Hopefully the scouts do the job they’re suppose to do and identify another target who can make a meaningful impact on the squad.
What should we do for the right wing if we don't get Sancho in the upcoming window?
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If dembele is available for that much I would definitely take the gamble. Plus with the other french players at United it could be what he needs, and he may help us keep pogba
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I have big concerns about Dembele in terms of fitness, injuries and reported attitude to a healthy lifestyle required of a top level footballer.
He clearly has/had something about him but I worry that already he’s a bit of a lost cause Barcelona don’t sell top/potentially top players.
Also surprised at the amount happy to go in to next season with James and Greenwood as the only 2 options for the RW spot. I mean if people are happy for another battle for 4th place next season then that’s what they’ll be getting if those are our only right sided options.
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The only other French player we have is Pogba.
We have Bailly as a native
French speaker but I don’t see how those two would change his reported attitude and sort him out. I certainly don’t see how Dembele keeps Pogba happy just because you’re French doesn’t mean you’ll get along or do anything positive for one another.
Barcelona also has French players Lenglet, Umtitti and Griezmann why have they not had the desired effect on Dembele?
Barca are screwed, they have to sell players. He doesn’t fit their system and never has so if someone needs to go then they can live without him whilst they try to find a 100 mil for this Martinez “story”. Talks of them selling Semedo to help raise cash As well.
On the lifestyle thing it’s not that he’s a bad egg, seemingly when he went there he just moved with a bunch of his mates. Can’t speak for everyone but I know what I was like at 21 and we’ve heard similar stories with some of our players.
Eventaully it’s just something that clicks that you know you can’t be doing this and that and if you want to be successful you need to make the sacrifices. It’s maturity other than him being a grade a ass hole causing issues, fights and other bad things messing with group harmony.
The injuries are a concern but they all seem tied together so Hopefully he can overcome them.
If it’s not us I’m sure one of the big European teams will take a gamble on him at that price. I see Juventus are also linked with him.
Martial? and Bailly and Tuanzabe came from places that were colonised by France at one point if I'm not mistaken?
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To be fair to those posters Daniel James has 2 goals and 5 assists from RW in 14 appearances in the PL (1097mins).
That’s a 1 in 2 contribution or a goal or assist every 156.7mins. Not good enough for a guaranteed starter but it’s his first season in the PL and at the club. He has his benefits.
Greenwood has 4 goals from 12 PL appearances (361mins) at RW. Which is decent for an 18 year old.
I don’t agree with anyone saying it’s good enough for RW but I understand people not wanting to spend on someone else.
I disagree, both are young players who will improve over time. Surely more game time is better for them?
I think its probably a case of Sancho or nothing for RW.
I dont see any other signing that we are linked too or any other viable option.
Brooks? He's a better #10 and has been injured for a whole season. He's not a RW, doesnt solve the problem
Dembele? Injury prone and apparently Barca value a 140 mil signing at 37 mil? Tells you all you need to know. One to avoid
Willian? Has been average for years, is past his best. Does not suit our transfer strategy. A classic Jose signing, we're better than that now
Sarr? Had about 2 good games for a poor Watford team. I'd rather stick with James/Greenwood
Grealish? More suited to #LW or #10. Not a natural RW. Have we not learnt by playing Mata/Lingard/Periera/Martial at RW that they arent suited there. We need to sign a competent RW
Plus if the plan is to revisit Sancho next year, then signing big there now makes little sense given that funds will be low.
The only name that makes some sense to me is Traore, who is a natural RW. Wolves would need a hefty fee to deal and i cant see us signing Traore this summer and Sancho the next. Troare probably means no Sancho, i'd rather wait a season for Sancho in that case.
I would feel exactly the same regarding this type of profile signing if it was not for the case that I have actually seen quite a bit from David Brooks. He is a much better player than James, and has proven that in the PL. Even at this point. James was signed from the Championship.
David Brooks has a few things going for himself,
- Great off the ball,
- Extremely "neat" on the ball (rarely lose the ball, very good passer short and medium range),
- Had a very good end product in his one season in the PL,
- Flair,
Furthermore, he is a very intelligent player. Injuries permitting, he will be a player with similar qualities to Bernardo Silva, but with more end product.
