Ronaldo Replacements

redcucumber said:
@mitchmouse
This is an odd argument. Salah is an attacking wide forward, he isn't a number 9. He gets into dangerous "attacking" positions when the ball is in the box because he's an attacker.. he's part of a fluid front 3 but he plays off the right and Firmino or Jota (and sometimes Mané) play upfront. Liverpool have just signed Darwin Nunez who is a much more typical number 9, but the market for those sorts of players is barren at the moment. It's why we might be better served going for a fluid front 3 and foregoing trying to get a direct Ronaldo replacement.
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My guess is that with mane gone, they'll play the same way. Firmino played just over half the number of league games Salah did... so who was the main target man? Salah may cut in from the right but don't tell me hewas more a right winger than a CF
 
We are probably fecked for anyone of real quality this summer.

Dennis, Dybala, Bellotti or somebody in a swap deal with Ronaldo most likely
 
Why we’re not going for Sterling? He’d be the best addition to our attack, fast, can play 3 positions and is a United fan.
 
mitchmouse said:
My guess is that with mane gone, they'll play the same way. Firmino played just over half the number of league games Salah did... so who was the main target man? Salah may cut in from the right but don't tell me hewas more a right winger than a CF
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That was Mané or Jota. Salah almost exclusively starts off on the right, with two of Jota, Mané, Diaz, and Firmino taking up the wide left and central attacking positions.
 
mitchmouse said:
you can lecture all you like and make pathetic little comments but just because he starts from the right doesn't mean he's not a CF. Of course he doesn't stand in one place all the time.... those sort of CF went out long ago. And two games hardly proves anything. Liverpool play with a highly fluid front three so of course they interchange but you want to believe otherwise, that's your prerogative
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Yeah, the fact he starts from the right quite literally does mean he's not a centre forward. Liverpool's front three is very fluid I agree, that doesn't alter the fact they all start from similar positions for most attacks which last season was mostly Diaz off the left, Salah off the right and Mane/Firminho/Jota through the middle. Your argument that he's a centre forward just because he scores the most goals is frankly ridiculous.
 
tidraKS said:
Why we’re not going for Sterling? He’d be the best addition to our attack, fast, can play 3 positions and is a United fan.
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We want to score goals.
 
I think we will have to use Rashford/Martial/Elanga etc in a fluid front three until we can buy a proper CF. instead of being pushed into an over priced panic buy
 
Adam-Utd said:
We want to score goals.
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13 goals in 23 starts last season - not sure anyone at United managed that. then there's the reported fact of 86% pass rate, which is about 86% better than some of our players last season!!
 
One thing's for sure - we can't allow him to join Chelsea. No way we can help a rival for top four (are we anyone's rival, these days)
 
With the Dutch connection could see us looking at Donyell Malen in a season or two.

There's also Myron Boadu, not had a great season in terms of goals scored but could be fancied by ETH as apparently is a pupil of the Dutch 'Total Football' approach which Erik likes to play. Would also be a cost effective solution.
 
mitchmouse said:
One thing's for sure - we can't allow him to join Chelsea. No way we can help a rival for top four (are we anyone's rival, these days)
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Why not, Ronaldo isn't a UTD legend especially with his timing for this saga. If Chelsea or anyone else wants him do it.
 
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Our total wage bill for 21-22 was £215million!

So far, we have saved a lot of money on outgoings excluding 25% reduction (no CL): Its total about 50m.
  • Paul Pogba was earning £15 million per year.
  • Edinson Cavani was earning £13 million per year.
  • Nemanja Matic was earning £6.2 million per year.
  • Jesse Lingard was earning £3.9 million per year.
  • In previous seasons Lee Grant was earning £1.5 million per year.
  • Juan Mata was earning £8.2 million per year.
  • Now Henderson: £5.2 million per year.
Additional 25% reduction of 160m (215m less 50m) is another 40m. So 215m is now: 125m before any new signings.

New signings we know so far: Tyrell Malacia (can't be too much) 75k a week? 4m a year
Eriksen: 8m a year
Martinez: 5m a year
FDJ: 13m?

So total of 30m a year.........

Our new wage bill is now 155m, a substantial savings from last year!

