The search for a holding midfielder (Summer 2017 version)

[The red panther]

I'd like Dendoncker - has a huge future. Can't see them letting him go this summer after already losing Tielmans.

Put in a €25-30m offer and they will sell.

Dendoncker has already said he will not commit to staying at Anderlecht despite them asking him. If the right club shows up for him he would demand to leave and a Belgian club even Anderlecht can not say no to anything near €30m.

 

[The red panther]

If Chelsea can sell Matic to Juve, they will because they're not strengthening a direct rival that way. Dier won't be sold unless we pay crazy money, Weigl won't go anywhere this summer and we don't seem at all interested in Fabinho.

I've said for a while that I won't be surprised if we end up sticking with our current midfield. Fellaini, Blind, Carrick and a youth chap or two might have to suffice.

I think that Perisic (if we can get him) will be our only other player in this summer.

I wouldn't be surprised if that happens.

But we will have a repeat of last season it does.

 

[itso 7]

I wouldn't be surprised if that happens.

But we will have a repeat of last season it does.

I dont think we will see a repeat of last season because last season's new players ought to have settled so should know what to expect in this league and we have a new ball playing centre half who.should contribute to how quickly we move the ball upfield.

 

[RU Devil]

This dance with Dier/Matic is getting tiresome. Hopefully we will get some clarity soon, with Matic going to Juve or us within the week. I can't see his transfer (or final resolution of re-signing a new, improved contract) lasting past next week. Juve tends to move fast & decisively, although Costa from Bayern took a bit longer than usual.

Meanwhile, I really believe Levy will not let Dier go this summer. Yeah, 50 mil is 50 mil, but he runs the danger upsetting the team dynamic if he sells another prime cog after Walker to City. He still needs to ship out Sissoko while trying to strengthen the team with the Walker proceeds.

I hope Woody has laid some good groundwork on other options. This seemingly obsessive focus on these 2 relatively hard to get CM's can't mean they are the only ones on the list.

 

[The red panther]

I dont think we will see a repeat of last season because last season's new players ought to have settled so should know what to expect in this league and we have a new ball playing centre half who.should contribute to how quickly we move the ball upfield.

I don't know how Pogba and Bailly will be more settled, they looked pretty settled to me, I kinda expect to see similar from them and I would be content with that, they absolutley weren't the problem last year.

Zlatan is gone and replaced with Lukaku who is a new player that will also need to settle in at United but the upside is he knows the PL and he knows Mourinho so I don't expect much trouble on that front. If he will be alot better than Zlatan, we will have to see especially because Zlatan wasn't really bad, it was mainly our other attackers that need to chip in with more goals.

The point about Mkhitaryan getting more settled is one I indeed also hope for. He should be able to do alot more than he did last season lets hope.

Lindelöf will hopefully also sort out the issue for lack of football ability and build up from the back. I hope for this aswell.

Issue remains that I find us very light in the creative playmaking department. We also still don't have the big star player in attack that can rip open defences and be decisive in big games that I hoped Griezman would be for us.

Fullbacks that offer very little in attack is also still an untackled issue.

A quality DM to balance out our midfield is also still absent. Carrick is a spend force so I'am counting on nothing from that side and unless Jose would find a way to have Axel or Mensah take up the role in a succesive manner it will remain a very big glairing issue for the squad.

All in all would not be a good summer and would not expect that much improvement from last year but at this point I wouldn't be surprised to see it happening.

 

[apotheosis]

I prefer a Fabinho type that can do all of the above well enough. He's very young, pacey, albeit not as much of as a ball winning or defensive stopper as we'd like (but who is all that combined besides Kante?). While he leans into the attacking mode more than a Mourinho type CDM, sticks primarily with the defensive work. Seems to me this type would complement Pogba and Herrera the most, and add more needed energy and dynamism. Of course he can also pinch in at RB given the need.

I don't think Ander can emulate that role, nor should he be given that responsibility. Ander should be the bookend to what Pogba is doing on the left.

In a perfect world, I'd bring in a Fabinho type and ask him to watch every single minute of Kante's campaign.

Keita is as close as you'll get for me. He is a far more complete midfielder than Kante and much better in advanced areas too. German newspaper Bild, recently produced an article http://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/rb-leipzig/80-mio-fuer-keita-52312422.bild.html claiming Leipzig may now be tempted by a huge enough offer. If that is true we should be straight in there and make him our priority target. I cannot think of another midfielder who would improve us as much. Whoever does get him will be a far stronger team and a serious threat next season in my view.

