Value of our players/squad in an open market?

1. Altay Bayindir (G) 10m
22. Tom Heaton (G) 500k
24. Andre Onana (G) 45m

2. Victor Lindelof (CD) 25m
5. Harry Maguire (CD) 30m
6. Lisandro Martinez (CD) 55m
12. Tyrell Malacia (LB) 10m
19. Raphael Varane (CD) 20m
20. Diogo Dalot (RB; FB) 40m
23. Luke Shaw (LB; CD) 40m
29. Aaron Wan-Bissaka (RB) 40m
35. Jonny Evans (D) 5m
53. Willy Kambwala (D) 10m

7. Mason Mount (AM; CM) 45m
8. Bruno Fernandes (AM; CM; RM; SS) 50m
14. Christian Eriksen (CM; AM) 5m
46. Hannibal Mejbri (CM) 10m
18. Casemiro (DM; CM) 20m
28. Facundo Pellistri (RM) 15m
37. Kobbie Mainoo (CM; DM) 80m
39. Scott McTominay (AM; CM) 40m
44. Daniel Gore (AM; CM; RM; LM) 15m

17. Alejandro Garnacho (LWF; RWF) 70m
21. Antony (RWF) 35m
10. Marcus Rashford (LWF; CF; RWF) 90m
9. Anthony Martial (CF) Zero
11. Rasmus Hojlund (CF; RWF) 80m
16. Amad Diallo (RWF) 40m
25. Jadon Sancho (RWF; LWF; AM; SS) 50m
 
So much depends on the deal makers DoF & CEO. Having a competent team can add £10m plus to many of our players. So I’ll give two values. Old regime and competent regime

Old regime / competent regime

1. Altay Bayindir (G) £1m / 2-3m
22. Tom Heaton (G) Free/Free
24. Andre Onana (G) £35m / 50-70m

2. Victor Lindelof (CD) £5m/ 10-20m
5. Harry Maguire (CD) £20m / £40m
6. Lisandro Martinez (CD) £40m / £60m
12. Tyrell Malacia (LB) £10m / 15-20m
19. Raphael Varane (CD) £20m / £40m
20. Diogo Dalot (RB; FB) £40m / 55m-60m
23. Luke Shaw (LB; CD) £40m/ £55-80m
29. Aaron Wan-Bissaka (RB) £20m / £30m
35. Jonny Evans (D) free / free
53. Willy Kambwala (D) £25m / £35-40m

7. Mason Mount (AM; CM) £25m / 40m
8. Bruno Fernandes (AM; CM; RM; SS) £50m/ 70-100m
14. Christian Eriksen (CM; AM) free/free
46. Hannibal Mejbri (CM) Don’t know
18. Casemiro (DM; CM) £15m/ 25-35m
28. Facundo Pellistri (RM) £20m/30m
37. Kobbie Mainoo (CM; DM) £60m / 80-130m
39. Scott McTominay (AM; CM) £30m/ £40-50m
44. Daniel Gore (AM; CM; RM; LM)

17. Alejandro Garnacho (LWF; RWF) £70m /90-120m
21. Antony (RWF) £20m / £30-45m
10. Marcus Rashford (LWF; CF; RWF) £50m / 60-80m
9. Anthony Martial (CF) £10m / £20m
11. Rasmus Hojlund (CF; RWF) £50m / £80-100m
16. Amad Diallo (RWF) £25m / £40m (value can rise greatly with game time)
25. Jadon Sancho (RWF; LWF; AM; SS) £30m / £40-50m
 
JediSith said:
Old regime / competent regime

24. Andre Onana (G) £35m / 50-70m

5. Harry Maguire (CD) £20m / £40m
20. Diogo Dalot (RB; FB) £40m / 55m-60m
23. Luke Shaw (LB; CD) £40m/ £55-80m
8. Bruno Fernandes (AM; CM; RM; SS) £50m/ 70-100m
Click to expand...
Not that I dislike these players but I'll have what your smoking for the upper end of the competent price ranges.
 
