How much cheaper do you think Timber is going to be? He'll be £40 million minimum. We won't be saving much buying him instead.
Potential Centre-Back Options?
- Thread starter sullydnl
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How much cheaper do you think Timber is going to be? He'll be £40 million minimum. We won't be saving much buying him instead.
If we do get in a new CB it's not gonna be an expensive player like Kounde or Torres.
I miss the Stams, Vidic type of cb. Physical presences that will make anybstriler think twice. Tje lindelof pau torres type isnt really what we need
De Ligt hasn’t really been superb for Juve and I wonder if they’d move him for the right fee.
Would add leadership we just don’t have at the back.
Would add leadership we just don’t have at the back.
That guy has everything, he just has way too many "wtf?" moments and I don't think that's ever going away.
Him next to Maguire would be comedy.
I can't say I've watched him much since he left Ajax - that's worrying to read!
Yep, lots of penalties conceded, slips, unnecessary red cards.
He's the Dutch Phil Jones.
25-30mp
I'd go for Fofana, he's been really good since he returned.
I assume you mean Wesley? He has just signed a ridiculously long, new deal. No chance he leaves unfortunately
Anyone seen this guy, Hincapie? https://www.espn.com/soccer/blog-es...lead-the-39-best-male-players-age-21-or-under
Sounds like a good fit here if we fail to get Torres maybe?
Sounds like a good fit here if we fail to get Torres maybe?
Whoever we do get must be left footed.
I remember when Van Gaal made a big thing of it when he came in and he's right, because it does create that balance and allows us to build so much better from the back. Its not a must, but ten Hag seems to have always tried to create that since his reign at Ajax, with Blind and De Ligt or Martinez and Timber.
Potential options:
Pau Torres
Nico Schlotterbeck
Lisandro Martinez
Josko Gvardiol
David Hancko
Alessandro Bastoni
Mohammed Salisu
I remember when Van Gaal made a big thing of it when he came in and he's right, because it does create that balance and allows us to build so much better from the back. Its not a must, but ten Hag seems to have always tried to create that since his reign at Ajax, with Blind and De Ligt or Martinez and Timber.
Potential options:
Pau Torres
Nico Schlotterbeck
Lisandro Martinez
Josko Gvardiol
David Hancko
Alessandro Bastoni
Mohammed Salisu
Should go for Pau Torres or Martinez.
Schlotterbeck has already said he wants to stay in Germany and it sounds like the deal with Dortmund is pretty much done, so you can probably remove him from the list.
These are all very good options. Romano has mentioned our interest for Pau Torres. Bastoni may surprisingly be available with 2 years left on his contract, but rumours are pointing him to Conte. Gvardiol is also an interesting one that I hope we're monitoring. Martinez is good but I'm concerned about a 175cm CB.
He's young, only played a handful of games, but Lukeba at Lyon looks like a no-miss type talent. He's been talked about for years as one of the biggest prospects in the Lyon academy, and he's now transitioned to the first team like it's the most natural thing in the world.
Reads the game beautifully. Ice in his veins when in possession - actively invites pressure to open up passing lanes and has wand of a left foot to the point that Peter Bosz recently called him a playmaking central defender.
He's also already physically dominating target men like Delort with his combo of speed and strength.
Basically a complete modern defender.
Getting both him and Gusto from Lyon would go a long way to massively upgrading our defence.
Edit - and Lukeba's scored against Marseille. Good timing. Scrappy goal, but still 2 in 18 games...I'll maybe add 'set-piece threat' next time.
Reads the game beautifully. Ice in his veins when in possession - actively invites pressure to open up passing lanes and has wand of a left foot to the point that Peter Bosz recently called him a playmaking central defender.
He's also already physically dominating target men like Delort with his combo of speed and strength.
Basically a complete modern defender.
Getting both him and Gusto from Lyon would go a long way to massively upgrading our defence.
Edit - and Lukeba's scored against Marseille. Good timing. Scrappy goal, but still 2 in 18 games...I'll maybe add 'set-piece threat' next time.
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I’ve heard about him for a long time now, I like players who have pedigree coming through the youth ranks and are able to progress seamlessly into the professional game. Whilst it doesn’t happen in every instance, but typically these players have grown up learning how to deal with pressure and can be further ahead in terms of their mental development. He would be a really exciting prospect for us.
I heard from a source that United are sniffing around DeLigt again. Maybe it would be easier without Riola this time. Juve need the money
Ten Hag - "We're putting the band back together"
What about this Ignacio guy, that has been scouted this season. 19 years old I believe, but never seen him play.
Badiashile was touted as an option in the summer and it's good to see very decent in the in the air this season. I may be not remembering well, but thought that was some what of a deficiency when we were all analysing him.
Edit: https://fbref.com/en/players/06df8256/Benoit-Badiashile#stats_misc_dom_lg yep, big improvement.
Bodes well for the EPL that, although someone was discussing the other day how defending has changed due to the change in style of play for most teams now. Gone are the days where you get your up and under teams putting the ball into the box at any given moment. It seems to be more of a calculated approach, and the ball often gets played back to the edge of the box on the floor, as opposed to just pumping it up.