So maybe 80m for Keita or possibly 40m for Matic? I hope Jose is asking himself that very question, because if he is, I really don't know what manner of logic could lead him to Matic. If it was my choice, there is simply no question where my money would be going.

 

[The red panther]

Keita is as close as you'll get for me. He is a far more complete midfielder than Kante and much better in advanced areas too. German newspaper Bild, recently produced an article http://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/rb-leipzig/80-mio-fuer-keita-52312422.bild.html claiming Leipzig may now be tempted by a huge enough offer. If that is true we should be straight in there and make him our priority target. I cannot think of another midfielder who would improve us as much. Whoever does get him will be a far stronger team and a serious threat next season in my view.

So maybe 80m for Keita or possibly 40m for Matic? I hope Jose is asking himself that very question, because if he is, I really don't know what manner of logic could lead him to Matic. If it was my choice, there is simply no question where my money would be going.

Yea I agree, Keïta is the real deal. He is the kind of player that makes your midfield tick, if there is anyone we should be looking at to complete a brilliant midfield 3 it is this guy.

I think whoever will sign him will have a good go at challening for the title. Would be upsetting if that turned out to be liverpool. I just don't want to imagine what kind of things will happen if Klopp gets his hands on a player like Keïta. Damn Mourinho why are you not all over this ?

50m for Dier, 50m for Matic, 50m for Perisic, feck that just get Keïta for 80m and win us the PL...

 

[apotheosis]

Yea I agree, Keïta is the real deal. He is the kind of player that makes your midfield tick, if there is anyone we should be looking at to complete a brilliant midfield 3 it is this guy.

I think whoever will sign him will have a good go at challening for the title. Would be upsetting if that turned out to be liverpool. I just don't want to imagine what kind of things will happen if Klopp gets his hands on a player like Keïta. Damn Mourinho why are you not all over this ?

50m for Dier, 50m for Matic, 50m for Perisic, feck that just get Keïta for 80m and win us the PL...

I couldn't agree more. I think he could do any job in midfield, but in particular, some games you don't need a specialist DM and then a player like Kante becomes less relevant. Whereas Keita is perfectly capable of fulfilling a variety of roles, getting forward and contributing positively to the attack. I was disappointed we didn't end up with Kante last season, but i will be absolutely gutted if we miss out on Keita. I would still fancy us for the title even if we miss out on Perisic and only signed Keita, we need him far more than a winger imo, although re-signing Zlatan is another no-brainer and simply a must for me too. Bring those 2 in and i would be more than happy with our business and our squad strength going into next season.

 

[dasty]

Krychowiak would be available on a cheap, very easy to get and would be the best DM in our team by far. No idea what happened to him last season but he was a beast for Sevilla. He is also a Poland's captain which means he has leadership qualities and was completely professional throughout his stint in PSG even though he had been benched forever and was playing with the reserves, which will be a good addition to the dressing room. He also has all the attributes that Mourinho's DMs need. Sounds like a very good signing on paper.

 

[SambaBoy]

Krychowiak would be available on a cheap, very easy to get and would be the best DM in our team by far. No idea what happened to him last season but he was a beast for Sevilla. He is also a Poland's captain which means he has leadership qualities and was completely professional throughout his stint in PSG even though he had been benched forever and was playing with the reserves, which will be a good addition to the dressing room. He also has all the attributes that Mourinho's DMs need. Sounds like a very good signing on paper.

Would be a similar sort of signing to Schneiderlin IMO. Very good defensively and being a DM/box to box but passing not good enough for the top teams.

 

[Alemar]

There were rumors of Rakitic being for sale and linked with United, perhaps this might be a very good decision. Clearly Rakitic is a better player than Dier or Matic

 

[BusbyMalone]

There were rumors of Rakitic being for sale and linked with United, perhaps this might be a very good decision. Clearly Rakitic is a better player than Dier or Matic

Not really a CDM though, is he? Not want we want or need really. Would much rather someone like Matic come in. May not be "sexy" name signing, but would certainly fit the bill here.

 

[R77]

I dont think we will see a repeat of last season because last season's new players ought to have settled so should know what to expect in this league and we have a new ball playing centre half who.should contribute to how quickly we move the ball upfield.

There's also the possibility that if Pereira grows into the team as the season progresses, we could still play a nice technical three man midfield if needed;

Pogba-----Pereira
Herrera

Pure optimism at this point, if only as Pereira might be lacking a little physicality and PL experience..

Issue remains that I find us very light in the creative playmaking department. We also still don't have the big star player in attack that can rip open defences and be decisive in big games that I hoped Griezman would be for us.

