The Search for a Midfielder

I think it's important that we buy midfielders who are good footballers pure and simple

it might seem simplistic but in the last 5 years;

we've spent roughly 30 million on Fellaini who has seriously limited technical ability - he's really only fit to play as a 10 for a team like Everton/West Ham etc but successive United managers have tried to shoehorn him into a midfield 2 which is baffling really

we spent about 25 million on Schneiderlein who, well I'm still not sure what the guy did apart from being a big unit and being a very average passer - he had no presence at all in that midfield

Schweinsteiger - big salary, even bigger arse - LVG wanted his general in and, on his day, he looked decent but he clearly wasn't fit or mobile enough to play regularly

Herrera - despite a drop in form this season he's been good for me without being brilliant - an excellent squad player but wouldn't start ahead of a top player

Matic - another big unit who shields the defence well and is a good passer without being great - suffered a big drop in form this season as well and it wasn't until the Chelsea game that he put in a great performance in 2018 for me

Pogba - is the enigma - clearly the most talented midfielder we have, outrageous skills and passing range - seems to lack the football intelligence someone like Carrick/Scholes has and hasn't influenced games the way you'd expect - is he disciplined to play in a 2 or do we have to play 3 midfielders to accommodate Pogba?

McTominay - looks like a decent fringe squad player but doesn't have the technical or passing ability to influence games

it's a bit of a messy list so it would be great to see us actually buy midfielders in the Carrick/Scholes category or being able to influence games with intelligence and passing

Madrid are the benchmark for me in terms of balance - Casimero/Kroos/Modric are strong, fantastic passers, and certainly with the latter 2 influential and control games
 
We need a clone of Bryan Robson or Roy Keane for so many reasons (most importantly, drive and leadership of the team).

Naming such a player in the modern game is a little more difficult, though...
 
Arturo Vidal would be an excellent short-term midfield solution, he is the most complete box-to-box midfielder in the world and he can teach McTominay and Pogba as well.
 
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Cereal said:
Arturo Vidal would be an excellent short-term midfield solution, he is the most complete box-to-box midfielder in the world and he can teach McTominay and Pogba as well.
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Apparently shite now. Can’t really comment further as I haven’t seen him play lately but I’ve read on here that he’s generally considered to be past it.
 
Been saying it for a while but we currently lack that intelligent, composed midfielder. As good as players like Pogba are/can be, he’s not the best decision maker and sometimes misses opportunities for a killer pass. We need someone who can see the game clearly and does the right thing 9 times out of 10.

Who we go for is a separate issue. We need a specialist, not a jack of all trades. Although if he turns out to be as good at everything as De Bruyne then fair crack.
 
LennonNL said:
Been saying it for a while but we currently lack that intelligent, composed midfielder. As good as players like Pogba are/can be, he’s not the best decision maker and sometimes misses opportunities for a killer pass. We need someone who can see the game clearly and does the right thing 9 times out of 10.

Who we go for is a separate issue. We need a specialist, not a jack of all trades. Although if he turns out to be as good at everything as De Bruyne then fair crack.
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Sadly, De Bruyne would have suited us perfectly.
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
Ffs, he was player of the season for us when they wanted him. Not right now. He clearly has the stuff. Just not a fit under Mou.
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The Sun and Express reporting they want to sign him on a free is not a credible source nor does it support the claim he's good enough for a team with our ambitions. He's a squad player and that's it. He doesn't get called up for Spain because he's not good enough.
 
Our overall game has got to improve in order to challenge for big Things. Playing with 6 at the back in a low line and attacking without any real plan only gets you so far.
 
Oscar.Z.Acosta said:
We need a clone of Bryan Robson or Roy Keane for so many reasons (most importantly, drive and leadership of the team).

Naming such a player in the modern game is a little more difficult, though...
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Vidal. But yes you are right. I cant see the hype with Jorginho. He is too weak to cover as a sole CDM for Matic and he actually isnt that great going forward or passing. We need Fabinho to cover Rb, CDM and occasionally RCM. Cant see us buying two midfielders. But if we were to buy two it would have to be Fabinho and Verratti imo
 
noodlehair said:
He thinks Fellaini is so key to our midfield that we need to sign a midfielder IF he leaves. The same Fellaini who played in midfield against Seville and did his routine of spending the entire game not doing any basic midfielding, to the surprise of absolutely no one.
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Maybe the problem v Seville was that he seemed to be having to operate in a hybrid role: basic central midfielding, but also getting forward to receive long balls hoofed up by the full backs. Not surprisingly, he was unconvincing in both roles. When he’s doing one thing or the other he’s generally ok. Though still not good enough as a CM.
 
LennonNL said:
Or they just know what to look out for.
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Or they just keep buying if someone fails at £50m like Mangala or now Stones (say that quietly). But come on if we bought a £50m English defender and then bought another £50m Spanish defender to replace him then United would be getting hammered in the press. It’s almost like no one wants to write about Peps spending.
 