Red Rash said:
Not that I dislike these players but I'll have what your smoking for the upper end of the competent price ranges.
Click to expand...
Look at form. View City/Real as example of competent sellers and the price they get, and imagine what teams below us would pay for players from United.

Also I think most of those players could easily find interest from a top 5 prem team and top European teams, baring maybe City.

Maguire his value is up from last year. Can see top 10 club paying £40m for him but wages would be the issue.
 
JediSith said:
So much depends on the deal makers DoF & CEO. Having a competent team can add £10m plus to many of our players. So I’ll give two values. Old regime and competent regime

Old regime / competent regime

1. Altay Bayindir (G) £1m / 2-3m
22. Tom Heaton (G) Free/Free
24. Andre Onana (G) £35m / 50-70m

2. Victor Lindelof (CD) £5m/ 10-20m
5. Harry Maguire (CD) £20m / £40m
6. Lisandro Martinez (CD) £40m / £60m
12. Tyrell Malacia (LB) £10m / 15-20m
19. Raphael Varane (CD) £20m / £40m
20. Diogo Dalot (RB; FB) £40m / 55m-60m
23. Luke Shaw (LB; CD) £40m/ £55-80m
29. Aaron Wan-Bissaka (RB) £20m / £30m
35. Jonny Evans (D) free / free
53. Willy Kambwala (D) £25m / £35-40m

7. Mason Mount (AM; CM) £25m / 40m
8. Bruno Fernandes (AM; CM; RM; SS) £50m/ 70-100m
14. Christian Eriksen (CM; AM) free/free
46. Hannibal Mejbri (CM) Don’t know
18. Casemiro (DM; CM) £15m/ 25-35m
28. Facundo Pellistri (RM) £20m/30m
37. Kobbie Mainoo (CM; DM) £60m / 80-130m
39. Scott McTominay (AM; CM) £30m/ £40-50m
44. Daniel Gore (AM; CM; RM; LM)

17. Alejandro Garnacho (LWF; RWF) £70m /90-120m
21. Antony (RWF) £20m / £30-45m
10. Marcus Rashford (LWF; CF; RWF) £50m / 60-80m
9. Anthony Martial (CF) £10m / £20m
11. Rasmus Hojlund (CF; RWF) £50m / £80-100m
16. Amad Diallo (RWF) £25m / £40m (value can rise greatly with game time)
25. Jadon Sancho (RWF; LWF; AM; SS) £30m / £40-50m
Click to expand...
Shaw is the best bargain.

Bought for only 30 mil and he has given us so many years of football and even came back to football after a horrific injury.
 
Captmfla said:
Shaw is the best bargain.

Bought for only 30 mil and he has given us so many years of football and even came back to football after a horrific injury.
Click to expand...
Yeah very underrated. Has come through not only injury but also Mourinho
 
JediSith said:
So much depends on the deal makers DoF & CEO. Having a competent team can add £10m plus to many of our players. So I’ll give two values. Old regime and competent regime

Old regime / competent regime

1. Altay Bayindir (G) £1m / 2-3m
22. Tom Heaton (G) Free/Free
24. Andre Onana (G) £35m / 50-70m

2. Victor Lindelof (CD) £5m/ 10-20m
5. Harry Maguire (CD) £20m / £40m
6. Lisandro Martinez (CD) £40m / £60m
12. Tyrell Malacia (LB) £10m / 15-20m
19. Raphael Varane (CD) £20m / £40m
20. Diogo Dalot (RB; FB) £40m / 55m-60m
23. Luke Shaw (LB; CD) £40m/ £55-80m
29. Aaron Wan-Bissaka (RB) £20m / £30m
35. Jonny Evans (D) free / free
53. Willy Kambwala (D) £25m / £35-40m

