Potential Centre-Back Signings

I believe we genuinely need two CBs. Todibo and Silva or Diomande. Malacia isn’t cut out for United. And I would play Martinez as an inverted left back, stepping into midfield, or shuffling over to play three at the back when in possession. Then you can have a marauding right back getting far forward and overlapping past the RW, who is probably going to be cutting inside. Martinez is such an obvious fit for this role. He’s played LB for Argentina a fair few times and it was the role Arteta wanted him for at Arsenal.

Sadly we also still need a proper attacking RB, like Frimpong. A playmaking CM like Joao Neves. A proper DM to take over from Casemiro. And a good right winger. Club is going to have to do some proper scouting and invest in youth. Would like to see Amad and Mainoo get proper shots because with a season of plenty of minutes, they have the potential to solve two big problem areas for us.

We can start by hopefully offloading Casemiro, Varane, and Sancho for big fees to Saudi in January or the summer. Fund a good chunk of a proper rebuild built around youth and a defined playing style.
 
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I'm hoping we target two CBs with one being established and the other possibly being a developmental type signing with big potential. Todibo looks a obvious choice as the more established player but I'm hoping we also sign someone like Leny Yoro from Lille who at 18 years of age is showing immense potential. There's been some speculation in the last few days about United taking concrete steps to sign Yoro in January, and I'm hoping there's legs to this potential deal.
 
Adnan said:
I'm hoping we target two CBs with one being established and the other possibly being a developmental type signing with big potential. Todibo looks a obvious choice as the more established player but I'm hoping we also sign someone like Leny Yoro from Lille who at 18 years of age is showing immense potential. There's been some speculation in the last few days about United taking concrete steps to sign Yoro in January, and I'm hoping there's legs to this potential deal.
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I think it would be sensible for the next two purchases to be a RCB and a LCB. These are both right footed. If we can get Todibo or similar in in January (big if) then we could target a left footed centre back as an understudy to Martinez in the summer. Todibo would immediately become a first XI player so we could use the high line.
 
Bastian said:
I think it would be sensible for the next two purchases to be a RCB and a LCB. These are both right footed. If we can get Todibo or similar in in January (big if) then we could target a left footed centre back as an understudy to Martinez in the summer. Todibo would immediately become a first XI player so we could use the high line.
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I understand what you're saying but the opportunity to sign a talent like Leny Yoro is something I feel we should go ahead with if the deal is a possibility. We have Shaw who can deputise for Martinez and can then sign a LCB in the following transfer window.

Leny Yoro's potential is quite scary for a 18 year old CB and if the opportunity us there I hope we sign him.
 
Adnan said:
I understand what you're saying but the opportunity to sign a talent like Leny Yoro is something I feel we should go ahead with if the deal is a possibility. We have Shaw who can deputise for Martinez and can then sign a LCB in the following transfer window.

Leny Yoro's potential is quite scary for a 18 year old CB and if the opportunity us there I hope we sign him.
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Looking at him now. You watch Lille this season? From the very limited clips he seems to keep the tempo up, but it's impossible to tell from youtube highlights.
 
Bastian said:
Looking at him now. You watch Lille this season? From the very limited clips he seems to keep the tempo up, but it's impossible to tell from youtube highlights.
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I've been watching Lille this season and the young player in question instantly caught my attention. I mentioned him a few months earlier on the forum and he seems to have it all for a young CB. He has the pace, height, athleticism and fantastic composure on the ball where he's statistically the best player in the league at passing the ball whilst retaining a 94% pass accuracy.
 
Adnan said:
I'm hoping we target two CBs with one being established and the other possibly being a developmental type signing with big potential. Todibo looks a obvious choice as the more established player but I'm hoping we also sign someone like Leny Yoro from Lille who at 18 years of age is showing immense potential. There's been some speculation in the last few days about United taking concrete steps to sign Yoro in January, and I'm hoping there's legs to this potential deal.
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Lenny Yoro needs a club that will allow him to develop. We aren’t that club just yet.

However he’s a sensational talent.
 
