Which midfielder will we sign this summer?

saivet said:
Are those two any good? Never seen them play and the reviews I've seen from some of Dutch posters on here indicate that they're not all that.
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They both have considerable potential but it's whether Van Gaal wants them in his system. I am just intrigued to see who Louis' going to put in his system. We need to drop the world-class-or-nothing mentality because Van Gaal's signings will be about the team and only for that.
 
At this rate I don't expect us to sign anyone let alone a midfielder.... Actually ignore that what I actually expect to happen is we fanny about all summer like last year only to spend 40m last minute on Stootman who won't play till January
 
I`m starting to think Kagawa will be the 10, one of Cleverley, Fellaini, Carrick or Valencia will be given a proper chance to start, and we`ll sign one CM to go with those 2.

“Strootman is a player who brings a balance to the entire team. I will have players like Rafael Van Der Vaart and Sneijder, of course, but no one will be able to replace Kevin.`` - Van Gaal

So, maybe:

---------Kagawa----------
--Strootman-Cleverley---

would be my prediction.
 
charlenefan said:
At this rate I don't expect us to sign anyone let alone a midfielder.... Actually ignore that what I actually expect to happen is we fanny about all summer like last year only to spend 40m last minute on Stootman who won't play till January
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If Van Gaal thinks Strooman is the right man, does it matter if he can't play until January?
 
If it's true that Pep doesn't love Schweinsteiger and Bayern sign a CB or RB then I could see Lahm or Martinez being one of 3 options for 2 CM spots with Thiago and a re-signed Kroos, with Rode and Hojbjerg as cover, but that supposes that one of Gotze or Muller will start as the 10 fulltime, with the other acting as cover, along with Shaqiri and Pizarro, for Ribery, Robben and Lewandowski, and that looks a bit thin to me.
 
bleedred said:
So similar type of player means similar quality now?. If he is such a talent, why was there absolutely no other club interested in buying him other than Everton, or why is no other club considering a bid for him now?. Signing players from Midtable sides was what got us into this mess. You want to sign more of them?. While we are at it might as well sign Barry and Naismith, seeing they were stand out players for Everton this year

Just remember Scott parker few years back was a standout player as well.
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Wasnt gonna reply but..you sound cute and your argument is flawed..its also based on fear... Veron was a class player and we know how it went....
Get off the papers and watch the players play before jumping on the bandwagon..
 
JunesBoy said:
Wasnt gonna reply but..you sound cute and your argument is flawed..its also based on fear... Veron was a class player and we know how it went....
Get off the papers and watch the players play before jumping on the bandwagon..
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And what is yours based on?. One good season for a Midtable team?.Why do you keep bringing in players like Veron, Davids, Keane etc., when we are talking about Mccarthy?. I don't know what you are getting at.

You could rather have not replied than be condescending. I do watch enough football to make a judgement and I think he is midtable quality and will never make it at a bigger club. Could I be wrong?.Of course. But to say that my argument is flawed is ridiculous. If we are just going to sign players who have just one good season for a midtable club, then our standards have seriously dropped.
 
bleedred said:
And what is yours based on?. One good season for a Midtable team?.Why do you keep bringing in players like Veron, Davids, Keane etc., when we are talking about Mccarthy?. I don't know what you are getting at.

You could rather have not replied than be condescending. I do watch enough football to make a judgement and I think he is midtable quality and will never make it at a bigger club. Could I be wrong?.Of course. But to say that my argument is flawed is ridiculous. If we are just going to sign players who have just one good season for a midtable club, then our standards have seriously dropped.
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That wouldn't be why we were signing him though.
 
bleedred said:
And what is yours based on?. One good season for a Midtable team?.Why do you keep bringing in players like Veron, Davids, Keane etc., when we are talking about Mccarthy?. I don't know what you are getting at.

You could rather have not replied than be condescending. I do watch enough football to make a judgement and I think he is midtable quality and will never make it at a bigger club. Could I be wrong?.Of course. But to say that my argument is flawed is ridiculous. If we are just going to sign players who have just one good season for a midtable club, then our standards have seriously dropped.
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Last time I checked 5th place isn't midtable. He also isn't just a good player for them but most would agree was their second best player behind Coleman. He has also been great for Wigan for years.

Your argument is flawed as well because you are basing McCarthy solely on the fact he plays for a 'midtable club.'
 
bleedred said:
And what is yours based on?. One good season for a Midtable team?.Why do you keep bringing in players like Veron, Davids, Keane etc., when we are talking about Mccarthy?. I don't know what you are getting at.

