Ruben Neves | Signed for Al Hilal (SA)

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They could sell Pedri for 100 million.

Except Pedri is (a) a product of their academy and so has greater emotional value for the fans and (b) is judged to be a higher prospect, on lower wages than FDJ.

It says more about the club’s priorities than the quality of the player.
 
Except Pedri is (a) a product of their academy and so has greater emotional value for the fans and (b) is judged to be a higher prospect, on lower wages than FDJ.

It says more about the club’s priorities than the quality of the player.
Pedri isn’t from La Masia. He was signed from Las Palmas.
 
Except Pedri is (a) a product of their academy and so has greater emotional value for the fans and (b) is judged to be a higher prospect, on lower wages than FDJ.

It says more about the club’s priorities than the quality of the player.

If they desperately need money they would sell Pedri for a much higher fee, they won't sell him as he's absolutely mint and better than FDJ.
 
Except Pedri is (a) a product of their academy and so has greater emotional value for the fans and (b) is judged to be a higher prospect, on lower wages than FDJ.

It says more about the club’s priorities than the quality of the player.
Pedri isn't a youth product of Barcelona but he's Spanish and Laporta is trying to create a Spanish/Catalan core according to some reports. So both Pedri and Gavi are the untouchables, along with Ansu Fati.
 
Exactly. United will be complete idiots if they sign FDJ for 80 million and let two PL proven players like Raphinha and Neves go to Barcelona for same amount. Unsurprisingly United are.

Is "PL proven" a better credential than Ten Hag proven? Who's to say if we signed Raphinha and later find out he can't play in Ten Hag's system?
 
A 34 year old Messi with his best years behind him demanding an absolute fortune to stay, who do they willingly sell at the the peak of their powers fundamental to the team?
As a poster earlier has claimed they’ve sold key pieces plenty of times before to make finances work - people like Pedro, Villa, Eto in more recent times. And I think you’re shifting goalposts a bit with the “fundamental to their team” as no player is fundamental enough to the team to risk the long term financial health of the club.
 
How is Antony better than Raphina?

From what I can tell the Brazil fans are happy with both and don't have strong views as to which one should start, even though they're very different wingers.
 
Pedri isn’t from La Masia. He was signed from Las Palmas.
Pedri isn't a youth product of Barcelona but he's Spanish and Laporta is trying to create a Spanish/Catalan core according to some reports. So both Pedri and Gavi are the untouchables, along with Ansu Fati.

Apologies I stand corrected, I’d based that on an incorrect assumption.
 
As a poster earlier has claimed they’ve sold key pieces plenty of times before to make finances work - people like Pedro, Villa, Eto in more recent times. And I think you’re shifting goalposts a bit with the “fundamental to their team” as no player is fundamental enough to the team to risk the long term financial health of the club.

Best years were behind them clearly, hardly key players when they left just i suspect Barca view FDJ.
 
Best years were behind them clearly, hardly key players when they left just i suspect Barca view FDJ.
If Messi (yes even at 34) wasn’t a key player, no player ever is.

They absolutely wouldn't sell Pedri.
That’s a meaningless and unfalsifiable statement. If he were on 400k a week or whatever Frenkie is on I reckon they absolutely would. You can claim otherwise but everyone from their own President to their manager has claimed they need to sell one of their high earners.
 
If Messi (yes even at 34) wasn’t a key player, no player ever is.


That’s a meaningless and unfalsifiable statement. If he were on 400k a week or whatever Frenkie is on I reckon they absolutely would. You can claim otherwise but everyone from their own President to their manager has claimed they need to sell one of their high earners.


His best years were behind him.

No they wouldn't, they'd move on inferior players like FDJ to get the wage bill down.
 
His best years were behind him.

No they wouldn't, they'd move on inferior players like FDJ to get the wage bill down.

This is going nowhere. We haven’t even touched in the fact that they seemed to be using him incorrectly in an Iniesta role that was never going to work. If it came to to FdJ and Pedri I agree they’d keep Pedri as he fits better into the team, is younger and is Spanish. I’m just saying that Barcelona isn’t some perfect club that never lets good players leave as you claimed. That is just untrue and you can keep trying to argue around that.
 