Adnan said:
I've been watching Lille this season and the young player in question instantly caught my attention. I mentioned him a few months earlier on the forum and he seems to have it all for a young CB. He has the pace, height, athleticism and fantastic composure on the ball where he's statistically the best player in the league at passing the ball whilst retaining a 94% pass accuracy.
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That sounds almost too good. If he's the real deal I'd rather not a rival get him.
 
Adnan said:
I've been watching Lille this season and the young player in question instantly caught my attention. I mentioned him a few months earlier on the forum and he seems to have it all for a young CB. He has the pace, height, athleticism and fantastic composure on the ball where he's statistically the best player in the league at passing the ball whilst retaining a 94% pass accuracy.
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If this Ineos-thing work out you would think a sensible solution would be Man Utd signing Todibo and Nice sign Yoro.
 
Adnan said:
I've been watching Lille this season and the young player in question instantly caught my attention. I mentioned him a few months earlier on the forum and he seems to have it all for a young CB. He has the pace, height, athleticism and fantastic composure on the ball where he's statistically the best player in the league at passing the ball whilst retaining a 94% pass accuracy.
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Is he progressive though? Varane had great pass accuracy but only because he played it safe.
 
Bastian said:
I think it would be sensible for the next two purchases to be a RCB and a LCB. These are both right footed. If we can get Todibo or similar in in January (big if) then we could target a left footed centre back as an understudy to Martinez in the summer. Todibo would immediately become a first XI player so we could use the high line.
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I agree that we should sort our defence first and foremost, it would be great depth to have two left footed centre backs in our squad with Shaw as an emergency option.

My picks would be Todibo and Medina - Todibo is almost ready to start most of the games for us at RCB and Medina has so many similar traits like Licha that he would be a very decent backup.
 
andersj said:
If this Ineos-thing work out you would think a sensible solution would be Man Utd signing Todibo and Nice sign Yoro.
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That would make a lot of sense from a Man Utd pov if Ratcliffe took sporting control of United. Not just Yoro but there's many other young players around the world who we could send to Nice and potentially benefit from the development that takes place there. And Nice could also potentially benefit, as well.
 
georgipep said:
Is he progressive though? Varane had great pass accuracy but only because he played it safe.
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He's still a very young CB and with time he will develop into a even more rounded CB imo. I don't believe the Lille head coach (Fonseca) relies on Yoro to progress the ball but rather relies on the more established players at CB, deeper midfield and fullback to progress the ball. But Yoro has the potential to be a progressive CB with his passing from what I've seen.

But I think from what I've seen of Yoro at Lille and what's impressed me the most is his ability to receive passes under pressure and to then retain possession at a high level. And he's only recently turned 18, and is already a strong channel defender. And I think for me he's a CB that is of a similar potential to the player Arsenal bought from Saint Ettiene at the age of 18 in William Saliba. And with more development we should see Leny Yoro developing further like we saw with Saliba who was loaned out for a few seasons.
 
andersj said:
If this Ineos-thing work out you would think a sensible solution would be Man Utd signing Todibo and Nice sign Yoro.
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3D chess. I like it.

Lux Thunder said:
I agree that we should sort our defence first and foremost, it would be great depth to have two left footed centre backs in our squad with Shaw as an emergency option.

My picks would be Todibo and Medina - Todibo is almost ready to start most of the games for us at RCB and Medina has so many similar traits like Licha that he would be a very decent backup.
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I've seen Medina a couple of times and been impressed. Would he come to be Martinez' understudy? He's at an age where he simply has to play. Ideally, we'd get a 19-21 year old LCB who will develop at the club, in the style ETH is building. I like Medina though.
 
I believe we need 2 CB at least because we need CB who is proactive and good one v one to play the way how ten Hag wants us to play.

I haven't watch Todibo, but if he's good with one v one, proactive defender, and composed on the ball then he should be in the priority list signing because Nice is owned by SJR so I expect transferring Todibo from Nice to United shouldn't be a complicated one.
 
Bastian said:
I've seen Medina a couple of times and been impressed. Would he come to be Martinez' understudy? He's at an age where he simply has to play. Ideally, we'd get a 19-21 year old LCB who will develop at the club, in the style ETH is building. I like Medina though.
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I can see your point and for sure it’s not an easy task to find a player to have quality and accepting such a role, but it also represents a challenge for a player.