I would prefer that we did not sign him on the back of an ankle injury though and it would obviously be very good if we had more than one year in the PL. In other words, I'm a bit mixed with regards to Brooks. Potentially he is a very good player with qualities we need. But the injury and the fact that he is a bit of a rookie makes me a bit uneasy about him.
You forgot Martial?
And to be frank, Nationality does have an influence.
Dembele must have enjoyed having more French players around at Barca.
He has also played with Pogba & Martial with the French national team so he will enjoy seeing familiar faces again.
Also, in general we have a young squad with a team finally coming together that will play together for a few years.
That may seem like a good project to him instead of staying at Barca where a rebuild is round the corner.
Anyways, this is all fun to debate about but I would definitely be interested in Dembele at a price of $40m or so that’s being stated. He’s still so so young and injuries at a young age are not career-ending.
Ole seems to have set a high bar for work ethic and physical conditioning and maybe that will help Dembele avoid further injuries in the (near and long term future).
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Completely my bad on that one. But the point still stands. Do you think Martial and Pogba are suddenly going to inspire Dembele to change his ways and be a huge success where Griezmann, Lenglet and Umtitti could not?
Yes but again do you think Bailly and Tuanzebe (neither who have held their first team spot) are going to fix him?
I just don’t accept that just because someone speaks French they’ll sort out a very up and down player with injuries and a reported laddish attitude.
We could try for an alternative, RW is the priority it seems from the rumours, so if not Sancho then we will probably try someone else.
Still, expecting us to spend big in this climate also seems unrealistic.
Still, expecting us to spend big in this climate also seems unrealistic.
I agree we might be in a very good position financially to buy players. We also have the second largest wage bill in this country. We have a good set of commercial deals in place to keep us profitable.
However; that does not mean it will be spent on players. The thing about factoring sales is, I can see sales this window taking a very long time with clubs trying to negotiate different structure deals etc, which would leave us with spending at the end of the window, rather than the start.
I am confident Ole knows what he wants now. If its Sancho then Ed should act early and get him. If it is Grealish, we need to act quick.
David Brooks would be a great option, talent-wise just below Sancho at the moment. He'd be a great buy if we don't get both Grealish and Sancho as he can play in either role. He's underestimated because who he plays for. Reasonable price, experienced in premier league, great passer, can score and good at carrying the ball. Sensible buy which would ty into Olie's purchases so far.
No, I don't hold that view, nationality isn't everything but he may find the group here easier to get on with and anybody can transform if their happiness does. He doesn't strike me as overly happy at Barcelona, not to say he will be here but he could be and if the price is right I think it's a risk worth taking but I don't think the fact we have a few players who were born in the same country will help him.
Also - if we’re really not getting SANCHO this year than I’d be okay with going for Dembele instead.
With his injury record, he could be eased back in and we have a healthy Daniel James to play backup in his absence.
But talent wise, Dembele is definitely up there with the Sancho’s or Mbappe’s.
Barca bought him for the future and if they’re letting him go, he’s a risk we should definitely take advantage of.
If his injury record doesn’t improve, he’ll still be a player, that at his young age, we can easily get rid of without much loss if his stated price at the moment is actually around $40m or so. Surely he’ll still demand $20/25m even in a couple years time?
Best case scenario: he’s worth the risk and we may not even need to spend the $100m on Sancho in the current climate.
With his injury record, he could be eased back in and we have a healthy Daniel James to play backup in his absence.
But talent wise, Dembele is definitely up there with the Sancho’s or Mbappe’s.
Barca bought him for the future and if they’re letting him go, he’s a risk we should definitely take advantage of.
If his injury record doesn’t improve, he’ll still be a player, that at his young age, we can easily get rid of without much loss if his stated price at the moment is actually around $40m or so. Surely he’ll still demand $20/25m even in a couple years time?
Best case scenario: he’s worth the risk and we may not even need to spend the $100m on Sancho in the current climate.
Proved nothing? He scored 7 goals and got 5 assists in his debut season and only season in the Premier league. Pochettino was crazy to buy him before his injury. If we can't afford Sancho then Brooks is the only other option who could do a job. Matondo hasn't done enough to win a move to a big club despite his pace.
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Yes I did, apologies!