You could rather have not replied than be condescending. I do watch enough football to make a judgement and I think he is midtable quality and will never make it at a bigger club. Could I be wrong?.Of course. But to say that my argument is flawed is ridiculous. If we are just going to sign players who have just one good season for a midtable club, then our standards have seriously dropped.
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You're right, that was rude...

Just don't write him off..
 
What about Wilshere? Still young and although he's been a touch overrated he'd be a massive improvement on what we have. Injuries the worry I guess but that was the same with RVP.
 
JackXX said:
What about Wilshere? Still young and although he's been a touch overrated he'd be a massive improvement on what we have. Injuries the worry I guess but that was the same with RVP.
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There is just no way I would take a gamble on him because of his injuries every season. With RvP we have good cover and good options available to us if he should get injured, but in our midfield we need a a player capable of playing regularly IMO. Wilshere is just not that player.
 
We'd have no chance of signing Wilshere. He's a pr*ck anyways.
 
limerickcitykid said:
Last time I checked 5th place isn't midtable. He also isn't just a good player for them but most would agree was their second best player behind Coleman. He has also been great for Wigan for years.

Your argument is flawed as well because you are basing McCarthy solely on the fact he plays for a 'midtable club.'
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Cleverley looked great at Wigan.

I am not writing him off because he plays for a midtable club. I don't want him cause he has had "One good season". Cabaye was from a midtable club as well. I will gladly take him because he has performed consistently for two or three years. If Mccarthy keeps this up, well then its worth a shot.

For every player who has stepped up from midtable club to top level, there are 4 to 5 who haven't. So the odds are against him.
 
NoPace said:
If it's true that Pep doesn't love Schweinsteiger and Bayern sign a CB or RB then I could see Lahm or Martinez being one of 3 options for 2 CM spots with Thiago and a re-signed Kroos, with Rode and Hojbjerg as cover, but that supposes that one of Gotze or Muller will start as the 10 fulltime, with the other acting as cover, along with Shaqiri and Pizarro, for Ribery, Robben and Lewandowski, and that looks a bit thin to me.
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I don't think Bayern will buy a RB. They can play Lahm there, they extended Rafinha's contract until 2017 and it is rumored that Rode will be converted to RB.
I think Shaqiri will leave because he can't get time on the pitch and at 22 he should really be playing regularly.

Regarding Schweinsteiger, can't see him being sold. He's too important as a leader even if he has gotten very injury prone in the last 3 years. Furthermore it looks like Kroos will leave on a free in 2015 which would leave Bayern's midfield a bit depleted.

I also don't think he'd be the solution to United's midfield problems. Is it worth it to pay big money on a player who'll turn 30 and has injury issues? I really can't see United getting more than 3 years as a bit part player (due to injuries) out of him.
 
Cooksen said:
The Daily Mail has said that we could get Schweinsteiger for 10 million, whatever drugs that they are on I want to give them a try.
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I don't think the idea of Schweini leaving is all that impossible. Pep would probably swap both him and Kroos but he can't go that far, so one could be leaving. Schweini is older and he's often injured. Makes perfect sense to me. The only question is how would the player react to the idea of leaving Bayern and Germany.
 
Summit said:
There is just no way I would take a gamble on him because of his injuries every season. With RvP we have good cover and good options available to us if he should get injured, but in our midfield we need a a player capable of playing regularly IMO. Wilshere is just not that player.
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Yep that is the worry I agree.

Bwuk said:
We'd have no chance of signing Wilshere. He's a pr*ck anyways.
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Well he's probably more realistic than some of the other names I've seen mentioned.
 
We've been screaming for MF players for many a season now but would it be so bad if we only signed one? a CDM for example.

With the favorite 433 of LVG we already have the players to use with it with the exception if needing a new LB... and maybe a CB.

---------DDG
Rafa-Jones-Evans*-Shaw
Mata----CDM^---Kagawa
Rooney--RVP--Januzaj

*Hummels
^Carvalho, Vidal, Martinez

Subs:
GK - Lindo, Amos
RB - Janko, Verala
CB - Smalling, Evans (if we signed a new CB)
LB - Evra, Buttner
CDM - Carrick, Fletcher?
MF - Cleverly, Anderson?
Wings - Valencia, Nani (hope Young is sold)
Striker - RVP, Welbeck, Chich?, Rooney

That looks to have unbelievable potential but of course football is not played on paper.
 
