Top class established Strikers in the market

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ryan_forlan

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Next season,
I would want us to play a 4-2-3-1.
The #9 and #10 position in this formation will need 4 players in the squad.
Rooney, Mata, RvP/Wilson, Striker

If RvP is ok with playing second or third fiddle for the the #9 spot, then RvP can stay and Wilson can be loaned out. Else, RvP can be allowe to leave and Wilson can be a part of that 4 player squad.

In both the scenarios mentioned above, we will need to buy a top class striker who is not on the wrong side of his career and who is already good and experienced enough to be first choice.

In the current market, who are these players? Who suit the criteria mentioned above and also are realistic transfer candidates.

The likes of Benzema, Suarez, Lewandowski are not realistic to me.

The tiny list that I can come up with is below:
Cavani: The concern is that he might be losing his touch and form. He has not been the same player that he was since joining PSG. This will be a big money signing and hence a risk, just like Falcao(but without the injury). I am not sure about this one.

Lacazetta: Is he proven enough? I have no clue..

Who are the others? I can't think of a perfect target(candidate)
 
If you want to look for a striker, the ideal thing is to get someone who is on the verge of becoming a top striker and who needs a bigger platform, like Liverpool did with Suarez and us with RVN.
 
amolbhatia100 said:
If you want to look for a striker, the ideal thing is to get someone who is on the verge of becoming a top striker and who needs a bigger platform, like Liverpool did with Suarez and us with RVN.
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Such as...

I agree with the OP. It seems, certainly to my untrained eye, that there isn't a great deal out there.
 
Feed Me said:
Such as...

I agree with the OP. It seems, certainly to my untrained eye, that there isn't a great deal out there.
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I'm probably not the most aware.

There's always a great deal out there. Every couple of years you get a new striker or two making the jump up in level.

Failing that, you obviously do have to look for someone expensive and proven.

I still think we've got too much quality upfront to spend big in that area. We have be able to make at least one of Rooney, Falcao and Rvp reach a great level. It would be a total failure on the managements part to make that happen IMO.
 
Anytime I see Cavani play nowadays (and granted it isn't often... maybe 4 or 5 times a season, World Cup excluded) - he's rubbish...

Jackson Martinez would be available as, you know, it's Porto...
 
amolbhatia100 said:
I'm probably not the most aware.

There's always a great deal out there. Every couple of years you get a new striker or two making the jump up in level.

Failing that, you obviously do have to look for someone expensive and proven.

I still think we've got too much quality upfront to spend big in that area. We have be able to make at least one of Rooney, Falcao and Rvp reach a great level. It would be a total failure on the managements part to make that happen IMO.
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I think there is too much pressure on Falcao and for a good reason, but I believe that is not helping him. United are not a team that can carry a striker right now, we have been that sort of a team in our glory days, but not right now. I don't see the Falcao scene changing, he will end up not moving to us in the summer cause of his huge salary and transfer fee.
RvP, I think he is past his peak, he still has a lot to offer, but he can't be the first choice. With proper wide players operating and rooney behind, he can be very useful, but we need a quality alternative to him as well.
Rooney, the way he is being used, shows to me that LvG will want him at #8 or #10, I don't think LvG will limit rooney to a #9 position.
 
Paulo Dybala seems like he could be the 1 we go for. Pacey, likes to work the channels and take a player on.

Apart from that Lacazette, or maybe the kid at villareal but I forget his name at present.
 
Cavani is trash. Benzema is probably the best out there, but every year we here he'll leave but it never happens. We need to invest in one or two pacey young goal getters; Dybala, Lacazette, Depay etc...
 
How good are Immobile and the "Aubem...." guy?
Can either of Benteke or Luakaku do something for us?
Harry Kane's lack of pace puts me off.
Would Bony have seemed a good match?

Isn't Dybala too unproven?

Jackson Martinez suggested by @Annihilate Now! seems the perfect match for the role in terms of stats and his attributes on paper. Has anyone seen him play?
He was a part of rumours a while back, but the recent rumours I heard about him were for clubs like Spurs etc. Why is that?
 
