Potential Centre-Back Signings

sullydnl

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According to Jamie Jackson we plan on selling Maguire "to add true competition for Varane and Martínez and enhance the quality of the defence."

Which if true means (yet another) CB signing this summer.

So assuming it's true, what type of CB do we need? And which players should we be targeting?
 
I’d be amazed if we aren’t back in for Timber.

Timber can cover RB too. We could shift on Maguire & AWB and effectively replace them with Timber.
 
Bwuk said:
I’d be amazed if we aren’t back in for Timber.

Timber can cover RB too. We could shift on Maguire & AWB and effectively replace them with Timber.
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A good world cup and I think a few teams will be in for him but given our interest in the summer I fully expect us to be in there as well
 
N’dicka surely. I could see him being a good partner for Lindelöf aswell on second rotation.
 
Ndicka on a free would be mint. I would love Tomori but he would surely cost a bomb. We need a laser quick CB who is good on the ball and in the air next to Martinez.
 
God knows. If you’d asked this question a year ago how many would’ve said Martinez? I’m happy to give Ten Hag a blank chequebook and tell him to chase after whoever he likes.
 
The two Lyon centre backs (Castello Lukeba and Sinaly Diomendé) both look like great prospects too.
 
CB is one position where we don't need to spend an awful lot to get a good player in. Some decent scouting and we could get an option for the squad. The obvious one is Ndicka for free and Kim who would be reasonably priced. Don't know how much Ibanez would cost but he looks impressive

Scalvini, Antonio Silva, Todibo, Ahmedhodzic for RCB and Van de Ven, Lukeba, Badiashile, Sylla, Pavlovic for LCB are some interesting young players to look at. Then there are those from the PL like Collins, Faes, Bella-Kotchop.
 
avgp_1 said:
CB is one position where we don't need to spend an awful lot to get a good player in. Some decent scouting and we could get an option for the squad. The obvious one is Ndicka for free and Kim who would be reasonably priced. Don't know how much Ibanez would cost but he looks impressive

Scalvini, Antonio Silva, Todibo, Ahmedhodzic for RCB and Van de Ven, Lukeba, Badiashile, Sylla, Pavlovic for LCB are some interesting young players to look at. Then there are those from the PL like Collins, Faes, Bella-Kotchop.
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Plenty of good suggestions there.
 
Could buy

- Timber from Ajax
- Kim from Napoli
- Antonio Silva

and get Ndicka on a free. It would be a no brained not to go for him when his contract is ending this summer and he is a leftie. In the end we need 4 competent CBs (neither Maguire nor Lindelöf is)
 
Hmmm. Skriniar and De Vrij both out of contract this summer…
 
JohnnyLaw said:
Long time since I heard anything about Tapsoba, has he fallen off the path @Zehner ?
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Pretty much. Needs to find his form again, then he's ace. Could imagine we're willing to sell this summer, too.
 
Are there any particular qualities we think the CB target needs to have?

A certain preferred foot or preferred side to play on say, or particular strengths that would complement Martinez/Varane?
 
sullydnl said:
Are there any particular qualities we think the CB target needs to have?

A certain preferred foot or preferred side to play on say, or particular strengths that would complement Martinez/Varane?
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I think pace is critical, we’re obviously trying to play higher up the field and hold a higher line which has exposed Harry even more, and possibly the ability to play as a full back is a positive and gives more flexibility.
 
Need some CBs to play the tactic. Fast acceleration, pace, tall, and good at covering the back because we play highline football now. Ndicka is good (good player, fits the roles, and out of contract), Kim from Napoli, not timber for me (only as a RB because lets face it, really hard to have both short CBs, can see in matches that we lack the height a bit when on conrner).
 
A player who can play RB and CB would be pretty good.

Timber is an obvious option for this, but I’m also a big fan of Mohamed Simakan.
 
We could do with a left footed centre back, whilst keeping Lindelof to play as a CB and RB, if needed.

Shaw/Malacia - Martinez/Left Footed CB - Varane/Lindelof - Dalot//Lindelof

Potentially Laird as a young right back to also get games.
 
2 man midfield said:
God knows. If you’d asked this question a year ago how many would’ve said Martinez? I’m happy to give Ten Hag a blank chequebook and tell him to chase after whoever he likes.
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True but also need our recruitment team to play a part in transfers next summer
 
croadyman said:
True but also need our recruitment team to play a part in transfers next summer
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Perhaps…

Potter has more or less done all the recruiting for his teams for a decade. Naturally not watching 3rd tier leagues in Ecuador to find exciting talents, but making the calls from a pool of players.

It should not be rocket science for our scouts should be looking for with ETH in charge. But as for what ETH wants from a CB, look at Ajax. Despite having a lot of resources (Ajax get a lot of players they want, not from the big clubs in the big leagues, but it’s a big rich club in itself with a great reputation for developing talent) — he ended up transforming a RB in Timber and a CMD in Martinez to CB. ETH is very very particular in what he wants from his players.

I surely think that he first and foremost looks at the CB position as a duo, and probably also at the entire bottom half of our team as a unit. Is it good enough to play the ball up the field? It’s an essential essential part of our game. If we have McT and Fred at centermidfield, he will want a massive ball playing ability from his CBs (doubt even Varane would be his first choice). If it’s Casemiro and Eriksen — a balanced pair is probably OK. If he got Modric, Eriksen and FDJ as AMC-CM-DMC — he probably could do with just about any “modern” two CBs. ;)

One thing that I think is great with ETH — is that with the highly specified roles he has for players in his game plan, it is so so much easier to do recruiting, integrate new players into the team, and get what you expect from them. It’s the complete opposite from like when we bought Paul Pogba. That was like ‘oh we can get a world class player/name despite not being held as high as Barca, Real and City. Let’s do it. Where should he play? Oh that is a great question. He doesn’t fit into our style. Let’s try him as a CDM, LW, AMC or whatever, maybe he can adopt?’’

