To be their main striker?
Transfer Tweets - Manchester United - 2023/24
- Thread starter mazhar13
- Start date
- Status
Yes. It's result of neglecting striker position for years, and cluttering squad space with strikers past their best. We tried to minimise spending risk, and it not only didn't pay off, but created additional danger of stagnation for years ot come.
Now we're risking, by changing transfer strategy, keeping in mind, club can get owned by someone with vast range of funds, who can reduce the risk, finding addional fuel for further deals.
Selling clubs are aware of this, so we're condemned to overpay for Sesko and Ferguson etc. in every possible scenario. If we go for Kane, we overpay on a grand scale.
Finding first team quality, in a young age isn't exactly that easy as it looks, so to minimise risk, we can pursue 2nd striker option, perhaps in different age and price range, but still able to provide impact for a big club. Since we're focused on numbers more than circumstances of the situation, two strikers should split the risk and responsibility of scoring.
I'm open to other suggestions, not necessarily including Hojlund, but we need to factor other things, not only pure numbers. The situation we are in, and time which will speed up eventually to start of the season.
Endrick was 4 years younger at the time of their respective transfers. A LOT can happen in 4 years.
At the risk of sounding like I'm explaining to a 5 year old, whenever you purchase a player you have to make an educated guess as to how effective they will be for you. With an older player who has a longer track record you can more easily assure yourself he'll be effective and can justify the high fee. The younger the prospective player, the less proven he is, and the less he costs. Is that difficult to understand?
Just as an example, at the age of 16 (Endrick's age when he moved) SAF thought Ravel Morrison was the best player of that age he had ever seen, a can't miss player. By the age of 20 (Hojlund's age now) he was out of the club and his career has amounted to nothing. Projecting into the future is a difficult game, so it's not useful to compare players at different stages of their development.
(To be completely honest and to cover my own backside, I think it's very likely Endrick will be a top player for Madrid. That doesn't change my point.)
Last edited:
If you're accepting club's desperation, then why do you care how much Hojlund cost ?
I will harp on Kane, because it's a striker we're clearly interested in and posing as option. Your harping on Alvarez who's move was completed months ago for City is as much significant in current situation as Manucho price tag in 2007.
Ive mentioned Alvarez once. How is that harping on?
Me accepting it doesn't mean I am pleased with the money spent. It's in my interest that the club spends it's money well and we've punted on Hojlund effectively so im hoping like anything it works.
Money, money, money, money, Alvarez, money, money, money.
It's going to be fine, and If we'll sell Hojlund back someday, we will get some money.
Now we just need Chicharito type backup striker and it's a strong squad. Choose your pick. Mine is Alvarez, just don't worry about the money, money, money.
Since we’ve been prepared to sell him - he was injured for half a season at Forest last year and now injured again - so his recent history is very important when trying to sell him.
Rashford will be the main striker.
City ain't selling us Alvarez that's for sure
The obsession and anger of transfer fees is really odd! If people think other clubs would have got each of our summer signings cheaper than we managed, then you’re in cloud cuckoo land!
I’m personally delighted that we’ve managed to bring in three key players so quickly this year and not be dragging this towards the end of August! We’ve bought a keeper who’s amazing at build up play (something most posters on here identified as bring essential) we’ve got more energy in midfield and one of the hottest striking talents in the world. All three are also desperate to play for the club which is something that hasn’t always happened!
Great business and I really look forward to watching them integrate into the team!
I’m personally delighted that we’ve managed to bring in three key players so quickly this year and not be dragging this towards the end of August! We’ve bought a keeper who’s amazing at build up play (something most posters on here identified as bring essential) we’ve got more energy in midfield and one of the hottest striking talents in the world. All three are also desperate to play for the club which is something that hasn’t always happened!
Great business and I really look forward to watching them integrate into the team!
Almost certain i think. Groundwork being laid, and it'll be easier if Hojlund hits the ground running.
You're making feck all sense. Spending well is vital, saying don't worry about the money is just absolutely daft when you consider how poorly run we have been in the transfer market over the past decades.
I'm praying Hojlund works out but anyone claiming it's not overpayment is just burying their heads in their sand. It's quite nuts how unwilling some posters are to acknowledge that.
We are overpaying. Same amount fixed as Darwin. But his wages is half that of Darwin. It takes down the risk quite a bit. Both due to overall cost and selling him if he dont work out.
Good point.
Would love him to outscore darwin straight off the bat too
If we can sell off 3-4 more deadwood like Bailly, Williams, vdB, it will be a good transfer window.
In Overall we have a good transfer window so far. Now, if we manage to sell some players (Harry, Fred, VDB, Bailly, Williams, McT…) for a good amount, then it’s really the perfect window since many years!
Do people really think we have overpaid that much for Mount, Onana and Højlund ?
Onana £47 million
Mount £60 million
Højlund £72 million
Onana is fair in my opinion, Mount slightly overpaid because of the contract. And Højlund - yes maybe £10-15 million too much - but I would much rather we paid the extra £10 million and have him ready for Wolves - than sign him 3 weeks after the start of the season for a few million less.
Onana £47 million
Mount £60 million
Højlund £72 million
Onana is fair in my opinion, Mount slightly overpaid because of the contract. And Højlund - yes maybe £10-15 million too much - but I would much rather we paid the extra £10 million and have him ready for Wolves - than sign him 3 weeks after the start of the season for a few million less.
