Raphael Varane | Signed for United!

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Liverpool have already signed Kounate and will have a fit VVD back and maybe Gomez.

Chelsea will get Rice IMO having tried to buy him last year as well.

City...well you have heard the rumors of them going after 2 of the best English players playing in the league.

Even with VVD fit, I doubt they'll revert to their 18/19/20 form. All their best players have peaked (bar the wingbacks), and without serious investment I think they'll struggle to maintain form.

Kounate is a very good signing, but he's hardly reliable injury wise. There are huge question-marks over the fitness/reliability of all their CBs, and it's impossible to know what sort of player VVD will be on his return. For example, he's entering the career phase where Vidic's injuries started to really catch up with him and he never had anything as serious as what VVD has just experienced.
 
I'd be over the moon with a window that gets us Sancho, possibly Varane and a CM.

I still feel we could do with a striker though. I love Cavani but he isn't getting any younger and his fitness could be an issue. I feel Greenwood is still much better from the right. Probably Martial will pull his finger out though (if he stays)
I think a ST is on the cards for next summer when Dortmund and Tottenham have both resigned to losing their prize assets. This year would take too much money, time and effort to ultimately fail in the pursuit of a ST.
 
Varane is a very good CB but I don’t really agree with what you wrote. He is not a player that goes in to duels, and does not win many balls in the air and does not tackle a lot. He is not that type of player. He is fast though, and decent on the ball.

I'm struggling to see how he is a good defender if he doesn't do either of these.
 
Even with VVD fit, I doubt they'll revert to their 18/19/20 form. All their best players have peaked (bar the wingbacks), and without serious investment I think they'll struggle to maintain form.

Kounate is a very good signing, but he's hardly reliable injury wise. There are huge question-marks over the fitness/reliability of all their CBs, and it's impossible to know what sort of player VVD will be on his return. For example, he's entering the career phase where Vidic's injuries started to really catch up with him and he never had anything as serious as what VVD has just experienced.

Both did their ACL, no?
 
Great positioning negates the need to throw yourself around and go to ground. He’ll have to adapt to the physicality of the PL of course though and start mixing it in the air

But that only leaves him with intercepting, which is fine for a midfielder but a bit rubbish for a centre back.
 
But that only leaves him with intercepting, which is fine for a midfielder but a bit rubbish for a centre back.
I don’t remember seeing Rio go to ground very often and he was the best I’ve ever seen as a modern CB. If he plays anything like that we’re good.
 
Depends on what City and Chelsea end up doing to be honest, and Liverpool - although they look like they're falling behind in the markets currently.

Whatever our squad options are, al 3 of the above have managers/coaching staff in place with better track records than us. Not a slight at Ole, just the fact of the matter. That stuff matters, just look at the squads SAF won titles with.
Think Liverpool will be fine for another year, they're squad is still really good, just dependant on them remaining fit.
 
I'm struggling to see how he is a good defender if he doesn't do either of these.

Reads the game well so he's in the right position at the right time, rather than having to chase and tackle back.

Always looked a top defender to me. Great signing if it comes off.
 
Even with VVD fit, I doubt they'll revert to their 18/19/20 form. All their best players have peaked (bar the wingbacks), and without serious investment I think they'll struggle to maintain form.

Kounate is a very good signing, but he's hardly reliable injury wise. There are huge question-marks over the fitness/reliability of all their CBs, and it's impossible to know what sort of player VVD will be on his return. For example, he's entering the career phase where Vidic's injuries started to really catch up with him and he never had anything as serious as what VVD has just experienced.


Vidic tore his ACL also.
 
I still don't believe that any of these links are real tbh. I believe we're interested of course, just no chance a deal is close...
 
Nae chance we sign Varane and Torres, we're not made of money, and we'll struggle to shift what we'd like to get rid of.
I can only see it happening if Bailly is a makeweight. Those deals are rare but given he played there and their stock is high after the EL win he might be open to the move. I don’t see a bigger team coming in for Bailly right now but if he had a few consistent seasons injury free in Spain he could get one last big move before he’s 30.

If it was Bailly + 10 mil = Torres, it’d be a good move for all involved.
 
I still don't believe that any of these links are real tbh. I believe we're interested of course, just no chance a deal is close...
Madrid sources claimed it was basically a done deal last week, who knows though.

I'm sure there'll be movement on this front now that France are out so we should now much sooner than later
 
I think he showed against the Swiss why he’d be a good partner for Maguire. Really used his pace an mobility to deal with a few good situations without looking crazy and erratic like Bailly would. Just seemed in control of a lot of things or getting round on the cover or just getting somewhere to cut the pass out.

Ive seen some journalists say 50-60 million pounds but surely they mean Euros. If it’s pounds that seems pricey for a guy in his last year who doesn’t want to sign.
 
Varane is a very good CB but I don’t really agree with what you wrote. He is not a player that goes in to duels, and does not win many balls in the air and does not tackle a lot. He is not that type of player. He is fast though, and decent on the ball.

According to fbref.com going on last season, whilst he doesn't go up for many headers (97)... he does win 75% of them.

To contrast, Maguire wins 77.5% of his headers (from 187 headers), and Lindelof wins 66% (from 105)

The fact that he doesn't go up for many headers could be down to the league he's playing in though, you'd have to ask a regular La Liga watcher about that though.
 


In talks with Manchester United, France and Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane could continue his career in England. Nothing has been signed yet, but the positions of the two sides have moved closer in recent hours.

Yes.x
 
Never heard of this Maynard chap. Where are the usual suspects when it comes to French transfers, can they start tweeting good stuff please.

Julian Maynard is fairly reliable, if I'm not mistaken.

according to the /r/reddevils tier list "Tier 2 for French news but Tier 3 other wise"

i'm taking this as "Tier i wanna hear" :devil:
 
Still waiting for better sources, I'm not buying it just yet.
Yeah Im half expecting his agent to announce hes just agreed a new contract with Madrid...

Mainly because its just so unlike us to be signing a 28 year old top rated player from another top tier team... Trying to remember the last time - probably Di Maria was the last player we signed from a top club in what would be considered their prime?... FFS lets hope it goes better tha that if its true
 
according to the /r/reddevils tier list "Tier 2 for French news but Tier 3 other wise"

i'm taking this as "Tier i wanna hear" :devil:
Varane is French so this is French news as far as I'm concerned, tier 2 it is!
 
Sancho + Varane would be simply incredible. I want to believe :D but I'm always skeptical when Real is involved.
 
Not the best in a bunch of areas, but the main thing Varane would bring and the thing that would compliment Maguire - Recovery speed

 
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