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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I really don't understand how some people here wouldn't want Lukaku.

A lot of people are happy bringing in players such as Depay or more recently Draxler or whoever but think Lukaku is not good enough? He is very young and has a lot of EPL experience. We have seen him grow from a decent one-dimensional striker to a lethal striker with good all round play. He is early 20's so it's frightening to think about how much more he can improve and what level he will be at his peak.

Secondly, world class strikers are only at a handful and these strikers (e.g. Augero, Muller, Suarez etc) will most likely not be sold. Therefore isn't it better to bring in a striker that is showing clear signs that he can fall into the unsellable bracket?
 
I really don't understand how some people here wouldn't want Lukaku.

A lot of people are happy bringing in players such as Depay or more recently Draxler or whoever but think Lukaku is not good enough? He is very young and has a lot of EPL experience. We have seen him grow from a decent one-dimensional striker to a lethal striker with good all round play. He is early 20's so it's frightening to think about how much more he can improve and what level he will be at his peak.

Secondly, world class strikers are only at a handful and these strikers (e.g. Augero, Muller, Suarez etc) will most likely not be sold. Therefore isn't it better to bring in a striker that is showing clear signs that he can fall into the unsellable bracket?
Who are these people exactly?
 
Wow! That's just blown Kane away hasn't it?

It's also skewed by a chance being defined as one where a player shoots from. Feeding Barkley, Deulofeu, Kone and Naismith has a higher probability of a shot being the next action than Eriksen, Dembele, Chadli, Alli or Son.

That said, either would be welcomed. Both have played a serious amount of minutes in the past season and a half mind.
 
His hold up play/technical ability has really increased, and I'd much, much prefer him to Kane but he's always been guilty of having the game or two of just pure dogshite performances. Here's hoping he's started to iron them out if he's a genuine target.
 
No. Build the attack around Martial at #9, and find the right pieces to support him (players capable of fluid positional interchange, and clever passing in the final third). Not a big fan of target-men strikers, don't think Lukaku will be an elite (top 3 in Europe) striker in the future, he will stunt Martial's growth when he's ready (is already ready to be the focal point IMO), and he'd look out of place if say Guardiola takes charge in 2017. Aim higher if you do want to sign a striker and want to play Martial as the left inside forward for the near future. There was a massive clamor for Benteke in the summer too, and while Lukaku is a better striker, he's not really going to justify the €40 million fee he will command. If you wanna spend ~€60 million, go the extra mile, break the Bundesliga transfer record, and try to sign Aubameyang for €80+ million (that will make him the 5th most expensive player of all time - though I'm sure it will be shouted down by Dortmund supporters).
 
No. Build the attack around Martial at #9, and find the right pieces to support him (players capable of fluid positional interchange, and clever passing in the final third). Not a big fan of target-men strikers, don't think Lukaku will be an elite (top 3 in Europe) striker in the future, he will stunt Martial's growth when he's ready (is already ready to be the focal point IMO), and he'd look out of place if say Guardiola takes charge in 2017. Aim higher if you do want to sign a striker and want to play Martial as the left inside forward for the near future. There was a massive clamor for Benteke in the summer too, and while Lukaku is a better striker, he's not really going to justify the €40 million fee he will command. If you wanna spend ~€60 million, go the extra mile, break the Bundesliga transfer record, and try to sign Aubameyang for €80+ million (that will make him the 5th most expensive player of all time - though I'm sure it will be shouted down by Dortmund supporters).

Is the crystal ball working fine then ?

We need a striker fast, this whole mentality of "aiming higher" is the very same thing that left our forward options dire this year. This notion that signing a striker will stunt martial's growth as well ffs, where did it come from ?
 
We're not really going to play a real lone striker system if we buy either of them given we have Martial and he's always going to be a forward and is too talented to shaft for either of them. It's going to be a two striker attack if we were to buy one. Kane is the more creative but lukaku is easily the more explosive.
The dream for me is Martial, Kane and Depay interchanging as a front 3, all have pace, strength and creativity (providing Depay plays to his potential).
 