We are a big club who are supposed to play 50+ games a season so there should be enough minutes for both and, God forgive me, with his recent injury spells we can’t be 100% sure that Licha will be the same player he was for us.

Also, playing time is essential for development when you are 19-21 years old too, but I see what you are talking about.
 
We can sell Varane to the Saudis and reinvest the funds into the Todibo purchase.

We can also go for the De Ligt as a Maguire replacement: tall, athletic, good in the air, threat from the set pieces, but unlike slabhead he is actually really good in possession/build up phase. Since KMJ joined Bayern instead of us, he is out of favor there.

I think we can do a deal with them in the summer.

We can also sell Lindelof and replace him with a faster and more aggressive ball playing CB as well. No idea who that would be though
 
I think Diomamde is ready to be a starter for us and has everything needed to be a world class centre back, bringing him and one of Yoro or Branthwaite in works for me.
 
davidmichael said:
I think Diomamde is ready to be a starter for us and has everything needed to be a world class centre back, bringing him and one of Yoro or Branthwaite in works for me.
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Literally came here to champion Diomamde and Branthwaite. Get one in December and one in the summer hopefully.
 
Borninthe80ts said:
Literally came here to champion Diomamde and Branthwaite. Get one in December and one in the summer hopefully.
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I honestly think Diomamde will be one of the best centre backs in the game in a couple of years and already looks a beast, I think Branthwaite could be a great PL centre back and is at a good age to accept a rotation role and learn under Martinez.
 
davidmichael said:
I honestly think Diomamde will be one of the best centre backs in the game in a couple of years and already looks a beast, I think Branthwaite could be a great PL centre back and is at a good age to accept a rotation role and learn under Martinez.
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That’s pretty much how I rate things and the period of transition too. If we could have got Dio in this season he could have learned from Varane too. I like complimentary partnerships too and think the mix could be right with Martinez and another added in a year or two after.
 
I like the guy from C Palace. Guehi. Or the young guy from Benfica Silva
 
davidmichael said:
I think Diomamde is ready to be a starter for us and has everything needed to be a world class centre back, bringing him and one of Yoro or Branthwaite in works for me.
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Would you rate him higher than Todibo? Both seem on a lot of clubs radar.
 
The-Mezzala said:
Would you rate him higher than Todibo? Both seem on a lot of clubs radar.
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Personally from what I’ve seen of both I rate Diomande higher than Todibo although I rate Todibo higher than Antonio Silva and Guehi, Diomande is an absolute beast and I think would be perfect alongside Martinez.
 
The-Mezzala said:
Would you rate him higher than Todibo? Both seem on a lot of clubs radar.
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The problem with Todibo is if SJR is buying in then we would need to sign him in January as if both us and Nice get in to the Champions League or one is in the Champions League and the other is in the Europa League we will be banned from signing players from each other due to having the same people in charge as per UEFA rules.
 
RedRocket9908 said:
The problem with Todibo is if SJR is buying in then we would need to sign him in January as if both us and Nice get in to the Champions League or one is in the Champions League and the other is in the Europa League we will be banned from signing players from each other due to having the same people in charge as per UEFA rules.
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So how do RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg both play in the CL and regularly do transfer business together?

Why is nobody talking about Girona and Man City who are owned by the same people and will be in the same supposed predicament as us if they continue to do well?

That article is either a load rubbish to stir the pot of negativity around the club atm or there is a very easy workaround to bypass it.
 
We are not good enough to have someone without pace. So if we are pressing high, for the love of god, get someone fast
 
Adnan said:
He's still a very young CB and with time he will develop into a even more rounded CB imo. I don't believe the Lille head coach (Fonseca) relies on Yoro to progress the ball but rather relies on the more established players at CB, deeper midfield and fullback to progress the ball. But Yoro has the potential to be a progressive CB with his passing from what I've seen.

