Summer strategy is seemingly non-existent
We should wait till the window shuts, and then e-bash EdWood
We should wait till the window shuts, and then e-bash EdWood
United in this Summer transfer window
- Thread starter LawCharltonBest
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True, but the question is how far he has spread the net. If it's Fabregas or no one, then he's simply not done anywhere near enough.
I, too, am 'froting at the mouth' at the thought of Januzaj warming that bench in an extremely creative fashion.
Moriarty I couldn't agree with you more and I sense he doesn't want to overpay to get them and he may have too.
Plus Powell will hopefully make an impact we certainly have been getting under rated in certain quarters. It will be interesting how Jose does this time around. As he has inherited a brilliant attacking 3 with hazard Oscar and Mata but the rest of his team is suspect imo. Unlike the last time he took over at Chelsea and he inherited a monster of a squad all at the right age.
With the lack of quality we have through the centre, there are probably over 20 players (at least) who could come in and add to the squad, putting all our eggs in one basket, especially on a unlikely target like Fabregas is stupid. It's been made clear all summer long that he's not for sale, we should have moved on weeks ago.
There are a huge amount of players that could improve our midfield. Moyes has mentioned plenty of times that it needs strengthening. We have bundles of money to spend, allegedly. It's not rocket science. Buy someone. Buying someone that can improve our relatively weak midfield is not buying someone just for the sake of it.
Obviously buying someone that improves our midfield is not buying for the sake of it, but I disagree that there are a huge amount of players that could improve our midfield.
Who would you buy NC?
I think there's a huge amount of players that can improve us, even the ones that aren't generally wanted like Fellaini are better than what we have (bar Carrick) and he's not even that good.
Huge amount? Really? Can I ask for names then?
I'm not trolling here, I just genuinely don't think that there's a huge amount of available players that would improve us without getting in to the realm of buying for the sake of buying.
For instance, can anyone name say 10 midfield players that have transferred this year already that would have improved us immediately and significantly?
"Transferred already this year" is a rather restrictive group - particularly as a lot of players who have moved aren't players many people watch regularly. Of the ones I actually see regularly there are probably only two certainties: Isco and Thiago and two maybes Illarramendi and Casemiro. But players like Fernandinho, Paulinho, Mountinho or Gustavo etc who've moved/are moving, I don't really know them. Hopefully our fleet of scouts know them and rejected them, like they rejected Isco and Thiago for reasons I don't yet understand.
Plus there are a whole bunch of players who don't play for Barcelona who (along with their clubs) are probably more amenable to a big money move, but who will stay where they are until it happens.
There have been plenty of decent midfielders move this year even Southampton signed Wanyama who has great potential and was linked to us for the past year and a half. Strootman went to Roma. we all know the Thiago story. City signed Fernandinho while Spurs signed Paulinho and Capoue. I think all of those players while not being 'world class' would have added to our squad and made us a better team. Just look at Madrid they have one of the best midfields in Europe and still went out and spent 50 odd million on Illaramendi and Isco (granted he's not a out and out midfielder).
Anderson, Cleverley and Giggs (legend I know but shouldn't be anywhere near a starter in centre mid for us) is so weak I cant even understand how/why we let it get to this, id love SAF to explain the reasoning on why he didn't sign a midfielder in the last few years, even a blind man can see its where we are lacking.
Anderson, Cleverley and Giggs (legend I know but shouldn't be anywhere near a starter in centre mid for us) is so weak I cant even understand how/why we let it get to this, id love SAF to explain the reasoning on why he didn't sign a midfielder in the last few years, even a blind man can see its where we are lacking.
Not signing Thiago and Fabregas was disappointing because both of them are brilliant players. I couldn't give a toss about not signing Capoue, Wanayama or Paulinho. Not seen enough of Strootman or Fernandinho
It's a complicated summer and it looks like we're only interested in buying a direct and experienced fit for our first XI. I can respect that: "First, do no harm."