7. Mason Mount (AM; CM) £25m / 40m
8. Bruno Fernandes (AM; CM; RM; SS) £50m/ 70-100m
14. Christian Eriksen (CM; AM) free/free
46. Hannibal Mejbri (CM) Don’t know
18. Casemiro (DM; CM) £15m/ 25-35m
28. Facundo Pellistri (RM) £20m/30m
37. Kobbie Mainoo (CM; DM) £60m / 80-130m
39. Scott McTominay (AM; CM) £30m/ £40-50m
44. Daniel Gore (AM; CM; RM; LM)

17. Alejandro Garnacho (LWF; RWF) £70m /90-120m
21. Antony (RWF) £20m / £30-45m
10. Marcus Rashford (LWF; CF; RWF) £50m / 60-80m
9. Anthony Martial (CF) £10m / £20m
11. Rasmus Hojlund (CF; RWF) £50m / £80-100m
16. Amad Diallo (RWF) £25m / £40m (value can rise greatly with game time)
25. Jadon Sancho (RWF; LWF; AM; SS) £30m / £40-50m
Click to expand...

I think it'd need an absolutely incredible / upto their neck in dodgy deals to get anywhere near some of your upper values there!
 
Captmfla said:
Shaw is the best bargain.

Bought for only 30 mil and he has given us so many years of football and even came back to football after a horrific injury.
Click to expand...

Yes and no.
On top form he's superb. But he's been here 8 or 9 years and probably missed 2-3 injured and had a couple of others in up and down form.
 
Sandikan said:
I think it'd need an absolutely incredible / upto their neck in dodgy deals to get anywhere near some of your upper values there!
Click to expand...
Don’t think so to be honest. You’ll be surprised how much of a premium top teams can get for even average squad players. Now imagine the modern game where top teams often have very good players that for whatever reason are not or no longer suitable.

McTominay is better than Cleverly.
Maguire is better than any of the back up CB’s we had in the 90s or 00s.

Fernandes is better than most players sold by City for £40-£60m
 
JediSith said:
Don’t think so to be honest. You’ll be surprised how much of a premium top teams can get for even average squad players. Now imagine the modern game where top teams often have very good players that for whatever reason are not or no longer suitable.

McTominay is better than Cleverly.
Maguire is better than any of the back up CB’s we had in the 90s or 00s.

Fernandes is better than most players sold by City for £40-£60m
Click to expand...

You had Luke Shaw, who turns 29 in a few months at a value of 55-80m, which is not only a ludicrous range, but there's not a chance in hell anyone buys him in that range anyway.

Onana and Martinez higher than even we bought them for, Mainoo who has played a handful of games over 100m, which only a tiny handful of players in the history of football have gone for.

Hojlund doubling in value, Garnacho over 100m

Actually your list was even more crazy than I thought.
 
Weird thread, usuallly whenever see transfer talk people seem to really under rate the value of our players the last few years, majority of the players I am seeig nvalues alongside I think are above what we would get for them
 
Sandikan said:
You had Luke Shaw, who turns 29 in a few months at a value of 55-80m, which is not only a ludicrous range, but there's not a chance in hell anyone buys him in that range anyway.

Onana and Martinez higher than even we bought them for, Mainoo who has played a handful of games over 100m, which only a tiny handful of players in the history of football have gone for.

Hojlund doubling in value, Garnacho over 100m

Actually your list was even more crazy than I thought.
Click to expand...

Real Madrid paid £55m for a 16 year old Brazilian. Mainoo who at 18 is less of a gamble and plays in a superior league, plays in a position that is much rarer to find real quality these days, most likely will get better and has 12-14 years at the top. And you think that price is too high? You’re not looking at what the type of club that could sign Mainoo will consider and come to the conclusion that it’s cheap.

Martinez has definitely gone up in value. You think after the season he had last year we’d sell him for less? Of course he needs to return from injury and continue his form.

Shaw maybe age might be a factor for the upper limit of my range.

Garnacho he’s playing in the Premier League. For one of the biggest and richest clubs in the world. Look at how much South Americans in his position who are younger and less experienced move for. So no £100m is not crazy. Actually you’re a bit naive and underestimate the value of some of our players.

