James Rodriguez| Is considering his options

Where the feck were you when he scored 17 goals and assisted a further 18 the previous season, the year after the World Cup? Do you want us to sign Mkhi then?

Yep and from the outside in, the perception would be we should sign Vardy....doesn't always tell the true story
 
He's not fast either, what's your point? Fact is that pace is a weakness.
Pace isn't that important for #10, as long as it's not a debilitating sloth-like issue - which it isn't in James' case. This is a highly specialized position we're taking about in football where skill and tactical intelligence is more important than blistering athleticism, since it's not the 100m at the Olympics. Infact, you could probably count the number of top-notch speedmerchant #10s over the last decade on one hand, as opposed to an abundance of medium paced ones.

José has fielded the likes of Deco, Lampard, Sneijder, Özil, and Oscar at that position in the past, and while they were very different type of players, none of them were rapid in the mold of a Kaká. James would be a good fit in a counter-attacking setup (which is usually the attacking tactic n a Mourinho team), and given his uncertain situation at Madrid - might be one of the best #10s (outside of the borderline unrealistic ones) we could hope to sign in the current market.
 
How many pacy No 10s are out there? See the "he isn't pacy" argument brought out a lot but a No 10 is one position where rapid pace isn't required at all which reflects in the players that you see along there for various clubs around the world.
 
Because Monaco who had him overpaid as well.
Real overpaid so they should take the hit, much like we take the hit when we overpay. Guardian say Monaco bought João Moutinho and James Rodríguez from Porto for £60m in a single deal. James is clearly the more valuable player, worth about 4× to 3× Moutinho. So that values James at £45m to £48m to Monaco when they signed him. They made a tidy profit. Now Real will have to take a hit. I don't see a £50m player here; £35m yes. He's just about to turn 25 too, so he's past that age where you hope he'll turn into the next Messi/Ronaldo/Neymar. We're not buying potential, just buying the player we see. He may be very good but he's £35m good/£40m max. His wages will be a lot. There are less than 10 clubs who can afford wages like that. I guess he's a more robust version of Mata, with a better long shot. Neither of them seem to dribble much at all.
 
Pace isn't that important for #10, as long as it's not a debilitating sloth-like issue - which it isn't in James' case. This is a highly specialized position we're taking about in football where skill and tactical intelligence is more important than blistering athleticism, since it's not the 100m at the Olympics. Infact, you could probably count the number of top-notch speedmerchant #10s over the last decade on one hand, as opposed to an abundance of medium paced ones.

José has fielded the likes of Deco, Lampard, Sneijder, Özil, and Oscar at that position in the past, and while they were very different type of players, none of them were rapid in the mold of a Kaká. James would be a good fit in a counter-attacking setup (which is usually the attacking tactic n a Mourinho team), and given his uncertain situation at Madrid - might be one of the best #10s (outside of the borderline unrealistic ones) we could hope to sign in the current market.

Yeah, don't think so either. I was only refering to the observation of his pace, not that it would stop him from becoming a fantastic No. 10 (in fact I stated this in the thread earlier).

Otherwise I mostly agree. What I would note though is that the counter-attacking set up is in general only used against other top teams. Against weaker teams that sit deep that obviously doesn't work, but with James shooting ability that isn't something bad either. Can only repeat myself from the post back then: I would absolutely buy him, although not entirely convinced of his skills (but also with regards to his marketing value).
 
Real overpaid so they should take the hit, much like we take the hit when we overpay. Guardian say Monaco bought João Moutinho and James Rodríguez from Porto for £60m in a single deal. James is clearly the more valuable player, worth about 4× to 3× Moutinho. So that values James at £45m to £48m to Monaco when they signed him. They made a tidy profit. Now Real will have to take a hit. I don't see a £50m player here; £35m yes. He's just about to turn 25 too, so he's past that age where you hope he'll turn into the next Messi/Ronaldo/Neymar. We're not buying potential, just buying the player we see. He may be very good but he's £35m good/£40m max. His wages will be a lot. There are less than 10 clubs who can afford wages like that. I guess he's a more robust version of Mata, with a better long shot. Neither of them seem to dribble much at all.

I think you are massively under estimating the current transfer market/ the Man Utd tax.

Rodriguez is probably a £45-50 million pound player in the current market when you compare to recent transfer such as Di Maria, Martial, Bailly, De Bruyne, Sterling etc. The market prices are crazy
 
Just plain wrong.
The amount of ignorant posts in this thread is staggering. Apparently James Rodriguez is a player who only had one good tournament, is really slow, and can't really do anything well apart from shooting technique.
 
