Tielmanns is arguably an upgrade on Herrera. And Bruno Fernandes could go either way. Heck he could do better for us than Pogba has done quite easily so we could still come out of this mess okay. However we will probably dilly dally and lose both to other teams knowing us.
Youri Tielemans
- Thread starter Zoo
- Start date
- Status
Tielemans would be an excellent addition.
He is still only 22 but is already quite an experienced player, has shown that he can handle the Premier league too, and the asking price of circa £40m makes him a bargain in this day and age..
It just seem just an obvious and relatively straight forward deal, but we'll probably be more focused on making derisory bid of £18m for Longstaff.
He is still only 22 but is already quite an experienced player, has shown that he can handle the Premier league too, and the asking price of circa £40m makes him a bargain in this day and age..
It just seem just an obvious and relatively straight forward deal, but we'll probably be more focused on making derisory bid of £18m for Longstaff.
We should be all over him, especially at that price.
We should be in for him regardless of what happens with Pogba
Agreed - especially at 40m. He's better than anyone we've got in midfield bar Pogba.
He's on loan after a disastrous spell. How much could they want?
My guess is Eriksen and Rabiot is the plan A if Pogba leaves.
Maybe Bruno or Tielemans and Longstaff the plan B.
Maybe Bruno or Tielemans and Longstaff the plan B.
Having seen him a lot at Leicester I'm not sold on him, but I wouldn't be against the signing either. Maddison impressed me more when they partnered each other in midfield ahead of Ndidi.
His passing and shooting technique remind me of Scholes so those are big pluses, but I don't think he's that good defensively, hasn't got the best ball retention under pressure, and there are question marks over his mentality, too.
His passing and shooting technique remind me of Scholes so those are big pluses, but I don't think he's that good defensively, hasn't got the best ball retention under pressure, and there are question marks over his mentality, too.
Disastrous spell is a bit much. He went to Monaco as a 20 year old and had a rough first season, improved in the first half of his 2nd season where Monaco was a disaster and were fighting relegation, then went on loan and looked excellent. He was incredibly highly rated as a young player at Anderlecht, and still is and is still only 22, as a central midfielder. None of that is spells "disaster" or is out of the ordinary for a young player, and theres every indication hes ready for the step up and kick on to that potential that everyone saw when he was younger. Genuinely think he can be world class in the near future and is exactly the type we need. £40m for a very complete, 22 year old central midfielder who excelled in the premier league for half a season last season is not bad at all. Not overly cheap, but a fair price given everything (and considering another full season at Leicester and they wouldve started to demand 80m+ for him).
Struggle to see why he's a Pogba replacement. We've lost Herrera and Fellaini in the last 6 months. Matic doesn't have much left in the tank and Periera doesn't look cut for this level. Should be all over him.
I thought he looks good in Leicester. Not a direct replacement for Pogba but much better than what we have right now. We need at least 2 CM reinforcements. Rabiot, Bruno and him will make good additions. Just get it done. I don't mind if involves swapping with Pereira.
Really rate this guy. We've been watching him since he was like 14.
Get him in please. Cracking player.
Tielemans and Bruno with Pogba leaving and I'll take that to be honest. We still should make a profit.
I’m a fan and he’s a good young player, but he is no Pogba replacement, not by a long way. I’d have him, but he needs to be used very specifically and with the right partners to get the best out of him, and I don’t know if he’s worth tailoring an entire midfield too.
He’s not individually brilliant enough to be a 10 for me, I’ve almost never seen him go past a player. Further back, the fact that he’s not a runner and built like a school girl becomes an issue.
With a 10 who does a bit of work, and an energetic 6, he can be very good. Him alongside Pogba puts way too much pressure on whoever is behind them for me, as there isn’t enough running in that pair. Him in place of Pogba is a massive step down.
He’s not individually brilliant enough to be a 10 for me, I’ve almost never seen him go past a player. Further back, the fact that he’s not a runner and built like a school girl becomes an issue.
