Sir Alex in for Akinfeev

I'm on a Lloris bandwagon as well. He's an excellent shot stopper, but he's also excellent on crosses and commands the area expertly.

Also, no other big teams really need a new goalie, so that works in our favour.

I've seen Akinfeev for Russia against Slovenia in the playoffs. And while he's made some very good saves, he just doesn't instil total confidence. Would probably be an improvement over Foster and old VDS though.
 
Lloris certainly looks the more complete keeper from the few games I've seen of either lately. He was fantastic tonight in the last 5 minutes when Ireland tried the airiel bombardment. I don't think Akinfeev would have dealt with those high balls as competently as Lloris. Akinfeev reminds me a lot of Barthez, brilliant one minute and sloppy the next. Lloris looks the real deal, 20m for a young keeper who can grow into one of the best in the business would be a steal.
 
At the minute and going of my limited knowledge of the 4 names branded around my order of preference would be:

1) Lloris
2) Adler
3) Akinfeev
4) Neuer
 
Ferguson said: "I told you to watch out for him (Akinfeev) and he was fantastic as I expected. He is athletic, powerful and distributed well.

"Having said that, don't go rushing to conclusions. I know there have been rumours that we are interested in trying to sign him but that is not true.

"He is a great goalkeeper but I am very happy with our goalkeeping strength - from the senior ranks down to some bright lads coming through the ranks."
 
Manchester united boss Alex Ferguson is considering making a bid for Rangers goalkeeper Alan McGregor.

The United boss is planning to snap-up the Scottish keeper as a replacement for veteran Manchester United goalie Edwin Van der Sar, who is expected to make a decision on his future next month.

The rangers stopper has also been linked to Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham, however the Premier League giants are now tracking him.

This speculation comes after United keeper Ben foster has failed to impress at Old Trafford so far, making some costly mistakes noticeably against Manchester City and Sunderland.

Also Polish back-up Tomasz Kuszczak will be looking to gain Fergie’s attention in their Carling Cup clash against Tottenham on Tuesday.

McGregor’s transfer could cost around £4 million, as cash strapped Rangers are looking to reduce their wage bill, after failing to reach the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
 
Tottenham face a battle to prise goalkeeper Samir Handanovic away from Udinese.

The Daily Mail says Spurs are said to have renewed interest in the 25-year-old, who they have tracked for more than 18 months, following injury to Heurelho Gomes's stand-in Carlo Cudicini.

However, the Slovenia international has a growing number of admirers, with Bayern Munich thought to be leading the race for the 6ft 5in star.

The Italians are holding out for bids in excess of £15million amid reports that Manchester United, AC Milan and CSKA Moscow are also interested.

Handanovic is under contract with Udinese till 2012, but could see his star rise even further next summer if he can impress at the World Cup finals.

It seems like they're just making this stuff up in a matter of minutes :wenger: .
 
I'm in for Julio Cesar. Pay the price. After Schmeichel left, United spent years finding a comparable replacement until they got Van der Sar. Will they waste time again? They need a proven top class keeper. One at the very highest level. There aren't many like that.
 
darko said:
I'm in for Julio Cesar. Pay the price. After Schmeichel left, United spent years finding a comparable replacement until they got Van der Sar. Will they waste time again? They need a proven top class keeper. One at the very highest level. There aren't many like that.
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Cesar is unlikely to leave Inter. I was very impressed by Akinfeev when he played against us. At a decent price he would be a steal. And more likely to leave then Cesar. Also Cesar is 30 and Akinfeev is 23. A big plus for me. But you could argue Cesar is more experienced. But Akinfeev has been the first choice keeper for Russia since he was 18. And he has played for CSKA in the UCL quite a bit, so I would say he is fairly experienced on the big stage.

So my preference would definitely be Akinfeev and second Lloris, who is also quite impressive for Lyon and France. Also I have little faith in Pig or Foster to do a job for us in goal consistently for a season, let alone fill the huge hole that VDS will leave, period.
 