The point stands though we don’t know what his relationship is like with Pogba and Martial who he will barely have played with if ever. There are plenty of English people I work with who while a familiar face don’t inspire me to do a better job. That comes from within. Internal motivation will always beat external.
I just don’t see him working out here to be honest too many red flags in particular his injury history lots of hamstring problems https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ousmane-dembele/verletzungen/spieler/288230
Does the French language have medical benefits to hamstrings?
It’s a great debate to be had (who if not Sancho should we sign) I just think players with hamstring problems early in their careers who rely on explosive movements tend to suffer quickly. I’m not sure Dembele has much to offer if he can’t be as explosive.
This false No10 at RW tactic worked so well for Mata didn`t it???
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It’s a ridiculous notion.
Bruno has never played RW and has always put his best performances in from AM/CM but let’s shift him out wide!
IMO it shows a complete lack of understanding of how Bruno plays and why he ends up with space etc.
People assume you move wide and there is more space etc but he creates it moving from central areas to wide half spaces.
Honestly last night debating this felt like banging my head against a brick wall!
I can`t understand how in big 2020 people are still advocating for strikers to play as RWs or No10s as RWs. You don`t see Madrid using Benzema out wide or Bayern using Lewa out wide. If your ST is a proven clinical goalscorer use him through the middle. If your no10 who lacks that ability to stretch defences is at his best through the middle then just use him through the middle this square pegs in round holes is one of the reasons why we`ve been so poor Post Fergie era. From using Mata out wide to Di Maria as a CM amongst other examples and even if we wanted to use this false winger tactic news flash!!! Our fullbacks are not offensively good enough to make this tactic work so we HAVE to get natural players in their natural positions anyway otherwise you are beating a dead horse. Like I said if we are able to subisidise any financial strain by the time the season ends then it`s Sancho or nobody.There is no other RW who possesses even half his quality that would take us to the next level.
Why do some fans keep suggesting we play players out of position? Bruno is a AM, Manutd don't have a AM yet some of us want him as RW? seriously?
There are 0 benefits of having him there, he is a player who likes to get on the ball and make passes happen, he has almost a 360 vision of what is around him, why not use his qualities where they matter?
We are better off leaving James, Greenwood on the RW and play Bruno in his actual position.
If Sancho fails, we better bring Quixote. Sancho was always a side.kick anyway (I'll get my coat)
Said it all along, we should have gone for Ziyech. He was cheap and has great technique and work ethic. Then if Sancho became.available we would go for him too. This all or nothing approach can be great when it works out like for Liverpool and VVD, but when it doesn't, you are left scurrying around for alternatives at the last minute.
I like Brooks too but there are lots of buts. He has just come back from serious injury and its a question of price. If he plays the last few games and comes through ok and the price is 30 ish then he would be a shrewd bit of business with the view of getting Sancho next year. Of course if he has a great season we may not even need Sancho but I doubt he'll make that kind of leap. He will more be a replacement for Mata, Lingard at RW. So Brooks and Sancho would be the ideal. With James/Rashford on the left.
Basically we should look for a cheapish, young promising RW that can potentially make RW his own but in the short term replace Mata/Lingard and all the other useless players we play at RW.
Basically we should look for a cheapish, young promising RW that can potentially make RW his own but in the short term replace Mata/Lingard and all the other useless players we play at RW.
I agree. Brooks can also play through the middle, so he would be a replacement for Mata, Lingard and Pereira. He would also be one of few attacking players that is left footed.
I'm not convinced much will happen transfer-wise across Europe. Loans might be much more popular and low value signings. I don't see much being spent when the whole football industry is set to lose hundreds of millions of pounds across the board.
Liverpool, for example, they didn't spend any money last season, they were looking to go big this summer and now that might not happen and it could be detrimental to their future success.
Liverpool, for example, they didn't spend any money last season, they were looking to go big this summer and now that might not happen and it could be detrimental to their future success.
- Offer Mertens a contract
- Brooks if Bournemouth get relegated.
- Dembele on loan.
If not go forward with squad options Greenwood/James/Dalot.
Maybe play 3-5-2 with AWB as RCB and Dalot/James as RWB.
- Brooks if Bournemouth get relegated.
- Dembele on loan.
If not go forward with squad options Greenwood/James/Dalot.
