James Rodriguez | joins Bayern Munich | 2 year loan

James Rodriguez - should we go for him?

  • Yes

    Votes: 404 34.6%
  • No

    Votes: 565 48.4%
  • I hate Silly Season

    Votes: 198 17.0%

  • Total voters
    1,167
Status
Not open for further replies.
He can unequivocally do more things with a ball at his feet but you'd be hard pressed to argue he was a more effective footballer.

I'd take Alli here over James.
There would be very few good coaches who would agree with you. Except for being younger and potentially faster, James is simply better than Alli.
 
There would be very few good coaches who would agree with you. Except for being younger and potentially faster, James is simply better than Alli.

I'm not talking about absolute talent. They're attacking players. It's very hard to judge them outside of their own system.

I'd be surprised if James came to England and performed at the same level that Alli does. That's my point I guess.

I'd imagine that James would operate as Hazard or Eriksen does. Whether he'd control games the way those two do would also be up for debate.

James has got to be seen as a larger gamble than Alli.
 
There would be very few good coaches who would agree with you. Except for being younger and potentially faster, James is simply better than Alli.

As a pure 10 playmaker, yes.

Dele Alli is a much versatile player though. Can play box to box, CM and further up the pitch too.

21 years old, Premier league proven... I'm not so sure many managers on the premier league would take James over Alli.
 
Isn't Ascencio a much better fit for us than James?

Marcelo, Varanne, Ascencio or Bale should be our targets if DDG is moving the other way.

James is on sale by RM, the only way he would be worth a punt would be if we can get him for less than £30m on a straight purchase without DDG moving the opposite direction. Even then, he might be a good bargain, but doubtful we really need him.
 
Isn't Ascencio a much better fit for us than James?

Marcelo, Varanne, Ascencio or Bale should be our targets if DDG is moving the other way.

James is on sale by RM, the only way he would be worth a punt would be if we can get him for less than £30m on a straight purchase without DDG moving the opposite direction. Even then, he might be a good bargain, but doubtful we really need him.

Marcelo is the captain. He's been here all his life and I do not think it's for sale or that he intends to leave. Asensio is the jewel of Madrid. Varane may be an option but not cheap either. If United get him in the negotiation would be a success.
Bale also seems very unlikely and complicate
 
Isn't Ascencio a much better fit for us than James?

Marcelo, Varanne, Ascencio or Bale should be our targets if DDG is moving the other way.

James is on sale by RM, the only way he would be worth a punt would be if we can get him for less than £30m on a straight purchase without DDG moving the opposite direction. Even then, he might be a good bargain, but doubtful we really need him.
Good luck with that. He's one of the few players of which I'm 100% sure that will never look to leave us.
 
As a pure 10 playmaker, yes.

Dele Alli is a much versatile player though. Can play box to box, CM and further up the pitch too.

21 years old, Premier league proven... I'm not so sure many managers on the premier league would take James over Alli.
and when has Alli played in those midfield roles with any degree of success to justify your claim?

James played well as a CM against Deportivo last week but that does not equate to him being versatile. To be versatile requires the player can play at a reasonable level of performance against a quality opposition, and not just fill in the gap.

The best part of Alli is his goal scoring. Playing him in a deeper role relegates him to the level of an average player if not less.
 
Yes but unlike James, Kroos is important player for them. So they don't have any plans to sell him. You can forget Kroos.

DDG is an important players for us just like Kroos is for them, I want someone as valuable as DDG in return not some Real Madrid player who doesn't even start games for them.
 
Do you guys seriously want us to swap our star player for a guy who isn't even a first choice player for Real Madrid? If Jose agrees to swap James for DDG, they it will be a very good deal for them not for us. I would DDG only for Marcelo+20m, Kross+10m, Varane+30m or Bale. Jose isn't going to make the same mistake of buying a No 10 and play him on wings again, Mkhi can play their because of his pace.
 
Do you guys seriously want us to swap our star player for a guy who isn't even a first choice player for Real Madrid? If Jose agrees to swap James for DDG, they it will be a very good deal for them not for us. I would DDG only for Marcelo+20m, Kross+10m, Varane+30m or Bale. Jose isn't going to make the same mistake of buying a No 10 and play him on wings again, Mkhi can play their because of his pace.
Your valuations are inverted. Bale is the worst player to get from Madrid, with Varane a close second. Both players spend so much time out injured, that they have spent enough time with the doctors to get a medical degree.
 
