I have to say I do really like Watkins. Is he good enough for a top 4 club? Not sure. But he’s better than most at the mid-table level, and could be worth a punt if the price is right. If nothing else, we’d have the work rate of Wout with a hell of a lot more finishing ability. Strengthen elsewhere and he could be worth the risk for a single season, knowing we could splash the cash on a first teamer next year if it doesn't work out.
Potential striker signings (who aren't named Højlund)
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If ETH is insisting on "No Risk" and PL proven as per The Athletic article, then that does narrow down the possibilities alot.
I would add Elye Wahi
20 y.o
Just scored 19 goals in 33 Ligue 1 games this season and had a 10 goals season last year aged 18/19.
Seems we are at a stage where we have to think a bit outside the box. I think Felix and Havertz could be options that would work. I also think we might consider Toney in combination with someone else, despite him being out for half of the season.
All three of them are PL-proven and probably low risk considering the fee. I also think they, along with Rashford, would give us different options.
All three of them are PL-proven and probably low risk considering the fee. I also think they, along with Rashford, would give us different options.
Havertz....good heavens
Personally, I don’t think “no risk” would include the likes of Watkins. He’s a good player, but does he really make a difference in the CL? Remains to be seen.
Wow that's impressive, never heard of him I'll do some research.
Mitrovic ????
I like the idea of Mitrovic, but reckon I’m pretty much the only other caf poster that does. He’d score plenty for us, plus his size and strength would be very handy against the low block
Whilst i see where your coming from our inability to hit a cross or corner would probably neutralise any assets he has. United the land where set piece kings comes to die.
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Would get whitewashed at pretty much every other club, lets be frank. Top-level sport requires a certain degree of 'neurodivergency' - obsessive practice to obsessive focus during the game, unnatural coolness under pressure along with spurts of aggression - bordering on controlled sociopathy (and then you inject huge amounts of fame and relative social power on top of that), so it's unsurprising that sometimes you're going to have these kinds of incidents. They just get swept under the carpet by PR teams, or aren't (reasonably ofc) deemed as distasteful in quite the same way. I'd rather sign a 'normal' family guy who just happens to have an obsessive focus on improvement - and deploys gamesmanship - like Kane, quite aside from the talent, but you'll find a lot of weird things if you start digging into players private lives.
I’ve been watching a lot of NBA recently and there’s just something about big massive Serbian monsters leading your attack that seems quite tempting at the moment.
Nah, he’s consistently scored for a pretty rubbish Fulham outfit for yonks and is actually a decent technician despite being massive. I reckon he wouldn’t cost the earth either….he’s just not much of a sexy option coming from a lesser premier league team
Sounds like he'd fit right in.
I think he'd cost significant money. Fulham don't seem to have any pressure to sell, and they don't appear to have a worldie young striker coming through, so they'd be faced with the cost of having to replace Mitrovic whilst taking a gamble on an unknown striker. I'd be happy with him as a Plan B (a high upgrade to WW, and probably more reliable, even with suspensions, than Martial) but he's easily going to be north of 70mil.
I mean, that price disgusts me but you’re probably right. It’s no wonder we want to wait for Kane to come on a free and bring Greenwood back. Like a great man once said, there’s no value in the market.
Still take Mitro for 40/50M though
A wierd one that hes still at fulham and not gone elsewhere. I could see levy signing him for spurs if Kane left.
With goals so hard to come by in PL generally and strikers at a premium this summer, i think he'd be in the £50mil range i.e. overpriced.
I see him as cheaper than Toney/Watkins, with no science behind that at all
I completely get where your coming from.
I think ivan toney could have been a realistic option were it not for his ban.
As someone else said mitrovic is atypical of the sort of striker that ETH seems to like to lead the line, when he has one in his team.
Pros: hold up play, physicality, goals
Cons: won’t run channels, probably won’t press, might get banned a bit
He does press. He isn't that quick, but is 'quicker' than he might seem, given height and bulk (unfortunately not quite Haaland levels of 'big man speed'), and can work the channels, if not in the same way as a rapid L/RFW. Bans are a concern though, definitely.
Problem with PL strikers is that they all start at minimum of 50m and go upwards. Be it Toney or Mitro or Watkins .
They aren't superstars but will get you 10 -15 goals consistently. Try Kane for free next year and we are good for couple of more years.
They aren't superstars but will get you 10 -15 goals consistently. Try Kane for free next year and we are good for couple of more years.
Watkins is a non starter, villa are ridiculously rich.
Goncalo Ramos is apparently gonna be €80m, still pricy but maybe not as ridiculous as the asking price for Hojlund, Kane, osimhen, what Watkins would cost... I have no idea really who we get. The prices for all are fecked.