Fullbacks that offer very little in attack is also still an untackled issue.

A quality DM to balance out our midfield is also still absent. Carrick is a spend force so I'am counting on nothing from that side and unless Jose would find a way to have Axel or Mensah take up the role in a succesive manner it will remain a very big glairing issue for the squad.

There's the potential that signing a pure DM could change the team dynamic in a few ways, if Mourinho were to be up for it. I'm one of the evil ones that actually prefers Dier, as his CB experience would hint at the fantasy being somewhat attainable. Extra support for the CBs coming from the middle might not only mean (as oft conjectured) Herrera and Pogba could get forward more, but also who plays on the left (say, Shaw and Martial) would get more chance to overlap and combine. Pogba's playmaking abilities, Herrera's tenacity and through balls, Martial's directness and goal scoring potential (when in form), all enabled in part by Lukaku bulldozing around would create plenty of opportunity for fluid attacking play.

Unfortunately, even if that were to happen, the apparent desire for Perisic points toward it not being a default.

 

[Pscholes18]

Like the look of Keita (YouTube)....wonder if Mourinho has even considered him.

 

[7even]

I'm happy we bought Rom Lukaku ans Viggo Lindelöf (My wife said we should nick name him just like BorisB/FreddieC, RomBomBomLukaku) but by far our most important signing is a defensive mid.

I'm torn who's our best option. My preference was Fabinho, then I was warming up to the idea of buying Dier and now I'm just confused. Matic is a really good player but his age and that he's been in decline and looks old and slow doesn't fill me with confidence. Other options?

For every day who pass by I'm getting more and more nervous. Why not Fabinho? Dier? Hopefully Mou and his stab knows best but ATM I'm confused. Chelsea posters, what do you say. Is Matic still quality?

 

[Rob Bowman]

I would love to see Keita here... .

 

[William_Meredith]

Krychowiak would be available on a cheap, very easy to get and would be the best DM in our team by far. No idea what happened to him last season but he was a beast for Sevilla. He is also a Poland's captain which means he has leadership qualities and was completely professional throughout his stint in PSG even though he had been benched forever and was playing with the reserves, which will be a good addition to the dressing room. He also has all the attributes that Mourinho's DMs need. Sounds like a very good signing on paper.

I agree with this. Not a 'flashy' player. But the right age, the right discipline, the right mentality and, very likely, the right price under the circumstances. For me Dier *might* work, but is far too big a gamble at Levy prices, and Matic just doesn't cover the ground quickly enough anymore.

I liked both Neves and Maia, but as expected Mou didn't want a youngster in there. I can't really think of a better player in that position than Krychowiak who might be available right now.

 

[ThanksBoss26]

Looking very much like this is going to be the trickiest transfer we make this summer.

 

[William_Meredith]

Looking very much like this is going to be the trickiest transfer we make this summer.

Also, in my view, the most important. Although a 'galactico' in the final third would really make the Premier League sit up and take notice.

 

[Pscholes18]

http://www.footballwhispers.com/blog/man-utd-enter-the-race-to-sign-naby-keita

 

[Escobar]

We need a midfielder to replace Carrick long term and hopefully replace Fellaini rather short term

 

[Andycoleno9]

I don't want dier and matic. I would rather go without new mc than throwing 40,50,60 mil for them.
Fabinho is my first choice, but i don't think that we are interested. Sanchez is gone.

So, keita. I will be honest. Watched him couple of times and don't gave opinion about him yet. But to steal prime target from liverpool and then read about it on rawk- priceless

 

[GlastonSpur]

Do you not have any promising young players in your academy for this role?

 

[bucky]

Do you not have any promising young players in your academy for this role?

It's one of the most difficult positions to play for the level we want to be at. Somebody inexperienced isn't going to help. Players like Busquets and Weigl, who are naturals at it, are rare.

 

[SammyUnited_83]

Do you not have any promising young players in your academy for this role?

You would have thought so, but we seem hell bent on seeing how much money we can spend.

I don't mind when you are talking about the top players (ala Pogba, Zlatan etc).

 

[Kapardin]

http://www.footballwhispers.com/blog/man-utd-enter-the-race-to-sign-naby-keita

Naby Keita is actually very good. It is not necessary for us to buy a holding mid in the purest sense of the term. Just need another quality mid besides Pogba to bolster our options in that area. Seems to be Jose's line of thinking as well since Nainggolan, Fabinho, Matic and Dier whom we have been linked with all have differing skill-sets. I'm sure Jose has distinct plans for what to do if we don't get a pure DM vs if we do get one.