Your valuations are inverted. Bale is the worst player to get from Madrid, with Varane a close second. Both players spend so much time out injured, that they have spent enough time with the doctors to get a medical degree.

I don't know how injury prone they are as I don't watch the La Liga.
 
As a pure 10 playmaker, yes.

Dele Alli is a much versatile player though. Can play box to box, CM and further up the pitch too.

21 years old, Premier league proven... I'm not so sure many managers on the premier league would take James over Alli.

The initial post I responded to was amongst the lines off

If we just sell DDG for cash instead of taking James in the deal and got rid of Mata to we could almost pay for Alli, so why should we not do that ?
 
I don't know how injury prone they are as I don't watch the La Liga.

Then why do you respond like this over James, Kroos, Varane, Bale who are all active in La Liga ?

Or are you one of those people who think because a player sits on the bench at Real Madrid they must be shit ? I got 2 names for you: Robben and Sneijder, take a look what they have done once they left Madrid...

James is worth alot more than Marcelo, we don't need Marcelo and Marcelo is alo not going to leave Madrid

Real also won't let go of Kroos and there is no reason why Kroos would leave Madrid for us

Varane and Bale are injury prone as feck

The only players that make sense for us at Madrid are James and Morrata
 
Then why do you respond like this over James, Kroos, Varane, Bale who are all active in La Liga ?

Or are you one of those people who think because a player sits on the bench at Real Madrid they must be shit ? I got 2 names for you: Robben and Sneijder, take a look what they have done once they left Madrid...

James is worth alot more than Marcelo, we don't need Marcelo and Marcelo is alo not going to leave Madrid

Real also won't let go of Kroos and there is no reason why Kroos would leave Madrid for us

Varane and Bale are injury prone as feck

The only players that make sense for us at Madrid are James and Morrata

Because there is a reason why he is sitting on the bench and we already have 2 players who are No 10s and are forced to play on the wings, for how long will we keep making the same mistakes of playing players in the wrong positions? I want a winger to play in a winger position not a No 10. James' defensive work rate is also less than Mkhi's, I don't understand why Jose would sign James.

I comment on Kroos because I know how good he is, Kroos makes more sense for us as we need a good CM. I don't follow La Liga to know which player is injury prone and which player is not injury prone.

Are Robben and Sneijder the only players to leave Real Madrid? You think he is as good as Robben and Sneijder? I suggest you take a look at Ozil and what he has done since he left Madrid.

TBH no one knows how James will play here, and he has fallen out with some people at Real Madrid. The same thing might happen here also. He might run away just like Di Maria did. I would rather have someone who is willing to play for us than someone who wants to come just because he is not getting playing time at Madrid.

We are letting go of DDG who has been our best player since 3-4 years, why can't they let go of Kroos? If DDG is swapped for James then it's a bad deal IMO.
 
Because there is a reason why he is sitting on the bench and we already have 2 players who are No 10s and are forced to play on the wings, for how long will we keep making the same mistakes of playing players in the wrong positions? I want a winger to play in a winger position not a No 10. James' defensive work rate is also less than Mkhi's, I don't understand why Jose would sign James.

I comment on Kroos because I know how good he is, I don't follow La Liga to know which player is injury prone and which player is not injury prone.

Are Robben and Sneijder the only players to leave Real Madrid? You think he is as good as Robben and Sneijder? I suggest you take a look at Ozil and what he has done since he left Madrid.

TBH no one knows how James will play here, and he has fallen out with some people at Real Madrid. The same thing might happen here also. He might run away just like Di Maria did. I would rather have someone who is willing to play for us than someone who wants to come just because he is not getting playing time at Madrid.

We are letting go of DDG who has been our best player since 3-4 years, why can't they let go of Kroos? If DDG is swapped for James then it's a bad deal IMO.
I though you didnt watch la liga, so how do you know this for a fact?

Ozil led the league with 19 assists last season and was one of the best players at Madrid. Have you considered that the problem is with Arsenal and not the player?

No one knows for sure how James, Griezmann, Mbappe, Lukaku,or any other player will play at a new club. That is an inherent risk that comes with all transfers. The best you can do his evaluate the players talent, skill sets, style etc and see how he will fit into your squad. Suarez was made a villainize so much he left the EPL, but is seems to be doing quite fine with Barcelona. Going by what you say about James, wouldnt be surprised if you would have been against United buying him back then.

