Romelu Lukaku | United confirm deal subject to medical and personal terms

How do you feel about the imminent signing of Romelu Lukaku?

  • Muppetastic!

    Votes: 456 20.6%

  • Happy enough

    Votes: 1,222 55.2%

  • Ambivalent

    Votes: 370 16.7%

  • Disappointed

    Votes: 112 5.1%

  • Oh please god no!

    Votes: 54 2.4%
  • Total voters
    2,214
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el3mel said:
It's funny you're saying that regarding our failure in the league in the last season was because of the shite load of draws against bottom half in the league at OT. If we had won 7 out of these 15 draws we would have been top 3 at least even with our mediocre results against top 6.

Anyway, I didn't say he shouldn't score against top 6. I said any striker in any league will have most of his goals against bottom half and midtable clubs. I think I made this point clear.
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It's not funny at all, as I said while one might improve, the other might suffer. Apart from the losses against City and Chelsea early in the season, we did well against the top 5 sides. The two games against Arsenal and Spurs in May were played with weakened sides due to a switch of focus towards The Europa League instead, so I don't really count them.
 
SwansonsTache said:
If we become competitive again I feel Pogba is a lifer here, don't get that Spain vibe off him.

Raiola will use it in negotiations though, that much is certain.
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This is my only concern, though. I hate this man a lot and will never trust him.
 
If Chelsea do get Lukaku and we miss out on Morata because Scumdrid raise the price I'm burning down the new stadium, the old stadium and the bernebeu.
 
MadDogg said:
To be fair, Aguero is a bit of a freak in that regard. He's always had a ridiculous record against top teams.

Other than him and maybe Drogba, it's normal for strikers to get the majority of their goals against lower teams and only a few against the top teams.
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We're United, though. We need our own freak. Kane (apart from against United) and Agüero are fairly consistent against 90% of teams in the league.
 
Just not sure about the real, real quality of Lukaku. However, it's up to him to make that step-up... IF he can. If it all comes together, he could be outstanding at any big, BIG club... but for what I have seen, at times he seems sluggish, not so tidy and responsible and lacks that sharpness and edge. Think of Aguero and just is approach to play, rather than talent. I don't see that in Lukaku. Yet. But who knows? i'm happy to be convinced...

A question... just a question (before people slaughter me...)... do you think Lukaku would inspire the team, and score more goals than say, a Jamie Vardy?

Just think our transfer dealings under Woodward have been shoddy. I really hope we keep Rooney, at least he knows the club and shows a degree of leadership when he wears the shirt. We have a lot of players who feel good being at United, but I still feel that we are searching for our soul, and that is a big worry. Big money signings don't achieve that, and I would be interested in what others think about that.
 
WhoDaGOAT said:
It's not funny at all, as I said while one might improve, the other might suffer. Apart from the losses against City and Chelsea early in the season, we did well against the top 5 sides. The two games against Arsenal and Spurs in May were played with weakened sides due to a switch of focus towards The Europa League instead, so I don't really count them.
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We got only 10 points of the top 5 teams last season, finishing 69 point. I don't think we can get any lower than this in any coming season as we only won 2, replicate this next season but adding 7 more wins in OT against bottom half and we'll be 90 points, more than enough to win the league or finish second at best.
 
Not being funny but we are not Newcastle. Chelsea can bid all they like. We've won this one.
 
pretty sure every united fan would be over the moon with this, if lukaku was playing for a top side as opposed to everton.

nevertheless, i think this is going to be a tremendous signing for us... can't believe he's only 24
 
Stacks said:
Why do people keep name dropping Beattie with Lukaku? Lukaku's goals at his experience is one of the highest in Premier league history. Beattie scored 81 goals in 284 premier league games. He was pants and scored at half the rate of Lukaku despite Lukaku still being only 24.
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I waS responding to someone else and wasn't trying to compare them so back off
 
ADJUDICATOR said:
He's a bit streaky in that regard, but so are most strikers to be fair. Only striker that fits the bolded description is Costa (when he's not acting up) imo.
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I'm just happy to have players who are able to score out of nothing.
I'd expect Rashford, Martial, Mhki, Mata to score more goals next season too so we wouldn't be relying on Lukaku
 
You can't really argue with his goal return. It's been consistantly excellent.

I'd prefer Morata in terms of style of play, but as a goalscorer Lukaku's great. He's not as good to watch, but that's purely aesthetics.
 
