Rasmus Højlund | Signed for United

[Rhyme Animal]

Imagine bringing Brexit into this

I said the ‘feeling is almost reminiscent’, I’m not bringing Brexit into it.

It’s just a strange feeling when you genuinely think something is a really, really daft idea but a large number of very loud voices are telling you, ‘NO, YOU’RE WRONG - THIS IS A GOOD IDEA’.

In the end you’re just left hoping that they’re right and for some reason you cannot see what they can.

Just being honest, you can take it or leave it.

 

[croadyman]

FFP is a paper tiger, as City and Chelsea have proven. But there is a great deal to be said for fiscal prudence. Yet at the same time IF we have already brought in Hojlund and Amrabat and IF Kane were available for 100m on September 1, we would be out of our flucking minds to refuse the deal.

We might be out of our fecking minds but where on earth we raising another £100m,clearly we are prioritising Amrabat over going for another striker

 

[MUFC OK]

5 times? Hojlund will cost around 70 mil and Kane would cost around 100 mil. How is it 5 times more? Even if you include wage?

Kane is world class striker about we know every single thing and Hojlund is only big potential. At this moment we don't even know what are Hojlund's strengths. Is he quick or not? Is he good in finishing? In passing? In holding the ball?

I don't mind signing Hojlund but we should sign him only if Kane or Osimhen are 100% out of reach. Osimhen is i guess because of his fee but for Kane i am not so sure. That excuse "Levy will never sell Kane to us" is a BS.

My thoughts exactly. I think the Kane deal can still be done and we are actually selling players now which means we can probably go up to 100m.

My fear, not sure if anyone else has noticed - is that certain fan channels are really pushing this Hojlund deal and it’s influencing opinion. I’m just far from convinced it’s what we need right now for the reasons I’ve previously stated.

 

[croadyman]

So you’re implying that any striker that costs 40m or less is not good enough. Dortmund signed Haaland for 20m, City signed Alvarez for 14m, Frankfurt got Kolo Muni for free, Chelsea just got Jackson for 35m, even Hojlund cost Atalanta 12m. This is proof that you don’t need to splash ridiculous amounts to get good players like you are suggesting

We needed to get him before Atalanta for that to have happened in my opinion

 

[JeffFromHK]

For those who question him, a 20 years old player, based on "scoring only 9 goals in Series A", please remember Nunez scored 6 goals out of 29 matches in the Portuguese league at 21, and Harry Kane scored 3 goals in 10 premier leagues at 20. If we wait until a young prospect scoring 25 league goals before deciding to buy him, that young prospect will cost 120M+ easily.

 

[Gandalf]

I agree with your statement but the market is that way because clubs are making it that way. It doesnt mean it'll be like that forever, we can move on to another striker or get another (I know were tired of that) step gap striker. Im all in for signing potential and paying big bucks when we see it. We did it with Rooney and it paid off, but that doesnt mean we should be paying for any youngster. If I saw top potential in Hojlund I wouldnt hesitate to pay the 70M its just that Im not convinced. I think it's another Antony situation.

It is all in the eye of the beholder at this point which is inevitable for a 20 year old. I see the top potential that you do not see but only time will tell which of us is right, with the deal inching closer I guess we are going to find out. Hopefully we can bookmark this thread and in 10 years look back and reminisce when he takes Shearers PL goals record on his way to wrapping up our 3rd treble by scoring the goal that sends Liverpool down to the Championship.

 

[L1nk]

 

[Andycoleno9]

I agree with your statement but the market is that way because clubs are making it that way. It doesnt mean it'll be like that forever, we can move on to another striker or get another (I know were tired of that) step gap striker. Im all in for signing potential and paying big bucks when we see it. We did it with Rooney and it paid off, but that doesnt mean we should be paying for any youngster. If I saw top potential in Hojlund I wouldnt hesitate to pay the 70M its just that Im not convinced. I think it's another Antony situation.

Yeah, exactly my thoughts that. I am not against overpaying for right player but i am not sure what is about Hojlund what is worth overpaying. It is not that he is like Mbappe or Rooney who had that "wow" factor from day one. Hojlund doesn't stand out in anything right now.

I do like that he is classic no9 and that he doesn't have any serious flaw. He has potential to be complete no9. That is why i do want him but not for 70 mil.

 

[croadyman]

My thoughts exactly. I think the Kane deal can still be done and we are actually selling players now which means we can probably go up to 100m.

My fear, not sure if anyone else has noticed - is that certain fan channels are really pushing this Hojlund deal and it’s influencing opinion. I’m just far from convinced it’s what we need right now for the reasons I’ve previously stated.

Kane would be my top choice but he's too far down the line with Bayern this summer,also he clearly hasn't the stones to tell Spurs he only wants Utd move. So combine that with the price and it's why we ended interest back in June.

