What do we still need? Aka The never ending story

If Pogba and Ighalo stays:

1. Rw or Sancho
2. Dmf or Partey
3. Cb
4. Attacking Lb

If they both leave ST and AMF comes after Rw and Dmf.
 
Sancho, Zakaria and Jimenez in the summer would step us in the right direction
 
A right winger and some decent back up. Our first 11 is strong.
- De Gea / Henderson (one will leave)
- AWB (great defensively and improving going forward)
- Shaw (Williams back up)
- Lindelof & Harry (Bailly and Tuanzebe back up)
- Fred & McT (Matic back up)
- Bruno, Pogba, Rashford (Greenwood)
- Martial (Ighalo back up)

The problem we have is that in some key areas there is a lack of quality back up. Mostly going forward. I don’t think many of the starting XI need replacing but, despite his recent improvement, I could see arguments for upgrading Martial. Getting rid of Jones, Lingard and Pereira would be a useful way of freeing up some space and wages. Mata and Matic have their uses, especially if they are happy to play a bit part role.

Then there are also the youngsters coming through. Chong, Garner and Gomes still have time to prove their doubters, Hannibal is a great prospect. Greenwood is already very involved. James... not that young but a good option if he’s used as back up not as a regular.

I honestly don’t think we need a lot.
 
What we need is always a little different to what we want.

I think what we absolutely need is obvious: a right winger. The club should be doing everything it possibly can to address this gap in the squad. Sancho, of course, is the (pipe?) dream.

If Pogba leaves, which I expect him to do, then we need a creative replacement. Grealish being my choice.

After that, we get into the territory of what we want. Still important, nonetheless. I think the squad would benefit from another left back; one who particularly excels going forward, is left footed and can whip in a dangerous cross. I look at Lucas Digne at Everton and I’d love that profile of player to battle it out with Shaw at left back. They’d be a great tactical option to play wide of Shaw when we play three at the back, too.

I’d also like another central midfielder; a defensive one who can provide cover/competition for Matic, Fred and McTominay. Having four good options to choose from, to complement Bruno and a Pogba/Grealish, would make for a great set of options. On paper, of course.

Lots of fans seem to want a striker. Personally, I’d press ahead and put my trust in Rashford, Martial and Greenwood. I wouldn’t be against the signing of Ighalo either. If we can buy a proper winger (that scores goals) and have the likes of Pogba/Grealish and Bruno scoring and assisting from midfield, the need for an expensive striker is lessened.
 
I’d say it’s fair to assume Henderson will get another year at Sheffield United, there’s been no talk of him coming back and that sort of news would’ve filtered out by now. I don’t really see any point in signing Grealish now we have Fernandes, so long as Pogba doesn’t leave.

It’s pretty obvious that RW is the last big hole in the squad to fill, that would theoretically complete our team. Sancho’s the obvious candidate but I’m curious to know who else we could go for should we miss out on him, which is a real possibility.

If the rumours are true that we’re looking at letting a few CBs go then obviously we need to be looking at someone young and talented with the view of challenging Lindelof in a few years time. Preferably someone quick and strong in the air.

I’d say our 2nd biggest issue would be to replace Matic who’s in his 30s while we’re not desperate for a DM, we’d have a lot more bargaining power this summer than if we waited till he was completely past it. This Zakaria seems to fit all the boxes but I wouldn’t be against someone like Ndidi, although Leicester would probably price him out of a move for now.
 
Chances are if business is done in the summer it will be minimal as clubs will have so much to do in general to get things back on course. Sancho will be the focus I feel, getting him is such a big thing to put the final piece in that front 4 IMO. I don't see us getting more than 3 in and looking at the recent links the below seems possible.

Sancho
Cavani/Igalho
Zakaria/Tonali/Van der Beek
 
Devil may care said:
Chances are if business is done in the summer it will be minimal as clubs will have so much to do in general to get things back on course. Sancho will be the focus I feel, getting him is such a big thing to put the final piece in that front 4 IMO. I don't see us getting more than 3 in and looking at the recent links the below seems possible.