Hojlund value has also increased. In fact if spurs bought him for £60m and united or any club wanted him in the summer how much do you think he’ll go for? Think about it before answering. Do you think Levy will accept £61m-£80m? No way.
 
Son said:
1. Altay Bayindir (G) 10m - 5-6m
22. Tom Heaton (G) 500k - free/250k at most
24. Andre Onana (G) 45m

2. Victor Lindelof (CD) 25m - 15m
5. Harry Maguire (CD) 30m
6. Lisandro Martinez (CD) 55m
12. Tyrell Malacia (LB) 10m
19. Raphael Varane (CD) 20m - 15m
20. Diogo Dalot (RB; FB) 40m
23. Luke Shaw (LB; CD) 40m
29. Aaron Wan-Bissaka (RB) 40m
35. Jonny Evans (D) 5m - 2m
53. Willy Kambwala (D) 10m - 8m

7. Mason Mount (AM; CM) 45m
8. Bruno Fernandes (AM; CM; RM; SS) 50m
14. Christian Eriksen (CM; AM) 5m
46. Hannibal Mejbri (CM) 10m
18. Casemiro (DM; CM) 20m
28. Facundo Pellistri (RM) 15m
37. Kobbie Mainoo (CM; DM) 80m
39. Scott McTominay (AM; CM) 40m
44. Daniel Gore (AM; CM; RM; LM) 15m - 8/10m

17. Alejandro Garnacho (LWF; RWF) 70m
21. Antony (RWF) 35m
10. Marcus Rashford (LWF; CF; RWF) 90m
9. Anthony Martial (CF) Zero
11. Rasmus Hojlund (CF; RWF) 80m
16. Amad Diallo (RWF) 40m
25. Jadon Sancho (RWF; LWF; AM; SS) 50m
Click to expand...
Corrected some which I think you overpriced
 
Sandikan said:
You had Luke Shaw, who turns 29 in a few months at a value of 55-80m, which is not only a ludicrous range, but there's not a chance in hell anyone buys him in that range anyway.

Onana and Martinez higher than even we bought them for, Mainoo who has played a handful of games over 100m, which only a tiny handful of players in the history of football have gone for.

Hojlund doubling in value, Garnacho over 100m

Actually your list was even more crazy than I thought.
Click to expand...
The Kambwala valuation strikes me as very optimistic.
 
The bunch of posters saying Hojlund is worth 25 or 30M on page one is ludicrous. Judgments of majority of casual fans can be so wrong
 
JeffFromHK said:
The bunch of posters saying Hojlund is worth 25 or 30M on page one is ludicrous. Judgments of majority of casual fans can be so wrong
Click to expand...
I think they went early before he really kicked into form.

But still, poor knee jerk judgement. He's always been at least holding value due to age, fitness wasn't quite there to begin with which doesn't condemn a player when he came with an injury, and his performances were never actually poor.

When we bought him for that price and everyone said it was overpriced, well..it wasn't really. It was bog standard middle of the road for a talented striker today. It's a valuation which can go massively up if he produces, it can double. If he doesn't it will steadily go down but not overnight due to age and potential. There's actually a lot more upside than downside which the valuation experts underestimated in the summer.
 
People selling Bruno before Lindelof and Mctominay jesus H christ we have such a weird fan base.
 
Fortitude said:
Thinking about Mainoo's predicament, where he needs midfielders around him on or even above his level, the thought of just how much such players would cost crossed my mind. Following on from that, the thought of how much Kobbie himself would be valued at by the club loomed large.

Our standing has plummeted since the last time one of these threads was done (that I can remember), so I wondered what our entire squad would be valued at by our own fans in the middle of this catastrophic season. If we opened up the squad to open bidding, how much do you think each player is currently worth?