First of all - FDJ wont cost £80 million - and second - on what planet do you think we could sign Raphinha and Neves for £80 million ? First we have to persuade Leeds to sell us Raphinha - ehm...that wont happen - and if they did agree to do it, there is no way we would get him for less than £50 million. And second - why would Wolves sell Neves for anything less than £50 million ? More likely they will ask for £60-70 million. So let's more realistically say that they would cost almost 50% more than the sum you mention (if we manage to persuade Leeds to sell Raphinha)

I was commenting on a tweet which quoted 80m. And I said “if”. If we can sign both Neves and Raphinha for 80m we will be complete idiots to waste same amount in FDJ.
 
You can only do that in a high defensive line if you make concessions for a player like de Jong, if the idea is to utilise him as the single pivot. And that would be to invert the fullbacks or else the defensive structure will be non existent on the turn over in a approach that requires the last line of defense to defend high up the pitch. So a double pivot with a physically robust player next to de Jong, would be the way to go and we'd better control the game with and without the ball.

Neves who is a inferior player to de Jong both technically and athletically, definitely isn't someone who could control a larger space, and isn't as good as de Jong on the ball.
My point is, that as you say and I agree, for this same approach to function we need this physically robust player that could allow to try and play Frenkie or Ruben, but Frenkie is the superior player, which I agree. However I have reservations about how much better the Dutchman is, I personally don't think he is twice the player like someone said in this thread. In addition Ruben is familiar with the league unlike Frenkie, and for that midfield to function we'd still need a partner for them which we lack.
 
Wolves want €100m for him, according to Fabrizio Romano via a United fan channel on YouTube.
 
Wolves want €100m for him, according to Fabrizio Romano via a United fan channel on YouTube.

And Wolves wanted 150m for Traore a couple of years ago. I could see him leave for 40-50m at most.
 
And Wolves wanted 150m for Traore a couple of years ago. I could see him leave for 40-50m at most.
He's a £30m/£40m player at best imo. And is best suited to a team wanting to approach the game in a more conservative approach, where he can best utilise his long passing ability.

The opposition would have a bullseye on him if he was utilised in a high-line due to him being immobile and slow on the turn. Its not a surprise he's still at Wolves at the age of 25. I would rather see us give opportunities to Garner and Hannibal and than waste money on him.
 
It wouldn't be surprising if the Neves link is a complete rehash of previous stories from last year. The new manager having strong ideas in a first transfer window actually makes it less likely we go for the next cab off the rank that we have been tracking.

The actual strong links are very much ETH driven, that much is obvious. That may become less so as his tenure progresses (at least I do hope we show some recruitment organisation) - but for now ETH probably has a big shout. I don't see any convincing reason a Wolves player is screaming out to the new manager.
 
Wolves want €100m for him, according to Fabrizio Romano via a United fan channel on YouTube.
Yeah but I dont think that is the current situation. He was saying how he recalls they said this in an interview, and that interview was months ago.

Since then there have been briefs that they are resigned to him leaving, particularly given the contract situation. They've probably also signed a midfielder partly in anticipation of this.
 
Yeah but I dont think that is the current situation. He was saying how he recalls they said this in an interview, and that interview was months ago.

Since then there have been briefs that they are resigned to him leaving, particularly given the contract situation. They've probably also signed a midfielder partly in anticipation of this.
Agreed.

He's been trying to engineer a move out of the club for a few years now. And I think he'd be a good fit in a Conte team that looks to react on the counter, and his ability to hit long diagonals would be better utilised on in such a approach, whilst having the protection off the ball due to the setup being centred around safety in numbers.
 
Agreed.