Højlund is only that much if all add-on's are achieved, meaning we'd have a World Class striker at that point you'd assume.
Of course we're overpaying, I don't think anyone is really arguing that. I just don't understand why so many people on here have their knickers in a twist about it. The logic you're using still doesn't justify paying that much for a 16 year old straight out of the Brazilian league.
You're pardoning one club for using this strategy and then condemning the other for doing something that is very similar. There's no reason why Højlund won't end up being a much better signing and player for us than Endrick will be ultimately be for Madrid. We have no way of knowing yet.
Yeah because they're normally teenagers and even less proven than Højlund, who is a full international and has actually played in one Europe's top leagues.
For Endrick, Madrid have reportedly paid €35m and then €25m in add ons. That's not €25m more if he wins the balloon d'Or though is it? That's probably only a few million of the add ons, the others are probably more achievable.
The £8m we'll pay for add ons for Højlund might be quite difficult to achieve for all we know. We might never end up paying them.
No, but doesn't that make it worse?
Good job we didn't, isn't it?
Yeah Højlund is costing a lot less than half of what Osimhen would go for. If he turns out to be as good as, or better than Osimhen, he will cost £72m.
Why include the add ons?
If they're met then none are an overpayment, we would have been very successful.
That word is a ‘big’ one and is doing a lot of lifting here…… I hope you are right.
Another big if.
Just have Martial vibes is all. Exciting young prospect comes in for huge cost and fails to deliver for whatever reason. Wouldn’t be the first time.
We really need a sure thing after Weghorst, CR, Cavani, Ibra, Ighalo et Al. £72m would go along way to securing one.
If he comes in and puts up 15 G+A in his first season and scores a winner against the Scouse, yes please
It's under different circumstances. Real Madrid were able to afford expensive mistakes at the time. I feel we aren't, and we are overpaying due to desperation to get a body in with some potential.
We did though. Unless you're being pedantic about fees excluding addons. In which case change my post to 62 plus 10 or whatever it is and the point still stands.
It’s £64m plus £8m add ons.
His wages are low at £85k per week.
I’m comparison, Kane wants £575k per week.
The likes of Osimhen would be £250k per week.
His wages are low at £85k per week.
I’m comparison, Kane wants £575k per week.
The likes of Osimhen would be £250k per week.
Even at cursory glance, he's a different character -on the pitch and i suspect off it also - to Martial. Of course he might develop injury-proneness, but rawness will be more of a 'risk' than
lackadaisical pressing or refusal to proactively engage in build-up play unless it's directly played into him, or failure to find scoring positions in the box or any of Martial's other intermittent faults and tendencies...
Like I mentioned elsewhere (along with various other posters), not sure who this 'sure-bet' is that people overly sceptical about this transfer would rather we signed. Even if Levy were to let Kane come to us, when and at what hugely inflated cost, Ramos has red flags over him (power and pace, his own build-up play, frequently ranked 'lower' in potential/ability than Nunez by Benfica fans posting here/on the net), Muani isn't even (primarily) a CF and has a good but not spectacular scoring record in a league we've traditionally not bought well from; Ligue Une is a 2nd tier league overall and someone like Jonathan David is a decent finisher but has question marks over his ability to lead the line in the way we need against CL level defenders (I'd take him but as a backup striker if we had the funds) etc.
I'm not sure what the breakdown of the add ons is. Couldn't find anything in depth about how much of that is easily achievable vs hard to achieve. The base fee of €35m is pretty reasonable for probably the highest rated 15 year old/16 year old coming out of Brazil since Ronaldo (pretty sure Neymar was 17 when he broke out). Even if Hojlund's add ons are hard to achieve they're only £8m. £64m is overpaying on its own. My biggest problem is actually with the ability of Hojlund instead of the fee anyway, the overpaying just makes it worse still.
Where is the confirmation of Hojlund's wages? If true, that's a good wage at least. I was concerned we might have a similar situation to Antony in that regard
Yeah no way a player costing as much as he is, is coming here on those wages. Just look at Antony, Sancho etc, 85k isn’t remotely realistic.
This guy seems awful in the air, not sure how he’s suited to lead the line for a premier league club aiming to win the league.
Ah shit - have you told ETH mate?
Why don't you wait until he's played a few games before getting so upset though?
It's one of the traits I really hope we help him develop. If you look at his stature - he shouldn't only have one senior headed goal. With that being said, I think we have quite a few players in the past, that has developed that exact trait.
Rashford this past season scored almost as many headers (4) as he did alle the seasons prior to that combined (5) - Ronaldo all of a sudden in the 07-08 season started smashing in headers left and right (9) despite not being a great header the seasons before (6 combined). Also Rooney only managed 4 headers by the age of around 23 - but clocked 9 headers in the 09-10 season.
Headers - I think - is so much about timing and courage more than something you'd have to be born with in order to master, so I wouldn't be surprised if Højlund within a couple of years is scoring 4-6 headers a season. Here's to hoping.
Haaland got the same criticism as well. Turned out just fine.
I agree, sick of being worried when it's out of our control and we are desperate so all aboard the Hojlund train....even if the ticket is extortionate
- Status