With a 10 who does a bit of work, and an energetic 6, he can be very good. Him alongside Pogba puts way too much pressure on whoever is behind them for me, as there isn’t enough running in that pair. Him in place of Pogba is a massive step down.
Because of the role he played for Leicester and not doing much defensively. In his previous clubs he did have more of a work ethic defensively though and he's still young so maybe he could still do the job.
This is the part that worries me about this link. If we're losing Pogba's brilliant or even complimenting it, we need defenders with a strong mentality and sense of ethic. But it's good to see that were linked with players who are highly rated.
But he's not a number 10. I don't know why people keep saying Pogba replacement. The entire structure of our midfield needs to change. We aren't looking for replacements. We are looking for players that fit and can grow with the team.
Exactly. If we lose Pogba, I don't see us trying to replace one player. The whole shape / formation of the midfield would change.
The school girls near you must be hell of a state
They'll never find a like for like replacement in midfield, they probably envision a 4-2-3-1 set up with Tielemens and Rabiot in midfield and a #10 being the creative fulcrum of the attack.
Would be really pleased with this signing. Loads of potential and we know he can play in the premier league. Hope the links are true.
Didnt he fail at Monaco? Are we sure that someone who failed at Monaco just a few months ago is going to be the person to fix the Manchester United midfield?
Rodri
Rabiot
Tielemans
Fernandes
Not bad for £150 million
Rabiot
Tielemans
Fernandes
Not bad for £150 million
I don't think he failed at Monaco, the whole club went to shit during that time.
He was 20 years old in a new league after he showed a very mature head at Anderlecht and then had a bad first season at Monaco, improved 2nd but went on loan half way through and impressed at Leicester. It's not that weird of a career progression to struggle in a new league initially when you're 20...
There is no Pogba replacement out there. We need to build a proper CM 3 if he's going.
Tielemans and Fernandes will more than make up for Pogba. Only issue is with our success rate for signings we'd probably feck that up too.
A strong and mobile DM will be needed though. Not sure who we could buy for that role because Matic clearly won't cut it.
A strong and mobile DM will be needed though. Not sure who we could buy for that role because Matic clearly won't cut it.
All this talk about "Pogba replacement"... Pogba hasnt been that good for us. He's actually been a big part of the reason why it's been almost impossible to have a settled and balanced midfield. People want him as a midfield 2 behind a true 10, he doesnt have the positional awareness for that not the mentality. People want him to be a true 8 in a midfield 3, he doesn't control games often enough with his passing and almost seems like a normal passing game is beneath him and always wants to dribble past some players before passing it. People want him to be the #10 or most advanced of the 3, and up until now, he's never really shown elite productivity levels (and no, taking 12 penalties to boost his totals doesn't count). If he's the most attacking of a midfield 3 and the main creative player next to 2 defensive mids, we lack creativity. If hes the 8 next to a 10, we lack defensive stability and control. He's just somebody who has been impossible to get the best out of consistently.
Tielemans doesn't have to be a direct replacement, but in terms of positioning, I'm sure Ole would see him as our #8. The player who is next to a defensive mid in a double pivot who controls games with his passing, or the pure central midfielder who can score, create, control games and put in defensive work in a midfield 3. He won't be the defensive/holding mid, he won't be the #10, though he could cover in those areas if needed of course. I'd say he's a much more "normal" central midfielder and would make our midfield much more straightforward to balance. Not saying he's better than Pogba, but in terms of our needs and how we build a squad, it might work in our favor to have someone who can help build that functional and quality midfield compared to someone who needs a functional and quality midfield behind him to really excel in the first place.