 

[croadyman]

So in other words will take another bid

 

[IrishRedDevil]

Romano haters in tears

 

[redshaw]

I'm expecting a fee of ~£50m and doubt the club go much more over 60m.

 

[Tom Van Persie]

Romano haters in tears

Another exclusive from the hack and bluffer.

 

[jamesjimmybyrondean]

Romano haters in tears

He has proven them wrong several times. They’ll be back again when he reposts the bid ten times even though they can just ignore it and move on

 

[Foolsgold21]

We've seen this with the other two deals this summer - unless PSG blow us out the water, this will get done in the next few days

 

[MUFC OK]

He has proven them wrong several times. They’ll be back again when he reposts the bid ten times even though they can just ignore it and move on

To be fair, around United he knows how to drag things out but clearly one of the most reliable footy journos.

 

[Andycoleno9]

My thoughts exactly. I think the Kane deal can still be done and we are actually selling players now which means we can probably go up to 100m.

My fear, not sure if anyone else has noticed - is that certain fan channels are really pushing this Hojlund deal and it’s influencing opinion. I’m just far from convinced it’s what we need right now for the reasons I’ve previously stated.

When were fans against any signing ? Fans are muppets. Every player becomes 3 times better as soon as your club becomes interested in him.
And not just United fans, all fans are like that. "New signing? Yes, please. I never heard for him but based on youtube clips, i love him. "

 

[Tarrou]

5 times? Hojlund will cost around 70 mil and Kane would cost around 100 mil. How is it 5 times more? Even if you include wage?

Kane is world class striker about we know every single thing and Hojlund is only big potential. At this moment we don't even know what are Hojlund's strengths. Is he quick or not? Is he good in finishing? In passing? In holding the ball?

I don't mind signing Hojlund but we should sign him only if Kane or Osimhen are 100% out of reach. Osimhen is i guess because of his fee but for Kane i am not so sure. That excuse "Levy will never sell Kane to us" is a BS.

he's obviously quick

 

[MUFC OK]

I do like that he is classic no9 and that he doesn't have any serious flaw. He has potential to be complete no9. That is why i do want him but not for 70 mil.

If we spend anything close to that then he is the main no.9, not the understudy which is what I wouldn’t be against bringing him in for at a lower fee.

We need as close to a sure thing as possible to lead the line. He’s not that.

Everyone knows we are desperate for a 9 and can’t blame Atalanta for securing their pay day.

 

[L1nk]

He has proven them wrong several times. They’ll be back again when he reposts the bid ten times even though they can just ignore it and move on

People don't seem to realise Fab's revenue comes from engagement and clicks - so it benefits him to post constant updates, he may not get everything right but hard to knock him for the grind when 9 times out of 10 he gets things right. People don't have to follow him!

Journo's like Ornstein get their salary directly from The Athletic and such, they don't require engagement and ad revenue on YouTube and Twitter

 

[FrankDrebin]

70 million euros, oh my god.
Fair play to Atalanta if they get that or thereabouts.

 

[Tarrou]

if this is true we're definitely getting him

seems like a helluva lot for a first offer though

 

[lex talionis]

We might be out of our fecking minds but where on earth we raising another £100m,clearly we are prioritising Amrabat over going for another striker

Kane may be going to Bayern, he may see out his last year with Spurs or he may sign a new contract with Spurs, or he may even despise United...but we've proven before with surprise signings -- the most recent being Ronaldo and Casemiro -- that if the right player is available in the market we'll spend the money.

Hojlund is an outstanding prospect, but he's far from being the proven goods. Kane is the proven goods. We're at a point with our manager and squad development that if we actually could bring in Harry Kane we can submit a proper PL title challenge to the authorities. I have no idea what the monetary value is between winning the PL and coming in second, but it can't be negligible. And we are here, after all, to win trophies and not merely put in a gentlemen's try.

 

[L1nk]

5 times? Hojlund will cost around 70 mil and Kane would cost around 100 mil. How is it 5 times more? Even if you include wage?

Kane is world class striker about we know every single thing and Hojlund is only big potential. At this moment we don't even know what are Hojlund's strengths. Is he quick or not? Is he good in finishing? In passing? In holding the ball?

I don't mind signing Hojlund but we should sign him only if Kane or Osimhen are 100% out of reach. Osimhen is i guess because of his fee but for Kane i am not so sure. That excuse "Levy will never sell Kane to us" is a BS.

