Moutinho

United have made a £20million bid for Porto’s João Moutinho. [times] #MUFC

Anyone here got the means to see behind the Times paywall?
 
Is this guy really 25?

He seems to have been around for ages.

Also, what is this about on his wiki...

On 3 August 2011, Porto partnered with Soccer Invest Fund to buy back 37.5% of Moutinho's economic rights. The private investment fund acquired 15% after the overall transactions, while Porto recouped 22.5% for €4 million
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We all know what that sounds like.
 
RorySmithTimes
And there's no link to it just yet, but #mufc have tabled a £20m bid for Joao Moutinho. Porto want something around £26m.
 
Question for Arruda or anyone with some knowledge of Portugese football.

How come Moutinho has not played more than 28 league games in a season for the past four years?
 
Jimy_Hills_Chin said:
Question for Arruda or anyone with some knowledge of Portugese football.

How come Moutinho has not played more than 28 league games in a season for the past four years?
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Because their is only 16 teams in their league, so the maximum they can play is 30.
 
MPTutd said:
Because their is only 16 teams in their league, so the maximum they can play is 30.
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According to Wiki he played 34 in 2005-06 so is the 16 team league relatively new?

What I am really asking is if Moutinho is injury prone?
 
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ews-why-joao-moutinho-is-worth-paying-big-for

Why Joao Moutinho Is Worth Paying Big For

With the speculated transfer of Croatian and Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric now seemingly put on hold after Spur's asking price of £40 million was deemed too high by Sir Alex, it appears that the Scotsman has turned his attention once again towards the Portuguese league in an attempt to find a replacement transfer target for the centre of his midfield.

At this summer's European Championship, a selection of highly talented players stood out from the crowd and re-affirmed why they are some of the best players in the world right now. Pirlo, Iniesta, Ozil and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo showed us exactly why they are touted as some of the greatest footballers to have ever kicked a ball.

However, amongst the glitz and glamour of the perhaps more recognisable names, there was one young Portuguese man who unfortunately was almost completely overlooked. Joao Moutinho was perhaps Portugal's best player in the tournament, absolutely dominating almost every midfield that he came up against, and ensuring a tight central line, all the while providing pin point passes for the likes of Nani and Ronaldo going forward.

It is currently rumoured that Moutinho's agent and FC Porto, his current club, are in talks with United over his transfer. And an initial bid of around £25 million may be enough to convince the Portuguese side to sell straight off the bat. Porto are heavy in debt right now, and cannot afford to scare United away like Spurs have done with Modric. As such, it might be possible for United to secure the transfer of Moutinho for relative peanuts in today's inflated market.

However, should Porto demand more for one their star players, then Sir Alex has to make a big decision, and splash the cash for the 25-year-old. The centre of United's midfield is an area that has been crying out for a new, world class player to come in and fill the void that has seen United struggling for the past half-decade in that area of the pitch.

Last season, Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick both put in legendary performances (especially considering the age of both players) to produce a level of football in the centre of the park that the Red Devils had not seen for a very long while. However, with Scholes on the brink of retirement, and Carrick also beginning to slowly approach the end of his United career, fresh blood is required to come in and replace them.

Tom Cleverly will no doubt find himself playing at Old Trafford for many seasons to come. The youth academy has done a brilliant job at training up Scholes' effective replacement, and the hard work from both the academy and Cleverly was shown to have paid off at the start of last season, when he was one of the stand out United players, before picking up a nasty injury.

The real issue comes in regards to Carrick's role in the United side. There are currently no players who any honest United fan would consider good enough to make regular first team football in the position, barring a miraculous improvement over the summer months. This is where Moutinho comes in. No matter what price Porto ask for him (up to and including £50 million) Manchester United need Joao in the centre of their midfield.

The idea of two ball winning, and perhaps more importantly possession keeping, midfielders in United's centre of operations is a mouth watering prospect. Both men have a supreme eye for a pass, and with the likes of Shinji Kagawa, Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia their targets to feed, with Wayne Rooney upfront to finish chances, the goals should realistically pour in for the Devils.

On top of this, Moutinho is perhaps one of the most versatile players currently out there. Able to play as a central holding midfielder isn't his only talent. On top of this, Moutinho has been known to play an attacking role more in kin with that of Kagawa's, and even at times has played out on the wings. It's always brilliant to have a player who has the ability to do this, as it means positions and players can be swapped round in a game with relative ease if things aren't going well. It also provides fantastic cover for injuries.

Joao Moutinho is one of the hottest prospects in world football right now, and United need to use his signing as a symbol to the world, and more importantly Manchester City, that they are still the giants of football that they once were. He may not be a player that all United fans are that aware of right now, but that was also the case with Patrice Evra, Javier Hernadez, and Nemanja Vidic—some of United's most influential players of recent times. If Moutinho does end up coming to Old Trafford, then United will have a more than decent chance of regaining the Premier League crown next season.

Lets just hope for their sake that Fergie realises that sometimes you DO need to spend big money to get the best players.
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Apparently Porto are in huge debt and don't want to scare United away by being like Spurs over the Modric transfer. Don't know how true that is, just read it in a random article.