A 30 year old goalkeeper is more than likely far more ideal than a 23 year old goalkeeper, nevermind a 23 year old Akinfeev.
 
Ekeke said:
A 30 year old goalkeeper is more than likely far more ideal than a 23 year old goalkeeper, nevermind a 23 year old Akinfeev.
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Ideal, yes. But possible, no. He would be far too expensive, he wouldn't want to leave and is clearly not a realistic transfer.
 
Baby Faced Assassin said:
Ideal, yes. But possible, no. He would be far too expensive, he wouldn't want to leave and is clearly not a realistic transfer.
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There are other goalkeepers in their early 30s who are more solid and reliable than most 23 year old goalkeepers, especially Akinfeev. Alright we probably wouldnt be able to get Julio Cesar as he'd cost a bomb and that would make him unavailable to us. But VDS didnt cost a bomb, wasnt just a young prospect still making silly mistakes and wasnt considered one of the top 3 goalkeepers in the world and we've done alright with him haven't we?
 
Please not Akinfeev. He'd probably be good in Spain or Italy, but his weakness on crosses would be targetted in England.

If we were going to go for a youngster, I'd prefer either of the Germans. Haven't seen enough of Lloris to comment on him.
 
Ekeke said:
There are other goalkeepers in their early 30s who are more solid and reliable than most 23 year old goalkeepers, especially Akinfeev. Alright we probably wouldnt be able to get Julio Cesar as he'd cost a bomb and that would make him unavailable to us. But VDS didnt cost a bomb, wasnt just a young prospect still making silly mistakes and wasnt considered one of the top 3 goalkeepers in the world and we've done alright with him haven't we?
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I agree completely on the VDS point. But we had been recommended to go for him since Schmiechel's departure by Schmiechel himself. So we have been keeping tabs on him for a long time. And not all 23 year old make silly mistakes. Well that depends from keeper to keeper. You will find older keepers who also make silly mistakes from time to time.

Keepers like Reina, Cech and Casillas have been giving consistent performances since a relatively young age. While keepers like Robinson and James who are really good on their day and at a age where they are considered experienced are still prone to silly mistakes here and there. I think Akinfeev and Lorris fall in the former category.
 
Baby Faced Assassin said:
I agree completely on the VDS point. But we had been recommended to go for him since Schmiechel's departure by Schmiechel himself. So we have been keeping tabs on him for a long time. And not all 23 year old make silly mistakes. Well that depends from keeper to keeper. You will find older keepers who also make silly mistakes from time to time.

Keepers like Reina, Cech and Casillas have been giving consistent performances since a relatively young age. While keepers like Robinson and James who are really good on their day and at a age where they are considered experienced are still prone to silly mistakes here and there. I think Akinfeev and Lorris fall in the former category.
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Reina has always made mistakes and in recent times Cech has fallen from grace.

Really, if you take the two phenoms - Buffon and Cassilas out of the argument, usually young goalkeepers havent been able to have a legacy of consistantly brilliant performances for season after season which is part of the reward of risking big money on signing a young keeper and him being first choice.

Unless we're sure "We're signing a Buffon!" or "We're signing a Cassilas!" then our best bet by far is a keeper in his early 30s.
 
Ekeke said:
Reina has always made mistakes and in recent times Cech has fallen from grace.

Really, if you take the two phenoms - Buffon and Cassilas out of the argument, usually young goalkeepers havent been able to have a legacy of consistantly brilliant performances for season after season which is part of the reward of risking big money on signing a young keeper and him being first choice.

