Ashley Cole is a free agent? I'm surprised why clubs especially from the PL aren't trying to sign him
Still only 32/33 isn't he?
Still only 32/33 isn't he?
Will we buy a left back this coming January, if so who?
- Thread starter Browniee
- Start date
This is already rumbling on Twitter. Have his legs gone or something?
According to claims in the British media Charlie Taylor has been linked with a move to Manchester United when the transfer window reopens in the New Year. Last night first choice left back Luke Shaw was badly injured during Manchester United’s clash with PSV, and therefore Taylor could be brought in as cover for Daley Blind.
The Daily Star have revealed that the Premier League side have been monitoring the youngster after sending scouts to watch the defender. It has been claimed Manchester United are now weighing up whether to put in an offer for Taylor when the transfer reopens in January after the injury to Shaw last night.
Louis van Gaal was hoping to see how the Leeds United star developed this season, and then planned to go in for him next summer, but with Shaw likely to be ruled out for most of this campaign they may need to act now. Early reports suggest the England international could be ruled out for at least six months after having surgery last night on his broken leg.
Taylor came through the Leeds United youth system, and last season established himself in the first team after various loan spells with numerous clubs. The 21 year old has started this campaign as Leeds United’s first choice left back under new manager Uwe Rosler.
The Daily Star have revealed that the Premier League side have been monitoring the youngster after sending scouts to watch the defender. It has been claimed Manchester United are now weighing up whether to put in an offer for Taylor when the transfer reopens in January after the injury to Shaw last night.
Louis van Gaal was hoping to see how the Leeds United star developed this season, and then planned to go in for him next summer, but with Shaw likely to be ruled out for most of this campaign they may need to act now. Early reports suggest the England international could be ruled out for at least six months after having surgery last night on his broken leg.
Taylor came through the Leeds United youth system, and last season established himself in the first team after various loan spells with numerous clubs. The 21 year old has started this campaign as Leeds United’s first choice left back under new manager Uwe Rosler.
By January, Shaw will be about 3 months away from football. I doubt we will sign anyone.
very much doubt we will go for him. Why? Blind will be much better and we do have Rojos/Jones and McNair for CB.
Apparently he was terrible for Roma. I don't think he'd add much going forward at this stage of his career, and it's tough to believe he'd be defensively superior to Rojo at LB, right?
Kellet
We won't buy anyone. If we were going to it will be a CB because Blind will cover LB.
Probably get me hung, but I'd like to see Blind remain partnered with Mike for the time being. Stick Rojo out there.
I'd only take Paddy Evra.
No Blackett
This is a good thing.
If we are to sign a LB I'd suggest someone with a view to the long term rather than just a gap filler
Luke Shaw is still our best left back, and hopefully he will make a full recovery. Obviously it will take some months for his injury to heal, but Henrik Larson(amongst many) suffered a similar injury and came back as good as ever. Being only 20 will be in Lukes favour, a player to fill in the position during the time Luke needs to recover is needed though in my opinion especially if we have more injuries hopefully less serious or better still no more at all. Charlie Taylor from Leeds United has been mentioned. To be honest I have never seen him play. But I hope that Luke Shaw makes a full recovery from his injury and is back in our team as soon as he is fit again. Head up Luke and best of luck on your road to recovery.
Calling Shaw our best LB says more about those competing with him for that position than what he's demonstrated given we can pretty much say at this point that he's barely going to have kicked a ball for us in 2 seasons at the club. Given their appearances in that position are surely pretty even I actually think Blind slightly edges it and would of been my first choice LB for this season had I been asked back in July
There's ample cover there. Might bring to light the lack of quality center half depth, but I don't think it'll be a major issue. There are wolves closer to the door.
Just sign a fecking CB in January. LB is well covered if we secure a first team CB.
I would not want to change what is working. So shifting Blind to LB and putting Jones/Rojo there would be madness.
I would rather see Rojo go at LB or shift Darmian there and then play Valencia back at RB, which again would going back to last season's frustrations
Regardless of whatever we try at fullback, Blind should not be shifted from CB, at least on current form.
I would rather see Rojo go at LB or shift Darmian there and then play Valencia back at RB, which again would going back to last season's frustrations
Regardless of whatever we try at fullback, Blind should not be shifted from CB, at least on current form.
I would not want to change what is working. So shifting Blind to LB and putting Jones/Rojo there would be madness.
I would rather see Rojo go at LB or shift Darmian there and then play Valencia back at RB, which again would going back to last season's frustrations
Regardless of whatever we try at fullback, Blind should not be shifted from CB, at least on current form.
I disagree Blind is the best left back now and Rojo or Jones the best CB we must start playing players where they are comfortable
I hope not we don't buy, we have enough depth and quality to deputize for Shaw until his return.
Our defense is solid but we lack quality strength in depth. If lets say Darmian is injured than we will end up with a makeshift crappy winger playing on the right. Hence I believe we need to replace the weak links with some talent. I'd say we get rid of Valencia and Rojo (he's not very good in defending) and bring in a solid fullback and CB. Under such circumstances we will be able to move either Darmian or Blind on the left when needed.
We will lack speed in attack with any of our current players and formations. We have players that can do the job defensively but none that can compare to Shaw going forward. If people think that now our play is sluggish just wait and see it with the slowest FBs possible. It will be a nightmare full of crosses
Darmian can attack the space in the same way as Shaw does. Blind isn't that bad in going forward either. The trouble is that we need them elsewhere (CB and RB). If we add a good RB and CB (while allowing Valencia and the Argentinian Silvestre leave) than we wouldn't be in this sad situation
Expecting @KingMinger22 to come and say that unless we get Alaba, Alba or Marcelo, we're not a serious football club.