I can also respect the idea that buying a relatively inexperienced player for centre midfield is a riskier business than buying a 18 year old Ronaldo or Rooney for positions where errors aren't punished so quickly.
Personally though, I admit I'm more of a risk taker. I don't really care if we miss trophies for a couple of years to bring through Januzak or give Cleverley a good run (injuries permitting). Equally I wouldn't be upset if we went shopping for a high risk/reward player like Oliver Torres or a solid prospect like Kondogbia - even if we immediately loaned them back to their current clubs.
If we don't get a great player or a top class prospect then I'd rather not bother with a competent 25 year old. But I can see why commercial pressure and stability could count higher.
I can also respect the idea that buying a relatively inexperienced player for centre midfield is a riskier business than buying a 18 year old Ronaldo or Rooney for positions where errors aren't punished so quickly.
Personally though, I admit I'm more of a risk taker. I don't really care if we miss trophies for a couple of years to bring through Januzak or give Cleverley a good run (injuries permitting). Equally I wouldn't be upset if we went shopping for a high risk/reward player like Oliver Torres or a solid prospect like Kondogbia - even if we immediately loaned them back to their current clubs.
If we don't get a great player or a top class prospect then I'd rather not bother with a competent 25 year old. But I can see why commercial pressure and stability could count higher.
I only restricted it to this year's transfers as they are the only players we know for sure had been available.
I'll give you Isco and Thiago, but losing out on players who transferred to Real Madrid and Bayern respectively is hardly a problem. Illarramendi and Casemiro are two I would add to your second list there, as I don't know anything about them.
The "whole bunch of players who don't play for Barcelona" - who are these?
What I'm trying to get at is that it's all well and good complaining that we haven't brought anyone in, but the options are relatively few.
Wanyama is not an upgrade on Anderson, Cleverley or Giggs. All three of those are far better than Wanyama, easily.
Completely agree with the bold part, and I think that's effectively what our strategy has been this summer.
But not being seriously in for them is.
As for options being relatively few, they always are. Barcelona can't buy centre backs, but buy midfielders like Song and Mascherano as spares. We can't buy midfielders. C'est la vie.
Not a chance is Anderson better than him, he's done nothing in years because of injury/fitness while Wanyama has showed his potential against the likes of Barcelona and Juventus in Europe. Southampton would laugh in your face if you offered them a straight swap. Seriously Anderson should have been sold long before now, he cost us over 20m and has probably been one of our worst signings in the last 10 years. Complete failure of a player. Id probably take Leroy Fer from Norwich over Anderson, that's how ridiculous our midfield is.
And Mascherano and Song would be spares in our midfield too.
Well, not quite spares, but not of the standard that we would need to guarantee an improvement, which is the standard we have been linked with this summer (albeit unfruitfully).
That's how ridiculous you are. In fact, that is a ridiculous post throughout.
An injury free season from Anderson and he might be in the Brazil squad for the world cup. There, I said it, quote me if you like!
Yes I think people slightly overhype this supposed weak midfield of ours.If anyone truly thinks the vast majority of teams in the league wouldn't be delighted to have Carrick/Cleverley/Giggs and Anderson they must be crackers.
Well that's the problem and has been for the past 6 years. You call my post ridiculous then try and claim Anderson, who hasn't had a prolific season for us ever and most of the times looks generally out of shape better than one of the best midfield prospects at least in the premier league. I mentioned Leroy Fer who I dont think is good enough for us either but even he's been a much better player than Anderson over the last few seasons, he probably played more games last year than Anderson has in the last 3 years.
Im quite confident that if offered either Anderson or Wanyama the vast majority of (non biased ) fans would go with the latter and id bet my left testicle he has a better season than Anderson this year, quote me on that.
If anyone truly thinks the vast majority of teams in the league wouldn't be delighted to have Carrick/Cleverley/Giggs and Anderson they must be crackers.
Barry (there are of course better options, but we can not attain them as has been shown this summer) or Fellaini for Anderson and you would have an excellent point.