He's not fast either, what's your point? Fact is that pace is a weakness.
My point is that saying "he's really slow" is factually wrong. His pace is only a weakness if you're playing him on the wing. As a number 10, its not an issue.
 
Real overpaid so they should take the hit, much like we take the hit when we overpay. Guardian say Monaco bought João Moutinho and James Rodríguez from Porto for £60m in a single deal. James is clearly the more valuable player, worth about 4× to 3× Moutinho. So that values James at £45m to £48m to Monaco when they signed him. They made a tidy profit. Now Real will have to take a hit. I don't see a £50m player here; £35m yes. He's just about to turn 25 too, so he's past that age where you hope he'll turn into the next Messi/Ronaldo/Neymar. We're not buying potential, just buying the player we see. He may be very good but he's £35m good/£40m max. His wages will be a lot. There are less than 10 clubs who can afford wages like that. I guess he's a more robust version of Mata, with a better long shot. Neither of them seem to dribble much at all.
35mil does not buy you a Rodriguez in the current market.
 
Not for £50 million, more like £35-40 million. Would be a fair price in my opinion.

Can you imagine him, Herrera and Mata in the same team? I can't think of a less terrifying trio to line up against. Would be the equivalent of seeing 3 puppies running towards you.

:lol:
I just don't think he is suitable for Mourinho's style of play. Very lightweight, gets fouled a lot and slows down the attacks. Same problems as Mata...

Just watch his last match on Copa Amerika



Or even his best match on tournament, vs Paraguay



Mkhitaryan offers so much more as a AMC - he is tough, very strong in duels, runs with a ball, starts great counters... James' first touch is better, and nothing else.


This guy gets it.
 
35mil does not buy you a Rodriguez in the current market.

We're talking about a market where Troy fecking Deeney is valued at 30m+ and then you see there are some who think James is at best a 35m player! Mental!
 
We're talking about a market where Troy fecking Deeney is valued at 30m+ and then you see there are some who think James is at most a 35m player! Mental!
Yep, people want to ignore how much money is in the game now. Was the same in the pogba thread with someone saying he's worth 60mil max.
 
This guy gets it.

You really should look at the vids before posting, it's a flurry of direct forward passes and one/two touch football. Not even close to Mata, and he has a very high work rate and like to win balls back.
 
An expensive luxary player who won't fit into Mourinho's hardworking defensively disciplined approach.

No idea why Mourinho would sign him especially when we have a similar player i.e. Mata who will also be out of the starting 11.
 
You really should look at the vids before posting, it's a flurry of direct forward passes and one/two touch football. Not even close to Mata, and he has a very high work rate and like to win balls back.

Hm, ya, watching youtube clips to form opinions, the likes of Nani would look like Pelé on Youtube i'm sure so.. i'll pass. Though I have previously seen James play for Porto, Columbia and Real, I don't think hes the dynamic type of player suited for the right that we're in need of, and in a no.10 role, if we're going to buy someone i'd rather we go all out for Pogba.
He's also building a rep of enjoying the night life a little too much and I'm not sure he'd want to leave Madrid this summer, rather, it would be the club forcing him out, which could be an issue if his heart isnt in a move.
And lastly, I intensely dislike the idea of Mendes and Real using us and we come running like a lapdog, only to fund their (Real's) purchase of Pogba.

Also the people banging on about how much James is worth, even myself as a novice saleman (and idiot) know, if the seller want's desperately rid, in order to fund another project, you have the advantage, so why on earth would you pay the top dollar fee they want.
 
I have my reservations about signing him, but some of you are underrating James.

He did not just have 1 good WC and go into hiding since then.

He was good for Monaco the season prior to the WC. Had a good 1st season at Real Madrid. He's out of the team, because he does not fit Zidane's vision of a 433. He's not a CM, so he has no place in their current team. He's not being shunted out for lack of talent.
 
I think you are massively under estimating the current transfer market/ the Man Utd tax.

Rodriguez is probably a £45-50 million pound player in the current market when you compare to recent transfer such as Di Maria, Martial, Bailly, De Bruyne, Sterling etc. The market prices are crazy

Exactly, the "supposed" marquee signings would probably be costing 1.5-2x what they would two years ago, so I would say Real Madrid selling him for less than they paid two years ago is a serious hit and is more like selling him for £30m in comparison to what they paid.

