Which midfielder will we sign this summer?

Cina said:
He's just very picky about midfield because of his lack of success with previous acquisitions.
Click to expand...

So he's trying to get it to a point where any player would improve it?
 
Will Absolute said:
Imo, Powell represents the last hope of producing a CM of sufficient quality from within the club. The league run-in should be interesting. If Powell gets games and shines, it may encourage Fergie to keep his wallet in his arse pocket for another season. If not, surely, surely SAF will finally be forced into the market.
Click to expand...

Good point about the chances of Powell getting in some action in the last 6-7games of the season. I've been very impressed with what I've seen of him so far. He's young, but so what? If he can prove he's got mettle I'd be happy to settle on Powell to compete with Cleverley for the attacking mid role.
 
Sphaero said:
Well, then the people with hopes of getting Bale should rejoice, because it should be easy to get him from the Spurs.

Tottenham is afterall a club with less financial punch than Dortmund and Juventus (the difference will only widen in this season, because the latter two have impressive growth rates).
Then there is the fact that both clubs offer you a pretty much guaranteed spot in the CL and the title race of their respective leagues.

I say that as a United sympathizer for two decades, but statements like "forcing" the hands of clubs, who are multiple champions of top leagues, have some pretty arrogant undertone.

United may be the bigger club and pay more money, but that surely does not mean, that SAF just needs to snip with his fingers and lead players of clubs that have so much to offer as Dortmund and Juventus will come begging to play at the Old Trafford.

The truth is, that transfers as Vidal and Gündogan are very unrealistic in this summer for two reasons:

1. Dortmund as well as Juventus have absolutely no need or desire to sell such integral players. It would take a horrendous amount of money to make them reconsider those facts.

2. Both players have stated time and time again, how content they are at their current clubs. Gündogan plays before 80k crazy fans at every home game and under "the best coach I could ever hoped for" (direct statement by him). It is also the club, who contributes after Bayern the most players to the national team. Why would he risk a good chance of playing in the next world cup with a potential move into a completely different league and team system?
Click to expand...

Bale is a different case to the players we are talking about, whether people here like it or not he is a match winning special player that is amongst the most sought after in the world, the fee required to get him would be beyond United and probably any teams bar City, PSG, Chelsea and maybe Real.

There was no arrogant undertone intended, it was simply a counter point to this notion that we should be aiming for players from the championship and low end sides like Southampton, as if we couldn't prize away an asset from a CL club.

I'm aware these clubs are not paupers or pushovers but United are globally as big as it gets and the PL is the biggest league as far as drawing power goes across the world. A player that comes here raises their profile and makes themselves more money through that by increasing their worth in the endorsements market, that is an important thing in the modern game to the type of player being created these days.

As far as what Gundogan and Vidal have said; we both know that means nothing, footballers and managers just give the sound bytes they think the press and fans want to hear, as a United fan we need look no further than our very own Ronaldo situation to see how most players talk out of both sides of their mouths.

On your 2 points, the first is true that we'd have to make a very enticing offer, I am merely saying I believe we can do that and can entice the player's, more so Vidal as your second point about the German national team situation with the WC coming up raises a very valid reason why Gundogan may not wish to move.


sullydnl said:
That's my point though, he's not saying "we have a problem in midfield because we lack defensive strength there", he's saying "we have a problem in midfield because it's hard to find players of the right quality". So his focus isn't on the type of player, it's on the quality of the player. So if a player like Thiago was available I think he'd be our midfield signing, even though he's not the "defensive" player so many want. (I'm assuming Feguson rates Thiago highly as we've apparently made a few bids for him over the last few years.)
Click to expand...

I'm just saying that I don't think we can read much into such a general statement, I mean he mentions Scholes and Carrick, maybe he is saying he wants quality additions in both their roles, who knows as the statement is vague.
 
Fabregas, Spartacus I think we will get anonymous.

Midfielders are devil spawn.
 
I think its highly probable we will sign a midfielder.

One would be enough, too, I think.
 
Muppet moment...
Realistically....Alexis Sanchez, draxler and bender would be nice
Unrealistically bale, gotze, isco and ronaldo will defo not he coming!
 
For the love of God Fergie, please sign some quality in central midfield this Summer!!

It's so frustrating watching what could be a great side suffer because of how piss poor we are in this area!
 
How about Song? He's not really getting any game time at Barcelona, so he might want to leave.
 
TheGame said:
This might be a good shout actually and presumably we can get a good price for him. I am still keen on Strootman.
Click to expand...

Strootman? is that still the 'done deal'?

Cheeky bid for Dembele especially if Spurs don't make the CL
 
IMO Anderson is off this summer. Even if that wasn't the case I'd say that we still need to being in at least two more CM's.