Not made the squad in 4 years, and there are at least a dozen players ahead of him.
I'm sorry, I love Ando.... however... You guys don't seem to have seen what I've done there - using "an injury free season" as a caveat for an Anderson prediction is the surest insurance I can get!
My original point stands though - he is a far better footballer than Wanyama, and if he can get a run in the team this year then I think he will prove that. He has shown it in glimpses (the partnership he had with Cleverley at the start of the 2011/12 season being an example), he just needs to sort his fitness issues out. If Moyes is as hard in pre-season as everyone seems to be saying, then he might have Anderson in a bit better shape.
Hopefully.
My original point stands though - he is a far better footballer than Wanyama, and if he can get a run in the team this year then I think he will prove that. He has shown it in glimpses (the partnership he had with Cleverley at the start of the 2011/12 season being an example), he just needs to sort his fitness issues out. If Moyes is as hard in pre-season as everyone seems to be saying, then he might have Anderson in a bit better shape.
Hopefully.
Same here, I'd much rather Cleverley and/or Ando play than get someone who isn't really any better.
I wouldn't mind getting Fellaini, provided we signed another to back it up, someone like Draxler. Wishful thinking I know.
Cleverley/Anderson will be grand for most PL games, but to be honest I don't think we'll be good enough when we play the other PL contenders and strong CL teams. That's just my humble opinion. Most of the other top teams seem to be stacked in midfield.
Everyone knows we aren't going to win the title with this current squad don't they? SAF won that last title with arguably the fourth best central midfield in the country, I'm delighted with the appointment of Moyes but he isn't a miracle worker.
Anderson being injury free wouldn't necessarily mean consistency in performances by him. You don't just need to be fit to play for Brazil
There isn't one team in the country with a 'perfect' team. Every team has some kind of weakness as far as I'm concerned. Ours is midfield, City and Chelsea for me aren't brilliant in defence despite conceding less goals than us in the season gone, however I can see us being a lot more consistent in our defensive selections with less injuries this year and quality will show.
We might not win the league, but I think this will be one of the closest seasons we'll ever see, unless we somehow go out and buy some amazing player for the middle or the left wing.
Not to mention that City, who didn't seem to gel well as a team last season, also have big changes in staff and players so they aren't guaranteed to click instantly. Chelsea's forward line is also questionable at the moment, we don't know if Lukaku will be picked ahead of Torres and if he does he will have to try and recreate what he did last season. Mourinho can also cause as many problems as he solves. It's all up in the air as far as I'm concerned and I certainly wouldn't say we've got no chance as it stands, we'll most likely strengthen before the window closes as well.
If you had said he will be in the squad for the World Cup then I'm sure people would definitely quote you. As you said might it is not even a prediction worth quoting. And he won't be in the squad even if he miraculously has an injury free season.....there's more chance of England winning the 2014 tournament quite frankly.
He performed quite consistently while he was fit last season, in fact he was one of our best midfielders until his string of injuries...
I'd agree with this Anderson when on form and fit is a really good player who can dominate in midfield he can drive us forward with those runs he makes. Non of our other midfielders can pick up the ball and drive at defenders like Anderson can and if we kept him fit I think we'd see the benefit of that again. Whether he can stay fit and indeed play the amount of games needed to really add to the midfield on a level that would mean we could get away without signing another central midfielder is another question.
I know its never been said in the forum but......could this be Ando's year.
I never said it was. Clearly, Moyes wanted Fabregas but when that fell through, who of similar quality was available? You say that there's a "huge amount" of players that could improve our midfield. So who, out of that huge number, is available and would sign? I can't think of any off the top of my head.
Guys how many chances do you want to give to Anderson?
He is a squad player and thats about it. He simply isn't consistent enough and has had plenty of time to show it.
He is a squad player and thats about it. He simply isn't consistent enough and has had plenty of time to show it.
If ever there was a time for a cheeky bid for Wilshere, it is now.