I find it funny people saying we shouldnt sign him he isnt good enough, ffs we have had Mata, Lingaard, Depay, Fellaini, Ashley Young and others playing in attacking positions for the last 3 years or so, he is a far better player than any of them. I just dont see us signing him as I dont see how he fits in a 4-3-3 and I dont see how Rooney fits in a 4-2-3-1 with Rodriguez and we wont be dropping Rooney.

I get the impression from the agents talk they we are genuinely after Mkhitaryan and that leads me to believe Mourinhos big signing really is Pogba in a 4-3-3 with Rooney and Carrick/Mensah/Schneiderlin probably for the defensive midfield role. If we dont get him though I wonder who the other option would be. Can see why we were after Renato Sanchez but I certainly hope Andres Gomes isnt plan c
 
I think you are massively under estimating the current transfer market/ the Man Utd tax.

Rodriguez is probably a £45-50 million pound player in the current market when you compare to recent transfer such as Di Maria, Martial, Bailly, De Bruyne, Sterling etc. The market prices are crazy
People need to stop talking out of their arses when it comes to transfers and the prices. Just because one player went for so much another has to go for so much. There are so many conditions and events that go into a transfer. You can't compare them. It doesn't work that way. We are living in a world where Andy fecking Carroll went for 35m pounds. If I'm going to compare that to other transfers, Ronaldo and Bale are absolute steals, chump change for Madrid. Pogba is well worth the 100m we are talking about.
 
If anything happens, it will likely be late in the transfer window, after he's had his shoulder surgery and some time to see how recovery is going. It would be stupid to sign him before that, and in any event, he won't be ready for a medical until probably August at the earliest, depending on the extent of the injury.
 
I think signing him would be a mistake.

We bang on and on about pace (in terms of running speed and speed of thought/play) and then there's a clamouring on the forums for a guy who's neither of these things..

He reminds me of Rooney, but a Rooney of about 3 or 4 years ago.

I just don't see it. Old Rooney / Mata+10%. I dont think anyone else will be in for him this summer.. I'd prefer to see Mourinho wait, and see what this squad has to offer first. He'll still be there in January.
 
I think signing him would be a mistake.

We bang on and on about pace (in terms of running speed and speed of thought/play) and then there's a clamouring on the forums for a guy who's neither of these things..

He reminds me of Rooney, but a Rooney of about 3 or 4 years ago.

I just don't see it. Old Rooney / Mata+10%. I dont think anyone else will be in for him this summer.. I'd prefer to see Mourinho wait, and see what this squad has to offer first. He'll still be there in January.
Because he's not neither of those things... He's both of those things, in spades.

Edit: I may be guilty of thinking this was the Mkhitaryan thread... :rolleyes: However, my point still stands! Though he doesn't need to be particularly fast playing central, to be honest.
 
I don't think we will sign him tbf, It seems like Mkhitarian and Zlatan are done deals, and we are actively pursuing Pogba. I presume this is how we will line up.

Zlatan
Martial Mkhitarian
Rooney Pogba
Schneiderlin

Rooney will always play, similarly we won't drop any of the three new signings, Martial is a must as well, that leaves a single spot, and i am 110% sure we won't play Rooney and Pogba in a midfield two, we need a Bastian, Schneiderlin, Carrick to shore up the defense part, because none of these two are good enough defensively and against better sides we would be destroyed.
 
I think signing him would be a mistake.

We bang on and on about pace (in terms of running speed and speed of thought/play) and then there's a clamouring on the forums for a guy who's neither of these things..

He reminds me of Rooney, but a Rooney of about 3 or 4 years ago.

I just don't see it. Old Rooney / Mata+10%. I dont think anyone else will be in for him this summer.. I'd prefer to see Mourinho wait, and see what this squad has to offer first. He'll still be there in January.
I wonder whether where this assessment comes from video game or real life game.

James Rodriguez is no slowpoke. He is a #10 who is fecked by Perez wanted to let Bale played central thus shifted James to right wing! When James had the chance as #10, the problem with Real Madrid is systematic unbalanced. Kroos & Modric as 2 CMs doesn't offer enough defensive quality and Modric style likely step in James's foot. He may not be he fastest winger, but I bet money on he faster than David Silva who made a great career in PL playing a hybrid play maker winger for Man City. As #10 James Rodriguez is more than fast enough.