Tielemans doesn't have to be a direct replacement, but in terms of positioning, I'm sure Ole would see him as our #8. The player who is next to a defensive mid in a double pivot who controls games with his passing, or the pure central midfielder who can score, create, control games and put in defensive work in a midfield 3. He won't be the defensive/holding mid, he won't be the #10, though he could cover in those areas if needed of course. I'd say he's a much more "normal" central midfielder and would make our midfield much more straightforward to balance. Not saying he's better than Pogba, but in terms of our needs and how we build a squad, it might work in our favor to have someone who can help build that functional and quality midfield compared to someone who needs a functional and quality midfield behind him to really excel in the first place.
Bruno and Tielemans in the same midfield is asking to be overrun even with a mobile DM. Surely has to be one or the other. And in that case I know which one I’d prefer.
I also think we’ll utilize McTominay and Pereira a fair bit in midfield next season.
So Bruno and a holding mid or someone more capable defensively like Rabiot makes a lot more sense.
You do, but that central midfield still needs to execute all the functions of a midfield. That is defend, control and create/attack. And win the ball back. Then you decide which of those roles you want Tielemans to perform. I don’t think he’s good enough at anyone of them to be ‘the creator’ or ‘the controller’ or whatever, but I think he has a good combination of creation and control. However, the rest needs to be supplemented by the right people. He doesn’t offer anything defensively so one of the other two at least needs to excel in that area, or the other two altogether need to offer a good amount each. Chances are, if they do, they won’t offer enough control or creativity to supplement the lack from Tielemans there.
With Pogba, his creativity is that good that you only need a little more of the creativity from just one of the other two to have enough creativity from the midfield. Which leaves 1.5 - 1.75 midfielders left to focus more on defending and controlling, which I think is easier to find.
Tielemans alongside Maddison worked because Maddison was a strong creator/attacker, and also worked hard. Tielemans lack of running was then helped by both Maddison and Ndidi then, and the fact that he’s no Pogba helped by the fact Maddison was also there.
Ultimately, I don’t think Tielemans should be brought in to be the main creator from a midfield, his team needs an even better creator alongside I think. That number 10 needs to be a rare one who can also do a bit of running, as Youri as an 8 doesn’t do enough running and tackling I don’t think.
Rodri is off to City.
I think he would be an excellent addition but the way we continuously get things wrong in the market leads me to believe this deal wont happen. 'Makes too much sense' etc. I see genuinely top class potential in him even if he hasn't quite refined his skill set yet. I was all for signing him after we faced Anderlecht in the EL, he seemed to rise to the occasion and the stage.
To the board: please get something right for once and bring this lad in.
To the board: please get something right for once and bring this lad in.
Bruno Fernamdes is not a lazy No.10, he puts in a shift defensively trying to recover the ball so he's better than Pogba in that regard. Tielemans is no Herrera but he also doesn't shy out of duels. Even with a mobile DM, it won't be the most defensively solid midfield but in a team that desperately struggles for goals and loses its most creative player, we need to be more expansive.
Having a DM alongside Mctominay will make us even more toothless up front. Pereira is not even good enough for Watford's midfield so if he gets games for us we're more fecked than I thought.
All of this talk around X replacing Y is missing the point. With Herrera gone, Pogba likely to follow and Matic looking like he is on the decline, we are rebuilding the midfield completely and it pleases me greatly that the midfielders we are being linked with are all young, intelligent and technically sound players.
Totally needless to dismiss academy products who could still progress and become quality options for us but that’s become par for the course around here.
I agree with you re Bruno, but we’re never buying three midfielders this summer so it’s a pointless discussion.
Going into next season with a first choice midfield three of Bruno, Tielemans and Matic would be suicide even if we opt for a diamond with McTominay.
We need quality and steel in midfield. I worry Tielemans will be too much like Pogba in that he will have his moments but create problems for us tactically.
All young with room to improve, good technique. We would look a much better team with those guys.
Ndidi could be an option but I read his distribution is nothing special. How is Thomas Partey on the ball?
Why don`t you just buy Leicester? (Man City had the same idea on Blue Moon)- Status