Blind LB, Rojo CB. we wont buy anyone
No
If it looks like Shaw will miss the rest of the season come mid-January, then I'd hope we can recall Blackett rather than signing someone else. I still think we have enough defensive cover once Jones is fit, but I do believe the loss of Shaw may mean that any hopes of a title challenge are gone this early in the season*. He offers far more than any of our options there, but I'm not sure it's worth buying another LB just to 'fill in' when we have three or four players that can do that job already.
As touched upon by a few posters, I'd much rather we look for a decent young CB to challenge Smalling, Jones, and Rojo for the CB spots along with McNair and Blackett (though I think they're going to see a fair bit of time at RB and LB respectively if they get some games in the first-team in big competitions, much like when Smalling/Jones had to play RB a lot to gain experience).
*Some may believe we had no chance anyway, but with Chelsea so far behind this early on, I think the chasing pack behind City will end up on a very similar amount of points.
As touched upon by a few posters, I'd much rather we look for a decent young CB to challenge Smalling, Jones, and Rojo for the CB spots along with McNair and Blackett (though I think they're going to see a fair bit of time at RB and LB respectively if they get some games in the first-team in big competitions, much like when Smalling/Jones had to play RB a lot to gain experience).
*Some may believe we had no chance anyway, but with Chelsea so far behind this early on, I think the chasing pack behind City will end up on a very similar amount of points.
imo Blind is not the ideal left back. against quick wingers he will always be our weak link. he's a very intelligent player but physically he isnt made for the modern LB spot. I like Souare from palace but as many have stated we wont sign a LB which imo is the wrong choice.
I'd be ok with cashley as stop gap. He can't have regressed that much.. Surely..?
I'd only consider Evra just because he's a legend and he belongs here. I'd like to hope that by January we have somebody settled at left back anyway.
Big names won't be available surely but it would be great to see maybe a younger talent joining with already something to offer.
I don't think we need to, but if we do I'd much rather sign this Taylor lad from Leeds than sign bloody cashley.
Can he play more than one position? Because if not, buying a youngster who is solely a LB will cause more problems than it'll fix in the mid and long term.
Shaw, if he gets back to full fitness (mentally and physically), is a lock as our LB for at least the next half decade, that alone would seriously stifle this player, Taylor's, development because defensive players don't share loads or rotate like attackers can and do.
Getting a wily, old stop-gap who knows the deal and can do a job and won't hamper anyone once Shaw's ready to resume his duties.
I notice a lot of people are talking about moving Blind out of what has been a splendid and unexpectedly good CB partnership with Smalling, but as we don't have another ball-playing CB, there's no chance of that happening. Besides which, destabilising a settled partnership and putting a slow player at LB is going to make us leaky and uncomfortable defensively, and especially on the counter where Blind doesn't have the pace to cope if he's caught upfield.
Darmian at LB would be my preferred option if we had another RB to fill in, but Valencia is a defensive liability who plays the position like a converted winger, so there's no way that should be anything but a last resort.
As things stand, I'd opt for Rojo or Young, neither is ideal, and both have weaknesses, but it's better to tend to that one position and weaken it than it is to completely unsettle our entire backline by doing anything else.
Keep those two contesting the position until New Year, and if it hasn't worked out, look for a veteran stop-gap to do a job for the remainder of the season, or at least until Shaw is mentally and physically ready to play again.
I just hope this injury to Shaw doesn't invoke the dreaded 3-man backline!
Darmian at LB would be my preferred option if we had another RB to fill in, but Valencia is a defensive liability who plays the position like a converted winger, so there's no way that should be anything but a last resort.
As things stand, I'd opt for Rojo or Young, neither is ideal, and both have weaknesses, but it's better to tend to that one position and weaken it than it is to completely unsettle our entire backline by doing anything else.
Keep those two contesting the position until New Year, and if it hasn't worked out, look for a veteran stop-gap to do a job for the remainder of the season, or at least until Shaw is mentally and physically ready to play again.
I just hope this injury to Shaw doesn't invoke the dreaded 3-man backline!
We'll probably end up sticking with our current options. It wouldn't make much sense to buy a LB when Blind can play there very well and Rojo can do a job too, if necessary.
I'd like to see us bring in a centre half in January but unfortunately I can't see it happening. van Gaal's opinions about having a left footer playing there limits us at the best of times in the transfer market, so finding somebody suitable for that position would be even harder in the winter window.
I'd like to see us bring in a centre half in January but unfortunately I can't see it happening. van Gaal's opinions about having a left footer playing there limits us at the best of times in the transfer market, so finding somebody suitable for that position would be even harder in the winter window.
Signing Jessica would definitely boost dressing room morale.
I was very skeptical of Blind as a CB but I think he has done really well and much prefer him there as a partner for Smalling than Jones and Rojo who are both good for a brain fart in nearly every game they play.
He'll be 35 in two months and is well past it which is why not even mid-table PL sides would pick him up.
Rojo is a natural left back
Go for Seamus Coleman and switch Darmian to left full.
I think it's time we flexed our muscles as a European giant and bullied one of these PL teams for a solid LB who will rot on the bench when Shaw returns.
Kind of like what City did to Swansea in the Bony situation.
Kind of like what City did to Swansea in the Bony situation.
Considering the LB options we have (plus optimistic that Shaw will fully recover), I think we're more likely to get a RB as cover for Darmian, as well as giving us the option of moving Darmian to LB occasionally. Currently, the depth at RB consists of Valencia and maybe Jones or McNair. I think Valencia & Jones are on their last gasps with United as is, unless Jones has a miraculous year and stays injury free for the duration.
I do think Cashley would be a decent stopgap until January, but he could very well be past it as well.
I do think Cashley would be a decent stopgap until January, but he could very well be past it as well.