Just surround Rooney as a number 9 with Reus and Bale and then, you’ll have 25 goals from him and a lot from RVP too

I don’t think that we need a top striker right now, as we have two good strikers who can still score a lot, but we need to be better in our offensive shape.
 
not many true world class no. 9 out there these days.

i'll settle for a pacey wing forward who can finish.

bale or rues would be the dream, depay seems to be the most realistic choice and he is fast becoming a top player.
 
ryan_forlan said:
How good are Immobile and the "Aubem...." guy?
Can either of Benteke or Luakaku do something for us?
Harry Kane's lack of pace puts me off.
Would Bony have seemed a good match?

Isn't Dybala too unproven?

Jackson Martinez suggested by @Annihilate Now! seems the perfect match for the role in terms of stats and his attributes on paper. Has anyone seen him play?
He was a part of rumours a while back, but the recent rumours I heard about him were for clubs like Spurs etc. Why is that?
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Immobile is real bad. Aubemayang just runs. We need pace, but more than that. Lukaku is a clogger, Benteke is slightly better. Bony? Possible. Not sure on Martinez, he's still in the Portugese league at what is basically what the same age Falcao is now. Probably not good enough.
 
Jackson Martinez is quite old now (and it isn't like he ever was on RVP/Falcao level) to sign him.

I actually don't think that we exactly need a No.9. Would prefer if we go for a couple of pacey wingers/inside forwards. Reus and Depay for example.

Then we would have Rooney, RVP, Mata, Reus, Depay, Di Maria, Januzaj and Wilson for 4 positions upfront. There we would have eveything you need: pace, power, technique, experience etc.

Something like:



Rooney/RVP

Reus/Depay Mata/Wilson Di Maria/Januzaj

​

would be [Kevin] exhilarating [/Kevin] to watch.
 
Alternatively, and I'm not saying this is my choice, just putting it out there...

A young no9, just emerging in his break-through season at a tier 2 club? There's a certain English lad making the headlines at the moment. Mind you, they'd want a British transfer record to sell him to us!
 
DWelbz19 said:
Immobile is real bad. Aubemayang just runs. We need pace, but more than that. Lukaku is a clogger, Benteke is slightly better. Bony? Possible. Not sure on Martinez, he's still in the Portugese league at what is basically what the same age Falcao is now. Probably not good enough.
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He's 36?
 
Sir A1ex said:
It's Wilson time!
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I'd be a bit worried that we'd burn him out making him a starter every week at this stage. He has a patchy injury record and he's only learning the game at this level. Conversely, though, if we spend £50m on a striker and he's a success, is Wilson going to get the chance to develop?
 
Wing forwards are really the future IMO. We don't need more than 1 main striker, they just don't play together like they used too.

Get Bale/Reus/Depay and spread the pitch wide, allow Rooney more space in the middle and give the midfield some balls to hit over the top of the defense. Instead of having 2 old slow strikers coming deep with their back to goal, Wilson can also come in and play up top if necessary.
 
Not established, but more of the @amolbhatia100 "could become top class" type.
Lacazette (not seen much of him though)
Dybala (neither him)
Jese (from Madrid - not realistic though)

Established
Reus - can play as a "second" striker, right?
Sturridge/Sterling - pipe dream


Anyway, I don't think we need another CF. We should move to a 4-3-3, Rooney up top IMO, and Wilson as backup. (wouldn't mind both RvP/Falcao leaving due to their high wages).
 
I think it was Wenger that said that there's a feeling in the modern game that brilliant technical players feel they're beint wasted as strikers in the modern era. They all want to be no. 10s and have the ball every 30 secs. When you look around at the strikers at the top teams I don't think it can be disputed that the quality, or at least the quantity, has dropped.
 
I think the top class CF is a very rare breed in today's game. 10-15 years ago they were everywhere and most top European clubs had one or more. Since the emergence of the "number 10" the number has decreased somewhat.
 
DWelbz19 said:
Cavani is trash. Benzema is probably the best out there, but every year we here he'll leave but it never happens. We need to invest in one or two pacey young goal getters; Dybala, Lacazette, Depay etc...
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No spring chicken either. He is 28 in a few days.
 
I don't think we need a striker. Rooney should be up top, not in the #10 position. We need a top quality box to box midfielder (Pogba) and a winger (Reus) instead.
 
About Benzema: he's one of my favourite players but Madrid is perfect for him. He can be the focal point and hold the ball while Ronaldo and Bale are free to make their lightning sprints on either side. Without pace elsewhere, he'll suffer just like RvP.
 
