Non-Big 7 Prem players we might be looking at

I stopped at Souttar being back-up for Varane.....dearie me.

Indeed - can't believe the praise this post is getting from some. It's an awful lot of effort for an awful lot of terrible takes.

Souttar? He's like Maguire but not as good at actual defending. Faes? He gave away two of the worst own goals you'll ever see in just a single game only a few weeks ago.

Scamacca being "intriguing" despite not yet setting the world alight at West Ham after a sizeable fee.

Mitoma - one of the league's most in-form attacking players - to be signed as a right-back?!?!

Meanwhile completely missing out Evan Ferguson who is potentially the most valuable possible signing of all.

Most the other players on there have also been discussed in depth on here already anyway.

The only decent take on there which doesn't get mentioned much at the moment (for obvious reasons) is Livramento. I thought he had excellent potential even before Chelsea sold him and could have easily rivalled James for first-choice for them. It's a big 'if' as to if he returns the same player, but with Chelsea now signing Malo Gusto they surely won't exercise their buy-back option on him and with Southampton likely to get relegated he could be an absolute steal.
 
I'd cut that list in half. This is Man United. There's often a reason these players are at such clubs. They're not all unpolished diamonds. Most are just turds.

I like Mitoma, MacAllister, Caicedo and maybe Ferguson (a watching brief for now, needs experience). They're at a good footballing side so that's the difference.

Obviously Rice is Rice. Not hard to recommend.

Raya looks a pragmatic buy.

Apart from that I am not so enthused.
 
Ten Hag seems to have fallen in love with Malacia after playing against him, and it stands to reason that we might not completely avoid the Prem in the transfer market despite the costs associated with it. Presumably players from City, Newcastle, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea (though free transfers possible with their squad bloat) or Tottenham are less likely.

Obviously the positions we're likely looking at are #9, RCB, GK, DM and to a lesser degree #8 and RB as Sabitzer and Wan-Bissaka are doing okay but could be upgraded (or in Sabitzer's case, supplemented if Fred and McTominay left)

Most of these guys aren't quite good enough, so I've underlined the ones I think probably could realistically be first choice here. Lots of the non-underlined would do okay as backups who fill specific jobs (mainly backup strikers and backups for Casemiro).

Leicester
-Iheanacho (I said this when we were looking for a Cristiano replacement but I think he'd do well here in Ten Hag's system as he's technically quite good, so if Martial and Weghorst go this summer and we sign a #9, buying Iheanacho with 1 year left on his deal to be the new backup #9 actually makes sense).
-Faes and Souttar both make some sense as Varane's backup when/if Maguire goes, but they're on long-term deals. Maddison is good enough but he and Bruno are way too similar for us to buy him when we have Eriksen around too.

West Ham
-Rice, probably going to Arsenal or Chelsea with the other buying Caicedo, and Liverpool or Newcastle probably should be the team that goes for him, but there's a case to be made that he'd help us as Casemiro's backup, Varane's backup and a replacement for Fred as the defensive #8 who sees out games. Not sure why he'd take that over being first choice somewhere, but players do join Madrid and City with that sort of lack of guaranteed job all the time so not insane. Price would be, though. His passing and ball carrying stats are actually quite good (better than Sabitzer's) and the England players were saying he was the 2nd best technical player on the team after Foden, which is probably hyperbole (Maddison and even Shaw I'd guess) but there probably is more attacking upside than he's shown under Moyes or holding the fort for England.

-Scamacca just signed and hasn't been a hit so this one makes no real-worse sense, but I think despite basically flopping so far he's intriguing due to his size, hold up play and there probably aren't 5 better shooters from 25 yards out among Prem strikers. If for some reason he was leaving, I'd be intrigued with him as a backup striker option on a reasonable fee like 25M, but his fee to West Ham seems to make that unlikely.