1. Altay Bayindir (G) 2m
22. Tom Heaton (G) 1m
24. Andre Onana (G) 40m

2. Victor Lindelof (CD) 15m
5. Harry Maguire (CD) 20m
6. Lisandro Martinez (CD) 40m
12. Tyrell Malacia (LB) 5m
19. Raphael Varane (CD) 10m
20. Diogo Dalot (RB; FB) 35m
23. Luke Shaw (LB; CD) 30m
29. Aaron Wan-Bissaka (RB) 20m
35. Jonny Evans (D) 1m
53. Willy Kambwala (D) 1m

7. Mason Mount (AM; CM) 35m
8. Bruno Fernandes (AM; CM; RM; SS) 45m
14. Christian Eriksen (CM; AM) 5m
46. Hannibal Mejbri (CM) 2m
18. Casemiro (DM; CM) 15m
28. Facundo Pellistri (RM) 5m
37. Kobbie Mainoo (CM; DM) 60m
39. Scott McTominay (AM; CM) 35m
44. Daniel Gore (AM; CM; RM; LM) 2m

17. Alejandro Garnacho (LWF; RWF) 70m
21. Antony (RWF) 30m
10. Marcus Rashford (LWF; CF; RWF) 80m
9. Anthony Martial (CF) 1m
11. Rasmus Hojlund (CF; RWF) 90m
16. Amad Diallo (RWF) 20m
25. Jadon Sancho (RWF; LWF; AM; SS) 40m
Click to expand...
 
Daydreamer said:
If Mainoo played for Arsenal and we were offered £100m, I’d bite your hand off. That’s just short of the British transfer record for a player with 7 league starts.

I dont think that makes us a small club. I’d argue it’s the opposite. Barca would also make that sale because they are confident in their talent production line.
Click to expand...

stefan92 said:
Mainoo isn't at the level required to carry a team to a PL title, at least not yet. Selling him wouldn't derail a title race.
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Hammondo said:
He's a kid whos played 7 games, half of them hes not played well.

You could go for most midfielders in the top 5 and they would be better.
Click to expand...

Hammondo said:
He's not elite yet, and for the money being suggested you could replace him with a far better player.
Click to expand...

Rojofiam said:
Hope you guys have reconsidered your opinions since then...
Click to expand...

Okay what about now :drool:
 
Rojofiam said:
Okay what about now :drool:
Click to expand...
Btw I was never saying we should get rid of him, just relax saying he's the Messiah. He's an amazing talent, my favourite player, but next season he could have a really bad patch, let's keep our feet on the ground.
 
Hammondo said:
Btw I was never saying we should get rid of him, just relax saying he's the Messiah. He's an amazing talent, my favourite player, but next season he could have a really bad patch, let's keep our feet on the ground.
Click to expand...

I don't think you were correct in saying most midfielders in the top 5 would be better than him.

Posters disagreed with me when I said teams would rightly reject 100m for him or that if he played for Arsenal and they sold him mid-season, it could genuinely derail a title race as he would be their only left-sided #8 of his profile. I think I was proven right eventually.

I also claimed that he would be getting significant minutes at City even at 18 years of age, and he would even be part of their strongest XI, simply because losing Gundogan was a big loss for City, and nobody in their current squad can do the Gundogan role as well as Mainoo can. Not Kovacic, not Nunes or anyone else. I think I was spot on in this case too? But it's not only me, several others were aware of how good this kid would be straight away. I just tried to convince the skeptics.
 
Rojofiam said:
Okay what about now :drool:
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I’ll bite. Seeing as he’s now played 35 senior games, including an FA Cup Final, he’s got substantially more experience than when I wrote that comment. However I’d still say £100m is a crazy price to pay for him. Less due to his talent (incredible) or temperament (very mature) but because I think he’s stood out this season because your midfield was so dysfunctional. I’d like to see him next season if you play the way you did in the Final for sustained periods.

We had Saka and Smith-Rowe come through at roughly the same time into a team that was in tatters. Only Saka kicked on. This was mostly due to Smith-Rowe’s injuries, but I also think it was because Saka thrived as our team improved whereas Smith-Rowe did not. It would be really instructive to see how Mainoo performs when he doesn’t have to be Roy of the Rovers as a one-man midfield.
 
Rojofiam said:
I don't think you were correct in saying most midfielders in the top 5 would be better than him.