I guess when you look at it, not many teams play with that traditional ''big lump'' up top so they've had to adapt and as a result, so has the defender. This is something our defenders really seem to struggle with, though. Whether they haven't got the agility or speed of thought, I don't know, but it seems like we concede a goal from a cut back or attacking player running past one of our defenders in the box every game.
That being said, I guess if you can have a defender who excels at both, in that they are aerially dominant but also agile, is a bonus. I look at players like Van Dijk and Konate, for example, who, from what it seems, looks like another fantastic signing for them, and they really make it looks effortless, as they are examples who excel at both.
I think the main thing was compared to fonte, who was a very capable CB in the premier league.
I agree with your post though, it's probably a but of an outdated view that there's going to be crosses galore and actually the lesser Spanish teams are more notorious for it!
It’s most likely going to be timber or martinez from Ajax… we should be going for pau Torres or badiashile though… the guys from Ajax are small for defenders, they may be very good on the ball but I think we’ll concede a lot of set pieces as they’ll get targeted a lot. The other 2 are quality options and will give us good Aereal threat.
Evan N'Dicka looks like a fine prospect, looks very composed on the ball, and seems to be very fast. Rumour has it that he's available for £17m as he's out of contract next season.
Both Ndicka and Badiashile are fine prospects. Both are tall, strong, comfortable on the ball, left footed and great in the aerial duels. United need to sign one of them. My preference is Ndicka.
Agree with this. Two players with loads of room to improve.
N’Dicka does look good. Also Calvin Bassey is worth keeping an eye on as well, certainly from tonight’s showing I dunno if he plays like that every week.
We need a good physical CB to improve us in our weaknesses at set pieces. I'm all for Timber in the squad but we would need someone else as well.
- Gvardiol
- Pau Torres
- Ndicka
- Lisandro Martinez (squad covers LB,LCB and CDM)
We already have the tallest and most aerially dominant squad in the league. Physicality isn't why we're bad at set-pieces.
We may be tall but I don't think we are aerially dominant however I take your point. Hopefully this will improve with further coaching but I'm just concerned knowing certain teams in the EPL, aerial defending is very important.
Price isnt relevant so much, but we need to sign the right kind of centre back and a quality one whether its cheap or expensive. WIth outgoings as things stand based on the last season can we rely on Varane to stay fit, Maguire to perform (he was pretty average in his first season) and I will answer this....we definately cant rely on Lindelof as a regular starter from back up due to this....ony leaves Mengi.
We need serious competition for the centreback berth, not back ups. Personal opinion, I hope you are right on the names you mention not coming though, I think they arent that good to warrant the price against other centre backs, both good but not really fans of either of them myself
Would love Fofana too but what with his first season and signing a new contract, not sure there will be many more expensive centre backs if we were to make a move than him and £70m+ on Fofana doesnt make sense with what we need and probabl ybudget this summer
Id never really noticed him until the game against West Ham. I was massively impressed with him in that tie, especially how well he coped with the obvious physical threat Antonio posseses, was a great battle and he held his own.
I really like Gusto, seems so intelligent for his age and has bags of ability and potential, already a really godo full back. COuld be a great signing. Only thing concerns me with him is how often he gets caught out of position on the break....but that may have as much to do with the way Lyon play as him individually
Only seen him once this season and probably 6 times in total. He is a real physical specimen that is for sure....but he has never really convinced me considering some of the hype.
I called him a physical specimen as that all I have really seen. Really big strong phsycially and running....but he has never strangely looked very good in the air and I just dont see much intelligence with him.....lazy comparison maybe, but I see a bit of a Bailly in him, and in that I mean the bad version of Bailly who I actually rate. I wouldnt sign him personally, think there are much better French centre backs than him from the little I have seen anyway
Yes despite the trophies and experience, always thought Rio was a much better centre back than Varane. Thought the whole hype with him comin gon the pitch in the suit signed was overkill, but we have got a version of Rio in Varane....but Bailly never filled the physical role like hoped despite a decent first season and Maguire certainly isnt doing a good audition.
Not really seen Timber to judge apart from reading about the intelligence, but using another big up and coming name. Gvariol wouldfor me fulfill that physical role and give us a partnership slightly different to one fans could dream of Stam and Rio, Varane and Gvardiol, woul dbe the dream defensive signing, another I think we really missed out on I was keen on last year was Romero, been a bit over phsyical but I think he has acclimatised to the premiership really well this year, excellent defender
Do spurs have first option on buying romero because he has looked so good for them this season whilst on loan from atalanta.
I think Bassey probably isn't quite good enough but is interesting because he only has 2 years left on the deal, is 22, has played LB and LCB and has the speed and power to be a good, affordable backup if we play a Blind type LB/LCB after buying Timber to play RCB, with I imagine Varane in the middle, then Dalot in the Mazraoui role.
Can Gvardiol play in a two? Any videos I've seen of him, it's him raiding up the left flank more akin to a full back. Would worry that he's not really a centre back at all.
Not sure I get the Bailly comparison at all apart from both being tall and black. Badiashile is a fine passer and as others have mentioned is now quite dominant in the air both of which are relative weaknesses for Bailly.