On top of this, Chelsea and Tottenham couldn't get a striker in. We've done better business than all our close rivals this window.
Odion Ighalo - 6 month loan deal done
- Thread starter RedDevilRoshi
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He's a body that is recruited in the January transfer window. No players that we want long term are in general available in January. Bruno Fernandes is by far the exception.
This is a stop-gap serviceable striker option to give us options upfront. He netted a respectable 16 in 37 in the 15/16 season. Left for China the year after after half a very underwhelming season with just 1 EPL goal for Watford. I believe he's currently the top scorer in the Chinese Superleague, for what that is worth.
Listen, this guy is not someone that will shoot us to the champions league final. He's a guy that will get us 5-8 goals if things work out and maybe a couple assists. We haven't signed him as a permanent fixture, he's arrived on a loan. He's onlt 30. He joined the chinese league for a insane payday, not because he can't take the level of the Premier League.
We'll see what he's got. But know what? He can't do worse than anyone else we have upfront right now can he?
I fear this will go badly. At least its a loan, he can at least reduce the risk of injury to others. Hopefully he's a good dressing room influence at the very least.
Our stock in Nigeria will skyrocket though
Our stock in Nigeria will skyrocket though
Ighalo, woooaaah
Ighalo, woooaaah
Turned down Barcelona
Now he has Corona
Ighalo, woooaaah
Turned down Barcelona
Now he has Corona
In reality were your type of thinking led us to were we are right now.
I hope he proves to me a good buy for short term and we bring in a quality striker in summer.
Just what we wanted. A striker who cant finish his shots
Wrong.
There are almost no strikers in the world willing to come here for half a season, to sit on on the bench when everyone is fit.
The good ones will never leave mid-season to come to a struggling club in January. The ambitious ones will never accept their lowly place in the squad pecking order. The ones without PL experience will never be able to acclimatise to the league quickly enough to make a difference between now and May. And in the rare cases they would, the clubs wouldn't sell at a low enough price to justify United spending big on stop-gap.
Ighalo is the best option available.
Subtle digs but genuinely think getting someone rather than no one is better. Hopefully we get top 4 cause of it.
A very good deal. Costs next to nothing, EPL proven. And no obligation to buy if it doesn't work out.
I've totally come round to this, United fan all his life, this is going to be a dream come true for him, he'll bust a gut to do well in premier league again. Definitely worth a punt, and shouldn't put anyone's nose out of joint.
Because they have to. How else would they cope?
Will he get the 19 Jersey
Did better than them all in the summer as well imo
ThisJust inventing reasons to be angry
There’s always a bellend who a) can’t see an obvious joke, and b) overreacts with in insult.
Crack on ya mup.
From what I remember, he's not good enough in build up play (Deeney was the better link up player on the ground and by far in the air) but he is a proper poacher up top which will be very useful off the bench and also maybe in a couple of starts at home so Martial can get a rest or start out left (with James on the right or if he's out).
Could even end up playing them both together until Rashford comes back at times, since Martial prefers to drop deep and wide and not actually be in the box.
Useful signing for James, Pogba and Bruno in that he'll be looking to get on the end of their crosses and passes and they could all use that type.
Signing a proper RW and just playing Greenwood up top would have been better considering he's 4th or 5th in the Prem in goals per minute and we should finally have the creative talent in Pogba and Bruno to get him the ball to feet in the final 3rd where we know he can get his shot off brilliantly.
The Watford forum is full of people thinking he's not good enough to help them (!) but noting that his form his first year in the Prem was fantastic.
Seems like if you did this loan twice you'd end up with:
1 time - Ighalo is hot and gets a good number of goals (some as a sub) and it turns out we really have been leaving goals on the table by not having a proper poacher up top with regards to rebounds, tap ins and headers
1 time - He's really poor in build up play and doesn't score more than 1 in his first 4 or 5 games and just playing Greenwood up top as the alternative 9 makes more sense since Pogba and McTominay returning along with Bruno signing and Matic and Fred playing well means we're better off with 4 of them out there, and then 2 of Martial/James/Greenwood in attack. He scores one useful goal in a cup or Europa League.
Could even end up playing them both together until Rashford comes back at times, since Martial prefers to drop deep and wide and not actually be in the box.
Useful signing for James, Pogba and Bruno in that he'll be looking to get on the end of their crosses and passes and they could all use that type.