Edit: And there is that article :lol:
 
The problem with Moutinho is that isn't he the same as Rooney and Kagawa in that his best position is in the number 10 position?
 
Mourinho looks like a very rarely misses a game player.

Would be interested if this was true because he looked a well rounded player in the Euroes and on top of Kagawa would be enough for the central midfield's needs.
 
charlenefan said:
The problem with Moutinho is that isn't he the same as Rooney and Kagawa in that his best position is in the number 10 position?
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Did not look like that during the Euroes. Looked a central midfielder.

In fact, he has always looked a central midfielder whenever I have seen him play, admittedly not week in week out, but enough.
 
charlenefan said:
The problem with Moutinho is that isn't he the same as Rooney and Kagawa in that his best position is in the number 10 position?
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Not really. AFAIK he's an energetic central midfielder.

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Where did the Porto in debt bit come from? I thought they were fine financially.
And arent they selling Hulk for ~40m?
 
"Porto’s debt is largely explained by two factors: they are still paying for the construction of their new stadium, and their policy of contracting a vast number of players – over 60 at the last count. More than half of these players are subsequently loaned out, but it is Porto who have to foot the lion’s share of their salaries in most cases.

Despite his undoubted acumen at laying the foundations and building a structure to produce winning teams, Porto president Pinto da Costa has received criticism for his financial handling of the club, with more and more voices criticising the need to constantly sell their best players."

That's from 2 years ago.
 
Looking at his performances in the Euros and his stats for the Champions League this year he is a complete midfielder.

In his 6 CL games this year these were his average stats per game

Passes 66.2
Pass Completion 85.4%
Key Passes 2.7
Tackles 3.8
Interceptions 4.2

Good all round numbers.
 
Ole'sbodyguard said:
Did not look like that during the Euroes. Looked a central midfielder.

In fact, he has always looked a central midfielder whenever I have seen him play, admittedly not week in week out, but enough.
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He played furthest forward of a 3 though didn't he? With Veloso and Meireles behind him. I agree he looked more than just a luxury player though as he wasn't afraid to get stuck in
 
CassiusClaymore said:
Is this guy really 25?

He seems to have been around for ages.
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Thought the same. You'd be hard pressed to find a more experienced 25 year old, he's done it all. He was captain of Sporting at 20. Would be a great signing. Seems to be a real leader on the pitch too, there would be no doubts about his character if he were to sign. Also see him playing well into his 30s as he never seems to get rested/injured.
 
charlenefan said:
He played furthest forward of a 3 though didn't he? With Veloso and Meireles behind him. I agree he looked more than just a luxury player though as he wasn't afraid to get stuck in
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Not really. Meireles was getting forward more, and against Spain in particular he had to sit very deep and help the defense. He's more than capable of sitting back deeper and doing the job there.

He would be a good signing, I think.
 
----- Carrick --- Moutinho -----
Valencia --- Kagawa ----- Nani
------------- Rooney -----------

I would like this to happen.
 
Would be an excellent signing and one that I was calling for whilst he was still as Sporting(would have saved us so much money if we'd gone in then), however lets hope nobody shows him the weather in Manchester today. ;)
 
---------------DDG---------------

Rafael----Rio------Vida----Evra

---------Carrick---Moutinho----
Val---------Kagawa---------Nani

--------------Rooney-------------

Wouldn't mind that at all :drool:
 
It would make a lot of sense. Not overpriced, still young, but old enough that he's got the experience required to help solve our short term midfield problems, good injury record, would compliment Carrick. He's Portugese, we've a good record with those lads.

Probably won't happen then :)
 
Why does Danny always give way in made up teams to accommodate our latest muppet?

He is a starting eleven player for me now. Top talent and a local lad.
 
DFreshKing said:
Why does Danny always give way in made up teams to accommodate our latest muppet?

He is a starting eleven player for me now. Top talent and a local lad.
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Everybody assumes he is taking Rooneys place, and Rooney moving forward.

It gives a bit of a problem but it's a good one.
I'm sure Danny will get plenty of games this year
 
DFreshKing said:
Why does Danny always give way in made up teams to accommodate our latest muppet?

He is a starting eleven player for me now. Top talent and a local lad.
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United don't have a starting eleven, they have a squad. When people post lineups it's usually the ones that most excite them, but Fergie doesn't pick based on muppetry, he picks the best team for the job. Danny will get plenty of games. People not putting him in their dream XI doesn't change that.
 
Dare I say it, but what the signing of Kagawa does is allow us to drop Rooney instead of Welbeck, especially when he's going though one of his dog turd patches.
 
Regardless, it's about the squad in the end. Moutinho would expand our squad and express his talent where we need it.

It's a good match. Get him.
 
DFreshKing said:
Why does Danny always give way in made up teams to accommodate our latest muppet?

He is a starting eleven player for me now. Top talent and a local lad.
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Aye I'd prefer;

--------------De Gea-----------
Rafael---Smalling---Vidic---Evra
Nani---Carrick---Moutinho---Kagawa
--------------Rooney
----------------Welbeck

Subs: Lindegaard, Jones, Ferdinand, Scholes, Cleverley, Young, Hernandez
 
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