Crystal Palace
-Zaha, only included because we might be in the market for 2 #9s if the rumours about Martial leaving are true, and he's on a free and does have the mobility to turn and run at defenders like Martial has done here a bit this season when receiving the ball back to goal or on the half turn. Very unlikely, but he probably wants to compete for some trophies. My guess is he goes to Spain or Italy to not pay taxes and run at slower defenders as he ages, but you never know.
-Doucoure, probably too expensive now but he's doing well as a DM and we maybe should have bought him to backup Casemiro for the 23M he went for and just sold McTominay. Maybe 10M + McTominay would work for everyone as Palace get a more athletic #8 who does the things Schlupp does but is a better player. A swap for Wan-Bissaka also makes sense if we're going to buy Frimpong or another RB anyways, though that's gone from a seeming certainty to a toss up as AWB has done alright, but Antony struggling without a truly threatening RB next to him like he had in Mazraoui makes it possible Ten Hag will look to upgrade our attacking threat there.

Brighton
-Caicedo, similar idea to Rice but no CB time and he doesn't dribble forward as much.
-Mac Allister, similar to Eriksen in that he passes well forward from a deep position. 2 years left on his deal. Liverpool should have already signed him.
-Mitoima, no space for him in the squad at first glance since he's a LW and we're full there, but I think he'd be an intriguing option at RB because he seems so damn great at everything and has done well as a wingback. Could potentially be a Dani Alves type RB if we got him and he is the player he appears to be, and Shaw and Malacia are comfortable defending on the other side so we can look like a back 3 more.
-Sanchez, seems like probably the likeliest name here as we need a GK and he does everything well and probably will want a move to be #1 for a CL team at some point. 2 years left on his deal, so maybe we could get him this summer, or if he stays put and we sign De Gea on a new deal at reasonable wages, selling De Gea then in 2024 and buying Sanchez might not actually be a huge loss financially.
-Lamptey, same idea as Walker-Peters really, an attacking RB option that makes more sense if Maguire's replacement can also play at RB when we're ahead in games, like Timber or a player of that ilk (Kounde was another but he's gone to Barca).

Southampton
-Bella-Kotchap, especially if they go down. His passing isn't nearly good enough yet from what I've seen, but he can defend and a young project to backup Varane for the next 2 years and turn into a footballer makes some sense.
-Bazunu, Struggled, but he's got obvious potential so if he came here to be #2 that would make sense, though Southampton might not want to piss off City when they have a good thing going with their highly rated castoffs.
-Livramento, Chelsea have a buyback option, but they have James and Malo Gusto now and buying Livramento off the injury instead of waiting for his price to go back up to some obscene number isn't the craziest idea in the world if he has a good, healthy month or so to end the season.
-Walker-Peters, hates defending, but if we're set on getting Frimpong and then it falls through, I could see this as a cheap backup plan if Saints go down and Ten Hag is set on more attacking output there as an alternative to Dalot. He's definitely good enough going forward for me. Makes more sense if Ten Hag trolls everyone worried about CB height and we buy Timber as Maguire's replacement and so Walker-Peters can exist purely as an attacking sub option like Lamptey would also be.

Bournemouth
-Nobody good enough, though Neto played at Barca so could theoretically compete with Heaton for #2. Worth a note that Lerma is on a free if we're skint and want a backup DM and say sell Fred and Mctominay and buy a proper #8 and keep Sabitzer and need a 6th CM who can backup Casemiro and just kick people and mark 10s and not complain about starting 6-8 games a season (since Sabitzer might still start a fair amount next to the new #8 as long as that player isn't lightweight but isn't ideal at DM either)

Everton
-Onana is not as consistent on the ball and doesn't get it forward well, but the kid is a monster who seems like a serious professional and might fancy backing up and learning from Casemiro as a DM, though probably would cost 40M or so and that seems like a lot for him since he might really just be a box to box guy in a team that bypasses the midfield a lot on the ball, so like an RB Leipzig, Liverpool or Newcastle
-Calvert-Lewin, I don't see this one because he's hurt a lot and Weghorst and Cristiano are not dissimilar #9s (though they're slower, but who knows if the injures will hurt DCL's pace), but a 25 year old HG striker with 11 England caps on a discount (if they get relegated or need money to stay up) because of the injuries isn't ridiculous as a backup #9 if the price is say 20-25M as a buy low for a guy who was probably moving for like 60M in the summer of 2021 after 29 goals in 2 seasons in the league and only 23 years old

Nottingham Forest,
-Morgan Gibbs-White falls in the same boat as Maddison (Bruno would have to leave or get seriously injured). I do like him generally though, more than the idea of making Brennan Johnson a #9 as he hates passing and seems like an idiot. Great pace, can finish and turn a player when he gets a pass. He'd do well at Villa if they keep spending big and Forest are repossessed by Greek banks that work primarily with drug dealers.
-Nico Williams can play a bit and he's young and mostly a RB, but I don't see it.