Signing a proper RW and just playing Greenwood up top would have been better considering he's 4th or 5th in the Prem in goals per minute and we should finally have the creative talent in Pogba and Bruno to get him the ball to feet in the final 3rd where we know he can get his shot off brilliantly.
The Watford forum is full of people thinking he's not good enough to help them (!) but noting that his form his first year in the Prem was fantastic.
Seems like if you did this loan twice you'd end up with:
1 time - Ighalo is hot and gets a good number of goals (some as a sub) and it turns out we really have been leaving goals on the table by not having a proper poacher up top with regards to rebounds, tap ins and headers
1 time - He's really poor in build up play and doesn't score more than 1 in his first 4 or 5 games and just playing Greenwood up top as the alternative 9 makes more sense since Pogba and McTominay returning along with Bruno signing and Matic and Fred playing well means we're better off with 4 of them out there, and then 2 of Martial/James/Greenwood in attack. He scores one useful goal in a cup or Europa League.
Same as my UEFA Pro Licence, but I fancy myself as a top tier manager also
I can't believe it's come to this
Did Lukaku want to stay? No.
Was Lukaku a negative influence on the dressing room, which includes some very bright youth prospects? Yes.
Does the signing of Ighalo alleviate the pressure from Martial and especially Greenwood having to perform? Yes.
Is Ighalo going to help prevent the burn out of Martial, Greenwood and James allowing us to rotate? Yes.
It's a no risk signing, he's not going to be expected to bag a serious amount of goals, so if he doesnt theres no harm done. As things stand we're not in top 4 but if our two new signings help us achieve top 4, then it'll be seen as a great bit of business.
Calm the feck down and get behind the team.
People preferring no player to a loan signing cannot be serious.
'Giving Greenwood minutes instead' is asking for trouble as he is not physically ready for those kinds of stresses and tribulations, and mentally, you should not put that kind of pressure on a kid - sure, play him when he's doing well, but equally, he needs to be handled carefully and rotated in and out of the side. On top of that, Greenwood coming on against tired defences is a far more prudent use of him than going against full-grown men from kick off. He is not a man child, not is he particularly athletic, which is usually the gateway for young prodigies against seasoned adults in the mens' game.
Martial needs rest and rotation, he also needs a foil whilst Rashford is out of the fold. We have nobody in the squad to be that foil, which obviously invites a new striker to take up the baton and be that player.
Ighalo is going to be trying his damnedest here, too. This is literally the opportunity of a lifetime for him as far as football is concerned. He might not be good enough to earn a transfer here, but he will absolutely bust a gut trying. His zest is going to occupy defenders, which in turn gives players behind him more space to work in. We have zero, none, nil, null enthusiastic off-the-ball runners in the squad without Rashford. Whether Ighalo scores or not, he can contribute to the team by pulling backlines left and right with his work without the ball.
I wouldn't have pulled his name out of any hat for a stand-in striker, but there's nothing to think about with regard to having him here or not.
'Giving Greenwood minutes instead' is asking for trouble as he is not physically ready for those kinds of stresses and tribulations, and mentally, you should not put that kind of pressure on a kid - sure, play him when he's doing well, but equally, he needs to be handled carefully and rotated in and out of the side. On top of that, Greenwood coming on against tired defences is a far more prudent use of him than going against full-grown men from kick off. He is not a man child, not is he particularly athletic, which is usually the gateway for young prodigies against seasoned adults in the mens' game.
Martial needs rest and rotation, he also needs a foil whilst Rashford is out of the fold. We have nobody in the squad to be that foil, which obviously invites a new striker to take up the baton and be that player.
Ighalo is going to be trying his damnedest here, too. This is literally the opportunity of a lifetime for him as far as football is concerned. He might not be good enough to earn a transfer here, but he will absolutely bust a gut trying. His zest is going to occupy defenders, which in turn gives players behind him more space to work in. We have zero, none, nil, null enthusiastic off-the-ball runners in the squad without Rashford. Whether Ighalo scores or not, he can contribute to the team by pulling backlines left and right with his work without the ball.
I wouldn't have pulled his name out of any hat for a stand-in striker, but there's nothing to think about with regard to having him here or not.
We really have. We got in a goal scoring mid and an epl ready striker to help with injury crisis. I would have but off your hand for that 2 weeks ago
Best comment I've read in this thread so far.
They were wanting Lionel Messi
Indeed. It's infinitely preferable to signing a guy like King who, with the best will in the world, isn't good enough for where we are when everyone is fit, much less where we want to go. It allows us, hopefully, the breathing room to pick the right player long term.