If Liverpool get Keita, their midfield becomes very decent, tbh. Goals from everywhere and with a new CB, their defense will be stronger. I'd rather we get Keita, it not only denies Liverpool their target, but also gets us a very good player. But that source reporting our interest is shite, unfortunately enough.

 

[El-Manos]

I dont think we will see a repeat of last season because last season's new players ought to have settled so should know what to expect in this league and we have a new ball playing centre half who.should contribute to how quickly we move the ball upfield.

That's hardly going to transform all those draws into wins? That is extreme wishful thinking. Any sane supporter would argue we need at least two more key signings.

 

[Infra-red]

Naby Keita is actually very good. It is not necessary for us to buy a holding mid in the purest sense of the term. Just need another quality mid besides Pogba to bolster our options in that area. Seems to be Jose's line of thinking as well since Nainggolan, Fabinho, Matic and Dier whom we have been linked with all have differing skill-sets. I'm sure Jose has distinct plans for what to do if we don't get a pure DM vs if we do get one.

If Liverpool get Keita, their midfield becomes very decent, tbh. Goals from everywhere and with a new CB, their defense will be stronger. I'd rather we get Keita, it not only denies Liverpool their target, but also gets us a very good player. But that source reporting our interest is shite, unfortunately enough.

We haven't really been linked to Fabinho and the Nainggolan links can probably be dismissed as the usual noise around contract negotiations. Matic and Dier have been regularly linked since the beginning of the summer and it's probably therefore safe to assume that they are the two targets.

 

[itso 7]

That's hardly going to transform all those draws into wins? That is extreme wishful thinking. Any sane supporter would argue we need at least two more key signings.

It might be optimistic as you say but I wouldn't rush to conclude that what we saw from Martial, Rashford, Mkhitaryan and Mata isn't their normal level and its not extreme optimism to expect at least two of them to have more productive seasons. If any two of them achieve something in the range of 20 goals and assists in addition to improvements in defense then most of these draws would be turned into victories - whether that will be enough depends on how good our rivals will be.

 

[El-Manos]

It might be optimistic as you say but I wouldn't rush to conclude that what we saw from Martial, Rashford, Mkhitaryan and Mata isn't their normal level and its not extreme optimism to expect at least two of them to have more productive seasons. If any two of them achieve something in the range of 20 goals and assists in addition to improvements in defense then most of these draws would be turned into victories - whether that will be enough depends on how good our rivals will be.

Too much uncertainty and dependance on hope. We still have some glaring holes in our squad and lack quality in certain areas. Not saying we should necessarily be chasing a Galactico signing but we certainly need to add quality to one or two areas before the season starts. We will be putting a lot of pressure on Rashford, Martial, Lukaku, Mata and Mhikitaryan - this in turn will most likely backfire. We are in no position to be rolling the dice again this season. I'd rather we start the season with a more balanced squad and less dependance on current underperforming players, who in all honesty still have it all to prove.

One key signing could prove to be vital for others to raise their game. Ibra did it last season to a certain/limited extent. We should aim to do so again, albeit hopefully even more successful. However it's starting to look like we are placing all our eggs in a very crackable basket.

 

[Devil may care]

Dier - Levy can't be bargained with
Matic - Off to Italy
Nainggolan - Romaholic
Fabinho - We just don't seem interested, if we were it would already be done
Weigl - Currently injured and Dortmund will be a nightmare to try and deal with
Keita - He's more of a box to box and it appears Leipzig wont deal at any price.

 

[MadMike]

Dier - Levy can't be bargained with
Matic - Off to Italy
Nainggolan - Romaholic
Fabinho - We just don't seem interested, if we were it would already be done
Weigl - Currently injured and Dortmund will be a nightmare to try and deal with
Keita - He's more of a box to box and it appears Leipzig wont deal at any price.

There's a few more options...

- Leicester's N'didi has been great since moving to the PL, he could certainly be an option.
- Napoli's DMs both had fine seasons, again. Jorginho is an exemplary deep-lying playmaker in the Busquets mould, Diawara an excellent destroyer with more athleticism and stamina.
- PSG's Rabiot might be more of a box-to-box but he also had a fine season, while rumours are he's not content with his situation.
- Not much has been heard of Steven N'Zonzi in this window, but at 28 he'd probably relish a crack at the big-time and Sevilla wouldn't be a nightmare to deal with I don't think.

 

[Red_toad]

Do you not have any promising young players in your academy for this role?