Sancho
Cavani/Igalho
Zakaria/Tonali/Van der Beek
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Sancho and Ighalo is a real possibility but still not sure how badly we actually want a DM/CM.
 
croadyman said:
Sancho and Ighalo is a real possibility but still not sure how badly we actually want a DM/CM.
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Given our only DM is going to be 32 by the time another ball is kicked and routinely hasn't got the stamina for a full season or the mobility needed against better teams, I'd say a DM is a priority after Sancho, even moreso if Pogba stays as the whole playing him deeper thing is a liability.
 
crossy1686 said:
Summer 2020
- Keep Ighalo.
- Greenwood plays more
- Sancho
- Grealish
- Bellingham
- Keep Pogba if he sacks Raiola and move him into a DM
Click to expand...

Do you think he has the discipline to play there?

I think he has lots of abilities in the offensive side of the game, but defensive...
 
We need Sancho, obviously.
Beyond that I’d say a left back would be great and a DLP who’s adept at keeping possession. The ideal players would be Grimaldo for LB and Marc Roca as DLP. With the exception of Sancho, these will be inexpensive.
 
crossy1686 said:
Summer 2020
- Keep Ighalo.
- Greenwood plays more
- Sancho
- Grealish
- Bellingham
- Keep Pogba if he sacks Raiola and move him into a DM
Click to expand...

Agree with all these bar Pogba.

1) He cannot play DM at all. He's atrocious there
2) He wants to leave.
3) He's better offensively, but with Fernandes/Grealish there isn't a need for him
4) With the money he brings, we use to recruit younger/hungrier players with a better team ethic rather than his self centred media driven hype we are used too
5) He wants to leave

Pogba is a good talent, but a failed signing. Time for us all to move on
 
Craig Ward said:
Agree with all these bar Pogba.

1) He cannot play DM at all. He's atrocious there
2) He wants to leave.
3) He's better offensively, but with Fernandes/Grealish there isn't a need for him
4) With the money he brings, we use to recruit younger/hungrier players with a better team ethic rather than his self centred media driven hype we are used too
5) He wants to leave

Pogba is a good talent, but a failed signing. Time for us all to move on
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While I agree with your main point, that for whatever reason Pogba just hasn't worked here like we all hoped it would, and that he doesn't dominate games like I personally hoped he would, I must make one point --

Its not an exact quote from you, more of a general point I am synthesizing, but I think saying "we have Grealish so there is no need for Pogba" would be an offense that should lead to banishment from the forum.

Grealish isn't on the same planet as Pogba.
 
Sea-Cow said:
While I agree with your main point, that for whatever reason Pogba just hasn't worked here like we all hoped it would, and that he doesn't dominate games like I personally hoped he would, I must make one point --

Its not an exact quote from you, more of a general point I am synthesizing, but I think saying "we have Grealish so there is no need for Pogba" would be an offense that should lead to banishment from the forum.

Grealish isn't on the same planet as Pogba.
Click to expand...

While i agree, Pogba is better than Grealish (and many others), you cannot escape the vital points.

Football is a team game. A clubs main goal is to have a entire squad fir for purpose. There is little place for "Individual talents" unless that player is of the ilk of a Messi or Ronaldo. Very few teams in world football set up with a "1 star player" mentality.

Even when Hazard was at Chelsea, although he was undoubtedly the biggest talent he wasn't the only bright spark in the team, similar to Griezmann at Athletico before his move to Barca.

My points with Pogba have always been regarding consistency and application. Pogba is a selfish footballer whose work rate and desire is nowhere near where it should be to warrant a starting spot at a big club, more worrying than that is because of his fame and his worldwide popularity due to social media the bulk of our fans think he is a footballer worthy of labels like "world class".

If Pogba was the quiet type, with limited social media our fans would be screaming for him to do better and demand he leaves. Simply put, he is a failed transfer. He does not apply his talents in the manner he should. With his skill set and physical attributes, he could be immense. But he isn't. Maybe the bar is set higher, but the bar is high BECAUSE he has the ability to do so much better.