If we let DDG go, the club needs to seek the best value in return, keeping in mind what the current needs of the team are. We have Pogba and have no need for Kroos, while there is a need for a creative attacking midfielder upfront. When Herrera, Rooney and Zlatan have the most assists, then there is something wrong, and, there is nothing to suggest any of Mata, Mikhi nor Griezmann is the solution.

We dont have to get James, particularly if there is better value to be found elsewhere, but that does not make him a bad player to get.
 
I though you didnt watch la liga, so how do you know this for a fact?

Ozil led the league with 19 assists last season and was one of the best players at Madrid. Have you considered that the problem is with Arsenal and not the player?

No one knows for sure how James, Griezmann, Mbappe, Lukaku,or any other player will play at a new club. That is an inherent risk that comes with all transfers. The best you can do his evaluate the players talent, skill sets, style etc and see how he will fit into your squad. Suarez was made a villainize so much he left the EPL, but is seems to be doing quite fine with Barcelona. Going by what you say about James, wouldnt be surprised if you would have been against United buying him back then.

If we let DDG go, the club needs to seek the best value in return, keeping in mind what the current needs of the team are. We have Pogba and have no need for Kroos, while there is a need for a creative attacking midfielder upfront. When Herrera, Rooney and Zlatan have the most assists, then there is something wrong, and, there is nothing to suggest any of Mata, Mikhi nor Griezmann is the solution.

We dont have to get James, particularly if there is better value to be found elsewhere, but that does not make him a bad player to get.

I compared Mkhi's and James' defensive stats. I never said that I know for a fact, but the stats don't lie.


We already have players who can play in the role which James would play in, if he comes here. We need a CM who can play in a 3 man midfield not another No 10. I don't see how James is going to fit in the team.


Kroos is the best value you can get in return for DDG not James. James is not a player who works hard defensively according to his stats and therefore IMO he is not the type of player Jose prefers to have in his team.
 
I compared Mkhi's and James' defensive stats. I never said that I know for a fact, but the stats don't lie.


We already have players who can play in the role which James would play in, if he comes here. We need a CM who can play in a 3 man midfield not another No 10. I don't see how James is going to fit in the team.


Kroos is the best value you can get in return for DDG not James. James is not a player who works hard defensively according to his stats and therefore IMO he is not the type of player Jose prefers to have in his team.
Stats dont lie but then they dont always tell the whole truth. As someone rightly put "Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital".

First, we are not going to play with a 3-man midfield in most games. The squad currently doesnt have the depth nor is there any indication that we are trying to acquire players to do so. The base formation is more than likely going to be 4-2-3-1, based on Mourinho's history, current season, and rumored transfers. We will occasionally see a 3-man midfield but those games will be in the minority. What is needed a true DM to partner Pogba.

Secondly, yes James, best position is #10, and we have a few players that can play there, but none of them have delivered the values that the team needs. Neither Mata nor Mkhi have provided the creativity that we need in the final 3rd which is why Herrera leads the team in assists. The fact that we have them should not stop us from getting a player that would provide what we need that the incumbent have failed to give. The only question should be if and when to get rid of said incumbents.

Kroos is the best player but not necessarily the best value. He is more valuable to Madrid than he is to us (cos we have Pogba and are not going to play a 3-man midfield). James on the other hand is more valuable to us than he is to Madrid (who have a surplus of attacking talent), thus we are likely to get a better deal on James than Kroos. Whether James works defensively or not should be the least of concerns as Mourinho is known to get that out of most of his attacking player. Ozil, Hazard and Martial are easy examples from his last 3 clubs.
 
James best role is similar to that of Griezmann despite having different attributes. Both are best behind a CF. Both score many goals. Griezmann is more dynamic, has higher work-rate and is far better off the ball. James has a deadly shot and he is a great crosser. Overall he is more static, but probably slightly better when the opposition sits deep and closes down all space behind/between them. Griezmann is clearly the superior player, but that doesn’t mean that James is bad. He probably gets underrated, because Madrid doesn’t really need him.

It makes only sense to get one of those two if Jose wants to play 4231 and use them as #10. If he plans to use this system, James should be at least considered. I don’t know anything about his attitude, but I think he is the kind of player that would score many goals.
 
Madrid realized that they paid waaaay too much for James after his brilliant performance in the world cup and are now looking to sell him off for a similar price to what they got him for. I say we shouldnt feed them, if they want DDG they should pay a GK world record fee he has two or three years on his contract and theres no reason for us to sell him now.

That being said we cannot continue to sell them our best players and get shit in return that cycle needs to be broken.
 