It's not BS though is it, when everyone has reported the first thing we did was go in for Kane but stepped away when it just wasn't going to happen. Even now they are saying we aren't going back in for him and don't expect to because it isn't going to happen. What more do you want the club to do? Osimhen is 150 odd million for christs sake

 

[MUFC OK]

When were fans against any signing ? Fans are muppets. Every player becomes 3 times better as soon as your club becomes interested in him.
And not just United fans, all fans are like that. "New signing? Yes, please. I never heard for him but based on youtube clips, i love him. "

I would test the waters with a Kane bid. At the least, if rejected it will likely stop Atalanta from squeezing this fee.

 

[SalfordRed18]

When were fans against any signing ? Fans are muppets. Every player becomes 3 times better as soon as your club becomes interested in him.
And not just United fans, all fans are like that. "New signing? Yes, please. I never heard for him but based on youtube clips, i love him. "

Fellaini and Owen come to mind.

 

[Andycoleno9]

If we spend anything close to that then he is the main no.9, not the understudy which is what I wouldn’t be against bringing him in for at a lower fee.

We need as close to a sure thing as possible to lead the line. He’s not that.

Everyone knows we are desperate for a 9 and can’t blame Atalanta for securing their pay day.

Yes, that would be ideal situation. Proven, top class no9 to lead a line and Hojlund for lower fee as backup. Part of me was hoping for that scenario. But with his fee and our budget, he is starter for next season.

 

[Andycoleno9]

if this is true we're definitely getting him

seems like a helluva lot for a first offer though

Yep, that is it. That 10 mil difference will be resolved quickly.

 

[Abraxas]

Well, there was really no point in a low first offer because if the media is correct we've been in tentative negotiations for a while. So coming in with a formal bid that's well below something that Atalanta will consider would be absolutely pointless and likely to just annoy them. The bid should be in the vicinity at this point.

 

[Rhyme Animal]

For those who question him, a 20 years old player, based on "scoring only 9 goals in Series A", please remember Nunez scored 6 goals out of 29 matches in the Portuguese league at 21, and Harry Kane scored 3 goals in 10 premier leagues at 20. If we wait until a young prospect scoring 25 league goals before deciding to buy him, that young prospect will cost 120M+ easily.

Not at all.

Nunez scored 26 goals in 28 games and then was signed by Liverpool for 65m.

By the logic you and others are putting forward, every striker would need to be signed before they’ve done anything - and for crazy money.

This simply isn’t the case, and we shouldn’t pretend it is.

 

[JoeyJoJoJrShabadoo]

Romano is a nuisance but he normally gets it right

 

[Powderfinger]

You would say exactly the same about a 20 year old Lewandowski or Cavani. You have to be extremely naturally talented to be that convincing as a young striker (Agüero, Ronaldo or Benzema).

Luckily, what or who we are convinced of or not is entirely irrelevant.

Lewandowski at 20 was actually ridiculously talented. Granted he was playing in Poland but if you watch videos like this one you can see he had everything - fantastic ball striking technique, using the outside or inside of his right foot and ability to bend the ball or hit it flush, ability to use his weak foot when needed, elite heading technique and aerial ability, pace to run behind, composure in one on ones, ability to score both in transition and in crowded boxes.

Hojlund is a good striking prospect and he is facing a higher level of competition but he is not showing anywhere near the level of technique and ability to score different kinds of goals that Lewa showed at a similar age.

 

[zaafi]

So you’re implying that any striker that costs 40m or less is not good enough. Dortmund signed Haaland for 20m, City signed Alvarez for 14m, Frankfurt got Kolo Muni for free, Chelsea just got Jackson for 35m(who’s looking good for now) even Hojlund cost Atalanta 12m. This is proof that you don’t need to splash ridiculous amounts to get good players like you are suggesting

First of all, no, I'm implying it's unlikely there's a striker available for 40m right now that's going to be better than Højlund. If that was the case, do you not think we would try to get him? It is impossible to say, but Ten Hag sees Højlund as someone that can be a great striker so he's willing to overpay for him.

Secondly, it's very different to buy players from Atalanta than fecking Nantes or Salzburg. These clubs aren't going to slap a £60m figure on one of their players. Atalanta are a big club in Italy, have been competing in the top for the past years except for one season, and play in Champions League.

You can cherry pick a few examples from transfers all you like. That doesn't mean that's how it usually works when you buy players from "top" clubs.

 

[MUFC OK]

Lewandowski at 20 was actually ridiculously talented. Granted he was playing in Poland but if you watch videos like this one you can see he had everything - fantastic ball striking technique, using the outside or inside of his right foot and ability to bend the ball or hit it flush, ability to use his weak foot when needed, elite heading technique and aerial ability, pace to run behind, composure in one on ones, ability to score both in transition and in crowded boxes.

Hojlund is a good striking prospect and he is facing a higher level of competition but he is not showing anywhere near the level of technique and ability to score different kinds of goals that Lewa showed at a similar age.

Jesus, it’s not even close. That volley at 0:49.