Posters disagreed with me when I said teams would rightly reject 100m for him or that if he played for Arsenal and they sold him mid-season, it could genuinely derail a title race as he would be their only left-sided #8 of his profile. I think I was proven right eventually.

I also claimed that he would be getting significant minutes at City even at 18 years of age, and he would even be part of their strongest XI, simply because losing Gundogan was a big loss for City, and nobody in their current squad can do the Gundogan role as well as Mainoo can. Not Kovacic, not Nunes or anyone else. I think I was spot on in this case too? But it's not only me, several others were aware of how good this kid would be straight away. I just tried to convince the skeptics.
Click to expand...
How exactly were you proven right about the bolded part?
 
Daydreamer said:
How exactly were you proven right about the bolded part?
Click to expand...

Let's assume the hypothetical scenario where Mainoo would've broke into the Arsenal first team from their academy this season.

Do you not think he would've sorted out the midfield issue Arteta seemed to have this season? I mean Havertz played LCM loads of times, he also tried Rice there in front of Partey, there was talk of Trossard being tried there, etc.

Mainoo would've solved that issues single-handedly...if you then sold him for 100m in January, wouldn't that be totally shooting yourselves in the foot?
 
Rojofiam said:
Let's assume the hypothetical scenario where Mainoo would've broke into the Arsenal first team from their academy this season.

Do you not think he would've sorted out the midfield issue Arteta seemed to have this season? I mean Havertz played LCM loads of times, he also tried Rice there in front of Partey, there was talk of Trossard being tried there, etc.

Mainoo would've solved that issues single-handedly...if you then sold him for 100m in January, wouldn't that be totally shooting yourselves in the foot?
Click to expand...
We played Havertz there for 2/3 of the season and Rice for 1/3. We finished 2 points shy of City, conceding the fewest goals in the league and scoring the most in our club’s history.

Do you think you might be reaching just a tiny bit?
 
Rojofiam said:
I don't think you were correct in saying most midfielders in the top 5 would be better than him.

Posters disagreed with me when I said teams would rightly reject 100m for him or that if he played for Arsenal and they sold him mid-season, it could genuinely derail a title race as he would be their only left-sided #8 of his profile. I think I was proven right eventually.

I also claimed that he would be getting significant minutes at City even at 18 years of age, and he would even be part of their strongest XI, simply because losing Gundogan was a big loss for City, and nobody in their current squad can do the Gundogan role as well as Mainoo can. Not Kovacic, not Nunes or anyone else. I think I was spot on in this case too? But it's not only me, several others were aware of how good this kid would be straight away. I just tried to convince the skeptics.
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City don't give players that age significant minutes.

I also stand by my claim. He's amazing but inconsistent, he's played poorly as often as he's played well, most top 5 midfielders are a lot more consistent than that.

He will become the best in the PL imo, in time.
 
Hammondo said:
City don't give players that age significant minutes.

I also stand by my claim. He's amazing but inconsistent, he's played poorly as often as he's played well, most top 5 midfielders are a lot more consistent than that.

He will become the best in the PL imo, in time.
Click to expand...

Rico Lewis
 
Hammondo said:
City don't give players that age significant minutes.

I also stand by my claim. He's amazing but inconsistent, he's played poorly as often as he's played well, most top 5 midfielders are a lot more consistent than that.

He will become the best in the PL imo, in time.
Click to expand...
Basically this.

I don’t know about all the top 5 teams as I don’t watch all the time. But I’ve watched pretty much all of Arsenal and City’s games for the last 18 months and he doesn’t get in either of their teams over:
  1. Rice
  2. Havertz
  3. Odegaard
  4. Partey
  5. Jorginho
  6. Rodri
  7. Silva
  8. De Bruyne
  9. Kovacic
  10. Foden
He’s a young player with fantastic potential that is hard to judge precisely as he’s been asked to cover way too much ground and handle too many responsibilities in games.
 
Last edited:
Daydreamer said:
We played Havertz there for 2/3 of the season and Rice for 1/3. We finished 2 points shy of City, conceding the fewest goals in the league and scoring the most in our club’s history.