We need width, not another shoehorned attacking midfielder on the wing. Unless we sell Mata or Mikitaryan I can't see us signing him.

Even if Jose is planning on playing inverted forwards on the flanks, he needs to look for the right fullbacks first. Fullbacks , that provide width by overlapping when the wingers cut/tuck inside and can put in great crosses in to the box too. The fullbacks at the club can do neither of those things well.
 
Last edited:
Good player but put him in any other colour shirt and he'd be half the money. Let's not buy from these teams fire sale, bargain basement or eBay in order that they can use that money to bid for players we should equally be going for. Let's not also forget, the money they'd want, is the same they are willing to pay for DDG so in essence it's like a straight swap!!!!!
 
I find it very depressing we keep being linked with him. Ballbag in on the act now too.
 
If we don't make Champions league, I think this guy will be our new No10 next season. If we do make CL, then I think we will sign a real gamechanger such as a Greizmann or a Bale..
 
If we don't make Champions league, I think this guy will be our new No10 next season. If we do make CL, then I think we will sign a real gamechanger such as a Greizmann or a Bale..
I don't want Bale he's far, far too injury prone.
 
I don't want Bale he's far, far too injury prone.
I take your point about injury record - Greizmann would be my preferred option but would welcome Bale with open arms, he would add an extra dimension to our attack.
 
Honestly I think this site massive underates Rodriguez. I'd have no problem at all playing him as a #10 next season and I think he would do really well.
 
We'd have to sign some otherworldly DM to compensate for Pogba @ #8 and James @ #10.

Would much rather have Bernardo Silva.
 
Honestly I think this site massive underates Rodriguez. I'd have no problem at all playing him as a #10 next season and I think he would do really well.

I think with most of us, we can see he has talent, no question.. just I think a lot of us, myself included, want other attributes he doesn't offer.
He's also had the accusation of enjoying the Madrid night life aimed at him.
Madrid will be begging, desperate to recoup the money they spent a couple summers back and I'd rather not do them any favours either.
 
James is generally underrated, and i would suggest that is due mainly to the fact he hasn't flourished in Madrid. Imo he is a top quality player who simply doesn't fit into Madrid's system. I also believe he is a far greater goal threat than any of our current #10's.

He was brilliant in the WC for Colombia for a reason, they built the team around him and gave him the platform to perform, which he did, and then some. I also agree with Cheeky Backheel, that Jose will revert back to his tried and trusted 4-2-3-1 at some point, which will suit James far more than our current (or Madrid's) 4-3-3.

This is classic Real Madrid. They never needed James, but i just don't think they can help themselves at times. They just can't seem to resist having to have the next best thing, even if it's just to stop other's having it first.

Robben's career stalled at Madrid, but he was rejuvenated after his move to Bayern. I think James is in a similar situation, a move to the right club- a club that actually wants him- could be all he needs to get back to his best.

I think he would be great for us.
 
There are so many players to pick from Madrid and to settle for James is not something I would be too happy with. James has fallen out with Benitez and Zidane. What makes you think he won't fall out with Mourinho? Mourinho is not exactly the pleasant sort. He tends to rip them apart in front of the media like he has done for Martial, Mhiki and Luke Shaw.

Transfers are a bit more complicated than we realise.

Who is available? Who wants to make the switch? Who is affordable? Who can be bought? Who fits into the manager's idea of a team? Which space is available in the team to be filled? Who will make commercial sense to buy? Etc.

So many boxes to tick.

Usually, we can't just go to any team and pick any player we want.

If James is available, affordable, wants to be at United, and Madrid wants to sell him, we need to seriously consider taking him because he is the kind of player with qualities good enough for a team like United. Unless of course, there are better players out there who also tick all the boxes.

Three things I know about him: he is an intelligent player; he is confident and he has an eye for goals.
 
IF we did take him, It would have to be on a 1 year trial basis with an option to sign him at the end of that year.

We can't stump up 40m or so and have him not adapt to the league or strop after a few games because the sun isn't shining.

I liked how the Falcao loan happened, could you imagine if he was stuck on a 5 year contract worth 200k a week?

I think he might actually turn out pretty good, but there's always that element of doubt.
 
Sneijder and Robbens story makes me think James could still be of good use to another big club.
 
James is better then anything you got playing in the middle behind the striker (CAM/SS). There is also no resemblance in character compared to Di Maria.

The way some of you dis him is hilarious. I hope he signs for some other EPL teams so I can come here and laugh mid next season.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.