Liam Delap | £30m release clause?

Delap just screams mid table club, which I suppose is where we are right now, but a signing like this would hardly instill confidence that we are looking much beyond that anytime soon.
 
He would be the perfect sub striker. If we can somehow shift Zirkzee AND Hojlund, I'd have no problems. But as a lone signing to lead our attack? Nope.
 
red_de_pologne said:
He also said we still will pay this summer instalments for Sancho, Antony, Hojlund, Onana and possibly Yoro, Ugarte. But I admire your optimism and faith in our ability to sell players.
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He also said we have a budget in place and that budget could rise by way of players sold. Its in the BBC interview just five days ago. Ultimately, we have to buy a proper striker to generate enough goals to move back up the table. Otherwise, nothing else matters and we will continue to flounder in the lower half, with no CL prospects, and will be in search for a new manager once again. There literally is no choice than to go all in on a massive upgrade this summer.
 
Utterly De Ligt'd said:
Maybe from the fact he is currently playing in a fourth-rate league because his situation at his parent club became untenable. Or did he just leave a top team in Napoli, where he was doing well, to play in a shite league for something fun to do?
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He left because the owner is a nut job who shunned him from the team after he wanted to leave. Osimhen was forced to go on loan to Turkey (later deadline day window) or spend the season playing no football
 
Simply can’t be pinning our hopes on a prospect to be the main man leading the line. We need a senior striker who knows how to play the role whether that’s Osimhen down to Mateta or even someone like Welbeck.
 
sullydnl said:
Fully get people wanting Gyokeres and/or Osimhen.

But the reality is that both could be out of our financial reach depending on the mooted cost. Or, both could reject us in favour of any of several other clubs who look more likely to win major trophies within the next several years.

So the club needs to have a plan for what it will do if they can't get either of the two obvious choices. If it was just a matter of whether we should choose someone like Delap ahead of them, the answer would be straightforward.
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Not only will they be out of our reach financially, they will also have much bigger offers elsewhere. The likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea will be in for them. There's even talk of Forest spending big if they get Champions League football. I think a lot of people are really underestimating how difficult this summer transfer window is going to be.
 
Just hit a belter. I actually think he's a better finisher than what we currently have but his link up play is very average. His strengths are literally his strength, running and aggression. He'd be an upgarde but still not the answer to what we need.
 
sullydnl said:
Fully get people wanting Gyokeres and/or Osimhen.

But the reality is that both could be out of our financial reach depending on the mooted cost. Or, both could reject us in favour of any of several other clubs who look more likely to win major trophies within the next several years.

So the club needs to have a plan for what it will do if they can't get either of the two obvious choices. If it was just a matter of whether we should choose someone like Delap ahead of them, the answer would be straightforward.
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We’re not getting either of those players, wages and the fact they both 26 and not looking to join a project at this stage of their career. We will be well down the list for both unless we were willing to massively overpay them as we have done in the past.

We will be buying another unproven striker and Delap is probably near the top of the list I’d imagine. He would improve our starting eleven even if he does have his limitations.
 
Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber said:
I want us to buy a recruit striker like him or David. They'd cost us less so that we can invest in our ACTUAL problem positions. Right and Left 10 and competition for Ugarte and Bruno who can offer a mix of what they both do.
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I think it’s very hard to argue that striker is not an ‘actual’ problem position.
 
C'est Moi Cantona said:
Or we could just buy another, and start using Hojlund as we should have done right from the off.

The only way we're selling Hojlund is at a massive loss anyway, so I'd be interested to see if he can be better with a top striker ahead of him.
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I do kinda agree, but I do wonder if the difficulties of the last few seasons have been too much.

Furthermore, I do wonder if, say we only bought one striker, that would be enough. We have seen how bad we are already this season at scoring goals, I think we need two strikers. But the financial situation probably means we only get one (2 if we offload someone). So I digress, probably will be one and stick with Hojlund but all things being equal I'd add Delap too as we are seriously short up top.
 
Laurie Whitwell mentioned in his Athletic Q & A today United will probably be looking at homegrown talent due to money available and personnel changes in the squad (meaning less homegrown potentially) and he specifically mentioned Delap.
 
United666 said:
Harry Kane 2.0 with gobshite tendencies?
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Is his link up play anything close to Kane? Stats say no but I don't fully believe that because .. well, he plays for Ipswich
 
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Teja said:
Is his link up play anything close to Kane? I don't fully believe that because .. well, he plays for Ipswich
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Kane's link up then wasn't anything close to Kane's link up now at that stage either. He was probably 24/25 when that side of his game really developed.
 