James Rodriguez fits Mourinho's #10 description and I believe if he is signed, he will play as #10. Mourinho named Sneijder and Deco as his best/ideal #10. Both play making and create goals, score goals from outside & inside the box, set piece specialist, tactical intelligent and disciplined (Rooney before LVG was very indisciplined while tactic. Rooney is tactical versatile, but not true intelligent. His static uninspired #9 role shows less intelligence compared to 18 years old Rashford despite Rooney is way way more experienced) work hard defensively, mobile, can dribble, move wide (when tactic requires, not hug the line as a primary winger) to open space... James Rodriguez fits all this. Rodriguez is more like and upgraded top class version of Oscar (who Mourinho favored as his #10 until he dropped form and regressed). James Rodriguez's speed and speed of thinking is very similar to Oscar. His less ideal #10 Lampard (hybrid with #8 role) was not fast and was great under Mourinho. Then Ozil at Real Madrid .

I trust Mourinho with transfer business and I think Mourinho has been doing enough homework on the squad. There may exist last chance for some players in the squad that will be looked at during pre season, but in term recruitment, Mourinho already had a vivid idea in mind. Things have been set in motion. No need to wait till January and risk a season. Not many January signings work well!
 
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I think you are massively under estimating the current transfer market/ the Man Utd tax.

Rodriguez is probably a £45-50 million pound player in the current market when you compare to recent transfer such as Di Maria, Martial, Bailly, De Bruyne, Sterling etc. The market prices are crazy
Who are we competing with for his services? How many clubs can pay his wages? United, City, Chelsea, PSG, Barca, Real, Bayern. Any I left out? Do any of these clubs actually want him? We do. He's the kind of player who costs so much with such high wage demands that you have to play him if you have him. Not a bench warmer for Bayern, Barca, PSG, etc. then. I'd agree with you about the United tax if we were competing with other clubs for him AND if Real weren't trying to offload him.
 
Some of the posts on here...

Honestly, the only reason not to sign him would be if we can't realistically afford him. He's one of the most creative players in the world (and by the way, SAF was trying to sign him a few years back).
 
Some of the posts on here...

Honestly, the only reason not to sign him would be if we can't realistically afford him. He's one of the most creative players in the world (and by the way, SAF was trying to sign him a few years back).

Sir Alex was offered him early in James career and declined by the way. Also just because a player is talented doesn't mean we should automatically buy them. Contrary to the transfer muppets populating this board, building a functioning team doesn't mean going out and throwing bundles of money at every player with a high profile and a bit of talent.
 
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Sir Alex was offered him early in James career and declined by the way. Also just because a player is talented doesn't mean we should automatically buy them. Contrary to the transfer muppets populating this board, building a functioning team doesn't mean going out and throwing bundles of money at every player with a high profile and a bit of talent.
I agree, but James (in my opinion anyway) suits us and Mourinho very well, on top of his considerable talent. He's a complete #10, and all this talk about him being too slow or doesn't offer enough is ridiculous.
 
Sir Alex was offered him early in James career and declined by the way. Also just because a player is talented doesn't mean we should automatically buy them. Contrary to the transfer muppets populating this board, building a functioning team doesn't mean going out and throwing bundles of money at every player with a high profile and a bit of talent.
Also, Perez.
 
didn't mourinho use ozil? snjeider? lampard? his #10s have never really been pacey.
That's because you don't need your #10s to be pacey. People always have to find something negative to say about a player if they don't like him. It's simple as that. Honestly I don't think we will sign James unless we move out a couple of attackers.
 
If we are using a no.10 under Mourinho which is most likely then it's a no brainer really. A no.10 doesn't need blistering pace or strength, James has quick feet and can beat defenders. The other parts of his game are top class such as his passing, his creativity & vision, his long range shooting and his set pieces.
 
He isnt even getting linked to us from a good source and people have meltdowns already. Dont think we will buy him, that is just my opinion. We have already enough players that could play behind the striker, whats the point?
 
Fantastic stuff from Rodriguez in the copa America. Exactly why we need a creative, attacking midfielder like James with passing abilities like this, goal scoring and free kicks as well against the constant bus parking we face.

 
If Bayern end up selling Gotze this summer (which i think they will) i can see James Rodriguez being the player the replace Mario Gotze with.
 
If Bayern end up selling Gotze this summer (which i think they will) i can see James Rodriguez being the player the replace Mario Gotze with.
What? No! They arent going to spend another 40-50m on a player in a position they are good for now.
 
With Micki's arrival inevitable, James would clearly play the number 10 which means Rooney in the midfield. I'm ok with this but we would need to give Leicester a call immediately and bid for Kante to provide much needed steel in the middle.