Trizy said:
We've been screaming for MF players for many a season now but would it be so bad if we only signed one? a CDM for example.

With the favorite 433 of LVG we already have the players to use with it with the exception if needing a new LB... and maybe a CB.

---------DDG
Rafa-Jones-Evans*-Shaw
Mata----CDM^---Kagawa
Rooney--RVP--Januzaj

*Hummels
^Carvalho, Vidal, Martinez

That looks to have unbelievable potential but of course football is not played on paper.
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We will be fecked with 5 attacking players....even if the CDM is Busquets or Javi Martinez
 
Sean_RedDevil said:
We will be fecked with 5 attacking players....even if the CDM is Busquets or Javi Martinez
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Barcelona did it with one CDM and 5 attacking players, I wouldn't exactly call Xavi a holding midfielder as strength and tackling wasn't exactly his best assists. I don't see why Kagawa can't do that job, he can press just as much as Xavi done in the past. Also Rooney offers a great defending bonuses so he could be slotted in instead of Mata or Kagawa.

This is just all theory though, just so I won't be pulling my hair out if we have another fecked up transfer summer.
 
Trizy said:
Barcelona did it with one CDM and 5 attacking players, I wouldn't exactly call Xavi a holding midfielder as strength and tackling wasn't exactly his best assists. I don't see why Kagawa can't do that job, he can press just as much as Xavi done in the past. Also Rooney offers a great defending bonuses so he could be slotted in instead of Mata or Kagawa.

This is just all theory though, just so I won't be pulling my hair out if we have another fecked up transfer summer.
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It's not about strength or tackling, those are tertiary characteristics of a deep playmaker. Players like Xavi, Scholes or Pirlo despite being slight are very good at controlling the game and setting tempo which are the primary characteristics. Neither Kagawa nor Mata can do that, they're both suited to a No. 10 role in a fast paced offence because of their decisiveness in the final third. Unfortunately that skill doesn't transition into central midfield. We'd lose any semblance of traction in central midfield and get overrun by the opposition even if we have superiority in numbers.
 
In terms of signing Dutch players, we have probably picked the worst possible time in the history of football do so, as this is not a vintage crop of talent, as I'm sure we'll see at the World Cup
 
If we are going Dutch I would still take Sneijder over any of the current lot even at his age.
I do really like Strootman and he was outstanding this season prior to injury. I doubt Roma would sell in January or even next summer.
 
It was quite funny reading this forum last year and how nearly everyone was writing Strootman off just like they're writing off Indis and Blind. Fast forward 12 months and Strootman is being lauded and a fair few have backtracked. Yes, he's had an outstanding season at Roma but still we could have bought him for peanuts compared to what we're being quoted now. He was doing much of the same for PSV last year too but it was put down due to being the Eredivise and a few bad performances at the U21 tournament and he was "average".

It could be exactly the same for the Dutch players we're being linked to now. If they're cheap and LvG wants them, I'll be okay with it. The way I see it, I have more faith in LvG, whose seen the players first hand, than most posters on here who have probably never even watched them play.
 
Señor said:
It was quite funny reading this forum last year and how nearly everyone was writing Strootman off just like they're writing off Indis and Blind. Fast forward 12 months and Strootman is being lauded and a fair few have backtracked. Yes, he's had an outstanding season at Roma but still we could have bought him for peanuts compared to what we're being quoted now. He was doing much of the same for PSV last year too but it was put down due to being the Eredivise and a few bad performances at the U21 tournament and he was "average".

It could be exactly the same for the Dutch players we're being linked to now. If they're cheap and LvG wants them, I'll be okay with it. The way I see it, I have more faith in LvG, whose seen the players first hand, than most posters on here who have probably never even watched them play.
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I agree although I was wanting the Strootman signing 2 years ago when linked to him before and after the Euros. It is so typically United though to have interest too late and end up having to pay triple the price. Sneijder available at Real was a prime example.
I would take any of these Dutch players but we also need some proven talent or we will struggle again IMO.
 
Sparky Rhiwabon said:
In terms of signing Dutch players, we have probably picked the worst possible time in the history of football do so, as this is not a vintage crop of talent, as I'm sure we'll see at the World Cup
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Agreed. I'm expecting Spain to walk all over them in their opening game, and I think they could have a pretty hard time out-qualifying Chile. I watched them play France in March and they were absolutely awful, just so so bad. We've already signed the only Dutch player from this current crop I'd really be keen on having at the cub (no not Buttner).
 