Villa
-They spend a lot now, so tough to see a 2 potential signing here as Martinez and Ramsey are the 2 obvious names and they are signed until 2027, though if Martinez was recruited by our Martinez he might do a Saha and demand out. We have obvious makeweights for them in McTominay (big, running CM type that can play in a 2 which Emery likes) and Maguire (better than Konsa). Kamara on a free, even on big wages, looks like it would have been a nice idea here with McTominay out and we'd have the kind of backup for Casemiro you need to seriously compete on 4 fronts like City tried to get in Kalvin Phillips and had in Fernandinho/Rodri. I have a lot of time for Buendia but he just doesn't score enough for a #10 at a CL team, which is why he's at Villa.

-Matty Cash makes sense as a backup option at RB if Emery decides he prefers Young and wants to sign some RB from La Liga and sell Cash to pay for it. He's similar to Dalot for me, which means he'd probably do alright, but also makes less sense since he's similar enough that we're not getting a different tactical option there. He does run vertically really well, which Mazraoui does to and Ten Hag used that to great effect with Antony doing his dribble around in a circle/pausa thing and making time for under and overlapping runs ahead

Brentford
-Toney is the obvious name if he's not getting suspended for gambling (or it's served this year or is like a month of next season) and the more I see of potential other #9s, the more I like Toney. I think if we signed him we'd also want to add a speedier #9 as an alternative, but he's a pretty decent all around striker and his goal record has been good for 4 years now (3 in 4 in League 1, 2 in 3 in the Champo and now 26 in 53 in the Prem). Even with penalties, that's adequate stuff at a position where only Kane and Osimhen look to be clearly better and might cost 100M or just not be gettable.

-Raya is probably the likeliest name. Like Toney, he makes more sense as a mid-price option that you sign another player with, probably a younger one, to hopefully turn him into a quality 2nd choice option in time. Love his passing and sweeping, don't think his shot stopping is quite good enough, but he's experienced in the Prem now and said to be available for 15-20M so this one could happen. I think I'd rather we spend bigger on this position personally.

-Norgaard is a far less obvious name, but I think he's just about good enough to be intriguing on a free or cheap with 1 year left to go, but he's signed until 2026. Janelt is a powerful runner who might look okay spelling Casemiro 10-15 times a year, but he's also signed until 2026. They have some other decent players, but at positions where we have better ones.

Fulham
-Mitrovic is probably a little too expensive (long contract) and too dependent on crosses to make sense for us, but he does do the stuff Haller did for Ajax well. Ensuring Fulham stay in the Prem by scoring close to 20 goals is worth a ton to any team, so I don't see this one. He's too old and slow for us to spend 60M+ on, even if he does ask out, and I think he'd cost that much.

-This is a weird shout, but I think despite (and cost-wise because of) losing his starting place, Tosin Adarabioyo is an interesting idea. He's big and can pass a bit, could see him replacing Maguire as back up to Varane and coming on to head the ball for 5 minutes, especially if we bought Timber to play RB and sold Wan-Bissaka and Ten Hag wanted to risk playing 2 little fellas at CB in some games and so just need a big lump as an option at RCB but the real money needs to go to huge buys at Striker and Keeper.

Wolves
-I don't think Neves is a good fit really, as he's a bit too slow and not dominant defensively enough to be a Casemiro backup and probably wants a bigger role that say Barca would give him. Nunes doesn't fit our style either really. Would have been a good buy under Ole maybe.

-Don't rate the young CBs highly enough, and they're signed long term anyways when they only make sense as frees.
what about Ward-Prowse if Southampton go down?
 
We will be signing players like Saka,Saliba,Kane etc under Qatari ownership. We won't be just looking at non top 7 clubs for talent.
 