He's been trying to engineer a move out of the club for a few years now. And I think he'd be a good fit in a Conte team that looks to react on the counter, and his ability to hit long diagonals would be better utilised on in such a approach, whilst having the protection off the ball due to the setup being centred around safety in numbers.
How do you reckon hed fare with us? Probably not the ideal partner to De Jong but I know ETH loves his cross field switches
 
his good characteristics don't make up for all his deficiencies. Stay clear or you get another midfielder that needs to be endlessly accommodated to cover for all his weaknesses.
 
How do you reckon hed fare with us? Probably not the ideal partner to De Jong but I know ETH loves his cross field switches
I can only see Neves and de Jong working in a 3 man midfield if the aim is to play in a high risk approach where the CBs are the last line of defence in a compact high block.
 
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I can only see Neves and de Jong working in a 3 man midfield in a high risk approach where the CBs are the last line of defence in a compact high block.

Yeah I would rather a DM alongside either of them because losing faith it will be De Jong now
 
He's a £30m/£40m player at best imo. And is best suited to a team wanting to approach the game in a more conservative approach, where he can best utilise his long passing ability.

The opposition would have a bullseye on him if he was utilised in a high-line due to him being immobile and slow on the turn. Its not a surprise he's still at Wolves at the age of 25. I would rather see us give opportunities to Garner and Hannibal and than waste money on him.

Agreed.
 
He's a £30m/£40m player at best imo. And is best suited to a team wanting to approach the game in a more conservative approach, where he can best utilise his long passing ability.

The opposition would have a bullseye on him if he was utilised in a high-line due to him being immobile and slow on the turn. Its not a surprise he's still at Wolves at the age of 25. I would rather see us give opportunities to Garner and Hannibal and than waste money on him.
While I agree with your post I think the bolded is a bit harsh, Modric an all time great was spending his time at spurs around the same age.

Sometimes you just don't get the opportunity to shine.
 
While I agree with your post I think the bolded is a bit harsh, Modric an all time great was spending his time at spurs around the same age.

Sometimes you just don't get the opportunity to shine.
Modric was a far superior player and his touch and technique along with his low centre of gravity made him a very dangerous player.

Modric is quoted as saying that Arsenal wanted to sign him from Dinamo Zagreb but he wanted to stay put for a bit longer at Zagreb. Arsene Wenger then switched targets and Spurs signed him at a later date.

It's also easy to see why Wenger tried to sign Modric, because his performance against Arsenal as a 20 year old was impressive. Short highlights below.

 
Wolves want €100m for him, according to Fabrizio Romano via a United fan channel on YouTube.

Wolves don't decide how they sell their players, they will do what Mendes tells them to do.
 
Modric was a far superior player and his touch and technique along with his low centre of gravity made him a very dangerous player.

Modric is quoted as saying that Arsenal wanted to sign him from Dinamo Zagreb but he wanted to stay put for a bit longer at Zagreb. Arsene Wenger then switched targets and Spurs signed him at a later date.

It's also easy to see why Wenger tried to sign Modric, because his performance against Arsenal as a 20 year old was impressive. Short highlights below.


Thanks for the refresher, always wondered why he didn't move out sooner.
Obvious neves is nowhere near modric in terms of talent but Wolves shouldn't necessarily be his level, he might have just gotten unlucky in term of his transfers.
 
It does look as though this will be the season he leaves us and I will be truly gutted, he’s up there with Steve Bull as my all time Wolves hero

If it happens I do hope he goes to you for 2 reasons, the first because I actually have a soft spot for United but secondly to see some of you on here eat humble pie
He is fantastic, absolutely fantastic, never mind the couple of odd poor games you’ve seen him have, we were awful the last couple seasons so yes he’s probably looked poor at times but trust me he will fit in at United like a glove

his shooting needs no comment

his ability to not only see a pass but complete the pass is genuinely fantastic

he’s not a midfielder that is going to cover every blade on the pitch, he doesn’t need to, he gets the ball and dictates the play when he does, I can’t wait to see some of the reactions on here when he plays for you

as for a few, I’d say in todays money you’re looking at £50m, if he was English you’d be looking at £75m with the English tax that clubs always get added on to buy a n Englishman, although to be fair if he was English we probably wouldn’t have signed him in the first place
 
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