Leighton Baines

stubie1234 said:
I'd say Baines & Evra are about the same. Evra just needs some solid competition to raise his game.

I'd be all for Baines at United
Click to expand...

While I get the argument that people rate Evra and Baines as equal that begs the question is it worth spending £12M for a squad player. If a left back comes in I either want someone who is better than Evra (not many of those) or someone with potential.

Shame Fabio struggled with injury so much, he'd have been perfect the latter role.
 
If SAF thinks he is a direct replacement for Evra, I'd understand. However, if he's going to be a squad member then SAF generally goes for players who are versatile. Baines does not fit in that category.
 
I'd take him if he was 5 years younger. But at 28 he'd really only be at the top of his powers for 2-3 years. For 12 million I really don't see the point.
 
Sultan said:
If SAF thinks he is a direct replacement for Evra, I'd understand. However, if he's going to be a squad member then SAF generally goes for players who are versatile. Baines does not fit in that category.
Click to expand...

I don't get why anyone would think he'd be signed as a sqaud player. Baines is a good player at a stage in his career where he'll be wanting to step up and win things.

Fergies said again and again that he wont sign people to just make up the numbers.
 
I'm always right said:
Explain Bebe and Diouf to me then?
Click to expand...

Both were bought as prospects, I don't think anyone every expected them to be competing for first team places did they?

People really need to get over those signings, unless you're actually trying to group them in the same bracket as players like Baines.
 
Eyepopper said:
Both were bought as prospects, I don't think anyone every expected them to be competing for first team places did they?

People really need to get over those signings, unless you're actually trying to group them in the same bracket as players like Baines.
Click to expand...

For god sake Popper stop being reasonable mate its just not right.
 
Eyepopper said:
Both were bought as prospects, I don't think anyone every expected them to be competing for first team places did they?
Click to expand...

No, but you just said, SAF doesn't buy players to make up the numbers, but sometimes he does. Manoucho etc, I don't for a second believe SAF thougt of these guys as prospects that would make the grade here.

Obviously Baines wouldn't be in that bracket.
 
Ramshock said:
But I am sure there are better LB's available than him
Click to expand...

Who?

He's been a consistent starter for Everton and done very well for them. He got into the PFA team last year.

Its all very well saying there are better LB's available but available is the key word there. Who could we go for realistically?

Lets say Baines is among the top 10 LB's in the world, which I don't think is too much of a stretch, of the other 9 you might get 1 or 2 that will move but then they have to be at a realistic price, and prepared to come to Utd, people mention Abla, whose to say we haven't sounded him out and it's not possible for any reason.

This all also impacts on potential fee.
 
Eyepopper said:
Who?

He's been a consistent starter for Everton and done very well for them. He got into the PFA team last year.

Its all very well saying there are better LB's available but available is the key word there. Who could we go for realistically?

Lets say Baines is among the top 10 LB's in the world, which I don't think is too much of a stretch, of the other 9 you might get 1 or 2 that will move but then they have to be at a realistic price, and prepared to come to Utd, people mention Abla, whose to say we haven't sounded him out and it's not possible for any reason.

This all also impacts on potential fee.
Click to expand...

I guess if money is an issue, which it probably is, then not many more but 12 mill is too much for him. Im puzzled why Fabio has to go out on loan, surely he needs to push Evra this next season?
 
I'm always right said:
Manoucho etc, I don't for a second believe SAF thougt of these guys as prospects that would make the grade here.
Click to expand...

None of them were bought to make up the numbers in the first team squad.

They were bought as prospects. Two hopes for a prospect, 1. That they make the grade for the first team, or 2. That they develop to the point that you make a profit on them.

Sometimes neither turn out to be the case, and when they're young foreign players, coming to Utd, they generally get more attention than others, expectations are inflated and people point to them as examples of bad signings, when in reality they're just prospects who never got to a level we hoped.

That said, none of them are relevant in this discussion as none were signed as first team players.
 
Ramshock said:
I guess if money is an issue, which it probably is, then not many more but 12 mill is too much for him. Im puzzled why Fabio has to go out on loan, surely he needs to push Evra this next season?
Click to expand...

I dont think he does have to push Evra, he's 21 and has played feck all games, I certainly wouldn't be comfortable with him as our only cover at LB, and I think Evra needs competition and that we'd benefit from an alternative.

If we're signing someone to realistically compete they need to be proven.

12million may seem a lot but it has to be viewed in the context of how badly we need someone and what other options are out there at the right level and experience.
 
I'm always right said:
Marcel Schmelzer, right age too.
Click to expand...

And he's leaving Dortmund for less than or around 12million is he?

People can throw out all the names they want to, but this isn't a game of Fifa. There are a lot of variables that come into play.
 
I'm always right said:
Marcel Schmelzer, right age too.
Click to expand...
Sorry for off topic, but is he Germany's first choice LB this summer?

Back to the subject, I think Baines is one of the best left back's in the league, but at the same time Evra is also one of the best. If Evra wants to leave and a club is ready to pay good money for him then Baines would be a great replacement.
 
Eyepopper said:
7m because he had 1 year left on his contract at Arsenal and they'd have lost him for nothing had they not sold him.
Click to expand...

Was just wondering, could've worked for us then, although I'd have been fuming as I thought he was finished until he proved me very wrong these past few months.
 
To be there are bigger fish to fry than picking up a LB. But we always get a defender during the transfer period so no surprises.
 
Could've worked for us if we'd thrown the sort of money City did at him.

I don't know for sure but the question I'd ask about Clichy is how much is he on... I'd say the difference between 7m and 12m is more than made up for in his wages.
 
Eyepopper said:
Doesn't concern me one bit, we play enough games every year to justify having 2 proven players in each position. It doesn't pose much of a problem for us in other positions.

We need options and strength in depth. We've been lucky in that Evra's never picked up a knock but if he were to miss a couple of months we'd be stretched.

Between Friers, Fabio and even Evans we have enough backup for Evra. Seems to me, if we're looking at Baines its to directly challenge for a starting place which I welcome. Signing young players is great but we need to be careful and maintain a balance between youth and experience, Giggs and Scholes, and probably Rio will be off over the next few years, at that stage the value of having someone 29-31, and with a lot of PL games under their belt will come into play.
Click to expand...
I second this.
 
Eyepopper said:
Could've worked for us if we'd thrown the sort of money City did at him.

I don't know for sure but the question I'd ask about Clichy is how much is he on... I'd say the difference between 7m and 12m is more than made up for in his wages.
Click to expand...
He's on £90K they say.
 
If that's the case Arsenal really are turning into their feeder club.
 
Happy to feed them the likes of Clichy, he had on OK season for them but he's not very good - see getting sent of v Chelsea for an example of the brainfarts you leave yourself open to.
 
Yep. Keep feeding them players that help win them titles. All part of the 10 year plan.
 
Popcorn-09-Psych.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.