Obviously we have young players who can play as a defensive midfielder. Not sure what clubs play under 18 in a holding midfield? So academy players are certainly jot filling the position anytime soon. I'd say out of our younger players Axel has been very good as a defensive midfielder, he's the nearest near ready player we have.

 

[Rasendori]

Do you not have any promising young players in your academy for this role?

Callum Whelan is a promising young player from the academy. I would've preferred to see him taken on tour, instead of Mctominay. That way, we could've had Whelan as the deepest midfielder (as he has been for the U18s allowing Gomes sand Bufonge to build a strong rapport in their attacking forays), and Pereira further forward like how Mctominay has been deployed in the starting berth.

 

[Android1974]

We found him: A.Pereira. Let's play some charming football now. Move to next position, please.

 

[Devil may care]

There's a few more options...

- Leicester's N'didi has been great since moving to the PL, he could certainly be an option.
- Napoli's DMs both had fine seasons, again. Jorginho is an exemplary deep-lying playmaker in the Busquets mould, Diawara an excellent destroyer with more athleticism and stamina.
- PSG's Rabiot might be more of a box-to-box but he also had a fine season, while rumours are he's not content with his situation.
- Not much has been heard of Steven N'Zonzi in this window, but at 28 he'd probably relish a crack at the big-time and Sevilla wouldn't be a nightmare to deal with I don't think.

N'Zonzi could be a solid option as he's got a buyout clause, which again makes me think we just aren't interested, or he'll be the guy we buy when everyone else is given up on. I like Jorginho but I am not sure the PL is a good fit for him, I'm sure Mourinho would like Diawara though.

 

[Jaybomb]

N'Zonzi would be a really good shout actually.

But I think the ideal CDM would be Matic. He would just fit in the best at United.

 

[MadMike]

N'Zonzi could be a solid option as he's got a buyout clause, which again makes me think we just aren't interested, or he'll be the guy we buy when everyone else is given up on. I like Jorginho but I am not sure the PL is a good fit for him, I'm sure Mourinho would like Diawara though.

I have my doubts about Jorginho too, he's very skinny and sometimes struggles for fitness towards the end of games, so he'd have to hit gym and treadmill pretty hard to survive here. But he is the only Carrick-esque player there is out there, the others are either DMs or box-to-box rather than deep playmakers. Jorginho keeps the ball moving all the time and has quite forward, probing passing with very high accuracy.

As for the rest it was simply to illustrate that there are definitely options. There aren't only 5 decent DMs out there. Whether Mourinho would consider them is another matter.

 

[itso 7]

Too much uncertainty and dependance on hope. We still have some glaring holes in our squad and lack quality in certain areas. Not saying we should necessarily be chasing a Galactico signing but we certainly need to add quality to one or two areas before the season starts. We will be putting a lot of pressure on Rashford, Martial, Lukaku, Mata and Mhikitaryan - this in turn will most likely backfire. We are in no position to be rolling the dice again this season. I'd rather we start of the season with a more balanced squad and less dependance on current underperforming players, who in all honesty still have it all to prove.

One key signing could prove to be vital for others to raise their game. Ibra did it last season to a certain/limited extent. We should aim to do so again, albeit hopefully even more successful. However it's starting to look like we are placing all our eggs in a very crackable basket.

Yeah agree with that which is why I expected us to sign a game changer but I guess the Griezmann rethink put us in a terrible position. We need our own Sanchez/Hazard to build an attack around though players like Mata/Mkhitaryan/Martial have shown the capacity to do that at various points in their careers even if its too much of a gamble but who can we sign to provide such magic?
If we got ourselves a DM we could free up our attackers from too much defensive work and let them focus on what they do best.

 

[Devil may care]

I have my doubts about Jorginho too, he's very skinny and sometimes struggles for fitness towards the end of games, so he'd have to hit gym and treadmill pretty hard to survive here. But he is the only Carrick-esque player there is out there, the others are either DMs or box-to-box rather than deep playmakers. Jorginho keeps the ball moving all the time and has quite forward, probing passing with very high accuracy.

As for the rest it was simply to illustrate that there are definitely options. There aren't only 5 decent DMs out there. Whether Mourinho would consider them is another matter.

Yeah, Jorginho is definitely more of a DLP than the others mentioned, I am just not sure he'd fit Mourinho's love of physical players. especially if we are going to give Pereira a chance to really have a go as one of the midfield 3 over the season, he'd want the other 2 to be more powerful I imagine.

You're right, I was just cross checking where things stand with the ones we are being linked with.