Infra-red said:
Agreed. I'm expecting Spain to walk all over them in their opening game, and I think they could have a pretty hard time out-qualifying Chile. I watched them play France in March and they were absolutely awful, just so so bad. We've already signed the only Dutch player from this current crop I'd really be keen on having at the cub (no not Buttner).
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Even if they do sneak out of the group, they'll probably end up playing Brazil in the round of 16. I can't see them winning that one.

The good part about the Oranje being rubbish is that LvG can focus fully on United a week or two before the World Cup gets completed.
 
bleedred said:
Cleverley looked great at Wigan.

I am not writing him off because he plays for a midtable club. I don't want him cause he has had "One good season". Cabaye was from a midtable club as well. I will gladly take him because he has performed consistently for two or three years. If Mccarthy keeps this up, well then its worth a shot.

For every player who has stepped up from midtable club to top level, there are 4 to 5 who haven't. So the odds are against him.
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Cleverley never looked as good as McCarthy for Wigan. He has had more than one good season, there you go completely dismiss anything he did for Wigan because it is Wigan.
 
bleedred said:
Might as well sign Caldwell as replacement for Vidic then.
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Except Caldwell was never Wigan's best player by far, was great against top teams and has continued to be dominant at Everton. Did you ever even watch him for Wigan? Clearing proving my point of you are solely basing his abilities off of him playing for Wigan. Rate the player not the club he plays for.
 
bleedred said:
Cleverley looked great at Wigan.

I am not writing him off because he plays for a midtable club. I don't want him cause he has had "One good season". Cabaye was from a midtable club as well. I will gladly take him because he has performed consistently for two or three years. If Mccarthy keeps this up, well then its worth a shot.

For every player who has stepped up from midtable club to top level, there are 4 to 5 who haven't. So the odds are against him.
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from what i remember cleverly was great at the start, got injured came back and wasn't very good and got dropped at the end of the season when they went on their great run to escape relegation.

but i agree with you on McCarthy anyway.
 
Aren't there any good midfielders in the South American and African leagues? The South American leagues are quite strong and there are several players in the South American NTs who do not play in Europe but are talented nonetheless. Surely there is atleast one midfielder out there who is better than what we have. We got to get them before the world cup. I am tired of looking at the usual suspects linked to us again and again.
 
limerickcitykid said:
Except Caldwell was never Wigan's best player by far, was great against top teams and has continued to be dominant at Everton. Did you ever even watch him for Wigan? Clearing proving my point of you are solely basing his abilities off of him playing for Wigan. Rate the player not the club he plays for.
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That's ridiculous. If someone in a league in League two does well for a season, does that mean the player is highly rated. I know that's a far stretch. But as I have said, for every player that steps up from lower clubs to top level, there is more than 4 or 5 who have failed. So,the odds are that he will not be a success at United. But can he be successful??..Of course, he can. But I would rather take that gamble on someone coming through the academy or buy an established player.
 
People keep saying Strootman wont be fit until January but I thought I read he'd be fiot by October? Given how much LvG waffles about him I wouldn't be surprised to see us try for him but he's only been at Roma 1 season so unless he has a release clause they'll bleed us dry.
 
Devil may care said:
People keep saying Strootman wont be fit until January but I thought I read he'd be fiot by October? Given how much LvG waffles about him I wouldn't be surprised to see us try for him but he's only been at Roma 1 season so unless he has a release clause they'll bleed us dry.
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He will probably play by September or October. The January thing is because someone suggested it would make more sense to pursue him during the winter window.
 
bleedred said:
That's ridiculous. If someone in a league in League two does well for a season, does that mean the player is highly rated. I know that's a far stretch. But as I have said, for every player that steps up from lower clubs to top level, there is more than 4 or 5 who have failed. So,the odds are that he will not be a success at United. But can he be successful??..Of course, he can. But I would rather take that gamble on someone coming through the academy or buy an established player.
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If they do well enough they'll probably become highly rated, yes. Powell being an example. Usually takes more than a season though.

And it's usually a signing based on what they can offer to the team or improvements they can make alongside better players and coaches, not just because they "did well" for a year. Lots of players do well, but it's clear they've found their level.

You seem to think people want McCarthy based just on what he did for a year at Everton, when this year actually just highlighted what they already thought of him, and we predict he'd be better here because of the skills he has.

If a year of doing well was enough, Kevin Phillips, James Beattie, and Andy Johnson would have been top four players. Or we'd be having this conversation about Tom Huddlestone too.
 
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