Ronaldo is about 25m of the above, so take him out we are left with only 130m wage bill . Please let him go if he doesn't want to be here:

We should to go all out for a top striker and we still won't break the bank.....But these bloody glazers are such assholes that they won't let us progress.

So we spend 70-80m on a top striker and add 15m to the wages.....which will take our spending this year to 190m (excluding outgoings which we can easily make 50m if we have capable people in roles), while having a wage bill of 145m.....
 
Andycoleno9 said:
If we sign Antony then we will not sign a striker. I have a feeling that Antony and Sancho will play on wings with Martial and Rashford playing at no9.
We will not have money for striker and winger after we spend 100 mil on De Jong and Lisandro. Plus Eriksen and Malacia.
Unless we sell someone for big money
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I think we all know that doesn't seem likely to happen at the moment. At least not until later in the window.

To be fair, we could be saving a crap ton in wages if Ronaldo leaves as well. We've already saved some £50M a year, and could bring that up to another £27M + w/e we get for Ronaldo. In addition we know that players have reduced wages this season due to a failure to qualify for the CL.

That could be enough for a striker and Antony this summer, and a similar budget next season when(well if) we get top 4.

As long as we don't give anyone a stupid contract we should be fine.
 
Honestly, I don't think it's worth the outlay on the viable options available to us.

I would look at Antony for RW spot and play Bruno as a false 9/put Rashford through the middle. It's not ideal, but it's also why Ronaldo leaving at the point in the window would seriously hurt us. It's also potentially why he's chosen to come out the way he has, to force our hand to not reduce his wages/be more proactive in the market.
 
mitchmouse said:
possibly the greatest player of all time isn't a legend? really?
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Legend in the game of football sure. But for UTD? You can kind of understand why people feel the other way with how he left us the first time, how his best years were at RM and with how he is treating the club right now.
 
saik said:
Legend in the game of football sure. But for UTD? You can kind of understand why people feel the other way with how he left us the first time, how his best years were at RM and with how he is treating the club right now.
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how he's treating the club? for me some people need to hear the truth. For too long now, the running of the club has been a joke. So far, nothing has changed other than the names fo the guys in the suits. It might in coming weeks, but I think Ronaldo is saying what he thinks is best for the club. To me, he seems to care a lot more than some players we've bought in the past 4-5 years
 
mitchmouse said:
how he's treating the club? for me some people need to hear the truth. For too long now, the running of the club has been a joke. So far, nothing has changed other than the names fo the guys in the suits. It might in coming weeks, but I think Ronaldo is saying what he thinks is best for the club. To me, he seems to care a lot more than some players we've bought in the past 4-5 years
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I agree that the club has been a joke for the past few years but does that excuse a supposedly "legend" coming out with the news that he wants to leave right before the start of the pre-season and putting a wrench in the manager's plans? He had whole of last season to see how this club were a joke, he could have communicated that he wanted to leave at the end of the season.

I don't agree with the sentiment that people are putting out that he is doing this because this is the best for the club. Nope, he is doing it because it will damage his reputation by playing in the Europa League. By all means he can leave but not the way he is doing right now.
 
mitchmouse said:
how he's treating the club? for me some people need to hear the truth. For too long now, the running of the club has been a joke. So far, nothing has changed other than the names fo the guys in the suits. It might in coming weeks, but I think Ronaldo is saying what he thinks is best for the club. To me, he seems to care a lot more than some players we've bought in the past 4-5 years
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If you're naive enough to think he's doing this for the good of the club I have some lovely snake oil for sale...
 
mitchmouse said:
how he's treating the club? for me some people need to hear the truth. For too long now, the running of the club has been a joke. So far, nothing has changed other than the names fo the guys in the suits. It might in coming weeks, but I think Ronaldo is saying what he thinks is best for the club. To me, he seems to care a lot more than some players we've bought in the past 4-5 years
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When you close you eyes and picture Ronaldo, is he wearing a cape? Or is he just oiled up?
 
Is Nkunku realistic? Even if we have to pay big money for him, I think he'd be worth it.
 
Gurtej said:
Our total wage bill for 21-22 was £215million!
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Not sure where you are getting this number from, but is it almost comically wrong. As per United’s latest financial statement, wages for the first nine months of the 21/22 season were £288m. On a pro-rate basis, that would equate to an annual salary bill of £384m.
 
moses said:
When you close you eyes and picture Ronaldo, is he wearing a cape? Or is he just oiled up?
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I picture him wearing an oily cape - easy to slip in and out of.