But I think from what I've seen of Yoro at Lille and what's impressed me the most is his ability to receive passes under pressure and to then retain possession at a high level. And he's only recently turned 18, and is already a strong channel defender. And I think for me he's a CB that is of a similar potential to the player Arsenal bought from Saint Ettiene at the age of 18 in William Saliba. And with more development we should see Leny Yoro developing further like we saw with Saliba who was loaned out for a few seasons.
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I like Yoro as a young developmental prospect. He has also shown to be two-footed and has played at both LCB and RCB, so could effectively be a good rotation option. How do you rate him compared to Diomande, who also seems a young player with world class ability? My preference would be Diomande but he has an 80m release clause, so any club may decide on Yoro as he is likely to be cheaper.
 
andersj said:
If this Ineos-thing work out you would think a sensible solution would be Man Utd signing Todibo and Nice sign Yoro.
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That would be a great solution. I think the links with Nice would improve our recruitment edge for the future, especially in terms of young prospects. We were linked with the young Brazilian prospects a month ago, Luis Guilherme and Lorran. We could buy them and loan them to Nice. They get a easier introduction to European football and playing time, as the French teams are not shy to play young players. It would be a win-win for us and Nice, as they are then able to assess young prospects. Then, when they come back to us, they are able to hit the ground running and have less of an adaptation period.
 
Kingslayer18 said:
I like Yoro as a young developmental prospect. He has also shown to be two-footed and has played at both LCB and RCB, so could effectively be a good rotation option. How do you rate him compared to Diomande, who also seems a young player with world class ability? My preference would be Diomande but he has an 80m release clause, so any club may decide on Yoro as he is likely to be cheaper.
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Diomande is further ahead in his development in comparison to Yoro, who is having his breakout season in the French top flight. I'd say Diomande would be the better player for now, but Yoro can reach a high level with time and patience. Both CBs are of the correct profile imo and are players who have the ability to defend 40 yards higher up the pitch in large spaces along with having the ability on the ball to resist/evade the press in confined spaces. And to control a game in possession along with controlling the game out of possession, requires players at the back and in deeper midfield who can help resist and evade the press in possession along with having the physical and athletic capability to defend 40 yards higher up the pitch as the last line. So controlling a midfield not only requires good midfielders but also good CBs who can receive passes comfortably in confined spaces. If the opponent's high press creates problems for the CBs, then you will lose control of the midfield no matter how good the midfielders are.

So for me we need midfielders and CBs who are good on the ball, but also have the ability to compact space in a higher defensive line to control or contain the opponent's transitions. If they buy those players, then ten Hag will have everything to implement his method of play. So far they've managed to buy players to enhance the build up from the back and also players to improve upon the approach play, and high pressing from the front. We now need players in midfield and at CB who have the physical, athletic and technical qualities to raise the level of our rest defense in a higher defensive line. I call these players the 'heavy lifters' who allow teams to sustain pressure in the opponent's half by dominating the defensive transition and making it difficult for the opponent to get out of their own half. At least 3 players need to come into midfield and in defence with the aforementioned attributes imo. And if they bring those players in, then ten Hag has been fully backed and there will be no excuses.
 
Martial'sEmergingSmile said:
I really liked Pavlovic at the World Cup. Not sure if he's actually as good for Salzburg (although their fans seem to love him) but he was great for Serbia. Brute physicality and pace with a real warrior attitude and aerial dominance.
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Pavlovic is the best Salzburg defender, the same potential as Upamecano, but with a better mentality. He is a fighter, Vidic type of player. Would be a great Signing. His passing ist good for a CD.
 
Who do we think the CB was that Stephen Howson "supposedly" spoke to? and said no way coming to Utd as its a ghost town?
 
I wouldn't mind Todibo, but thinking and researching about it lately...I'd take Tapsoba if I could freely pick a new RCB.
 
Resch said:
Pavlovic is the best Salzburg defender, the same potential as Upamecano, but with a better mentality. He is a fighter, Vidic type of player. Would be a great Signing. His passing ist good for a CD.
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Would be a cheaper solution for the backup LCB position than someone like Inacio. He also reminded me of a mini-Vidic at the world cup, but can't judge him since I haven't followed him since. But he seems to have the right profile for the EPL (physique, power, speed, aerial threat).
 
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