Maddison is a great shout. Back up for either Bruno or Erickson, and a fantastic option for moving Bruno out to the right and having him in the attacking midfielder role. Would love to see him here and would likely thrive here.
 
Indeed - can't believe the praise this post is getting from some. It's an awful lot of effort for an awful lot of terrible takes.

Souttar? He's like Maguire but not as good at actual defending. Faes? He gave away two of the worst own goals you'll ever see in just a single game only a few weeks ago.

Scamacca being "intriguing" despite not yet setting the world alight at West Ham after a sizeable fee.

Mitoma - one of the league's most in-form attacking players - to be signed as a right-back?!?!

Meanwhile completely missing out Evan Ferguson who is potentially the most valuable possible signing of all.

Most the other players on there have also been discussed in depth on here already anyway.

The only decent take on there which doesn't get mentioned much at the moment (for obvious reasons) is Livramento. I thought he had excellent potential even before Chelsea sold him and could have easily rivalled James for first-choice for them. It's a big 'if' as to if he returns the same player, but with Chelsea now signing Malo Gusto they surely won't exercise their buy-back option on him and with Southampton likely to get relegated he could be an absolute steal.
I think a lot of posters would rather transfer speculate then actually watch football and that is evidenced with the popularity of YouTube channels that are just garbage.
It is funny that we have the biggest improvement in our team in years and this post pops up about which players we should replace.....absolutely pointless!.
 
what about Ward-Prowse if Southampton go down?

Not a fan of him for us, personally. I think he's a system guy with huge flaws who doesn't really fit what Ten Hag wants to do.

If he goes to a top team it has to be a team playing a weird diamond, xmas tree or 5-3-2 sort of thing where you get his crossing and he's in a sort of box to box type role without being in the middle of the pitch (not good enough in the tackle or going to his left or pass and movement in boring areas of the pitch)but also not at wingback (too weak), if that makes sense.

I think Southampton have bought his replacement in Alcaraz (put them and Lavia with a physical midfielder, either a #8 or #6 and and you have a nice balance as a 3) so he might go this summer. Maybe West Ham want to try a midfield of Paqueta-JWP in front of a pure #6 type, be it Declan Rice or a replacement?

If he wanted to come backup Bruno and Eriksen (so play in a 3 with Casemiro and Fred) and play mostly 20 minutes a game off the bench and starts in cups he'd probably do okay, but like Fred level where we're all happy half the time (JWP hits a quality cross and Rashford scores at the back post) and not half the time (JWP gets bullied in midfield and the resulting corner from the counter leads to a goal).

But that's without his fee. Like a lot of B+ Prem players it's easy to watch highlights of his game and imagine him doing okay with a similar level role to a McTominay/Weghorst/Lindelof type in the team, but unless they're on a free or running down their deals and you can get them for like 15M with 6 months to go, they don't seem like good ideas.
 
I truly think the days of buying even relatively affordable players from smaller clubs in our own division are over, with the exception being when a club gets relegated. While there are some useful names being suggested as squad options, they would all cost way too much to stick on the bench.

For example I like Onana but at this stage in his development he'd be no more than a backup to Casemiro, but we're not spending £50 million or whatever it would cost to get him for a backup. The ones who'd improve our first 11 would all cost an absolute bomb unless their teams went down.

That said, I'd love it if we got Evan Ferguson. I'm absolutely convinced that kid is going to be the real deal.

Agree with this. I only ended up underlining a few names as making sense to pay the actually huge fees they would cost. Prem proven players are so expensive.
 
Yeah, I like OP, but he has this weird obsession with players lower down the league being serious options. It’s not the 00s anymore where you can scoop up players at ease and have them rotate around. The value for money just isn’t there in the PL for about 85% of the players

I wrote that Rice, the 4 Brighton lads (Mac Allister, Caicedo, Sanchez, Mitoima), Toney and Livramento are probably the only ones that seem like they might be worth the money for us.

The others are more players who would be worth considering if their contract was run down or we have a horrific injury and need a replacement or just the guy hits a higher gear like Maddison or Mitrovic have as they hit their mid-20s peak.
 
I stopped at Souttar being back-up for Varane.....dearie me.