Goncalo Ramos is apparently gonna be €80m, still pricy but maybe not as ridiculous as the asking price for Hojlund, Kane, osimhen, what Watkins would cost... I have no idea really who we get. The prices for all are fecked.
They are tbf.
I can see us ending up with another stop gap and banking on Kane walking for free next season
We should be all over Marcus Thuram on a free. We need to be smart financially and right now the striker market is impossible. Sign him on a free, and he can be a squad player when we upgrade anyway since we'll also need that.
Not sure about Ramos as an all-round striker. Finishes ok, reasonably quick, but haven't seen evidence, based upon wc and bits of cl and reports from people who've watched him more, than he can hold up play or compensate for relative lack of strength with skills, or first-time play, or fulfil many of the other functions we require from a player in the middle alongside L and RFWs and the 10.
Yeah, Thuram makes sense to me as the 2nd attacking signing alongside 'project' or stop-gap high-calibre but aging striker. Aside from Eriksen, we've been bad at using the free transfer market for 1st team squad.
The project or ageing high caliber strikers are both going to be in the 80m-120m range anyway. Unless we sign a random from South America for cheap (which we should), the options just aren't there for reasonable prices. Thuram is fine, nothing special, but we are in dire need of somebody to at least provide an average PL level which he could do, and he could rotate with Rashford. It's not ideal, but punting striker to next summer and holding firm on not overpaying is a good idea. Paying 40m more than a players worth is something we need to stop doing.
It makes the MG situation so much harder….the value of replacing his talent starts at 100M
I still dont understand why no one is going for Jonathan David. Yeah he is not the Kane, Oshimen we need but as a cheap back up striker I cant see any better. He will do as much as Watkins will do i.e about 10/15 goals but David will be half the price. He is also the right age 24 instead of someone so young like Hojlund. He can press, hold up the ball and play on the wing if needed. The only reason why everyone went off him is the world cup. Just a bit more risk because he is not prem proven. But for 45 mill name me a better back up striker
It's so depressing. If we can't get Kane or Osimhen, the next level we're looking at is Ollie Watkins. 
Mid-table monsters.
Mid-table monsters.
He'll cost 80m if we knock on the door
Elye Wahi is an unbelievable player and definitely the best young striker in Europe at the minute. He's made headlines for the wrong reasons though. If we can't get Kane or Oshimen I'd be looking at Randal Kolo Muani as well. Talks of Mitrovic and Watkins here but they are no where near good enough for Man Utd.
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Jonathan David will move on the continent again and score 20+ again adding an extra 20M+ to his price tag.
But I honestly don’t care who we sign if the plan is now first choice GK + 2 others and then Kane in the summer.
But I honestly don’t care who we sign if the plan is now first choice GK + 2 others and then Kane in the summer.
I reckon it'll be Goncalo RamosIt's so depressing. If we can't get Kane or Osimhen, the next level we're looking at is Ollie Watkins.
Mid-table monsters.
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Have heard his name banded about but have never seen him play. Looks like a really useful player from his YT highlights, absolutely zero links to us though, seems like a target for Arsenal which is a shame.
He will not be cheap. Still has a couple years left on his contract.
Who do you think that sole striker would be
Yeah would take around £120m to get him
In terms of best choice in the market
1. Kane - 100-150m (prefer 80m) - Spur wont sell him to us, he would prefer Real Madrid ahead of us
2. Osimhen - 120-150m (prefer 100m) - we can't afford him, would be very hard to get him from Napoli
3. Muani - 80m - may need to compete with Bayern for this signing, will be difficult
3. Hojlund - 100m (prefer 50m) - Looks like a player with good potential, but Atalanta is pricing him out of the market
4. Thuram - free - really no brainer for backup option, we should try our best to get him for free
5. Taremi - 20m - Short term backup solution. Never head of him and no idea how he would adapt in PL, but he stats is not bad
Considering our budget and be realistic, I think we should get either one of Muani or Hojlund, and either one of Thuram or Taremi.
1. Kane - 100-150m (prefer 80m) - Spur wont sell him to us, he would prefer Real Madrid ahead of us
2. Osimhen - 120-150m (prefer 100m) - we can't afford him, would be very hard to get him from Napoli
3. Muani - 80m - may need to compete with Bayern for this signing, will be difficult
3. Hojlund - 100m (prefer 50m) - Looks like a player with good potential, but Atalanta is pricing him out of the market
4. Thuram - free - really no brainer for backup option, we should try our best to get him for free
5. Taremi - 20m - Short term backup solution. Never head of him and no idea how he would adapt in PL, but he stats is not bad
Considering our budget and be realistic, I think we should get either one of Muani or Hojlund, and either one of Thuram or Taremi.