You have to ask yourself - would we have a better squad without him? Well it's difficult to answer, but he's certainly more of a negative than a positive for me.

If we sold Pogba and replaced him with Grealish i do believe our squad would be better. Thats not saying Grealish is a better player, but facts are facts. Pogba has been inconsistent over 3 seasons or so and is angling for a move. Grealish covers more positions and if he applies himself and works hard we'd have a good quality squad option. Grealish could bomb and we'd be none the better of course, but thats football.

Being a good player doesn't make you a good member of a squad
 
People need to wake up a little, we are currently 5th. The squad options are still poor. We need a much better bench, have to get rid of our first 11 is good mindset. You need a squad to win the league, we always pick up injuries and we need options.

If we are trailing in a game we can't be looking at Mata, Periera, Lingard, Jones and Chong on a bench. If we are serious of making a real challenge we need competition for places. We need 5 out and 4 quality players in. Rojo, Jones, Lingard, Periera and even Mata gone. Maybe an upgrade on Dalot. Replacement for Matic ready to come in next year. This we only need one or two is no good, it really isn't. I personally think we need a better CB to come in, don't think Lindelof has proven he's a starter with Maguire yet. Do we keep the Pogba saga going, the man is disruptive and isn't always available to be selected.
 
Craig Ward said:
While i agree, Pogba is better than Grealish (and many others), you cannot escape the vital points.

Football is a team game. A clubs main goal is to have a entire squad fir for purpose. There is little place for "Individual talents" unless that player is of the ilk of a Messi or Ronaldo. Very few teams in world football set up with a "1 star player" mentality.

Even when Hazard was at Chelsea, although he was undoubtedly the biggest talent he wasn't the only bright spark in the team, similar to Griezmann at Athletico before his move to Barca.

My points with Pogba have always been regarding consistency and application. Pogba is a selfish footballer whose work rate and desire is nowhere near where it should be to warrant a starting spot at a big club, more worrying than that is because of his fame and his worldwide popularity due to social media the bulk of our fans think he is a footballer worthy of labels like "world class".

If Pogba was the quiet type, with limited social media our fans would be screaming for him to do better and demand he leaves. Simply put, he is a failed transfer. He does not apply his talents in the manner he should. With his skill set and physical attributes, he could be immense. But he isn't. Maybe the bar is set higher, but the bar is high BECAUSE he has the ability to do so much better.

You have to ask yourself - would we have a better squad without him? Well it's difficult to answer, but he's certainly more of a negative than a positive for me.

If we sold Pogba and replaced him with Grealish i do believe our squad would be better. Thats not saying Grealish is a better player, but facts are facts. Pogba has been inconsistent over 3 seasons or so and is angling for a move. Grealish covers more positions and if he applies himself and works hard we'd have a good quality squad option. Grealish could bomb and we'd be none the better of course, but thats football.

Being a good player doesn't make you a good member of a squad
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Fair enough mate.

And if Pogba isn't 100% committed to us then you are probably right.
 
Swap Pogba for De Ligt and Ramsey , solves the Cb and box to box positions £0m spend
Sign Sancho solves Rw £100m spend
Sign Zakaria solves Dm £40m spend
Sign Ighalo solves striker depth £15m -20m

£160m outlay
4 key positions upgraded
Striker depth solved

Very ambitious, but no reason we cant take advantage of possible financial issues at other clubs such as Juventus who would probably prefer player trades to obtain Pogba rather than pay cash
 
We need Rw, Amf, ST, Cb at this point.

Matic and Mata will leave next summer and maybe Pogba so we will need to replace them.
If Dalot and Wiliams dont make a progress we will need new fullbacks.

Summer 2021: Dmf, Cmf, Rb, Lb.

Of course this is not a final number of transfers that we need. Maybe Dalot and Williams will improve. Maybe someone from academy etc. 6 transfer from now til september 2021 i can imagine.
 