I was watching Shaktar play like a month ago, mainly to check out Mudhryk (sp). This CB — Mykola Matviyenko — really stood out. He is really really poised with the ball. Always played his way out of danger. Had a great passing game, always sending crosses from one side of the pitch to the other. Like 6’0, and pretty mediocre in other areas of his game. Not the fastest etc. I did some reading up on him. He was actually brought up under De Zebri, the new Brighton coach, when he coached Shaktar. De Zerbi is obviously an out and out Pep copy.

Not saying this kid should be a transfer target of Manchester United, but like if we get him, we 100% get what we pay for. It must be tremendously unlikely that ETH would go like ‘I want him’ and then a few months later ‘dang he wasn’t what I thought’. He is basically “tailor made” for ETHs game plan. He could probably play for us and understand what ETH wants a week after we signed him.
 
Walters_19_MuFc said:
We could do with a left footed centre back, whilst keeping Lindelof to play as a CB and RB, if needed.

Shaw/Malacia - Martinez/Left Footed CB - Varane/Lindelof - Dalot//Lindelof

Potentially Laird as a young right back to also get games.
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The issue with that set-up is that the new CB would almost certainly end up playing less than Lindelof, as Martinez is very likely to play more than Varane.

Assuming we'd want the new CB to be better than and play more than Lindelof, it makes more sense for them to be right-footed. Even if that means not having our back-up option at LCB be left-footed.
 
sullydnl said:
The issue with that set-up is that the new CB would almost certainly end up playing less than Lindelof, as Martinez is very likely to play more than Varane.

Assuming we'd want the new CB to be better than and play more than Lindelof, it makes more sense for them to be right-footed. Even if that means not having our back-up option at LCB be left-footed.
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Yeah, I agree with this and would add that ideally you would want someone who can aspire to wresting the RCB position from Varane who is quite clearly not very dependable from an availability standpoint. Lindelof is always going to be a second string player for United and is only ever going to play if the first choice player is underperforming rather as opposed to actually outcompeting a rival that is in good form themselves.
 
croadyman said:
Yeah on a free would be shrewd business indeed
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Think there is a risk that Ndicka would be looking for a team on which he as a starting point is in the top 11. Here he is basically just a back-up to Martinez. So many teams are looking for left footed CBs. Won’t there be any team that can offer him to start like 75% of the games? Here he would be looking at like 33% max.

I think it’s more realistic to keep Lindelof as the left CB back-up and get a No 3 RD who would start a lot more games and over time grow into the role as a starter as Varane grow older.

For the left CB position it would be — perfect — timing to spend like 10-15m on a really talented left footed CB prospect (a Diallo at left CB type of signing).

Perhaps someone like this guy:
https://www.goal.com/en/news/fabio-...-breaking-records-germany/blt6388dc1c42d3c83b
 
I'll trust whoever ten Hag decides, hopefully it's someone around the 21-23 year old mark.
 
Acrobat7 said:
Pavard might be available...
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Pavard in January would gives us a backup RB and CB and Ten Hag would have half a season to decide which role he fits for us, so it's tempting in that regard alone, though I'm not sure he's not a bit too Lindelof-y at CB and a bit lacking going forward at RB.

He looks perfect for the right side of a back 3, but we're not gonna play that way.
 
Erik the Red said:
I hope not!!!
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God, what is up with people's obssession with height at CB... ;)

Seriously though, I just meant that it would be perfect for us to really invest, even if its at a higher price, in the most talented left footed CB prospect out there.

NoPace said:
Pavard in January would gives us a backup RB and CB and Ten Hag would have half a season to decide which role he fits for us, so it's tempting in that regard alone, though I'm not sure he's not a bit too Lindelof-y at CB and a bit lacking going forward at RB.

He looks perfect for the right side of a back 3, but we're not gonna play that way.
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Yeah, Pavard makes some sense. And remember how ETH often at the start of the season and during the summer was linked with several RBs that were kind of on the moderate side of things offensively, with some size etc. Meunier and the likes. Pavard is also in that mold.

But he got a full year left on his deal with Bayern after this season. From one side, he does really have that abundance of calm that together with Casemiro's presence at CDM, Martinez and Varane at CB, really would be appealing to ETH. But with the cost being fairly high I recon, 25-30m perhaps, him knowing that he is coming here to be a back-up of sorts, surely requiring him getting hefty wages to sign, there could probably be better options.
 
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Messier1994 said:
God, what is up with people's obssession with height at CB... ;)

Seriously though, I just meant that it would be perfect for us to really invest, even if its at a higher price, in the most talented left footed CB prospect out there.



Yeah, Pavard makes some sense. And remember how ETH often at the start of the season and during the summer was linked with several RBs that were kind of on the moderate side of things offensively, with some size etc. Meunier and the likes. Pavard is also in that mold.

But he got a full year left on his deal with Bayern after this season. From one side, he does really have that abundance of calm that together with Casemiro's presence at CDM, Martinez and Varane at CB, really would be appealing to ETH. But with the cost being fairly high I recon, 25-30m perhaps, him knowing that he is coming here to be a back-up of sorts, surely requiring him getting hefty wages to sign, there could probably be better options.
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I was referring to Amad Diallo at left CB, and that is why I said "I hope not"!!!! (You didn't specify which Diallo)

I would suggest Ndicka would be a treat signing for a left footed CB.
 
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