wear the shirt and represent this great club of ours ever again is reprehensible and why people here are including him in possible attacking formations I have no idea.
One worry I never see mentioned with Toney is that if he was suspended for gambling... There's a non zero chance it happens again. You know, with gambling being a possible addiction and all.
"If we lose Martial"...
In what way do anyone think we'll lose him? Loan? Sale? Injuries for the rest of the season?
In what way do anyone think we'll lose him? Loan? Sale? Injuries for the rest of the season?
Are we actually looking to sell him though?
Most importantly what do you think the actual odds would be that he’d do it again? Asking for a friend (named Ivan).
If you lose Martial I'd suggest looking down blind alleys with a couple of defenders milling around waiting for him to lose the ball....it seems to be where he is happiest.
Andy Goldstein on talkSPORT all this week has been going on about. He’s been told we are after another striker and already working on the deal. I know talkSPORT is full of shit he’s not want to usually make up this kind of in the know stuff, he wrote the strikers name down and showed Darren Bent and said look this I’ll come to you can tell them if I’m right or wrong after the transfer window. Probably just wishful thinking on my behalf, but I hope it’s true.
How come we aren’t even remotely linked with Morata. I know he isn’t the best goal scorer in the world but he offers so much more that ETH would like. Also he is 30, in his last year of contract and Athletics won’t mind selling him… fits all criterias
He extended his contact to 2026 a while ago.
Is that the guy from Gent?
Taremi
Yes, great little talent, good price supposedly too
Missed that, nevermind.
Ye he looks very good. Watched him once in the Europa and he got a first halve Hat trick.
The man has a terrible fitness record. Even when he’s fit, he turns it on and off sporadically, we need experience up front. Reliable is required.
Probably nobody if he goes. Rashford and Hojlund for CF. It's not worth even replacing the minimal contribution Martial brings.
You don't know what you saw or heard (and neither do I, or anyone else here,). The accuser has thrown the veracity of all of this apparently conclusive evidence into question, sufficiently for the CPS to accept that they wouldn't be able to take a case forward. If a witness tells you they constructed and misrepresented AV materials respectively, then they might of course be covering something up in turn to protect a partner, but you (and everyone who viewed/heard) that material has to at least strongly consider whether it might not indeed have been manipulated. There's a reason why we've constructed systems of law that go beyond 'they're obviously guilty' or 'simple common sense' or ' you know, of course he did it...' Unfortunately the court of social media and associated, long-standing public hysteria hasn't caught up to this yet. But they're not standards of judgement that any of us should be subject to - what if you aggrieved your partner and they then created a fake audio file in which ' you' stated you were going to kill them, or uttered racial slurs, and posted this on social media? Would you want the world to listen to that audio and and take it as unimpeachable fact without enquiring more deeply into the circumstances. I'm not saying that happened here - in fact I think it's very unlikely - but even the least techsavvy (millennial or gen z person in particular) has access to mobile app tech that can create the most lifelike images or voice conversations.
You can, say, argue that domestic abuse is a serious thing that ought to be addressed at the level of law and stricter sentences as well as pushing back against misogynistic influencers essentially condoning this, whilst also arguing that lots of people are jumping on the MG 'case' for their own clicks or validation and virtue-signalling (or just as oppos) or to get funding for their organizations. Both of those things can be true at the same time. MG can be someone with a history of toxic behaviour and also a scapegoat who isn't guilty of the criminal charges which were levied against him and who has reunited with his partner. Again, both things can be true.
None of that is to suggest that the initial conclusion wasn't true, but you cant pre-emptively convict someone based on that, nor terminate their contract based upon a supposition (at least not someone with proper employment protection, like a footballer, unlike your average agency worker , say ). There's plenty of circumstantial evidence to suggest MG was an awful boyfriend and even verbally abusive at the time, but you cant terminate a contract purely over that (it depends, of course, what can be unequivocally attributed to him). You can treat it like a PR issue combined with a disciplinary issue, with the player offering suitable contrition, much like we've had players elsewhere do community service or take fines or 'make up' for using racial slurs or bringing their club/the game into disrepute etc. But at the moment it's a kangaroo court via twitter and protest...
Very much agree with this.
very much agree with you mate
Ermm, that’s 7 players you have there not 8.
- Rashford
- Hojlund
- Sancho
- Garnacho
- Antony
- Amad
- Greenwood
That means 6 players for 3 forward positions, if Martial leaves. With many young and inexperienced players in there. It’s avery young forward line. The oldest one in it is literally Rashford at 25.
I’m not saying we should keep Martial if there’s a way out for him. But adding a veteran striker as replacement, wouldn’t be the worst decision.
We can't afford to lose Martial. We have one striker and he's a raw kid who hasn't even played for the club yet, plus Rashford who can cover there but it's not his best position. No chance of making that work over nine months. Even if Martial is only available half the season, that's still half a season more than having no-one.
If we sold him, we'd get, what...15M maybe? And it would cost us four times that - at least - to get someone of even reasonable abillity. Better keeping him around as an extra body for this season
If we sold him, we'd get, what...15M maybe? And it would cost us four times that - at least - to get someone of even reasonable abillity. Better keeping him around as an extra body for this season