I think this summer appears to be shaping up to Sancho, Grealish and Ighalo.

There’s also the Pogba situation - Romano today suggests Juve will be pushing to sign him this summer and he is their priority. If Juve somehow stump up the cash and pogba leaves then we will probably sign a DM this summer alongside those above. If he stays, the DM signing will be the following year.

Next season I anticipate we’ll move for a CB. Most likely a true Maguire partner, I’d hope that’d be someone like Konate.
 
Probably good time to raid the Bundesliga.

Sancho (100m)
Zakaria (40m)
Upamecano (40m)

Rashford - Martial - Sancho
Pogba - Bruno
Zakaria
Shaw - Maguire - Upamecano - AWB

Bench: Fred, McTominay, Brandon Williams, Greenwood. Dan James
 
I think Werner and Sancho would make an unbelievable difference to the team. I'd like to get Grealish as well if the price is right.

Rashford Werner Sancho
Pogba Bruno
Matic
Shaw Maguire Bailey AWB
De Gea.

Subs:

Attack: Martial, Grenwood, James
Midfield: Fred, Scott, Grealish
Defense: Victor, Dalot, Smalling, Williams

Try to get rid of: Jones, Jesse, Andreas, Mata, Sanchez, Rojo.

Fred/Scott can swap with Matic when needs be.
 
I really think our net spend will be quite limited this summer due to COVID 19.

The club absolutely prints money, but there is a limit to spending. The Glazers do not have as much money as City, Chelsea, and other top club owners.

On the other hand, this is the type of situation where Woodward’s strengths might come in handy. The way he commercializes every aspect of the club means we are less affected by the loss in gate receipts.

It will be a GREAT window if we sign Sancho. Period. If he can maintain form and offer 15 goals and 15 assists, it will transform the team. Replacing Dan James in the starting 11 is a huge upgrade.

I think we’ll need to sell Pogba to get Sancho, unfortunately. But selling Pogba allows us to potentially sign another midfielder plus Sancho. An energetic box to box midfielder (Van de Beek? Saul? Tolisso?) would fit our style and tactics. I hear the calls for a DM, and it’s a possibility as well.

There are going to be a lot of selling clubs this summer and I do believe that transfer amounts and wages offered will be affected. Clubs will be selling players to recoup lost revenues and stay afloat.

Even more critical, we need to get rid of high wage deadwood like Lingard, Sanchez, Rojo and Phil Jones.
 
Keep what we have (Ighalo included) and get a top class right winger and center back (to take Lindelofs place). I honestly think we would be in good shape then.

With Fred's development in midfield, Bruno, McTom, Pogba and Matic playing from time to time I feel our midfield is pretty decent.
 
If we are buying Sancho definitely need a new striker. That is a certainty.

Sadly I think Martial is just not good enough. Reminds me of Nani, all the talent in the world but too inconsistent
 
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Rocknrolla69er said:
Swap Pogba for De Ligt and Ramsey , solves the Cb and box to box positions £0m spend
Sign Sancho solves Rw £100m spend
Sign Zakaria solves Dm £40m spend
Sign Ighalo solves striker depth £15m -20m

£160m outlay
4 key positions upgraded
Striker depth solved

Very ambitious, but no reason we cant take advantage of possible financial issues at other clubs such as Juventus who would probably prefer player trades to obtain Pogba rather than pay cash
Click to expand...

I like the idea of a swapping Pogba for players, from either Juve or Madrid, but it just doesn't seem to happen that often in football. And Ole is big on players wanting to be here and having the right mindset, so I don't know if you would get that in a player that is swapped.

Also, as a small point, I would go with Rodrigo Bentancur instead of Ramsey. I think he is brilliant and could solve a lot of issues for us in the middle of the park. I would even take Rabiot over Ramsey.

I would also rather have Thomas Partey over Zakaria.
 
Ok I am bored, so here we go...