Having Rooney as first choice for our striker position and RvP as the first choice back up is the ideal scenario. But, it seems LvG will want him deeper.
----------------------rooney/RvP--------------------
-DiMaria/Januzaj------Mata/Reus---------Nani/Reus-

is perfect!!
But I don't see it happening. :-(
 
Adam-Utd said:
Paulo Dybala seems like he could be the 1 we go for. Pacey, likes to work the channels and take a player on.

Apart from that Lacazette, or maybe the kid at villareal but I forget his name at present.
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Vietto? I think hes a very interesting player as well. He's done great this season so far. Reminds me of Aguero .
 
Depay, Reus & Bale. Two of the three.

Shift RVP and Falcao out .Play Rooney as false number 9.


Depay/Reus..........Rooney.......Bale
....................Di Maria
 
Annihilate Now! said:
Anytime I see Cavani play nowadays (and granted it isn't often... maybe 4 or 5 times a season, World Cup excluded) - he's rubbish...

Jackson Martinez would be available as, you know, it's Porto...
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Is Jackson Martinez all that? And yeah, we'd do well not to look in Cavani's direction.
 
Unless we can get at least one of our strikers firing we need to bring a younger one in. Not a lot of established and available ones as others have said. So I'd go for something like Vietto, Dybala, Lacazette, Talisca. Once they take the step up they will be just as good. I wouldn't take Cavani - too old and can't cut it anymore.
 
Luciano Vietto
Role: Forward
Age: 21
Club: Villarreal
Apps: 28
Goals: 15

Alexandre Lacazette
Role: Forward/Inside Forward
Age: 23
Club: Lyon
Apps: 29
Goals: 25

Antoine Griezmann
Role: Supporting Striker/Inside Forward
Age: 23
Club: Atletico Madrid
Apps: 34
Goals: 15

Mauro Icardi
Role: Forward
Age: 21
Club: Inter Milan
Apps: 29
Goals: 18

Paulo Dyabala
Role: Forward
Age: 21
Club: Palermo
Apps: 20
Goals: 11
​
 
Decotron said:
Vietto? I think hes a very interesting player as well. He's done great this season so far. Reminds me of Aguero .
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Yeah that's the 1. I haven't seen a huge amount of him but he played great against Barca recently, and has scored pretty freely in La Liga. Early days for him yet though of course.

I think right now is a bad time for strikers, we are at the point where not many stand out's are "available", and many who would be a risk at high money.
 
I feel people are just jumping on the bandwagon. What happened with Van Persie and Falcao has been happening all season. However, it's only being highlighted because we didn't get a win.

Playing Falcao and Van Persie up top in a diamond with no natural width is a crime. They're not players to run in the channels. They are normally strikers who play up top on their own and patrol within the lengths of the 18 yard box, where the have wingers or midifelders running in behind them.

If we want to continue with this diamond, then players Lacazette, Dyabala, etc, like others have mentioned are perfect players for that role. However, I really don't think we'll continue with two up top next season, and if that's the case, then Falcao and Van Persie can still be great strikers, if played in the right system, with the right type of players around them.
 
Lacazette is tailor made for us right now. We need to get him before he moves to another big club/league and his profile goes through the roof.
 
Pexbo said:
Lacazette is tailor made for us right now. We need to get him before he moves to another big club/league and his profile goes through the roof.
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Probably the best shout at the minute even though it's not clear he'll reach top class level, then you have the likes of Ings and Berahino who have shown promise domestically but are perhaps at too early a stage of their career to be sure things.
 
Pexbo said:
Lacazette is tailor made for us right now. We need to get him before he moves to another big club/league and his profile goes through the roof.
Click to expand...

Yeah he would also be my favorite but I have a feeling he will already cost a lot of money. 30-40M € in today's market probably but that's a price I would be willing to pay for him.

Griezmann would probably be my second favorite choice but he just moved to Atletico and with the season he is having his price will probably explode so we missed the right time to make a move for him imo.
 
We also need to stop playing Rooney in midfield. The tempo must increase from deeper, and we need a midfielder who can move the ball forward quicker.

I've been forecasting this striker situation for about a year though. I always thought it would be a shame that we would deprive ourselves from having a truly great team by taking so long to fix the other areas of the side that by the time we did, our 'strongest area' then becomes an issue.
 
Red Katie said:
Is Jackson Martinez all that? And yeah, we'd do well not to look in Cavani's direction.
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I think he's grand - probably a bit too old now to solve our striking problems, but he is a very good striker who would be available.
 
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