Maybe play 3-5-2 with AWB as RCB and Dalot/James as RWB.
You need to chill out mate, getting all aggro about someone else’s opinion on player positions haha
I forgot you were the no 1 knowledge on where and how Bruno should play.
If we don’t get Sancho this season then there is no point buying anyone else for RW if we intend To go for him next season, waste of money and we can spend that elsewhere
Have to say I don’t think we are particularly desperate for a RW but IF Sancho is available then we should do everything in our power to sign him.
It’s a no-brainer for me. £100m looks like a big number but it’s a bargain for a player who has 10+ season’s left at the top and will have resale value going into his next contract renewal even if he signs the standard 5+1
It’s a no-brainer for me. £100m looks like a big number but it’s a bargain for a player who has 10+ season’s left at the top and will have resale value going into his next contract renewal even if he signs the standard 5+1
Depends how you play it.
Mata was/is too slow to play there for us, Bruno, or in fact any other player we have is quicker than Mata.
But, if Mata played for City or Barca he’d be a success in that position for them I think.
I agree Sancho fits the bill perfectly. If Dortmund are playing the game of wait till the market picks up, then it is a dangerous one. I assume that we wanted him last summer and waited till this. However; if we cannot do a deal this summer and Dortmund want a bidding war, they will not get one. Not many clubs can afford him, he will have one year left on his contract come next summer.
Real want Mbappe, Liverpool want Werner. There won't be a shortage of clubs but clubs also have their priority signings.
Now lets say we sign another RW and he does well next season, I don't think we will go back in for Sancho for £100m next summer.
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Because people like the idea of things more than the reality.
Nobody has yet shown any analysis to back up why they think it would work.
I am not aggravated at all, you implied my opinion was stupid when you lacked the understanding of what Bruno does centrally by saying he’d just be still in the middle not moving. I have explained myself and backed up my opinion with evidence of why he is wasted out wide. I have more if you require it.
I suspect this little aggro comment comes more because you have absolutely nothing to come back with to counter the stats I have provided and the analysis provided also. It’s ok to not have a good reply but don’t be petty by implying I’ve been aggravated.
He creates space by shifting from central positions out wide which decongests the central areas enabling players to run into space in more damaging areas. I’m not saying I’m the No1 but thank you for your kind words. I do however fully believe I am more correct than you are currently and I am open to having my mind changed about Bruno being suited for a false RW position if good evidence or analysis is provided.
I’ve had a look around for his games at LW and LM for a reasonable comparison and having seen the outcome I’m secure in my opinion. He’s not quick enough, he doesn’t like to run around wide and I think we’d be wasting his vision, passing and ability to find and create space as well as end up pushing him further away from goal forcing him to cut inside onto his weaker foot for any shooting opportunity. I think that would be a big waste.
Fell free to counter.
He’s quicker but not quick enough. His lateral movement is good but even his acceleration isn’t the same as top wide players. He’s by no means slow but in the PL there is a big difference between being quicker than Mata and being quick enough to be a viable wide option.
Make Bruno suddenly left footed and there is slightly more of a case for making him a false RW but otherwise I maintain it’s a waste.
What’s your team for next season then?
You can spout as many stats as you like, great players can play in multiple positions. I’ve been watching football long enough to see that with my own eyes.
I also never said it’s his best position but an OPTION if we don’t get Sancho.
Can you not accept another persons opinion? Or do you go off the facts no matter what?
If you waited for stats to show things would work well before trying them you’ll get no where in life.
Not every winger is lightening quick nor is it a requirement to be a good one.
Mata was simply to slow to play anywhere let alone RW.
Same way not every playmaker will thrive out wide. Being quicker than Mata doesn`t equate to being good enough to be wide player. There`s not even many playmakers that have thrived out wide anyway. David Silva is the only exception I can think of and he`s in a class of his own. In this modern era using makeshift wingers needs attacking fullbacks to make it work and AWB for all his quality isn`t refined in that aspect so you`re basically doing bupkis wasting a world class no10 out wide.
Ed Woodward to play on RW if we cannot get Sancho
I agree but how do you know if you don’t try it?
I want to see Rash, Martial, Pogba, Bruno, Fred & McT on the pitch together, someone has to play in that area, I’d start Bruno there and Let them rotate.