If I was in charge of United I would go all in on Sancho and Kane. Yep roll the dice on pure alpha talent in attacking position. Might cost 200 Mil but I say go for it (transfer prices this year are hard to predict so 200 Mil is best guess right now) . As I have gone all in with attacking talent not much else i am getting this summer and I am ok with that. Other than that there are two questions that need answering- 1) DeGea or Henderson? and 2) Keep Smalling or sell?

1) Do we need the money, want Henderson, or keep DeGea? For simplicity I will just keep DeGea but get this could fall out many ways.

2) As for Smalling we will have McGuire, Lindelof, and Bailly, do we need him? For simplicity I will say we keep him as I think him superior to Jones and Rojo but feel free to contradict me.

So what does that leave us next year...

Here is my proposed starting XI assuming a 4-3-3...

--------------------------DeGea----------------------
AWB------McGuire-----Lindelof-----Shaw
-----------------Fred----------Pogba--------------
--------------------------Bruno-----------------------
Sancho-------------Kane-----------Rashford

I mean seriously that is a legit starting XI with some serious world class talent and loads of it English. I could live with that team as lots of it is young and hungry and even Kane who is not young (but certainly not old) is hungry. I mean 3 WC talents (DeGea, Kane, and Pogba) plus some rising stars... thoughts?

That leaves this as my second XI...

----------------------Romero----------------------
Dalot----Bailly----Smalling----Williams
---------------McT------------Matic--------------
-------------------------Mata------------------------
James---------Greenwood-------Martial

So Mata and Matic should have one year left and we all know that, I would love to see Martial motivated to earn a spot, can you imagine him with his talent and also hungry? James has more time to develop and Greenwood is clear to develop (as you do not see Odion here) and probably the 1st sub at right or center. Lots of others here will see major minutes and I am good with that, again thoughts?

So lets go thru who did not make the top 22...

Jones: sell- honestly just do not think he will ever make it top flite.
Rojo: sell- probably a better LFB but we have Shaw and Williams
Fosu-Mensah: sell/loan- No idea if he will make it here.
Tuanzebe: loan- might make it here but needs to develop
Gomes: loan- I think the lad has loads potential. let's see if that is true with a loan.
Garner: loan- will take CM spot next year is my bet.
Odion: let go- love him but with Kane, Greenwood, and Martial no need.
Chong: loan- I do not think he will make it here. Go prove me wrong.
Sanchez: sell- Yeah whatever, however, get him a new home.
Lingard: sell- unless he is content to just not play which he might based on his salary :(.
Pereiera: sell- just not good enough in my opinion.

Now a big part of this strategy is based on the "Rich Club Coefficient" (https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0156504) where big clubs tend to gather many great players and this is an exponential effect and we need to dive in and get a club of amazing players much like we had in every year we won the CL. In addition we start to emulate Europe's elite clubs with tons of real talent out on loan.

So honestly we might not be as rock solid in the back as I would like but a midfield of Bruno and Pogba, plus attacking options of Kane, Sancho, and Rashford with more on the bench should carry us into top 4 easily and make next summers transfer market much easier. Bottom line next summer we could easily pick up a DCM and a CH and maybe LFB and legitimately be back to European elite next year.

As always comments welcome.
 
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I like that team but Kane is not going to happen. Levy is too cute to sell to another english club unless we pay well over the odds.

If we can somehow get Timo Werner that would be ideal as just don't think Martial is a natural striker.
 
James Ward said:
He's a great player and would love him but he's not going to be cheap. Doubt United can afford him.
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Oh completely agree.

One of the guesses is the transfer market will be depressed this year as many clubs lost some much revenue. I still guess 200 mil for the two and admitted that was nothing more than a guess. No idea if clubs will have to sell due to that lost revenue or maybe clubs will refuse to sell at lower values just because. Time will tell.
 
Realistic 4 targets that we need
Joe Rodon
Jadon Sancho
Raul Jiminez
Saul Niguez or Zakaria

Players to leave
Pogba
Smalling
Lingard
Pereira
Possibly Martial too if we sign a top striker
 
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