I think we should be prioritising a striker who is technically excellent, remember when RVP joined Arsenal - the technique was always there. Hojlund worries me, honestly.

The physicality etc can be added later - technique wise it’s much harder.

 

[Strelok]

When were fans against any signing ? Fans are muppets. Every player becomes 3 times better as soon as your club becomes interested in him.
And not just United fans, all fans are like that. "New signing? Yes, please. I never heard for him but based on youtube clips, i love him. "

Pretty much this

 

[SAFMUTD]

Yeah, exactly my thoughts that. I am not against overpaying for right player but i am not sure what is about Hojlund what is worth overpaying. It is not that he is like Mbappe or Rooney who had that "wow" factor from day one. Hojlund doesn't stand out in anything right now.

I do like that he is classic no9 and that he doesn't have any serious flaw. He has potential to be complete no9. That is why i do want him but not for 70 mil.

I completely agree. He may turn out to be a good striker, but as you say right now he doesnt have that "wow factor" that screams 70M player.

 

[jamesjimmybyrondean]

First of all, no, I'm implying it's unlikely there's a striker available for 40m right now that's going to be better than Højlund. If that was the case, do you not think we would try to get him? It is impossible to say, but Ten Hag sees Højlund as someone that can be a great striker so he's willing to overpay for him.

Secondly, it's very different to buy players from Atalanta than fecking Nantes or Salzburg. These clubs aren't going to slap a £60m figure on one of their players. Atalanta are a big club in Italy, have been competing in the top for the past years except for one season, and play in Champions League.

You can cherry pick a few examples from transfers all you like. That doesn't mean that's how it usually works when you buy players from "top" clubs.

It is entirely possible that there’s a cheaper player out there that is better than Hojlund or on the same level. Just because we are not linked with one doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist. Alvarez as I already said just went to City for 12m, Jackson also looks good and Chelsea got him for 35m.

If Atalanta are slapping a ridiculous price on him then move on. I don’t think we are in a position to spend that type of amount on someone unproven like Hojlund

 

[SAFMUTD]

It is all in the eye of the beholder at this point which is inevitable for a 20 year old. I see the top potential that you do not see but only time will tell which of us is right, with the deal inching closer I guess we are going to find out. Hopefully we can bookmark this thread and in 10 years look back and reminisce when he takes Shearers PL goals record on his way to wrapping up our 3rd treble by scoring the goal that sends Liverpool down to the Championship.

If half of that happens I'll be the happiest man ever to be wrong. Hopefully youre right as it seems ten Hag has him as primary target.

 

[sifi36]

Kane will cost us three times as much per year (which is the way the club and FFP views it) as Hojlund.

	Fee	Wages - weekly	Contract Length	Wages Annually	Total Cost	Annualised Cost
Kane	£ 120,000,000.00	£ 400,000.00	4​	£ 20,800,000.00	£ 203,200,000.00	£ 50,800,000.00
Hojlund	£ 60,000,000.00	£ 100,000.00	5​	£ 5,200,000.00	£ 86,000,000.00	£ 17,200,000.00

• Kane will be 30 on Friday, we shouldn't be offering anything longer than 4 years.
• Wages are as widely reported, though rumours are Kane is after even more than that (£580k weekly according to one source)
• Levy has reportedly rejected £80m from Bayern already - he will get more from Bayern and it'll be even more again to us
• Hojlund will have resale value, even if he flops. If we're shifting Kane, it's because he's not worked out and his wages will be an impediment to getting rid.

The kid is not guaranteed to be a hit, but if you had the choice of two investments where one would cost three times as much as the other, how would you quantify the upside potential for one over the other?

Kane has averaged 17.2 non-penalty goals (him scoring penalties for us wouldn't be an incremental improvement as we have a couple of reliable penalty takers) over the last five seasons in the league having played 164.1 90s. His record is 0.52 non-penalty goals and 0.19 assists per game. If one assumes Kane's record would be similar with us and he plays 35 league games, that works out to 18 goals and 7 assists. How many fewer goals and assists would Hojlund need to score to still be the better investment?

 

[SAFMUTD]

Lewandowski at 20 was actually ridiculously talented. Granted he was playing in Poland but if you watch videos like this one you can see he had everything - fantastic ball striking technique, using the outside or inside of his right foot and ability to bend the ball or hit it flush, ability to use his weak foot when needed, elite heading technique and aerial ability, pace to run behind, composure in one on ones, ability to score both in transition and in crowded boxes.

Hojlund is a good striking prospect and he is facing a higher level of competition but he is not showing anywhere near the level of technique and ability to score different kinds of goals that Lewa showed at a similar age.

I know its the polish league but damn he looks class in that video. Great technique and composture. If Hojlund had that I'd say pay the 70M without flinching.