Unless we're sure "We're signing a Buffon!" or "We're signing a Cassilas!" then our best bet by far is a keeper in his early 30s.
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Firstly you can never be sure of any player until he plays for you. Secondly Cech was consistent at a younger age then now, unfortunately since his head injury. Reina, less reliant of the three I mentioned, still pretty consistent since a young age, his fall-backs are the defense in front of him and the defensive system employed by Rafa; some of his long balls that eventually turn out to be goals are absolutely magical. So yes I still stand by Casillas, Reina and Cech as goalkeepers performing consistently since a young age. And as you mentioned Buffon also falls in this category, and for me Buffon has dropped a level in the past couple of years when he is supposed to be in the more experienced category. So in short its all relative from keeper to keeper and if your good, age is not a limitation.
 
Baby Faced Assassin said:
Firstly you can never be sure of any player until he plays for you. Secondly Cech was consistent at a younger age then now, unfortunately since his head injury. Reina, less reliant of the three I mentioned, still pretty consistent since a young age, his fall-backs are the defense in front of him and the defensive system employed by Rafa. So of his long balls that eventually turn out to be goals are absolutely magical. So yes I still stand by Casillas, Reina and Cech as goalkeepers performing consistently since a young age. And as you mentioned Buffon also falls in this category, and for me Buffon has dropped a level in the past couple of years when he is supposed to be in the more experienced category. So in short its all relative from keeper to keeper and if your good, age is not a limitation.
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You're much more likely to be a good keeper after your 30th birthday though as fairly recent history shows.

Yes Buffon dropped his level but he still had that legacy before his drop in level. He had many many seasons of being absolutely brilliant. Casillas has had many seasons of being brilliant except for catching things. In the past 2 or 3 he became a lot more solid in that department.

Cech had a couple of seasons of being brilliant in a side that was brilliantly organised in front of him. But obviously hasnt had that extended period at the top that Buffon and Casillas could be said as having.

Reina was always quite good and still is.
 
Ekeke said:
You're much more likely to be a good keeper after your 30th birthday though as fairly recent history shows.

Yes Buffon dropped his level but he still had that legacy before his drop in level. He had many many seasons of being absolutely brilliant. Casillas has had many seasons of being brilliant except for catching things. In the past 2 or 3 he became a lot more solid in that department.

Cech had a couple of seasons of being brilliant in a side that was brilliantly organised in front of him. But obviously hasnt had that extended period at the top that Buffon and Casillas could be said as having.

Reina was always quite good and still is.
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All true.

But Akinfeev and Lloris are both good goalkeepers, who I believe can do a job as goalkeepers consistently for a season, still stands true as a statement.
 
Baby Faced Assassin said:
All true.

But Akinfeev and Lloris are both good goalkeepers, who I believe can do a job as goalkeepers consistently for a season, still stands true as a statement.
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I havent seen Lloris make enough poor errors to say any different. And I dont know too much about Adler and Neuer.

But Akinfeev is terrible on crosses to the extent that he'd be an absolute liability against Bolton and Stoke and for a "shot stopping" specialist he lets in some week efforts too. If thats not good enough for Ben Foster then why would it be good enough for him?

I think he could prove himself a pretty good goalkeeper in Spain but in England he'd be exposed in the air. Maybe in a couple of years he'll have improved on that severe weakness and be a good option for a premier league club. But until then.
 
Just seen the goal he let in, in the first half against Inter tonight. Freekick straight at him and he let it past him. So much for him being a great shot stopper.
 
Ekeke said:
Just seen the goal he let in, in the first half against Inter tonight. Freekick straight at him and he let it past him. So much for him being a great shot stopper.
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Given that it was hit under the wall to the opposite side he was covering I think you are being more than a little extreme in your views, for a change.
 
I'm with Datura, you expect your wall to stand up to a direct strike at them like that. Obviously he doesn't anticipate his defender jumping out of the way. I wouldn't be blaming the keeper too much in that situation

From what I've seen of Akinfeev I'm not convinced though. All looks a bit David James 1990's for me
 
B Cantona said:
I'm with Datura, you expect your wall to stand up to a direct strike at them like that. Obviously he doesn't anticipate his defender jumping out of the way. I wouldn't be blaming the keeper too much in that situation

From what I've seen of Akinfeev I'm not convinced though. All looks a bit David James 1990's for me
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He seems quite an instinctive keeper and has an arrogance to him like a certain French keeper we had. I have only really seen Lloris enough to compare against him (of possible targets) and he would fill me with far more confidence than Akinfeev.
 
datura said:
He seems quite an instinctive keeper and has an arrogance to him like a certain French keeper we had. I have only really seen Lloris enough to compare against him (of possible targets) and he would fill me with far more confidence than Akinfeev.
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good shout. Not an United keeper imo.