The larger point of how we have gone through two windows without permanently replacing Lukaku would be the bigger worry. But it shouldn't be a surprise.
Same as my UEFA Pro Licence, but I fancy myself as a top tier manager also
I mean if Sarri and Mou could do it..
Calm the feck down.He's here for 6 months.Why does everyone think he's our number 1 target.He's here to help until we get Rashford back.It also neglects the fact that Giroud and Batshuayi are available, in addition to Abraham. We have Martial and an eighteen year old Greenwood.
Bloke’s a tosser.
If it is a dig then he's stupid, Chelsea already have their Ighalo in Giroud and Batshuayi
Would rather just bring Dong back for peanuts if that was the plan!
Welcome Ighalo, I hope you can help us get into that top four.
Went on his instagram for shits. Guy is ripped Don't have to worry about him being unfit/fat or whatever being in China for a bit.
As funny as the deal is, and definitely a statement about our situation, I do have a funny feeling it's going to end up being a good deal. But I'm just an optimist so we'll see. Probably blind optimism.
Don't have to worry about him being unfit/fat or whatever being in China for a bit.As funny as the deal is, and definitely a statement about our situation, I do have a funny feeling it's going to end up being a good deal. But I'm just an optimist so we'll see. Probably blind optimism.
Jamie redknapp says it smacks of desperation.
Jamie redknapp is a gobshite.
Jamie redknapp is a gobshite.
It's different for them as they actually have a back up in Giroud.
We have zero back up.
Wonder if we considered Rondon... May have actually preferred him... But its much a muchness.
Okay, anyone who doesn't think this is an act of desperation isn't living in the real world. It has taken us till deadline day to replace Lukaku who left in the last transfer window. We have had the best part of six months to sort a replacement...and we really should have forward planned before the Belgian actually left in any case. Now we are scrambling around unceremoniously to find anyone to fill that huge hole up front.
We have ended up with a 30-year-old striker whose best season for Watford is well behind him, and who at his best still basically a B-Division Lukaku ( to be painfully honest). It all makes our sidelining of Lukaku in favour of Rashford (who doesn't see himself as a striker anyway) all the more baffling. Because there is no question Lukaku would have stayed had he had the confidence of Ole.
Now Ole has to ask himself if he honestly thinks Ighalo is a better bet than Lukaku.
Now having said all that, I went the guy to tear it up. I will be 100% behind him and hope he shows his best form for us. Nobody really loses. He has six months to impress. For us it is a stop gap till the summer, or I hope it is.
But really how we got to the position where we had to go for Ighalo, shows how poor we are at recruitment planning. It really is all over the place. Even the Bruno signing which we are all excited by, was such a farce before we finally got it over the line, for more than we would have paid if we had gone for it during the summer.
Anyone it is Ighalo a go go and he will get my vote at the least. It will give Martial the kick up the butt that he so rightly needs. It is a plan B.
We have ended up with a 30-year-old striker whose best season for Watford is well behind him, and who at his best still basically a B-Division Lukaku ( to be painfully honest). It all makes our sidelining of Lukaku in favour of Rashford (who doesn't see himself as a striker anyway) all the more baffling. Because there is no question Lukaku would have stayed had he had the confidence of Ole.
Now Ole has to ask himself if he honestly thinks Ighalo is a better bet than Lukaku.
Now having said all that, I went the guy to tear it up. I will be 100% behind him and hope he shows his best form for us. Nobody really loses. He has six months to impress. For us it is a stop gap till the summer, or I hope it is.
But really how we got to the position where we had to go for Ighalo, shows how poor we are at recruitment planning. It really is all over the place. Even the Bruno signing which we are all excited by, was such a farce before we finally got it over the line, for more than we would have paid if we had gone for it during the summer.
Anyone it is Ighalo a go go and he will get my vote at the least. It will give Martial the kick up the butt that he so rightly needs. It is a plan B.
And which reality is that when we failed to sign a striker who scored 30 goals in half a season? I'd say it hasn't happened, so no idea why you appear to think that if a player joins the club and is exceptionally successful then we shouldn't sign him. I mean what line of thought goes there?
We've got one senior striker and an 18 year old kid in his first season.
We were fecking desperate. That's why we've got him.
Why is Redknapp acting like we think this is some great signing, we all know it's a short term deal to help us out.
Please don't start making this a thing....
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