I think this defence makes sense, for instance:

LCB - Lisandro, Shaw, CB3
RCB - Varane, CB3, Souttar

Maguire has played more for England than for United this season (Whoscored has it that way at least). Having a giant defender who can help us during aerial onslaughts makes sense and is the role Maguire has basically been given.

If the rumours are true that Maguire wants to go and a team like Inter wants Lindelof to come start (and they'll pay a fair fee and he wants that opportunity) I won't be surprised if Ten Hag goes for a quality CB he likes and then a tall, aerially dominant option at RCB since Shaw is the backup LCB anyways.

So, like this sort of thing if we go for Timber again this summer:

LCB - Lisandro, Shaw, Timber
RCB - Varane, Timber, Souttar

or Kim from Napoli seems like the other player the press has mooted:

LCB - Lisandro, Shaw, Kim
RCB - Varane, Kim, Souttar

Those make sense to me as depth charts, particularly if Alvaro is seen as likely to come back in say the summer of 2024 or 2025 after another loan or 2, as a left-sided option in defence.

TLDR: If Lindelof and Maguire both leave, I think their replacements are probably a passing CB Ten Hag loves and then some giant fella to head the ball if we're defending our box with 10 minutes to go or playing against Champo or Greek League strikers in cups.
 
Nice work, some interesting options in there. Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but I think Mbuemo is just as important as Toney in that Brentford team and would be a good signing for most clubs.

JWP and Salisu I would add for Southampton as ones to consider, but perhaps Salisu wouldn't be good enough on the ball for EtH. Could probably say the same for JWP outside his dead-ball ability.

I guess the issue is money. Malacia is a good example, because he cost like 15m or whatever, and is probably better than any other backup LB we could have signed from another PL team for a relatively small fee.

I think for the Malacia's of this world, we should always be looking for the hidden gems in the French/Dutch/Portuguese leagues for a fraction of the price. There's nobody there bar Rice or MacAllister that I'd see in our starting 11. I would err against signing any players from other PL clubs unless we're talking about someone who you believe is going to walk into that first 11.

The only ones I am pretty certain walk into the first 11 are:

-Toney and probably Mitrovic (I could see him not getting enough crosses to actually be better than Martial, but he'd definitely be a useful squad player and he's not constantly hurt)
-Sanchez, probably Martinez from Villa

Even the guys who make complete sense like Rice or Caicedo and fit beautifully as a defensive alternative to Eriksen and a backup to Casemiro (so basically Fred and McTominay's role in one better player) might not walk into the first 11, at least at home, because Eriksen is a better passer and Bruno isn't going to get dropped.

I like Mac Allister, his contract not being a million years means he might be the most realistic option here, but I'm not sure he'd start. This looks like a balanced midfield though in say the summer of 2024:

---------------------------Bruno(Eriksen)
Mac Allister(Sabitzer)-------Casemiro(DM)

if none of the kids make it.

But having one of Rice or Caicedo would give us 4 quality midfielders for 3 spots and then ideally Sabitzer sticks around as #5 but more likely it's Fred.
 
I stopped at Souttar being back-up for Varane.....dearie me.

If it’s young centre backs with a bit of potential we are after then Nathan Collins at Wolves is ahead of Harry Souttar for me.
 
Caicedo, Mcallister, gnonto, Mitoma, several goalkeepers, Rice, Maddison, Tony & Kane are the PL players we should seriously be considering moving in for this Summer IMO.

All attainable to varying degrees.
 
Brighton: Sanchez, Mitoma, Caicedo, McAllister, Ferguson.
Brentford: Raya, Toney.
Palace: Olise.
Leeds: Gnonto.
Leicester: Maddison.
Nottingham: Johnson.

Some of them have the potential to be good in the future or provide good back-up options for our starters, and some of them will straight away play a big part in the first team. Gnonto and Mitoma are the least favorable options given that we have Rashford, Garnacho and Sancho for the LW spot.
 
If Leeds go down i’d be straight in for Meslier and Gnonto. At 22 Meslier is a long term signing who I think is a great keeper and already has several seasons prem experience as a starter.
Gnonto looks like he could be bloody trouble for any side and will only get better
 
Ollie Watkins seems a EtH type of striker. Always pressing, fights for everything and can run the channels. His hold up play he can improve on, as well as his dribbling but he’s a good finisher and has an all round good skill set.
 