Lloris and De Gea(?) are very promising
 
Akinfeev eyes English move
Russian keeper looking to join Arsenal or Man Utd

Igor Akinfeev has set his sights on a move to either Arsenal or Manchester United as he looks for a new challenge away from Russia.

The 24-year-old goalkeeper, who has already made 40 appearances at international level, attracted admiring glances following his performances for CSKA Moscow in last season's UEFA Champions League.

He has been linked with a switch to Old Trafford for some time, with current United No. 1 Edwin van der Sar drawing towards the end of his career.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have been tipped to bring in a new shot-stopper this summer and Akinfeev has spoken to compatriot Andrey Arshavin about the club.

Akinfeev admits he would be keen to join one of the Premier League giants, having heard glowing reports about Arsenal from Arshavin.

"Arsenal and Manchester United are two of the very best clubs in the world," Akinfeev told the Daily Star Sunday.

"If both of them are going to be looking for keepers this summer - or even the next summer - then of course I am interested.
Honour

"I have spoken with Arshavin about Arsenal and London life. He has only had good things to say about the club and the city.

"He said some very nice things about me going on to be the best goalkeeper in the world - and that he would like me to reach that goal at Arsenal with him.

"Of course there is every chance this will be the last season for Edwin van der Sar.

"To be the No.1 for Manchester United would be a great honour too.

"They are the biggest football club in the world and, to be their No.1 for a length of time, you know you will have success.

"Juventus have also expressed an interest in me - but Arshavin has sold England to me very well."

Akinfeev does not believe CSKA would block a transfer if the opportunity to move on presented itself.

"My contract doesn't expire until 2013 but I have a great relationship with my president," he explained.

"If the right offer, both for me and the club came in, I don't think anybody would stand in my way.

"I have been in Russia for a lot of years now and feel ready for a new challenge."
Sky Sports | Football News | Premier League | Manchester United | Akinfeev eyes English move
 
cw1984 said:
At the minute and going of my limited knowledge of the 4 names branded around my order of preference would be:

1) Lloris
2) Adler
3) Akinfeev
4) Neuer
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I have not seen much of Lloris... But he was really dissapointing this world cup, made tons of huge mistakes. To be honest I was very impressed with Manuel Neuer, and he is supposed to be the second best German goalkeeper after Rene Adler whom would be the first choice if it wasn't for his injury. I want our next goalkeeper to be a German, and as Adler is said to be a childhood United fan, it would not be bad to see him joining. However, this will not happen until next summer, as van der Sar takes another year.

Last time we signed a French goalkeeper was Barthez, he was also among the best when we got him... Lloris showed some of the same fumbling this world cup, if we got Lloris, I fear a dejavu. I also perfer them as big as possible, that makes the Germans better options.
 
If anyone's going to be another Barthez it's Akinfeev.
 
I hate it when this thread pops back up to the top again. Akinfeev is one of the most over rated keepers I have seen, he doesn't command his area, is piss poor at crosses, looks nervous and seems to make too many silly mistakes. We have just sold a keeper who showed similar traits. I'd sooner see Kusz take over as No.1 than have Akinfeev come in.

I honestly think Neuer should be our No.1 target to replace Van der Sar, he is in the mould of Schmeichel. He is already a good keeper and showed it with some of his performances in the World Cup. Also in the U21 Euro's a couple of years back, he showed alot of potential and showed alot of Schmeichel like qualities which was picked up on by many.
 
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