If Vangle Savage is still in charge with his rigid system in place I guess Lukaku would make sense.
 
No. Build the attack around Martial at #9, and find the right pieces to support him (players capable of fluid positional interchange, and clever passing in the final third). Not a big fan of target-men strikers, don't think Lukaku will be an elite (top 3 in Europe) striker in the future, he will stunt Martial's growth when he's ready (is already ready to be the focal point IMO), and he'd look out of place if say Guardiola takes charge in 2017. Aim higher if you do want to sign a striker and want to play Martial as the left inside forward for the near future. There was a massive clamor for Benteke in the summer too, and while Lukaku is a better striker, he's not really going to justify the €40 million fee he will command. If you wanna spend ~€60 million, go the extra mile, break the Bundesliga transfer record, and try to sign Aubameyang for €80+ million (that will make him the 5th most expensive player of all time - though I'm sure it will be shouted down by Dortmund supporters).

I would prefer to emulate the Barca front 3 as well but we'd need a new manager and 2 wide forwards that could get 15 each at least, as right now we don't know how prolific in front of goal Martial will actually be.
 
I'm all for it, stop chasing Bayern, Real and Barca players that we simply aren't going to get. He's about as proven a premier league number 9 as we can get and only 22. It will cost £50m+ easily though.
 
Martial and Lukaku up front. 20 and 22. Would be a monstrous partnership for years to come. Lukaku leading the line, Martial with more license to roam. Personally, I would love it.
 
Yes please and his agent wants to get him out of there. Kane may be preferable but Levy is a nightmare deal with.
 
I would prefer to emulate the Barca front 3 as well but we'd need a new manager and 2 wide forwards that could get 15 each at least, as right now we don't know how prolific in front of goal Martial will actually be.

Fair enough. I was just speaking from a medium to long term viewpoint considering he will cost somewhere in the vicinity of €60 million, and not just in terms of Van Gaal's tenure (because his position could be very fluid come next season). Lukaku is a good player no doubt, but I'm not convinced by the argument that he could be a top, top striker; plus I've always had a preference for versatile forwards. If you get Lukaku, then he becomes the landmark #9 for the team for the foreseeable future. He is a #9, and that's where he will play. You will either have to play Martial as an SS in a 4-2-3-1/ 4-4-2, or as an inside forward in a 4-3-3, which IMO would be a waste of his talents come 2017, and beyond - because he is the perfect modern #9, we just have to be a little bit patient with him.

Ideally, United would be looking to sign someone like a Paulo Dybala - not necessarily him, but someone with a similar playing style and profile. Someone who can play as a striker, false 9, #10, and an inside forward - much like Martial. We get a couple players of that profile, and the options would be endless with positional interchange, strikers who are familiar with playing out wide enabling them to drift and open up spaces, their collective dribbling ability, and so forth. Then you can choose whoever is best suited to being your primary #9 - most likely Martial. A bit like even Liverpool when Suárez drifted wide for Sturridge and vice versa.

The reason I'd like someone like Aubameyang (not him, just someone with a similar profile) is that Martial and said player could dovetail beautifully - stretching defenses out wide, dribbling with venom, and so forth - instead of having overly defined roles. It's just that I don't want the club to pigeonhole themselves by acquiring loads of players that might not be ideal fits, or render our setup too rigid a couple of years down the road, especially for that kind of money. Get a versatile, skillful forward nucleus, give them a bit of time to gel, and watch them blossom progressively (under the right management of course - one that would allow them to flourish as individuals, and as a collective threat).
 