Iheanacho without a doubt. His contract expires next year so he'll come cheap and happy enough to be backup here instead of Leicester. Decent striker as well.
 
Iheanacho without a doubt. His contract expires next year so he'll come cheap and happy enough to be backup here instead of Leicester. Decent striker as well.
Didn't realise the contract situation, that's a pretty good shout. Can't believe we don't have a single youth striker coming through that would normally fill that role, but he's a HUGE upgrade on Weghorst/Elanga.

Given the prices of all the others (Caceido etc) I wouldn't bother buying Prem. It's time for us to use our huge network. We need a LOT of players to get this squad up to pace to compete on four fronts. At least a CF, CMF, CB (left-footed) and probably a RB, backup CF and new GK. Some of those will have to be cheaper punts.
 
I'd really only be looking at goalkeepers and players to play back-up roles, although I'm still in the camp that thinks Tielemans on a free would be a very sound signing all things considered.

David Raya would probably be top of my picks; controversially I'd probably also take Jordan Pickford if I thought we could get him at anything resembling a decent price (which I think is unlikely).

I do also really like Mac Allister; I agree with the majority opinion that he could be a very valuable asset to the first team. My main qualm with him would again be that I don't think his price tag will be particularly reasonable, and I suspect we might be able to do better when it comes to value for money.

Besides that, I don't think there are many other players who I'd take for the first team. The likes of Maddison and Rice might well be good enough, but we don't need them enough to warrant the amount of money they'd cost.
 
-Faes and Souttar both make some sense as Varane's backup when/if Maguire goes, but they're on long-term deals

Faes is a David Loluiz regen, but with less ability on the ball.

I think it's probably a good idea to avoid signing players with Sideshow Bob hair - they seem to always be erratic nutcases.
 
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People for some reason don't want him. Would be a great squad player and available cheap
He wouldn't be cheap though. Even if they went down, he's Southampton's club captain and they'd expect to come right back up so they'd want to keep him and could afford to keep paying his wages. They'd make us pay through the nose, and as others have said he's not good enough in open play to warrant the cost.
 
He wouldn't be cheap though. Even if they went down, he's Southampton's club captain and they'd expect to come right back up so they'd want to keep him and could afford to keep paying his wages. They'd make us pay through the nose, and as others have said he's not good enough in open play to warrant the cost.
£30m max.
 
Iheanacho isn't looking such a hot idea. Weak as piss up front for Leicester today. Souttar is too slow. Harry Maguire mark 2.
 
You say "likely abroad" but I'd bet if it happened that he'd be signed back to the PL by Newcastle or Chelsea in a year, no craps given by them. Given that, it makes more sense for Utd to just try and keep him.
Depends on the club. We may be wanting/willing to sell but not into the PL. If his contract is paid up that's a different matter of course.
I feel Ten Hag has a squad with a great morale and mentality at the moment. It would be a big risk to try and reintegrate him (assuming the new evidence if it comes to light isn't a complete exoneration). And then the media circus and probable lack of England call ups and the endless debate about that. The no doubt relentless chanting from oppo fans. The debate on here, the women's team. The problem isn't going away. I'm not making a judgement on his guilt, it is a pretty grey area with charges dropped but audio evidence out there. Just thinking for the team. If he was any old squad player there would be a concensus on the caf.
 
Jarrad Branthwaite, CB, left-footed. On loan from Everton to PSV. Think he's the one we should go for as competition/cover for Martinez.
 
Depends on the club. We may be wanting/willing to sell but not into the PL.

My point is some foreign club would likely pick him up from Utd at a cut-price fee (if not free), then soon after just sell him back to a PL club like Newcastle or Chelsea for a sizeable profit.

Look at how Howe and Newcastle "dealt" with Joelinton's drunk-driving conviction. No craps given. Look at Chelsea with Marcos Alonso.

It would be a big risk to try and reintegrate him (assuming the new evidence if it comes to light isn't a complete exoneration).

Even if it doesn't get released you still have to assume that it is an exoneration, or else the CPS could have continued with the prosecution.

it is a pretty grey area with charges dropped but audio evidence out there.