Our problem last season was that we weren't clinical. We've just signed a striker who guarantees at least 20+ goals a season who is exceptionally clinical.

He'll be fantastic at United.
 
Danny Kelly also seems so snide when talking about us.
Apparently becoming a star at United is old school thinking nonsense, as if they don't continually use us as clickbait on their fecking station.
 
botond said:
stolen from r/reddevils


Alright, lads.

Considering you lot were kind enough to hit 20 titles and take Liverpool off their perch I thought I could repay the favour somewhat and give you an Everton season ticket holders view of Lukaku.

Let me preface this by saying Lukaku divides Everton fans. I’d say it’s around 70% of fans rating him (as I do) and 30% of fans not thinking much of him. Sounds crazy considering he banged in so many goals for us but I’ll do my best to explain why it’s the case.

Romelu Lukaku isn’t that talented a footballer. I know it’s unfair for me to say that as I sit at the desk of my 9-5, but it’s true. I’ve had a season ticket at Goodison Park for the past 20 years of my life and I’ve seen a lot of great footballers – 99% of them playing for opposition sides – and Lukaku isn’t one of them. However, the limited amount of departments he does excel in all pertain to scoring goals and that’s what makes him a top striker. During a game you will see him misplace a 5 yard pass, routinely make a mess of trapping the ball, attempt a dribble that will resemble your fat mate throwing step overs in the pub car park, and then, of course, he’ll get two chances and rattle both of them away without breaking stride.

He’s clinical. All you have to do is look at his goal scoring record which is obscene for a player his age. Whereas you get some players who are instinct finishers, messing up chances when they have an additional couple of seconds to think of what they need to do, or players who need that extra second or two in order to figure out the best option to take, Lukaku finishes in both situations. I’m not saying he scores every single time he’s through on goal as that would be ridiculous, but he is truly clinical.

He’s strong but there are times it will feel like he’s not using his weight and power as he should. For instance, he was absolutely bullied by Dejan Lovren at Anfield this season. This will infuriate you as you watch him. One week you will watch him throw Wes Morgan to the floor before slamming the ball past Kasper Schmeichel then the next week he’ll be repeatedly out muscled by Geoff Cameron. It’s as if the only thing he is consistent in is scoring goals – which isn’t a bad thing to be consistent at.

He also struggles to make space for himself when in possession and his brain isn't quick enough to take part in slick inter-changing passing moves unless he’s on the end of it. Teams who have talented players and are willing to sit back and counter for the entire game can nullify him. You’re not getting a player who will receive the ball in the box and manage to find a yard out of nowhere in order to get a shot off. You’re getting a player who needs other players to find him with a pass good enough to allow him to take a touch and get a shot off otherwise he’s going to be anonymous against any top team.

His off the ball movement is underrated but I’m sure a lot of Everton fans will disagree with me. He’s usually on the move and isn’t easily disheartened. He’ll make the same run again and again even if he isn’t receiving the ball. That kind of attitude goes for his finishing, too. He doesn’t seem to become disheartened if he misses a chance. It’s as if he instantly erases any misses the second they don’t hit the back of the net and goes looking for the next chance.

He’s often branded as lazy by Everton fans. I’m always in two minds as to whether this is unfair or not. Everton fans have historically demanded a lot of running from their players and, regardless of whether you’re scoring 20+ goals a season; you’re going to get abuse if you’re not seen to be pulling your weight. It’s largely subjective. If you don’t mind your striker hanging around upfront, not really pressing or running around much, but bangs in a goal or two every other game, you won’t be fussed. It can be infuriating though when you’re watching the game wanting the players to give more than what they're showing.

He doesn’t perform in the big games. You may have seen this mentioned before on Sky or by some Evertonian you have met but it’s true. I can remember very few games in which he’s came up against top centre halves and looked head and shoulders above them. But, again, it alludes to what I’ve said previously about Lukaku. Unless you give him the right service, and Everton often struggled to do so when facing superior teams, he can be utterly anonymous. Having said that, this season he was completely out of the game at City away until he got his first chance of the match, ran half the pitch and buried it bottom bin. Same goes at White Hart Lane this season. Completely anonymous, Alderweirald slips, Lukaku gets his first chance and slams the ball in the bottom bin as if he had been waiting for that one moment all game. Go look at both of those goals online to see just how clinical he is the second he gets a sniff of goal.