Fair enough. I was just speaking from a medium to long term viewpoint considering he will cost somewhere in the vicinity of €60 million, and not just in terms of Van Gaal's tenure (because his position could be very fluid come next season). Lukaku is a good player no doubt, but I'm not convinced by the argument that he could be a top, top striker; plus I've always had a preference for versatile forwards. If you get Lukaku, then he becomes the landmark #9 for the team for the foreseeable future. He is a #9, and that's where he will play. You will either have to play Martial as an SS in a 4-2-3-1/ 4-4-2, or as an inside forward in a 4-3-3, which IMO would be a waste of his talents come 2017, and beyond - because he is the perfect modern #9, we just have to be a little bit patient with him.

Ideally, United would be looking to sign someone like a Paulo Dybala - not necessarily him, but someone with a similar playing style and profile. Someone who can play as a striker, false 9, #10, and an inside forward - much like Martial. We get a couple players of that profile, and the options would be endless with positional interchange, strikers who are familiar with playing out wide enabling them to drift and open up spaces, their collective dribbling ability, and so forth. Then you can choose whoever is best suited to being your primary #9 - most likely Martial. A bit like even Liverpool when Suárez drifted wide for Sturridge and vice versa.

The reason I'd like someone like Aubameyang (not him, just someone with a similar profile) is that Martial and said player could dovetail beautifully - stretching defenses out wide, dribbling with venom, and so forth - instead of having overly defined roles. It's just that I don't want the club to pigeonhole themselves by acquiring loads of players that might not be ideal fits, or render our setup too rigid a couple of years down the road, especially for that kind of money. Get a versatile, skillful forward nucleus, give them a bit of time to gel, and watch them blossom progressively (under the right management of course - one that would allow them to flourish as individuals, and as a collective threat).

Don't get me wrong mate, I like the idea and it would be the route I'd like to see us go, but I feel if we are going to do that we need to change the manager in the summer, as we are not a club that dictate player recruitment to our managers, so if LvG is still here for another season we'd either have to simply deny him the transfer money or go along with his choices, both of which I think would be counter productive, if the call is to move in a different direction it should be done in one fell swoop.

To me we should target players like Fekir, Dybala, Sane and develop our own like Wilson, Memphis, Martial and maybe Januzaj into being able to play in a free flowing front line, while using a proper midfield 3 to control possession, but first we need to switch the helm.
 
He's 22, he is clearly going to be a top striker in the future(if he isn't already).

If it helps, he's a beast in my current FM 2016 save. I signed him August 2015, its now January 2017 and he has already scored me 50 goals ... including 6 in the 1st half vs Spurs!

I agree with you that he has every skill and attribute to become a top top striker. I think he will end up at Madrid or Munich in a few years time. (in real life and not my football manager - I will not sell him for any fee right now!)
 
If we get Lukaku in January.. we will win the league... Like Gary said.. we are 1-2 players away from winning the league.. and his signing could be 1 of them
 
Would love it but he'd cost a fortune on this form. Can't see them selling for anything south of 35 million. Why not Barkley while we're at it?
 
Would love it but he'd cost a fortune on this form. Can't see them selling for anything south of 35 million. Why not Barkley while we're at it?

He'd be a steal at 35 million if you ask me.
 
He'd be a steal at 35 million if you ask me.
Yeah, would probably have to bid at least 40 given that they paid 28 for him. Still three-and-a-half years on his contract too.

Lukaku or Kane?

Would probably cost similar amounts, are same age etc.
Kane for me. I want us to have an English spine like we've always had and while not necessarily better than Lukaku, Kane is the real deal in my view.
 
I personally think it would be a good buy but we'd still need another as well. Depends also on whether Van Gaal is staying beyond this season which I don't think looks certain at all.

For example, not sure Pep would appreciate Lukaku if we were so lucky to get him in charge.
 
Rooney and Fellaini plus £50m for Lukaku and Stones would be tremendous business by us not least because it would rid of us a £300,000 a week wage.
 
He could very well turn out to be our Drogba. The similarity in their styles of play is there for everyone to see.
 
Man can score goals but is an absolutely terrible footballer. Shocking touch, technique, and passing.
 
He'd be a beast for us - but he will likely cost us at least £40 million.
 
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