No it's not a "grey area" - the audio "evidence" is evidently not evidence enough that a crime actually took place. Otherwise the CPS would have continued with the prosecution. It's not though, so people should accept that charges were dropped under reasonable grounds.

And then the media circus and probable lack of England call ups and the endless debate about that. The no doubt relentless chanting from oppo fans.

Oppo fans relentlessly chant about every opponent's players.

Regarding the "media circus" and even any potential issue from the women's team, that could well end up being overshadowed by Utd's takeover anyway - especially if it's done by Qatar. It'd be a bit odd and potentially double standards if Utd and its women's team took a stand for PR purposes against a player who wasn't actually found guilty of serious mistreatment of a woman, but ended up letting slide the club being owned by a country which still effectively treats women as second-class citizens.

Also on the PR front, any decision to bring him back would surely only be done with additional PR from the player, the club, his family, and even the woman involved (who is supposedly still together with him anyway). All of those parties have still hardly said anything about the issue - if they made more public statements about how the issue has been misconstrued, lessons have been learned, people have been forgiven etc. etc. then that would also mute a lot of any potential public discontent.
 
Very good thread, but I think a big part of ETHs preferences is about getting players — (a) that know how we want to play, and (b) really fits well into that system.

In a few key areas, ETHs style differs a lot from how many other teams play.

Especially:
*He wants at least one winger that is anything but direct, but that thrives at providing a pass option, is strong on the ball and can hold it up while the team moves up, like Pep does with Bernardo Silva. Very far from the typical direct inverting wingers that have become so common the last decades. Since Rashford does not fit this mold, it’s even more important that our RW does.
*He wants wingbacks that can invert and take shifts at CM.
*For the CB position, mobility, press resilience and aggressiveness is definitely more important than aerial ability etc.

—> It can be a lot of work and risk involved in completely reinventing a player who is in his mid to late 20s.

So I don’t think we can assume that ETH per automatic will spot and fall in love with a bunch of underrated players playing for the likes of Moyes, Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe and so forth.

Like have Declan Rice played one game in his entire career for a team for which it’s essential to play up from the back? He hasn’t, right. For us, doing that would be his — most — important task. Of course this plays a part in ETHs recruitment. Rice has a great skill set to do what a Casemiro does. But he has never done it.

Playing up from the back isn’t a luxury in ETHs system, it’s essential. We are not a team that sets up or is built to not do it. When we don’t, it looks like Leeds at home or Brentford away.

I would look at former City players. Burnley players. Some Arsenal guys. In some ways, Brighton players. To put it like this; I would be surprised if Pep or ETH ever bought a RW to replace Bernado Silva or Antony from West Ham.

Romeo Lavia from Southampton? He got a buy-back clause from City. But it’s up to himself to decide. Not 100% on Onana.
 
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Iheanacho, Olise, Raya, and Jacob Ramsey stand out as the best choices. There are a lot of reasons why we should try to get at least a couple of these excellent EPL players.
 
Indeed - can't believe the praise this post is getting from some. It's an awful lot of effort for an awful lot of terrible takes.

Souttar? He's like Maguire but not as good at actual defending. Faes? He gave away two of the worst own goals you'll ever see in just a single game only a few weeks ago.

Scamacca being "intriguing" despite not yet setting the world alight at West Ham after a sizeable fee.

Mitoma - one of the league's most in-form attacking players - to be signed as a right-back?!?!

Meanwhile completely missing out Evan Ferguson who is potentially the most valuable possible signing of all.

Most the other players on there have also been discussed in depth on here already anyway.

The only decent take on there which doesn't get mentioned much at the moment (for obvious reasons) is Livramento. I thought he had excellent potential even before Chelsea sold him and could have easily rivalled James for first-choice for them. It's a big 'if' as to if he returns the same player, but with Chelsea now signing Malo Gusto they surely won't exercise their buy-back option on him and with Southampton likely to get relegated he could be an absolute steal.

Glad you said it first before me. Left winger to play on the opposite side and further back on the pitch. Bruh.

Tbh, we'd probably should avoid most or all Brighton/PL rivals prospects simply because they will be extremely overpriced for us or will be poor value. Brighton turned down £70m for Caceido ffs.