I also picture him with some kind of mask.

He'd look good with a simplistic Zorro style mask - but personally I see something more elaborate, ears...I think. Cat Woman sort of thing - in fact, I can see him in a Michelle Pfeiffer style outfit. But oily (or even more oily).
 
devlinadl said:
Not sure where you are getting this number from, but is it almost comically wrong. As per United’s latest financial statement, wages for the first nine months of the 21/22 season were £288m. On a pro-rate basis, that would equate to an annual salary bill of £384m.
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The base might be wrong, but rest is correct…. So you can do the maths…. Bottom line is that this year we have considerably and rightly so reduces our wage massive
 
My 1st choice would be Napoli’s striker… obviously he’ll cost way to much. As a cheaper alternative we should look at scamacca from sassuolo.
 
b82REZ said:
If you're naive enough to think he's doing this for the good of the club I have some lovely snake oil for sale...
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well he clearly isn't doing it for the money as he'd be getting a pay cut wherever he goes. of course, he also wants to win things - is that so alien to United that it is now a crime?
 
saik said:
I agree that the club has been a joke for the past few years but does that excuse a supposedly "legend" coming out with the news that he wants to leave right before the start of the pre-season and putting a wrench in the manager's plans? He had whole of last season to see how this club were a joke, he could have communicated that he wanted to leave at the end of the season.

I don't agree with the sentiment that people are putting out that he is doing this because this is the best for the club. Nope, he is doing it because it will damage his reputation by playing in the Europa League. By all means he can leave but not the way he is doing right now.
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I've read reports that he did communicate this during last season (sorry, can't remember where). But of course he doesn't want to play in the Europa - I don't want United in the Europa, it's embarrassing.

I do think if he really wants to go, and can't be talked out of it, they should show him the door but I'm amazed at the number of people here who think he's some sort of criminal. Mind you, I shouldn't be: they are probably the same people who blamed Rooney for everything and Carrick before that.

The over-arching thing for me is that having the greatest player of all time around should benefit everyone, especially the younger players. Ronaldo has been nothing but brilliant for us, showing commitment, passion and an incredible desire to win. Those have somehow become a dirty words...
 
mitchmouse said:
well he clearly isn't doing it for the money as he'd be getting a pay cut wherever he goes. of course, he also wants to win things - is that so alien to United that it is now a crime?
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So he's doing it for his own personal gain. Not difficult to understand.

He doesn't care about the club, he cares about his Wikipedia page when he's retired.
 
Sending him to Chelsea will make them worse than last season.

It would actually be a good move.
 
b82REZ said:
So he's doing it for his own personal gain. Not difficult to understand.

He doesn't care about the club, he cares about his Wikipedia page when he's retired.
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Well, I call that a desire to win. But I do understand that that no longer matters to some in the upper echelons of the club
 
Gnabry and Dybala.

United may need to look long-term but they also need an immediate short-term fix if Ronaldo leaves, there's no point going through a season with Rashford or Martial upfront. It will almost guarantee they finish outside the top 4 and just set the project back a year.

Gnabry would be a great signing anyway I think, used to playing on the right-hand side, in his prime and can provide a source of goals whilst being versatile enough to play across the front 3 where needed.

Dybala isn't ideal but considering he's a free agent, if you can nail him down to only a 3+1 type of deal so you aren't necessarily tied to him long-term I think he'd be a worthwhile signing for now.
 
Just amazed at the number of people who have decided Ronaldo never really did anything for us. I suggest a look at his stats. he's probably scored more career hat tricks than some people score goals.

Yes, I hate that he wants to leave but not all players United sign are in love with the club as we (or at least most of us) are. For some, it is a career/job. Some want to be somewhere where they win things (surely, that is what attracted lots of people to us since the start of the PL). It's not really how I behave (I'll take almost anyone who'll have me, ha ha) but football isn't like most of the jobs we have.

But some people here throw their toys out of the pram every time someone wants to leave United. I didn't even get angry when Heinze wanted away. to me, it's just a fact of life. It's not treason.

One thing I'd say: do we think SAF, if reports are correct that it was he who talked Ronaldo into coming back, would like him to stay at least one more season...?
 
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