G97 said:
Scousers will sign Isak who’ll score 35 next season. We’ll get this mush who’ll get us 7. Until we set our sights on elite players we’ll remain where we are.

Delap is 22, he’s not a 17/18 y/o kid. His ceiling is incredibly low.
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Why would elite players come here, even if we could afford them?
 
I really like Delap. I’m very surprised at people criticising his link up play after his performances against us this season. Reminds me of a young Alan Shearer and seems to have his head screwed on too. Would love him at United (along with a ready made striker in the Osimhen class)
 
Rasmus_9 said:
I really like Delap. I’m very surprised at people criticising his link up play after his performances against us this season. Reminds me of a young Alan Shearer and seems to have his head screwed on too. Would love him at United (along with a ready made striker in the Osimhen class)
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That bit in the brackets is why people are against it. We will only sign one striker, there's not a chance we sign 2. If you sign Delap, we'll be relying on Delap and Hojlund to rotate at CF to get our goals for us next season, which is another bottom half season incoming.
 
Vault Dweller said:
Laurie Whitwell mentioned in his Athletic Q & A today United will probably be looking at homegrown talent due to money available and personnel changes in the squad (meaning less homegrown potentially) and he specifically mentioned Delap.
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Wasn't it Ornstein? He also mentioned Chelsea "among MANY other suitors".

People are talking about Gyokeres' and turning up their nose at Delap, well we might lose out even on Delap.
 
We never learn. Go waste your money on yet another supposedly prospect player.
 
Gandalf said:
He really wouldn't. He is actually incredibly similar to Hojlund but playing in a system where those attributes are better used.
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Definitely not similar, HIs hold up play and presence is much better, and it's a question if hojlund ever improves on that. Defintely more ready to start right now. He's on 11+2 and not over yet, definitely in a better team, he can score 15+ goals, while being a good focal point. Hojlund can only run in channels and is slightly better in dribbling but our attack is so tootheles when he can do a basic stuff like covering ball.
 
Posh Red said:
I think it’s very hard to argue that striker is not an ‘actual’ problem position.
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I disagree. We are ranked 13th in the league in terms of big chances created. We are placed 13th. The prevailing narrative is one that makes it seem like all our strikers do is "miss the target". Yet the truth is they hardly get the supply. Of our 54 created Rasmus has missed just 3. Zirkzee 6. Meaning just 16% of our actually big chances are missed by our strikers. To me that tells me signing a top striker will not truly cure the goal problem.
 
Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber said:
I disagree. We are ranked 13th in the league in terms of big chances created. We are placed 13th. The prevailing narrative is one that makes it seem like all our strikers do is "miss the target". Yet the truth is they hardly get the supply. Of our 54 created Rasmus has missed just 3. Zirkzee 6. Meaning just 16% of our actually big chances are missed by our strikers. To me that tells me signing a top striker will not truly cure the goal problem.
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Different ways to look at it. For me the biggest thing a striker brings is a target to actually receive passes and chances. They know where to move, where to stand, they have the ability to make chances for themselves and others and keep opposition defences on their toes. I am firmly in the belief that the reason we create feck all, is because our strikers are absolutely horrendous. Bruno is one of the most creative players in the world, has been for years. You can't tell me that we don't have players to supply chances. Rashford 2 years ago had an on-year and scored 30 goals across all competitions. Strikers will get the chances if they are good enough to receive the chances. Think it's been shown for ages that it's pretty much never a case of a top striker is just being held back by supply not feeding that player any chances to the point that they are literally amongst the worst players in the league (or even Europe) at getting shots off.

You put Osimhen in our team, and he'll score over 20 goals in all competitions next season. You keep Hojlund as our main CF, and he's gonna remain as a ~10 goal striker. That's just his level, getting some other creators won't change that much for him.
 
I think this is happening, and for under £40 million, you could have a player who is worth double that in a good team. I think he has serious potential.

It would be all about getting it right with the players around him, and getting him in for that amount and selling Rashford for £40 mil, we would have the funds to do that.

We would be a different team with him and two creative 10s behind him.
 
I think he's pretty good actually. Double figures and his hold up play is decent for those asking. Needs to improve his fitness as he's usually flagging by 70th minute but this is his first season in the prem and didn't always start in his previous loans.