Lawman said:
Or they just keep buying if someone fails at £50m like Mangala or now Stones (say that quietly). But come on if we bought a £50m English defender and then bought another £50m Spanish defender to replace him then United would be getting hammered in the press. It’s almost like no one wants to write about Peps spending.
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Because it's untrue.
Ilkay Gundogan - £20m
Nolito - £13.8m
Oleksandr Zinchenko - £1.7m
Leroy Sane - £37m
Marlos Moreno - £4.75m
John Stones - £47.5m
Claudio Bravo - £15.4m
Gabriel Jesus - £27m
Bernardo Silva - £43m
Ederson - £34.9m
Kyle Walker - £45m
Danilo - £26.5m
Benjamin Mendy - £49.3m

They've spent well. Even in the era of inflated prices they are unearthing good players at good prices. While we only seem to go for the obvious transfers that are bound to be inflated. Even now we're still being linked with them (Bale, Vidal, Varane, Kroos, Umtiti etc)
 
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Greck said:
Because it's untrue.
Ilkay Gundogan - £20m
Nolito - £13.8m
Oleksandr Zinchenko - £1.7m
Leroy Sane - £37m
Marlos Moreno - £4.75m
John Stones - £47.5m
Claudio Bravo - £15.4m
Gabriel Jesus - £27m
Bernardo Silva - £43m
Ederson - £34.9m
Kyle Walker - £45m
Danilo - £26.5m
Benjamin Mendy - £49.3m

They've spent well. Even in the era of inflated prices they are unearthing good players at good prices. While we only seem to go for the obvious transfers that are bound to be inflated. Even now we're still being linked with them (Bale, Vidal, Varane, Kroos, Umtiti etc)
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Just look at the amount of players there. That’s not even the full list. Compare that to 8/9 with Jose’s free transfers and it’s easy to see why we are so far behind the City squad.
Also, even though City have a bottomless pit of money, they don’t get the Manchester United tax on every single transfer that we do. It’s ridiculous how much we have to overpay just because of our name.
 
OldSchoolManc said:
Just look at the amount of players there. That’s not even the full list. Compare that to 8/9 with Jose’s free transfers and it’s easy to see why we are so far behind the City squad.
Also, even though City have a bottomless pit of money, they don’t get the Manchester United tax on every single transfer that we do. It’s ridiculous how much we have to overpay just because of our name.
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It's more about the fees than the names. Signing homerun players for 40mil is good spending if it allows you to get more players in. Beats signing high profile players on huge fees. Some of those fees even surprised me. It's like if we were able to get several Bailly type signings every window

Also, what is the manchester united tax? We aren't the only rich club that clubs jack prices for. When we go for obvious names like Pogba and Morata, it's bound to happen more often
 
Cereal said:
Arturo Vidal would be an excellent short-term midfield solution, he is the most complete box-to-box midfielder in the world and he can teach McTominay and Pogba as well.
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Probably should have taught him when they were at Juventus!
 
devilish said:
Kessie and Jorginho are my men.
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You rate Kessie highly? I wasn't that impressed by him at Atalanta (I thought Freuler always looked better and he is only decent) but he's looked alright this year for Milan. A lot better than I gave him initial credit for but still not brilliant or anything. His dribbling and close control are impressive; I'll give him that.
 
Yagami said:
You rate Kessie highly? I wasn't that impressed by him at Atalanta (I thought Freuler always looked better and he is only decent) but he's looked alright this year for Milan. A lot better than I gave him initial credit for but still not brilliant or anything. His dribbling and close control are impressive; I'll give him that.
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Imagine having around a more technically gifted version of Gattuso (Gattuso words not mine). His attitude is top notch, players seem bouncing off when they hit him and rumour say that he would love to join us. His stats (27 games, 4 goals and 4 assists) is quite respectable considering he's a defensive minded player whose playing for a team which is basically a mess.
 
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Cereal said:
Arturo Vidal would be an excellent short-term midfield solution, he is the most complete box-to-box midfielder in the world and he can teach McTominay and Pogba as well.
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Vidal is already on the wane and if we buy him up then it would mean having to replace our entire CM in 2-3 years time. Lets get someone younger instead. People with the necessary hunger to succeed not people who are searching for their last big pay cheque
 
Greck said:
Because it's untrue.
Ilkay Gundogan - £20m
Nolito - £13.8m
Oleksandr Zinchenko - £1.7m
Leroy Sane - £37m
Marlos Moreno - £4.75m
John Stones - £47.5m
Claudio Bravo - £15.4m
Gabriel Jesus - £27m
Bernardo Silva - £43m
Ederson - £34.9m
Kyle Walker - £45m
Danilo - £26.5m
Benjamin Mendy - £49.3m

They've spent well. Even in the era of inflated prices they are unearthing good players at good prices. While we only seem to go for the obvious transfers that are bound to be inflated. Even now we're still being linked with them (Bale, Vidal, Varane, Kroos, Umtiti etc)
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It’s not untrue and Laporte has replaced Stones in the team, plus there are other players on that list like Mangala and Sterling as well although Pep didn’t buy them it’s shows what is at his disposal. That’s 7 players all around £50m and there are others as well. Mahrez bid Sanchez bid as well it shows no sign off stopping.
 