I wouldn't be shocked if we didn't, but I'd be surprised and also concerned if we didn't.
 
Strootman seems the only possibility, for me. Inexpensive, and an international who'd add quality to the squad.

I wouldn't expect a centre midfielder to be signed that will come in straight away and make a massive difference.
 
Fletcher back, Jones as a makeshift. I can just see us not signing a new midfielder, even if Anderson does leave. I mean when he's fit, he barely plays, and when he plays a few games he gets injured anyway.
 
Scholes retiring, Anderson possibly being sold, Giggs and Carrick a year older, Fletcher with a loose arse should he return. We definitely need a midfielder in the summer. If Ferguson fails to recognise it, he's lost the plot.
 
We said it last year with the worries of Cleverley staying fit and Anderson. Of course, it's turned out to be a successful league campaign, but Carrick is the only consistent performer we have in midfield, and it's been shown time and time again this season. We can't keep relying on him, and this is considering many fans opinions on him were split down the middle just a couple of years ago.
 
Gundogan would absolutely transform our midfield
 
I haven't really expected anyone to be signed for a few transfer windows, but our weakness is so blatantly obvious that it just seems impossible that SAF will ignore it again. I honestly believe we need at least 2 midfielders, especially to challenge in all cup competitions. Carrick has been over-played and is now 31 and to me it seems ridiculous to have to rely on him, regardless of how well he has played, to keep playing 90 minutes every game.
 
That's sad if Scholes sticks around another season. He was brilliant when he returned last season, but I fear he hasn't much to offer nowadays. Except the odd forty yard pass and yellow card.
 
Next year -

Carrick
Scholes
Giggs
Fletcher
Cleverley
Anderson

six midfielders for 2 positions - no chance we will sign anyone. In reality thats

Carrick - quality
Cleverley - still unproven
Fletcher - the man with no bowel
Giggs - older than some managers
Scholes - should have retired
Anderson - forever fitness problems
 
A possibility is that Sir Alex after his last 3 faliures in Kleberson, Djemba Djemba, and Ando (faliure maybe bit of a stretch but yeah..), has just decided to stick with British players in the core of the team.

Won't surprise me if we move for Mccarthy tbh. There don't seem to be any quality English Midfielders available anyway.
 
'United launch stunning double - raid on Catalans for Thiago and Song'.

This headline would please me at some stage this summer. That said, even reading this headline would not make it true!
 
Reapersoul20 said:
No white text?

Christ...
Click to expand...

I love him as much as anyone but he should have retired at the end of last season, and he's shown this year that whenever he plays he's a liability. Do you actually think he can still do a job in our midfield in the premier league or champions league?
Anyways if he doesn't retire, what are the odds that sir Alex will think we're fine there and won't buy another midfielder?
 
Rowem said:
So you think we need about 10 CMs? :confused:
Click to expand...

Four would be too much but I think 3 would be perfect. It's safe to discount fletcher from our midfield, and Scholes and giggs shouldn't play in a 2 man midfield anyways. That leaves us with 3, and 1 that is always injured. Going up to 6 midfielders wouldn't be too bad although I think we should probably get 2, so that Powell can still get chances.
 
bosnian_red said:
Four would be too much but I think 3 would be perfect. It's safe to discount fletcher from our midfield, and Scholes and giggs shouldn't play in a 2 man midfield anyways. That leaves us with 3, and 1 that is always injured. Going up to 6 midfielders wouldn't be too bad although I think we should probably get 2, so that Powell can still get chances.
Click to expand...

Three is still ridiculous overload. All fit you'd have one or two CMs not even on the bench, and that's before you include the peripheral options like Anderson, Giggs, Jones, Fletcher, Powell and Scholes.

Not sure where we stand in regards to the 25 man squad limit at the moment but I doubt we could fit 3 new midfielders in.

I can only see us signing two if we are to lose two (most likely Scholes and Anderson).
 
Why is it safe to discount Fletcher? All of the talk coming out of the club suggests that his recovery is on track and that he will be back next season. I just don't get this view that he is definitely finished. Are we that certain that the best medical facilities that money can buy cannot resolve this issue to the point that he can play again?
 
backofthenet said:
Why is it safe to discount Fletcher? All of the talk coming out of the club suggests that his recovery is on track and that he will be back next season. I just don't get this view that he is definitely finished. Are we that certain that the best medical facilities that money can buy cannot resolve this issue to the point that he can play again?
Click to expand...

Lets be realistic, he has a chronic injury that will never fully dissapear.

No amount of medical staff will bring him back to his 100% ability.

As much as i love Fletcher and wish him the best i really dont feel we should be so sentimental. We need players who play at the top of their game, not just because we feel sorry for them. (same with Scholes)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.