Will probably be Kane's eventual replacement for England.

Think they'll be plenty of interest in him this summer. Chelsea been linked and could see that as alternate to Jackson. Also wonder if Newcastle might be interested if they get CL given Calum Wilson is barely available.
 
If we can't get Osimhen, I wouldn’t be against just Delap coming in to rotate with Hojlund. I think he ahead of Hojlund by at least a couple of years. His play style actually bears similarities with Gyokeres, with that punishing ball carrying style. I think he's a 20 league goals a season man.

Found data to back up my Gyokeres similarity claim :
 
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I'd be ok with Delap if we get another more established striker in as well, like Osimhen or someone else. And if we sell both Zirkzee and Rasmus. Basically replace those two with two better strikers.
 
Freak said:
I'd be ok with Delap if we get another more established striker in as well, like Osimhen or someone else. And if we sell both Zirkzee and Rasmus. Basically replace those two with two better strikers.
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I, too, would like for us to have better players.
 
Freak said:
I'd be ok with Delap if we get another more established striker in as well, like Osimhen or someone else. And if we sell both Zirkzee and Rasmus. Basically replace those two with two better strikers.
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Never happening in a million years. Zirkzee shouldn't really impact the thinking because he's more of an option as a 10 these days.
 
Honestly, I have no clues whether Delap or Ekitike or even Hojlund are better potentials for the long run. Neither is proven at our level.

I am wondering whether a 20-30m bid for Mateta or En-Nesyri is better for the current situation. See if Rasmus can prosper when we have a functioning with #10s and WBs that create for him.
 
Rasmus_9 said:
I really like Delap. I’m very surprised at people criticising his link up play after his performances against us this season. Reminds me of a young Alan Shearer and seems to have his head screwed on too. Would love him at United (along with a ready made striker in the Osimhen class)
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I thought this about Evan Ferguson last year.
 
northernsoul74 said:
I thought this about Evan Ferguson last year.
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And this is the risk. Delap looks an ok option this season, but every year there's a different young British or Irish striker banging a few in for a struggling side and very few repeat the trick.

That's why I'd rather go for Mateta, if this is the pond we're fishing in. He'll be cheaper, and he's been a reliable goalscorer for two seasons in a row, not just one. And in both seasons he's been part of a successful attacking unit alongside players like Olise and Eze (which is what we would want, alongside Amad and/or Garnacho).
 
He’s a risk, but we’re not in a position to be able to sign the sure things, even if they did exist. 40m isn’t that bad, and he at least is PL proven to an extent. With Osimhen there’s always the risk he just doesn’t adapt. I’m just not sold on his quality just yet, but he’s still got time to improve.
 
2 man midfield said:
He’s a risk, but we’re not in a position to be able to sign the sure things, even if they did exist. 40m isn’t that bad, and he at least is PL proven to an extent. With Osimhen there’s always the risk he just doesn’t adapt. I’m just not sold on his quality just yet, but he’s still got time to improve.
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Imagine having all of Delap, Zirkzee and Hojlund and none of them hitting the mark. That's just much of muchness. With what we have is the likes of Osimhen and Gyokeres that will be obvious upgrades.
 
I’m not sure we’re the right club to be bedding in young players at this moment in time but that seems to be the plan, I think Delap will be the striker we target in the summer.

I think Gyokeres goes to Arsenal and Osimhen goes Saudi
 
Remember the geese said:
Never happening in a million years. Zirkzee shouldn't really impact the thinking because he's more of an option as a 10 these days.
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True. But will be interesting to see what happens with Zirkzee in summer. He only came last summer so still highly rated (probably more in Italy and Europe) so we may be looking to sell for a fee similar to fee we paid for him (it was 42,5m euros so not that much).

Agree with few other posters above saying that someone like Mateta could be good solution right now. Him and Hojlund (or Delap if Hojlund is to leave) could be good ST options.

I'd like Osimhen as well and he's only got 1 year left on his Napoli contract but it still seems he'd cost quite a lot.
 
Trex said:
Imagine having all of Delap, Zirkzee and Hojlund and none of them hitting the mark. That's just much of muchness. With what we have is the likes of Osimhen and Gyokeres that will be obvious upgrades.
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Osimhen seems to be going to Saudi as Napoli still want to charge a bomb and Gyokeres won’t be coming to United when there are other clubs offering better chances at success.

They are both obviously better players but we aren’t really in a position financially or success wise to buy them.
 
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