If it was only 1 midfielder, I would like Savic. But I think there could be 2 coming. Savic would cost 150million. Fred and Fabinho would be cheaper.
 
devilish said:
Imagine having around a more technically gifted version of Gattuso (Gattuso words not mine). His attitude is top notch, players seem bouncing off when they hit him and rumour say that he would love to join us. His stats (27 games, 4 goals and 4 assists) is quite respectable considering he's a defensive minded player whose playing for a team which is basically a mess.
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Kessie?

I would watch the two matches he played against Arsenal if I were you.

He was awful.

Shocked if Gattuso actually said that
 
Julian Weigl and Ruben Neves please, young, quality, what more could you want
 
Our midfielders:
Matic - B2B actually, defensive and holding midfielder.
Pogba - attacking, playmaker, centre and passer midfielder.
Herrera - B2B, holding and defensive midfielder.
McTominay - holding and defensive midfielder. Maybe also passer... eventually.

Maybe:
A. Pereira - attacking, holding and passer midfielder.
Lingard - attacking and supporting midfielder.

Retiring:
Carrick - *deep-lying playmaker*, defensive and holding midfielder.

Maybe leaving:
Fellaini - (specialized target man role), attacking or defensive midfielder.

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:nervous: Urgency is to get a deep-lying playmaker eg. Kroos, if we're aiming to have a complete set of midfielder, complete midfield options.
(Pogba have the potential to be this, but not yet).

Second urgency is to get another playmaker eg. James Rodriguez (Or groom Pereira to be that, test him if he can be).

Alternatively, get a scoring midfielder eg. ??? currently, or higher upgrades players of the defensive types we have enough.

EDIT: I just realize both Pogba and Lingard can become consistent scoring midfielder, 10+ goals/season.
 
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TrebleFan99 said:
Kessie?

I would watch the two matches he played against Arsenal if I were you.

He was awful.

Shocked if Gattuso actually said that
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I didn't watch those games but I won't be surprised if Milan struggled considering the many changes they made in the past few months. They changed the entire team and the manager at one go. However, Kessie had been one of their best players as a whole and while he's not the complete package yet, I believe he's worth investing upon
 
I get why people would want SMS but i don't think he would slot in well in our team. Both him and Pogba excelled/are excelling as the left CM in a 3-5-2. Maybe SMS would adapt better than Pogba but i don't see how he would balance our team with both of them in the side. Not even in a 4-3-3. I'd prefer either a boxboxer or a controlling CM, a mix of both would be great if you can find one. Seri sounds interesting, maybe Fred. I'd still take Vidal. Honestly, i'd love some grit that a Vidal or a Nainggolan type would bring.
 
We do not need popular names. We hope Mourinho to just get the right players to improve the game plan. Someone who can support Lukaku better, someone who can shoutcall, and someone who can penetrate. Pls and pls get really slick players on the ball.

All I see is clumsiness in this team.
 
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L1nk said:
Julian Weigl and Ruben Neves please, young, quality, what more could you want
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The problem is, Mourinho doesn't really 'do' young players.

Both in terms of buying & developing.

He buys players ready made to come in and do the job he wants.

Man City have bought really well as the above poster listed, as not only quality players for the present. Due to some many of their players being young, they will only keep improving and developing - which is a scary thought.

Mourinho has bought players to deliver in the short term - Zlatan, Sanchez, Matic

He plays the players to deliver now - Young over Shaw, for example.

There might be the odd exception to the rule. But generally I think that's the way he acts and given his CV he;s be highly successful at doing it. But Man City & Pep will make it tougher than ever for him to succeed that way again. I wouldn't put it past him though.

But expect a 'Alderweireld' midfielder as a opposed to a 'Davision Sanchez' to use a Spurs example (albeit a different position) of the age and development of players that Jose will probably buy. I don't know who that midfielder will be, but I doubt they'll be young and raw.

Vidal would be the player I'd most expect him to get of the ones you've been linked with. As he's ready to deliver now.
 
Klippity said:
The problem is, Mourinho doesn't really 'do' young players.

Both in terms of buying & developing.

He buys players ready made to come in and do the job he wants.

Man City have bought really well as the above poster listed, as not only quality players for the present. Due to some many of their players being young, they will only keep improving and developing - which is a scary thought.

Mourinho has bought players to deliver in the short term - Zlatan, Sanchez, Matic

He plays the players to deliver now - Young over Shaw, for example.

There might be the odd exception to the rule. But generally I think that's the way he acts and given his CV he;s be highly successful at doing it. But Man City & Pep will make it tougher than ever for him to succeed that way again. I wouldn't put it past him though.

But expect a 'Alderweireld' midfielder as a opposed to a 'Davision Sanchez' to use a Spurs example (albeit a different position) of the age and development of players that Jose will probably buy. I don't know who that midfielder will be, but I doubt they'll be young and raw.

Vidal would be the player I'd most expect him to get of the ones you've been linked with. As he's ready to deliver now.
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Just another reason i'd want rid of Mourinho to be honest. Especially if we get Vidal, paying that amount of money for another 30 year old that's past his best, no thank you.
 
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