Do you think you might be reaching just a tiny bit?
Click to expand...

These things don't have any relevance to what's being discussed, which is just a hypothetical scenario. If Mainoo broke through into the Arsenal team at the start of last season, and became a key player for them like he has for us...do you really believe selling him for 100m in January would've been A, a good idea, and B, something Arteta and the club would've even entertained the idea of? The answer is most certainly no to both questions.
 
Rojofiam said:
These things don't have any relevance to what's being discussed, which is just a hypothetical scenario. If Mainoo broke through into the Arsenal team at the start of last season, and became a key player for them like he has for us...do you really believe selling him for 100m in January would've been A, a good idea, and B, something Arteta and the club would've even entertained the idea of? The answer is most certainly no to both questions.
Click to expand...
You said Mainoo would have solved our major problems in midfield. I’m pointing out that we didn’t have major problems in midfield. That couldn’t be more relevant.

And if Mainoo had broken into the Arsenal first team, he wouldn’t have become a key player for us this season as he wouldn’t start games over our other options in midfield. Just as he wouldn’t for City.

That’s not to say he’s not a very talented player - he clearly is. But he’s not consistently playing at the level required for a title challenge. Which is to be expected. I’ve only seen two midfielders at Arsenal reach that level by the age of 19 (Cesc and Wilshere) and I’m 38 years old.

You’re reaching, mate.
 
Daydreamer said:
You said Mainoo would have solved our major problems in midfield. I’m pointing out that we didn’t have major problems in midfield. That couldn’t be more relevant.

And if Mainoo had broken into the Arsenal first team, he wouldn’t have become a key player for us this season as he wouldn’t start games over our other options in midfield. Just as he wouldn’t for City.

That’s not to say he’s not a very talented player - he clearly is. But he’s not consistently playing at the level required for a title challenge. Which is to be expected. I’ve only seen two midfielders at Arsenal reach that level by the age of 19 (Cesc and Wilshere) and I’m 38 years old.

You’re reaching, mate.
Click to expand...

We'll agree to disagree then, since Wilshere and Fabregas are actually the two perfect examples that you could've brought up. Mainoo would've been a key player for both City and Arsenal this season, because neither of them have that Thiago/de Jong/Gundogan type that completely elevates any midfield that was lacking that profile before. That's why Arsenal will definitely go for a left-sided #8 like that this summer, and probably City will as well. Pep and City also wanted Bellingham to fill that hole in the squad last summer that Gundogan left, not to play #10 or even further up front like he does at Madrid.
 
Rojofiam said:
We'll agree to disagree then, since Wilshere and Fabregas are actually the two perfect examples that you could've brought up. Mainoo would've been a key player for both City and Arsenal this season, because neither of them have that Thiago/de Jong/Gundogan type that completely elevates any midfield that was lacking that profile before. That's why Arsenal will definitely go for a left-sided #8 like that this summer, and probably City will as well. Pep and City also wanted Bellingham to fill that hole in the squad last summer that Gundogan left, not to play #10 or even further up front like he does at Madrid.
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Rice played left 8 in 15 league games this year. We won 14 of them. The other was a draw away at City. We’re likely to sign 6 and leave Rice where he is.

The only team that picked up more points than us are… City.

You keep saying that Mainoo would fill the “holes” in Arsenal and City’s midfield. Neither team have major deficiencies in the midfield. Both midfields currently operate at an high level. Mainoo has at times shown the inconsistency you’d expect of a player making their breakthrough and would be very unlikely to get into either starting lineup over their current options.

I brought up Cesc and Wilshere because of how absurdly rare it is. And in both cases, their breakthrough was aided by our weakness in midfield (Vieira was past his best and soon moved on for Cesc and we were no longer routinely challenging for the title when Wilshere emerged). The state of United’s midfield similarly means that Mainoo is one of the first names on the team sheet. That simply wouldn’t be the case at City or Arsenal, currently.
 
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