It’ll be interesting to see how he fares at United with most teams sitting back and not giving you much space to play in. After experiencing Ibra’s hold up play you may also start to profusely vomit when you see Lukaku trying to do the same.

I don’t think he’s worth the money you lot are reportedly paying, nowhere near worth it to be honest. A lot of people baulked at the fee you paid for Pogba but he’s a joy to watch. A truly brilliant footballer who is worth the admission alone. Lukaku is far from that type of footballer. He’s a goal scorer that is routinely described using the boxing analogy of being a can crusher, padding his record by putting 2-3 goals past lesser teams when they visit Goodison Park with an inability to step up when it matters.

But.

You’re buying a guaranteed 20-30 goals a season from a 24 year old who is constantly improving. Honestly, it's hilarious when he goes through on goal twice in the space of 10 minutes and it's 2-0. I can't understate how lethal he can be. You could look back on this in 5 years’ time and deem it money well spent if he’s knocked 30 in on the way to multiple cups and titles.

Who knows.
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This echos what I have always thought about Lukaku and again confirms in my mind that he is nowhere near good enough for a top team. You compare him to all the top strikers in Europe and while his goal record may stand up, his overall technical game is so many levels below that it's comical. So many people are obsessed with stats, but the truth is there's so much more to strikers than just putting the ball in the net. Will he be able to bring others (Rashford, Martial, Mkhitaryan, Mata) into the game in a way that top strikers can do? I personally dont think so, and as a result I don't think we can expect any of them to have hugely productive seasons.

Morata may have been a bigger gamble due to his past goal records but at least he can claim to be on a technical level with the other world class strikers in the world. Morata was a gamble worth taking because if he can find that finishing touch he's world class, that's much more likely to happen than Lukaku suddenly becoming technically brilliant and being able to control a ball 99/100. For £75 million you shouldn't be signing a striker that will need to be upgraded on to become an elite team capable of winning the champions league, you should be signing a striker ready to make that step up to lead a team to the top. Morata has that potential, Lukaku I'm afraid, does not.
 
Dominos said:
I'm torn. I've never been a huge fan to be honest, I question his touch/control and technical ability. Having said that if he can score 25 league goals for Everton then he should do well for us.

We do get absolutely rinsed on every transfer, it has to be said. I know it's not my money, and the club is doing very well commercially right now, but do we really have the funds to be spending 200m every summer?
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I'm worried about this too. We still need at least two players, preferably three if we aim to compete on all fronts. With Lukaku at 75m + bonuses and Lindelof at 30m + bonuses, we could easily end up above 200m.
 
GrandJury said:
Our problem last season was that we weren't clinical. We've just signed a striker who guarantees at least 20+ goals a season who is exceptionally clinical.

He'll be fantastic at United.
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This.

£75m seems a reasonable fee considering his age and goal scoring record.
 
Wait so Everton ACCEPTS our bid then decide to not confirm it with the news outlets. Then they instead let out information that they are hoping Chelsea can still come and take him with a higher bid.

And in all of this we are giving them Rooney for free?
 
I'm probably wrong but the way I usually see Lukaku is a player who scored bags of goals in few games then does sweet feck all for a while then BAM 4 goals against a West Bromwich.

Hopefully we see more consistency here if he comes.
 
RedStarUnited said:
Wait so Everton ACCEPTS our bid then decide to not confirm it with the news outlets. Then they instead let out information that they are hoping Chelsea can still come and take him with a higher bid.

And in all of this we are giving them Rooney for free?
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Yeah it makes no sense. If they want Rooney, they'll deal fairly with United. If not, Rooney stays.
 
I don't get how people are worried about spending the money... I'd rather see the money in the players' accounts than growing in the owner's coffers. The club is making plenty of money... it's not like they are going to diversify their portfolio into tech startups and real estate.
 
cyberman said:
Danny Kelly also seems so snide when talking about us.
Apparently becoming a star at United is old school thinking nonsense, as if they don't continually use us as clickbait on their fecking station.
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His example was Eden Hazard. What global appeal does Eden Hazard have? I don't even know who sponsors him.
 
togg said:
have to say....this is turning out to be more exciting than a lot of our matches over the last few years........
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On the contrary it sums up this window so far for us, even when we 'agree a fee' it's not straight forward or wrapped up quickly
 
Did not expect this. On one hand I've always felt he's not skillfull enough on the ball to be a top top player and we're spending 75 million on him which is seems absurd. On the other hand he does get you goals and he has proven that in the PL consistently.
 
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